Disney World Vacations

If you’re planning a Disney World vacation, you’re probably really excited!  There are Disney park tickets to get, theme parks to explore and Disney World resorts to consider.  Not to mention checking out some Disney vacation packages to see what kinds of savings you can get.

So much information…and where do you start?  Glad you asked, because I’m happy to help!  You see, I’ve lived in Florida all my life, I used to work at Walt Disney World and I visit the parks a guest whenever I get the chance.  So I’ve got years of experience that I’ll pass on to you.

For example, do you know what’s the best time of year to visit the Disney parks?  Just a matter of a week or two can mean the difference between paying more or less.  Not to mention the best time of year for weather!

If you’re a Florida resident, do you know how to get the discounts you deserve?  It’s really easy to pay less, and I’ll show you how to get those discounts.

Have you ever thought about a character dinner — where you get to meet various Disney characters while enjoying a great dinner (or breakfast or lunch, for that matter)?  It’s a lot of fun, no matter what your age!

Planning a Disney World Vacation

Where are you going to stay on your Disney World vacation?  Will it be at one of the area hotels, or will you stay at a Disney resort?  And if you do stay on the property, what can you do to get the best prices?  (Hint – it’s something super-simple.)

When it comes to Disney park tickets, there are all kinds of options for you to consider.  You’ll find out which of those options are right for you, and you’ll see tips for how to get the best theme park ticket prices.

You might want to consider Disney vacation packages; they can save you quite a bit of money.  But do you know exactly what to look for in a package…before you sign on the dotted line?

You will probably also want to know some Disney World tips to save money, time and stress!

Planning your Disney World vacation just got easier!  Come on inside and let’s explore together. 

The EPCOT area resorts at Disney World in Florida consists of several individual hotels and villas.  As a whole, they are a mini-world all of their own!  So what are these resorts, and what do they offer the visitor?  It just may surprise you – read on!

What Are the EPCOT Area Resorts?

The resorts you’ll find here are as follows:  

• Boardwalk Villas
• Beach Club Villas
• Yacht Club
• Disney Dolphin
• Disney Swan

The two villas resorts are actually part of the Disney Vacation Club.  The Yacht Club is a Disney Deluxe resort, and the Dolphin and Swan fall into their own category.  Here’s a piece of trivia — the Dolphin and Swan are on Disney World property, but they aren’t owned by Disney.

Here’s a short video montage of photos I took when last I stayed there — take a peek and then read more about these resorts after the video.

As you might be able to tell, this is a fairly large area around the lake, with Boardwalk to one side, Swan and Dolphin on another, Beach Club Villas and Yacht Club snuggled against one another.  And on the fourth side?  EPCOT, of course!

Beach Club Villas and Yacht Club

These two resorts combine into one resort.  They share a lot of the same facilities, but the rooms are different.  This is because the Beach Club is part of the Disney Vacation Club villas, while the Yacht Club is a Disney Deluxe resort.

These two are the closest to EPCOT, about a 5 minute walk away.  It was funny, when we arrived at the Yacht Club for our stay, we were looking for the bus (part of the Disney transportation system) to take us to EPCOT.  I guess one of the staff members saw David and I wandering around looking confused, because he pointed us in the right direction (a door) and told us to follow the walkway to EPCOT.  Cool!

These two resorts are popular with conventions, as they have a beautiful convention area.  Not to worry, it’s far enough removed from the rooms so that there isn’t any noise or undue traffic through the main lobby or hallways.

At 9 PM every evening, the pier that leads out to the lighthouse is crowded with guests who gather to see the EPCOT fireworks show.

The rooms here at the Yacht Club are very comfy and while not extremely large, they are laid out well.  There’s plenty of room for two, though, and they are well- themed.  While our room faced more towards the parking area (possibly because we requested a room with a king-sized bed), when we stepped out on the balcony, we could see the lake and even a little of the EPCOT fireworks.

Disney Swan and Dolphin

These two were among the first resorts at Disney to be built, after the Polynesian and Contemporary.  I don’t know why they were built by a company other than Disney, nor why they continue to be owned outside of Disney.  Fortunately, almost all amenities offered by the “real” Disney world resorts are also granted to guests at the Swan and Dolphin (including the extended hours for the theme parks).

