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Category Archives: Resorts
Top 5 Things to do while Riding from the Resorts to the Parks
With the exception of the monorail Resorts, it can take a good 30 minutes to get from your lodging to any of the Walt Disney World Parks. Factor in crowd levels, special events, hour of day and distance to/from your destination (and how many other stops there are along the way), and the amount of time you spend on the bus, boat or monorail can add up to a considerable amount of time. If you’re not prepared, that can seem like a lot of lost, unmagical moments.
To perk up the pace, here are my top five things to do while riding to the Parks:
- If you are healthy and able, get up out of your seat and offer it to someone who needs it more than you do. Days at the Parks are long and tiring—even more so to a mom carrying a sleeping infant, an ailing grandmother, someone with a handicap or a small child. Consider others before yourself.
- Chat with the people next to you. Sometimes people just stare at their feet to avoid conversation, but you know what? Most strangers don’t bite! If they’re staying at your Resort, you’re likely to bump into them again, and it’s always nice to see a friendly face. If nothing else, you’ll gain a new Facebook friend.
- Drill the bus driver. They are a wealth of Disney information and can answer any question you have about the Parks and surrounding area. They give great advice and tips on how to get around and make your stay even more enjoyable.
- Get your things organized and ready to present at the gate. If you’re carrying a bag, make sure it’s accessible, maybe go ahead and open it for the quick search. Make sure your tickets are out and ready to go so you don’t have to dig through your stuff. You’ll want to get into the Parks as quickly and as easily as possible.
- Sleep! Seriously. The average person walks eight to 10 miles a day while visiting Walt Disney World Resort. That fact alone exhausts me! Now consider all the things you’re doing while walking those miles. Add in the emotional excitement, the effort to keep your kids reigned in, the anticipation of the following days, keeping to schedules, and generally trying to do and see everything there is to see and do, and you’ll be begging for one of those ECVs by nightfall if you don’t rest up when you can. If you are parents of young kids, tag team it. Let Mom catnap on the way to the Parks and Dad snooze on the way back. They say a 15-minute nap can give you an extra hour of energy later on, so grab it while you can!
What do you do to pass the time on buses, boats and rails?
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Planning Your First WDW Trip: Where to Begin?
Planning your first Walt Disney World vacation can definitely be overwhelming – there is so much to do and so much information out there that it’s easy to get buried beneath it all. Luckily, help in planning the trip of your dreams is out there, you just have to know where to look!
Use this timeline as a guide in planning, and while its not all-encompassing, it will give you a place to start and some things you’ll definitely want to do along the way
1 year before your trip: Yes, that’s right, planning a WDW trip can take a year or more (but believe me, its 100% worth it!)! At this time, you should:
-Start doing some research as to where you might want to stay, and think about if you want to stay on property (personally, I always am an advocate for staying on property, the perks like transportation, extra magic hours, Magical Express, and being right in the middle of it all are too good to pass up!), and if so, where you want to stay. For help with that, check out This Article on how to pick your WDW resort
-Make your Budget – Maybe not the most exciting thing to do, but it is definitely an important part to planning a WDW vacation. The reason I like to do this so far in advance of the trip is so I can save up as much as possible, as a trip to WDW isn’t cheap, but its worth all the planning and saving! Some things to include in your budget: hotel, park tickets, car rental/parking, Plane tickets/other transportation, food, tips (this one is important if you’re on the Disney Dining Plan, as gratuities at table service restaurants are not included with the plan and will need to be paid out of pocket), souviners, and incidentals/miscellaneous.
