Archive | February 28, 2012 | PassPorter Blogs

Will Disney offer “Free Dining” in 2012

Filed under The Disney Queue by Caldercup on February 28, 2012 at 9:16 am {12 comments}

Disney and the Free Dining Promotion

dmm3239 asked: “Will there be free dining in 2012? When will they announce, or does anyone know if they will?“

I’m no fortune teller, but it is possible to make an educated guess about these things.

My take? I believe “Fall Free Dining” will be offered again, but other Free Dining offers throughout other times of the year will probably not be seen as much as it had the past two years.

So what is Free Dining?

Free Dining promotions give all guests aged 3 and up who are booked on a package (including room, a mimimum of a 2-day ticket, and dining) their Disney Dining Plan for free. Note: even Annual Passholders have to purchase a minimum of a 2-day ticket to be eligible for this promotion.

Yep. Free food! From Disney!!

Like all Disney Dining Plans, the tax is covered by the DDP, but the guest is responsible for the gratuity at all table service restaurants. Keep that in mind and be generous to your servers — they work exceptionally hard, especially at buffets, and are very skilled.

If you’re staying at a value resort, you receive the Quick Service Dining Plan for free, while guests of the moderate and deluxe resorts get the “regular” Disney Dining Plan for free. You can always upgrade to the dining plan you want — including to the Deluxe Dining Plan — by paying the difference in normal cost between the dining plan you’re getting for free and the cost of the dining plan you want.

What’s the difference between “Fall Free Dining” and other Free Dining promotions.

“Fall Free Dining” is for vacations occurring in the mid-August through September timeframe. This has been offered every Fall since 2005.

“Free Dining” is a relatively new promotion that was done to increase bookings during the recent global economic downturn. These offers came by PINs, by emails, by mailings, by print and TV ads, and by general public announcements. They were offered for pretty much all times of year, but had specific travel dates and “book by” dates.

Important note: Since Disney announced in the Fall of 2011 that they’d be significantly reducing their promotion frequency, we’ve seen less and less offers compared to the same timeframe one or two years ago.

Basically, I wouldn’t get my hopes up for Free Dining outside of the typical Fall Free Dining travel dates.

What exactly is “Fall Free Dining”

Back in 2004, Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne came close enough to the Resort to have everyone scrambling for safety (not to mention Hurricanes Charley and Ivan and Tropical Storm Bonnie that battered Florida too.)

The 2004 Hurricane Season

By spring of 2005, bookings were way down for that September. Disney had to do something to entice guests to plan their Fall vacations.

And what better way to entice people than to offer them free food?!

Will it happen this year?

The indicators are in place to see the “Fall Free Dining” promotion make an appearance for vacations starting mid-August through September.

There were bounceback offers made to Fall Free Dining guests in 2011 (more info below)
The UK and Canadian market has had Fall Free Dining offered to them for 2012.
The original reason for this promotion still exists — crowds are low during this time.

How will I know that the offer has been made to the public?

Well, you stay active on the PassPorter boards! This is a popular topic and you will definitely see the posts pop up as soon as our members officially hear about the promotion being offered.

If Fall Free Dining is offered, it’s likely Disney will offer it up to Disney Visa cardholders first, with an announcement from the promotion to the general public coming a few days later. The past few years, the promotion has been opened in April or May.

When has Disney announced “Fall Free Dining” in the past?

According to the Historical Resort Discount Chart over at Mousesavers.com, these are the dates for previous Fall Free Dining promotions, and the dates that information was “released” to the public.

8/16/09-10/3/09 – Disney Rewards Visa cardholders released 3/26/09
8/16/09-10/3/09 – general public released 3/30/09

8/15/10-10/2/10 – Disney Rewards Visa cardholders released 4/29/10
8/15/10-10/2/10 – general public released 5/3/10

8/28/11-9/24/11 – Disney Rewards Visa cardholders released 4/28/11
8/28/11-9/24/11 – general public released 5/2/10

To answer the question of ‘When will they announce in 2012?’ That’s anybody’s guess! But, they did release them in 2010 and 2011 within a day of each other, so perhaps late-April, early-May is the time for announcements in 2012.

Any other ways to get Fall Free Dining?

If you are lucky enough to get a Fall Free Dining offer in 2012, check your resort room carefully once you’re on property. Keep an eye out for something that looks like this beauty:

A Fall Free Dining Bounceback Brochure

A Bounceback Offer

That’s a “bounceback offer” brochure – and, in recent years, they’ve looked like the White Rabbit’s pocket watch. If you don’t see one in your Disney resort room (usually on the table), call down to the front desk and ask if there are any bounceback offers available.

To take advantage of a bounceback, all you have to do is to book the promotion for the following year by putting down a $200 deposit before you check out of the resort. You can’t dither about it and call back a week after you get home – you have to do it right then and there!

A United Kingdom/Canadian Offer

Usually, Disney offers UK and Canadian travelers a Fall Free Dining promotion months before they offer it to US travelers. (I’ve also heard that some guests from South America have received a similar offer, but I don’t know those details.)

My conclusion

Since the UK/Canadian offer has already been made for 2012 and there was a bounceback offer for Fall Free Dining travelers in 2011, it’s a fair bet we’ll see Fall Free Dining offered for 2012 too.

Fingers crossed!!

Does the Disney Vacation Club make sense for us?

