-

After the wonderful success (at least in my opinion) of the Military Honeymoon scenario, when I invited readers to provide input on a Walt Disney World trip planning scenario, I offer this new one...

As before, your assignment is to read through the situation, then either answer the questions I've posed, provide suggestions, or put together an entire trip itinerary if you'd like.

In an upcoming edition of Notes From the World, I'll reiterate the scenario and then share both my thoughts and the responses that were sent in, capturing the information in a new page of MousePlanet's Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide so folks can refer to it later.

Here's the scenario:

Two sets of single parents are planning separate trips to Walt Disney World. "Samantha" is mother of eleven-year-old "Katie" and nine year old "Jennifer." "Brian" is six-year-old "Allan" and three-year-old "Michael's" dad. (hmmmmm... more on that later...)

Treat these two trips as separate ones. I just wanted to get a mix of kids and ages.

Questions:

• Where should Samantha and Brian make plans to stay with their respective families? Neither family is flush with money, so they can't really afford a week in a suite at the Grand, but make your best suggestions for accommodations and justify your thoughts.
• What suggestions do you have about how to attack the parks? Their kids are different ages and different sexes. How do does that affect what should be planned?
• Do you have any specific thoughts about attractions, restaurants, or activities that Samantha and Brian should consider?
• What else would you suggest to make their trip very special for Samantha and her girls? What other ideas would you share with Brian to make his trip with his boys a blockbuster?

Now, as has become our custom, we'll review some reader responses to recent Notes From the World material before we move on to cover some new letters...

I had several folk write about Cinderella's Royal Table and the difficulty in getting reservations for the character breakfast held there.

Steve writes: Hi Brian, I’m responding to your readers’ questions on getting reservations for breakfast Cinderella’s Royal Table. I’ve gotten reservations on both of our trips this year without a problem. I did get reservations for the 1st of December on our upcoming trip without any problems, but with good planning!

Reservations to the Royal Table breakfast are the most difficult to obtain. One of the receptionists told me that they spend their first few minutes every day filling them up on the 60th day from the reservation. Forget getting any reservations sooner than that. This is the ultimate for young girls since there are so many face characters (especially princesses) in a small area. Your kids won’t eat a bite because they are over-stimulated, but they’ll remember it forever.

Based on my experience, the only way to get reservations is to call 5 minutes prior to 7:00a.m. The automated phone service will tell you that they are not open yet. Hang up and hit your re-dial button. Continue this vicious cycle, as if it was a compulsive disorder, until you get through in the queue. The second a receptionist answers firmly interrupt his/her introduction greeting and quickly state the number of guests for the Royal Table. They will grab it knowing it is for the 60th day. It works like a charm! I’m not kidding – 30 seconds is the difference between having and not having a reservation.

One more piece of advice, start calling 60 days from your first day of your trip. If you miss that day, then call again the next day until you get it or your vacation window expires. Holidays and weekends seem to be harder to get into, so be flexible.

Additionally, the breakfast at Norway in Epcot is booked 120 days in advance. I missed this detail and was completely incapable of getting any reservation for my girls for our 11/29 – 12/8 trip. I tried to do this 60 - 70 days in advance. Pretty tough!

Hope this helps!

Thanks Steve. Your experiences relate very closely to what I've been getting from other readers... and those match up closely with my experiences too (although mine was a few years ago now).

Jerry writes: Brian, I successfully got a priority seating for Cinderella's Royal Table for mid-November. It happened on my third day of calling and I woke my wife up on a Saturday morning with my cheers. Each day I started calling at 6:40 and on that day I got through to an operator at around 6:50. This may explain why at 7:02 they are already booked. Also, after an unsuccessful attempt the day before, I asked the operator how it filled up so fast. She told me that they only seat for the breakfast between 8:00 and 10:00 and the total number of seats accommodated for that time is 300.

And Jen wrote me this note: Hi Brian! First, thanks for such a great job you do - I find the information very useful and interesting!

