Disney World Blog Discussing Parks, Resorts, Discounts and Dining | Only WDWorld

Use Disney's FastPass To See More Attractions And Spend Less Time Waiting In Line

2012-01-13T05:57:00.000-05:00

It is hard to find a time to visit the Walt Disney World Resort when there are no crowds and short wait times for the most popular attractions, but there is a way to reduce stress and your time spend waiting in lines. It is called Disney’s FastPass. This FREE, yes I said FREE, tool is available to all Disney World Theme Park Guests, but many either choose not to use it or wrongly think it costs extra and avoid it.

Disney’s FastPass

The FastPass is a way for Disney World Theme Park Guests to get a special pass to enter a shorter line at a specific time later in the day for a particular attraction. The benefit is that you can go and do something else while you are waiting for your allowed time, including riding other attractions.

As a Disney Park Guest you look for attractions with FastPass kiosks near the entrance and specially marked FastPass entrances. When you see the kiosk, you take your theme park entrance ticket and place it in the machine. The machine will return your ticket and issue you a FastPass with a specific return time to experience this attraction.

The reason that you must use your theme park ticket to be issued a FastPass is that Disney regulates how many FastPasses you can have active at one time. The FastPass that you receive will designate when you are eligible to get another FastPass from this attraction or any other within the theme park. Since there are only a limited number of FastPasses available each day for each attraction, this keeps the system fair for all to use.

Use FastPass Wisely

By using the FastPass system wisely, you can greatly reduce the amount of time that you spend waiting in line during the day. This in turn will make for a much more enjoyable day at Disney World, no matter how crowded it may be.

One of the best strategies for using Disney’s FastPass is to obtain them for the most popular rides as soon as you enter the Park in the morning. For example if you are visiting Epcot, the two most popular attractions are Test Track and Soarin’. If you get a FastPass for Soarin’ as soon as you enter the park and then go ride Test Track while the lines are still short early in the morning you will be able to hit both attractions with minimal wait, while others may have to wait over an hour for each later in the day.

You will notice that the FastPass gives you a range of time where you can return to the attraction to ride. Although you cannot return before the start time listed, you usually can still use the FastPass after the end time as long it is still for that particular day.

Key Attractions To Use FastPass

Here are the best attractions to use the FastPass feature on in each Park at Disney World:

Magic Kingdom:

· Space Mountain

· Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

· Splash Mountain

· Peter Pan’s Flight

· The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh

Epcot:

· Soarin’

· Test Track

Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

· Toy Story Mania!

· Rock ‘n Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

· The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror

Disney’s Animal Kingdom:

· Expedition Everest

· Kilimanjaro Safaris

· Kali River Rapids

Don’t Miss Out On This FREE Benefit

Many guests don’t take advantage of Disney’s FastPass because they have visited other theme parks that charge extra money for their front of the line systems. Don’t make the mistake of skipping this valuable Disney World benefit that is free and available to all who choose to use it.

By using the FastPass system you can save a significant amount of time each day and increase the amount of time spent experiencing the attractions instead of waiting in lines.

Disney World Parks: How To Have A Great Vacation During Busy Seasons

2010-03-23T22:14:00.000-04:00

Although there may not be any truly slow seasons at Disney World there are definitely still some extremely crowded times to visit. The current Spring Break Season is one of the busiest times of the year.

If you are planning to visit the Walt Disney World Resort is during one of the busy times there are still ways to have a great vacation without spending all of your time waiting in lines.

Disney World Parks: Crowd Beating Tips

Even if you are not a morning person, arrive at the theme parks approximately 30 minutes prior to opening. You will get to see the park opening show and you will be treated to approximately 2 hours of the lightest crowds of the day.
If you have a must see attraction that you have been looking forward to, do it first. That way you do not get disappointed if it becomes too busy later in the day.
The Magic Kingdom attracts the largest crowds. This is especially true during the busy seasons. Consider planning on visiting for the first 3-4 hours after opening and then again for the last 3 hours of the day.
The best day to visit the Magic Kingdom is at park opening the morning after they were open late the previous night for Extra Magic Hours.
During peak season consider investing in the Park Hopper option for your tickets. This will allow you to change parks if the one you are in becomes too crowded. Nothing is more frustrating than feeling trapped in a crowded park.
Make use of the Disney FastPass system. This free system allows you to avoid long waits in line for the most popular Disney attractions, by giving you a time range later in the day that you can return to a short (usually 10 minutes) line. This can free up a lot of your day and still enable you to ride your favorite attractions.
Hit the most popular attractions when the park opens and plan to see the attractions that can handle large numbers of people (example: shows with large theaters) later in the day. This will significantly reduce your time spent in lines.
Epcot handles large numbers of people without feeling crowded compared to the other parks. It is a good place to head to when the park you are visiting is getting overwhelmed.
Don't forget about the Disney Parades, shows, and live entertainment that happens throughout the parks. This will entertain your family and you don't have to wait in lines to see ( Visit Epcot For The Live Entertainment ).
If you don't wish to see the parades, that is often a good time to catch some rides, as large numbers of people do watch the parades.
BE FLEXIBLE. If what you have planned is not working out, change your plans. Don't get frustrated, you are on vacation at Dsney World.

