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I know that Disneyland is making a huge effort to go and make all of it's rides Handicapped accessible, especially the older stuff. Disney World doesn't really have that problem at the moment, so wheelchairs and such can go through most queues, so I think they are going to start asking people in wheelchairs just to do the normal line if they are okay to transfer out of the chair and into a ride vehicle. If they can't transfer, they'll make special arrangements, like on it's a small world where they have a differently designed boat, or Toy Story Mania, where one of the ride vehicles can allow wheelchairs to slide into it.
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Sep 25, 2013 18:11
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lamb posted:Do you know how they'll handle using strollers as wheelchairs? In Disney World, they gave us a sticker for our son's stroller, but in Disneyland the gave us a guest assistance card. No, I haven't heard anything about this. If I do, I'll report back. On an unrelated note, my Magic Bands came in yesterday. I really like the way they look and the design for adjusting the size is very cool. The clasp seems a little flimsy to me. Seems like it would come apart easily. I guess we'll see.
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Sep 25, 2013 18:58
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lamb posted:Do you know how they'll handle using strollers as wheelchairs? In Disney World, they gave us a sticker for our son's stroller, but in Disneyland the gave us a guest assistance card. Strollers and wheelchairs are being treated the same. As mentioned before you will have to go to guest services and get the pass that allows you to go the the different locations and get the fastpass equivalent for your party. The lines won't change where you cannot bring a wheelchair or stroller. The word I got is if you are mobile and are not restricted to the stroller/wheelchair then you leave it outside in the designated area else you can bring it into the ride like they did before. Once the internal memo goes out to the cast members I will have a copy of it where I can get more information.
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Sep 25, 2013 20:29
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Happitoo posted:I think the most interesting bit is the new wheelchair policy. Where solely being in a wheelchair doesn't grant you a pass. If the line/ride are wheelchair accessible, you stand (well sit) in line like everyone else. California Adventure is entirely accessible due to being built post ADA so it'll be interesting to see comment when the new system goes live. This has been the case, at least in Florida. GACs were meant for disabilities that aren't immediately visible and go beyond "I am in a wheelchair." That my not be how it goes in reality, but is how it's supposed to be used anyway.
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Sep 25, 2013 21:49
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mearn posted:This has been the case, at least in Florida. GACs were meant for disabilities that aren't immediately visible and go beyond "I am in a wheelchair." That my not be how it goes in reality, but is how it's supposed to be used anyway. On my last trip, My sister was in a wheelchair for part of it because of a flare up in her Chronic Lyme symptoms. We went through almost every line like normal (except for the Safari, where about halfway through, they let us skip a bit because the path is rough for wheelchairs, apparently) So Disney World has always kind of had a "Just in a wheelchair? Please use the normal line, it's wide enough"
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Sep 26, 2013 04:33
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TheBigBudgetSequel posted:So Disney World has always kind of had a "Just in a wheelchair? Please use the normal line, it's wide enough" This is mostly true with the oldest rides being the exception of Magic Kingdom - rides like Peter Pan, Small World, Thunder Mountain, etc. WDW wasn't built to ADA compliance codes but have been working towards it with every ride refurb. Pretty sure the thing that will always keep them non-compliant is Swiss Family Treehouse. Can't walk? Lol grab a Dole Whip and watch your family from the ground!
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Sep 26, 2013 13:20
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Roar posted:This is mostly true with the oldest rides being the exception of Magic Kingdom - rides like Peter Pan, Small World, Thunder Mountain, etc. WDW wasn't built to ADA compliance codes but have been working towards it with every ride refurb. The SFR treehouse is the exception and the standing rule has been any major refurb would require them making the attraction compliant so they avoid those intentionally. Really though making the treehouse wheelchair compliant is impossible short of rebuilding it from the ground up and it simply is not worth the expense in the eyes of Disney and I do not blame them one bit. I'm sorry but it's a loving treehouse and like you mentioned.. grab a Dole Whip and watch from below.
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Sep 26, 2013 13:31
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Didn't realize my training session this week in Orlando coincided with the start of the Food & Wine festival. Best part, we decided to end training at 3pm tomorrow and finish the day at Epcot for a "team building" exercise.
