So You Want to Stay at....Disney World!

Let's talk about Disney World resort hotels! Why should you want to stay at a Disney property? First of all, the transportation options are phenomenal. You can take the Magical Express from MCO airport for free and never need a rental car (unless you plan to visit other places while on vacation). If you have a vehicle, you can park for free at any property and take the bus from your resort - or any other resort - to the theme parks and Downtown Disney. If you choose to drive to the parks, all you have to do is show the parking attendant your MagicBand and they'll let you pass without paying (be sure to catch my post about MagicBands and other tools coming soon!) The resorts serve as their own source of entertainment, as well! You can spend an entire day hanging out at the pool, arcade, and food court. I will often divide my days at the parks with a "break" day to unwind and rest.

I've had the pleasure of staying at two Disney resort hotels so far: Caribbean Beach and Port Orleans - French Quarter. Check out my personal review of these properties in upcoming posts!

The hotels are divided by category:

Disney World Resort Hotels
Name	Category	Price/Night	Location
All-Star Movies	Value	$0-$175	Animal Kingdom
All-Star Music	Value	$0-$175	Animal Kingdom
All-Star Sports	Value	$0-$175	Animal Kingdom
Pop Century	Value	$0-$175	ESPN Wide World of Sports
Port Orleans - Riverside	Moderate	$175-$250	Downtown Disney
Port Orleans - French Quarter	Moderate	$175-$250	Downtown Disney
Caribbean Beach	Moderate	$175-$250	Epcot
Coronado Springs	Moderate	$175-$250	Animal Kingdom
Art of Animation	Value-Plus	Over $250	ESPN Wide World of Sports
Cabins at Fort Wilderness	Moderate	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Old Key West	Deluxe Villa	Over $250	Downtown Disney
Saratoga Springs	Deluxe Villa	Over $250	Downtown Disney
Wilderness Lodge	Deluxe	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Beach Club	Deluxe	Over $250	Epcot
Yacht Club	Deluxe	Over $250	Epcot
Animal Kingdom Lodge	Deluxe	Over $250	Animal Kingdom
Polynesian Village	Deluxe	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Boardwalk Inn	Deluxe	Over $250	Epcot
Contemporary	Deluxe	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Grand Floridian	Deluxe	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Animal Kingdom Villas	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Animal Kingdom
Beach Club Villas	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Epcot
Polynesian Villas and Bungalows	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Boardwalk Villas	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Epcot
Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Villas at Grand Floridian	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Magic Kingdom
Villas at Wilderness Lodge	Deluxe Villas	Over $250	Magic Kingdom

The differences between the categories, aside from price, are the amenities and themes. Value resorts have minimal themed public areas and only offer the basics. There is a food court, several pools, an arcade, and gift shop located at each value resort but you will not find table-service dining or room service at these locations. The newer Art of Animation is considered "value plus" because it is mostly composed of family suites and boasts a nicer food court. The moderate resorts are extensively themed and offer the same amenities as the value resorts with the addition of table-service restaurants and additional activities such as boating. Coronado Springs sticks out in this category because it is newer and also offers a salon, health club, and room service. Deluxe resorts are at the top of the list with the most attractive decor and extensive amenities. Additionally, many of these resorts have more convenient transportation options. For example, Polynesian Village, the Contemporary, and Grand Floridian are all on the monorail line for Magic Kingdom (and Epcot via connection). Beach Club, Yacht Club, and Boardwalk Inn are all within walking distance from Epcot and Hollywood Studios but also offer the convenience of ferry transportation. Wilderness Lodge offers ferry transportation to Magic Kingdom.

Disney's All-Star Movies Resort

Coronado Springs Resort

Contemporary Resort

You can camp at Disney World! The Fort Wilderness Cabins and Campsites are a fun and affordable way to enjoy your vacation. The campsites are designated as partial hookup, full hookup, and preferred hookup and offer the same ferry transportation to Magic Kingdom as Wilderness Lodge. Additionally, the cabins and campsites have access to an inexpensive buffet at Trail's End Buffeteria and a unique dinner show opportunity at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue. There is also a marina nearby to rent boats and other water activity options.

