Navigating Disney.pdf

NAVIGATING DISNEY
BY REBECCA NEVIN


INTRODUCTION
KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT AND PLANNING TO GET IT AT DISNEY WORLD
You’ve just heard the most won- derful words in the human vo- cabulary: “We’re going to Dis- neyWorld!” But,asyouknow, taking a vacation to the Disney parks is no small undertaking. The Disney Parks in Florida are four in number, along with two water parks. How do you know which ones to go to? Should you go to all of them, and if so, how many days should you plan per park? Which ones will your kids like the best? Are they all kid-
friendly, or will you be wasting your time at some of them? And what about meals? Where should you eat and how much will it cost? These questions and more are the ones that hop into your mind when you start to think about your Disney vacation.
If you’ve never been to the Disney Parks, you definitely need this book. This book is a planning resource to inform you about what you’re going off to see and how to navigate it. It will help you know what op- tions you have in front of you and which ones are best for you and your family to pick. The chapters will not only go over each individual park, but you will get to think about what you want out of your vacation in accordance with what’s available, so after all the time and money you’ve spent getting yourself and your family to Disney World, you will be satisfied when you leave that you got everything you were hoping for.
If you’ve been to Disney before, this book will help you refine your next visit. With all that Disney offers, its simply impossible to cover it all. This book will help you think about what you want in your next Dis- ney vacation. Perhaps you missed a few things last time. Perhaps you’ve always gone as a single, but now you are married with children. Considering things from your children’s point of view will make a big differ- ence in how you plan and navigate your Disney vacation this time.
Whatever the case, this book is sure to help you think through your preferences, choose them and navi- gate your way into the best Disney vacation you’ve ever had.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION TO FLORIDA
The Disney property is situated in the city of Orlando that falls within Central Florida depicted above in the yellow circle to your left. Within that Orlando area, the Disney folks have bought a good sized area of land on which all of their four parks sit. The property is so large that Disney has its own utilities, transportation system and fire department and yet contains all of Dis- ney World in one location. Most people fly into the Orlando International Airport just a hop away from Disney.
If you are staying at a Disney Resort (covered later), you can reserve your place on the free shuttle to your resort called “The Disney Magical Express”. If you are staying off site, many hotels provide free transpor- tation to/from the airport or, in the alternative, to the Disney Parks. Check in advance to find out.
As shown in the chart above, Florida does get cold at times. Remembering that “average” takes into ac- count years when the temperature is colder than others, realize there are times when the temperature drops below the average, as well as above it. You’ll also notice that the rainfall from May to June in- creases substantially and doesn’t drop back down until October. However, during the summer months, the humidity is quite thick and a refreshing rain shower can be quite pleasing. Not only do you get a wel- comed break from the thick humidity, but you’ll find that the rain will fall in a quick, hard thunder shower in the morning and one again in the afternoon. They come in a hurry and don’t last long. A quick dip into a souvenir shop, attraction or restaurant and you’ll be ready to go again.
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A BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF THE DISNEY PROPERTY
Disney’s Parks
Disney has four “amusement” parks, unlike any other “amusement” park you’ve ever been to. The Disney parks are filled with “attractions”, not “rides” as we’re used to calling them. The difference is that parents and children will travel through stories and adventures in the attractions, which is a good deal different than just whirling around and around or going up and down. In addition to the four amusement parks, Disney has two water parks situated on the same property. Although the water parks are creatively conceived and well designed, they remain water parks which you can probably find at home. Your time should be focused on the amusement parks and, if time allows, then going to one of the water parks might be a good idea.
Disney’s Four Amusement Parks
1. The Magic Kingdom
2. EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow)
3. Hollywood Studios (formerly “MGM”)
4. Animal Kingdom
Disney’s Two Water Parks
1. Typhoon Lagoon (a pirate’s place)
2. Blizzard Beach (a frozen beach scene)
Disney Shopping/Nightlife
Disney has one major area for shop- ping and nightlife called “Downtown Disney”. Its accessible by bus, boat and car and no ticket is required to enter the area. This area is on the verge of undergoing a major update. Whether you get there before, after or in the middle, you’re sure to enjoy Downtown Disney.


A COMPLETE OVERVIEW OF THE DISNEY PROPERTY
The Parks
1. The Magic Kingdom is located at the top of the map illustrated by Cinderella’s castle.
2. EPCOT is middle-right of the map signified with what appears to be a golf ball.
3. Hollywood Studios is just below that to the left, signified by a party hat and mouse ears.
4. Animal Kingdom is situated at the left outer edge of the map signified by the tree in the middle of the park.
5. Blizzard Beach Water Park sits between Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.
6. Typhoon Lagon sits on the other side of Hollywood Studios to the right.
**The remaining items in the map are resorts and Downtown Disney.
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THE DISNEY RESORTS
There are several great resorts I highly urge you to consider when planning your lodging for your Disney vacation. Although the word “resorts” at first sounds cost prohibitive, it may not be upon your final analysis. When Disney built their first resorts, they were quite expensive. But, in the last several years, Disney has built many more affordable and fun resorts for fami- lies that now make staying at a Disney Resort much more do-able. If, after considering all the options, you find Disney Resorts to be more expensive than you wish, there are many fine hotels/motels in Orlando that offer good rates, specials and free transportation to the Disney Parks. At this time, however, I will cover the resorts for you that exist on the Disney property.
In recent years, Disney has built and advertised a three-tier system of resorts, all on the Disney World property. The resorts different from mere hotels, in that they come accompanied with many amenities that would be associated with resorts, such as boat and bicycle rentals, a club- house, pools and children’s play areas. The resorts house lodging for visitors to the Disney parks as well as for members of the Disney Vacation Club, which is a time-sharing purchase many people have made because of the frequency with which they know they will want to visit the parks in the future.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
As with any other place, Disney resort locations help establish the price you will pay for them, because of the convenience. Take a look up at the first park that we looked at at the top of the page - the Magic Kingdom (“MK”) marked by Cinderella’s Castle. Look closely and you’ll see a thin white line that goes around from the right side of the MK and travels around in front of it. If you follow that line around and back, you’ll find that it goes from the Magic Kingdom through a couple of other things all the way over to the golf ball we said was the en- trance to the EPCOT park. That thin white line is a monorail. Notice that on the map, you do not see that thin white line appearing anywhere else. The monorail system is not continuous throughout the Disney property, but is limited to the circle just detailed. All resorts are serv- iced by continual bus transportation to the park of your choice. Some resorts are located near Downtown Disney and have ferry service from the Resort to Downtown Disney and back again. This can be especially fun to utilize in the evening for dinner or at the end of the day for evening entertainment. There is never a charge for bus or ferry service within the proper- ties. Buses are waiting at each park for your return to the resort, of course.
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LOCATING THE RESORTS NEAR PARKS
MAGIC KINGDOM - Numbers 19, 23, and 25 are well-known Disney resorts. The first one, #19 is the Contemporary hotel with Bay Lake Towers marked as #35. Following the monorail around, we next come to the Grand Floridian #23, which was built after the one we come to next, The Polynesian, #25. Continuing on, you’ll see us pass #32/32 which is Disney’s Wilder- ness Lodge and Villas as well as #22, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Lodge and Campground. How- ever, although you’ll notice that while the monorail passes some of these things, you’ll see that between Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, the monorail only stops at those two parks and three of the resorts pointed out: the Contemporary (#19), the Grand Floridian (#23) and the Polynesian (#25).
WHY STAY AT A RESORT CLOSE TO THE PARK?
The reason for choosing to stay at one of these resorts, besides luxury, has much to do with the convenience of being able to go back to your hotel room mid-afternoon for lunch and a nap before going out for dinner and the evening fireworks before returning to the room for the night. Little legs and big ones alike find that walking the park for hours at a time is real work. It will not be unusual for you to walk 6-8 miles per day in any Disney park on cement.
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Children and those of us who have foot and leg issues find it real work to stay awake and trudge on during the middle of the day into the evening so that we can get the most out of our vacation.
Lunch in the parks will add another dollar or two (or $40-60), depending, onto your bottom linen to your overall bill. Going back to the hotel for lunch, a nap, a swim in the pool will do wonders for your Disney experience. The resorts, in themselves, are very pleasant places to spend time. Many of them rent bicycles, boats, and have planned activities going on within them. Why not take a little of this in and pace yourself along the way? If you have the money to do it, this is the best way to see Disney.
If you stay at a Disney Resort that is not contiguous to one of the parks (MK, EPCOT and Holly- wood Studios), you can still take a bus back to the resort, if you like, but the time it’ll take to get back and forth alone could be up to an hour or more, depending on when the bus comes and how many stops you have to make before you get back to your room. Although this loss of time makes it impractical to take your siesta back at the resort, there are ways to get one right in the park that will be covered later on.
EPCOT and HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS - also have some great resorts directly associated with them that are probably best to use if your heart-strings love either one of those parks. Look at the map and see the circle directly to the left of EPCOT park. That whole circle is a group of resorts from which one can take a boat or a sidewalk and simply walk over and into the EP- COT park (through park gates, of course!). Since my husband and I absolutely love EPCOT, we have found these resorts to be some of our favorites for all the convenience reasons just discussed. From any of these hotels, there is also a walkway provided for patrons to simply walk to Hollywood Studios, as well getting you back to your resort in about 10 minutes.
Between EPCOT and the resort lake is a tiny waterway going just past the Eiffel Tower in France. This is the waterway that leads to the other lake where people can access their re- sorts. There is a sidewalk on the other side of that waterway that patrons can use to access their resorts and/or explore the entire area. One must go through gates to pass from one side to the other and then back again into the park, just like when entering and exiting any of the other parks. This is not a free entrance area. But, it is also not just for those staying in the re- sorts. It provides an excellent opportunity for you to explore this area if you want to consider it for lodging at later date as well as the fact that there are restaurants in this area that you might want to dine at.
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There are four Disney resorts as well as two hotels back there that are not owned by Disney, yet are on site. Beginning with the first resort on the right when entering the lake circle is #14, the Beach Club. Going on in a counter-clockwise direction is the Yacht Club, #33. Be- tween them is a fantastic fantasy pool area that both hotels use featuring a capsized pirate ship that accommodates children of all ages! Moving on in that direction, you get to the two hotels not owned by Disney, the Swan and the Dolphin, #s 21 and 30. They are lovely con- temporarily styled hotels that have a clean and elegant look. Continuing on, you get to the Boardwalk Villas and Inn, #s 17 and 18. The Boardwalk area is a recreation of the New Jersey boardwalk scene during the Victorian era. No matter what lodging accommodation you choose in this area, you’re sure to love it and its amazing convenience to both EPCOT and the Hollywood Studios.