Filed under Disney Vacation Club by Cheryl Pendry on February 26, 2012 at 11:54 am {15 comments}

Well, it’s a good question, and one that was asked recently in Owning the Magic, the Disney Vacation Club forum on the PassPorter message boards.

One of the Disney Vacation Club resorts - Saratoga Springs

The question was specifically about whether the Disney Vacation Club would be any good for a family of five, but it’s something that every single person who’s become a DVC member has had to ask themselves before becoming members. It’s also something that no doubt a lot of people thinking of joining the Disney Vacation Club are probably also asking themselves. And, let’s be honest, with an initial investment of five figures, it’s a really important question that you should answer before you become a Member.

Will you and your family always want to go to Disney? A question to ask when considering buying into the Disney Vacation Club...

The first thing that is probably going to be a winner is if you’re a family that likes to vacation regularly with Disney. Sure, there are other things that you can do with your membership, but predominantly, it’s Disney. If you’ve only been to Disney a couple of times, and have no strong desire to return, this isn’t going to be the investment for you.

Provided you’ve got past that first question, then the second question to answer is how often do you to go to Disney? When we bought in, we were told that you really needed to at least once every two or three years, and that’s good advice. If you know that actually, your vacations are only going to be once every four or five years, then maybe becoming a Disney Vacation Club member isn’t for you. Why? Because you get points to use each year. You can bank forward one year’s worth of points, and borrow back one year’s worth of points, meaning you can combine up to three years’ worth of points for one vacation. Any longer than that and those points are just going to expire.

Perhaps now’s a good time to think about the future as well. We can’t predict it obviously, but Disney Vacation Club points are good until at least 2042, and a lot later for some of the newer accommodations. That’s definitely what you call a long-term investment. It may well be that you know that you’ll be happy to visit Disney for five or ten years, but what about after that? It’s something worth thinking about, particularly if you have kids. Much as we hate to admit it, some children do go through a phase (shock, horror!) of not wanting to visit Disney theme parks any longer….

The cost of spending 19 nights at the Beach Club persuaded us to buy into the Disney Vacation Club!

The next thing you need to ask yourself is what type of accommodation you like to stay at when you visit Walt Disney World. I’m sure a lot of you are screaming “well, given the chance, deluxe resorts”, but I know that there are people that are very happy with staying at value, or moderate resorts. If you fall into that category, then perhaps the Disney Vacation Club may not save that much money for your family over the years, as it’s essentially deluxe level accommodations. I know how much we paid for 19 nights at the Beach Club (I’ll give you a clue-a lot of money!), so for us, buying into the DVC was an absolute no-brainer. I think we recouped our initial investment within our first three vacations, but that may not be the case for you.

Something else to keep in mind on this subject is that, if you’re going to buy into the Disney Vacation Club, and stay on your points, you won’t be able to take advantage of any promotions, like discounts, or free dining any longer. If you make good savings on those, that’s worth building into your budget calculations. Of course, there’s no guarantee on those savings in future years….

Once you’ve made all those calculations, then you need to think about how you’re going to finance buying in, if you’re still committed to the idea. Most of us don’t have five figures of cash just hanging around, and the chances are you may need to finance your down payment. We thought long, and hard about this before we first bought in. We were lucky enough to be moving house, and the house we bought was under budget, so we had a little left over for a Disney Vacation Club investment.

The answer about whether the Disney Vacation Club makes sense for you is going to vary from one family to the next, and there’s no right or wrong answer to the question. The important thing is making sure you make the right decision for your family, and the way you vacation.

So, for those of you who are Disney Vacation Club members, how did you make the decision to buy in, and if you’re thinking of buying in, what’s on your mind as you grapple with that decision?

“Couple-time” ideas at Walt Disney World

So when Chris and I started to talk about our “couple-time” at Disney World for this blog update, we talked about many, many things that we enjoy doing together as a couple while visiting the mouse. We enjoy dining, going to the spas for a couple’s massage, riding certain rides, but we also enjoy the simple pleasure of time together that we sometimes can’t get at home because of his work schedule and my travel schedule. And that is what this week’s blog is about – simple things you can do as a couple to relax and enjoy your time at Walt Disney World together.

One of the simplest things we enjoy doing is taking a walk. For example, after dinner on the Boardwalk we will get some ice cream at Seashore Sweets and walk around Cresent Lake, hand in hand, listening to the music or to Illuminations. Sometimes we will grab a spot for the evening Boardwalk entertainers – magicians, jugglers, etc., and partake of the show. Who knows you may even get to be part of the show! How about a walk along the shores of the Sassagoula River at Port Orleans Riverside, or a walk from the Boardwalk area to Disney’s Hollywood Studios early in the evening as the sun goes down and all the lighting in the resorts and parks begins to turn on?

Boardwalk evening entertainment

You could also finish dinner at either the Kona Café or ‘OHana and then go sit in a swing, lie in a hammock or just sit on the sandy beach at the Polynesian and watch Wishes across the Seven Seas Lagoon. I love the idea of having my shoes off and my toes in the wet sand while listening to the music and watching the fireworks of Wishes. Toe curls in the sand over and over while having the Wishes soundtrack playing. AHHHH. Now that is relaxing.

