Disney World Quick Tip – Know Your Monorails.

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August 21, 2010

Okay, monorails are simple, right? Well, yes. But there’s still a couple of things newcomers need to know. Here’s a quick run-down on Disney World monorails:

At the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC), you can go by monorail to Epcot or the Magic Kingdom.

There are no monorails to Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom.

If you want to go from the Magic Kingdom to Epcot, or the other way around, you’ll need to transfer at the TTC. If there isn’t a long line, the monorail is usually a faster trip than taking a bus from the park.

Children may stay in their stroller if using the monorail. You may also stay on your scooter or in your wheelchair, so it’s an easier trip than the bus.

There are two monorails that service the Magic Kingdom. The resort monorail runs clockwise and goes in this order from the TTC: The Polynesian, the Grand Floridian, the Magic Kingdom, the Contemporary, and back to the TTC. The express monorail runs counter clockwise and goes directly from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom and back.

The line for the express monorail is often longer than the resort monorail for obvious reasons: Everyone assumes it’s faster. If there’s a line for both, consider taking the resort monorail instead. The ride will be slightly longer but with a shorter line, you’ll get there faster.

Monorails start running about an hour before the parks open and two hours after closing.

Other interesting monorail facts:

The Disney World monorail spans 14.7 miles.
About 50 million people ride every year.
The Epcot monorail is entirely on one beam and runs clockwise in a circle.
Trains can carry up to 364 passengers.

Fall Annual Passholder Room Discounts

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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August 21, 2010

The fall annual passholder discounts codes are out for Walt Disney World

Annual Passholder Discount Room Rates
Book by: December 25, 2010

Dates: 10/3 to 12/25/10	CODE: AM9 or X07
Some dates will be blocked out. Rates not available for all dates and resorts.
Resort	Price	View
Value Resorts & Animal Kingdom Lodge	30% off rack rate	Standard
Moderates & Grand Floridian	35% off rack rate	Standard
Deluxe Resorts other than ones listed above	42% off rack rate	Standard
Deluxe Villas	42% off rack rate	Standard

To book these specials, contact Pixie Vacations today!
Contact: www.PixieVacations.com
Phone:678-815-1584

The best things I love about Disney is…the Mexico Pavilion

By

Chip

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August 21, 2010

I just love walking into Epcot’s Mexico Pavilion. There is just something about the sights, sounds, and smells of this ancient Mesoamerican pyramid. I love the darkness the embraces you as you enter and the soft glow of the lights that remind you of twilight.

Inside the Pavilion there is one of my favorite boat rides the Grand Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros. I love the addition of Donald and friend in the past few years, all though I was perfectly content with the old videos of Mexico.

The San Angel Inn is one of my all time favorite restaurants but I will talk more about that another time. Last time we were here we stopped off at La Cava del Tequila for a quick drink. The atmosphere is very relaxing and you almost forget your at Walt Disney World.

Also for the kids this is a great place to start your Kidcot Fun Stops. We like to start here and work our way around the world showcase. Or you can do the new Meet & Greet with Donald and friends.

This is definitely one of the best things I love about Disney…

If you like Epcot’s Mexico Pavilion let us know in the comment section below..If you don’t I can’t hear you..LaLaLaLa

>>Chip

A Magical Vacation at Disney’s Hilton Head Resort

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Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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August 21, 2010

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Last week we had a chance to visit Disney’s Hilton Head Island resort, in Hilton Head, South Carolina. For those of you who may not be familiar with this beautiful resort, I thought I would take you on a little tour today…

To start, Disney’s Hilton Head resort is a Disney Vacation Club property, although non-DVC members can stay there by paying the standard room rate, or probably a better way, by “renting” points from a DVC member.

As with all DVC resorts, there are several “sizes” available: studios, one and two bedroom villas, and grand villas. As we were traveling with 3 college girls, we reserved a two bedroom villa, which provided the girls with their own bedroom and bath, and we had the same. Lots of space to spread out, and the ability for them to keep all their stuff in one place made things comfortable for all of us.

The Disney Hilton Head resort is surrounded by lots of beautiful, old trees that are draped in Spanish moss. Not only do the trees give the resort a very “southern charm” feel, but they have an even more important function: they provide much-needed shade to the many bike/walking paths that wind around the resort, and honestly made what was an extremely hot and humid week tolerably comfortable. We remarked on a regular basis that all the trees really seemed to drop the temperature a good 10-15 degrees from what it actually was.

One of the things that is great about this resort is that there are so many choices. You can choose to lie on the beach or hammock doing nothing but reading…or you can decide to participate in one of the many official…or unofficial…activities that are available.

