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There are two Publix Supermarket on U.S. 192 (aka Iro Bronson Memorial Highway), just outside of WDW. The newer one is to the West, but both are very nice.

Those two Publix are, without doubt, the closest supermarkets to the All Star Resorts. You would simply drive out of the All Stars, take the exit to U.S. 192, and head west on U.S. 192. The new Publix is a few miles West on the North side of the road.

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It sounds like Typhoon Lagoon would be the best option for you and your family. There is a nice children's area there, several slides (and the storm slides are fun, but not too intimidating), as well as a family raft ride, the large water slide (Humonga Kowabunga), and a slow-moving river-innertube ride.

When your son is a bit older, you may want to consider Blizzard Beach as a "thrill upgrade."

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MousePlanet's offsite reviews are still available.  Click here to to there!

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1. Back in 1992, I purchased an A/P in order to get both the unlimited admission, as well as a great (50% off) deal on a beautiful room at the Polynesian Resort for 2 weeks (the $$ saved on the room more than paid for the AP). I renewed the AP in 1993 (got a voucher that I used on my next visit), then returned to WDW in 1994 and did another 2 week visit (again saving 50% on the room (Contemporary && Poly)). Again, I renewed the AP (in 1995) and received a voucher that could be exchanged for a new AP on my next visit. Well, I haven't been back since, and I still have the voucher. Is the voucher still good (there's NO date on it)? Since the voucher was purchased BEFORE the opening of DAK, how would that work (is it a 3-park only AP; do I have to "upgrade" to a modern AP (thus losing the $$ savings of holding it since 1995), or would it somehow be pro-rated so that I could upgrade to a 4-park AP for a minimal amount of extra $$)? Oh yes, this was NOT only an AP Renewal (so it was discounted), it was an AP Renewal at Magic Kingdom Club Rates (so it was a DOUBLE Discount). The reason I am asking is that we have some GREAT Airfares (we're in the SF Bay Area--- can get a R/T ticket for $138 (yes, $138.00 ROUND TRIP)) good through December 8th -- so we're looking into a return trip (finally) -- if the price onsite is right!)
2. I've heard that the Hotel Occupancy is off a bit. Are they having any AP discounts for the High-End Accommodations (Polynesian, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Yacht/Beach Club)? If so, do you know the rates and dates??
3. I heard that the "La Pirate y El Perico" Restaurant actually has reopened. Is that the case? Did the menu change or was is merely a refurbishment of ??? I always liked eating there (actually, my FAVORITE place was the old Adventureland Veranda --- I was REALLY sorry when that closed)....
4. (I know...I just thought of this one...) How are the crowds around Thanksgiving Time? We're thinking of going around that then...

Thanks in advance!

A.

Your AP renewal question is an interesting one. I'm sure that you'd have to pay an upgrade to cover AK. The question in my mind, though, is whether or not you could use the AP voucher "as is" for the other three parks for a year -- or if you'd have to trade in the voucher for a "forced upgrade." I honestly don't know. You'll have to stop in at guest relations to find out the answer to that one.

On AP discounts (for the resort hotels) I've not heard of any specific AP discounts being announced, but often those are available when you call CRO.

I've also heard that El Pirata y el Perico was re-opened. I'm glad for that, because I'd heard earlier that the restaurant was not supposed to reopen at all. Perhaps El Pirata y el Perico will be merged in with Pecos Bills in some future rehab... we'll have to wait and see. I personally think that the MK is sorely lacking in restaurants. They really should open one or two more full service places, I think. The old Adventureland Veranda location would be a great place for a full-service, Adventureland-themed restaurant, don't you think? :)

You'll find that the week of Thanksgiving will be extremely busy. The last few days of the week prior to Thanksgiving and the first few days of the week following will be busy, too. Otherwise, early to mid November and early December would be very quiet.

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I don't know that there is a limit to the number of vehicles you can have per room. I've often had two for one room, and I've never even been looked-at-cross-eyed about the idea. I'm sure, with two rooms, that you won't have any problems with two vehicles.

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If you are paying on one credit card, then you'll have one combined bill for charging privileges. A Cast Member can fix it up for you, but the process is tedious and far from fool-proof (you may end up with a mess on your hands at the end of the trip in any case).

My suggestion is to skip charging privileges and have both parties take traveler's checks and their own credit cards. That will keep things much cleaner. Plus, if you use traveler's checks -- it will help you with spending too much, because you'll see the money leave your hand... and you'll be able to keep track of how much is left as you go through the trip.

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It's not a real big surprise, because WDW adjust hours depending on expected crowd levels... and the crowd levels are way down this Summer.

There are several possible explanations (including the fact that there's no "celebration" going on right now, that the economy is in a slide, and that some folks are waiting for the 100th Anniversary Celebration in October). You can take your pick of reasons, but in any case... I'm not surprised that the parks are closing earlier.

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There is no short answer to your question, so I'd suggest you read the following MousePlanet pages to plan your days in the parks...

This link is to a page gives an overview of planning your day.  Then there are pages that discuss what you can do throughout the day during the morning, afternoon, and evening.

In general, you'll find that the early entry days (they are listed on the daily plan page) will be much busier for those parks. The Magic Kingdom tends to be busier on Mondays because of early entry -- but also because many folks that came into the area over the weekend make the MK the first park visit of their trip.

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I'm sorry for the delay in responding to your question. I've been tied up with some personal things here (we're in the middle of moving into a new home).

Anyway, the short answer to your inquiry is that I don't know what you're referring to regarding a discount code.

If you book through TravelNow or Discovery Hills travel (MousePlanet's travel partners), I know you'll get excellent service, but I can't claim that you'll get better pricing.

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You should visit the Guest Relations office at the park when you arrive. They will be able to provide you with the necessary assistance.

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!