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Sep 27, 2013 03:17
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tomapot posted:Didn't realize my training session this week in Orlando coincided with the start of the Food & Wine festival. Best part, we decided to end training at 3pm tomorrow and finish the day at Epcot for a "team building" exercise. Just FYI it's usually bad form to get super drunk at company events. Keep the buzz slow and steady, the prices help somewhat if you're a cheapskate like me. Don't try to drink around the world. Instead, occasionally sample things which seem interesting. Also, I've mentioned this before and it's probably too late for you to buy a spot, but during the Food and Wine festival, anyone with the means should attend the "Party for the Senses". At $150 a pop minimum, yes it is just as expensive as dining at a 3 star Michelin restaurant. But it has a thousand amazing things to eat and drink, Cirque du Soleil performs, and you can stick around for hours. You get things in tiny fancy restaurant portions which means you can eat as much of one thing as you'd like, or sample a dozen or more. Additionally, the company is excellent. The self-selecting set of people that will buy into such a thing plus the artistic atmosphere leads to a really cool and huge modern day salon type event. I really can't sperg hard enough about how awesome it is.
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Sep 27, 2013 05:05
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I'm trying to plan a trip for ten people and we have a pretty significant budget. This trip will be in July of next summer, Monday through Saturday. Help me try to decide between the grand Floridian, Wilderness lodge, or animal kingdom lodge pretty please. I'm also not sure if it would be wise to use "Small World Vacations" since it would likely make it easier to accommodate so many people.
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Sep 28, 2013 19:02
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spacebrospiff posted:I'm trying to plan a trip for ten people and we have a pretty significant budget. This trip will be in July of next summer, Monday through Saturday. Help me try to decide between the grand Floridian, Wilderness lodge, or animal kingdom lodge pretty please. I'm also not sure if it would be wise to use "Small World Vacations" since it would likely make it easier to accommodate so many people. Grand Floridian is beautiful and has the monorail, which significantly cuts down on travel time to magic kingdom and epcot, and allows for a little better late night dining options along the monorail circuit without having to use a cab or do some bus to bus hoppery. Wilderness lodge has a lot less foot traffic than the other two (with the exception of those going to whispering canyon), and is quite beautiful with its pacific northwest charm, so it's probably the most intimate/romantic even with the charm of the grand floridian. Animal Kingdom lodge has the absolute best view if you can get a Savannah view balcony, but has the most limited transportation with the longest waits to get anywhere except animal kingdom, so late nights or early mornings and eating at other resorts becomes a slight bit more of a hassle. All three are well themed, pretty, have comparable rooms, so a lot of it is personal choice. Here is easywdw's breakdown of it, if it helps: http://www.easywdw.com/disneybest/best-disney-world-deluxe-resort-hotel/
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Sep 28, 2013 19:20
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I flat out dislike the Grand Floridian. Its spot on the monorail line is nice, it has the best restaurants, and the layout is great; but I don't find the price tag worth it at all and think the theme is unbearably pretentious. I'd much rather stay at The Contemporary or The Polynesian if I wanted one of the monorail loop hotels. Wilderness Lodge and AK Lodge are pretty similar. They're both off the beaten path, have a rustic sort of theme, and have top tier restaurants. Jiko happens to be one of my favorite places to eat on property and I love the savannah view balcony rooms, so I personally rate AK higher than Wilderness Lodge despite the slightly longer travel times. That said Artist Point isn't shabby at all either, and a savannah view room is a waste of money if you aren't going to spend any time in it except sleeping. These are just my personal opinions, I don't pretend to be an authority on the matter. All three are great hotels by any measure, so the choice really comes down to what aspect of the experience is most important to you.
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Sep 28, 2013 20:43
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I think Wilderness Lodge would be my choice. It is relatively close to Magic Kingdom so a bus ride to the park would be a couple of minutes or you can take the boat which has a launch at the resort so you can enjoy a nice boat ride to and from. Logistically you can get to ticket & transportation center with ease as well then take the monorail to Epcot Center. We have dined at the Lodge and it does has that rustic feel to it.. like being at one of the national parks on there are no mountains and in the summer it is 100 degrees outside with 100 percent humidity. Also you won't be mauled by a grizzly or run off by a giant wildfire so that is a plus.
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Sep 28, 2013 22:17
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Nathilus posted:I flat out dislike the Grand Floridian. Its spot on the monorail line is nice, it has the best restaurants, and the layout is great; but I don't find the price tag worth it at all and think the theme is unbearably pretentious. I'd much rather stay at The Contemporary or The Polynesian if I wanted one of the monorail loop hotels. The Poly isn't pretentious? And at least the Grand HAS a theme; the "modernistic" theme of the Contemporary doesn't really cut it in comparison. The Grand is the flagship hotel and is by far the best of the three. It's a lot easier for them to stick to the Victorian theme as opposed to giving a college kid a lei and telling them to say aloha. 
