Monday, 17 September 2018

A Guide to Choosing a Disney Hotel at WDW




Ok..so you’ve gone through the pros and cons of staying off site and on Disney and finally decided your going to stay on Disney Property, your next decision is where you are going to stay! In order to get a better idea of where you want to stay, there are few things to think about to choose the best Disney Hotel for you.


Which Level Hotel?

Disney Categorise their Hotels into three different tiered resorts, Value, Moderate and Deluxe. Each categories are different and should be looked into before just booking any Disney hotel.

- Value Resorts - There tends to be a lot more rooms in these hotels, which can usually mean bigger crowds and possibly longer waits for food in the Quick Services in that resort. If this doesn’t phase you then great! Because it’s a lot more affordable for most people than the other tiered hotels. Last year both of us stayed in Disney’s All Star Music Resort which we both really enjoyed. However, we did find that it can get crowded at times so we recommend going for food as early as possible for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

  • Disney's All-Star Sports Resort
  • Disney's All-Star Music Resort
  • Disney's All-Star Movies Resort
  • Disney's Pop Century Resort
  • Disney's Art of Animation Resort




- Moderate Resorts - this is the middle tier resort. these resorts have a few less rooms which means it is a little less crowded at the hotel.

  • Disney's Carribbean Beach Resort
  • Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
  • The Cabin's at Disney's Fort Wilderness
  • Disney's Port Orleans - Riverside
  • Disney's Port Orleans - French Quarter

- Deluxe Resorts - These Resorts are the best of the best. They are the highest class resorts and usually have unique benefits that is individual to each one of them. This all obviously comes with an extra cost that is quite a big difference from the Value resorts costs.
  • Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
  • Disney's Beach Club Resort
  • Disney's Boardwalk Inn
  • Disney's Contemporary Resort
  • Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
  • Disney's Polynesian Village Resort
  • Disney's Wilderness Lodge
  • Disney's Yacht Club Resort



Places to Eat at the Hotels

The higher level of Disney Hotel, the more choice of restaurant types there usually is. this could be a factor that you may want to consider if you would like to have the option to enjoy table service meals in the comfort of your own Resort some days of your trip. Also, the higher tier of resort, the more choice of different types of restaurant there are, usually including at least one signature dining option. If you feel like the type of food sold at the restaurants on each resort will matter to you, then make sure you research this before booking it. for example, Coronado Springs' restaurant serves Mexican style cuisine as it is a Mexican themed resort.


Sizes of the Room

All Disney Resort rooms are very spacious, however if you are travelling in a group or with more than one child, you may want to consider booking a room that is going to be bigger in size than the standard. Although maybe only slightly, the higher level resort-the bigger the room. If there are more than 4 of you and you are wanting to share a resort room between you, the best options would probably be either a suite or a Villa. These are the amount of people that can fit in the rooms below:

  • Hotel room-fits 4-2 Queen Beds
  • Hotel Suites-fits 6 Adults
  • Studio- Sleeps 4 Adults
  • Villas- 1 and 2 Beds - can fit 5-9 Adults depending on size of Villa
it usually also works out cheaper for a big family to share one villa and spread the cost between everybody as the cost can then be divided between more people


Amenities

when staying in a hotel room at Disney, you will receive:
  • Fridge
  • Coffee Maker
  • Hair Dryer, safe
  • Ironing Board 
this could be seen as enough for some families and worked just fine for us as we could still have our cereal in a morning by being able to store milk in the fridge and then as we were on the dining plan, we ate our lunch and dinner outside of the room using our meal credits. However, some families may prefer more than just a fridge in their room.

when staying in a Villa at Disney, you will receive:
  • Kitchenette and all of the above
This may be a more practical choice if you are planning to have some meals inside of your room

Transport Options

A big factor you need to think about is how you are going to get around Disney. The obvious transportation on Disney is the bus service which is offered at every Disney Resort - but do you want a bit extra, more convenient way of getting to some places around Disney? In some Disney Resorts, there are other ways of getting to the parks/complexes around Disney, such as by boat, monorail and Minnie van service. We are staying at Disney's Old Key West Resort this year which has boat transportation available from the resort to Disney Springs which will be a lovely change from the car or the bus for us.






We hope this helps when making a decision on which Disney Hotel is the most suitable to you and your family and we can't wait to do a full review of staying a Deluxe Resort when we get back from our trip in October!! 
love you lots x
emilyandolivia

Sunday, 19 August 2018

The Ultimate Guide to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in WDW-New additions for 2018!


