Category — w. Most Recent Stuff

I seem somehow sometime yesterday to have turned the ability of the site to accept comments off other than from previous commentors…insult added to Thursday and Friday’s injury.

The ability for you to comment is now turned back on, but many comments added in the meantime are gone…if you don’t see your comment on the page you tried to add it to, or on the “Latest Comments” list on the right sidebar…your comment is just gone and I can’t get it back.

I’m very sorry, and promise to make entirely different mistakes in the future!

MOVING MY TALENTS TO 199.189.111.68, AND LOSING SOME COMMENTS IN THE MEANTIME

For reasons explained here, I moved this site from one physical computer to another at about 9.30a yesterday morning.  Because* it takes a bit for the internet to figure such things out, there have been two versions of this site floating around since then–the one you are on now is the “real one.”

Some people have asked questions or made comments since then on the “wrong” site.  Those are just gone, and I can’t get them back!

So if you made a comment, and don’t see it on the list on the lower right side (or on the page you first left it) I’m incredibly sorry but it’s gone…

(*and because I didn’t anticipate this and do something like post a warning and/or close off comments…)

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JUNE 23 TO JULY 1, 2012

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.

(For more on June 2012 at Walt Disney World, click here.)

[Read more →]

SPECIAL FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Walt Disney World will be holding 4th of July celebrations this year at 3 parks:

• At Epcot, a special 4th of July version of Illuminations will show at 10p
• At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, there will be a “Special July 4th Fireworks Presentation” at 9.45p
• At the Magic Kingdom, “Celebrate America! — A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky” will show at 9p

The same Magic Kingdom show will also be on July 3 at the same time. There are no special events at the Animal Kingdom, but it does have morning Extra Magic Hours.

As I write this, on July 4 2012 Epcot is scheduled to be open from 9a to 10p, the Magic Kingdom from 8a-1a, and the Studios from 9a-10p, although I’d expect to see later closes added as the 4th of July comes closer.

Those following this site’s Summer Itinerary will find themselves at the Animal Kingdom the 4th of July, and honestly I think that’s the right answer, as the other parks will be packed.

If you must see 4th of July fireworks at Disney World, the next best choice is the Magic Kingdom on the 3rd, and after that Epcot on the 4th.

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JUNE 16 TO JUNE 24, 2012

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.

(For more on June 2012 at Walt Disney World, click here.)

[Read more →]

This is the fourth page of this review of Disney’s Beach Club Villas. For the first page of this material, click here.

THE THEMING OF DISNEY’S BEACH CLUB VILLAS

Disney’s Beach Club Villas opened in 2002 as the fourth on-site Disney Vacation Club resort.

According to Disney’s web page on the Beach Club Villas, they

“…wrap leisure, elegance and romance into a full-service New England-style Disney Deluxe Villa Resort…

…The nautical allure of the Eastern Seaboard comes alive with architecture that features intricate wooden accents and a soft pastel color palette. Retreat to one of our stately Studios with kitchenettes or one of our spacious Villas complete with a kitchen, living area and a host of home-style amenities. Enjoy charming views from your windows and private porch or balcony.”

Designed by the architect who did the rest of the Epcot resorts, Robert A.M. Stern, the Beach Club Villas share the charming “Stick” architecture of sister resort the Beach Club, but are even more graceful and lovely than the sister resort is.

The Beach Club Villas are in fact as lovely as any other resort at Walt Disney World, and are at least comparable in beauty to the Grand Floridian…and perhaps, because of their smaller scale, even more charming.

The smaller scale, angled facade, and more playful detailing of the Beach Club Villas help it better reflect its roots in domestic architecture.

For example, some of the facades include not only the clapboard siding common at the resort but also towers designed with board and batten siding.  A small thing, but one that hints at having a domestic history rather than being a monolith.

The Villas are a lovely sea green, a warmer and more inviting color than the (still-nice) cooler blue of the Beach Club.

Interiors spaces are just as nice, especially the main entry lobby through which guests will walk many times as they access the Beach Club, Epcot, Crescent Lake, and the BoardWalk.

The Beach Club Villas have many strengths for first time visitors, bringing together the positives of the DVC resorts–extra, more livable space, full kitchens–with those of the Beach Club: access to Stormalong Bay, Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

The weaknesses of the Beach Club Villas are also shared–many families won’t be in these rooms enough to enjoy their amenities, and the architecture, lovely to adults, is dull to kids.

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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