Wishes fireworks over the Seven Seas Lagoon

We love to get many, many photos taken by Photopass photographers in lots of different locations, funny photos when we can let down our guard and goof around. Since we often travel as a couple, the only way for us to get photos together is to use a tri-pod and timer, or to utilize the photopass photographer. In addition to having them take “official” photos, we will also give one of our cameras and they take photos with that as well. Often these photos are as good (or better) than the Disney photos.

Miss Tinkerbell surprised us!

On our last trip to Disney World, on our last day we were in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We’d spent the morning touring, and then after lunch, found a bench across from the American Idol Experience and sat together and talked. I think we sat there for over an hour surrounded by the hubbub that is DHS. We did a little people watching and quite a bit of relaxing, delaying our departure and return to the real world. Sometimes I think we (or at least I) are in a hurry to commando tour from ride to show and show to ride and “get it all done”. At that pace, we miss the little things that make WDW a magical place. So – I think you should always make some time to just sit together, talk to each other, even maybe hold hands like you did when you were first dating.

Another no cost, easy to do evening “couples-time” activity is a soak in the hotel spa (hot tub). You could even grab a nice Frosty Adult Beverage from the nearest pool bar (if you are so inclined) to help keep you cool while you soak away any tension from a long day of touring in the hot tub. I prefer my grown up “tubbing” in the evening, as it does tend to cut down on the number of younger folks also in the spa and makes it feel more like “couples-time”. You can also grab a couple of loungers by your hotel pool, soak up the warm Florida sun while reading a great “vacation” book on your Kindle, Nook or Ipad.

Wilderness Lodge spa

One other thing that Chris has done when I have visited WDW solo (sometimes I can get off work and he can’t) is to have Disney Floral deliver flower arrangements to my room. They don’t have to be big (and frankly they don’t have to be from Disney) but I think it is truly wonderful to come back to your room and open the door to the lovely scent of flowers with a little card telling me how much he loves me and hopes I am enjoying my time at the “Happy place”.

Disney Flowers on a Solo Trip

There are so many things you can do on your trips to Walt Disney World to capture that magical time with your significant other/spouse. Sometimes it means setting aside the touring plans, the fastpasses and all the ADRs to just relax and reconnect with that special person in your life.

Thanks for reading, and we will see you in the happiest (and most romantic) place on earth.

Terri & Chris!!

Disney on foot!

Filed under Fresh Picked Posts, Getting in Shape for Travel by rescuesk on February 25, 2012 at 2:47 pm {6 comments}

Ready to walk?

Hey, that got your attention, didn’t it! For one brief moment, you thought I was going to blog about getting to Disney by foot, didn’t you!

No, don’t worry. There are lots of ways to get to Disney, but unless you live in Cinderella’s Castle, walking there isn’t a way most travel journals would recommend.

But we are going to talk about walking in Disney.

Disney is a big place. Its a large place. Actually, its a huge place! 43 square miles, to be exact! Now, don’t fret, you aren’t going to be walking all 43 miles of that. Some of it is resort area, some of it is undeveloped, and some is downright swamp country! But since you’ve chosen a Disney vacation, walking will be a big part of your daily routine.

If you’ve been following the blog, you know how important walking before you leave is. So, you’re ready for this, right?

The amount of walking you will do each day depends on the park you choose to visit. I’m going to cover the Magic Kingdom today, and address the others in future blogs!

The Magic Kingdom is the quintessential Disney theme park. It might surprise our readers to know that this is also one of the smallest of the parks, approximately 107 acres! Your walking day begins before you get to the park. If you are arriving at the Magic Kinfdom in a car, you will be parking on the other side of the lagoon. You will take either a monorail or the ferryboat to get to the kingdom. When you park, you can proceed to one of the tram stops and take the tram to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and choose your option. There will be a short walk from your car to the tram, and from the tram to the transportation of choice. You cannot walk from the TTC to the Kingdom; there is no path, and it would be quite a hike anyway. Once you arrive at the Kingdom, there is another walk from the boat launch or the monorail station to the main entrance. If you are arriving at the Kingdom via Disney bus, the walk to the Kingdom is slightly windy and slightly uphill. It actually is a little bit further away than you would suspect. If you are staying at the Contemporary Resort or Bay Lake Towers, right next to the Magic Kingdom, you can walk to the park. This walk is a bit more than a quarter mile, but its quite pleasant, and a great way to start your day!

Once you pass through the main gates, you will need to walk up Main Street to access the attractions. The Magic Kingdom is designed around a central hub, Cinderella’s Castle, with all the lands branching out from there. “Walking” might be too broad of a term, You will more than likely meander up Main Street, taking in the ambience of this uniquely Disney area. Pace yourself…you have alot of ground to cover and you don’t want to get tired.

Once you get to the hub, you can choose your land. No matter which direction you travel in, you will be walking, but with so much to see and do, you should be pacing yourself at a nice leisurely pace. You will not have this luxury at every park, so enjoy it now! You’ll basically be walking in a big circle, around the back of the park and back to the front. All in all, its a nice easy walk, mostly flat and with plenty of places to rest.

When your touring day is done, walk back to the hub for a final stroll down Main Street. If you are tired, you can wait for one of the transportation vehicles to take you back down to Main Street. If you are still feeling like you can do a bit more wlaking, meander back down Main Street to the main entrance. Keep in mind that the same walk you did to get into the park now needs to be done in reverse. You will need to walk to the Disney buses, the monorail station, the ferry boat launch or the Contemporary Resort. And from there, you will still need to get back to your resort and room. Its always good to save a little energy for this return trip, especially if you are going to be carrying tired children or pushing a stroller.

