My Disney Journey

It’s funny, when I started writing this entry my topic was different then what it turned out to be. Somehow, it ended up being about my Disney journey. It’s interesting, to me at least, to think that for some their Disney journey started years ago with countless trips over a lifetime and for others it started with years of longing for a place they know will be magical. No matter how your journey started we were all lead to the same place, the same love and the same magic.

My journey started long before I knew there even was a Disney World. As a child I loved Mickey Mouse! Stuffed animals, toys, books you name it!

When my mother saved up to take my sisters and I on our very first back in 1987 I remember being in love!! I remember riding the train around Magic Kingdom and passing the construction for Mickey’s Birthdayland and commenting to my Mom that we should come back next year when it opened!

She just chuckled, boo!

Along the way, I thought about returning to Disney World but it seemed that next trip was just out of reach. But I still loved Disney World and I still loved Mickey.

When I went off to College in the 90’s my friend gave me a whole basket full of Mickey Mouse goodies. Including a pillow that stayed on my bed every night my freshman year and a note pad! That note pad just happened to be handy the night I first meet my husband and it was the note pad I used to write my phone number on when he walked me back to my dorm after our first meeting in a mutual friends room.

So, without Mickey this journey may have been different ;)

I tried to convince hubby that we should honeymoon at WDW. But, it wasn’t meant to be. As many times as I asked, I got “Why would I want to go to Disney World on our honeymoon?!” as a response! In retrospect, it was a good thing! He got the flu on our honeymoon, so a week laying by a pool in St. Lucia was a good cure!

A few years and 2 kids later we were in the process of building our home and living with my in laws! A freezing cold, snowy, icy, windy winter put the building schedule a lot of schedule and I was itching to get out of my in-laws house!!! I tried very hard to convince hubby that we should take some of the money we had put aside for new house extras and take a little vacation to WDW for our daughters 3^rd birthday. He thought I was insane!! Again, in retrospect, it probably wouldn’t have been the best way to spend a few thousand dollars of our new house money! But, it would have been a good mental health break ;)

A few months after our house was complete and we were all moved in and enjoying having our own space again my mother in law came to me with a fabulous offer!!

She wanted to take hubby, myself, the 2 kiddos, my sister in law and her fiancé to Disney World to celebrate her 60^th birthday!! A week at Animal Kingdom Lodge!!!

Couldn’t pass that offer up now could I??

I look back on that trip with such fond memories!!! My 2 older kiddos were just babies!!! We celebrated DD’s 4^th birthday at Cinderella’s Royal and ate cake for breakfast! I’ll never forget DD saying “I get to eat cake for breakfast at Disney World!?” LOL!!

I also look back on it with horror!!! So many rookie mistakes, complete exhaustion, not to mention me driving hubby, myself, the kiddos, and the in laws to VA to get the autotrain in a god awful snow and ice storm!

Many a trip were to follow! A few Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party trips, a pregnant me trip, a magically upgrade to club level at Grand Floridian trip, a first trip for my family with no one but the five of us trip, a I just had my thyroid removed and am feeling sorry for myself trip, a extravaganza of 10 people trip, a 10^th anniversary trip, a first DVC trip, girls trips, Dis girls trips and on and on!!

Of course, with lots more to come…

Choosing the Best Disney Resort

I must apologize for long neglecting my blog! I promise to do better and kick it up a notch!

So, with that, I have a new post!

Choosing the right Disney Resort!

Let me start off by saying, in my mind, staying on Disney property is a no brainer. Disney never settles for your plain, run of the mill hotel! Staying on Disney Property will not be like staying at the Holiday Inn. That is just a fact! Disney plays the same attention to detail and service at its resorts as it does in its parks. Staying at a Disney Resort is to be immersed in the magic. It is the start and continuation of the magic. It provides its guests with the opportunity to never leave the world of magic and fantasy that has been created during their visit. There is nothing better then that, at least to me!

However, there are countless other reasons!

The ease that Disney provides guests with Magical Express available to wisk you from Orlando International Airport to any of its resorts. The ease of getting around the vast expanse that is Disney once there using Disney’s transportation system.

The fact that Disney offers Extra Magic Hours to resort guests in which Disney Resort Guests can enter a select scheduled park an hour earlier then regular opening or stay in up to 3 hours after regular closing. The list could on!

So, once a guest has made the all important decision to stay on Disney property they then need to decide which resort! With 27 resorts on property that is no easy task!

Of course, ones vacation budget plays a big role in the decision, but with so many options at a wide variety of prices budget may be secondary.

