Bob Sehlinger's Blog, page 1288

Observations from Epcot: October 5

By Morgan Crutchfield

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Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2013 is in full swing now, and today’s post is all about what you’re going to see on a typical day at Food & Wine. Well, typical in environment but likely not in perspective, so we’ll call this a casual Food & Wine day with Morgan. This is my first Food & Wine Festival, so I’m happy to share with you the ins and outs of what it is, what you can do, and what I found exciting about it all.

I started out at the Polynesian Resort for a quick look at the construction fences said to be going up for the resort remodel and addition of Disney Vacation Club villas. Fences were, in fact, going up, and at an impressive rate. Sunset Point is closed to all guests currently and the walkway to the Transportation and Ticket Center will also be closed eventually, but was still open on this day. Some rooms will eventually be unavailable due to obstructed views, but for right now, these fences at the TTC end of the property are the only indication that changes are taking place.

The monorail to Epcot was mostly empty, and the ride quick and pleasant as usual. The entrance flower bed has been set up for Food & Wine, and it looks great, but the PhotoPass photogs are set up incredibly close, making for a hard scenery shot. Feel free to use this one and pretend you took it.

I did a couple of things in Future World, including getting shots of this new (it used to sell merchandise) snack cart across from the Pin Station. What does it sell? Popcorn, popsicles, wine, and beer. I guess there’s never a wrong time for a glass of white, but I usually don’t associate it with popcorn. To each her own, I guess, but notice the one person in line.

Future World was not crowded at all, and popular rides like Soarin’ and Test Track were posting wait times of less than an hour each. It’s still incredibly hot here with heat indexes hitting the 100′s plus, so make sure you have sunscreen (I didn’t. Yikes!) and plenty of water, especially if you’re headed toward World Showcase.

My friend visiting from Virginia wanted to check in on the Camaros at Test Track presented by Chevrolet and, never being averse to a good smokeshow, I agreed. The Camaros were definitely cool (not a huge fan of the shorter hood style on the 2014, but they never ask me), but the real zinger was the 2014 Corvette concept car tucked into the back side of the showroom. It looks like they took a ’63 Stingray and gave it Lambo overtones. I need.

I spent approximately five minutes just standing there drooling over this car, and I don’t even like Corvettes. They wouldn’t let us past the rope. I can’t really blame them there. After Test Track I started my Food & Wine adventure. While I’d not previously been to this festival, I have been to Flower & Garden, which this year was much the same, so I knew it was best to start at the Festival Center. Located between Ellen’s Energy Adventure and Mission: SPACE, the Festival Center is tucked away, but there are lots of signs pointing you in the right direction.

The Festival Center, where you’ll find all the information you need on Food & Wine

The Festival Center features the Food & Wine Festival information booth where you can pick up your passport (don’t skip this – it’s really fun to get it stamped later!), demonstration areas for events like mixology seminars, special Food & Wine Merchandise shops, a wine shop, and exhibits like Ghirardelli’s “The Chocolate Experience: From Bean to the Bar.”

 

A presenter gives a wine seminar at the Festival Center

With Food & Wine Festival passports in hand, we proceeded to the mecca of snacking, the World Showcase. Food & Wine is set up in a series of booths that are added to the Showcase each year. Each booth represents a country or region or food/beverage group and features a selection of dishes and beverages from those regions or groups. Being the planner that I am, I had already gotten the menus from Touring Plans here and decided what I wanted to try. The Showcase was definitely more crowded than Future World, but nothing like it is on the weekends during the Festival.

Crowd levels at the gateway to the World Showcase from Future World

As soon as we hit the Showcase from the Horizons bridge, we literally stopped in our tracks. There was some kind of amazing smell wafting from the Australia booth. It wasn’t on my list, by my nose and stomach didn’t care. It turned out to be Garlic Shrimp with Roasted Tomatoes, Lemon Myrtle & Rapini, and it was incredible. We agreed that the shrimp were perfectly cooked and had an awesome flavor – not too iodine-heavy – and the vegetables were crispy and wonderfully seasoned. For the approximately 1 minute and 36 seconds the dish existed (including time to photograph), it was a beaut.

Now, remember that passport I told you about? It looks like this:

Inside you’ll find menus for each booth, along with places for special stamps that Cast Members in each country can give you when you visit. The Flower & Garden version had a special square for a completion stamp that you could only get once you’d visited ALL of the venues at F&G, which resulted in a crazy day spent running (literally) around World Showcase with fellow Touring Plans blogger Krissy Murphy collecting stamps so as to have a completed pass to satisfy our Type-A natures. Thankfully, the Food & Wine Passport is much more relaxed with only a stamp box in each country, like this cute kangaroo I got for eating delicious shrimp in Australia. Double reward? Yes.

Next up was China, where my friend and I had scoped out another shrimp dish, Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles, and a drink called Kung Fu Punch with Vodka. Both were total winners. The shrimp was again perfectly cooked (though this time a little smaller), and the noodles were the perfect al dente mix of garlic and butter and carbs. My friend related that if he could, he’d live off those noodles for the rest of his life, and I took it as a very serious measure of praise given his affinity for pasta; the man doesn’t mess around when it comes to noodles. The Kung Fu Punch was a pleasantly kicky mix of citrus and peach and complemented what I like to call Noodlepalooza ’13 beautifully. At this point, given the searing heat of the afternoon, we likely should have stopped. But, I take my job responsibilities very seriously, and I knew you all would want to know more. So I took a break for a scenery shot (nice, huh?) and soldiered on.

