Disney Transportation or "How do I get there from here?"

With over 300 buses, Disney World has one of the largest private bus fleets in the world.  Every year, each bus in the fleet travels enough miles to circle the equator.  Twice.  While many lament the use of buses, Disney does an amazing job of shuttling folks about, usually with a 20 minutes or less wait between buses.  Taking a few minutes to make your self familiar with the bus service and other transportation options before you head to the world is always a good idea.  If you have any questions while you are on property, you can ask any cast member for help.

As you can probably deduce from my introduction, most resorts rely on buses to transport guests.  Once you know the basics, you will be able to navigate the bus system like a pro.  The first bus many visitors encounter is the Magical Express, a free shuttle that transports guests from the Orlando Airport to their Disney resort.  Unlike other buses at Disney World, this one requires a reservation.  Once you deplane, head to the Magical Express location, check in, hop on a bus, check in at your hotel, and hit the parks.  Don't worry about your luggage, Disney will collect it for you and deliver it to you room in a few hours.  Magical Express is one of the best deals around...check back for a more in depth post on the topic.

After you get settled in, there is likely another bus in your future.  (Yes, there are exceptions to the rule that I will cover in a minute!)  Head to your resorts bus depot and stand in the appropriate line.  As each bus pulls into the depot the destination will be clearly marked on the front of the bus.  If it is headed where you want to go, climb aboard in a in a nice orderly fashion and find a seat if you can.  Be aware you may not immediately head to your final destination.  You may have a few more stops to make at your resort or even another resort before you get where you are going.  Now I know there is much debate on this topic, but I am a healthy, able bodied, grown woman and I believe in good manners.  I will always offer to stand and let a child, parent carrying a child, elderly person, pregnant lady, sick, injured or otherwise infirm person have my seat.  Yes, the seats are first come, first served, and no, you don't have to give up your seat...it is just the polite thing to do.  Lecture over.

Disney bus system has a "Hub and Spoke" design.  The hubs include the four major theme parks, Downtown Disney, and the Ticketing and Transportation Center (TTC).  From each hub, you can travel to any Disney resort and back again.  The buses begin operations early in the morning by delivering breakfast guests to the parks.  Bus service begins 2 hours prior to park opening, so there is no excuse for you not to make the park opening!  For the stragglers and the late diners, buses continue to run 2-3 hours after the park closes.

What?  You want to eat dinner...where?  Moving between resort hotels is quite easy, it just takes a bit of planning and some extra time.  Since there is not direct transportation between hotels (unless they happen to be on the same route) you will need to first travel to a hub, and then transfer to your desired resort.  It helps to know the general areas of the hotels...you do not want to go from the Beach Club to the Contemporary via Animal Kingdom!

Operation Hide: How to share a room with a child in a pack-n-play!

When my youngest daughter was almost two years old she still needed a nice afternoon nap.  It was about that time that she realized she may be missing something big if she took one.  Unfortunately for us, those two facts collided right about the time we scheduled our trip to Disney Word.

I almost panicked at the last minute and left the toddler behind.  I knew if she did not get a nap, and get to bed at a reasonable hour that our vacation would spin into an uncontrollable death spiral from which we could not recover.  Let's face it...if a toddler is not happy, no one in the near vicinity will be happy. 

I knew that she would never go to sleep in a hotel room with the rest of us visible to her in the room.  Plain and simple.  Two rooms were not an option budget wise.  I thought about hiding everyone in the bathroom until she fell asleep, but that did not seem fair to anyone - especially her older sister who really needed an afternoon rest as well.  We were staying in a moderate hotel without a balcony or patio - so sitting outside with a door cracked was not an option either. 

I finally decided the best option was to hide her.  I positioned her pack-n-play in the corner of the room near the bathroom (I only had to do some minor re-arranging.)   I gathered my supplies: a large pair of 3m brand Command Hooks, a large pair of Office Binder Clips, and the darkest sheet I had from home.  Read the directions carefully on the hooks to make sure you install and remove them properly.  This will insure you do not damage the walls in any way.  Install the hooks on each wall just outside of the pack-n-play.  Be sure to hang the hooks over the head of the tallest person in the room.

A reproduced close up of our rig

Next unfold your sheet and attach the binder clips along one edge of the sheet.  Fold the clip back on itself
so that the sheet hangs from the bottom and the loop of the clip can be hung over the hook.  Now just stretch the sheet from hook to hook and hang and you have hidden your pack-n-play, essentially giving your toddler his or her own private room!  This would also be great to create a separate changing area for older kids would appreciate a little privacy.

When our daughter was not sleeping, I just let the sheet hang from one hook.  I could easily hang  the other side when needed.  When it was time to leave I stuffed the sheet back in my bag, carefully removed the hooks according to package directions, and moved the furniture back to the proper spot.  No evidence of our privacy screen remained! 

I hope this trick comes in handy for someone else. A few dollars on supplies saved us a fortune on another room and made sure our little one got the sleep she needed...which made us all happier in the long run! I guess necessity really is the mother of all invention!

Yes...she really is back there!  (Pardon our mess!)

This post is part of the Disney Blog Carnival. Head over there to see more great Disney-related posts and articles.

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NEW DISCOUNTS ANNOUNCED!

October 2010 – September 2011

Free Dining Offer!