ANIMAL KINGDOM - Not to be outdone by the resorts at MK, EPCOT and Hollywood Stu- dios, the Animal Kingdom Lodge, #s 34 and 13 is located at the bottom of the Animal King- dom park area. That resort allows one to see live safari animals, such as giraffes and hippos, right from their resort balcony or window and also has some great restaurants. While you’ll enjoy the safari experience of staying in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, just note that its quite far away from all of the parks. Unless you’re going to be at Animal Kingdom for the day, plan on not returning to your resort for a nap/swim as the time it will take for you to get back and forth will be prohibitive.
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Coronado Springs Resort #20 - Is the entity located right above Blizzard Beach and Holly- wood Studios. Would you have liked to live the golden dream of Spanish explorer, Don Fran- cisco de Coranado? If so, you’ll enjoy the ambiance of Spanish-colonial Mexico at this resort.
Caribbean Beach Resort #18 - Is the entity located directly on the other side of Hollywood Stu- dios. This is not to be confused with the “Beach Club” Resort linked to EPCOT that we looked at before (#14). You’ll be in a Caribbean bungalow without ever leaving Florida!
The “All Stars Resorts” Series, #s 10-12 and 26 - Disney has built a great group of special re- sorts near its “Wide World of Sports” Complex, un-numbered on your map directly below Hol- lywood Studios. The Wide Word of Sports is a huge complex intended to host sports confer- ences with sports-themed resorts nearby that all patrons can stay in whether you’re there for a conference, or not.
The All-Star Sports (#12), Music (#11) and Movies (#10) Resorts are budget resorts and just right for families with kids. The best part about these resorts is their affordability while still staying on the Disney grounds.
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Downtown Disney is located off to the lower right corner of the map we’ve been using. “Downtown Disney” is exactly like what it sounds - shopping, restaurants, clubs and fun. Like any downtown, its got interesting things during the day in the shopping and lunch scenes, but its real appeal is at night. Depending on the time of year you go and the plans you make, you may find yourself leaving the parks and going back to the hotel at the 8-9:00 p.m. hour. Its your vacation...do you want that to be the end of your day? Some of us do. Some of us want to take a big bubble bath in that in-room jacuzzi, or go for a swim in the pool or sit in the hot tub. But, some of us would rather be out hearing some tunes, seeing some neon lights, eating a wonderful dinner and shopping around. If that’s what you want, Downtown Disney is for you.
Three of the resorts linked to that area are all along the banks of a Disney river. A Disney boat operates on a continuous cycle to take you there and bring you home. Although it may be a little chilly in the winter, it will still be operating. Of course, you can skip the boat and take the bus to and from Downtown, as well. These resorts are generally middle-tiered and quiet lovely.
The Three Resorts below (#27, 28 and 24) also link to Downtown Disney.
Old Key West Resort - #24, is simply wonderful. Its laid out in condo-style neighborhoods or pods with architecture reminiscent of what you would find in Key West some time ago - wide slats, gingerbread trim and pastels.
Port Orleans #27 and Dixie Landing #28 are linked in theme, though they are two separate re- sorts. Both of them are themed like New Orleans. Port Orleans features a city look, with iron wrought balconies and carnival motifs, while the Dixie Landing resort makes you feel like you’re living in a Grand Plantation. Beautiful oaks shelter large Plantation styled buildings in which your room is located. Just thinking about it brings out my romantic side!
Lastly,#29isTheVillasatDisney’sArtInstitute. PatronsvisitingtheArtInstitutecanstayhere and access Downtown Disney by boat, as well.
OTHER DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RESORTS
Disney has four levels of resort accommodations. The difference between the levels is the availability of more or less amenities and luxury. The difference is in not just luxury, but addi- tional choices. The higher you go on the ladder of the resorts, the more pools you’ll have, more and better restaurants, more recreational options (such as bike and boat rentals), more health options, such as an exercise room and spas and so forth and so on. The options not only become more creative, they become more numerous. That being said, after looking at
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the various choices, you may decide you don’t need a spa and health club on your vacation, while others will say they cannot go without them. Every resort has at least one pool and probably more than one, but going higher on the ladder means getting more and better pools, etc.
While all the resorts have free Disney bus transportation to all the parks with only a few offer- ing ferry or monorail service, you don’t actually have to stay at one of these resorts in order to take advantage of some of the frills they offer. You could stay at a value resort and plan to eat your dinner at another resort or take the boat from one of them to get to Downtown Disney.
The one perk that does mean a lot to many people is golf. Many of the resorts are surrounded by golf courses. Some members of the Disney Vacation Club have purchased their time-share with Disney exactly for this purpose. If you are an avid golfer you may want to add this detail into your lodging choices.
Finally, the time of the year you go will depend a lot on the price you will pay. The price ranges reflect the fact that people pay more to be in the resorts during peak seasons than they do during the low periods. Although you may at first think that you definitely want to go to Disney at one of those special times of the year, such as Christmas, school vacation and sum- mer, you may change your mind after giving it more consideration. Besides paying more dur- ing these peak seasons, you’ll also possibly get less because there will be more crowds to con- tend with, which means more time spent waiting in lines rather than getting on and off the at- tractions.
Of course, we often must take our vacations based on when our kids will be out of school and when we can get the time off from work. That, being the case for most people, makes it even more important to know how to navigate the parks during those times to give you the fullest experience you can have despite the crowds. That information will be given to you in this book, as well.
Since many people picking up this book will have already have their vacation dates picked (or picked for them by work or school), we’ll proceed directly to the next consideration: what park(s) do you want to go to? After that, we’ll go on to planning tools and resources to help you to manage your time while you’re there. If you don’t yet have your vacation dates set, you may want to go to the planning and resource chapters now and go back to reviewing the parks later. Whichever order you want to approach this material, hopefully everything you need is in this book and no one chapter necessarily builds on another, so enjoy the book and choose which chapter you want to read next.
Details of the Disney Resorts are reviewed more extensively in a separate chapter on lodging.
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CHAPTER TWO
WHICH PARK(S) SHOULD WE VISIT?
1. Magic Kingdom (“MK”) - Magic Kingdom is the place most advertised on TV. Its the place where many of the Grimm Brothers’ Fairy Tales have been brought to life. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Winnie The Pooh, Peter Pan and so on are there, in the attrac- tions and costumes that your child can meet. Also there, is a replica of Walt Disney’s home- town. Walt Disney loved his hometown and his boyhood era so much that he wanted the whole world to enjoy it. Walking into the park, you traverse your way through his hometown via Main Street.
This Kingdom Has Four Lands - The MK has four distinct lands:
a. Fantasyland - The land of fairy tales and storybook characters. b. Tomorrowland - The land of technology and the space frontier. c. Frontierland - The land of the wild, wild west.
Liberty Square - A part of the frontier where the Colonial days are brought to life.
d. Adventureland - The land of pirates and the exotic South Seas.
2. EPCOT - As previously discussed, “EPCOT” stands for “Experimental Prototype Commu- nity of Tomorrow”. In the first section of EPCOT, you are introduced to man’s journey from the beginning of time up ’til today and as he contemplates how to shape the future. It starts off with a tour of that journey inside the “golf ball”, which is really called “Spaceship Earth”. After that introduction, the first part of the park branches out into the Land, the Sea, Imagina- tion and the Universe of Space. In each of these areas, attractions are offered to show us how humanity is now living with and enjoying these parts of the planet and what we are learning about how to live with and from them better. All of these areas have moving attrac- tions (rides) with learning and experimental areas to follow.
In the second part of the park, which does not open until 11:00 A.M. every day, one can visit a global village consisting of several countries of the world. Each country is themed accord-
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ing to its own architecture, famous sites, food, merchandise and even people, as the workers of each country are actually here working from their homeland.
Generally speaking, its this author’s opinion that grade-school children, especially the younger ones, will not warm considerably to EPCOT. However, you would really be missing out if you were not to schedule at least a day there so that you, too, can have a great Disney vacation. Older children on up absolutely love EPCOT.
Disney has worked to make EPCOT enjoyable and fun for younger children by incorporating a special craft area for children in each country and, at one point, had an ongoing “tablet” game going where children had to spot an item in each country they visited. The tablet was provided free of charge to game participants. Some people incorporate EPCOT into their day by purchasing a park-hopper pass and spending the day in the Magic Kingdom and then going to EPCOT for dinner and the special fireworks show at the end of the day. Either way, you should not leave the Disney parks without seeing EPCOT for at least one day.
3. Hollywood Studios - Hollywood Studios is Disney’s attempt to bring Hollywood to Flor- ida. The creative team took the most interesting aspects of a true trip to Hollywood, CA and brought it into the small space known as Hollywood Studios. There are several sections within the park featuring rides, theatrical shows, stunt shows and other Hollywood genre. Some of the best and most creative restaurants are located here, as well as a fantastic ride based around Toy Story. However, the public appeal has been disappointing for Disney and it is now set to have an overhaul. Check the status of the park and if possible, do plan at least one day here.
Important Note
According to a July, 2015 issue of the Orlando Sentinel, Hollywood Studios is going to be undergoing a major renovation, with some popular sections outright closing. This is due to the less-than-exciting reception Hollywood Studios has received from the public compared to Disney’s desire for it. Defi- nitely take in this park for at least one day. But, before going, check on the status of the park to see what is still open and what has been closed temporarily or for good. This will help you determine how many days you want to go to Hollywood Studios, or for the die-hards of any particular attraction, whether or not its worth it to you to go at all. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend going anyway as the most popular attractions are sure to stay and are just delightful. You can visit a website espe- cially designed to keep patrons up to date on these things and the second website for “real time” info on restaurants.
http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/crowds-closures-special-events/ and http://allears.net.
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4. Animal Kingdom - Animal Kingdom takes you to the land of Africa where the Lion King movie is set. The park combines the movie genre with live shows, safari animals, and wonder- ful restaurants.
The Tree of Life, a huge 145 fat tall, and 55 ft, wide sculpted cement tree is the representative symbol of the park. This Baobab tree sits at the center of “Discovery Island”, one of the five areas of the park, and is surrounded by hiking trails and exotic birds. This island sits at the center of the park in water and connects the other sections of the park to itself and features a comical movie based on “A Bug’s Life” and is surrounded by other sections, two of which are Asia and Africa.
Overall, one can think of Animal Kingdom as a giant zoo around an African theme. Unique experiences include going to the Himalayas and intriguing African villages. Food, architec- ture and merchandise all follow this theme. Live shows and thrilling rides and plans for expan- sion make this park an exciting venue to visit. This is best suited to families with children, but I know some adults who especially enjoy it, as well. One day in this park would be adequate although others swear they must have at least three days here. It all depends on your inter- ests.
It’s Easy!
