More than Four (or Five)? Disney Accomodations for Larger Families

Hi folks!   I would like to welcome back our very first guest blogger Lori Potter.  Since her first blog post with us, she has officially joined the TMC Travel family.  Lori is a mom of four and has great experience travelling with a larger brood!

New Innova Bed at Art of Animation.  Is it a table or a bed?
Photo courtesy of Disney

We have a family of 6, which according to Disney it makes us a large family.  And because of that it makes our accommodation options at Disney a bit more limited.  Thankfully Disney is finally realizing that more and more families have more than 2 kids and has just built the beautiful Art of Animation resort which adds a ton more family suites into their inventory at a more affordable price.  So what are the on-property resort options for a family of 6?

The most economical way to go is actually 2 rooms at a Value resort.  If you are a family traveling together with one adult in each room then Disney will give you priority on adjoining rooms.  If you don’t mind Value accommodations this is a great option.  However, there are some more options if you want to all stay in one room. 

The Value resorts All Star Music and Art of Animation have Family Suites that are specifically designed for a family of 6.  My family just stayed in a Family Suite at the All Star Music and we really enjoyed our time there.  It is a Value resort so the doors open to exterior hallways and the linens are well, not as nice as some resorts but all in all it was a great fit for us.  When you open the door you walk into the family room.  There is a sofa (that turns into a double bed), a chair (which makes a twin size bed) and an ottoman (that folds out into a bed!).  Off to the side there is a vanity area with good storage for suitcases and a bathroom.   There is also a “kitchenette” which has a microwave, small fridge and a counter area.  There is a bedroom (with a door) that has a double bed, TV and desk area.  Across from the bedroom is another bathroom.   So two bathrooms, beds for 6 and ample storage space!  Our suite was in Jazz Inn 9.  It was sort of in the middle of the resort.  We didn’t have to walk too far to the pool or the main building which houses the food court and the bus stops.  There was also parking close to our room which was convenient for us since we drove.  Art of Animation is a brand new resort and will have a similar layout for their family suites.   However, instead of an ottoman there will be table that folds out into a bed!  A table!  Can’t wait to see these in person and hopefully stay there at an upcoming trip. 

In the moderate resort category the Cabins at Fort Wilderness are a great option.  The cabins are individual buildings set at the beautiful Fort Wilderness campground.   They are equipped with a full kitchen, one bathroom, bedroom with a double bed and a set of bunk beds and a family room that has a pull down double Murphy bed.  Each cabin also has a private patio.  We love this option as we don’t have to worry too much about the kids being so loud they disturb neighbors.  We also love having the bedroom for the kids so we can stay up later (well that’s the though anyways..we are usually more tired than the kids!).  Fort Wilderness is a fun place to stay – there are always tons of activities going on around the resort like nightly movies and a Chip and Dale Sing-a-long by the campfire.  It has a great restaurant – Trail’s End and a fabulous dinner show – The Hoop De Doo.  Transportation can be a little bit of challenge – the resort is very large so there are buses to take you around to different spots around the resort as well as to the Disney transportation areas.  It is a quick boat ride to the Magic Kingdom and you take buses everywhere else. 

If you are looking for a little more luxury in your resort stay Disney has several Deluxe Villas that will accommodate a family of 6.  There resorts are part of the Disney Vacation Club are designed with luxury and comfort in mind.   There are 8 villas that have 2 bedrooms that will fit a family of 6:  Saratoga Springs, Beach Club, Boardwalk, Old Key West, Animal Kingdom (both Jambo and Kidani), Wilderness Lodge and Bay Lake Towers.  Fair warning – these resorts can be very pricey and the two bedrooms at some of them (Bay Lake Towers) are pretty hard to come by since Disney Vacation Club members have priority for them.  However, the villas are spacious, beautiful and very comfortable (and they have washers and dryers!).  A great option if it fits your budget.  These resorts all have full kitchens and at least 2 bathrooms. 

We’d love to help you find a great resort fit for your family of 6 or more!  Call us today!!

Good things are happening!

