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(This is the second page of this two-page April 1 article. For the first page, click here.)

THE ROUTE OF THE NEW NEXTGEN HIGH SPEED RAIL AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

To meet its performance potential, high-speed rail requires some specific infrastructure.

Details include a dedicated right of way; sufficient length to accelerate to top speeds and decelerate at station stops; broad, sweeping curves that start with a large radius and gradually decrease it (that is, spiral curves); and substantial electric power.

The Wildlife Express Train currently operates as a one way loop with two stations. The portion of the loop that gets guests from the rest of Disney’s Animal Kingdom to Rafiki’s Planet Watch will remain unchanged, as no one is in a hurry to get there.

The high speed component will replace the part of the loop that currently gets guests out of Rafiki’s Planet Watch.

The need for length to accelerate means that the routing will extend well out of Walt Disney World; it also means that a large curve will be required to get the trains back onto the property.

These points, not disrupting key Disney properties, the topography of nearby lakes, and other factors have led Disney to propose the northeast-oriented routing on the image to the right.

[Read more →]

OPTION TO LEAVE RAFIKI’S PLANET WATCH AT 237 MPH TO BE CREATED

April 1, 2011: Sources at Walt Disney World have confirmed that Disney’s NextGen Project will include conversion of the outbound portion of the Animal Kingdom’s Wildlife Express Train to high-speed rail.

When the conversion is completed, guests will be able to leave Rafiki’s Planet Watch at speeds topping out at 237 miles per hour.

Until now, the NextGen Project has been principally understood as having three components:

1. An opportunity for Disney World guests to extend the period when they are confused about exactly what is and is not a snack on the dining plan from just their time at the resort to as long as six months before their arrival.

2. New queueless queues with expansive play areas where small children can be lost. As a result, signs such as that at the right are going up all over Disney World (the espresso is NOT a snack on the Dining Plan).

3. An incentive for baseless speculation.

The addition of high speed rail clarifies the NextGen picture. Moreover, the proposed routing of the new high speed rail line presents interesting additional opportunities for Disney to redevelop the far–sometimes very far–northeastern reaches of Disney World.

[Read more →]

DELUXE ROOMS AT DISNEY’S WILDERNESS LODGE

I’ve already published reviews of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge here and of its sister resort the Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge here.

This review is of a particular room type at the Wilderness Lodge: Deluxe Rooms.

(These rooms are sometimes called “Junior Suites.”)

Standard rooms at the Wilderness Lodge hold 4 people in 340 square feet, for about $285 a night (pre-tax, during the Fall price season—which is when this site recommends that first time family visitors go).

In contrast, Wilderness Lodge Deluxe Rooms hold 6 people in 500 square feet, for around $600 a night during that same season.

That’s 50% more people, and about 50% more square feet, for a little more than twice the cost.

Part of the cost difference comes from the fact that all the Deluxe Rooms are also “club rooms.”

(“Club room” is what Disney calls what the rest of the world calls concierge rooms.)

Regular club rooms at the Wilderness Lodge—which offer no more space and no more capacity than standard rooms—are about 60% more expensive than standard rooms. 

Deluxe rooms offer 50% more capacity and about 50% more space than standard club rooms, but only cost about a third more than standard club rooms.

The upshot?

Larger families of 6 committed to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and who would have stayed in club rooms anyway will find the Deluxe Rooms a bargain.

Families of 6 looking for deluxe lodging will find these rooms their most cost effective option.  Almost all other deluxe options that hold 6 (and don’t rely on getting connecting rooms, which Disney will not guarantee) are designed—and priced—to a capacity of 8 or 9.

(For more on large families at Walt Disney World, see this.)

Families of 4 who are simply looking for a more comfortable Wilderness Lodge option than a standard club room will find these rooms OK if concierge level service is what they really want.

Personally, I think such families would have even more comfort in a one-bedroom villa at the Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. 

While concierge service is not available in these villas, the one-bedroom villas are almost 50% larger, better laid out for a two parent, two kid family, have much more luxurious baths and master bedroom spaces, and have a full kitchen. 

The one bedroom villa is also about $100 a night less expensive during the fall season.

For more on the trade-offs between club rooms and villas, see The Most Comfortable Place to Stay at Walt Disney World.

