A Walt Disney World Christmas

Have you ever wondered, "what makes Walt Disney World so special during the Holidays?" If you consider yourself a Disney fan then you have to make this a must-do at some point in the future. For those of you who have visited Walt Disney World between Thanksgiving and Christmas, you know exactly what I am talking about.

I hope this video helps you see that the Disney magic is even that much more "magical" during the Holidays.  

A Walt Disney World Christmas 2012 from Oeshpdog2 on Vimeo.

Disney's Beach Club Resort

I am long overdue for this review.  We traveled again to Walt Disney World back in January of this year (2012) and we had the privilege this time of staying at the Beach Club Resort.

The Beach Club is in the deluxe category per Disney’s own classification system.  The resort is located adjacent to Epcot and is also extremely close to Holly Studios.  It offers amenities for all age groups.  It has 1 table service restaurant (Cape May), 2 quick service food locations, 2 pools (1 awesome water slide), 2 lounges, 1 pool bar, spa, fitness center and much more.

The decor will remind you of turn of the century resorts that dotted the eastern seaboard landscape; elegant, but casual and relaxing.  Lots of soft blues and yellows and rich wood accents. 

The grounds are chalked full of beautiful flower beds everywhere you turn to look. It is well worth the time to just simply walk the grounds with your camera and take advantage of all of the photo ops that it offers.

So you can probably tell already that this is going to be a positive review overall.  But as I always try to do, I will mention the good and also point out areas that may need improvement or at least something you should be aware of before you go.

So let’s get the negatives out of the way first. 

There are 3 areas that I want to quickly address.  First, the shopping at the Beach Club is not the greatest.  We found the selection of merchandise to be quite a bit smaller that some of the other deluxe category resorts such as the Contemporary, the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian etc. 

Second, the quick service venues offered far fewer choices than again some of the other resorts within the deluxe category.  This can be a bigger disappointment for those guests who are using one of Disney’s dining plans.  I again am comparing the one marketplace area inside the Beach Club to such places like Captain Cook’s inside the Polynesian or the Contempo Cafe inside the Contemporary.

The third and final negative would be the layout of the hotel itself.  There are a lot of lefts and rights that you will most likely make before ever getting to your room once you leave the main lobby.  My advice, blaze a trail on the way to your room and pack a few snacks to eat along the way.

Those are really the only negatives that I feel are worth noting.  Now I have read other reviews where some like to point out the age of the resort and claim it is looking worn and tattered.  But what most of those naysayers fail to mention is that Disney does dispatch personnel to fix major issues outside of their normal maintenance and sprucing up schedules.  In fact, I observed one guest getting a close up of a broken door hinge on one of the doors leading from the rooms out into one of the courtyard areas.  I am sure that person was making sure everyone saw how old and broken things are.  But what they probably will not tell you is that the door was fixed during our stay as well.  Every resort has times of the year that are more advantageous for routine fixing of things and that usually corresponds with off-seasons.  We were there during the off-season and I witnessed major repairs going on every day from painting to replacing door handles and locks on every room. 

I say all of that to say...please take the negative reviews with a grain of salt.

So now let’s move on to the positives.  There is a big one for this resort that, to me, trumps, some if not all of the negatives...LOCATION!  If you are a fan of Epcot and Hollywood Studios, then you cannot beat the location of this resort.  Our room was located in such a way that we would walk out the door downstairs, hang a left and be in Epcot within 5 mins.  Or...if we were feeling a tad more adventurous, we would take the bridge over to the Boardwalk Resort and walk the trail from it over to Hollywood Studios and be in the park in about 20 mins. 

Now this benefit also applies to the Yacht Club, Swan and Dolphin and also the Boardwalk resort which are all deluxe resorts in the same area, but only the Beach Club is that close to one of the parks (5 mins or less).  That makes this area of resorts my first choice when looking at staying a one of Disney’s deluxe resorts.

That means that you only need to take a bus to the Magic Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom.  And that means you will be maximizing your time in the parks and not spending as much in transit.

