Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Paintbrushes
Disney does a lot of things that are fun but also relatively unknown. One of these things are the hidden paintbrushes on Tom Sawyer's island. There is no secret to finding the brushes beyond getting to the island first. If you get to Disney early then you can easily make it to the island. The first raft leaves about an hour after the park opens. Be on it. Assuming you find a paintbrush, you have to take it to a castmember when leaving the island to get something special. Only one paintbrush per party though, so if you find more than one, leave it/them for others to find.
Monday, November 29, 2010
How to pick a hotel
This hotel tip is all about choosing between staying on property or off property. There are a number of things to keep in mind.
So, the real question is: are the advantages offered by Disney really worth the extra price? Let's examine a few things.
1. Price--Any Disney hotel can be beaten in price by many conveniently located options off property. However, with Disney's pricing structure, the value hotels are competitive with most places, but often still more expensive. This does not discount the Disney hotels though because there are other things to consider.
2. Parking--Parking at Disney can be expensive. All the major parks cost $15 dollars as of the date of this post, but parking is free if you are staying at a Disney resort. So, if you are staying somewhere off property, you have to consider that you'll be paying an additional fifteen dollars a day over and above your hotel rate unless the hotel offers a shuttle service. This can effect your decionmaking regarding pricing, especially if you are considering one of the value resort hotels.
3. Shuttles--Shuttle services can save you money if you are staying off property since you won't have to pay the parking fees. However, Disney shuttle services off the convenience of picking you up in front of your hotel and dropping you off at the entrance to the parks. So, it is basically door to door service. Sure, you have to wait sometimes, but there are plenty of busses so the waits are usually minimal. Many hotels off property offer shuttle services as well, but make sure you understand how it works before choosing this option. Over the years, we've tried a multitude of options. In order to provide this service, most hotels join up with other nearby hotels to arrange them. This results in a round trip that is significantly longer than anything you'll have with Disney. Why? Well, say you are staying at a hotel that offers free shuttle service. You need to be aware that they have likely gone in with 2 or 3 or sometimes more hotels in order to provide that service. Therefore, the bus will travel to each of those destinations before heading to the park. If you are first on this route, then you might be picked up at 8 and make 2-3 stops before being dropped off at a park around 9, just in time for it to open. This assumes an hour round trip. We've taken shuttles that have had round trips of up to an hour and a half. In that case, you can get the shuttle at 8 and still not make it to the park in time for it to open. Now, you might be the last hotel to be picked up which means you'd go directly to the park. This is great in the morning, but can be awful at the end of the day when you are tired and you have to sit through 2-3 stops before the bus gets you to your hotel. Another thing to note regarding off site shuttle services is that they drop you off in a lot that is farther away than Disney shuttles. However, this is really only an issue at Magic Kingdom, where off site shuttles will drop you off at the transportation center where you'll have to take the monorail or the ferry. Disney busses drop you off at the entrance gates.
4. Amenities--Most hotels offer an array of amenities. What kind of amenities appeal to you will depend entirely on your tastes and what you plan to do on your trip. For instance, Disney has three basic hotel types. Value, moderate and deluxe. These are comparable to any hotel off site. The value resorts are nice, but are basically your typical hotel. They offer a nice themed room, a nice pool, dining services of some sort, basically anything you'd expect to find from your typical hotel. The moderate resorts are larger with themed rooms that are much more impressive. They have more pools than the value resorts as well as waterslides. So, you can compare moderate resorts to a slightly more upscale place. The Deluxe resorts really are deluxe. They are very upscale in the amenities they offer as well as in the price. These would be your five star hotel equivalents. Note that all the Disney resort hotels have free wifi. Basically, the amenities Disney offers vary with the price, just like you'll find at any off site hotel.
5. Additional transportation--If you are flying in to Orlando and choose to stay at a Disney property, then you'll be given shuttle service from the airport right to your hotel. Many non Disney hotels also offer this kind of service, but usually you'll need to use the airport shuttle service or a taxi or rent a car. If you are driving in, this will not be an issue for you.
