Our first treat at this fabulous resort was the cute creation left in our room by Mousekeeping.  Each day all 3 kids had a new friend awaiting them in our room.  Zachary takes a stuffed animal everywhere he goes. On this trip, we happened to have Ricky the Red Panda along for the ride.  Every evening he was in a surprise location awaiting our return.  This made him feel extra special!

The pool at PO-FQ was the best by far that we have ever experienced.  The dragon mouth slide was hard to get the kids off of!  It was magical compared to the plain slides at the value resorts that we had been used to.   Even though the water temps were chilly in early October, the kids didn’t want to stop swimming, sliding, playing and meeting new friends. 

The room themes were amazing!  The thing that fascinated the kids the most was that we had two sinks.   The themes in the rooms take you straight to New Orleans.  I just love how Disney makes everything feel magical, no matter where you are. 

Our whole family enjoyed our daily walks along the beautifully landscaped grounds.  We even ventured over to Riverside and tried our hands at the cane pole fishing at Ole Mans Island.  The kids also loved the boat rides that were available to Riverside and Downtown Disney.  They had never experienced an open air boat ride before.  We HAD to do this at least once a day, even if it was just to Riverside and back! 

Another special treat that we had never experienced at any of the value resorts was the Bell Hop.  Mr. Mardi Gras, as the kids called him, was in the lobby everyday greeting guest entering and leaving the resort.  The kids would race to him each morning to get the special coins that he gave.  They would head to the fountain and make their special Disney wishes of the day.  He made each of the children feel like his/her coin was picked especially for them. 

 So, as you can see, this resort is top notch on the moderate resort list.  I couldn’t believe that my kids chose this over the many fantastic rides and attractions as one of the top 10 most fun things to do at Disney.  I do have to admit though, the adults in the group agree.

Find out how the FREE services of a Disney World travel agent can make planning your Disney vacation simple…and for a limited time, get a FREE Disney gift card when you book your trip with me! ($2000 minimum package cost)

Shannan is a mom that was born and raised in rural Tennessee. She tells us: “I live with my husband and 3 of our 5 children. Travis is 24 and is father to my grandbabies, Emma and baby Judson. I can’t wait to start sharing Disney with them. Dusty is 22, Clay 12, Zachary 10 and Erin is 8. I clean houses to make money to fund my magical trips. I went to Disney the first time as a teen and couldn’t wait to start introducing my own children to the magic. We took our 3 youngest in 2004 and that started it all. We have been 3 times since then and have our first Christmas trip planned for this December. Usually my parents accompany us on the trip and I have to research and plan for things that will suit various ages in our party of 7. Each time I go, I try new experiences in lodging and dining so I can share it with friends and family that seek my advice on trip planning! Disney is definitely my first choice in vacation destinations. Hopefully there is a Disney surf and turf vacation in our future!“

Aside from the sheer joy and happiness that comes from being at Walt Disney World, staying at one of the themed-resorts on Disney property affords you some very special perks:

Outstanding Service

There is an extra special feeling you get from cast members who love working at the Disney resorts – it is the feeling of being welcomed and wanted.  I am not saying that every cast member working at the Disney resorts is walking around with birds flying overhead and the singing voice of an angel but, for me, there is a much better attitude of employees at Disney resorts than I have found at offsite hotels where I’ve stayed.

Themed-pools

The pools at the Disney resorts all follow the theme of the hotel. The value resorts usually have two pools and the designs are awesome. For instance, you can find a guitar-shaped pool at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort or a pool in the shape of a baseball diamond at the All-Star Sports Resort.

The moderate hotels usually have a number of pools: one themed pool and several quiet pools.  One example is Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort which has 6 heated pools located throughout the island villages. The main pool complex at Old Port Royale is a swashbuckling aquatic adventure any pirate would be proud of with 2 water slides and an 82-foot slide that zips through the inside of the castle fort. The detail spent on keeping everything with the theme of each resort is awesome and what kid would not want to go home and tell their friends they rode down a serpent’s tongue into the pool?

Special wake-up calls

Mickey, is that you?  Nothing starts my day off right like the sound of Mickey Mouse in my wake-up call. His sweet little voice tells me, “Hello, time to get up for a magical day,” although during this last trip Stitch had hijacked Mickey’s system. Of course, Mickey saved the day and wished us a happy day. I just love waking up to Mickey.  Now, if I could just convince my hubby to imitate him every morning I would be all set!

