Archive for the ‘News and Special Offers’ Category
Kids Sail Free!
One of Disney Cruise Line’s most popular special offers is back for early 2011. Sail away to the Caribbean in a Verandah Stateroom and two full-fare adults can bring the kids along for free. Choose from most seven-night voyages between January 8 and March 5, 2011.
The Disney Magic is sailing both Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, all of which include a call at Castaway Cay, Disney’s beautiful private island. Visit our Special Offers Page for full details and take a peek at the Disney Cruise Line brochure for more information on the complete cruise schedule for 2011. Start off your new year with an unforgettable winter cruise in the tropics – request a proposal and begin planning today!
Story’s End
On September 12th, the book will close on Storytime with Belle in the Fairytale Garden at the Magic Kingdom. Happily, it seems that Belle is awaiting the construction of her new home which will include an expanded version of Storytime: Enchanted Tales with Belle.
The area will be reimagined and open on October 15th as a play and greet area featuring the stars of the upcoming movie “Tangled.” Rapunzel, the princess with magical hair who has been imprisoned in a tower her entire life, and dashing bandit Flynn Rider who accidentally discovers her, will be on hand to greet guests at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland parks.
This new animated film, scheduled to be released this November, has been designed to recreate the look of classic fairytales, with details and ambiance inspired by Disneyland’s Fantasyland.
Down the Rabbit Hole
Walt Disney World is encouraging long-range planning with the release of one of its most popular specials, the Free Disney Dining Plan, through September 29, 2011.
Also announced yesterday, two other ways to save for travel on selected dates from October 3, 2010 to February 16, 2011: a Gift Card Offer and reduced room rates.
With so many options to consider, you may be as confused as Alice! So, how do you find the best value for your vacation?
First, make note of the blackout dates. There are a number of periods, particularly for the Free Dining Offer in 2011, that don’t qualify. If you can be flexible about your travel dates, you may be able to take advantage of an offer. Holidays and peak weekends are seldom included in these specials.
Review the requirements of each offer. If you’re only planning a short trip, the Free Gift Card package, for example, won’t be applicable as it includes a minimum stay of five nights.
Pay attention to your resort category. Each of these offers has a tiered structure with a more inclusive dining plan, a larger gift card, or deeper discount for the more expensive resorts. Depending upon your package preferences, a higher resort category can sometimes cost the same or less than a lower category.
Consider your travel party. Typically, families with several children staying in a Value resort will obtain the highest savings from a Free dining offer. Smaller groups, particularly those choosing a Deluxe resort, will generally get a better value with a package that includes a reduced room rate.
Book early. The number of rooms available as part of special pricing is always limited. The earlier you make a reservation, the greater your selection of resorts, views, and room locations. Remember that your deposit of $200.00 holds a package and is fully refundable if cancelled prior to 46 days before departure.
Contact the Concierges at Whimsical World Travel. They will review all the options and find the best values for your magical vacation!
Visit our Special Offers page to get the full details on all Disney Destination deals.
Scratching Your Head?
What was once simple is becoming increasingly complex with each passing year. Not so long ago, Walt Disney World had four “seasons.” Guests could travel during the Value, Regular, Peak, or Holiday season and their stay would be priced accordingly. Better yet, with a little flexibility, a trip could be planned with an arrival date in a lower-priced season, and even if the season changed during that stay, the price for the entire trip still reflected the less-expensive rates. This made it easy, not just to plan a vacation, but to compare various options.
In keeping with the policies of most of the hospitality industry, Disney began to tweak this arrangement by pricing on a day-by-date basis. Rates changed to reflect the start of a new season in the middle of a vacation; weekends became more expensive than weekdays. Instead of simply Christmas and New Year, a premium was assessed for a number of different holiday periods throughout the year.
2011 sees the addition of a secondary, more expensive, Value season and a brand new Fall season. The primary Value season of the past has been reduced to a few weeks in January and February, interrupted by increases for holiday weekends and the Marathon period. The months from September through December, which were previously a mix of Value, Regular, and Holiday Seasons, with lots of Value weeks, will now reflect some Holiday rates, as well as the pricier Fall and secondary Value prices.
Coupled with a number of new room categories, the jumble of rates presents a challenging terrain for those navigating the vacation-planning process. Let one of the Concierges at Whimsical World Travel be your guide!