For instance, we brought bikes, and found that this is a popular way to get around, not just the resort, but pretty much everywhere on Hilton Head Island. (If you don’t want to bring your own, you can rent bikes from the Disney resort for a very reasonable price for the week.)

There are tons of other things to do, if you wish. Broad Creek, the marshy area right behind Disney’s property is popular with folks for fishing, crabbing, kayaking, and believe it or not, dolphin watching. And Disney offers a huge variety of activities as well, for kids of all ages, and families as well. So no excuses for being bored!

Now, what is not to like about this place? Well, some folks don’t like the fact that the main resort property is not on the beach, but is actually about a mile away. Personally, I have found this to not be a problem, and in fact kind of like the fact that it’s off the beaten path. Disney has a great little beach house with all you need (food, shower/changing areas, a second pool in addition to the one at the main resort) and provides shuttle transportation if you don’t want to drive or bike to the beach….but if you really *have* to be on the beach, then you should know that this is not.

Probably the other main complaint, if you could call it that, is that there is not an actual sit-down restaurant on Disney property…and I know that Chip and Co. folks like their Disney food 🙂 so you will want to know this in advance. However, there are TONS of great dining choices both within walking distance in the Shelter Cove area, and all over Hilton Head Island if you want to drive. Disney dining is always something to look forward to, I know, and having a Disney restaurant would definitely add to this resort, there is no doubt of that. My understanding, for what it’s worth, is that Disney can’t get the permits to do one, because Hilton Head doesn’t want the competition for the existing restaurants….not sure how true that actually is, but that is what we were told. But I noticed on the weekly activities sheet that Disney now offers cooking/tasting sessions with different chefs, so that may be how they are trying to add the dining aspect to their resort offerings.

Would I recommend staying here? Oh without a doubt! It’s a lovely place, and I honestly can’t wait to go back again. If you are still curious, you can check out my vacation photos for more details.

Nancy, her husband and college-age daughter live in the Baltimore MD area, but consider Walt Disney World their second “home”. She started her site, The Affordable Mouse, as a way to share ideas about how to plan affordable Disney vacations. Her favorite things at Disney World (in no particular order) are Soarin’, most of the food in World Showcase, Illuminations…and that special Disney magic.

Disney Blog Carnival for August is now Live

By

Chip

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August 21, 2010

This months edition of the Disney Blog Carnival is now live. There are alot of super talented Disney Bloggers out there. To see this months edition of the Disney Blog Carnival click here.

If you missed past months editions you can check them out at the links below.

Edition #7
Edition #6
Edition #5
Edition #4
Edition #3
Edition #2
First Edition

Thanks to Dismarks for hosting the Blog Carnival!

How Wall-e is one of Disney’s greatest love stories.

By

Chip

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August 21, 2010

So my daughter gets up this morning and wants to watch Wall-e for the thousand time. After a few times I don’t really pay attention to the movies anymore but this morning was a little different. I was getting dressed and listening to the movie play and I thought to myself how it is one of the greatest love stories Pixar/Disney ever released…

First off the first 30 mins of the movie there is not much talking at all. So you child can watch Wall-e interact with his surroundings and get familiar with the plot. I love how the billboards tell you what happened to the human race and where everyone went. It is funny and cute all rolled into one.

When Eve lands on earth that is when the true love story begins, which is one of the greatest I have seen Pixar write. He gives his love to Eve unconditionally and continues to watch over her and protect her with no thought to himself.

On board the ship the plot thickens and unfolds and without giving away to much of the story line Wall-e gets hurt and it is Eve’s turn to save him. In the end Eve comes around and shares his love with him but it is to late..?

The soundtrack for the movie is great, the classics never go out of style. I only wish that maybe some more music could have been added or a funny scene with all the robots working together in a song. The song while the credits are rolling my daughter just loves to run around and sing “Were going do to the ground”. Peter Gabriel is a great and often overlooked musician.

The cast for the movie includes Jeff Garlin, Sigourney Weaver, and Kathy Najimy round out some very funny actors.

Overall the movie as a whole has self sacrificing love, comedy, good music, and a great story line. If you haven’t seen it I would recommended picking it up or watching it on Netflix right now (It’s a Watch Instantly Movie Right now). Doesn’t matter if your young or old this movie does not disappoint, and is a classic love story for the ages.

Annual Passholder Discounts out for the Rest of the Year.

