Mailbag editor, Stephanie Wien covers a wide range of topics in the first set of letters in this week’s mailbag, including responses to previous mailbag columns. Cathleen McKeown writes:
I would like to know if you have set the date for the fall MouseAdventure. My husband and I have always wanted to participate and depending on the date, we would love to sign up.
Registration is now open for MouseAdventure. The game will be on Sunday, November 5. There will be a more advanced Invitational game, and a more leisurely open game. Here’s a link to the information page with additional links to MouseAdventure registration.
We hope to see you there!
Dan DeVeney writes:
In a previous mailbag, Lou wrote, “Any idea where I can buy the ‘Walt Disney World Top 7 Must Sees’ DVD that plays on Walt Disney World Resort TV?”
As far as I know, the shows from Walt Disney World Resort TV are not available on DVD. I believe that there are a couple of places on the Internet that do have the video available in a downloadable format, but I can’t recall the sites at the moment.
You can view or download the show at Google Video.
Thank you for sharing that link. It seems you can find just about anything on Google Video these days!
Robert Smith writes:
I read your answers from you mailbag report. I feel you are misguiding people. I just wanted to let you know employees of the Department of Defense can buy discounted tickets at Shades of Green. The discount is very nice when buying 5 to 7 day passes. Plus, the room rates at Shades of Green are very good as well.
Thank you for your letter, and letting us know about discount tickets at Shades of Green. It may not have been clear from the letter, but the letters were about admission media to Disneyland, not Walt Disney World. Thanks for reading MousePlanet.
Randy writes:
Will the “Nightmare Before Christmas” overlay be applied to the Haunted Mansion this year? I heard a rumor from a few Cast Members last year that they would not be doing it in 2006. If they do, how will it affect the new Black Widow vignette in the attic?
The Haunted Mansion will get a makeover this holiday. There will not be a merchandise event as in past years however, which may be what people are misunderstanding as meaning there will be no holiday overlay at all.
It’s unknown how it will affect the new attic scene, but I’m sure the Imagineers will work it all out. We’ll get to see it soon!
Michael Lott writes:
I went to DisneyQuest last week and they could not accept my 2000 Parkhopper Plus ticket (which allowed access to water parks, Pleasure Island and Wide World of Sports). My new 2006 “Plus” tickets worked fine!
Thank you for sharing your experience with your old Parkhopper Plus ticket. I’m glad you were able to get in with your Plus tickets.
Brenda writes:
Does Mouse Planet put out a regular newsletter via e-mail. I’ve searched the site, but couldn’t find any sign-up info.
We don’t have a newsletter. However, you can subscribe to the Web site’s RSS feed that will keep you abreast of our updates. We have something new just about every weekday.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to write.
In the second half of this week’s mailbag, Marathon Guide editor and staff writer Lani Teshima answers several letters about Disney’s Magical Express program at Walt Disney World. Cindy Vincek writes:
We are flying in on Southwest Airlines into Orlando International. As I have been reading, this service does not pertain to Southwest Airlines. Is this correct? We are staying at the All-Star Sports Disney Resort. What would be the best transit from the airport to the Resort? Thanks for any help you can give me? Cindy
Disney’s Magic Express is available to everyone flying into Orlando International, as far as I’m aware; however, since you are not on a participating airline, you would need to pick up your luggage and head over to the Disney’s Magical Express location yourself, at the Disney Welcome Center located on Level One in Terminal A. In addition, you would not be able to check in for your flight while still at All-Star Sports on the day of your departure home.
Be aware that you must reserve your spot in Disney’s Magical Express a month before your trip by phoning 1-407-827-6777. Disney also has an online form.
Have a magical trip!
Kelly Ann Oliveto writes:
Is it true that if I am staying at the Hotel Royal Plaza I cannot use the Magical Express? I thought that it was on Disney Property. Please clarify so that I can make arrangements.
You are correct. Disney’s Magical Express service that provides free bus shuttle service from Orlando International Airport to the Walt Disney World hotels does not extent to the Hotel Royal Plaza.