Now, onto the topic at hand... In today's Trip Planning Guide there were two people who commented on the difficulties in getting reservations for Cinderella's Royal Table breakfast. I, too, had a very hard time getting through. I live on the West Coast and so for Seven (!) mornings in a row I set my alarm for a very early hour to get these coveted reservations. The first couple of mornings I didn't get through until 4:06 and of course they were all gone (I called at 3:59 PT) so then for the remaining mornings I set my alarm for 3:55a.m. (PT) and with the number already programmed in the night before began to hit re-dial over and over and over again. Once the message would state "Thank you for calling..." I would push the #1 and then get hold music .. for five minutes! I knew I wasn't getting reservations... then finally on the 7th day - success! I did my usual hang-up/re-dial and again as soon as I heard "Thank you for calling..." I hit the #1 and got a reservations agent! No hold music! YEAH! I got reservations for our party of five and the only time available was 9:15 but I did not care. So, the moral to my story is... program in the number... hit re-dial again and again until they open... keep trying.

Oh, and someone asked about number of agents and such. One reservations agent I spoke with told me that there are 200 agents at 7:00a.m. when they open and 300 calls on queue with only 85 tables at Cinderella's Royal Table!! So, there are the figures I was given and if the majority of those calls are for Cinderella's Royal Table then I guess it stands to reason that it is possible to sell out that quickly. Oh, and by the way, we're traveling during the beginning of December (off-peak) I can only imagine how much more difficult it would be during the summer... I guess it's just luck on how quickly your call gets through.

Sorry for the long-winded email - I just wanted to give my story to those who were curious.

Thanks for the background, Jerry and Jen.

John shared this note: Brian... If you can stand one more piece of input on priority seatings at Cinderella's Royal Table...

Concierges at the deluxe resorts (or, at least, at the Polynesian) are no more successful at booking the tables than guests. I was told they essentially call the same line as everyone else. I have to admit I really chewed out the nice woman at the Polynesian when I found out she could not get me the reservations, considering how much money we were paying for the trip and package. But in the end, I couldn't fault her. As even she put it, there is something wrong with the system to get seats at that restaurant.

I don't know what they can do, short of charging people who don't show up for their seating times. As to how the entire restaurant can be booked for breakfast, lunch and dinner by 7:02a.m. each day -- I suppose that is still one of life's greatest mysteries. But for those bound and determined to get seats even paying more for concierge-level service at a deluxe resort won't guarantee anything. Sadly.

Hmmmmm... I'm surprised, but I can't argue with your knowledge of the situation, John.

My personal opinion is to let supply and demand deal with this thing. If I owned WDW, I'd make everyone pay in advance. Then I'd simply raise prices on the Princess Breakfast over and over again, perhaps in increments of $1.00/person or so, until the demand dropped off (due to the higher prices) and the amount of people calling for reservations just about matches up with the available tables. Call it capitalism, but I would look at it as a simple way to ensure that the folks that most want to enjoy the event get to do so. Personally, I wouldn't pay $39.95 (or $49.95 or whatever price makes things go to equilibrium), but those folks that are willing to do so would be almost guaranteed to be able to get to attend if such an approach was taken.

Phrank (his spelling, so I just went with it) shared this note: Love your site, I learn something every time I read it.

About the use of credit cards at Walt Disney World if I remember correctly (and that is not always the case) I think in the early/mid 1980s when I first went to WDW that not all credit cards were accepted. I think there were times when I only had a MasterCard (it may have been named MasterCharge or something then) I had to use a check to pay for room deposit at WDW since I didn't have a VISA card, or it may have been American Express card. There is just something that rings a bell about not all credit cards being accepted at one time. That policy, if true in the mid 80s, seems really strange in today's world.

Thanks Phrank.

You know, until just a couple of years ago, Sears wouldn't accept any credit cards except the Sears card and Discover (which it started and owned, perhaps it still does). Fortunately for the store "where America shops," the retailers figured that one out.

You know, this credit card thing might be the one area where Paul Pressler's regime made a valuable improvement to Walt Disney World. I don't know whether or not it was due to Mr. Pressler's savvy that WDW started to accept all major credit cards, but it clearly is a good thing for visitors and guests.

On to another subject... Last week, Mark had written:

"Shelley said that her family "went to DisneyQuest four times and it didn't cost any extra or use up a plus feature". How the heck did she do that? What was their admission media? I'd love to get in there free, if I could."

Shelley responded this past week: Hi Brian, Sorry I didn't give a good explanation... We had the Ultimate Park Hopper Pass and we stayed at the All Star Resort.