You can save hundreds of dollars by booking at the correct time of year for your travel dates! Disney offers room-only and package specials throughout the whole year, but here is a glimpse at the dates when they offered discounts in 2014 and current offers for 2015. This chart is especially helpful if you think you may want to plan a trip more than a year in advance.

Checking into your Disney World resort hotel room is easy! Check your email inbox starting a month ahead of your trip for communication regarding "online check-in". The hotel will allow you to log in to your Disney account, select your time of arrival, and request specific room locations and extra options all before you leave home. If you elect to receive text and/or email alerts then the hotel will contact you the day of your arrival to let you know when your room is ready. You can skip the front desk and use your MagicBand to access your room! It's....wait for it....MAGIC! 

The next post is dedicated to everyone's favorite vacation topic - food! Stick around to see what's cookin' at Disney World!

Let's go to...Disney World!

Here it is, folks - the very first post dedicated solely to Disney World! The happiest place on Earth can't be contained in merely one post so I'll be dividing this topic into four installments: the parks, the resort hotels, the food, and things to see/do in the area.


First, let's look at a map of the Disney World property:

At the very top of the map is the iconic Magic Kingdom park; regardless of any Disney park you visit (in the U.S. or abroad), you will always find a princess castle. In Florida, you'll find Cinderella's castle towering above the crowds as the focal point of the park. There are six distinct areas to explore inside Magic Kingdom: Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, Tomorrowland, Main Street, U.S.A., and Liberty Square. Most of the rides located at Magic Kingdom are quite popular; you'll want to book your FastPass+ options for this park as early as possible. Dumbo, Peter Pan, and the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train rides should take priority on your list as they are the quickest to run out of FastPasses. Please note: you may also use your FastPass selections for parades/Wishes fireworks so if that is something your family enjoys more than skipping the line for rides then you may decide it's the better option.

Magic Kingdom
Ride	Type	Location	Height Requirement
Astro Orbiter	Slow/Children	Tomorrowland	Any
The Barnstormer	Small Drops	Fantasyland	35"
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad	Thrill Ride	Frontierland	40"
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin	Indoor Interactive	Tomorrowland	Any
Dumbo the Flying Elephant	Slow/Children	Fantasyland	Any
"it's a small world"	Slow/Children	Fantasyland	Any
Jungle Cruise	Slow/Classic	Adventureland	Any
Mad Tea Party	Spinning/Classic	Fantasyland	Any
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin	Slow/Children	Adventureland	Any
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh	Slow/Indoor Interactive	Fantasyland	Any
Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor	Indoor Interactive	Tomorrowland	Any
Peter Pan's Flight	Slow/Children	Fantasyland	Any
Pirates of the Caribbean	Slow/Classic	Adventureland	Any
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train	Thrill Ride	Fantasyland	38"
Space Mountain	Thrill Ride	Tomorrowland	44"
Splash Mountain	Thrill/Water Ride	Frontierland	40"
Stitch's Great Escape!	Indoor/Scary	Tomorrowland	40"
Tomorrowland Speedway	Slow/Children	Tomorrowland	32"
Under the Sea	Slow/Indoor Interactive	Fantasyland	Any

Moving clockwise, you'll see the 'golf ball' shaped Spaceship Earth, which greets visitors to Epcot. This park is divided into two sections: Future World and World Showcase. Future World is the destination for technical innovation and features thrill rides such as Test Track and Soarin'. It also prides itself on education by providing interactive features in the waiting area or at the end of several attractions. World Showcase is a pavilion of 11 different countries: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, United States, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada. Each country reflects the culture, artistry, and cuisine of its namesake. Fun fact: Disney only hires natives from each country to work in the pavilions to further immerse guests in the culture. Most of the Epcot rides are located in Future World and you are only permitted to select a FastPass+ for one high-demand ride (IllumiNations fireworks show, Soarin', Test Track, or Living with the Land) and two lower-demand rides. 

