AffordableDisney-Trip Reports
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John and Donna Gross "The Full Mickey - At a Discount!" The Wall Street Journal
Beth, our travel agent, visited WDW December, 2004: "Thought I'd start writing up some things from my own recent trip to WDW. We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge in a standard savannah room with concierge level access. The concierge level was a holiday gift from my inside sales rep, so I had the unique opportunity to evaluate it without thinking about my wallet! First, though, the room... We were on the Zebra Trail about half way down the hall. It's a hike from the lobby if you're way at the end, but half way down wasn't too bad. We were on the fifth floor and had a nice view of everything, but I have to say that I was a little disappointed that we didn't see more animals. Our previous stay was more fruitful in that respect. Not that there weren't any, but they were not as abundant and didn't come as close. Still very cool, though, and I'd stay there again in a heartbeat for the view alone. We had two queen beds for two adults and a child. The room had a comfy chair as well as a table with two chairs, and adequate drawer space in the entertainment armoire for all our "stuff." The double-sink vanity area was plenty large enough for my mother and myself to primp simultaneously, and my mother declared the spray from the shower the most wonderful she's ever experienced. The rooms were kept very clean, and we had turndown service each night. Two thumbs up on the room - especially since the Affordable Disney group pricing was just $149 per night plus tax!" Beth continues her trip report below. |
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Beth continues her trip report: "The trek to the concierge lounge was just that - a trek. We had to go down the hall, across the bridge that spans the lobby, down another hall, and up to the sixth floor using our specially encoded keys. The elevators in the front near the gift shop are the only ones that go up to the lounge, and our keys didn't work at first, so I had to go back to the front desk to get them fixed, then back across the lobby to the elevators to try again. It worked that time, though. So up we went to the lounge to experience the late afternoon offerings. There were several types of African wines, and the two I tried were very good. They also offered both African and domestic beers, sodas, iced tea, juice - pretty much anything you might want in the way of non-alcoholic beverages. The appetizers were... interesting. We were all in agreement that the lightly salted and baked wheat pita was really different and very good, and a few of the other offerings were OK, but apparently our Americanized palates aren't appropriately appreciative of African flavors. We were impressed with the presentation and quantity of items, but not the tastes. My daughter gave the crustless PB&J tea- sized sandwiches her seal of approval, though. We stopped in later that night (after dinner) just to see what it looked like. We found that most of the desserts were taken straight from the dessert section of Boma, the African buffet restaurant downstairs. There were a number of cordials available for self-service, as well as coffee and cappuccino and various non-alcoholic beverages. All in all, it's a very nice set-up. My only negative comment regarding the late evening offerings is that they are apparently removed at 10:00 PM. Given that people are often not back to the resort by then, you can count on missing out on the desserts at least a few nights of your stay. We didn't get to see the lunch offerings, but we did have breakfast in the lounge all three mornings. Surprisingly, getting a table was never a problem. The traffic flow seems to move pretty well. The continental breakfast was exceptionally good. There were stacks of assorted bagels and pastries, fresh fruits, sliced fresh melons, and lovely strawberries every morning. There were several types of dry cereals and three types of juice. It was all abundant and nicely presented and we were VERY happy to be eating up there instead of down at the Mara food court." A TV tuned to Disney cartoons keeps the little ones busy, and several different newspapers are available for the adults. The concierge desk attendants seem to rotate between doing that job and overseeing the care and replenishment of the food, so that no matter who you ask your questions to, they're likely to have an answer. So we give the concierge service two thumbs up - but not the price. The difference between a standard savannah view room and the concierge level can be as much as $200 a day - plus tax! The difference between a deluxe savannah view and concierge is as high as $110 a night + tax. If budget isn't a concern, go for it, but you'd have to really hate food courts to get your money's worth at those prices! After all, you probably won't get to enjoy it more than 1-2 times a day at most. If, on the other hand, you can get it for maybe $60 more on a promotion and you have three teenagers that eat like linebackers then it's a good deal even if you're only having breakfast there, given the nicer atmosphere. If you can get a nightcap or an occasional snack from it, too, so much the better. We checked into the hotel on this trip right about 3:00 and there was no line at all! It