I love the Sunday newspaper.
I’m not sure when, how, or why the tradition of the huge Sunday newspaper started, and to be frank, I don’t particularly care. I do know that it’s been a major part of my Sunday ritual for a long, long time. There’s nothing better than a settling in at the dining room table on a cold, grey winter morning with a fresh pot of coffee and the Sunday paper. I pore through section after section, from advertisements, World News, the Capital Region, Sports, Travel… Heck, I even spend some time with Parade magazine to see if Marilyn vos Savant has a stumper for me. Then I wrap the whole thing up with the New York Times Crossword. I do this every Sunday.
Imagine my surprise and excitement one cold Sunday in March as I was separating the paper and saw this on page one of the poorly-named Unwind section:
The Best Possible World? Really? Photo from the Albany Times Union.
I know… I already had two of my favorite things (fresh hot coffee and the Sunday newspaper) and now was presented with a third: a story about Walt Disney World. The article was entitled “Best possible World” and promised “If you are planning to do Disney, here are tips for doing it right”. I always cast a wary eye to any phrases like “do Disney,” and sadly, my excitement was short-lived.
While I might have expected an exhaustive search for tips and hints from experienced Disney travelers, they simply asked readers of a Parent to Parent blog to share their tips for “navigating Disney” and getting the best deals. Apparently, the only qualifications for dispensing advice were to have replied. Here’s a sampling of the advice offered (edited for space but not content) and my assessment of the tips offered.
The article began with suggestions from K-Wing:
“If you have a motorhome/camper/pop-up/tent stay at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. While the campsites are pricey… they are pennies on the dollar compared to… any other Disney resort. Plus, the best part is after the madhouse, crazy-crowd insanity that are the Disney parks, the campgrounds are in the woods. So you can decompress and relax.”
OK, we’re off to a pretty good start. I can’t fault anyone for recommending the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. While camping at Walt Disney World is not my particular cup of tea, it certainly offers fine accommodations at a reduced price. I do however think the author is guilty of a bit of hyperbole with the “pennies on the dollar” comment. As campsites go, they aren’t exactly giving them away. But if camping is in your blood, this is certainly a viable way to visit Disney World and save a few bucks.
This next bit of advice was from Magpies and focused on the resort pool.
“Pool: There were hundreds of people in our pool. It was miserable. Make sure you have a huge pool and compare it to the number of rooms (versus other hotels). We were bumping into other people. Awful.”
Well, hopefully you aren’t basing the success or failure of a Disney vacation by the size of your pool. That said, I can understand how the resort pool can be a major part of a any Disney World stay, particularly during the summer season. Even so, if we’ve budgeted a family stay at a Value resort, could any of us absorb the significant price increase to upgrade to a moderate or deluxe resort solely for a larger pool and fewer rooms? I’m thinking here of the family of four reserved at Pop Century or one of the All Star resorts. When they learn they’ll be sharing a main pool with several hundred other guests, can they really justify the upgrade to the Beach Club or Polynesian? We’re talking moving from a nightly rate of around $100 to one around $300. To me, that’s a tough sell.
If you’re one of those folks who consider the resort pool a significant part of your vacation, do your homework and plan accordingly.
This next piece of advice from Kathleen concerned tickets.
“I was surprised by the ticket deals for many things, including days at Universal, offered in the hotel lobby. It would have been cheaper to buy there than to buy online.”
It sounds like Kathleen is referencing off-site hotels because I can’t recall seeing a Universal ticket kiosk in any Disney resort. Are there deals to be had? Sure, if you don’t mind sitting through a high-pressure timeshare presentation or two. Or finding that your 7-day Magic Your Way ticket actually only has three days remaining on it. Be very careful with discount tickets. Kathleen continues with:
“Also those multi-day tickets to Disney really don’t expire! I had one left over from when I was 13. I used it at age 27 and they still accepted it. I was stunned.”
Here’s our first real piece of misleading information. What the author states is true; those older Disney passes did not expire and could be used years later. The implication that it’s still true today is dead wrong. As we all know, today’s Magic Your Way passes expire 14 days after first use unless you pay extra for the No Expiration option. Caveat emptor.
A bit more from Kathleen:
“As for dinner at Disney – GET RESERVATIONS BEFORE YOU GO ON THE TRIP! The best restaurants fill up months in advance and I mean four-plus months. You can always cancel your reservations at the last minute.”
I certainly can’t argue with the admonition to plan your dining in advance. As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, I don’t like it—but it’s something made necessary by the popularity of the Disney Dining Plan. However, I do take exception to the last piece of advice. First of all, canceling at the last minute may be legal but it’s inconsiderate and unfair to your fellow diners. If you know you won’t use a reservation, canceling it as early as possible will allow someone else to use it. Second, and most important, Disney’s new policy will impose a charge of $10 per person if you cancel a reservation within 24 hours at select restaurants. In other words, canceling at the last minute may not be a good idea depending on the restaurant in question.