Thanks for following up with the background, Shelley. :)

Shannon writes: Hi Brian, in a previous Notes From the World, this question came up:

"Carol asks: I will be at WDW for 4 days in November 3-6, and it is my second visit. I went last year with 13 other people, stayed for 10 days and I am hooked!! But now I will have one day for each park this time. Do you have any ideas? Epcot in a day... MGM in a day... etc. I already planned the "Fantasmic Dining Experience" for Monday, and can't wait. It will be Brown Derby... but I digress. How to do right by each park... two people... in one day??"

Your suggestion that she get Sehlinger's book is right on the money. Bob says it about every three pages but it bears repeating: GET THERE EARLY, FOLLOW THE PLAN and USE FASTPASSES WHENEVER POSSIBLE. In typical newbie fashion I toured commando style and because we were staying offsite due to a tight budget and because of the overwhelming crowds we had to omit the customary afternoon break. Call us crazy but we were so psyched about the trip and having such a good time that we didn't mind the 17-hour days. She'll have aching feet, but it is possible to see it all. Sorry I don't have a trip report but I was too exhausted to write; however, in a pitiful attempt to stay in your good graces I have made a donation using the Amazon Honor System at the bottom of your page and encourage others to do the same.

Thanks for the great site - we all really appreciate MousePlanet!

Thanks Shannon. I completely disagree with your approach to park touring -- but that's because I visit so often that it's just not necessary for me and my family to wear out the bottoms of our shoes in a single trip. :)

Thanks for sending us a donation! That will help cover the server bills this month. ;)

And now, back to our regularly scheduled email...

Q.

A.

-

Q.

The first, I have seen several trip reports that have mentioned that the parks rarely open prior to the official starting time since 9/11 but all of the tour books still tell you to show up 30 minutes early in the off season. Is this still the best plan?

With early entry, do you know how Disney is handling the Awakening? Does the entry show happen twice or only once?

I have read a variety of the trip reports for people staying at the Fort Wilderness Cabins. A lot of the reports mentioned that Disney transportation was poor. Your articles mentioned that Disney has redone the system again. Any word on how it is performing? I am traveling with a 2.5 and 4.5 year old children and would prefer not to rent a car, but will if the transportation isn't expected to be reliable.

Thanks.

A.

I'm glad MousePlanet has been helpful. I'll do my best to answer your questions...

I think it's a very good idea to get to the park a half hour or so before opening if you really want to maximize your time. Personally, I don't bother to get there early just because I know that I'll be at each of the parks time and time again... and a few minutes doesn't make a big difference for my family. It's better for us to have a regular routine, so leaving the room to walk to the bus stop at about the same time each day is our preferred method.

The official park opening announcement is only done once.

I've not heard much about the transportation service at Fort Wilderness of late. I really think, though, that it's not really possible to have a system that gets guests from a campsite to a park in a very short amount of time. Fort Wilderness is just too spread out. Of course, the tradeoff is the solitary, serene sense that guests at Fort Wilderness can enjoy. The bottom line is that Fort Wilderness transportation IS reliable... it's just not as fast as transportation to/from the other resorts. And there's a big difference between quick and reliable. :)

-

Q.

Well, since we had such a great time in September, we're already planning the November return (have to use up our FL resident Play 4 Day Pass). But I have just one basic question (for now):

If the MK closes at 6 on a Sunday night, does that mean no fireworks (we were thinking of watching from the beach at the Polynesian)? What about if it closes at 8 on a Saturday? If they are not every night, what nights does the MK have the fireworks? (all right, that was a series of questions, not just one, but there was only one theme.)

By the way, we were able to score Port Orleans Resort again for 2 weekend nights in November for $175 total ($79/night plus tax), the same as for our September trip. I love being a FL resident - you've got to move down here!

Thanks.

A.

Onto the lengthy series of fireworks questions...

The Magic Kingdom only has a fireworks display on those nights that the park is open late. In the Fall, that usually means only on Friday and Saturday nights. Sunday - Thursday nights (except for holidays such as Thanksgiving) are usually dark.

-

Q.

Thanks for your help! Look forward to hearing from you.

A.

You might want to go to MousePlanet's Disney Trip Report Archive, and do a search of the archive for "offsite" or other appropriate key words. You'll find a several that may be of help.

Personally, I much prefer to stay on site, but I understand that it's much less expensive to do as you're planning.

-

Q.

I came across your site while searching for information on the Disney Vacation Club. We visited a presentation on our last trip in June and definitely want to buy. I had no idea it was possible to buy into DVC by buying resale until I saw your site but I now realize it could mean we are able to buy more points and have a wider choice of home resort. Before making the purchase I have some questions which I hope you can help me with.

