Archive for the ‘Disney World’ Category

November 8th, 2010

Activities to do with your children while waiting in line at Disney World

It will be a miracle to visit Disney World and find empty lines at the entrance to rides and other fun spots. Before arriving at Disney World, condition your mind to accept the fact that there will be long queues and as such, prepare for it adequately. Kids are not known to be patient with lines especially on a hot afternoon. So how do you keep your kid occupied while waiting in line at Disney World?

Prior to your arrival at the park, get an electronic game that you are sure will captivate your kid. As the line move slowly, interact with the kid on strategies to win the contest, scores, and every other thing relevant to the game.

While on the line, describe the history and functions of rides you see. For instance, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror has an enthralling lobby, with all sorts of attractions. Buzz Light-year and Star Tours have interesting queues. Dinosaur’s line is like being in one of the best natural history museums. Also, several attractions have “pre-shows” where you’re actively entertained while you wait. The Tiki Room has a nice show. And don’t forget the Haunted Mansion stretching rooms, the Tower of Terror parlor, or the “training” rooms at Test Track, Mission Space, and Dinosaur. All of these and more will surely be worthwhile for you and your kid as the line moves slowly.

Engage in reading with your kid. Children love it when their parents read to them; so come along with picture-filled books with interesting stories and keep the child occupied till it’s your turn to climb the ride.

It is, however, also very important that you know how to avoid the queue in the first place. Arrive early, at least one hour before opening time; use a fast-pass if available; only go to Disney during off-season periods when the crowd is minimal; and try to visit attractions that have fewer crowds in the mornings and come back to the star attractions later in the day.

August 25th, 2010

Disney Firework View Rooms

We are proud to announce that we have just worked out a deal with the Best Western inside Disney World to offer Disney firework view rooms. The Best Western is located just two short blocks from the Downtown Disney World area and a third of this hotel has a great view of EPCOT. As you well know, every night EPCOT has a grand fireworks display which last for 20 to 35 minutes. If you choose to stay in one of these rooms you will have a great view of the fireworks show without having to actually be a the theme parks.

These Disney view rooms sell for $10 over the price of a standard hotel room, which is a really good deal for if you go to the front desk at the hotel they sell these rooms for $20 more per night. If you have small children in your party or if you do not like staying at the parks until 9pm every night these rooms are great. Don’t wait since only a third of the hotel has an EPCOT view these room types sell out extremely fast.

August 16th, 2010

Disney World Hotel Properties

We use to get this question quite frequently from those searching orlandovacationhotels.com. They quite frankly wanted to know if there was some “magic” to staying inside the park verses out. I for one would rather stay in the park and I will give you three reasons why.

 

First…the quality of the hotels is far superior inside Disney World than out. I know that is what Disney wants to sell all of us as vacationers, but it is true. They really do check all hotels and resorts not just the ones they own to make sure the standards are upheld. I can’t tell how many times I have talked to one of our “partner GM’s to find out that they are doing this or they are having to close this down to get it back in shape. Disney World is interested and rightfully so in making sure that all families coming to Orlando and staying inside the gates are going to have a good time.

 

Second, Disney World requires that all hotels inside Disney World to provide a shuttle service that runs every half hour from when the park opens to a half hour after the park closes. Compare that to most hotels located outside the gates where you will find that their shuttle service runs a couple of times in the morning and a couple of times in the evening and you can see how convenient staying inside the parks can be. I always ask vacationers when it rains and you and your family are drenched it sure would be nice to return back to your hotel in 30 minutes and towel off and get new clothes on. This won’t happen if you are staying outside the gates unless of course you pay $25 to $30 for a cab.

 

Third….there is so much to do. Literally that is the truth. To really experience the entirety of Disney World one needs to be staying inside the gates. Here they will find and see things that most of us miss. Disney World is the “master” of making every turn of the head magical. You see a water park here, an interactive pavilion over there…everywhere you turn there is something that catches your eye. This makes the trip that much more memorable.

 

You want the best vacation for your family this year, stay inside Disney World…it is by far the best place to satisfy your lodging needs…trust me.

July 23rd, 2010

Best Deserts at Downtown Disney World

<!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1107304683 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”,”serif”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} –> During your Disney vacation, your family should spend at least one night at Downtown Disney, which is home to some of the most delicious desserts in Orlando. If you enter Downtown Disney at the Pleasure Island section, you’ll see an irish restaurant and pub, Raglan Road, which is located on your immediate right once you enter.
Chef Dundon, one of the world’s most popular chef, created the desserts on Raglan Road’s menu, which are all priced at $6.99. Raglan’s staff often recommends the Ger’s Bread and Butter pudding, which is served to guests on their birthday. Other items on Raglan’s dessert menu include Bailey’s creme brulee tart; Bates Banagher Banoffi Beauty. made with banana, secret sauce, caramel and fresh cream, Culchie’s chocolate cake, made with dark sponge cake, chocolate moose and a secret orange ingredient, Dunbrody’s Kiss,Ma Ma’s apple pie and raspberry riot, made with vanilla ice cream on shortcake.
As you dine on your sweet dish, you can sit back and relax to the Irish folk music played by Creel, the local band that performs nightly.
Another hot spot for desserts in Downtown Disney is Bongo’s Cuban Cafe, which serves a variety of desserts, including Traditional Cuban style flan, made with custard and topped with caramel, or you can order the cheese flan dish or  coconut flan.
Other desserts include Guava Shells With Cream Cheese. The cheapest choice is Cuban vanilla pudding, called “Natilla”, which is $5.50 per dish. You can also order Cuban style bread pudding with caramel topping, Cuban sponge cake made with three different milks, and chocolate cake.
If you prefer to share a large dessert with friends, one of the largest desserts you can order in Downtown Disney is the sparkling volcano: made of rich chocolate brownie cake stacked on scoops of vanilla ice cream and topped with caramel and chocolate sauce.

Don’t forget to check out our great Discount Disney World hotels.

June 20th, 2010

Cheapest Disney World Hotels

Many tourists who visit Walt Disney World in Orlando are unaware of the non-Disney hotels located on Disney property. You can eat and sleep at several different hotels right next to Walt Disney World. Several national hotel chains are located on Disney’s grounds, including Best Western, Hilton, Royal Plaza and the Palace Resort and Hotel.

Guests staying at the Best Western get rooms with queen size beds, a balcony, a pool bar, a full lounge and two on-site restaurants, which will save you from the hassle of trying to fight your way through the long lines at the restaurants near Walt Disney World. Another convenient aspect of Best Western is the on-site Disney Store, where you can purchase your tickets for the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. The on site Disney Store is also a great way for your kids to entertain themselves before or after a long day at the park.

Two of the world’s most well-known resorts, Hilton and Royal Plaza, have locations on Disney Property, and both are within a few short steps of Downtown Disney. Guests at all the fun at Downtown Disney.As expected, the Hilton at Disney offers an incredible list of amenities, including an on-site barber, babysitting, a business center, beauty shop, golf, valet service, a Disney character breakfast, a fitness center and swimming pools.

At the Royal Plaza Hotel Orlando your family can dine at the new Girafe Cafe. Another resort to consider for staying on Disney property is the Palace Resort and Spa Orlando, which offers a waterfront view of Downtown Disney. With convention center amenities, the Palace Resort is priced at higher rates than the other resorts listed on Orlandovacationhotels.com, but guests are sure to appreciate the incredible quality. Palace Resort offers many amenities you can’t find at nearby hotels, such as a sauna, tennis courts, a beauty salon, a 24-hour fitness facility and babysitting service.