So, you survived your first big walking adventure at Disney! You are back at your room and ready to take on the next park. Rehydrate at night (water or Gatorade…we’ll talk more about hydration in a future blog) and get a good nights sleep. Tomorrow we take on Epcot…get ready to hoof it here!!

Celebrating…You (at Walt Disney World)!

Filed under Grown-Up Disney by aliceinwdw on February 22, 2012 at 10:30 pm {5 comments}

Make a wish!

So this past Monday, February 20th, happened to be my best friend’s birthday. She and I live in different states and do not get to see each other as often as we would like. When we go home to South Florida to visit family, we usually try to schedule our trips to coincide so we can also get to see each other.

Unfortunately, though, our birthdays don’t usually fall around the same time as these trips; however, it made me think about how much fun it is when you get to celebrate the “Day of You” with the people you love most, like your BFF. Then I thought, how wonderful would it be to do so in an amazing place like Walt Disney World (“WDW”)?

“Happy” Birthday?

Ok, so sure getting older is usually something kids always look forward to, but, as a person of an apparent age wherein you most likely don’t enjoying seeing so many candles on your cake, WDW is a phenomenal location for not being treated like — or being required to act like — your said age. Nope! You can eat candy, run around with balloons, scream your head off on Space Mountain, or even skip down Main Street all on your birthday…hmm, wait. You can do this on any day can’t you? Well, regardless of whether or not this is typical of your usual behavior (*smirk*), there really are some great ways to celebrate your “You Day” in WDW — and some them don’t even cost you a dime! (I know, unbelievable, but it’s possible!)

Free Presents!

First Things First

Either at your resort check-in desk or at one of the Guest Services on property (at the parks and Downtown Disney) or Town Hall in the Magic Kingdom (“MK”), go and get your birthday button!

What are you celebrating?

I know that prior to Disney’s former “What Will You Celebrate?” promotion, Cast Members (“CM”), which are what Disney employees are called, were fairly good about acknowledging guests (and their “event”) due to these buttons (which you can see also includes “Just Engaged!”, “Happy Anniversary,” “1st Trip,” “Family Reunion,” etc.); however, during, and now ever since, the CMs are very good about shouting a “Happy Birthday!” from across a ride platform or even just simply saying it in passing as you walk by them in a store or on a walkway. That’s not to say that every CM does it, but more than enough do to make you feel super special.

Make a Wish

Ok so I have to forewarn you, don’t expect WDW to do something like give you a free dinner for your birthday; however, if you make a note on an advanced dining reservation (“ADR”), should you make one for that day, that you will be celebrating your birthday (and make sure to remind your server if you do), a good CM will make sure to remember that it’s your special day and may come out with some sort of complimentary dessert! Over the years, since we tend to go around my birthday — entirely thanks to Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival! — I have received cupcakes, slices of cake; all with a candle and everything! It is such a treat to feel like Disney wants to celebrate with you. (Just remember that it’s not mandatory that CMs do this and some are always better than others, but if you “remind” them, they might just surprise you!)

“Happy Birthday to YOU!”

Some of my favorite “gifts” are those simply from other guests! When a perfect stranger walks past you and says, “Happy Birthday!” with a big smile on their face, it’s complete magic. Obviously, in the “real” world we don’t walk around with, say, balloons and streamers attached to us to signal it’s our birthday (maybe you do!), so when I can come to WDW and wear my “birthday badge” proudly and see that others even acknowledge it, it’s such a great feeling! Then turning 3*%#&$(-something) doesn’t seem so bad!

Are there any other “freebies” you can think of or have received/experienced that just made your birthday even more magical?

Not So Free, But Oh So Delicious: Food!

What a Feast!

If you’re looking to really amp up the party-time for your day, I would definitely recommend making an ADR at one of the many sit-down restaurants. There are so many restaurants on property where a great time and food awaits — and you may just find a favorite worthy of selection for your celebratory meal. These are a few that are always in the running for me, but the list is seemingly endless!

LeCellier in the Canada pavilion in Epcot (preferably for lunch if going while on Disney’s (regular) Dining Plan (“DDP”) as it’s only 1 credit, versus 2 for dinner) because the food is just fantastic:

Happy B-day! * photo taken by WDW Fan

50s Prime Time Cafe at Disney’s Hollywood Studios because if you can get a good CM, look out! The “Cousins” are going to make sure the whole place knows it’s your birthday — so be forewarned ** public attention is almost guaranteed! **

It's been a few years, but still many thanks to Cousin Christopher!

Narcoossee’s is another great choice, although it’s one of my more “romantic” spots for celebrating — and we’ve always been while on the DDP, as it is a Signature Restaurant; i.e. it’s 2 credits! With it’s great view of the castle and really wonderful CMs, who have always remembered “why” we’re there, it’s a favorite.

In 2010:

Yes, it was for our anniversary, but they treated us well (and see? Dessert!)

In 2011:

Last time it was champagne! Cheers to our anniversary and my birthday!

