Bob Sehlinger's Blog, page 1250
February 27, 2014
Get to Know the Safe in Your Disney World Hotel Room
By Erin Foster
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It’s a near inevitability that a traveler today will be toting a Dumbo-sized lot of expensive equipment. My own family of five (two adults and three teens) typically visits Walt Disney World with 5 iPhones, two computers, an iPad, a Digital Single Lens Reflex camera with several lenses, and two or three pocket digital cameras, plus wallets filled with cash, credit cards and the like. That’s a lot of expensive stuff to leave in a hotel room. One way many guests deal with this is by storing some of their gear in their hotel room safe.
Pedestal style safe at Bay Lake Towers.
There’s a safe in my hotel room?
Yes, there is a safe in every Walt Disney World hotel room.
Is there a charge for this?
No, it’s included in the cost of your room.
Where will I find the safe?
There is considerable variation in this from resort to resort or even between different room configurations at the same resort. However, the vast majority of Disney World hotel safes will be either in or next to a closet, usually built into the wall. Some safes in deluxe resort rooms or in 1, 2, and 3 bedroom Disney Vacation Club Villas will be on a sturdy post inside the closet.
How do I access the safe?
Some of the safes have key access and some have combination access. The combination safes have printed instructions on the front of the door. Typically you select your own four-digit code and then use that code to access your belongings. Key lock safes will have the key inserted into the lock upon your arrival. To secure your gear, simply use the key and take it with you.
What happens if I lose the key or forget the combination?
Speak to the front desk of the hotel and they will assist you. There will be a fee for a lost key. The key tag at Port Orleans Riverside notes that the lost key fee is $35.00. This may vary by resort.
Art of Animation wall safe. That’s an iPad and iPhone inside. The depth is somewhat misleading because the thickness of the door intrudes upon that space.
Will my hotel housekeeper have access to the safe?
No. While a housekeeper will enter your room to clean, they will not have access to the contents of the safe.
How large are the safes?
There is a substantial variation in this depending on the resort and your room type. Generally, the newer the resort and the larger the room, the larger your safe will be. The smallest safes (found in many value resort rooms) will have an internal area of approximately 7″ x 10″ X 2″. Many moderate resort rooms will have safes that are approximately 14″ x 9″ x 3″. The largest safes will be those in the larger DVC villas, with an internal area of approximately 14″ x 14″ x 6.”
Those small safes sound pretty small. What can I fit in there?
With the small safes, you’re really only going to be able to hold what one TouringPlans reader called “trip killers.” those things that would cause complete and total disaster if lost (the money and paperwork that would let you eat and get home). Even the smallest Disney World safe will hold passports and cash, an iPad, a phone, and possibly a pocket camera, if you balance everything properly. You might be able to fit a small netbook inside, but if you do, then not much else (other than paper like passports) will fit. The larger deluxe/villa safes will fit most laptops and some DSLR cameras.
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Beach Club villas studio safe. Holding iPad and 13″ MacBook Air.
Any alternatives?
Many travelers use items like laptop locks, laptop alarms, and locked and slash proof suitcases. You can find many options for products like these on Amazon or specialty retailers like Travelsmith.com.
A few months ago I had a chat with an Adventures by Disney guide, who visits hotels all over the world, about how she keeps her belongings safe on the road. She told me that she never uses hotel safes and instead keeps her many electronics in a locked suitcase in her room. She has never experienced a theft. Other guests who became part of the conversation added that they usually keep their electronics in a suitcase under some dirty clothes. (The dirty underwear deterrent. :-))
Is that what you do?
I’m lazy and usually forget to stash my gear at the Disney hotels. I have left cameras and laptops out in the open at Disney hotels many dozens of times and never found a thing out of place. Perhaps I’m just a trusting soul, but I feel comfortable just leaving my stuff in my room.
Do you take any precautions?
I do have tracker software installed on my laptop, iPad and iPhone (Find My Phone via iCloud). If they were to disappear, I could use that to track them. I also make copies of all the cards I take with me (ID, tickets, credit cards, etc.) to make it easier to replace if lost or stolen. When I travel internationally, I make several copies of my family’s passports and keep them in different locations.
I also have name/phone labels on all my cameras. But that’s more because I have a minor habit of leaving them in restaurants at Walt Disney World. They’ve always been returned to me quickly when this has happened. There are many online vendors which sell inexpensive permanent label stickers.
In the past, I have photographed the contents of my suitcase, both clothing and other items. This can facilitate replacement if something goes missing at a hotel or in a situation like an airline losing your luggage.
Pop Century safe holding iPad.
Additionally, I’m vigilant to make sure that my room is securely locked when I leave. Some Disney hotel rooms need an extra tug to make sure the lock is fully engaged.
Can you think of anything I should be putting in my safe other than currency or electronics?
The only time I’ve ever had anything go missing from a Disney hotel room was when a housekeeper inadvertently picked up my daughter’s favorite stuffed animal while changing the sheets and sent it to the Grand Floridian laundry. If you’re the parent of a child with a “lovey,” then you’ll understand when I say that I would have rather lost my wallet than this particular plush bunny. An object doesn’t necessarily need to have monetary value to need safekeeping.
I’m afraid of forgetting something if I put it in a safe. Any suggestions?
