How did I get here? Transportation at Disney World

One great perk of staying on Disney property at one of their hotels is free transportation.

If you are flying to Orlando, Disney will get you and your bags to the hotel on Disney’s Magical Express. Check out my blog post about my experience with it here: http://onceuponadisneywedding.blogspot.com/2012/06/disneys-magical-express.html

Once you are at your hotel, Disney offers free transportation to and from each theme park and Downtown Disney. For example:

From All-Star Movies, guests can catch a bus to all 4 theme parks, the water parks, and Downtown Disney.

From Port Orleans Riverside, guests can ride a boat to Downtown Disney and Port Orleans French Quarter. Brian said it was a very peaceful trip. Guests can also get to the parks via buses from here as well.

From The Grand Floridian, guests can ride the monorail to The Magic Kingdom or Epcot. There is also a boat to The Magic Kingdom. For other parks and Downtown Disney, guests can take buses.

The Wedding Pavilion!

We have arranged for a private motorcoach to take our guests from All-Star Movies and Port Orleans Riverside to and from our wedding events. Details will be available in the welcome letter in the packet they give you at check in at one of our host hotels. Those at the Grand Floridian can easily walk to all events, since they are being held at the resort.

Here is a map of the Grand Floridian. You’ll find the Wedding Pavilion at the lower right. The Whitehall Room and Patio are in the top right of the building marked 15, in the octagon shape.

Guests staying at other Disney hotels can take Disney transportation to a park or Downtown Disney and transfer to get to the Grand Floridian. One idea is to ride to the Magic Kingdom and then take the monorail. Guide books generally recommend changing buses at a theme park rather than Downtown Disney if possible.

Another option is to drive to the Grand Floridian and the Wedding Pavilion. Make sure to tell them at the gate where you would normally pay for parking that you are going to a wedding event at the Grand Floridian. They will not charge you that way and will point you in the right direction. There is free parking at the Wedding Pavilion, which is before you get to the Grand Floridian. There is valet parking available at the Grand Floridian.

If you are driving to Disney World, Disney has some suggested routes. From Atlanta, GA, they recommend I-75 South to the Florida Turnpike South toward Orlando to Interstate 4 West to Walt Disney World Resort Exits. Guests on the East Coast can also take I-95 South to I-4 West to the Walt Disney World Resorts Exits. Exit 67 is best for Port Orleans Riverside. Exit 65 is best for All-Star Movies.  

Self parking is free at the Disney hotels in our room block. Valet parking is $12 per day at the Grand Floridian.

Here is a comprehensive driving map of Walt Disney World. It has all the parks and resorts clearly labeled. It also shows nearby grocery stores and medical care. If you want to pick up groceries outside of Disney World, I highly recommend Publix. Here is another pretty, but less helpful map to give you a feel for the World.  

This site has a great list of other stores near Disney World with their phone numbers.

Let me know if you have any questions about transportation at Disney World.

93 days to go! =)

Some Disney freebies to help you plan

For those of you who are new to Walt Disney World, or just want more information, there are some fun free things from Disney to help you plan.

One I highly recommend is the free Disney planning DVD. You just give Disney your info and this fun packet comes in the mail. It's a great way to preview the parks and get excited about the trip. There is also an online component for those who can't wait.

Even cooler are the free customized Disney park maps. They are beautiful keepsakes and in picking out elements for them, you get to explore elements at each of the parks.

If you have an Iphone or Ipad, you can download the free My Disney Experience App. This has park maps, FASTPASS return times for rides, locations of characters in the parks, and even lets you make dining reservations right in the application. I definitely recommend checking this out. And remember that you should make dining reservations in advance if you want to eat at a table service restaurant in the park. There are very few walk-up tables available.

Want to get in the Disney spirit? You can listen to Radio Disney on the free Radio Disney App. There are also some neat new apps that let you want Disney Chanel shows even if you don't subscribe. The website version is available here.

Brian and I with Phineas and Ferb at Hollywood Studios

There is a new interactive attraction at Epcot related to Phineas and Ferb, so I recommend checking one of those episodes out if you like cartoons.

Another great resource is Mousesavers.com. It has a great list of free or cheap things to do at Walt Disney World. I highly recommend checking out Downtown Disney, as it will be decorated for Christmas and have lots of points of interest.

And then there are always the awesome You Tube videos. Here is one of the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom!

4 months to go!

If you haven't already, this is a good time to:

• Book your hotel reservation in our room block by calling 407-827-6799 between 8 am and 5 pm

• Make your advanced dining reservations

• Sign up to take the free Disney’s Magical Express from the airport by calling (407) WDW-MAGIC

• Buy tickets to Disney Christmas events you want to attend, such as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party and the Candlelight Processional at Epcot

• Buy your park tickets online at the discounted rate (email me for the best rates).