I have found a few references to the Timeshare Store and Timeshares by Resale from people who have used them but I have also seen a good selection of DVC resale on the web site for Lee Reid and wondered if you know anyone who has successfully purchased DVC through them. As I live in England I don't know how to check out these companies other than by recommendations from others who have used them.

I know that at our home resort we would be able to book earlier than at other resorts but can you tell me what availability is like at the DVC resorts at WDW during the English school summer holidays (usually 6 weeks end of July, August and beginning of September) if we booked 7 months in advance? I am thinking of buying either OKW or Boardwalk as our home resort depending on the resale available at the time, would you say either would be better for my family (me, my husband and 11 year old son).

I'd appreciate any advice you can give. We're hoping to buy soon so we can visit next summer.

A.

I have no knowledge of Lee Reid's company or reputation. I wouldn't take that to mean that buying through Lee Reid is at all a risky proposition... just that I've not heard anything about it.

The week or so in August and the first couple of weeks of September (excluding the weekend that includes the first Monday in September, which is a holiday here in the United States -- Labor Day) are pretty quiet times at WDW. However, July and early August are peak times.

I don't think either Old Key West Resort or the Boardwalk Villas would be better for a family just based on what you told me. If you said that your family loves Epcot more than any other park in the world, then I'd steer you towards the Boardwalk. I personally own at OKWR and like the quiet feel of getting away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of WDW when we're at the resort. I guess you have to balance those very different styles of resort against your own preferences.

-

Q.

Diane asks: Brian, Hi, my family, friends, boyfriend etc. just don't quite share my enthusiasm for the mouse (well at least not on the same level) So without the clan, I'd like to take a trip this winter but would prefer not to hang out alone - at least not the whole time. Are there any groups that get together of single travelers at Disney? (shop, see attractions etc.) or Any type of bulletin board where you can chat with like minded souls about setting up group get together(s)? Just a thought...

A.

Diane,

I'm not aware of any such group. Sorry.

You might want to try the rec.arts.disney.parks Usenet newsgroup, though, and ask there.

-

Q.

Julie writes on the demise of the Disney Club: Hi Brian, in planning my trip to WDW next year I found that the Disney club was not going to be taking renewals after Dec. 12, 2002. Also, the reps said that anyone can renew in December (even though I am not due until February) and receive a full year of benefits. According to him, WDW will honor discounts until 12/03 on this card. I am upset because I saved about 900.00 when my family went in July because of a great rate offered by the Disney Club.

When I called the Disney Club, the people I spoke with really didn't know much or were not able to tell me why this was happening. One rep said that many people were abusing the membership, but you have to have your card when you arrive so I really don't see how that is an issue. Do you have any information on this Disney Visa that will be replacing the Disney Club? What are your thoughts on the reason behind ending the Disney Club?

A.

No, I don't know anything more than you've already stated. I can't see how anyone could "abuse" the membership, though, since only members are given those privileges... and the Walt Disney Company decides what those privileges are. Hmmmmmm...

My only guess is that the Walt Disney Company just decided that the Club wasn't meeting their goals of increasing customer loyalty.

-

Q.

The one thing we all realized is that we wish we could have stayed longer. We are looking to go back in 2003 or 2004 (hopefully 2003) but do to job constraints, not wanting to keep the kids out school and having to visit the in-laws in Naples, the only way I can get 10 or 11 days in Florida is by going in the tail end of August. We are probably looking from about August 20th to August 31st either year. (The kids don't start school until after Labor Day in my part of Massachusetts).

We would fly into Ft. Myers (rent a car) and stay 2 or 3 nights with the in-laws and then drive up to WDW. We would fly home from Orlando. We have already decided that we want to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge this time. This is where the questions start:

1. How bad (hot, rainy) is the weather and crowds for the date range we are targeting? I know we will need to take frequent breaks.
2. We want a savannah view room but do you know if it is worth paying the extra money for a deluxe savannah room over a regular savannah room. The regular savannah room seems to be about the same sizes as the rooms at the Wilderness Lodge and we didn't have any problems with space. Are there any other differences that you are aware of?
3. How about the concierge at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, if we really want to spoil ourselves. I have never done concierge anywhere before and I am wondering if this is a benefit with two kids. Is it really worth the additional costs? We would probably have to stretch the money a little farther and save a little more aggressively than we are to do something like concierge but I just want to get a little feedback on this?
4. What type of admission media would be best? We used 5 day park hopper passes last time and used all the days. We are looking for something that would get us into the 4 major parks, Disney Quest ( the kids and I really want to visit). We really are not concerned with the water parks as we will have the pool and the kids don't really do water parks. Assuming we stay 7 nights, we would take a day or two off from visiting the parks and visit other areas such as the Kennedy Space Center, etc. Any guidance on the best type of tickets would be great.

