The End is Here
23 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
Well the end of this semester’s blog project is upon us and this shall be my last blog for this class. While I have enjoyed keeping up with my blog as well as I have, I won’t be sorry for the pressure to write to be gone. This experience did teach me how to focus and buckle down harder with my writing, however I don’t like the pressure of having to write for writing’s sake. And although I like it when I know that people are reading what I am writing, I don’t necessarily like to be critiqued in my writing, it just seems like an added pressure. I don’t know, I guess it’s really just me because I would like to be able to write for a living and I would be subjected to just this; time deadlines and editor critiques, but I still don’t particularly like that aspect of writing.
So for now, it is over. I will keep this blog as I have had if for quite some time before this particular class and intend to keep it for quite some time after this class but I will now relish the freedom writing for myself whenever I have to about whatever I want to gives me. I am appreciative for this experience in any case and I hope that this has made me a better writer and a better student.
Scatter-Brained
22 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
As this is the last week for our blogging exercise, I don’t feel the need to be as structured as I have been. And although I plan on continuing my posts about planning a Disney World vacation, today I’m just going to blog. I am 44 days away from my own Walt Disney World vacation and I am chomping at the bit. Figuratively at least. I find my mind wandering to Florida on a daily basis and all this beautiful warm weather we’ve been having hasn’t helped me out one bit. I feel like I should actually be in Florida right now with this weather, not in Clare, Michigan. March in mid-Michigan is usually snowy and cold, certainly now shorts and flip-flops weather; and yet here we are busting out the summer clothes. This actually poses a problem for me as I am a bit of planner and started laying out clothes for our upcoming vacation at about 67 days out from vacation. Last year this strategy worked out well since normally I didn’t even think about my tank tops or shorts until after we were back from vacation. Those clothes were fine sitting out on the spare bed until I packed them up a couple days before we left. So this year I start this same routine, only now I’m sneaking into the spare room and pulling things out to wear. I’m having to limit myself. NO WEARING OF DISNEY CLOTHES. I do actually own other summer clothes, but hadn’t gotten them out yet, for reasons already explained, so I’ve had to dig some of those out for now.
My obsession isn’t limited to my “Disney wardrobe” either (although I do have to make two more shopping trips to complete my wardrobe wishlist for this trip), I am crafting envelopes for put the tips for our housekeeping – or mousekeeping – service, I am making my packing list and checking it twice or three, or well, lots of times; I’m making a list of all the things I have to do before we leave for vacation, I’m watching anything and everything I can get my hands on that has to do with Disney World, I’ve made and need to print our daily Disney World itinerary, etc. etc. I think you get the idea. I am consumed with Disney fever.
As silly as it may seem, my obsession with our Disney vacation is actually keeping me sane. The rest of my life has me stressed out, so for now I can throw myself into vacation planning and put my head into a better place. It’s like those people who when they get mad, they clean. When I can’t take it anymore, I plan my Disney vacation. Some days I wish I was a cleaner, but being a Disney planner isn’t so bad either. Here’s to a very quick next 44 days so I can find some much needed relief!
Water Parks and Arcades
16 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
The next ticket option you can add on to your base Walt Disney World resort ticket is the Water Park Fun & More option. With this option you will then have access to both of the Disney water parks (Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach) as well as entrance into DisneyQuest which is Disney’s version on an arcade. One that is three stories high and includes virtual games and 3D “rides.”
You get as many visits as days on your base ticket. So if you have a 5 day base ticket you’ll get 5 admissions to the water parks and DisneyQuest.
This option works well if you’re brining older kids/teens, taking a longer vacation, or taking an adults-only vacation. While there are options for the little ones at both waters parks and the arcade; it is geared more towards the older kids and kids at heart.
While the hotel resorts all offer amazing pools to lounge at and swim in, if you want a little more adventurous water activities these water parks are right up our alley! They are a lot of super-soaked fun, but you definitely need to have time for it.
This is another added expense to your base ticket and worth it at an added $55 flat rate total compared to a day ticket for a water park at $90. So if you think you want to go at all or especially multiple times it’s worth it to add this option to your base ticket. Again this is only a bargain if you plan on using it. Don’t waste your money when it could be spent elsewhere if you don’t plan on using it.
To Hop or Not to Hop
16 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
With your resort picked out, the next biggest decision is to park hop or not to park hop. What is park hopping you ask? Park hopping is having the ability to enter more than one of the four Disney World theme parks in the same day.