Lines were reasonable at most of the booths (on weekends they’re bananas), and the walkways were relatively uncrowded. We passed Germany and its tiny railroad village, which was having a festival of its own. Given that there were no tiny people passed out on miniature benches in the railroad town, it appears that crowd control is much more strict in the little German burg.

 

Next on the list was the Hops & Barley Marketplace in America. It was way too hot for anything lobster, so we settled on Sam Adams Cherry Wheat and Craisin Bread Pudding with Grand Marnier Anglaise. Though I will say that “Grand Marnier Anglaise” is a bit of an excessive moniker for “vanilla sauce,” this desert is really, really good. It won’t take your tastebuds on a culinary magic carpet ride, but the sweet pudding and sauce are nicely contrasted by the plump, tart Craisins. The review on Cherry Wheat is that it’s pretty good stuff, but the beer drinker in the duo (not me) was displeased that there wasn’t a new offering this year. Not too displeased by this picture though. A little hint on the souvenir mugs – they won’t refill them at the booths, but just pour the beer from your plastic glass into your souvenir mug and keep on keepin’ on.

Craisin Bread Pudding. Yum

Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. Half Full or Half Empty?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We passed the International Gateway on the way to our last stop, Canada, and I found myself in a sort of magical moment. I was walking toward Pooh and Tigger, who are currently meeting and greeting outside while their Meet and Greet location is refurbished, and found myself behind a blue dress and a giant white bow skipping down the path. It was a pixie-dusted shot, I thought, so here you go. I think it’s so neat that there are so many people going about their regular business who haven’t even noticed her at this point.

We made one last stop in Canada for the “Le Cellier” Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce. I was skeptical even though I’d put it on the official list myself, because I love steak, and it’s hard to get a filet right when you’re cooking it in a restaurant kitchen, much less a booth on a sidewalk. But Canada came out swinging, and this cut was fantastic, even though it was cooked medium over my personal preference of still mooing. The mushrooms were meaty and herbed, and the butter was the perfect assist on the tender, perfectly seasoned beef. Had I not felt like I was going to pop already, I may have gone back for seven dollar seconds. It was just that good.

A couple of Food & Wine hints to close out: First, get a gift card. Working with cash and credit cards at a zillion different booths is a total pain and can get really expensive if you’re not paying attention or you’ve hit it heavy on the Cherry Wheat. Second, check out all of the possible things to do at the official site, especially if you’re planning a few days here. Finally, come hungry. There are some really great offerings here, and I’ve only shown you a few. Until next time, Keep it Magical.

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My MagicBand Experience

By Daisy Lauren

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This past weekend I was finally given the opportunity to test MagicBands! Back when these were still just a rumor, I was excited about the idea. How cool would it be to have everything I need for my trip around my wrist? I would stare longingly when other guests started showing up in the parks with these a couple months ago. Just imagine my delight when a friend asked me to test with him this last weekend!

To get started the bands arrived in the mail about 3 weeks in advance. The great thing is that now Disney is able to tie these to an annual pass! For testing purposes my friend was only able to make one day of FastPass+ reservations, but I was able to book for multiple days with my annual pass. The online site is a much better experience for setting up your FastPass+ reservations – the app is very slow and cumbersome. 

Our hotel check-in took about 20 minutes as it was a training exercise for the cast member. Since we had separate payment methods and ticket types, we were not able to use online check-in. Regardless, everything went very smoothly, and we were shortly off to our room. Our MagicBands never gave us any trouble opening our door, and in case anyone stops reading now – our MagicBands worked perfectly all weekend. We snuck out that night for some Food & Wine fu, but you’ll have to stay tuned for a future blog to hear about that!

The next day we got up bright and early for Extra Magic Hours at Animal Kingdom. Since FastPass+ only allows three attraction reservations a day, we reserved them for the evening at Magic Kingdom. However, we were able to get “old fashioned” FASTPASS tickets from machines that morning at Animal Kingdom! While the parks are still transitioning it seems you will be able to double up on use of FASTPASS! It was so nice to walk up and scan my band for admittance to Extra Magic Hours rather than digging through my purse for a room key after just getting through security. As a side note: I was not impressed with the animals during Extra Magic Hours at Animal Kingdom. During my first early morning safari I saw more game wardens hanging leaves in trees to draw the animals than I saw actual animals! From this experience I would think your time would be better served experiencing other rides during these very valuable extra minutes in the park – but I’m curious what others have experienced, if you’d leave your comments! By 9:00 am the animals were much more active! (As you can tell by my friend pictured on the right that caught me taking pictures of him!) During our morning we made purchases in gift shops and restaurants on our MagicBands with no trouble.

Of course, it was very hot so we decided to rest during the middle of the day in preparation for our grand evening packed full of FastPass+! At about 5:00 pm we headed over to Magic Kingdom, but we had forgotten about a little runDisney event this weekend that had the park packed! We were glad we had FastPass+ reservations since we parked in the second to last row of the entire TTC parking lot! While on the tram we were notified that The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was out of service and that our FastPass reservation had been cancelled and returned to us for use on another attraction. This is a nice service, but the ride was operating that evening, so it made me wonder how this works. In any case, we cashed them in for The Haunted Mansion and continued on. The experience was flawless at The Haunted Mansion, even with the last minute switch. From here we had a leisurely snack (another perfect MagicBand charge) and then headed toward our reserved parade spot.