Great Disney Activities Beyond The Theme Parks

Each Disney World Resort is a destination by itself. Take the afternoon to check out some of them. The Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Wilderness Lodge, the Polynesian Resort, Contemporary Resort, and the Grand Floridian are all great places to visit. Each has unique features to check out, and good places to eat lunch.
Take advantage of the wonderfully themed Resort Pools. The Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villa resorts all have great themed pool areas that make a great break away from the crowded parks.
Explore Disney's Boardwalk Area. There are shops, restaurants to check out, as well as, the Boardwalk, Yacht Club, & Beach Club Resorts to explore.
Rent a watercraft. Many of the Disney World Resorts have marinas where you can rent a variety of watercraft.
Visit Downtown Disney. There are tons of shops with unique items, including the incredible World of Disney Store. There are also a large variety of Restaurants featuring all kinds of cuisine to please any palette.

By Planning Ahead You Can Have Great Disney Vacation In Any Season
By doing some research like you are doing right now, you can have a great Disney World Vacation no matter what the season. Remember that there are tons of activities to do at Disney World that are outside of the main theme parks ( 28 Things To Do At Disney World That Don't Require Park Tickets ).

The single most important tip to remember is to arrive at the parks for opening. You will be able to accomplish more during this time, than any other time of the day.

Lastly, if you are planning to eat is Disney's Table Service Restaurants make reservations as early as possible ( Disney takes reservations starting 180 days prior to your visit). It is not uncommon for the on-site restaurants to be completely full and not take any walk-up customers.

Visit Disney World Parks At Opening To Beat The Crowds

2010-02-02T20:49:00.001-05:00

As it becomes harder to find a "slow" time of year at the Walt Disney World Resort, it is important to know how to deal with the crowds and still have a magical vacation.

The first key to dealing with the crowds is figuring out how to be able to enjoy the Disney Theme Parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, & Disney's Animal Kingdom) during these high traffic times.

Park Opening Is The Best Time

For your best chance to ride the attractions that you have been looking forward to without spending your entire day in line, you need to get to the park just prior to opening. You will be treated to a short park opening presentation with your favorite Disney Characters.

At the Magic Kingdom you will see Mickey Mouse and a host of characters arrive by train at the Main St. Station to kick off the day and officially open the park.

Although the show is fun to see, the real reason to wake up early and be at the park for opening (aka Rope Drop) is that the first few hours each morning have the lightest crowds of the day.

By using a combination of FastPasses and hitting your favorite attractions first, you can cover a lot of ground in the first 2 hours that the park is open. As you get closer to noon the parks really start filling up and by early afternoon during the busy seasons, the parks can be near their capacity and the waits for attractions are their longest.

During early afternoon, you are best served by heading out of the park to swim in your Resort pool or take a leisurely lunch, or even a nap. Then head back to the parks in the evening to enjoy the attractions at night.

This approach will allow you to see and do more than you could ever accomplish if you got to the parks at 11:00 AM and stayed until closing. It really is amazing how much you can see and do in the first two hours that the parks are open.

One last tip: To really make the most of your morning avoid the park that has Morning Extra Magic Hours. Although the park does open an hour earlier, it drives a larger number of people to that park and you may actually accomplish less even with the extra hour due to the additional crowds.

When To Take Your Walt Disney World Vacation

2010-01-13T20:14:00.012-05:00

You have decided that you would like to take your family to Disney World. The question that arises whether you are visiting the Walt Disney World Resort for the first time or the 10th time is when to go.