Why would you want to go to multiple parks in one day? There are many reasons for this. Maybe you only have a short amount of time at The Walt Disney World Resorts and want to see all the major highlights. Taking advantage of the park hopper passes will allow you to spend the morning in one park and the evening at another one if you so choose. Possibly you’re just dying to try a restaurant at Epcot but you’re spending your day today at Hollywood Studios, with a park hopper pass you can literally hop over (via bus or boat or you own vehicle) to Epcot, have dinner, and either stay where you’re at or hop back on over to Hollywood studios.
Another good reason for park hopping is the night time shows that occur several times a week at the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot and you don’t want to miss any of these shows; but in planning out your Disney itinerary, you may not be able to work it to spend the day at the park that is having their nighttime show that evening, so you need to travel to the park that is have a show that night, so you would need a park hopper ticket in order to do so.
These tickets can be great but I caution only purchase this option if you’re going to use it otherwise you’re really just wasting a chunk of money that could be spent elsewhere for your vacation. This is a convenience choice, you do not need to have park hopper tickets, but they can make your vacation much more convenient.
Now reasons you wouldn’t want a park hopper pass. If you are going to Walt Disney World with small children they will be wiped out from the excitement and the sheer amount of walking (riding) around they’ll be doing in just one park that you probably will have no need to see another park in the same day. Not to mention the hassle of packing the kids up and getting them transported to another park then unloaded again and ready to hit it again at another park. This would be an enormous task to accomplish without losing patience. Or if you are being budget conscious about your vacation, this is definitely an added expense. It is possible to see and do everything that you want to do in one day while staying in just one park. This will take a bit more planning to make sure you go to the right parks on the right days, but it is doable.
So when it comes down to it, the park hopper pass is a convenience option, but not a necessary one. It can be used to your advantage if you choose to pay for it, but it is also possible to vacation without this option.
The Deluxe Resorts
29 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
The Disney Deluxe Resorts and Villas
This is the last level of resorts I’ll be discussing with you in depth. There is another level of resorts of DVC members (Disney Vacation Club) however for those of you who this is the first or second time you’re going to Walt Disney World resort, DVC probably isn’t right for you yet. DVC is a vacation time-share option and I don’t recommend this option unless you’re an extreme die-hard Disney World fan, even so it is a HUGE monetary commitment that lasts nearly a lifetime. So for sake of the “quick” Disney planning series we’ll only skim over that option a little later on.
Now Disney offers Deluxe Resorts and Villas and they are very deluxe. There are 10 Resorts in this category and they are as follows:
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
In addition to the other amenities Disney offers to all their resort guests, the guests of Disney Deluxe resorts all have more immediate access to shopping, health clubs, beauty services, as well as having the option of room service.
Of course being a deluxe resort comes with a deluxe price and you will pay top dollar for these resorts. However, as with any of the Disney resorts, you get your monies worth!
Which Resort?
28 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
(Due to apparent technical difficulties, this blog post was not posted on time or in the correct order, this should be read previous to my last post and it will make every make much more sense. I apologize for the inconvenience!)
Ok now that we’ve made the decision to stay on Disney property, we need to narrow down the resort options and find the one that is best for you.
Walt Disney World offers more than 20 hotels for you to choose from. They help make this decision easier for you by breaking these hotels into several categories. The categories are: Value, Moderate, Deluxe, Deluxe Villas, Cabins and Campgrounds.
The Value hotels are just what they sound like; these are the most affordable resorts Disney offers for guests to stay at. The room sizes are the smallest on property but, but for the amount of time you spend in your room while at Walt Disney World, size doesn’t make a whole lot of difference. If you are bringing a large family to Disney and want to stay together, this option may not be the best choice for you, however. There are currently four Disney value resorts with a fifth one to open later in 2012.
These Value hotels offer the lowest price tags on Disney property but still come with all the main Disney amenities, such as free transportation (which I CANNOT speak highly enough of). All of these resorts are brightly colored and have huge themes with each of them. Disney’s All Star Movies resort is full of classic icons from Disney movies:
Disney’s All Stars Sports resort features classic sporting icons:
Disney’s All Star Music resort features classic music icons:
Disney’s Pop Century resort features decades from the 20th century:
And coming later on this year in 2012 is the Art of Animation resort which will feature characters from classic Disney and Pixar films:
Every family can find a Value resort that fits their tastes. I hear the best things about Disney’s Pop Century resort. It is the newest resort until Art of Animation opens later this year and seems to be the best option out of the values. It has its own dedication bus stop that it doesn’t share, unlike the rest of the values, it has a great food court and I hear the layout and noise level are both extremely nice. If you want to stay on Disney property and save the most money on your rooms, you definitely want to stay here. Again you might pay a little more than an off-property resort but being on Disney property for the entirety of your vacation and being able to use Disney amenities make the little extra very worth it!