still took them awhile to get it all processed, but my mother went down to the other end to pick up our Candlelight Processional stuff and my daughter watched TV, so it wasn't bad. We never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus to any park, although people told me that their wait for a bus to Downtown Disney was about 30 minutes. The location for waiting for return buses from the parks was good, and the lines were usually not too bad compared to the ones for moderate resorts and other deluxe resorts, but unfortunately, the bus drivers are equally inept at getting scooters and wheelchairs loaded in a timely manner. A bus can hold two of them, and it can take up to 15 minutes each to get them loaded. If you've ever experienced this yourself and feel that Disney needs to look into ways to make this process faster, I encourage you to click here and send a message. Submitting complaints is the only way they know that there's a problem, so don't hesitate to let them know. They really do listen! One last note... I had three people leave me things at the hotel. One person left an envelope for me and it was slipped under the door within a few hours after I checked in. One person ordered a chocolate sculpture for me through the hotel (and I have to say that is was exquisite). It was delivered on our second night and was waiting in the room when we returned from Mickey's Christmas Party. The third person spent weeks collecting items to put in a basket for the three of us, then wrapped it all up and put my name on it, leaving it at the front desk just hours before we arrived. We never got it. The hotel did, however, give the person that left it a credit for the full value she placed on it. So they managed to get two out of three deliveries right. I was told by the agent that came in after me that she was given a smoking room, not normally a problem, but this one smelled REALLY bad even after they sent someone to clean it with special stuff. Eventually they were able to move the agent and her daughter, but that's not always possible, so be sure to request nonsmoking if it's important to you. Finally, the last agent that stayed left her car with valet parking - and they lost it. Not permanently, but for over an hour. When they finally found the car they couldn't find the keys and suggested that they call someone to rekey the car. The agent insisted that they look harder and they did eventually locate the keys. They offered to pay for the agent's room, but she was there at no charge. She jokingly suggested they pick up her birthday party tab from the previous night at Pleasure Island - around $300 - and they did! In short, the hotel makes mistakes, but they do what they can to make it up to you. More later on the Candlelight Processional and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party."
Scott, one of our members who signed up for the Affordable Disney holiday trip at Animal Kingdom Lodge in December, 2004, sent this letter to Beth, our travel agent: "Dear Beth, Where to begin?!?! Vacations are supposed to be FUN!!! However, I can say for myself that most of my vacations (particularly where we were going some place new) were much more stressful than vacations should be! Where to stay, where to go or where not to go, park tickets or passes ;-), where to eat, how to save money, booking character breakfasts 3 months ahead of time, taxi or bus?, transportation to and from the airport... The list is endless. I am a real estate developer. I have an MBA and a Law degree. Research, planning, project management, negotiating and crisis management are part of my daily environment. When beginning to think about a vacation, I don't want to have to do research, planning, project management, negotiating and crisis management. Vacations are supposed to be FUN!!!! Thank God I found you!!! From our first email encounter, your insight, understanding, contacts, thoughtfulness, research, planning etc. made our Disney vacation decisions so simple! At your suggestion, we stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge 5 days, 4 nights the first week of December 2004. We covered three different parks plus downtown Disney, enjoyed the best accommodations available (at a really great price), saved a lot of money, and had a vacation that was practically stress-free. And I have two children, a 19 month old and a 3 year old! Now that’s saying something! From figuring out whether it made sense to pre pay for lunch/dinner vouchers, to advising us about making reservations for character breakfast 90 days in advance, to making sure we had a crib in our room, to arranging transportation to and from the airport (you even made sure he even had car seats for my kids!), to being prepared for the one day the temperature dropped below 70 degrees, to renting strollers at the parks and everything in between, you were AWESOME. It is the sum total of all of the little things that makes a trip memorable and enjoyable. You helped make this vacation one to remember! We arrived at the airport in Orlando with a car service waiting. As we talked to our driver during the ride to Animal Kingdom Lodge, he discovered that I was into real estate and elected (at no additional cost) to take us on a tour of Celebration. (Celebration is a small city [developed by Disney] and a residential master planning marvel and a must see in the real