Its easy to spend days and days at Disney. !ile two parks, Animal Kingdom and Holly- w"d #udios, have been less popular $an Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, $ere are fans %o say $ey plan at least 3-4 days in ea' of $em every (me $ey go. If you’ve never been $ere before, consider pu)ing in a couple “blank” days in your overall plan for your Disney vaca(on. After you’ve tried all $e parks once, $en you’ll know %i' ones you want to go to a second (me. The Disney (*ets are generic ra$er $an park specific. So, at any (me, you could, conceivably, wake up one morning and decide to go to a totally different park $an you’d planned. The only problem wi$ $at is $at you should have made meal and Fast- Pass reserva(ons for your day $at will be literally impossible to res'edule once canceled since $e demand for $ose reserva(ons does not keep up wi$ supply. By pu)ing a few blank/unplanned days into $e mix, you’ll have $e flexibility to bulk up on $e parks you liked $e best. If you do $at, you can use $e same strategies learned here on your o$er days and for meals, you can '"se $e best of $e “fast f"d” style offerings in ea' park or go to Downtown Disney for dinner.
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CHAPTER THREE
PLANNING TIPS AND CONSIDERATIONS
Now that you’ve gotten an overall view of what a Disney vacation has to offer, you might want to begin considering when the best time for you to go would be, if your time hasn’t al- ready been chosen for you. If it has, then you will want to use this chapter to help you put the finishing details of your planning into place, such as what types of clothes to pack and how you can manage your time while on your trip, how to arrange for dining and so on.
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO GO?
When deciding the best time of the year for you to plan your trip to the Disney parks, several bits of information can be quite helpful. Peak seasons, the weather and special event days are days you want to know about. You might want to get in on these days or you might want to make sure you avoid the. Whether its peak season or special events, more people will be drawn to the park and that means longer lines for you.
SUN, RAIN AND HUMIDITY
You probably won’t be surprised to find out that Florida is hotter and more humid in the sum- mer than at any other time. Most rainfall in Florida in the summer comes in a short, full blast of rain for about ten minutes or so, then it stops. You’ll get one in the morning and one in the afternoon. In summer, the humidity can be quite thick, and with the heat of the sun, a shower in the morning and again in the afternoon can be greatly appreciated. Duck into a show or a shop and you’ll be all set in a few minutes. Its not really much of a problem, but it can thun- der and pop!
In the Spring and early winter, you can expect longer rain showers. Disney sells rain ponchos for about $9 at just about any gift shop if you are taken by surprise by the rain. Of course, you can get one at a local discount store, before you leave, as well. If you want one bearing the Disney images, you can order it online from the Disney Store website before you go.
www.disneystore.com/rainwear-clothes-mickey-mouse-disney-parks-
poncho-for-adults/mp/1343755/1003403/
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This chart shows the average monthly temperatures and rainfalls for Orlando, FL where the Disney property is located. Use it for planning your trip as well as for knowing what to pack. No matter what, pack a swimsuit! because even in the winter, the pool’s water will be wonder- ful to get in, as its like bathwater in winter and a refreshing treat in the hot summer air.
PEAK SEASONS AND SPECIAL DISNEY DAYS
Disney has peak seasons that you may have never thought about when the park will be filled with more people than at other times. These times will make your wait in the lines longer for attractions, food and gifts. Longer lines mean that you will find it a challenge to get to every- thing you want in the time that you have simply because there are too many people there with you at the same time. School vacations, summer-time, certain holidays, such as Christmas and New Year’s Eve and special event days such as the marathon runs and gay days are going to be high-volume days at Disney. The next chapter has planning tools to help you think about attending or avoiding Disney during these special times. Here are a few websites that follow the Disney schedule of special events.
Check the Disney Schedule
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/events.htm
http://www.mousesavers.com/walt-disney-world-vacation-discounts-and-deals/dis ney-world-special-events-festivals-and-parties/
http://www.themouseforless.com/walt-disney-world/planning/events/ http://mentalfloss.com/article/27692/8-unofficial-special-event-days-disney https://www.undercovertourist.com/blog/disney-world-special-events/
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FLUCTUATING COSTS
It may, or may not, surprise you to discover that the cost of visiting Disney is not the same year-round. While the admission price into the parks changes a bit here and there, recently going over $100 per day), resort rates and airline rates have greater changes. You will want to view the following website to see the differences in prices over the course of a year for Dis- ney’s various resorts. If you find the prices too high for the time you want to visit, you will find that just a couple of weeks before or after that time can often be much lower (or higher). Also, don’t forget that there will be off-site hotels/motels that will be more affordable and some might even offer specials during the time that you want to go.
At the same time, airlines offer terrific deals during the height of the summer and mid-winter. They are often quick get-away opportunities which is fine for people who have the freedom and flexibility to get on board at a moment’s notice, but for those with commitments it will re- quire planning ahead to take advantage of low fares such as these. Some people simply desig- nate a certain week or two as their vacation time, planning to snap up whatever low-cost fares are available during that window. This approach certainly adds mystery and fun into the vaca- tion since you don’t know quite where you’re going to go until a few days before the time ar- rives. Its not for everyone, but if you’re positioned the right way so that you can do it, it could be worth a try. For typical Disney Resort rates, check the following websites.
Disney Resort Rates
http://www.mousesavers.com/2016-disney-world-room-rates-season-dates/
http://yourfirstvisit.net/2014/09/24/disney-world-2016-price-seasons/
**This website has a great chart showing the monthly fluctuation of resort prices for the coming year of 2016.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience/vacation-pack ages/ **The official Disney Website - complete packages offered.
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IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES...IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES
That’s what I think, anyway. My husband and I enjoy traveling when everyone else doesn’t. We discovered a long time ago that just at the time that everyone else wants to travel, we don’t. School vacations, holidays and the summer time is the time EVERYONE else chooses to take their vacation. Its generally to hot and too congested for us to enjoy the place we’ve sought out to see. The airlines have put up the prices and so has everyone else. Long lines, fussy children, irritated adults and crowds and crowds of people just make it less fun for us.
On the other hand, we have found that just when everyone else wants to stay home, we enjoy traveling. That generally works out to being what the tourism industry calls “Off Season”. Off season traveling for us is just right. While the weather might not be the best, the prices defi- nitely are! Fussy children are back in school and most of the other travelers are people just like us. They’re quiet adults looking to get away. Meanwhile, the destinations are much more pleasant.
Disney Parks are no exception to this. While school vacations, Christmas, and summer beck- ons you to Disney World, just remember that it is beckoning everyone else, as well. Last Christmas (2014), Disney made the headlines by having to close both Disney World in Florida and Disney Land in California, because the parks had reached capacity! Can you imagine how many people were in the parks at that time? Can you imagine how much of Disney they did not get to see because the people were crowding their sight and the lines were simply too long.
Of course, there are certain things that only happen at Christmas that people want to take in at that time. Christmas decorations, festive dinners and pageants are part of this season in the parks. However, these fun things begin right after Thanksgiving and the decorations are still up in early January. Admittedly, Christmas Day, itself, is very special since its televised with a special concert. If that is important to you, then by all means, you’ll have to get there that day in order to take it in. But, its my guess that a lot of people who are there on that exact day may have chosen not to be had they known of the drawbacks as well as the exact offerings.
This year, my husband and I planned our trip, quite by happenstance, to take place in the sec- ond week of January, 2015. We were quite amazed, having never been there at that exact time, how empty the parks were! For the first time in a long time since having worked at Dis- ney back in high school, I could actually see the lay of the land again and enjoy taking it in. Generally, I would look out across the park and see a crowd of people in front of the scenery Disney went to such much trouble to put there for us. This time, I looked out and saw all of the attractions across the park, instead of a great crowd of people moving in all directions blocking its view.
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Not only could we take in more, we got in more. Lines were refreshingly short for attractions, restaurants, and retail check outs. Bathrooms were immediately accessible without waiting for a while. Resort prices were comparatively cheap and so was our airfare. Finally, I got to sit near the front in the German restaurant in EPCOT where I’d been wishing to sit for three years.. And although it rained the first day we were there, we bought a poncho for $9 in one of the gift shops and ate dinner while watching others leave the park for the evening. When the rain cleared a couple hours later, not only did we ride Peter Pan three times in a row, but we rode the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train two times, as well. If we’d been there at a busy time, the rain would have definitely driven some people away, but not enough so that we were able to make out like the bandits we did. But, the rain coupled with the off-season tem- peratures were enough to persuade lots of people to call it quits for the day allowing us to en- joy repeat riding without the lines.
What I’m suggesting is that you consider off-season travel. One year, we took our children out of school to go off-season. We spoke with their teachers in advance, and they were able to work ahead before we left and on the plane, as well, so that they didn’t get behind in class- work. This year, we met some families who had done that. Are you a homeschooler? If so, you have options others don’t. Although some school districts are getting less flexible about accommodating families, its still possible for many to simply plan ahead with the teacher and have their child do extra work before, during or after vacation so as not to lose any time.
PARK TIMES
Another thing you want to do is to look at the calendar at the time you plan to go and see what the park hours are. If you are Disney Vacation Club Members, one of your perks will be extended hours at the beginning or ending of various days. Even for those who aren’t DVC Members, the park hours vacillate. They also change for certain seasons. They are shorter dur- ing the winter months than they are during the summer, as Disney anticipates a smaller crowd. This is especially true for Animal Kingdom, which overall, has a smaller draw than the other parks, as Disney has said that they often close this park early at various times throughout the year. However, as pointed out before, a smaller crowd allows one to accomplish signifi- cantly more in a shorter time, so it may not matter at all that park hours are shorter when you want to go. You can fill your evening hours with a nice dinner and shopping in Downtown Disney or simply enjoy the pool, hot tub and other amenities back at the resort. Once again, you can go to https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/calendars/ to find out what the hours will be when you want to be there.
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SPECIAL OUTINGS
You will also want to factor into your planning the availability of special outings for your fam- ily or your children during your Disney visit. The Polynesian has a wonderful Hawaiian Luau you can book for your family to enjoy for dinner one evening. Also available is a wonderful pirate outing for boys and a princess “make-over” for girls as well as a princess buffet at EPCOT. Disney also has some babysitting services so couples can go out together in the eve- ning. To find out about this as well as the availability of special outings, go to: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/child-care-services/ and https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/
WHEELCHAIRS, ELECTRIC SCOOTERS, STROLLERS AND LEG RIDERS
Motorized scooters, wheelchairs and strollers are available for rental immediately upon enter- ing each of the parks and are usually located way off to the right or left side next to “Guest Services” for very reasonable rates. Although you might think an electric scooter in your party will slow you down, they come with adjustable speeds and are no slower than a com- fortable walk. You can check in advance on these supports at:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/wheelchair-rentals/.
Be aware that they often “sell” out by mid to late morning, so get there early to make sure you get one.