The Moderate Resorts
24 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
The next “level” of resort hotels at Walt Disney world is considered their Moderate resorts. There are four resorts that are considered to be the moderate resorts. These resorts are The Caribbean Beach resort, the Coronado Springs resort, the Port Orleans French Quarter resort, and the Port Orleans Riverside resort. These hotels come with a slightly high price tag than their Value counterparts, but also with more amenities as well. These resorts have multiple pools of varying décor and size; in addition to counter service restaurants which are a food-court style of eating, they all have at least one table service restaurant where you are seated and waited on; all their rooms come standard with a mini-fridge; and they have larger rooms than the value resorts. These resorts also offer rooms with king size beds, where the values do not.
Some moderate resorts offer themed rooms such as Pirate themed rooms at the Caribbean Beach resort or the new Royal themed rooms at the Port Orleans Rivers resort. The Pirate themed rooms take their inspiration from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and movies and feature pirate ship beds, and barrel shaped tables. The Royal themed rooms take their inspiration from the movie The Princess and the Frog and feature led lights in the headboards and lush royal inspired bedding and décor.
This level of resort is my person favorite, particularly for my husband and me. While the value resorts are typically full of families with children and a little bit louder; the moderate resorts, while still geared towards family and children, seem to have a milder and more relaxing aura about them. The grounds themselves are more spacious and lend to the quieter air. This makes a nicer retreat on a vacation without children of your own. These resorts sit at the mid-tier price range for Disney resorts which still make them affordable while giving you access to more wonderful amenities.
Next we’ll discuss the Deluxe Resort accomodations.
Where do you want to stay?
17 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
Now that you have an idea on when you want to go to the Walt Disney World resort, the next importation decision to make is where you want to stay.
Your first major decision is if you are going to want to stay on Disney property or do you want to stay off property? There are a lot of selections for both decisions. Off property hotels range from one to four star hotels and are anything from well-known chain hotels to mom and pop owned motels. You can really find any accommodation to fit your needs. If you do stay off of Disney property your main concern is going to be transportation. Some resorts will offer shuttle buses to and from Disney Parks, however the availability can be sketchy, and the bus times may not work with your schedule. You could rent your own vehicle at an additional expense and then have to pay for parking; or you can hire a cab or taxi when you need it, again at your own additional expense.
Resorts on the Disney property really have all the conveniences you could want on your vacation. They offer free transportation to all the parks, with each destination having a bus running to and from all the parks and resorts at around 15 minute intervals. Sometimes it can take longer, especially during Peak Season when buses can fill up quickly, or it could be significantly less time depending on how many buses are running and how popular a park or resort is at that time. Disney resorts all offer several dining options as well as entertainment, pool (s), and concierge services to make or change any dining or show reservations for you, some resorts offer room service, while all offer pizza delivery, and luggage service.
I personally very highly recommend staying on Disney property, although the room prices may be higher than off property, the amenities you have access to are well worth the extra money. Peace of mind on your vacation makes your time spent at Disney so much more relaxing. I have heard many horror stories about staying at an off-site property and although I have no personal experience staying off property; I would never want to subject myself to the worry about my hotel accommodations. You are, after all, trying to take a fun, relaxing vacation, and who wants to add stress?
Now that you’ve made the decision to stay at a Disney resort (and I really hope that you have) you’ll need to decide which resort you want to stay in. We’ll talk about those options next.
Disney Vacation Planning
16 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
So you’ve decided you want to take a vacation to the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando Florida? Congratulations! This is going to be one of the most comprehensive and immersive vacation you will ever likely take! Walt Disney World is the happiest place on earth, and I’m certain that you won’t be disappointed.
That being said, a Walt Disney World vacation has many different aspects you have to take into consideration before you book your vacation. When do you want to go? Where do you want to stay? What do you want to see? Where do you want to eat? Disney offers several different vacation packages that can include nearly any combination of the above questions as you can think of, so let’s start to try to answer some of these questions now.
When do you want to go?
This is actually a pretty important question. Disney has three separate “seasons” that not only effect park attendance levels, but also room prices. Each of these seasons has their own pros and cons. Of course, you will go when you are actually able to take a vacation, but know what ‘season’ you are attending during will help you to plan accordingly. Major peak season is right around the major holidays, spring break, and summer break. Not only will park attendance be high, increasing ride wait time; but your room prices will be at their peak. However, this is when the vast majority of all rides and attractions are available. There will be few ride refurbishments going on; and of course this is when most people are able to or want to go.
