WDW Tips

This is a picture taken by an online friend of ours. She just returned from a few days at the Magic Kingdom, SeaWorld, and Universal. I was pretty bummed that we were not at Disney this past weekend but after seeing these pictures…..well we both would have just been stressed out. On a side note it is good to see crowds like this now. Between gas prices and the unsure economy I was worried about the parks. Let’s just hope it is no where near this crowded in Oct! (by szlea)

Here’s the link from when Sig, Edgar, and Norman Hansen were at the Norway Pavilion earlier this month. There are some pretty good pics on their flickr account as well. Boy do I wish we could have been there!

My husband and I spent the past several days at the Polynesian Resort in the Club Level (Concierge). Although we had booked a standard garden view, we were pleasantly surprised to find we were upgraded to Club Level. Up until this trip we had little desire to stay at this resort. We enjoy the convenience and proximity of the EPCOT resorts and felt that the Boardwalk was “our” resort of choice. Well, this has all changed. I had been told in the past that there are people who ONLY stay at the Poly and only in the club level. They would even chose a shorter vacation just to stay there rather than staying at a lower level resort. I can completely understand this thinking now. I honestly don’t want to stay anywhere else now when I travel to Disney. You just feel like you are on vacation at the Poly

When we arrived we were greeted with leis and a very friendly “aloha” We headed to the front desk to check in and were quickly told that we had been upgraded. The tears quickly welled up in my eyes and I could not tell them Thank you enough. They gave us our gold room keys and we headed to the Hawaii building. I had requested that we be on the 3rd floor and that is just what we got, 3rd floor garden view. One downside is we were the very last room on the 3rd floor, basically as far away from the concierge lounge as you could possibly get. After finding our room we headed to the lounge to check things out. It is stunning and breathtaking. There is a 3 story picture window which overlooks the 7 seas lagoon: to the right is the Contemporary Hotel, straight head is Cinderella Castle and to the left is the Grand Floridian.

We enjoyed and made great use of the lounge the next several days. We had breakfast every morning. It was your standard continental breakfast fare, cinnamon rolls, bagels, crossaints, danishes, cereals, etc. Afternoon snacks were usually cookies, goldfish crackers, chips/salsa and mixed nuts. The evening service was amazing. We basically made this our dinner on several nights and the menu changed nightly. Then for the after dinner service we had some great desserts which also changed nightly.

For Super Bowl sunday, the staff threw a party complete with decorations. The Giants fans watched from the 3rd floor tv, while most of the Patriots fans were on the 2nd floor. The food, drinks, and beer were readily available all evening. In fact the chef had to remind my husband to save room for dessert.

We had a great view on the beach (if not better than Main Street) of Wishes and the music is piped in so you feel like you are part of the fireworks. We also watched the Electrical Water Parade on several occasions from the lounge.

One of the concerns with staying at the Poly was the ease to get to the parks. Let me say that is was very easy to get where ever we were going. We primarily go to MK and EPCOT and we used the monorail and/or boat to very quickly get there. The walk to the TTC was quick and beautiful. We only rode buses to get to Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Downtown Disney.

We have stayed at Club level before at the Boardwalk. While our room at the Boardwalk had a much better view and more room, the club level there seemed like an afterthought. At the Poly everything is so laid back and like I said you just feel like you are on vacation. There was no stuffiness to the club level or anywhere else for that matter. Everyone at the resort was friendly and greeted you with an aloha anytime they saw you. Like I said we will be staying here again, and again, and again, and again. A+++++++++

Here is what I have come up with for my upcoming trip

Wednesday September 26
My friends fly into Sanford Airport and arrive in Orlando at approx 8pm.
Staying offsite with a friend for the night

Thursday Sept 27
I fly into MCO and arrive approx 11am
Meet at All Star Sports around 1pm
Tour Boardwalk, Contemepary, Poly, and Grand Floridian
Dinner at Downtown Disney
Pleasure Island after dinner

Friday September 28
Start at Animal Kingdom
Early Evening Magic Kingdom-Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Saturday September 29
Epcot morning
Dinner LeCellier 7pm

Sunday September 30
Morning Magic Kingdom
Evening Disney Studios-Extra Magic Hours

Monday October 1
Check out of hotel
Me-head to Epcot for Rededication Ceremony
Everyone else-sleep in check out of hotel
Meet at Beaches and Cream for lunch
Everyone else-shuttle/taxi to airport
Me leave at 5pm for airport

Trip over! BOO!

