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As has been expected for some time, Disney World yesterday announced that theme park tickets purchased October 16 or after will have varying prices based on the start date of the ticket.

The prices themselves were not announced—that’s expected on the 16th itself, although rumors, some accurate, will come out before then. Many were confused by apparent prices being used in an explanatory video—even though every image in that video had material like the following:

The way it will work is that ticket purchasers first select a ticket form or type.*

You choose from among the current ticket types:  “regular” one park per day tickets, “hopper” tickets that allow visiting different parks in the same day (multiple visits in a day to one park are covered by “regular” tickets), or “hopper plus” tickets that also include pre-paid admission to the minor parks (waterparks, mini-golf, etc.).

The next choice you make is how many park days.

With these two choices in hand, you then pick your first possible day of use from a calendar that shows average daily prices by start day for a ticket of the already-selected form and number of days.

With a date clicked, the cost per day is highlighted…

…and the system will then show the total cost of the tickets…

…and also the days the tickets are eligible to be used.

Except for one day tickets, these tickets have eligibility ranges greater than the actual number of park days that can be used. Two and three day tickets have two extra calendar days they might be used; tickets with four through seven days of park admission have three extra days, and tickets with eight to ten days have four extra days.

This allows guests some flexibility for off days, visits to other Orlando attractions, or for working around family, illness, or weather issues. It also allows, I would guess, for a bit of start-day arbitrage for guests who are willing to give up some flexibility.**

For guests with calendar flexibility, the system will also let you seek low cost days…

…and for those who want to lock into a set of tickets and not worry yet about start dates, an option to pay more for flexible dates will also be available. This option also provides the longest date range of eligible use—fourteen days—regardless of the actual number of days in the ticket.

Disney has two intentions behind this change.

• One is to shift guests from higher-wait periods to lower wait ones, thereby increasing the satisfaction of the shifted guests (though not that of those who had already planned to go those dates because they held the promise of be see lower crowds)
• The second is to extract more value from those who, regardless of pricing, choose the more popular dates

Both these have already been in place at Disney World in some fashion for years. Resort prices have worked this way from time out of memory. And over the last three years, Disney World has restructured the prices of its various types of annual passes to shift many people into lower-cost pass options that block out many of the most popular dates—resulting, for example, in starkly lower summer waits the past three summers.

The new approach to date-based pricing is much less complicated than many had feared it would be. Yes, you need to pick a date or pay a premium for flexible dates—but you always have had to pick a date; this new approach will simply incent that choice to even earlier. And yes, you will pay higher prices for some dates than others, even if you have no real choice in your dates—but this has also always been true for hotel prices.

The impact on park waits is still to be seen, and will be partly shaped by the actual price differences among dates. Higher price differences will level out crowds across the year to some as-yet unquantifiable extent, making formerly bad dates better and formerly good dates worse, although the impact is yet to be seen and good daily planning will still pay off quite a bit. Lower price differences will have less impact on the flow of crowds across the year.

*All screenshots are from Disney’s video here.

**For example, say you plan to be in the parks for three days, on exact dates—e.g. February 3 through February 5. The two extra calendar days your ticket can be used on a three day ticket means your start dates could be February 1, February 2, or February 3. If you are willing to give up the option to use your tickets on February 6 or February 7, then picking February 1 or 2 as your start day, rather than February 3, in some scenarios might save you some money.

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For the first page of this review of the Hilton Orlando, see this.

PHOTO TOUR OF A ROOM AT THE HILTON ORLANDO LAKE BUENA VISTA

The Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista in the Disney Springs Resort Area–an entirely different hotel than the nearby similarly named Hilton Buena Vista Palace–has several room types in a long mid-rise building.

Rooms with a king bed and rooms with two queens are available. There are also some bookable views–e.g. a Disney Springs view (about a third of rooms here face the freeway, half the Wyndham, and a sixth Disney Springs). The Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista is a major convention hotel, and as in all such hotels, multiple suite options are also available.

I’ve stayed here four times, most recently in the summer of 2018. This photo tour is from that last stay, and is of a two queen room.

The entry has the divided bath and closet on the same side, and gives a good view of the ugly carpet.

The  first part of the divided bath has this sink.

On the other side of the space is this good-sized closet, with mirrors in the folding doors, and safe at the lower left. Note also the ironing board, etc.

