For those that lose site of the fact that Disney is a corporation with shareholders that needs to make as much money for their shareholders as possible, I hope this post will awaken you to that fact.
Disney today is not the Disney that Walt dreamed of and created and nurtured. In fact...most of Walt's family is long gone and has little to do with anything going on within the Disney corporation. I think we all thought that Walt's vision would forever be passed down from generation to generation regardless of being an employed blood relative or not. That was our hope anyways. But recent moves by Disney have constantly shown that Disney is a BIG business...a VERY BIG business and their first responsibility is to their shareholders, like any corporation.
Many of us have watched the "magic" seem to dwindle more and more each year that passes. New cast members come onboard and it seems that the magic is slowly but surely seeping out of some of the corporate cracks. You can now occasionally run into some cast members who just don't seem that happy which carries over into the guests, whether at one of the parks or at one of their resorts. Some bus drivers smile less and on occasion get snarky in public. Some problems are now being met with, "I am sorry there is nothing we can do," when there was plenty that could have been done. If you are a first time visitor within the past 2 years or so, you may not notice as much, but for those who have been patrons for years, those are the ones that can attest to the slow and subtle changes that are zapping some of the "happy" away from what used to be hands down, "The Happiest Place on Earth."
But that is not what I am meaning to address in this post. To me, the magical leakage is a result of a corporation slowly moving all of its focus to the dollar and away from the customer. This week's announcement of Disney's new "ticket within a ticket" plan for an event within Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party" has made me somewhat disgusted at their attempt to earn more and more and take more and more away from the families that have to sometimes save for years before they can let their children experience Walt's vision. For those that may not know what I am referring to...Disney has this special party every fall that runs for a few weeks and we refer to it as MNSSHP for short. You pay for an extra ticket to attend this party. On certain nights during the week, Disney closes the Magic Kingdom early for the MNSSHP event. Those who have paid extra for the ticket get to stay for the event. Those with just regular park tickets have to leave usually around 7pm. Those tickets can cost a family of 4 an extra @$250. That is in addition to the tickets they have already purchased to visit the 4 main parks that make up Walt Disney World. The event has a special parade, an awesome fireworks show, some additional dancing and singing shows during the night and trick or treating opportunities for everyone. It is a party I have attended and have recommended to my clients because it is a lot of fun.
Well Disney announced this week that they are going to offer another special ticket for those already attending the MNSSHP where guests can attend a special "villain event." For those that want to be a part of this special event, you are going to have to fork over an additional $99 per person. That's right...an additional $99 per. HELLO!! Tap tap tap, is this thing on?? Did you get that? So the party that already is not cheap to attend is going to try to milk another $400 out of a family of 4 so they can do the following:
"Set within the majestic halls of Cinderella’s Royal Table, this special ticketed event allows guests to meet a menagerie of malevolent special guests while they indulge in decadent desserts and specialty non-alcoholic beverages. Guests also will receive preferred viewing for the 8:15 p.m. performance of Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade, as well as preferred viewing for the Happy HalloWishes Fireworks Spectacular."
So you are really paying $100 per person ($99 to be exact) extra to be inside of Cinderella's castle, snack on some goodies and meet some special villains. You can see the fireworks and parade without any special seating needed. So the goodies better have come straight from a 5-star restaurant for me to want to pay that much for characters and snacks. For the love of Pete...a full meal inside the castle will cost you the same or less depending on the time of year. So this party plus the event is going to end up costing a family of 4 @$650 by the time it is all said and done. $650!! A blogger I follow (Theme Park Insider) asked the question, "Does this sound like a good value to get a better experience at Disney, or does this sound like a plan that only a villain could love?" My answer...it is simply villainous.
Disney...I hope you wake up soon before too much of the pixie dust escapes and you find yourselves on the list of "what used to be one of the happiest places on earth." You keep raising prices. You keep adding events that cost more money. You keep increasing your more aggressive marketing and sales tactics. You are a large corporation..we get that. But I hope your "boardship" will stop and remember why these parks were created and the vision behind it all when the first piece of ground was broke. When will you remember these simple words...
I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse.
Anytime I am about to write a review that is at all less than 100% positive when it comes to Walt Disney World, I feel the need to announce that I really am a huge fan of Mickey and his pals. So let's get this straight...I am a believer in the Disney magic, period.
But being a believer in the magic does not always mean that I will cover my eyes or stick my head in the sand when it comes to writing an honest review of one of my stays at a Walt Disney World onsite property. You can probably already sense where this is headed. So let's just jump into the cold chilly waters at the deep end of the pool, shall we?
My wife and I enjoyed a long 10 day vacation in Orlando back in September of this year. The trip was broken up into 3 nights at Universal Orlando's (Loews) Portofino Bay Hotel and 7 nights at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. I will write a separate review again of our stay at the Portofino in the coming days. We had a WONDERFUL stay at the Portofino. Because of that wonderful stay, we were thinking about how even more wonderful the last 7 nights of our trip were going to be. I mean after all, we were headed to the creme de la creme of all of the Disney properties. The grand daddy so to speak.
The resort is eye-poppingly beautiful as you drive up to the main entrance and step inside the main lobby. It is one of the resorts that so many like to simply make a stop at so they can go inside and take pictures of the towering lobby and timeless decor. The service staff is mainly made up of veteran and experienced cast members who know the art of service and especially "Disney" service. So all started well with our arrival. Check in went smooth as expected and we were escorted by golf cart to our room's building. We were in a "garden view" room which meant we had a great view of a small section of Bay Lake and the monorail. I actually enjoyed sitting out on our balcony sipping my morning coffee watching the monorail go by and hearing the train from the Magic Kingdom fire up it's whistle. That really was the highlight of the room and that is where the positives of the room begin and end.
We noticed as we entered that the room smelled quite musty. Frankly it smelled like dirty socks. We thought maybe it just needed to be aired out but the smell did not improve as the week went on. You are probably asking, "why didn't you go complain and ask for another room?" Well for one thing, I hate moving rooms. It is frankly a hassle. And for another thing, I figured that if "mousekeeping" can't tell that our room smells like stinky socks, that possibly means a lot of other rooms smell like stinky socks. And the last thing I want to do is move to another room and find out the stinky sock smell is commonplace. So we decided to stay put and made the best of it as we would return each day to our room and exclaim "home stink home."
The room size was average with other deluxe resorts we have stayed in. The decor seemed faded which is not a big deal, but coupled with the smell, it just made the room seem like an old hotel room that you might find anywhere. Mousekeeping did a good job of keeping things cleaned up but we did not observe anything that made us feel like we were at the top of the resort food chain. We tip mousekeeping every time and it is becoming apparent that all you get from that is what you would get had you not tipped...a clean room, other than your standard Mickey head towel when you first arrive.
So let's throw in some positives before this becomes a totally negative nelly review. Gasparilla's was great. We enjoyed our snacks and meals there and had great service each time. Cast members were friendly and helpful and we liked the food choices considering this is a counter service venue. We also enjoyed the Grand Floridian Cafe for breakfast. Food was good and the service was very attentive. The shopping at the Grand Floridian is also plentiful and our pocket books reflected that when we returned home. Their general souvenir shops seemed a bit slim compared to other resorts like the Polynesian or even the Pop Century, but overall the shopping options were great. We did not try any of the other table service venues due to budget constraints so I can't include those in this review.
