Staying Offsite

Hi there Disney friends!!!

So I am going to write to you about something that I have no experience with....staying off site!  I won't lie, I am a big fan of being on Disney property and I will write up a post about why, but I know for some that is not the best option.  So if you want to stay off property, where should you stay?

Disney partners with certain hotels and they become known as Disney Good Neighbor Hotels.  They also have Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotels and then the two on property - Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin.  There are different packages for the different options.  

We will start with the Good Neighbor Hotels.  You can book a package with a Good Neighbor Hotel. These hotels are within a short drive of of the Walt Disney World Resort.  Select Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotels offer accommodations with transportation to the theme parks, although some of them may charge a fee.  This is something I will investigate for you when we begin the decision process.  If you have a rental car or your own car take note that some hotels charge a parking fee and Disney charges a fee per day to park at the parks.  Currently that fee is $15/day.

What does the package include?

• Accommodations at a select Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotel
• Magic Your Way Base Ticket with choice of length from 2-10 days.  The base ticket gives you one park per day.  You can add on the hopper option as well as the water park option.
• One keepsake luggage tag per person.

What hotels and where are they?

• International Drive Area:
• Clarion Inn and Suites
• Embassy Suites Hotel
• Hawthorn Suites
• Courtyard Orlando International Drive/Convention Center
• Celebration/Kissimmee Area
• Clarion Suites Maingate
• Hampton Inn & Suites
• Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites
• Holiday Inn Maingate East
• Quality Suites Royale Parc Suites
• Radisson Resort
• Lake Buena Vista Area
• Clarion Inn
• Courtyard by Marriott
• Embassy Suites
• Hampton Inn and Suites
• Holiday Inn Resort
• Lake Buena Vista Resort Village & Spa
• Residence Inn by Marriott
• Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort
• Staybridge Suites
• WorldQuest Resort

You can visit the following website to check out these resorts more in detail.  Let me know which one you want to book or ones you are interested in and I will call in and get pricing for you!

Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotels

The Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotels put you pretty close to being on property!!  You are within walking distance of the Downtown Disney Area and therefore, just a bus ride away from all the theme parks!

What does your package include?

• Accommodations at a Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotel
• Magic Your Way Base Ticket from 2-10 days.  You can add the hopper or water parks on!
• Keepsake Luggage Tag

Where can you stay?

• B Resort
• Best Western Lake Buena Vista
• Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa
• DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Orlando-Lake Buena Vista
• Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
• ONLY DOWNTOWN AREA HOTEL TO OFFER EXTRA MAGIC HOURS!!!!
• Holiday Inn Lake Buena Vista
• Wyndham Lake Buena Vista

Want to investigate these hotels further?  Check out the following website.  Be sure to contact me for more booking information.  I can get you the same or better deals than what they are offering on their site!  :-)

Downtown Disney Resort Area Hotels

Lastly....you can stay ON SITE and get Disney busses to drive you to all the theme parks and fun!!  But it isn't a Disney hotel!  That's right.....

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels are in the heart of Walt Disney World.  Located in the Epcot Resort area and just a short walk to Disney's Boardwalk lies the Swan and Dolphin.  They are a boat ride or walk to Hollywood Studios and Epcot!  A fantastic location for sure!!

What is included in the package?

• Accommodations at the Swan or Dolphin
• Magic Your Way Base Ticket - 2 to 10 days.  Option to add on the hopper or water park option.
• Keepsake Luggage Tag
• PLUS:
• Extra Magic Hour privileges!
• And Disney Busses!

To learn a bit more about the Swan and Dolphin check out their website!  But again, be sure to contact me!  I offer so much more than just booking your trip!  :-)

Opening later this summer is the all new Four Seasons Orlando @ the Walt Disney World Resort.  It is available for booking now and features an adult only pool!  It is within the Disney property as well, but will not receive Extra Magic Hours or bussing from Disney.  The hotel itself will offer bussing.

I will save the pros and cons for onsite vs. offsite - weighing it on both sides - in another post!

For now, take a look at all of that!!  I can help you with booking your offsite stay!  Please contact me and we can get started on some pricing!  I may be onsite biased, but there really are fantastic options for those looking for a bit more value or space!

Happy Planning!!!

Thursday Tip - Baby Care Centers

Happy Thursday!!  Almost the weekend!!

