Entertainment at Disney World

by Donna Quinn

While we all know that Disney World Resort is a great place to take kids but, something that many vacationers often forget is that there's plenty to do there as an adult, too. After all, while the resort's littlest visitors may be overwhelmed by meeting Mickey Mouse in person, the Disney company knows that parents often need something a little more extravagant to keep them entertained. And since entertainment is what Disney does best, they've created a number of exciting ways to bring out the kid in every adult.

Disney World has a number of fabulous live shows in their theme parks every day and night, and most of them are included in the cost of the park passes. Many of these shows are incredible spectacles, easily on par with anything you could see at the best theaters in the world. Most are family friendly, too. All shows have handicapped/wheelchair seating available.

For instance, there's Finding Nemo: The Musical, a wonderful production in the Animal Kingdom, which is an amazing combination of puppetry and musical theater. There's also The Festival of the Lion King, which combines elements of a parade with the flavor of a tribal celebration, and the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, which mixes live action with animation. There's usually no trouble getting seating, and they even allow photographs! During certain times of the year the shows do fill up quickly so it is best to arrive early so you won’t miss out.

Disney also has something they call "4-D" movies, which takes the 3-D concept a little farther. They use a combination of effects to make the experience a little more immersive. Sometimes, it will be something fairly simple, like having things will actually drop down from the ceiling. But, in the It's Tough to be a Bug! feature, it goes even farther. They'll announce that "the cockroaches are leaving the room," and while you're watching as they're scampering across the screen, you'll suddenly feel something brushing against the back of your legs. It's really amazing, no matter what your age.

Some of the shows are so extravagant that they almost defy description. At Disney-MGM Studios, for example, they have a unbelievable show called Fantasmic! It combines live performance, lasers, animatronics, fireworks and "dancing" water to show Mickey (in his Sorcerer's Apprentice gear) tackling the forces of darkness. The whole production is set to the music of various Disney films, and it's a very nice experience. It can be a little loud, so I wouldn't recommend it for little kids.

Although most of the shows I've mentioned are free to attend with your park pass, there's one excellent show that requires its own ticket. Cirque du Soleil is famous for their spellbinding performances, and they've managed to create a uniquely captivating performance at Downtown Disney. Their show, La Nouba, combines everything the troupe is known for -- opulent sets, brilliant choreography, theatrical lighting and provocative music -- with traditional circus acts like the high wire, the flying trapeze and acrobatics. I've seen the show twice, and it's amazing. If you want to catch it, however, you must book your tickets in advance, as it tends to sell out. It's not inexpensive, but it's absolutely worth it.

And that's just the start. There is no shortage of entertainment attractions at Disney World, and they make a real effort to keep the shows fresh and exciting. In fact, if you haven't been to
Disney World in a few years, there's a good chance that there will be an entirely new lineup of shows to catch.

One attraction that everyone loves are the parades. One of the best parades is the Electric Light Parade that is scheduled twice each day in the Magic Kingdom. There are parades at all parks and are scheduled at various times during the day.

With so many options for entertainment, it can be a little bewildering to know exactly where to start. That's where having an experienced travel agent can help. Since I'm an expert on the Disney Resorts, I can help you decide which shows you want to see, and even arrange reservations. It's one of the best parts of my job.

In my next blog, I'll be talking about some smart and easy ways to get the most out of your Disney World experience.

An Introduction to the Disney vacation experience

Donna Quinn

I love Disney. Their resorts and theme parks are great places to have a family-oriented vacation, combining plenty of high-quality entertainment with clean facilities and excellent service. Not only do they have plenty of ways for small children to enjoy themselves, but they've also remembered to include things for older children and adults. For a true vacation from everyday life, you'll have a hard time finding anything better than what
Disney offers.

That said, the Disney experience isn't exactly a budget product. While Disney has tried in recent years to give visitors more options and flexibility, it's still a somewhat high-end product, and you pay for what you get. But, with an experienced travel agent to guide you through the variety of options available, it's possible to get the most out of your Disney vacation.

Let's start with the basics. The two main options for most travelers in this region are Disney World and Disney Cruise. We sell some of the other options, such as the Disneyland packages, but most people in this area would rather go to Disney World, because it's closer. I'll be talking about Disney Cruise in another blog, but in this post I thought I'd talk a little about how I can help you get the best out of a visit to Disney World.

Walt Disney World Resort is located in Orlando, Florida, and it's a huge complex with four theme parks (The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom), two water parks, six golf courses, a sports complex, a race track, several resort hotels and plenty of places to shop, eat and watch live entertainment. Because of the staggering number of options available, our clients generally purchase a resort and theme park package for the trip.