In a separate space you’ll find a full bath, with another sink on one side, a toilet in the middle…

…and a tub-shower combo on the other side.

A closer view of the bath toiletries.

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

The bed side from the back of the room…

…and a closer view of one of the beds.

Between the beds you’ll find this bedside table with two drawers.

A closer view of the storage in this table.

At the end of this side, by the window, is this easy chair. I’d like to see a reading light near here.  And an ottoman, while I’m thinking about it.

The other side of the room has an empty mini-fridge casing with the coffee service above, a  dresser with a an actual mini-fridge inside and a TV above, and a desk.

This side of the room from the back.

The coffee service is atop an old mini-fridge casing…

…which is empty.

Next to it is the dresser, which is topped by a small 37 inch TV. The combination of the small TV and empty mini fridge casing leads me to think that a refurb will put a bigger TV on the wall, move the coffee service to the dresser, and eliminate the empty casing. We’ll see.

The three large drawers are plenty for the four people these rooms will sleep.

Next to these you’ll find the mini-fridge.

Further on this side you’ll find this desk.

The desk adds two shallow  drawers.

At around 375 square feet, the overall size of this Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista room is in the middle of the Disney deluxe resort range.  But because it devotes less of its square footage to the bath/entry/closet area, at around ~260 square feet, the size of its living area is larger than all the Disney deluxe resorts except those along the monorail.

The small TV and the absence of a balcony, while not unusual in the Disney Springs resorts (balconies are routinely available only in the Holiday Inn and Buena Vista Palace) are clear negatives.  But the divided bath and two sinks is a positive, and rarer among the Disney Springs resorts than they should be.  Overall this Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista room is bland but spacious, and is reasonably well-appointed for both families and couples.

AMENITIES AND DINING AT THE HILTON ORLANDO LAKE BUENA VISTA

This review continues here.

MORE ON THE HILTON ORLANDO LAKE BUENA VISTA

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

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

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WHAT IS MARCH LIKE AT DISNEY WORLD?

The first week of March can be a great time to go to Disney World, and is so in 2019, up until March 8. The rest of the month will mostly be lousy–with high prices and high crowds.

[Read more →]

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 (10)

By Jim Korkis

• Disney A-Z: The Official Encyclopedia (2016)  by Dave Smith

I can’t believe you don’t already have a copy of this valuable reference in your library, but you may perhaps be dragging your feet to purchase the latest edition that is 864 pages long with over 7,000 entries. Editions came out in 1996, 1998, 2006, 2015 (exclusive limited Sam’s Warehouse club edition), and 2016.

I’ve known the author of Disney A to Z, Disney Chief Archivist Emeritus David R. Smith, for decades. I did a lengthy interview with him on March 16, 2005 at Walt Disney World where among other things we talked about this book.

“Well, the first version of the book Disney A to Z came out in 1996 and, at that time, Hyperion, which was publishing the Disney books, said this is a great reference book and we should keep updating it every two years. So two years later, in 1998, we did the updated version of Disney A to Z, so I expected when 2000 came along, they’d be ready for the next edition. Well, they’ve been dragging their feet.

“What I did though in 1998, the minute that I shipped off the manuscript for the updated version to the publisher, I started putting onto my computer all of the new material that would then go into the next edition. You know what’s happening with the company all the time: we’ve got new movies coming out, we’ve got attractions opening at the park, we’ve got attractions closing at the park, we’ve got songs winning Oscars and all that sort of thing.

“All this type of information as it crosses my desk, I just type it into the computer right there! So, I’m up to date as of Friday and it’s Disney Editions now that publishes the Disney books. If they say we’re ready to do your new edition of Disney A to Z, the next morning I will ship off the computer disc and they’ll be all ready to go!

“Well, as you know, so many of the questions you get over and over again so you find that maybe 95% of the questions you can answer without doing any research whatsoever and then the other 5%, some of them take a lot of research to try to find the answers.

“That’s the reason I wrote Disney A-Z: The Official Encyclopedia so that I would have all that information at my fingertips rather than going through different file folders. Primarily, we utilized most frequently three huge file folders. One listed all the films and material about them. Another had a listing of all the theme park attractions and when they opened and closed. The third was a listing of people who had worked at Disney.

