Mailbag

Suzanne asks:

Do you think the crowds at DisneyQuest on a Saturday

will be manageable, or are my husband and I biting

off more than we can chew trying to keep track

of five kids at once? Also, is it a safe assumption

that most attractions are included in the admission

price with the exception of a few games that dispense

the “tickets for prizes”?

Suzanne — Unlike the Magic Kingdom, Saturday at

DisneyQuest is not significantly more crowded than

any other day. During school vacation periods it is

common to find large groups of local children from

camps or daycares on a day trip to DisneyQuest, but

those usually occur Monday through Friday.

Suzanne had five children, ages 7, 10, 12, 12 & 14,

which makes a DisneyQuest visit easier than it would

be if the children were younger. There is so much

to do inside, I would be comfortable letting the 4

older children go off on their own provided they can

be trusted to not leave the building. The 7-year-old

would need adult supervision, and may be unable to

do some of the attractions. Everything is included

in the admission price except for those “ticket

for prizes” games, and those are grouped together

so they’re easy to avoid.

April asks:

Is the comedy club (at Pleasure Island) like Whose

Line Is It, Anyway? in terms of style? I love

the show and improv comedy. Is there a hip-hop

music club or some place that plays urban music?

April — The Comedy Warehouse is improv comedy,

featuring five talented actors in each show. Every

show is different, and the format is very similar

to Who’s Line except there is no Drew Carey-type

host. BET Soundstage plays urban music, and only people

21 years of age or older are allowed inside.

Improv comedy is performed nightly at the Comedy Warehouse.

Johnathan asks:

Can you stroll Animal Kingdom and World Showcase

and enjoy yourself during the Thanksgiving weekend?

I remember you had luck touring Blizzard Beach

on Thanksgiving; is it a good bet for the holiday(weather

permitting!)? How is Comedy Warehouse that weekend?

Doable?

Jonathan — While every park will be busier than

usual on Thanksgiving weekend, World Showcase in Epcot

will still be less crowded than it was during the

Food & Wine Festival! It should be very pleasant.

Animal Kingdom can be pretty crowded, but getting

there early and using fastpass can help make your

visit enjoyable. We enjoyed one Thanksgiving day we

spent at Blizzard Beach. The weather was warm, and

the crowds were small. Comedy Warehouse is a little

risky. In 2002 it was great, but in 2001 many of the

regular actors had arranged time off for the holidays

so the shows consisted of mostly subs and less experienced

people. The crowds were not significantly worse than

any other weekend, though.

Stefanie asks:

We have been warned multiple times that we must

be at the entrance when the park opens to guarantee

admittance [for our trip] December 26 through

January 3. Disney said that once the park is full

it is closed for the day. Does that mean even

if we are staying on-site we might not get into

a park? If we enter the park and then it closes

can we still return that night?

Stefanie — Disney has several stages of park

closure, which affect people in different ways. The

first step generally means people not staying in a

Disney resort will be turned away, but Disney resort

guests are still admitted. As things get busier, even

Disney resort guests may be denied entrance into a

park, but that happens very rarely and does not last

for the entire day. They continually monitor the situation

and if a park is closed to everyone at 2 p.m., it’s

entirely possible 45 minutes or a couple of hours

later that guests will be admitted again. The safest

thing would be to enter the park early and not leave

until you are finished, but that makes for a very

long and tiring day. Wherever you plan to spend New

Year’s Eve, definitely plan to be in that park by

dinnertime.

Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Melissa asks:

Are their fun free things to do around the Animal

Kingdom Lodge or other hotels while we are stating

at the AKL?

Melissa — There are a number of things to do at

Animal Kingdom Lodge. Besides the pool, playground,

fitness center and arcade, there is a nightly storytelling

activity around a fire. Animals are active all evening,

and if you are not staying in a room with a savanna

view there are many viewing locations that are open

to the public. Cast members will be out to answer

questions or explain any animal behavior. Animal Kingdom

Lodge is also home to two excellent restaurants —

Boma and Jiko.

Diane asks:

If we purchase an annual pass, do we get a discount

on the additional 5–day hopper passes that we

will be needing to purchase?

Diane — No, the purchase of an annual pass does

not grant discounts on any park passes for the four

main theme parks. There is a discount to renew the

annual pass at the end of your year, provided you

do not let the pass lapse at all.

Elliot asks:

My wife and I are considering taking our 9- and

12-year-old daughters to Disney World for three

days beginning the Sunday, April 27 after Easter

(April 20). What type of crowd should we expect?

Many Disney sources indicate the weeks before

and after Easter are very crowded.