Epcot
Ride	Type	Location	Height Requirement
Ellen's Energy Adventure	Slow/Indoor	Future World	Any
ImageWorks	Indoor Interactive	Future World	Any
Innoventions	Indoor Interactive	Future World	Any
Journey Into Imagination with Figment	Slow/Indoor	Future World	Any
Living with the Land	Slow/Indoor	Future World	Any
Mission: Space	Thrill Ride	Future World	44"
The Seas with Nemo & Friends	Slow/Indoor	Future World	Any
Soarin'	Slow/Indoor/Heights	Future World	40"
Spaceship Earth	Slow/Indoor Interactive	Future World	Any
Test Track	Thrill Ride	Future World	40"
NEW: Frozen Ever After (2016)	Slow/Indoor	World Showcase	TBA

Next on the map, toward the bottom, is Hollywood Studios. For anyone that has been to Disneyland, this is the park that most closely resembles California Adventure. There are eight areas in this park: Hollywood Boulevard, Echo Lake, Sunset Boulevard, Streets of America, Commissary Lane, Pixar Place, Mickey Avenue, and Animation Courtyard. This park is home to the famous Fantasmic! show, as well as fan favorite rides such as Toy Story Midway Mania, Star Tours, and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The FastPass+ process for Hollywood Studios allows you one selection from the high-demand engagements (Beauty and the Beast live on stage, The Great Movie Ride, Fantasmic!, Rock'n'Roller Coaster, and Toy Story Midway Mania!) and two selections from the lower-demand rides. I will mention here that I've never had any issue getting into the Beauty and the Beast show or The Great Movie Ride but Rock'n'Roller Coaster and Toy Story Midway Mania! frequently harbor 60+ minute wait times and Rock'n'Roller Coaster's wait time is rarely accurate (you'll get in line and find that the 50 minutes posted is actually 75 minutes).

Hollywood Studios
Ride	Type	Location	Height Requirement
The Great Movie Ride	Slow/Indoor	Hollywood Boulevard	Any
Muppet*Vision 3D	Indoor/Stage Show	Streets of America	Any
Rock'n'Roller Coaster	Thrill Ride	Sunset Boulevard	48"
Star Tours	Indoor Simulator	Echo Lake	40"
Toy Story Midway Mania!	Indoor Interactive	Pixar Place	Any
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror	Thrill Ride/Heights	Sunset Boulevard	40"

Finally, the park to the left of the map is Animal Kingdom. The Tree of Life is the centerpiece of this theme park and can be seen from almost any location. It is here that you'll discover Oasis, Discovery Island, Africa, Rafiki's Planet Watch, Asia, and DinoLand U.S.A.. You won't have to wait very long at most of the attractions in Animal Kingdom, but if it's a particularly hot day then you should probably grab a FastPass+ for Kali River Rapids. 

Animal Kingdom
Ride	Type	Location	Height Requirement
DINOSAUR	Thrill Ride/Indoor	DinoLand U.S.A.	40"
Expedition Everest	Thrill Ride	Asia	44"
It's Tough to be a Bug!	Indoor/Stage Show	Discovery Island	Any
Kali River Rapids	Thrill/Water Ride	Asia	38"
Kilimanjaro Safaris	Slow/Classic	Africa	Any
Primeval Whirl	Thrill Ride	DinoLand U.S.A.	48"
TriceraTop Spin	Slow/Children	DinoLand U.S.A.	Any

Notable mentions: the bottom right corner is Typhoon Lagoon and wedged between Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom is Blizzard Beach. I have never personally been to the water parks but plan to visit in 2016. Any outside tips on these parks is appreciated!

