Okay, so I got an email from Expedia. Delta changed your flight from Orlando to SLC on 9/11. It now leaves at 6:00 p.m., which means that you miss your connection from SLC to Missoula.
The only other flight that you can take leaves at 8:00 a.m. which totally cuts into our trip plans because that means the Magical Express will make us board at 5:00 a.m.
Here are our options:
Option #1: You can leave at 8:00 a.m. that morning 9/11, which gives us one less day. We will leave later that day.
Option #2: We try to change the flight to 9/12 (Sunday) and add another night to our stay. There is a flight from Orlando to PHX at 8:00 a.m. that morning as well.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Showing posts with label Planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Planning. Show all posts
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Closures~
I received an update about closures at WDW while we are there. Here they are:
Epcot:
Honey I Shrunk The Audience will be closed. Captain EO will be showing.
Magic Kingdom: They are doing a HUGE Fantasyland expansion, so a few things are closed there.
Pooh's Playful Spot
Ariel's Grotto
Scuttle's Landing (snacks/food)
It's a Small World
DHS:
Star Tours closes for Rehab on 9/8-- we will be there on 9/7, so this is PERFECT!
One Man's Dream-- which breaks my heart because I really wanted to see this. That being said, I care more about Toy Story Midway Mania, which is closed for the two weeks prior to us getting there. I am so glad that will be open!
Epcot:
Honey I Shrunk The Audience will be closed. Captain EO will be showing.
Magic Kingdom: They are doing a HUGE Fantasyland expansion, so a few things are closed there.
Pooh's Playful Spot
Ariel's Grotto
Scuttle's Landing (snacks/food)
It's a Small World
DHS:
Star Tours closes for Rehab on 9/8-- we will be there on 9/7, so this is PERFECT!
One Man's Dream-- which breaks my heart because I really wanted to see this. That being said, I care more about Toy Story Midway Mania, which is closed for the two weeks prior to us getting there. I am so glad that will be open!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Special Delivery On Its Way!
You should be getting a package from Amazon at some point next week—with a few books. It will get you excited. I sent two different books to me, too—one that specifically deals with kids and the shorter version of the “unofficial guide” with color photos. Once I am done with those I will mail them to you so that you have a bit of new reading material.
One of these books won’t be used until we get there, but I thought that Hayden may have fun with the Hidden Mickey concept while we are there and waiting in line, exploring the parks, etx. Also, to ship the other items to you was the same cost as the book, so I figured why not get the book and then hit the amount needed for free shipping. =) We didn’t do the Hidden Mickey thing last year, but I thought it might be fun this year!
We really enjoyed reading the Hidden Magic book last year before we went, as it helped us to appreciate what we were seeing.
This book was the one we read that gave us some solid knowledge about what we were getting into. We didn’t read it until after we booked our trips, but we were glad we did! We knew what rides were there, how to navigate the parks, etc.
One of these books won’t be used until we get there, but I thought that Hayden may have fun with the Hidden Mickey concept while we are there and waiting in line, exploring the parks, etx. Also, to ship the other items to you was the same cost as the book, so I figured why not get the book and then hit the amount needed for free shipping. =) We didn’t do the Hidden Mickey thing last year, but I thought it might be fun this year!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Decision Has Been Made!
I think we have enough votes to make a decision, so I am booking the trip today! I just have to actually do some work at work-- then I will book. =)
Also, I found this awesome person/service that comes highly recommended by the "disboards" (a place I frequent). He has car seats, so this would be a great option for a taxi from the hotel to Universal on that day. (Hayden wouldn't need a car seat on the Disney buses or on the plane. Ginny is a lap child and will just be in the stroller, in a sling, or on our laps on the buses.)
It looks like he drives a van, which is great because then we wouldn't have to get two taxis. I am going to email him for a quote.
http://orlandotaxiservice.com/
- 9/3 to 9/11
- Port Orleans French Quarter (POFQ)
Also, I found this awesome person/service that comes highly recommended by the "disboards" (a place I frequent). He has car seats, so this would be a great option for a taxi from the hotel to Universal on that day. (Hayden wouldn't need a car seat on the Disney buses or on the plane. Ginny is a lap child and will just be in the stroller, in a sling, or on our laps on the buses.)
