Disney Institute Trip Report (Read this, it might change your view)

[reBLUE]

Hey guys! I'm a long time reader, first time poster.

This is a trip report including Delta Air Lines, Alamo Rent a Car, and the Disney Institute.

First off, Delta Airlines was great. We arrived at the airport a little late and the line was LONG! So, we were put into a shorter line, and we were off to the gate. The plane was a BRAND NEW 767-400ER. It was a BEAUTIFUL AIRCRAFT. There were LCD TV's all over the cabin (the flat ones). They were all on, with soothing music - they said things like welcome aboard, we hope you enjoy your flight. It was a nice touch. The food was standard - cereal, a bagel, yogurt, O.J., and fruit. WE ACTUALLY ARRIVED 15 MINUTES EARLY!!! THIS WAS THE FIRST ON-TIME FLIGHT I'VE BEEN ON IN 3 YEARS!!! WOO-HOO!! REJOYCE!!

Now on to Alamo Rent A Car. IT WAS A SNAP!!!! The shuttle pulled in right as we walked out to the shuttle area. It was about a 10 minute ride to the rental center. We used Quickrent. There was NO LINE for Quickrent. There was even an attendant to help us, even though the process was SUPER EASY. In about 30 seconds, a recipt was printed - It read "YOUR SILVER CHEVY BLAZER IS PARKED IN SPACE X30, THE KEYS ARE IN THE DOOR." Space X30 was right outside of the door. The luggage was loaded, and we were off!! TOTALLY PAINLESS!!! And the return, also VERY EASY. A recipt was printed and the bus was waiting. A VERY FAST PROCESS!!!

NOW FOR THE MAIN EVENT!!! The Disney Institute - ALOT of people on this board AVOID THE DI AT ALL COSTS!!! Well, I LOVED THE DISNEY INSTITUTE!!!!! IT WAS GREAT!!! I was SOOOOOO worried about my stay there! This board scared the pants off me!! Now, the Disney Institute has it's faults, but I really enjoyed it. First off, THE SERVICE WAS EXCELENT!!!! The best service I have ever experienced at a hotel. We reserved a one bedroom townhouse, and faxed our requests in. We requested the larger 1 bedroom model. Now, this is gonna sound kinda weird - but the larger 1 bedroom model is really 2 bedrooms! Its the same as a 2 bedroom, but it has 1 less bathroom and 1 less TV. Plus the layout is a LITTLE different. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT!! NOW, I GOT MY OWN BED!! NO COUCH FOR ME!! It had 2 twins, a queen, and a sofa sleeper, 1 and a half baths, and a very large living room. WOW!! 2 for the price of 1!! PLUS, OUR FRIDGE WAS STOCKED WITH FREE DRINKS!!! ANOTHER BONUS!! WOO_HOO!! Heres another shocker - THE BEDS WERE TURNED DOWN WITH CHOCLATE EVERY NIGHT!!! And, you thought that was only at deluxe resorts! SOME FAULTS - This place needs some remodeling!! BUT, ONLY ON THE OUTSIDE. The inside of the villas are VERY nice, but the windows, paint, some doors, and other cosmetic things need to be replaced. Pretty much minor stuff - I hear that they're about to start remodeling, so no biggie. All in all, I love the DI - the one thing that I forgot to mention was that there were kids, but the resort is so spread out - that you don't notice them!! woo-hoo! At PO (we ate dinner there) there was a kid behind me that kept bumping into me. Plus, there was a constantly crying baby in front of me. The DI was REFRESHING!

K, I hope you enjoyed my post. If you have any questions or comments, ill be glad to reply to them. See y'all later!!

Sorry in advance for the spelling errors.

 

[snuggles]

Welcome to the Dis! I'm so glad you chose our board for your first post. I sure didnt know that the Institute had all those nice features. Thanks for posting.

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[pumba]

the nice service you received.....

