Disney's Beach Club Resort

Epcot Area Resorts Include:

• Disney’s Boardwalk Resort & Boardwalk Villas
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort & Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
• Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin

These resorts here are located around the beautiful Crescent Lake and make for an exciting tourist area.  Easy water transportation and covenant walking paths connect all of the Epcot area hotels offering easy access to both Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios.

Epcot resort hotels do not offer direct access to the front gate of Epcot.  Instead, because of their close proximity, guests are directed to the “back entrance” of Epcot at the International Gateway located between the United Kingdom and France pavilions.   The International Gateway entrance provides the full services of the front park entrance including, park exit, ticket windows, locker rentals, wheelchair (no ECVs), stroller rentals, and a gift shop.  Complimentary bus service is provided between the Epcot Area resorts and other Disney theme parks such as the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.

All Epcot area resorts provide deluxe accommodations and full services for their guests.  Dining options on Crescent Lake are plentiful and it’s just a short walk or boat ride to explore the options available at all of the resorts or to World Showcase.  Amongst the Epcot area resorts you’ll find Character Meals, Sports Bars, Signature Dining, Dancing, Romantic Settings, Full Service Spas and fun Boat Rentals.  Some of their large guest rooms can accommodate five people with relative ease, however you will have to note that you need a room with a daybed at the time you make your reservation.

This great hub of activity is a wonderful place to check-in for people who want to make the most of every moment.  Next time you make a reservation for a wonderful Orlando Vacation, be sure to consider the deluxe resorts of the Epcot Area to indulge you in your travel needs.

Do you have a favorite Epoct Area Resort?  Leave us a comment and let us know what your favorite thing about this great area!

For guests that want a premium experience with quick, convenient access to both the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and other Resorts; I suggest you stay ‘on the monorail’.
Staying on the monorail means that you’re hotel will be one of the three Deluxe Resorts located around the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon.  The main loop of this very special public transit system system was part of the original WDW design and opened with Walt Disney World Resort in 1971.  It encircles the lagoon and initially featured four stations: the Transportation and Ticket Center, Disney’s Polynesian Resort, the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Contemporary Resort. When the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa opened, it added a fifth stop, and additional resort on this loop.

These Deluxe Resorts offer all of the amenities of a full service hotel, with the legendary Disney service. In addition the Contemporary Resort, Polynesian resort and Grand Floridian Resort and Spa all offer full service marinas, enchanting pools, and top notch dining. Most of these guest rooms can accommodate five people with relative ease, making them ideal for families that want to spread out a bit.   You’ll pay a little more for a room right in the heart of the action, but for some the experience is completely worth it. The best part, it’s all just a short monorail ride away; making the trip back to the hotel for naps, an afternoon swim, and changing for dinner more accessible than ever. Across the Seven Seas lagoon you’ll see Cinderella Castle’s towering spires rising to the sky in the Magic Kingdom, also just a short monorail ride away. There’s little more magical to me than walking back to your room at night and seeing the Castle lit up in all of it’s majesty.

For those who are looking for a special location to enjoy their Walt Disney World Vacation, I suggest that they try one of the magical resorts on the monorail line. Their service and style are spectacular, and you just can’t beat the location.

Disney's Contemporary Resort

Today we’ll take a look at another great unofficial Disney resort fan site featuring a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel.  Today’s featured fan site is “Tribute to Disney’s Contemporary Resort” which is located at http://www.disneycontemporary.com.  I love the trend of these resort fan sites popping up across the web, and this one is no exception.  It’s sleek style and easy to use navigation makes this site fantastic.

The Contemporary is one of Walt Disney World’s original deluxe hotels, and is located just outside the gates of the Magic Kingdom.  Room views from this resort are spectacular; from the fireworks of the Magic Kingdom to the lovely Bay Lake it’s simply breathtaking.  The resort also offers a wide variety of dining options for it’s guests.  Not to mention, it sits right on the monorail line for easy access to anywhere.