This could easily happen to anyone. When a have used a safe in a hotel, I typically write myself a big note and put it right in front of the room door so I’ll see it before I leave. Another trick is to leave something in the safe that you can’t leave without, like your car keys or your shoes, so that you force a reminder.
What’s your philosophy on hotel safes? Do you use them at Disney World? At other vacation destinations? Do you have another preferred method of storing your valuables? Let us know in the comments below.
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The Magic, The Memories, and Merch! February 2014 Photo Report of the Disney Outlet Store
By Derek Burgan
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It’s February, and earlier this month Punxsutawny Phil saw his shadow, which signaled six more weeks of bad merchandise, so off to Disney Outlet Store we go! This week we’ll be wearing our Mickey Mouse “Rebel with a Cause” t-shirt, slip on our $1,690 Mickey Ears necklace, and make sure our phone is protected with the Blank – A Vinylmation Love Story iPhone case. Now that we are geared up, it’s time to hit the outlets!
Please remember to click on any picture to see it in full size.
One thing that jumped out to me on this trip was the amount of items that I would consider relatively “new” at the parks and at Downtown Disney. The first is this mashup of Mickey Mouse and Iron Man. I remember first seeing it late last year at the World of Disney store, and I can’t say I’m surprised to see it at the outlet. I like Mickey Mouse mashups, and love my Mickey Mouse/Tron, Mickey Mouse/Indiana Jones, and Mickey Mouse/Star Wars figures, but this Iron Man plush just looks weird.
Let’s start off with a look at some of the clothing options available. It’s always neat to see Animal Kingdom related stuff.
Originally $19.95, now $9.99
I loved that the sign above this one said “Assorted Ladies Branded Apparel.” Next we’re gonna see a sign on DisneyQuest that says “Ladies Night.”
If you find a woman willing to wear this in public, marry her.
My favorite things to see at the outlets include DVC items, hard ticket party merch, and stuff from special events like Food & Wine, so it was neat seeing this Vero Beach shirt.
Vero Beach, the red headed stepchild of DVC. ($9.95)
This Beauty and the Beast shirt falls into what I call a “zero quadrant item.” I just don’t understand who the market is for this shirt. It’s too “adult” for young kids and too childish for anyone old enough to get the joke.
Originally $32.95, now $14.99.
These Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck “silhouette” shirts were pretty neat. $19.99 each
I can first hand tell you how impossible it is to find Frozen related merchandise at the regular Disney stores, especially anything with Elsa, but there’s certainly no end to products featuring Planes at the outlets. Looks like someone bet on the wrong horse in that race.
Speaking of Planes merch..
I like the look of these classic-style Mickey shirts at $9.95 each (reduced from $29.95).
2013 branded items slowly starting to take less shelf space…
But out of nowhere a million of these propeller hats showed up.
Literally a million. I counted each one.
This Norway hoodie was originally $46.95 but can now be yours for just $16.99.
I would slap two stickers of Anna and Elsa on these hoodies, mark them up to $75, and watch them fly off the shelves.
Hard to believe this “Mickey Around the World” shirt didn’t take off.
On the second row down, which one is Italy and which one is Mexico? ($14.99)
Let’s take a look at some hats. I really wanted to dislike these “characters over the years” hats, but there’s something about them that is actually charming. Each hat has representations of the classic characters from some of their more well known cartoon appearances, including “Mickey’s A Christmas Carol” and “Roger Rabbit.” I don’t think I could wear these hats in public, but I would like to see a similar idea done as a lithograph or a t-shirt. Each was $8.99.
The following is an actual hat made by the Walt Disney Company ($7.99).
I love that this four park icons hat has the Spaceship Earth “golfball” sitting in space like a Death Star ($4.99).
As far as Mickey Ears go, I liked this Sorcerer’s Hat one ($8.99)
You can allegedly get this New Fantasyland thing to fit onto your regular Mickey Ears. I say nay nay, but Disney-holic Morgan Crutchfield assures me it can be done. This I would have to see to believe. None of them had a price tag.
Inconceivable!
Pair of Stitch “paws” for $14.99. They come with a small Stitch accessory, as well, so not too bad of a deal.
Here was another surprise, all of the “it’s a small world” toys that came out late last year have been shuttled over to the discount bins.
Speaking of “it’s a small world,” this post card set was pretty neat.
Sorry, I just don’t have the strength this month…
Are there a lot of people out there who collect miniature versions of hats? These Alice in Wonderland ones were $8.99 each.
This is what happens when you don’t have JK Rowling controlling your brand. $2.99 each.
Surprised to see these Nightmare Before Christmas salt and pepper shakers here. Keep them in a closet until September, and I’m sure you can just resell them at full price when Halloween season comes back around. Originally $14.95, now $8.99.
Time to head into my favorite area…VINYLMATION! First up is the 2013 branded one.
This Disneyland giant Vinylmation is everything I don’t like about Vinylmation in a nutshell. It’s just art thrown onto the Mickey regardless of how it looks, and they have absolutely no idea what to do with the ears so they just leave them blank.
Originally $44.95, now $17.99
THAT SAID, this River Country themed one isn’t the worst, and I like the inner tube add on.
$17.99
Presented without commentary
I am convinced this wall of John Carter Vinylmation will be here for years. If anyone actually does go back to Barsoom, please take these with you.