One thing that many people might not know is that Disney has changed the way it sells its vacation packages. While this may seems like a small change, its impact on visitors and their budgets is substantial. Not that long ago, when you called Disney to arrange a visit, they only had a limited number of packages available. You would give them the number of nights you were planning on staying, they would tell you exactly what parks and other locations within the resort you could go to based on that. Some people found it a little limiting, so they changed it.

Now, the packages available from Disney are much more flexible. Instead of getting what Disney thinks you should have, they now try to make sure that you get what you want. For instance, the number of nights you spend at the resort no longer has to match the number of park passes that you get. In other words, you can go stay where you want, go where you want, and do what you want. It's a much better program, and I think that it's also a little better for people who are more budget-conscious.

The biggest change is how they handle the park passes. You can have a "base ticket," which is where you have a pass for one park per day, or you can have a "hopping ticket," where you can hop from park to park each day. The "base ticket" is good for people who want to visit a particular park, like The Magic Kingdom, but aren't really interested in the water park or the golf courses, for instance.

Another big thing that has changed dramatically is the meal plan. The vast majority of my clients purchase the meal plan, which is more reasonably priced than it ever has been before. It's a very flexible plan that gives you one table service meal, one counter service meal and one snack per day. The meal plan works out to be much cheaper than if you ate the same meals without it, and it also simplifies the resort experience. And, since you can mix them up any way you'd like during your stay, it's also a great way to check out the dozens of excellent places to eat at Disney World.

In my next blog post, I'll be talking a little about the entertainment options available at Disney World, both for kids and adults, and getting into a little more detail about how I can help you plan your visit.

Disney Cruise Report by Mike

I’ve just returned from a 4-night cruise aboard the Disney Magic. The Disney experience begins when we arrived at the Orlando airport. We were met by very a courteous Disney rep. who gave us a brief explanation of how our transportation to Port Canaveral was to take place. Because we had pre-purchased this transportation, we had placed special luggage tags that were provided in our documents on our bags before we left home. We didn’t see our bags again until they were in our stateroom aboard the ship! The ~45 minute bus ride to the port was very pleasant. On the ride, excitement grew by all the passengers, as the bus driver showed a video about the Disney Cruise.

Boarding the ship was very efficient and quick. Upon entry to the ship, we were met by a Disney representative who escorted us to our stateroom, and gave us a quick overview of the ship en route. The ship is over 80,000 gross tons and is the length of 3 football fields end to end. The ship is tastefully decorated throughout in the Grand 20’s style. There is original Disney artwork displayed at every turn.

Our stateroom was a category 6, which is about midway in Disney’s pricing scheme. It included a spacious veranda, a bath and ½ with tub (very unusual), a queen sized bed, a couch that converted into a single bed, another single bed that folded out of the wall, a television w/remote, and a mini-fridge.

Some unique things I observed on the cruise:

¨ ~ 40% of the passengers were families, there were a surprising number of couples without kids.
¨ There are 4 restaurants, 3 of which you rotate through for your evening meal, each with a different theme and menu. The fourth is Palo’s, a northern Italian, adult only restaurant that requires reservations.
¨ The children/teen programs exceeded my expectations. The facilities are fantastic! There is a computer lab, games….everything a kid today would enjoy. You can check your kids in and they can come and go as they please. For the younger ones, they are given a “hospital” style bracelet that identifies them. The parents are given a beeper, so when the kids are ready to be picked up, the counselors beep the adults.
¨ The Disney characters come out about 3 hours or so for photo-ops.
¨ There were 3 shows on board, all of which were very entertaining for the kids as well as the adults. It’s amazing how Disney can produce entertainment that is enjoyed by such different age ranges.
¨ There are 3 pools on the Disney Magic all for different age groups, which is nice since the adults w/o kids can enjoy the sun w/out kids in relative peace.
¨ There is a section of the ship that provides adult only entertainment and lounges.
¨ First run movies, some of which premier on the ship first, are shown throughout the cruise. They are of course, Disney owned movies.

Insider tips:

¨ If you have small children, don’t worry about lugging a stroller down. They are available on-board for free. (See the purser’s desk)
¨ For the stop in Nassau, if you choose not to go on a planned shore excursion, do not go to the Atlantis hotel on nearby Paradise Island if you are looking for a place to enjoy the beach. We did (big mistake) and we found out upon arrival, the hotel charges $25 per person (including kids) to use their beach. There are plenty of public beaches in Nassau, available by cab or public transport.
¨ An extensive menu is available for in-room dinning 24 hours a day at no-additional charge.

In summary:The cruise is very Disney, great for families and adult Disneyfile’s as well. The ship and staff exceeded my expectations.