Tribute to Disney’s Contemporary Resort,  is a fantastic resource available to help you decided if this is the right resort for you and  your family.  It offers hundreds of photographs and articles advising on every corner of this Disney Classic.  The site even offers information that features the newest Disney Resort addition of the Contemporary’s Disney Vacation Club property, Bay Lake Tower.  It’s a great tool for comparing the Contemporary Resort to other Disney Deluxe Resorts before you book your Disney Vacation Package.

Stop by the tribute site and see what you think of this Disney classic.  I believe it to be home to some of the most popular restaurants and lounges on property.  Though the resort has occasionally struggled over the years with how to maintain a “contemporary” edge without feeling dated, I believe the Disney’s Contemporary Resort is currently at it’s pinnacle of modern elegance.

This post was part of the Disney Blog Carnival #36!
Stop by the Carnival and join all the fun!

The Sassagoula River Cruise is a great way to travel to Downtown Disney from select resort hotels.

No matter if you’ve booked room only or if you’ve got a package deal for your Walt Disney World Resort vacation; if you’re staying at Port Orleans, Old Key West, or Saratoga Springs Resorts, you have a unique treat in your transportation to Downtown Disney.   The complimentary ferry service on the Walt Disney World waterways offer a fun alternative mode of transportation to buses.   These relaxing and often beautiful journeys by boat can offer great way to spend some time on a non-park day as you travel to the shopping and entertainment center of Downtown Disney.

Port Orleans:

The Sassagoula River Cruise is a gentle 2 ½ mile journey from Port Orleans to Downtown Disney down the Disney created river, and takes about 20 minutes one way.  The service begins at 10am daily and runs about every 20 minutes until 4:30pm when more boats are added to the route and it then runs every 10 minutes until 11pm.  This route is marked with Yellow Flags and departs from the Downtown Disney Marketplace dock (left-hand queue line).

Saratoga Springs Resort:

Hourly service is provided from 11:00am thru 4:00pm, and at 4:00PM a second boat is added and service becomes available every half hour. Blue Flags mark the Saratoga Springs Service that departs from Downtown Disney Marketplace dock (right-hand queue line).  This includes the Tree house villas dock.

Old Key West Resort:

Green Flagged boats can be found departing from Pleasure Island dock.  The last boat leaves Old Key West at 11:00pm and then leaves Downtown Disney for it’s final trip at 11:30pm.

Downtown Disney Internal Water-Shuttle: There is also a local water shuttle at Downtown Disney (with red flags and signs) that operates and will take you from the Marketplace dock to the other end of the complex at the West Side dock.

All Walt Disney World boat service operates subject to local water and weather conditions.  Service may temporarily cease operating if lightning storms are forecast or water levels are too high.  Operational times were current at the time of publication, but may change and fluctuate to accommodate seasonal crowd changes.

Thanks so much to Andy Buckingham for his beautiful creative commons picture of the river boat.

Online check-in is available 10 days ahead of your arrival time. Sign in at disneyworld.disney.go.com, and look for the orange suitcase and and “My Disney vacation” near the top left.

During the online check-in process, you’ll provide the same information you do during in-person check-in: Name, room requests, address, phone number, and credit card.

Once you arrive at your Disney World resort, proceed to the online check-in desk and show your ID. Your welcome folder with resort info and room keys will be waiting for you. Most report that the process takes 5 minutes or less.

Keep in mind that standard check-in times still apply — if you arrive early, you may still have to wait to be placed in your room.

Disney World Mom’s Panel member Allison V. explains the online check-in process here.

Have you used Disney World’s online check-in service? What was your experience like? Leave a comment below!

We’ve decided to do a series on the unofficial Disney resort fan sites that have been popping up around the web. They are invaluable resources, and the series will also give us a chance to talk about the various resorts a bit — some of our favorite topics!

Pop Century is one of Disney’s “Value” resorts, which are the lowest priced resorts. What’s great about value resorts is that you get the chance to stay on property for a low price, and you also get access to all of the Disney Resort Guest benefits, like extra magic hours, Disney’s Magical Express airport transportation, charging merchandise items and meals to your room key, and Disney transportation.

