Other things to do at Disney World

Did you know there are a lot of things to do at Disney besides visiting theme parks? My kids favorite things to do is spend a day at the resort pool. I always plan one day just to do that. It's a really relaxing day and if we plan to do a nice dinner or a dinner show during the trip this is a good night to plan it. My kids also love minigolf and Disney has two really great courses. Something else thats really fun is a traditional afternoon tea served at the Grand Floridian. Isabelle and I did the tea, it was a really nice way to spend some special time with her. Disney can be relaxing if you don't try to spend every minute in a theme park. Build some down time into your Disney trip for a more enjoyable time!

What time of year should I go?

My family and I just returned from a week at Disney. This was our first time traveling in October, we choose Columbus day week so we would only have to pull Isabelle out of school for 4 days instead of 5 and Tony was able to use an optional holiday for Monday so he also only had to take 4 days off. Next year I am planning a trip for the end of August before the kids go back to school. I have been told that 2nd grade is a tough year to miss days.

So when should you go?

Well if you have kids in school you have to work around that. If you feel comfortable pulling them out for a few days then try to go during the timeframes I will list below. If you want to take advantage of one of the kid's days off from school try to plan it around a 'teacher in service day' or some other day off that is unique to your school. Everyone gets Columbus day off and the crowds reflected that. So if you can be flexible what are the best times to go to Disney?

-October was fantastic weather wise, so far my favorite time of year and the food and wine festival is taking place. So any time in October with the exception of the week before and the week of Columbus day.

-We have also had great luck with all of September. It's quite hot in early September but the lack of crowds make it wonderful there. Be aware though that traveling when crowds are light means the parks don't stay open very late.

- November/early December: After Thanksgiving all the Christmas decorations go up and Disney starts offering their Very Merry Christmas Party which is supposed to be really fun. The crowds are light and the weather is warm but not hot. Don't expect to do much swimming though and bring plenty of sweatshirts, pants and jackets for chilly nights.

- May is also a lovely time to go to Disney. This year dates before the 21st of May were part of Regular season price wise, after the 21st prices went up. The week right before prices go up is your best bet for May, Spring break is over, prices are low and the temperature is perfect. Bring some rain ponchos though, it is rainly season.

If you are considering other dates check Disney's rate charts. The less expensive the rooms the lighter the crowds seems to hold pretty true, so try to plan your trip during value or regular season. Here are the dates for 2009 (note that it does vary slightly depending on your resort level, these are for All Star resorts) You should also know that further promotions are often offered during value and regular season (additional % off or "free dining" are common promotions)

Value- Jan 1-Feb 12 & Aug 9-Oct 1 & Nov 29-Dec 17 (rack rate for all Star room starts at $82)
Regular- April 19-May 21 & October 2-Nov 28 (rack rate for All Star Room starts at $105)
Summer- May 22- Aug 8 (rack rate for All Star Room starts at $115)
Peak- Feb 13-April 18 (rack rate for All Star Room starts at $125)
Holiday- Dec 18 - Dec 30 (rack rate for All Star Room starts at $135)

Wondering what the best time is for your family to go? Ask me a question in the comments section and I will be sure to get back to you!

finding a flight

With prices being higher than usual on airline flights here is what I suggest when trying to book a flight to Orlando. You may have a favorite airline but be open to the possibility of other airlines and other airports. Here in Connecticut we have multiple choices for airports. Usually we like to fly out of Bradley but this time we'll be flying out of White Plains, NY it's the same drive time for us either way (about 45 minutes) if I could have gotten a signifigantly discounted flight I even would have flown out of providence or Long Island. A 2-3 hour drive can be very dooable especially if you use a stay and fly option at a hotel, that usually includes parking of your car for the duration of your trip and a shuttle to the airport. Also try to be flexible with your dates. In my experience a Tuesday travel dates are the least expensive so don't rule out a Tues- Tues trip it could save you some cash! If you are at all in doubt about what/when to book I recommend going with Southwest. If you book with Southwest and the price goes down you can get credit for the difference and you can sell those credits on ebay! Can you believe that! Also Southwest doesn't charge change fees so if your flight price stays the same but another flight the same day goes down you can rebook that new flight at the lower price and get credit for the difference. You can't do that with other airlines. Trust me I know, we're on Jetblue out of White Plains for my trip next week and there is no changing things around.

Dining in Epcot

I took a look and the sit down restaurant in the Animal Kingdom is called the Yak and Yeti. Looks pretty much like Chinese food, I haven’t heard much about the place. Getting on to Epcot where there are lots of great places to eat…

We love LeCellier, it’s a steakhouse in Canada and the food is really good and it’s only 1dining credit, but it’s so hard to get into! Teppan Edo is really good too, that’s in Japan and they serve Hibachi style food, they cook right in front of you! Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is in Norway they have a great Princess meal that is only one credit (which is great because a meal in the castle with the princesses is two credits!) I tried Le Chefs de France 2 visits ago for the first time and thought the food was really good, it’s noisy in there though! San Angel in Mexico is so pretty I always wanted to eat there but I’ve heard pretty bad things about the food. If I ever do eat there it will be for a couple of margaritas and an appetizer. Outside of the World Showcase is Coral Reef which has great atmosphere and really good food. Also to be noted is the Sunshine Season Food Fair in the Land Pavilion, they serve “counter service food” but in my opinion it is the best counter service in any of the parks. A great value on the dining plan if you use one of counter service meals for lunch (or dinner) here!

