BEYOND THE THEME PARKS

ANITA ANSWER
Archives

11/3/08
--The Semi-Annual Refillable Mug Question
--Disneyland Disappointment?
--Does This Question Make Scents?
--Dining on a Steamship?
--Was Barbie Ever at Epcot?
--Restaurants with Organic Foods on the Menu?

10/27/08
--The Path between Epcot and the Studios
--It's Holiday Shopping Time! How to Purchase Park Merchandise from Home
--Which Resorts Have Only One Bus Stop?
--What Is That White Plastic Card on a Lanyard?
--Stroller or Pediatric Wheelchair for a Disabled Child?
--Where to Rent a Car on Property

10/20/08
--Dining at Crockett's Tavern?
--Is Changing Resorts Mid-Trip a Good Idea?
--What's Going On When Cast Members Show a Slip of Paper and Switch Places?
--When Does Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Parade Begin Daytime Performances?
--Will Universal Tear Down Dueling Dragons for Wizarding World?
--Who Is the Candlelight Processional Celebrity Narrator on Christmas Eve?

10/13/08
--Who Lives Behind the Magic Kingdom?
--License Plates on the Sci-Fi Dine In "Cars"
--Anita's Annual Holiday Crowd Predictions 2008
--If You Knew Sushi...
--The Demise of Pal Mickey/Will He Still Work in the Parks
--Harry Potter Coming to the World?

10/6/08
--Is There a Lounge at the Wilderness Lodge?
--Characters That Can't Sign or Stamp/A Hunchback of Notre Dame Show?
--YoMD: Can You Still Send in Postcard Entries?
--When Are the Summer Crowds Lightest?
--What Is the Difference Between the Dining Experience and the Dining Plan?
--Best Place to Get Sushi at the World?

9/29/08
--Treasure Hunts at the World?
--Is Park Admission Necessary to Dine at Cinderella's Royal Table?
--No More Characters at the Garden Grill?
--How to Get a Christmas Tree for Your Resort Room
--Fort Wilderness Movie Schedule
--Who Is the Voice of Teddi Barra?

9/22/08
--When Does the Holiday Decorating Commence?
--Looking for a Wooden Leg Named Smith?
--More, MUCH More on Those World Showcase OmniBuses
--An Old-Fashioned Phone on Main Street?
--Name of Soap Store at the Grand Floridian?
--Two Tracks at Everest?

9/15/08
--Parking Fees: How Many Times Per Day to Pay?
--Where Is Roy O. Disney's Statue Located?
--Castle Dream Lights for 2008?
--What Happens in Stormy Weather?
--A Mardi Gras Parade at French Quarter?
--Where Is This Hidden Mickey Located Inside the Haunted Mansion?

9/8/08
--When Do Charging and Dining Plan Privileges End after Check-Out?
--A Book with WDW Trivia and Stats?
--Should Guests Worry about Hurricanes and Tropical Storms?
--Is the New Pool at Caribbean Beach a "Zero Entry" Pool?
--The Grand Floridian and the Hotel Del Coronado
--Will Portobello Close for Rehab?

9/1/08
--No More 180-Day Dining Reservations?
--When Did the World Stop Using Dated Guidemaps?
--Was There a Double Decker Bus at Epcot?
--The Bonnet Creek Resort -- Any Disney Perks?
--Disney's Worst Kept Secret
--Seasonal Passholders and Block-Out Dates
--What's Going On in Mid-January?

8/25/08
8/18/08
--What is a "Premium Night" at the Parties?
--A New "Land" for Animal Kingdom?
--Best Route to Expedition Everest from Animal Kingdom's Entrance?
--Magical Express Reservations and Luggage Tags
--What Is This Hotel Near Saratoga Springs?
--Yo Ho and Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee Similar?

8/11/08
--Fantasmic!, IllumiNations and SpectroMagic Performances Scaled Back?
--Of Luggage Tags and Fastpasses
--What Is This "Creek" Resort?
--Pin Backs That Don't Fall Off
--A T-Rex Update?
--Where Did Cinderella's Carrousel Originate?

8/4/08
--Splitting a 10-Day Pass Between Two People?
--Boating to Epcot from Riverside?
--What Will Be Open at Pleasure Island?
--How Do Tickets with the No Expiration Option Affect the Dining Plan?
--Value or Moderate Resorts with More Than Two Beds
--What Does That Morse Code Message on Spaceship Earth Say?