It is worth mentioning at this point that Main Street was a mess. It was just 15 minutes until the parade, and with the crowds it was difficult to navigate back to the hub. Despite the best efforts of cast members, people had crowded into walkways, and I honestly wondered if we’d even make our parade viewing. I think we must have said “excuse me” a hundred times before we finally made it to the sign pictured on the left – at which point we were promptly told the entrance was through another bunch of people. The situation was looking grim for parade viewing!! I guess we must have looked flustered because the cast member helped us walk over to where we needed to be and scanned our MagicBands. It was like walking into a completely different world. I’m sure that as testing expands these reserved areas will become more crowded, but at this time it was amazingly empty. We didn’t get there early enough to be in the front row, but we were able to sit on the railing with a good six feet of open space in front of us. That never happens on Main Street!! And the view speaks for itself:

I was concerned that the moment the parade started they would let other people flood into this reserved space but that wasn’t the case. As a matter of fact, they chased people out who tried to sneak in! I completely recommend using FastPass+ for this experience if you’d like to see the parade from Main Street! When the parade was over we had a short window to get over to the Rose Garden for our Wishes FastPass+ reservation. I do recommend getting there as early as possible because quite a line built up behind us. We were one of the first few guests in the Rose Garden, so we were able to also see Celebrate the Magic from this location. Was it the most perfect view in the park? Absolutely not. But it was an excellent view considering that I didn’t have to wait in a crowd and that I was able to sit down through the entire show! The view for Wishes was slightly obstructed but overall very good! It was also open enough that I could have used a tripod. Too bad I didn’t, so I don’t have any quality fireworks shots to share. But here is how Celebrate The Magic looked from this spot:

Then as quickly as it began, our MagicBand testing was over. We’d used up our “three wishes” and now had to wait in line with everyone else! Luckily, the park emptied out a great deal after the fireworks, and we were able to navigate to short lines for a couple hours before wishing that FastPass+ could be used for the parking tram!

Overall I would say from our experience that all the bugs are worked out in the MagicBand system! We had nothing but positive experiences and nothing that I would categorize as challenge. It seems like using a Touring Plan in the morning coupled with FastPass+ in the evening will be the perfect combination. Of course, it is still unknown how crowded the different viewing locations will become. I asked a cast member how many people could book the Rose Garden for Wishe, and the answer was 400! We had fewer than 150 on our evening. I can’t imagine more than twice that number fitting in the space! Our parade experience would have also been degraded had we been packed in like sardines! Only time will tell what will happen. Personally, I choose to believe that with a little faith, trust, and pixie dust this is going to turn out great! I’m excited to see what Disney has in store for us!

What do you think? Have you been lucky enough to test MagicBands? How was your experience? Do you have any questions about my testing? Please let us know in the comments below, and we’ll be sure to answer. And as always thanks so much for reading!

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Walt Disney World Restaurants Expand Their Dining Cancellation Policy

By Rikki Niblett

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Starting on October 31, Disney will expand its current dining cancellation policy (which right now is only being used for character meals and signature dining experiences) to include all Walt Disney World table service restaurants.

With the policy, guests will be required to put down a credit card number in order to make Advanced Dining Reservations.  Should the guest need to cancel a reservation, the guest must do so before 11:59 pm the day before the reservation; otherwise Disney will charge a $10 per person fee. For pre-paid locations, if guests do not cancel in time, the entire amount will be retained.

Dining cancellations can be made in a variety of ways, including on the Disney Wolrd website, in-person at Guest Relations or the restaurant podium, or by calling 407-WDW-CNCL.

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Kosher Restaurants and Food at Walt Disney World

By Jonathan Shar

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Being an Orthodox Jew is not always easy, especially while traveling. Knowing your dining options can make your Walt Disney World vacation less stressful. The purpose of this blog series is to get some information out there and hopefully make your life somewhat easier. Let’s begin with kosher counter service options on property.

There are several resorts on property that  have counter service kosher food on demand. These include the three All-Star resorts, Pop Century, both Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter, Mara at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Gasparilla Island Grill at the Grand Floridian, and Roaring Fork at Wilderness Lodge. At these resorts you will, on average, have the options of pizza, hamburgers, chicken fingers, mac and cheese, and – of course – salads. It’s also important to note that not all cast members are aware that kosher meals are available as they are not posted on the menus. The best thing to do is ask to speak to a chef or manager if you get a blank stare from the cast member behind the counter.

In addition, all four parks have at least one kosher counter service location. In the Magic Kingdom you can find kosher food at Cosmic Ray’s in Tomorrowland. In Epcot, you have two options, the Liberty Inn in the American pavilion and the Electric Umbrella in Future World. You will find your kosher quick service meals at the ABC Commissary in Hollywood Studios and Pizzafari in Animal Kingdom. You “should” have your choice of bagel burger (think bagel dogs with burgers), potato croquets, corned beef, bagel dogs and chicken nuggets at all of these counter service locations with the exception of Pizzafari, which serves pizza, as well.

All of these meals are Glatt kosher and prepared under the supervision of the Organized Kashrut (OK). Prices vary upon location, and no advance reservations are necessary. If you are planning to stay at one of the resorts that offer kosher meals at their quick service locations, I recommend calling the resort a few weeks before your stay and letting them know that you’re coming so they can stock up. That way you won’t be disappointed when your little one desperately wants mac and cheese and all they have are hot dogs. At the theme park counter locations your options will vary. The cast members will let you know what they have available when you order.