Here are some words of wisdom from Katie:
“Plan at least a full day at home after the vacation to recover before getting back to the work/school grind. Disney world is fun but it’s also seriously the most exhausting vacation ever.”
It’s very difficult to argue with this. Personally, I prefer to take our vacations a bit slower so they’re not “the most exhausting ever” but I can appreciate this advice.
I need to take this next submission—from Jenn—in multiple parts. It’s that…er… interesting:
“Make sure to visit SeaWorld. Much cheaper than the Disney ticket prices, the rides were just as fun, the shows were great and the lines weren’t long.”
At the very least, this is off topic. The readers were asked to comment on Walt Disney World, not Central Florida attractions. Even though I haven’t been to Sea World in 20 years, I can’t disparage the park. It does offer some fine rides and shows and I’m sure you’d have a good time there but… it’s not Disney World and I won’t even bother to go into the reasons why. I would also state that Sea World ticket pricing is very comparable to Disney’s, but as we all know, blanket comparisons are impossible. We’d have to know the specifics of number of days, hoppers, etc. to compare. We’ll let Jenn slide a bit here, but she continues:
“Still, go to Disney but go during the holiday season. They open the park up from 4 p.m. to midnight. The atmosphere is a lot of fun, free cookies and cocoa throughout the park, and the parade is great.”
So the park opens at 4:00 p.m., eh? Do you think anyone would complain if Disney waited until late afternoon to open a park? Jenn is very likely speaking of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party but never says that nor does she indicate these perks are solely available at the Magic Kingdom and at an extra cost, hard ticket event. I sincerely hope someone doesn’t heed this advice and become disappointed when they can’t locate the free cookies and cocoa. Imagine the scene as they complain at Guest Relations. Jen continues with:
“Don’t spend the money on a Park Hopper if you take younger kids. They don’t want to jump around, it’s tiring to come and go, plus, each park is enough for one full day. Stay off resort.“
I couldn’t disagree more. I’m a huge proponent of staying on-site and a chief reason is the relative ease of a mid-day break. That break goes a long way toward warding off fatigue, particularly in children. It appears that Jenn’s touring style is to stay off-site, get to a park and spend the day, from opening to park closing, at that single park. I’m sure this might work for some but, personally, I think it’s an exhausting way to visit the World.
Jenn’s final piece of advice actually has some merit:
“Buy your own food and pack lunches. Splurge on dinner at one of the many great restaurants not on Disney property. This will save you a lot of money.”
I think this is valid advice, particularly if you have young ones. Again, my own touring preferences typically involve Disney restaurants but I can’t deny the wisdom of dining off-site if you have the means to travel.
This last submission is from KimV and arguably contains the best advice of the lot. It’s apparent that KimV has visited more than once or twice.
“The “wait time for Disney rides” apps are amazing and fun. Study them before you go so you know when to hop on rides. Use the Fastpasses for the most popular rides (Toy Story, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, etc.) or you WILL wait more than one hour to ride.”
Solid advice so far.
“The last two weeks of August are a great time to visit Disney—most southern schools are already in session and Disney offers deals then. If you don’t have school-age kids, September is even better.”
KimV seems to know what she’s talking about.
“Even though shuttles work well, we think it’s worth renting a car so you aren’t stuck waiting for shuttles, especially early in the morning and near closing times.”
OK, I don’t necessarily agree with this but I can’t fault her logic. I think saving a buck and using Disney’s Magical Express is still sound advice but you all know we could debate this one forever.
“Cost cutting tips:
- Bring snacks from home or hit a grocery store when you get there.
- Go to the dollar store before you leave home and stock up on cheap, Disney-themed tchotchkes and glow sticks and hide in your bag. Give them to the kids during the trip, so you aren’t suckered into paying 10 times as much at the parks for the same thing.”
Hyperbole aside, KimV wins the prize for dispensing the best, most useful information… in my opinion, of course, and I’m overlooking her instructions to have you hide in your bag.
I’ve had a bit of fun here, at the expense of a few people offering some suspect planning advice. In fairness, it’s not an easy thing to do, particularly when you’re restricted by space. Try it. Send me your top one or two planning tips and we’ll see how we stack up against these submissions. To level the playing field, we’ll restrict submissions 150 words or less. Here are mine:
Use Magical Express and stay on-site at a Disney resort. Each day, get to the park at opening, have a plan in mind and hit the most popular rides first. Use the Fastpass system for any ride with a wait time of more than 20-minutes. Take a mid-day break for swimming and/or naps. Return to the parks in late afternoon or evening and stay through the parade/fireworks.
Make Advance Dining Reservations for your desired restaurants. Have breakfast in your room but allow for a character meal if you have children.
Don’t be afraid to deviate from your plans on a whim. Remember to stop and smell the roses—it’s a vacation.
That’s my opinion—in only 111 words. What’s yours?
