The Little Mermaid Rooms of the Art of Animation Resort

The Art of Animation Resort is Walt Disney World's newest Resort. It is a value category resort but has mostly family suites. It is split into 4 sections. The Nemo section is all family suites and includes the Big Blue Pool. It is a salt water pool and the characters from Nemo sing under the water! 

This area of the resort is the closest to the food court and bus transportation.  There is also a Cars section of family suites that includes the cozy cone pool and an amazing replica of Radiator Springs!  The final family suites section is The Lion King rooms.

The Little Mermaid themed area is standard value rooms, not family suites.  The area is beautifully themed and includes its own pool. It is a bit of a walk from this area to the food court and buses.  If you have your own car, there is a parking lot next to rooms.

The Little Mermaid rooms have the standard amenities of a value resort room. Exterior entrances, two double beds (some king beds available), hair dryer, refrigerator, small table and chairs.

There are some awesome details in the rooms!  Like the Grotto shower that has Ariel's treasure!!!

The Under the Sea sheet music that is designed into the table is a really nice touch as well.

If you or your little one loves Ariel, these are definitely the rooms to choose for your trip!  If you'd like a bit more space, the Royal Guestrooms in Port Orleans Riverside are another great princess option and have a little bit of Ariel added in the designs. 

Ask Katherine for a free quote and more details for your next princess vacation!

*Room images are of a wheelchair accessible room with roll-in shower option.

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Written by Jeanie Gallo-Ciscon On In Tagged , , ,

Featured Resort: The Cabins of Ft. Wilderness Campground

Classified as a moderate resort, the Cabins of Ft. Wilderness are a beautiful choice for larger families or guests who enjoy a bit of seclusion off the beaten path during their Walt Disney World Vacation.

 

Accommodations:

Each multi-room cabin includes

*1 bedroom with 1 double bed, a set of bunk beds, closet, dresser, nightstand, TV, hair dryer

*1 full bathroom

*A kitchen with dining table with bench and chairs, full-size refrigerator, full-size stove, dishwasher, pots/pans, utensils, dishes, glasses

*A living room with pull-down double bed size Murphy bed, additional small sofa, TV, child table and chairs, storage cabinets

*Deck with picnic table and grill

 

 

Dining:

*Hoop-Dee Doo Dinner Show (reservations recommended)

*Mickey's Backyard BBQ Dinner Show (reservations recommended-seasonal)

*Trail's End Breakfast/Dinner Buffet and Lunch ala carte menu (reservations recommended)

*Trails End To Go

*Pool Snack Bar

*General Store

 

Activities:

*Hiking trails, biking, horseback riding, many outdoor activities

*Chip n' Dale campfire sing-a-long and outdoor movies

*Disney horse barn and mini horse museum

*Horse-drawn carriage rides and wagon rides

*Swimming pools, playgrounds, much more

 

Transportation:

*Parking space available for personal car at each cabin

*Resort bus service inside campground as well as to Disney Parks and Downtown Disney

*Boat service to Magic Kingdom, Contemporary Resort, and Wilderness Lodge Resort

*Golf cart rental available for use inside the campground

 

 

Contact Katherine today for a free quote on a Walt Disney World vacation at the Cabins of Ft. Wilderness Campground.

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Written by Jeanie Gallo-Ciscon On In Tagged , , , ,

WALT DISNEY WORLD SWAN AND DOLPHIN ANNOUNCES DATES FOR FIFTH ANNUAL FOOD & WINE CLASSIC

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – February 28, 2014 – Culinary artistry, fine wine and celebrity chef meet-and-greets will once again highlight the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic. The event, back for its fifth year, will be held on Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014, at the Epcot Resort Area hotel.

The outdoor festival will include food and beverage seminars, food and wine tastings and live music. Seminars will be led by the hotel’s chefs and certified beverage experts, while the hotel’s award-winning restaurants will showcase signature culinary selections to pair with tastings from more than 30 wineries.