But I now must press on to the more negative aspects again. You have to keep in mind that staying at the GF is not easy on a bank account. You pay a premium to stay at this resort compared even to the other 2 monorail resorts (Polynesian and Contemporary). The nightly rate is comparable to what you would pay at a Ritz property of even a Waldorf Astoria hotel. So you go into your stay with a HIGH level of expectation.
So to get to some of the huge negatives that Disney has to address at some point, let's talk resort to park transportation. To sum it up, it is the worst we have experienced to date. Keep in mind we have stayed at every level of resort, value to deluxe, and this was the worst bus system by far. For example, Monday's are usually extra magic morning hour at the Animal Kingdom. So every trip we take, we plan on heading to the AK on our first Monday. Our routine is that we usually get up and go eat around 6:45am or so and try to be at the bus stop no later than 7:30 to make sure we are at the park by 8am. We actually got down to the bus stop by 7:15. Another family was already there and said that a bus had already come by but it was for Hollywood Studios and they had yet to see one for the AK. That was a tad odd since HS was not having extra magic hours, but ok. 7:30 came and another bus arrives and to our surprise, it too was heading to HS. 2 buses for HS, 0 for AK and we have 30 mins until rope drop for extra magic morning hour. The family that had been waiting also had an 8am ADR at the Tusker House and you could tell they were starting to get a little nervous. 7:40 rolls by and you guessed it, another bus for HS and no bus yet for the AK. A Disney "bus coordinator finally arrived around 7:45 and assured the large antsy crowd that was gathering that a bus was on its way. 7:50...no bus. 7:55...no bus. Finally at 8am a bus for the AK finally arrives. So families were late for their ADR's and we missed the first 30 mins of the extra magic hour for the first time out of our previous trips. I was not happy, others were not happy and to make matters worse, when the bus finally arrives, it had already stopped at the Contemporary and Polynesian. That's right, the GF is the last stop on the bus route which means you may or may not get to sit down depending on crowd levels.
Well...we made it to the AK and still got to do all we wanted to do, but as we made it back to the GF, my wife and I were talking about the horrific bus system and she was asking me if I was going to complain. My answer to her was that it would be fruitless to complain to someone at the GF since it is really Mears who needs to get their you know what's chewed off for the terrible bus planning. As I said that to her, a manager of the resort walked by and overheard and stopped us and wanted to know what had happened. I explained the situation and told him that when you stay at the GF, you are expecting a lot since you are paying a lot. I let him know that it will be hard for me to recommend the resort to my clients who like to also spend a lot of time at other parks besides the Magic Kingdom. And heaven forbid the monorail breaks down (which it did twice during our stay). It is not a pretty site when guests are trying to cram onto the boats to get to the MK or onto the newly dispatched buses for those trying to get to Epcot. But back to the manager. He listened and acted very concerned. He asked if he could do anything for us and we politely said no since we were not complaining to try to get a freebie. But he insisted on taking our names and room number which then set up a little expectation in our minds. Long story short...nada. He did nothing. It is a bad thing to set up expectations as if you are going to try to do something and then simply do nothing. No bueno!
Well, to top it all off, we took one of the hot sunny days and decided it needed to be a pool day. Now this is going to sound knit picky, but we had spent three days at the Portofino which has an awesome pool. Their pool chairs are wonderful, their pool staff was attentive, the pool towels were large and in abundance. We thoroughly enjoyed our pool days while at Universal. So again, picturing that the GF was going to be even better, it turned out to be a tremendous let down. The pool chairs were not that good (again compared to what you would get at a Ritz or Waldorf) and the towels were the size of hand towels. We actually giggled when we grabbed their pool towels and realized that it would take like 4 of them to cover your chair and the pool bar cast member came by once and that was it, never saw him again. Again...no bueno!
Now I know this sounds like a terribly harsh review and I am not happy about having to write it, but it is time for those of us who have been long time supporters of WDW to quit treating it like the a sacred cow. When they mess up, they need to hear about it and people need to see that not everyone is turning a blind eye to their slips in service and overall experience. This was the first time that we were ready for the trip to end and that saddens me a bit. I want to always be able to go and be sad about leaving and I always want my clients to have the extra magical experience as well. So when I have a less than magical experience at one of their resorts, I want them to know about it so maybe just maybe corrections can be made etc. My fear is that first time Disney goers are being given an experience that is nothing like what so many of us experience several years ago and that is becoming the new norm.
So to sum it up, poor transportation, bad management follow-through, stinky room and hand towel-sized pool towels makes this a resort that we will not be returning to other than to visit for the day and enjoy one of it's restaurants. Grand? Not so much. I would call it the "Pretty Nice Floridian Resort."
Orlando is packed full of things to do during the months of September and October, especially if you are a fan of Halloween. The two biggies, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, put on some incredible events starting near the end of September.
If being scared out of your wits is your thing, Universal Orlando puts on one of the most famous wet-your-pants, hurl-your-flaming-Moe, shindigs found anywhere. Their Halloween Horror Nights 23 took things to a new level this year by adding more effects such as the smells of death and decomposition. No...we did not attend this event during our 10 day stay in Orlando. Part of me wanted to, but I also knew that we were headed to WDW after our Universal stay and I had planned on buying event tickets to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party which I will from now on refer to as MNSSHP. Plus...I am not sure nasty smelling zombies jumping out at me is my thing anymore at the ripe old age of forty...uh never mind.
So let's move on to MNSSHP which we did attend on Friday the 27th. This event is equally as popular as Universal's shindig, but offers a much less frightening experience which appeals to everyone in the family (especially since Universal's party is for adults only). We had already attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) back in December of last year so I wanted to compare the value between the two events since both require an extra ticket besides just your normal park ticket. If a family is going to spend upwards of an additional $60+ per person for a single night, they need to know what they get for the money.
Now I know some will disagree with me on this, but I am going to say it anyways; MNSSHP is a much better bang for your buck event than MVMCP. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed both events. Both are magical in their own way. But just looking at what you get for the extra ticket that others won't get if they don't pony up the extra cash, MNSSHP comes out on top. For example...everyone who attends the Magic Kingdom during the Christmas season will have a chance to see Wishes, their awesome nighttime fireworks show. Those that attend MVMCP pretty much get the same fireworks show as everyone else. During MNSSHP, you get a fireworks show (HalloWishes) that is only for those who attend the event and it is FAR different than the normal Wishes show that is put on for other guests. And is possibly one of the best fireworks shows I have ever seen.
Both events have special parades, but the addition of the Headless Horseman riding down Main Street during "Mickey's Boo To You Halloween Parade" makes it uber special in my opinion (see attached video).
Both events have special treats offered to guests. MVMCP has stations set up where guests are treated to cookies and hot chocolate. MNSSHP has trick or treat candy stations set up all around the park which gives the kids an early pre-halloween candy advantage over their friends back at home.