The resort amenities, room sizes and occupancy may be a huge factor in choosing a resort! So, let’s explore!!

Disney Resorts are broken down into 4 categories. Deluxe, Deluxe Villa, Moderate, and Value.

Deluxe Resorts

• Standard rooms are 344-440 square feet depending on the resort
• The rooms have two queen beds or one king bed (rooms with a queen bed and a set of bunk bed are available at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge)
• Maximum occupancy: 4-5 people
• The resorts have fabulously themed pools, gift shop, table service restaurants, health clubs, food court, and other amenities
• Rooms are accessed by interior corridors
• There is a wide range of transportation, including buses, boats and the Monorail
• Understated themes focused on relaxation and elegance

These resorts include;

• Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney's Beach Club Resort
• Disney's BoardWalk Inn
• Disney's Contemporary Resort
• Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney's Polynesian Resort
• Disney's Wilderness Lodge
• Disney's Yacht Club Resort

Each of these resorts is a vacation destination of itself! Where else can you watch giraffe graze outside your window at one resort and enjoy a relaxing seaside retreat at another? Each resort offers fabulous amenities from fine dining to spas, to water sports and on and on!

Deluxe Villa Resorts

• Standard rooms (studio villas) are 355-412 square feet depending on the resort
• The number of beds dependent on number of bedrooms
• Maximum occupancy: varies by number of bedrooms and resort
• The resorts gave fabulously themed pools, gift shop, table service restaurants, health clubs, food court, and other amenities
• Wide range of transportation, including buses, boats and the Monorail
• Understated themes focused on relaxation and elegance

These resorts include;

• Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House
• Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village
• Bay Lake Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort
• Disney's Beach Club Villas
• Disney's BoardWalk Villas
• Disney's Old Key West Resort
• Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge

These resorts are actually part of Disney’s Vacation Club. But, a small percentage are offered to Disney Guests for a regular resort stay. These resorts have the same amenities as a Deluxe Resort. However the rooms are set up as studio, one bedroom, two bedroom or three bedroom villas.

Moderate Resorts

• Standard rooms are 314-340 square feet depending on resort
• Disney is in the process of updating the beds from 2 double beds to 2 queen beds
• Maximum occupancy: 4 people
• The resorts have themed pools, gift shop, table service restaurants, food court, and other amenities
• Wide range of transportation, including buses and boats
• Understated themes focused on relaxation and elegance
• The rooms are accessed by exterior corridors

These resorts include;

• Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney's Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter
• Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside
• Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
• The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort

These resorts offer a nice “step up,” if you will, from a value resort. They are perfect for those who find value resorts too loud or too crowded but can’t justify spending the money on a deluxe resort. Disney has also added Pirate themed rooms and Princess themed rooms to its moderate resorts.

Value Resorts

• Standard rooms are 260 square feet
• Two double beds or one king bed
• Maximum occupancy: 4 people
• The resorts offer themed pools, gift shop, and food court
• Rooms are accessed by exterior corridors
• These resorts do not have table service restaurants, lounges, health clubs, spas, valet parking, or water-recreation
• Transportation is shared with one another during some seasons (except Pop Century, which has its own transportation)
• These resorts offer vibrant color schemes and oversized ‘set piece’ decorations from Disney animated classics

These resorts include;

• Disney's All-Star Sports Resort
• Disney's All-Star Movies Resort
• Disney's All-Star Music Resort
• Disney's Pop Century Resort
• Disney's Art Of Animation Resort

Disney’s Value Resorts are the most budget conscience of Disney Resorts. They are the closest thing that Disney offers to a run of the mill hotel room, but yet still have the famous Disney theming.

As you can see, choosing a Disney Resort can be a mind-boggling experience! If having room for a family of 5 in room you may want to choose one of the deluxe resorts that have room for 5. I can tell you from experience that many of the rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Resort are huge and can more then comfortably fit 5!

If you and you’re family are going to be the parks from open to close and you’re just using your room for a bed and shower you might as well save for money for all those Disney souvenirs and stay at one of Disney’s Value Resorts!

If you’re looking for something middle of the road, beautifully themed but still somewhat budget conscience a Moderate resort maybe the right choice for you!

No matter what, the choice of a resort is something that the travel party will have to decide themselves. What works best for one might not work best for all. The key is to find a middle ground!

At the end of a long Disney day a resort, whether it be the Grand Floridian or Pop Century, will beckon you and will, more then likely, have provided you with the right ingredients to dream sweet Disney dreams!

So, I’m interested to know what are you’re criteria for picking a resort?