So this is something that I did write about before, but I am going to revise and give an update to my former post.  I have so many new followers now that I think it would be just as easy to rehash some oldies, but goodies!!

Picture outside of Magic Kingdom Baby Care Center

Many people do not even know that Baby Care Centers exist in all four of the major Disney theme parks!








 Easily found on the park maps by a pacifier icon.  Baby care centers can either be deep within the park or right by the park entrance.

In Hollywood Studios it is located right at the front entrance by Guest Services.



Magic Kingdom's Baby Care Center is located back by the Crystal Palace.  It is one of the nicer baby care centers.  My kids are now 8 and 6, but we have been traveling to Disney World since my kids were infants!  When I first found these little gems I was so excited.  I haven't stepped foot in one in a few years, but tI really did enjoy them when I needed them for all those trips years ago!!

Baby Care Centers are great for nursing moms!  They have a private dimly lit room that has rocking chairs in them.  You can get some privacy and get your baby away from the sometimes very overstimulating environment!







All of the Baby Care Centers are equipped with areas to feed your little one and heat up food if necessary!  They also have a little shop of (overpriced) baby and toddler necessities!!  Nice if you are in need when you forget something, but not something you want to make a habit of, as it is pricey!

The best part of all - on a HOT WDW day - it is quiet and air conditioned!  Little ones can crawl/walk around and play with some toys or watch some classic Disney shows.  Kid sized potties and helpful staff!!  Just a nice break from the craziness that is Disney sometimes!!

A bit from my review back in 2010, when I was still really using the Baby Care Centers:

The best Baby Care Centers are in Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. They have televisions with old classic Disney cartoons on, toys, nice changing tables, a bathroom or two, high chairs, a small shop with items you may need in a pinch (PRICEY!) and microwaves. There is a cast member there as well. Strollers are NOT allowed in!

We went one year and it was HOT, so hot!! These little stops were wonderful!! To be able to go take a break from the heat in some nice A/C in a spot that wasn't over stimulating for my little one was perfect. I let them crawl around and play, gave them a diaper change and fed them. It was a nice break. Oh and FREE too! Usually they are located right by the first aide center in the park.

Saving For Disney - One Mom's Journey! ~ Jenny (part one)

Hi everyone!  We are running a special series about Jenny's family's journey to save up to go to Disney!  She is sharing this as part one, part two will come when they book their trip and part 3 when they travel, then hopefully an awesome trip report!!  If you have a story to share, please email me and I will share your story too!  Thank you Jenny!!



Hi Disney Fans!  I would like to start by introducing myself, my name is Jenny.  I am a stay-at-home mom, we have two great kids: David, who is 8 years old, and Sarah, who  is 2 1/2 years.

My kids and I are are huge Disney fans. We LOVE everything Disney. My husband, on the other hand, is a different story….let’s just say Chris only “likes” Disney because we LOVE it!  

Last July we started to talk about when we would be a good time to take the kids to Disney World (of course, I wanted to leave right then and there!), so we decided to look into it and get an idea of price. Chris Inearly fell out of his chair when we priced out the trip for a family of four to stay in a deluxe Disney resort (7 days, 6 nights), with the deluxe meal plan and park hopper passes for 6 days.

The look on his face was a cross between “I don’t want to disappoint my  family” and “I don’t think we afford to can do this.”

The very next day I started a Disney Fund Jar. I started to clean out the kids’ outgrown clothes and toys. I never realized how much we were holding onto. There was no reason to keep baby clothes, baby equipment, or old outgrown toys. They were just  taking up room and I had a much better use of them!

I started to sell these items on a few of the local Facebook Yard Sale Pages. After about a month, we had more than $1,000 in our Disney Fund!  Chris was amazed but predicted I would run out of stuff to sell in about a month. “No way you’ll make $6,000 selling stuff on Facebook to get us to Disney,” he laughed.

The challenge was on! Selling on Facebook was a great way to raise money and declutter our house. Chris began to joke that if he wasn’t careful he and the dog would both find themselves on sale on Facebook.

Fast forward 8 months and we have more than $4,800 saved in our Disney fund, thanks to Facebook and the tips from about 10 shifts working in my mom’s tea room! We are hoping to surprise our kids with a trip in May 2015.  

Sarah will turn 4 and Dave will turn 10 within 10 days of each other that month. We hope to be able to throw them a surprise joint birthday party and announce to them in a big way that we are going to Disney for their birthdays!  

