Category — w. Most Recent Stuff

For the first page of this review of the Hilton Buena Vista Palace, see this.

PHOTO TOUR OF A TOWER ROOM AT THE HILTON BUENA VISTA PALACE

The Hilton Buena Vista Palace in the Disney Springs Resort Area has several room types in two principal buildings–one the main tower, with multiple levels, and another a lower and somewhat distant accommodations building called the Island.

Rooms with a king bed and rooms with two queens are available, most with balconies.  When booking, you can select your beds, and also choose your view. The Buena Vista Palace is a significant convention hotel, and as in all such hotels, multiple suite options are also available.

This photo tour is of a tower two queen room. (A photo tour of an Island room at the Hilton Buena Vista Palace is here.)

The entry has the divided bath and closet on the same side.

The  first part of the divided bath has this sink.

Bath toiletries.

On the other side of the space is this good-sized closet, with a mirrored door (not shown, as I am shy).

In a separate space you’ll find the toilet and tub-shower combo.

Deeper in the room, you’ll find the queen beds and a small bench 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 an open cubby below.

The other side of the room has a dresser with a mini-fridge inside and a TV above, a desk, and then back in the angled area, a large easy chair.

The dresser is topped by a large TV.

The three medium+ drawers are enough for the four people these rooms will sleep.

Next to these you’ll find the mini-fridge. Note also the safe above it. Because I am a bad person, I forgot to measure it, but my book is 6 inches by 9 inches.

Further on this side you’ll find this multi-part desk thingy, with a coffee service on it. The lower part of the desk thingy is a rolling table that you can move elsewhere in the room and use for games, open heart surgery, and the like. This is a nice touch that you will also find in some of the Disney deluxe resorts.

Beyond, in the angled area of the room, is this large easy chair with a lamp on one side and a table on the other.

A closer view of the chair.

The table top comes off, revealing an ottoman below. The ottoman, along with the bench at the foot of one of the beds, adds to the seating options of the room.

At the end of most rooms is an angled balcony.

The angles of the room add interest to the space, but result in unusable corners in the balcony and a small overall usable balcony area.

My room overlooked Saratoga Springs. Some views are of sister Disney Springs Resort Area hotels, but you can also book pool, Disney Springs, and “Fireworks” views–the fireworks are quite distant, and the small balcony can lead to some crowding if you have four folks on it watching the fireworks.

The Magic Kingdom fireworks from my balcony.

The Epcot fireworks from my balcony.

At around 382 square feet, the overall size of this Hilton Buena Vista Palace 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 ~274 square feet, the size of its living area is almost comparable to that in the largest Disney deluxes along the monorail.

Overall this Hilton Buena Vista Palace room is bland but spacious, and is well-appointed for both families and couples.

PHOTO TOUR OF AN ISLAND BUILDING ROOM AT THE HILTON BUENA VISTA PALACE

This review continues here.

MORE ON THE HILTON BUENA VISTA PALACE

• Overview and summary
• Photo tour of a standard tower room 
• Photo tour of an Island room
• Dining and amenities
• The pools 

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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For the first page of this review of Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, click here.

Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort completed a room refurb project in late 2019.

The key positive features of the refurb are the addition of queen beds and coffee makers, which, until a very similar refurb happened first at Pop Century, were unheard of in value resort standard rooms.

Less universally praised is the bright white color scheme–exacerbated by the loss of the colorful bed stripes, which has happened generally across Disney World resorts–and the fact that one of the queens is a fold down bed that disappears the table and chairs while it is down.

I had the chance to stay in one of these newly-refurbed All-Star Movies rooms in mid-September, so here’s a photo tour and my observations.

One side of the room has a thingy with the coffee maker above and the mini-fridge below, the dresser and TV, and a connecting door, if present.

This side of the room from the back.

The coffee thingy has multiple cubbies, a general feature of the value resort refurb program.

The drawer in the thingy contains the coffee and tea supplies, and also drinking and coffee cups.

The mini-fridge, as is common in new Disney World rooms, has a glass front so you can see what’s inside without opening it. I popped a shelf out of its supports with my book, but I fixed it later!