Over the past week there have been lots of good news coming from Disney.  Nothing so earth shattering that I felt compelled to drop everything and start typing, but if you look at the whole picture there are a lot of little changes that will add up to a much better guest experience.  So here goes...

• WI-FI-nally - All Disney resorts now have wifi available in guest rooms and most public spaces including pools and lobbies.  Finally.  I have taken some flack on some message boards for criticizing Disney for not having Wifi available in the resorts.  (Perhaps it had something to do with me asking if there was indoor plumbing and if the toilets flushed - I was feeling unusually snarky that day.) Yes, it is a vacation and some people like/want/need to unplug.  However, sometimes you just have to keep in touch with your real life, even at Disney World....not to mention that wifi is often involved with how people spend their leisure time.  I always felt that it was a bit incongruous that they did not have wifi long ago, for a company that is often on the leading edge of technology, this took awhile.  But it is done, so good for you Disney! 
• The Fridges are coming!  The Fridges are coming! - Value resort guests are getting an extra perk in the form of refrigerators included in the room.  Formerly, Disney charged an additional $10 for the night to have a refrigerator in the room.  The cynic in me wonders if they just got tired of playing Frigidaire Shuffle.  What ever the reason, it is a meaningful upgrade to a lot of families!
• Improved Channel Lineup - While I don't go to Disney with the goal of sitting in front of the television, it is certainly nice to have something to do when the kiddos fall asleep.  So now you can visit Mickey and not miss out on what ever crazy stuff the Real Housewives are into.
• Story Book Circus -  The first section of the Fantasyland expansion is open.  The newly re-themed Barnstormer is open (same track, new look) as well as half of the "Dueling Dumbo", complete with a cool water feature.  The new train station is open as well.  The reviews and photos look great.  I am excited to see what more is in store for the former footprint of Toon Town.  Technically, the area is in a "soft opening" stage, meaning that it can open and close on a whim. I will be hitting the park Thursday and this area will be my first stop!
• Kim is out and Perry is in! - The Kim Possible Missions at Epcot will be getting a face lift this summer.  Kim is out and Perry is in, or should I say Agent P is in!  The Kim Possible Wold Showcase Adventure is a very well done attraction.  It is a great use of technology and is a perfect distraction for the kids while Mom and Dad enjoy the World Showcase.  The only problem?  Who is Kim Possible?  It was a bit surprising that Disney chose the less than popular franchise to begin with.  Phineas and Ferb seem to be growing in popularity, and Perry is a big hit in our household.  We are excited to see what Agent P has in store!
• The Fantasy - Disney's newest ship has its inaugural sailing at the end of the month. I am excited to be going on a preview cruise later this week.  Stay tuned for more information, or even better hop on over to Sail Disney and enter their very first GIVEAWAY!

Disney Cruise Review - Girls Gone Goofy - Part 1

IT WAS FANTASTIC!

I could stop right there, but I think some supporting documentation is in order!

As you may remember, a few weeks ago I left my sweet girls with my husband and skipped off to Florida for a "Girls Gone Goofy" cruise.  I have to say, as I shared the news of my trip, everyone had the same initial response..."Without your KIDS?!?!"  At my confirmation, there was one of two follow up responses..."Why do a kids cruise with another adult?" and "Good for you!"  Since the ladder requires no further comment, I will address the former.  Yes, I did a Disney Cruise, without my children.  Yes, I was on a boat with a lot of other children.  No, this did not bother me in the least.  You see, Disney knows that grown ups want to have fun, too.  Whether you are with your kids and they ditch you for the kids clubs, or you are traveling sans kiddos there is so much to do!

The check in process was a piece of cake!  We arrived at the terminal, a nice gentleman took our non-carry on bags and scolded us to stop smiling.  "Whadda ya think this is?  The happiest place on earth, or what?"  Cue bigger smiles.  Before we entered the terminal, they did a quick check to make sure we had the proper travel documents.  We stood in the shadow of the ship (it is HUGE...and BEAUTIFUL!)  as followed a quickly moving line to enter the terminal.  As soon as we entered the building we went through an "old school" style airport security check (keep you shoes on!) and headed up the escalator to the main part of the terminal. 

