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Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Disneyland gazette

Photo Report: August 27th, 2010 - First Signs of Halloween, Vidia at Pixie Hollow, DCA Construction..


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I find it a little weird seeing Snow White and the Evil Queen doing meet 'n greets together
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Disney Clothiers is currently closed for "civic improvements"
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Snow White meets in the Germany Pavilion



Snow White – Classic Attire

Location:
Snow White meets in the Germany Pavilion.  As you walk toward Germany from the China Pavilion, you’ll see her on your left before you arrive at the main Pavilion.  From Italy, you’ll see Snow White on the right after passing most of the Pavilion.
Usual Meet Times:
  • 12:30pm – 1:10pm
  • 1:30pm – 2:10pm
  • 2:30pm – 3:10pm
  • 3:30pm – 4:15pm
  • 5:30pm – 6:10pm
  • 6:30pm – 7:10pm
  • 7:30pm – 8:00pm
Process: Snow White’s line snakes around in front of her depending on how many people are in line.  Don’t bring an apple that isn’t candied.
Interaction: Good.  Snow White doesn’t seem to ooze personality, but it’s a fun picture.  At one time, Snow White usually appeared with one of her Dwarfs, but this is much rarer now.
Wait Times: Wait times are generally 10 to 15 minutes.  The line above is as long as I’ve ever seen it, so it isn’t necessarily the best barometer to use.  Ordinarily, wait times are less than 15 minutes, but can occasionally be longer if a group takes pictures in an infinite number of configurations.
Best Times to Meet: This isn’t a Meet and Greet that you’ll want to take the time to wait through a break for.  Try to arrive about five minutes before she’s scheduled to appear.  You’ll find the shortest waits if you’re in position by 12:25pm for the 12:30pm meet.  Arriving around 5:25pm for the 5:30pm meet is your second best choice because there won’t be anyone waiting through a break from a previous meet time.
Other Meet Locations:
  1. Epcot – Snow White meets diners at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavilion in the same outfit.
  2. Magic Kingdom – Snow White meets visitors in Town Square in the same outfit.  Waits are usually very similar.
  3. Magic Kingdom – Snow white meets diners at Cinderella’s Royal Table in the same outfit.

Monday, August 5, 2013

Money Saving Tips at Disney World WDW


Money Saving Tips at Disney World

This is an updated list of money saving tips at Disney World and surrounding areas.  Now if we are going to determine how to save money, first need to examine where we spendmoney!  Typically resort guests spend money in the following five areas:
  1. Transportation Expenses
  2. Park Tickets
  3. Lodging
  4. Food
  5. Souvenirs
It really breaks down to these five areas.  We have tried to gather a comprehensive list of tips and links in these five areas that can help you in your quest to bring down your overall Disney budget!

Money Saving Tips at Disney World – Packages

Before we get into the five main areas, here are a few hints on Disney packages that can help you bring the cost down in multiple categories at once!
  • Check Disney’s website often for deals and upcoming events
  • Call Disney to see if there are any additional deals not listed on the website
  • Use a travel agent to get personalized service and to take advantage of all potential deals that are out there
  • Take advantage of “Free Dining” periods when staying onsite

Money Saving Tips – Park Tickets

  • Buy Tickets from a Discount Ticket Vendor such as:
  • Use AAA to get discounted tickets
  • If you work for a large company, check with your HR dept to see if they have special deals
  • Consider annual passes if you travel to Disney more than once a year
  • Member of the military?  Check for military discounts directly through Disney
  • Consider online auction sites such as Ebay for further discounts, although this may carry some risk depending on who you buy the tickets from
photo 2 Money Saving Tips at Disney World


Money Saving Tips – Lodging

  • Go off-season to get the best prices on lodging
  • Stay offsite at local hotels using traditional discount online booking tools such as Undercover Tourist!
  • Consider renting a house if you are travelling with another family.  You can significantly lower the cost of your stay and gain the food benefits of having a full kitchen.
  • Try booking resorts a level underneath your preference.  You can then attempt to try and get an invitational upgrade to a higher level resort.  This certainly isn’t a guarantee but some guests have been able to do this especially during the off-season.
  • AAA can offer major discounts on stays at the Disney World resorts as well as hotels outside of the Disney complex.