Finally, all Disney owned sit down restaurants offer Kosher meals, but only when reservations are made 24 to 48 hours in advance. In addition, there are also some off-site Kosher options, one of which will actually deliver to Disney Resort guests. There are even minyonim (prayer services with at least ten men) you can get to. More information will be covered in a future article. As always all reservations and requests can be made by calling 1-800-WDW-DINE or you can call the Disney Special Diet line at 1-407-824-5967.

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Hotel Room Views at Disney’s Polynesian Resort

By Len Testa

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Last week we launched our Hotel Room View project with a look at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort. Today we’re launching Disney’s Polynesian Resort.

You can see pictures of the room views at Disney’s Polynesian Resort here:

http://touringplans.com/hotel_maps/disneys-polynesian-resort

Just like last week, you’re able to search by room view (Garden, Lagoon, Magic Kingdom), beds (e.g., 1 king or 2 queens), and ADA accessibility, plus walking distance to the lobby and transportation, and more. You can also do side-by-side comparisons of two rooms when you mark them as “favorites.”

The Poly is a gorgeous resort, no doubt. Still, some room views are better than others. For example, rack rate starts at $422 for a Garden View room with 2 queen beds. If you leave it up to Disney, you could get room 1418 at Tuvalu, with a nice view of … a wall. And trees:

Or you could request 2922 at Tokelau, same price:

A quick note: We’ve got 359 photos of the Poly’s 800+ rooms. This includes virtually all first-floor rooms, and some second- and third-floor rooms. Where we don’t have a view from a specific room, we’ll display a message saying the view is approximate, and tell you from which room the view comes. If you’d like to contribute a photo from your stay at the Poly, please send us an email with the photo and room number.

Special thanks to Steve “Tikiman” Seifert, who runs TikimanPages.com, a site dedicated to the Poly. Steve is providing photos, maps and updates as we get this resort implemented.

Here’s the schedule for bringing the rest of the resorts online:

Week Ending
Resort


October 11
Polynesian Done!

Saratoga Springs Resort

Wilderness Lodge


October 18
Port Orleans French Quarter

Port Orleans Riverside

Caribbean Beach

All-Star Movies

Pop Century


October 25
Coronado Springs

Fort Wilderness (campsites and cabins)


November 1
All-Star Music

Art of Animation


November 8
Animal Kingdom Lodge

Beach Club

Yacht Club


November 15
Contemporary Resort

BoardWalk Inn

Grand Floridian


November 22
Bay Lake Tower

Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas


December 6
Wilderness Lodge Villas

Old Key West

Saratoga Springs Treehouses






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Ask Jim Hill Episode 9: Starbucks and Disney, How It Happened and What’s Next?

By Guy Selga Jr.

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On this episode, Jim Hill and Len Testa answer a viewer question about Disney and Starbucks. How did the partnership happen? Where is it headed in the future?

New episodes are posted every Tuesday, so be sure to subscribe on YouTube!

If you have a question about Disney or Universal history, you can submit it to AskJimHill@TouringPlans.com, and Jim may answer it on the air!

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Observations from Disney California Adventure: October 3, 2013

By Guy Selga Jr.

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Guy here again with another “Observations” post. You may notice the pictures this week are slightly better quality. I’m going to keep it real with all of you, last time I did this style of post I forgot my camera. All I had with me was my cellphone so that’s where the pictures came from. This time I remembered to bring my real camera so the pictures will be slightly better! On with the post!

This week I am focusing on Disney California Adventure. But first here is the dreaded “currently unavailable” list posted at bag check. You can see a lot of attractions listed here, notably Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Jungle Cruise. But I think we can all agree that Golden Zephyr is the one that hurts the most.

Golden Zephyr has been closed for almost 2 months now and as far as I can tell this was an unplanned closure. Disney has nothing to say on the matter but after asking around on Twitter a follower of mine informed me that they are waiting on some parts to replace some that had worn out. I want to stress that this is a rumor, but it does seem plausible. Either way having this attraction closed can ruin vacations. I guess people will have to settle for Radiator Springs Racers.

Enough about Golden Zephyr. After wiping away my tears I walked over to Soarin’ Over California. Crowds on this day were light and the wait times reflected it.

This was taken around noon and although the wait time is difficult to see it was posted as 15 minutes. I ended up waiting a little over 10 minutes.

Another low wait time for a marquee attraction. 25 minutes posted at Toy Story Midway Mania. By the way, our crowd calendar predicted a 1.9 for Disney California Adventure, the actual crowd level ended up being a 1.1.

I received a new camera lens in the mail the day before I was going to take pictures for this update. So I was dying to try it out in the parks. Here’s going into the loop on California Screamin’.

We are now upside down.

The best part of California Screamin’, the incredible view of the Disneyland Resort.

I’m not a huge Cars fan so I don’t regularly go into the shops in Cars Land but I was surprised to find Radiator Springs Curios Shop filled with land-specific merchandise. Here’s a rack of Cars Land post cards, magnets, and stickers. Pretty cool!

Cars Land mugs and shot glasses. Errr, excuse me “Toothpick Holders.”

Various Cars Land shirts.

They also have a wide variety of Flo’s V8 Cafe merchandise.

A car antenna topper for your car. The little car antenna topper should also have a little antenna with its own antenna topper. Then it would be a must buy for me.