There are no bad times to visit Disney World, but some times of the year are considered the best. Factors such as: Crowds, Cost, School Calendars, Special Events, & Weather can all enter into determining what is best.

In order to make things simple, we will give you several guidelines that will help you significantly narrow down your choices and help you plan the Walt Disney World vacation that is best for you and your family.

Group 1: Traveling with Pre-School Age Children
If your children are pre-school aged, you want to take advantage of visiting Disney World during a time when everyone else is in school and crowds are lower. Warm, but milder temperatures are best when you are pushing a stroller all day.

We recommend September as the time to visit as you will see lower crowds and typically the best Disney World Discounts of the year for Resort stays and/or Vacation Packages.

Group 2: Traveling with School Age Children
When traveling with school age children you must compete with the school calendar to plan your trip. Depending upon the age of your children they will want to ride the most popular rides that potentially have the longest waits. Balancing when you can travel with crowd levels is a difficult challenge.

If you are a first or second time visitor, we would recommend visiting at the end of May or early June. Basically visit as soon as your school lets out for the summer. The weather during this time is not as oppressive and the crowds do not reach their full level until late June and July. If you hit this timeframe you can also enjoy the Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios which is a fabulous event for everyone that enjoys the Star Wars movies and characters.

If you have already visited Disney World several times then we would recommend visiting during the Christmas Holidays. The Christmas Holidays are truly a special time at Disney World and everything at the parks and resorts is different and new with all of the decorations and special activities. It will be a memorable experience for the entire family and all of your favorite attractions will be there too. Try avoiding the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s if possible since it is the most crowded. The week leading into Christmas is less crowded.

Group 3: Adults Traveling Without Children
For adults traveling without children, we would recommend traveling during October. This coincides with the International Food & Wine Festival at Epcot. This is a wonderful event for adults at Disney World and allows you to relax and enjoy what Disney World has to offer.

Group 4: Adults Looking For Adventure
If you are an adult looking for adventure to go with your Walt Disney World vacation, look into planning your trip around one of the Disney Endurance Series Events. There are currently six events scheduled throughout the year. The Disney World Marathon Weekend in January is the showcase for the series attracting over 55,000 participants.

Whether you are a serious runner or just a casual one, there is no experience like running a distance race through one or more of the Disney World theme parks. Many of the races have special parties and after hours Theme Park events for participants.

Group 5: Seniors at Disney World
There is something for everyone at Disney World and seniors are no exception. We would recommend visiting in late April or May to visit the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival or visiting the Food & Wine Festival in October. During both events the weather is mild, the crowds are moderate, and there are special activities to see and do besides the normal theme park attractions.

Picking The Dates To Visit Disney World Is Just The 1st Step
Deciding when you are going to visit the Walt Disney World Resort is just the first step in planning your vacation, but taking the time to carefully pick the dates that match your needs and interests will go a long way towards making your next vacation truly memorable.

Disney World Hidden Secret At Disney's Hollywood Studios

2009-11-30T22:43:00.000-05:00

When you visit the Walt Disney World Resort it is always fun to be "in the know" and find one of the many "Hidden Secrets" that exist within the four theme parks.

Today we will share one of the secrets in Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Located to the left of the entrance of the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular is a small scene that looks like a well under construction. It has a sign posted that warns you to NOT pull the rope.

If you ignore the WARNING and go ahead and "Pull the Rope", you will be rewarded with a special surprise. There will be voices from down in the well that respond each time you pull the rope. Each time you pull the rope you will hear a different response.

This is a great opportunity to impress your family with your knowledge of the Disney World Parks by leading them to this area and having them pull the rope. Encourage them to go against the rules and to ingore the WARNING sign to pull the rope.

It is a lot of fun and your family will consider you the Disney expert for knowing about this Hidden Disney World Secret. This is an area that you will not find in your Disney World park map. It is one of the special extras that is placed there for you to discover on your own.

Disney World Resort Guests Can Take Advantage Of Extra Magic Hours At The Theme Parks

2009-08-02T16:32:00.013-04:00

One of the benefits to staying at one of the Walt Disney World Resorts is that you become eligible to participate in the Extra Magic Hours that are held at the Disney World Theme Parks.

Extra Magic Hours are special times at a specific park each day where the park stays open only for Resort guests.

During the Extra Magic Hour Mornings, the park of the day opens 1 hour earlier for Disney Resort Guests.

The Extra Magic Hour Evenings give Disney Resort Guest 3 extra hours to enjoy the park of the day.