The terminal itself is cavernous, and very blue.  We headed straight to the line to check in, and within minutes were cleared to board the ship.  I did stop for a quick picture of Mickey standing in front of the model ship.  As we entered the big yellow Mickey ears to board the ship, two lines quickly formed.  One for pictures and the other to just get on the ship.  Quick tip:  Just get on the ship.  There are plenty of other photo ops later.

My first of many Mickey sightings!

As we boarded the ship, our names were announced over a loud speaker..."The Disney Dream would like to welcome Ginger and Kelly!".  We walked through a "tunnel" of smiling applauding cast members.  While I knew that was part of their standard protocol, and that they do it for every family, I was surprised at how welcome it made me feel....like a total VIP!  Immediately, we were impressed at the huge 3 story lobby, exquisitely decorated  and crowned with the most amazing crystal chandelier.

Is it me or does this look like a painting?

As soon as we embarked, we headed right up to Cabana's for a great buffet lunch.  We found a nice little table outside and enjoyed our lunch with a great view of the port and even the NASA launch pad.  I had no sooner sat down when a cute waiter in white shorts appeared with a tray full of Bahama Mamas - the drink of the day.  Cabana's proved to be one of my favorite dining spots!

A bathtub full of shrimp -
YUM!

Bahama Mama

 
In general, your stateroom will not be ready until about 1:30pm.  Since it was just before 1:00 we decided to wander around the ship and take lots of pictures.  I quickly found what would be my favorite spot. (Head all the way up to Deck 13 and walk all the way forward.)  It is a cool lounging bench that allows your legs to stretch out in front of you.  And do you notice the little brown drink ledges?  They thought of everything!

After our impromptu ship tour we headed to our room.  Since this was a bit of a budget trip, we opted for an ocean view room on Deck 2.  It was a fairly small, but efficient space.  It was great for a pair of friends.  While technically our room would sleep 4, I think I would find it pretty tight sharing the space with 3 other adults or friends.  I think it would be a cozy fit for a family with a few kids.  The split bath was really nice.  There was a toilet and sink in one room and a tub and sink in the other.  This made it much easier for us to get ready.  We unpacked our stuff and checked out the Daily Navigator.  The Navigator is your daily calendar of events.  It is your key to all shipboard activities.  We noticed that they were offering a Spa Tour, so we headed on up!

The Senses Spa, is a pretty and quiet little place.  We did a quick tour and learned about all of the services they offer...mani, pedi, haircuts & styles, massage, facials, personal training, and all kinds of other treatments.  We were tempted by the Rainforest Experience.  At only $15 per day, it seemed like a very reasonable treat.  We went ahead and booked the experience and we were so glad we did.  We enjoyed the aroma showers, the saunas, and the hot tubs.  I also found another favorite spot...the heated tile loungers...HEAVEN!!!  More to come on our spa day...

We finished up our Spa Tour in time for the Assembly or Muster Drill.  It is quick, painless and absolutely necessary.  We met at our assigned spot, our names were checked off a list and we were given instruction as to what to do in case of an emergency.  If you want to get this done quickly SHOW UP ON TIME!  I think we spent more time waiting on stragglers than we did on the drill itself.

After the drill we headed up to the pool deck and enjoyed the Sail Away party.  There are some catchy songs, some choreographed dances, and lots of characters.  Before you know it, the ships horn blasts the first few notes to "When you wish upon a star" and you are off!  At that point, the deck party continues with regular dance music and lots of movin' and groovin'.  I have to say that pulling out of port felt a little disconcerting.  You cannot feel any movement, so it seems as if the rest of the world is moving by.  It is a bit of an odd feeling, but you get used to it quickly.  Aided by the fact that you loose sight of land and all reference points fairly quickly!

Since we had a VERY early wake up call around 4am, we decided to head down to our room, have a glass of wine, relax and get ready for dinner.  Our dinner time was not until 8:15 and we were feeling a bit hungry.  We decided to order a cheese tray from room service to enjoy as we got ready.  It ended up being a GREAT decision, and one we repeated every evening.

The first night of our dining rotation sent us to Animator's Palate.  We enjoyed a little time with Nemo's friend Crush as we enjoyed a delicious dinner.  I loved the theme of the restaurant, and the food was good, too!