News and Views
For 2011 Walt Disney World has announced a variety of changes to package inclusions and cancellation policies, room rates, and seasons; all of which we’ll be sharing over the next weeks. One of the most interesting modifications is the addition of new room categories at a number of the resorts. While this will allow guests to reserve guaranteed room locations and views, it means that preferences which previously could be requested will now come at a fixed additional cost.
Of note is the fact that particular views are perceived as having so much importance that in some instances, a standard room with a premium view costs more than a concierge-level room with a less-desirable view.
Here are some of the categories for Standard and Concierge rooms; keep in mind that Deluxe Resorts also offer a variety of Suites and Deluxe Rooms with prices that are determined by category rather than view:
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge: A new Arusha Savannah View is an addition to the previous Savannah View. This pertains to non-concierge rooms only and includes an option for Arusha View with standard bed configuration and Arusha View Bunk Bed rooms.
Disney’s Beach Club Resort: Concierge rooms are now available in Standard, Garden, or Lagoon Views. The Standard View is parking lot or rooftop, while the new Lagoon View guarantees a fifth-floor room with a Crescent Lake vista.
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn: Regular rooms can have a Standard View of gardens, leisure pool or parking lot, or a Water View which looks out over the Boardwalk and Crescent Lake. In concierge, all standard rooms will overlook a courtyard, leisure pool, or the Boardwalk.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort: The Standard and Garden Views in the Garden Wing, and the Bay Lake and Magic Kingdom Views for both Standard Tower and Atrium Club Concierge rooms have been retained for 2011. The 14th floor Tower Club is still priced according to room or suite type rather than view.
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa: Regular rooms continue to be offered in Garden, Lagoon, and Theme Park Views, while the Standard Royal Palm Concierge rooms in the main building come with or without a guaranteed Theme Park View.
Disney’s Polynesian Resort: Garden, Lagoon, and Theme Park Views are offered in both Standard and Concierge rooms.
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge: No changes for 2011; Standard, Woods, and Courtyard views are still available for regular rooms, with hit-or-miss on the concierge floor.
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort: Same options as Disney’s Beach Club although overall, the Yacht Club views tend to be superior.
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort: Room types include Standard View and a Water View that can be either pool or lake, King-bed, Preferred location, and Pirate-themed rooms with either Standard or Water Views.
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort: This resort also features Standard and Water Views, King-bed and Preferred location rooms, as well as a range of suites.
Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort: Standard and Water Views and a King-bed room are joined by the new River View category for 2011.
Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort: In addition to King-bed and Preferred location, Standard View, and Water View which may be of the river or pool, room choices now include a guaranteed River View for an additional charge. Trundle-bed rooms will always be assigned to parties of five since other room categories only accommodate a maximum of four guests.
Value Resorts: Both Standard and Preferred location categories remain for 2011 as well as the Family Suites at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort.
Your Whimsical World Travel Concierge is familiar with all the different room categories and views at each resort and will help you choose the perfect “room with a view” for your vacation.
From Endor to Coruscant
September 8th marks the closure of another well-loved Walt Disney World attraction, Star Tours, as it undergoes dramatic changes before re-emerging in 2011 as an exciting new immersive, 3-D adventure. Disneyland’s Star Tours closed on July 27th, while the version at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is going out in style with a “Last Tour to Endor” party on August 14th.
Loyal fans of this perennial favorite seem to be looking forward to the planned “reimagining” which will include new journeys to familiar Star Wars destinations. A new ride system and motion-simulator, hi-def video and 3-D technology, as well as new special effects, promise an out-of-this-world experience. We’re hearing talk of podracers, prequels, and multiple ride experience possibilities.
Currently, the attraction is scheduled to reopen in Disneyland on May 9, 2011 and at Walt Disney World on May 16, 2011.
Is a Vacation in Your Future?
Reservations are now being taken for 2011 vacation packages at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts. This is good news for those who enjoy the anticipation of a Disney vacation.
Booking early allows guests to ensure their first choice of accommodations, and leaves plenty of time for planning and getting the jump of those all-important dining reservations.
A $200.00 deposit will hold your Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort vacation package reservation and you can sit back and relax. The Concierges at Whimsical World Travel track all special offers and will have your reservation modified to reflect any savings from available, applicable specials.
