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July 7, 2008

Is There a Charge for Parking or Cars Entering Property?
Walt Disney's Family
Test Track's Speed Compared to Disneyland's Rocket Rods?
How Could Resorts Be Booked Solid During Slower Weeks?
What Happened to These Two Resorts?
Magical Express, Luggage Service and Resort Check-In Explained

Frank writes:

Hi Anita. We will be arriving at Walt Disney World this fall, and this is the first time we will have a rental car. We are Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members and will be staying at the Boardwalk Villas. My questions are:

Is there a charge per car for entering Disney property?
Is there a per day charge for parking at the hotel?
If we leave Disney property for the day, is there a charge for getting back on the property?

Thanks for your help.

Hi Frank!

There is no charge for any vehicle entering Disney property. There is no charge to park at any Disney resort, unless you are planning to valet park, with certain exceptions for DVC members. I'll get to that in a minute. There is daily charge to park at the four main theme parks, however, Disney resort guests park free using a parking pass given at check-in and displayed on the dashboard. For non-Disney resort guests who pay the parking fee, there is no extra charge for leaving and returning to any of the four parks, as long as you keep your parking receipt and show it at the tollbooths.

Valet parking at the DVC resorts is free to DVC members staying at any Walt Disney World DVC resort on points. You are staying at the Boardwalk Villas, so you are entitled to park there using the valet at no charge. In addition, you can valet park at no charge at the Beach Club, Wilderness Lodge, and Animal Kingdom Lodge. Don't forget to bring your DVC membership card.

NOTE: The Swan and Dolphin are not Disney-owned or run, and there is a hefty daily parking fee there, no exceptions.

TIPS for first-time Disney drivers:

Use your car to get to Epcot, the Studios or Animal Kingdom. Use Disney transportation to get to the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom parking lot requires riding a tram and transferring to a monorail or ferry boat, and then doing it all in reverse when you leave.

If you're planning to park hop using Disney transportation, be sure to park your car where you wish to end your day.

Unless you can walk or take a monorail to another resort to dine, driving is almost always the fastest and most efficient way between two resorts.

For more information about parking at the World, please read All Ears Net's Parking FAQ. Have a wonderful time at the World!

A.A.

Loryn writes:

Hey Anita! I have two questions that relate to each other. Did Walt Disney have any children? I remember reading something that he had only daughters, and that he adopted a little girl, I think? Also if he did have any children, are they a part of their father's business? Thank you so so much Anita! I always love reading your advice every week!

Hi Loryn!

Walt and Lillian Disney had two daughters, Diane Marie Disney Miller, born in December 1933, and Sharon Mae Disney Brown Lund, born in December 1936.

Diane Disney Miller owns Silverado Vineyards, and has been instrumental in the creation of the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, as well as seeing the Walt Disney Concert Hall project in Los Angeles through to completion. She is married to Ron Miller, who served as president of Walt Disney Productions before Michael Eisner and Frank Wells came on board.

Before her death in 1993, the Disneys' younger adopted daughter, Sharon Disney Brown Lund, was a founder and officer of Retlaw Enterprises, the Disney family corporation, as well as serving as a member of the board of directors of the Walt Disney Company for almost ten years.

Many people erroneously assume that Roy E. Disney is Walt Disney's son, probably due to their uncanny resemblance. Roy E. Disney is actually Disney's nephew and the son of Disney's older brother and partner, Roy O. Disney.

A.A.

Stacy writes:

Anita, I really enjoy reading your column each week.

It appears that I was one of the few people to ride Rockets Rods at Disneyland, and I was wondering speed-wise, what is the comparison to Test Track? I am sure that it was quite a bit slower. If memory serves, the cars were much smaller than a Test Track vehicle, so I am thinking that it might have felt faster than it was -- kind of like the feeling of being in a convertible car going 40 miles an hour versus going the same speed in a roller coaster car.

As I type this I have also started wondering if Test Track could have been
inspired by Rocket Rods. Any thoughts on that? Thanks!

Hi Stacy!

What a coincidence! My family and I were the other three people who actually got to ride Rocket Rods during their short lifespan and limited openings!