WHAT YOU GET IN A DELUXE ROOM AT DISNEY’S WILDERNESS LODGE [Read more →]

MORE ON HOW TO BUDGET YOUR WALT DISNEY WORLD TRIP

This page brings together to one place key links on budgeting your Walt Disney World trip and related material on this site. It’s part of a series on navigating this site.

LINKS FOR WHAT TO BUDGET FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD

For the basic December trip recommended by this site

• See this for what to budget during the basic December trip
• See this if you are on particularly tight budget, for (difficult) ideas to reduce the December trip budget by more than $1,000

For help getting to much lower budget numbers,

• See this for links to current Walt Disney World deals and discounts
• For basic Disney World budgeting concepts, see Planning Your Walt Disney World Budget
• To design a trip around a specific budget target–e.g., what you can do for $2,500–see this
• For reducing your lodging costs,
  • See The Tightwad’s Guide to Where to Stay at Walt Disney World
  • See this for links to current Walt Disney World deals and discounts
• For reducing your dining costs,
  • For ideas on cutting your dining costs compared to what this site recommends, see this
  • For a period during which dining is sometimes free, see The Tightwad’s Guide to When to Go to Walt Disney World
• For reducing your transportation costs, see this

For Walt Disney World price seasons,

• See this for resort price seasons
• See this for Disney Dining Plan price seasons
• See this for Walt Disney World theme park admission tickets

THE COMFORTABLE GUIDE TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

• The Most Comfortable Time to Go to Walt Disney World
• The Comfortable Guide to How Long to Stay at Walt Disney World
• The Most Comfortable Place to Stay at Walt Disney World:
  • 1. The Options
  • 2. Recommendations
• The Most Comfortable Way to Travel to Walt Disney World
• The Most Comfortable Way to Tour the Theme Parksat Walt Disney World:
  • 1. Minimizing Planning Time
  • 2. Minimizing Advance Planning
  • 3. Reducing Daily Scheduling
  • 4. Eliminating Early Mornings
• Planning Your Walt Disney World Budget
• Victoria and Albert’s

THE TIGHTWAD’S GUIDE TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

• The Tightwad’s Guide to When to Go to Walt Disney World
• The Tightwad’s Guide to Which Night to Check In
• The Tightwad’s Guide to Where to Stay at Walt Disney World
  • 1. The Tightwad’s Guide to the Best Resort Hotel Bargains
  • 2. The Tightwad’s Guide to Resort Deals and Discounts
  • 3. The Tightwad’s Guide to Getting Deluxe Rooms at Rock Bottom Prices
  • 4. The Tightwad’s Guide to Staying Off-Site
• The Tightwad’s Guide to How Long to Stay at Walt Disney World
• Air Travel 201: The Tightwad’s Guide to Cheap Flights to Walt Disney World
• The Tightwad’s Guide to How to Eat at Walt Disney World
• Planning Your Walt Disney World Budget

DISNEY WORLD’S SPECIAL HALLOWEEN PARTY

While Halloween itself is October 31st of course, Walt Disney World provides a special celebration at the Magic Kingdom many evenings in September , October, and even November.

This celebration is called “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.”

At the party, many of the Magic Kingdom’s rides are open, and trick or treating, special events, and slightly different parades and fireworks are offered.

The official Disney World page for this event can be found here.

MORE ON MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY in 2011

[Read more →]

(This page is one of a series explicating Walt Disney World lingo, abbreviations, and FAQ for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World.)

WALT DISNEY WORLD’S GRAD NITES

Grad Nites are a Disney Youth program (see this). 

Traditionally, several times a year, usually on Friday and Saturday evenings in the late spring after the Easter rush, the Magic Kingdom closes to the general public at 7p, and opens to high school kids celebrating their graduation.

Disney has announced that 2011 Grad Nites at Walt Disney World will be 4/29, 4/30, 5/6, and 5/7.

Grad nights have little impact on regular Walt Disney world visitors, other than the loss of the opportunity to see the evening Main Street Electrical Parade and fireworks show Wishes on these nights.

Most of this site’s itineraries send families to the Magic Kingdom on their last Saturday night for Wishes and the parade–suggestions for alternate nights have been provided here and here.

As it turns out, these 2011 dates will be the last time Disney offers grad Nites at Walt Disney World. See this on the Disney Parks blog for more.