*If you make your budget and find that you need to cut somethings out, Check out my tips for Saving money on your WDW vacation
7-8 months before your trip:
-Book it! You’ve budgeted your trip and you know where you want to stay, so it’s time to make your travel plans! As for HOW to go about booking it, you could do it all online yourself, or use a travel agent (not sure if you need one? Check out this article for Travel Agent Tips)
-Research Your Dining Options: This one may seem crazy, like how are you supposed to know what you might want to eat 8 months from now? But trust me, its very important to plan your Advanced Dining Reservations, or ADR’s, as the more popular places full up fast. Chip’s Guide to Disney World Dining and www.disneyworld.com/dining are both good resources for figuring out your ADR’s. Once you pick some places you might like, think about which day and meal you would like to eat there, and make a list of that information so you can have it handy when it’s time to make the reservations
6 months before your trip (180 days to be exact)
-Time to book those ADR’s – so here is a brief rundown on how this works. You have researched what restaurants you want to eat at and have your list handy. 180 days before your trip is when you can make your ADR’s, beginning online at 6am ET and via phone at 7am ET (1/407-WDW-DINE). What is an ADR, exactly, you might be wondering? Well, its basically like call ahead seating, where you arrive at the restaurant at your appointed time and are given a pager, and you’re paged when the next table becomes available
-Book your airline tickets – I have personally found this to be a good time to book a flight, the prices tend to be a little lower, and overall it works out well. This would also be a good time to research how you will actually get to the park, whether it be renting a car or taking a shuttle
From 6 months to 2 months before your trip:
-Research all there is to do – this is a really fun one, it’s time to actually think about all the fun things you will do while you are at Walt Disney World! Research the parks and the rides and the shows and everything else they have to offer. There are TONS of ways to do this, some of my faves are books – Specifically the Passporter Walt Disney World Guide, and also Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World, both of which are full of information in an easy to understand layout, and also the internet can be a great tool. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the sheer volume of Disney World information online, so here are some sites I prefer to do my research on:
www.chipandco.com
www.allears.net
www.wdwinfo.com
www.disneyworld.com
Guide to Career Education has a lot of great information available for WDW junkies and others interested in getting into the travel and tourism profession.
-Plan to take some time for yourselves : Whether you are traveling with other adults or with children and the whole family, everyone deserves a little time to themselves on vacation, so take a look at these adult friendly WDW activites and think about incorporating some of them into your trip
1 month before your trip: You’re officially in the home stretch, Mickey is just a hop skip and a jump away! Don’t forget to:
-Make your list of things you need to pack....if you’re having trouble figuring out what you will need, start Here
-Go Shopping! Stock up on the things you know you’ll need, like extra batteries, sunscreen, make sure you have enough of any prescriptions you take, etc (It’s good to plan ahead on these things, especially the ‘essentials’ that cost next to nothing at home cost an arm and a leg at a WDW souvenir shop!)
1 week before your trip:
-Start packing: Utilize that list you made and make extra sure you have everything you need, doing this ahead of time can save you time, money, and headaches down the road!
-Check in online : If you’re staying at one of Walt Disney World’s Resort Hotels, this can be done up to 10 days in advance of your trip, and once you arrive at the Resort there’s a separate (shorter) check in line, and the process is a lot faster than traditional hotel check in
-Confirm ADR’s and transportation: You can check your ADR information online through Disney’s Dining website, and as for transportation, you will want to call your car rental company to make sure they have the correct information and vehicle ready for your arrival (because there’s nothing worse then getting a rental car that’s half the size of the one you were promised…trust me on this one!
-Check out these Last Minute Tips to make sure you’re fully prepared for your WDW vacation
The Day of your trip: Don’t forget to Have Fun, because above all else, you are going to the Happiest Place on Earth, and even if you forget something or forget to plan something, you will have an amazing time!
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Spring Break At WDW – How to Deal With the Crowds
Anyone who has ever been to Walt Disney World during February, March, or April would use the same words to describe it – rainy, and CROWDED! This is definitely one of the ‘peak’ times to visit, which means prices are higher, lines are longer, and tempers are shorter.
Having visited WDW every year during this time growing up, I have compiled some ‘helpful hints’ that can make your trip less stressful:
Eat at “off” times: If you want to get Advance Dining Reservations to popular WDW restaurants like Cinderella’s Royal Table where you can dine with the Princesses, or Chef Mickey’s where you can meet and greet the Mouse himself, you may have to willing to take those weird reservation times, like a 10:45 am breakfast, or a 4:55 pm dinner. Everyone else wants to eat at these places too, so if they are that important to you, be willing to take whatever reservation they can give you
Explore New Places: The 4 theme parks of WDW are amazing places, and obviously the main reason why people travel there, and that means they are also going to be packed to capacity during these peak times (we’re talking 90+ minute waits for popular rides, crowded counter service restaurants, and hordes of strollers all waiting to bang you in the ankles). This would be a great time to explore what Disney World has to offer beyond the parks like watersports (including water skiing and boat/jetski rentals), spa treatments, and plenty of shopping/dining options at Downtown Disney. The best part of all these is they don’t require a park admission, and just might give you a chance to relax and unwind (after all, isn’t that what vacations are really for?)
Extra Magic Hours: This is one of the best perks of staying at one of the WDW Resort Hotels – each day, one theme park stays open an hour later or opens an hour early for WDW Resort guests ONLY. It’s called Extra Magic Hours, and its a great chance to get in some early mroning or late night rides with shorter lines and fewer crowds. You can pick up an Extra Magic Hours Schedule at your WDW resort upon your arrival
Have A Plan…and be willing to change it: When visiting a place like Disney World where there is SO much to do, it is always helpful to have a rough idea of how you will spend your days. During busy season, the key to this is definitely having a ‘rough’ plan – and realizing that things could change and you should have a backup, if at all possible. So plan, but don’t overplan (you’ll just end up disappointed if you plan out every minute, because it never works out exactly as you plan!)