Think carefully about how far you can really walk and for how long, if you have any physical issues. This year, we went with two people who thought they might each need an electric scooter. One person chose to take one and the other chose to walk. Half way through the day, the walker started sitting whenever he could, instead of joining us in all the fun. He hap- pened to have a pedometer with him and by 6:00 p.m., we had already walked six miles, with more to go! Although he would have gladly taken a scooter by early afternoon, it would have required going all the way back to the main gate to secure one (if one was even available) and that was not worth the effort for a tired man with three other companions.
We did notice a couple of young men who were riding around with one leg on a seat and the other one paddling along on the ground. They were not totally unable to walk, but with one leg in a cast, the walk would have been a drudgery, to be sure. These little scooters allowed the men to have their one leg resting while the other foot pushed them along.
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CHILD AND MEDICAL NEEDS
You need not worry about finding great child-changing areas everywhere you go in Disney. The bathrooms are equipped of the latest and nicest areas for you to change your child. Not only that, but a “lost children” area as well as a medical walk-in clinic are also located near the front of every park should anyone in your party need it. It seems like Disney has thought of everything.
LASTLY, SAVING MONEY
It is possible to save money on your Disney trip. Here are some websites you should check as you begin to make your plans that might save you some money, particularly if you go at a cer- tain time, for a certain number of days or stay in a certain resort or hotel. The official WDW website also has packages, as mentioned previously, that might save you money if you are planning to stay in one of the Disney Resorts and buy one of the meal packages. And, don’t forget to call your local AAA for discount tickets, if you’re a member.
Hey! Check This Out!
Are you interested in saving some money? Check these websites out for deals! http://www.mousesavers.com/walt-disney-world-vacation-discounts-and-deals/d
isney-world-tours-disneyquest-water-parks-more/ https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/ (The Official WDW website)
http://www.officialticketcenter.com/Walt-Disney-World-Tickets.aspx?affid=TC5 08DTB
https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/?AID=5516693&PID=53487 55
http://www.parksavers.com/walt-disney-world-tickets-tourist-blog
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CHAPTER FOUR
KNOWING AND CHOOSING YOUR PREFERENCES
When taking a trip, one generally has certain things in mind that they look forward to enjoy- ing. The cocktails on the beach, the sun, the moonlight dancing, for instance, are ingredients that one might be dreaming of. When two people take the same trip together, invariably, they are both thinking about something different when they think of what they’re looking forward to. Although they both may be looking forward to having dinner out in the evening, the man may be thinking about getting the best plate of ribs and beer while the woman is secretly look- ing forward to wearing a flowing dress and gliding around the dance floor. Multiply this real- ity times each person taking the trip with you and it becomes evident that some conversing and coordinating might be in order to help everyone get what they want from their vacation.
In this chapter, you get to start finding out what’s really important to you and your’s about your upcoming trip to the Disney parks in Florida. One person may not care much about which park(s) they go to, because they’re just happy enough to be there in five days of sun and joy. Another person may not care all that much about the sun, but they sure do want to get all of it covered because they’re not sure when they can get back again. One child may care more about Cinderella than anything else on the trip, while another child just wants to go on the roller-coasters. Getting the most out of the trip means knowing what you and your’s really want and that takes some thought.
Knowing what you want is also important, because some things only happen on certain days (Christmas concerts) or seasons (the Disney food and wine festival); while others are available all year long, like golf. Sometimes these things conflict, but often, even if they do, there is a way to get all, or at least most of what you and the rest of your family wants.
Following, are some choices for you to consider in different categories, for you to rank in order of importance, using a simple 1, 2, or 3 system. If something is very important to you, give it a #1. If its a medium interest give it a #2. If you don’t care about it at all or you absolutely don’t want to do it, give it a #3. Adults and kids can do this together. Depending on the for- mat you purchase this book in, you may be able to print out the charts and fill them in (PDF, for instance). If you can’t print the charts out, simply use a notebook with the headings to go down the list and discover what you want. To the extent possible, each person should dis- cover their preferences. Once each person has their final choices made, you should get to- gether with your fellow travelers and compare notes to see what the majority agrees on and disagrees with. This will begin to tell you how you should shape your vacation.
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CLIMATE AND RECREATION
1 = Yes!/Very Important 2 = OK With It/Neutral 3 = No!/Not Interested
CLIMATE RECREATION
SUNNY&HOT 1 2 3 GOLF 1 2 3
SUNNY & MILD 1 2 3 BICYCLE 1 2 3
SUNNY & COOL 1 2 3 SURRI RIDING 1 2 3 (PEDDAL CARRIAGE
WITH FRINGE)
SOME RAIN OK 1 2 3 BOATING 1 2 3
SOME HUMIDITY OK 1 2 3 FISHING 1 2 3
NO RAIN AT ALL 1 2 3 JOGGING 1 2 3
NOT HUMID AT ALL 1 2 3 DANCING 1 2 3
BRISK 1 2 3 FANTASTIC POOL 1 2 3 SETTING
DON’TCAREABOUT 1 2 3 BEACH 1 2 3 WEATHER AT ALL
DOESN’T MATTER 1 2 3 BECAUSE OUR
DATES ARE PICKED
HORSEDRAWN 1 2 3 CARRIAGE RIDE
HORSEBACK RIDING 1 2 3
HAY/WAGON RIDE 1 2 3
PONY RIDE 1 2 3
MINIATURE GOLF 1 2 3
WATER PARK: 1 2 3 BLIZZARD BEACH
WATER PARK: 1 2 3 TYPHOON LAGOON
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DISNEY LODGING
DELUXE
RESORTS
HIGHLIGHTS
$320 - $3,400 Range
DISNEY RESORTS
CONTEMPORARY
Sleek & Upscale City
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(Connect to Magic
POLYNESIAN
Hawaiian Look & Food
123
Kingdom via
GRAND FLORIDIAN
Luxurious Look & Food
123
Monorail/Walkway)
FT. WLDERNESS LODGE
Rustic, Camping, Horses & Entertainment
123
BOARDWALK
NJ Seaside Boardwalk
123
(Connect to EPCOT
BEACH CLUB
CA Beach Experience
123
and Hollywood Studios via Boat/Walkway)
YACHT CLUB
New England Experience
123
SWAN AND DOLPHIN
Elegant & Sophisticated
123
(NEAR ANIMAL KING)
ANIMAL KINGD. LOD.
African Safari Theme
123
MODERATE
RESORTS
HIGHLIGHTS
$191 - $368 Range
CARIBBEAN BEACH
Bright Color Construct.
123
(Connect to All parks
CORONADO SPRINGS
Spain and Gold Look
123
via Bus Transport &
PORT ORLEANS RIVERSIDE
Plantation on the banks of the Mississippi River
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to Downtown Disney via Boat)
PORT ORLEANDS FRENCH QUARTER
New Orleans Downtown Look and Feel
123
FT. WILDERNESS CABINS
Rustic Themed, Horses & Entertainment
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VALUE
RESORTS
HIGHLIGHTS
$96 - 208 Range
ALL STAR RESORTS:
MOVIES
Bell, Toy Story, Dalmatians, Mighty Ducks & Arcade
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(All these resorts feature BIG images of Disney Characters/ Images for children.)
MUSIC
Rock n’ Roll, Texas Hoedown, Broadway & Arcade
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SPORTS
Tennis with Daffy Duck, Football & Basketball
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(Connect to all Parks and Water Parks by Bus).
ART OF ANIMATION
Surrounded by the art of Disney movies - Bell, Nemo, Cars, etc.
123
POP CENTURY RESRT
Be-Bop, Groovy 60’s, Pop-Music Themed
123
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Disney Resort Rates
As men(oned earlier, Disney Reso, rates fluctuate. Al$ough $e ranges for reso, r"ms go quite high, $ey reflect $e highest and best Disney has to offer for $ose %o have big families wi$ money to burn. To 'e* rate fluctua(ons, rates for $e (me you want to go and money- saving pa*ages, go to $e following websites.
http://www.mousesavers.com/2016-disney-world-room-rates-season-dates/
http://yourfirstvisit.net/2014/09/24/disney-world-2016-price-seasons/
**This website has a great chart showing the monthly fluctuation of resort prices for the coming year of 2016
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience/vacation-packages/
**The official Disney Website - complete packages offered.
OFF-SITE LODGING PREFERENCES
1 = Yes!/Very Important 2 = OK With It/Neutral 3 = No!/Not Interested
OFF-SITE
LODGING
GYM
123
SMALL KITCHEN
123
INDOOR POOL
LIVING ROOM AREA
SECLUDED/PRIVATE
123
SPA
123
CHILDREN’S POOLS
123
GOLF
123
JACCUZZI TUB
123
NEAR OTHER PARKS (UNIVERSAL, ETC.)
123
SPA WITH MASSAGE AND TANNING
123
NEAR OTHER AMUSEMENTS - MINIATURE GOLF, ETC.
123
FREE BREAKFAST
123
NEAR CHEAP DINING OR GROCERY STORE
123
FREE TRANSPORT TO DISNEY PARKS
123
NEAR EXPENSIVE DINING
123
FREE TRANSPORT FROM AIRPORT TO HOTEL
123
NEAR AIRPORT OR CRUISE TERMINALS
123
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WHICH PARKS TO VISIT?
1 = Yes!/Very Important 2 = OK With It/Neutral 3 = No!/Not Interested
DISNEY
PARKS
MAGIC KINGDOM
123
BLIZZARD BEACH
123
EPCOT
123
TYPHOON LAGOON
123
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
123
DOWNTOWN DISNEY
123
ANIMAL KINGDOM
123
SPECIAL EVENT DAYS
SPECIAL
EVENT
DAYS
JANUARY
MK’S WORLD MARATHON
123
AUGUST (Dwntn Disney)
GREAT IRISH HOOLEY FESTIVAL
123
FEBRUARY
VALENTINE’S DAY
123
SEPTEMBER
NIGHT OF JOY
123
MK’S 1/2 MARATHON
123
(ESPN Sports Complex)
INAUGURAL DISNEY FIT CHALLENGE
123
MARCH (Dntwn Disney)
ST. PATRICK’S WEEK
123
EPCOT FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL (Goes into Nov.)
123
(Goes into May)
EPCOT FLOWER & GDN FESTIVAL
123
OCTOBER
HALLOWEEN (Goes into Nov.)
123
MAY
EXPEDITION EVEREST CHALLENGE
123
SWAN & DOLPHIN FOOD & WINE CLASSIC
123
(Goes into June)
STAR WARS WEEKENDS
123
NOVEMBER
DISNEY WINE & DINE 1/2 MARATHON
123
(One Day)
COOLEST SUMMER EVER MK PARTY
123
FESTIVAL OF THE MASTERS
123
JUNE
GAY DAYS (one week)
123
THANKSGIVING
123
(Goes into Sept.)