Can someone please tell me why this Lady and the Tramp print is being sold for $479? It’s not signed by the artist or part of some limited print run (and how limited would it have to be to justify that price anyway, 1 of 2?). In case you can’t see the price tag, it says ORIGINALLY $950. There has to be a story here. My mind can not comprehend this, so there must be a piece to this jigsaw puzzle I’m missing.
Time to go, but we’ll close out by looking at the items that probably have the shortest lifespan of just about anything ever created: New Year’s Eve light up merchandise. Basically, these items are good from what, 6 or 7PM to about 1AM on New Year’s Day. After that, you will never see another human being on Earth wear one. Talk about the ultimate niche market.
There are actually two Disney outlet stores in Orlando. Both are in Orlando Premium Outlet shopping complexes, and they are called Disney’s Character Warehouse, presumably because The Land Of Misfit Toys was already trademarked. There is one Character Warehouse located on International Drive close to Universal Studios (4951 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819), and the other is on Vineland Avenue, right across I-4 near the exits to Disney World (8200 Vineland Ave, Orlando, FL 32821). For this edition of MMM, we went to the location near Disney.
Previous editions of Magic, Memories and Merch: July 2013, August 2013, September 2013, October 2013, November 2013, December 2013, & January 2014.
If you liked what you read here, you may enjoy THE SATURDAY SIX articles every week on the TouringPlans.com blog, as well as the Pardon the Pixie Dust podcast.
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February 25, 2014
Walt Disney World Crowd Report – February 16 to 22, 2014
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Presidents’ Week began with near peak crowds on Sunday and then slowly tapered off the rest of the week, exactly as predicted by the crowd calendar. Our park-level predictions performed well with the majority hitting the mark or missing by only one or two levels.
Let’s look at how the crowd levels stacked up day-to-day last week.
The Walt Disney World Crowd Report
February 16, 2014 to February 22, 2014
Sunday’s crowds brought the peak wait times of Presidents’ Week, as predicted. All parks had a crowd level ’9′ except for Magic Kingdom which came in at a level ’8′. At the Animal Kingdom three attractions, Dinosaur, Kilimanjaro Safaris and Primeval Whirl reached a ’10′ on their respective attraction-level scales thanks to respective average posted times of 40, 64 and 30 minutes.
As is the case with many Monday holidays, the crowds on the holiday itself did not reach the same level as the Sunday before. Instead of ’8′s and ’9′s Presidents’ Day brought mostly ’7′s with one ’8′ at the Animal Kingdom. Our predictions were accurate again on Monday with none missing by more than 2 index points. Epcot was the only park that fell short of our prediction. We said ’9′ but it ended up reaching only a ’7′, thanks to lower than expected wait times at Test Track (82 minutes, predicted 105) and Soarin’ (98 minutes, predicted 141).
Predictions did well again on Tuesday with Magic Kingdom, The Studios and Animal Kingdom all reaching levels within one of what we predicted. Epcot was the only exception where crowds came in much lower than expected. We predicted a ’7′ but in fact the wait times translated to a ’4′. Only Spaceship Earth had wait times that came in higher than expected (21 minutes vs 15 predicted) while other attractions were less crowded than expected.
Crowds continued to fade further on Wednesday with a resort-wide crowd level of ’6′ on our scale. Park levels were as high as ’7′ at Magic Kingdom to a low of ’4′ at The Studios. In all cases, our predictions were within one index level. Mission: Space was the only attraction resort-wide that had surprising wait times. We expected it to have an average posted time of 10 minutes but in fact it was much higher at 30 minutes. The rest of the park was clearly more moderate than that which validates our method of excluding the highest and lowest averages in our park-wide numbers. Also, it reminds us to rely on Lines, the mobile app whenever possible. You never know when any one attraction may have a surprising wait time.
The trend continues on Thursday although the drop in crowds was not quite as significant as predicted. Still, Thursday’s resort-wide level (6) was only low by one level (predicted 5). We missed Animal Kingdom by two levels (’6′, predicted ’4′) thanks to higher than expected wait times at Dinosaur (23 minutes) and Kali River Rapids (37 minutes). Extra Magic Hour morning at Magic Kingdom brought a crowd level ’6′ as predicted although Jungle Cruise had an average posted time almost as high Peter Pan’s Flight – there aren’t many days when one can say that.
Friday’s numbers took another step down from Thursday’s with a resort-wide ’5′. Epcot and Animal Kingdom were ’4′s while The Studios was a little higher at ’5′ and Magic Kingdom a little higher still, at ’6′. Jungle Cruise continued its popularity on Friday with a surprising average posted time of 40 minutes. By contrast from Wednesday, the average posted time for Mission: Space on Friday was 7 minutes, much more in line with historical averages.
Saturday’s crowd level stabled somewhat with all parks between a ’4′ and a ’6′ on our scale. The Princess Half Marathon is the event of the weekend which brings in several thousand runners but doesn’t increase the wait time in the parks. Only the Magic Kingdom reached higher than a ’5′. The effect of running events on the resort is limited to traffic delays and crowded hotels. Once you maneuver around the hotels and roads, you will find manageable crowds in the parks.