Both events have a lot of attractions open for guests who attend and most had VERY short queue lines which allowed us to get off and right back on some attractions had we wanted to.
But one of the other differences I noted that makes MNSSHP better in my opinion is how they are able to transform Liberty Square into an entirely different feeling area of the park during the party. The music at the start of the video in this post is the same music that you hear during the party as you walk through Liberty Square. But the best part is how they also bring the Haunted Mansion to life during the party. The colors, the fog, the music and even some changes to the cast members make it an awesome thing to see during party hours.
One more added benefit to the MNSSHP is the attendees to the party. Guests get to dress up which makes the party one gigantic costume party. It was fun seeing the creativeness put into some of the costume designs. The atmosphere overall was one of a huge, fun family-friendly party.
So to sum it up...yes my wife and I spent over $120 to attend this event. But would I spend that money to attend the MVMCP again? Maybe not. Would I spend it again to attend MNSSHP? Absolutely yes.
Have you been to one of both? If you have been to both, what is your overall opinion of the two parties? Would you do one or both of them again? I would love to get your feedback.
Hello friends! Here is today's Walt Disney World quiz challenge. Name the park, resort or restaurant within Walt Disney World property where the object in the picture can be found. If it is a park, name the park and attraction in order to win. If it is a restaurant, name the resort or park that the restaurant can be found in. The first one to comment with the correct answer wins today's $5 Starbucks gift card. If you play everyday, you can win everyday. We have had two contests so far and two winners.
Ok folks...here is the second quiz challenge of the week. Remember...we have park hoppers during this trip so we could be in any park at any time taking these pictures. We could even be visiting several WDW resorts while we are here. So don't try to guess based on where you saw we might be due to our Facebook posts. Ha!
Name the park or resort that this picture was taken at. If you think it was taken in one of the 4 main Walt Disney World parks, name the particular attraction that it can be found out. The first one to guess it correctly will again win a $5 Starbucks gift card. And if you play everyday, you can win up to $25 in Starbucks gift cards (assuming you played yesterday). You must enter your answer in the comment section below and the first comment with the correct answer wins. Good Luck!
Here is the first quiz challenge for this trip. Name the place including park and attraction and/or food venue where this picture attached was taken. First person to comment with the correct answer wins a $5 Starbucks gift card. This is the first of 5 quizzes. Tomorrow will be a new one and a little more difficult.
For those of you who have been a follower of my business's Facebook Page, Operation Destination Vacations, you know that every time I take a trip to "The Happiest Place on Earth," there is a daily contest to see who can guess where I am the quickest. I post a picture during the days I am there and each picture is from a different location within the 4 theme parks. It is a daily quiz contest and a person can win as many times as the contest is offered. The daily winner wins a $5 Starbucks gift card.
I will be once again at Walt Disney World starting on September 21st and will run the daily contest starting on Sunday the 22nd and it will run through Friday the 27th. The same rule applies; the person who guesses where I am based on the picture the fastest (exact location such as what attraction, show, restaurant etc) will win. You must enter your answer here on my blog in the comment section of each post. This is different than before where the contest was held on my Facebook page. Facebook's rules make it risky to hold any form of contest on your actual page which is why I am moving it to here on my blog.
So stay tuned and make sure you are following my blog. I will try to post the daily contest about the same time each day which should be around 3pm eastern time.
Perusing the internet lately, I have come across a couple of articles related to visiting Walt Disney World sans-kids. Both had some interesting points of views and recommendations of things to do when you don't have any little ones in tow. But as I was sitting there reading those articles I thought, "wait a doggone minute, my wife and I have been visiting Disney for the past several years and we don't have any children, so why am I not offering advice along these lines as well?"
So here it is...my view of Walt Disney World from the perspective of someone who has never had a child but is a huge fan of the mouse and a soaker in of the magic.
First off, who said you had to be kid in order to act like a kid?? We approach WDW with as much enthusiasm as any child and get a big case of the "can't sleeps" the night before we head down to the "House of Mouse." Isn't that one of the beauties of going on a Disney vacation? Don't we all get to once again go back to the memories of our childhood and relive some of that knowing we are in a judge-free environment? I mean for Pete's sake, where else can you go and see grown adults wearing some of the goofiest hats you have ever seen, no pun intended, and having a ball doing it? So my point is, don't think you have to go to WDW and act your age even if you don't have kids and even if you are an adult by the law of the land standards. And this also means that you should be able to ride Dumbo, Peter Pan's Flight and all of the other "children's rides" without feeling the need to hire a kid so you have an excuse to ride them. Disney is ageless so act like it and be a kid again.
Secondly, if you happen to not have any young ones, enjoy the fact that you are free from any worries about nap times, eating schedules or ride height limitations. That alone allows you to enjoy WDW on a much more relaxed pace. My advice...get up early and get to all of the parks as soon as they drop the rope. You will notice that the parks start filling up more the later that it gets in the morning. You can rest assured that many who are arriving an hour or so after the park opened are the ones with kids. They had to get their kids awake, get them dressed, get them fed and then get them corralled onto a bus or into a car. Meanwhile you and your significant other awoke, got ready, grabbed a quick bite and were at the park 15 mins before the opening gong and already had 4 attractions chalked up before the family with kids got into their first queue line. So enjoy your early morning conquest and go have a cinnamon roll to celebrate!
Thirdly, take some time to stop and smell the adult roses. Kids see things through kid's eyes, naturally. What a child may miss is the amazingness of the Disney engineering, the artfulness of the cast member's performances and the awesomeness of the sheer size of all that makes up Walt Disney World. The daily performances of getting people in the parks, on rides, ushered into shows, fed, cleaned in rest rooms etc is an incredible and mind-boggling feat in and of itself. Take time to notice that and appreciate that. Notice the lack of trash blowing around. Notice that the food, even the quick service food is actually pretty good considering it is being made at a feverish pace behind the scenes in mass quantities. Pay attention to the detail that goes into almost every attraction's queue line. Stop and admire the beauty of the landscaping. Pause and marvel at the engineering that went into that attraction that either almost made you piddle your pants or shed a tear from the memory it brought back. Take a moment to really enjoy the hundreds of music scores that you can hear during your visit, either at the parks or even back at your resort. Watch the fireworks shows for crying out loud and comprehend that they do those on that scale EVERY DAY! That alone is incredible. Just stop and really appreciate what too often goes overlooked by the critics and by those adults who think WDW is just a place for kids.
So let me just sum up by saying that, if some adults go to WDW and come back and say it was too boring or too "childish," mark them and avoid them because they have lost their ability to stop and enjoy some of the more simpler things of life and those are not usually the happiest people to be around. Disney is meant to be a place to go to where you can suspend reality for just a few moments and let us all focus on things that can make us smile. Doesn't the world need more of that these days? Doesn't the world need some more Walt Disney's to help us remember that dreams are what keep us going?
So there you have it...Disney through the eyes of a 45 year old kid who will ride Dumbo with his wife and watch her get as giddy as a 5 year old while doing so.