Value season at Disney world is as close to opposite of the peak season as you can get, this season occurs mostly right after New Year’s until spring and then in the fall around hurricane season. Attendance is much lower, and room prices hit their bottom. The tradeoff of is that the majority of refurbishment on attractions is going on, so your favorite ride might be closed for your entire vacation and one or both of the water parks may be closed for the duration of your stay as well. This is also the ‘value’ season for a reason, this time frame is pretty inconvenient for most people. With work and school in session is can be hard to time the time to go, however if you really want to save some money and not have to deal with large crowds; this is a great time to go.
Now everything else not defined as “Peak” or “Value” is the regular season. It’s about the mid-range of both worlds. Most, if not all, of the attractions are available, the crowds typically aren’t ridiculous, and room prices are in their average range. If you can’t make it during Value season, I highly recommend trying to visit during the regular season. You still save some money while not really having to sacrifice any experiences to do so.
Here are Disney’s 2012 seasons:
Disney Value Resorts & Disney Moderate Resorts:
Value Season: Jan 2-4; Jan 8 – Jan 12; Jan 16 – Feb 15; Aug 5 – Sept 27
Marathon Rate: Jan 5 -7
Regular Season: Feb 26 – March 8; April 15 – May 31
Summer Season: June 1 – Aug 4
Fall Season: Sept 28 – Oct 4, Oct 8 – Nov 16 ; Nov 24 – Dec 20
Peak Season: Feb 16; Feb 20 – 25; March 9 – March 31
Holiday Season: Jan 13-15 ; Feb 17-19 ; April 1-14 ; Oct 5-7 ; Nov 17-23 ; Dec 21-31
Disney Deluxe Resorts:
Value Season: Jan 2-4; Jan 8 – Jan 12; Jan 16 – Feb 15; July 15 – Aug 17; Aug 18 – Sept 27
Marathon Rate: Jan 5 -7
Regular Season: Feb 26 – March 8; April 15 – July 14 ; Sept 28 – Oct 4 ; Oct 8 – 19
Summer Season: June 1 – Aug 4
Fall Season: Oct 20 – Nov 18 ; Nov 23 – Dec 20
Peak Season: Feb 16; Feb 20 – 25; March 9 – March 31
Holiday Season: Jan 13-15 ; Feb 17-19 ; April 1-14 ; Oct 5-7 ; Nov 19-22 ; Dec 21-31
Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts:
Value Season: Jan 2 -4 ; Jan 8 – Feb 15 ; July 14 – Aug 17 ; Aug 18 – Sept 26
Marathon Rate: Jan 5 -7
Regular Season: Feb 26 – March 8 ; April 15 – July 13 ; Sept 27 – Oct 19
Fall Season: Oct 20 – Nov 18 ; Nov 23 – Dec 20
Peak Season: Feb 16 – 25 ; March 9 – April 14
Holiday Season: Nov 19 – 22 ; Dec 21 – 31
Disney Campsites for Fort Wilderness:
Value Season: Jan 2 -4 ; Jan 8-12; Jan 16 – Feb 15; Aug 5 – Oct 4;
Marathon Rate: Jan 5 – 7
Regular Season: April 15 – Aug 4
Peak Season: Feb 16; Feb 20 – March 31
Pre-Holiday: Oct 8 – Nov 15 ; Nov 24 – Dec 20
Holiday Season: Jan 13-15 ; Feb 17-19 ; April 1-14 ; Oct 5-7 ; Nov 16-23 ; Dec 21-31
Disney Cabins for Fort Wilderness:
Value Season: Jan 2 -4 ; Jan 8-12; Jan 16 – Feb 15 ;July 15 – Aug 17 ; Aug 18 – Sept 27
Marathon Rate: Jan 5 -7
Regular Season: Feb 26 – March 8 ; April 15 – July 14 ; Sept 28 – Oct 4; Oct 8-19
Fall Season: Oct 20 – Nov 18 ; Nov 23 – Dec 20
Peak Season: Feb 16 ; Feb 20 -25 ; March 9 – 31
Holiday Season: Jan 13-15 ; Feb 17-19 ; April 1-14 ; Oct 5-7 ; Nov 19-22 ; Dec 21-31
So now that we have an idea about when we want to go, next we’ll talk about where you want to stay.
Preparing the Company Web Site
12 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
I used Word 2010 to design the Web site. Features such as background color, themes, hyperlinks, and bookmarks made the process easy.
