I’ve recently returned from a visit to my favorite vacation spot where the missus and I (naturally) had a great time. While ruminating on a mountain top (one of the Magic Kingdom’s mountains, by the way), I had a moment of clarity where I came to understand all things Disney. Not buying that?
OK, the real story. Some things occur to me during the planning stages, the trip itself and its aftermath. Some are just things I didn’t previously know about existing attractions, shows, or policies. Others are tips and/or tricks learned along the way about something remembered or something new. Some are just how I feel or felt about certain things. In any case, the following are my musings and observations from our most recent trip:
On admission
► Never pay full (Disney) price for your Magic Your Way passes. There are a number of legitimate ticket brokers, authorized by Disney as re-sellers, where you can purchase your passes at a discount. And because I’m a company man, please consider MousePlanet discount ticket partner Orlando Fun Tickets (visit them here). There are others out there and they’re fairly easy to find but…
► …At all costs, avoid the discounted ticket kiosks that seem to be everywhere in the vicinity of Walt Disney World. The legitimate ones will require you attend a very high-pressure sales pitch on (usually) vacation properties. The others will just rip you off. Even though a ticket might be advertised and sold as a 7-day Park Hopper, you might find it only has 3 days left on it. Remember, there’s no way of determining the remaining days on a ticket without taking it to a Disney Guest Services cast member for verification. Which is why you should also…
► …Never buy your ticket media via on-line auctions (such as eBay). There is way too much anecdotal evidence of this being extremely risky.
On transportation
► Check and re-check your flights regularly. Airlines seem to be changing their flight times with more frequency these days. You don’t want to arrive at the airport in plenty of time for your 8:00 AM flight, only to learn it’s been re-scheduled to depart at 10:30 – or worse, it left at 6:50.
► Check your flight’s fares regularly as well. Rates are fluctuating and, if your reservation allows you to rebook without penalty, you might be able to save a few bucks.
► Ditto for the rental car; although, instead of a rental car, my advice is to…
► …Use Disney’s Magical Express. I know there are horror stories out there, but there are bad experiences for any form of transportation—from rental car to limousine. Magical Express has worked flawlessly for me and I’ve now used it for five round trips. I’m aware of the arguments for grocery stops and Disney’s prices being too high, but you’d have to purchase an awful lot of groceries to make back the cost of a rental car (and gas).
► Is there a better feeling than when you finally, and mercifully, get off the plane and board that AGT train to the main terminal at Orlando International Airport? Or maybe seeing purple road signs for the first time? Or the arch as you enter the property? OK. Pulling up to your resort is probably better.
The Beach Club. Photo by Steve Russo.
► I can understand someone wanting the convenience of his or her own car, but why would anyone staying on site drive to the Magic Kingdom? By the time you park at the Transportation and Ticket Center, ride the tram from the parking lot then ferry or monorail to the Magic Kingdom… wouldn’t a bus dropping you off at the park entrance be easier and faster?
► If you want to check your bags with a Skycap (and who doesn’t?), be aware that Disney’s Magical Express drops you off at Level 1 (Ground Transportation) of the airport. You’ll need to schlep your bags up to Level 3 (Departing Flights) and back outside to find the Skycap stations.
► It seems like, with each visit, it’s taking longer and longer to get through security at Orlando International Airport. I’m not sure why, but it is.
► Is there anything more depressing than boarding the plane for the trip home?
On accommodations
► I learned this the hard way… Not all handicapped accessible rooms are the same. If you’re assigned one, and assuming you don’t require it, take the time to check it out before you unpack. We’ve previously stayed in an accessible studio at the Boardwalk Villas and it was fine. We were recently assigned a different one and found it to be significantly short on what we felt are attractive amenities (e.g. – a closet, a safe, a sink/vanity), and the folded up seat in the smallish shower was borderline dangerous.
► You should also note that “adjoining” rooms might not be “connecting” rooms. Adjoining rooms are next to each other while connecting rooms share an interior door between them. There is a difference.
On food
► Call Disney Dining or walk up to your favorite restaurant to ask for a seating that you previously couldn’t get. I’m painfully aware that the Dining Plan has all but made Advanced Dining Reservations a necessity, but you never know. If you have a reservation you’re not going to use, please call and cancel so someone else can benefit from it.
► Walt Disney World is the only place where I can spend $16 on two draft beers, or $10 on a pot of coffee, and it doesn’t ruin my day.