It looks like he drives a van, which is great because then we wouldn't have to get two taxis. I am going to email him for a quote.
http://orlandotaxiservice.com/
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Another Decision
Okay, so I checked prices for everything. Essentially, we have another decision to make. Adding on the "Park Hopper" option to our tickets would essentially be the same price as staying another night without Park Hopper Tickets.
Which would you prefer:
Option One: Leave on the 4th, get there around 4:30 p.m. Leave on 9/11 (in the afternoon). Ability to Park Hop, which is nice. However, if we plan our meals and days right, would we need to Park Hop?
Option Two: Leave on the 3rd (get there around 9:30 at night), leave on 9/11. No Park Hopping ability. However, we would have an extra day in the parks, so it would be less of an issue, I think. One more day in the parks means more rest time-- because our time in the parks would be less "rushed" (although our time won't be that rushed, anyway).
If you look at the right, I have mapped out a tentative schedule (without park hoppers). I made this schedule according the crowd calendars I found online and recommendations for the least crowded parks each day.
Poll is on the right.
Which would you prefer:
Option One: Leave on the 4th, get there around 4:30 p.m. Leave on 9/11 (in the afternoon). Ability to Park Hop, which is nice. However, if we plan our meals and days right, would we need to Park Hop?
Option Two: Leave on the 3rd (get there around 9:30 at night), leave on 9/11. No Park Hopping ability. However, we would have an extra day in the parks, so it would be less of an issue, I think. One more day in the parks means more rest time-- because our time in the parks would be less "rushed" (although our time won't be that rushed, anyway).
If you look at the right, I have mapped out a tentative schedule (without park hoppers). I made this schedule according the crowd calendars I found online and recommendations for the least crowded parks each day.
Poll is on the right.
Resort Preference: Coronado Springs
Located in the Walt Disney World Resort, Coronado Springs is really a vacation destination in itself! The main lobby is a beautiful sight in itself- there is a fountain the middle of the lobby with a breathtaking vaulted ceiling. There are numerous desks staffed with friendly castmembers, and we did not have to wait to check in, even though the lobby seemed full. Connected to the main lobby is a very large convention center (95,000 square feet!) that can be divided into 45 different rooms. Also located in this building is a business center, which was a wonderful touch to the hotel.
We saw conferences coming and going during our stay, but they were never a distraction during our vacation. In fact, since most of the conferences were in session during the days, we enjoyed having the pools almost to ourselves! We did notice a bit more of a "party" atmosphere in the evenings just outside of the main lobby at the outdoor bar, but besides a little extra noise, there was no real issues.
Since Coronado Springs is used most often for conventions, it is one of the largest resorts on property, containing 1,967 rooms. The rooms are all set around a 15 acre central lake, named the Lago Dorado, which features a marina where you can rent boats, bikes and surreys. The guests rooms are located in separate buildings that are divided into three very distinct "cities."
Located to the left of El Centro (the main lobby) are the Casitas, which means "little houses." The buildings open up to beautiful courtyards containing pristine landscaping, fountains and other water features, statues and benches to just sit and enjoy your surroundings. The colors on the buildings here are very inviting; bright and warm. Since the Casitas are located closest to the main convention center, most of the rooms are used for attendees. Also located in the Casitas are a full-service salon, and a fitness center.
To the right side of El Centro is the Cabanas buildings, themed with more of a "beachy" atmosphere. Here you will find 2 story buildings that have more of a bungalow type of look. This theme is carried out in the cozy hammocks situated over the white sand close to the water of Lago Dorado. The Cabanas buildings have considerably less rooms than the 1,024 rooms of the Casitas, coming in at only 319.
The last section of guest rooms is located across the lake from El Centro, and is called the Ranchos section. This is the section that we stayed in, and we loved how quiet the Ranchos buildings were; we were away from the hustle and bustle, and felt very secluded from everyone else, which was welcomed while on vacation. We had a rental car during our stay, and we were thankful for that once we saw the location of our room; we stayed in building 7A, which is located at the farthest point from El Centro. While the walk was not bad for my husband or I to get to the main lobby, it was about three-quarters of a mile, which was a lot for my 4 year old son to handle after a long day at the parks. The parking lots surround the entire resort, and we never had a problem getting a parking space very close to our building.