California Grill is another great place for some adult-only celebration time; although yes children are welcome, but *usually* we’ve seen more families doing a “nice dinner night out” here, so there’s less “hoopla” going on than at, say, a character meal, etc. (well usually). In any event, with its view of the electric water pageant and the castle and fireworks, it is worth the 2 credits to eat here (if on the DDP).

And sometimes they do both!

Do you have a favorite restaurant where you just *have* to spend your birthday (or maybe really want to try)?

Keep in mind though that this is not to say that some of the counter-service restaurants won’t do a little something special. I have seen (and possibly received ) a cookie or brownie, for example, from some really awesome CMs who saw the button and wanted to let their guest know that they were celebrating their day with them!

Let them Eat Cake!

However, if you really want to make sure that there is something that has candles on it for making that birthday wish, you can have a customized cake delivered at the end of your meal at most of the table-service restaurants. It does require 48 hours advanced notice and is provided at an additional cost. Just call (407) 827-2253 to have a Disney specialty cake ready for your meal!

On our last visit to the California Grill a few trips ago, our neighboring table received such a cake: She was so surprised; it was really sweet to see.

It was her birthday -- with Cinderella, of course!

Any Not-So-Edible Treats?

Yes! There are also other services available if you want to ensure that your birthday is not forgotten!

Hats Off to You Today! (Well, No, Keep it on!)

Disney has no shortage of merchandise and they have made celebrating and displaying that it is one’s birthday oh so fun! In many of the stores throughout property, but probably most notably at The Chapeau in the MK, you can get yourself a birthday hat that will make having a camera on hand that much more necessary! *chuckles*

What? Is something in my hair?

Ok, ok you have to really be “in the spirit” to wear some of them, but Disney didn’t leave out its classic Mickey Ears — they just so happen to also have a little celebratory pizzazz to them!

Got my Ears on!

Room Service!

One day I’d like to do this for my own, or whomever’s, birthday we might be celebrating while in WDW, but, because of the additional cost, I have yet to arrange this. However, what a neat way to surprise someone! You can use Disney Floral & Gifts, or the “Disney Florist” as people usually call it, to have an in-room gift set (called “Mickey’s Birthday Wish“), decorations, flowers, etc. delivered for your birthday celebrator!

All for me?!

Just note that these too require 48 hour advance notice and are not necessarily inexpensive.

Packages from Home

So, if you’re trying to not break the bank this birthday but still want to make sure that some Disney pixie dust is sprinkled on your birthday while in WDW, there is nothing that says you can’t ship “supplies” in from home! You can go crazy decorating your room (although be mindful to not damage any furnishings and wall/doors with tacks and nails, candles, tape, etc.!) with streamers, lights, paper decorations, anything you can buy ahead of time — maybe on sale throughout the year or from great finds in clearance bins and Dollar-type stores. You can even pre-purchase birthday attire, like the hats, from the online Disney Store when they’re having some great sale! I’m pretty sure no one is going to care when/where you bought the birthday decor because they’ll be so surprised and thrilled that their day has been so festive!

Oh, and just remember that you have to get everything home too! So anything you buy and/or ship down needs to have a way to come back with you; I would suggest either making sure you “budget” for the extra suitcase space or bring a return shipping label/extra postage with you, so you can ship everything home.

I Wished For…

So, I wish I could have done something like this for my bestie this past Monday for her birthday; however, if not this year, someday…I will! But, when that day comes (and no matter how old we will be!), the more crazy silly you are about celebrating your birthdays in a place meant for imagination, turning another year older doesn’t really seem so bad, right?? (Well, I guess not until the next day…LOL)

So to anyone having a birthday this week: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

And until next time…

Newark, NJ to Hong Kong, China, USA: Highlights of an 18 hour plane ride.

Filed under Disney Inspired by Sandra Bostwick on February 21, 2012 at 1:27 pm {no comments}

In my last blog, http://www.passporterboards.com/blogs/index.php/2012/02/18/shedding-some-light-on-jet-lag/ , I shared some PassPorter Guide tips for managing jet lag. Then I did a little research into the science. But do I really want to get THAT technical about a plane ride?

Whatever you choose to do about jet lag, the best advice for a long plane ride is to have fun!.

It was fascinating to see day turn to night, then the brightest day I ever saw, then night again. Here are some photos of the trip from Newark to Hong Kong. Look closely and you should be able to see a cruise ship right behind the Statue of Liberty in several of the NYC shots. (If you click on the photo it will enlarge and you can see.)

The maps were projected on the screen in front of my seat. In one of the maps beow, you’ll see Irkutsk, above is a town in Russia where I have a long lost friend. Hello Sergei! Below the map you’ll see a photo of Irkutsk. THen my trip faded into the darkness of night until I landed in China.

I wish the photos I took of the landscape came through, but it was too dark. First there was a purple haze that hinted of a mountain-scape that was something I’d never seen before. Then the glittering lights of Hong Kong showed like gigantic rows of honeycombs might look if they were sprinkled with dew, then reflecting first rays of the sun while darkness was still around them. It took my breath away. Before I knew it, my plane touched down and I suddenly realized I had to get through customs, find my way to my luggage, then find my friend. OK, I was a little nervous! Luckily my new dear friend, Tracey, who sat next to me on the plane walked me through it!

And that is the end of the flight.