“We would keep getting requests that somebody’s great aunt had said they worked at the studio and they wanted to know when or just to check. Things happen quickly at Disney and without warning and one of the challenges I have being based in California is getting accurate opening and closing dates for things at Walt Disney World. Fortunately, cast members have been a huge help in that area.

“There was no money to pay for photos, so I took my own camera out and took pictures for that first edition because since I was on salary, they didn’t have to pay me anything additional.”

The WDW material is not as complete as the Disneyland material, but it is still valuable and authoritative. Even with the publication of this latest volume, Dave continues to constantly update and add entries online here.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim! You can see my copy of one of the older editions here:

And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest, More Secret Stories of Disneyland, and his 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: SEPTEMBER 22 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

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

For more on September at Disney World, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/22-9/30/18

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-11p 9/22, 9a-6p 9/23, 9a-9p 9/24, 9a-6p 9/25, 9a-9p 9/26 and 9/27, 9a-6p 9/28, 8a-12MN 9/29, and 9a-6p 9/30

Epcot will be open from 9a-10p 9/22, 9a-9p 9/23 through 9/27, 9a-10p 9/28 and 9/29, and 9a-9p 9/30

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-8.30p 9/22 and 9/23, and 9a-8p 9/24 through 9/30

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 9a-9.30p 9/22, 9a-8p 9/23 through 9/28, 9a-8.30p 9/29, and 9a-8p 9/30

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/22-9/30/18

Saturday 9/22 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 9/23  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Monday 9/24  Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 9/25 Morning: none Evening: Epcot

Wednesday 9/26 Morning:  none Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 9/27 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 9/28 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 9/29 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 9/30 Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/22-9/30/18

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 2p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/22-9/30/18

Happily Every After at Magic Kingdom: 8p 9/22,  9/24, 9/26, 9/27, and 9/29

IllumiNations at Epcot:  10p 9/22; 9p 9/23 through 9/27; 10p 9/28 and 9/29; 9p 9/30

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8.30p every night

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 8.15 and 9.30p 9/22; 8.15p 9/23 through 9/30

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/22-9/30/18

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

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MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY 2018

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (“MNSSHP”) is a special, separately ticketed party that happens on certain nights every September, October and some years even early November at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

At the party you will find un-crowded rides, a special parade (shown twice, at 9.15 and 11.15p), special fireworks at 10.15p, a Hocus Pocus show, trick-or-treating, a dance party…and a ton of guests in costumes!

I had a chance to see it again a couple of times in mid-September 2018, and the scoop follows!

(See this for more on logistics–Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates, ticket prices, etc.)

WHAT’S NEW FOR 2018 AT MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY

The 2018 party pretty much follows the pattern set in 2015 and continued since. The most important change over the period is that the first parade is later.  This limits a bit the crowds in the hub during the first part of the party. You will still see crowds everywhere–ride waits are low to very low but the paths are mobbed.

For 2018, three rides have been “plussed.”

The Mad Tea Party has gained a different soundtrack, lights, and spooky smoke effects, greatly increasing its popularity–except with me.

Pirates of the Caribbean has gained some live characters…

…around the theme of finding “Gunpowder Pete.” The overall effect has led to some derision, but for some will give a new reason to pay more attention to scenes that perhaps they have come to take for granted, and for others will be a distraction from the dullness of the new redhead tableau.

Finally, the experience of Space Mountain really changes with a near blackout of the ride.

A big part of the fun of Space Mountain has been not being able to see what comes next–and a refurb a few years ago made the ride even darker (though not everyone is a fan). For the party, we have something different–a near black-out.  All lighting effects are turned off, objects formerly lit are now dark, there’s no stars in the sky.  All you can see is a few red dots here and there and some distant “EXIT” signs.

The effect is to make Space Mountain much more scary than before–as testified to by the quite louder screams, mostly of joy, you will hear while riding it.

The best approach to the Party remains the same–see rides until the fireworks, and watch the second parade rather than the first.

But because of the crowds remaining after the 9.15 parade, it may be hard to get to the hub to see the fireworks from there. While HalloWishes, like all Magic Kingdom fireworks shows, is best seen from between the Castle and the Main Street railroad station, it does work really well from elsewhere in the park, because of things that happen in the finale that I’m not gonna spoil here.

So do rides until just before ten, find a good nearby fireworks spot, then see the characters and go trick or treating, see the 11.15p parade, and see the midnight Hocus Pocus show. A late night, but one that avoids the congestion around the Castle hub and Main Street.

