Category — w. Most Recent Stuff

Over the weekend, I finished up and posted the revised–and, barring typos–final versions of the 2014 Disney World Crowd Calendar and 2014 Weeks to Visit Ranked in Order.

Material like this is the most popular stuff on this site.

I publish initial forecasts about 15 months before the respective year begins, and then, with Disney’s final price seasons and my analysis of public school calendars in hand, revise it the summer before.

I’ll be publishing more on how specific parts of each were built over the coming weeks, but for now, the only big change was downgrading the week beginning March 29, 2014, which I formerly had as a “recommended week.”

This week will be more crowded than I had thought in the draft material–I had had it as 3/low, it’s now 5/moderate-minus–and in turn its week ranking has shifted from 14th best of the year to 17th best of the year.  While it’ll still be an OK week, this change is enough to knock it out of the “recommended weeks.”

Besides the details promised above, still left to do this summer are the 2014 “Cheat Sheet” and “Week Picker.”  (See this and this for the 2013 equivalents.)  And after that I’ll start working on the 2015 forecasts!!

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For the first page of this review of Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, click here.

AMENITIES AT ALL-STAR MUSIC

Disney’s All-Star Music Resort includes an arrival building called Melody Hall, where you will find most of its amenities.

You are greeted at Melody Hall by a charming red carpet–you’re an All-Star, after all!

You’ll find inside Melody Hall all the key resort services–the check-in lobby…

…gift shop…

…and food court, renovated in 2014 but still too small at peak times.

The addition of alcoholic drinks to the dining plan has led to a change in morning moods.

Between buildings 9 and 10 you’ll find this playground.  More play opportunities (including the bar) are round the main Calypso pool.

Outside on the street side you’ll find the bus stops.

Between the two pools, framed by the two Jazz buildings, is a lovely courtyard that sets much of the tone of All-Star Music–since everyone except those staying in the two Calypso buildings will walk through it on their way to the main pool and the services at Melody Hall.

None of my images really do this area justice…

…so I’ve posted four, trying to capture the overall feel!

And then there’s the pools…

THE POOLS AREAS AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MUSIC RESORT

This review continues here.

MATERIAL IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MUSIC RESORT

• Overview of All-Star Music
• Accommodations and Theming at All-Star Music
• Photo Tour of a Standard Room at All-Star Music
• The Family Suites at All-Star Music
• Amenities at All-Star Music
• The Pools at All-Star Music

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 150+ stays in them

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JULY 20, 2013 TO JULY 28, 2013

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the table, but organized by park, not by topic.

(And for more on July 2013 at Walt Disney World, see this.)

[Read more →]

FALL BREAK CROWDS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD?

One of the things you’ll see now and then on blogs and discussion boards is the claim that “fall breaks from school crowd Walt Disney World.”

“Fall breaks” are multi-day school holidays before Thanksgiving, and if material, would have an effect on Disney World—because Disney World is most crowded when it’s easy for kids to go.

If you check the facts, though, you’ll find that fall breaks are both uncommon and scattered across October and early November—other than Jersey Week and the Columbus Day weekend. [Read more →]

DISNEY WORLD PIN CODES FOR 2014 ROOM RATE DISCOUNTS

I’ve been getting lots of cards and letters over the last 48 hours about a wave of new Disney World pin codes for 2014 going out—especially from the “Mysterious B.” (Not the same person as the “Mysterious J” of Monday’s Free Dining post!)

Here’s the story: pin codes with room rate discounts well into April 2014 are going out, with the following details:

For most dates from January 5 – March 2, 2014 and March 16 – April 12, 2014

• Save 30% at select Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts
• Save 30% at select Disney Deluxe Resorts
• Save 25% at select Disney Moderate Resorts
• Save 20% at select Disney Value Resorts

One of my sources has the “Book By” date as July 28.

For what a pin code is, and how to see if you have one—or even talk your way into getting one!—see the second half of this.

Now frankly, I find the dates on offer here curious.

They include the wildly busy Presidents Day week, exclude the pretty low-crowd first week of March, but then include the first day of the unbelievably busy week before Easter.

So maybe—and I’m thinking of the week before Easter in particular here–these are inclusive dates, rather than, as is common on these deals, arrival dates?

Or maybe I’m just thinking too much.

…and thanks again, “Mysterious B”!

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For lots of people, Disney World’s online dining reservations system works just fine.

But for others—especially those who are staying in a Walt Disney world resort, especially if they have the Dining Plan, it can be a major pain, as crack commenter DisneyDiningAgent pointed out the other day in a couple of comments–here and right below it, plus in some email exchanges we had.

Here’s the problems:

• All too often, the dining reservations part of Disney’s “My Disney Experience” website is just down
• It it’s not down, it doesn’t always correctly get that you have the dining plan
• Whether or not that it gets that you have the dining plan, it doesn’t always recognize that you are a resort guest and thus can book out ten days after your arrival date—a major problem if you are beginning to reserve dining at the 180 day mark
• For the meals that require full pre-payment—Cinderella’s Royal Table, Hoop Dee Doo Revue, etc.—it won’t always recognize that if you are using the dining plan, it doesn’t need to charge your credit card—and charges you anyway

The advantage of the on-line system is that it opens each day at 6a, an hour before the Disney phone lines open at 7a (both Eastern).  So if you can successfully use it then, this gives you an advantage in booking high-demand restaurants at the 180 day mark compared to those calling in an hour later.

But if it doesn’t work, then you are wasting your time…

SUGGESTIONS FOR COPING WITH THE FAILURES OF “MY DISNEY EXPERIENCE” DINING RESERVATIONS [Read more →]