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(For the first page of this review of the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, click here.)

REVIEW: THE POOL COMPLEX AT THE WALDORF ASTORIA ORLANDO

The Waldorf Astoria Orlando has two pools, and guests staying at it can also use the pool complex at the nearby sister resort Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek.

One pool at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, visible above, caters more to adults, as it has no distinctive features other than cabanas.

The second pool in the middle of the image above (shot from my room, you can see my shirt) is a bit more family friendly, with a zero entry, and a turf play area that occupies the lower left of the image. There’s no slide nor any lazy river–for those you need to go to the next-door Hilton.

The second pool combines a long narrow area with a cross-shaped area.  This view begins our walk down the long narrow part of the pool. Note the zero entry.

Tables and pool chairs line the pool sides.  At least on my visit, there was plenty of room–and great service.

In this area you’ll also find a more private group of chairs, handy for introverts, that also present nice views of those parts of the Epcot and Hollywood Studios fireworks that are visible from here.

Continuing down to the cross-shaped area of the pool.

The most interesting part of this area is the presence of two firepits–the second is in the top center.

Fire is generally an unwelcome addition to a day at the pool in Florida, but becomes more interesting at night.

This end of the pool, seen from an upper walkway (the edge of the cabana pool is at the left).

Also at this end is the bar and dining option, Aquamarine (menu here).

Inside.

I had an undistinguished Greek salad…

…and some fine tuna tacos.

Heading back toward the longer end of the pool, you’ll find this hot tub between the larger pool and the cabana pool.

Further down–close to where we started our tour–is a turfed play area with toys for kids.

The cabana pool is probably meant for adults–although it saw little use during my stay.  This shot is from one end towards the pool we’ve just been looking around.

Cabanas are on two sides…

…but the far end–more attractive than this cloudy shot implies–has regular pool chairs.

The pools at night.

I was a bit disappointed overall with the Waldorf Astoria Orlando pool offering.  It’s uncrowded, has some positive features for both kids and adults, great service, and interesting dining.

But it’s not a lot of fun.  Families in particular (at the expense of crowding) will much more enjoy the pools at the next-door Hilton, which welcomes Waldorf Astoria guests.

MORE ON THE WALDORF ASTORIA ORLANDO

• Overview and summary
• Photo tour of a standard room
• Dining and amenities
• The pool complex

Kelly, the long-time travel agent partner of this site, can book your Disney World vacation at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando–or at any other Disney World hotel!  Contact her using the form below.

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 160+ stays in them

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

Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

CLUB COOL AND ICE STATION COOL AT EPCOT

By Jim Korkis

Paperwork has been filed to remove Club Cool to make space for changes coming to Epcot. Club Cool first opened on November 14, 2005 as a location promoting Coca-Cola.

Disney has had a long relationship with Coca-Cola, since it was one of the original lessees at Disneyland in 1955 and became the sole soft drink provider for the Disney theme parks in 1982, when it started sponsoring the American Adventure pavilion at Epcot.

Club Cool sells Coca-Cola souvenirs as well as offering guests unlimited free samples of different variations of the classic beverage from around the world, very much like a much smaller version of the World of Coca-Cola location in Coke’s corporate headquarters of Atlanta, Georgia.

(c) Disney

“Learn how the world refreshes itself!”

• Italy – Beverly — A bitter flavor but is a popular non-alcoholic aperitif.
• Greece – Fanta Pineapple — One of ninety different Fanta flavors, this caffeine-free offering has a sweet pineapple taste.
• Thailand – Fanta Melon Frosty
• Japan – Vegitabeta — A non-carbonated apricot and passion fruit mix
• South Africa – Bilbo — Fruit flavored lime juice
• Zimbabwe – Sparletta – Raspberry flavored cream soda
• Peru – Inca Kola — A sweet fruity flavor some say is similar to bubblegum.
• Brazil – Gurana Kuat — Guarana berry flavoreD

Originally the location opened as Ice Station Cool in June 1998 with a themed entrance near the Innoventions Fountain. It closed on June 6, 2005.