“FROZEN” LIVE!
123
CHRISTMAS AT DISNEY (Goes through Dec.)
123
(Goes into July)
SOUNDS LIKE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES
123
NEW YEAR’S EVE
123
JULY
4TH OF JULY!
123
**Note: Not every month has a special event.
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Double check the Disney special events by going to these websites. Note the next-to-the-last website that details the “unofficial” special event days at Disney. These event days are gener- ally less well known and/or popular than other days that you might want to attend once you know about them.
OTHER IMPORTANT DATES & EVENTS TO CONSIDER
1 = Yes!/Very Important 2 = OK With It/Neutral 3 = No!/Not Interested
Check the Disney Schedule
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/events.htm
http://www.mousesavers.com/walt-disney-world-vacation-discounts-and-deals/disney-wo rld-special-events-festivals-and-parties/
http://www.themouseforless.com/walt-disney-world/planning/events/ http://mentalfloss.com/article/27692/8-unofficial-special-event-days-disney https://www.undercovertourist.com/blog/disney-world-special-events/
OTHER DATES AND
EVENTS
BIRTHDAY
PIRATE PARTY
ANNIVERSARY
FAMILY REUNION
PRINCESS HAIR-DO
GENERAL VACATION IN FLORIDA
BUSINESS TRIP
PRINCESS BUFFET
CONFERENCE IN FLORIDA/ DISNEY
SWEET SIXTEEN/ COTILLION
CHARACTER MEAL
BAR/BAT MITZVAH
GRADUATION
CHARACTER MEET & GREET
ADD-ON TO CRUISE BEFORE OR AFTER
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CHAPTER FIVE
NAVIGATING THE MAGIC KINGDOM
At this point in our journey, we’ll begin by exploring each land, one at a time. You’ll learn the distinctives of each land that will enable you to approach it in a knowledgeable way so you can accomplish all you want to. Don’t worry about this taking all mystery out of it and mak- ing you lose the delight of discovery. Each step through the park will delight the senses and bring you to life. But, if you don’t know where you’re going, you’re sure to miss out on a lot of it. So, its going to be a help, not a hinderance to have this knowledge and understanding.
As we said earlier, the Magic Kingdom is the land of fairytales and adventure. It has four dis- tinct lands: Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland (with Liberty Square tucked in) and To- morrowland. Getting into the Magic Kingdom requires you going through two gates. There is the front gate that you’ll encounter upon leaving the parking lot (which you can do by tram). Make sure to note the place of your parking spot. Once you go through the front gate, where you’ll purchase your tickets if you haven’t gotten them yet, you’ll progress by monorail or by ferry over to the Magic Kingdom. You’ll get off of your chosen mode of transportation and walk to the main gate. There, you’ll show your tickets and go through a turnstile. Disney has moved to biometric devices now, using your index finger in combination with your ticket (which is a magnetic strip card) to get in. Right after you go through these turnstiles, look to the extreme left and you’ll see the place where you can rent your wheelchair or scooter.
The Magic Kingdom was the first park the Disney Company built in Florida. Prior to this, they had only built Disneyland in California. Walt Disney wanted to expand his creations, but there was only one problem: lack of space. California was built up and expensive. So, he sent out scouts to Florida and began to buy up land one patch at a time. After all the patches were bought up and put together, Walt had the acreage he needed to make his dream come true. Making dreams come true is one of the big themes, if not THE big theme you’ll encoun- ter at Disney World. The Magic Kingdom was the first park Disney built on that property scouted out and bought for Walt’s big dreams. If you’re having a bad year, day or month and you can get inspired by all that Walt Disney and his colleagues have achieved in that spot of the world. It begins with a dream and your imagination. Hard work and perseverance begins to bring it to life. Continuing on with that brings it into full flower. That’s the message you’ll get in the Magic Kingdom if you listen long enough and it is pretty inspiring as well as true.
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ReferringtotheMapAbove....TheYellowArrowpointstothetrainstation. Ontop,youcan get the Disney railroad which makes a circle around the park. Underneath, you’ll be able to pass through on either side into the Magic Kingdom and you’ll also encounter lockers that you can use for the day to store anything you wish you’d left in the car.
MAIN STREET is shown by the Red Arrow. Parades and musical groups originate and perform at this first roundabout and travel up Main Street. and travel up Main Street straight ahead to the round-about in the center of the map just below Cinderella’s castle. Look for musical pro- ductions to take place in this area at various planned times throughout the day. Also, to the left of this first roundabout, are restrooms and First Aid as well as Lost Children resources.
Along Main Street you’ll find typical shops full of Disney clothing, toys and other souvenir goods and you’ll be surprised to find that you can watch Disney employees making confec- tions and blowing glass in a couple of these shops. You’ll find a shop featuring Disney col- lectibles, including limited-edition art. As intriguing as all this is, its not where you want to spend your time upon entering the park. The shops will be here all day with no lines to com- pete with to get in. Proceed ahead to the first park of your choice as we’ll discuss later.
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ROUNDABOUT Once you reach the end of Main Street, you’ll find yourself in the middle of a roundabout. Looking left to right, you’ll see that there are several ways to access the lands that you want to start with. Not quite as visible, you should also know that as you look straight ahead at the castle, there are cut throughs directly through the castle as well as on ei- ther side of it, which will take you directly onto the other side of the castle into Fantasyland and straight behind that to Mickey’s Toonstown Fair. Thus, it is not necessary for you to go around the park from either side to get to the middle of it, wasting valuable time and energy.
MOVING COUNTER-CLOCKWISE (RIGHT TO LEFT AROUND THE CIRCLE):
The Purple Section is Tomorrowland - the land of space and Buzz Lightyear.
The Pink Section is Fantasyland - the land of childhood stories such as Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh and Bell. Mickey’s Toontown Fair is an adorable circus-themed environment for very small children. Both of these sections have recently undergone a complete make-over in which Bell’s castle, Ariel’s Journey under the Sea and Mickey’s Toontown was added. The new- est Disney roller-coaster, The Seven Dwarf’s Mine Coaster, is there, as well.
Located just between the Purple and the Pink sections is the tea-cup ride often seen in pic- tures of Disneyworld.
The Orange Section is Liberty Square. That’s where you’ll find early Colonial America featur- ing the Hall of Presidents, the Haunted Mansion, the Paddle Boat and Liberty Tree Restaurant.
The Brown Section lets you experience the wild, wild west. There you’ll find Country Bear Jamboree, spontaneous ho-downs, access to Tom Sawyer’s Island and Thunder Mountain, a run-away gold-miner’s train, and Splash Mountain, featuring Brere Rabbit and a sharp descent at the end where you’ll get a big splash.
The Green/Blue Sections Remaining comprise Adventureland where you’ll find Pirates of the Caribbean, the Tiki Birds, the Jungle Cruise, and the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House.
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HOW DO I COVER ALL THIS?
The Magic Kingdom Park is the largest of the parks to cover in walking distance. Animal King- dom is much bigger per acre, but you won’t be walking all of it, because a lot of it is the “zoo” area - the acreage for the animals to graze, etc. After doing a thorough search to find out just how big the Magic Kingdom is, the number of 107 acres emerged as the general con- sensus. Some people estimated much higher and some lower. The bottom line for you is to remember that by the end of the day, you will have traveled about 10 miles on cement.
I cannot emphasize enough that you will be walking on cement, because cement is not giving and people forget that. People tend to go in wearing their favorite sandals or flip flops and be- lieve it or not, even high heels - yes, I’ve seen it. Grass and sand are forgiving. So is hard wood and carpeting, which is what many people have in their houses back home. You are probably not used to walking on cement round the clock, but from growing up in Florida and having worked at Disney, I can tell you that you want to wear the most comfortable shoes that you have. Sneakers, as much as you might not like them, are best, because not only do they have a good sole, but they are tied on (laced) and you won’t be expending energy subcon- sciously trying to keep that flip flop on your foot. However, to each his own. That’s just a warning to the wise.
The good news is that you won’t be walking all of the 107 acres. My belief is that that figure includes waterways and parking lots. The inside of the Magic Kingdom is probably much smaller.
The way to cover all this ground is to PLAN so that you are not wasting any time wondering around looking for what you want or trying to decide how to play your time out. The other way is to know what to include and what not to include, what to do and what not to do and that is what this book is for. In the steps below, you will learn how to cut right through the time wasters and disappointers that will keep you from making tracks on your day at Disney
THE STRATEGIES
Choose Your First Section -Look at the map and review the themes of each section. Where do you want to go first? Here are some helpful suggestions:
a. Small Children - If you are traveling with small children - say, children under 7 or 8 years old, you’ll want to head directly to Fantasyland. That’s the world of the Disney child- hood stories: Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, Mickie’s Toontown Fair (a circus themed area catering to very small children). Disney has recently re-created much of Fantasyland, making a big, beautiful new area for the story of Bell, set in her own land with the castle which houses a very entertaining restaurant. You’ll also enjoy a new attraction featuring Ariel and her journey
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under the sea as well as the new Dwarf’s Silver Mine Train roller-coaster. Many attractions in Disney have height requirements for children to ride as well as age requirements for them to
HEIGHT AND AGE REQUIREMENTS: One of the biggest reasons why you want to head right to Fantasyland for small children is because this particular land will have the most “rides” for children without height and/or age requriements. Many other rides have a minimum height requirement of 32 to 52” to ride and some have an age requirement of 7 years old to ride alone without an adult.. To see the most comprehensive and up-to-date height and weight requirements for rides throughout the Disney properties, go to the following web- sites:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/media/wdw/images2003/languagespecific/eng/nontheme
/experience/preschool/heightChart.pdf
ride alone without an adult.
b. Children 7 or 8+ By the time a child is 7 or 8 years old and up, they generally meet all the height and weight safety requirements in the whole park. At the same time, they may (or may not) be outgrowing the younger-themed stories and growing into more awareness of other things in life - like science or the opposite genre of the wild, wild west. This doesn’t nec- essarily mean that you won’t end up “doing” Fantasyland. In my book, every one, young and old, should go back to Fantasyland every year! and whenever possible! But, it does mean putting your priority interests first so that you are sure to get them into your day right off the bat.
If you have a:
Science/Space Loving Child - Go directly to Tomorrowland, the land of space, Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain (a roller-coaster ride through space) and the Speedway (controlled cars you child and you can “drive”).
Wild, Wild West Loving Child - Go directly to Frontierland, where you’ll enjoy Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain with a big splashy drop, Tom Sawyer’s Island and the cowboy life.