If you have ever planned a trip to Walt Disney World or if you have ever even mentioned that you are starting to plan or think about a trip to the “House of Mouse,” then inevitably you have had people parachute in and try to convince you why you should do x, y or z. And I guarantee that you have had some try to tell you how staying off-site will save you mucho amounts of moolah.
Well...let’s put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard and really look at some numbers to really see if that is true. The hardest thing to do with any price comparison is to make sure you are comparing tangerines to tangerines versus making a claim and in reality you have compared spuds to cantaloupes. So I am here to help clear the muddy waters of Disney resort versus off-site pricing.
Here are some assumptions I have made for this comparison:
6 night stay
6 day Magic Your Way base ticket
2 adults and 2 children (ages 9 & 7)
Value level accommodations
Driving to Walt Disney World
Dates during Disney’s non-peak period (September 18-24)
So let’s start with staying off-site. As I said, in order to make a statement that you think it is cheaper to stay off-site, you have to do your best to make sure your off-site hotel/motel is at the same level as the one on Disney property. So I looked at different options and determined that the Clarion Hotel Maingate would be similar to one of Disney’s value resorts (I even went lower just to be safe). Their base rate was $47+tax for 6 nights in late September. So the total for 6 nights including tax was $321.68. And to be fair to those who like to use discount ticket sites, I priced a 6 day base ticket through one of the more popular sites and the total for 2 adults and 2 children came to $937.81. Then, if you are driving and staying off-site, I added in parking for the day at any of the Disney parks. Parking costs non-Disney resort guests $14 per day, per vehicle so the total for parking would be $84.00. The last cost figure that I felt needed to be added in is that of breakfast. Even if you are a non-Disney resort guest, you will still most likely eat at least 2 meals in the parks so those would be the same for resort and non-resort guests. So in my opinion, the only meal where pricing could be different is that of breakfast. The Clarion does not offer free breakfast so I used fast-food pricing just because it would be the cheaper option. I may be off a tad, but I estimated that a family of 4 would spend about $6 per person for breakfast at a fast-food venue. So $6 per person for 6 days would come to a total of $144 for breakfast for non-Disney resort guests.
So if you now total up the figures above for staying off Disney property, you would come to a total of $1487.49 for the family of 4.
Now...on to the Disney resort option. I priced my favorite value resort, the Pop Century, and I added in the 6 day Magic Your Way base ticket as a part of the Disney package. The total for the package for 6 nights, 6 days comes to $1574.10. Parking for Disney resort guests is free so no added cost there. But I assumed that the resort guests would at least eat breakfast at the resort. Using an average, a quick service breakfast would cost about $10 per person so the total cost would be $240 for the family of 4 for the 6 days. So again...adding it all up, you come to a total cost of $1814.10.
Now subtracting the cost of the non-Disney resort option from the Disney resort option, you see a savings of $326.61.
Now some will say...we could pack our own breakfast food and not have to eat the fast-food breakfast. That is correct and would also apply to staying at a Disney resort. Some might argue...we could probably stay cheaper than the Clarion. Yep, you would be right, but power to ya if you want to make your family stay in something that costs less than $49 per night in Orlando. And the on-site guests could argue back that staying at a Disney resort offers more amenities than the Clarion such as a the very large food court at the Value resorts with more than just fast-food options and also the Disney gift shop at each resort. Nevertheless, I have chosen what I think offers a fair comparison and I really think I was generous by choosing the Clarion.
But (you knew there was a but coming), there are things that have value that do not necessarily show up on a spreadsheet. For example...how much is your time worth? Off-site guests do not get access to Disney’s “Extra Magic Hours” where they keep a park open late or open one hour early only for Disney resort guests. Is it worth the extra $326 for you to be able to access the parks during much less crowded times where you can ride some of the more popular rides and have much shorter wait times? How much more time are you willing to spend driving to and from the parks when you stay off-site? More time in transit means less time in the parks which is the largest part of the total cost of your trip.
When you book a an off-site hotel/ticket deal, you will not be in a position to take advantage of any Disney deals that could possibly save you a lot more money. Disney usually offers deals throughout the year for such things as free dining, room-only discounts, or “kids stay and play free” which would save the family of 4 in my scenario potentially more than the $326 they would save by staying off-site or at least be the same cost. Those package deals are only available for those who stay on Disney property. Even if you book a package that does not have a special attached to it, your travel agent (shameless travel agent plug) can watch for those deals and get them applied (when applicable) to your existing Disney vacation package. If you book an off-site deal, your deal is what it is.
I know I am not touching on every aspect of staying on or off-site, but I hope you see that sometimes the savings is not as large as people try to get you to believe and sometimes the savings is not a real savings at all when other factors are taken into consideration.
Questions? Comments? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment? Feel free to chime in and give me your opinion.
We are living in a day and time where everyone is looking to save as much money as possible in everything that we do. Let’s face it, budgets are tight. Even the magical Walt Disney World has not been immune to the economy’s downturn. A recent report showed that Disney’s park attendance was down as much as 8% compared to the same period a year ago. Because of that, Disney continues to offer discounts and vacation package specials to try to encourage the budget-conscious family to book a Disney getaway, whether on land or at sea.
So with all of these discounts that continue to be offered, I have to ponder why so many potential Disney visitors still think that it is cheaper to plan an “offsite” vacation? I think it is because so many “Disney experts” that permeate blogs and discussion boards have continued to preach, “if you want to save a lot of money, stay offsite.” Well I am here to tell you that this is a myth, plain and simple.
Sure, if you compare a budget motel 30 minutes from the parks to a non-discounted Disney package, you will probably see a “savings” if you choose the “Motel $29.95.” But do not simply assume you will save money by staying offsite until you have done your homework and compared ALL the costs of the trip and other parts of the vacation.
For example...if you choose to stay offsite and Disney is offering a free dining vacation package for its on-site guests, do you know how much money you would save in food if you stayed onsite? Free dining can equate to a $500-600+ savings for a family of 4 during a 6 night stay. Did you sit down and actually establish a realistic budget for what you will be spending in food during your offsite stay? You have to get to that level of detail in your comparison of prices before anyone can claim they are saving “X” amount of dollars by staying offsite.
Another area that many forget to adequately compare is in the area of parking and transportation. If you are driving to the parks and are planning on staying offsite, did you add in the cost of parking at the parks? It costs $14 per day to park at any of the 4 parks at Walt Disney World (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon being the exception). So your 6 day offsite visit needs to include an extra $84. Did you factor in the extra gas that you will spend by driving yourself to the parks versus staying onsite and being able to take advantage of Disney transportation? You need to before you can claim you saved any money by staying offsite.
If you are flying down to Orlando...does your offsite hotel offer free shuttle from the airport and then a free shuttle to the parks each day? If not...how much more is your rental car going to cost you or the shuttle bus? And if you do happen to choose a hotel with free shuttle, do you know how often it runs between your hotel and the parks? How much is your time worth? If your offsite stay means you will have to spend less time in the parks, is it really a better deal when you factor in that the park tickets make up a large proportion of your overall Disney vacation cost?