Moving on, Blue Sky Cellar is now closed for the foreseeable future. The Cellar started out previewing the new DCA expansion back in 2009, and then displayed a making of Cars Land exhibit. Most recently it was used to preview the new Fantasy Faire area in Disneyland. This area will be used again in the future whenever Disney announces the next new expansion.

Something new has popped up in the area where Maliboomer once stood. Disney has not announced what is being built here but some assume it will be a meet and greet for Toy Story characters.

Paradise Pier Ice Cream Co. is currently closed. Those looking to indulge in delicious soft serve ice cream need to head over to the Cozy Cone Motel.

Pacific Wharf is getting a little love and is behind refurbishment scrims. Now that I think about it I don’t know if I’ve ever seen this area get a refurbishment.

Jumping back to merchandise for a moment. This is one of the Halloween shirts available this year. You may be asking “Why is there a USB cord sticking out of the shirt collar?” Well the reason for that is because this shirt lights up. I’m not exactly sure why a shirt would need to light up. I don’t know, maybe in the future all shirts will light up. If you would like to own this cutting edge piece of high fashion it will only cost you $40.

I can’t believe I’ve gone this far in to the post without talking about food! For lunch today I had the “Anti-Vampire Chicken Flatbread” from Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta. It’s one of the limited time food selections (which I am a total sucker for).

Disney describes this pizza as “lots of roasted garlic, of course, plus smoked Gouda cheese, mozzarella and a balsamic glaze.” Look, I enjoy the flatbread pizzas from Boardwalk, I really do. But my problem is that after about 5 minutes  the pizza starts to cool. During this time the cheese becomes plastic in both texture and flavor. You’re probably screaming “But food gets cold, Guy! THAT’S WHAT FOOD DOES!” I know, I know. But for whatever reason I don’t have that plastic tasting problem with most other pizzas I eat. Anyway, I do recommend you try this particular flatbread pizza. Especially if you like garlic.

My obsession with pumpkin flavored food is deep and everlasting. So naturally when I saw the pumpkin cheesecake at Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta I grabbed it immediately. How was it? It was good but not great. To be honest it tasted a bit chalky for some reason. Also the $4.99 price is too high for me to recommend.

Another thing about the Pumpkin Cheesecake was the alarming number of ingredients. Cheesecake seems like a simple dessert, does it usually have all these exotic sounding ingredients? L-Cysteine? Xanthan Gum? These sound like items from Star Trek. But then again I don’t know anything about anything, if you’re a culinary expert please correct me in the comment section.

I’m out of pictures for this week. Wave goodbye Fireside Girls!

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Disney World Hotel Options for Larger Families

By Erin Foster

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If you’re a family of four or fewer, you have limitless choices on where to stay during your Walt Disney World vacation. All the Disney hotels sleep four in their rooms. But if, like me, you have five or more in your family, then your choices become more limited. Here’s a run-down of your on-site lodging options at Walt Disney World.

Before I get going, let me first clarify by saying that all the WDW hotels allow the stated room capacity plus a child under the age of three sleeping in a Pack ‘n Play crib. For example, the standard value rooms at the Pop Century and All-Star resorts have a stated capacity of four guests, but they do allow five guests to stay in one room if one is a child under age three sleeping in a crib. This means that if your party of five includes a baby, then you can still stay in a single room anywhere at Walt Disney World.

The Art of Animation family suites offer a table that converts to a bed.

WALT DISNEY WORLD ON-SITE LODGING OPTIONS FOR PARTIES OF FIVE OR MORE

A Murphy bed room at Port Orleans Riverside.

What is the stated room capacity?: Five guests, plus a child under the age of three in a crib.
Describe the room: Some rooms in the Alligator Bayou section of POR are equipped with two standard queen-sized beds plus a junior-sized Murphy bed that pulls down from the wall underneath the TV. Previously these rooms were outfitted with trundle beds rather than Murphy beds, so you may still hear them referred to as the trundle rooms. There is one bathroom with a double vanity.
Who would be most comfortable there?: The sleep surface of the Murphy bed is approximately 66″x31″. (This is smaller than a standard US twin bed, which is typically 75″x39″.) The Murphy bed is really most appropriate for an elementary-school-age child or preschooler. Anyone over 5 feet tall will be too large for the Murphy. Families of five with young children will have the best experience here.
Any particular pros to this set-up?: You have access to moderate resort amenities, as well as easy access to Port Orleans French Quarter and Downtown Disney.
Any disadvantages to this set-up?: There’s one bathroom for five people. The Murphy bed is directly under the television, making it more than usually disruptive if the parents want to sneak in a movie after the kiddos have fallen asleep. Other than the bathroom, there is no privacy for adults.

A standard room at many of the deluxe resorts.

What is the stated room capacity?: Five guests, plus a child under the age of three in a crib.
Describe the room: There are standard rooms at Beach Club, Boardwalk, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Yacht Club which have two queen size beds, plus a daybed. These rooms have one bathroom with a double vanity. Please note that the standard rooms at the Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge are smaller and typically do not include a daybed.
Who would be most comfortable there?: The deluxe room daybeds are larger than the Port Orleans Riverside Murphy beds. I’m a 5’6″ adult and have slept on the daybeds several times with no problem. Most women and virtually all pre-teen children would be fine on the daybed.
Any particular pros to this set-up?: You have access to deluxe resort amenities, as well as easy access to either the Magic Kingdom or Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, depending on where your’re staying.
Any disadvantages to this set-up?: There’s one bathroom for five people. Depending on the timing of your visit, the deluxe rooms can be pricey. Other than the bathroom, there is no privacy for adults.