Did you know that all of the Deluxe resorts have restaurants in them too? Even if you don’t have a car you can easily dine at any of the resorts on the monorail or at the Wilderness Lodge which is only a boat ride away from the Magic Kingdom or even at the Boardwalk or Beachclub resorts which are just a short walk from Epcot’s World Showcase. More on resort dining next time!

Dining at Disney World

So my pal Lisa has booked her trip, way to make the leap Lisa! So now she wants to know where she should make reservations for dining. Well aren't you thinking ahead! And you should be! Reservations for meals can be really hard to get especially if there is a "free dining" promotion going on. Most reservations for dining at Disney can be made 180 in advance. Thats 6 months wow! So Lisa can make her reservations now for her December trip. She asks me where she should eat. I have some favorites...

in the Magic Kingdom I like Liberty Tree Tavern for a sit down meal, currently they have characters there (Minnie and some others) but they are doing away with the characters soon. The food is turkey stuffing mashed potaots, typical thanksgiving fare, it's pretty good. Breakfast and dinner are good at the Crystal Palace also, I'm not too keen on their lunch. They have Pooh and friends at that meal. Other than that I prefer to stick to fast food in the Magic Kingdom. I have heard that the Plaza on Main Street is nice for a relaxed lunch, they do sandwiches and such and even though it is a "sit down" meal reservations can not be made here.

In Animal Kingdom we always stick to fast food too. I like Flame Tree BBQ, the husband like Pizzafari. They just added a sit down place there but I haven't tried it.

In MGM they have some fun places to try 50's Prime time is fun if you're with a crowd or if you are just silly people, the food is quite good here too, I love the smores dessert! Brown Derby is tasty although a bit expensive and counts as 2 meals if you're on the dining plan. We also like Sci-Fi where you sit at car tables and watch movies on the big screen, just like you were at a drive in. Lunch here is a great way to cool down from the heat. They have good burgers rings and milkshakes as well as much more sophisticated fare. We're eating lunh here on our next trip on a day when we don't have the dining plan, we'll just pay for this meal (If you are not on the dining plan lunches or breakfast are a cheaper meal to have sit down than dinner) Fast food at MGM is typically not considered wonderful although I've had sgood experience at ABC Commissary.

There are so many wonderful places to eat in Epcot that it deserves it's own post, so it shall get one. Stay tuned for Epcot dining... In the mean time you can check out all of the menus for Disney resturants online. This amazing woman Deb runs http://www.wdwig.com/ check out her site, click on dining then in the top left corner on 'the menus' it's all organized by park and resort. Being able to see the menu offerings and prices can make it much easier to choose a place thats right for you.

Get into Disney World Free on your Bday in 2009

My wonderful friend Tara loves me and so she posted a comment to my blog, a helpful one!

Tara said...
Just came across this great deal for 2009! Go to Disney FREE on your birthday!! (US parks only)Here is the announcment. http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory?id=5833458


So here is a link to the Disney site with the details...
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/WhatWillYouCelebrate/index?name=WDWCelebrationsOverviewPage

and if you're down in Disney but already have your park tickets you can choose

-A birthday fun card in an amount equal to the price of a 1-day Magic Your Way base ticket* for you to use on your birthday for merchandise, recreation or fun activities at select participating locations at Walt Disney World® Resort; or
-A special birthday FASTPASS® badge+ for certain attractions at the Theme Park you visit on your birthday; or
-A 1-day Magic Your Way base ticket for you to use any time until your next birthday.

VERY COOL!! Thanks Tara!

10 day non-expiring passes, working the DisneyWorld.com site

The question:
The Disney website won't let me change my pass for the magic your way, it says six days, so I guess it will be cheaper if I get less

The answer:
You can change it from 6 days to less. If you're on the Disney Worldsite there’s a drop down in that area that will show you the choices.

Another question:
Ok, I tried that out. Getting the 10 day no expiring only adds a couple hundred, is that a good idea to get that? It seems reasonable to getyour passes for the next time, no? or is it better to get hotel/tix deal? I really want to go in dec. but it seems like nov. will have better prices/warmer weather. Probably less crowded too.

Another answer:
We buy ours as 10 day non expiring and use what we need each time until they run out. If you can afford to put that cash out now it's nice to have them for next time and per day that works out to be the cheapest way. Lots of times we just buy what we need though because then you aren't paying for the nonexpiring option, totally up to you. Are the prices coming out different for Dec vs. Nov? I would have thought they were the same season thus the same prices and no Nov probably won't be any less crowed there are NO CROWDS either time, it's really a nonissue, warmth though that’s something to think of, still in Dec there’s more reason to escape although with trying to get ready for the Holidays sometimes you’d rather be home. Each has a plus and minus you just have to decide what works for you...