OKAY I WANT TO GO! How Much will it cost?

This is a post which is NOT based on opinion, it comes with much research and the prices I quote are directly from the WDW website. Here is what I did, first of all I put in was the dates I plan on traveling this next year (2015). Next I told them about my traveling party (Jule, I and the three kiddos) along with their ages at the time of traveling. I then put no preference for the resort and then hit search. Up popped all of the resorts that met our requirements and the I filtered them by cost low-high. The following is a list of the ten resorts from the lowest cost to the higher cost. My dates I chose were from April 4, 2015 to April 10, 2015 with a seven day base ticket. I did NOT include a dining plan with the cost. For a family of five here are the top ten bargains at WDW Resorts. Each of these prices are for Standard Rooms that fit at least five people or the cheapest option for the resort.

1. Campsites at Fort Wilderness ($2,636.86)
2. Port Orleans Riverside ($3,581.74)
3. All Star Music Resort ($4,268.02)
4. Cabins at Fort Wilderness ($4,668.58)
5. Art of Animation ($4,763.02)
6. Beach Club Resort ($5,539.30)
7. Villas at Grand Floridian ($6,180.58)
8. Animal Kingdom Villas at Jambo House ($6,484.30)
9. Bay Lake Towers ($6,835.30)
10. Disney's Yacht Club ($6,977.02)

I chose to research the resort bargains for a family of five for personal reasons but not everyone has that many people or have more people. (maybe I will research how much it would cost for parties more than five) I did pretty much the same process as above but included only two children instead of all three. So the next list is the top ten bargains for a family of four all over the age of ten.

1. Campsites at Fort Wilderness ($2,290.40)
2. three way tie All Star Resorts (Movies, Music, and Sports) ($2,646.92) *All Star Music Resort is one of only two "Value Resorts" that offer Suites for families larger than four. This room would be a standard room...
5. Pop Century Resort ($2,749.28)
6. Caribbean Beach Resort ($3,046.40)
7. Port Orleans French Quarter ($3,248.84)
8. Coronado Springs ($3,269.12)
9. Port Orleans Riverside ($3,437.84)
10. Cabins at Fort Wilderness ($4,322.12)
*11. Art of Animation ($4,416.56) I am not sure why this is considered in the Value Resort category? (more on that later)

Of course there is much more to consider when you plan your trip to Walt Disney World but hopefully this helps. I have done some additional research and possibly could help you more. For a family of five staying six nights and seven days on property you would add another $1,819.20 to your bill for a Dining Plan which would give you the following : One Table Service Meal per person per night. One Quick-Service Meal per person per night. One Snack per person per night and a refillable mug. I will also quote the price for the Deluxe Dining Plan (add two more Table Service Meals and Snacks per person per night) This plan would add an extra $3,285.90 to the original quote without the dining plan or $1,466.70 more than the Basic Dining Plan. There is also what they call a Quick-Service Plan and then there is the Premium Dining Plan which is above and beyond the Deluxe Dining Plan.
Personally, we have done both the Basic and the Deluxe Dining Plan and the first family trip we paid out of pocket and for us it is better to have a plan.
 I hope this helps? I was surprised at the Art of Animation price compared to some resorts that are not in the Value Resort category.

It is HOT!

Hmmmmm? I am in Central Florida, in the summer months, and I am surprised that it is hot. Does anything seem strange about this last statement?
Yes, it can get warm at Walt Disney World. It can also be HOT and humid. However, if you take some precautions you can still enjoy your time at the "Most Wonderful Place on Earth!"

1. SUNSCREEN and H2O (lots of it)
2. Dress in light colors and COMFORTABLE shoes...
3. Plan ahead using your FastPass + (download apps that show wait times for attractions)
4. Shows are air conditioned...
5. take a break in the afternoon if time allows...

Number one is a must. Make sure you apply and re-apply the sunscreen and you hydrate yourself regularly. Even if you tan well the Central Florida sun is intense so keep the sunscreen near you. Number two is almost as important as number one. A light colored t-shirt and shorts plus good walking shoes are a must. I one time saw a group of ladies who were in long black, yes I said black, dresses and the same color head dress and veils in the Magic Kingdom and I felt so sorry for them. I know it was for cultural purposes but I knew they must have been miserable.

As I continue and we look at the remaining "suggestions" number three is for those of you who are staying onsite. To avoid the lines plan ahead and use the FastPass + choices for the long line attractions.  There are usually some rides that don't need FastPasses although they offer them, It's a Small World in the Magic Kingdom "usually" does not need one, however 2014 happens to be the 50th anniversary of the attraction (debuted at the 1964 World's Fair) so it has been more crowded than usual but still there are down times and if you are connected with the wait time app you can catch those times. There are some musts for FastPass such as Toy Story Mania, Space Mountain, Expedition Everest, and Soarin' plus others. However, if you have a Frozen addict in your party whose trip would be ruined if they could not see Anna and Elsa you MUST use one of your FastPass + choices for that character meet and greet (at least currently) wait times have been known to last over four hours which would take away a huge chunk of your day unless you used the Fast Pass. I am just grateful that I didn't have to make that decision. When we went in April I saw the sign that read 200 minutes as we passed it on our way to It's a Small World and it's ten minute wait.