Elliot — You will be arriving just as everyone

else leaves, so there should not be heavy crowds during

your trip. The really busy period runs from the week

before Easter through the Sunday after Easter. Once

you get beyond that, the crowds shrink considerably.

One of the two heated pools at Disney’s Hilton Head

Island Resort.

A reader asks about Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort:

Are the pools heated? I’m sure it will be cool

if not cold in early March.

The pools are definitely heated, and get a lot of

use in early March. We’ve visited the resort in March

2003 and 2002 and although the air temperature can

be a bit cool, the pools are quite warm.

Michael asks:

My wife and I are considering becoming passholders

this year. I was wondering if you had any further

information on whether there would be resort discounts

offered in 2003.

Michael — Historically there are always passholder

discounts offered, but when rooms are booking quickly

the discounts may not be announced until a few months

prior to arrival. In 2002 and so far in 2003 there

have been many discounts on Disney resorts, and although

I do not have any inside information I expect the

discounts to remain plentiful through 2003. The current

discount codes can be found at MouseSavers,

and you may find one that matches or beats any passholder

discount.

Disney Vacation Club is Disney’s version of a timeshare.

Tim asks:

With the closing of the Disney Institute and the

new hotel in the works, is this a direct result

of failure/lack of interest in the Institute theme,

or is it simply DVC demand overtaking its usefulness?

Tim — Disney has admitted that the Disney Institute

never was as popular as they had hoped. Disney Vacation

Club on the other hand sells out faster than Disney

predicts, and thus far does not show signs of slowing

down. It’s strictly my opinion, but I see the closure

of Disney Institute as a way to eliminate a resort

that wasn’t meeting the profit targets Disney expects,

while at the same time providing a new Disney Vacation

Club resort for members to purchase more quickly than

waiting for the location proposed near the Eagle Pines

golf course. The Disney Institute buildings that were

knocked down to make room for the new resort were

quite old and very ugly compared to the other buildings

and other resorts, so the overall area will be upgraded

when the Disney Vacation Club (Saratoga Springs Resort

and Spa) resort opens.

Nikki asks:

I was wondering if you thought it was worth getting

a preferred room at this resort. My family is

taking our first WDW trip November 28 through

December 7 and staying at the All–Star Movie.

My children are ages 5½, 3½, 16 months.

Are the Fantasia buildings that much closer?

Nikki — In my opinion, no. Movies

is extremely well laid-out and the Fantasia, Toy Story,

and 101 Dalmations sections are all equally close

to the main building. I’ve stayed in Toy Story twice

and Dalmations once, and every time my room was closer

than some of the “preferred” rooms in Fantasia.

Plus, in Fantasia there’s the chance your room would

face the big pool, which can mean pool noise well

into the evening.

Even the furthest buildings (Love Bug) at Movies aren’t

as far away as the furthest buildings at the other

All–Stars. I’m assuming you’ve got a stroller

for the little one. I wouldn’t bother with the preferred

room — I’d rather spend that $10 on something

else.

Typhoon Lagoon water park.

Michelle asks:

At Typhoon Lagoon, how safe is the Summit Plummet?

My son is 13 and we both enjoy thrill rides. I’m

a big girl. I’m 5-foot-10 and weigh 280 pounds.

Big but healthy and very active. Will I be able

to go on most of the thrill rides there? Will

Summit Plummet be safe for me?

Michelle — Summit Plummet appears to be very safe.

I’m too cowardly to go on it, but I’ve seen all sizes

of people on there and don’t think your size will

be an issue at all. The water slides and the rides

in the parks are generally built to accommodate people

who are your size and larger, so you should be able

to do everything with your son.

Michelle also asks:

Isn’t there some kind of pass to get ahead of the

line for the more popular rides?

This is Fastpass, and it’s free. It’s only on certain

attractions — you put your park pass in the machine,

it reads it, and gives you a slip of paper with the

1-hour window of time you can come back and ride without

going through the regular line. You can’t get another

fastpass until the time indicated on the slip of paper,

which will be five minutes after the start of your

ride time or two hours from now — whichever is

sooner. When you enter the parks, pick up a Guide

Map. The Fastpass attractions are all listed in there.

Rob asks:

On my last few visits (year 2000 and before), the

first show at Comedy Warehouse each night, they

have done a pre-planned skit about the guy selling

duck hats. Do they still do this?

Rob — Seen it for at least a year or two. Most

recently it was performed during the Christmas season,

but not in the past couple of years. They have one

very short scripted piece they still do occasionally

— a spoof about finding your car in the Disney

parking lots at the end of the day.