“Welcome to Ice Station Cool, the most refreshing place on Earth. Coca-Cola ‘Coolologists’ have been searching the globe non-stop for years, hoping to discover the origin of cool. This place is a recreation of one of the Coolologist’s recent Refreshus Maximus (Maximum Refreshment) expeditions,” stated a plaque.

The name of the location had been inspired by the 1963 Alistair MacLean novel Ice Station Zebra, about a British meterological station built on an ice floe in the Arctic Sea that was made into a popular 1968 movie. The idea came from the actual Ice Station Alpha and Ice Station Bravo that were established in the Arctic during The International Geophysical Year 1957-1958.

Another inspiration for the theming was the “The Iceman”, a 5,300 year old corpse discovered September 19, 1991 on the border of Italy and Austria (in the Alps) who had been buried in ice since the Neolithic Era and was completely preserved including items like his dagger and a copper axe.

“The story (of Ice Station Cool) is a group of archeologists made this discovery high in the sub-arctic,” said principal production designer Kerry Gilman. “But El Nino caused the ice to melt, so Refreshus Maximus (the name given by the expedition to the frozen Neanderthal) found reaching for a bottle of The Real Thing was brought to be preserved and studied at Epcot, the land of discovery.”

Guests entered a snow cave opening just past a snowcat vehicle and exterior misters exuding a fine, cold spray. Going through sliding doors and hanging freezer flaps, they find themselves in an insulated concrete tunnel featuring the remains (behind glass) of a recently discovered frozen Neanderthal from “a 30,000 year old highly civilized and now highly frozen refreshment culture” in a faux ice wall.

Throughout the 85 foot long cave, a snow machine pumped four tons of shaved ice per twelve hour period. That equals 240 cubic feet, roughly the equivalent of a ten by twenty foot room covered in a foot of ice. A two inch trough was placed below special floor grates to catch any melting flakes so that the area did not become flooded.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, The Unofficial Walt Disney World 1971 Companion: Stories of How the World Began, and Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, all published by Theme Park Press.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JULY 6 TO JULY 14, 2019

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more on June 2019 at Disney World see this, and for more on July, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/6-7/14/19

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-10p every day

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 9a-10p 7/6 and 7/7, 9a-9p 7/8 and 7/9, and 9a-10p 7/10 through 7/14

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/6-7/14/19

Saturday 7/6 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 7/7  Morning:  Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Monday 7/8 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 7/9 Morning: none Evening: Epcot

Wednesday 7/10 Morning:  none Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 7/11 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 7/12 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 7/13 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 7/14 Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/6-7/14/19

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon parade: 3p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/6-7/14/19

Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom 9.15p every night

IllumiNations at Epcot: 9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9.30p every night

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 9 and 10p 7/6 and 7/7; 9p 7/8 and 7/9; 9 and 10p 7/10 through 7/14

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 7/6-7/14/19

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

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(For the first page of this review of the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, click here.)

PHOTO TOUR OF A TWO QUEEN STANDARD ROOM AT THE WALDORF ASTORIA ORLANDO

In spring 2019 the Waldorf Astoria Orlando in the Bonnet Creek Resort (and its sister hotel, the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek) gained access to the two most valued Disney World perks: access to FastPass+ at 60 days, and access to Extra Magic Hours.

Because of this, I recently stayed in each, and this review of the Waldorf Astoria Orlando is based on my stay there in May.

The Waldorf Astoria Orlando has several room types in its mid-rise tower, including rooms with two queens, room with one king, and multiple suite types. Bookable categories include “Disney View,” and “Golf View.”

The Disney view rooms look towards Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot; Golf view rooms look in the same direction, except from a lower level; rooms without specified views look out over a nature preserve.

At the entry, the bath is on one side and the closet on the other.

The bath is spacious and includes both a tub and a separate shower, but has no extra help for family travelers–it has room for double sinks but offers just a single sink, and is not divided.

The tub.

The shower.

Some of the bath toiletries.

Back out in the entry hall, also on this side you’ll find an object with the coffee service above…

…and a mini-fridge below. Note the small freezer compartment.

On the other side of the hall is the small but likely adequate closet.

I have been in a lot of hotel rooms in my life, and this is the first one I can think of that included a flashlight.