There are bus stops located at various locations around the resort for easy accessibility. The buses were awesome!!! We rarely had to wait more than 5 minutes for a bus and often it was mostly empty - I think that's because there was a convention going on and most of the guests were attending that rather than visit the theme parks. We stayed in the Cabanas, building *a, and it was 50 yards from the bus stop and 50 yards from the pool.
Some of the extras that Coronado Springs has to offer include the pools and play areas for the kids. The pool is called "The Dig Site," and features a huge Mayan temple that spills water down into the main pool. We were there for opening one morning, before the water was turned on for the day. The lifeguards called all the kids over to the temple to chant to the "water gods" to turn on the water- great fun for the kids, and fun for us parents to watch the ceremony. There is a large water slide going into the pool, plenty of chairs and and chaise lounges to relax on, and a kiddie wading pool for the younger ones.
There were always 3 lifeguards on duty during the pool's official hours, which were 10:00 am to 8:00 pm during our stay. Guests could swim at the pool after hours, but there were no lifeguards on duty; we took advantage of this one night, and I must say this pool is fabulous during the day, and even more spectacular at night under all the lights! One of the lifeguards pointed out to us that we could go over to the marina and rent a life jacket for our son free of charge to use at the pool, which was nice. The Dig Site also has a snack bar, an arcade, and a huge hot tub big enough for 20 people! There is also a play area for the kids to climb on, swing, dig, and well, just be kids. The pool is located next to the lake, and is within easy access to all three sections of guest rooms.
If a guest is looking for a more laid-back swim, each of the three villages at the resort has their own quiet pools. There are no lifeguards at these pools, and there are no towels available at the quiet pools like there are at the Dig Site; (we brought the towels from our room, and had mousekeeping replace them for us.) There are, however, restrooms located adjacent to the pools, and plenty of chairs and chaise lounges for guests. We found these pools to be a nice change of pace during our stay- they were almost always empty when we visited them, and it was a nice relaxing atmosphere to escape the noise and crowds at the Disney parks.
Rooms:
Grounds:
Feel free to leave your lists of Pros/Cons below and let me know what you think!
We saw conferences coming and going during our stay, but they were never a distraction during our vacation. In fact, since most of the conferences were in session during the days, we enjoyed having the pools almost to ourselves! We did notice a bit more of a "party" atmosphere in the evenings just outside of the main lobby at the outdoor bar, but besides a little extra noise, there was no real issues.
Since Coronado Springs is used most often for conventions, it is one of the largest resorts on property, containing 1,967 rooms. The rooms are all set around a 15 acre central lake, named the Lago Dorado, which features a marina where you can rent boats, bikes and surreys. The guests rooms are located in separate buildings that are divided into three very distinct "cities."
Located to the left of El Centro (the main lobby) are the Casitas, which means "little houses." The buildings open up to beautiful courtyards containing pristine landscaping, fountains and other water features, statues and benches to just sit and enjoy your surroundings. The colors on the buildings here are very inviting; bright and warm. Since the Casitas are located closest to the main convention center, most of the rooms are used for attendees. Also located in the Casitas are a full-service salon, and a fitness center.
To the right side of El Centro is the Cabanas buildings, themed with more of a "beachy" atmosphere. Here you will find 2 story buildings that have more of a bungalow type of look. This theme is carried out in the cozy hammocks situated over the white sand close to the water of Lago Dorado. The Cabanas buildings have considerably less rooms than the 1,024 rooms of the Casitas, coming in at only 319.
The last section of guest rooms is located across the lake from El Centro, and is called the Ranchos section. This is the section that we stayed in, and we loved how quiet the Ranchos buildings were; we were away from the hustle and bustle, and felt very secluded from everyone else, which was welcomed while on vacation. We had a rental car during our stay, and we were thankful for that once we saw the location of our room; we stayed in building 7A, which is located at the farthest point from El Centro. While the walk was not bad for my husband or I to get to the main lobby, it was about three-quarters of a mile, which was a lot for my 4 year old son to handle after a long day at the parks. The parking lots surround the entire resort, and we never had a problem getting a parking space very close to our building.