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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August 21, 2010

Disney just announced AP discounts for the rest of the year. The dates are 10/3/10-12/25/10. Keep in mind that some dates are blocked out. Resort discounts are as follows:

Save 30% at Disney Value Resorts and Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Save 35% at Disney Moderate Resorts and Grand Floridian Resort.

Save 42% at the remaining Disney Deluxe Resorts.

Save 42% at Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts.

If you’re using the dining plan, you’ll need to add the special annual passholders dining package.

Use code AM9 or X07 when you call Disney or your travel agent.

You can read more about the costs and benefits of an annual pass here.

Ask a Disney Question: Getting around using Disney transportation.

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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August 21, 2010

This question comes from Kim. G., who asks:

Do you know if I can get a listing anywhere of all the different ways to get to and from the different parks. We went 2 yrs ago and didn’t even think of using the different transportation. But I thought if I could get a listing somewhere of the different options, then when we go in the spring we could try some of them out. Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks!!

Kim, thanks for your question. This is probably one of the most important questions we get, so I’ll try to answer it in detail. I know from talking to you that you’ve mainly used your own car in the past and are not a fan of the buses and would like to know to know what kind of options Disney offers, particularly the boats.

If you’re staying at an Epcot resort, you can take the Friendship boats between your resort and Hollywood Studios and Epcot. This is fast, scenic, and convenient. As an extra bonus, you don’t have to remove children from their strollers and it’s wheelchair and scooter friendly as well. Anyone can use these boats to get to and from the parks, as well as to and from the resorts; you do not need to be a guest of an Epcot resort. There’s plenty to see on the Boardwalk, so if you have some extra time, it’s definitely worth a look.

I frequently don’t use Disney bus transportation. I think it works very well, but since I still have two younger children in a stroller it can be cumbersome. One thing I’ve found is that I can park at Epcot and do a great deal of park hopping without having to use a bus. So, for example, I might park at Epcot first thing in the morning and head over to Magic Kingdom on the monorail. I avoid parking at the Magic Kingdom unless I’m staying there all day because it’s so involved (park, go to the TTC, then onto the park). Later, I’ll spend a bit of time at Epcot, perhaps heading over to Hollywood Studios on the Friendship boats for Fantasmic and then back to Epcot for extra magic hours. It might seem like a lot of travel time, but I’ve found that by cutting out the buses, it’s just not as tiring. Again, this is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re trying to avoid the buses for whatever reason, some variation of this is worth a try.

You can also use boats when you’re at Downtown Disney to get to and from Port Orleans Riverside and Saratoga Springs. Boats transportation is available from all the Magic Kingdom resorts, which includes the Grand Floridian, the Contemporary, Ft. Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge, and the Polynesian. Boats usually take a bit longer than the monorail, depending on the time of day. Keep in mind that the boats for the monorail resorts are very small. All resort launches stop at different resorts, so that can add time to your trip. For example, the Grand Floridian and Poly share the same launch. If your’re going to the Magic Kingdom from the Grand Floridian, you’ll go from the Grand to the Poly and then make your way back down to the Magic Kingdom. It’s a nice ride, but will take a lot longer than going on the monorail. Finally, you can travel from the Ticket and Transportation Center to the Magic Kingdom on a ferry. The ferries generally hold more people, so while the monorail is slightly faster, if there’s a long line for both, consider taking the ferry. The view you get of the Magic Kingdom when you’re about 2/3 of the way there is really one of those iconic Disney moments, so sit up top if you can for the best view.

Even if you tend to avoid using the buses normally, the one park I recommend taking Disney transportation for is the Magic Kingdom. The park is set up in a way that’s designed to heighten anticipation as you get closer. That’s why there’s no parking lot directly next to it. There was plenty of space for one when the park was built, but Imagineers wanted to make the journey there part of the experience. I appreciate this, but the downside is that by the time you get there, you’ve taken three modes of transportation: Your own car, a Disney tram (from the parking lot), and finally the boat or monorail. If you take the resort bus to the Magic Kingdom, you’ve just saved yourself a lot of time. So consider this as the one exception to avoiding the buses.

I hope this helps. Thanks for reading the site.

Have a Disney question? We have answers. Write us at Chip and Co. We answer every question.

Disneyworld Quick Tip – Advanced Dining Reservations

By

Chip

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August 21, 2010

My Quick Tip is a very simple one today.

Make your Dining Reservations 180 Days Out!

When planning your Disney vacation don’t forget to make those Advanced Dining Reservations or ADR’s. You may make reservations by calling (407) WDW-DINE or visiting their website http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/.