 After dinner we enjoyed a few minutes of a lovely evening breeze and then headed back to our staterooms to turn in. We had a long but fun first day on board.  When we returned to our stateroom, we found that our Stateroom Hostess had been busy in our absence.  Our beds had been turned down, a chocolate treat was left for us to enjoy, and the next day's Navigator was awaiting our perusal.  After a quick look and discussion of our plans for Day 2 we were off to Sleepytown!

Stay tuned for "Girls Gone Goofy" Part 2!
 

Free Dining on the Way???

Thanks to a tip from an on the ball client (Love you, Suzanne!)  I just checked my email from my Disney Rewards Visa.  Inside, I found an offer for Free Dining from August 25th - September 29th with the purchase of a 5 day Magic You Way Package.  It appears to be the same promotion offered in years past with the quick service dining plan included with the Value resorts, and the regular dining plan included with all other resorts.

As you may know, his usually means a similar offer is on the way for  the general public.  So grab your calendar, pick some dates and give me a call!  We can get your trip planned and apply the discount as soon as it becomes available!

UDATED: Sources indicate that this offer will be available for the general public beginning March 5th.

Check out SailDisney.com for the latest in Disney Cruise News!

I think it is safe to say that I have been bitten by the Disney cruise bug.  I recently returned from a girls only weekend getaway on the Disney Dream.  In a few weeks I will be lucky enough to check out the Disney Fantasy on a preview cruise before the inaugural sailing.  A week after that I will be taking the husband and kids on the Disney Dream for a Spring Break cruise. 

I am all boned up with Disney Cruise knowledge to share, so I have joined forces with some of the other members of the TMC Travel crew and we are launching SailDisney.com today!  Our goal is to provide you with all the latest news, tips, and tricks for all things Disney Cruise.

I will share some of my cruise experiences over here, but in a more limited manner, as this little corner of the web is reserved primarily for my Disney World obsession.  For those that are interested in reading a little more about cruising, please hop on over to Sail Disney.  Oh...and be sure to like The Mouse Connection and Sail Disney on Facebook! We have some great giveaways on the way, so stay tuned!

Changes coming to the unofficial FastPass policy

Disney diehards have long been aware of Disney's official unofficial FastPass policy, namely to honor a guest FastPass anytime after the return time printed on the ticket.  This policy would allow guests to squirrel away FastPasses during the less crowded morning hours and then ride them whenever it was convenient (or crowded) later in the day.

As of March 7, 2012, a new FastPass policy will go into effect.  The new policy will more strictly enforce return times.  The new policy will allow guests to ride as early as 5 minutes before their window opens, which will hopefully alleviate some of the milling around in front of attractions for those that arrive a little early.  The policy will also allow a 15 minute grace period for the stragglers.

As you can imagine the Disney-geek universe is buzzing about the changes.  The strict rule followers feel are either neutral to the changes or even happy to have a level playing field.  Those that have always taken advantage of the never closing window feel slighted.  After all, the current policy for the most part works and people are happy.  Why mess with it?

No, really.  Why mess with it?  Most think the answer lies with the rumored Next Gen / X-Pass initiatives.  While much of the NextGen stuff sounds SUPER cool (read more here), the X-Pass concept (think premium FastPass) is getting a much more luke warm reception.  Theme Park Tourist has a harsh, though not unfair critique here.   I am anxious to see how the X-Pass is actually implemented.  I am not a fan of creating a class based Disney park experience based on how much you are willing to spend.  Although I have no problems creating a "class" based system between folks who are willing to do a little research for their trip before they go.  I always am amazed at the people willing to wait in line 90 minutes for an attraction that has FastPass open and available.  If they had done even 30 minutes of reading they would know that FastPass (in it's current incarnation) is free and fantastic!

But I digress...back to the implications of the anticipated policy change.  So here are some issues that are bound to come up.