Air conditioning blasts in all of the gift-shops and indoor rides, shows, exhibits. Know which ones are least crowded and you have a way not only to beat the heat but an entertaining way. My favorite ones are the Carousel of Progress in the Magic Kingdom, Great Movie Ride and Muppet's 3D in Hollywood Studios, Spaceship Earth and Figment's Journey into Imagination at EPCOT. Animal Kingdom has many little shops and shaded areas to beat the heat.

Finally take a break. Especially with little ones plan a time to escape back to the resort and relax at the pool or take a nap during the heat of the day. Although, I would suggest if you have never done it to catch the Festival of Fantasyland Parade at the Magic Kingdom which shows at 3:00 pm daily. The ideal day would be to arrive at opening of a park and break around 3:00 pm, except for the aforementioned parade, and return to the park around 7:00 pm and stay until the park closes. We always say this is going to be our plan but it never works out that way.  Just remember, it is HOT, especially during the summer months. Reminder the summer weather in Central Florida could come early and it doesn't really ever get frigid so these "suggestions" could be year round ones.

Sometimes these tikis spit water another way to stay cool:)

An airconditioned gift shop cannot keep Donald happy but it did wonders for me!

THE PARADE was AWESOME!

Chinese Pavilion at EPCOT is another way to beat the heat... 

Need to use a Fast Pass selection for this one but worth it...

A non-crowded way to beat the heat...

Crowds...

I have been asked a few times throughout my life one particular question, "isn't it crowded at Disney World?" The answer to that questions usually yes. However, there are times throughout the year in which you can avoid the crowds. A good rule of thumb is when students are in school it is less crowded at WDW... For me this rule can NOT apply because I am a teacher and I am also in school when the students are. So when planning your trip, know that if there is a school holiday the crowd level goes up.
What this rule does not take into account though is special events. Walt Disney World has multiple events throughout the year and many of them occur multiple days and even weeks. It is good to check ahead when booking a trip. The EPCOT International Flower and Garden Show, Star Wars Weekends at Disney Hollywood Studios, The EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, as well as Mickey's Not SO Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade and Party are just a few of the "special" events that occur annually and bring in more visitors each year. 
I'd be amiss if I didn't mention this about a NON-SANCTIONED Disney event that occurs the first weekend of June every year. This weekend has been called "gay days" it is as I said non-sanctioned by WDW and I am not really sure what it is about but I have known of friends who went down during this particular weekend and regretted the timing. I am not going to become political here but I just tell you so you are aware and make sure to check your calendars (it is called Gay Days Orlando and it is from June 3-9 this year).
I am attaching a link to this post to have another planning tool. It is a expected crowd control calendar.
UNDERCOVER TOURIST CROWD CONTROL
It is put out by a site called Undercover Tourist and not only breaks it down by weeks but by days as well and even though you might notice a week or day is in the red if you look at the individual parks it might be green. For example from about mid-December on it is red (which means the area is crowded) however, on individual days you might see where the Magic Kingdom is green (see December 24-25) where other parks might be red and vice versa. I will say that in 2008 on Christmas Eve we were in the Magic Kingdom and it wasn't  that bad crowd wise.
One thing to remember is to plan. Look into Fast-Pass+ and make reservations at restaurants during off hours (non-peak meal times). Also remember to have fun, for some, Walt Disney World is a once in a lifetime event, I have been blessed enough to go back pretty much annually and I have to remind myself that a time or two,  don't ruin the time by stressing over the crowds that you forget the fun.
In my next post I will start to tell you about how to avoid or lessen the burden the crowds and the heat of Central Florida. Until then have a blessed day and remember  It's a Small World.

Me and one of my closest advisors...

Reflections From Disney 2014!

