From a New York Times travel story. I found the line towards the about calling the reservations phone number ("Expect the phone to ring for as long as 10 minutes during peak periods") fascinating:
The period near Easter, encompassing the college spring recess and Easter Week itself, is one of the busiest times at Disney World, and the lines for the theme park attractions can easily be twice as long as they are from the period after Easter until early June. Late June through August is also a crowded time, as are Thanksgiving weekend and the period from Christmas Day through New Year's. That final week of the year is traditionally the busiest period for Disney. The calmest periods are January through early February and September through mid-November. Accommodations For convenience and charm, two Disney hotels - the Contemporary Resort and the Polynesian Village - offer unequaled but expensive accommodations. The lowest rate at each is $85 a night for single or double occupancy. Budget hotels within a 15-minute drive are $30 to $40 a night. Are the Contemporary Resort and the Polynesian Village hotels worth the expense? Since they are stops on the Disney monorail system, they are convenient and a real timesaver. It's simple to take a monorail ride back to one of the hotels for a break at midday, when the theme park is most crowded. Tickets for the theme park and other facilities are a bit cheaper for hotel guests, and there's no need for a rental car, unless you plan to visit other Orlando-area attractions. These hotels are often fully booked months in advance and up to a year or more for holidays and midsummer. There is a slim chance of securing a reservation at the last minute because of a cancellation. There is no toll-free telephone number, but the central reservations number, 305-824-8000, is not answered until a representative is available so that long-distance charges are kept to a minimum. Expect the phone to ring for as long as 10 minutes during peak periods. Don't be surprised if your travel agent tries to steer you away from the Contemporary Resort and the Polynesian Village. There's good reason - these hotels don't pay a commission for reservations
Anybody have similar stories from "back in the day"?
The period near Easter, encompassing the college spring recess and Easter Week itself, is one of the busiest times at Disney World, and the lines for the theme park attractions can easily be twice as long as they are from the period after Easter until early June. Late June through August is also a crowded time, as are Thanksgiving weekend and the period from Christmas Day through New Year's. That final week of the year is traditionally the busiest period for Disney. The calmest periods are January through early February and September through mid-November. Accommodations For convenience and charm, two Disney hotels - the Contemporary Resort and the Polynesian Village - offer unequaled but expensive accommodations. The lowest rate at each is $85 a night for single or double occupancy. Budget hotels within a 15-minute drive are $30 to $40 a night. Are the Contemporary Resort and the Polynesian Village hotels worth the expense? Since they are stops on the Disney monorail system, they are convenient and a real timesaver. It's simple to take a monorail ride back to one of the hotels for a break at midday, when the theme park is most crowded. Tickets for the theme park and other facilities are a bit cheaper for hotel guests, and there's no need for a rental car, unless you plan to visit other Orlando-area attractions. These hotels are often fully booked months in advance and up to a year or more for holidays and midsummer. There is a slim chance of securing a reservation at the last minute because of a cancellation. There is no toll-free telephone number, but the central reservations number, 305-824-8000, is not answered until a representative is available so that long-distance charges are kept to a minimum. Expect the phone to ring for as long as 10 minutes during peak periods. Don't be surprised if your travel agent tries to steer you away from the Contemporary Resort and the Polynesian Village. There's good reason - these hotels don't pay a commission for reservations
Anybody have similar stories from "back in the day"?