The Pop Century Resort Site can be found at http://www.popcenturysite.com, and has great information if you’re trying to decide if this might be the best resort for you.

Hundreds of recent photographs are available to show you what the Pop Century guest rooms look like, what the 3 pools are like, and even pictures of the bus stop and transportation options. This site is very useful when comparing Pop Century to other Disney resorts.

Personally, Pop Century is one of my favorite Disney resorts, and I feel it offers a fantastic value for the money. There are advantages to staying in every resort and we don’t always stay in Pop Century, but it’s always a great value when we do.

Yes--you CAN relax in Disney World...

Accommodations in Orlando run from small hotel rooms to giant, multi-bedroom mansions for rent. Disney World runs over 20 resort hotels on their property; rooms range from standard, 4-person hotel rooms to 3-bedroom grand villas. There are also hundreds of hotels, villas, vacation homes, and condos for rent outside of Disney World proper.

Before you panic, take a moment to think about:

• Who you’re traveling with: Does anyone have special transportation, emotional, or physical needs?
• What you’ll be doing on your vacation: Are you visiting only Disney parks, or will you be hitting other attractions in Orlando?
• How important it is for you to be “at Disney:” Some folks don’t mind at all whether they’re staying at a Disney hotel or not. Others consider it a wasted trip if they can’t stay in Disney World.
• How much you’re willing to spend and what level of comfort you need for your group size: The closer you stay to Disney World property, the more it will cost you to stay in a nice hotel or villa/vacation home.

To Help You Decide

For those considering staying on site, there are some great resources for selecting your Disney resort. These Unofficial fan pages for these resorts can be a huge benefit for those trying to make a decisions and get an idea of what staying on property might be like. Here are some favorites:

Animal Kingdom Lodge

Caribbean Beach

Contemporary Resort

Pop Century

Wilderness Lodge

Now that you’ve given those things some thought, here are some major decisions to make regarding your vacation accommodations.

1. DO I WANT TO STAY ON PROPERTY OR OFF PROPERTY?:Should you stay on-property at a Disney Resort, or off-property at a (likely cheaper) hotel? Guests who stay on-property have access to Disney World’s resort benefits, like free transportation from the airport and throughout the Disney World property, package delivery from any store on property directly to your resort, Extra Magic Hours, and Disney Dining Plans. Guests who stay off-property can save hundreds of dollars, and likely still stay in a luxurious hotel or multi-bedroom villa, which provides free park transportation, near Disney World.
2. CAN I TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANY DISCOUNTS: Disney World often offers discounts and savings plans for its hotels and restaurants. Some of these are well-publicized. Some require you to be a bit more “in the know.” My favorite site to learn about discounts is Mousesavers.com. Here are a few of the more common discounts for which to stay on the look out:
   • Room Only Discounts: If you choose to stay in one of Disney World’s “on-property” hotels, there are often “room only” discounts, meaning that you’re getting a discount on a room booked separately from other trip components as opposed to booking a room as part of a larger package. “Room only” discounts can include:
     • AAA, which are between 10%-15% off and available to all AAA members (you may have to show your card when you check in to verify the discount)
     • Room Only discount codes for the general public (that means everyone!)
     • Annual and Seasonal Passholder room only discounts, which are reserved for those with an Annual or Seasonal pass to Disney World

     .

   • Vacation Package Discounts: Vacation package discounts are a percentage off of a Disney World Vacation package, which includes hotel, theme park tickets, and possibly transportation and airfare. Some great places to find good vacation package deals are through a Disney-certified travel agent, websites offering updated information on vacation package discounts, and the official Disney World special offers page.

Once you answer those two questions, you should have more of an idea of what you need in your vacation accommodations. At this point, you can either delve right into the process of choosing an Orlando hotel/vacation home, or contact a travel agent to help you identify the correct fit.