Tip Tuesday: Check (out) please...

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

A few weeks ago, I discussed a few tips for making your check-in process a little smoother.

This week, let's go to the other side of your vacation and discuss some ways to make your check-out process go a little easier.

Like check-in, there is one major factor to consider:  how are you leaving?  Car or bus?

If you're driving (either your car or a rental car to the airport), check-out can be a very simple process.  Simply call for bell services, or bring down your bags, pull up the car, load up and you're on your way.  Really there should not be any major headaches.  This is one of the major benefits of having your own wheels on property - you have complete freedom.

If you are driving, keep in mind that your parking pass is still good on the day of our check-out, meaning you can park at any of the theme parks for free.  So even after you leave your resort, you can still enjoy time in the parks without having to worry about parking fees.

If, however, you're using Disney's Magical Express, you have quite a few more things to keep in mind.  First, you will be given a time slot to meet the Magical Express bus.  This time is about three hours in advance of your flight departure time.  The morning of your departure, take your bags you want to check-in to the Magical Express desk.  Remember that you will need to pay your baggage fees ahead of time.  You will not be able to pay for baggage fees at the resort Magical Express check in desk.

The cast members will take your checked bags and send them to the airport.  Carry-on luggage that you don't want to take into the parks on your departure day can be stored at the front desk until you arrive back at your resort for your assigned Magical Express departure time.  Be sure to allow plenty of time to get from the parks back to your resort so you don't miss your bus.

Hopefully this will help you make that dreaded return to the regular world go a little easier.

Tip Tuesday: Dealing with check-in delays

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

This week, I thought I'd walk through some options when it comes to delays in the check-in process.

Ideally, you'll arrive at your resort (via Magical Express, shuttle, or own car), you'll walk right up to the desk, get checked in and go right to your room to drop off any bags before heading out to the parks.

That's the ideal scenario. 

Unfortunately, this doesn't always happen, especially if you're checking in during the early to mid morning hours, which is when many people (understandably) want to arrive so as to maximize their first day at Walt Disney World.

What ends up happening is the cast member at check-in will inform the guest that their room isn't ready yet (again, understandably because most people don't check-out until mid-day), and will take down contact information so the resort can contact the guest when the room is ready.

So now you think you're a bit stuck.  You've got all this luggage.  What are you going to do with it?

No worries.  You've got a couple of options - and I've done both without too much fuss.

Option 1:  Go ahead and have bell services take your bags
Bell services can store your luggage until your room is ready.  Just have a bell services cast member collect the luggage you want to store and they will give you a claim ticket.  Once your room is ready, simply call down to bell services, give them your name and room number and they will bring your luggage right to your room, usually within about 45 minutes.  Keep in mind that you will not have any access to your bags once bell services takes them until they're delivered to your room, so if you need things for the day, like diapers, cameras, food/water, sunscreen, be sure to take them with you before bell services stores your luggage.

Now you can go on to the parks and enjoy your day.  You will get a call and/or text to let you know your room is ready.  Keep in mind that if you checked-in during the morning hours, you should be prepared to not have a room ready until the afternoon, so make sure you bring everything you may need for a full day in the parks.

Option 2:  Leave it in the car (if you have a car)
If you think you may need to have access to your luggage while you wait for a room to be ready, you can always leave your luggage in the car, provided you have a car on property.  Simply park in the self-parking lot (valet might not be a good idea as you won't know where your car is), and then you can return to your car should you need something.  Once your room is ready, you can drive your car back to the main entrance to drop off your luggage, or you can just bring them up from the parking lot.

Hopefully these tips will help make your check-in process go a little smoother.

Until next time!

Tip Tuesday: Looking to get wet?

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

Well the temperatures in Florida again are topping 90+ degrees each day, so I thought I'd take a moment to help you find ways to get wet order to cool off a bit (of course, being summer, mother nature might just help out with a few showers, but I'm going to focus on Disney-made splash-action.