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Sep 28, 2013 23:33
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Roar posted:The Poly isn't pretentious? And at least the Grand HAS a theme; the "modernistic" theme of the Contemporary doesn't really cut it in comparison. The Grand is the flagship hotel and is by far the best of the three. It's a lot easier for them to stick to the Victorian theme as opposed to giving a college kid a lei and telling them to say aloha. We're obviously in the realm of taste at this point, so let me just say that your taste sucks and mine is the correct kind.  Seriously though, I actually like the modernist minimalism of the Contemporary. And while the Polynesian's theme might be a bit caked on like bad prom makeup, at least it isn't stuffy as hell fake-Victorian fake-rich-people BS. I had a grandmother who had a taste for that kind of thing and visiting the Grand Floridian always makes me remember the smell of grandma's house. gently caress that poo poo. It's the opposite of a comfortable, relaxing environment. I've stayed at really nice hotels in Midtown Manhattan as well as two of the joints in Hollywood that cater to the super rich and/or famous. None of them had decor that came off as nearly as pretentious or stuffy as the Grand Floridian. That place has always struck me as a stuck up eight year old's idea of "classy". Don't get me wrong, it's still a super-nice hotel. Great service, nice rooms, and the like.
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Sep 29, 2013 00:02
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I vote for the Grand Floridian. Full disclosure: it's the only one of those three that I've stayed at. If you're only considering the room and hotel amenities, yes, it's overpriced for what you're getting. Outside the boundaries of WDW, $500/night will get you a much nicer hotel. That said, the convenience of the three monorail hotels is impossible to overstate. And if you're going to be with a large group, that's an even bigger deal. There's a reason why the GF, Contemporary and Poly cost way more than other WDW hotels that in many respects are as nice or nicer: people who've stayed at them once are willing to pay those jacked up prices to come back. Quoting myself from the OP like an idiot: "...direct monorail access will have a bigger positive impact on your stay than just about anything else. Without leaving your hotel, you board a monorail that takes you directly to the Magic Kingdom or to the Ticket and Transportation Center, where you can board another monorail to Epcot, or get on a bus or boat to any other location at Disney. I cannot overstate the level of convenience this represents. Just think: it's closing time at MK or Epcot. You and about ten-bajillion other people are all leaving at the same time because everyone wants to leave right after they watch the fireworks. 9.9-bajillion will go to their cars in the parking lot, or wait in line for a bus; both of those options are lousy under the best of circumstances. Toting a couple of exhausted kids? Your long hike and long wait just got worse. But if you're staying at a Magic Kingdom hotel, it's one or two monorail rides to your hotel lobby. Not even your hotel's parking lot...the freaking lobby."
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Sep 29, 2013 01:07
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The Grand Floridian is wonderful but pretentious and all that other stuff. All of the deluxe hotels are pretentious. It's just, Grand Floridian goes the extra mile in it. The animals are never a guarantee on the savannahs and there's been a lot of talk of bugs lately over at AKL. Wilderness Lodge stole my heart from the first second I ever saw it and I fully intend to stay there whenever we go down. It's a gorgeous place and there's a good variety of places to eat in terms of atmosphere. So I gotta suggest Wilderness Lodge.
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Sep 29, 2013 02:20
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The only of the three of those I've stayed at is the Animal Kingdom Lodge(I'm staying there now!) and while it's a fantastic hotel, the location is godawful. It's so far out of the way, and busses are the only non-car transportation to literally everywhere else. If you aren't set on those three, my suggestion would be to look at the three Epcot resorts: Beach Club, Yacht Club and Boardwalk. You have a quick boat to both Epcot and the Studios, they all have amazing swimming pools, and the Boardwalk is fun to eat at and just kinda dick around on. Monorail resorts are nice, especially if you have younger kids, because the Magic Kingdom is the big draw, but you can get to it by the Epcot monorail or bus, and having access to those two parks is super, super nice (because they are the best parks). On another note, I'm on vacation right now (in the middle of a break as my sister gets her face painted), and boy is Disney as fun as ever. I'll post a full trip report later (hopefully with pictures of the Grand Villa I'm staying at in the AKL), but god I love this place.
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Sep 29, 2013 15:22
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Yoshifan823 posted:The only of the three of those I've stayed at is the Animal Kingdom Lodge(I'm staying there now!) and while it's a fantastic hotel, the location is godawful. It's so far out of the way, and busses are the only non-car transportation to literally everywhere else. Don't forget to go to Epcot for Food & Wine! We were there yesterday.. I am just now getting over the hangover.