The resort was beautiful.  The staff was gracious. The grounds were immaculately manicured.  The standard rooms are clean, offer double vanity sinks in the bathroom, have decent sized balconies and have very comfortable bedding.  The pool and water-slide were a blast, but all of those were just nice add-ons to me.  The location alone would make us choose this resort again in a heartbeat.

So you are probably sitting there saying...is that it?  Is that the full review?  Yes it is.  We were so pleased with the location that it really did make our trip one of the best so far.  It helped us relax more knowing we could simply walk back to our resort if we got a little tired (the days we were in Epcot and HS naturally).  We were able to do everything we wanted to do and feel fairly refreshed after our trip.  What more can you ask for after a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth??

Walt Disney World 101...Part 3

I hear so many first-time visitors question the need to visit every park at Walt Disney World. Some have heard that certain parks are not as "kid-friendly" etc and that is simply false information which is why I felt the need to briefly describe each of the 4 MAIN parks that make up Walt Disney World. I hope this short video helps clarify what each park can offer guests of all ages.

Walt Disney World Vacation Review 2008 part 1

This post will give a detailed review of our latest trip to Walt Disney World. The dates of our trip were August 24th through the 30th. We arrived late Sunday night in Orlando (approx. 10:00PM). We headed straight for Disney's Magical Express desk where we were once again greeted warmly and promptly directed to the line where we could board our Disney Bus to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.

Here is a tip...if you book a late flight, don't assume that will mean less of a crowd on Magical Express. Because we were later in the evening, the buses were waiting much longer than usual to make sure they had as many guests on board as they could get since they run less frequently that late at night. We waited on the bus almost 45 minutes while they allowed more passengers to check in at the desk and get on board.

We then were on our way and arrived at the resort very close to 11:45PM. The crowd at check in was very light due to our late arrival and since most other passengers on the bus were headed for other resorts. In about 15 minutes we were checked in and waiting outside for the resort internal bus to take us to our assigned building. We were in "Aruba" which seemed about half way between the Custom House (where you check in) and Port Royale (where you go to eat and shop).

We got in the room at about 12:30AM and were very pleased with the size and decor of the room. Our room was a "Garden View" which really means you have some flora outside your window that pretty much blocks your view to anything else.


Here is another tip...when arriving this late to the resort, plan on packing your bath necessities and your next day's clothes in your carry-on bag so you will have what you need to get you through until the next afternoon. Then call the front desk when you arrive to your room and tell them to hold your bags until the next morning. If you don't, you will have to stay up until the bell service delivers them to your room which, in our case, was not until roughly 1:30AM. We were exhausted by the time they arrived and wished we had planned better for such things.

We had an early character breakfast reservation at Disney's Hollywood Studios which also meant we got little sleep before our first day in the parks, but it always seems like adrenaline kicks in when you get to a park and it manages to carry you through the day. We awoke at 6:15AM ready to get to our bus stop to catch one of the less frequent buses (so we thought). We understood that the buses ran only every 30 to 45 minutes if it was more than an hour before the parks were scheduled to open. Our reservation was for 8:00AM at Hollywood and Vine so we figured we better be at the bus stop to catch a bus that might be there around 7:15 or 7:30 in case another did not come until closer to 8:00AM. Well...we got at the stop around 6:50AM and the bus pulled up right at the moment for Disney's Hollywood Studios so we jumped on and a whopping 10 minutes later there we were right outside the gate of the park at an ever so early 7:00AM...a FULL HOUR before our breakfast reservation. Lesson learned! :)

Hollywood and Vine is a great place to eat breakfast in the park. It was a full breakfast buffet with an abundance of choices including some healthier fare. There were also characters from the Little Einsteins and JoJo's Circus present which seemed to be a hit among the children.

After breakfast...we headed out to get in the line forming for the official opening of the park. The good thing about having an early morning breakfast reservation in the park is that you do get to bypass the lines forming outside in the turnstiles and you end up about half way up in the crowd that is waiting or the rope to drop.

Tip: If you are visiting Disney's Hollywood Studios in the next few months, plan on heading to their newest attraction, Toy Story Mania, first. It seems to now be more popular than the Tower of Terror or even Rock N Roller Coaster.