During the Extra Magic hours most of the key attractions are open. Here is the current list:
Magic Kingdom Theme Park
Mornings:
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Haunted Mansion, "it's a small world", The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Peter Pan's Flight, Splash Mountain
Evenings:
Includes attractions listed above and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Pirates of the Caribbean, Stitch's Great Escape!, Tomorrowland Speedway

Epcot
Mornings:
Living with the Land, Mission: SPACE, Soarin', Spaceship Earth, Test Track
Evenings:
Includes attractions listed above and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, Journey Into Imagination With Figment, Mexico - Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, Norway-Maelstrom, The American Adventure

Disney's Hollywood Studios
Mornings:
Muppet Vision 3-D, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Star Tours, Toy Story Mania!, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Evenings:
Includes attractions listed above and The Great Movie Ride, Voyage of The Little Mermaid

Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Mornings:
DINOSAUR, Expedition Everest, It's Tough to be a Bug!, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
Evenings:
DINOSAUR, Expedition Everest, Festival of the Lion King, It's Tough to be a Bug!, Kali River Rapids, Primeval Whirl, TriceraTop Spin

Schedule:

Check the Disney World website to see the current schedule for Extra Magic Hour Parks.

Here is the schedule for this week:

Monday Aug 3: Morning - Hollywood Studios Evening - Animal Kingdom

Tuesday Aug 4: Morning - Magic Kingdom Evening - Epcot

Wednesday Aug 5: Morning - Animal Kingdom Evening - Hollywood Studios

Thursday Aug 6: Morning - Magic Kingdom Evening - Epcot

Friday Aug 7: Morning - Hollywood Studios Evening - Magic Kingdom

Saturday Aug 8: Morning - Animal Kingdom

Sunday Aug 9: Morning - Epcot Evening - Magic Kingdom

How To Take Advantage Of Extra Magic Hours

In order to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours, you need to have valid theme park admission and Resort IDs (Door Key Cards) for each member of your party.

For the Morning Extra Magic Hours the Disney Transportation will be operating early for the park of the day. At the park entrance just show your Resort ID in addition to your theme park ticket and you are free to start enjoying the park.

After the normal park closing time (for Evening Extra Magic Hours) just continue enjoying the park and be prepared to show your Resort IDs at each attraction that yo visit during the evening.

Summary

Extra Magic Hours are a nice perk for Walt Disney World Resort Guests. They are easy to take advantage of if you are interested. Just remember to bring your Resort IDs for ALL members of your party.

Tips For The Summer Vacation At The Walt Disney World Resort

2009-07-08T12:09:00.008-04:00

Summer is a great time to visit the Walt Disney World Resort.

With Florida's very hot sun, frequent, but brief rain showers.and high crowd levels, you can ruin what should be a wonderful vacation at the “Happiest Place On Earth” if you don’t plan properly.

Here are some tips to help you have a fantastic summer vacation:

Start Early
Plan to get to the parks when they open (also referred to as “rope drop”). You want to do this for three reasons:

The park is coolest during the morning, so take advantage of it.
You can get to ride the most popular rides before the crowds settle in later in the day.
There is usually a small park opening performance that you will only get to see if you show up then. (See the picture from Magic Kingdom Opening Performance above.)

Stay Dry

Bring ponchos and/or compact umbrellas with you to the parks each day. Plan on brief rain showers to come each day, so be prepared. Having the rain gear will allow you to continue to enjoy your day instead of having to either make an unscheduled purchase at the parks or head back to the resort to change wet clothes.

Give The Kids A Ride
If you have young children, bring a portable umbrella stroller to give them a place to rest after all of that walking.

These collapsible strollers are relatively inexpensive and easy to get on and off of the Disney World transportation. This also avoids the expensive rental fee for strollers rented at the parks.

Don't Burn

Bring plenty of sunscreen. The Florida sun is hot. Even if you want to get a tan, bring the sunscreen. Nothing can ruin a trip faster than a case of sun poisoning or bad sun burn. Also remember to stay hydrated on those hot days. That will keep your body functioning properly and in shape for enjoying all there is to see.

Take A Break

Plan on taking a mid-afternoon break. When the parks are the most crowded and the sun is at its hottest, take a break back at the resort. Either take a nap or perhaps cool off in the resort pool. This will keep the stress levels low and make sure that you get a chance to relax. It is vacation you know.