7/28/08
--Bus Service and Best Location at Pop Century
--Riding Horseback at the World
--The Mystery Tower next to the Contemporary
--How to Get a Guest Assistance Card
--Correct Size of Moderate Resorts' Rooms
--Tipping Housekeeping/Offsite Visitors at Extra Magic Hours

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Anita Answers

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 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, and be sure to check out my blog, Anita Talk. Meanwhile, I'm All Ears!

Sarah and many others wrote:

Hi! I just tried to make my dining reservations 180 days out and was told that they are only taking them up to 90 days in advance now, except for Victoria and Albert's. Is this a new policy or did I get an agent who doesn't know what she's talking about? I haven't seen this information anywhere and I'm afraid to wait 90 days in case I can't get what I want. Help!

Hi Everyone!

Here's what's been going on with dining reservations: Disney is in the middle of an upgrade to the computerized reservations system. This necessitated temporarily limiting the window to make dining reservations from 180 days to 90 days. At the time this was implemented, it was expected that the new system would be in place sometime in late October, so at that time the temporary booking window ended in January (approximately 90 days from the completion date).

Well, as is sometimes the case with new systems, they've run into a few snags and now expect the new reservations system to be operational on or about November 21, 2008. At that time, the 180-day booking window should resume. (This of course, is subject to change!) As of Saturday, August 30, 2008, you may now make dining reservations through February 22, 2009. There are three exceptions where you may still make 180-day advance reservations: Victoria and Albert's, Chef Mickey's and Cinderella's Royal Table.

There's no reason to fret about waiting until the 90-day mark under the temporary window, because no one else will be able to book those restaurants until the 90-day mark either. I actually like it better, because I have no idea what I might want to eat or where I'll be six months before my trip. By the 90-day mark, I have a much better idea of what I want to do.

Happy dialing and bon apetit!

A.A.

Jeff writes:

Hi Anita, You are awesome! I was wondering when WDW started using the dated guide maps and when they stopped. They were some of my favorite keepsakes from our trips in the '90s. Thanks!

Hi Jeff!

In the very early days of the World there were small guidebooks with maps in them rather than the folding guidemaps we use now. These guidebooks weren't date-specific other than the year they were distributed and used.

In 1993 and 1994, the switch was made to the folding guidemap; however, during those years, they were also not date-specific beyond the years they were issued.

The first week-specific dated maps appeared in 1995 and were used through 2001. In 2002, the guidemaps reverted back to the non-date specific type, and in late 2001, the first Times Guide and New Information one-sheets that we use now in conjunction with the maps began appearing.

Thanks for asking this question, as I had a great deal of fun going through all of my old maps while researching the answer!

A.A.

Chris writes:

Hello Anita. Maybe you can answer this question for me? We just got back from WDW and my father and I remember that once upon a time Epcot offered a red London double-decker bus to get people around the World Showcase. Are we remembering correctly?

Hi Chris!

Yes, you're remembering correctly, and in fact, Epcot's World Showcase had at least two, and possibly three double-decker buses taking people around the promenade. There was also one in the Magic Kingdom, but I don't know its fate. Some accounts say that the one in the MK was moved to Epcot, but other accounts disagree and place it in the MK as late as 1997.

I couldn't verify the year with more than one source, but I believe at World Showcase, they were discontinued as guest transportation sometime during 1995. In 1996, one was redesigned into a "Junkanoo Bus" and a Jamaican band played short concerts from the bus in World Showcase until at least mid-2003. Two of the buses ended up as merchandise locations in 1996 as well, and one of them may have been the MK bus. One was located near the UK Pavilion, and the other was in the Studios selling 101 Dalmatians items. Around 2004-2005, the Junkanoo Bus was reborn as a short-lived character greeting bus at Epcot. I couldn't find the current whereabouts of the three buses, but they may be in the parks hiding in plain sight and I'm just overlooking them. If anyone has any information about where the buses went, I'd love to hear about it!

A.A.

Mary writes:

We will be staying at the Bonnet Creek Resort next month. Is this considered a Disney resort? Can we use bus transportation and use Extra Magic Hours? Also can we use the Magical Express from the airport?

Hi Mary!

To answer your questions, Bonnet Creek is not a Disney-owned or run resort. It is surrounded on three sides by Disney property, however. The resort uses its own private transportation to and from the parks. Once you are in the parks, you will be allowed to use Disney transportation to move around the property. Bonnet Creek guests are not afforded any of the perks that Disney Resort guests receive. This means no Extra Magic Hours, no package delivery to your resort, no charging purchases or dining back to your room, and you will not be allowed to use Disney's Magical Express to or from the airport.

For some background on the resort, I recently wrote a lengthy answer on what the Bonnet Creek Resort is and who owns it. You can read that by clicking here.

