Since I am planning my first official "Summer" trip to WDW, I've also been thinking a lot about how to beat the heat. I know it is going to be positively sweltering, and I know that I need to have a plan for how to deal with the heat. Getting overheated can really take the magic away from the most magical place on Earth!
10 - This one is a no brainer - hydrate! Bring water bottles with you to the parks, pick up a free water from any dining location, just drink lots of water!
9 - Find a shady area to cool off. There are some nice areas scattered all around the parks where you can sit and "rest a spell" as my grandmother would put it. :) Take advantage of these locations. If you are hot and tired, you are not going to enjoy anything. It is worth it to stop and take a break!
8 - Head toward an air-conditioned attraction. There are lots of these all over the parks. Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom, American Adventure at Epcot, One Man's Dream at Hollywood Studios, It's Tough to Be a Bug at Animal Kingdom, and so many more!
7 - Or enjoy a nice sit-down, shaded attraction. Our personal favorite is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover at Magic Kingdom. This ride takes you all over Tomorrowland, indoors and out, and you even get to view some of the attractions from the ride! It is a great way to sit and rest, and enjoy a nice breeze. Some other examples might be Kilimanjaro Safaris at Animal Kingdom, the Studio Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios, or the boat ride around the lagoon at Epcot. Once, we rode back and forth for nearly an hour while my daughter napped!
6 - Head back to the hotel for a siesta. Parks are hottest and most crowded between about 1 and 6 pm. This is a great time to take a break and head back to the hotel. You can rest, nap, go for a swim, or just take a break. Then, come back out around dinnertime refreshed and ready to enjoy the parks again!
5 - Take a lunch break (or breakfast, or dinner, or hey, you're on vacation, you can eat whenever you want). I always think it is a nice break when we stop for a meal or snack. You get to sit down for a while, cool down, rest your legs, and get some energy to enjoy the rest of your day.
4 - Go shopping! Nearly all the shopping areas in the parks are either shaded or air conditioned! This is a great time to spend some time looking around to find the perfect souvenir! If you don't want to carry it around the rest of the day, you can even have purchases delivered to your resort (if you're staying on-site)!
3 - Dress for the weather. Another no-brainer here. Wear light colors, and loose clothing. Hats are great, too for some relief from the bright Florida sun.
2 - Enjoy a frozen treat! This is a great time to enjoy a Mickey bar, Dole Whip, smoothie, ice cream, whatever your pleasure! Just make sure to eat it fast, because it's going to melt quickly!
1 - Play in the water! Take a ride on Splash Mountain (Magic Kingdom), Maelstrom (Epcot) or Kali River Rapids (Animal Kingdom). Find a water play area and splash around with your kids. In Adventureland at Magic Kingdom, you can get wet from the spray at the tiki statues, and the spitting camel. There is also the brand new Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station in the new Fantasyland expansion. At Epcot, you will find water play areas on the walkway from Future World to World Showcase, and you can sometimes get wet on the upper level outside the Imagination Pavilion. Or if you've purchased the Water Parks and More option, enjoy some time relaxing and cooling off in the water parks.
Well, those are my top 10 tips (in no particular order). Do you have any other ideas for keeping cool at WDW? I'd love to hear from you!
Until next time...
Disney Diva
Showing posts with label resorts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resorts. Show all posts
Friday, June 15, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Art of Animation
Walt Disney World has added a new resort to its value category - The Art of Animation Resort. Art of Animation includes four themed buildings - Finding Nemo, Cars, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid. The first three buildings will be made up of family suites which accommodate up to 6 guests. The Little Mermaid building will have standard rooms. Finding Nemo is open now, Cars is set to open next week, Lion King is on schedule to open in August, and The Little Mermaid should open in September. Like other resorts in the value category, Art of Animation includes three pool areas, and an on-site food court.
Family suites start at $249 per night. Standard rooms start at $97 per night. What a great value for a fantastic new resort!
You can find out more about the Art of Animation resort at http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/art-of-animation-resort/.
I can't wait to see it for myself!
Until next time...
Disney Diva
Family suites start at $249 per night. Standard rooms start at $97 per night. What a great value for a fantastic new resort!
You can find out more about the Art of Animation resort at http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/art-of-animation-resort/.
I can't wait to see it for myself!
Until next time...
Disney Diva
Monday, June 11, 2012
It Matters When You Go!
So, if you're planning a vacation to Walt Disney World, the first question you have to answer is a biggie - "When to go?" I was just reminded of the importance of this question today as I was planning our next vacation. I discovered that visiting the parks just one week later, would save us over $150 on our total vacation package! What?!?!? That's because the first week I was thinking of fell during summer season, and the next during value season. Sometimes, by changing the dates of your vacation by only a few days, you can save hundreds of dollars! The days of the week you'll be staying also make a difference. Weeknights, of course, are slightly less expensive than weekends in the resorts. Check out this breakdown for Pop Century from mousesavers.com. You can see what a big difference the dates you choose can make. Taking the time to research pricing for different dates can really pay off in the long run!