Free room delivery

One of the Disney resort perks I really take advantage of during my visits is free delivery for purchases made in the parks or at Downtown Disney. If something catches your eye in one of the gift shops in the parks or if you decide to buy kitchen items from the kitchen store at Downtown Disney, you don’t have to worry about carry anything around with you. The store will deliver your purchased items to the gift shop at your Disney resort free of charge. Then, anytime after the designated delivery time, you just take your receipt for proof of purchase and head down to the gift shop to pick them up. This is very handy for a Disney lover like me.

Free transportation

I really dislike driving. In fact, my husband does all the driving and although he really doesn’t mind it at all, I like for him to get a vacation from driving too, once we’re at “The World.” So, he gets to ride just like us on the free Disney transportation: monorail, busses and boats. We leave the driving to them and some of the cast members who drive those busses are so much fun they can really make your stay even better.

Disney TV Channel

In your Disney resort guest room there are tv channels available to keep you informed and provide a little more magic. One is the Radio Disney / Bedtime Stories channel. The other is the “Top Seven Must Sees at Walt Disney World Resort” channel that gives you information on rides and attractions at of each of the four main parks as well as Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, etc. It plays continuously all day long so you end up catching all the information on the attractions.

I hope that you will at least look into staying on property. I have stayed both onsite and offsite and the difference is worth a million to me. Who knows, if you are traveling during the value season you might even end up going deluxe.  Also, be sure to read my Thrifty Thursday post this week for another treasure available only to on-property Disney guests.

Find out how the FREE services of a Disney World travel agent can make planning your Disney vacation simple…and for a limited time, get a FREE Disney gift card when you book your trip with me! ($2000 minimum package cost)

Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.

So let’s take a few minutes today and discuss some things to think about when it comes to Disney properties specifically…because while there are certainly other options, the vast majority of people are probably interested in staying with Disney.

And for good reason.

Disney offers a number of benefits to staying with them. Free transportation to the parks, as well as Disney’s Magical Express, that will transport you from and back to the airport will save you both time and money. Other Disney “perks” like “Extra Magic Hours” are a nice way to get additional time in the parks. Plus Disney offers the Disney Dining Plans to those buying a Disney resort package…..including the popular Free Dining promotion that should never be overlooked when planning affordable Disney vacations.

Then there is “the Magic factor”.   Arguably the most important thing that a Disney property provides, that you will not have if you stay off-site, is that 24/7 immersion in the Disney “magic”. And for many people, that’s a big deal!

So you want to stay with Disney? Then let’s talk about your options.

Briefly, Disney basically has four categories of hotel accommodations: Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villas.

While there are clearly some differences among these categories in terms of size, location, amenities, and cost, all Disney resort properties share in those great perks described above. And when deciding on the most affordable option, you certainly need to take all of that into consideration.

As to the resorts themselves, Value resorts such as All-Star Music or Pop Century offer fun themes, food courts, smaller rooms, and the lowest prices on Disney properties. They are also typically located farthest away from the theme parks. An important note here are the All-Star Music suites that enable a larger family to stay in one “room” although you should do a cost comparison to see if this is most economical to you. The new Art of Animation resort, opening in 2012 will also offer a large number of family suites, in fun themes like Nemo, Lion King, and Cars.

The Moderate resort category, as the name implies, is “in-between”. These resorts, like the Caribbean Beach, or Port Orleans also have food courts, have slightly larger rooms, typically more elaborate pools, and are usually a little closer to the parks.

The Deluxe category hotels, which include properties such as the Polynesian, Yacht and Beach Club, and Disney’s flagship Grand Floridian, are the closest to the parks, have the largest rooms and most luxurious amenities, and do not typically include the “food court” option. They are also the most expensive….most of the time. I say this because they are also the properties that, when Disney offers resort discount promotions, are most likely to be discounted the heaviest because they do not book up as quickly. This is where having some flexibility as to when you are traveling can be beneficial: it is certainly possible to be able to stay at a deluxe resort during non-peak times for less money than a moderate during peak times.

The final category is the Deluxe Villas which are really a “different” category entirely, because they are Disney Vacation Club properties that are not booked by vacation club owners. These properties can be perfect for larger families since they include one and two bedroom villas that have kitchens. Again, depending on the time of year and potential promotion available, when considering your family’s needs, a Deluxe Villa can be an affordable option for your family.

So many choices when it comes to where to stay at Walt Disney World! What is your favorite Disney resort? Let us know in the comments below!