I hope this is making you see that staying offsite is not always the best deal. You can’t claim that you have “saved” money if you did not do your homework ahead of time to determine the true costs of staying off Disney property. I hope this helps with your future Walt Disney World vacation planning.
Questions? Comments? I would love to get your feedback.
Please take a moment to answer a few questions. Just curious to see more reaction and opinions about Disney's latest "Give 1, Get 1" promotion. Thanks for participating.
Ifeel that one of my jobs as a travel professional is to help my clients cut through some of the promotional hype that we get bombarded with on a daily basis and make sure everyone understands what they are getting for the money etc.
In the case of Disney's latest promotion announced earlier today, I want to make sure everyone knows exactly what they will get in return for what they will give. As a way of extending Disney's "What will you celebrate" promo, Disney announced a new "Give one, get one" deal. The idea is that they want you and I to be volunteers and, in return for our efforts, Disney will reward us with something. By tying it into the "Celebration" promo, you might automatically assume that the offer is somewhat the same, but that is not true. The "Celebration" deal offered guests either a free day in the park (not to be combined with any package deal), a gift card in the amount of a day's park pass to be used inside the parks etc, or a special fast pass card. Most clients and guests did not qualify for the free 1 day admission so the next best option was the gift card. I know several who used the gift card and loved it.
I was actually expecting the same offer to be applied to the "Give one, get one" deal, and was surprised to learn that it did not. Here are the options, besides a free day in the park, once you "qualify" for the promo:
Disney's Special FASTPASS® card for certain attractions for themselves and up to five additional members of their party
A collectible Ear Hat figurine with exclusive trading pins
Donate their ticket to a non-profit organization designated by Disney Parks
Again...you need to know that the free day in the park will mainly apply to those who live in Florida near the parks who can drive over to spend the day and who would not normally purchase a Disney Package Vacation. So that leaves most guests with choosing between the 3 other options listed above which, as you can see, no longer includes a gift card in the amount of a one day pass.
While I love the idea of more people doing community work and volunteering, it seems that this promo leaves a little to be desired in the way of benefit to the guests as much as it gives Disney some great PR especially since they are ending the current "Birthday Treat" option (end of 2009).
I also want you to be aware that not everyone will be able to qualify for the offer. The terms and conditions will lay out a specific set of organizations that you have to volunteer with in order to qualify. After doing some research, I found that most of those organizations are only in the larger cities which will make it impossible for so many guests to qualify who live in more rural settings.
More details of the "qualifying organizations" will be coming out later this year and I will be keeping everyone up to speed as things become more clear etc. I hope this helps everyone see the true picture behind this particular promotion. And please do not think I am out to bash Disney. I love Walt Disney World, Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line, but I never want to get to the point that I over hype something just because I personally like that company or destination.
Please feel free to ask any question or leave a comment in general.
Holland America, Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney, NCL, Princess and the list goes on. I just mentioned a small percentage of the total number of cruise lines at your disposal for a possible cruise vacation. The choices can be overwhelming to so many travelers. How do you make a choice? Do you choose solely on price? Do you choose based on where the particular ship is cruising to along with price? Do you base your decision on size of the ship?
I want to help by clarifying some of the differences between the various cruise lines and hopefully will aid you in deciding what would be the best choice for your next cruise getaway. You really have to decide on what type of vacation do you want to have. Do you want peace and quiet? Do you want luxury mixed in with a little adventure? Do you want it to be something for the whole family?
So let's start by look at Carnival Cruises. Carnival has given its self the name, "The Fun Ships." Their cruises tend to lean heavy on the fun and less on the formal. They tend to attract a "fun" crowd that prefers party over peace and quiet. Carnival has ships of all sizes appealing to a large and diverse crowd, but make no mistake about it, if you want something more along the lines of rest and relaxation, their cruises may not be for you, especially over the spring and summer months.
So then what about a cruise line like Royal Caribbean? Royal Caribbean offers a fun and adventuresome atmosphere. Their itineraries are designed to offer passengers a chance at adventure in their various ports of call. But they also try to cater to those looking to get away from it all. They are a nice option for both the fun crowd and the relaxing crowd.
Norwegian Cruise Line is another one closer to the style of Royal Caribbean. Their "free-style" approach offers guests the freedom to set their own schedule which should help guests feel more like they are truly on a vacation.
The 3 cruise lines I just mentioned also tend to be tailored towards the trendy crowds with their more contemporary decor various night clubs and activities. So if you like things more formal, then these 3 might not be to your liking as much as some of the other options.
If you want more of a formal cruise reminiscent of the days when cruising meant black-tie dinners and balls, then you might want to look at Celebrity, Princess Cruises, Holland America, or Cunard. These will offer a much more formal setting in many cases. They also will be tailored towards those who like to have educational offerings on their cruises in the way of seminars or classes. Their demographic tends to be more older ranging from the mid-40's to the early retirees.
Now where does this leave those of you who want a cruise for the whole family? Naturally Disney Cruise Line comes to mind for those of have children, but don't overlook Carnival or Royal Caribbean when it comes to family activities. Again...if you want a fun and adventuresome cruise for your entire family, they all 3 have programs designed for kids of all ages and will have entire areas of the ship devoted to all age groups.
If you want your children to have as much fun as you though, you may not want to carry them along on a Cunard, Holland America, or even a Princess cruise. They all boast of having activities for kids, but they are not as organized nor do they devote the space for children as Disney, Royal Caribbean and Carnival do on their ships.
I am only mentioning those main cruise lines that are not considered to be in the "lifestyles of the rich and famous" category. There are others that are simply devoted to pure luxury and most of my clientele are every day folks (like me) who are not looking for a cruise that costs similar to a year's house payment. :)
So with all of this said, I do not recommend you looking at a cruise solely because it is advertised as the cheapest etc. That cruise line and ship may not be to your liking or fit your personality or vacation desires. A good cruise specialist can help you choose the right cruise that fits your budget so you don't ever go on a cruise and look around and ask, "what in the world am I doing on this ship??"
So many cruise lines are visiting similar ports of call around the world so you have lots of choices. If you want a cruise in the Mediterranean, you can choose between Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Princess, and others. Choices are abundant so don't feel like there is not a cruise for you. Maybe you have yet to sail with a cruise line that more to your style and way of life.
How have your experiences been? Have you found one cruise line to be better than some of the others that you have sailed on? Let me know of some of your experiences. Thanks for reading.
In my previous post (the travel tip of the week), I touched on some things that a person needs to consider when deciding whether or not to stay on Disney property or off Disney property when visiting Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida.
I want to be more detailed in this post and look at some of the pros and cons of each side of the question.