What to Expect This Week
February 23 to 29, 2014
Now that Presidents’ Week has passed we should be free of holiday sized crowds until the first of the Spring Break weeks arrive. Spring Break is a difficult season to predict because every school district chooses its week independently. We collect the school schedules for the 50 largest school districts in the U.S. and use them in our statistical models. As it turns out, they are essential to our accuracy this time of year. Many of you may find that your children’s spring break falls on a week that doesn’t have a high crowd level on our calendar. Count yourself lucky. Even if a few thousand students are off, it takes several tens of thousands before we see a real bump in attendance.
To see Walt Disney World Crowd predictions for the days of your vacation, check the Crowd Calendar.
To get details about our predictions of future crowds or details about crowds in the past check out the Crowd Calendar and select “Jump to Date” on the left margin.
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How Much Can You Do During a Disney Vacation?
By Erin Foster
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I’ve talked before about planning how long to make your Disney vacation. Once you’ve decided how long you can stay at Walt Disney World, a related question often arises … what can I actually accomplish during that amount of time? How much can I do in a day (or two, or three, or ten) at Disney? New guests, unfamiliar with the gigantic scope of Disney World, may be particularly confused by this topic.
Lunch and a lazy afternoon at the pool could count as a DALE.
To get a better handle on how much you can do/see in a trip to Walt Disney World, let’s think about Disney time in 4-6 hour units. That’s about the span most people can handle in vacation-related activities before needing a break or at least a change of scenery.
Because he’s my favorite chipmunk (and because I couldn’t think of a snappy acronym for DUCK), we’re going to call these 4-6 hour vacation units DALEs (Disney Activity Labor Elements). A family of WDW visitors with toddlers or an ECV-bound senior citizen might have a DALE close to the four hour mark. A Disney veteran 20-something unencumbered by children might have a 6-hour DALE.
I’ll assume that the average adult needs 8 hours of sleep and the average young child needs 10-12 hours of sleep. And I’ll give everyone 1-2 hours per day for personal care such as bathing yourself, bathing your kids, checking in with work, vegging out watching Stacey’s Top Seven, etc.
Doing the math, this means that, depending on your profile, you can fit 2 or 3 DALEs into a day.
So what can you do in a DALE? Here are just some of the MANY things available at Walt Disney World, broken into approximately 4-6 hour chunks:
8-12 attractions in the Magic Kingdom and a quick service meal
A character meal and 6-10 attractions in the Magic Kingdom
12-16 attractions in the Magic Kingdom and a snack
Meeting all the characters in the Magic Kingdom and a quick service meal
The Family Magic Tour at the Magic Kingdom and a table service meal
Most of the attractions in Epcot’s Future World
A table service meal, all of Epcot’s Innoventions, and Agent P’s World Showcase Advenuture
2-3 attractions and moderate shopping at all of Epcot’s World Showcase countries
A table service meal, Epcot’s Behind the Seeds tour, and 3-4 attractions
A lap around Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival Booths
A table service meal, Illuminations, and a stroll around the World Showcase
A table service meal and all the headliner attractions at the Animal Kingdom
A table service meal and the minor attractions at the Animal Kingdom
8-12 attractions at the Animal Kingdom and a snack
A quick service meal and all the shows at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
A table service meal, Fantasmic, and 2-3 other attractions at DHS
8-10 attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Table service dinner and shaking your stuff at the Boardwalk’s Atlantic Dance Hall
The Wild Africa Trek backstage tour
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party or Very Merry Christmas Party
A round of golf
Lunch and all the big slides at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach
Disney Quest
Dinner and Cirque du Soleil La Nouba
Lunch, nap, swim at your resort
Bowling/dinner at Splitsville and light shopping some of Downtown Disney
Lunch and heavy shopping and most of Downtown Disney
A movie at the AMC theater and light shopping some of Downtown Disney
Three treatment pampering package at Senses Spa the Grand Floridian or Saratoga Springs
A Richard Petty Driving Experience
The Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue, the Chip & Dale Sing-Along and an outdoor movie at Fort Wilderness
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or Pirates League, a table service meal, and 4-6 Magic Kingdom attractions
Epcot’s Dolphins in Depth tour and a table service meal
Watching a sporting event at ESPN WIde
Grand Tea at the Grand Floridian and a self-guided walking tour of the monorail-area resorts
Dinner at Victoria & Albert’s Chef’s Table
A character meal and the Pirates & Pals fireworks cruise
Participate in a runDisney half-marathon or marathon
Go off property to Universal Studios and visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Drive to Port Canaveral and take a tour of NASA
See most of SeaWorld
Hit the Orlando outlet malls
Segway tour, canoeing, and a swim at Fort Wilderness
Table service dinner, surrey bike ride around the Boardwalk, drinks at Jellyrolls
Keys to the Kingdom tour
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique makeover and My Disney Girl Perfectly Princess Tea Party
Half the Backstage Magic tour
Magic Behind Our Steam Trains tour and character lunch
Parasailing, SeaRayer rental, and character lunch
Mini-golf, quick service lunch, 4-6 attractions at Blizzard Beach
To put this in a bit more perspective, depending on what you count, there are approximately 18 attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, 20 attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, 20 attractions (plus LOTS of shopping and dining) at Epcot, and 40 attractions at the Magic Kingdom. A single attraction might take anywhere from about 2 minutes (Dumbo) to about 45 minutes (Ellen’s Energy Adventure) to complete, plus you have to build in time for waiting in queues, walking between attractions, bathroom breaks, etc.