Want help planning your Disney vacation? Find out how the FREE services of a Disney World travel agent can make it all simple…and save you time and money too!

I get many questions from people who are thinking about visiting Walt Disney World and want Disney World vacation tips and suggestions. Disney vacation planning can be very involved and confusing as well, so the goal of this series is to start at the beginning, and look at everything you need to think about, in the general order you need to think about it. Each week’s post will be numbered and link to all the others so that, when complete, you will have a guide with all the steps and information you need to plan your own Disney magic.

OK, so you are going to Walt Disney World, and you need to figure out where you are going to stay. You have looked at rental properties, and non-Disney hotels. What if you want to stay in the heart of the “magic”?

Well, you have a lot of choices!

Briefly, Disney basically has four categories of hotel accommodations: Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villas.

While there are clearly some differences among these categories in terms of size, location, amenities, and cost, all Disney resort properties share in a number of “perks”. Disney resort guests all have access to free transportation to and from Orlando International airport, and between theme parks and hotels. In addition, resort guests can participate in Disney’s “Extra Magic Hours” at the parks, as well as the Disney Dining Plans. And depending on the time of year, Disney may also offer some very attractive package deals that include free days, park tickets, and even free dining….all of which can weigh very heavily when planning affordable Disney vacations.

As to the resorts themselves, Value resorts such as All-Star Music, or Pop Century offer fun themes, food courts, smaller rooms, and the lowest prices on Disney properties. They are also typically located farthest away from the theme parks.

The Moderate resort category, as the name implies, is “in-between”. These resorts, like the Caribbean Beach, or Port Orleans also have food courts, have slightly larger rooms, and are usually a little closer to the parks.

The Deluxe category hotels, which includes properties such as the Polynesian, Yacht and Beach Club, and Disney’s flagship Grand Floridian, are the closest to the parks, have the largest rooms and most luxurious amenities, and do not typically include the “food court” option. They are also the most expensive….most of the time. I say this because they are also the properties that, when Disney offers resort discount promotions, are most likely to be discounted the heaviest because they do not book up as quickly. This is where having some flexibility as to when you are traveling can be beneficial: it is not unusual to be able to stay at a deluxe resort during non-peak times for less money than a moderate during peak times.

The final category is the Deluxe Villas which are really a “different” category entirely, because they are Disney Vacation Club properties that are not booked by vacation club owners. These properties can be perfect for larger families since they include one and two bedroom villas that have kitchens. Again, depending on the time of year and potential promotion available, a Deluxe Villa can be the most affordable option for your family.

So as you begin to finalize this part of the process, compare your needs as to size, location, and budget with the options available for the time of year and promotions that are available. It is really important, if you want to have the most affordable Disney vacation possible, to do this part of your research and do the math. You may be surprised about what is actually the most cost-effective: it is not always the option you think it will be.

Finally, your last stop before booking, should be to compare different pricing options…no matter if you are staying on or off Disney property.

You should always check sites like Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline and Travelocity to see if you can get a better price than the one offered directly by Disney or the off-site hotel: frequently you can. Be sure to also check for discounts through organizations like AAA, AARP, and if you are a teacher look into that as well: the Walt Disney World Swan and Walt Disney World Dolphin often offer good promotions for teachers.

So there you have it. Lots of options for where to stay on your Walt Disney World vacation. Explore your options, compare your choices, see where you can get the best price, and then get it booked!  We have more planning to do!

I get many questions from people who are thinking about visiting Walt Disney World and want Disney World vacation tips and suggestions. Disney vacation planning can be very involved and confusing as well, so the goal of this series is to start at the beginning, and look at everything you need to think about, in the general order you need to think about it. Each week’s post will be numbered and link to all the others so that, when complete, you will have a guide with all the steps and information you need to plan your own Disney magic.

Should I stay ON Disney property or OFF Disney property?

This is probably the single most frequent question I get from folks planning a Disney World vacation. And the answer that I give….depends on a number of things.

(You should probably see a pattern here by now if you have been reading along with the series…:))

Let’s talk about why you would want to stay off-site first. To start, you may save money, possibly a good deal of money, or at a minimum, get larger/better accommodations for the same price. (Note that I said “may”, because depending on the time of year and if Disney has any promotions…and a couple of other factors as well…this may not always be the case.) If you have a larger family, where a standard size hotel room is not going to do it for you, this can be important if you will be getting more than one room. And, you may also find it easier to find rooms in your price range if you are planning on traveling during peak travel times, or if you are trying to book all this at the last minute.

