I was so surprised to see the results in last weeks poll. I did not know that many people wanted to know my thoughts on Walt Disney Worlds best hotels! I guess it makes sense though because where you stay when visiting Disney is equally apart of the overall experience. When visiting Disney World there are 3 different types of hotels, deluxe, moderate, and value. If you want a description of every hotel on property visit one of my favorite blogs and check it out! Click here. Please keep in mind that these are MY opinions. I might LOVE a resort you hate, neither of us are wrong. Instead of using this to decide where to stay, use this as part of your Disney vacation research. ValueValue resorts are still great resorts to stay at. Don't be thrown off thinking the experience will be awful because its not deluxe. Instead be excited because if these hotels fit your fancy you'll be saving lots of cash. Value resorts are good for people who won't be in their rooms much and those who are doing Disney on a budget. Lets start out by saying that value resorts do have their downers. They're usually more spread out which means there might be a hike to a bus stop or the lobby. You can get a room closer to these things but it will cost additional money. This isn't that big of a deal unless you are trying to herd around a lot of little ones. Remember these are not high-end rooms. These resorts tend to generally look the same with basic plain buildings and big decorations that fit the theme. Unlike moderate and deluxe these resorts will not "transport" you into the hotel theme. Some feel the big decorations are tacky and look cheap, but children LOVE it! I had such a hard time with this that I decided to pick 2! Here they are. Pop CenturyThe main reasons why this might just scale above Art of Animation is because, it has its own bus and it's a little less cheaper. About 3 hotels share 1 bus which can make for a super long ride to and from the parks. This resort has its own though so thats super nice. I also really enjoy the food court here! It's open late which means I can get a snack right after a day at the parks! The only thing I don't particularly like is the theming, which Art of Animation does wonderfully. The oversized cartoony things aren't as cool as they sound, just kind of cheap looking Art of AnimationThe cool design here really is something that draws you into the resort! There is a Cars area and Little Mermaid one too! This hotel also wins for best pool at a value resort, it's themed Finding Nemo, and is arguably one of the best on property. The food court here is something people would even say is a very good quick service meal. I think the big win at this resort is design. If you care about where you're spending your sleeping time, I would stay here. The down side is that it is a little more expensive than Pop. ModerateI love moderate resorts!! This is a lot harder to rank than the values I think. Each hotel has its great characteristics and cool theming. As of early 2017 there are some resorts going under refurbishments like Coronado Springs, so who knows if those resorts might pull out on top in a year or two. I often feel as if moderate resorts don't get enough attention. Those who are looking to save money flock to value resorts and those looking for something extravagant flock to deluxe ones. Moderate resorts are awesome too and usually are on par with theming. At these resorts especially its almost like a vacation away from vacation. I find my family often wants a resort that has NOTHING to do with Disney to come back to at the end of a long day. These moderate resorts will do that for you! The Cabins at Disney's Fort WildernessI hear people rave about this resort more than you would think! The theming is vastly different from anything on Disney property (but trust me it doesn't feel like you're camping... I hate camping). It still doesn't feel any less of a Disney resort though, so don't be fooled. Fort Wilderness is also the closest moderate to the Magic Kingdom with either a bus or boat ride. It offers a variety of things to do such as finishing and roasting marshmallows. This resorts has great dining which is one of the best dinner and a show attractions on property! This will be a little expensive though which could be off-putting, but I think its worth it. You also get a really nice view of the Electric Water Pageant! Around Christmas it's especially cool! Because people who set up tents here are allowed to decorate them with lights. It's its own neat event. DeluxeNow the moment we've all been waiting for!! Well I've been waiting for... deluxe resorts! This is honestly too much... I really don't know if I can pick. If you want a fancy hotel with great location and amenities than these resorts are for you! All of them are high end and bring something unique to the table. Ranking can be hard because each hotel might be great for different locations, so first determine whether you will