A.A.

Krista writes:

Hi Anita! I read your column every week and find you to be an excellent source in "All Things Disney." (I suspect you're an excellent resource for a lot of non-Disney stuff too!) I'm very interested in the new tower going up next to the Contemporary; in fact I think I'd like to invest in the Disney Vacation Club when the tower becomes available. Because of the premium location do you think that it will cost significantly more to buy there? Do you anticipate that this property will sell out very quickly? Just interested in your perspective -- thank you!

Hi Krista!

First off, it's important to note that the Walt Disney Company and the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) have not yet officially announced that this tower going up next to the Contemporary is a DVC property. Because of this, no one at DVC is allowed to speak about pricing, units, sale dates, or anything else to do with this building other than, "Yep, there seems to be construction over there. I wonder what it is?" To keep from inadvertently slipping information they're not supposed to divulge, frontline DVC cast members have not been told anything about it. This is why, no matter how hard you try to cajole information from them, they can't tell you anything. They're telling the truth when guests ask and they say they know nothing, because they really don't know. Friends of mine who work for DVC joke that I know more about it than they do!

That said, here is my personal take on it. I believe that it is a DVC property (recent building permits say so, for instance, as well as an article in the Orlando Sentinel which spilled the beans). I also think that the price per point may be significantly higher than the current price per point, which is $104. It's interesting to note that the price per point has been increasing at approximately $3 per point each year for the last several years, and has sometimes increased twice in a year when a new resort opens. What the new resort might cost per point is anyone's guess, but it could possibly be in the range of $110 - 115 per point. Also interesting to note is that pre-construction prices for Old Key West were $48 per point! I'm glad I bought my contracts early on, that's for sure!

After this new property is officially announced (if it is a DVC property) I expect it to sell out quickly at any price. I also expect it to be a very popular place to stay for all DVC members, if they can get in. What I mean by that is, if you plan to stay there, you'd probably be wise to buy there. Since owners can book 11 months in advance at their "home" resort, and other DVC members can book at other resorts at the 7-month mark, I predict that there will be slim pickings left at 7 months, booking-wise. The location of this new resort next to the Magic Kingdom and on the monorail line will make it extremely attractive to many guests.

Please note that the above information is strictly my own personal speculation and nothing has been officially announced by the Walt Disney Company. For more information about the DVC and an overview of how the program works, please read AllEars' DVC Primer pages.

A.A.

Jennifer writes:

Hi Anita. I was just reading this week's AllEars® newsletter main article where the author states that she is a season passholder and is "blocked from the parks eight weeks in the summer." Could you please explain? Is this just the four main parks or does it include the water parks? What weeks are specifically blocked off? My husband and I have been traveling to Walt Disney World more often and were thinking of purchasing yearly passes. Thanks for any information that you can provide and keep up the good work - I've learned so much over the years!

Hi Jennifer!

The author was talking about Florida Resident Seasonal Passes. These are deeply discounted annual passes for Florida residents and include admission to the four main theme parks only. These passes do not include parking fees, and Florida residents with this type of pass are blocked from the theme parks during the most-heavily attended weeks of the year. This year, those weeks were/are:

12/22/07 - 1/4/08
3/15/08 - 3/28/08
6/7/08 - 8/14/08
12/21/08 - 1/3/09

There are actually a few different types of Florida Resident Annual Passes, each with its own set of perks and rules. You didn't mention if you are Florida residents or not, so you may or may not be eligible for these types of passes. You can read more about the different types of Florida resident passes here.

If you are not a Florida resident, you are eligible to purchase a regular Annual Pass, which does not have any blocked out dates. There are several levels of Annual Passes, and you can read more about them here.

A.A.

Laura writes:

We just booked a Magic Your Way Package for mid-January. My travel agent and I were very surprised at the limited availability at the moderate resorts. All of the resorts were totally booked on our original dates, and all but one were booked on the dates we settled on. Do you know of any major events at this time that would cause this? From everything I've read, mid-January falls in one of the lowest attendance periods. I called Disney Reservations, and they couldn't give me any real answers. I know if anyone knows, you will! Thanks!

Hi Laura!

I'm surprised that Disney Reservations couldn't tell you why everything is booked during that time. The very simple explanation is that the dates you booked (removed for the writer's privacy) fall between the 2009 Walt Disney World Marathon weekend and the Martin Luther King 3-day weekend holiday. Even though the resorts are booked, the parks will be likely be low to moderately crowded during that time.

Have a magical trip to the World!

A.A.

That's it for this edition!

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