It has been over a week now and I am sort of off my post-WDW depression. We stayed at the Art of Animation and I have my opinion on that, which is to say that I am glad I stayed there but I won't be hurt if we never go back. We had a great time and the room fit our needs but I like to stay closer to the action. I took a poll of two of my children and they both liked the Polynesian Resort best of the ones we have stayed at. I am a fan of the Poly and I also like the Contemporary for the same reason, the monorail. I do not want you to misinterpret this post as a gripe, I had a wonderful, magical, time and I am already planning our next trip to WDW. The Art of Animation (AA) is a wonderful resort, and for the right family (one with young children) it can be a magical place. However, it wasn't the best for me and my family. One of my "complaints" is the lack of transportation, or maybe I should say lack of choices concerning transportation. It is either the bus or your own vehicle. For old pros like us we can scoot around WDW like tour directors in our minivan but not everyone is as comfortable doing that.  Busses are okay but the travel time is extended to the parks because of the distance from the resort.
Let me change directions now. What did we do that made our trip special this year? Nick and I went fishing, Jule and Corri went for mani-pedis and the whole family experienced the Hoop-De-Doo Review. We also found that Wyatt is our ride guru. He likes rides, although he was a little upset when we went a second time on the Kali-River Rapids at the Animal Kingdom. He went on Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, Goofy's Barnstormer, and It's a Small World. He also helped me get the high score on Toy Story's Midway Mania.
One thing I want to point out is we came across the Disney Hollywood Street Performers on this trip and loved them. Nick agrees that we'd go to DHS just to watch them.
Disney has done it again by the way. The new Magic Kingdom parade "Festival of Fantasyland" is in my opinion "AWESOME" I think it is the best Disney parade I have ever seen and I have seen the Christmas parade.
Let's face it, I love Disney World and the feeling I get when I am walking right smack dab down the middle of Mainstreet USA with the castle in front of me is awesome. Oh before I leave you I must say that if you ever get to eat at "Be Our Guest" try the grey stuff it IS delicious, don't believe me... wait for it, wait for it... ASK THE DISHES!

THE TOPIARIES AT EPCOT WERE NEAT (MY FAVORITE)

WYATT'S GIRLFRIEND (SO HE SAYS)

TRY THE GREY STUFF!

HE THOUGHT HE BROKE MY CAMERA...

BEST GAME/RIDE AT WDW (IN MY HONEST OPINION)

THEY WERE A BITING!

ME WITHOUT MY MORNING COFFEE...

WHY DO I ALWAYS THINK OF MY WIFE AND I WHEN I SEE BELLE AND THE BEAST:)

I'm Getting Excited!

I was told in church today by a friend of mine that she was jealous because we were going to Disney in April. I would have said "oh I am sorry" if it were not for the fact that she and her family were there in December. Well, I am, as the title says, getting excited. How? You are saying can you get that excited about a place you go to so frequently? Well the post may seem like I am going over the same stuff as I have gone over before but I do have a few things to add. It has also been a while since I last wrote that I needed to dust off my laptop and get to work.
Well number one on my list is that on this trip I am doing something I have not done on Disney Property except for a brief hour at Port Orleans Riverside. That is fish. Back in 1994 when my mother-in-law took all of her chldren and their children (this was the period for Jule and I that we like to call PK, wich stands for pre-kids) to WDW and Jule and I went with the group in June. Well I tell you that because I was bit by the bug back then. We were at what is now called Downtown Disney. Back then there was an area that was just shopping and at that spot I noticed looking down into the clear water that was there huge panfish, larger than your hand attacking pieces of bread some kids were feeding to some of Donald's friends. From that point on I vowed that one day I would come back and find out if there were any other fish in the lakes of Disney, never realizing I could ever fish on property. Last June I was at EPCOT and waiting on someone in the potty, you can tell I have kids now, I looked into the clear water of the lagoon at EPCOT and there were large carp swimming around and then I spotted one, two, three, four, more of the largest bass I have ever had the pleasure to see, and here they were in the happiest place on earth.
I booked a four hour fishing trip for Nick and me that leaves the Contemporary boat docks and we will be fishing with live shiners off a pontoon boat with the castle as our backdrop. I have since researched the fishing condtions at WDW and we are going during a very good time of the year (late April) and a great time of the day (early morning). I might have to take my camera along who knows.
Jule and Corri are going to have a spa-treatment one of the days we are down there which is something Jule has always wanted to do.
I am taking a new camera this trip and I'd get into the specs of it but that is for another blog. I'll just say that even the same photo subjects will be viewed a little different. The camera I will take is a full-frame camera and every camera I have had before is what is called a crop sensor camera. To make a long story short a crop sensor takes the whole image and crops it in camera, the full frame shows the whole picture.
Another thing we are doing different than any other time we have gone is we are experiencing the Park-Hopper option on our tickets. Which allows us to visit multiple parks in one day. This has helped us in making reservations at some of the restraunts. I have seen in the past where someone was turned away from EPCOT in the evening because they had already visited another park that day and they had planned to meet some friends to watch the fireworks at EPCOT, a must see in my opinion. I am not sure if they got in but I do know that the person who informed them they couldn't enter that they could purchase a Park Hopper option and enter.
We have at least one day planned where we are splitting up (guys and girls) and meeting up later in the day and then there is the fishing trip and the spa day.
Needless to say I am getting excited as is my whole family. Both Nick and Corri said they wished were going today. To be honest with you I wish I could only take two trips to WDW every year both would be for six months a piece:) Until next time have a wonderful time.