 

[nutz4dzny]

Sounds like a great start. I would love to read more. Please keep Posting so I can find out all about it! One question. When did you go and how was the weather and crowds. I have Posted to the Trip Reports 3 times and I have learned to Post the date you are writing about and the weather. It helps the readers who are going or who want to know what the weather was like etc. Thanks again for Posting!

 

[wheatenwalker]

Great start! I want to hear more about DI. There are sometimes great discounts there but I have always been a little afraid to try it. Thanks for the posts.

 

[reBLUE]

Thanks for the positive feedback! We just got back yesterday, so we were at WDW from March 14-18. The weather was kinda weird. Some days it was overcast, on others it was sunny. The temprature was always in the mid to upper 70's and low 80's. On Saturday night it was in the mid 60's.

The crowds were WONDERFUL!!

Lines:
Space Mtn. 45 mins.
Thunder Mtn. 30 mins.

Tower of Terror 20 mins., sometimes 0
Rockin Roller Coaster 45 mins.
Star Tours 10 mins.

Safari 5 mins.
Dinosaur 10 mins.


Talk to u guys later!

 

[hercamore]

Thanks for the great report...would you care to sharing your nitely rate for the townhouse? Also, how was the bus service from there?

 

[sljhummingbird]

I've got a room booked there in June. I went this route because I've got 5 going together and wanted a little space between us (at a decent price) in the room and I wanted to be on Disney property. Due to negative postings on this board or a severe lack of postings on staying at this particular property, I've been really nervous about it. I did read in a book on Disney that they are spending money now on renovating the exterior. I'm wondering if you have any advice on how best to get around from there to the various parks and/or other hotels in the most efficient manner? Do shuttles run frequently in the a.m. and at park closing times in order to expediently get to and from the fun? Is there a shuttle schedule I can get a hold of

 

[wdwnut]

hi and welcome to the boards: glad your stay was so great. we stayed at the di before they called it the di (early-mid 90's), and our experience was not as good as yours - dirty unit, no freebies, and no turndown service. guess we caught them at an off time.

 

[reBLUE]

We paid the full price of $294 per night . But we still had fun! I forgot to mention - we told the room controler that it was i group member's b-day. (don't know if that had anything to do with the freebies) Also, i havent found a floorplan for our townhouse. I think that there are LOTS of variations in the floorplans. I'm not even sure what our townhouse would be considered (we paid for a 1 bedroom).

As far as transportation, we never waited more than 10 mins. for a bus. The downtown disney transportation center was just a short walk away, so we also had easy access to other resorts as well.

Talk to you guys later!!

 

[Bill3]

We are staying in a Fairway Villa starting in 10 days. Our party kept growing and we needed the extra room. We have stayed in the 2 bedrooms at OKW and BWV, can anyone compare. We think OKW is great.Part of our party do little but sunbathe, how and where are the pools? Good to here a favorable report on the area.More info appreciated.

 

[reBLUE]

I'm sure that you will love the fairway villas. In my opinion, they are the best looking accomidations on the property.

Some things you may like to know:

1. There are 2 bus stops for the very few number of fairway villas, meaning you can't be far away from a bus stop.

2. According my property map, the closest pool is at the welcome center. This is far away from about half of the fairway villas. If this is an important matter, make sure to include it on your fax. All of the pools at the Disney Institute were EXECPTIONALLY clean, and had very nice public areas.

3. A golf cart may make your stay more enjoyable. In each fairway villa, there is a parking space for a golf cart. The golf cart will allow you easy access to anything on the property, or the downtown disney area. There are cart paths all over the DI, and there are charging stations at Dowtown Disney. I believe that the carts go for $25 a day.

4. BE SURE TO FAX IN YOUR ROOM REQUESTS!!! Here's a good resource:

http://www.passporter.com/wdw/resortrequest.htm

5. CHECK OUT THIS LINK!!! It is the best source of information about the fairway villas. It even has pictures!!

http://www.passporter.com/wdw/fairwayvillas.htm


Talk to you guys later!