Disneyland's Rocket Rods, which opened in 1998 (after previews in 1997, when my family rode it) featured five seats in a 1-1-1-2 configuration, and went a maximum of 35 mph. The vehicles had to slow down to almost a crawl to get around the non-banked curves of the track, which were an apparent victim of budget slashing during ride development. The track reused the People Mover track with some modifications. The constant speeding and slowing took its toll on the vehicles causing a lot of downtime. The ride was slow loading, broke down often, and wasn't very exciting due to the constant slowing down, so it was closed after the summer season in 2000. There was sign outside proclaiming it would re-open in 2001, but it never did.

Test Track, on the other hand, features vehicles that seat 6 in a 3,3 configuration, and reach a maximum speed of 65 mph. Test Track opened in 1999 after a very long series of delays and problems with the tires, cars and operating software, among other things. It should have opened as part of Walt Disney World's 25th birthday celebration in 1996, but obviously did not make that deadline.

The two rides' development periods would probably have overlapped somewhat, and their history of problems are similar, but I'm unaware that either one of them influenced the design of the other. If anyone knows, I'd love to hear from you!

A.A.

Sara writes:

I am going to Walt Disney World this year in early December. This is when Disney says it is during "Wonderful Weeks" and is not too crowded. I am staying at the Polynesian. A friend of mine was going to go at the same time as me as well and said the Polynesian is sold out at the time along with the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary. Why is it so busy at the time they are saying it is supposed to be a Wonderful Week? Is there something big going on at that time? Thanks so much.

Hi Sara!

The truth is, there is always "something big" happening at WDW. There are several popular events happening at the time of your travel. MouseFest 2008 is one, and the annual Pop Warner Superbowl is another. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parties will be held that week and Holidays around the World are in full swing to boot.

Aside from special events, other factors that may affect resort bookings include conventions (both the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary are convention hotels) and the fact that the monorail resorts are just plain popular due to their proximity to the Magic Kingdom and to monorail service to Epcot.

That said, just because the Disney resorts are booked, it doesn't necessarily mean that the parks will be packed. At certain times of year, the Disney resorts can be full when the off-property hotels are like ghost towns. The "Wonderful Weeks" promotion was meant to put heads in beds during slower times, and seems to have succeeded with early December! Also, with exclusive perks like Magical Express, the Dining Plan and Extra Magic Hours available only to Disney resort guests, many people choose to stay on property for their vacation, making it seem like the parks will be crowded when they actually will be manageable.

TIP: When you call Disney Reservations and a resort is fully booked, try calling a travel agency or AAA. Often, there are blocks of rooms available through them when they may not be available through Disney.

A.A.

Jackie writes:

Hi Anita, we just love your site. It always starts our week off.

My daughter and I came across some old Birnbaum travel books and one from 1990 lists two Disney-owned properties that we were not familiar with. One was the Disney Inn, which at that time had just been recently renovated with a Snow White theme, and the other was the Disney Villages Resort Villas. Can you tell us where these resorts were and what happen to them? Thanks!

Hi Jackie!

The Disney Inn actually started out in 1973 as the Golf Resort. The name was changed to the Disney Inn in 1986. In 1994, the property was leased by the U.S. government as a recreation facility for military personnel and renamed Shades of Green. In 1996, the government purchased the resort from Disney. Shades of Green is located near the intersection of Floridian Way and Seven Seas Drive, across from the Polynesian Resort.

The Village Resort had five different kinds of accommodations and went by various names over the years between 1971, when the first 27 townhomes were built for private housing, to 1977 when it finally became strictly guest accommodations. The resort expanded over the years in between with a handful of free-standing homes and several buildings of apartments, condos and bungalows. Perhaps the most well-known of the Village Resort's accommodations were the unique Treehouses.

In 1996, the resort was re-imagined as the Disney Institute. That didn't work out so well, and all but the Treehouses and the public buildings were razed in 2002 to be rebuilt as a new Disney Vacation Club resort, Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa (SSR). SSR opened in 2004. Meanwhile, the old Treehouses were used until January 2008 for housing International Program cast members.

