Everyone leading a Disney Driven Life wants to visit their happy place as often as possible. Our very own NDM#268 Natalie H. from TN recently published a book entitled Strategies for Paying for Disney (available for Kindle and in paperback) which will help you do just that. Here’s the official description of the book from Amazon:
Many of you are very interested in ways to save money when traveling to Disney World. When traveling to Disney, there are three main costs that drive the vacation:
1. Tickets
2. Transportation to/from Disney
3. Resort Costs
However, when thinking about ways to save money some people do not think about ways to save money once they have arrived in Walt Disney World. One great way that your family could save money off of the cost of the vacation is by spending a day in and around the various Walt Disney World resorts. The resorts offer a great deal of fun and entertainment at a fraction of the cost of a day in the parks. In a previous post, I discussed some of the amenities offered per Resort Level. Be sure to consider that in addition to your resort’s amenities, you can also visit other resorts for meals and entertainment.
I had always wanted to visit the Wilderness Lodge, but I really had not had the opportunity for such a visit until this last vacation to Walt Disney World. When I arrived, I was amazed by how beautiful the Lodge was! The signs and landscaping found as you enter the area are just beautiful! As I entered the resort, I quickly noticed that this resort has many details that could easily require hours to take in! From carvings on the many wood posts, to extra large fireplaces, you’ll find many great details to look at!
I am typically a pretty organized person. However, sometimes when I am scrambling to get my plans made over at Walt Disney World, I do not have my flight arrangements already made or do not have the information with when I’m booking. On one of my recent vacations, I did not realize that I had accidentally not booked my Magical Express transportation until a few days before my day of travel! If you should find that you are also in this same situation, here are the steps you should take to get you your reservation for the Magical Express:
Photo Credit: Dennis Brown, NDU 5
On our last stay at Walt Disney World, I went to check in to our room at Disney’s All Star Music Resort. I had paperwork in hand as I approached the online check-in counter. We were booked for a preferred room using my annual pass discount. When originally booking the stay, my husband was not coming along. However, now that he was with my son and me, I requested that we move to a moderate room, if available. He enjoys the moderate accommodations better so I was hopeful that we could upgrade.
As you may recall, last week I discussed our state room aboard the Disney Dream and how nice our space was in the inside state room. When planning to go aboard the Disney Dream, my son and I had done a bit of research by looking at much of the data on the Disney Cruise Line’s site. During our research, I had found that there would be no irons in the room. Therefore, when packing, I was sure to pack clothes that would not wrinkle or would fold in such a way that the item would look wearable without actual use of an iron. For whatever reason, this proved to be a real challenge.
Photo credit: NDM #118
In the last few days Disney has applied for permits for adding a large building to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. The building would be wedged north of the wedding pavilion and south of the existing resort buildings. To make room for the new property, the existing tennis courts would be removed. This would allow room for a parking lot for the new space.
Aboard the Disney Dream, my family stayed in an inside state room. We were very excited to see our room aboard the Disney Dream! I had reviewed the information carefully, including the blue prints of the room and available photos. I was so ready to see it in person! Of course, the Dream was only a bit over a month old, meaning the room would be extremely clean!
When we walked in the room, I was greatly pleased with all of the furnishings. The walls were wood paneling, making the space feel warm and inviting. The bed was white with a blue throw draped over the side. The throw and the red pillow atop the bed were adorned with the Disney cruise emblems. The bed was a queen-sized bed and included side tables and overhead lamps. Beside each side of the bed were light switches for the bedside lamps. Also on one side of the bed was a switch for the virtual porthole. I flipped on the switch and impatiently waited to see the virtual porthole appear. We saw a view of Port Canaveral from a camera located along the outside of the Dream. We kept the porthole “on” during the day and “off” when going to sleep. The visual helped us to see when we were at port or away at sea. We only saw a few characters, as they appear only a few times an hour.
Photo credit: Dennis Brown, NDU 5
Amenities! These are typically what makes a resort one of your favorites! This review of the amenities is broken down per Resort Level as follows:
1. Campsite – All campsites are found at Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. In addition to rooms in the Campsite Resort Level, you will also find that the Fort Wilderness has rooms at the Moderate Resort Level. As such, the amenities found for this least expensive Resort Level are great for the price!
Photo credit: Dennis Brown, NDU 5
Beginning last week, our teacher, Natalie H from http://MeetTheMagic.com, began our lesson on Disney Room Levels by getting an understanding of Resort Seasons and room location. You may remember that these two variables help determine the room rate per night. You can attend this lesson by clicking here.