It is an OPINION

Have you ever heard the saying "don't take my word for it..."? Well, that can go for anything even something so universally accepted as Disney. I was looking at my reader statistics and I have received eleven views this past week from Russia (that big country that takes up a lot of real estate in both Europe and Asia) and I also have been scouring You Tube for Disney trip planning ideas in which I have a lot of subscriptions to those kind of channels and I felt I needed to say something. When I wrote my last blog entry I said this was my last planned entry so I left it open to post again, what I want to say is this every advice you get on Disney is one visitor's opinion. My wife and I disagree on some things Disney.
With that said, I want to express my deepest sincere desire to say I KNOW IT ALL, I'VE SEEN IT ALL, and ANYONE THAT DENIES THIS IS A POO POO HEAD! However, this is not the case. I have not been to every Disney resort, I have not experienced everything WDW has to offer, and I never will. I have visited WDW four times in the past five years and I am planning on number six in April of 2014. This does not make me an expert in any sense of the word, I do realize there are those who have never had the pleasure of a Walt Disney World trip and for some it is a once in a lifetime experience and so you look to those of us who are, let me see how shall I put it, ADDICTED to WDW for advice. Remember it is an opinion.
The Magic Kingdom is my favorite park, this might not be your cup of tea. My wife is a huge Animal Kingdom fan and is not as big on Hollywood Studios where I am the opposite. I have grown to like EPCOT but I haven't always liked it. You see it is all an opinion.
What really got me on this was some of those travel tip planning videos on You Tube. I found myself agreeing with some of the things they said and saying nay, nay to other tips they had. All I can say is that IF you find yourself reading this I can assume either:
A. You want to know more about WDW...
B. You know me and you are being polite...
OR
C. You want to see some Disney photos:)
Well I can remedy "C" here they are!

The Family at the Happiest Place on Earth!

Donald taken at Disney Hollywood Studios

Mickey taken at Disney Hollywood Studios edited at the House of Dragstrem!

Downtown Disney!

Kind of sad today because this is my last planned post on this blog. I might come up with some ideas in the future but I don't know. What I plan to write about today is the area known as Downtown Disney. It is an area that has shops, restaurants, shows and a bowling alley called Splitsville. One cool thing is that it doesn't require you to have a WDW reservation. You can go to Downtown Disney just like you can go to any shopping mall across the country. It is of course Disney themed and is on Disney property so it sort of soothes that Disney itch every once in awhile. However it is like an appetizer the hunger for more still resides in the hearts of those, like me, who require more from a Disney visit.

When my nephew got married in Florida we were traveling down to share in the festivities (July of 2012) we decided to get the new couple's wedding gift at Downtown Disney because it was on our way anyway. Okay I confess we did have to make a slight (200 mile) detour to get to DD. However that is not the point, The little time we took in the rain soaked area of Disney made me, and fortunately my wife, wanting to plan our next trip. Which we did for this past summer and it was a spectacular time:)

This area has gone through a lot of changes since I first visited the area in 1994 back then there was an exclusive shopping area and a nightlife area where my wife and I saw a really good improv comedy show. When we came with our clan in the summer of 2009 we visited it and the two areas had been combined to form one area.

We make a trip to DD every time we go to WDW for our planned souvenir shopping. Always telling ourselves we will not by anything in the parks which turns out to be a farce in planning because we always pick up something at the parks. Actually Downtown Disney has a couple of my favorite places to eat in all of WDW. Fulton's Crab House and  the Earl of Sandwich which are special in two totally different ways. Fulton's is a place I wrote about in the Where to Stay? post and it serves really good seafood, the Earl of Sandwich is just as the name implies a sandwich shop. One time we were on our last day of the trip and we were going to DD and then in the afternoon we would head back to North Carolina and we realized we still had a numerous amount of Disney Dining Plan meals left to use. So we each ordered numerous sandwiches at Earl's and placed them in our cooler to munch on during our trip home.

One thing I'd be amiss if I didn't mention it would be the different types of shops at DD. There is a huge Disney Store (called the World of Disney Store) (duhhhh) and many more check out the selection by visiting the below link...
Downtown Disney Shops

One thing I forgot to add was that there is a ride there called Characters in Flight where you go up in a balloon which is on a cable straight up and at the top you stop for roughly five or more minutes and you get a view of Disney World, all of Disney World. My oldest and I went up and we saw all of the parks from our perch and it was a hazy day/ The cost was, in 2012, $18 for an adult it might be more now. I would like to do it again sometime maybe next April:)

Enjoy the time and maybe someday we will see each other at Disney!