There are two main reasons as to why we think Mickey's not so scary Halloween party (MNSSHP) is one of the best ticketed events Disney has to offer throughout the year. One being it is a fantastically themed party and offers lots of different entertainment around the park all night long to make sure you really do get your money's worth. The other reason being the amount of people at the party, which depending on when you go, is a lot less than during normal park entry. this means there are usually a lot shorter queues for bigger attractions,which in itself we believe is worth the money. Emily has been to MNSSHP twice now and it has been her favourite ticketed event she has been to whist a Disney World. We would always advise to get your tickets before you go to avoid disappointment of the event possibly selling out before you get there. you can purchase tickets on many different sites but we find Attraction Tickets Direct to be one of the best sites to purchase them from. 


 The party runs on select nights between 17th August to 31st October this year. the prices of tickets depends on the night that you go but start around $74 for Adults and $68 for Children. The earlier date you go to the event, the cheaper and less crowded it usually is.

The event features:
- around 20 unique character meet and greets
- 3 different entertainment offerings
-over a dozen trick or treat stations




*Tip - you can actually arrive for the party at 4pm, which we would advise to do so as you can pick up your wristband from either the front or different stations around the park and start to do some activities such as riding attractions. its useful to note that at 4pm, a lot of people in the park who are not going to the party will begin to leave, making lines shorter.

if arriving at 4pm, make sure you enter the park through the part entrance which will be through the mains street bypass. going through here will allow you to collect your trick or treat bag with starter goodies in to use for the night. you also get a great opportunity to get some themed party photos not available at any other time!





New for 2018

  • if you are a DVC member, you can now enter the park for the party at 2pm (5 hours before official start of the party!)
  • few enhancements on some attractions:
    - Pirates of the Caribbean ride-Live actors dotted about on the ride
    - Tea Cups - few lighting enhancements
    - Space Mountain - new spooky soundtrack
    (all start at 7pm)
  • New mini entertainment:
    - kids costume promenade - (located in Fronteirland) - where kids can show off their costumes with others and earn more treats!
    - Disney Jr Dance Party - (located in Fantasyland) - with Doc Mcstuffins and many more for 7pm-10pm

Entertainment at the party
  • Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular Show - this is a great show for both kids and adults to enjoy which includes unique Disney villains such as Oogey Boogey and Dr. Facilier, special effects and fireworks
    - Show times: 8:30pm, 10:45pm, Midnight
    (the last one being the least crowded of the 3)

Happy Hallowishes Firework Display - these are honestly one of the best fireworks displays on Disney in our opinion (apart from Happily Ever After) as they feature fireworks all the way around the sky facing Cinderella Castle...definitely a must at the party! its also great as you dont have to 'camp out' and get a spot for the fireworks early on due to low crowd levels
-Show time: 10:15pm

  • Mickey's Boo to You Parade - this is a great feature to the party especially as it i now the only night time parade at WDW. You get a chance to see all the characters dressed up in their Halloween costumes and also includes floats from 2 Disney attractions, Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. The parade begins in Frontierland opposite splash mountain and then heads down to main street. You will also know when the parade is about to begin as you will see the headless horseman riding down, which is a great addition to the parade!
    -Show times: 9:25pm, 11:15pm



Cadabra Dans - this is a Halloween spin off of the dapper Dans, who are dressed up in thier Halloween attire and will sing spooky Disney songs! they can be found in Fronteirland on the night.
-Show times: 7pm, 7:45pm, 8:30pm, 9:50pm, 10:30pm


Candy Trails 

Trick or treating is another great thing to do whilst at the party...you can collect unlimited amount of candy! there are a lot of designated candy trail places around the park where you can go to collect candy which are shown on the map which you will receive on the night. As said before, you can pick up your trick or treat bag at the main street bypass and the front of the park. And don't forget... you can always bring a bigger treat bag from home and get extra candy!


*Tip - Disney also offers an allergy friendly Trick or treating experience which can be accessed at the City Hall in Main Street (guest relations)


Characters

You can also use the party as a chance to meet rare characters such as Jack and Saly, Seven Dwafs and Pooh and friends in their Halloween costumes. you could also use this chance to dress up as your favourite character and take a photo with them!

*Tip - make sure you look up and plan your chosen character meets before you go so you can queue up for them at the start of the night to avoid disappointment. The character meet lines can  get very long during the party so its best to queue up for your favourite character first. The most popular characters start to come out around 6:30pm so maybe consider starting to get in line around 4pm to not miss out. 

