Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
76
The Early Bird . . .
Tips
Disney's
Extra Magic Hour
lets resort guests into the parks either an hour before
other guests, or allows them to stay and play up to 3 hours after everyone else
has to head home. Many of the more popular rides and attractions are opera-
tional (pick up the latest schedule for a complete listing), as are some shops and
restaurants. For more information on this program, see p. 211.
• WDW has some of the
best swimming pools
in Orlando and most are zero-entry or
zero-grade pools, meaning there's a gradual slope into the water on at least one side
rather than only a step down. These include pools at the Grand Floridian, Animal
Kingdom, and Polynesian resorts and others.
• On-premises car rental is available at the Magic Kingdom Auto Plaza through Alamo
(
&
407/824-3470
). There are also car-rental desks at the Walt Disney World Swan
and Dolphin, as well as select Hotel Plaza Boulevard properties.
• Extensive recreational options (not including the parks), including fishing, tennis,
boating, surfing, parasailing, horseback riding, golf, and more. Though many activities
cost extra, they're all right at your fingertips and several offer experiences you won't
find elsewhere.
• Disney's
refillable mug program
lets you buy—for around $13—a bottomless souve-
nir mug for soda, coffee, tea, and/or cocoa at its resorts. The offer is for the length of
your stay, but it isn't transferable to the theme parks. You can use it only at the prop-
erty at which it is bought, with two exceptions: Mugs are transferable between the
Beach Club and Yacht Club resorts or among the three All-Star resorts. A similar
program is available at Disney's two water parks, but again, they're not transferable
beyond the park where they were purchased and aren't valid beyond the day they are
purchased.
• Resort guests can
charge most purchases
(including meals) made anywhere inside
WDW to their room. In most cases, purchases made inside the theme parks can be
delivered to your resort at no extra charge.
But there are also disadvantages to staying with the Mouse:
• The complimentary Walt Disney World Transportation System can be
excruciatingly
time-consuming.
There are times when you have to take a ferry to catch a bus to get on
the monorail to reach your hotel. The system makes a circuit but may not necessarily
take the most direct path for you. It can take up to an hour or more to get to a place
that's right across the lagoon from you.
• That free Magical Express shuttle system to and from the airport isn't perfect. Luggage
delivery may take up to several hours, leaving you with only the clothes on your back
(and whatever you packed in your carry-on) until it arrives. And departure shuttles
(from your resort to the Orlando International Airport) are scheduled several hours in
advance of your flight (thanks in part to the numerous resort stops it makes before
getting on its way), ensuring that you'll wait at the airport far longer than you would
have to otherwise.
4
Also note that though the Magical Express service is provided by Disney, the air-
lines, unfortunately, still have a say in the matter. Changes to baggage policies (which
vary by airline) have now spilled over to Disney's Magical Express. Though guests can