Welcome to Walt Disney World for Couples

Filed under Disney for Couples by Terri Sellers on February 20, 2012 at 10:10 am {9 comments}

We are Terri and Chris Sellers – better known on the Passporter Boards as Passporter Guide DrDolphin, and her better half – Crick85. We are two 40-somethings without kids, but love to share Walt Disney World with friends and family – especially our nieces and nephews. We enjoy traveling to WDW a few times a year and enjoying our couples time there and thought it would be good to share some “have quality couples time” ideas with all the Passporter Blog readers – whether the trip be a “couples only” trip for a special occasion like an anniversary, or finding small romantic moments in the middle of a busy family trip.

One of our favorite "couple" places!

First a little bit about us. I am a marine biologist who works for a federal government agency as well as teaching Environmental Science for a small liberal arts college and Chris is a pharmacist at a major hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. We enjoy traveling around the country and taking planned and impromptu trips to Walt Disney World, and being members of the Disney Vacation Club makes that possible.

Disney Vacation Club's Saratoga Spring Resort and Spa

I (Terri) have been a Disney fan since I re-discovered Walt Disney World (WDW) in 2001 while running the Disney Marathon, and began to make multiple trips a year after moving to Jacksonville in the fall of 2001. Chris sort of stumbled (still stumbles) into WDW because of me. We made our first “couples trip” in August 2008 when my sister and her family were visiting WDW and Chris and I had been dating for only two months. He had no clue what was in store for him. Chris’ previous trip before this one was when he was about 8 years old with his family and his only memories of the trip are of riding Space Mountain with his eyes closed and screaming quite loudly.

When we started dating, and decided that Chris would join the family on our trip in August, I don’t think Chris knew what to expect with the size, breath and wealth of things to do at Walt Disney World. He still doesn’t. Since that first trip, we have gone from “a couple” to being engaged and since been married – celebrating many of these events at either Walt Disney World, or onboard the Disney Cruise Line ships, making the most of the romantic offerings in all those locations.

Chris tends to leave the planning up to me, and 95% of the time, really “doesn’t care” what we do… So – for those of you who have significant others/fiances/spouses that travel to WDW with you, but really don’t care about all the magical details that make you love Walt Disney World so much, welcome to our world.

We plan to talk about many different romantic and special things you can do as a couple at Walt Disney World, and even do some reviews of things that we do while on our Disney trips, as well as how to plan for romantic/couples events while in the parks.

We’d also love to answer any questions you might have about Romance at Disney/ Disney for Couples, so we’ll be checking the boards – (http://www.passporterboards.com/forums/disney-romance/) for great questions or blog topic ideas.

Thanks for reading, and we will see you in the happiest (and most romantic) place on earth.

Terri & Chris!!

Disney Vacation Club Members… how do you decide where to stay?

Filed under Disney Vacation Club, Fresh Picked Posts by Cheryl Pendry on February 19, 2012 at 12:58 pm {7 comments}

It’s a simple enough question. If you’re a Disney Vacation Club Member, how do you decide where to stay on your next vacation?

It’s a question posed recently in Owning the Magic, the Disney Vacation Club message boards and I was fascinated to see the breadth of responses from Members.

Now, first off, let me say that I’m talking about staying at Walt Disney World, not Hilton Head, Vero Beach, Disneyland or Aulani, as there’s no choice to be made there right now as far as Disney Vacation Club resorts go anyway.

Old Key West.... cheap on points

A number of people replied saying that it came down to how many points they have available, and that’s a practical response. Well, if that’s the case, then you’re looking at either the value accommodations at Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, where a studio in the lowest priced Adventure Season costs just nine points, or Old Key West, where a studio at the same time of year will set you back just 10 points. In terms of value for money, you can’t go wrong with either, with the size of the rooms at Old Key West (the studios are massive!), and the amazing atmosphere of Animal Kingdom Lodge, with animals out on the savannah outside.

The next consideration of course is where you can actually book. You should always, in theory anyway, be able to book at your home resort at 11 months out, but then it can be tricky moving your reservation to other resorts, particularly places like the Beach Club Villas or the BoardWalk Villas, which are even more popular than usual during the Food and Wine Festival. We’ve certainly struggled to get into those during that time of the year.

So, assuming you’ve got enough points to pick between the various resorts, and they’re available, then what other considerations are there? For me, one of them is where haven’t we stayed yet? I love being able to sample all the Disney Vacation Club resorts. For starters, it’s useful for research purposes for PassPorter’s Disney Vacation Club for Members and Members-to-Be, but just as importantly, if you don’t stay at all the DVC resorts, how do you know which one’s your favorite?

We always adored the Beach Club Villas, from our very first stay there, but by trying other resorts, we also found out that we loved the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, and we were staggered to discover how much we enjoyed Bay Lake Tower. We thought it would be sterile, and just between us, we honestly thought we’d hate it, but actually it was great! What a wonderful discovery that was, and there could be similar discoveries waiting for you too, if you try out something new…

Something else to consider is where you’re going to be spending the bulk of your time. For example, if the Magic Kingdom is your top priority, then perhaps Bay Lake Tower or Wilderness Lodge Villas would be good choices for you. And, of course, by the end of 2013, the Grand Floridian Villas may be another option as well….

The BoardWalk Villas - popular for Food and Wine Festival

Equally, if it’s Food and Wine Festival, you may want to be close to Epcot, and stay in the Beach Club Villas, or BoardWalk Villas, although as I’ve already alluded to, you won’t be the only one with that idea. Be prepared for disappointment, or be prepared to book at exactly nine months out to get into those at that time of the year.