Know your “must do’s”: Whether this is your first trip to WDW or your 100th, you should do some research ahead of time and pick 3-5 rides/attractions/shows you really want to do at each park – and make those your goal. Check the wait times when you arrive at the park, utilize Fastpasses, and be willing to wait. Patience is key, and if you really love the ride, it will be well worth the time spent in line!
DON’T STRESS: The bottom line is, you are still going to the most magical place on earth, so you will have a great time no matter what! Just try and be flexible, and don’t get too upset if you don’t see it all…there’s always next time!
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Disneyland Resort Hotels: Which one is for you?
The big question on our trips is which resort hotel we will stay at in Disneyland. We have to fly over the ocean to go, so we have a long time to save up between trips and love the on-property perks. Now that we’ve stayed at all 3, it’s nice to have an overview of the ones we will stay at for future trips that might help your planning as well.
Paradise Pier Hotel
This hotel wasn’t originally a resort hotel, it is the lowest priced of the 3 resort hotels, yet not value-priced. The decor is California beach style, my boys had lots of fun with the beach ball pillows. My biggest complaint is the elevator situation- there are 3 main elevators for the whole hotel and one glass elevator on a different system. We did learn the trick- go up to get down, which reminded us of “go left to turn right”. Just one of those opposite-world kind of things. The 3rd-floor rooftop pool is heated and the kids loved the “California Screamin’” waterslide. The lobby stays pretty busy and they have a few restaurants there as well: PCH Grill (home to Mickey’s Surf’s Up breakfast and the Kitchen Sink dessert) and Surfside Lounge.
Disneyland Hotel
Just coming off a refurbishment, the Disneyland Hotel is the original and my favorite of the resort hotels. The headboards come alive with lights and music (“A Dream is a Wish”) and I also like that the building names reflect more of the parks: Adventure, Fantasy and Frontier. The D-ticket pool, E-ticket pool and Monorail pool with waterslides and hot tubs are newly open as well with a kiddie area. There are a few more dining options here: Coffee House, Goofy’s Kitchen (premium character dining), Steakhouse 55, Tagaroa Terrace- Casual Island Dining and Trader Sam’s- Enchanted Tiki Bar. It’s best proximity is to the monorail that goes into Tomorrowland of Disneyland park, which I love after a long day of walking the parks!
Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
This resort hotel reminds me of the Wilderness Lodge- very similar with the same architecture and big open feel. It is the most deluxe of the 3 and also has the Villas associated with it for DVC members. It has it’s own entrance into the California Adventure park and is right in the middle of Downtown Disney with about the same distance to the monorail as Disneyland Hotel, and it’s proximity to both parks are the best. There are also 3 pool areas to play in at this resort, the Fountain pool, Redwood pool with waterslide and the Mariposa pool with hot tub. Whitewater Snacks is near one of the pools, Hearthstone Lounge is in the main lobby, Storytellers’ Cafe is home to the buffets and Chip and Dale’s Critter breakfast and their signature restaurant is the Napa Rose. It’s amazing to me how you can find peace and quiet in this resort even with how many guests there are and how it’s right in the middle of all the action. The Mandara Spa is also in this hotel as well as many other services (babysitting for ages 5-12, tours and classes)
All of the resort hotels sleep 5 in a room, usually with 2 Queens and a daybed but the Grand Californian has some rooms with a bunkbed and pull out trundle.
Have you stayed at any of these resorts? What did you think? Let me know in the comment box below.
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Disneyspeak: Do You Speak Disney’s Language?
Fantasmic
Chip & Company would like to extend a Pooh-sized welcome to all Guests! Come one, come all Cast Members and VoluntEARS to the Show. We hope you’ll find us to be a Fantasmic Innovention and refer to us often as an E-Ticket Attraction. Consider us your Automagic Fastpass to the Utilidors of Disney knowledge!
The world of Walt Disney entertainment is so unique it requires its own language. Some words originated directly from Walt and his Imagineers. Others, it seems, have grown into their own Disneyness and have acquired new meanings along the way.