Money Saving Tips – Food

  • Bring snacks with you.  If you are flying, consider shipping a box to the resort in advance.
  • Use Amazon’s free shipping to send bottled waters and other food snacks to your resort
  • Hot and thirsty at the parks?  Most counter-service restaurants will give you free ice water in a cup.
  • Know when sit-down restaurants shift to dinner time (usually around 4).  Try and eat dinner between 3-4 to get lunch prices, and snack later on at night.
  • If you use the Disney Dining plan, you can get a drink with your meal.  Drink tap water for lunch and get a bottled water to go.
  • Club Cool at Epcot allows you to get free soda!  Stop by and sample soda from all across the world.
  • Try and get a fridge in your room.  Breakfasts and/or lunches can easily be made.  Don’t forget to bring necessities such as plasticware and paper bowls/plates.
  • Bring snacks and bottled waters into the parks.  Everyone does it and Disney doesn’t seem to mind.
  • If you go to Disney in the off-season you can often get “Free Disney Dining” packages that can save a tremendous amount on food costs.

Money Saving Tips – Souvenirs

  • Buy souvenirs BEFORE you go to Disney.  You can purchase them at stores at home, or go to Orlando outlet malls.  The “Character Warehouse” is very close to Disney world.  This outlet store sells official Disney merchandise for heavily discounted prices.
  • Have a “souvenir day” near the end of your vacation.  Let the first half of your vacation be for window shopping only, and then allow yourself to buy all the souvenirs on one day.
  • Glow sticks and bracelets.  You can buy these at the Dollar Tree or Walmart for very low prices.  Then you bring them to the park and pull them out at night!  Kids all around will be jealous, and if you buy the glow sticks from the street vendors, you will spend a lot of money!
  • Ponchos are a purchase everyone will potentially make in the frequently changing weather of Florida.  Summer storms come through and you will get absolutely drenched without one.  Bring them beforehand!  They are easy to store in bags and can be purchased for 75% less when you buy them at home.

Money Saving Tips – Transportation Expenses

  • Flying to Disney?  Use airline programs such as Southwest’s “Ding” alert service to send you alerts when certain flights get cheaper.
  • Off-season is a great time for cheap rental cars and flights
  • Staying onsite?  Disney has free parking if you have a car, and free transportation throughout the facility

Hopefully these tips can help your family to save money at Disney World!
Let’s dive deeper into one of these areas:  Lodging.

Disney Lodging Deals

Choosing where to stay at Disney World can have a significant impact on your Disney budget.  However, there are a few things you need to know about all of the different choices you may make.  Today we will discuss the three main ways you can stay at Disney, as well as the Pros and Cons of each choice.  We’ll also discuss how you can find some good disney lodging deals in the three different categories.  The three categories are onsiteoffsite hotel and finally an offsite rental home.
Staying Onsite
Pros
Staying at a Disney resort has many advantages.  First of all, you can get the dining plans.  Many find that the Dining Plan makes their stay much more enjoyable.  Second, resort guests can book restaurants 1-10 days earlier than non-resort guests.  Third, transportation around the resort is free, as is parking at all facilities.  You also can get picked up at the airport free!  Finally, Disney theming is remarkable!  Each resort has its own “flavor”, and you feel you are on vacation the entire time.  The Disney experience doesn’t end when you leave the parks and head to your hotel, it ends when you go home.
320px Disneygrandfloridian Disney Lodging Deals
Cons
There are only two cons to staying onsite, and the first is money.  Even if you get the best possible deals on these resorts, you can save money by staying in a local hotel or rental home.  There are ways to bring the price down, but it still won’t be as inexpensive as some of the area hotels.  The second con is the lack of space and quality in the lower end rooms.  The value resorts (where most cost-conscious guests stay) have rooms that are small, and are certainly not packed with amenities.  If you aren’t going to be in your rooms very often, this may not matter.  But have realistic expectations about the quality of the rooms in the value resorts.  They may remind you of a lower end motel chain.
Ways to Save Money at Onsite Resorts
The primary way to save money onsite is by going in the off-season.  This will get you the best rates.  If you try going in the summer of during crowded vacation periods, your rates will be much higher no matter where you stay.  Once you’ve decided when to go, there are a few things you need to do:
The first thing is to familiarize yourself with the different plans and packages that Disney has.  We have a number of good articles on this.  Second, look over the different promotions that Disney runs on their website.  Third, CALL Disney to try and get any additional promotions.  If you are a member of AAA or are military or ex-military, you may qualify for additional discounts.  When booking big packages, make sure and ask what the rates are for AAA.  You may find it beneficial to join AAA just for a Disney trip!
Finally, just to be sure, get in touch with a Disney Travel Agent and give them all the information that you provided to Disney.  They may be able to find additional deals and promotions that you weren’t able to, due to their vast experience booking vacations!