The crowds were pretty good considering the time we traveled was also during Disney's free dining plan offer which is available to resort guests during a certain time of the year (usually the end of August until late September) and at select resorts. For those not familiar with the dining plan, here is how it works. You get 1 table service meal, 1 counter service meal and 1 snack per person, per night of your stay. We were staying 6 nights so we got 6 each. This dining plan works well if you plan on eating a lot of food. If you usually have a dessert item for lunch and dinner, then the plan will save you money overall. If you don't...I am not sure it is a benefit. It demands that you plan your meals well in advance of your trip. If you do not use your meal credits by the end of your stay...you lose them. We had to make advance reservations at 5 table service restaurants (The Hollywood Brown Derby is a signature restaurant so it required 2). If you wait until you arrive, the chances of getting into some of Disney's more popular sit down restaurants is pretty slim. We made our reservations about 90 days before our trip.

What has changed recently with the plan is that you no longer get an appetizer with your table service meals, only one non-alcoholic beverage, one entree and one dessert. Also tips are no longer included in the plan so make sure you tip each server accordingly.

I will post more about the meals and the other aspects of our trip in part 2...

Walt Disney World Review

This review will cover the parks in general as well as the 2 hotels that we stayed at during our trip which were the Swan Hotel of Disney's Swan and Dolphin Resort and Disney's Polynesian Resort.

We arrived December 6, 2007. The trip was arranged as a Land and Sea Package through Disney which includes all of their transportation as well (I will cover the cruise in a separate review). When you book a stay at a Disney resort you get Disney's Magical Express as a free transportation option which means you get the luxury of checking your bags in at your point of departure and never have to touch them again until they arrive in your room at your hotel. In addition, most Disney resorts now offer airline check-in service. We checked our baggage in with Delta Airlines at the Polynesian on the day of our departure and avoided those long lines when we arrived at Orlando's International Airport. Disney offers a lot of perks that do not show up on a budget sheet sometimes but can save you a tremendous amount of time and headache.

Disney is very efficient. We arrived a little earlier than scheduled (around 11:30AM), made our way directly to Disney's Magical Express desk, and waited a few brief moments as they readied us to board the bus. We were on our way to the resort within 30 minutes of our plane landing.

We arrived at the Swan Hotel, checked in, received our park passes (a 7 day park hopper pass is included in your land and sea package), took a brief look at our room and we were off to to Disney's MGM Studios by 1:30PM and were on our first ride by 1:45PM. It could not have gone any smoother. I give Disney high marks for their organization.

After a fun day at the park, we headed back to the Swan Hotel. The Swan and Dolphin are in close proximity to EPCOT and MGM Studios. You can access either park by Disney's boat service or by a short 15-20 minute walk. We did both. Walking to MGM from the Swan takes a little longer than the boat ride since there are not stops that the boat has to make between the 2. It is actually a little quicker to walk to EPCOT from the Swan since the boats make 2 additional stops along the way at Disney's Boardwalk Resort and Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resort.

The Swan's location is ideal for taking advantage of the 2 parks as well as the Magic Kingdom since you can catch a ride at EPCOT on Disney's Monorail service. It is also adjacent to Disney's Boardwalk area which includes several restaurants and other night life venues.

We also found the Swan to be a quieter place to stay compared to the Polynesian. It seemed to be more popular with the business crowd which tended to be less noisier than the resorts that cater to families. Some may find that to be a negative and find the Swan to be less "magical" than the other Disney resorts (The Swan is actually run by the Westin Hotel group). However, it will probably appeal more to the younger couples or those who travel without children. The Swan still has a breakfast on the weekends in which several Disney characters make an appearance.

Overall, it is a beautiful hotel inside even though the outside seems to be a bit over the top you might say. The rooms were comfortable, but nothing special when you consider the price paid. The restaurant choices were abundant though and we never waited in any line for any of our meals. For a quick, but good breakfast, we recommend trying Picabu over in the Dolphin side of the resort. I do give the staff high marks for their friendliness and smiling faces. They may have not been "cast members," but they were still great and provided great service.