be close to Epcot or Magic Kingdom and go from there. Unless you don't care because you're always close to something...then just see these as a whole! In this case then it might make more sense to think about which theming you like the best. PolynesianWell this is my DVC home resort so you know it's on here! I'm a warm weather island girl and this is exactly what the Poly is! It had a great theming of tikis, islands, and luaus! You're immersed in a tropical world there... its awesome. Then you got two amazing restaurants: Kona Cafe and Ohana. Which have amazing theming of food and some character experiences. Aside from that the convenience of being on the monorail is awesome!! You're the first stop to the Magic Kingdom. It wouldn't be wise to take the monorail back though since you're the last hotel stop. Instead, you can walk!! Boardwalk InnSo, I just recently fell in love with this resort! I feel like I'm on a separate vacation when staying here. The biggest appeal to this resort for me is the boardwalk. There is so much to do! There are performers on the boardwalk all of the time, some great restaurants people come from resorts to visit, and some night dance clubs. There is a movie held on the main grassy area almost every night and you can even ride bikes around and around! It reminds me of a little Disney Springs right at your finger tips. It's in walking distance of Epcot! Which is awesome for me because I love it there! But, farther away from Magic Kingdom so if you want to be close to there this might not be the resort for you. Boardwalk has a very romantic style of the sea and it has a very great appeal if you stay in a room over looking the boardwalk. Wilderness LodgeThis could easily be my favorite resort hands down! The theme of this hotel makes you feel like you're not even in Disney anymore. Like the Poly immerses you in a whole new world 😉 this resort does the same, but on the complete other side of the spectrum! This resort is BEAUTIFUL! Here you can take a pass through the woods and waterfalls. This resort is truly incredible. There are great dining options here like the Whispering Canyon Cafe and tons of things to do. Their pool just got completely redone and you can roast marshmallows by the fire every night. Also this resort, like many, has a great view of the Electric Water Pageant. It's only a quick boat ride to the Magic Kingdom and I love it here!! The biggest strength here is the price. Wilderness is the cheapest of the resorts surrounding Bay Lake and the Magic Kingdom by a wide margin. Also during Christmas this resort has a huge tree that is so beautiful! I'm not an outdoorsy person at all so if that is your concern I still encourage you to give this a try! Animal Kingdom LodgeI haven't stayed here yet so this section is strictly just research, but I will be staying here in October and look out for a review on the Daily Fix page! I'm so excited! With all of the hype I hear from tons of Disney influencers I wouldn't be hesitant to say this might even be the best deluxe (even though I haven't stayed here). The only concern I hear about this resort is the location. It's called Animal Kingdom Lodge for a reason. Since it's right next to Animal Kingdom (this is the park most people skip regularly on a trip. But hey! That could change with Pandora!!) that means it's the farthest away from all other parks ESPECIALLY Magic Kingdom, but so many people feel this resort is amazing they overlook that 😵. The theming is absolutely astounding though, it's true to African culture with its art/architecture and looks truly beautiful. It's almost as if you've extended your Animal Kingdom day into your hotel. The COOLEST this about this resort are the rooms that overlook the savannah where you can see real life animals! I'm talking a giraffe, lion, or zebra right outside of your window. There are even special tours for guests to take a private savannah tours (different from Kilimanjaro Safaris) to see animals up close and how they're taken care of. AND THE DINING!! There are so many restaurants in this resort that rank as some of the best restaurants on property, even ahead of Grand Floridian dining (that's saying something...). This resort is truly luxurious and often ranks a little lower than some of the other deluxe resorts. If you like to spend lots of time at your hotel too this might be great for you! Overall, all of these hotels have their strengths and weaknesses. It's so important to consider what matters most to you when choosing a resort. If you want to save some dollars and be close to Magic Kingdom I obviously wouldn't go for Animal Kingdom Lodge. Remember these are just my opinions and I would love to hear what your favorite resorts are or which resort you would want to stay at! Please let me know.
Need help figuring out when to visit? Read my When To Visit Walt Disney World Article. For more info please visit my favorite blog ever for planning! Disney Tourist Blog!