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Sep 29, 2013 15:26
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demonR6 posted:Don't forget to go to Epcot for Food & Wine! We were there yesterday.. I am just now getting over the hangover. Haha, why do you think we picked this weekend? My family has done Food and Wine every year for a while now, and this year we brought a couple of aunts and uncles along for the ride (hence the grand villa). We actually got to see a culinary demonstration from Carla Hall (of Top Chef fame), which was awesome, and some of my friends are gonna be getting bottles of wine when I get back.
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Sep 29, 2013 16:07
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Yoshifan823 posted:Haha, why do you think we picked this weekend? My family has done Food and Wine every year for a while now, and this year we brought a couple of aunts and uncles along for the ride (hence the grand villa). We actually got to see a culinary demonstration from Carla Hall (of Top Chef fame), which was awesome, and some of my friends are gonna be getting bottles of wine when I get back. drat shame I did not know you were out here.. do you have transportation? Friday night was the monthly gourmet food truck gathering in the town of Windermere which would have been 10-15 minutes for you and it is always a really good time. The selection is great, the food is outstanding and the best part.. open container is allowed. BYOD or there is a local shop called Tim's Wine that is open for the even so you can buy a bottle of wine or six and drink it with your Jalapeno Bison burger on a fresh baked roll with fried onion rings. God that was a good burger.. lol. Anyone coming in town for a week please hit me up so I can see what other events are going on in town that week you may want to check out. Food truck night is always a local must do because it is a fun time and won't cost you a ton of money compared to eating out plus the food is amazing. My wife had fish and chips from a truck owned and operated by a couple from Britain and it was really good too. Luckily she eats like a bird so I was able to finish hers off too. 
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Sep 29, 2013 16:15
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My sister and I have had the same feelings about the pretentiousness of the grand floridian. We're leaning pretty heavily towards the wilderness lodge though I'm gonna look into the contemporary.
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Sep 29, 2013 17:46
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Of the monorail resorts, I much prefer the Poly, but I love that kind of faux-tiki atmosphere, and drinking a pineapple full of rum and punch is my idea of a pretty good time.
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Sep 29, 2013 18:07
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Yeah the Polynesian is hands-down my favorite place to stay. And if you're really looking to game the whole convenience aspect of staying at a monorail hotel, it's hard to do better. Not only do you have the monorail station in the lobby building, you're right next to the TTC. If you're in one of the easternmost buildings, it's a pleasant 2-minute walk. Schweet.
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Sep 29, 2013 22:22
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TheBigBudgetSequel posted:Of the monorail resorts, I much prefer the Poly, but I love that kind of faux-tiki atmosphere, and drinking a pineapple full of rum and punch is my idea of a pretty good time. Ate at the Kona Cafe the other night, drank one of these, feels good man.
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Sep 29, 2013 22:24
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Yoshifan823 posted:Ate at the Kona Cafe the other night, drank one of these, feels good man. I have a dinner reservation there in December. Gonna eat meat slathered in teriyaki and pineapple chunks and drink my weight in rum punch, then hit the Magic Kingdom. Nothing in this plan can go horribly wrong at all.
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Sep 30, 2013 05:43
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TheBigBudgetSequel posted:I have a dinner reservation there in December. Gonna eat meat slathered in teriyaki and pineapple chunks and drink my weight in rum punch, then hit the Magic Kingdom. Nothing in this plan can go horribly wrong at all. None at all. PS bring Tums.
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Sep 30, 2013 13:07
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TheBigBudgetSequel posted:I have a dinner reservation there in December. Gonna eat meat slathered in teriyaki and pineapple chunks and drink my weight in rum punch, then hit the Magic Kingdom. Nothing in this plan can go horribly wrong at all. Actually it can, because nowhere in this plan does it say "eat all of the pretty sushi". Any plan without that step is no plan I'd like to follow. (Also banana/chocolate creme brûlée and awesome sticky wings and goddammit I'm hungry again oh well time for brunch at Boma followed by eating and drinking my weight in Epcot food)
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Sep 30, 2013 14:44
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Yoshifan823 posted:Actually it can, because nowhere in this plan does it say "eat all of the pretty sushi". Any plan without that step is no plan I'd like to follow. (Also banana/chocolate creme brûlée and awesome sticky wings and goddammit I'm hungry again oh well time for brunch at Boma followed by eating and drinking my weight in Epcot food) Some of the stuff at Food and Wine this year looks delightful. And expensive. RIP your wallet.
