Category — w. Most Recent Stuff

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.

For the first page of this review of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, see this.

A PHOTO TOUR OF THE FINDING NEMO FAMILY SUITES AT DISNEY’S ART OF ANIMATION RESORT

This is the basic floor plan of all of the Art of Animation Family Suites.  The entrance is from an enclosed hallway, and while the windows are large, there’s no balcony.

A refurb currently in process is shifting the floors to wood laminate, and the queen bed in the separate bedroom to a platform bed–which adds storage underneath. I’ll have updated images later in 2020.

(Images on this page are from Finding Nemo; for a Lion King photo tour, see this, and for the Cars Suites, see this.)

You enter directly in to the dining area, with the master bedroom area on one side and the mini-kitchen/living room on the other.

The dining table is large. It comes with four chairs, but despite the fact that this is a six-person room, that’s all that comfortably fits.  There’s a couple of round tables in the living room that double as stools (except in Cars rooms)–a very clever idea.  You can pull them up to the end of the table, but there’s no room for knees. And knees often are important…

The dining table is replaced by a bed that folds down from the wall. Note the darling image at the head of the bed of Nemo sleeping with his dad.  A larger version is at the top of the page.

I measured this bed as 54 by 74 inches, but for some it will sleep a little shorter than that.  The head of the bed is within the framing that supports it when it’s up, and this may feel a little claustrophobic to some, causing them to skooch towards the foot.

The single cushion is 8 inches deep, and I found it easy to sleep on though a little short.

It includes overhead reading lights on a dimmer switch, and two end tables. There’s a bit of storage in the end tables

The bed is easy to set up–clear the dining table, take away the chairs (which don’t stack–kind of an odd choice), and pull it down.  The bed is already made, so all you need to do is add the pillows (stored in drawers in the living room) and you are set!

The kids’ bath opens off the dining room. It has two doors that divide it into two spaces–a pocket door to the sink area, and a hinged door to the tub/toilet area–making it quite flexible.

There’s a couple of ways in which finishes and furnishings at Art of Animation are a major upgrade over not just other value resorts, but even moderate resorts.  Most notable of these is the bath–see the sink furniture in the above photo, and note the tiling in the tub surround, which looks even better in real life than in my photo.

Your kids likely will be more impressed by the shower curtain than the tiling…

The dining area also opens to the living room.

On one side you’ll find the mini-kitchen (further below) and large, comfy sofa, at the end a cute easy chair, and in the middle the two tables/stools I mentioned above. Using the stools, the room easily seats 6.

The other side has a flat-screen TV, good-sized dresser, and a clothes area with a shelf at the top, closet rod and hangers, another shelf, and a big drawer below.

There’s a little less storage here than meets the eye, as two of the largest drawers are stuffed with pillows and blankets for the sofa bed.  You can get storage space back by creating a tippy stack of pillows on the shelf above the closet rod when the bed is not made.

A closer view of the dresser storage…

…and the storage drawer at the bottom of the closet thingy.

The living room sofa opens up into a bed. Unlike the dining table, it has sheets but not a blanket when you open it (grab the blanket from the storage area on the TV side).

I measured it at 54″ by 78″–4″ longer than the dining table bed. Although the mattress is only 4 inches thick, I had no trouble sleeping on it.  But then I’m not picky…

The other item in this space is the mini-kitchen.

There’s a sink, mini-fridge, microwave, and a coffee maker.

There’s also some supplies–not just cups and coffee, but also paper plates and bowls, plastic utensils, a can opener and a corkscrew/bottle opener.  This is a very nice touch.

For an image of the inside of the fridge, see this (and thanks, Hayden, for sending it to me!).

The master bedroom opens from the dining room.

One side has a flat screen and a dresser–the same size as the equivalents in the living room–and a closet space with safe, iron and ironing board, suitcase rack (which you will probably fold up so that you can stack a bunch of roller bags here) and hanging rack with a shelf above.

Master bedroom dresser storage.  There’s plenty of drawers in these suites.

The other side has a colorful queen bed and a couple of bed tables.

The master bath opens from the master bedroom. It’s not divided, which creates space that enables a longer sink counter than in the kids’ bath.  The shower has a glass door, and the same lovely tiling as the kids’ bath.

Like the kids’ bath, the furniture and finishing in this bath are at a much higher level than at the other values.

PHOTO TOUR OF A LION KING SUITE AT DISNEY’S ART OF ANIMATION RESORT

This review continues here.

MATERIAL IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S ART OF ANIMATION RESORT

• Overview of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• The Little Mermaid Area and Rooms
• Photo Tour of a Little Mermaid Room
• Overview of the Family Suites Areas
• Accommodations in the Family Suites
• Photo Tour of a Finding Nemo Family Suite (plus bed dimensions, storage, etc)
• Photo Tour of a Lion King Family Suite
• Photo Tour of a Cars Family Suite
• Amenities at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• The Pools at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

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

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest!!

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