Okay ... been a while. But you didn't think I'd forgotton about my Disney blog, did you? Fact is I've been SWAMPED writing funny books and novels, but when Disney ran a 30% off of lodging special during the time I'll be nearby to visit my Dad anyway ... yeah, it didn't take much arm twisting.The thing is, I'm a sucker for Disney and a double sucker for a discount. So I grabbed two nights at the Wilderness Lodge ... just enough to get a bit of taste, not a full blown vacation. So we'll hit the Magic Kingdom and Epcot but won't have time for the full smash -- Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios and Downtown Disney all all that. But I couldn't resist just, you know, dropping by to catch up with the mouse. A little hint of the magic and pretend.
So tell us about your next trip (or your last trip) to Disney. Where'd you stay? What did you do? Does it take a discount to get you off the dime? For me, it did ... this time.
Had a short trip in February. All Star Movies. When the girl at the counter found out I only had enough money for one park/ one day, she gave me a free ticket to EPCOT. Very nice.
ReplyDeletePlanning to take a trip in the first half of 2012 to celebrate my 10th anniversary of my college program time. Hoping to go above value resort for the first time.
I went in September for my girlfriend's and mine year anniversary. Stayed at All-Star Sports and went to the Halloween party
ReplyDeleteRebel,
ReplyDeleteThat free Epcot ticket must have been a nice surprise. Very cool. I'm glad to know there is still some generosity out there.
Red,
How was All-Star Sports. I've never stayed at the value places. Not because I'm snobby ... it's just that the buses are your only travel option and the one and only thign I truly hate about Disney is the bus system.
The All Star Resorts are above LaQuinta, but far down on the Disney scale. (NO HOT TUBS!) Sports and Movies are decent, but I recall Music as being terrible because of the A/C being ancient.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually looking forward to staying at the Art of Animation value resort when it opens up. Cars is my favorite Pixar film, after all.
The buses aren't as crowded as they used to be. I think Disney has stepped up a lot in that regard. I know they can be aggravating at the end of a long day at the Parks, but really it isn't so bad. But I supposed being a former member of the Transportation Department, I have a soft spot for all Disney's transport methods.
Rebel,
ReplyDeleteI've never had a problem with the buses being crowded. For me, and maybe this is just my bad luck, the particular bus I want ALWAYS seems to be the last to arrive. And so I find myself waiting and waiting and waiting.
But I've heard from others that the buses have never been a problem for them.
The bus situation also depends greatly on where you stay and where you're going. AK Lodge, my favorite hotel, is notoriously difficult to catch a bus on time. Many people just take the bus to Animal Kingdom and switch, bc if your bus just left, it's quicker.
ReplyDeleteI seem to recall Wilderness Lodge being the same way.
I've heard Disney is actually considering having cameras or something so that they know if a group of people are waiting and can just send out a floater. I mean-- bus.
I've never been able to afford staying above value resorts, but I do go hotel hopping a lot. I've been to my favorites dozens of times each. This does require you to use buses for the most part. It just doesn't bother me.
But maybe for this year's trip I can stay in one of the hotels I want.
Adam,
ReplyDeleteSomebody on twitter told me they were going to Disney for two weeks and staying at one of the value resorts. I could never afford two weeks at one of the deluxe places. My fave is Polynesian, but when I go it's like 4 nights maybe. Two weeks would coast a billion dollars. This next trip to the Wilderness Lodge is a super-quickie. Two nights -- and one of the nights is being paid for with Disney points I built up over a long period of time on my disney credit card.
It's an expensive hobby, isn't it?
Yeah, I suppose in a clinical sense it is.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine mentioned yesterday that she didn't understand my passion for Disney. For me it's not just a place with great rides and food and a hotel. It's home. It's place that gives me a sense of happiness that I cannot describe as anything other than child-like and magical.
My time as a College Program student was problematic, but it was the best time of my life. Typically, I didn't appreciate it at the time. I've even written 70% of a book about my experiences there. It's probably not publishable, but even if it is, I'll never be able to convey how much this simple vacation resort has meant to me.
So in that sense, is it really expensive? Or is it valuable?