• ADR's - If you get held up waiting for Pooh to visit your table, or if you have an unusually long time to wait to be seated you could miss your window.  So make sure you pay attention to the return times before you grab the FastPass....any allow for things to go wrong.
• Unexpected Delays - What happens if you get stuck on Splash Mountain for 45 minutes?  By the time they get you off, your window may have closed.  Will there be some sort of grace period?
• Unexpected Downtime - What happens when the ride that you are holding a FastPass goes down?  I can only assume that they will give you a open pass to return anytime later in the day?
• The Meltdown / Or Planned Afternoon Break - I must admit that I was most likely to take advantage of the late return when I had to leave the park in the afternoon.  Sometimes, it was for a planned break and others it was because someone in my party (child or adult - ahem - me) hit the meltdown point.  So if now parents are in the position of pushing an exhausted toddler an extra 15 minutes so they can use their FastPass, or they have to give it up.  That is not good for anyone in the parks! :)
• Grace Period - With a 15 minute "grace period" being offered what happens if I show up 16 minutes late?  Am I out of luck?  What if my watch says 14 minutes?   What if the reason for the delay is that there was only one poor security guy checking bags at 5pm when I tried to re-enter the park.  (Yes, I am still bitter about almost missing my Le Cellier reservation over that!)
• Bad Manners will abound - Can you imagine the poor cast members that are going to have to explain the policy.  "I know that you have arrived late for every FastPass you ever had, but now you can't.  Now you must wait 95 minutes to ride Toy Story Mania standby or you are out of luck."  As badly as I feel for the verbal assault that that castmember is going to take, I will feel equally as bad for the FastPass holder immediately behind that guest who just wants to get on the darn ride!

Whether or not you favor the changes or not...whether you are a fan of NextGen / XPass or not....there are sure to be some growing pains.  It will be interesting to see exactly how the new policy is implemented and if it will "stick".  Stay tuned....

I am going on a Disney Cruise!

Hi friends!  First of all, let me apologize for the long break.  Life has just gotten in the way.  It seems that as soon a folks pack up the last holiday decoration they are ready to think Disney for spring!  And who can blame them - I have the Disney Dream on my mind. 

First of all, I have the best job ever.  Helping people plan vacations is just plain old fun....and the fact that Disney pays me to do it is even better.  If there is any downside to my job, it is that I have to do a lot of talking...and after awhile I am truly sick of my own voice.  So after a fabulously busy and  productive January (in a good way!)  I am sneaking off to Disney with a girlfriend for a 3 day cruise on the Dream.  It will be my first sailing on the Dream (she just celebrated her first birthday, you know!) and I am beyond excited.

My girls were a little annoyed that I was leaving without them, but when they realized that that meant they had their favorite manservant (their father) at their beck and call for the weekend, they decided it was not so bad after all.  So they are sending me off with their blessings.  I am trying not to take offense.

So what am I looking forward to the most?

Fabulous company aside, I am looking forward to ridiculously sweet and expensive cocktails served in the DCL hurricane glasses as we leave Port Canaveral.  I am anxious to see what my friend Crush has been up to at Animator's Palate.  I am ready for the warmth of sunshine on my face and sand between my toes - even if it means that there is a bathing suit involved.  I am hoping that the water is warm enough for some snorkeling on Castaway Cay.  I am anticipating a delicious dinner in the relative peace of Palo.  I want to wander around the Straw Market in Nassau to find some treasures to bring home to my babies and the hubs, whom I will miss terribly. 

As for said babies and the hubs....they will get their time on the Dream in April.  I am excited to be able to take 2 cruises in such a short period of time wearing two different hats.  This cruise is all about the grown up stuff, I want to try a mixology class, check out Serenity Bay and all there is for grownups to do.  Next time it will be about the kids - the characters, the clubs, the pools.  This trip is an oceanview stateroom, on deck 2...next is a veranda on deck 8.  This trip we are flying in and out and pushing the time limits to do so. The next we will drive and check out a hotel near the port.  This trip is 3 days...is it enough?  Next trip is 5...will it be too much?

I will find out and let you know!  I have a lot of work to do as soon as I land in Orlando in only a few short hours.  I know, I know...It is a tough job.  But by know you know that my dedication to my job is boundless!  :)  Also, keep checking back for  news about our new blog dedicated to Disney cruises.  It will be launching soon!