For Christmas, perhaps the Villas at Wilderness Lodge are more appropriate, although while it’s got a lovely feel to it, I personally adore the amazing lobby decorations in places like the Beach Club, or BoardWalk.

Space could also be an issue, especially if you’ve got a lot of people staying in your room. If that’s the case, you might want to look at the BoardWalk Villas for studios, or three-bedroom Grand Villas. For one-bedroom or two-bedroom villas, then Old Key West takes the prize for the most space.

Where our heart lies.... the Beach Club Villas

And, of course, then there’s your heart. Where does your heart lie when it comes to Disney Vacation Club resorts? It’s impossible for us to drag ourselves away from our beloved Beach Club Villas, and at least part of any trip to Walt Disney World is spent there, with Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas also squeezed in, if that’s possible. Sometimes the heart just rules the heart….

So what about you? When you’re planning your next vacation to Walt Disney World, how do you pick which Disney Vacation Club resort to stay at?

Cinderella’s Royal Table

Filed under Dining Out at Disney, Fresh Picked Posts by Heather Macdonald on February 18, 2012 at 9:58 pm {4 comments}

The most sought after reservation at Walt Disney World, for as long as I can remember has been Cinderella’s Royal Table. The reason it’s so difficult to get a reservation is that the dining room only seats about 120 people. The other difficult to get reservation is Le Cellier, their dining room only seats 100 people. Just for comparison sake, across the pond the dining room at La Hacienda seats 250. The good news is that Disney got with the program and made lunch and dinner Princess character meals as well. That has made the reservation situation a little bit better. The 8am breakfast slot at Cinderella’s Royal Table (CRT from here on out) is still a toughy, because you get to experience the Magic Kingdom before the park is open and walking down Main Street USA when it is almost completely empty is sublime.

Beautiful Stained Glass Windows

Meals at CRT must be prepaid, or you can indicate that you are using the Disney Dining Plan, but the reservation system will still require a credit card guarantee. What is the best way to get that reservation? It used to be that there was a system for getting though to Disney Dining on the phone exactly when they opened. This is a thing of the past! The best way to get a reservation at CRT is now using the Disney World website dining reservations form. Some people have said they have been able to make reservations as early as 2:00am on their 180 day reservation mark. Personal experience leads me to believe that 4:00am CST or 5:00am EST is much more common–the Disney website is a little glitchy. Set your alarm and get up and hit the web–it’s much easier than trying to get through to Disney Dining on the phone. You don’t have to account for the amount of time it takes to get through the automated system, which has gotten far more extensive in recent months. I just got off the phone with Disney Reservations, and I have to say the automated system is nothing but annoying!

The real question is, is it worth it? Cinderella’s Royal Table is an awfully pricey meal. Breakfast for adult will run you $44.80 and lunch and dinner are even more expensive. Disney has also added in a holiday surcharge that applies to Christmas, Easter and almost all summer. The surcharge will add an extra $5.00 to your meal. I have to say that I think it is worth it to do once, it’s not something I have to do on every single trip. If you have little girls there is nothing as priceless as getting a magic wand, photos and chatting with 3 or 4 princesses during the course of the meal. The character interaction is fabulous. I remember a conversation I had with Snow White, who found out I was from New Orleans. She leaned over and whispered that she wasn’t really from Germany, but actually from Baton Rouge. I’ll never forget it! The princesses are in a rotation at CRT and I’ve seen Belle, Aurora, Snow White and the Fairy Godmother on my trips, but Ariel and Mary Poppins show up as well. Recent travelers have also reported seeing the Step Sisters at lunch and dinner, as well as Suzy and Perla.

I’ve been to CRT twice for breakfast and really enjoyed both meals. I don’t have children and it was just me and my roommate, Brandon. We were treated like super stars and the hostess was kind enough to give us the “gifts” that are usually given to the children in the party. Little girls get a magic wand and little boys get a pirate sword. All children get a wishing star for a little ceremony that takes place about every half hour. I still have mine!

All in all I’ve found the service at Cinderella’s Royal Table to be absolutely superb. The waitstaff has been more than willing to do anything and everything to make the meal a success. If you are celebrating something special Disney just added a new option for birthdays. A mere $112 will buy you a ballon, tiara, and 6in cake for your birthday princess! You can call Disney Dining to have this option added to your meal or email wdw.crt.special.events@disney.com. You can also order a number of special desserts, including the chocolate slipper from Disney Dining. If you are thinking about popping the question–I can’t imagine a better place to do it and the email address listed above will be able to help you with that as well.

The children’s menu at CRT has gotten an update this week as well. Disney is working towards healthier kid’s menus and the new lunch/dinner kid’s menu includes chicken pot pie, chicken drumsticks and rice, and beef skewers. I still think breakfast is the way to go if you are going to CRT. However, if you can’t get that breakfast reservation, lunch is much more affordable than dinner.

Have a great time! Good luck getting your Cinderella’s Royal Table reservation. I just checked WDW Dining and there are reservations available for my April trip! I might try CRT solo in April!

