by Brian Bennett
5/29/01
Q.
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Sil Writes: Just
found your web site. How refreshing to find someone who is not
afraid to share his opinions and to have them be such great
ones. Thanks for the advice, I will check back again before
we leave, 2 weeks, yikes! I do have a question...I would like
to find a "Pooh" Dinner outside the parks, we arrive
Sunday and I would love to do that to start the week off right!!
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A.
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There is no Pooh character dinner outside of the
parks. The only Pooh character dinner is at the Crystal Palace
at the Magic Kingdom.
However, there is a Pooh character breakfast at Olivia's
Cafe at Old Key West Resort (Sunday, Monday, Wednesday only).
Check out MousePlanet's WDW Restaurant Resource page on Character
Meals for more details.
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Q.
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Keith Asks: I have
a question that's been bugging me for awhile. While reading
this and several other Disney sites while planning for honeymoon,
I have "hit a wall" trying to figure out the Discovery
Magic plan and its "flex features". I'm mainly interested
in this plan for using the features to get meals & behind
the scene tours. My question is, does a single "magical
wish" pay for just one person's meal or for the entire
party (of 2 in my case)? That's not readily clear to me, and
any help would be appreciated!
I love your site, and keep up the good
work!
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A.
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Keith,
It just so happens that guest columnist Michael Hewell has
written an article on the Discovery
Magic Plan.
To answer your specific question, though, and keeping in
mind that the Discovery Magic Plan is purchased PER PERSON,
each flex feature covers one person. You'd have to use one
of YOUR flex features AND one of your WIFE'S flex features
for any one meal.
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Q.
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An Unnamed Reader Asks:
I am trying to get a hold of some planning guides and park brochures
on-line. I have come across tons of information, but can't
get anything sent to me by mail. Do you know any web addresses
that would allow me to sign up for planning guides/brochures
on-line? |
A.
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Most on-line sites, such as MousePlanet, only
provide trip planning information online. I don't know of any
site that provides planning guides or park brochures via mail. |
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Q.
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Donna Writes:
Hello, I am requesting help for maybe an impossible tasks. My
family will be at WDW in 10 days. May 10th thru the 15th. I
did not plan well for Cinderella's Royal Table and therefore
you know the rest. Do you know any tricks or have any suggestions
for getting in there for breakfast. We are staying at the Contemporary
Resort, not tower club. Is there anyone there who can help.
I would appreciate any suggestions.
I have found your web site very helpful.
Thank You.
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A.
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Donna,
The best suggestion I have is to call for priority seating
at a couple of minutes before 7:00am each and every morning
until you succeed. The reservation center opens at 7:00am,
and you MIGHT just catch a cancellation.
Even so, there's no guarantees.
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Q.
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Karen Asks:
Hi Brian, loved your site.
Thought you might be able to suggest
a resort for our family. We've done all the DVC resorts and
especially love the kids activities. Are there any Interval
or Buena Vista resorts that offer comparable kids activities
( in a warm climate).
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A.
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Karen,
I'm not personally familiar with any non-DVC resorts other
than ones that I've checked into for my own vacation plans.
If you're a DVC member, I'd pose that exact question to member
services to see what they say. I'm sure they would have suggestions.
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Q.
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Birgit Writes:
Dear Brian,
hello from Stuttgart, Germany. I love
your website and I think you trip reports site is the best
one on the internet. I write this mail to you, 'cause I have
one question according those reports at MousePlanet. I have
been for a week long vacation and when I wanted to print out
the trip reports I missed during this one week, I found that
there is a page missing at MousePlanet. The one with all the
updates and the dates when and what was posted. It was so
great to have this page and see with one look what happened
on MousePlanet during the last week (or even during the last
4 weeks - you know we Germans have long vacations sometimes).
Now I don't know how many trip reports I missed, or how many
restaurant reviews and so on. 'Cause in your archive it only
says - Winter 2001, Fall 2000 and so on.
It is very difficult for me to explain
this, I hope you understand my questions (sorry for my bad
English). I would be very happy if you could help me in this
case.
Before I finish this mail, allow me
to tell you one thing, what I wanted to mail you before, but
since we don't know each other, I was not sure whether it
is the proper thing to do. Well, I read the story
about Michael - at the time you and your dear wife had
to give him back - and my sister and I prayed for you and
your family, because we were so sad about what happened to
you. And you cannot imagine the joy in our hearts, when I
found the news that you were able to welcome your second son
again in your family and that everything is settled now. Just
wanted to let you know this.
God bless you and your dear family!
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A.
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Birgit,
Thanks so much for your kind note, especially the words about
Michael and his return to our family. Thanks so much for your
prayers on that! I'm certain that it's only because of prayer
that the Lord did bring him back to us.
Regarding the trip report list, check out MousePlanet's WDW
Update Page! I think that page might have what you're
looking for. If not, let me know and I'll see what else I
can do to help you out. :)
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Q.
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Richard Writes:
An option for early arrival is what I call the Orientation Tour.
You travel around the World, but you don't go into any parks.
It only works if you are staying at an on-property hotel and
thus have access to the WDW Transportation system. But it has
the advantage of being free.
