Hey!
My partner and I just returned from a 5 day stay at the world. We stayed in a standard view room at the BWI. Id be happy to answer any questions if I can.
I thought Id give you my best tips. Just some things we have learned over the years to make our trips more successful:
1. We always fly in the night before our check-in day and stay off site at a cheap hotel. We usually get this via Priceline or Expedia. We can put up with anything for 1 night. Then we get up first thing, check into our resort, store the luggage and hit the parks running. Nothing is worse than wasting half a day on travel.
2. We always rent a car. Sure Disney has good transportation, but waiting is not our strong suit. We like to be on our own timetable as much as possible. This year we got an amazing deal with National.(about $22 a day) They let us use a discount code AND a coupon on the same reservation. Thanks for the discount info Mousesavers.com!
3. We always valet park our car at the resort. We think its well worth the money. And when you are ready to use it again, call down to the valet stand and they will have it waiting for you within 10 minutes. Just keep track of the check stub they give you. Our rule is to tip the valet who brings us our car, usually $2. Bring lots of singles along on your trip.
4. There are king beds available at the BWI under the standard view rate. I was offered one without even asking. I guess I assumed they all had 2 queen beds only. Our room was fantastic with not such a bad view. We had a balcony overlooking the villas and the circle drive in the back on the 4th floor.
5. Take naps! The best time as everyone knows in the parks is early morning. We always make sure we are back in the room by 1pm or 2pm for a nice long nap or swim. Its a good idea to call housekeeping when you leave the morning to request an early room clean. That way there is no doubt that your room will be done and I think the housekeepers appreciate an early start too!
6. On the attractions that are really popular, we like to get a fast pass first thing in the morning, then get in the stand-by line to ride. Then we automatically have a 2nd ride scheduled usually within the hour using the FP.
7. FAST PASS SECRET! Though they will not allow you into the FP return before your alotted time, they WILL honor it anytime the rest of the day. Even if the return time has passed. We did this several times and no one gave it a 2nd thought. This allows you to hold 2 fast passes if you need to. And you dont have to knock yourself out sprinting all over the park.
8. When you have a meal reservation at a resort near one of the parks, they often will give you a 2 hour time limit to park. But if you valet park, you can stay as long as you want. They dont care if you stay all night. For example, we had a 5:30 dinner at California Grill. We valet parked, and spent the rest of the evening at MK. When the park closed at 11pm, we took the monorail back to CR and picked up our car with about a 2 minute wait.
9. The benches at Epcot arent necessarily bolted down! We snagged a good place to see Illuminations right in front of Norway, except that it was facing away from the lagoon. We just assumed we would turn our bodies around when the time came. But after about 45 minutes sitting there, it suddenly dawned on us that we could reverse the bench and have the most comfortable seat imagineable. It was amazing, and I really dont think they mind. Correct me if I am wrong. Now I wouldnt advise picking up a bench and moving it too far. That may be pushing your luck.
10. When traveling between the Boardwalk and MGM, we always get on or off at Swan/Dolphin and walk. It just saves time on that slow, slow boat.
11. We wear these great socks from Target called Cool Max. They keep our feet very dry and supported for all of the walking we do. They were a little hard to find. In fact we ONLY wear them on our Disney trips and put them away in the drawer after the trip. I also like to tie my tennis shoes a little tighter than usual so that your foot doesnt slide around a lot.
That being said, poor partner ended up with horrible blisters. He simply did not have the right fitting shoes and it was our own fault. Band aids and advil helped. Bring lots from home.
I think thats about it. It was a fantastic time with amazing weather. Questions anyone?
My partner and I just returned from a 5 day stay at the world. We stayed in a standard view room at the BWI. Id be happy to answer any questions if I can.
I thought Id give you my best tips. Just some things we have learned over the years to make our trips more successful:
1. We always fly in the night before our check-in day and stay off site at a cheap hotel. We usually get this via Priceline or Expedia. We can put up with anything for 1 night. Then we get up first thing, check into our resort, store the luggage and hit the parks running. Nothing is worse than wasting half a day on travel.
2. We always rent a car. Sure Disney has good transportation, but waiting is not our strong suit. We like to be on our own timetable as much as possible. This year we got an amazing deal with National.(about $22 a day) They let us use a discount code AND a coupon on the same reservation. Thanks for the discount info Mousesavers.com!
3. We always valet park our car at the resort. We think its well worth the money. And when you are ready to use it again, call down to the valet stand and they will have it waiting for you within 10 minutes. Just keep track of the check stub they give you. Our rule is to tip the valet who brings us our car, usually $2. Bring lots of singles along on your trip.
4. There are king beds available at the BWI under the standard view rate. I was offered one without even asking. I guess I assumed they all had 2 queen beds only. Our room was fantastic with not such a bad view. We had a balcony overlooking the villas and the circle drive in the back on the 4th floor.
5. Take naps! The best time as everyone knows in the parks is early morning. We always make sure we are back in the room by 1pm or 2pm for a nice long nap or swim. Its a good idea to call housekeeping when you leave the morning to request an early room clean. That way there is no doubt that your room will be done and I think the housekeepers appreciate an early start too!
6. On the attractions that are really popular, we like to get a fast pass first thing in the morning, then get in the stand-by line to ride. Then we automatically have a 2nd ride scheduled usually within the hour using the FP.
7. FAST PASS SECRET! Though they will not allow you into the FP return before your alotted time, they WILL honor it anytime the rest of the day. Even if the return time has passed. We did this several times and no one gave it a 2nd thought. This allows you to hold 2 fast passes if you need to. And you dont have to knock yourself out sprinting all over the park.
8. When you have a meal reservation at a resort near one of the parks, they often will give you a 2 hour time limit to park. But if you valet park, you can stay as long as you want. They dont care if you stay all night. For example, we had a 5:30 dinner at California Grill. We valet parked, and spent the rest of the evening at MK. When the park closed at 11pm, we took the monorail back to CR and picked up our car with about a 2 minute wait.
9. The benches at Epcot arent necessarily bolted down! We snagged a good place to see Illuminations right in front of Norway, except that it was facing away from the lagoon. We just assumed we would turn our bodies around when the time came. But after about 45 minutes sitting there, it suddenly dawned on us that we could reverse the bench and have the most comfortable seat imagineable. It was amazing, and I really dont think they mind. Correct me if I am wrong. Now I wouldnt advise picking up a bench and moving it too far. That may be pushing your luck.
10. When traveling between the Boardwalk and MGM, we always get on or off at Swan/Dolphin and walk. It just saves time on that slow, slow boat.
11. We wear these great socks from Target called Cool Max. They keep our feet very dry and supported for all of the walking we do. They were a little hard to find. In fact we ONLY wear them on our Disney trips and put them away in the drawer after the trip. I also like to tie my tennis shoes a little tighter than usual so that your foot doesnt slide around a lot.
That being said, poor partner ended up with horrible blisters. He simply did not have the right fitting shoes and it was our own fault. Band aids and advil helped. Bring lots from home.
I think thats about it. It was a fantastic time with amazing weather. Questions anyone?
In fact we made a point of seeing Illuminations 3 times, assuming that the next time we go it may be changed.
