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DO YOU HAVE A FREE DINING PIN CODE? ARE YOU SURE?

Since the September Disney World Free Dining deal was announced, Disney has been emailing lotsa people with “pin codes” for free dining for other dates in 2013.

According to one of my readers (the mysterious “B”), the eligible arrival dates are…

• 8/25 – 10/2
• 10/18 – 10/31
• 11/11 – 11/23
• 11/30 – 12/4
• 12/15 – 12/22

..and these deals need to be booked by August 15.

Lots of you have asked how to get one of these pin codes emailed to them and my answer has been consistently that I have no idea.*  Crack commenter Jennifer emailed Disney to find out, and the canned response she got was that these “are offered randomly.”

But then I got a curious report via email–crack emailer Rachel called Disney to book her dates, and, according to Rachel,  the reservationist “said ‘let me see if you have any pins.’ Then she told me there was a pin tied to my account!”

Rachel ended up moving her arrival dates so she could get the offered free dining in early December!

So the moral of the story: even if nothing has been emailed to you, you might have a 2013 free dining pin for Walt Disney World after all!

Does this mean free dining will come out for the general public for those dates? Honestly, I have no idea* on that either…but I still do doubt it.

Update:  Nichole just posted this on the Facebook page:

“I just called and they did say it was random to some extent, but that it was more likely to be offered to those that have had a recent visit.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a pin associated with my reservation.

At the end of the call she told me to watch the website closely though because if they were to extend the offer to include October reservations they would probably announce it very soon.

That gives me hope that they may extend it!”

*Oh, I have lots of ideas, but none I have any confidence in…

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: MAY 18, 2013 TO MAY 26, 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.

Unusual stuff this week:

• “Star Wars Weekends” kicks off at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for 2013 on Friday May 17, and continues the weekend of the 24th
• The Magic Kingdom is open for 24 hours–6a til 6a–Friday the 24th into the 25th
• The Studios close at 6p on Thursday the 23rd, likely for  a private party.

Because of this, you’ll see slightly different Extra Magic Hours than normal, early openings at both HS and AK over the weekends, and a very odd schedule at MK the 24th into the wee hours of the 25th.

Star Wars weekends increasingly are mobbing the Studios, so avoid Disney’s Hollywood Studios the 17th-19th and 25th and 26th.  The 24 hour opening at the Magic Kingdom may make the Studios more tolerable the 24th…I’m not sure.  I’d avoid MK the 24th …

I’ll be at Walt Disney World until the 19th, at the Polynesian, focused on fine and fun dining with older son, who just graduated from law school!

(For more on May 2013 at Walt Disney World, see this.)

[Read more →]

2013 NEW YEAR’S EVE AT DISNEY WORLD

New Year’s Eve festivities will happen on December 31, 2013 at Disney World’s Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios theme parks, and also at the Magic Kingdom on December 30.

The Animal Kingdom has no special New Year’s Eve events.

Here’s what’s known so far for the calendar for New Year’s Eve at Walt Disney World:

• Epcot is scheduled to be open until 1a on New Year’s Eve; Disney’s Hollywood Studios until midnight for the general public, and 2a for Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests; and the Magic Kingdom is scheduled to be open until  2a
• The Magic Kingdom has Wishes at 8.30p and special New Year’s Eve fireworks at 11.50p
• Epcot has its Illuminations fireworks show at 6.30p and 11.40p, plus DJs in various pavilions.
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios will have fireworks at midnight, and several sets over the evening from “Mulch, Sweat and Shears,” a live band
• Note that alcohol is not available at the Magic Kingdom, but is available at Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios

The Magic Kingdom will have the same fireworks at the same times on 12/30. This date will likely be a little less crowded than 12/31.

DISNEY WORLD PARK CLOSURES ON NEW YEAR’S EVE

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OVERVIEW: CHRISTMAS 2013 AT DISNEY WORLD

The Christmas season at Walt Disney World includes both the best and the worst times to visit, with both prices and crowds at both lower and very high levels over the period.

Decorations, special Christmas shows, programs, and events, and Christmas trees are everywhere, making Disney World as special a place to celebrate the holidays as you can find.

[Read more →]

In mid-May 2013 I made my fourth visit since this site opened to Disney’s Old Key West Resort.

This time, I was assigned an accessible One-Bedroom Villa, and what follows are some of the differences between these spaces and standard rooms.

(There’s a full review of standard villas at Old Key West here.)

ACCESSIBLE VILLAS AT OLD KEY WEST

I noted three spaces with differences: the entry door, the kitchen, and the bath.

The entry has a buzzer which presumably provides both audible and visible signals for both the hearing and visually challenged. (I was visiting solo, so did not have a chance to test it.)

The kitchen has multiple differences compared to standard villas.

The items of the work triangle–sink, fridge  and stove–are pushed to the ends of the kitchen, so that the kitchen island presents fewer access problems.

The sink now is set up so a wheelchair can pull up underneath it.

The countertops are at 34 inches tall, rather than 36 inches tall–at the upper end of the sensible range of such accessible counters.  Moreover, the bottoms of the wall cabinets are only 16.5 inches above the counters.  These two changes together put the lowest shelf of the wall cabinets 3.5 inches lower than in standard rooms.