Deeper in the room on one side you’ll find two queen beds and an easy chair.

The bed side from the back.

A closer view of one of the beds.

Between the beds you’ll find this bedside table.

It includes two sizable drawers, with plenty of room for your important books.

The last item of note on this side is this easy chair.

The other side of the room has a dresser with a TV above and a desk.

The TV side from the back of the room.

The dresser has a 54″ TV above and five drawers below.

The drawers are good sized.

In the space that would be the 6th drawer you will find a safe. My book is 6″ by 9″–showing how large this safe is.

The desk.

Standard rooms at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando don’t have balconies (some of the suites do.) This limits the value of the fireworks views, but they are certainly more fun than not having such views.

At about 425 square feet these Waldorf Astoria Orlando rooms are comparable in size to the largest Disney deluxe resort rooms.

But with no balconies, no real concessions to larger families in the bath layout, and limited seating, they don’t have a lot to recommend them for typical families.  Couples, or families of three, should do just fine in these rooms–but other than the separate shower and bath (and the flashlight!!) I don’t see a ton to recommend them over rooms in the next door Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek.  Suites, I imagine are something else…but they usually are!

AMENITIES AND DINING AT THE WALDORF ASTORIA ORLANDO

This review continues here.

MORE ON THE WALDORF ASTORIA ORLANDO

• Overview and summary
• Photo tour of a standard room
• Dining and amenities
• The pool complex

Kelly, the long-time travel agent partner of this site, can book your Disney World vacation at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando–or at any other Disney World hotel!  Contact her using the form below.

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 160+ stays in them

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

2020 RESORT PRICE SEASONS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

The material below shows Walt Disney World resort hotel price seasons at different times of the year in 2020.

Resort prices can be almost twice as high during some periods as they are at others. The information on this page helps you identify lower and higher cost periods.

Ticket prices for 2020 are also out. There’s still (in my judgment) a ticket price increase for 2020 to come, but they (roughly) follow the patterns of hotel prices.

My comparisons are to prices that are “the lowest of the year,” the value season.

Grouping of dates is based on “price seasons,” a grouping tool Disney World no longer makes public, but which can be identified analytically, and named (sorta) based on past practices. Disney charges based on the actual price of the actual nights, so if your visit straddles price seasons, you’ll pay the prices of each price season.

The charts average prices over the next seven nights, by arrival date.  This eliminates what would be otherwise be incomprehensible bumpiness from Thursday/Sunday and/or Friday/Saturday upcharges. For exact prices by night by room type by date, see MouseSavers.com here.

(For more on 2020 at Disney World, see this. For 2019 price seasons, see this. For the basics on where to stay at Disney World, see this.)

2020 DISNEY WORLD RESORT PRICE SEASONS: VALUE RESORTS

• The lowest prices of the year–the value season–begin 1/2/2020
• 20-30% higher prices–Marathon rates–begin 1/9/20
• Lowest prices of year–the value season–begin 1/12/20
• 20-30% higher for the Martin Luther King Jr. long weekend begins 1/17/20
• Lowest prices of year–the value season–begin 1/20/20
• 40-55% higher for the week of Presidents Day begins 2/13/20 (prices are a bit lower 2/17-2/19)
• 25-30% higher–the regular season–begins 2/23/20
• 35-50% higher–the peak season–begins 3/6/20
• 25-30% higher–the regular season–begins 3/22/20
• 35-50% higher–the peak season–begins 3/29
• 60-70% higher–the Easter season–begins 4/5/20 (prices are a bit lower 4/11-4/14)
• 25-30% higher–the regular 2 season–begins 4/19/20
• 45-55% higher over the Memorial Day long weekend begins 5/22
• 30-40% higher–the summer season–begins 5/25/20
• 55-65% higher over the long 4th of July weekend begins 7/2/20
• 30-40% higher–the summer season–begins 7/5/20