Celebrity Chef Todd English will be in attendance to meet and greet with guests. English is a renowned restaurateur who has gained national acclaim through his line of restaurants and cookbooks, and other food-related enterprises. Todd English’s bluezoo is located in the hotel and features fresh seafood in a vibrant atmosphere.

With 17 restaurants and lounges, and a distinguished culinary and beverage team, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel continually earns national recognition for its food and beverage program. The hotel features more than 70 certified wine sommeliers and 1,400 wine selections.

Tickets to the Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic are currently available as part of a hotel package or individually.  For more information or to book, contact katherine@enchantedearstravel.com or 585-967-5015.

In the heart of the Walt Disney World Resort, the award-winning Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel is the gateway to Central Florida’s greatest theme parks and attractions. The hotel is located between Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and nearby Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park and Magic Kingdom Park. Guests can discover 17 world-class restaurants and lounges, sophisticated guest rooms with Westin Heavenly Beds and the luxurious Mandara Spa. The hotel features five pools, two health clubs, tennis, nearby golf, complimentary transportation throughout the Walt Disney World Resort and the Extra Magic Hours benefit, where each day, one of the four Walt Disney World Theme Parks offers additional time for guests to enjoy select attractions. (Valid Theme Park admission and Resort ID required).

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Written by Jeanie Gallo-Ciscon On In Tagged , , , , ,

The Magic in Magic Bands

A recent trip to Walt Disney World revealed that the My Magic + system can be truly magical for guests of the Walt Disney World Resort. Everything was easier with the Magic Bands, from arrival to departure.

Before traveling, we customized our Magic Bands, using the My Disney Experience website and app to choose color and the names we would have printed on the bands. We received our Magic Bands about a month before departure. When we checked into our Disney resort hotel online, we added a credit card and PIN number for purchases made during our stay.

Upon arriving at the Orlando airport, we scanned our Magic Bands before boarding Disney's Magical Express transportation to the Resort. This was much easier than the paper ticket system used in the past. When we arrived at the hotel, we scanned our Bands again to check that the correct Bands were linked to the system (we have other Bands for future trips).

This is when the magic truly began! We used our Magic Bands for the following:

  • To unlock our room door (much easier than searching for a key if your hands are full).
  • For entrance into theme parks (much faster because the readers take up less space than the former turnstiles, and more than one person can go through a line at a time. The picture below shows the new RFID readers at the Magic Kingdom, which took the place of the turnstiles).
  • For FastPasses (more accurate as the computer kept track of accurate times and cast members didn't have to waste time reading the tickets; plus, by having readers at the beginning and end of the line, it is much harder to jump into the FastPass line without a FastPass).
  • For dining (our Magic Band was scanned at the table both to use our Disney Dining Plan and to pay for additional expenses; no more fishing out a credit card).
  • For PhotoPass photos (we purchased Memory Maker, which includes digital downloads of all photos taken by Disney photographers, as well as attraction and dining photos. We simply scanned our Band after each photo, and they appeared on our online account).
  • For purchases throughout the resort (again, all we needed was the Magic Band and PIN).
New scanners in place of turnstiles.

New scanners in place of turnstiles.

There were a very few negative aspects, which I hope will change:

  • To use any discounts, we did have to carry the appropriate card (annual passholder, Disney VISA, etc) and photo ID. Hopefully at some point this will be integrated into the system.
  • The in-room wifi was generally unreliable, though the public system at the hotel and in the parks worked much better. Sometimes, though, I was unable to access the My Disney Experience account via wifi, but could access it through my 3G data.

There were also some unexpected perks:

  • It is much easier to keep track of a child's room key / park ticket when he/she is wearing it!
  • Rescheduling FastPasses was easy and convenient, when we were unable to make our original time.
  • The Magic Bands are waterproof, and can be used for all add-ons, including water park admissions.
  • The Bands can't be used for purchases or dining without a PIN, so there are no worries if it happens to be misplaced.

Overall, the Magic Band and My Magic + system made our experience much easier. I am excited to use them again!

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Written by Katherine Resch On In Tagged ,