Until next time...
Disney Diva
Until next time...
Disney Diva
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Why We Choose Pop Century
There are lots of things to think about when choosing where to stay when you go to Disney World. Is it really better to stay on-site? Is it really worth the extra money to stay in a moderate or deluxe resort? The choice of where to stay is a very personal one, and you really just have to decide what's best for your family. Today I want to tell you why we almost always choose Pop Century.
The first year we went to Disney, we stayed at another value resort. It was nice, but the bus service was horrid! We were sharing buses with 2 other resorts, so there were times we waited for an hour or longer for a bus. I think Disney has since worked to improve this situation, but nevertheless, we decided to try another resort. The next year, we decided to try Pop Century, and we have stayed there every year since.
Many of you want the perks of staying in a moderate or deluxe resort. Sure, the pools are nicer, the dining options might be a little better, and you might have a little extra wiggle room. But for us, we don't spend a whole lot of time in the room, so we can't justify spending the extra money for a moderate or deluxe room. Again, it's a personal decision. You have to decide what's best for your family.
Pop Century is great, but for many other reasons than not having to share a bus! Pop Century has this awesome nostalgic feel. I love the giant Potato Heads, Big Wheel, Play-Doh, Mickey phone, and oh so much more! It definitely makes you feel like a kid again! The giant flower shaped "Hippy Dippy Pool" is so much fun, but the other pools (shaped like a computer, and bowling pin) are great, too. Everything Pop Shopping and Dining is a great place to chill and cool down after a long day in the parks, as well as for buying all your souvenirs. The rooms are nice and clean. They aren't huge, but again, we don't spend a whole lot of time in the room, so we don't mind at all. And I don't know why, but I love the sparkly floors inside the main building!
So, lots of people have asked me about where to stay when you go to Disney World, and I tell them that you have to think about what's best for your family, but we love Pop Century! It's very affordable, still nicer than a lot of other hotels we've been in before, and lots of fun! So when you're thinking about where to stay for your Disney World vacation, don't count out those value resorts just yet! Pop Century is a great one!
Until next time...
Disney Diva
The first year we went to Disney, we stayed at another value resort. It was nice, but the bus service was horrid! We were sharing buses with 2 other resorts, so there were times we waited for an hour or longer for a bus. I think Disney has since worked to improve this situation, but nevertheless, we decided to try another resort. The next year, we decided to try Pop Century, and we have stayed there every year since.
Many of you want the perks of staying in a moderate or deluxe resort. Sure, the pools are nicer, the dining options might be a little better, and you might have a little extra wiggle room. But for us, we don't spend a whole lot of time in the room, so we can't justify spending the extra money for a moderate or deluxe room. Again, it's a personal decision. You have to decide what's best for your family.
Pop Century is great, but for many other reasons than not having to share a bus! Pop Century has this awesome nostalgic feel. I love the giant Potato Heads, Big Wheel, Play-Doh, Mickey phone, and oh so much more! It definitely makes you feel like a kid again! The giant flower shaped "Hippy Dippy Pool" is so much fun, but the other pools (shaped like a computer, and bowling pin) are great, too. Everything Pop Shopping and Dining is a great place to chill and cool down after a long day in the parks, as well as for buying all your souvenirs. The rooms are nice and clean. They aren't huge, but again, we don't spend a whole lot of time in the room, so we don't mind at all. And I don't know why, but I love the sparkly floors inside the main building!
So, lots of people have asked me about where to stay when you go to Disney World, and I tell them that you have to think about what's best for your family, but we love Pop Century! It's very affordable, still nicer than a lot of other hotels we've been in before, and lots of fun! So when you're thinking about where to stay for your Disney World vacation, don't count out those value resorts just yet! Pop Century is a great one!
Until next time...
Disney Diva
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Why Stay at Disney?
There are many debates out there about whether to stay on-site or off-site when you visit Disney World. I can honestly say that I can't give you a good debate about the pros and cons of each, because we always stay on site at Disney World. There is just something wonderful about parking our car when we get there, and not coming back to it until we leave. Since I am the driver in our family, that, in itself, feels like a vacation to me!
So my first reason why staying on-site is the thing to do, is that you can use Disney transportation! We take the buses to and from the parks each day, and we enjoy that nice break to sit down and rest on the air-conditioned bus! We don't have to worry about directions, or being able to find our car in a massive parking lot, we just head to the bus station and go where we want to go! There are also the monorail and the ferryboats. These are an experience in themselves! This is probably my favorite perk of staying at a Disney resort.
