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Hi! I'm Anita!
 Got
a question about Walt Disney World? I probably have the answer! Deb's
Unofficial Walt Disney World Information Guide is the most comprehensive
guide to the World on the Web, but if you still can't find the information
you're looking for by using the Site Map,
the Search
Function, or the Anita Answer Archives, drop
me a line and I'll do my best to find the answer for you. Since
there are only 24 hours in a day, I can't answer every email I receive
- however, I do read every one and try to answer as many as possible.
Check back weekly and see if your answer is waiting! Meanwhile, I'm All
Ears!
Zachary
writes:
Anita,
I love your column. I rush to it every Monday.
I have
been reading on the subject of how the Contemporary and the Polynesian
Resorts were built. The Contemporary Tower was built by building the
rooms off site and then trucking them to the steel frame that was to
become the resort, and lifting them into place using a crane. The Poly
was built in a similar way but instead of having a giant frame to put
the rooms in, they were only stacked on top of each other which is why
the longhouses are only three floors max. What I cannot find out about,
however, is how the Contemporary's Garden Wing buildings were constructed.
Were they built like the Tower with a giant steel frame, were the rooms
simply stacked like at the Poly, or are the wings just regular buildings?
Please settle my dilemma!
and
Mindy writes:
I love
your column, Anita! I look forward to it every week. My family and friends
always call me the Disney expert, but I know when I don't know something
I can come to you. I'll tell them, "Let me go ask Anita Answer
and get back to you."
My question
has to do with the Contemporary Resort. Back when I was in college,
I took a class in tourism and Disney was always the number one topic.
Someone in the class had mentioned a story behind the way the Contemporary
was built. He told us that initially the thought behind it was that
when they wanted to redecorate or refurbish the rooms they were to slip
out entirely and a new one be slid into its place, but when the resort
was built the ground shifted and this caused the changing of rooms this
way to be impossible.
The guy
who told us this story claims he heard it while he was working in the
Disney College Program. I would like to know, after all these years,
it there is any truth to this story or if it is just that, a good story?
Looking forward to hearing from you! Thanks!
Hi
Zachary and Mindy!
On the
surface, it would seem that there is a very simple answer to your questions,
but of course, nothing is ever simple. Coffee time, readers! Everyone,
get settled in; this is a long one.
First of
all, the eight original longhouses at the Polynesian
did have a steel framework to hold the Unitized Modular Construction
(UMC) rooms in place in the building, just like the Contemporary.
The rooms couldn't be simply stacked one on the other without additional
support for stability, and this is especially true in hurricane-prone
areas like Florida. (Picture stacking three mobile homes on top of each
other. Not very stable!) Also, when you take into consideration that
plumbing, sewage and electrical infrastructure had to be in place for
the UMC rooms to "plug" into, not to mention the buildings
needing interior hallways and stairwells, it's easier to understand
that there had to be a framework for these buildings.
According
to a 1969 U.S. Steel press release about the UMCs to be used in the
construction of the Polynesian and Contemporary resorts:
"The
floor will utilize a light gauge steel deck with fill and then carpeted.
Above the gypsum board ceiling, utility lines will connect room outlets
that will be interconnected with other rooms after the units are set
in place in the steel structural hotel frame.
When set
in place, the rooms are secured with a unique interlock system and the
plumbing and utility lines are connected. As each room will have a two-hour
fire rating, the exterior structural frame of the theme hotels will
not require fireproofing."
So you
can see, those UMC rooms in the Poly aren't just floating in mid-air
by themselves; there's a structure surrounding them and holding them
in place.
As for
the height of the Poly's buildings, it's my understanding that the buildings
were designed to look like authentic longhouses, which is why they're
not very tall. The original design for the Poly was actually a multi-story
pyramid-shaped tower, and was very reminiscent of the Contemporary's
exterior design. That was scrapped in favor of the more traditional
longhouses. The weight and design of the UMC rooms are not the reason
the buildings are only three stories; it was the resort's theming and
design.
Meanwhile,
over at the Contemporary, according to other literature from U.S. Steel
and from Disney, both the Tower and the Garden Wings were constructed
using the same method as the Poly (rooms built and fitted out offsite,
trucked to the resort, and lifted into a steel framework with a crane).