Staying at an Offsite Hotel
Pros
Staying off-site opens up a large number of choices.  Orlando is a big town and there are hundreds of hotels to choose from.  You can use reward points, discount websites and find endless ways to lower your overall bill.
Dollar for dollar, you will also have MUCH nicer rooms than you will if you are staying onsite.  If you plan on spending a lot of time in the rooms, this might be a consideration.
Many hotels also offer free breakfasts, which can certainly save you significant money on food.
Cons
You will have to either rent a car or pay for shuttle transportation to Disney.  This will include parking costs for each day at the Disney parks. Also, some local hotels have parking rates just to stay at the hotel!  Before you choose a hotel, make sure and find out the following things, as you can easily spend much more money than you originally thought you would.
  • Transportation costs to/from airport
  • Parking rates at hotel
  • Transportation costs to/from Disney
  • Daily Disney parking costs
  • Cost of breakfast
While this may seem like a lot of money, the key thing to remember is that even with these charges, you can still save money if you choose the right hotels. Just do your research. I highly recommend Hotels.com to help you figure out the best hotels to stay in.
The other negatives have to do with the loss of atmosphere.  My family typically feels like we are leaving Disney World each time you go off-grounds.  Many other families have felt the same when staying off-site.  You lose a little of the “Magic” when you stay off-site and is something to consider.
Ways to Save Money at Offsite Hotels
Everyone that travels has used travel sites, such as Expedia, Priceline and Travelocity.  These sites can certainly help you find great hotel deals in the Disney area.  Use memberships such as AAA to bring down hotel room and rental car rates.
Have you found a hotel that you want to stay at?  Use google and type in the name of the hotel followed with “discount codes”.  You can potentially save 10-15% more on hotels!
Eat big breakfasts and try and eat small lunches.  Take advantage of the free food as much as possible.
Try and avoid the hotels that have steep parking fees.   There are plenty of hotels with free parking that you can use.
Renting a House Offsite
Pros
Without a doubt, renting a house offsite is the cheapest way to go.  You can get a very nice house that can sleep 12 people for unbelievably cheap prices.  If you are going with another family, you can all share the home and spend 50% of what you would at a hotel.
Homes are nicer, have more room, have full kitchens, private pools, multiple TV’s, grills for cooking, game rooms and many other amenities that can make your vacation a blast.
Cons
You have to clean up after yourself, cook for yourself, and drive to Disney every day as there are no shuttles from private residences!  Just as with offsite hotels, you lose a little of the Disney magic, although the conveniences may make up for it.
You also need to factor in the loss of privacy if you are sharing a house with another family.  This may or may not be a “con” for you, but could be in the “pro” category, depending on who you are going with.  Finally, figure out the distance to the parks from the home you are renting.  Many of the homes are 5-10 miles away, and that can add time to your day.
Tips for Saving Money on Homes
First of all, once again, I’ll reiterate the importance of going in the off-season.  Home owners  know the peak seasons and adjust their prices accordingly.
ASK for discounts.  Remember that when it comes to home owners you are dealing with small businesses or individuals.  They may not have policies that they have to abide by, as major chains do.  If things are slow or they aren’t competing, they may be more likely to cut deals.
Repeat business.  Ask the owners if they give discounts to guests who have rented with them previously.  Many owners do this, giving significant discounts.  They do this because they like to find good renters that don’t damage the place!  Find a home owner or business that you like, build a relationship, and you can save significant money on rental homes.
While Rental homes aren’t for everybody, many people wouldn’t do it any other way, as it’s much easier to relax in a luxurious home than in a cramped hotel room.