The dresser has drawers on one side and shelving and a safe on the other, is flanked with two sets of power points each of which can charge four devices, and is topped with a 54-inch TV.

The three drawers are 31 inches by 13 inches but only 4.5 inches tall.

There is still much more storage in these new rooms than in the pre-refurb rooms at the All-Stars–their dresser/ mini-fridge combo is shown above.

Back to the refurbed room, next to the drawers are shelves and a safe.

I measured the safe as 19 inches by 15 inches by 6.5 inches tall.

By the connecting door you’ll find this coat rack.

In the back of the room are the sinks, closet, and, in a separate space, the toilet and shower.

Following the details of the Pop Century here as in most other matters, the overall bath and dressing area are now closed off from the rest of the room with a sliding solid door, rather than the fabric curtain you’ll find in un-refurbed value resort rooms (and the Port Orleans moderates).

Here’s the sliding door closed.

Note all the crannies and cubbies around the sink.

The cubbies to the left of the sink have the hair dryer and iron.

On the right side of the sink you’ll find this new make-up mirror.

On the side of this space is a solid hanging closet. There’s 19 inches of hanging space inside.

The toilet and tub are enclosed by this two-part sliding door.

The tub is enclosed with sliding doors–a more straightforward arrangement for most than a billowing shower curtain, but an awkwardness for bathing children.

The shower has a rain fall head, but not the hand-held shower head that also comes with the Pop refurb. Other minor differences from the Pop refurb: no luggage rack (at least not in room 9751) and no extension to the clothes rod on the ironing board side of the closet.

The toiletries are in the bottles that we’ve been seeing in recent refurbs across the resort.

Some of the refurbed Pop rooms only have showers, no tubs. I don’t yet know if that’s the case with Movies as well.

Back into the main area, the other side of the room has a table and chairs and a fixed queen bed.

The bed side from the back. Note the seven visible pillows–there’s one more in the closet.

A closer view of the fixed queen…

…and of the art above it.  Just with this, these refurbed All-Stars Movies rooms have more Disney theming than any other value resort rooms except refurbed Pop rooms and the Little Mermaid rooms in Art of Animation…and there’s more to come.

Another feature of this refurbed All-Star Movies room is space under the bed for storing your suitcases.  There’s 14.5 inches of clearance, which will fit most rolly bags. I stuck mine in sideways to show how much clearance there is.

There’s a table with a cubby below and power points above between the bed and bath wall…

…and another between the bed and table.

The distinctive feature of this room is the fold down bed, found behind this table and chairs.

Stack the chairs in the corner…

…pull the two handles, and the table disappears and this bed replaces it.

Nephews also appear.

I measured the fold-down bed as 59 inches by 79 inches–just an inch short on both dimensions of being a queen, but it’s so much larger than a full (which would be 54″ by 74″) that none can quibble at calling it a queen.

The mattress is a full 12 inches deep–as deep as that of the fixed queen. This bed is entirely appropriate for adults, and in fact adults might prefer it, as they can put the kids in the fixed queen and use the table until they themselves are ready for sleep.

There is yet another table and cubby and power point between the fold-down bed and outer wall.

The addition of the queen-sized beds and coffeemaker is a clear win, as is the safe,  the shower head, the sliding solid door to the bath area, and the make-up mirror. The loss of the table when both beds are down is a bit of a pain, but as noted there are a couple of work-arounds–e.g. putting the table users in that bed.

And I know I repeat myself, but queen beds and a coffee maker wildly improve the livability of these rooms.

THEMED AREAS AT DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MOVIES RESORT

This review continues here.

TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW OF DISNEY’S ALL-STAR MOVIES RESORT

• Overview of All-Star Movies
• Photo Tour of a Refurbed Room at All-Star Movies
• The Themed Areas at All-Star Movies
• Amenities at All-Star Movies
• The Pools at All-Star Movies

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!!

Josh (of easyWDW.com)  and I have published (on Amazon, through Theme Park Press) the 2019 edition of the best reviewed Walt Disney World guide book, ever, The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019.

