Category — n. Approaching Dates at Disney World

OVERVIEW: AUGUST 2011 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews August 2011 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours, and ends with week by week summaries.

[Read more →]

SEVEN NIGHT WALT DISNEY WORLD SUMMER ITINERARY

Update: this itinerary will not work for June 2014, and I don’t know yet if it will work for July or August 2014.

Instead of it, use this.

This Walt Disney World itinerary is based on the eight-night Summer Itinerary, but is one night shorter.

It is designed for the incredibly busy weeks from late May to mid-August, and for most other high-crowd periods (Christmas week, Easter Week, etc.)

The 8-night Summer itinerary itself is jam-packed; this 7 night version, which I don’t recommend but provide due to popular demand, is even more strenuous.

[Read more →]

OVERVIEW: JULY 2011 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews July 2011 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours, and ends with week by week summaries.
[Read more →]

THE TRAINS OF WALT DISNEY’S IMAGINATION

There are two traditional railroads at Walt Disney World.

They are the Wildlife Express Train at the Animal Kingdom, and the Walt Disney World Railroad at the Magic Kingdom.

In my Comprehensive Guide to Rides, I rate these as “skippable” for typical older kids and adults.

This is true even over the holidays, and even though the two toys that have dominated the imaginations of boys over the past century are trains and toy soldiers.

There are many reasons why both these parks have railroads, why the monorail serves as Epcot’s railroad, and why railroad tracks are buried in the paving of Sunset Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

These reasons range from simple transportation to support of the theming.

But with the launch of the Red Car Trolley at Disney California Adventure in 2012, every domestic Disney theme park will have a train, or the footprints of a train.

As skippable as these rides may be…Disney World was born from Disneyland, and Disneyland, as far as I am concerned, was born from the Christmas-present Lionel train layout that Walt Disney set up in a room adjoining his office in 1948, big enough to fill half of a two car garage.

TRAINS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF WALT DISNEY WORLD [Read more →]

THE CROWDS ARE COMING…

The busiest weeks of the year at Walt Disney World begin today. Later next week, likely more than 70,000 people will visit the Magic Kingdom on an average day, with totals perhaps well above that, possibly leading to park closures.

The hourly ride capacity at the Magic Kingdom is on the order of 40,000 people, implying average waits of 90-120 minutes for the most popular rides.

Bathroom waits may seem as long…as may waits for food, even if you take advantage of the off peak food discount and eat early or late.

But G. K. Chesterton once said “An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.”

If you are going in the next two weeks…welcome to your adventure!

HOW TO COPE WITH THE MASSIVE DISNEY WORLD CROWDS

[Read more →]

This offer was for 2010–if I hear about a similar 2011 offer, I’ll post about it and link to it from here!

SAVE 30% ON COUNTER SERVICE MEALS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

If you will be at Walt Disney World between December 19th 201 and January 1st 2011, you can save 30% on counter service meals.

To get these savings, get coupons from the Disney Parks blog– see this for how–and dine before noon or between 3 and 4.30p.

Note that not all counter service establishment are participating—see the link for which are.

The Disney park blog also notes that coupons will be available at Walt Disney World in the Times Guides and at the bottom of certain receipts.