Political/Americana Loving Child If you have a child who absolutely loves the Colonial/ Revolutionary ear and Washington, DC, then you’ll definitely want to make sure you visit this part of the Magic Kingdom, but I wouldn’t go directly to it. Why? When you do visit this area you’ll see that there just isn’t that much there. Its almost a pass-through on the way from one land to the other. You’ll go through it no matter what and when you do, then you can catch the Hall of Presidents if you want to. Other than that, there’s the Mississippi paddle boat and
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a great restaurant (Liberty Tree Restaurant), but that’s about it. Allow this to be something you get as you’re going and you’ll be happy you did.
c. Teenage Kids - Usually want to head to the lands with the roller-coaster attractions. In the Magic Kingdom, there are four great roller-coasters. Space Mountain is located in Tomor- rowland and takes you on a space odessy through the galaxies. Adventureland has just re- cently opened the Silver Mine Train taking you through the story of Snow White and the seven dwarfs. Frontierland has two roller-coaster rides which are hugely popular: Splash Mountain, a ride through the story of Brer Rabbit with a big drop that lands with a splash at the end and Thunder Mountain, which simulates a wild ride through the gold-mining ter- rain of the west.
What is BabySwap aka “ChildSwap” or “RiderSwap”?
BabySwap and $e rest of $ese names are $e same $ing. They all refer to a system Disney has provided for families %ere bo$ adults want to ride $e ride before $em, but some of $e 'ildren are t" small to go on it. !at to do? !en you go to $e gate, tell $e a)endant $at you want to do “Babyswap”. The %ole family will enter $e a)rac(on. At $e (me of embarkment, one parent will stay behind wi$ $e 'ild $at can’t go, %ile $e o$er parent rides wi$ $ose %o can. Upon disembarkment, $e par- ents will trade places so $at $e o$er parent can ride (and one 'ild can ride twice), wi$out wai(ng in line all over again. Works like a 'arm. Just remember to tell ea' a)endant as you’re going $rough $e line $at you’re doing $e Babyswap.
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d. No Kids in Tow or Grandparents with Kids - One of the best things about Disney is that it has given permission to kids of all ages to have fun! and to possibly catch up on what you missed out on as a child. Is there anything in Fantasyland for you? You betchya. I LOVE Peter Pan. Its my favorite ride...yes, I’m a grandma with two grandchildren, but I would go whether they were with me or not. I LOVE Winnie the Pooh, believe it or not, as well as Ariel’s Jour- ney Under the Sea and the Silver Mine Dwarf Train. If you don’t have any children at all with you, choose what you want, for a change. There’s something in every land that will excite and delight you. Just let your inner child out of that box and you’ll have the time of your life. Pick any direction you want and go and then, get going!
2. Next, Choose Your Second Location - Once you choose your first location, pick your sec- ond in the same way that you chose your first. This will allow you to begin to get your bear- ings on how you want to proceed with your plans around the park. Your second location should be one of the ones right next to your first location.
FASTPASS - ITS FREE! ITS FAST! ITS FABULOUS!
WHAT IS FASTPASS? Fastpass is Disney’s way of controlling crowds and allowing people to cut down on wait times while prioritizing their must-see rides by having you use a FREE service. In the old days, Dis- ney accomplished this by issuing ticket books upon admission. People would tear off the tickets as they went around the park and people would spread out instead of clumping together in front of a few rides while other rides got less customers. Over the years, Disney refined its game-plan and came out with the Fastpass idea.
WITH FASTPASS you pick the rides you want to go to the most and you reserve a FASTPASS time that will enable you to get into a short line for that attraction. Generally speaking, you’ll wait no longer than 15 minutes to get into a ride that others are waiting an hour or more for. Considering the fact that the most popular rides will have a wait-time of anywhere from 45-90 minutes, a 15 minute wait is quite appealing.
YOU CAN RESERVE 3 FASTPASS RIDES prior to leaving home. YOU CAN, SHOULD AND MUST DO THIS! to maximize your time in the park. This is an important part of the strategy.
FASTPASSES BOOK UP FAST! SO, you’ll want to RESERVE YOUR FASTPASSES as soon as Disney allows you to, which is one month prior to leaving. home. You will do this at the Disney website
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com where you will make a FREE account to use this FREE service.
ONCE YOU’RE IN THE PARK, YOU MUST USE ALL THREE FASTPASSES BEFORE LOCATING A KIOSK
AND GETTING ANY ADDITIONAL ONES. Getting additional FASTPASSES for the rides you love is not guaranteed. FAST PASSES from the kiosks are limited and may “sell” out quickly, depending on the popu- larity of the ride. Once you have used your initial three FASTPASSES, you will only be allowed to get
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3.
a. b.
FastPass & Ticket Purchases - If you haven’t done it already, take a few minutes to read the- box on the previous page about the FastPass System. Now that you know what FastPass is, and you know that it is a must-do, but there are a couple of restrictions on when you can use it:
You Must:
Have already bought your tickets to make your FastPass reservations, and: Be at least 30 days out from your actual arrival date in the park.
Why is that? Its because there are only so many people that the FastPass system can han- dle at one time in terms of making reservations. In fact, FastPasses in the park quickly run out when offered, because they are limited. Therefore, Disney simply reserves the FastPass system for guests who can prove that they are actually coming (via the purchased ticket) and for those who are coming very soon.
You Might Be Asking...
Do I really need FastPass? I don’t have my tickets yet and I don’t want to wait 30 days before the trip before I plan out what I want to do!
The answer to that question is ABSOLUTELY, YES! YES!!! YES!!!! AND AGAIN, I SAY YES!!!! You can even FastPass parades and meeting the Characters.
If you want to cover the ground in Magic Kingdom or any of these parks, you really MUST use the FastPass system, but you certainly DO NOT nor should you wait until 30 days out to make your plans. FastPass is only the icing on the cake after you have already gotten in your mind where you want to go first and when you want to go there. Then, 30 days out from your trip (or to put it another way - a month before you go - get your tickets and go onto this website and make your FastPass reservations for the places you’ve already decided you want to go first and second.
GET YOUR TICKETS AND MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS
The official Disney planning website is: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com. When you first get to the site, you’ll land on a page that looks like this:
As you can see, this is a place where you make ALL your Disney reservations - resort reserva- tions, dining reservations and Fastpass “reservations”. The first thing you need to do is to make an account. Go up to the very top of the area just above and find the “Sign In or Create
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Account” area. Click on that to create an account. This account is completely free. The only time you’ll be asked for financial information is when ordering tickets, mak- ing a resort reservation or in some cases when making a restaurant reservation. Click on “Parks & Tickets” - here you will find the place to get tickets for general admission to all the parks as well as for the special parties that we spoke of earlier, such as Dis- ney’s “Not So Scary Halloween” party.
Take a look at each tab just to see what’s there. You might decide that you do want to go at a special time, after all or that you do want to squeeze in one of Disney’s water parks. Annual passes are only beneficial to you if you are going to live in Florida for the year or be there extremely often. If you are a Florida resident, there is a special discount for you to get an annual pass.
4. Plan Your Dining - Once you have in mind the land you want to start in and the next land you want to go to - this will begin to open up the rest of your time for you. To further cement these plans into place, you need to consider where it is that you want to have, lunch and dinner.
To make this easier, let’s look at the map again together beginning in the red circle - Fantasyland to Tomorrowland by the red line.
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Let’s say that I have small children, so we head right off the top to Fantasyland. We ate break- fast before we came (most do). Our second choice is to go next door to Tomorrow land after we’re done with the Fantasyland area. I look at the meal choices and discover that Fantasy- land just happens to have a brand new restaurant in Bell’s Castle. Well, of course, we want to go there. But, do we want to go there for lunch or dinner? What’s the difference? Well...let’s see what else there is to eat in Tomorrowland where we’re going next. And let’s find out what kind of dining is housed in that Castle. Is it expensive sit-down or is it a fast food restaurant just housed in a fancy building? What is our budget? Where do we want to spend our money at for dining - is the Magic Kingdom the best place or should we hold our money out and plan to spend more of it at EPCOT in the lands over there - of which there are many more. You may be beginning to see now why its important to plan all this out in advance. There are hundreds of options for eating at Disney. There are character meals where your kids can take in their meal while visiting with the Disney characters. Character meals are held at the Crys- tal Palace (buffet style) just off Main Street in the direction of Adventureland and Cinderella’s Castle. There are options at the nearby resorts - the Polynesian, for instance, has a luau that you just might want to go to. Or you might want to enjoy the ambiance of the Grand Florid- ian. On the other hand, you might feel that a hamburger is just fine for your family. Some of you may feel that sandwiches are fine, but you’d like something healthier for your meal.
Should You Plan Your Day Around Dining Then? This is a good question, but the answer is “no” as far as what should take first priority in planning the course of your day. Dining is really important, but you came to do the attractions, first and foremost, with the dining being the next most important thing on the list (for most people). But, the “yes” side to that question is that you want to plan your dining in conjunction with where you are in the park at the time you are there - or plan it so that you know that you need to leave 15 minutes to leave the park where you are to get to the restaurant you’ve planned for dinner. Its not difficult, it just takes advanced knowledge and planning so you can get all you want to out of your day.
GREAT DISNEY DINING WEBSITES
Allears.net - For current lunch and dinner menus of all Disney restuarants. disneyfoodblog.com - For the latest news on new eats.
wdwprepschool - For a listing of character meal locations and times. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/ - For making reservations.
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The other reason it is VERY IMPORTANT to plan your dining out in advance is because any kind of sit-down dinner or character dinners in any of these parks really do need RESERVA- TIONS. Without them, you are very unlikely to get in.
So, with that in mind, there are always a few websites I use when planning my Disney dining. First, I go to allears.net to find out what the menus are for dinner and for lunch, along with their respective prices. I also check the disneyfoodblog.com to get the latest news on how menus and restaurant decor might have changed, as well as to get the latest on new restau- rants. Allears.net covers that as well, but the disneyfoodblog focuses on Disney Dining, while Allears covers many aspects of the Disney Parks. Both are great resources. If you wnat a char- acter meal (where your child can dine with Goofy or Cinderella), wdwprepschool has done a good job of listing the locations as well as the prices for these events. Finally, when its time to
The Terrible Truth About Dining in the Magic Kingdom (Ouch!)
Friends, the terrible truth about Magic Kingdom dining is that...its just not very good. Oh No! Oh, yes (in my opinion, anyway). Your’s truly believes you are best off saving your money for EPCOT Dining which is absolutely and truly fabulous. Its also good at Downtown Disney and Hollywood Studios, but despite the improvements they have made to Magic Kingdom dining, it still needs work. What’s better? You can now get healthier and tastier food with more variety inside the Magic Kingdom. But what hasn’t gotten much better is that you still can’t get great sit-down meals there. If you want great dining, my advice is to save it for your other days. There are a few exceptions to this. First, Magic Kingdom is the best place to get the charac- ter meals for your kids. (although the other parks have them, too). Second, there is a nice sit-down inside Cinderella’s Castle and Disney has added an Italian Restau- rant on Main Street, but I still find the restaurants at the other locations to be far su- perior for the money. Another way of getting a nice meal for dinner on your Magic Kingdom day is to book something over at the Polynesian such as the luau or the O’Hana or go the Grand Floridian or the Contemporary for nice dining.