Photo Pass opportunities 

You can also get the chance to get some great photo opportunities that are not usually in the parks on the night of the party. They are usually dotted around the park so keep your eye out! Got this great picture outside of the Haunted Mansion!




Costumes & Guidelines

thinking of what to wear to MNSSHP can be a tricky decision, however everyone is dressed differently and there is no 'right' way to be dressed so don't worry! You could have a costume, themed outfit or just go casual! In 2017, Emily decided to wear a themed t-shirt that had mickey pumpkins on with candy. this was a matching top and ears that were from two different shops on Etsy- Thrift company UK and Imagine Ears UK. wearing some sort of themed clothing is a great way to start a conversation with cast members and you get lots of lovey comments from people around the park. You can get great themed pieces of clothing like this from lots of great shops on Etsy or even get creative and make your own! Whatever you decided to wear, we recommend wearing some comfortable shoes such as trainers as the party involves a lot of walking!

There are some costume guidelines that need to be followed as Disney put them into place for everyone's safety. you can check these guidelines out on the Walt Disney World website

Plan your Night 


after doing the event for two years in a row now, we have discovered that the only way to fit everything you ant to do in is to make a plan before you arrive at the party! This doesn't have to be an intense plan however, its a good idea to look t the times of the entertainment above and then work around them. Decide what time you are going to do each activity so you make sure you will not miss out on it.

*tip- The best time to plan some of these activities within the party is to go with the latest show if possible, it is usually a lot less crowded on the last show as a lot of people usually rush to catch the first one of the night. 



So that it all the advice and info that we can give to you guys on MNSSHP. We hope you have picked a few things up from this blog and will be able to use them if you are going to the party this year or for any years to come! Have a great time!
Love,
emilyandolivia

Sunday, 29 July 2018

Where We Are Eating at Disney



1. Ohana’s Best Friends Breakfast Featuring Lilo and Stitch
- Location - Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- With an easy accessible location to get to from Magic Kingdom, we are going to start the holiday off with a great big breakfast feast! This is an all-you-can-eat buffet style restaurant where the buffet is brought to your table by your server.
- We have heard mixed reviews about this restaurant for breakfast however we are going to give it a go!
- Once eating here, you are able to jump on the monorail from this resort straight into magic kingdom which is a great bonus!


2. Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano-Dinner
- Location - Disney’s Hollywood Studios Grand Avenue
- As we all enjoy Italian style food, we decided this would be a good restaurant to pick.
- There is limited choice of restaurants at Hollywood Studios this year due to big construction updates at the park.
- We decided to book this restaurant just after 6pm so we have enough time to get to the fantasmic show and not rush.


3. Tappan Edo-Dinner
- Location - Epcot Japan Pavilion
- Mark is a big fan of Japanese Culture, so this was a MUST for us
- After previously looking at video clips of the restaurant before booking, it doesn't just look like your average dining experience!
- Seating 8 to a table (you will share with others if your party is smaller than 8), the chef will ‘put on a show’ when cooking the food and you get to experience lots of cool tricks which is very exciting!


4. California Grill-Dinner (Signature)
- Location - Disney’s Contemporary Resort
-This is one of main ones we knew we was going to do purely from the great reviews  
-Looking over the seven seas lagoon, you are able to go onto the rooftop balcony and watch the fireworks at the castle in Magic Kingdom...it's a great place to view them after an amazing meal
-Emily and Dale missed the fireworks last year as they went the night before hurricane Irma arrived and they were cancelled so this year will be extra special for us all to view them for the first time together!


5. Grand Floridian Cafe-Lunch
-Location - Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- We decided to go here for lunch as the menu looked great but the main reason was so we had a reason to go to the Grand Floridian Resort!
- Being one of the more famous (and expensive!)  Resorts on Disney, it was a must that we include this in the plan and go check it out


6. Sanaa-Dinner
-Location - Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- This is Emily’s ultimate favourite restaurant so we obviously had to go back this year
- The food here is African/Indian themed which fits the whole theme of the Resort and restaurant
- Not only can you get an amazing array of Pita breads and dips for starters, but you can also eat them while watching all the animals go by in the savannah out of the window!


7. Sci-Fi Dine-in Theatre Restaurant-Dinner
-Location- Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- this is a great unique dining experience which is like no other in Disney
-you are seated in a car which has a table in and is facing a big cinema screen
- the restaurant plays old vintage cartoon clips that you can enjoy watching while eating your food!