And secondly, of course, are the Extra Magic Hours. Every day, specific parks open early or stay open late just for the Disney World resort crowd. This is a great time to enjoy the attractions that usually have the longest wait times, because the crowd is significantly lower. Granted, the parks with EMH are usually MORE crowded during the day, because they have the normal crowd, plus those taking advantage of the EMHs, but if you come and leave the parks during the most crowded parts of the day like we do, that is not a problem.
And don't forget, the Disney magic! Each Disney resort is totally themed-out, and is an amazing experience! Stay at the Caribbean Beach resort for your little pirate, the Polynesian for an island adventure, or Animal Kingdom Lodge for an African safari! And it's not just the deluxe resorts, you can stay at All-Star Sports for the sports fan in your life, All-Star Music for the musician, or Pop Century to reminisce about years gone by! All of the Disney resorts are unique and special. And each one is full of Disney magic! And of course, that famous Disney service is nice, too!
We love staying on-site at Disney World, and for us, we wouldn't have it any other way.
Until next time...
Disney Diva
So my first reason why staying on-site is the thing to do, is that you can use Disney transportation! We take the buses to and from the parks each day, and we enjoy that nice break to sit down and rest on the air-conditioned bus! We don't have to worry about directions, or being able to find our car in a massive parking lot, we just head to the bus station and go where we want to go! There are also the monorail and the ferryboats. These are an experience in themselves! This is probably my favorite perk of staying at a Disney resort.
And secondly, of course, are the Extra Magic Hours. Every day, specific parks open early or stay open late just for the Disney World resort crowd. This is a great time to enjoy the attractions that usually have the longest wait times, because the crowd is significantly lower. Granted, the parks with EMH are usually MORE crowded during the day, because they have the normal crowd, plus those taking advantage of the EMHs, but if you come and leave the parks during the most crowded parts of the day like we do, that is not a problem.
And don't forget, the Disney magic! Each Disney resort is totally themed-out, and is an amazing experience! Stay at the Caribbean Beach resort for your little pirate, the Polynesian for an island adventure, or Animal Kingdom Lodge for an African safari! And it's not just the deluxe resorts, you can stay at All-Star Sports for the sports fan in your life, All-Star Music for the musician, or Pop Century to reminisce about years gone by! All of the Disney resorts are unique and special. And each one is full of Disney magic! And of course, that famous Disney service is nice, too!
We love staying on-site at Disney World, and for us, we wouldn't have it any other way.
Until next time...
Disney Diva
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Choosing the Right Resort for You
Walt Disney World has different "tiers" of resorts: value, moderate, deluxe, and deluxe villa. Each of the Disney resorts are full of character and charm, and each has its own unique qualities. The right resort for you depends on personal preference, your budget, amenities you'd prefer, and the amount of time you plan on spending there. Here is a breakdown to get you started:
Value Resorts
The value resorts are generally the most affordable (as low as $82 per night). We usually stay in these resorts. We don't spend a lot of time in our room, and the accommodations are better here than most of the hotels we've stayed at other times. There are 4 value resorts: Pop Century, All-Star Music, All-Star Movies, and All-Star Sports. There is a new Art of Animation Resort that is scheduled to open in 2012. We usually choose Pop Century, mainly because of the bus situation at the All-Star resorts. The three resorts share buses and there were times we waited in line for an hour or more just waiting on a bus. We have never had that problem with Pop Century. All of these resorts have pools, arcades, food courts, and gift shops. The maximum occupancy of these rooms is 4, except for All-Star Movies which has a family suite that sleeps 6. If you have a smaller family, I'd definitely recommend the value resorts for their affordability. Here is a link to check out more.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hotels/?sortBy=nG:hasResortCategoryFacet&fv_78175=on
Moderate Resorts
The moderate resorts are a little higher priced (as low as $154/night). These include the Port Orleans resorts, Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, and the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. These resorts generally have more amenities, like larger rooms, trundle beds (in some rooms), mini-fridges (these are available at value resorts for an extra charge), double sinks, and ceiling fans. The moderate resorts also have larger pool areas with water slides. Some of these resorts have nicer dining experiences as well. The Caribbean Beach Resort also has a pirate theme which can be lots of fun for young boys. These rooms also generally sleep 4, but the rooms with the trundle bed can sleep 5. The cabins sleep 6. You can find out more at the following link.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hotels/?sortBy=nG:hasResortCategoryFacet&fv_78119=on
Deluxe Resorts
There are several deluxe resorts, so I won't name them all. They are a bit more pricey (as low as $250/night and on up to the thousands). The deluxe resorts are very nice, and their amenities vary widely. These resorts boast things like wildlife outside your window (Animal Kingdom Lodge), access to the monorail right in your resort (Contemporary, Polynesian), spas (Grand Floridian, Beach Club), beaches, watercraft rentals, bike rentals, health clubs, and so much more. They also offer things like concierge service, valet parking, and Signature Dining experiences. If you can afford it, go for it! These resorts are awesome! You can get more information at the following link.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hotels/?sortBy=nG:hasResortCategoryFacet&fv_78513=on
Deluxe Villas
Several of the Deluxe Villas are inside the Deluxe Resorts, but there are a few outside. These offer more of the conveniences of home. Rooms are offered for as low as $305/night for a room that sleeps 4. Some Deluxe Villas can sleep up to 12 people. These rooms come with things like full kitchens, washers and dryers, whirlpool tubs, private balconies, sleeper sofas, and more. They offer many of the same services as the Deluxe Resorts, because most of them are at the same physical location. You can find out more at:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hotels/?sortBy=nG:hasResortCategoryFacet&fv_78265=on
I hope this helps you choose the hotel that is right for you! There are lots of hotels outside Disney World that are affordable and super-nice, but I don't think you can beat staying on Disney property! You'll get that one-of-a-kind Disney service and experience, and you'll get to be a part of the magic even when you leave the parks. Not only that, but you'll get bonuses like Extra Magic Hours, and Disney Transportation! We usually park our car when we get there and don't see it again until we leave! Disney hotels are the way to go!