My dear
friends Mickey and Donald provided me with some great photos and information
about the Contemporary's construction. The Garden Wings in particular
are interesting in these photos. Without the modern exterior theming
applied, they look exactly like the Poly's eight original longhouses,
right down to the roof line. This is further proof that all UMC construction
was done the same way, and also that the UMCs themselves are not the
reason for the three story buildings at the Poly.
Okay, so
what about the story that persists about these UMC rooms being removable
and replaceable? After digging through old Disney and U.S. Steel articles
and press releases and finding no evidence whatsoever to support that
story, I have come to the conclusion that these UMC rooms were never
intended to be removed once they were in place. If they were, somebody
would have mentioned this fabulous "benefit" somewhere, particularly
in the press release cited above. In addition, the temporary factory
where the UMCs were assembled was shut down after the approximately
1500 rooms (exactly enough for the two resorts, by the way, plus a couple
of spares) were finished and successfully inserted into the resort buildings'
frames. With no assembly plant, where would they build these replacement
rooms? And surely, it would be far more expensive to undo the plumbing
and electrical, and remove and replace rooms with a huge crane, than
to just redecorate the existing room! I'm filing this one in the Disney
Myth File, right between "Cinderella Castle's Removable Turrets"
and the "Swan and Dolphin Monorail."
Thanks
for asking these very interesting questions, and very special thanks
to my dear friends Mickey and Donald for their help researching the
answers!
Constructively
Yours,
A.A.
Joelle
writes:
Hey, Anita!
You ROCK! I love reading your column and always check it out first.
I've got
a question that I know you can help me with. It's about an attraction
from my first trip to WDW in 1976 (age 5). We went into a theater and
stood behind a railing. A giant screen projected different images and
you felt as though you were in the scene. The one that sticks out the
most was riding a fire engine that rounded a corner. I remember it distinctly
because my father stuck his foot out as we were rounding the corner
to brace himself. It was hysterical and one of my favorite memories
of that trip! Can you tell me what the name of that attraction was and
how long it ran for? Thanks!
Hi Joelle!
It's funny
which little details of our trips we hold dear in our hearts, isn't
it?
The attraction
you remember was the Circle Vision 360 film, America the Beautiful.
It ran in Tomorrowland from late 1971 until early 1974, when it was
temporarily replaced with Magic Carpet around the World for about a
year. In 1975, a slightly revamped version of America the Beautiful
returned to the theater, and played there until American Journeys replaced
it in 1984. In 1994, American Journeys closed to make way for the Timekeeper,
which in turn closed in 2006 for the addition of the current attraction,
the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club.
I hope
you enjoyed our trip down Memory Lane!
A.A.
Lois
writes:
Hey Anita!
My family is going to Walt Disney World and staying on site. We have
free tickets that we were planning on using during our stay. My question
is, can we still take advantage of Extra Magic Hours even if we aren't
using the Key to the World card for our tickets? Thank you so much!
Hi Lois!
The medium
your park tickets are carried on will make no difference at all for
Extra Magic Hours (EMH) at the
parks. To attend EMH, each guest age 3 and over will need valid admission
to get into the park, plus a valid Key to the World card for proof that
you are a Disney Resort guest in order to gain entrance to the rides
and attractions. In the past, this has always been a colored bracelet.
However, lately there have been tests using just the Key to the World
card. In any case, every member of your party over the age of
3 must have both valid tickets and a Key to the World card with them,
regardless of whether they're coded on the Key to the World card together
or not.
Have a
magical time on your trip!
A.A.
Larry
writes:
I found
tons of info regarding the Magic Your Way Plus Dining Plan, but not
any about my question. We have done the dining plan on previous vacations,
but don't quite understand the Deluxe Plan. We understand that we have
three meals, but the plan lists snacks, counter service, and table service.
Does that mean we can choose three table service per day?
How does
getting a Signature meal work? Do you give up one table for two credits?
Could you have a table service for breakfast/lunch and a Signature for
dinner? We enjoy many of the Signature restaurants, but have always
given up another table service one day to get a Signature meal for another.
Love your
column -- thanks.
Hi Larry!
The way
you redeem your credits remains the same on the Deluxe plan. What's
different are the credits themselves.
