Join us this week as we continue our In Depth series with the three All Star resorts. We give you the low down on the rooms, what you can do, see, and eat at each of these Value level resorts!
Happy listening!
If you enjoyed our last bracket showdown, you’ll love this! This time we take on shows at Walt Disney World! Find out which is the last show standing and will be victorious!
Happy listening!
We know visiting Animal Kingdom can give you an elephant-sized appetite so we’re talking about all the quick service options you can find there. From burgers to pizza to more ethnic style cuisine, you can find something delicious at Animal Kingdom!
Happy listening!
It’s that time of year again! Time to pit our Disney favorites up against each other to see which one reigns supreme! This time, we’re comparing our favorite Walt Disney World rides. Find out which of these 16 attractions we voted as our number one favorite. We think you’ll be surprised by which one comes out on top!
Happy listening!
In November I was really excited to take an adults only trip with my favorite Dole Whippies to Walt Disney World. You would not believe the amount of people who were incredulous about the idea of going to Disney without my child, with other adults! But let me tell you, it was an amazing choice! Here are some great reasons why you should take a kid free trip to Walt Disney World.
5. No sharing! Unless you want to! You know how your child will order ice cream that is blue just because it is blue, and you order a delicious mint chocolate chip scoop? Except yours always looks more appealing once it shows up. Well no sharing required, you get that Dole Whip to your self!
4. Explore the World Showcase! This is one place it is hard to appreciate with kids who are just looking for their next snack or attraction. You can really soak in the atmosphere of the different pavilions and experience all there is to do at your own pace!
3.You don’t have to get the light up toy. You know, the kind on the cart that comes out at dusk and they are so bright and flashy and your kid MUST have it and you have to figure out how to get it home. Not this time! You can stroll smugly by and keep your wallet in your purse or pocket.
2. Sleep in and stay out late. Both of these things can be very hard to accomplish with kids of any ages, they get tired or grumpy or both. Well this happens with adults too, but it is generally a little easier to handle. You can take advantage of nighttime extra magic hours and enjoy really low crowds. No reason to get up early with the little ones, just close the curtain and hit snooze!
1. Freedom, sweet freedom. You get to choose which attraction you want to do, which character to meet. You can push lunch back by and hour and not have too many melt downs. Or maybe you decide to linger over a drink or dessert. Or you can try on all the tiaras in the shop in Germany and accomplish nothing else that day. But that is ok because you do what you want.
I can’t recommend enough how much fun it is to feel like a kid at Walt Disney World by going without kids. It is good for the soul and trust me, you will be a better parent for it when you return home!
Back in November, the ladies of Dole Whipped stayed at the Cabins for a girls weekend. None of us had stayed there since the refurbishment in early 2016 so we thought we’d try them out.
First of all, the cabins measure at approximately 504 sq ft and sleep up to 6. Each cabin has a main living area with a sleeper sofa, an arm chair, a dining table, plus a fully stocked kitchen with a full size side by side refrigerator. There is a large bathroom and then a bedroom with a queen size bed plus a set of bunk beds. Each cabin comes with a deck and a picnic table.
The cabins are very attractively furnished and outfitted. They’re just really cute! We loved the kind of rustic feel of them, but they were still comfortable. The kitchen was outfitted with almost everything you’d need to make a simple meal, provided you don’t need a full size oven…because there is no oven! They do have a combination microwave/convection oven, but if you thought you were going to be able to cook up some frozen pizzas or bake a cake, think again!
Because the cabins are in the Moderate resort category, you get the basic soaps and shampoos. There is housekeeping service every day and they’ll even do the dishes for you!
Fort Wilderness is a lovely resort. We saw lots of wildlife just hanging around which was very cool, however, you do feel a bit isolated and out of the “Disney bubble”, in my opinion. There are very limited food options within the resort. They do have Trail’s End and PJ’s Southern Takeout, but if you’re looking for a good quick service option, there is none. There are a couple of outposts that sell things like fresh fruits and vegetables, deli meats, canned goods, boxes of prepared pastries, sodas, and the like. It’s a good option if you need ingredients, but not so much if you’re looking for a ready to go meal.
Transportation to the parks is via water taxi to Magic Kingdom, and buses to everywhere else. You could opt to take the boat to Magic Kingdom, then hop on the monorail to the TTC, then change to the Epcot monorail. The boat to Magic Kingdom was great, but we opted to drive (we had Tara’s car) to the other parks. It’s not the most conveniently located resort for parks that aren’t Magic Kingdom. The buses for the other parks are located up in the front of the resort so if your cabin or campsite is in the back, you’ll have to take the internal bus to get to the front. There are a couple of other options to get around the resort, which we’ll talk about in a minute.
The other issue that we ran into during our stay internal resort transportation. The resort is huge. Our cabin was near the front of the resort where the check in desk is but the boat launch to Magic Kingdom was near the back of the resort. We’re talking a good mile or more from our front door to the boat launch. That’s not always going to be doable. There is an internal bus system that you can use, but we weren’t sure how regular it passed through. We also wanted to note that there are no car parking lots at the resort other than the front lot at check in and the parking spaces available at the cabins or the campsites. You’re not able to drive your car from your cabin to the boat launch as there wouldn’t be anywhere to park the car!
How we opted to solve this problem was by renting a golf cart for our stay. They are available for rent up by the check in desk. The prices start at around $59 plus tax for a four seat cart. We found the cart pretty much necessary for convenience plus it was just a lot of fun to drive!
We found the cabin very nice and a good way to get a lot of beds in a small space, but logistically, it was a bit of a pain. The resort itself was so large that getting around was inconvenient. The price may be right for larger groups or families, but we’d prefer to be a bit more centrally located.
If you listened to Episode 129 of the Podcast you heard all about Amanda & Kevin’s amazing Walt Disney World wedding. Check out some of the details in the post below to see some of the things we talked about!
Ceremony:
Reception (slideshow):
And my personal favorite (because… WOW!!) the in park portrait session, click to enlarge:
We talk a lot about where attractions are located within the parks, but this time we talk about where you should sit while you’re viewing an attraction. Which seat is best on Expedition Everest, the front or back? Listen in this week and find out!
Happy listening!
Dole Whipped 