The one, two, and three bedroom villas and the Fort Wilderness cabins all include a full kitchen.

A family suite at the Art of Animation resort.

What is the stated room capacity?: Six guests, plus a child under the age of three in a crib. Please note that Little Mermaid rooms at the Art of Animation are not suites. The Mermaid rooms sleep four, not six.
Describe the room: The AoA family suites are comprised of two rooms with a real door between them, plus two full bathrooms. The inside room includes a queen sized bed. The outside room includes a pull-out sofa which converts to a double bed and a table which converts to a double bed. There is also a kitchenette area which includes a dorm-sized refrigerator, a microwave oven, coffee maker and an extra sink.
Who would be most comfortable there?: Both the pull-out couch and the table bed are double size; they’ll each comfortably sleep two elementary-age or younger children, but two average-size adults would be fairly uncomfortable on each of these surfaces. If your party of six consists of mostly smallish children, you will probably be OK here.
Any particular pros to this set-up?: There are two real bathrooms. The kitchenette can be a help with quick food prep. The separate bedrooms means extra privacy for the adults. The resort is new, opened in 2012
Any disadvantages to this set-up?: The only Disney transportation is by bus. No on-site table service restaurant.

A family suite at the All-Star Music resort.

What is the stated room capacity?: Six guests, plus a child under the age of three in a crib. Please note that only some of the All-Star Music rooms are family suites, most are standard four-person value rooms.
Describe the room: The All Star Music family suites are comprised of two rooms with a real door between them, plus two full bathrooms. The inside room includes a queen sized bed. The outside room includes a pull-out sofa which converts to a double bed, plus a chair which converts to a twin-sized bed and an ottoman which converts to a twin-sized bed. There is also a kitchenette area which includes a dorm-sized refrigerator, a microwave oven, coffee maker and an extra sink.
Who would be most comfortable there?: The double pull-out couch will comfortably sleep two elementary-age or younger children, but two average-size adults would be fairly uncomfortable here. The chair and ottoman twin beds would comfortably sleep a teen or average-sized woman.
Any particular pros to this set-up?: Unlike the Port Orleans Murphy bed rooms, the deluxe standard rooms, and the Art of Animation family suites, the All Star Music family suites have four sleep surfaces rather than three. This makes it a good option for parties with more unrelated adults or for families with children who have difficulty sleeping in the same bed. There are two real bathrooms. The kitchenette can be a help with quick food prep. The separate bedrooms means extra privacy for the adults.
Any disadvantages to this set-up?: The only Disney transportation is by bus. No on-site table service restaurant.

The Saratoga Springs treehouse villas and the Fort Wilderness cabins include dedicated outdoor space.

A Fort Wilderness cabin.

What is the stated room capacity?: Six guests, plus a child under the age of three in a crib.
Describe the room: The Fort Wilderness cabins are comprised of two rooms with a real door between them, plus one bathroom. The outside room includes a pull-down double-sized Murphy bed. The inside room includes a double bed, plus almost-twin-sized bunk beds. There is also a full kitchen with standard refrigerator, microwave oven, coffee maker, range, oven, an extra sink, and basic cooking and eating utensils. In addition to the bed, there are tables and a small couch. The cabins include a deck with a picnic table, as well as access to the great outdoors.
Who would be most comfortable there?: None of the sleep surfaces are large. Both of the “big” beds are doubles, meaning that two larger adults may be uncomfortable sharing. The twin bunks are slightly shorter than standard twins, making them less comfortable for adults or teens.
Any particular pros to this set-up?: Unlike the Port Orleans Murphy bed rooms, the deluxe standard rooms, and the Art of Animation family suites, the Fort Wilderness cabins have four sleep surfaces rather than three. This makes it a good option for parties with more unrelated adults or for families with children who have difficulty sleeping in the same bed. The full kitchen can be a help with quick food prep. The separate bedroom means extra privacy for the adults. Outdoor space means that kids can run around close by. Boat access to the Magic Kingdom.
Any disadvantages to this set-up?: One bathroom for six people. Depending your location within Fort Wilderness, you may need to take an internal bus to get to theme park transportation.

A one-bedroom villa at some Disney Vacation Club resorts.

What is the stated room capacity?: Five guests, plus a child under the age of three in a crib. One bedroom villas which sleep five can be found at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Bay Lake Tower, Old Key West, and the Grand Floridian. The other Disney Vacation Club resorts sleep four in their one-bedroom villas.
Describe the room: One bedroom villas are comprised of two rooms with a real door between them. The inside room includes a queen-sized bed. The outside room has a full kitchen with standard refrigerator, microwave oven, coffee maker, range, oven, an extra sink, and basic cooking and eating utensils, plus a washer and dryer. The outside room includes a pull-out sofa which converts to a double bed, plus either a chair which converts to twin bed (at AKL, BLT, OKW) or a junior-sized Murphy bed that pulls down from the wall underneath the TV (at GF). At BLT and AKL, the five-person one-bedroom villas have two bathrooms, the others have one bathroom.
Who would be most comfortable there?: Disney Vacation Club members or guests who need a full kitchen.
Any particular pros to this set-up?: The villas have deluxe level amenities. The full kitchen can be a help with quick food prep. The separate bedrooms means extra privacy for the adults.
Any disadvantages to this set-up?: Someone is sleeping on a pull-out couch. These rooms tend to be pricey.

