Return to Walt Disney World, Part 2

Since I ended the last time mentioning comparisons to our previous trip I'll just pick up with that theme here.

WHY FEBRUARY? The last time we went to Walt Disney World was during our fall break. This time we pulled the kids out of school. There were several reasons for that. It had originally been our plan to return this past fall break but between the cruise we took last year and all our schedules February seemed to work best.

We also knew we were taking a risk with the winter weather, especially in what has turned out to be an abnormally cold winter for the US (Atlanta got hammered a second time with ice and snow while we were in Florida), but as neither Vicki nor I are fans of hot weather this worked out very well for us. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were warm enough for us to wear shorts. Rain moved in late Wednesday as were we leaving Epcot bringing a cold snap along with it. Thursday was by far the coldest day while we were there. Others may not agree, but we couldn't have asked for better weather.

This time of year also meant fewer crowds. There were only a few times that we were in a large press of people, unlike peak seasons. All but the most popular rides had short wait times.

One thing that will always stand out in my mind is the large group of teenage girls from Argentina visiting the parks. We saw them the days we were at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. They walked through the parks singing, cheering, and generally having the time of their lives.

WHERE WE STAYED. When we planned our trip back in 2008 I told Vicki it had been a long time dream of mine to stay on property. We did that then (we stayed at All Star Music) and it made our trip wonderful. This time we booked a condo at Polynesian Isle Resort in Kissimmee. This was probably the nicest condo we've ever stayed in. We wound up having far more room for much less money staying here.

We had about a 15 minute commute to get to the parks each day. Of course, the last time we parked our van and caught a Disney bus to wherever we needed to go. As close as we were staying we really didn't lose any time driving in.

TICKETS. The last time we were here we added the park hopper option to our passes. This time we did not.

This is sort of a toss up to me. I think we enjoyed park hopping when we had it last time yet didn't miss it this time. As good as Disney transportation is you wind up losing time in your day moving between parks. Of course, this can be a nice time to take a forced rest from all the walking you have to do.

I think the disadvantage to park hopping for us this time would have been that had we used Disney transportation to change parks our van would have been where we left it. When we were staying at All Star Music we could catch a bus from anywhere back there.

THE DINING PLAN. Last time we got the Disney dining plan. This was not an option for us this time since we were not resort guests. We just planned ahead and saved our credit card reward points, converting them to Disney gift cards, for the last few years for this occasion. Basically we paid for our meals but our budget never noticed it as our gift cards covered that, our parking, and our souvenirs. We did eat ate some wonderful restaurants, but I'll write about those later.

THE APP. One thing that is new, and very fitting for Disney, is the smart phone app. This app displays a map of all the parks complete with wait times for all the rides. We checked that frequently. The app also has all the times and menus for all the restaurants. Vicki was even able to use the app to make changes to our reservations. It is simply a wealth of information.

FASTPASS+. Disney introduced FastPass quite a few years ago allowing guests to reserve a time slot for a particular ride so they can do other things while "standing in line." This was a big part of our experience five years ago.

Thanks to WiFi technology and iPads Disney has streamlined the process. The new system is called FastPass+. Currently each ticket holder can FastPass three attractions per park per day, and you can take care of all of this from FastPass+ kiosks at various locations. The strategy for the guest is to evaluate the wait times because if you don't use a FastPass for a ride you can go back and change it. It also forces you to evaluate what you want to reserve for a FastPass as shows are now included in the FastPass system guaranteeing the FastPass holder a seat at showtime.

Speaking of passes, we noticed resort guests now have wrist bands (they can opt for the card if they wish). We were issued credit card style cards. We understand the wrist bands will become standard for all guests. Either way, your pass and your fingerprint gets you in the gate.

These were just a few of the things that were part of our overall Disney experience. I'll write about our favorite things from the parks next.

Joe