There’s no risk to secure a reservation – deposits for packages without airfare are fully-refundable (except for the cost of optional travel insurance) up to a minimum of 46 days before your departure. So:
“Rap on a table, it’s time to respond,
Send us a message from somewhere beyond.
Wizards and witches wherever you dwell,
Give us a hint by ringing a bell.”
On the Move
Disney traditionalists, and there are many of us, are often dismayed by the changes that take place at the Disney parks. Beloved attractions and shows come and go; names change; old is replaced with new. While we all understand that change is good and helps to keep our favorite destinations fresh and interesting, some of the decisions seem inexplicable. New is not always better – the destruction of the iconic trees at Disney’s Contemporary Resort being a case in point.
At a time when there is major new construction going on at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, things are happening fast. We can only guess what future story line has required Cinderella’s Golden Carousel to become the Prince Charming Regal Carousel or what other “improvements” are planned.
How delightful, then, to learn today that the WEDway PeopleMover, renamed Tomorrowland Transit Authority in 1994, will once again be a PeopleMover. Now, if the new Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover would only magically lose the sterile and boring narrative in place since the recent refurbishment, and embrace the charming recording we all love, we would happily keep all forward-facing tentacles clear of oncoming metroliner vehicles!
Animation Fascination
After years of languishing in limbo, the area originally planned for an expansion of Disney’s Pop Century Resort will now be the site of a new Value property, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. Building is slated to begin this summer with an opening in 2012.
Adding nearly 2,000 rooms to the current inventory, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort will feature four of Disney’s more current animated films, Finding Nemo, Cars, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid.
Three of the wings will offer a total of 1,120 new family suites; welcome news for those needing a more moderately-priced option for parties of five or six. The Little Mermaid wing will have 864 standard rooms. All units will feature specially-themed interiors; an extremely popular choice at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort where the pirate-themed rooms are in demand despite their higher cost.
Guests can also expect the same fun and fantasy they’ve come to appreciate at the other Value resorts, with work already begun on giant sculptures of the movies’ most well-loved characters. Different, themed courtyards will allow guests to feel as though they have stepped into a movie!
Biggest Bang for the Buck
After a year of declining sales of travel to virtually all destinations around the world, and strong discount offers on Disney products, changes are expected for 2010.
Disney C.E.O. Bob Iger recently announced the company’s plans to “dial back” specials during the upcoming year. As we mentioned in the post Family Values the company has viewed promotions not only as a means of keeping attendance high, but as a tool to attract a new demographic of people who might otherwise not have taken a Disney vacation. As most visitors know, once bitten, there is generally no cure for the Disney bug! Guests can expect not just the usual rate increases that each new year brings, but fewer deep discounts than they may have seen in the past.
Whether you’ve chosen concierge-level accommodations at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, or are traveling on a budget for a stay at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside Resort, you want the best value for your vacation dollars. Here are some recommendations to help minimize the impact of increasing prices:
Pay attention to the season. The price for the same room fluctuates hugely over the course of the calendar year. Room rates are affected by weekend dates, holidays, special events, and the Disney “season.” If your travel dates are flexible, your Concierge will inform you about the differences in pricing from one season to another. Often, moving your plans forward or backward just one week can save many hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars.
Consider a Disney Dining Plan. There are three major costs associated with a Walt Disney World vacation: accommodations, park tickets, and food. While transportation costs will vary from guest to guest, these three will be major components of just about everyone’s trip. Although most guests find food prices very much in line with their expectations, they still add up quickly. A Disney Dining Plan is a wonderful way to plan ahead for this expense and saves most visitors money.
Review the inclusions for each package. The most commonly requested Disney vacation package is the Magic Your Way package with the standard dining plan, park tickets with the Park Hopper option, and Disney’s Magical Express transportation. Guests often forget that there are several different types of packages and the Magic Your Way package is almost infinitely customizable. Try to avoid paying for the elements you don’t need and spend those funds on the things that are important to you.
First-time visitors or those with very young children may not need the Park Hopper option but might really appreciate the convenience of private car service with a stop at a grocery store. A couple celebrating an anniversary may find the Deluxe Dining Plan suits their wishes for a relaxed and indulgent experience. The park-commando group may not want to take the time for a table-service meal and choose the Quick Service Dining Plan. Golfers often discover that the Premium Package offers them the best value. Your vacation is unique and your travel arrangements should suit your own style.
Some careful planning will help you put that Disney vacation on the calendar for 2010!