First, let's look at the pros of staying off-site or off Disney property. Naturally cost is the largest pro for this decision. You will pay less per night when you stay off Disney property, no question about it. The amount you save will vary naturally by the level of off-site accommodations that you choose. Some like to stay in a nice 4-star hotel which would be the equivalent of staying maybe at one of Disney's Deluxe Resorts (which I will touch on in a bit) and when you compare the 4-star to the Deluxe price, you will most likely see a savings, depending on the time of year. For example...the Gaylord Palms in Orlando is considered to be a 4-star resort hotel near Walt Disney World. If I compare its price to one of the Disney Deluxe Resorts (i.e. the Animal Kingdom Lodge) and pick a date range in late September, you will see that it is not really a savings for staying at the Gaylord Palms because it has a nightly rate of over $267 per night and the Animal Kingdom has a nightly rate of $244 per night. But if you then look at the Hilton Orlando Resort, which is a 4-star resort, you will see that you can save quite a bit if you are willing to reserve a non-refundable room at $99 per night. But again it is a preference thing. The Hilton Orlando Resort will not offer the same experience as the Gaylord Palms or Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. If you are more concerned with price and less with what the hotel offers, then you will always save money by staying off-site when it comes to the hotel costs themselves.
Another pro for staying off-site would be food costs. Staying off Disney property does give you the flexibility of eating some of your meals away from the parks which will no doubt save money if you indeed do that. Again this can vary and is subject to preference. If Character Meals are not that important and if you are willing to leave the parks to go find a place to eat, then it can work and you can save money but you will sacrifice time in the parks to do that. This pro can be negated though if you are visiting Walt Disney World during a time that Disney has offered the free dining plan to its resort guests.
The other pro for staying off-site would be a rest of the senses. Some people like to have a break from everything that is Disney and staying off Disney property can give your senses a break. You are surrounded by Disney everywhere you look when you stay on-site and it can be a little much for some folks, especially during a longer stay.
Ok...that pretty much covers the pros of staying off-site. Now let's examine the cons. Transportation as a whole can be classified as a con for staying off-site. Here is what I mean by that. When you stay off Disney property, you will have to arrange your own transportation from the airport to the hotel which can cost anywhere from $30 to $60each way depending on the distance that your hotel is from either Orlando International or Orlando's Sanford Airport. This also means that you will be in charge of getting your luggage and carrying it with you to the transportation area of the airport (I will explain why that is a con later on). Assuming you have not rented a car, you will also have to deal with off-site transportation round trip from your off-site resort to the parks. This can be a substantial time constraint for some. Off-site buses do not run as frequently to the Disney Parks which means the time spent waiting for a bus is greatly increased or at least can be. That equates to potentially less time in the parks and more time standing and waiting for the next bus. If you doubt that, please read the comment in my previous post from a traveler who has experience with off-site transportation.
If you rent a car, you have to factor that in to the overall cost of the trip when you are comparing the cost of off-site versus on-site. Depending on the size of the vehicle, a car rental can cost an additional $250-$350 for a week's stay in Orlando. You also have to add in parking costs at the parks. Those staying off Disney property have to pay an additional $10 per day for parking at the parks. Again...that has to be factored in. A week's stay can cost an additional $50-60 just for parking.
We touched on the idea of less time in the parks because of off-site transportation, but we also need to point out that non-Disney resort guests do not have access to Disney's "Extra Magic Hours." Each day one of Disney's parks will open an hour early or stay open a few hours later than normal park hours and only Disney resort guests have access to the attractions during those hours. Disney Cast Members will check to see if you have a Disney resort room key before they will let you in line during evening extra magic hours and they will not allow you entrance into the park during morning extra magic hours. During peak crowd seasons, extra magic hours provide Disney resort guests a great opportunity to ride the more popular rides during less crowded periods which is benefit that is hard to put a dollar figure on. Another con is that you have a harder time getting reservations at some of Disney's more popular restaurants. Resort guests can make an advance dinner reservation up to 10 days out from their scheduled arrival day at 90 days out. This means that resort guests will have access to reservations earlier than a non-resort guest potentially and will also mean that the popular restaurants may be booked up by the time you are able to make your reservation as an off-site guest.
For the sake of space and attention span, I will quickly move to the pros of staying on Disney property. Some of these are obvious since they correlate to the cons of staying off-site so I will just mention some of them again. There is the pro of getting access to extra magic hours and the pro of having a better chance at getting your desired on-site restaurant reservations. There is the pro of having access to the Disney transportation system throughout the Disney property. Buses run every 20-30 minutes from the resorts to the parks.
Then there is the pro of Disney's Magical Express which is free for all Disney resort guests who fly into Orlando's International Airport. You have the ease of letting a Disney representative get your bags at baggage claim and delivering them to your resort room. All you have to do is check-in with the Magical Express desk, board your bus and head for your resort.
Then there is the pro for staying on-site of being surrounded every day by the magic that is Disney. Disney Cast Members are trained to make sure you have the best Disney experience possible and while there are exceptions at times, they truly know how to make you feel like you are truly at the "happiest place on earth."
Another pro would be that you can buy souvenirs at any of the park gift shops or at Downtown Disney and have your packages delivered back to your room at no additional cost.
Again...the real negative for staying on-site is the costs as it relates to resort room costs and food costs. But when comparing the 2, you need to make sure you calculate the costs for each like what we have discussed to see what the real differences are before making the determination that off-site is going to save you and your family any money.
I have helped clients look at both scenarios and book both scenarios. No one can tell you what is best for you unless they know what is the most important part of your trip (i.e. cost, time in the parks, relaxation, food etc).
I hope this has helped shed some additional light on the question and please leave comments, experiences etc and let me know if there are any other questions you might have.
In today's internet focused world, there seems to be an entire language that has been created for anyone who blogs or texts or even sends e-mails these days. It took me a long time to figure out what "LOL" meant or TTYL. I didn't want to seem out of touch with the ways of the world so I just played along and tried to ignore the short-hand for while. Then one day I was texting a friend who wrote something back followed up with an "LOL." Since this was a close friend, I decided it would be safe to finally ask, "what in the world does 'LOL' mean?" This friend then sent me a list of acronyms and their meanings so I would be safe from any embarrassment in the future.
Well it wasn't long after becoming a Disney Travel Specialist that I then learned there was an entire new set of acronyms and sayings that are only relevant and useful within the world of Disney. Once I too became savvy of their meanings and could use them all properly in a sentence, I also realized there were people that are still new to this phenomenon and may not know what I am saying when I start throwing this new lingo around in my letters, texts, or e-mails.
So I wanted to devote this post to familiarizing everyone with the Disney vernacular.
Let's start with the list below. You will see these on Disney discussion boards and chat sites.
MK=Magic Kingdom
AK=Animal Kingdom
DHS=Disney's Hollywood Studios
EP=Epcot
TSM=Toy Story Mania
FL=Fantasyland
WS=World Showcase
FW=Future World
ToT=Tower of Terror
RnR=Rock n Roller Coaster
TT=Test Track
SpM=Space Mountain
SM=Splash Mountain
EE=Expedition Everest
ITTBAB=Its Tough to be a Bug
KS=Kilimanjaro Safari
KRR=Kali River Rapids
FP=Fast Pass (see photo)
KTTWC=Key to the World Card (see photo)
WT=Wait Times
DME=Disney's Magical Express
ASsp=Allstar Sports Resort
ASMo=Allstar Movies Resort
ASM=Allstar Music Resort
Pop=Pop Century Resort
OKW=Old Key West Resort
Poly=Polynesian Resort
GF=Grand Floridian Resort
CBR=Caribbean Beach Resort
CSR=Coronado Springs Resort
CR=Contemporary Resort
POR=Port Orleans Riverside Resort
POF=Port Orleans French Quarter
AKL=Animal Kingdom Lodge
WL=Wilderness Lodge
YC=Yacht Club Resort
BC=Beach Club Resort
BW=Boardwalk Resort
FW=Fort Wilderness
CRT=Cinderella's Round Table
This should be a good start to getting your eyes and head used to seeing all of these terms as you do your own perusing of the internet to learn and discover all that is "The World of Disney." Naturally I am here as well to answer questions and offer tips and advice for making your next Disney vacation the best it can be.