Several of the options for larger families include a sofa which pulls out into a double bed.

A two or three bedroom villa at any Disney Vacation Club resort.

What is the stated room capacity?: Eight or nine guests in a two-bedroom villa, depending on the configuration. Twelve guests in a three-bedroom villa, plus a baby in a crib.
Describe the room: These are like apartments. Depending on the resort you’ll find special features like a pool table in some AKL three-bedroom villas or a media room in the Grand Floridian three-bedroom villas. All three bedroom villas have at least three bathrooms. Two-bedroom villas have either two or three bathrooms. All have full kitchens with a washer/dryer. The master bedrooms feature king-sized beds. Other bedding includes queen-sized beds as well as pull-out couches and/or chairs.
Who would be most comfortable there?: Multi-generational parties where people need privacy and space.
Any particular pros to this set-up?: There’s lots of room here. Easy access to deluxe amenities.
Any disadvantages to this set-up?: These rooms are quite pricey. There are relatively few of these rooms on property, so availability may be an issue.

A treehouse at Disney’s Saratoga Springs resort.

What is the stated room capacity?: Nine guests, plus a child under the age of three in a crib.
Describe the room: The treehouses are similar to the Fort Wilderness cabins in that they are completely separate buildings, not rooms inside a hotel. The treehouses are comprised of four rooms with real doors between them, plus two bathrooms. The master bedroom includes a king sized bed. The second bedroom includes a queen-sized bed. The third bedroom includes twin bunk bed. The living room includes a pull-out couch that converts to a double bed, plus a chair that converts to a twin bed. There is also a full kitchen with standard refrigerator, microwave oven, coffee maker, range, oven, an extra sink, basic cooking and eating utensils, and a washer/dryer. The treehouse include a deck with a table, as well as access to the great outdoors.
Who would be most comfortable there?: Multi-generational parties.
Any particular pros to this set-up?: There’s lots of privacy, both inside the unit as well as with the outdoor space.
Any disadvantages to this set-up?: You’re fairly far away from the amenities at the main Saratoga Springs resort. Treehouse guests will have a much improved experience by renting a car. Treehouses may be pricey and availability can be limited.

All the WDW hotels offer connecting rooms. Be sure to request this in advance.

Two standard connecting rooms at any Walt Disney World resort.

What is the stated room capacity?: With two rooms together, you’ll be able to sleep eight (at value and moderate) or ten guests (at some deluxe resorts), plus one baby in a crib per room.
Describe the room: Most value rooms have two double beds. Most moderate rooms have two queen beds. Most deluxe rooms have two queen beds plus a daybed. However, there are many variations on this. For example, during Christmas 2012 I stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. We had a room with two queen-sized beds connected to a room with a queen-sized bed plus two bunk beds. If you have a particular sleep surface configuration in mind, it pays to do a little research to see if your ideal bed configuration exists somewhere on property.
Who would be most comfortable there?: Guest who want two bathrooms. Guests who would like to have a door between adults/kids, but don’t need a kitchenette or kitchen.
Any particular pros to this set-up?: As I noted, there are some odd combinations of rooms out there, which may meet the needs of your family. The cost of two standard rooms may be less than the cost of a suite or villa. Connecting rooms exist at all the Walt Disney World resort hotels.
Any disadvantages to this set-up?: Connecting rooms are typically not guaranteed at Walt Disney World. For more information on this topic, consult our guide to the Art of the Disney World Room Request.

A suite-style room at Coronado Springs or any of the deluxe resorts.

What is the stated room capacity?: This varies considerably. Some junior honeymoon suites sleep only two, whereas the Presidential Suite at the Contemporary sleeps 10.
Describe the room: Too many variations to list.
Who would be most comfortable there?: Guests looking for a specific experience or sleep surface configuration.
Any particular pros to this set-up?: You get an experience that’s just right for your needs. Suites often include concierge service.
Any disadvantages to this set-up?: Costs are generally high. Some rooms are unique, so availability may be limited.

And of course, it’s possible that none of these options is exactly right for your family, or that these options are not at price points that make sense for you. In that case, there are a multitude of off-site accommodation options that may make more sense for you.

When looking at the Disney lodging situation, my family of five decided that joining the Disney Vacation Club suited our needs best. We typically use our DVC points to stay in one or two bedroom villas. But there are times when we’re out of points or find no villa availability for a spontaneous trip. In this situation, we usually get two connecting rooms.

Do you have a family of five or more? What is your preferred lodging situation at Walt Disney World? Do the cabins or family suites work for you? What about the villas? Or have you decided that off-site accommodations better meet your needs? Let us know in the comments below.

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The Disney’s in the Details: Fantasyland Part 3

By Daisy Lauren

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Today we wrap up the details of Fantasyland. If you’re just joining us now, you might want to check out the first two installments:

Fantasyland Part 1
Fantasyland Part 2

As you might recall, we were just coming up on Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid when we left off. The front of this ride has been photographed so much, but it is worth showing one more time. I think this might be my favorite detail in all of New Fantasyland!

Isn’t it pretty? Less often seen is the actual attraction sign that is mounted beneath the Ariel facade. (Take a closer look at the characters in each corner!)

It’s worth noting that while the ride has a more serious nautical look to it throughout the queue, the Ariel’s Grotto meet and greet right next door has a more childish feel to it. This can be seen in the attraction signs out front.