Enjoy The Night

Return to the parks in the evening as the sun goes down. The temperature will start to drop, making it much more comfortable. Many of the attractions take on a new perspective when they are lit up at night. Also take advantage of special night time entertainment such as Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, “Illuminations” at Epcot, or “Wishes” at the Magic Kingdom.

Summary
By following these tips you will be able to stay cool, dry, avoid the major crowds, have time to relax, and enjoy the attractions.

Now that certainly sounds like a vacation at the “Happiest Place On Earth.”

Disney Dining Plan - Maximizing Counter Service Credits

2009-01-19T05:55:00.011-05:00

While on a Disney World vacation, dining can be one of the most expensive parts of your trip, so it is important to know how to get the most for your vacation dollar.

Disney offers a couple of different Dining Plans that involve prepaying for meal credits.

In a previous article, I wrote about How to Maximize Your Disney Dining Plan Snack Credits, today I will share with you a plan for getting the most of of your Counter Service Credits.

By definition, a Counter Service meal is where you go up to a counter and order your food and then receive it, pay for it, and find a place to sit down and eat. Disney World has a wide variety of counter service food locations throughout their parks and resorts.

With the various Disney Dining Plans, a Counter Service credit entitles you to: An entree or combo meal, dessert, and a non-alcoholic beverage. We will discuss some of the best locations on the Disney World Resort Property to redeem these credits and maximize the value of your Dining Plan.

Animal Kingdom:

Flame Tree Barbecue: Two great choices here: (1) 1/2 slab of St. Louis Barbecue Ribs + Baked Beans + Corn Muffin, Soft Drink, and either Key Lime Pie or Chocolate Cake

Cash Value = $16.17 + tax

(2) 1/2 Rotisserie Chicken + Baked Beans + Corn Muffin, Soft Drink, and either Key Lime Pie or Chocolate Cake
Cash Value = $15.17 + tax

Epcot:

Sunshine Seasons (in the Land): Two great choices here: (1)Grilled Salmon with Kalamata Olive Pesto sauce and two sides, Soft Drink, Chocolate Mousse Cake or other wonderful desserts
Cash Value = $16.27 + tax

(2)Rotisserie Pork Chop with two sides, Soft Drink, Chocolate Mousse Cake or other wonderful desserts
Cash Value = $16.27 + tax

Tangierine Cafe (in Morocco): Chicken and Lamb Combo Shawarma Sandwiches- served with hummus, Tabouleh, and a Tangierine CousCous Salad with a Fresh Moroccan bread, Soft Drink, Baklava Pastry

Cash Value: $18.54 + tax

Hollywood Studios:

Toy Story Pizza Planet: Pepperoni or Vegetable Pizza, Salad, Soft Drink, Mickey's Crisped Rice Treat

Cash Value: $13.07 + Tax

Magic Kingdom:

Cosmic Ray's (Tomorrowland): 1/2 Chicken and BBQ Rib Combination served with Mashed Potatoes and a seasonal vegetable, soft drink, Carrot Cake or Triple Chocolate Cake

Cash Value: $19.67 + Tax

Disney Resorts:

Most of the Disney Resorts have a food court that you can redeem your counter service meals at as well. Shop around and see what you can get at the resort you are staying at.

Downtown Disney:

This is my favorite Counter Service location in all of Disney World and certainly a top-notch Dining Plan Value.

Wolfgang Puck Express: They have too many wonderful choices to pick just one, but I will for the example. They specialize in Italian food (Salads, Sandwiches, Pasta, and Gourmet Pizza).

Rigatoni with Chicken Alfredo, Soft Drink, Creme Brulee.

Cash Value: $18.85 + tax.

So there it is, at least one Counter Service Restaurant in each of the Disney Parks that offers wonderful food that will also help you maximize your dining dollars. Don't settle for hamburger and fries, when you can have so much more!

Choosing a Disney World Moderate Resort

2009-01-18T12:53:00.009-05:00

With more than 20 Resort hotels to choose from in the Walt Disney World Resort, it can be a daunting task to narrow the list down and pick the right one for your vacation.

Today we are going to focus on the group that Disney calls its Moderate Resorts.

Why Choose a Moderate Resort?