I wanted to write a quick review of the dining experiences we had during this last trip to Walt Disney World. Dining is a big part of anyone's trip to the "Happiest Place on Earth." If you are someone who also takes advantage of Disney's "Dining Plan," you also know how important it is to have your all of your reservations planned out well in advance of your actual trip date.
So with that said, here is my summary and critique of the dining venues we chose to visit during our stay.
Our first advance dining reservation (ADR) was at "The Sci-fi Dinner Theater" in Hollywood Studios. The experience is what you pay for here. You are seated in a mock 1950's car where you face a big movie screen which is playing old 1950's black and white sci-fi movie trailers. The inside of the restaurant is constructed to feel like you are outside at an old drive-in theater. Everyone seated in one of the "cars" is facing forward so a party of 6 in a car would all be looking forward out the front of the car towards the movie screen. It is just a overall fun experience. The food, on the other hand, was mediocre. The dinner menu choices were somewhat limited and offered what I will call an eclectic selection. I had the butcher steak which came out over cooked and the veggies were already cool by the time my food arrived. So the food there does not really get a passing grade from me. The shakes, on the other hand, do. My wife commented that her shake was one of the best she ever had. So if you just want a fun place to dine during your trip, then this might be the place. We will probably look to other places now that we have experienced it this one time.
Our next ADR was a character breakfast at the Tusker House inside the Animal Kingdom (Donald's Safari Breakfast). This gets an overall grade of A+ from us. The buffet was well laid out so you never had to wait to get something on your plate. The food was hot and kept plentiful on the buffet line. But here is where it really makes the grade; for you who have children, the characters made their rounds quickly and easily. Everyone had the chance to get their picture made and autograph books signed. The staff also encouraged the children to join in on a parade with one of the characters around the restaurant. Just a great experience and one we will probably try to book again in the future.
Next...we had an ADR at The Coral Reef in Epcot. This was our most expensive meal during the trip. The main choices are either fish or steak. Since it is a ocean-themed venue, we chose to try a couple of the fish selections and were both fantastic. I would grade the food here an A-. The restaurant has a huge glass wall looking into a giant fish aquarium. It was nice to just sit there and watch the variety of fish swim by and our view was fine even though we were seated about as far away from the aquarium as you could get. The only major issue I had with the experience is that it was loud. You pay a lot of money to eat here ($80+ for 2 without dessert or alcohol) and you sort of expect a nice quiet dining experience. But since it is a restaurant on the dining plan, you will get large groups and families which can make for a not-so quiet experience and lacks the ambiance that you would expect for a $80-100 meal somewhere else. But I have no problem recommending this restaurant to someone else and we will probably visit it again someday.
Our last ADR was at Mama Melrose in Hollywood Studios. This is an Italian themed restaurant with a California twist. The decor is Italian intermingled with items representing Southern California. As with every ADR on this trip...we were seated quickly, but our service was very slow. This ADR was on a Sunday afternoon and was a part of the Fantasmic Dinner Package. The package includes a fixed price menu where you can select one appetizer per person, one entree and one dessert and a non-alcoholic beverage. The package also then gets you into a reserved seating area for watching the show "Fantasmic" (more on that in a bit). The food, once it arrived, was good. We were a little surprised to see the lack of actual pasta dishes in the menu (no typical lasagna offering or spaghetti and meatballs), but our choices were still good. For the price though, as a part of the package, it was not worth the extra money. Because they have now cut the Fantasmic show down to only a few nights a week, they still recommend those who pay for the package to line up at least 1 hour early which to me negates the value of the dinner package. Overall...the slow service and loud 60's California-themed music took away from the experience for us at this restaurant. We might give it a second chance on a future visit.
Those were the 4 table service restaurants (TS) we chose to eat at during our trip. The dining surprise on our trip were those places outside of the parks, but still on Disney property. I cannot say enough good things about "Everything Pop" which is the food court area inside the Pop Century Resort. Keep in mind I am speaking of counter service meals now versus the table service venues above, but we actually felt like we got more of our money's worth at the Pop then we did at any of our ADR's minus the character breakfast. Everything Pop had choices ranging from Salmon to beef stir fry to pizza to a bacon double cheeseburger. And on each night, they offered a "Mom's special" featuring some form of comfort food that your mom would have made back at home. We tried Mom's fried chicken and it was fantastic. Breakfast choices were also abundant ranging from omelets to pancakes to healthier choices. Some may disagree with me, but I feel our money was better spent eating back at the Pop then in most of the TS venues we chose on this trip. I haven't even mentioned the dessert choices yet at the Pop which ranged from a "tie-dyed cheesecake to hand made sundaes.
The next "out of park" meal that we had was at Downtown Disney. This meal was our best meal during our trip. We ate lunch at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe. Since it is on Disney Property, you can still eat there as a part of the dining plan or pay using your resort room key. We got seated immediately for lunch on a Saturday without any need of an ADR. Our service was what you expect at a place where the lunch is going to cost $40+ for 2. And the food was the best on our entire trip. You have to try their bacon wrapped meatloaf. All I can say is WOW! Their wood-fired pizzas are also fantastic. Don't overlook the dining choices at Downtown Disney during your trip. It was a nice break away from the crowds and noise of most of the venues inside the parks.
The 2 counter-service restaurants I will mention are Flame Tree Barbecue inside Animal Kingdom and the Columbia Harbor House in the Magic Kingdom. Food is good, not great, but the thing we like is the abundance of seating. Flame Tree's seating goes way back, further than people think and it is all mostly in the shade. In fact...I saw one man sitting on a ledge eating because he did not realize how much seating there was further back.
Columbia Harbor House is a step better because its seating is indoors. This counter service venue has seating upstairs as well as down and it is huge. We have gone during peak lunch times and have never seen every seat filled. We can usually find a window seat overlooking either part of Fantasyland or Liberty Square.
This concludes my short dining review. Next I will be writing a note which gives details of actual food costs and then comparing that with the "actual cost" of the Disney Dining Plan.
This review will cover the cruise that my wife and I took on the Disney Cruise Line. Currently Disney has 2 ships in operation, the Magic and the Wonder. The Magic takes passengers on a 7 night Eastern Caribbean itinerary. We were on the Wonder, which is a 4 night cruise to 2 Bahamian ports of call; Nassau and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.