• 20-30% higher–the summer 2 season–begins 8/9/20
• 10-15% higher–the fall season–begins 8/23/20
• 20-30% higher–the regular 3 season–begins 9/13/20
• 40-55% higher over the long Columbus Day weekend begins 10/9/20
• 20-30% higher–the regular 3 season–begins 10/12/20
• 10-15% higher–the fall 2 season– begins 10/25/20
• 25-35% higher for the long weekend ending Jersey Week begins 11/5/20
• 10-15% higher–the fall 2 season– begins 11/8/20
• 35-40% higher over Thanksgiving begins 11/21/20
• 10-15% higher–the fall 2 season–begins 11/28/20
• 25-30% higher–the regular 4 season–begins 12/6/20
• 40-50% higher–the holiday season–begins 12/11/20
• 65-75% higher–the holiday 2 season–begins 12/18/20
• 70-80% higher–the holiday 3 season–begins 12/25/20

2020 DISNEY WORLD RESORT PRICE SEASONS: MODERATE RESORTS

• The lowest prices of the year–the value season–begin 1/2/2020
• 15% higher prices–Marathon rates–begin 1/9/20
• Lowest prices of year–the value season–begin 1/12/20
• 10-15% higher for the Martin Luther King Jr. long weekend begins 1/17/20
• Lowest prices of year–the value season–begin 1/20/20
• 30% higher for the week of Presidents Day begins 2/13/20 (prices are a bit lower 2/17-2/19)
• 15-20% higher–the regular season–begins 2/23/20
• 25-30% higher–the peak season–begins 3/6/20
• 15-20% higher–the regular season–begins 3/22/20
• 25-30% higher–the peak season–begins 3/29
• 45-50% higher–the Easter season–begins 4/5/20 (prices are a bit lower 4/11-4/14)
• 20% higher–the regular season 2–begins 4/19/20
• 30-35% higher over the Memorial Day long weekend begins 5/22
• 15-20% higher–the summer season–begins 5/25/20
• 25-35% higher over the long 4th of July weekend begins 7/2/20

• 15-20% higher–the summer season–begins 7/5/20
• 15-25% higher–the summer 2 season–begins 8/9/20
• 10-20% higher–the fall season–begins 8/23/20
• 20-25% higher–the regular 3 season–begins 9/13/20
• 30-40% higher over the long Columbus Day weekend begins 10/9/20
• 20-25% higher–the regular 3 season–begins 10/12/20
• 10-20% higher–the fall 2 season– begins 10/25/20
• 25-35% higher for the long weekend ending Jersey Week begins 11/5/20
• 10-20% higher–the fall 2 season– begins 11/8/20
• 25-30% higher over Thanksgiving begins 11/21/20
• 10-20% higher–the fall 2 season–begins 11/28/20
• 20-25% higher–the regular 4 season–begins 12/6/20
• 25-30% higher–the holiday season–begins 12/11/20
• 50-60% higher–the holiday 2 season–begins 12/18/20
• 55-65% higher–the holiday 3 season–begins 12/25/20

2020 DISNEY WORLD RESORT PRICE SEASONS: DELUXE RESORTS

• The lowest prices of the year–the value season–begin 1/2/2020
• 15-20% higher prices–Marathon rates–begin 1/9/20
• Lowest prices of year–the value season–begin 1/12/20
• 15-20% higher for the Martin Luther King Jr. long weekend begins 1/17/20
• Lowest prices of year–the value season–begin 1/20/20
• 30-50% higher for the week of Presidents Day begins 2/13/20 (prices are a bit lower 2/17-2/19)
• 20-25% higher–the regular season–begins 2/23/20
• 30-45% higher–the peak season–begins 3/6/20
• 20-25% higher–the regular season–begins 3/22/20
• 30-45% higher–the peak season–begins 3/29
• 50-65% higher–the Easter season–begins 4/5/20 (prices are a bit lower 4/11-4/14)
• 20-25% higher–the regular season 2–begins 4/19/20
• 25-40% higher over the Memorial Day long weekend begins 5/22
• 10-15% higher–the summer season–begins 5/25/20
• 15-25% higher over the long 4th of July weekend begins 7/2/20
• 5-10% higher–near-lowest of year–the value season 2–begins 7/5/20