So that’s the plan. Pretty quick trip just to get my “fix” Hopefully next year there will be several trips now that we are living close to a major airport.

I found this web site via The Disney Blog Its pretty neat…I knew there were corporate rooms at the Land Pavilion but had no idea of the options for different locations. I seriously doubt I will ever need use of one of this for a party, but it’s nice to know they are there. Link

Started to make plans today for a weekend trip at the end of September. It’s going to be a girls weekend. We are going to be there for the first weekend of the Food and Wine Festival as well as the Halloween Horror nights at Universal. I can’t wait!!!

The first night we are staying with a friend a few miles from Universal and then will be in WDW Friday-Monday. We are staying at All Star Music. It looks like we will be there for the 1st night of the Food and Wine Festival and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

I have stayed at just about every level of Disney accomodations. When I was younger we always brought my grandparents camper trailer down to Orlando and stayed at Ft. Wilderness. I don’t specifically remember much from those trips, but I do have a fond memory type of thing. Those trips are the reason I love the “world” now.
My return trips to Disney started in 1992 when my high school band participated in the Magic Music Days. We stayed at Carribean Beach Resort. At that time Disney had just begun to go into the more “value” market of hotels. I enjoyed my trip but hey… what do you really know about hotels at 17?

For my first trip as an adult, Jim and I stayed at the All Star Sports. To tell you the truth we loved the hotel at the time. However our first trip consisted of non-stop park hopping. We were barely at the room for anything. Also at that time there was no way we could afford anything other than counter service meals, so the All Stars fit us perfectly. I can remember that somehow we ended up at the Beach Club (I was trying to get us from EPCOT to the Studios without having to go back to the front entrance of EPCOT) and we made a comment about how #1 we would probably never be able to afford to stay there and #2 why would ANYONE spend that much money on a hotel when you were never there?

For our trip in 1999 we again stayed at the All Stars. Jim was attending classes and we only spent 2 days onsite.

In 2000 we moved up a level and stayed at Dixie Landings (now Port Orleans-Riverside). We were amazed at what a difference 1 level made. We no longer had to wait in HUGE lines at the end of the night to get on the bus. They actually had bell services that were at the front entrance to assist you. There were not as many children as well. We stayed on the Mansion side and realized that for just a few more $$$ each night we got a much more enjoyable time.

In 2001, we began our venture in bringing people with us to Disney. This year we took Jim’s paternal grandmother (the one who lives with us) and his mom. We had 1 room booked at Carribean Beach. We arrived later in the evening and were surprised to see a wait to check in. When I finally got to the counter they explained that they were overbooked and we were being upgraded to a Deluxe hotel. Ironically I choose the Beach Club. I can tell you it was love at first sight when we arrived there. They have fresh flowers in the lobby, the entrance to the rooms are indoors, and we discovered the ease of walking to Epcot. The pool at the Beach Club is amazing and it just felt so nice to be staying there. In retrospect I don’t think we would have done very well with 4 adults in 1 room at Carribean Beach; it was crowded in the room at the Beach Club.

We took a spur of the moment trip in July 2002 and stayed at the All Stars. We were only there for 2 nights and for the quickness of the planning (We deceided 1 week before the go) and the time (4th of July weekend) we were lucky to get at room at all. This has turned out to be the last time we have stayed at a value.