estate development world.) I was thrilled. A few minutes later we arrived at the AKL with our two exhausted toddlers! We walk into our room and over to the balcony and what do we see? Three giraffes, three ankole steer, an ostrich, two vultures, and several other wild animals right below our balcony!!!!! My girls were overjoyed and cheered with delight! I thought to myself, "It’s going to be a great vacation!" I must admit that there were a few times when I felt stressed as I stood at the entry to the character breakfasts and listened to the greeter explain to ten different mommies and daddies (and their screaming kids) why they couldn't get in to the Princess Character Breakfast because they didn't make reservations THREE MONTHS in advance! I felt stressed for THEM and quietly thanked you (Beth) as I thought how incredibly disappointed my daughters would have been if we couldn't get in because Daddy didn't plan in advance. Whew! I also felt a pang of stress hit me when I heard several other families complain about their accommodations, being far away from the action and overpaying on top of it... again I quietly thanked you (Beth) for your insight! What a difference your help made! We couldn't have selected better accommodations!... In my line of business, legal disclaimers are a regular thing. I think Disney needs one as follows: WARNING: Planning a trip to our Disney hotels and theme parks may be extremely stressful and disappointing unless you FIRST contact Beth, [AffordableDisney's travel agent]! Again Beth, I don't know how to thank you for all of your help. We will certainly be planning another trip to Disney next year. I will contact you in the spring to begin planning our second annual Disney trip! And I will start spreading the word about your wonderful services! I might even start a Beth fan club!" Now you know why we recommend Beth to our members! Affordable Disney has group space blocked on the 3-night Disney Wonder cruise sailing DECEMBER 8, 2005. Regardless of the cabin category booked, participants will get $50.00 off the normal cabin price and a Passporter Guide to the Disney Cruise Line. Space is limited. Beth's services are available to all our members at no extra charge. Book today! Log in today for details. Not a member? Join our Disney family here.
Renea writes: "Hello John: We went to Disneyworld in November, 2004. The November trip was very eventful! We arrived at 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 4th. I decided since it was only myself and my 3 children to stay on airport property. We stayed at the La Quinta Inn North for only $34.50 including breakfast with my Entertainment rate. The hotel was "o.k." There were young girls talking on their phones at midnight outside our door (until they saw my dirty looks and went down the hall). The room was clean enough and the breakfast was very good with waffles, fruit, yogurt, breads, and cereals. We checked into the La Quinta Inn on Jamaican Court on International Drive. Stay away from this property at all costs! I mean this!
We only paid $39.50/night with breakfast but here is what happened to us:
I was terrified to stay here so I walked next door to the embassy suites and explained my situation. I am a Hilton honors member so I got a suite for $99/night. the room was o.k., much better then the L.Q. but not as clean and maintained as it should have been. It is a nice place with indoor/outdoor pool, hot breakfast in the a.m. and manager's reception with free drinks for 2 hours every night. The good part of our trip was the last. I made reservations at the Grand Floridian in the Lodge Concierge building where we always stay (we know everyone there by name). I paid for the 2 nights in advance. the problem is we were in the lodge for 1 night and a lagoon view the second because they were sold out. I went to the lodge building the night before check in and spoke with the desk clerk who I know very well. he called the room assigner and asked if we could stay in the lodge building both nights. we arrived on Tuesday a.m. and the concierge staff greeted us as usual to take us to the lodge building. he brought us to the golden elevators (these are only accessible to those who are staying in the main building concierge). I asked him where we were going and he said they upgraded us for the night! What a fantastic place! breakfast, snacks at lunch, tea in the afternoon, hot foods at night with champagne, beer, etc. then at 8:00 they had cordials and fancy deserts. the rooms are gorgeous, the staff very helpful and the service is great. I couldn't believe this place. I went down the next morning to check out and into the lodge building and they let me keep my free upgrade! I was so happy after the nightmare we were in before. if your readers have the $ and want a very special treat, stay here! they were also setting up the gingerbread house (which we watched the chefs put the gingerbread and icing on the house) and I came out of the Jacuzzi around midnight and they were starting to put all the Christmas trees up (even the large one in the lobby). We always stay at the G.F. and after this experience, we won't stay anywhere else... thanks for the newsletter every week. it helps when planning our trips." Ahhhh... concierge service! If you got the cash, make a dash for those gold elevators!
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