There are bus stops located at various locations around the resort for easy accessibility. The buses were awesome!!! We rarely had to wait more than 5 minutes for a bus and often it was mostly empty - I think that's because there was a convention going on and most of the guests were attending that rather than visit the theme parks. We stayed in the Cabanas, building *a, and it was 50 yards from the bus stop and 50 yards from the pool.
Some of the extras that Coronado Springs has to offer include the pools and play areas for the kids. The pool is called "The Dig Site," and features a huge Mayan temple that spills water down into the main pool. We were there for opening one morning, before the water was turned on for the day. The lifeguards called all the kids over to the temple to chant to the "water gods" to turn on the water- great fun for the kids, and fun for us parents to watch the ceremony. There is a large water slide going into the pool, plenty of chairs and and chaise lounges to relax on, and a kiddie wading pool for the younger ones.
There were always 3 lifeguards on duty during the pool's official hours, which were 10:00 am to 8:00 pm during our stay. Guests could swim at the pool after hours, but there were no lifeguards on duty; we took advantage of this one night, and I must say this pool is fabulous during the day, and even more spectacular at night under all the lights! One of the lifeguards pointed out to us that we could go over to the marina and rent a life jacket for our son free of charge to use at the pool, which was nice. The Dig Site also has a snack bar, an arcade, and a huge hot tub big enough for 20 people! There is also a play area for the kids to climb on, swing, dig, and well, just be kids. The pool is located next to the lake, and is within easy access to all three sections of guest rooms.
If a guest is looking for a more laid-back swim, each of the three villages at the resort has their own quiet pools. There are no lifeguards at these pools, and there are no towels available at the quiet pools like there are at the Dig Site; (we brought the towels from our room, and had mousekeeping replace them for us.) There are, however, restrooms located adjacent to the pools, and plenty of chairs and chaise lounges for guests. We found these pools to be a nice change of pace during our stay- they were almost always empty when we visited them, and it was a nice relaxing atmosphere to escape the noise and crowds at the Disney parks.
Rooms:
Grounds:
Resort Preference: Port Orleans French Quarter
Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort is a moderately priced resort situated along the Sassagoula River. French Quarter is a small, intimate resort boasting a colourful Mardi Gras theme. Rooms are available in standard, garden, and water view, and either smoking or non-smoking. There are also king bed and handicap accessible rooms available.
Standard rooms overlook the parking lot, garden view rooms overlook the interior courtyards of the resort, and water view rooms offer a view of either the Sassagoula River or the pool. The rooms are approximately 314 square feet in size. All guest rooms offer either one king bed or two double beds, a table and two chairs, a dresser with a television, a refrigerator, a padded bench with a shelf and hooks above, two sinks, a tub and toilet, and a clothes rod with a shelf above.
Port Orleans French Quarter offers bus service to the parks and Downtown Disney. We liked that it was a smaller resort that you could walk to the pool, food, front desk, and transportation stops. It made it much more convenient to get what you wanted and where you wanted to go. The buses were just right. Never had to wait too long, they were not overly full and with only 1 stop, there was no waiting around on the bus while you stopped to pick up more people. Bus transportation was wonderful - I don't know if we just hit it right every day or what but we never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus. Had no problem with the buses while leaving the parks at night either. Everything runs like a well oiled machine. Resort was smaller and therefore not crowded or noisy.
The resort also offers a boat ride along the Sassagoula River to the Downtown Disney area. French Quarter is connected to Riverside by the Sassagoula River and a walkway along the river. This is a very relaxing and romantic walk to take in the evening.
Doubloon Lagoon is French Quarter's themed pool area. It features a sea serpent themed slide where the actual slide is supposed to be the serpent's tongue! The pool area also features a number of alligator statues that shoot out water. A jacuzzi is also available. The slide closes and the lifeguards go off duty at 10:00pm every night. There is plenty of recreation available at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter. Bike rentals are available until 5:00pm daily and boats can be rented at the Riverside marina. There is also a fishing excursion in the Sassagoula River available as well as cane poll fishing. An arcade is located in the main building.
Rooms:
Grounds:
Feel free to leave your lists of Pros/Cons below and let me know what you think!