We left the Swan on Sunday the 9th for our 4 night cruise. We returned back to WDW on Thursday the 13th and checked into the Polynesian. This was a totally different experience. The staff is very friendly and more oriented around spreading the Disney magic. Aloha's were heard everywhere as cast members greeted guests. Check in went smooth even though our rooms was not yet available, but it was only 9:00AM so we didn't expect our room to be ready quite that soon. We checked our baggage in with the bell captain and made our way upstairs to the Monorail. That's right...Disney's Monorail picks you up right outside the main door upstairs in a covered area. How convenient is that?! :)

By 9:30AM we were once again in a Disney park, this time we went to the Magic Kingdom for the day. We spent most of the day in the park and headed back around 6:30PM, after the Wishes firework display, and checked out our room. Our room was in the Tahiti building which was quite a walk from the main "Ceremonial House." The positives were that it was away from the main pools and made it a quieter spot and it also had larger rooms than the other buildings. Our room was big considering it was not a suite. It had 2 queen beds, a bathroom with double vanities and a large sitting area with 2 chairs and a couch. The rooms have been upgraded to also include LG flat panel TV's. The negatives were once again the walking distance from the main buildings and restaurants and the building had an old musty smell inside. Our room also a leak underneath the bathroom sink that went unfixed during our stay.

We ate at both Ohana's and the Kona Cafe. Ohana's is very popular for several reasons, one of which is the view of the Magic Kingdom were you can actually sit, eat and watch the nightly fireworks show. It is family style dining and the food just keeps on coming. We found it to be way too much considering we were a table of 2. We had to tell them to quit bringing food. The dessert was awesome however.

For the same price, 2 adults can eat at the Kona Cafe and actually have a better dining experience. We found the food there to be of better quality and the service was at par with Ohana's.

The crowds are where we saw a huge difference between the 2 hotels. The Polynesian drew numerous visitors who were there to see the resort as well as visit Ohana's. That coupled with the numerous families that were there made it feel much more crowded with noise levels quite high in the general areas. We did like the shops in the hotel which carried a wide variety of Disney apparel and gifts. I have to say that the real positive to me for this resort is that it is situated on the Monorail line. It makes it very convenient to get to the Magic Kingdom or EPCOT.

I am not sure however that the close proximity to the Magic Kingdom will cause us to want to stay there again. We prefer the other deluxe choices closer to EPCOT and Disney's MGM Studios.

We visited every park (minus the water parks) on this visit. We really enjoyed them all, but found ourselves wanting to go back and visit the rides in Disney's MGM Studios and EPCOT. The thrill rides in those 2 parks are worth the visit which includes Tower of Terror, Soarin, Rockin Roller Coaster, Mission Space and Test Track. We rode these rides multiple times and could not get enough of them. The newest thrill ride in Disney's Animal Kingdom is the ride called Expedition Everest. It is also a must do, but the walking within that park got the best of us by the 3rd day.

The things you cannot miss if you go to these 3 parks are (knowing not everyone likes thrill rides):

1) It is Tough to be a Bug
2) Festival of the Lion King
3) Soarin'
4) Illuminations (EPCOT's Fireworks show). Start looking for a spot at least 45 minutes before the show begins.

Magic Kingdom is in its own category. Because of the time of year that we were there, the crowds were fairly light which meant we had rode all of the rides that were on our must do list by 3:00PM that same day. It is really geared towards the younger crowds and large families who want to go have a "magical experience" together and aren't as interested in today's version of thrill rides. The fireworks show Wishes is a must see though. Start looking for a good viewing spot about 30 minutes before show time.

One word of advice for all of the parks...get there when they open. The crowds were noticeably lower for at least the first 2 hours that the parks were open and we had rode most of the rides at least once within those first 2 hours. Also try to plan your meals during off peak eating times such as 11:00AM or 1:30PM. That will allow you the ability to ride some of the most popular rides while others are eating their lunch. We also noticed much smaller lines during the scheduled parades that Disney puts on during the day in each park. Find out when those times are when you first enter the park and plan your day accordingly.

If you have specific questions regarding any aspects of Walt Disney World please send me an e-mail or post your question here on this site.