Since not every attraction will appeal equally to every guest, something like (for example) an allotment of two times #3 in the above list would allow most guests to see nearly everything of interest at the Magic Kingdom, with no repeats. Many people, particularly small children, will want to repeat their favorite attractions several times, so something like #1 would likely appear several times in a plan for guests traveling with little kids.
Obviously Touring Plan use, crowd levels, park hours, weather, personal stamina, transportation issues, and numerous other factors will impact what you can actually get done in a day, but using the DALE system you can make a reasonable estimate of how much of Walt Disney World you’ll be able to experience during your vacation.
For example, during a single day a Toddler/Senior Family could reasonably expect to do DALE #1 and #2. During a single day, an Active Adult Family could probably do DALE #1 twice with #24 in the middle.
To figure out how much you can do over the course of vacation, start adding up the DALEs.
In a four-day WDW visit, a Toddler/Senior Family DALE estimate might look like:
Day One: #1 and #2
Day Two: #1, #24, and dinner
Day Three: #16 and #30
Day Four: #6 and #7
During a six-day WDW visit, an Active Adult Family DALE estimate might look like:
Day One: #19, #1, and #20
Day Two: #6, #24, and #11
Day Three: #20, #24, and #35
Day Four: #12, #13, and #27
Day Five: #6, #8, and #25
Day Six: #1, #21, and #3
By following this process, it should be possible to estimate how much of Disney World you can experience in any given vacation. You can use your estimate as a check/balance for your “How Long To Stay” plan, to see whether your intended vacation duration will be enough time to see your highlights, or will leave you with too much time to fill with activities of little interest or too much expense.
If you’re a Disney veteran, how would you explain to a new guest how much they can accomplish during a Disney vacation? Do you find the above DALE estimates reasonable? Let us know in the comments below.
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February 24, 2014
New Details About Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at the Magic Kingdom
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View from the tracks of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ©Disney
Today, the Disney Parks Blog had a live chat discussing the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, which is currently being built as the final part of New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. Most of the questions and answers were sort of vague, but we did receive a few new details that I wanted to share with you all.
First off, a brand new song called “Music in Your Soup” will be played in the queue area. The song was originally written for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but was not used in the movie. The whole area’s music will be instrumental, and it will be as if the Dwarfs, themselves, are playing it.
Speaking of the queue, there will be interactive elements where guests are invited to sort and wash jewels from the mine. Also, guests will be able to enter the Dwarfs’ vault that’s seen in the movie.
Disney’s participants in the webcast did not identify exactly which characters will be included in the attraction, but they did mention that we will see the Seven Dwarfs.
They also shared a great video about how accurate the attraction is compared to the computer modeling they performed prior to construction. In addition, the video proved just how incredible this attraction will be to ride at night.
They mentioned that the attraction is, of course, slated to offer FastPass+, and that the height requirement will be 38 inches.
And the opening date for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is….some time this spring…still wouldn’t answer that question. Darn.
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The Kinsey Collection To Expand in the American Adventure Pavilion
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©Disney
Last year, Epcot introduced us to ”Re-Discovering America: Family Treasures from the Kinsey Collection”. This relatively new exhibit, added to the American Heritage Gallery at the American Adventure Pavilion, features artifacts that celebrate the history of African American achievements and contributions. The exhibit features the private collection of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey and is themed around five major areas: hope, belief, courage, imagination, and heritage.
It appears that this spring we’ll see some brand new antiquities added to the exhibit. New pieces have are already on display, and additional pieces will be added throughout the season.
New objects joining the exhibit will include:
Distribution of Population in New York, 1801 – At the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, states with smaller populations voiced their concern about representation at the federal level. This resulted in the Three-Fifths Compromise stating that only three-fifths of the slave population would be counted in the census. The Distribution of Population in New York, 1801 was one of the first few census calculations done by the state of New York following the compromise.
Noon Wash by artist Jonathan Green — His work with acrylic and oil paints reflect the hope of African Americans throughout history.
Slave Songs of the United States – Published in 1867, this original collection of African American music was the first of its kind. Northern abolitionists William Francis Allen, Charles Pickard Ware and Lucy McKim Garrison collected 136 songs from the slaves of Southern plantations, phonetically recording them as they heard them, in an effort to preserve the unique and powerful art form.
Tintype Photographs - Popularized in the mid-1850s, tintypes were easier to produce than previous methods and made photographs accessible to more people. Though their names have been lost to history, the subjects of the tintype portraits included in the exhibit continue to share their stories of courage .
Carte de Visite – Following a similar printing process as tintypes, carte de visite photographs were easier and more economical to produce, with the image printed on a high quality paper. The carte de visite photographs being added to the Courage portion of the exhibit feature African American soldiers from both sides of the Civil War
The Kinsey family’s private collection features rare art, documents, books, and artifacts, and approximately 40 pieces have been on display at Epcot in the interactive exhibit where guests are able to use touch screens to further explore the art, artifacts, and history. Guest-activated lanterns also help bring the history to life.
To see a bit more about this exhibit, make sure to check out this tour around the American Adventure Pavilion. It is a wonderful exhibit that features some incredible artifacts. If you haven’t stopped to check it out while you are waiting to see American Adventure, you absolutely need to do so. (And make sure you catch Voices of Liberty too…AMAZING.)