There are several hotels within walking distance of Downtown Disney, and Hotel Royal Plaza is one of them. They call themselves “Downtown Disney Area Resort Hotels” and provide some of the best conveniences of “off-property” hotels in the Walt Disney World area. In addition, Hotel Royal Plaza has a special arrangement with Walt Disney World so that you can enjoy special perks such as preferred tee times at the Disney golf courses.
What these Downtown Disney hotels are not, however, are official hotels classified as “on-property.” And unfortunately in this case, only on-property Disney-owned hotels are participants in the program.
In my article about this program published February of last year, I wrote:
“There are some catches, however. Because Magical Express is available only for Disney-owned resorts, you are out of luck if you are staying in the Swan, Dolphin, Shades of Green or the Hotel Plaza Boulevard hotels. In addition, Disney Vacation Clubs at Vero Beach and Hilton Head are not included (but the other Walt Disney World DVC resorts are).”
The program has seen some changes since it inception (including a recent agreement with the airport authorities that extends this program to 2011), but Disney has not expanded the service to non-Disney hotels.
However just to make sure, I did contact Hotel Royal Plaza directly, and they did confirm that the service is not available to them.
That said, the availability of Disney’s Magical Express should only be one factor in determining your choice of hotel. I realize for many people, the convenience is the cherry on top of the Disney sundae for deciding to stay on property, and that’s exactly what Disney hopes you do. But the Downtown Disney area resorts are a really nice combination of Disney and the “civilian world.” Its proximity to Downtown Disney makes traveling to the parks a cinch, but you can easily head off to visit non-Disney theme parks and do other things during your trip as well.
If you were planning on visiting other places besides the Disney parks, or you like the freedom of driving your own car (or a rental), then I think the Downtown Disney hotels are still a very good option. They are at least as good as the Moderate category resorts, and some are comparable to Disney’s Deluxe category. Prices are not nearly as steep as the Disney hotels, and many of them are affiliated with loyalty programs for airlines or hotels, giving you lots of points for your stay.
I hope this helps you in your planning for your next vacation.
April Brandt writes:
My husband and I recently took our honeymoon at Walt Disney World. We were expecting to have a wonderful vacation but were let down. We arrived to the Caribbean Beach Resort after using your Magical Express. We were counting that all our luggage would arrive to our hotel room safely. We ended up going out to dinner and coming back to the room around 9pm.
We had brought three bags of luggage and when we got into the room there were only two bags. My husband quickly called the Magical Express desk at the hotel and they said they would quickly get back to us with an answer. Three hours later we get a phone call back saying there was no sign of our bag. Your employees told us they called our airline (Delta) and put in a lost luggage claim. They told us that the bags that are lost usually show up in a day.
The bag lost was mine and I ended up not having any clothing. I was lucky that I had brought one pair of clothing in my carry on. The second day of our honeymoon was spent in a taxi trying to buy clothes for me. We only bought one pair of clothing because we were expecting to have my bag back the next day.
The third day was okay and we spent it at the Magic Kingdom but I was still upset because I had no toiletries and hardly any clothing. The fourth day was spent renting a car and shopping for more clothing because our bag was still not found. After buying 5 pairs of clothing to last me the rest of our honeymoon we spent the rest of our days trying to enjoy ourselves to the best ability we could with out my belongings.
To make a long story short it is now two months after our honeymoon and I still don’t have my bag. The people working at Magical Express were of no help. They handed us over to the airport and didn’t even report later asking if we had any luck. They stopped looking for the bag and told us that they couldn’t help us any more. The airport told us that it was the Magical Express team that lost our luggage due to not getting our bag off of the conveyer belt. The Magical Express people told us that it never made the plane.
We were very upset that mishandling of our luggage ruined our honeymoon. The people we talked to on the phone were rude and didn’t help us at all. I was disappointed in Disney extremely and let down. I am having second thoughts about coming to Disney World again. We’ve been there three times before and weren’t treated as badly as we were this time. I want to thank your company for making my honeymoon the most horrible vacation experience I’ve had my entire life!
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