This cruise was a part of Disney’s Land and Sea package. We stayed 3 nights at one of Walt Disney’s resorts from December 6th through the 8th and then headed for the pier on the morning of 9th. Due to our visit to a local Church congregation, we made private transportation arrangements through Sunray Transportation. I cannot say enough about Sunray and Bob, one of Sunray’s owners. Bob made special arrangements to drive by our Church location a day ahead of time just so he would know where it was that he was to pick us up. If you want fantastic service (transportation in a nice leather seated SUV) at an affordable price, give Sunray a call. They can easily be found on the web.
We arrived at the pier at 12:30PM. Getting through security was a breeze. If we had not stopped for a 10-minute bathroom break once inside the terminal, we could have been on the ship in less than 10 minutes. Since we had stayed at one of Disney’s resorts prior to our sail date, we had the luxury of being able to check in at our hotel earlier that morning. That meant we had our stateroom keys in hand by the time we reached the terminal.
One of the neat things they do on all Disney cruises is announce you by name as you enter the ship. A neat little perk. After we boarded, we were directed to one of the 2 buffets (Beach Blanket Buffet and Parrot Cay). Since it was only 1:00PM, it would be another 30 minutes before we could go check out our stateroom.
We were told that Parrot Cay was full so we had no choice but to go to Beach Blanket Buffet. The first thing we noticed was that the buffet area was much smaller than what we became used to on Royal Caribbean. This made it very tight to get in and around the buffet line and it also meant that the selection of food seemed smaller. The seating area inside was also much smaller and meant that the only choice was to sit outside which had its challenges in the wind. After w quick bite, we were anxious to see our stateroom. We were in a category 5 stateroom that was a deluxe stateroom with a verandah. Our room number was 7036. We were close to mid ship on deck 7. The room was very nice. It had a classical nautical theme with lots of Disney artwork placed throughout. One of the unique things about Disney staterooms is that most come with a bath and a half; one with a vanity and tub/shower combo and another with a vanity and a toilet. This was nice when we were both trying to get ready at the same time. The rooms seemed spacious and the beds were very comfortable. They do need some updating when it comes to the TV’s. Most cruise lines now are going to nice flat screen TV’s and the one we had was your typical 13-inch TV from the 1980’s. Other than that…the room was very nice and our stateroom attendant was superb.
Our dinner rotation schedule had us visiting the dining restaurants in this order; Parrot Cay, Tritons, Tritons, and Animator’s Palate. Parrot Cay was the least favorite of ours. The theme was nice, but the restaurant lacked any special flair. Tritons was actually our favorite out of the 4 due to the ambience and menu choices. Animator’s Palate was kind of a let down. We had heard so much about how the scene changes in the restaurant as your receive each dinner course, but the change was less than dramatic and the music change was almost unnoticeable. The servers all left at the same time and came back clapping with colorful vests on which was really the most dramatic part of the dinner experience and that wasn’t much to talk about.
The food was good, not great in all the restaurants except for Palo’s (which I will get to in a moment). The service however was noticeably sub par. Our two servers had a really hard time at remembering what each person had ordered. While we easily excused it the first night, it became a pattern by the last night. We were accustom to Royal Caribbean’s superior service and how their servers paid attention to the smallest level of detail and that was simply not the case with our experience on this cruise. One morning for breakfast we had decided to try the buffet at Parrot Cay and also found the service to be disappointing. I had asked the server for coffee, which never made it to our table. Now I am aware that each server is unique and we may have been the exception to the rule. So take this criticism for what it is worth.
On the day at sea, we had made arrangements to have brunch in Palo’s, Disney’s alternative dining restaurant. Our experience there was superb. The service was excellent! The food choices for a brunch were incredible and the atmosphere was exquisite. The extra charge was only $10 per person, which was a bargain, compared to other cruise lines. I highly recommend for everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to dine at Palo’s.
The ship itself is what I will call a classical ship with its elegant color scheme. The inside is simply decorated, but quite beautiful. Disney has done a great job by keeping the Disney theme out in the forefront while still keeping things elegant and simple. They used a lot of black and white Disney prints in the common areas and a person really needs to take the time to stop and take some of them in.
I want to make mention of 3 areas of the ship that we found to be above our expectations. First the ship’s Buena Vista movie theatre is second to none. For a ship of its size, it was a large theatre laid out with tiered seating similar to those found in modern theatres. The real plus was that they show first-run movies and even Disney’s movies that are also making their theatre debut back at home. I am not giving it justice in this review, but please do not overlook it once you are onboard. Trust me.
Second, the shops onboard were laid out well and had a great selection for every age group. You felt that you were in a shop back at one of Disney’s theme parks. Once again…trust me and take come extra cash for shopping!
Third, there was the Walt Disney Theatre had some of the best show productions we have seen so far at sea. From the set decorations to the cast members, you felt you were at a Broadway show production. They were highly entertaining and a must-do during your cruise.
I also want to mention one area of the ship that Disney really needs to address. I am not sure what they were thinking when they designed the Vista Spa to be placed on a deck right below the sports deck and basketball courts. The pouncing of a basketball really does detract away from a true spa experience. Also…I was surprised to learn that there was an additional charge to use their rainforest room even if you had scheduled a spa treatment. That is not the case on some of the other cruise lines. I understand charging a daily use fee for those who only want to come and use this amenity, but not for those who are already paying a nice fee for a massage etc.
Now…on to the excursions and ports of call. Since this was only a 4-night cruise, we had 2 ports of call scheduled as I already mentioned; Nassau and Castaway Cay. Nassau is what it is. We probably would not have bothered getting off the ship had we not planned for an excursion. The excursion was the Dolphin Encounter on Blue Lagoon Island. It was awesome! It was worth every penny and something everyone needs to do at least once in their lifetime. The staff on the Island is very professional and does a great job, not only with the interaction, but also with the educating of the guests regarding the dolphins and their environment. It was the highlight of our cruise and one we will cherish for a long time.
The second port of call was Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island. We were docked by 7:30AM and cleared to disembark by 8:00AM. Being docked at the island is a luxury of being with Disney. Most cruise lines tender their guests onto their private islands. Docking is always a added advantage and it made getting off and on the ship a breeze. The Island is divided up into sections for all age groups, teen beaches, family beaches, children play areas, and even an area solely for adults called Serenity Bay. We were excited to be able to get away from the noise and bustle of the children spend the day in an entire “adults only” area. The beach at Serenity Bay was gorgeous. There were plenty of beach chairs. My wife made an appointment at one of their open-air cabanas, which was wonderful. The whole experience on the Island was great. Disney really has mastered the ability to organize and feed and transport large groups of people and this shined through on Castaway Cay.
For the sake of time and space, I will end the cruise review right here. Disney will make your cruise experience very enjoyable, especially if you have children. We prefer a longer cruise so we will probably not be going on this cruise again, but I can recommend it without reservations. You will be spoiled by Disney’s ability to get you on and off the ship at each and every port. The embarkation and disembarkation process was extremely hassle-free. We docked back at our homeport in Port Canaveral on the 13th at 6:00AM and were cleared to disembark by 7:00AM. You do not have to disembark in groups on Disney, which means you can simply walk off once the ship is cleared by the port authorities.
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