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Hello! Today I'm coming to you guys with something that is essential when planning a Walt Disney World vacation: fast passes. This is the difference between a great and smooth vacation and a horrible rocky one. In this article you'll learn how to plan your fast passes, the strategies of it, and which rides you should pick. First you might be asking, what exactly is FastPass+? It's essentially a reservation for a ride. You pick a ride time and then in that hour window you go back and ride it. Let's say you pick a fast pass on the My Disney Experience app for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad from 1:00 to 12:00. In that time frame you are to go back to that ride and enter in a special line. This line will be shorter than the standby wait. It's almost like a VIP line, but there's no charge for it. There are three ways you can make fast pass reservations: My Disney experience app, Disney's website, or park kiosks located throughout each park. When you choose your fast passes they are then linked to your magic band. It's important to make your fast pass reservations the FIRST day they allow you to. This is because, for rides that are popular fast passes go quickly. You can literally save hours in line and prevent your crew from missing out on some of Disney's coolest attractions. **it's important to note that fast passes cannot be booked during extra magic hours, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, or any other separate ticketed event. Also, fast pass time frames cannot be overlapping** If you're confused at this point on how to even book a FastPass+ reservation I'll link you to my favorite Disney Planning blogs where I usually get more information anyway. It'll walk you through step by step. You can click here. Fast Pass Choices That Suit Each ParkMagic Kingdom - Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (this has an average of 120 min wait) - Peter Pan's Flight (average of 90 min wait) - Splash Mountain (average 45 min wait) - Space Mountain (average 80 min wait) - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (average 50 min wait) Epcot *This park is different. At other parks you can choose 3 fast passes for any 3 rides. In Epcot you must choose 1 fast pass from one of the tier 1 rides. Then you'll choose 2 fast passes for any 2 of the tier 2 rides (tongue twister!). Tier 1 rides are the popular - longer wait rides. Tier 2 rides are those with a shorter wait average and some you can even walk onto... on a good day* And.... here's where I make it complicated. Hold onto your seats. IF! You and your party do not mind riding the single rider line and most of the party is older than 10, this is what I would choose. - Soarin' (tier 1: average of 80+ wait) -Spaceship Earth (tier 2) -Misson Space (tier 2) IF! You and your party want to ride together and most of the party is older than 10, this is what I would choose. -Test Track (tier 1: average of 80+ wait) -Spaceship Earth (tier 2) -Misson Space (tier 2) Finally, IF! Your party is mostly under the age of 10, this is what I would choose. -Frozen Ever After (tier 1: most popular ride at Epcot as of early 2017) -Spaceship Earth (tier 2) -The Seas with Nemo & Friends (tier 2) Now, I'm jumping the gun a bit but! you can still ride most of the tier 2 attractions after you use your scheduled fast passes. You can either do standby (obviously) or you can get more fast passes for free! I'm getting ahead of myself though so, keep reading to find that bit out. Also! If there is ANY ride you do in Epcot I suggest Soarin'. It's one of the can't miss rides. The reason why it's not my first choice for fast pass situations is because now I enjoy standing in the line. They just added a new interactive game for the line and I think it's really fun. I definitely think only adults would enjoy the game so, keep that also in consideration. Hollywood Studios (this one is also like Epcot) IF! Your party is mostly 10 and over and you like thrill rides then I would choose: -Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (tier 1) -Tower of Terror (tier 2) -Star Tours (tier 2) IF! Your party is any age really and you don't like thrill rides then I would choose: -Toy Story Midway Mania (tier 1) -Star Tours (tier 2) - For the Firth Time in Forever: A "Frozen" Sing-Along Celebration (tier 2) Finally, IF! Your party is mostly under the age of 10 I would choose: -Toy Story Midway Mania (tier 1) -Voyage of the Little Mermaid (tier 2) - For the Firth Time in Forever: A "Frozen" Sing-Along Celebration (tier 2) Animal Kingdom -Expedition Everest (average 60 min wait) -Kilimanjaro Safaris (average 80 min wait) -DINOSAUR (average 60 min wait) StrategyIt is no surprise that if you do fast passes a certain way you can almost walk on to every ride. Okay, I don't want to get you excited... you can almost only wait around 20-30 min for each ride. Depends on the time of year. The first thing I would think about is having a touring plan. I'll be writing about that soon so keep an eye out. Let's go with the more difficult ones first. If you want Frozen Ever After then I would plan to be up right at the crack of dawn the day you are able to make fast pass selections and the day you get to the park. This is currently the hardest fast pass to obtain on Disney property as of early 2017. These ride lines can exceed 120 min and will sell out in the first hour it's open to get. If you