- Take your car or resort bus to Epcot.
Be sure to bring a resort map so that you can follow your
journey.
- Go to the WDW Bus loading area and
board the Bus to Wilderness Lodge.
- Tour Wilderness Lodge. See the lobby,
restaurants, follow the path to the pool, go counter-clockwise
around the pool past the geyser, continue along the footpath
to the Wilderness Lodge Dock.
- At the Wilderness Lodge dock, board
the boat to Magic Kingdom.
- Enjoy your short cruise on Bay Lake
and the Seven Seas Lagoon.
- Outside the Magic Kingdom, board
the Ferry Boat to the TTC.
- Enjoy your cruise across the Seven
Seas Lagoon, taking in the views of the Magic Kingdom and
the Polynesian and Grand Floridian hotels.
- At the TTC, transfer to the Resorts
Monorail.
- The Resorts Monorail circles the
lagoon, making stops at the Magic Kingdom and all resorts.
You can stay on as long as you want (the park monorail makes
no stops except the Magic Kingdom and you have to get off).
Get off and see as many resorts as your time and interest
allows.
- Optional: If you want to take the
Ferry the other way, get off at the TTC, cross on the Ferry
to the Magic Kingdom, and re-board the monorail there.
- Take the monorail to the TTC and
transfer to the EPCOT monorail. If you are willing to wait,
you can join a separate line to sit up front (which I recommend
if you have the time).
- Enjoy your monorail trip to Epcot.
- At Epcot, return to your car or
take the bus back to your resort.
This is a leisurely tour. As with any
transit system, you must endure a wait at each of the transfer
points. There may be a lengthy wait at the EPCOT Bus center
and at the Wilderness Lodge dock. Still, you should be able
to do it in 2 to 3 hours.
If you need to eat along the way, dine
at the resorts. You'll pass through Wilderness Lodge and can
get off at any of the Magic Kingdom resorts from the monorail.
This is especially good if you are
arriving mid-afternoon. Touring the Seven Seas Lagoon area
by Ferry and Monorail at dusk is very beautiful.
I recommend getting to and from EPCOT
by car. You may be ending your tour in the evening and the
demand for buses can get heavy.
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A.
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Thanks so much for your comments, Richard. I'll
share them with everyone in an up-coming "Notes From the
World" feature. |
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Q.
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Steve Asks: Brian
-- I found your column on taking your own stroller to Disney
World very helpful. Do you have any advice on how one would
use a bike lock to "lock" a stroller? Would you just
loop the lock through the wheels so it couldn't be rolled? That
wouldn't seem like a good way to keep someone from picking up
a very light (and expensive) Combi stroller like we (and you)
have. Locking the stroller to a post or something similar would
seem inconsistent with the CM's need to move the strollers.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated. |
A.
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Steve,
During the very first trip that we had our own -- and very
expensive -- stroller, we locked it to fences, poles, whatever
was convenient. In some cases, we did as you proposed and
just locked the wheels of the stroller together.
However, we've gotten much more lax on every trip since then.
We don't lock our stroller up at all anymore. However, even
on this trip (I'm writing from WDW right now) we've heard
first-hand stories strollers of strollers being stolen. I
guess you'll have to do as we have, and compare the risk of
theft versus the inconvenience of locking it up.
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Q.
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Skye Asks:
My fiancée and I will be getting married next March. We are
planning our honeymoon for WDW in April. We can only afford
to stay at one of the moderate-priced resorts. Which of the
four do you recommend? We want something quiet, and romantic...maybe
there is one that is geared more towards adults? Any info you
provide would be much appreciated. THANKS! |
A.
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Skye,
All four moderate resorts are very nice. They all will have
a large number of families around too (meaning, lots of kids).
My suggestion would be to choose whichever theme seems to
be the most appealing to you and your fiancée and go with
that one.
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Q.
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An Unnamed Reader Asks:
I love your site! Have you ever been to Coronado Springs? Is
it nice there? |
A.
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Yes, I've been to Coronado Springs several times,
although I've never been there to stay as a guest overnight.
You might want to check out MousePlanet's Coronado
Springs Fast Facts Page which will give you all kinds of
information about the resort. MousePlanet also has a photo
tour of Coronado Springs that you may enjoy reviewing. |
Well, I hope you enjoyed the reader feedback
for the WDW Trip Planning Guide! Feed free to send more questions
or comments to brian@mouseplanet.com!
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Brian Bennett's Disney Trip Planner
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Click here to see
some awesome WDW pieces that have run on MousePlanet recently!
Click
here to check out the rest of Brian's Archive, including all of the previously
published "Notes From the World" pieces!
I've
always gotten email about the WDW Trip Planning Guide, but since we added
the feedback
form to the site several months ago, the number of questions has increased
dramatically! I do my best to answer each and every question personally,
but I've noticed that a lot of the questions are asked again and again.
The question that one person asks might very well be the question that
someone else is wondering about. Thus this page!
So...I'll post
reader email and feedback every once in a while, because the question
someone else asks might be the same one you're thinking about yourself!
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