The Treehouses are currently in the process of being demolished to be reborn again with a brand new design. No one knows for sure if they'll be available for rent to guests when finished, but I've heard a fairly credible rumor from a reliable source that they will become part of Saratoga Springs. As usual, this is only a RUMOR and nothing about the future of these new Treehouses has been officially released by the Walt Disney Company.

Thanks for writing!

A.A.

Mary writes:

Last week someone wrote in about whether Southwest Airlines was fully "on-board" with the Magical Express. I booked my airline reservations with Southwest over a month ago, then called Disney to add the flight info to my reservation. I specifically asked the cast member over and over whether Southwest had restrictions with the Magical Express; I even hinted about lugging your own luggage to try to jog her memory, but she insisted there was no difference in the service. I have used the Magical Express twice before with different airlines and think I know what I'm doing regarding checking bags on arrival and not having to worry about getting my luggage when I land. Please explain to me the difference, if any, when flying Southwest before I lose something or worse, embarrass myself.

Hi Mary!

Don't be so hard on yourself! Many people end up confused over the various transportation, luggage and airline check-in services offered and which airlines participate in which services.

There are actually three separate services potentially available to Disney resort guests: Disney's Magical Express (DME) bus service to and from the resorts, luggage delivery service from the airport to the resorts, and Resort Airline Check-In Service. The latter two work with Magical Express, which is contracted to Mears. The luggage service is contracted to BAGs, Inc., and the Resort Check-in is run by the TSA and participating airlines. Let's look at them one at a time:

Magical Express Bus Service: This free transportation service is available to ANY Disney resort guest except for those staying at Shades of Green, the Swan and Dolphin and the Downtown Disney hotels on Hotel Plaza Blvd. Guests using the bus service may travel on ANY airline to or from WDW via Orlando International Airport. To book this service, call 1-407-WDISNEY approximately six weeks prior to your arrival date, if possible. Although there is no cost to use the bus service, guests must have reservations.

Luggage Delivery Service: This service is available to ANY arriving guest flying into Orlando International Airport on ANY airline, and who is staying at a Disney resort and using the Disney Magical Express bus service. For domestic flights, simply attach the yellow luggage tags you'll receive after booking DME, and the luggage service will pick up your bags and deliver them to your Disney resort. International flights are slightly different. International guests must retrieve their own luggage and go through Customs with it, then you will be met by a DME representative who will coordinate getting your luggage to the resort. Make sure your luggage has the yellow DME tags on it.

Any guest using DME bus service is welcome to handle her/his own luggage, if they choose.

Guests must be using DME bus service to use the luggage service. Luggage cannot travel to your resort unaccompanied.

IMPORTANT! There is no luggage service when you return to Orlando International Airport unless you use the Resort Check-In Service, as explained below.

Resort Airline Check-In Service: When Disney resort guests depart Orlando International Airport on domestic flights, certain partner airlines provide airline and luggage check-in at your Disney Resort. As of this writing, the participating airlines are: AirTran, Alaska, American, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Northwest, United and US Airways.

When using the Resort Airline Check-In Service, guests may check ONE bag for free at the resort (currently with the exception of American Airlines), but must pay for any extra bags according to the policy of your airline.

Guests with multiple bags on these airlines will have the option to check additional pieces through their airlines' ticket counters at Orlando International Airport or they may call Baggage Airline Guest Services to pay their airline's excess luggage fees in advance of checking in at the Resort Airline Check-In desk.

Guests flying on American Airlines who wish to check bags must call Baggage Airline Guest Services to pay their airline bag fees in advance of checking in at the Resort Airline Check-In desk. Otherwise, Guests must check-in at the airport. Other airlines may also begin charging for the first checked bag, so check with your airline for their baggage policy.

Guests on international flights may not use the Resort Airline Check-In Service.

Guests using Resort Airline Check-In do not have to use DME transportation back to Orlando International Airport.

Guests using DME to return to the airport do not have to use Resort Airline Check-In.

If guests are not flying on one of the participating airlines listed, but plan on using the DME bus service back to Orlando International Airport, they are responsible for getting their own bags to the bus at pick up time at the resort.

I hope this explains it all a little more clearly! For more information about any of these services, please read All Ears Net's DME and Resort Airline Check-In page.

A.A.

That's it for this edition!

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