Discount Disney World Tickets

When planning a trip to Disney, you must consider all avenues of saving money.  Whether you have a budget or not, finding discount disney world tickets can save you cash, especially if you have a large family.
Now before we look at the ways to cut corners on ticket prices, I do want you to understand one thing:
You will not be able to save a SIGNIFICANT amount of money from the base ticket prices.  At times, the best deals you will find will be 5-10% off.  So please understand that if you find a price that is “too good to be true”, it probably is.  Do some research.  This especially will be the case on 1 or 2 day park tickets.  If you are just going for the day, just go to the front gate and don’t bother with buying online.  You won’t save any money.
That being said, if you are staying for many days and have a large family, you could save a chunk of money, and you need to look at your options.  Let’s investigate a few ways that you can cut the costs on Disney World tickets.
Using a Ticket Broker
This is without question the easiest and safest way to cut costs.  Ticket brokers get unsold tickets from Disney at a discount and sell them back to the public for a small mark-up.  Millions of people have purchased tickets from these authorized re-sellers, so there is no need to worry about the legitimacy of these businesses.  Just go to the website, click on the ticket package you need, and buy the tickets.  It’s a very simple and easy process.
DisneyBaseTicketImage Discount Disney World Tickets
There are two ticket brokers I highly recommend.  Both of them have very similar pricing and are both well respected.
  1. Undercover Tourist is a very respected ticket broker and has sold millions of guests tickets at prices cheaper than what you’d find at the gate.
  2. Best of Orlando The good thing about Best of Orlando is that if you are staying off-grounds and also want to go to some of the Universal parks, you can get those tickets there as well.
Again, don’t expect deep discounts in the neighborhood of 20-30%.  That isn’t going to happen.  But you can still shave some money off of your total expenses if you use these sites.
Online Auction Sites
There are many who do not recommend online auction sites, such as Ebay or Craigslist.  Let’s look at these two websites and examine whether this is a route to take?
  1. Craigslist – It is possible to get HEAVILY discounted tickets on Craigslist.  However, you have to get lucky.  You could also get scammed pretty easily.  If you can meet the person or pick them up at the individual’s house, you may feel ok with your decision.  A person that allows you to pick up tickets from their house is unlikely to scam you.  But please be careful.  Although many have purchased from Craigslist and gotten great deals, many have also been scammed.  I can’t recommend it for that reason.
  2. Ebay –  Ebay is completely different than Craigslist.  Ebay has developed very good Buyer Protection programs.  If you buy from a respected Ebay seller, you should be ok.  However, there still is an element of risk, and quite honestly, you usually will not get great deals on Ebay.  Your best bet with Ebay is for a great seller to put a “Buy it Now” price that is much lower than they should, but that is pretty rare.  If you happen to find a great deal with a respected seller, I can recommend Ebay, but the odds of finding this are pretty low as most people know what Disney tickets are worth.
The bottom line with online sites is that you are unlikely to get deals that are significantly better.  If you have the time to hunt for weeks for an extra 20-50 dollars, feel free to try Ebay.  But I think just going ahead and buying from a discount broker is the wise choice.
AAA
Triple A may have significant discounts, depending on the AAA office where you live.  I’d highly recommend at least giving them a call and seeing what kind of deals they have.  At times you can find hotel and ticket deals they may actually be significant enough to warrant signing up with AAA if you aren’t a member.
Many times, their ticket prices won’t be significantly different than those you can get from ticket brokers, but it is worth a call.