Of course, the most obvious "get wet" places are the two water parks, Blizzard Beach and typhoon Lagoon. Being water parks, getting wet is the whole point, so I'm going to skip over these.

So let's start at the parks... I'll rank each opportunity into one of three categories: soaked, a bit wet and sprinkles.

Magic Kingdom:
At the Magic Kingdom, the #1 get-wet spot has to be Splash Mountain (wet to soaked). Depending on how your log takes the 40-foot drop and where you're sitting, you could get a good dousing of water. Actually, there are several mini-drops along the way which can get you fairly wet as well. Splash Mountain is a very popular attraction, especially in the warmer months, so you'll want to think about using FastPass.

In Adventureland, there are two opportunities to get wet. The first is the Magic Carpets of Aladdin (wet to sprinkles). As you fly around Agrabah, there is a gold camel facing into the attraction. At certain times, the camel will spit water at passing carpets. If you happen to be at the right height at the right time, you could get a good splash. There's another camel that spits at passers by near the sign to the attraction.

The other location is the tiki statues (wet to sprinkles) in between the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and the Jungle Cruise. Like the spitting camels, the tiki statues occasionally spit water onto those standing nearby. This is a popular attraction with young children.

Speaking of the Jungle Cruise (sprinkles), there is a small opportunity to get a bit wet as you pass by the backside of water. If you don't know what I'm talking about, take a cruise and you'll find out quickly.

Staying in Adventureland, Pirates of the Caribbean (sprinkles) features a short drop in pitch blackness where some guests sitting on the sides might get a bit splashed.

(Note: with the demise of Mickey's Toontown Fair, the Magic Kingdom lost a kids water play zone at Donald's Boat (wet to soaked), where kids could play in water fountains.)

Epcot
There aren't many get-wet opportunities in Epcot, and only one is associated with an attraction. The attraction with the greatest possibility is Malestrom (wet to sprinkles) in the Norway pavilion. This attraction features a decent flume-style drop with a splash at the end. Some guests, mostly on the sides, might get somewhat splashed.

The other get-wet spot is across from the Kim Possible sign up location along the walkway between Future World and World Showcase (wet to soaked). This is a typical water spot where kids can jump and run through spraying water, similar to what was at Donald's Boat at the Magic Kingdom. Depending on how much you play in the water, you can get a good soaking here.

A third get-wet spot is at the upper level outside of the Imagination pavilion (wet to sprinkles). The location features a series of dancing waters. Depending on where you stand, you can get fairly wet, if you want to.

Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios probably is the park that's hardest to get wet in as there are very few opportunities to do so. About the only option is the Backlot Tour (wet to sprinkles), and it really depends on where you end up standing or sitting.

In the opening portion of the Backlot Tour, Disney recreates a scene from the movie Pearl Harbor, in which a few selected guests don waterproof outfits and are subsequently drenched in a torrent of water. While the selected guests stay dry, you might not. During the scene, there are a few water explosions. Depending on where you're standing, you might just get a pretty decent splash.

Later on, you'll enter Catastrophe Canyon to witness a disaster scene. As part of the action, another torrent of water comes raging in front of your tram. While you won't really get all that wet, those sitting on the left side might get a few good splashes.

That's about it for Hollywood Studios when it comes to getting wet. But I've saved the biggest for last...

Animal Kingdom
When it comes to getting wet at the theme parks, there's one attraction that soaks them all: Kali River Rapids (soaked to flat-out drenched). If there's one place where you're pretty much guaranteed to get wet, it's here. It's also the only get-wet location in Animal Kingdom.

At Kali River Rapids, guests are launched on 12-person rafts into the turbulent Chakarandi River for a wild, wet ride through a jungle habitat jeopardized by illegal logging. Along the way, the waters get wilder and wilder, culminating in a brief, but drenching drop. Depending on where you are when you go down that drop, you could literally get soaked through to your underwear. If you're facing backwards when you go down, get ready because you're in trouble. Don't worry, everyone else will still get pretty wet.

But wait, there's more... the parks aren't the only place to get wet.