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make my reservations, I go to the official Disney planning website so I can make my reserva- tions as well as link them with everything else in my free planning account.
Also, remember the theme-oriented way Disney is structured. If you’re looking for a particular style of food, it will be in the “land” where that food will be found. Tex-Mex? Frontierland. New England Clam Chowder? Liberty Square. Exotic pineapple ice-cream floats? Adventure- land. Hamburgers and salads are everywhere now in the Magic Kingdom, so if you’re just looking for regular food, you can pretty much count on finding it easily without doing much or any planning at all.
As you go to the various websites to look at offerings and choices, you can begin to make notes on what you want. You can use the chart below to record what you’re thinking of for lunch and dinner in each land. Once you’re ready to make your reservation, go back to the official Disney website and make it there so you can link your reservations with the rest of your plans. Write down the reservation number with your plans so you can have it with you in the park. Most of the time, you won’t even need or use the reservation number.
Here’s a chart for easy planning. Write down any options you’re considering while in the Magic Kingdom. If you end up making a reservation, record the number of it and keep it in your wallet while there. I generally haven’t needed to use it, but on at least two occasions, it proved helpful to the hostess when trying to locate our reservation on the computer.
$ - Inexpensive $$ Moderate $$$ Expensive
DATE
THE MAGIC
KINGDOM
RESERVATION#
LUNCH
DINNER
LUNCH
DINNER
LUNCH
DINNER
LUNCH
DINNER
Don’t forget that you will be close enough to three Resorts that you could eat there for lunch or dinner. Those are the Contemporary, the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian which are all connected to the Magic Kingdom by monorail. Although other resorts have great dining, as well, they are too far away to be practical for you to go to during the day without losing a great amount of time.
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DISNEY DINING OPTIONS
You may have heard about the Disney Dining Plan. Its a meal package plan that includes for one price meals, drinks and snacks. There are different packages for you to choose from. You do not need to go on the Disney Dining Plan. You do not need to eat at the Disney Restau- rants. You can, in fact, bring in your own lunch/drinks in a backpack, if that’s what you want to do. Years ago, this was prohibited. But, over time, Disney realized that a lot of its clientele really did want that option and so, they provided it.
1. Backpacks - Most people entering the park have backpacks and/or diaper bags with them. Be prepared to wait in a line for each of these to be searched before entering the park. If you have a stroller or scooter with you during the day, then these can easily be stored below so that you aren’t having to carry them around the whole day. Lockers are available immediately upon entering the park underneath the train station where the yellow arrow is pointing to at the bottom of the map. The problem with using the lockers is that they are located far away from where you’ll be during the day throughout the park.
2. Pay as You Go (No Dining Plan) My husband and I have done both the Disney Dining Plan as well as the pay-as-you-go option. One year we wanted to go high on the hog and eat at any restaurant we desired to and have exactly what we wanted to - appetizers, desserts, lunches and sit-down-dinners. We enjoyed our plan a lot that year. The next year, however, we decided that we’d had that fun and that we would rather see how we could cut back on spending and still have a great time. We were staying in one of the resorts and had a very nice eat-in kitchen, so we decided to compare the costs of the dining plan to the pay-as-you- go plan looking at the dining prices and playing your options, you can see how you can maxi- mize your dining budget and your fun. We enjoyed the difference and saved some money.
3. Resort Choices You can plan a wonderful dinner with your family over at the Polynesia Restaurant. There are three choices over there: the Luau which is very good with a Hawaiian stage show, the O’hana which is an extremely delicious and bountiful parade of Hawaiian foods, and the Kona Cafe, which is a open cafe style sit-down restaurant. All of them are very good. The Contemporary and Grand Floridian offer very good sit-down restaurants as well, but nothing will compare to a trip to Hawaii for dinner as far as I’m concerned.
4. Go With the Disney Dining Plan - If you want to have the full range of all there is avail- able at a reduced cost, this is the way to go. There are several savory packages to choose from.
Go here to get the details on the Disney Dining Plan:
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https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/media/wdw_nextgen/CoreCatalog/WaltDisneyWorld/en_us/
PDF/2015Dining.pdf
5. Save My Money and Eat Cheaply - And there are just those times that you’ve decided to save a few pennies and spend them on something else. There are a few ways to do this:
a. Eat at Your Resort - If you are staying at one of the three Disney Resorts connected by monorail to the MK, this is relatively easy. You eat breakfast in your kitchen and go to the park for the morning. Around noon or 1:00 p.m, you go back to your resort and eat lunch and take a nap for a while and maybe swim in the pool before going back to the park. Now, you’re in a position (and so are your young children) to stay out later into the evening and eat dinner in either one of the fast-food places or you can make a reservation at one of the Disney restaurants inside the park or at one of the resorts next door. Eating dinner inside the park is more necessary if you want to stay until the park closes when the big fireworks display is put on. Some people love to watch the “Wishes” fireworks from the O’Hana at the Polynesian where you can see it through the window. You can also probably get good views from the Contemporary and the Grand Floridian. If you don’t want to buy dinner in the park, you can make a few sandwiches before you leave your lunch-time rest and return to the park for the evening.
b. Bring Sandwiches/Fruit, etc. as discussed above into the park.
c. Buy small snack-type items to get you by until you get back to the hotel. Throughout the park, you can find fruit, pretzels, muffins, etc. You can also find fast-food type offerings of the more expensive sit-down restaurants, especially in EPCOT.
So, that brings us to another question: how can I get groceries to have in my hotel room or in my resort kitchen while visiting Disney? The chart on the next page provides you with plenty of information to help you get your groceries or order them and have them delivered. You can do this from home before leaving on vacation and arrive to a nicely stocked hotel room all ready for you. Once, you’ve done all your homework, here’s how you can make your reserva- tions.
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MAKING AND CHANGING YOUR DINING RESERVATIONS
The only time you’ll be asked for a credit card number is to reserve a table in one of the higher-priced venues. That card number will hold your table and in some cases, charge a fee to it if you don’t show up. Only a few of the reservations will require a credit card number. You can make reservations no more than six months (180 days) in advance. Most of the res- taurants in the Magic Kingdom don’t require any reservation, at all. There are many fast food style restaurants where you can get pretty decent food just by walking in. Only the nicer, sit- down restaurants that you’d typically eat dinner in require reservations and of course, Charac- ter Meals will require reservations and advanced payment for tickets.
By Disney policies you can make changes to your dining reservations any time up until the time you actually enter the restaurant to eat. However, there are some pragmatic catches to this. Disney restaurants are smaller than the public wanting to eat in them. Reservations fill up fast. Once you make your initial reservations, you may not want to change them because the restaurant you’d rather get into may now be full. Check the websites carefully for availabil- ity before making an actual change to your reservation. You may find out that you’re lucky to have the reservation you already have once you start looking to change it. If the restaurant you want to get into is available, then by all means, make the change. To make any changes, you’ll need your reservation number.
Note: Not too long ago, Disney’s reservation system was not the best. I would go on the sys- tem to find out if something was available and be told that no tables were left. When this happened to me one too-many times, I decided to call. When I did, I found out that there was plenty of availability. Although I believe Disney has been working to improve the sys- tem and that its much better, I still make phone calls to see if there is any availability if I really want to make a change and the system is telling me that nothing is available, before banking on it.
Go to “Things to Do” to find the place to make your Disney Reservations and make any phone calls or online orders needed to get food to your hotel/resort room before you even get there. With these things in place, your experience is getting that much more enjoyable. Your chart can start taking shape.
You have selected your first place and that is Fantasyland. The first FastPass you were able to get for that area isn’t until 9:45 a.m. The park opens at 9:00 and not wanting to waste any time, you’ll get there at 9:00 and decide whether you want to travel down Main Street and see the shops first (no) or get right to Fantasyland (yes) before everyone else does. While you’re waiting for your FastPass to open up, you’ll get in line at either Seven Dwarfs Mine or Peter
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GETTING YOUR GROCERIES
1. Order Up and Get them Delivered. Did you know that you could order your grocer- ies for delivery to your Disney Resort BEFORE you leave home and have
hem delivered to your room in advance of the time that you get there? Yes, you can. Prices are only slightly higher than they would be otherwise. You can also bring non- perishables in your suitcases - peanut butter/jelly, crackers, bread, canned soup...just about anything you can think of. See this website to order your groceries:
**DVC Members: https://dvcmember.disney.go.com; Go to the right side “Plan My Vaca- tion” click on grocery list form. $5 charge.
GardenGrocer.com $40 min.; $14 fee; order from website; anything from grocery store including paper towels, diapers, etc.
WeGoShop.com 1 -407 252-7525; Order from website; Fees based on amount of purchase.
staples.com/Coffee-Water-Snacks/cat_SC1684 This is a good site for bottled water, coffee, snacks excluding perishables. Floridian water is a little strange, so many people like to get bottled water; free delivery w/ Rewards program.
Disney Resort Gift Shop/Front Desk - Call and order directly through them.
Fort Wilderness Campground Grocery Store & Animal Kingdom’s Jambo both carry groceries including produce.
Amazon Prime Pantry Free delivery; accepts coupons.
2. Pack Them! As mentioned before, you can easily pack almost any food except produce. Canadian travelers, please check this website as there are some restrictions on you. https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/82/~/travelers-bringing-food-into-the-u. s.-for-personal-use. Other international travelers, please check with your govern- ment, as well.
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Pan and knock one of those off the list while you’re waiting. Both of these rides are very popu- lar and the lines can be quite long. The same is true of Winnie the Pooh. Its always best to
put the attractions/lands as your first priority. You can catch Main Street anytime on your way in or out when you’re going there anyway.
Your second FastPass was for Space Mountain. You’ll use the extra time in between to knock another attraction off your list in Fantasyland or you’ll use that time to go to Tomorrowland and cross something off your list there. After all, you have to come back to Fantasyland for lunch, so you could proceed to cross attractions off your list there after lunch since you’ll be there anyway.
In each land there are certain must-ride attractions, while others are not as key. There are high demand attractions and others that are not as popular. What are they?