Standard rooms overlook the parking lot, garden view rooms overlook the interior courtyards of the resort, and water view rooms offer a view of either the Sassagoula River or the pool. The rooms are approximately 314 square feet in size. All guest rooms offer either one king bed or two double beds, a table and two chairs, a dresser with a television, a refrigerator, a padded bench with a shelf and hooks above, two sinks, a tub and toilet, and a clothes rod with a shelf above.
Port Orleans French Quarter offers bus service to the parks and Downtown Disney. We liked that it was a smaller resort that you could walk to the pool, food, front desk, and transportation stops. It made it much more convenient to get what you wanted and where you wanted to go. The buses were just right. Never had to wait too long, they were not overly full and with only 1 stop, there was no waiting around on the bus while you stopped to pick up more people. Bus transportation was wonderful - I don't know if we just hit it right every day or what but we never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus. Had no problem with the buses while leaving the parks at night either. Everything runs like a well oiled machine. Resort was smaller and therefore not crowded or noisy.
The resort also offers a boat ride along the Sassagoula River to the Downtown Disney area. French Quarter is connected to Riverside by the Sassagoula River and a walkway along the river. This is a very relaxing and romantic walk to take in the evening.
Doubloon Lagoon is French Quarter's themed pool area. It features a sea serpent themed slide where the actual slide is supposed to be the serpent's tongue! The pool area also features a number of alligator statues that shoot out water. A jacuzzi is also available. The slide closes and the lifeguards go off duty at 10:00pm every night. There is plenty of recreation available at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter. Bike rentals are available until 5:00pm daily and boats can be rented at the Riverside marina. There is also a fishing excursion in the Sassagoula River available as well as cane poll fishing. An arcade is located in the main building.
Rooms:
Resort Preference: Pop Century
Disney's Pop Century Resort located on the Disney property is one of the few value resorts available at Disney. While not the best that Disney has to offer, if you are wishing to come and get the full Disney experience while also sticking to a tight budget, then this would be the resort for you. It is also a smoke-free resort.
The Disney's Pop Century Resort is a newer hotel that salutes many pop culture crazes like fads, movies and music. The resort is divided up into ten different buildings only four stories high and each having their own theme of a certain decade; 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, and the 90's. Disney's Pop Century Resort is located near the Epcot and Hollywood Studios theme parks.
The main building located in the center, named Classic Hall and features the lobby, gift shop, video arcade, and food court/restaurant. If you have small children, be sure to request the rooms closest to the elevators and to the main building and save yourself the hassle of the long walks and cranky children.
The rooms are on the small side but were clean and comfortable although there was nothing special about them. You could defiantly feel the theme of the decade within the hotel that decorated the entire room. It was entertaining to walk through the different buildings to check out the different décor by decade, it was very amusing. The room was bright and fun and very Disney. The atmosphere was fun and whimsical. We even spent a good hour in the lobby just enjoying the memorabilia on the walls!
If you do plan to spend a couple of days at the hotel lounging at the pool then I suggest upgrading to a moderate resort for a better experience, since the moderate resorts have more staff there to take care of your needs. The housekeeping was always friendly and on top of their game.
For the children there are a variety of activities, such as a playground and there are three pools available on the property, as well as a children's spray area themed as Goofy's playground. The pools are also themed, with the main pool being a flower shaped 70's inspired pool, the other smaller pools are shaped as a bowling lane and a computer shaped pool respectively. No slide at the pool like the moderates was a definite downer for our kids.
A quick and helpful tip you are staying with a large family for an extended time, a money saving tip would be to purchase a Disney Cup for around $12. This allowed you to refill the cup as many times as you want with whatever beverage you wanted the whole length of your stay. There are multiple cleaning stations near the filling stations so you have a chance to clean out your cup, this is not exclusive to just this specific resort.
Getting around the Disney is fast and easy as transportation throughout the parks is complementary and the buses come quickly and often. Having just one bus stop is great too. The only problems were if you closed a park, then the wait is long, but that is with all the hotels. I have stayed at deluxe resorts where we have waited much longer. We never really waited in a POP line for longer than ten minutes and on most trips other than park closing there was seating for everyone.