In 2002 we made our largest group trip to date. We traveled with my parents, my paternal grandparents, and my great aunt. Jim and I arrived a day before everyone else and I surprised him with a room at the Contemperary. We had a Tower room with a Magic Kingdom view. It was increadible. Although we only were there for 1 night we really enjoyed the convenience of catching the monorail to get either to the MK or the TTC. Since we had connecting reservations, Disney moved our luggage to our next accomodations. We had a 2 bedroom villa at Old Key West. The accomodations were perfect for the size of our party. Jim and I had the Master bedroom which had a king bed, my grandparents and aunt shared the other bedroom which had 2 double beds, and my parents slept on the fold out bed. We had a washer and dryer, full size stove, fridge, and microwave. My grandfather had difficulty climbing stairs so we had requested a bottom level room. We had a patio which was on the lake and had ducks which visited us every morning. Since we were at Disney on the 1 year anniversary of 9/11 and tourism was still struggling we got an incredible deal on the rate. It was perfect room for the size of our group.

In 2003 Jim and I made several trips with our annual passes. We stayed at Carribean Beach and Port Orleans-Riverside (former Dixie Landings). I don’t know if it was because our previous two trips we had stayed at Deluxe accomodations, but we were underwhelmed by both hotels. Although we were not ready to commit to paying for a Deluxe every trip, I just don’t know if the moderates were holding the same luster as they once had.

In 2004 Jim and I celebrated out 10th anniversary a little late. We bit the bullet and reserved a room at the Boardwalk Inn. Ever since staying at the Beach Club we had wanted to stay at an EPCOT resort again. At check in we were once again surprised with an upgrade. We were given our gold room keys which gave us the most incredible concierge room. We were right on the Boardwalk above the Bakery overlooking the water. The room, the view and the amminties were unforgetable. It doesn’t matter how many times I have been back to Disney or what hotel I have stayed in, we consider that our hotel and our room. It almost made me think that concierge is worth the extra money (well, I am convinced, but I don’t think Jim is)

The only trip I was supposed to have taken in 2005 was an October trip with my sister in law. The agreement was for us to stay at a value hotel. I ended up making the reservations after Katrina and just could not bring myself to book a value. We ended up staying at Carribean Beach. I also make a trip by myself in which I stayed at Coronado Springs. It is a very nice hotel, but due to the large convention center it had more of a business feel that any other Disney resort I have stayed at.

In 2006 both trips I have stayed at Carribean Beach. My biggest complaint with CBR is the fact that the Custom House (check in/out) is located in a different location that the food/shopping. It is a very nice resort however. As far as moderates go it is about the only one I want to stay at. Since I pretty much refuse to stay at a value hotel now and can’t afford a deluxe every trip then, CBR will pretty much be my home when I am at the world.

Jim and I also agree that we really enjoy the Epcot hotels more than any other location. It is just so nice not having to wait for a bus to get to Epcot or the Studios. We spend probably 5 out of 8 nights at Epcot for dinner so being so close to Epcot is really convient for us.

A few places which are still on our list to try:
The Grand Floridian-the luxury of this hotel just seems so appealing. If and when I do stay here, it will probably be a split trip (half moderate/half deluxe) due to the cost

The Animal Kingdom Lodge-again don’t know if I will stay here for the entire time, but I have heard wonderful things about this hotel from other Disney fans

The Polynisian- I know this is also one of the original hotels, but I have heard great things about this one as well.

My annual passes expire today. This morning 1 year ago I was at the Magic Kingdom on a spur of the moment trip after Katrina. Jim had asked how long it would take me to drive to Orlando from Destin and after my response of 5 hours told me to book a room. I got off work on the 24th about 5pm and arrived in Orlando at midnight. I was there for park opening on the 25th. I love being at the parks by myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love being there with Jim and family and friends, but there is nothing like being there all by yourself. I can park hop to my hearts content. If I want to ride Pirates 15 times in a row, I can. If I want to just sit on a park bench and watch people go by and enjoy the feeling of just being there, well I can do that too.