BEST ATTRACTIONS PER LAND
** = Must Do “A” Attractions * = Not as Coveted “B” Attractions
TOMORROWLND
FANTASYLAND
LIBRTY SQUARE
FRONTIERLAND
ADVENTURELND
**Buzz Lightyear
**7 Dwarf’s Train
**Haunted Mansion
**Thunder Mtn
**Pirates of the Caribbean
**Space Mountain
**Peter Pan
*Hall of Presidents
**Splash Mtn
*Jungle Cruise
*Journey to the Center of the Earth
**Winnie the Pooh
*Mississippi Steam Boat
*Country Bear Jam
*Tikki Birds
*International Speeday
**Ariel’s Journey
*Tom Sawyer’s Island
*Swiss Fam. Rob. Tree House
*Carousel of Progress
**Mickey’s Toontown Fair
Aladin’s Flying Carpet
*People Mover
This chart shows in descending order which attractions are the most coveted in each land. The wait times correspond to their popularity. Although all the attractions are wonderful, the ones that are doubly starred (**) are must-do and potentially long-lines attractions. Therefore, you should make them first priority in each land and then fill in your blanks with the one-star (*) attractions. When you get right down to it, the amount of absolutely-must-see attractions is a handful and very accomplishable. While making sure you get the best attractions accom- plished, you’ll fill in the edges with the others and thereby do everything.
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HOW WILL YOU DO IT?
You’ll do it by FASTPASSING all the high priority rides in each land and then filling in your blanks with another high priority attraction or depending on the wait and how much time you have, filling in with a lesser-star attraction.
Each time, when making your plans, you will choose the land you want to start with, and pick the high priority rides to FastPass. You’ll go to the FastPass link, after entering your ticket codes to make your account, and you’ll pick the FastPass rides you are allowed to in each land. You’ll put that into your schedule and then you’ll choose your next choice high priority or a lesser ride to fill in until your next FastPass ride, depending on the several factors that should influence your decisions as written about thus far.
A WORD ABOUT “WAIT-TIMES”
When approaching a ride at Disney, look for the posted “wait time” to see how long you’ll be waiting in line for each attraction. This time changes throughout the day based on what is hap- pening in the park. For instance, there are some rides that have very long wait times through- out the summer - except during a parade. Why? Because everyone has scheduled their calen- dars to include the parade, therefore, they leave the ride or that area to congregate on Main Street for the parade. Our family never cared about parades, so we would use this time slot as an ideal time to go to a high-priority ride and stand in line for the fewest amount of minutes.Another thing you must know is that the wait times are often inaccurate. While Dis- ney does the best it can to gauge the real time wait time for you, we have found that there are often discrepancies. Therefore, you must look at the posted wait sign and then judge for your- self whether or not its accurate. How can you tell? Well, let’s say the posted wait time is 90 minutes. Yuck! Could that be true? Look at the line. Is it out the door? Is it inside the door, but near the entrance? Ask some people coming out from the ride how long they waited and if they though it was actually 90 minutes. Is it a ride that accommodates a lot of people like “Its A Small World”? If so, that line will move faster than a ride like “Peter Pan” that only puts 2-3 people in a vehicle. These are all factors that will help you discern whether or not the wait-time sign posted is accurate. Now, Disney will tell you that their signs are accurate, be- cause of course, they try to make them be. But, be that as it may, we have often found human error involved in that. Often times, people have told us that they did not wait anywhere near the time that was posted and that instead of waiting 90 minutes as the sign says, they only waited 15 minutes. Why this happens, I don’t know, but it does. So, before walking away
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WHEN SHOULD YOU STAND IN A LONG LINE?
Unfortunately, there are times when you’re going to find that its best for you to stand in a long line. Some of them are:
1. This is your last day, its your favorite ride and you haven’t gotten on it yet or you just have to ride it again.
2. You are tired of walking and don’t have the energy to go to another park right now that’s on your list. You have the time to catch it now without endangering a FastPass reservation. You can sit nearby while someone in your party who can stand a while stands in line. When you are refreshed, you can join them.
3. Your progress is going well in accordance to your plans and you have a little extra time, so why not use it this way?
4. The park is PACKED. Every ride is long and you don’t want to have to come back this way AT ALL if you can help it. Do it now or do it never. There are some situations like this. If you’ve come at a peak time - like school vacation or Christmas Day, this will be your lot. That’s why I highly advise against this if at all possible. Choose a few weeks before Christmas or the week after school vacation. Some schools will let your child out of class so long as preparation is made in advance with the parent and child’s teacher to work ahead before they leave. If you go during a high peak season you will be paying more, waiting longer and enjoying yourself less. Do your best to avoid this.
from a ride that says 90 minutes when it looks like 15 minutes, find out from exiting patrons what it really was.
My advice is NOT to stand in these long lines. They make you miserable and hurt your legs and feet by standing. Instead, work around them strategically and creatively. There are other times that you may be able to catch this attraction without waiting in a long line such as this. What are they?
1. STAY IN A DISNEY RESORT and get in on the “extra” hour they give guests before and after the park opens and closes. Its only an hour, generally, but its an hour free from the crowds and you are there when the park opens.
2. GO EARLY when the park first opens and get some of your most coveted rides in before the crowds get there.
3. FASTPASS before leaving home for the most popular, high-demand, most coveted and longed for rides in Disney World. You’re allowed to reserve three FastPasses when first starting out. I recommend not reserving them for anytime before 11:00 because you should be able to get through lines quickly enough before the crowds get there. Save them for high volume.
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4.
EXPLOIT “DOWN” TIMES such as parades, meal hours, rainy hours, after dinner hours when other families with small children might be going home (also right around lunch when they might be going back to the hotel), and late afternoon hours when the crowd may have already come through Tomorrowland and Fantasyland and might be heading over toward the other side of the park.
SHORTCUT ROUTES
5.
USE SHORTCUTS that exist in the park to get you quickly from land to land. Knowing and using the shortcuts combined with FastPasses will enable you to “wheel and deal” across lands so that you can fit some things in blank spaces that you wouldn’t be able to if you didn’t know how to go to one place and return to another quickly.
The shortcuts from land to land are shown with the colored lines. As you can see, its possible to go from one land to another without traveling in a lengthy circle around the park. The red
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rectangles show two paths from main street into their adjacent lands. One is the obvious path and the other is through a restaurant. The blue line shows how you can go the most quickly from one side of the park to the other. The yellow path shows how you can go quickly from one land to the other by going through the castle or by taking the path on the outside of it. The pink path shows a rope bridge walkway through Frontierland next to the road that is not as actively traveled, thereby allowing you to get around the crowds. The yellow path in Fron- tierland shows you a quick way to get to the heart of Adventureland and/or back again with- out going all the way around. Finally, the green path shows you a quick way of leaving the park all together and getting back to Main Street. If you begin your travels from Tomorrow- land, you’ll be finishing up in Adventureland and be ahead of the crowd for leaving the park by coming out onto Main Street this way.
HOW ELSE CAN WE MAXIMIZE TIME?
For each of the attractions (rides) below, there are varying wait times. Some of that is due to popularity, while another part of it is due to how many people get in a car at the same time and the length of the ride. The chart below shows whether the ride takes a lot of people at one time or only a little, and whether the ride is long or short.
+ A lot of people at one time. - 2-3 in Car L = “Long” ride S = “short” R + Reg. time Q = Line moves Quickly Y = (Yuck) Line moves Slowly M = Line Moves OK
TOMORROWLND
FANTASYLAND
LIBRTY SQUARE
FRONTIERLAND
ADVENTURELND
**Buzz Lightyear -LY
**7 Dwarf’s Train +S Y
**Haunted Mansion -RM
**Thunder Mtn +LM
**Pirates of the Caribbean +RM
**Space Mountain +RM
**Peter Pan -SY
*Hall of Presidents +LQ
**Splash Mtn +RM
*Jungle Cruise +RM
*Journey to the Center of the Earth
+RM
**Winnie the Pooh -SY
*Mississippi Steam Boat
+ LQ on schedule
*Country Bear Jam
+ S Q on schedule (show)
*Tikki Birds
+ L Q on schedule (show)
*International Speedway -RY
**Ariel’s Journey -RQ
*Tom Sawyer’s Island
+ L Q (you decide length of stay)
*Swiss Fam. Rob. Tree House
+ R Q (people climb stairs)
*Carousel of Progress +LQ
**Mickey’s Toontown Fair (several rides - all vary)
Aladin’s Flying Carpet
-MS
*People Mover +LQ
*Its A Small World +LQ
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Whatever land you choose to go to, you should get there early and plan to wipe out the first three most difficult rides to get on. This should not be too hard, because the crowds will not pick up for the first hour or so. Depending on the time of year, the crowds may not pick up for a couple hours into the morning. If you’re staying at one of the resorts, Disney has sched- uled an extra hour for only resort guests at either the beginning or the end of one of the days of the week. To find out which day has those extended hours, go to the official Disney web- site calendar.
Looking at the chart on the previous page, choose the most difficult ride to get on to take in first. Follow up with the next most difficult and so on. For instance, let’s say that I choose to go to Fantasyland first. The most difficult rides to get on (in terms of wait time and length of lines) are Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh. Both of them have cars that take only 2-3 at a time, the ride is relatively short, but the lines move slowly. These two rides are the ones that I want to knock off my list before the crowds come in. For mid-morning (10 or 11:00), I have been smart and FastPassed my third most popular ride that’s difficult to get on: the Silver Mine Train. I have some time left over after going on Winnie the Pooh and still have Small World and Ar- iel’s Journey left along with the Silver Mine Train that is FastPassed for 11:20. Small World takes a ton of people at one time and Ariel moves quickly. Either one of these will work to fill in the time before I go on the Silver Mine Train. What’s more, I have a one-hour window to take advantage of my FastPass for the Silver Mine Train before the FastPass expires. That being said, I could fit in both Small World and Ariel before going to the Silver Mine Train before it expires. Since Ariel is one of the newest rides and more popular for that reason, I’ll get in line for that and catch Small World afterwards. Besides that, Small World takes a lot of people, and Ariel doesn’t, so the line is bound to move more slowly. After that, I’ll go to Small World before going directly to Silver Mine Train where, with my FastPass, I’ll go into the short line and knock that ride off my list in no time. When I get off, if the line is not too long, I can get into Bell’s castle for lunch or if I think it will be too long, I could get in a short line for an early lunch, and take in Ariel and the Silver Mine Train after lunch. That’s how you do it.
The strategy is to exploit the time-maximizing criteria while making the best rides your first pri- ority and filling in the blanks between them with lesser rides according to which one proves to be most advantageous at the time you’re there.
Starting off in the morning, your energy is fresh and your raring to go. Getting to Disney World first thing when it opens is really important if you want to make the most of your money and time for the day. If that’s not a vacation to you, then just adjust your schedule to start later in the day working it the same way.
By working the strategy this way, you should be able to cover two lands by early afternoon. You’ll be able to cover one land from the beginning of the day to mid-morning. Then, from
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