The resort is pretty awesome for a value resort and I think that the Disney Pop Century Resort is the best option from the entire four value resort options. Don't expect anything special as the resort is dated and you will see some giant renderings of obsolete tech toys and weird decorations, but at the same time is a quirky fun!
Information obtained from: here and here
The rooms (some rooms are upgraded to flat screens, some aren’t):v
The grounds:
The Disney's Pop Century Resort is a newer hotel that salutes many pop culture crazes like fads, movies and music. The resort is divided up into ten different buildings only four stories high and each having their own theme of a certain decade; 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, and the 90's. Disney's Pop Century Resort is located near the Epcot and Hollywood Studios theme parks.
The main building located in the center, named Classic Hall and features the lobby, gift shop, video arcade, and food court/restaurant. If you have small children, be sure to request the rooms closest to the elevators and to the main building and save yourself the hassle of the long walks and cranky children.
The rooms are on the small side but were clean and comfortable although there was nothing special about them. You could defiantly feel the theme of the decade within the hotel that decorated the entire room. It was entertaining to walk through the different buildings to check out the different décor by decade, it was very amusing. The room was bright and fun and very Disney. The atmosphere was fun and whimsical. We even spent a good hour in the lobby just enjoying the memorabilia on the walls!
If you do plan to spend a couple of days at the hotel lounging at the pool then I suggest upgrading to a moderate resort for a better experience, since the moderate resorts have more staff there to take care of your needs. The housekeeping was always friendly and on top of their game.
For the children there are a variety of activities, such as a playground and there are three pools available on the property, as well as a children's spray area themed as Goofy's playground. The pools are also themed, with the main pool being a flower shaped 70's inspired pool, the other smaller pools are shaped as a bowling lane and a computer shaped pool respectively. No slide at the pool like the moderates was a definite downer for our kids.
A quick and helpful tip you are staying with a large family for an extended time, a money saving tip would be to purchase a Disney Cup for around $12. This allowed you to refill the cup as many times as you want with whatever beverage you wanted the whole length of your stay. There are multiple cleaning stations near the filling stations so you have a chance to clean out your cup, this is not exclusive to just this specific resort.
Getting around the Disney is fast and easy as transportation throughout the parks is complementary and the buses come quickly and often. Having just one bus stop is great too. The only problems were if you closed a park, then the wait is long, but that is with all the hotels. I have stayed at deluxe resorts where we have waited much longer. We never really waited in a POP line for longer than ten minutes and on most trips other than park closing there was seating for everyone.
The resort is pretty awesome for a value resort and I think that the Disney Pop Century Resort is the best option from the entire four value resort options. Don't expect anything special as the resort is dated and you will see some giant renderings of obsolete tech toys and weird decorations, but at the same time is a quirky fun!
Information obtained from: here and here
The rooms (some rooms are upgraded to flat screens, some aren’t):v
The grounds:
Feel free to leave your lists of Pros/Cons below and let me know what you think!
Resort Preference: Taking a Vote
Hello Dirk, Laura, Evan, Hayden and other family members reading this blog!
Our first step is to choose a resort. I have narrowed it down to three based on their reviews, the prices I can get them for, and the overall themes. I will post three new posts with information about each. We will all have the ability to take a vote on the sidebar (including Hayden and other family members, if they so choose). Let me know which one interests you the most. Happy voting!
Voting closes on Wednesday night at midnight, as I am booking the trip on Thursday morning.
Our first step is to choose a resort. I have narrowed it down to three based on their reviews, the prices I can get them for, and the overall themes. I will post three new posts with information about each. We will all have the ability to take a vote on the sidebar (including Hayden and other family members, if they so choose). Let me know which one interests you the most. Happy voting!
Voting closes on Wednesday night at midnight, as I am booking the trip on Thursday morning.
New Blog~
This blog is dedicated to planning our September 2010 WDW trip.
Cast of Characters:
Paula
Evan
Dirk
Laura
Hayden
Ginny
Categories of Posts:
Attractions
Planning
Dining
Kiddos
Travel
Resort
Pre-Trip Activities
Other
Cast of Characters:
Paula
Evan
Dirk
Laura
Hayden
Ginny
Categories of Posts:
Attractions
Planning
Dining
Kiddos
Travel
Resort
Pre-Trip Activities
Other
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