Attraction = a theme park ride or show
Audio animatronics = realistic robotics that bring 3-D effect to an Attraction
Automagic = play on automatic; the Disney way of making things magically happen
Backstage = a park area not accessible to guests
Cast Member = a Disney theme park or resort employee
Casting center = theme park or resort employment office
Costume = the uniform worn by a Cast Member
Crew Member = Disney Cruise Line employee
Disney point = to point with index and middle finger together; in some cultures it is rude to point with only one finger
Earffel Tower = water tower at DHS; example of wienie
Epcot = from EPCOT, Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow
E-Ticket = the newest, best, most popular attraction; stems from former system of ride coupons ranking rides A-E (A were least popular, E most popular)
Fantasmic = lights, lasers, fireworks, and waterworks show at DHS
FastPass = ticket generated to assign Guest a time to return to a busy Attraction without waiting in long line
Guest = visitor to Disney theme park or resort
Hallowishes = special Magic Kingdom fireworks during MNSSHP Halloween celebrations
IllumiNations = fireworks at Epcot
Imagineer = employee of Walt Disney Imagineering (formerly Walter Elias Disney, WED Enterprises); combination of imagine+engineer; scientists and artists who design the Attractions
Innovention = innovation+invention
Mousekeeping = resort housekeeping/maid service
Mouseketeer = play on musketeer; cast members of the TV show The Mickey Mouse Club
On stage = any area where a Cast Member might be seen by Guests
Philharmagic = philharmonic+magic 3-D film at MK
PhotoPass = barcoded card/web access to photos taken by Cast Member photographers
Plussing = constantly striving to improve a project even when it is considered complete
Pooh-sized = big, like Pooh Bear
Protein spill = term used by Cast Members to indicate someone has vomited
Show = everything that encompasses an Attraction or park feature; all the effects & mood setters that combine to make it feel like you’re walking into that world
Utilidors = utility+corridors The underground tunnels at Magic Kingdom that provide access for maintenance, Cast Members, readying, etc.
VoluntEARS = The Disney VoluntEARS program provides opportunities for Cast Members to contribute their time and expertise to charitable causes.
Wienie = a visual Attraction or landmark that can be seen by Guests from far away; it is used to guide visitors through park, i.e. Cinderella Castle
Wishes = Magic Kingdom fireworks
Then, there’s a slew of abbreviations representing different Resorts, restaurants, shows, etc.
Parks:
DLR = Disneyland Resort
DLP = Disneyland Park
DCA = Disney California Adventure
DTD = Downtown Disney (both DLR & WDW)
WDW = Walt Disney World Resort
AK or DAK = Disney’s Animal Kingdom
DHS = Disney’s Hollywood Studios
EC = Epcot
MK = Magic Kingdom
BB = Blizzard Beach
TL = Typhoon Lagoon
DLRP or DLP = Disneyland Resort Paris
DCL = Disney Cruise Line
TDL = Tokyo Disneyland
TDS = Tokyo Disney Sea
HKDL = Hong Kong Disneyland
Resorts:
AKL = Animal Kingdom Lodge
AS = All Star Sports
ASM = All Star Movies
ASMu = All Star Music
BLT = Bay Lake Tower
Cont = Contemporary
CS = Coronado Springs
DLH = Disneyland Hotel
FW = Fort Wilderness Campground
FtW = Fort Wilderness
GC = Disney’s Grand Californian
GF = Grand Floridian
PFQ = Port Orleans French Quarter
Poly = Polynesian
POP = Pop Century
POR = Port Orleans Riverside
SS = Saratoga Springs
WL = Wilderness Lodge
Y&B = Yacht & Beach Club
Attractions:
BTM = Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
CoP = Carousel of Progress
EE = Expedition Everest
GMR = Great Movie Ride
HM = Haunted Mansion
MNSSHP = Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
MVMCP = Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
PotC = Pirates of the Caribbean
RnRC = Rock–n–Roller Coaster
SM = Space Mountain
SSE = Spaceship Earth
SM = Splash Mountain
ST = Star Tours
ToT = Tower of Terror
TSM = Toy Story Mania
TTA = Tomorrowland Transit Authority
Other:
AA = Audio Animatronics
ADR = Advanced Dining Reservations
AP = Annual Pass
CM = Cast Member
DDP = Disney Dining Plan
DVC = Disney Vacation Club
ECV = Electric Convenience Vehicle (motorized scooter)
EMH = Extra Magic Hours
FW = Future World
HM = Hidden Mickey
ME = Magical Express
TIW = Tables in Wonderland
TTC = Transportation and Ticket Center
WS = World Showcase
Next time you want to impress your friends, drop some Disneyspeak. It’ll confirm what they’ve suspected all along: Yep, you’re a Disney addict!
These lists are hardly exhaustive. Help us add to them in the comments below.
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