Just around the corner from this meet and greet is Storybook Circus. Now many of you will remember when you had take the long way to get there, walking all the way back by Winnie the Pooh and Mad Tea Party. Thankfully, construction gates were removed earlier this year, allowing easy access to this new and fun section of the park from the Enchanted Forest section of Fantasyland. So welcome to Storybook Circus!

I was certainly not shy about bashing this part of the park before it was open. I remember playing in Mickey’s Toontown Fair as a kid, and I just couldn’t see a circus theme being any better. I was so wrong! This part of the park has some very rich details! I had a lot of fun wandering around for this article finding the best to share! For starters, these bright banners line the entrance on either side of the walkway. If you take a look at the larger images, you’ll see they detail each of the attractions in this land.

The theme of these bright, fun banners continues through the land:

The other entrance to Big Top Souvenirs also makes it look like the circus has come to town!

Just past the gift shop is Pete’s Silly Side Show. I’m ashamed to admit I’ve never stepped foot in this place! I’ll have to remedy that one day very soon. In the meantime take a look at the amazing facade on the front of the building.

Beside this is the new Casey Jr. Splash and Soak Station. While I would have rather had a real Casey Jr. Train ride like many other Disney parks have, kids seem to really enjoy this on hot days. It adds to the atmosphere hearing all the little kids giggle as the splash along, and it really is pretty. Here is the little sign out front:

If you continue on this way you will notice that it looks like the circus animals got out while the pavement was still wet!

Following along the path with these footprints you will end up at the Fantasyland Train Station. There are lots of little details in this area, but my favorites are to the left if you are facing the building. If you see this you’ll know you’re in the right spot:

There are great little details on the luggage if you stop to take a look!

Just to the right of these when exiting the train station are your first indications that the circus has come to town.

If you exit the train station and turn to your left, you’ll be heading towards The Barnstormer. This is an area that was greatly improved by the new theme! Starting with this gorgeous new sign out front:

Beside the ride there are several banners showing Goofy getting into all kinds of trouble!

The ride even busts right through one of the signs!

Right beside The Barnstormer is the classic ride Dumbo. With the new location this ride received a beautiful new sign befitting such a popular ride:

Now, for this series I have been keeping to the outside of buildings and small details… but I’m going to cheat just a little with an on-ride look from Dumbo. While flying high in your elephant, if you look back towards the center of the spinner you’re in for a treat. The details on this attraction are lovely!

Once you’ve finished riding Dumbo, if you continue on away from the train station the next attraction, you will encounter the Mad Tea Party. Here is the sign that marks this classic attraction:

I love how close this attraction is location wise to Storybook Circus, but looking at the photos they look like two different parks! Theming at its best!! If you walk just past this sign you will see one of the few topiaries in the park.

Just past this topiary is the Cheshire Cafe (home to epic cupcakes). Here is the fun sign for this little gem:

Did you know there are restrooms just past this little cafe? I feel like they are some of the most missed in the Magic Kingdom. I can’t imagine why, with this playful sign out front!

Just beside this areas is the outdoor meet and greet for Merida in Fairytale Garden. You’ll know you’re heading in the right direction because you’ll see these flags out front:

But if we kept going this way we’d end up in the hub – and we have more Fantasyland to go! So let’s turn around and head towards The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh!

The sign for this super popular attraction hangs from a big tree out front:

Here is the little clock that keeps Fastpass time:

And, of course, being Disney you exit into a gift shop! Here is how that looks:

Continuing on you will pass Friar’s Nook. This is a little snack spot that I haven’t seen open lately, but it does have a great sign!

Just beside this little eatery is the only trace of Snow White’s Scary Adventures currently in Fantasyland: Seven Dwarfs Mine.

While this shop carries all the same generic stuff you can find everywhere else, it hides a hidden detail. In the roof are gems for the dwarfs to mine!

Just beside this shop is where we will complete our grand circle tour of Fantasyland – Princess Fairytale Hall! Now lately everyone has seen the tiara sign out front all over the Internet, but have you seen the FASTPASS signs?

What about these little banners that line the building representing all the different Disney princesses? These are so fun, and there are tons of them! Be sure to take a look and figure them all out when you visit.

 

One last little details from this attraction are the beautiful lights from outside the building! Fit for a princess, huh?

And with that we have finished our walk through Fantasyland. I hope this will inspire you to take some extra time on your next trip to slow down and look at the little things. Truly, I have just scratched the surface of what there is to see! Did you see something here you hadn’t noticed before? Or did I skip your favorite little detail? Please let us know in the comments below, and as always thanks for reading! I’m hoping to see everyone back here for the details of Tomorrowland very soon!

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Frozen Characters Coming to Walt Disney World

By Rikki Niblett

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This November, Disney is getting in touch with their icy side…in the form of the movie Frozen, that is. Of course, with a new movie on the horizon, comes a new meet and greet opportunity.  This time, guests will get the chance to meet with the two sisters from the film, Anna and Elsa.

The meet and greet will take place at Epcot in the Norway Pavilion in World Showcase and will be starting sometime in early November with an end date (as of right now) of January 4.

In addition, a brand new gallery will be found in the Stave Church, which can be found at the entrance to the pavilion.  This gallery will explore not only the culture of Norway, but how it helped to inspire the filmmakers of the movie.

Finally, a brand new segment themed towards the movie will be able to be found in the Celebrate The Magic Castle Projection Show at the Magic Kingdom.

Frozen officially opens in theaters on November 27, but stay tuned as we share more details soon on where you can see more of these characters in the parks.

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