The fridge in this room gains accessibility by being side-by-side, rather than over/under as in standard rooms.

The bath has a couple of features making it much more accessible.

The bath sink has clearance for a chair below it, and note both the safety bars and fold-up seat in the shower.

The toilet area also has multiple safety bars.

My room was a lock-off One-Bedroom Villa on the ground floor.

I imagine that since only three Old Key West buildings have elevators, and because a lock-off is the most flexible type of space, that most other accessible villas at Old Key West are also first floor and lockoff.

For more on Disney’s Old Key West Resort, see this.

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This is the fifth page of this review of Disney’s Old Key West Resort. For the first page, see this.

THEMING, AMENITIES, AND CHOICES AT DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT

Disney’s Old Key West Resort is described on Walt Disney World’s website as “an island hamlet of brilliant green landscapes, pastel-colored Victorian architecture and ornate gingerbread accents…nestled among swaying palm trees, shimmering waterways and… lush golf fairways.”

Its 156 acres include an area called the Hospitality House. You’ll find pretty much everything here except your room itself. (There’s a map on the first page of this review.)

It includes the check-in lobby, where you’ll also find concierge services…

…a comfortable lounging room off the lobby

…and a well-stocked shop…

…with a nice assortment of groceries–which makes sense, given all the kitchens here.

Also in the Hospitality House area you’ll find the table service restaurant, Olivia’s…

…a small bar…

…and a small snack bar, which is the only counter-service offering here (there’s another one at the far end of the resort near the Turtle Pond quiet pool)… understandable, I suppose, given all the kitchens, but awkward for anyone on the dining plan…or in a studio.

The bar and snack bar are close to the main pool.

At the main pool you’ll also find a hot tub…

..and a sauna!

Near the main pool you’ll also find a pool for little kids, and beyond it a playground.

Nearby there’s a marina…

…and the dock where you can catch a ferry to Downtown Disney.

Beyond this area, the resort has several different sections with their own bus stops, and, for the more distant sections, quiet pools.

The quiet pool at the far end of Old Turtle Pond Road, which is about as far from the Hospitality House as you can get, is particularly substantial and has its own snack bar.

Hours at this snack bar can be short–in mid-May 2013 they were 9a-5p–and the menu limited. (Like all the images, if you click the menu it’ll enlarge.)

The rooms at Old Key West are grouped into several different areas, and are now labeled by the roads they are on. There is no difference in theming among these areas, so use the material on the first page on best and worst rooms to pick your building.

Disney’s online check-in system lets you pick two from among many choices. However, when we did it, no choice was either “near the Hospitality House” or “in a building with elevators.”

See the image for the choices offered (at least in April 2013) and my comments on them…

Disney’s Old Key West Resort opened in December 1991 as the first of the Disney Vacation Club Resorts–its first name was the Disney Vacation Club Resort! It expanded over the years until the current layout was completed–with buildings 62, 63 and 64, the newest, opening in 2000.

It was fully renovated over the course of 2010 and 2011.

The fact that it was the first DVC resort perhaps explains both some of its negatives and some of its positives…

Its sprawling layout, community (rather than hotel) feel, and large rooms perhaps came from Disney’s attempt to figure out whether it was building vacation homes in a community or a hotel. Perhaps it split the difference.

The next wave of later DVC resorts shrank the rooms and (with the exception of Saratoga Springs) shrank the layout into hotel footprints. Planning for the most recent DVC resorts–Kidani Village, Bay Lake Tower, and The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian–added back sorely needed living/dining/kitchen space.

Among the DVC resorts, Old Key West’s strengths for first time visitors are its relatively lower prices and relatively larger rooms.

The principal negatives are its sprawl, absence of elevators in almost all buildings, awkward bath access in most buildings, and lack of convenience and kid appeal.

Returning visitors often find Old Key West to be a favorite. Its spaciousness can be a godsend for a boisterous family, and among the DVC resorts it is far and away the best value for money.

EXTERNAL LINKS FOR DISNEY’S OLD KEY WEST RESORT:

• Official Disney Old Key West web page
• Official Disney Vacation Club web page

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MORE ON WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• For where to stay, see this
  • For your next best choices, in order, see this
  • For picking your resort based on appeal to kids, see this
  • For picking your resort based on convenience, see this
  • For where not to stay, see this

• For what you get in each resort price category, see this
  • For Walt Disney World resort price seasons, see this
  • For resort reviews, see this
  • For the value resorts, see this
  • For the moderate resorts, see this
  • For the deluxe resorts, see this
  • For suites at the deluxe resorts, see this
  • For the Disney Vacation Club (“DVC”) Resorts, see this

• For a (geeky) overview of comparative room size, see this

• Large families should look at this, and also at
  • Large Families Looking for Value Pricing at Walt Disney World
  • Large Families Looking for Deluxe Accommodations at Disney World
  • Beds and Sleeping Spaces at the Walt Disney World Resorts
  • Renting Disney Vacation Club Points
  • Suites at Walt Disney World

• Military/DOD families should look at this

• Tightwads should look at this

• Families seeking the most comfortable place to stay should see this

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