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Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade Official Premiere Date Announced
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©Disney
We can’t wait for this incredibly unique looking parade, and now we have an official premiere date! The new Magic Kingdom 3:00 p.m. parade is scheduled to debut on Sunday, March 9!
The Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade is slated to bring beloved Disney and Pixar characters to life through innovative parade floats, a brand new original parade song, plus incredibly stunning costumes. Make sure to check out this post to see a peek at some of the costumes, as well as the floats! This parade will feature nearly 100 performers in all to bring the parade to life.
The Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade line-up is:
The Princess Garden – This float celebrates Disney royalty.
Tangled – Flynn Rider and Rapunzel in search of adventure!
The Little Mermaid – Ariel and friends sit atop a seashell music box.
Peter Pan – Straight from Never Land come Peter Pan and Wendy, soaring high on the Jolly Roger.
Brave – features a float shaped like an enormous bagpipe to announce the arrival of Merida.
Sleeping Beauty – The heroic Prince Phillip battles a Steampunk-inspired Dragon as the wicked Maleficent.
Finale and Mickey’s Airship – The parade culminates with a 90-foot-long magical caravan of characters.
Who’s excited that the new daytime parade will be ready to roll on Main Street, U.S.A., in less than two weeks?!
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Trip Planning 101: How Long Should We Stay at Disney World?
By Erin Foster
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With a vacation destination as vast as Walt Disney World, it’s possible to stay there for several weeks or longer, without repeating a single activity or attraction. But just because there’s plenty to do at the parks, that doesn’t mean you can, or should, stay to do it all in any one trip. With so many options available, how do you decide the length of your Walt Disney World vacation?
If you’re traveling during the busy holiday season, you may need extra time to see everything.
There are several factors you might consider when planning the duration of your trip:
Amount of time available for travel
Budget allocation
Time of year of your visit
Age/Stamina of the members of your traveling party
Your frequency of travel to Walt Disney World
Number of “must do” attractions for your family
Distance from which you’re traveling
Interest in non-theme-park activities
Interest in time for relaxation
Interest in visiting other Central Florida attractions
Do you need time at home at either end of your trip to pack/unpack?
Let’s break these down individually …
Amount of Time Available for Travel
In my previous post, Trip Planning 101: Deciding When to Visit Walt Disney World, I determined that a week in late August 2014 is an ideal time for my family to visit the parks. Given that time frame, does that mean we stay for six days? Seven? More? Given our commitments, the trip could possibly last as long as nine nights. But is that the right length visit? The first step in deciding the length of your trip is to determine the maximum time available.
Budget allocation
It sounds like a truism that the longer you stay, the more you’ll pay, but that’s not necessarily accurate. With a bit of savvy shopping, you’ll find that two or even three nights in a Disney value resort costs less than one night in a deluxe resort. Are you willing to stretch your budget into a longer trip by compromising on accommodation amenities? Are you willing to save enough money for extra nights at the hotel by eating a quick service restaurants vs. table service restaurants? Your answers to these questions will help determine the trip length that’s right for you.
One area where you may not need to make concessions to stay longer is in park ticket prices. Take some time to explore different options on the TouringPlans.com Ticket Calculator. For example, in a few minutes of experimenting I learned that OfficialTicketCenter.com currently offers a 7-day WDW ticket for about five dollars more than a 5-day ticket purchase directly from Disney World. In general, you’ll find that beyond the first five or six days of a trip, increasing the number of days of your stay has minimal impact on ticket expense.
If you’re participating in a runDisney race, you may want to arrive a few days early to get acclimated.
Time of Year of Your Visit
Take a look at the Touring Plans Crowd Calendar. Make a note of the relative crowd level during the time of your visit. Even with a Touring Plan in hand, the larger the crowds, the longer it’s going to take to accomplish what you want at Walt Disney World. Decide if crowd levels create a need for you to stay longer. Also, note whether there are special events that may influence the length of your stay. For example, if you stay one extra day, you might have the opportunity to attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Or, because you’re traveling during Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival, you might want an extra day at that park.
My family often visits Walt Disney World during our February break. At that time of year, I like to spend every possible vacation moment in sunny Florida, thus avoiding the icy yuck at home in New York.
While weather situations can happen at any time of the year, during fall/winter when hurricanes in Florida or blizzards in the North often impact flights, you may want to build in a buffer day for travel home if you have something important to attend to immediately upon your return.
Age/Stamina of the Members of Your Traveling Party
Does your party include babies or toddlers who have limited patience for non-home environments? Does your party include seniors who want to take things at a slower pace and extend the trip with intermediate rest days? Does your party include teens who want to sleep all morning, thus limiting touring to the more crowded afternoons? Factor these items into how long you’ll need in the parks.
Your Frequency of Travel to Walt Disney World
I often make half a dozen trips to Walt Disney World in a year. With such frequent visits, I know that if I don’t go on a favorite ride this time, I’ll have a chance again soon. This means that shorter trips are often fine with me. However, if this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, or even if you only visit once every several years, then adding a few days to accomplish more may make sense for you.
You may want to build some pool time into your vacation plan.
Number of Must-Do Attractions for Your Family
I have three daughters, all fairly close in age, with a large overlap in their park touring interests. Particularly when they were younger, this kept my family’s list of must-do attractions quite small. As long as we hit the princess highlights, everyone felt satisfied. However, if you have a large age range or both boys and girls in your family, your list of key attractions may be longer. If both the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and Expedition Everest must be accomplished, then you may need a longer vacation to get everyone what he or she needs.