There are several ticket options for visiting Disney World. You can always purchase a one-park-per day ticket or add the popular parkhopper option if you plan to visit multiple parks in one day. There are also tickets that will allow you to visit the water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports, DisneyQuest (interactive arcade) located in Downtown Disney, mini golf courses, or the 9-hole Oak Trail golf course. The ticket you need depends on the length of your stay, your interests, and - of course - how much you want to spend! If it's your first visit to the parks, I highly recommend the cheaper option of one-park-per-day with a minimum of 5/6 days because you'll want to fully enjoy everything each park has to offer. If you're a little more seasoned, or willing to take on the challenge of visiting more than one park each day, then add on that parkhopper option and explore! 

• Magic Kingdom usually boasts the longest operating hours
• Animal Kingdom usually closes the earliest
• Epcot and Hollywood Studios both schedule nighttime shows (IllumiNations and Fantasmic!, respectively) so they will close an hour or two after sunset
• Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon close around the same time as Animal Kingdom

When prioritizing your visit to the parks, remember to check for the Extra Magic Hours offered to select Disney World resort guests. It is important to look at these options because 1) you may want to take advantage if it applies to your visit or 2) you may want to AVOID the park offering Extra Magic Hours as it will usually be more crowded that day. You can find the Extra Magic Hours on the Disney World calendar. 

Knowing the park hours is your biggest tool toward determining if a parkhopper option will work for you. Combining Animal Kingdom with Epcot one day may not work if you plan to stay at Animal Kingdom until it closes (we'll say 7pm) and then you want to hop over to Epcot (which may close at 9pm on the same day). Also, you canNOT book FastPass+ reservations for more than one park on any given day so the ability to fully plan your parkhopper option is not currently available. You must book your FastPass+ reservations for one park and then you can add more at a FastPass+ kiosk when you head into the second park. This issue is inconvenient because, as noted earlier, some high-demand rides may not have more FastPasses available and you'll be stuck waiting in line.

Disney World tickets are expensive and there is never any way that you'll completely avoid paying for them unless you're part of a timeshare tour (thanks for the tip, L!) or you win them in a contest. However, you can often find small discounts by buying the tickets as part of a package on a major travel site or through ticket brokers such as Undercover Tourist. I've personally used Undercover Tourist to purchase Universal Studios tickets and the service is top-notch. If you are a AAA member, check your local office to see if they offer any discounts. Active and retired military personnel are also offered discounted tickets through the Military Salute program; these tickets can be purchased at Shades of Green (located on Disney World property) or any military base. Disney World often offers special deals to get an extra day free if you purchase a multi-day ticket so keep your eyes open for those options, too!

Stick with me because we'll be talking about resort hotels next!

My first trip!

I thought it might be helpful if I shared details about my first - ever! - Disney trip so that everyone can see where it all started. I was not always so travel savvy! My travel planning started in the same spot that I think most people find themselves: discount package retailer sites. I scoured Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline - you name it, I used it. I was younger than 25 at the time and could not readily obtain a rental vehicle to get from the airport to the hotel, so it was necessary to fly into SNA airport and take a shuttle to a nearby hotel. Thankfully, I lived in St Louis and had access to many major airlines so that I could cut costs by flying Southwest Airlines from STL to SNA. I booked the hotel through a travel site and ended up here:

Yup, you're seeing that correctly. I stayed at a $50/night Super 8 motel. I have to say, though, it was a stellar deal for a cheap extended weekend trip and I wouldn't change a thing! For those interested in this option, this is the Super 8 located on Katella Avenue in Anaheim. It is about a 15-minute walk from Disneyland and there are lots of quick dining options nearby. For a spry young 20-something, the distance wasn't an issue and it is located next to the Anaheim Garden Walk, which I highly recommend for shopping and dining.

The entire trip lasted five days over President's Day weekend. I left on a Thursday and returned on a Monday. I think the total of the vacation was around $1800 (airfare, shuttle, hotel, park tickets, dining, and souvenirs for two people). I might add that I made the mistake of only booking a week ahead of time and if I had planned even a couple more weeks in advance then I probably could have found lower airfare.

This wasn't a terribly exciting story but I hope it serves to prove that you can start from any background and steadily obtain the tools you need to become a savvy Disney traveler!