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Hi! I'm Anita!
 Got
a question about Walt Disney World? I probably have the answer! Deb's
Unofficial Walt Disney World Information Guide is the most comprehensive
guide to the World on the Web, but if you still can't find the information
you're looking for by using the Site Map,
the Search
Function, or the Anita Answer Archives, drop
me a line and I'll do my best to find the answer for you. Since
there are only 24 hours in a day, I can't answer every email I receive
- however, I do read every one and try to answer as many as possible.
Check back weekly and see if your answer is waiting! Meanwhile, I'm All
Ears!
Rhonda
writes:
If we want
to have a character dinner at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary and
the Magic Kingdom is closing early for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween
Party, will we be able to get transportation back to our hotel (Pop
Century)? Thanks.
Hi
Rhonda!
Don't worry.
Magic Kingdom transportation will
continue to run for at least an hour past the end of the Halloween party
or any other party (Pirate and Princess and the Christmas Party) at
the Magic Kingdom. Take your time at Chef
Mickey's, then make the 10 minute stroll from the Contemporary
Resort to the Magic Kingdom's bus area to catch a Pop
Century bus back to your hotel.
Have a
magical trip!
A.A.
Kathy
writes:
Do they
search every purse, backpack and camera bag you bring into every park?
Do you need to take everything out if they do? Thank you!
Hi Kathy!
Every bag,
box, stroller, backpack or any other thing you use to bring something
into the park will be searched each and every time you enter a park.
It's up to the discretion of the individual Security Host as to whether
you'll be required to remove everything from the bag, backpack, etc.
when it is searched.
This creates
the perfect opportunity for me to give my annual "Travel Light"
advice: The more you drag into the parks with you, the longer it will
take to get through a security checkpoint. The more zippers and pockets
a bag has, the longer it will take to search them all. My dear friend
Flo usually manages to get through a whole day in the parks with a tiny
wallet on a string and a camera. Depending on the weather, that's what
I do as well. If the weather is cold and rainy, I usually take a small,
light "sling"-type bag with a packable jacket and small umbrella,
otherwise, I travel to the parks with as little as I can get away with.
As a bonus,
you'll find that the less you carry, the more your back will thank you
at the end of a long day of touring. Also, be sure to take into consideration
where you will leave the stuff you carry in if it does not fit on the
rides with you, and don't forget you'll probably buy things in the park
that you'll have to tote around in addition to whatever you brought
in with you.
For some
good advice on what to or not to take into the parks with you, read
All Ears Net's "What to Tote in the
Parks" pages.
Have a
great vacation!
A.A.
Charley
writes:
Hi, Anita.
We are a family of five -- two adults and three children (11, 8 and
5). It has been my experience that getting rooms in most Disney resort
hotels is harder than if there were only four of us.
My question
is this: Are the Disney room capacity guidelines merely guidelines,
or are they rules which are enforced? If I made reservations for a room
in the Animal Kingdom Lodge which sleeps four (two queen beds or a queen
and bunk beds) would there be a problem when checking in with five?
Thank you for your help.
Hi Charley!
Those occupancy
rules are exactly that: Rules which must be followed, and for a number
of reasons, not the least of which is safety. Say, for instance, there
was a fire or other emergency and you only had four guests listed on
your reservation. Rescuers would only be looking for four occupants
and not five.
There are
other problems caused by "sneaking" an extra guest into the
room. The extra guest would not have a Key to the World card (KTTW)
for identification. That guest could not attend Extra Magic Hours, could
not charge anything back to the room, and could not participate in the
Dining Plan. Also, if you wanted to use Disney's Magical Express, that
extra guest would not be included because they are not listed on a reservation.
To avoid
these and any other problems a phantom guest might cause, I strongly
advise booking a room or villa that accommodates five people. Most deluxe
resort rooms fit five, as do rooms at Port
Orleans-Riverside in the Alligator Bayou section, as well as
the family suites at the All Star Music
Resort and the Fort Wilderness
Cabins. If you are trying to book your room through Disney's
website, these little details seem to be left out of their booking system,
so try calling Disney Reservations
on the phone at 1-407-WDISNEY or contacting a travel agent to book on
your behalf.
A.A.
Beth
writes:
We're interested
in attending Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween
Party this fall. I know it's a ticketed event in the Magic Kingdom
but I've heard from one source that if you are in the park when the
party starts, you are allowed to stay regardless of whether you've paid
extra for the event ticket. Can you confirm or deny that information?
Thanks!
Hi Beth!
Over the
last year, the Magic Kingdom has
been working very hard to keep Hard Ticket events, like the various
parties, exclusive to guests who have purchased tickets. Guests must
trade their event tickets in for colored bracelets, which must be shown
to gain entrance to all of the rides and attractions. Recently, cast
members have been enforcing that policy to the point of not allowing
guests without bracelets past Main Street, and escorting them to the
front of the park. I'm sure there will still be some unscrupulous guests
who will manage to sneak in without paying, but the number will be very
small, and they won't be able to enjoy any of the rides or attractions
without a ticket.
A.A.
Gina and a number of other readers
wrote:
My family
is planning on visiting WDW this summer and we are staying at the All
Star Movie Resort. My daughters love to swim and we were wondering if
we can visit other resorts' swimming pools?
Hi
Everyone!
It's that
time of year again. I'm getting a number of questions about using other
resorts' pools, so once again, here is the policy on pool hopping:
Pool hopping -- that is, using another resort's pool. Disney
resort pools are for the use of that resort's guests only, with the
following exceptions:
- Disney Vacation Club Members staying at a DVC resort on points
may hop to any other Disney resort's pool with the exception of the
Uzima Pool at the Animal Kingdom Lodge
and Stormalong Bay at the Yacht and Beach Club (unless they're staying
at the Beach Club Villas, of course!)
At certain busy times of the year, all pool hopping is suspended.
- Guests of any of the All Star Resorts may use any other All Star
Resort's pool. NOTE: The Pop
Century Resort is not included in this agreement, as it is not
one of the All Star Resorts.
- Guests of Port Orleans-Riverside
may use Port Orleans-French
Quarter's pool and vice versa.
The only time you may see an exception to the above rules is
when a pool is undergoing a refurbishment and is closed for a long period
of time. When you check into your resort, the front desk will advise
you on which pools are available for you to use.
An important note about Stormalong Bay: Valid Yacht and Beach
Club ID will be required to enter the pool area, and the cast members
at this pool are very strict about this policy. After showing your ID,
you are given a bracelet to wear to identify you as a Yacht or Beach
Club guest. Attempting to sneak in is not advised.
A.A.
Nick
writes:
Probably
not a question you will publish, but one my wife and I hope you will
answer. We have been arguing about where we ate on one of our anniversary
trips to WDW. We ate breakfast at the Wilderness Lodge and my wife says
it was Artist Point and I say it was Whispering Canyon Cafe. Has Artist
Point ever served breakfast with Pooh and Friends? It's been about six
or seven years. We go to WDW one or two times per year, but have only
eaten at the Wilderness Lodge that one time. Thanks for all the great
data this site provides. I recommend it to everyone I know who has planned
a WDW trip.
Hi Nick!
Surprise!
You've been published!
Sorry,
but your wife wins this one. Not only was there a Pooh and Friends breakfast
at Artist Point at the Wilderness
Lodge, there was a Pocahontas breakfast served there prior to that.
The Character
Breakfast Stampede (featuring Pocahontas and friends) ran in 1996 and
1997. Pooh and Friends ran from 1998 until 2001. There is no longer
a character meal served at the Wilderness
Lodge.
A.A.
That's
it for this edition!
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