Chock full of great advice for both returning and first-time visitors, the 2019 edition continues our tradition of offering the best, clearest, shortest, and wisest advice for your Disney World trip, ever.

It also continues our model of offering a free Kindle version to those who buy the paperback edition, and of free updates* (as PDFs) over the course of 2018 and 2019 (until we publish our 2020 edition), because Disney World changes faster than any guidebook on solely an annual publishing calendar can respond to.

With Star Wars opening and new ticket pricing models, 2019 will be an interesting year. But you could be in no better hands than me and Josh. Josh is the best in the world on how to tour the parks and on dining at Disney World; I am the best in the world on the Disney World resorts, and between the two of us, we collectively are the best in the world on when to go.

Our Disney World guide book series began in 2014, and since then has received hundreds of reviews on Amazon, 90%+ of them five stars.

No other guide book can make this claim, because no other guide book is as good as The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2019! Click the link to get yours today!

*Our next update will include this correction: for those with 2019 editions shipped before 9/16, replace the FastPass+ in the middle of page 207 with “Use FastPass+ at Spaceship Earth (10:15am – 11:15am), Mission: SPACE (11:15am – 12:15pm), Frozen Ever After (Whenever available, ideally around 1pm).”

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

PANDORA IN DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM

By Jim Korkis

In the 2009 film Avatar, filmmaker James Cameron envisioned a moon called Pandora in the Alpha Centauri system orbiting the gas giant Polyphemus, with an atmosphere on the moon unbreathable for humans without assistance from Exo-packs.

Earth personnel in the presence of the Resources Development Administration, a quasi-governmental company, travel to this distant place in the 22nd century primarily to mine a rare mineral whose superconductive properties allow it to float in magnetic fields.

In addition, scientists studying the indigenous humanoid species called the Na’vi and the unusual fauna and flora also accompany the private security contractors employed by RDA.

Cameron meant to draw parallels between the lush, tropical forests of this science-fiction inspired moon and the supposed devastation of the ecology on the current Earth where humans have turned their planet into a global urban slum where little remains of a functioning natural ecosystem. He also wanted to make connections between the Na’vi’s spiritual relationship and responsibility to their world which have allowed it to flourish.

Cameron utilized a team of expert advisors in order to make the various examples of fauna and flora as scientifically feasible as possible. The Pandoran ecology is inter-connected from the floating mountain ranges to winged banshee predators.

In the Animal Kingdom’s version of Pandora, the Na’vi people make appearances only in the two attractions and in artwork throughout the area. Disney claims this is to have guests see the area from the Na’vi point of view as well as the difficulty in creating realistic costumes for the unique creatures.

The Na’vi people, according to Disney, “possess humanlike consciousness and intelligence. The average Na’vi is three meters tall with cyan-colored skin and bioluminescent markings. They have large almond-shaped eyes, long torsos and a prehensile tail.”

Throughout the area are examples of Pandoran plants and Disney published a flyer explaining what they are when the area first opened.

“The diversity of Pandoran plant life and its range of size and complexity suggest that the environment of Pandora acts as a strong force for natural selection. The environmental factors that plants experience on Earth – radiation, water, atmospheric gases and gravity – are present on Pandora, although their characteristics differ profoundly.

• “Spiny Whip: The cup-shaped top of this plant collects raindrops and many species of birds use the plant as a source of water.
• “Panopyra: This plant captures water and minerals from dew and fog. The Na’vi collect the liquid and use it as a healing drink.
• “Vein Pod: The pods produced by these trees help to detoxify the atmosphere on Pandora, maintaining stability in the environment.
• “Flaska Reclinata: This plant absorbs, condenses and purifies atmospheric toxins on Pandora.
• “Dapophet: The leaves at the top of this plant have healing properties used by the Na’vi, while the leaves along the stem store water and are used as portable hydration.
• “Puffball Tree: This tree is an important plant on Pandora for purifying the atmosphere. The Na’vi also harvest its leaves for salt.
• “Grinch Tree: This tree grows in a hunched shape with a twisted trunk and bluish bioluminescent leaves.”