Other Discounts
There are other ways to get deals.  If you work for a large corporation, you may have special ticket deals due to relationships between your company and Disney.  Check with your HR dept for details.
If you live in Florida, you can get deals for being a Florida resident.  You can get more info on these packages directly from Disney World or using a ticket broker.
Military veterans and families are also many times entitled to discount tickets.  Again, check with Disney directly or from the above listed ticket brokers.
Ultimately, ticket prices are not where you will save the bulk of your money at Disney.  I’d avoid spending too much time focusing on tickets,  as it is the one area where discounts are usually the smallest.
If you want to save money, use a discounted ticket broker.  This will allow you to move on to focus your attention on other areas of your vacation planning in which you can save significant amounts of money.
Do you know of any additional ways to save money on tickets? Let us know below!

We hope you enjoyed our section on Saving money.  At this point in your journey, you’ve learned three things:
Part One: Hints and Tips for staying ahead of the crowds at Disney World
Part Two: Details on how to Plan the perfect Disney vacation!
Part Three: Tips for Saving Money at Disney World
Next, we invite you to our section on Touring plans!  We have a touring plan for each park and we think you will find it very handy to print these out and use them later on!

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavillion

http://knoernschild.org/category/vacations/page/4/
Norway Pavillion, complete with a grass roof
Norway Pavillion, complete with a grass roof
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavillion
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavillion

Meet and Greets, Snow White’s line Usual Meet Times


Snow White – Standard Attire

Location:
Snow White meets outside Town Square Theater/Tony’s Town Square Restaurant on the right side of Main Street.
Usual Meet Times:
  • 8:20am – 8:50am if Magic Kingdom opens at 8am
  • 9:20am – 9:45am
  • 10am – 10:35am
  • 10:55am – 11:30am
  • 12:50pm – 1:25pm
  • 1:50pm – 2:15pm
Process: Like the other less formal Meet and Greets, Snow White’s line simply runs off to the side of her.
Interaction: Good, so long as you don’t bring a poison apple.  She can be a little more snobby than the other princesses, for whatever reason.
Wait Times: Waits are generally in the ten minute range, though they can occasionally be longer if a large group or two gets in line.
Best Times to Meet: Sometime after 12pm would be best in most situations.  Arrive in the area around 12:45pm or 1:45pm to find shortest waits.  Most people will have higher morning priorities since afternoon waits are shorter than the other characters.
Other Meet Locations:
  1. Epcot – Snow White greets guests in the Germany Pavilion in the same outfit.  Wait times are generally longer there.
  2. Epcot – Snow White meets diners at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavilion in the same outfit.
  3. Magic Kingdom – Snow white meets diners at Cinderella’s Royal Table in the same outfit.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Satellite MAP WDW Florida

HUGE!!  There are 25 Disney resorts, one residential area, 10 non-Disney resort, 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, 5 golf courses, 2 miniature golf courses, a shopping district and much, much more!


Akershus Princess WDW



Day 3 Part 2 - Princesses Take a Shine to PumpkinGirl!

It had hit reservation time as we hit Mexico so the scenery buzzed by as we transitioned into Norway. We came around the corner and were greeted by warm sunshine just cresting the castle and just the one family in front of us at check-in.



Akershus!


This was our family s first time dining here so despite the hustle and the early hour we were pretty jazzed to see what it was all about


A Royal Proclamation!


Malestrom was still asleep with the rest of World Showcase


Our names were called and we headed through the doors. The first thing we saw was a cool tapestry and a storybook with the classic Once upon a time




Around the corner was a very cool chest I wonder what was inside?


Empty Akershus anyone?



Our photo princess was Belle. Does anyone know if this rotates or is she the official greeter of Akershus?









She was very nice but almost a little too on for that early in the morning lol

We were seated in the tower room in the corner, which I liked. It stayed quieter than the main dining area as the place filled up. Our serving girl was nice but a little unfocused. I honestly think she may have had a big Saturday night and was paying the price now. She took our drink order and we went up and hit the buffet. The food was pretty good and I even tried some of the regional cuisine. It was interesting eating fish for breakfast.