Of course, we do have to save a little over $1,000 more to get us there, but I don’t think that will be a problem to do in the next 16 months.  Maybe I can even save enough for our spending money or airline tickets or both!  

Looks like the challenge of not being able to save by selling on Facebook is not really a challenge after all.

Tasty Tuesday - Play & Dine @ Hollywood & Vine

Does your mouth start to water when you read about yummy and fun dining experiences?  Well get ready because here is another issue of Tasty Tuesday!!!

Play & Dine @ Hollywood and Vine

Check in on the outside at this fun Disney restaurant!  For breakfast and lunch you will get to dine with the stars of Disney Junior!  What little kid wouldn't love that!  The characters have changed of the years and now include the ever popular Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First!  Also there - Jake of Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Oso from Special Agent Oso!  In past years you could meet Handy Manny, Jane and Leo of the Little Einsteins, Jojo and Goliath for JoJo's Circus - some of my kids favorites!






Once you enter the restaurant you will find a fun place to get a shot of the kids Welcoming them to the fun at Hollywood and Vine!  This is by far one of my kids' favorite character meals on property!  I know that they will soon grow out of it (sniff, sniff), but for now it is still a favorite!  This is from this past summer.  There is a new backdrop now updated with the different characters!

Details:

• Location: Hollywood Studios - park admission is required
• Meals Served: Breakfast & Lunch (Dinner is non character)
• Style: All you can eat buffet
• Price: $$$
• Dining Plan: 1 credit
• Characters Featured: Disney Junior characters - as of February 2014 - Oso, Jake, Sofia and Doc.

ADR Need: Medium/Low

• Disney allows you to make reservations 180 days before your vacation.  If this restaurant at normal eating hours is important to you, you may need to plan that far out!  It's not always the case, but this really depends on when you go.  If you have your trip planned and book far out then I would definitely recommend booking far out.  

Would I recommend it?

• Yes.  My kids absolutely love the theming of this restaurant!  If you have a Disney Junior fan in your house then this is a must do!  Nothing quite like eating with their favorite characters while music from their favorite shows plays in the background!  There are two hosts - one for each side of the restaurant that get the kids up and dancing to some of their favorite songs as well!  Characters join in in the dancing and it really is a good time!!  Some of my favorite character memories are at this restaurant!  My kids have always been Disney Junior fans, so for us this is a must do on most trips!  Food wise - it is ok.  Breakfast is going to be your standard breakfast buffet food.  I wouldn't overbook on breakfast buffets because you will quickly get bored of your food choices!  Lunch is a bit better with a nice variety of food!  See the menus below!  :-)

The Menus (courtesy of All Ears):

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner - this is non character!  :-)

Happy Dining!!!

Magical In Room Gifting Experiences

Did you ever want to go above and beyond and have a surprise awaiting your family in your room?  A package add on is provided by Disney Travel Company to allow you to do just this!!  How fun to walk in to your room and see all this fun awaiting you!!  It is a pricey add on, but for all you get, it probably works out about right.  Starting cost is $310, but the price could go up or down depending on what you select.  If this is something you want to add to your package, just let me know 10 days in advance to check in!  A representative will call you to work out all the customization!!!

Magical Monday

Good afternoon!!

So last week I slacked on the posting.  Busy week, but I am back!!  I don't know about all of you, but this is one rough Monday morning!!  I got up yesterday and the kids did too with no issue.  It was like we didn't miss that hour of sleep ONE bit!  But then today hit and yup we are missing it!!  Our weekend was jam packed with new beds being built, soccer games, and birthday parties!!  How about you?  Do you find your weekends to be planned well into the future?!

In Disney news - the NEW Festival of Fantasy parade premiered at Magic Kingdom yesterday!  We watched it live via a livestream video feed thanks to the Dis!  My kids could not get over the fact that we were watching something that was actually happening right then in the parks!!  We watch video from Disney all the time - one of the ways we keep the magic alive at home!  Did you miss seeing the parade streamed live?  Well here ya go....from Allears!

It looks really cool!  I don't know about all of you, but I am very excited to see this in person!!  I am also really looking forward to seeing the new Mine Train!  Rumors are circulating like crazy about when it will open, but so far no official dates have been released!