While David and I didn’t stay at the Swan or Dolphin, we did participate in a Disney character dinner there.  What amazed me was that the dining room wasn’t as crowded as those for the typical character meal.  I guess part of that was because it’s not a typical dining destination for Disney resorts.

The Swan is quite well themed, with swans of all sizes all around (including on the top of the building).  The dolphin was a little less well-themed; it’s probably more of an ocean environment, rather than just dolphins.  In any case, they are both lovely hotels.

They are a little farther from EPCOT, but still less than a 10 minute walk.

Disney Boardwalk Villas

Boardwalk is quite large, and it’s a destination in its own right.  It’s themed like a turn of the century (that is, early 1900s) seaside vacation spot.  There’s a dance hall, a boardwalk (naturally), shops and dining.  During our stay, we took a break from the theme parks and spent a couple of hours over here.

Boardwalk is part of the Disney Vacation Club, which is basically a timeshare.  As such, these are more than just rooms, but range from efficiencies to multi-bedroom suites.

Boardwalk is the furthest walk from EPCOT, but it’s a very short boat ride (as are all the other resorts in this area).  Yes, there is a water taxi that goes between the resorts, to EPCOT, and then to the other theme park in the area, Hollywood Studios.

The boardwalk area is very popular at 9 PM every evening, when the EPCOT laser and fireworks show runs.  It’s very visible from the boardwalk, and is almost as good as being at EPCOT.

Miscellaneous Info on the EPCOT Resorts

As I mentioned, there is a water taxi that goes between these resorts, EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.  The Hollywoord studios boat ride is about 20 minutes, while EPCOT is two or three minutes (once the boat is underway).   But either walking or taking the boat, all of these resorts have a private entrance into EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.  Now that was really nice — pretty much no lines at all.

All of these resorts also have bus stops that take you to other Disney resorts and theme parks, as well as Downtown Disney, Wide World of Sports, etc.

All of these in the EPCOT resort area are beautiful, and I have no problems with recommending them as great places to stay on a Disney World vacation.

Disney World ticket prices can be a little confusing at times.  You have the base Disney theme park tickets, but then there are all kinds of extras (Disney park hopper passes, no expiration, etc.).  Plus, there are different rates for Florida residents versus regular prices.  Not to mention the discounts you get for buying more than one day’s worth at a time.

Yep, it can be disconcerting, but let’s see if I can help you understand it a little better.  First, let’s talk about discounts.

Discount Disney World Tickets

First, know that Disney World does not have sales on tickets.  Instead, the discounts come in the form of buying multi-day passes.  And if you are a Florida resident, you get an extra discount.

At the moment, the Disney World ticket prices are as follows; this is the rate for a 1-day pass with no extras:

• Non-Resident Adult:   $82
• Non-Resident Child:  $74
• FL Resident Adult:  $73.80
• FL Resident Child:  $66.60

This is the most that you will ever have to pay for a Disney World ticket (at least, at the time of this writing — April 2011).

However, if you buy a 3 days pass, the rates go to the following per day; again, base ticket with no extras:

• Non-Resident Adult:   $74.87
• Non-Resident Child:  $67.33
• FL Resident Adult:  $45
• FL Resident Child:  $40.67

The prices keep going down from there.

Disney Park Hopper Tickets

The most popular Disney park ticket option is the Disney park hopper ticket.  This option lets you visit multiple theme parks in one day, without having to pay an extra full ticket price.

While the base ticket allows you to visit the same park multiple times in one day, you need a park hopper ticket if you want to visit different theme parks on the same day.  Below are what it would cost in addition to your base ticket price:

• Non-Resident:   1 day is $54
                                   3-day pass is $18 per day
• FL Resident:       1 day is $27
                                   3-day pass is $9 per day

Remember, these costs are in addition to the base ticket price.

Disney World Ticket Prices

From the numbers you see above, you can tell that it’s a whole lot less expensive (per day) to buy passes for multiple days at a time.  So while Disney doesn’t discount their prices per se, by purchasing tickets for multiple days you do spend less money on Disney World ticket prices.