Opening the mailbag this week, the first letter about Disneyland tickets is answered by MousePlanet staff.
Heidi writes:
I know this is rather quick, but I was wondering if you would know how to find out whether the “Give a Day, Get a Day” tickets will be able to be upgraded to 2fers (if used before April 12, of course). I’m hoping they are, since the birthday tickets last year were able to be used as such. I haven’t been able to find any info about that yet, but, as I said, maybe it’s a little too soon to hear anything. Thank you so much for your time!
I checked on this, and it turns out that you can upgrade the Give a Day ticket to any higher priced ticket (including the SoCal 2-day hopper if you meet residency restrictions and upgrade by April 12th) but can not exchange the free ticket for a SoCal 2fer.
Hope this helps!
Next, staff writer Lani Teshima answers a reader’s complaint about the parking situation before the 2010 Walt Disney World marathon.
Jill R. writes:
I wanted to put in my account of the MAJOR problems at the beginning of the [marathon]. My brother and I arrived at Epcot before 5 a.m. (as instructed) to park for the race. The parking was so slow that we actually saw the race start from the car at 5:40! We parked and immediately ran towards the Start. Just before the road to the Start corrals the Disney security guards had shut a gate and would not let us proceed to the Start. They told us to wait until the wheelchair participants came through and then we would be allowed to cross. We waited about 10 minutes and then they said they would not open the gate, that we were too late and would not be allowed to start the race! All because they DO NOT KNOW how to park cars!
A few of us decided to backtrack up the course to spectator viewing. We ran through the woods and then along the course backwards to the Start, then over the Start mats and hurried to catch the back of the pack. We both finished the race but our GPS showed with the problems we had run over 30 miles! Had we not done the race before and known about the spectator viewing spot we would have gone back to the car and missed the race! This race has been going on way too long for there to be no communication between parking, race start, and security and a lot of senseless heartbreak was the result!
Sorry to hear you had such a problem with parking at Walt Disney World. Unfortunately, I think the wires got crossed for you somewhere, because in the official instructions, Disney states that people who are driving to the event need to show up by 4:00 a.m. The email that all participants received included the following paragraph:
“DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO EPCOT®
Take 1-4 to exit 64 (192 West) and follow the signs to Epcot®. Once you have arrived at the Epcot® toll plaza you will be directed where to park. Some roads begin to close at 3:30 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Therefore, please use directions above and plan to arrive no later than 4:30 a.m. On Saturday and Sunday from 5:15 a.m. to 7:15 a.m., the main entrance to Epcot® from World Drive will be closed to all traffic. During this period, all traffic will be directed to the Magic Kingdom® Parking Lot and guests will be transported to Epcot® via Monorail.”
In addition, the booklet you got when you picked up your number, included similar instructions:
“If you are driving to the start area at Epcot® on Saturday or Sunday — EXPECT DELAYS! Please plan to arrive at Epcot® by 4:00 a.m.”
According to this information, it sounds like you and your friend got there an hour after their suggested arrival time. To make matters worse for you, it sounds like you got caught right about the time they had planned to close the entrance for the start of the event.
I’m glad you were able to run in the end, although the additional miles must have been a bummer. On the other hand, you didn’t have to stand in the cold for two hours before the event.
I hope the run itself was fun, and that you didn’t get too cold!
Finally, staff writer Steve Russo answers reader mail in response to his article on Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground (January 15, 2010), as well as providing advice on how to get a good deal on a Walt Disney World vacation.
Tom writes:
I loved your article on the Fort Wilderness Campground but you left out an important part of the resort that my family really loves. Golf carts!
The resort rents out golf carts by the day/week and no trip would be complete without them! They are a great tool to get around but the kids love to ride in them and during the Christmas holiday’s they are a blast to decorate. We were there December 19 – 23 and had decorated our carts with Christmas decorations and lights, everyone loved it and most of the other carts had similar “attire”. I have had season passes for over 15 years and the campgrounds are my favorite of all resorts and the Christmas season is their time to shine!
This is why my readers are the best… you guys keep me honest. Yes, the golf carts are a critical component of any stay at Fort Wilderness. I’m now waiting to hear what else I left out.
Hilda N. writes:
This is my first time seeing your site, MousePlanet. I am part of a group that decorates Fort Wilderness at Christmas time. I have sent an email to guest communications at Walt Disney World. Here is the email:
To whom it may concern:
We are Fort Wilderness holiday campers. We started six years ago, small at first but growing every year. Since we appeared on Disney’s Holiday Magic with Samantha Brown in 2007 our decoration have grown and so have our decorators; we now have ten of us who together have built a holiday tradition for countless Disney guests and employees. Our decorations are also known throughout your hotels and parks by word of mouth. You will also see us on your blog. People tell us that one of the highlights of their Disney vacation is to visit Fort Wilderness to see our decorations.
This year the Fort Wilderness holiday sleigh ride brought your guests directly to our sites nightly from 5 PM to 10:30 PM between November 30 and December 30, which did get extended due to popular demand. We all share a common interest in love of Disney, Fort Wilderness and the holidays. We love to see the faces of children, parents and grandparents as they marvel at our Disney Christmas displays year after year, much like a child’s first sighting of Mickey Mouse. We are humbled by the overwhelming response.
We would like to get together and met with Walt Disney World management. We want this holiday tradition to continue for years to come, much like the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Lights, which took years of planning. We too will need your help, guidance and input. We are now getting our thoughts together for 2010 holidays. We want to decorate for Halloween this year, then slide into Christmas. Your season started November 10 in 2009, so as you see we will need someone to communicate with. This is a summary of our story. We have a proposal plan which we will bring to our meeting. We would appreciate a response as soon as possible, as we have some of our holiday campers leaving until next season.
Thank you,
Fort Wilderness Holiday Campers
Living our magical dream.
We need to get this email to someone high up at Walt Disney World, like Meg Crofton or Robert Iger. We have a meeting with Doug Lord on Jan 22. We don’t know what he will say but it does not look good. The rumor is they want to stop the decorating. Any help would be appreciated, thanks for listening.
This is just my opinion but I think starting this discussion with Doug Lord is appropriate although it’s not clear to me exactly what you’re asking Disney to do.
I’m also not sure why you think it “does not look good”. For some reason, you think Disney World would want to stop the decorating. As I indicated in my article, Disney made it a point to chauffeur 25-30 members of the press through the Fort Wilderness campsites to view these decorations. I sensed a bit of pride on their part and would be surprised if they wanted it to stop for any reason. Again, I could be wrong but that’s my assessment.
Thanks to you and others that spend so much of your own time and money decorating the campsites as you do. It’s certainly appreciated by the other guests.
Gil A. writes:
Thank you so much for your valuable information. My wife and four-year-old son just decided to take a trip to Disney World this Spring and I am trying to be as frugal as possible.
We are planning a stay in the off peak week of April 11-17, and going to the parks Monday through Friday. I am struggling with the decision to purchase a food plan or not. Disney is not offering the “free meal plan” currently, but my question is should I book the vacation now or should I wait in hopes that a free or discounted meal plan offer may come around ?
I really can’t offer any advice here because I have no inside information on anything that MIGHT happen. There are some great deals now… running from 1/1/10 to 6/3/10, there are discounts of 25%-45% off the regular “Rack” rates. It varies by type of resort and length of your stay.
My advice would be to book the best deal now for the resort you want and pay close attention to the cancellation policy. As you get closer, if a better deal comes around, book it and cancel this one. If not, be satisfied in the great deal you got.