8. The Jungle Navigation Co. Skipper Canteen-Dinner
-Location- Magic Kingdom
-non of us have ever been here before but after watching Adam Hattan’s Vlog, we had to!
- based on the ride ‘Jungle Cruise’ this restaurant serves tropical cuisine with lots of humour by the servers!


9. Yachtsman Steakhouse-Dinner (Signature)
-Location- Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
-the BEST steak ever tasted on Disney by far!
-with us all being a lover of a good steak, we had to book this restaurant
-as you walk in the server will give a little tour and background story of the restaurant which makes the food taste even more special once tasted


10. Artist Point-Dinner (Signature)
-Location- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- this is another new one for us- we had a spare table service credit left and decided that this signature was the one we wanted to try the most
-the Wilderness Lodge is one we have all wanted to visit with its amazing theming and views
-therefore, we thought it would be special to spend our last meal here at this great resort


11. Olivia’s Cafe-Breakfast
-Location-Disney’s Old Key West
-not only do we want to go here because this restaurant share its name with Liv…but it’s also located in the resort we are staying at!
-none of us have eaten here before but are really looking forward to it as we’ve heard good things and is themed like the Florida keys

 And that is everywhere we are eating! we can't wait to vlog all of these amazing restaurants
when we go this year and are really looking forward to sharing them with you guys so expect
a report blog on all of them when we get back!!
Love you lots x
emilyandolivia

Saturday, 7 July 2018

Staying on Disney Property Vs Staying off Site




When making the decision whether to stay on Disney Property or to stay off site, there are a few
things to consider. We have done both staying in and outside of Disney and we think theses are the
main pros and cons to each of the options, we hope this helps!


Staying off Site Benefits

Deciding to stay out of Disney can be cost effective and can be just as convenient as staying on
Disney.

-Cheaper:

Is most cases, it is usually cheaper to stay out of Disney whether that's in a hotel, apartment or villa.
Villa’s can be exceptionally cheap if there is a big group of you. In 2016, Emily stayed at
Orbit One Vacation Villas by Diamond Resorts in Kissimmee. It was 10 mins away from Disney
World and the complex was amazing and was very reasonably priced.







-Not ‘stuck’ in Disney:

If you are staying off site, you are able to leave Disney quite easily by Uber or a car and
depending where you are staying off site, it could be a lot easier to go to lots of different places
outside of Disney such as Universal, Outlet Malls and other theme parks.
When staying off site, you also have the freedom to choose the area where you would like to stay,
meaning you have a lot more choice rather than just in the area of Disney.



-free parking:


Most villas and hotels in Florida provide free parking for all guests which means if you decided to
hire a car for the duration of your holiday, you will not have to consider the parking prices for the
resort in your budget. When staying off site (or on site) we would recommend getting a car if you
would like to do more than just Disney. We have hired a car every time we go and have saved quite
a lot of money on transport such as Ubers and taxis. It is also very cheap for gas compared to the
prices in the UK which is a great bonus. If you want an EXTRA special dining experience, why not
hire an open rooftop car and enjoy cruising down the highway?!





Staying off site Limitations

Despite having many benefits, staying off site can also come with some limitations that should be
thought through before making your decision on where to stay.


-Not in the ‘magic’ all of the time:

When you are not staying on Disney and it comes to the end of the day at the parks, you will leave the
Disney resort and all the atmosphere that comes with it. If you are staying on site, the resorts will
always keep the feel of Disney continuous so even when you have left the parks for the day, you
never feel like you have left the magic. However, this could also be seen as a benefit of staying off
site to some people as they may feel like some resorts are ‘in your face’ Disney which can be too
much. This can be the case sometimes if staying in a value resort which is very Disney themed where
as the moderate and deluxe resorts are not so if you are worried about this, then we don't recommend
staying in a value resort.  


-Pay for Disney parks parking:


Even though you may not need to pay for parking at you resort off site, you definitely will have to pay
for car parking at any Disney Parks if you go in a car. Parking usually costs around $22 a day which
will cover you for any Parks if you would like to go to another Disney Park that day (Eg. Magic kingdom
to Animal Kingdom). This can be costly if you are planning top go to Disney a lot on your trip. If you
go to Disney 12 days of your trip, you are looking at potentially paying a total sum of $264 just for
parking! Yep… that's expensive!