Once we were seated and getting into our meal the princesses started making their rounds. We seated the girls on the outside with Roxy and I next to the windows so they could have easy interaction with the royals. All of the princesses were very nice to Bean but it became immediately apparent that this morning s interactions were going to be all about our PumpkinGirl.

Why was this you ask? Well if you have been following our merry tale you ll remember that Kyra caught laryngitis from her cold and couldn t really speak at all. So when she had interactions with CMs or charaters she would show them the luggage tag we had converted into a note that she wore on her wrist that said Sorry, I lost my voice :-]

Our first princess was Aurora and upon reading the note she immediately got contemplative and remembered that her fellow princess Ariel had her voice stolen by the evil Ursula!


You can see how PumpkinGirl was beaming from the attention


They talked for a little bit more and then it was time for the pose


Our next princess was Snow White and we got the traditional oh my! from her and she too spoke about her friend Ariel and her dealings with Ursula!


She was very concerned that Ursula may be out making mischief again


She did take time to interact with Bean too


And photo time


Our last princess was &


& you guessed it &


&Ariel!!!


She looked at PumpkinGirl s note




And was off to the races about Ursula and that it wasn t worth whatever she promised our girl


Again, PumpkinGirl was completely beaming from the attention


She talked for a bit longer and then they had their posed shot


Overall it was an amazing morning with plenty of Disney Princess magic. The food was very filling and the coffee was strong. We finished up and decided our next move. Since World Showcase itself wouldn t open for a while we had the long trek back to Future World. We decided to give our tickets to Roxy so she could motor down to Soarin and pick up FPs for us. Meanwhile the girls and I would make our way to The Seas to ride Finding Nemo.

Join us next time when we hit Seas, Land, Skies, and our own Imagination!
- See more at: http://wwww.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=47176060&postcount=102#sthash.t7vc8PbI.dpuf

Eating in Cinderella's Castle WDW

from:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3044501&goto=nextnewest

Here is my travel buddy, Kayla. We are cousins and best friends. We both love to vacation! She is a more seasoned disney traveler... She has been to the world 36 times!


Also joining us on this trip were Kayla's parents
They gave Kayla her love for Disney. We also did Disney with them in May of 2012 and I was SUPER excited that they decided to come in Dec as well because it is always a blast with them! 
Old 03-12-2013, 07:19 PM  #12
Mouseketeer

disneysunshine85's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 223

Epcot night!

We returned to the park at about 4PM because we had an early dinner reservation at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. This was our first time dining here. I was a little apprehensive about making this reservation because some people have had not so nice things to say about it. Never the less... the dinner included princesses... and that's enough for me! Kayla and I had dinner in Cinderella's Castle on the last trip. In my opinion the restaurant is WAY overpriced... but how many times in your life can you say "I'm eating in Cinderella's Castle"! I mean come on now!!!

Anyways... we had a little time to kill before dinner so we headed to Spaceship earth. I had not been on this ride since I was a kid. I remembered as a kid thinking it was quite boring. LOL!  I ended up really loving it this time and the ride had changed alot since I had been on it years ago! It was so funny because the ride takes a picture of you at the beginning and then at the end there is a "cartoon" with your face in it at the end of the ride. Well, my uncle was not paying attention when they were taking the picture so when it was time for the video... his picture looked like he was sleeping the whole time in every scene that he was in... it was definitely funny! 

After the ride we started walking through world showcase... I hope someday I am able to go to the world showcase alone so I can truly take my time and take everything in of every country.

So we arrived in Norway...


Before sitting down for dinner we got to meet Belle 


The menu!


So after we got seated, we could go up to the buffet and they had salad, meats, cheeses etc. We were surprised that there was so much food... and this was before we had dinner as well! We all ordered the steak for dinner and all four of us were very pleased with the meal.

Before our dinner came... the princesses started to arrive!



My uncle does not enjoy being in pictures but we caught him in this one 





LOL! My favorite picture! 



Then it was time for a dessert.... we got a tray to share!