While there are tons of places to eat at Walt Disney World there is a VERY good chance the place you want to eat at will get booked early. Places like Ohana, Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey, etc will be some of the first to get snatched up. Usually you can count on places that have characters to go first then some of your nicer restaurants to go next.

My suggestion would be if your reading this article then you are online..Use the link above to goto the Disney Website at 180 days out from your vacation and book those ADR’s early. That way as you finalize plans atleast you won’t be scrambling trying to find something with weeks to go. You can always cancel reservations if you not going to use them online or calling the number above.

I hope this helps with your Disney Planning and as always if you have any tips or suggestions about today’s topic let us know in the comment section below.

The best things I love about Disney is…Ohana’s

By

Chip

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August 21, 2010

‘Ohana is located on the second floor of the Great Ceremonial House in Disney’s Polynesian Resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. When you first walk in you feel like your walking back in time and to a Polynesian Island. The first thing I notice is the gigantic fire pit with all the skewers of delicious, delectable, and delightful meats! I find myself wanting to grab one and having it all to myself. Literally I go into a meat coma every time I eat here!

The only way I could see Disney improving on this restaurant is to wrap everything in bacon. Mmm bacon.

The food is great, service is even better. I can honestly say we have never had a bad meal here. From start to finish it is perfect. I can see now why it is near impossible to get a Disney Dining Reservation here 4 months in advanced.

This is definitely one of the best things I love about Disney…

If you like Ohana’s let us know in the comment section below..If you don’t I can’t hear you..LaLaLaLa

>>Chip

Oldies But Goodies – Seniors And Thrill Rides At Walt Disney World

By

Chip and Co Past Writers and Friends

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August 21, 2010

Chip sent me an article not too long ago concerning Seniors who ride coasters. My memory was jogged by the article and reminded me of something that happened about twenty years ago.

I made my first trip to Walt Disney World at the age of 44. My Wife, Sister and I took our parents for their 50^th Wedding Anniversary. At the time my Father was 79 years old and I thought he was a rather cautious individual so you can imagine my surprise when he said I’ve always wanted to try “that”. He was referring to Space Mountain and apparently my parents had made several visits to Walt Disney World without telling me – some nerve huh!! We both took our first ride on Space Mountain that day and I think Dad fared better than I did.

The article also spurred my research bug so I conducted an informal (and small) poll on a discussion board I frequent on a daily basis and found the following. Approximately 20.0% of Seniors said they would never ride a thrill ride at Walt Disney World, 46.67% said they ride some of them but stay away from the intense rides, and my personal group, 33.33% said they ride as many as possible every time they visit. I asked that only those 62+ provide answers but there were some who always travel with Seniors who answered for them.

Why do I ride them all? Because I can – I am an extremely blessed 64 year old who has no physical issues (except for motion sickness which I can almost totally control). I also love the thrill I get from the speed, g-forces, etc. I have empathy for those who have physical issues and very much respect their choice not to ride. It is far better for you to make that choice than to expose yourself to chance of injury by riding something that may put you at that kind of risk. Nothing is worth taking that type of chance.

How long will I continue to ride the thrill rides? Until my Doctor or I decide that it is no longer advisable. When that time comes I will reluctantly hang up my goose bumps and queasy stomach and learn to enjoy the more “oldie appropriate” attractions. I do encourage those who are physically able to enjoy the thrill rides to whatever level they are comfortable because like the lady in this article ( http://attractionsmagazine.com/blog/2010/07/19/out-of-the-loop-are-roller-coasters-the-secret-to-agelessness/ ) it may help to keep you younger and get your blood flowing. This lady is just plain incredible and I hope to be hitting the Walt Disney World thrill rides at her age.

I do realize that the “thrill rides” at Walt Disney World are generally not at the same intensity level as the coasters etc. at many of the world’s bigger amusement parks. The theme of each attraction at Walt Disney World far exceeds the sterility of many of these real thrill rides (maybe with the exception of the Harry Potter attraction) and the story is at least as important as the thrill to me. Enjoy them while you can but stop before you put yourself in danger. See you on the Rock ‘n Roller Coaster and Mission Space!!

Disney bus crash near Hollywood Studios

By

Chip

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August 21, 2010

This news report comes to us from the Orlando Sentinel. I posted this article first on Facebook last night and I am posting in here in case you missed it. I am glad there were no injuries.

A Disney bus with 26 passengers and a PT Cruiser were involved in a crash near Disney’s Hollywood Studios this afternoon. The Florida Highway Patrol said there were no injuries, even though initial reports said there were. An FHP spokeswoman said the bus driver was not at fault.

No other details were immediately available.

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