• Book your flight if you are flying. Southwest is still having a sale and we have a discount code for American Airlines. 

A Grand place to stay

For the ultimate experience, guests at our wedding can also stay at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Most of the wedding weekend events will be held at or around this resort.

This Victorian-style deluxe resort has wonderful views of The Magic Kingdom and Seven Seas Lagoon. Guests can take the monorail or a boat over to the park directly from the resort. The lobby is spectacular, with live music and a wonderful tea room. In December, the hotel will be decorated for Christmas, with a large Christmas tree and other surprises that make it a perfect place to celebrate the season.

Guests can take advantage of the beach and beach pool, with water slide. They also have preferred access to 5 championship Walt Disney World golf courses.

Guests can send their children on Disney’s Pirate Adventure cruise. Call (407) 939-3463 for more details on that adventure. Or, for those more interested in crumpets than pirates, they offer the Wonderland Tea Party.

The resort has numerous amenities, including the Ivy Trellis Salon and the Grand Floridian Health Club. There is a business center available from 7 am to 5 pm in the convention center.

It also hosts some of the best dining at Walt Disney World. At 1900 Park Fare, guests can enjoy a buffet breakfast with Mary Poppins, lunch with Alice and her friends from Wonderland, or dinner with Cinderella and her family. Narcoossee’s offers delicious seafood with a view of the Magic Kingdom. And when it’s time for the fireworks, they turn down the lights and play the same music that is playing in the park!

On the patio outside of Narcoossee's. 

  

For a more casual dining experience, try the Grand Floridian Café. We ate there on our planning trip and the food was great. I especially recommend the chicken with risotto and the dessert sampler. =)

And for foodies looking for an extra special dining experience, consider Victorian & Albert’s, winner of the AAA Five Diamond award. Guests indulge in a 2 to 2.5 hour meal that includes 6 courses.

As always, transportation is provides to all of the Disney parks. 

Our discounted rate here is $382.50/night including tax. They charge $25 extra per person per night for more than 2 adults per room. Theme park view rooms are available for an extra fee. I recommend booking soon if you want to stay here for the wedding, as the rooms will fill up quickly. Just call 407-827-6799 and tell them you are attending our wedding to book with our rate. Let me know if you have any questions.

Deal on Southwest flights! Updated offer ends August 24

UPDATE: Here's the newest sale link for Southwest. Some of the flights are still really reasonable, though it looks like seats are running out on the direct ones, so book soon if you want a good deal. This one ends August 24. But there are more blackout dates.

Below is the previous sale.

Southwest just started a sale on flights for winter and the dates coincide with our wedding!

http://travel.southwest.com/specialoffers/offerDetails.html?id=103581909&hero

Flights from Birmingham to Ohio are discounted, especially on the return (starting at $98 on Monday or $89 on Tuesday).

Flights from Ohio to Orlando start at $106 each way! If you are coming from Ohio, you'll want to jump on these deals.

If you don't have your flight yet for the wedding, check these out and book soon! You can always use the funds towards another flight if you change your mind after booking.

To get these deals, you need to book by August 13, so check them out soon.

Our planning session trip

I’ve already posted some elements from our trip (like transportation and how much we loved the Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside). So I thought I’d update with more details about the rest of our trip and the wedding planning that went on.

When we got to our room, we had a fun little towel creation waiting for us. 

Our first night, we went to the Grand Floridian for dinner at the Grand Floridian Café. Mum and I love the Grand Floridian, so it was awesome to start our trip by visiting it. Dinner was awesome.

Brian had a burger with lobster on it and I had amazing chicken with risotto.

I highly recommend it.

The best part was the dessert sampler we shared for dessert. The fruit tart is off by itself because it was the only thing on the sampler that contained nuts.

After dinner, we walked down to the marina just in time to watch the Wishes Fireworks show over at the Magic Kingdom. They play the music that goes along with the show at the marina and Narcoossee’s at the Grand Floridian, or at the California Grill at the Contemporary. Wishes is my favorite fireworks show at Disney, so it was amazing to see it our first night.

The next morning, Brian and I had our engagement photo session with Randy Chapman at Downtown Disney. Mum and I have visited the area many times over the years, and it was a fun place to do our pictures. Randy has posted some on his blog, and I’ll get to see the rest by the end of the month. =)

He took this one on my iphone

After a stop for ice cream at the Ghiradelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop with mum, the 3 of us then went to Hollywood Studios for the rest of the day. First stop was meeting Phineas and Ferb near Muppet Studios. (They are characters from a current Disney Channel tv show). Brian and I enjoyed it and both characters were really excited to see what we were engaged. =)

I love Brian's expression. =)

After that, we rode the newly renovated Star Tours. I highly recommend it! We rode it twice that day and it was completely different both times. Brian and I also rode the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, my favorite roller coaster at Disney. The wait time was super long though, so I recommend hitting it early or getting a fast pass if you want to ride it. By the time we got to the park, most of the fast passes were gone for the day.