Producer and director James Cameron stated, “I think I knew (the theme park version) was going to be a pretty amazing world but I was still thinking ‘movie’. You can walk around and smell the world, touch the world. I wander around with a sense of wonder myself. I had an amazing time working with the Imagineering artists as they conjured all of this.

“This has been a transformative adventure for me. It’s certainly transformed my perception of what is possible in the real world. If you had asked me ahead of time, I would have said this is not possible. What they have created here is not possible.”

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim!  And for more on the transformation of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, see this.

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 15 TO SEPTEMBER 23, 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 9/15-9/23/18

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-10p 9/15, 9a-6p 9/16, 9a-9p 9/17, 9a-6p 9/18, 9a-9p 9/19 and 9/20, 9a-6p 9/21, 9a-11p 9/22, and 9a-6p 9/23

Epcot will be open from 9a-10p 9/15, 9a-9p 9/16 through 9/20, 9a-10p 9/21 and 9/22, and 9a-9p 9/23

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-9p 9/15 and 9/16, 9a-8p 9/17 through 9/21, and 9a-8.30p 9/22 and 9/23

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 9a-8.30p 9/15, 9a-9p 9/16,  9a-8p 9/17 through 9/12, 9a-9.30p 9/22, and 9a-8p 9/23

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/15-9/23/18

Saturday 9/15 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 9/16  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Monday 9/17  Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 9/18 Morning: none Evening: Epcot

Wednesday 9/19 Morning:  none Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 9/20 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 9/21 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Saturday 9/22 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 9/23  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/15-9/23/18

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

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/15-9/23/18

Happily Every After at Magic Kingdom: 8.30p 9/15; 8p 9/17, 9/19, 9/20, and 9/22

IllumiNations at Epcot:  10p 9/15; 9p 9/16 through 9/20; 10p 9/21 and 9/22; 9p 9/23

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8.30p 9/15; 8p 9/16 through 9/23

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9p 9/15; 8.30p 9/16 through 9/23

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 8.45 9/15; 8.15 and 9.30p 9/16; 8.15 9/17 through 9/21; 8.15 and 9.30p 9/22; 8.15p 9/23

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 9/15-9/23/18

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 B Resort & Spa, see this.

THE POOL AT THE B RESORT & SPA

The pool at the B Resort & Spa is about middling among those at the seven hotels in the Disney Springs Resort Area.

For example, it’s clearly worse than the offerings at the Hilton, the Hilton Buena Vista Palace, and the the Wyndham, and much better than those at the Doubletree Suites and Best Western.

It’s located in half of a long courtyard that has event spaces–open to everyone when not in use–in the other half.

The pool part of the courtyard is bounded by the three wings of the Lanai building, the first floor rooms of which have patios with access to the pool area.

It connects to the event space area, which is framed by the main building, meeting spaces, and the above spa.

The event space area is pretty interesting.  It includes a chessboard with pieces…

…and fun open-air…

…and shaded seating.

The pool itself is intimate while being large enough. Here’s the zero entry portion…

…and a view of it from another side. (The top of this page has yet another angle.)

Parts of the pool have a single row of comfy lounge chairs around it, and there’s also a bigger set of chairs closer to the bar.

The pool bar is nicely sized, and is conveniently located between the exit to the pool from the hotel and the pool itself.

Also on this route from inside to the pool is a service window and some tables from the nearby indoor snack shop, The Pickup.

A small hot tub–so small that I missed it on my first two stays here–is near the bar…

…and there’s a bit of a splash/play feature to the zero-entry area for kids to play in.

But that’s pretty much it. No poolside games, little in the way of water play features.

At the pool at the B Resort & Spa, the event courtyard furnishings add whimsy, the bar and convenient snack shop are great, and the pool itself is delightful. But there’s not much here beyond these, especially for kids…

MORE ON THE B RESORT & SPA

• Overview and summary
• Photo tour of a B Resort standard tower room 
• Photo tour of a B Resort Lanai pool-view room
• Dining and amenities at the B Resort & Spa
• The pool at the B Resort & Spa

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!!