• Lowest of year–the value season–begins 8/21/20
• Prices bump up on 9/4/20 to 15% to 20% higher than the lowest of the year for the long Labor Day
  weekend
• Lowest of the year–the value season–begins 9/7/20
• 15-25% higher–the regular season 3–begins 9/18/20
• Prices increase to 25-35% higher than the lowest of the year for the long Columbus Day weekend on 10/9/20
• 10-20% higher–the fall season–begins 10/12/20
• 20-25% higher–the regular season 4–begins 10/30/20
• 20-30% higher for the long weekend ending Jersey Week begins 11/5/20
• 10-20% higher–the fall season–begins 11/8/20
• 25-40% higher during Thanksgiving begins 11/24/20
• 10-20% higher–the fall season–begins 11/28/20
• 25-30% higher–the regular 5 season–begins 12/6/20
• 30-50% higher–the holiday season–begins 12/11/20
• 55-80% higher–the holiday 2 season–begins 12/18/20
• 60-85% higher–the holiday 3 season–begins 12/25/20

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 160+ stays in them

Kelly, the long-time travel agent partner of this site, can book your Disney World vacation at any Disney World hotel!  Contact her using the form below.

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

Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

YOUR PERSONAL DISNEY LIBRARY (18)

By Jim Korkis

• Spinning Disney’s World by Charles Ridgway

Charlie Ridgway was hired at Disneyland in January 1963 as a publicity man for the park. In 1969 he was offered the job as Publicity Manager for Walt Disney World and re-located to Florida. He helped launch the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971 and EPCOT Center in 1982, as well as with special projects for celebrations such as Donald Duck’s 50th birthday in 1984. He retired in 1994 and was made a Disney Legend in 1999.

I knew and liked Charlie and interviewed him several times over the years. He was a gentle, generous, funny person and a wonderfully accurate source of information about Disneyland and early Walt Disney World.

I even shared part of one of those interviews with him about the opening of Walt Disney World in a previous yourfirstvisit column.

“Charlie defined Disney public relations,” stated Rick Sylvain, who was hired by Ridgway to join Disney’s public relations team in 1995. “He never lost his childlike enthusiasm for all things Disney. That enthusiasm was infectious. As a new recruit, you had two options: try to keep up with him or get out of the way.

“Disney doesn’t throw around accolades lightly. So being named a Disney Legend and having his name on a window of Main Street U.S.A. speaks to the esteem Disney held for Charlie.”

Since his business was providing stories for the media, it is no surprise that his book is filled with great stories of interacting with Walt and Roy Disney as well as Michael Eisner. There are no chapter titles in the 230 page book but fortunately there is an index to help locate information.

The book is filled with stories that no one else has ever told, including Charlie planning the 80th birthday party of journalist Lowell Thomas at WDW in 1972 that included World War I Ace Eddie Rickenbacker, World War II’s General Jimmy Doolittle, inspirational speaker Norman Vincent Peale and more.

Ridgway writes: “At the banquet that night (at the Contemporary), Lowell showed his home movies, things like Tom Dewey playing softball at Lowell’s farm while a smiling Franklin D. Roosevelt looked on from his open touring car.” Lowell moved from the Contemporary to the Polynesian (“which was his favorite”) for three more days.

Try to find that story anywhere else or “We flew into Orlando several times (on Walt’s plane 234MM) during construction of Walt Disney World. We always landed at Herndon Field instead of McCoy (later Orlando International) where they regularly announced ‘Mickey Mouse 234 approaching’. Then after landing, it was ‘The Rat is on the ramp’.”

What about the story of Walt and Bob Hope entertaining the U.S. Olympic team on its way to Japan in 1964 on a riverfront stage in Frontierland at Disneyland? When the little train from Nature’s Wonderland let out its shrill whistle unexpectedly, Hope quipped, “Walt, your waffles are ready”.

Even with all the gems in the book, Charlie had enough for another book and I kept urging him to write a sequel for almost a decade, until his death in 2016. Unfortunately, like other Disney Legends Jack Lindquist, Marty Sklar and John Hench who were in the middle of new books when they passed away, the same situation happened for Charlie.

Fortunately, this book does exist and shares with us all a different perspective and new information on both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, The Unofficial Walt Disney World 1971 Companion: Stories of How the World Began, and Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, all published by Theme Park Press.

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