Booking Disney

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You may not know it…but I am a full fledged Disney geek. Our house doesn’t have Disney everywhere-that being said…..I have personally been to Walt Disney World 12 times. That’s right I said twelve. I love talking shop and I am excited to announce I just booked our trip to Disney for October!!!!

I would love to share with you all the fun things we plan on doing and all the tricks I’ve learned along the way! Starting with booking!

Now like I said I have gone to Disney World a few times. I have also stayed at several hotels. I am an onsite lifer. I believe fully in staying on site. I have done both hotels on site and off site. The amazing part about on site is the fact that you don’t have to worry about parking. Or paying for parking for that matter. It is utterly and completely worth it. Can’t afford to stay on site-you’d be surprised.

I did do some research and estimated the cost for the trip. Oh and BTW Disney allows you to put a deposit down. $200.00 per room and then you can send in payments but full payment must be made 45 days prior to your trip. It’s like a trip layaway. Plus I like to keep my money in our account as long as I can so we earn interest on it!

Up until now I have always done the booking by myself. I research everything. I pick the time, the hotel, the meal plan, the park pass, the flights-you name it. It takes a long time. This year my friend Jennifer suggested I go through a travel agent. She introduced me to Jason at Fairy Godmother Travel. They’re buddies who go back and share a love for Disney-and he has loads of Disney experience seeing as he used to work for Disney. Oh and they met in Celebration when they were neighbors-yep. I completely trusted him. (Don’t know what Celebration is? Google it!)

I will tell you after booking through Jason this year I will never book myself again. His services are free-well Disney pays the fees. I was able to tell him what I wanted and then he gave me tons of options! He booked everything but the flights. I scored a great deal on those-details later! He can also take care of special events and dining reservations. Oh and his deal was better than the one I had figured out.

I’m hoping our trip is in the time frame of the free dining plan in the Fall. If so he will adjust my package and let me know. We also want to attend the Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party-he will book them and add them to our package once sales open.

The best part. I just sat back, told him what I was looking for a Bibbidi-Bobbity-Boo it was done. I highly recommend him for any of your Disney travel-and quite frankly he does it for fun! Tell him I sent you!

Oh and where will we be staying you ask?

089The Wilderness Lodge

eeek-My Fav!!!!!

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Walt Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort

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I love to jump around from resort to resort at Walt Disney (WDW) when our family travels.  This past vacation took us to the lovely Coronado Springs Resort.

 

The Coronado Springs Resort (CSR) is located on the WDW property closest to the Animal Kingdom and has a Spanish flare to it’s architecture and design. CSR did not fail to meet the amazing Disney theming test. Disney has a way of creating a complete immersive environment when vacationing. Some Disney resorts scream Disney by decorating with a traditional Disney character theme but others like CSR create an environment with such attention to detail you can really feel the Spanish influence. We felt right at home since our move from Texas to Massachusetts with the food and the decorations it was perfect.

 

CSR consists of a main building or tower with check in, shopping, quick service and table service restaurants. Off to the side of the main building you will find a conference center. I was hesitant about the crowds due to the conference center but we honestly never even noticed. I was also concerned that since there were several conferences being held while we were on vacation that our resort buses would be more crowded but that was not the case either.

The resort rooms have recently been updated with a contemporary Spanish feel and they were honestly amazing. The beds were so soft and cushy-similar to Deluxe resort beds. The bedrooms did not include a blanket but you can simply ask for one from mousekeeping or bring from home (I know many people do this). The beds were slightly raised and perfect for storing luggage underneath. The showers had new rain shower heads and handhelds. We had a lovely view onto the courtyard and the bus stations are within quick walking distance from each section.

The resort has a pool in each “settlement”-Ranchos, Casitas and Cabanas. These are smaller pools but are also heated. There is also a main pool called “The Dig Site” complete with a Mayan Ruin, water slide, Jacuzzi and tiny splash pad for the little ones. We swam in December so make sure you always bring your bathing suit!

