Monday, December 31, 2012

Now Planning: My Own Walt Disney World Vacation!

I am currently in the process of planning my own Walt Disney World vacation for February!

There are several things to consider when planning your vacation to Walt Disney World.

When planning your trip, you must consider the following things before you go:

1.  Airline tickets

2.  Car Rental

3.  Accommodations - Where to stay

4.  Food and Dining - Reservations for Dining

5.  Theme Parks and Theme Park Tickets

6.  Souvenirs

7.   Cameras and Photography

8.  Your Computer on Vacation, or getting online while on vacation.

The part that I am in the process of planning right now is Dining on Disney property.

There are many choices for dining when at Walt Disney World.   There are many restaurants and other eateries spread across all 4 Theme Parks and the many Disney Resort Hotels.    Reservations can be made with Disney Dining at Disneyworld.com up to 6 months (180 days) in advance.  In my case, I did not make my reservations that far out, since I was not exactly sure of my travel dates (in fact, they have already changed twice).   Thus far, I have made reservations at exactly 3 Disney Dining locations, which I will reveal later.    There are also many "quick service" dining locations, which do not require (or even accept) reservations, so you should always keep those in mind when planning your dining.

One of my favorite locations for quick service dining is Flame Tree Barbeque, which is one of the most delicious places to dine at Walt Disney World.  Located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park,   Flame Tree Barbeque serves up delicious barbequed pork ribs and barbequed chicken.    This will definitely be on my itinerary when I hit that park on this vacation!

To help you with your planning the meals at Walt Disney World, or to give you an idea of what you are in for, I have included this video that I just stumbled across, from Disney Parks Videos.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

A Midnight Walk From Liberty Square to The Emporium


In this video, I walked from the exit of Liberty Square at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom to The Emporium. As you can see, it was a nice, peaceful walk after midnight. Note that there were not many people still in the park at this hour.

A Lovely View At The Boardwalk



If you are planning a vacation to Walt Disney World and are interested in staying at a great Disney resort, one that I can recommend is Disney's Boardwalk Villas. This resort is a Disney Vacation Club Resort, and recreates an early 1900's view of The Boardwalk in Atlantic City. The Boardwalk features fine dining, casual dining, snacks, and shops.


At The Boardwalk, you can speak to a Disney Vacation Club Sales Associate at the DVC Cart, and learn more about Disney Vacation Club. They can schedule a tour of DVC for you, where you can learn about the magic of DVC ownership.

You don't have to have reservations at The Boardwalk in order to enjoy it. Anyone can park there and enjoy the shops and restaurants.



One of the best things about The Boardwalk is its proximity to EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios. You can easily (and quickly) walk to EPCOT- it puts you right near the France Pavilion and the United Kingdom Pavilion when you enter. You are also within easy walking distance to Disney's Yacht Club Resort, Disney's Beach Club Resort, and The Swan and Dolphin hotels.


There are boats which land at the Boardwalk, and can take you to the other shore at Disney's Yacht Club, to The Swan and Dolphin hotels, or on to EPCOT or The Disney Studios. These boats are free to board.

Some places to enjoy at Boardwalk include The Flying Fish Cafe, Boardwalk Bakery, Spoodles, Jellyrolls, and ESPN Zone. If you've never been to Boardwalk, you should try something new! Check it out!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Photo of Pecos Bill and Widowmaker


This is a photo that I took at Walt Disney World in April of this year. Here we see Pecos Bill and his trusty horse, Widowmaker. This photo sits atop of the fireplace inside the Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe in Frontierland. This cafe is located right next to The Country Bear Jamboree, and I snapped this photo as I exited the attraction.

A Scene From "Cinderella" in a Window on Main Street


This photo was taken of one of the windows outside The Emporium on Main Street at Walt Disney World. Here you see Cinderella dancing with the Prince, as the Grand Duke looks on. The windows on Main Street traditionally have shown scenes from classic Disney animated films.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Resort Launches!


Ah, the Resort Launches! These are the places where the Walt Disney World Boats stop for guests from the Magic Kingdom to climb aboard and head back to their Resorts! There are Resort Launches for Wilderness Lodge, Fort Wilderness, the Contemporary Resort, and the Transportation and Ticket Center. There are also Resort Launches for Disney's Polynesian Resort and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort.

My Next Trip To WDW is Coming Soon!

Hey. That's right, I'm heading to Walt Disney World again for an unexpected vacation. You see, a close friend of mine surprised me less that a week ago and told me that he's getting married in Boca Raton, FL soon. So since I have to spend the money to get on a plane and go there, I decided that I also have to visit Walt Disney World. So, I've done the following: booked a non-Disney resort close to WDW for a week through RCI, got my airline tickets, booked 2 nights at Saratoga Springs Resort at WDW for 2 nights, and rented a car for 9 days. I still have to make my reservations for Fort Lauderdale, but I'll do that soon. I already have my Disney annual passport, good in Florida and California. Now all l have to consider is spending money (or spending credit cards), and decide if I want the Disney Dining Plan for my 2 nights at Saratoga Springs.

I will arrive on a Sunday night to Orlando. I'll drive to my resort (where I've never stayed, but it's an RCI Gold Crown Resort). Then I'll get up early the next day and go to either EPCOT or Animal Kingdom. I will wind up at both of those parks that day. I will probably drive to Ft. Lauderdale on Wednesday. I'll go to the wedding on Thursday night, and drive back to WDW on Friday or Saturday. I'll stay the weekend and fly back to Los Angeles on a Tuesday afternoon.

As I decide the details of my trip I will be posting it here, to help me think! I want this to be a relaxing vacation.