► If you make frequent use of table service restaurants at Walt Disney World, consider purchasing an Annual Pass and spending the additional $65 on a Tables in Wonderland card (formerly the Disney Dining Experience). Getting 20% off your restaurant bills, including alcoholic beverages, can provide quick justification for this feature particularly if you travel with a larger group, frequently dine at the signature restaurants, order a bottle of wine with dinner, etc.
► The Dawa Bar, in Animal Kingdom’s Harambe, is an excellent place to grab a beverage and get off your feet—and, if you time it right, it can provide a comfortable location from which to watch Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade.
The Dawa Bar in Harambe. Photo by Steve Russo.
► “Starring Rolls” for breakfast in the Studios is very good. So is the Main Street Bakery in the Magic Kingdom… and the Boardwalk Bakery… and…
► It saddens me to see what’s become of Pleasure Island. I’m hoping its re-invention by Disney will bring the same type of unique entertainment rather than just new ways to separate the tourists from their wallets.
Pleasure Island De-Construction has begun. Photo by Steve Russo.
On shows and parades
► Sit up close in Mickey’s Philharmagic – maybe the second or third row. I have no idea why, but the film and 3D effects are much better from the front.
► If you’re camped out, curbside, waiting for a parade, please don’t use the arrival of the first float as the cue to place your child on your shoulders. If you’re in the rear of the crowd, fine. At the front? Not so much.
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade. Photo (taken from the Dawa Bar) by Steve Russo.
► Fireworks show Wishes is best viewed from the center of Main Street. Take up a spot in the street 15-30 minutes (depending upon the crowd) prior to the start of the show. Just try not to come in at the last minute and take up space in front of someone in a stroller, wheelchair or the vertically challenged.
Wishes. Photo (taken from the center of Main Street) by Steve Russo.
► Illuminations: Reflections of Earth can be viewed from almost anywhere around World Showcase Lagoon but provides the best perspective from World Showcase Plaza, the area between the two shops at the entrance to World Showcase from Future World.
Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. Photo (taken from World Showcase Plaza) by Steve Russo.
► Watching Illuminations: Reflections of Earth with a pastry and coffee from the Boulangerie Patisserie in France is pretty darn close to heaven on earth. I know of at least three people that are not fans of Illuminations. This still boggles my mind.
► Whenever I think about Fantasmic!, I kind of shrug and say “We saw it last time – no need to see it this trip.” Then we go ahead and see it and I’m glad I did.
On attractions
► Many (most? all?) attraction wait times at Walt Disney World theme parks are over-stated.
► Shouldn’t there be a way to learn what the Standby Time is at Space Mountain while you’re in Adventureland? What’s that? You’ll soon be able to use your Verizon Wireless service to do just that?
► At park opening, the staff at many of the more popular attractions will take measures to ensure the queue looks to be very long. Have you ever been stopped in the Soarin’ queue at that turn before you head down to the CM station? Have you ever seen the Test Track queue outside the building at park opening? Space Mountain? I can’t prove this but, I’m betting it’s Disney’s attempt to spread out the crowds to multiple attractions when a park first opens. They’d prefer it if 90% of the people there didn’t all go to the same ride.
► I’ve won Dream Fast Passes twice and both times were mid-morning just inside the entrance to Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream. ‘Nuff said.
► We don’t see the Country Bear Jamboree every trip, but when we do visit, it always seems funnier and more entertaining than I remember.
► Sit toward the rear of the train on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for a wilder ride. This probably comes under the heading of “old news” for most but you never know…
► Ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror before breakfast. I’m just saying.
► The Pangani Forest Exploration Trail in Animal Kingdom is a great way to wait out the time before your Kilimanjaro Safaris Fastpass time has arrived.
► Here’s a quote from an earlier column: “Here’s another I haven’t been able to confirm. When in the queue at Star Tours, at the ramp by the first turn to right, look down to see Kermit the Frog.” Thanks to reader Rhonda Lampitt, I was able to locate Kermit and snap this picture:
Robot Kermit. Photo by Steve Russo.
► Regarding the “re-imagineering” of Pleasure Island, did Disney World’s guests really request more “shopping opportunities”?
This is a continuously growing list, so I’m reasonably certain I’ll publish more in future columns. If you’ve got some special tips or secrets you’d like to share, send them in and I’ll include them next time.
These are (mostly) my opinions. What are yours?