6. Other intangible considerations--This section is just about Disney. Off site hotels offer many services to their guests and do what they can to help you to have an enjoyable vacation. Disney resort properties offer a few additional amenities you won't find off site. First, your room key acts as your park ticket as well as your credit card, so you don't need to carry around a lot of cash or worry about losing your tickets. Plus, you get to keep your key as a memento. Additionally, if you purchase something inside one of the parks, you do not need to carry it around with you all day because Disney will deliver your items directly to your room. These are simply two added incentives for anyone looking for an excuse to spend the little extra money to stay on property.
So, the real question is: are the advantages offered by Disney really worth the extra price? Let's examine a few things.
1. Price--Any Disney hotel can be beaten in price by many conveniently located options off property. However, with Disney's pricing structure, the value hotels are competitive with most places, but often still more expensive. This does not discount the Disney hotels though because there are other things to consider.
2. Parking--Parking at Disney can be expensive. All the major parks cost $15 dollars as of the date of this post, but parking is free if you are staying at a Disney resort. So, if you are staying somewhere off property, you have to consider that you'll be paying an additional fifteen dollars a day over and above your hotel rate unless the hotel offers a shuttle service. This can effect your decionmaking regarding pricing, especially if you are considering one of the value resort hotels.
3. Shuttles--Shuttle services can save you money if you are staying off property since you won't have to pay the parking fees. However, Disney shuttle services off the convenience of picking you up in front of your hotel and dropping you off at the entrance to the parks. So, it is basically door to door service. Sure, you have to wait sometimes, but there are plenty of busses so the waits are usually minimal. Many hotels off property offer shuttle services as well, but make sure you understand how it works before choosing this option. Over the years, we've tried a multitude of options. In order to provide this service, most hotels join up with other nearby hotels to arrange them. This results in a round trip that is significantly longer than anything you'll have with Disney. Why? Well, say you are staying at a hotel that offers free shuttle service. You need to be aware that they have likely gone in with 2 or 3 or sometimes more hotels in order to provide that service. Therefore, the bus will travel to each of those destinations before heading to the park. If you are first on this route, then you might be picked up at 8 and make 2-3 stops before being dropped off at a park around 9, just in time for it to open. This assumes an hour round trip. We've taken shuttles that have had round trips of up to an hour and a half. In that case, you can get the shuttle at 8 and still not make it to the park in time for it to open. Now, you might be the last hotel to be picked up which means you'd go directly to the park. This is great in the morning, but can be awful at the end of the day when you are tired and you have to sit through 2-3 stops before the bus gets you to your hotel. Another thing to note regarding off site shuttle services is that they drop you off in a lot that is farther away than Disney shuttles. However, this is really only an issue at Magic Kingdom, where off site shuttles will drop you off at the transportation center where you'll have to take the monorail or the ferry. Disney busses drop you off at the entrance gates.
4. Amenities--Most hotels offer an array of amenities. What kind of amenities appeal to you will depend entirely on your tastes and what you plan to do on your trip. For instance, Disney has three basic hotel types. Value, moderate and deluxe. These are comparable to any hotel off site. The value resorts are nice, but are basically your typical hotel. They offer a nice themed room, a nice pool, dining services of some sort, basically anything you'd expect to find from your typical hotel. The moderate resorts are larger with themed rooms that are much more impressive. They have more pools than the value resorts as well as waterslides. So, you can compare moderate resorts to a slightly more upscale place. The Deluxe resorts really are deluxe. They are very upscale in the amenities they offer as well as in the price. These would be your five star hotel equivalents. Note that all the Disney resort hotels have free wifi. Basically, the amenities Disney offers vary with the price, just like you'll find at any off site hotel.
5. Additional transportation--If you are flying in to Orlando and choose to stay at a Disney property, then you'll be given shuttle service from the airport right to your hotel. Many non Disney hotels also offer this kind of service, but usually you'll need to use the airport shuttle service or a taxi or rent a car. If you are driving in, this will not be an issue for you.
6. Other intangible considerations--This section is just about Disney. Off site hotels offer many services to their guests and do what they can to help you to have an enjoyable vacation. Disney resort properties offer a few additional amenities you won't find off site. First, your room key acts as your park ticket as well as your credit card, so you don't need to carry around a lot of cash or worry about losing your tickets. Plus, you get to keep your key as a memento. Additionally, if you purchase something inside one of the parks, you do not need to carry it around with you all day because Disney will deliver your items directly to your room. These are simply two added incentives for anyone looking for an excuse to spend the little extra money to stay on property.
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