The Moderates, as the name implies, will cost you more than the Value resorts, but not as much as the Deluxe resorts. That, in and of itself, does not tell you very much. Here is what you can expect when you stay at a Moderate resort:

Rack Rates start at $149 per night + Tax, but many discounts are available throughout the year.
Rooms are 314 – 340 sqft.
They have 2 Double or 2 Queen Sized beds in a standard room
Each room has it’s own mini-fridge.
Each Resort has a Food Court.
All Resorts except French Quarter have a full service sit down restaurant.
All resorts have lounges
All resorts have a special pool complex, most with water slides.
Extensive landscaping and theming that differentiate them from the Value resorts.
All resorts have bike and water craft rentals available.
Walking and jogging trails.

In summary, the Moderate resort hotels have larger rooms and more resort amenities than the Value hotels. This can make a big difference on longer trips, with older children, or if you plan on spending a fair amount of time at the resort during your vacation.

Here are snapshots of your choices for Moderate resort hotels:

Caribbean Beach:
This sprawling, 200 acre, tropical themed resort is set around the 45 acre Barefoot Bay with white sand beaches.
The brightly colored 2,112 rooms are divided into 6 villages named after Caribbean islands.
A sprawling pool complex themed like an old Spanish fortress: complete with towers, antique cannons, and a waterslide.
Pirate themed rooms are being added.

Port Orleans Riverside:
This 2,048-room hotel pays homage to rural Louisiana.
The resort is split into 2 sections, the Alligator Bayou with backwoods style cottages, landscaping, and decorations; and the white-columned Magnolia Bend Mansions with their formal gardens and stately decorations.
The 3.5-acre Ol' Man Island extensive pool complex is encircled by a bend of the Sassagoula River.
This resort has the best food court of all of the Moderates, with a large variety of choices and plenty of seating.
Although the resort is large, it is organized to keep the walking reasonable.
You may catch a free boat ride to Downtown Disney along the Sassagoula River.

Port Orleans French Quarter:

The Riverside pays homage to rural Louisiana, but the French Quarter is themed to embrace New Orleans during Mardis Gras.

This resort is the smallest of the Moderates, but still has over 1,000 rooms.

The least amount of walking is required at this resort.
The main pool area has a fun water slide that kids of all ages enjoy.
This resort is within walking distance to the Riverside and although it does not have a sit-down restaurant of its own, you can walk to Boatwright's at the Riverside.

Coronado Springs:

The Resort has an American Southwest theme to it's 1,921 rooms in 3 distinctly different themed areas.
This resort has the best main pool area of all of the moderates. The Mayan pyramid ruins make a wonderful backdrop. It also has a 22 person hot tub.
The food court here, the Pepper Market, is unique to all of Disney World. It has an ala carte set up with various pods (stations) where you "build" your meal. The food is very good, but slightly more expensive than the other food courts.
This resort also has convention facilities on site and frequently has a large number of convention goers present.

Personal Note:

You can't go wrong at any of these resorts. I have personally had the opportunity to stay at each of them over the last several years. They are all beautiful and can be a vacation destination all to themselves.

If I had to pick a favorite, I would pick the Port Orleans Riverside. I have had several wonderful vacations there and I enjoy the relaxing Bayou landscaping and decorations.

First Time Tips - Arrival Day

2009-01-03T19:42:00.012-05:00

Today I will present another topic in the series of First Time Tips, the Arrival Day.

It is important that you consider your arrival day when planning your vacation. Time is money as the old saying goes, so you want to be able to maximize the value out of your Arrival Day.

The time of day that you arrive at the Walt Disney World Resort will determine your Arrival Day game plan. If you have the option you want to arrive as early as possible.

If I am flying I try to arrive in the morning. If we are driving, we arrange our trip so that we drive most of the way the night before and get close enough that we can drive to Disney World and arrive before noon on our official arrival day.

The Magic Your Way park tickets are such that any day beyond 4 is virtually free on the multi day tickets, so it makes sense to arrive early enough so that you can spend at least part of the arrival day in the parks. Years ago it was not this way, so you hated to "waste" a day of your tickets for a few hours. Since this is no longer the case do not be afraid to go to the parks even for just a couple of hours on your Arrival Day.

Depending upon the Disney Resort that you are staying at your official check-in time is either 3:00 pm or 4:00 pm, but this does not mean that you want to wait until then to check-in. You can check in to your resort as soon as you arrive, no matter how early it is. Your room may not be available until the official check in time (although occasionally it is), but the important part is that you get access to the privileges that are given to Disney Resort Guests.