Thank you for all your help.

A.

August will be HOT and humid. Plan on it! However, it's hard to say what will happen regarding rain. It might be perfect and cloudless... or, if a hurricane or tropical storm threatens the area, it might rain almost constantly. Them's the breaks during hurricane season. :(

On your Animal Kingdom Lodge questions, I'd suggest you check out Sue Holland's excellent piece on that topic. I'm sure Sue would be willing to answer any specific questions you have, too. Sue happens to be MousePlanet's resident expert on Animal Kingdom Lodge right now. I don't think any of the rest of us have stayed there yet.

On your admission media questions, I'd suggest you look over the Admission Media from A to Z page and see what the options are. I really like to push annual passes for anyone that is planning multiple trips within a 12 month period of time. Otherwise, it sounds like the regular park hoppers might be the best for you since you don't want a lot of add ons (like the water parks).

-

Q.

A.

I'm surprised that you're having problems so many days after the holiday. My best suggestion would be to keep trying. You never know when things might open up. Also, I wouldn't hesitate to just try a walk up. I don't know the size of your party, but if you don't have a very large group, you may very well be able to walk up without problems.

-

Q.

Keep up the good work.

A.

Sorry, but I will post your note in an upcoming Notes piece and we'll see if anyone has any other ideas. Of course, a Google search might turn up something, too.

-

Q.

Thank you.

A.

Old Key West Resort, the Boardwalk Villas, the Villas at Wilderness Lodge, the Villas at the Disney Institute, and the Beach Club Villas are the places that are on site. There are many off site resorts that have villa accommodations, too.

MousePlanet now maintains a bulletin-board-based review system for resort and restaurant reviews.. Be aware, though, that the review system has only been up for a few weeks, so I don't know how many reviews are now in the system. Hopefully you'll find some help there, though.

MousePlanet's older, archived offsite hotel reviews are still available, too.

-

Q.

A.

I'd suggest you call (407) 363-6200, the WDW Merchandising line, and ask. I don't know exactly what CDs are currently available, but Tapestry used to be on the Millennium CD a couple of years ago.

-

Q.

A.

-

Q.

A.

Unfortunately, I don't know for sure. I know that the merger of the resorts was done for purely financial reasons, but why WDW decided that the old "Dixie Landings" named had to be dropped is open for speculation.

-

Q.

Second, and along the same lines, I submitted a report about a month ago but I haven't seen it yet on the site. I guess because I enjoy the reports so much, I am a bit eager to have mine included. It would really be an honor for me.

Thank you for any information you can provide me.

A.

The way I handle trip report updates is this: First, I get the report (and the summary information -- that sometimes takes an email or two to get things settled). Second, I pre-format the report, doing a general cleanup of the text, spell checks, eliminating (as best I can) obscure acronyms, etc. Third, I take the text over to my HTML editor and format the report for the web. Fourth, I have to create the link on the index page in the archive AND "queue up" the trip report for splashing on the site's main page. Finally, I update the archive.

So, what is likely happening is that you're reading the archive and finding and reading trip reports that I prepared perhaps even several weeks ago.

Having said all that, I have quite a big backlog of trip reports right now. In fact, I'm hoping to start catching up again this weekend. :) Your report happens to be fourth in line, so I expect to have it online (in the archive) by early next week... but it won't be splashed until early (probably the first or early the second week) of November.

Thanks for your patience!

-

Q.

We are heading down to the "World" on October 31st and are trying to put together a game plan about what parks to visit on what days. I have a quick question regarding some information I read on your site. I noticed that the Magic Kingdom typically has lower than average crowd levels on Sunday. Is that a year round average or does that only apply to peak times?

Thanks for your help with this and please, keep up the great work!

A.

That information applies year round, but of course, the levels are uniformly less busy during quiet times than at peak times.