Until next time...
Disney Diva
Value Resorts
The value resorts are generally the most affordable (as low as $82 per night). We usually stay in these resorts. We don't spend a lot of time in our room, and the accommodations are better here than most of the hotels we've stayed at other times. There are 4 value resorts: Pop Century, All-Star Music, All-Star Movies, and All-Star Sports. There is a new Art of Animation Resort that is scheduled to open in 2012. We usually choose Pop Century, mainly because of the bus situation at the All-Star resorts. The three resorts share buses and there were times we waited in line for an hour or more just waiting on a bus. We have never had that problem with Pop Century. All of these resorts have pools, arcades, food courts, and gift shops. The maximum occupancy of these rooms is 4, except for All-Star Movies which has a family suite that sleeps 6. If you have a smaller family, I'd definitely recommend the value resorts for their affordability. Here is a link to check out more.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hotels/?sortBy=nG:hasResortCategoryFacet&fv_78175=on
Moderate Resorts
The moderate resorts are a little higher priced (as low as $154/night). These include the Port Orleans resorts, Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, and the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. These resorts generally have more amenities, like larger rooms, trundle beds (in some rooms), mini-fridges (these are available at value resorts for an extra charge), double sinks, and ceiling fans. The moderate resorts also have larger pool areas with water slides. Some of these resorts have nicer dining experiences as well. The Caribbean Beach Resort also has a pirate theme which can be lots of fun for young boys. These rooms also generally sleep 4, but the rooms with the trundle bed can sleep 5. The cabins sleep 6. You can find out more at the following link.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hotels/?sortBy=nG:hasResortCategoryFacet&fv_78119=on
Deluxe Resorts
There are several deluxe resorts, so I won't name them all. They are a bit more pricey (as low as $250/night and on up to the thousands). The deluxe resorts are very nice, and their amenities vary widely. These resorts boast things like wildlife outside your window (Animal Kingdom Lodge), access to the monorail right in your resort (Contemporary, Polynesian), spas (Grand Floridian, Beach Club), beaches, watercraft rentals, bike rentals, health clubs, and so much more. They also offer things like concierge service, valet parking, and Signature Dining experiences. If you can afford it, go for it! These resorts are awesome! You can get more information at the following link.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hotels/?sortBy=nG:hasResortCategoryFacet&fv_78513=on
Deluxe Villas
Several of the Deluxe Villas are inside the Deluxe Resorts, but there are a few outside. These offer more of the conveniences of home. Rooms are offered for as low as $305/night for a room that sleeps 4. Some Deluxe Villas can sleep up to 12 people. These rooms come with things like full kitchens, washers and dryers, whirlpool tubs, private balconies, sleeper sofas, and more. They offer many of the same services as the Deluxe Resorts, because most of them are at the same physical location. You can find out more at:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hotels/?sortBy=nG:hasResortCategoryFacet&fv_78265=on
I hope this helps you choose the hotel that is right for you! There are lots of hotels outside Disney World that are affordable and super-nice, but I don't think you can beat staying on Disney property! You'll get that one-of-a-kind Disney service and experience, and you'll get to be a part of the magic even when you leave the parks. Not only that, but you'll get bonuses like Extra Magic Hours, and Disney Transportation! We usually park our car when we get there and don't see it again until we leave! Disney hotels are the way to go!
Until next time...
Disney Diva
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