The early check in is also helpful if you are participating in the Dining plan, since your room key is used for that as well. Even if you don't have a room, you are allowed to use the pool once you check in, so that can be an option if you pack your swimsuits in your carry-ons and use the locker rooms to change.

If you are flying, you can check your carry-on bags with the resort, so that you do not have to take them to the parks with you if your room is not ready. If you drove, just leave your car parked at your resort, and use the Disney Transportation.

Many people consider the travel day a wasted day, but I always look forward to it. I will usually plan on going to either Epcot which is always open until 9:00 pm or later, or a park that is open late on my arrival day. I usually will avoid the Animal Kingdom, since it is a park that works best if you arrive right at the opening.

Summary

So here are the tips in order to make the most of your Arrival Day:

Plan ahead so that you can try to arrive before noon if possible to maximize the day.

Travel wearing clothes that you will be comfortable wearing into the parks.

Check in to your hotel as soon as you arrive to get your room keys. (You may even get some Disney Magic and your room will be ready early). You get your final room key at this point, as well as, all Resort Guest Privileges.

Plan out the rest of your arrival day, which may include: swimming at the resort pool, visiting a park, and dining reservations.

Allow extra time in your plans in case you experience travel delays (no need to cause unneeded stress).

If you visit a park, pick one that is still enjoyable if you arrive later in the day. In my opinion Epcot would be the best choice, although if you have small children, the Magic Kingdom is what they have been waiting to see.

Enjoy the Day! You are at Disney World!

Feel free to leave comments with your favorite Arrival Day rituals.

First Time Tips - Disney Restaurant Research

2008-11-05T05:59:00.003-05:00

When you visit Walt Disney World, dining can be one of the best or one of the worst parts of your trip. I hoping with the tips that I am providing today and through other posts, I can help make it one of the best.

I have written earlier about the Disney Dining Plan and the benefits it has. For a first time visitor, the pre-paid dining definitely helps keep your trip on budget and their are times of the year, where Disney will include the Dining Plan for free as part of a package.

The topic I wanted to discuss today is determining whether a certain restaurant is right for your family. Besides the recommendations of others, some times it is just nice to know what is on the menu and what the prices are for a particular restaurant.

While today I am going to help you do even better than that! I am going to provide two links that each give you a list of each of the on-property Disney Dining locations, including counter service and snack carts. They also have full listing of menu items and prices for each location.

They are:

Both sites have basically the same menu information, and get updated fairly regularly.

By having this information available to you when you are trying to plan where you may eat is a tremendous benefit. This is especially helpful if you have a picky eater in the family.

So give it a try! Pick a location that you have been thinking about eating at and look up it's menu. Hopefully the menu will have something that appeals to you and your family.

The research will not make the food prices any lower, but you will know what to expect and what to budget for if you do choose to eat there.

This is another case where planning ahead can definitely make your Disney World experience go much smoother. It will also make you a hero to your family for choosing the perfect place to eat every time!

Tips for First Time Visitors - Disney World Bus System

2008-10-23T05:55:00.006-04:00

This is the first a in a series of blog articles that are tailored to those of you that are looking to visit Walt Disney World for the first time or stay at a Disney World Resort for the first time.

If you are staying on the Disney World Property, then odds are you will be using the Disney Bus system to get around during your vacation.

Disney’s fleet of over 230 buses do a great job of getting people around the 47 square miles of the Walt Disney World Property.

Each resort that is served by the bus system has 5 different buses coming every 20-30 minutes to take people to each of the 4 Theme Parks and Downtown Disney. The two Disney water parks can also be reached through the bus system (Typhoon Lagoon on the Downtown Disney bus and Blizzard Beach on the Animal Kingdom bus).

To get where you want to go, start out at the bus stop for your resort. The larger resorts have multiple bus stops, so that you only have a couple minute walk to your nearest bus stop.

The buses are clearly marked with the electronic signs as to their destination. You board the bus that is going to your destination of choice.

When you are dropped off, the bus driver will tell you where to go to pick up the bus to get back to your resort. There are also signs in case you forget.

When you want to return to your resort, you go to the designated bus area and catch your bus back to your resort. They make the process very simple. There really is no need to drive once you arrive at your Disney resort.

The pictures show examples of a bus stop at the Saratoga Springs Resort, a return stop at the Magic Kingdom and a return stop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Never fear, you can easily master the Disney Bus system and take advantage of this free service that you are entitled to by staying at one of the Disney Resorts.