Distance from Which You’re Traveling
Most folks like to spend more of their precious time off actually enjoying their vacation vs. traveling to and from their vacation. This means that if you’re coming to Florida from a sizable distance (Europe or even the Western U.S.), you may want to consider taking a longer visit to Walt Disney World. This keeps the ratio of travel to trip balanced in the right direction.
Interest in Non-Theme-Park Activities
Walt Disney World is a HUGE place. In addition to the four major theme parks, there are also dozens of non-park activities: spas, mini-golf, water parks, waterskiing, parasailing, fishing, shopping, exploring the resorts, dining, dancing, shows, a tethered balloon ride, tennis, horseback riding, behind-the-scenes tours, bike rentals, and on and on. If you want to experience these types of amenities, you’ll need a longer trip.
Interest in Time for Relaxation
A Disney World vacation has the potential to be both fun and exhausting. Many folks walk five, six, or more miles per day just visiting park attractions. Consider your family’s need for unplanned downtime on a vacation. If you’d like to take a mid-trip day to lounge at the pool, factor that into the length of your stay. And yes, a relaxing Disney vacation IS possible!
Interest in Visiting Other Central Florida Attractions
While I’m a Disney girl at heart, my kids are absolutely Harry Potter fanatics. On our Disney vacations, we’ve planned side-trips to Universal Studios’ Wizarding World. Your family may be interested in Sea World, Orlando’s outlet shopping, the LEGOLAND near Tampa, Kennedy Space Center, a beach visit, or any number of other non-Disney activities. Add time to your trip if you plan on experiencing other nearby attractions.
Do You Need Time At Either End of Your Trip?
When I return home from a vacation, I like to start fresh the first Monday back with suitcases unpacked, laundry done, and groceries purchased. This means that on a week-long trip, I’ll almost always choose to come back on Saturday rather than Sunday. This may make my trip shorter by a day, but it keeps me saner when I’m home. Other folks may choose to delay the start of their trip so that they can pack or clean house before they go. Both options may impact how long you’ll be able to be at Walt Disney World.
Decide What’s Right for YOU
Many “experts” will recommend a five-day or seven-day trip as the best way to experience Walt Disney World, but that could be entirely wrong depending on the profile of the guest. For example, taking into consideration the factors above, a single parent coming from Atlanta on a limited budget might have a four-day trip work best, while a family of six coming from London might find that a ten or twelve-day trip works best. Try to disregard blanket recommendations and create the travel plan that’s right for your specific needs.
Are there other factors you consider when planning how long to stay at Walt Disney World? Have your past Disney vacations been too long or too short? What made it feel that way? Please let us know in the comments below.
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February 23, 2014
What’s Up With Walt Disney World’s Rapid Fill Mugs?
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Walt Disney World’s refillable mug program has always been a strange beast to me. At the start of my vacation I always find myself standing in the resort food court in front of the refillable mugs asking, “Will I drink almost $20 worth of soda, only at my resort?” In 2013 Disney made this situation even more complicated with its new “Rapid Fill” system.
What is Disney’s Rapid Fill?
The Rapid Fill refillable mugs have replaced the old refillable mugs at all Walt Disney World resort hotels. Disney advertises the new program as more flexible, which is true, but it’s still expensive. The mugs are now equipped with an RFID chip. This chip tells the soda machine how many days you purchased, and the machine features a screen that displays information about when you are next able to refill your mug.
Rapid Fill screen showing the wait time between refills. Photo courtesy of Donald Clarence
It still has unlimited refills, right?
Yes, but you will have to wait between refills. Thankfully that time is only a couple of minutes. A screen on the soda fountain will show you the exact amount of time until you can fill up your mug again. Some people have a problem with this, but I can’t imagine drinking 16 ounces of soda in less than 2 minutes. I do see this being a problem if you fill up and then find out the soda was flat, or if some other malfunction has occurred. Your option at that point is to wait the couple of minutes or find a Cast Member to help you out.
Which resorts sell Rapid Fill mugs?
Rapid Fill mugs are sold at all Walt Disney World resort quick service locations. The mugs are not sold at any any of the theme parks, nor can they be refilled in the parks.
How much does a Rapid Fill mug cost?
Unlike the previous refillable mugs that had a flat rate cost for no matter how long you stayed, the new Rapid Fill mugs have variable pricing depending on how many days your vacation lasts.
Current Rapid Fill prices:
$8.99 for 1 day
$11.99 for 2 days
$14.99 for 3 days
$17.99 for length of stay (4 or more days)
A Rapid Fill soda fountain. Photo courtesy of Kylene H
For comparison, the previous refillable mugs were priced at a flat rate of $15.49. So if your stay is only 1 or 2 days then, yes, technically you will be “saving” money compared to the old mugs. That is if you consider spending $9 on soda a savings. A regular fountain soda served in a paper cup is currently priced $2.99 at WDW resorts. A situation where I can see the Rapid Fill mug being worthwhile is if you plan to hang around your resort all day and drink multiple sodas. But then again, you’ll be wasting money if you only drink one or two cups of soda.