I made the decision to not renew my AP’s based on 2 things, #1 I had spent too much money on our trip on “stuff” to be able to afford renewal for me and a brand new pass for jim and #2 if I got Jim an AP our dates would run out about 3 weeks apart. When we do go back (which I am hoping we make a quick 2 day trip at the begining of Dec) then I will get both of us AP’s.

This is the 2nd time I have had an annual pass and have managed to make 4 different trips on each pass. My breakeven point for the Premium Annual Pass is 13 days. This past time I got 15 days out of this trip. I didn’t use the additional parks as much as I probably should have. I didn’t go to a water park at all on any of those trips and I think I only went to Pleasure Island 4 times.

Sad, Sad day….

Although I am not going to be there this year, I thought I would give a few thoughts on this event. I attended it in October of last year.

This is a seperate ticket event, the cost is around $35 for an adult. I was looking forward to the special parade and the special “Hallo-Wishes” fireworks. Unfortunatly for me last year I couldn’t seem to get away from hurricanes. The evening that I attended MNSSHP, was the night before a hurricane hit the Orlando area. We ended up being rained on most of the evening. We did get to see the parade, but due to the wet streets there was no headless horseman.It is his only appearance at any park at any time of the year. I was really looking forward to that. We also got to see the fireworks but in the rain so there was no witch flying from the castle to start them.

When you arrive at the MK for the event, you are handed a trick or treat bag. There are probably 15-20 stations throughout the park where you can trick or treat. This is not limited to kids, but after a while you begin to feel silly asking for candy. I had planned on dressing in costume for this event, but due to Katrina my costume was MIA. After passing through the turnstiles you are amazed at how quickly they can transform the MK. All the banners along Main Street are specific to the party as well as the lighting is orange and spooky. There are characters everywhere. I think that on normal nights (not the night before a hurricane, when it is raining non stop) the characters are more out in the hub and other public areas. We had to go to different locations which were indoors to find them. Most of the characters were dressed in costumes as well.

Included in your admission is a 5×7 picture with a MNSSHP background. They were very organized and it did not take us long at all to get our picture taken. It is mailed to you within a week or so.

All in all it was a great event. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if it had not been raining, I was dressed in a costume, and I had been able to see the headless horseman.

On a side note I also attended Universals Horror Nights while I was in Orlando on that trip. It is a very ADULT event and VERY SCARY, but it is awesome. All of the haunted houses are top notch and extremly scary. I would highly recommend this to anyone.

Disney has started a new program for young childrens (ages 2-6) which is primarily centered around the Magic Kingdom and the Studios.  We participated several things that both parks had to offer

At the Magic Kingdom they open the parks 1 hour early on a couple of days each week for the Magical Beginings. This is very similar to the extra magic hours that is offered on select days except only the attractions in Fantasyland are open.   They also have several characters out in Fantasyland, we saw Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Wendy just to name a few.  However these characters are not out for pictures or autographs.  They are playing ball or duck duck goose, etc.  Caden was able to play ball with Mickey.  It was pretty cool.  They characters also will ride the attractions with the kids.  We arrived at the Magic Kingdom at approx 8:30am and by 10:30 am we had eaten a quick breakfast and ridden everything including Dumbo.

At the Studios we ate at the new character breakfast at Hollywood and Vine. I had characters from the Little Einsteins and JoJo’s Circus.  We also saw the “special” guest show of Jason and the Sprites?  I had never heard of this show, but Ariane said she had seen it on TV before.  To be quite honest, it was not very good…even Caden was a little bored during the show.  That being said the Wiggles were there 2 days before we arrived, so they do have headliner type shows.

I highly recommend the magical beginings for anyone with a small child.  I especially enjoyed the Magic Kingdom part.  I know that this program is fairly new and I am sure Disney will be adding additional features to this program.