COSTUMES AT MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY

Costumes are not required, and not everyone wears them. But even after the increased security that began in December 2015, they are still allowed at the party.

Above is the official Disney lingo (click it to enlarge it). Note that these guidelines are solely for the Halloween Party.  “Regular” attendance is subject to different rules, basically ruling out costumes for those 14 and older.

The most common costumes continue to be princess costumes and pirate costumes, and after that Star Wars costumes.

And this group in Tomorrowland proved a Disney princess theme was not required!

THE PARADE, FIREWORKS, DANCE PARTY, HOCUS POCUS SHOW AND TRICK-OR-TREATS AT MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY

Besides most rides being open to short (or shorter) waits, MNSSHP has a special set of Halloween-themed activities (see above–click to enlarge it).

For example, the parade–Mickey’s Boo-to-You Parade–is seen only at MNSSHP.

It begins with a surprise–pay attention when the Cast members start to rope off the crosswalks (dampness on the streets may eliminate this first surprise).

Then a bunch of characters stroll by.

It then shifts to ducks and mice…

…then some pirates…

…more pirates…

…but then shortly shifts to my favorite part, Haunted-Mansion themed dancing gravediggers and ghouls.

More ghouls.

The gravedigger dance.

Soon comes candy…

…then the parade goes back to scary, ending with Disney villains!

There’s two showings of the parade, at 9.15p and 11.15p, with spectacular Halloween-themed fireworks between at 10.15p.

While the fireworks are best seen from in front of the Castle with the Main Street train station behind you, this will lead you into a wildly crowded section of the park.

Because of their spectacular finale the fireworks can be seen from elsewhere in the park–you’ll miss a little but gain a lot of comfort from avoiding the mobs in front of the Castle.

The Liberty Square and Cosmic Rays dance parties left three years ago, but there’s still an outdoor Monsters-themed dance party at the thingy between Astro-Orbiter and Space Mountain.

New in 2018 is a Disney Junior dance party in Storybook Circus…

…not much attended, at least during my visit to it.

Something I had not paid enough attention to until recently was fun audience interaction with characters from the Haunted Mansion.

It’s just outside the exit, so see it after your required Halloween visit to the ride.

You’ll also find lots of Halloween-themed merchandise.  Some is specific to the party (and may be sold out–see your brochure for locations) and the rest is generally available–including, somewhat jarringly, in the Christmas shop.

The Hocus Pocus show is quite popular.  The three sisters from the movie return…

…and call on hordes of Disney villains to help them stay.

The show includes strong songs and dances, fun characters, and some spectacular effects. Those familiar with the movie need not get close to the stage (thought it can’t hurt), but if you haven’t seen it, the characters of the three sisters are much more apparent if you are closer to the stage.  This is easier at the midnight show, not so easy at the earlier shows.

Character meet-n-greets are all over the place–with both common and unusual characters.

Some more characters:

There’s also a ton of trick or treat locations, marked by lighted columns.

Get your trick-or-treat bag on the pathway that begins at the left of Town Square…

…and your first handful of candy, too.

But both the characters and trick-or-treating raise an issue.

STRATEGY AND RIDES AT MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY

All the major rides are open, and many minor rides as well. Most have very short waits–e.g. 10 minutes for Space Mountain. Typically, only Peter Pan and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train have annoying waits.

The trick-or-treat spots and especially the character greetings, on the other hand, have pretty long lines, and the hub is packed all evening.

So the best approach is to skip the character greetings and trick-or-treats–or delay them until after the fireworks–and spend the first part of the evening on rides.

Do rides until just before the 10.15p fireworks show and watch it.

Now try trick-or-treating or character meets. Then see the second (11.15p) parade and the midnight Hocus Pocus show.

I struggle with whether or not this party is worth the money for first-time family visitors who may never return.

It’s quite expensive–for a family of four, more than $300, and even over $400 on many dates. And it’s just a five hour show (7p to midnight)–though Disney unofficially lets you in starting at 4p.

Yet the fireworks are among the best Disney World offers, the parade is a hoot, the rides have short lines…and the costumes are fun!

My overall take is that for first-timers this time and money is better spent elsewhere, but that’s a really close call, and for sure I’d recommend it to returning visitors!

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