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Sep 30, 2013 14:59
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I was at Food & Wine for the first time on Friday night at the tail end of my business trip. Two of my favorites were the venison sausage in New Zealand and the kimchi hotdog in South Korea. I've already started planning a return trip with my wife next year, completely stoked. Having had a chance to stay at Wilderness Lodge this past trip here are my thoughts. Exceptional lobby, themeing and service. Had some great food at he bar. I did not get a chance to hit the pools but they looked great. My only two complaints are about the location; we are not Magic Kingdom vacationers anymore (more Epcot and Studio) so if I stayed there on vacation it would involve driving or taking the boat/bus. When we stayed at the campgrounds my daughter was younger and the boat service was awesome. So it really depends on your type of trip you are on. The other complaint was my room's location, approximately the green arrow on this map, second floor forest view. Nice room, great view of the trees, even saw some deer one morning. The issue was that I was so close to the water and the dock that every 15 minutes the boat horn would go off. Kinda sucks if you are trying to relax. Also I had an early flight out Saturday morning and Friday night that water/light show was obnoxiously loud and woke me up. 
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Sep 30, 2013 18:49
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tomapot posted:The other complaint was my room's location, approximately the green arrow on this map, second floor forest view. Nice room, great view of the trees, even saw some deer one morning. The issue was that I was so close to the water and the dock that every 15 minutes the boat horn would go off. Kinda sucks if you are trying to relax. Also I had an early flight out Saturday morning and Friday night that water/light show was obnoxiously loud and woke me up. Oh man that sucks. That would be a request when you are booking the reservation to tell the agent that you do not want anywhere on X side of the resort. Also on check-in you can request with the front desk or rooms control that you want to avoid areas like that. Better yet.. "I am a light sleeper and would like somewhere away from a lot of noise."
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Sep 30, 2013 18:54
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I'm headed to Disney next month for some training. On one day, they've scheduled us for a "Magical Moment". I'm really curious what that could be about.
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Oct 1, 2013 04:04
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I'm going down to Disney in a month for the Wine and Dine half marathon weekend, and apparently as a participant, I get discounted park tickets. From poking around the internet, I have a sneaking suspicion this is so, but is $145 pretty much the cheapest I'm going to find a 2-day Park hopper pass?
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Oct 3, 2013 03:07
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They retail for $258.80 so if you're getting them for $145, you're doing pretty drat well.
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Oct 3, 2013 04:26
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Just did Online Check In for my stay in December. Feels good man. Here's hoping that puts me in their sights for MagicBands and all those goodies.
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Oct 3, 2013 06:19
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TheBigBudgetSequel posted:Just did Online Check In for my stay in December. Feels good man. You should be good for Magicbands/FP+. All the resorts get access to them starting sometime in October (between now and Oct 25). Just keep an eye on My Disney Experience and if the thing on the right hand side says "personalize Magicbands" instead of manage then you're good to go on the bands. Not sure if they've loaded Dec fast passes yet though.
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Oct 3, 2013 11:48
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If you're a Disney Visa cardholder there's a new discount available for Jan - March 2014. It goes live for the general public on Oct 8. It's discounts on tickets/room/dining packages, minimum 3 night stay. Excludes all of Art of Animation, Grand Floridian Villas, campsites. There's a room only discount of 15% on Values, 20% on Moderates, Deluxes, 35% on Deluxe Villas. Exclusions are Art of Animation, GF Villas, and campsites.
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Oct 3, 2013 15:14
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Is there an optimum time to book everything for July 2014? I'm trying to book three separate rooms with varying ticket amenities (i.e. no water park and & More option for adults). It seems like I need to make three separate bookings for each room, and then if I want to book individual ticket options for people sharing a room, it seems like they need to be the same. Do I have to buy the park tickets separately to avoid this? Do I gain or lose anything by doing this?
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Oct 3, 2013 15:39
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There's no optimal time to book for July. There may or may not be a discount for that time. You won't know until closer until your travel date. If you're doing packages, every person in each room will have to have the same dining/ticket options. That's just the way packages work. You will have to make three different reservations for three different rooms. If you want different options for each guest, you'll have to book room only. It can get kind of confusing. If you'd like some help, shoot me a PM or an email and I'd be happy to assist.
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Oct 3, 2013 16:27
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A head's-up for people who are going to be booking rooms later this year: The Unofficial Guide crew just announced that they've spent the last year or so gathering information about the Walt Disney World resorts, and they'll be rolling that information out on their website over the next few months. You'll eventually be able to search rooms based on how far they are from the lobby, how far they are from transportation, ADA-accessibility, and view. And yes, the last item means that they took pictures from every single room on property. 
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Oct 3, 2013 19:57
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