In Be Our Guest Vacations news - We have a new agent working with us!!  Erin Seace will be helping me with some blog posts and posting on the Facebook page too!  If you were referred to us by Erin, please make sure to state that in your emails and messages so that I can forward it on to her and she can help book your trip.  :-)  Also I have been super busy with booking fall trips to WDW!!  A last minute trip is always fun to WDW, but when planning in advance 6 months is a perfect window!!  It really opens up your dining options!

That's all for today....this week look for the start of the giveaway!  Also I will be writing a review on Hollywood and Vine restaurant for Tasty Tuesday, thinking up a good new tip for Thursday, and still looking at what resort I want to write about for Friday!!  Other fun coming soon - One Mom shares how she is saving to get her family to Disney!  This will be an upcoming series, so keep an eye out for it!

Don't forget to follow us on the following social media sites:
Be Our Guest Vacations on Facebook!
Be Our Guest Vacations on Twitter!
Be Our Guest Vacations on Instagram!
Be Our Guest Vacations on Pinterest!

Have a Magical Day Everyone!!!

This Month in WDW - March 2014

Crowds will start off slow and then tend to pick up towards the end of March as the Spring Break season really gets going.  Touring Plans has most of the month a moderate level.  (For full access to Touringplans.com and their awesome crowd calendar you can join or you can book with me and I will pass on the crowd levels for your trip!)

This year Easter isn't until the end of April, but spring breaks are at all different times of depending on your location.  Since some schools let out in mid May, they aren't going to a have a break the last week of April.  :-)

Plan on temps that range, but they should be leveling out to absolutely beautiful!!  March also brings with it the start of the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot!  So beautiful you must check it out!  (It runs through May.)

Park Hours for March 2014

Refurbishments throughout the World:

Magic Kingdom® Park
Splash Mountain Splashdown Photos Agrabah Bazaar Monorail - MK Express Pinocchio's Village Haus The Plaza Restaurant Big Thunder Mountain Pirates of the Caribbean	Jan. 6 - Mar. 21, 2014 Jan. 6 - Mar. 21, 2014 Jan. 7 - Feb. 13, 2014 Jan. 21 - Mar. 21, 2014 Feb. 17 - Mar. 30, 2014 Feb. 17 - Mar. 15, 2014 April 7 - 9, 2014 April 28 - May 1, 2014
Epcot®
None
Disney's Hollywood Studios®
Backlot Tour	Jan. 5 - Mar. 1, 2014
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park
Festival of the Lion King	Jan. 6, 2014 - TBD

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park
None
Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park
Annual Refurbishment	Dec. 22, 2013 - Mar. 17, 2014

Disney's All Star Sports Resort
Grand Slam Quiet Pool Deck	Feb. 11 - 13, 2014
Sports - Resort Lobby Construction	Feb. 17 - March 9, 2014
Game Point Arcade - Closed due to Lobby/Corridor work	Feb. 17 - March 9, 2014
Disney's Boardwalk Villas
Villas Quiet Pool & Spa	Feb. 10 - Mar. 14, 2014
Disney's Contemporary Resort
Monorail - Magic Kingdom Resort - Restricted Service - Monorail service will be temporarily suspended on weekdays between 11:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Buses and watercraft transportation will be available.	Jan. 21 - Mar. 21, 2014
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Monorail - Magic Kingdom Resort - Restricted Service - Monorail service will be temporarily suspended on weekdays between 11:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Buses and watercraft transportation will be available.	Jan. 21 - Mar. 21, 2014
Disney's Polynesian Resort
General Construction	Dec. 2013 - Mar. 2015
Monorail - Magic Kingdom Resort - Restricted Service - Monorail service will be temporarily suspended on weekdays between 11:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Buses and watercraft transportation will be available.	Jan. 21 - Mar. 21, 2014
The Never Land Club	Jan. 28 - Apr. 27, 2014
Capt. Cook's - alternate Dining Experience available	Mar. - Jun. 2014
Great Ceremonial House - Lobby	Mar. - Dec. 2014

Downtown Disney® Area
Team Mickey Athletic Club	Jan. 27 - Jun. 13, 2014

Golf Courses/Miniature Golf
None

Special Events:

• Flower and Garden Festival starts on March 5th and runs until May 16th
• Flower Power Concert Series Line Up
• Features music of the 60s, 70s, and 80s
• Runs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
• See Times Guides for details on times

That about covers March!! 

Have a Magical Trip!!

~Teresa