We used the Disney Parks Mobile Magic App to find out how long the lines were for each thing we wanted to do.  I highly recommend downloading this application before your trip. It is currently free and available for iphones, android, and Verizon Vcast phones.

I was excited to see this right when we got to the park

We had dinner at the Sci-Fi Dine-in theater which Brian had never been to before. It was fun showing him the silly movie clips and cartoons. We also saw a bit of the end of Fantasmic! on our way to the bus back to Port Orleans. I recommend seeing it if you enjoy fireworks, as it is a neat show. Brian and I booked a Fantasmic! Dining Package for our honeymoon that includes seating for the show.

The next day was the big one, our wedding planning session. It started with a tasting in the kitchens at the Grand Floridian. We got to taste many of the delicious menu items that we’ll be serving at our wedding brunch. I definitely recommend guests come hungry as it will be a treat. I don’t want to give anything away and spoil the surprise, so just know that we’ll have fun and tasty breakfast and lunch options. The food was so tasty that I forgot to even take pictures of it!

In the kitchen with our awesome chef. It was so fun!

Then we went to Franck’s Bridal Studio to pick out everything for the wedding. We picked out everything from flowers to table linens and transportation. It was a very productive day and I am really excited to see how all our ideas come together for the wedding day.

For our last dinner at Disney, we went to the California Grill over at the Contemporary. It has an amazing view of the Magic Kingdom and we had a tasty flat bread appetizer and then some sushi.

They also had Mickey glitter on the table since we let them know we were celebrating. You actually watch the fireworks out on a balcony that faces the castle. So, we started and ended our trip with Wishes! 

It was a great trip and I can't wait to go back for our wedding. Yay!

A Royal Stay at Port Orleans

Another fun hotel in our room block is Port Orleans - Riverside. My mum, Brian, and I stayed there last month when we visited Disney for our planning session. Most of the rooms have been recently renovated and so has the lobby. This is a great option if you want something a bit fancier than All Star Movies with a moderate price tag. 

This is where Disney's Magical Express drops you off. To the right is the lobby.

The resort is lush and set on the Sassagoula river. The atmosphere is peaceful and relaxing, with lots of landscaping around the buildings. The resort is split into two sections, the rustic Alligator Bayou which has rooms that can comfortably sleep a family of 5, and Magnolia Bend which has a mansion feel. Everyone here was very friendly and the woman at the front desk even went to search out "Engaged" buttons for us. If you need something while staying here, just ask. 

We stayed in one of the Magnolia Bend buildings in a Royal Guest room. It was full of Disney details and made our stay quite magical. I recommend upgrading to one of these rooms if you want feel like a Princess at Port Orleans. We loved the room and they just opened in March, so they are quite clean. These rooms should also be discounted, though they will be more than the standard rooms.

The headboards actually had fireworks animation!

The central pool on Ol’ Man Island includes waterfalls and a water slide. The waterslide was pretty fun, and the pool was large. There are also quiet pools near the buildings, which would be better for lap swimming or a relaxing soak close to your room.  There is a Jacuzzi and a pool bar on Ol’ Man Island. It’s a short walk from most of the buildings, on its own island.

The hotel features both a restaurant (Boatwright’s Dining Hall) and a food court. There are a variety of options at the food court, and you can purchase a refillable mug that you can use for your entire stay there. Boatwright’s takes reservations, so I would recommend making one in advance if you know you want to eat there on your trip. It is only open for dinner. 

You can see the water wheel from the food court dining area.

For more options for shopping and eating, guests can take the boat to Downtown Disney. Brian took the boat and said it was a nice trip with a lot of nice sights. There is free bus transportation to all of the parks (and to the airport with Disney’s Magical Express). It’s also possible to get to most anywhere on property for less than $15 by cab if you are in a hurry. This will be one of the hotels where our buses will pick up guests for the wedding events. 

Guests can indulge in horse-drawn carriage rides around the resort and there are pirate cruises on certain days for children. The Medicine Show Arcade has tons of games and guests can also rent bikes or fishing poles. 

Our rates start at $162.00 including taxes. It is $15 extra per person per night for more than 2 adults in a room. I recommend booking soon if you want to stay here for the wedding, as the rooms will fill up quickly. Just call 407-827-6799 and tell them you are attending our wedding to book with our rate. Let me know if you have any questions.