-Can’t Access the Dining Plan:

Only resort guests who can have access to the Disney Dining Plan, Which means it could get very
expensive for food whilst you are in Disney. An average adult quick service meal costs around $13
and an average table service meal is around $25-$30. So if you are going to be spending a lot of time
in Disney, it can get quite pricey food wise.


Staying on Site Limitations


However, It's not only staying off site that brings limitations, Staying on Disney can also bring some
downfalls that need to be considered.



-No free bus services outside of Disney:

If you want to venture out of Disney on your holiday, then you need to weigh up some options of how
to do it as disney don't provide guests with transport outside of the resort (apart from the airport...
which we will come on to!) you could always hire a car which could be more efficient if there are a few
of you as fuel is very cheap! You could also pay for an Uber/taxi service- for a return trip from Disney
to universal or an outlet mall-it is going to cost around $40 in an Uber.


-**New** Paying for Resort Parking:

(new to 2018) If you are now staying at a Disney Resort and you are hiring a car, there is an additional
parking charge for each day of your stay. Prices for parking vary depending on where you are staying. Basically, the higher level resort you stay, the more expensive the parking is.
  • Value Resort-$13
  • Moderate Resort-$19
  • Deluxe Resort-$24

Based on a 2 week stay at a deluxe resort, the cost of parking would be $336! However, you would still need to pay at least $20 for parking a day if you were staying off site so unfortunately either way...you're going to have to pay!
Its useful to note that this does not apply if you have a dining reservation at any of the resorts.


Staying on Site Benefits

Despite these limitations, Disney never fails to disappoint and in our opinion, is worth every penny
spent!

-Extra Magical Benefits:

-Discounts and vouchers- each family receives a $100/$200 Disney gift voucher to use in any of the
shops in the Disney parks or any shops/restaurants in Disney springs such as Levi’s, Ugg, world of
Disney, Planet Hollywood and many more!


-Extra Magic Hours- every Disney park offers exclusive extra time in the park for Disney resort guests
only. They offer either extra early magic hours in the morning or extra late magic hours in an evening
(usually around 1-3 hours more) which allows resort guests to have more time in the park with very
low crowds, meaning you can get lots of things done without hardly any queues at all. This allows
you to get more magic into your Disney holiday.


-Extra character opportunities- when walking around your Disney resort, you are able to get the
opportunity to meet many different characters for autographs and photos, which saves you
queuing to meet them in the parks!


-Free Memory Maker- when you book to stay in a Disney resort, you automatically get the memory
maker free (worth £200) this allows you to get photos and videos all around the park with all the family
included in them and some magical extra effects on them!


-Dining & Fastpass Reservations:

if you book with Disney, you are able to book fast passes 60 days before you go! Giving you the best chance of booking the best attractions and character meets to skip past any queues there may be. This can be very helpful for popular attractions in the park that can be very busy. You can also book your dining reservations in 180 days before you go! This allows you to make sure you have all your favourite restaurants booked. Make sure you do them as soon as you can...some restaurants fill up very quickly!


-Free Transport:

If you stay on Disney property, you automatically get free transport from the airport to your Disney resort on the magical express. You also get free bus service to ALL of the parks and any other properties on Disney, such as the ESPN sports complex, other Disney resorts and Disney Springs shopping Centre from your Disney resort. These are practically 24/7 and are all very frequent (every 10-20 mins)-this will save you needing to hire a car and paying for fuel over there. Disney are now also offering a 'Minnie' bus service to guests which can be accessed at certain resorts.



-The Dining Plan:

a quick service meal in Disney is on average $13-$20 each and a  table service meal is on average $25-$60 each. If you was to pay this every day when you are in the parks (which you would have to pay because you are only allowed to bring your own water and fruit in the parks)-by staying in Disney you are saving a LOT by getting the dining plan for free...FREE MEALS is the best perk in my opinion. You can also use your dining credits to have character dining meet and greets and signature restaurants worth over $50 each per meal! To see more info on the dining plan, take a look at our ‘Ultimate guide to the Disney Dining Plan’ Blog!

So there you have our main points that we feel are important to consider! there are obviously a lot more things to take into account however these are the main things that we think about when making the decision on each trip. For us, we feel that we can get the full experience of what we want by staying on Disney this year in 2018. However, staying off site is also really fun and has some great perks and we will definitely consider doing it again on future trips. Hope this has helped you to get a better picture of what differences there are with each decision and it can help make planning your trip a bit easier! 

Have Fun Planning!



emilyandolivia

@Way2themes

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