 Valid for select nights 10/01/10 – 09/29/11, must book by 12/20/10

• Book a Walt Disney World vacation package that includes a 4-night/5-day stay at a Walt Disney World resort and a 5-day Magic Your Way base ticket, and receive the dining plan for free.
• Book a Disney Value Resort and get the Quick Service Dining free!
• Book a Disney Moderate, Deluxe or Deluxe Villas Resort and and get the Regular Dining free! 
• Free dining available most nights 10/1-10/7/10, 10/22-10/28/10, 11/12 – 11/18/10, 11/27 – 12/2/10, 12/10 – 12/21/10, 1/1 – 1/5/11, 1/9 – 1/13/11, 1/21 – 2/3/11, 2/11 – 2/17/11, 2/25 – 3/3/11, 5/27 – 6/2/11, 8/19 – 9/29/11. All discounts are subject to availability, certain restrictions apply.

August - October 2010

Save up to 40% off regular room rate

Valid for stays most nights 8/15/10 - 10/2/10, must book by 10/02/10

• Save 30% on Select Disney Value Resorts: from $58 per night
• Save 30% on Select Disney Moderate Resorts: from $108 per night
• Save 40% on Select Disney Deluxe Resorts: from $144 per night
• Save 40% on Select Disney Deluxe Villa Resort: from $177 per night

October 2010 - February 2011

Save up to 40% off regular room rate

Valid for stays select nights 10/3-11/23/10, 11/27-12/25/10, 1/1/11-2/16/11, must book by 11/21/10

• Save 25% on Select Disney Value Resorts
• Save 30% on Select Disney Moderate Resorts
• Save 25-40% on Select Disney Deluxe Resorts*
• Save 30% at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Save 25% at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Save 40% on Select Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts

October 2010 – February 2011 Free

$500 Disney Gift Card Offer!

Offer valid select night 10/3 - 11/23/10, 11/27 - 12/25/10, 1/1 - 2/16/11, must book by 11/21/10

Book a Walt Disney World vacation package that includes a 5-night, 5-day stay at a Walt Disney World resort and a 5-day park ticket, and receive a free Disney gift card up to $500!

• Book a Disney Value Resort and get a $200 Disney Gift Card
• Book a Disney Moderate Resort and get a $300 Disney Gift Card
• Book a Disney Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort and get a $500 Disney Gift Card

Contact TMC Travel for a free no obligation quote and to learn more about FREE vacation planning!
http://www.tmctravelonline.com/
ginger@tmctravelonline.com
(336)686-9048

 

Fun Facts: Cinderella Castle

• Most guests mispronounce the name of the castle, making it possessive. It is Cinderella Castle, not Cinderella’s castle.

• How many stones make up the iconic castle? None. It is made of fiberglass and gypsum plaster.

• The mote surrounding the castle contains 3.370 gallons of water.

• One of the prime restaurant reservation’s is for Cinderella’s Royal Table, a character meal featuring the princesses located on the second floor of the castle.

• An apartment suite for Walt Disney and his family was to be built in the castle. Unfortunately, Walt died before its completion. And the space was used for storage and offices. In recent years, the space was renovated to become the Castle Suite, a fantastic prize given away to unsuspecting guests during the Year of a Million Dreams promotion.

• The Castle also uses forced perspective techniques.

• There are a total of 27 towers on the castle, each numbered 1-29. Tower numbers 13 and 17 were deleted before construction when it was realized that they could not really be seen from anywhere in the park, due mainly to the other Fantasyland buildings. The tower with the clock in front is 10, the tallest is 20. 23 is the other golden-roofed tower.

Book Review: Realityland

After my last visit to Walt Disney World I was really interested in a behind the scenes look at the magic.  I wanted to learn more about the daily operations and the logistics of how Disney manages it's theme parks.  How do the manage to feed, house, and entertain so many people every day while keeping their customers so happy and willing to shell out thousands of dollars for a repeat experience?  It is pretty good question, huh?  Unfortunatley, I could not find the exact book that I was looking for...if you would like to write it you can dedicate it to me and I will be first in line to buy a copy!

I ended up with a copy of David Koenig's Realityland.  I found it to be a facinating behind the scenes look at the creation of Disney World.  I must delare upfront, if you are looking for a magical, pixie dust recounting of Disney history, then this book is absolutely not for you.  In fact, stop reading right now...go on, scoot!

Disney's PhotoPass Preorder Offer

Disney's Photopass is a great way to document your family's vacation.  Disney staffs the park with photographers to take pictures of you and your family in front of the major park icons, scenic spots, character greetings, as well as some character meals and attractions.  To take advantage of the service you can simply ask a photographer to take your picture and he will give you a PhotoPass Card, which is similiar to a hotel room key.  Each time you use wish to have your picture taken, simply hand over your card and all of you photographs will be waiting for you online.  You can add multiple cards to one PhotoPass account, so if you find yourself without your card handy, you can just grab a new one and keep on touring.  Be sure to write down or photograph your card number just in case it gets permanently misplaced!

The great thing about Photopass is that the whole family can be in the picture.  I always joke to my husband that my children may look back on their childhood and think they were motherless - I am always behind the camera!  Atleast they will know I exist in photos at Disney World!  Photopass photographers have also gotten some great shots of my children with the characters that I missed entirely.  While I was juggling strollers, autograph books and my own camera, they were already busy snapping away.  Perfect!