The length of stay where you can break even on the price of the mug is six days. I sent this complicated equation over to the TouringPlans.com Math Department, and they told me at six days the cost of the breaks down to $3 a day, which is the cost of a regular paper soda cup. But to even make that work, you have to assume you’ll be drinking soda/coffee/hot chocolate at your resort at least once a day.
What else should I know about Rapid Fill?
You should know that each Rapid Fill day ends at 11:59 PM. So if you purchase one day and you first fill up your mug at 2:30 PM, you do not have until 2:30 PM the next day to keep getting refills. You only have until 11:59 PM of the day of purchase, and then the soda fountain will block any further refills (unless you purchase more days at a food court cash register).
What do you think about Disney’s new Rapid Fill program? Will this change the way you drink soda at Walt Disney World? Do you think Disney has made the process of getting soda too complicated? Are you afraid a mug with a computer chip inside will become self-aware and try to take down its human overlords? Leave a comment in the section below with your thoughts.
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Walt Disney World Ticket Prices Increase Breakdown
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It looks like Walt Disney World ticket prices increased overall. Yesterday, I mentioned how it looked like the single day tickets would increase, but it now appears that all Walt Disney World tickets have increased in price.
As previously mentioned, Disney increased the price of Magic Kingdom single day park tickets by $4 to $99, for those ages 10 and up. In continuing with a precedent set during the last ticket increase, park admission for Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom will continue to cost just a little less. At these three parks, single day tickets now cost $94 for ages 10 and up. That’s also a $4 increase.
Overall, Magic Your Way Base tickets have jumped about $15 per ticket.
It’s not just Magic Your Way tickets that have increased in price. Tickets have increased all around, with minor increases to Park Hoppers, as well as the Water Park Fun and More options – both of which increased in price by $1. The only exception is for those wanting to buy a 2 or 3 day park hopper admission, when in that case, the cost decreased by $10, to $49. Also, the Park Hopper & Water Park Fun & More combined ticket option increased by $2. Finally, the price of the No Expiration option has increased substantially.
This is how the new pricing is structured:
One Day Theme Park Ticket Options
Ticket
Ages 10-up
Ages 3-9
1-Day Magic Kingdom Ticket
$99
$93
1-Day Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Ticket
$94
$88
1-Day Magic Your Way with Park Hopper Ticket
$134
$128
1-Day Magic Your Way with Water Park Fun & More Ticket
$154
$148
1-Day Magic Your Way with Park Hopper & Water Park Fun & More Ticket
$180
$174
Base Ticket: One Theme Park per day
Park Hopper: Can enter more than one Theme Park on each day
Water Park Fun and More: Allows guests a specific number of visits (between 2 and 10, depending on the number of days of your ticket) to the Disney Water Parks, DisneyQuest Interactive Theme Park, Disney’s Oak Trail golf course, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Disney’s Fantasia Gardens, and Disney’s Winter Summerland.
No Expiration: Allows you to use your tickets at any time, with no expiration date. (Tickets are only good for 14 days after first day’s use, unless this option is purchased.)
If you are looking for a Magic Your Way Multi-Day Ticket purchase, the pricing is as follows:
Magic Your Way Ticket Options
Days On Ticket
Base Ticket
Optional Add-Ons
Ages 10-up
Ages 3-9
Park Hopper®
Water Park Fun & More
Park Hopper® & Water Park Fun & More
No Expiration
10 days
$354
($35.40/day)
$334
($33.40/day)
$60
$60 (10 visits)
$86 (10 visits)
$340
9 days
$344
($38.23/day)
$324
($36.00/day)
$60
$60 (9 visits)
$86 (9 visits)
$295
8 days
$334
($41.75/day)
$314
($39.25/day)
$60
$60 (8 visits)
$86 (8 visits)
$270
7 days
$324
($46.29/day)
$304
($43.43/day)
$60
$60 (7 visits)
$86 (7 visits)
$250
6 days
$314
($52.34/day)
$294
($49.00/day)
$60
$60 (6 visits)
$86 (6 visits)
$210
5 days
$304
($60.00/day)
$284
($56.80/day)
$60
$60 (5 visits)
$86 (5 visits)
$160
4 days
$294
($73.50/day)
$274
($68.50/day)
$60
$60 (4 visits)
$86 (4 visits)
$100
3 days
$274
($91.34/day)
$255
($85.00/day)
$49
$60 (3 visits)
$86 (3 visits)
$50
2 days
$188
($94.00/day)
$175
($87.00/day)
$49
$60 (2 visits)
$86 (2 visits)
$40
In addition, we see an increase in Annual Pass price:
The Annual Pass price increased by $25, to $634. This pass gets you into all four theme parks (hopping is permitted) for 365 consecutive days.
A Premium Annual Pass now costs $754, also an increase of $25. This pass gets you into all four theme parks (with hopping), Disney’s two water parks, Disney’s Oak Trail golf course, DisneyQuest, and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
There is no separate adult and child pricing for Annual Passes, so these prices apply to anyone age 3 or higher.
Disney’s last Walt Disney World ticket increase just happened in June, a mere 8 months ago.
If you’re looking for tickets, remember that our Price Comparison Tool can help you find the least expensive tickets for your particular needs. Prices there are updated each night. Sometimes when Disney increases ticket prices, third-party resellers continue to sell their “old stock” of tickets at the old prices while supplies last, so you may be able to snag some lower priced tickets if you act soon.
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