 

The food court offered a variety of every day food perfect for the whole family along with Tex/Mex offerings. The resort also offers a variety of activities such as an arcade, playground, jogging trails, movies at night, etc… They also offer seasonal events-we were lucky enough to stumble upon cookie decorating! There’s an interactive guide in the front lobby which you can always check for special events!

All in all we enjoyed Coronado Springs! The cons of CSR would be that the resort is spread out so if you’re walking from the main building to your room there will be quite a walk ahead of you but you can always book a preferred room that will guarantee you a room close to the main building. You can also catch a bus off the main building which will take you to each of the different settlement’s bus stops. This will save your feet after a Disney walking day but you will wait a bit for it. The pros of this resort are the updated rooms, attention to detail and friendliness of staff. I will honestly say the staff at CSR was amazing and went out of their way to help us in any way they could.

Would you like to add Coronado Springs to your WDW Bucket List? I would love to help you price out some options! You can comment below or find me on Facebook at Callie@ Wanderkeep Travel and let me help you make all you Disney dreams come true! You can also message me at Callie@wanderkeep.com Oh and my services are complimentary.

Disney’s Magical Express

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Disney’s Magical Express is a shuttle system that offers transportation to and from the Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World (WDW) Resort for guests staying on Disney property.

Once you have booked a reservation and WDW and have obtained flight information and tickets you can simply message your travel agent the details of your flight or sign up online for this included service. Roughly a month before your trip you will receive, in the mail, an envelope with yellow luggage tags and directions for how to attach your tags  to your luggage and how to reach the Magical Express bus transport, run by Mears at the Orlando International Airport. You will also receive paperwork with a map telling you which terminal to find your Magical Express bus. Your Magical Express reservation has been loaded onto your Magic Band so feel free to put them on once you board your flight.

 

The yellow tags are not in place of checking your bags at the baggage check before you board your flight but are merely for Disney Cast Members to know where you and your party are staying on Disney property. Simply check your bags upon arriving for you flight as you normally would. Once you reach Orlando no need to grab your bags at baggage claim, simply go straight to the Magical Express terminal. Bring your carry ons and any items you think you may need for the day-if you’re hoping to swim on arrival pack your swimsuit in your carry on. You will be off on your motor coach to WDW and Disney cast members will get your bags for you, transport them to your resort and bring them to your room. No need to wait around! If you have plans that day simply go and come back to your room to find your bags are already there. It usually takes about 2-3 hours. How amazing is that!

If you are traveling with a service animal or pet you are welcome to bring them on the motor coach with you. Children will not need car seats for the ride but you are welcome to bring them. There are 2 restrooms on the same level with the Magical Express and also one on the motor coach ride to WDW. You can expect about a 45 minute ride and you will stop at several resorts. There is not a ton of storage on the bus so make sure you store any larger carry ons beneath the motor coach, especially strollers and luggage. Magical Express runs non stop through out the day. The baggage claim portion of Magical Express runs from 5am-10pm so if you arrive before or after those times you will need to get your luggage at baggage claim and bring it to the motor coach with you.

 

The day before your check out of your Disney Resort you will get an envelope with all the information you need about Magical Express on your door. Do not loose this. It will have luggage tags and a paper ticket for your return to Orlando International Airport. This ticket must be given to the driver before entering the motor coach. The paperwork will also give you a specific time that your motor coach will pick you up. Simply check your luggage in the morning at the airline check in at your resort. The cast members will automatically check your bags for your flights and deliver them to the airport for you. You are welcome to leave any carry on items at bell check, usually right by airline check in at your resort. I recommend coming back at least an hour before your designated Magical Express time. You are also welcome to bring your luggage with your on the motor coach and go to baggage check at the airport. Bell services are available to help but usually take about an hour. We often grab our bags and walk down in both Deluxe and Value resorts-if you are staying at a Moderate resort you can hop on the resort bus and ride up to the lobby with your luggage.

 

The Magical Express is just one more way the Disney does vacationing right! Let me make all your vacation drems come true. You can fins me on Facebook at Callie at Fairy Godmother Travel or email me at Callie@fairygodmothertravel.com  my services are included when you book with me!