Other things that will come into play here however, are things like transportation to the parks and meals.  You will want to see if the off-property hotel you are considering offers things like free breakfast, or free park shuttles…or will you need to rent a car?

The transportation part should be looked at very carefully in fact. Traveling to and from the parks can be a challenge, depending on the available shuttle service: some hotels share shuttles, or charge for their use. If you want to take afternoon breaks from the parks, you may want to consider renting a car, but if you do, realize that there will be a parking fee, and if visiting on peak holidays, the parking lots may be closed to non-Disney guests.

Now why would you want to stay on-site? Well, the already-mentioned transportation issue is a big one. Disney “perks” like “Extra Magic Hours” are a nice way to get additional time in the parks. Plus Disney offers the Disney Dining Plans, as well as those increasingly frequent promotions that should never be overlooked when planning affordable Disney vacations.

Then there is “the Magic factor”.

Arguably the most important thing that a Disney property provides, that you will not have if you stay off-site, is that 24/7 immersion in the Disney “magic”. Of course, for many folks, that may be the biggest disadvantage! After all, how often can you stand to hear “It’s a Small World” in one day? It may be that for your family, having a break from all that pixie dust may be a very good thing indeed.

Now you should also take a look at the “non-Disney” hotels that are located on Disney property: there a few in the Downtown Disney area, as well as the distinctive Walt Disney World Swan and Walt Disney World Dolphin located near Epcot and Hollywood Studios. These hotels, while not owned by Walt Disney World, still offer a number of those great Disney perks, but without the corresponding Disney property cost. It’s a nice compromise if you are trying to save money but would still like the Disney ambience.

Both on-Disney and off-Disney properties have their pros and cons, and as you can see there really is no one perfect-for-all solution. Even for your own family, the best choice for an affordable Disney vacation may be different depending on the year, season, month, or even week.

Our next post will discuss the accommodations available at the Walt Disney Resort, and then it will be time to book!

I get many questions from people who are thinking about visiting Walt Disney World and want Disney World vacation tips and suggestions. Disney vacation planning can be very involved and confusing as well, so the goal of this series is to start at the beginning, and look at everything you need to think about, in the general order you need to think about it. Each week’s post will be numbered and will link to all the others so that, when complete, you will have a guide with all the steps and information you need to plan your own Disney magic.

We are now going to focus on the next steps of planning an affordable Disney vacation, choosing your accommodations. This is a huge part of any vacation budget, so it is important to take some time to research your options to decide what is best for your family.

Walt Disney World offers an almost dizzying variety of choices, from the many Disney properties, to off-resort hotels, to a vast supply of vacation homes and condos. How do you choose?

And perhaps even more to the point: what is the best choice to save money?

The answer to both questions is the same: it depends.

Most people think that it is always cheaper to stay off-property, and that is just not always the case. There are a number of variables that will come into play here: time of the year, size of your family, and need for transportation while there, will all factor in your decision.

As we have already discussed, the busier times of year will be more expensive…and you may possibly have less choices, especially if you are not planning far ahead. Disney will not typically offer as many promotions for these times of year as they will for the slower times. So off-site may be your best choice during peak season…but again, not always…

You need to look at the size of your family: if you have a number of children that will require more than one motel room, then a larger “suite”, villa, or rental home may be the most economical as compared to renting multiple rooms. The Walt Disney resort has some properties that can accommodate larger groups of people, and it is not unusual for Disney to have some pretty sweet discounts and packages on this “level” of accommodation. In other cases, some hotels/motels, both on and off property, may offer specials where two rooms could be cheaper than one room in a different location. You will also want to look beyond the traditional hotel/motel option and consider renting a vacation home, condominium, or time-share.  If you need the additional space, do the math: it can be a definite cost-saver.

And then you will want to consider how you are going to get around while at Disney World. You can stay with Disney and use their free resort transportation, consisting of buses, monorail, or boats. If you end up off-site then you will need a way to get to the parks: find out if your hotel/motel has a free shuttle. If not, or if you are staying in a private property, then you will need to factor in the cost of renting a car or van.

In the next few posts, we will discuss each of your options in more detail. And if you have not already decided generally when you want to go, how long you want to stay, the parks/attractions/events you are most interested in, and how much you want to spend…..well now is the appropriate time.

In the next few days, you are going to be booking your accommodations and on your way to your own magical affordable Disney vacation!