Each Disney resort has an outstanding pool (some have more than one) which offer lots of opportunities to take a dip and cool off. My personal favorite is Stormalong Bay at the Beach/Yacht Club (see photo at the top of this post). Another great pool is at the Polynesian Resort.

There's even an opportunity to get a little wet at Downtown Disney. Keep an eye on the huge Stitch statue at the East end of the World of Disney Store. At times, he will spit water on passers by.

So there you go. If you're in the mood to get a little wet, here are some great options to do so!

Stay cool out there and don't forget the sunscreen and water!!

Tip Tuesday: Disney's Magical Express

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was named the Biggest Disney Fan by United Vacations. As part of this special trip, my family and I will be flying to WDW (we usually drive). Since we are flying, I will be again taking advantage of Disney's Magical Express service (DME). The last time I used DME was in the summer of 2007 during my family's first visit to WDW.

For those who might not know what Disney's Magical Express is, I'll give a brief description. Disney's Magical Express is a free service Disney for on-property resort guests to provide transportation to and from Orlando International Airport (MCO). To use DME, guests need to make an advance reservation, and provide your flight information and resort reservation number. If you're using a travel agent, they can take care of the DME reservation for you.

The beauty of Disney's Magical Express (aside from free transportation to your resort from the airport), is that your bags will be taken directly to your room. You don't need to go through baggage claim at MCO. Just check your bags at your departure airport and forget about them. They'll be in your room, usually within a few hours after you check in, sometimes faster. During my summer 2007 trip, our bags actually beat us to the room.

About a month before your departure date, you will receive your DME vouchers and baggage tags. It's important to put these tags on your luggage because these tags are the key to your luggage making it to your room.

Once you arrive at MCO, take the shuttle from your airside terminal to the main terminal. Proceed to the B-side of the main terminal and go to Level 1. You will find the Disney's Magical Express check-in desk. After showing your voucher to the attendant, you will be directed to a line for your particular resort. There may be a short wait (usually less than 20 minutes) for the next bus to arrive. Climb aboard, because you're heading to Walt Disney World!

Once you get to your resort, just grab your carry on bags, tip the driver ($1-$2) if you wish, and head inside to check in. Before long, you'll have your Key to the World cards and you're ready to hit the parks!

There are some drawbacks to using Disney's Magical Express service. The biggest one is time. It does take some time to wait at the airport for the next bus to arrive, then to travel to WDW (around 20-30 minutes) and to drop you off at your resort. It is possible the bus will go to other resorts first, it just depends on who's on the bus. I've heard some occasional reports of 2+ hours from the time a guest arrived at MCO to the time they made it to their resort. The last time I used DME, it took about an hour from the time I landed to the time I was at our resort.

It's a matter of how much your time is worth. If you're concerned using DME might take too long, you can take a taxi or a shuttle. It's a good idea to make that decision before you make your DME reservation.

The other main drawback also is time-related. If you're arriving at MCO very early (before 5 a.m.) or very late (after 10 p.m.), you will need to first go to baggage claim and get your luggage before heading down to the DME check in desk. This will add to the amount of time it takes to get to your resort and you will have to manage your luggage.

A third drawback is that DME only is available for guests flying into and out of Orlando International Airport (MCO). There is no DME service for the other major airport in the Orlando area, Sanford International Airport.

But wait, there's more...

Disney's Magical Express also comes in very handy on your return trip home. If you're using DME, you can check in your luggage at your resort check in desk instead of waiting in line at the airport, if you're flying on certain partner airlines - see the DME FAQ for more. That's a huge stress-saver! You will get a notice telling you when you need to board the DME bus to return to MCO (usually 3 hours in advance of your flight, 4 hours for international flights). Disney allows plenty of time so you can get through security and make it to your gate.

So the next time (or first time) you're planning a trip to Walt Disney World, and you're flying into MCO, and will be staying on-property, give Disney's Magical Express a thought. It's free and makes getting to and from the airport much easier.