Shedding Some Light on Jet Lag

Filed under Disney Inspired by Sandra Bostwick on February 18, 2012 at 2:32 pm {7 comments}

Jet lag is a primary cause for some seriously unfortunate vacation photos! (You can quote me on that.)

I don’t want to look like an extra from a Zombie movie (or miss a minute of fun) on my upcoming trip from New Jersey to China, so I decided to look into how to beat jet lag.

I started by asking one of my fellow PassPorter Guides for tips. Here is what DebiDebiDebi had to say:

Sandy, I know some people think we’re crazy for this, but when we’re am preparing to head to the east coast (3 hours ahead of our PNW time) we do this: We start getting up 3 hours earlier than normal for 5-6 days ahead of the departure date. That way we have adjusted to East coast time prior to arriving and we are good to go by vacation time! Like I tell people who question my sanity for getting up at 2:45 am instead of 5:45; it’s amazing how much housework I get done during that early morning, with no outside distractions (phone, TV, etc). Works well for us!

(Thanks, Debi Debi Debi)

PassPorter Author Dave Marx gave the following tips:

I’m pretty much lag-impervious when it comes to my body clock. As long as I have enough sleep, I bounce right back.

My biggest problems come from lost sleep on Eastbound red-eyes. I’ve had 3-4 hours of sleep, if I’m lucky, and since it’s morning wherever I arrive, I’ll have a long day ahead of me. So, I try to plan a few hours of nap time after I get home/to the hotel. If that’s not possible, I try to have nothing on the itinerary after dinner.

To get sleep either eastbound or westbound, I focus on being comfortable on the plane – non-restrictive clothing, slip off my shoes, enough leg room (not a lot of stuff under the seat), etc. I tend towards window seats, so my neighbors won’t have to wake me to go to the restroom. I usually bring over-the-ear headphones on long flights, which I find more comfy than ear buds over long durations. Then I can put on my favorite music and close my eyes.

(Thanks, Dave!)

If you have any tips, please share them in the comments below!

So, is Jet lag real? Let’s look at some facts from the experts. Symptoms include fatigue, lethargy, mood changes, cognitive impairment, gastrointestinal disturbances, and sleep disturbances (Parry, 2002). YIKES! Leger et al. (1993) surveyed 507 business travelers and found almost half suffered from fatigue, 78% had disturbed sleep and 27% felt they had “intellectual disability” from jet lag! OK, this is serious stuff! So, what is a traveler to do?

A well-known sleep expert, Dr. Chris Idzikowski, says that changing your watch on the plane alone won’t help. It seems as if light plays a key role in managing jet lag. Cromie (2009) found that light boxes help long-distance travelers and shift workers, and that blue light gives the best results. Apparently, sleepy people exposed to blue light for six and a half hours performed better, rated themselves as less sleepy, showed quicker reaction times, and had fewer lapses of attention than people exposed to other types of light, particularly green light. Blue light was even found to help people with vision loss. Who knew?

I learned this from experience during a recent stay at The Dream in NYC, where guest rooms are bathed in blue light. I left the light on all night, and it was wonderful! I woke with a sense of calm, alertness and a readiness to take on the day. I actually made plans to buy a blue light for home, I liked it so much! Here are some photos of Dream.

SO, I suppose if you are flying into New York, The Dream is the place to go!

But If you are not flying to NYC, and don’t have access to a blue light, all hope is not lost!

Several studies showed great results for using light to help with jet lag. Parry (2002) found positive results combining bright light with melatonin for jet lag. This study breaks instructions down for Westward and Eastward time zones, and is worth a peek if you are traveling. Since I’m not sure how I’ll react to Melatonin, and don’t want any surprises this close to a trip, I think I’ll stick with the light alone, though!

To make a long story short, if you are traveling to a country where day is night, limit the amount of light during the day and use a VERY bright light (five times the intensity of a normal room light) at night. Dark sunglasses and any source of bright light in front of your eyes should do it. Strangely enough, a friend of mine gave me a bright-light LED visor light just the other day, which should do the trick. I guess hitting the ground in China running was meant to be!

A great link for timing the light was created by sleep expert, Dr. Chris Idzikowski and British Airways. Using this jet lag advisor tool requires a bit of thinking, but it is worth it!

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/drsleep/public/en_us?wakehours=7&wakemins=00&sleepOK=sleepBad&destTimeHours=23&destMins=00&homeTimeHours=10&homeMins=00&B1=Get%20advice

All the articles below should be available free on the internet, but you may need to use Google Scholar as your search engine.

So now I’m done with science and I’m ready for some wide awake fun and exploration! I hope you’ll travel with me as I visit Hong Kong Disneyland and the city nearby. Oh, and please just give me a nudge if you notice me nodding off from jet lag.

References

Clothier, J. (2006, April). Sleep doctor offers jet lag secrets. CNN Business Traveler. Retrieved from

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/04/06/biztrav.jetlag/index.html

Cromie, W. (2009, February). When the blues keep you awake. Harvard Science.

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2006/02/when-the-blues-keep-you-awake/

Leger, D., Badet, D., & De la Giclais, B. (1993). The prevalance of jet-lag among 507 traveling

businessman. Sleep Res (22) 409

Parry, B. (2002, September). Jet lag: Minimizing its effects with critically timed bright light and melatonin

administration, Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology. 4(5) 463-466. Retrieved from

http://www.horizonpress.com/jmmb/v/v4/53.pdf

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