- Blog Post: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-06-27 http://ow.ly/17Uxk4 #
- Blog Post: Benefits of Annual Passes http://ow.ly/17WD9Z #
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-04
Benefits of Annual Passes
Last week, I mentioned the discounts associated with getting an annual pass.
What kind of discounts, you ask?
More often than not, there are room discounts, some quite substantial. We paid the moderate price for a deluxe room on one of our trips. Mousesavers has these listed and will send you a weekly newsletter detailing these discounts.
There are also discounts on renewal. For example, right now (6/30/2010) when you renew your pass, you get 15 months instead of 12. Great deal!
Continue reading ‘Benefits of Annual Passes’ »
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-06-27
- Blog Post: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-06-20 http://ow.ly/17OULy #
- Blog Post: Do not be afraid of the baby care center http://ow.ly/17PehA #
- Blog Post: When do you need an annual pass and why would you want one? http://ow.ly/17R7MD #
When do you need an annual pass and why would you want one?
Most folks don’t even consider purchasing an annual pass. I mean how many of us Disney fans would use it enough to actually make it a wise purchase?
Me for one. If your family plans to spend more than 10 days at the House of Mouse in one year, then an annual pass is a great purchase. Why? Well for one reason, that’s the point at which it costs less to purchase an annual pass versus daily tickets or package them with your room.
In addition, Annual Passholder’s get the benefit of unlimited admission with park hopping privleges to the 4 Main Parks with no blockout dates. You also get complimentary parking at the theme parks, admission to DisneyQuest, and the water parks.
Continue reading ‘When do you need an annual pass and why would you want one?’ »
Do not be afraid of the baby care center
Men, do not be afraid of the day care center. If there is anything that you are dreading about the next time you visit Walt Disney World, and it is the baby care center, or anything related to baby care at Walt Disney World, do not fear because this place is one of the less crowded, cooler places to sit for a few minutes, than anywhere else in a Disney park that I have ever found. At first I was afraid that I was going to be sitting in there with a bunch of other moms and screaming children or a bunch of people who were just generally tired and upset, but the truth was that the baby care center at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando Florida is one of the cleanest, coolest, brightest places to be in all of the park. This is not a decision that I came to lightly. This is something that I’ve been thinking about for quite a while, and something that I did do a lot of worrying about before we arrived for a trip when my daughter was nine months old. I was kind of dreading it, the visit to the baby care center that I knew we would be making. When we walked through the doors and into the center I found it to be one of the most relaxing places that you can spend a few minutes at a Disney park.
I wasn’t sure if we’d have a bunch of cranky families or just what it would turn out to be like, but it was this incredibly calm and peaceful place. I was able to relax, catch my breath and cool off while we took care of our daughter. The changing tables were up high, and had lots of room to spread out our stuff so even as a tall guy, there was no backbreaking element there. Everything was very comfortable and easy to use. For those who are using powdered formulas, microwaves and a small kitchenette were available. It had everything you’d need, and the staff were simply a delight. I think they were actually surprised to see a guy come in there and hang out at all so I feel like I even got a little special attention while I was there.
For those of you traveling without babies to Walt Disney World Park, I suggest you bring one along, make one up or borrow one for an afternoon, just so that you can go and visit this unusually calm serene place to cool off in the Magic Kingdom. For you those of you guys out there dreading the trip to the baby care center at the Magic Kingdom, because it might make you a minute or two later to Pirates… Do not dread it. It’s a marvelous place to cool off before hitting the park again.
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-06-20
- Blog Post: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-06-13 http://ow.ly/17J4Vx #
- Blog Post: Getting handed the plastic card http://ow.ly/17JsJG #
Getting handed the plastic card
Ever seen anybody wandering around Disney World with a plastic card on a string? I’ve seen it a couple times before and it had been explained to me, but I never really got it until recent trip to Disney World where I think I got handed the plastic card about three times before the end of the week. (Or was it four?) The plastic card is a phenomenon that I will describe here as hijacking the public to help Disney do its job. The job of the card is simply this, they want to know how long the line is. It’s given to you as you get in line asking that you return it when you board the car at the end, handing it to the cast member there. This way they can scan and use the cards to help them figure out how long it’s taking folks to get from the entrance to the end of the line, usually doing two or three of these at any given time, and the more I thought about it this last trip, the more I kept getting handed the card.
I got this Disney application, for my iPhone that shows me wait times for various rides. I check it sometimes just to just to see how accurate thing really is. Usually it’s close, and what was very interesting is when you get handed the card they are actively trying to figure out what number to put up on a board outside the ride, so even if you went into the ride and it said there was a 10 minute wait and you get handed the card, they don’t really know anymore what the wait is like, and it’s up to you to help them figure it out. So next time you are at Disney, see how many white cards you get handed yourself and enjoy helping the Disney team deliver the magic by helping them determine wait times.
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-06-13
- Blog Post: Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-06-06 http://ow.ly/17DWhe #
- Blog Post: Haunted Mansion updates http://ow.ly/17Eece #
- Blog Post: Disney's Pop Century Resort http://ow.ly/17GexB #
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
John and I were able to visit Pop Century Resort a while back. It was a delightful visit and I was happy to experience it.
The visual theming of this resort is a salute to the culture of the last part of the 20th century. Each building represents a decade starting with the 1950’s through the 1990’s. Huge icons are scattered throughout the resort including a giant Yo-yo which hides a stairwell and a giant Mickey Mouse telephone.
Things you should know:
- There’s no Table Service Restaurant here, but the Quick Service Restaurant is HUGE. Easily as big as most mall food courts and the choice and variety of foods are great.
- The only transportation option here is bus. The bus queue is in front of the lobby area and is separated by destination. Bus lines fill up fast in the morning.
- Onsite recreation includes 2 giant arcades, surrey bike rental, and three themed pools.
Continue reading ‘Disney’s Pop Century Resort’ »
Haunted Mansion updates
The Haunted Mansion is one of my favorite rides of all time any Disney park. I remember as a kid, standing outside the haunted mansion after watching the clips of it on the TV in the hotel room over and over and over again, and being scared by the sound of the howling dog outside it to the point where I would not go inside. I only manages to ride it some years later when visiting while I was in college and from then on the Haunted Mansion has been one of my favorite rides of all time and probably will remain so. I have even re-scheduled trips to Disney because I knew that the Haunted Mansion was going to be down for refurbishment, and oh what a refurbishment they’ve just had. Wow, it has undergone a fantastic transformation. Still the same on the outside, and still mostly the same on the inside, but certain aspects of the ride have been greatly improved.
There once hung a giant spider, lit with black lights that just wasn’t cutting it. It looked obviously whoever and definitely not scary. They’ve replaced that with a fantastic series of steps to nowhere that surround you where you can see ghost footprints sneaking around and glowing in the dark.
They’ve done a phenomenal job of updating the attic where the story of the haunted bride is told. Now for the first time you can actually see some of her story and the untimely demise of the husbands she’s had in the past and the new bide animatronic is just dazzling.
Madame Leota has been updated. She now floats above the table when much more interesting effect than before.
Definitely worth the trip, and do the kid a favor and act like you believe the dog is real.