are lucky enough to get one yay! If not this is what I would do. The morning of your day at Epcot get there at opening. Not 15 min after opening not even right when the park opens. Like 30 min before the park opens. Once you get in the park bolt right to Frozen Ever After in the Norway Pavillion. Other people will be doing the same thing. You'll get there and mostly likely will only wait around 30 min! If you do this and have a fast pass (which you obviously didn't use) then you can take that tier 1 pass and switch it for another tier 1 ride like Soarin' or Test Track. It would be wise to use this strategy at all of the parks! HERE IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF FAST PASSES. If possible schedule ALL fast passes the earlier times possible. Remember how I said you can obtain more fast passes for free? Well here's how. You can only get new fast passes after you use all 3 of the previously scheduled ones. Which means if you spread all times throughout the day evenly (which sounds great in theory) you're limiting yourself to only 3 fast passes when you can have way more! I will always use this strategy and then once they're all gone, use the My Disney Experience app or the kiosks to schedule another one right away. The cycle continues all day! Even if you feel like some of them are not necessary to schedule do it anyway! You never know. This is how I avoid 45 min + wait times. That's right people! I never wait more than an 45 min for a ride! (I also go during off season though. If you want more about that click here) I know this is a lot to digest and this is really just scratching the service, but fast passes are important and can make or break a vacation. Keep researching and learning about the system and the parks to find what works best for you and your family. Please let me know if this helped at all and have a magical day!
Picking a time to go to Disney World is very crucial. People often ask me, "when is your favorite time to go"? In some months the park can either be more or less crowded. To find out for 2017 what the crowd levels are like reference the crowd calendar below. In general, the least crowded times are after Labor Day until the week before Thanksgiving, early December, portions of January and February, late April, and September. But do not be fooled! There really is no slow time at Disney World nowadays. I pulled some information from one of my favorite blogs disneytouristblog.com to sum up crowd levels for you very easily. I got a lot of my information from there and I would totally give them a look. Busiest MLK Day weekend Super Bowl weekend Presidents’ Day weekend The two weeks abutting Easter Mid-March through early to mid-April (Spring Break) Early to mid-October Thanksgiving week Christmas week through Marathon weekend (the first or second weekend in January) Moderately Busy Late April Late-May (“early” Summer Vacation) Mid-August through Labor Day Late October through Thanksgiving week The week before Christmas week Any runDisney event weekend June through mid-August (Summer Vacation) Least Busy Mid-January through early March (minus holiday weekends) Labor Day until early October Early to mid-December The parks are starting to add lots of promotions and things to draw people in throughout the year. Examples would be: Epcot and all of their festivals, free dining plan, and sometimes even discounts at resorts. Summer of 2017, this summer, will likely be very busy because Pandora-World of Avatar is opening. Summer is most likely going to be the busiest time of the year. Obviously because kids are off school then. Personally my favorite time to go to the parks is early October and end of February early March. I find crowds to be completely doable around that time. That is to say though, crowds shouldn't be your only consideration when planning a trip. Seasonal events occur like Food and Wine Festival at Epcot, Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot, Halloween and Christmas parties at Magic Kingdom, and even some runDisney marathons. In the last few years Disney has been really aggressive with promotions and scheduled events during the year. So there really is no way to get around the crowds. There is a difference though between a 45 minute wait and an hour and a half wait. School SchedulesIf your family is working around school schedules more than likely you'll be going during a busier time. The busiest school breaks are Christmas, New Year's, Easter weekend, Memorial Day weekend, Summer, and Thanksgiving week. Wow! You didn't hear spring break in there? I actually attended Disney World this spring break and although I will say it's definitely not the lowest I've seen... it's definitely not the highest either. Accounting for spring break and choirs/bands being in the parks the waits were pretty low for my family. But that's also because we really know how to work the fast pass system, keep an eye out for that article soon. In the list above I would rate the crowd levels around 8 to 9 out of 10. This spring break I would probably rate the crowd levels a 6 out of 10. Of course this is only for the year 2017, and it'll be interesting to see if that changes next year with Avatar opening. If you are going to have to go during a school break then I would just make sure to bring patience and a touring plan to ensure that the trip is smooth and less stressful. EventsOne thing I will say about going to Disney World is that it's really hard to get bored. Obviously it's a theme park but going so many times means I have ridden the same rides over and over again. Which is fine! But it's also really nice when there's special events going on that spice my trip up. If you're only going to Disney World once or you don't go that often think about adding a special ticketed event or attending one of Epcots's festivals. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party and Not So Scary Halloween party are separate ticketed events. This means that you have to pay for a ticket separate to your traditional Magic Kingdom standard admission. These parties do have a limited number of people to attend so, ride lines are usually shorter. But, there are also other things going on which might make riding rides, seeing the parade, fireworks, and characters hard. Both parties at the Magic Kingdom have their own show and their own parade. Not only this, but each event has special characters that only appear this time of year and a special food options. For instance, only at the Halloween party can you get a picture with all seven dwarves at once. Jack and Sally from Nightmare before Christmas are also in attendance, as well as some of the traditional characters in Halloween gear. The Halloween party also includes trick-or-treat for little ones and everybody can dress up in costume. You'll also get your fix of Disney villains at this party. At the Christmas party all of the characters including the princesses have special holiday gowns. Including, special holiday events going on around the park and a beautiful parade where it snows! Epcot has now added a lot of festivals to their park to draw in crowds. This includes Holidays Around the World at Epcot, Flower and Garden Festival, Food and Wine festival, in their newest addition Epcot International Festival of the Arts. Holidays Around the World is during the Christmas season. Since Epcot has the world showcase in each country you will celebrate a unique holiday and the traditions of it. Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, which I just recently attended, is all about topiaries, butterflies, and gardening. Here you'll find topiaries shaped like Disney characters, butterfly houses, and lots of life performers. Food and Wine Festival takes you around the world showcase as you try different wine and food from each country. And Epcot International Festival of the Arts showcases art from around the world and even has some Broadway performers. Of course the best part of each event is that it is not separately ticketed and there are tons of different foods and drinks to try. So, if your family is planning a vacation it might be wise to look and see what's going on to determine if it's something you want to do. WeatherTemperature is one of those things that my family really really thinks about before deciding to go anywhere. If you are family that does not like hot weather I would recommend going spring or fall. The day is usually pretty warm and then at night it drops to really cold so, make sure you have a jacket. I would say a typical spring and fall day in Orlando has a high of 76 and a low of 55. Needless to say, you're probably not going to be melting throughout the day. This spring break I was wearing sweatshirts at night and was regularly in the Jacuzzi. Of course if you like hot weather and want to spend a lot of time in the pool, then a good time to go would be late August.
It's also important to note that early fall is hurricane season so, rain will be a factor. If you're planning to go during this time you will definitely want to bring a poncho, but don't let the rain scare you! Walt Disney World is so much fun when it's raining too! I will say though from past experience it's important to also bring any type of cover for your stroller. Most stroller parking is outside, and if you want to ride then it suddenly rains out of nowhere you will want it to be dry for the kids sanity and yours. It would be important to buy ponchos before you go to Disney World, because trust me... during this season they sell them for an arm and a leg. 😅 While early December and January are really good times to visit for a crowd levels it tends to be the coldest times obviously. There are substantial swings in temperature and it gets quite cold. You would most likely want to be in shorts and a T-shirt during the day, but pants and a sweatshirt at night. You might even find yourself putting on it some type of coat. So, if you're planning on traveling during this time of year make sure that you are prepared for more luggage. Well, that's all I have to say about that! Thank you so much for reading! I hope that this helps you a little bit on deciding when to travel to Walt Disney World. If you have further questions please feel free to go to the connect tab and email me and I'll be happy to answer. Have a magical day! |
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AuthorHi my name is Molly Carl! I have great passion and love for Disney and love showing others its magic. When I'm not thinking about Disney I'm performing on stage creating an entirely different type of magic! In addition to Disney I love coffee, tea, plants, musicals, and art! Wonderland Wishes is not affiliated with the Walt Disney company or any other Disney blogger/influencer. All photos not under the photo gallery tab are not mine. Credit goes to original owners.
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