Category — p. News and Changes

Those using one of the shorter Basic Itinerary variants that include arriving at MK by park open should note that the Magic Kingdom will open to the general public at 8a through December, rather than the 9a opens that have been common in the past the first three weeks of December.

So for any day when a Basic Itinerary variant suggests arriving early for a 9a open, leave 45 minutes earlier to get to the park for an 8a open.

The core Basic Itinerary itself is designed so that you don’t have such early mornings…

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My bus work is quite respected in some quarters, but it can get out of date.

I had heard that the All-Stars were sharing buses much less frequently than they used to. If true, this would be a big deal, as it would make Music and especially Movies more convenient.

So last week I spent a couple of hours sitting at the bus stop at All-Star Sports, tracking buses and whether at the end of the road they turned left (and hence straight on to a park) or right and thus on to share at Music, and then Movies.

I tested during a high-demand period for buses, from a little after 10a to a little after 11a, and also during a low-demand period, from around 2.30 til around 3.30p. I tracked 67 total buses, and here’s the scoop:

• Magic Kingdom buses (as expected) were never shared–all 11 of these went straight on to MK
• Blizzard Beach and Downtown Disney buses were always shared–all 16 that I saw went on to Music
• All other park buses in the afternoon were shared–the 23 buses to Epcot, AK or HS all turned right to go on to Music
• All other park buses in the morning were very rarely shared–of the 17 buses to Epcot, AK or HS, all but four went straight to the parks. The four shared with Music and Movies (two HS, one AK, one Epcot) were all in the later (slower) part of my observation period

I will sit at Sports again for a couple of hours on my December trip and grab some more data–but these experimental findings alone are enough for me to have changed the lingo in the reviews of these resorts.

It’s changed from something like “Other than the busiest times of the year, these resorts share buses except to the Magic Kingdom” to something like “During slower periods, these resorts may share buses (except to the Magic Kingdom).”

The practical consequence is that All-Star Movies becomes an even better choice among the All-Stars. It already has the best theming and food court among them, and the ding on it has always been “buses full by the time they get there.”  Maybe now not so much.

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Some time this morning the 2014 edition of The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit got its 100th review on Amazon (and its 101st too!)

Ninety-six of the 101 reviews give it five stars; the sole one star review is a bogus attack on Josh; the sole two star review is, I think, a real though somewhat misguided posting.

This means that The easy Guide is better reviewed than Kissinger’s On China,plus it’s much more fun!  In fact, it’s the best-reviewed Disney World guidebook in history.

But don’t buy it–unless you want it for its future value as the first edition of the bestest Disney World guidebook.

Instead, wait a few days, and pick up the 2015 edition instead, coming soon!

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The latest WDW Magazine is out!

This month’s edition focuses on the holidays at Walt Disney World–my First Timer’s Corner column is on “Ten Things First Timers Need to Know About the Holiday Season.”

The magazine is available on iTunes, for Android, and on the web.

But right now you can get a sample edition for free—click here.

This is great, as it lets you see what you will get after you subscribe without having to pay anything first!

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Crack friend of the site Shannon let me know this morning that the windows in Building 21 in Martinique are now marked up for refurb.

(This means a floor plan has been stuck on the window to show the trades what to do in each room–see the image, of an accessible five person room.)

She also notes that work continues in Barbados 14, 15 and 16, and is done in Barbados 11, 12, and 13.

Shannon’s news answers one question–would the refurb begin in the preferred-price areas at CB before the holiday season, or be deferred until the lower-demand period after the new year?

But we still don’t know when 5 person rooms will be bookable.  I’ve speculated that such will happen only after preferred five person rooms are available–as otherwise Disney is leaving money on the table–so this may be soon.

So here’s the current status

• Jamaica and Aruba are complete
• Barbados is more than half done, and likely will be complete this month
• Some refurbed rooms in Martinique will be assigned beginning later this month, and–if construction continues through the holiday season–Martinique will likely be done sometime in December.

Meanwhile, Josh has a great review the resort and one of the re-furbed rooms here, with lots of great photos!!

My complete review of Caribbean Beach begins here. More to come after my re-visit to a Pirate Room next week…

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