For instance,
on the Basic dining plan, each
person on the reservation age 3 or above receives one counter service,
one table service and one snack credit per night of stay. As you mentioned,
Signature restaurants, plus certain character meals, in-room dining
and dinner shows require two table service credits.
On the
Deluxe plan, each person on
the reservation age 3 or above gets three meal credits and two
snack credits per night of stay, plus a refillable resort mug. These
three meal credits can be used any way you choose for either a counter
service or a table service meal, or in any combination you choose. If
you want to eat three table service meals per day, that's okay. If you
want to eat three counter service meals per day, that's okay too, and
if you want to mix them up, that is also okay. As with the Basic plan,
Signature restaurants and dinner shows still require two credits per
person per meal. Cost is $69.99 age 10 and above, and $19.99 age 3 -
9 per guest per night of stay. Gratuity is NOT included.
Cost for
the Basic Magic Your Way Plus Dining Plan is $37.99 ages 10 and above,
and ages 3 - 9 is $9.99 per guest, per night of stay. Guests ages 3
- 9 must order off the children's menu where available. Gratuity and
appetizer on the table service meals are NOT included, and prices are
subject to change.
Cost for
the Deluxe Magic Your Way Plus Dining Plan is $69.99 for ages 10 and
above, and $19.99 for ages 3 - 9, per guest per night of stay. Guests
ages 3 - 9 must order off the children's menu where available. Gratuity
for table service meals is NOT included, and prices are subject to change.
A.A.
Marinah
writes:
Hi Anita!
I love the column and check it every week to see what new tips you have
for us! You're always sooo informative!
My question
has been bothering me for some time now. I've seen a lot of hotels advertise
they are X number of miles from Disney Maingate. Being that there are
four parks and a ton of hotels on Disney property, what is considered
"Maingate?" Is this the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC)?
Is it the highway sign that says "Welcome to Disney World?"
Thanks
for clearing this up for me. I would hate to book at one of these and
find out they are 40 minutes away!
Hi Marinah!
Although
it's not an "official" area, the Maingate area is generally
accepted to be a long stretch along the Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway
(also known as State Highway 192) that runs to the west ("Maingate
West") and to the east ("Maingate East") of World Drive.
This area is home to hundreds of hotels, motels, restaurants, stores
and tourist attractions.
When Walt
Disney World opened in 1971, it was literally in the middle of nowhere,
and World Drive was the only "gateway" for tourists into the
resort. These days, there are a number of other routes into and out
of the area, but you had no choice back then, hence the name "Maingate."
Because the Disney brothers didn't want to make the same mistake they
made in Anaheim, they made sure they owned a huge buffer zone of land
around the resort, so that they could control what was built nearby.
This places some parts of the "Maingate" area miles away from
the parks.
So, as
I described above, the "Maingate" area is not necessarily
close to the parks. It stretches for several miles and is heavily populated
(read: LOTS of traffic), so even though a hotel claims to be X miles
from the World, it could take you quite a long time to actually get
on or off property during certain times of year.
Unsolicited
recommendation: If you can afford it, stay on-property at a Disney
resort. Any money you may save on a hotel room, you may end
up spending in time sitting in traffic, buying gas and paying for parking
(currently $11 per day.) If you can't afford a Disney resort, try one
of the resorts on Hotel Plaza Boulevard,
near the Downtown Disney Marketplace.
These hotels are on Disney property, although they are not owned or
run by Disney. Another choice would be those hotels in the Crossroads
area, located just off property at the end of Hotel Plaza Boulevard
on 535. These two areas are much closer than either Maingate East or
West.
A.A.
Jammie
writes:
We are
planning a trip in mid-April for a short weekend at the park. In looking
at the hours on the theme park calendar, it looks like Magic Kingdom
will close at 7:00 each night we are there. There is no Pirate
and Princess Party on Friday night. Any chance they might change
to extend their hours? I have never been when that park closed so early.
Thanks!
Hi
Jammie!
If your
weekend includes April 18, 19, 25 or 26 in it, the Magic Kingdom is
closing early for the 2008 Grad Nite
parties. This overnight hard-ticket event is for graduating high school
seniors and their chaperones only, and has been hosted by the Magic
Kingdom every year since it opened. Next year, Grad Nites will be moved
to Disney's Hollywood Studios for the first time.
A.A.
That's
it for this edition!
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question?
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