More Disney World questions...

[I.Dup.]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread. :tongue_smilie:

 

We will be staying at the ASM in early September. Are we allowed to swim in other resort pools? I've heard the Beach Club Villas is the best, would we get kicked out or anything? Will the Disney transportation take us to the other resorts?

 

How far in advance should we plan on getting to the transportation buses if we're using them to get to the parks? We will rely completely on Disney transportation (I know, I know, but we didn't want to spend the extra to rent a car).

 

Also, it will be just my dh, me and our baby. We have 4 days in the parks. We will hopefully have childcare for the baby for 2 of the days so we can ride rides together. What would your days look like if it was just you and your dh (please don't tell me it's a dumb idea to go as a couple, we are really excited so :001_tt2:)

 

:D:D

[Pegasus]

If you are staying at one of the All Star resorts (I wasn't sure if ASM meant All Star Music or All Star Movies), you can use the pools at the sister resorts (Movies, Music, Sports). You are NOT allowed to pool hop to WDW resorts other than that. Otherwise, the nicest pools would be overwhelmed with folks staying at other resorts. They DO check and it wouldn't be worth the embarassment of being caught and asked to leave.

 

You CAN take any and all Disney transportation. You are welcome to visit and walk around any and all of the resorts, eat in their restaurants, food courts, shop in their stores, etc. It is a nice way to spend some time. That said, there are no buses that go directly from one resort to another. You would have to take one bus from your resort to a park or Downtown Disney and then transfer to a bus that is going to your destination resort. This can eat up serious time. However, if you take a bus to the Magic Kingdom, you can then use the resort monorail to go and visit each of the monorail resorts.

 

We've stayed at the All Star resorts several times. The buses run pretty frequently but you can wait up to 20 minutes for a bus to show up. The longest trip is to the Magic Kingdom and that takes about 20 minutes. So, go to the bus stop about 40 minutes before you want to get to the park and you should be in pretty good shape. Animal Kingdom is the closest with Epcot and Studios being a midling distance.

 

You will see plenty of adults without kids visiting the parks. Have a great time!

 

Edited to add that the All Star resorts are side by side so you can easily walk from one to another. It is neat to just walk around and see the different theming.

Edited June 26, 2012 by Pegasus

[DianeW88]

No, you are not allowed to swim in any resort pool except your own. Most pools are now gated and require your room key to enter the pool area. The CMs will ask you to leave if you don't belong there.

[I.Dup.]

Thank you both! I figured that's how it was but just wanted to make sure :) We have the waterparks this time, so we will just enjoy going to Typhoon Lagoon instead of worrying about resort pools. I remember liking that one way more than BB as a kid. :001_smile:

[DianeW88]

Yep, the water parks are awesome!

[kroe1]

In my opinion, these are the most romantic things one can do at the World:

 

1. Baby can come or not. Park at the Polynesian. Walk directly back towards the beach and view the castle. If you look to your right, you will see the point where several weddings a day take place. Hopefully, you'll see one in progress. Take the path all the way around to the Grand Floridian. Along the way, you will hear music from the luau. A little way further and you will pass the Disney Wedding Pavilion. If you are super lucky, you will see Cinderella's Coach delivering a bride to her big day. If the chapel is empty, try to take a peek inside. Couples marry in front of a large cathedral window with the castle view directly in the center. (My DH and I married here.) Keep on walking. When you get to the Grand Floridian, take a minute to look around the lobby. But head upstairs and dine at Citricos. Make sure they know you are celebrating romance. And see if they still have a bottle of Fairy Tale Cuvee (sp?) On the walk back to the Poly, hold hands. This is a 100% guaranteed night of falling in love all over again.

 

2. Baby can come or not. Take a stroll around the Boardwalk around 9pm. The Boardwalk comes alive. There is music, mimes, sidewalk vendors, etc. Don't miss walking into all the resorts including the Swan and Dolphin. There are so many restaurants around here that your head will spin. I can't pick your restaurant as there are just too many good ones. If you like clubbing, there's several to choose from also, but baby can't come into these.

 

3. No babies. There's a little known safari that heads out of Animal Kingdom Lodge. It combines a lover's safari with the chef's table at Jiko's. It was the most amazing safari we've ever done. They even serve a tad of cheese and wine during the middle of it, just like real safari's in Africa. There will be a couple of animal handlers who will give you a personal and up close visit with the safari animals as well as some unbelievable stories of the history of the lodge and park. For example, when Animal Kingdom was still in the hands of the Imagineers, they sent random questions to all the zoos of the world. The questions were on housing, designing, and caring for all the African animals. Then the Imagineers took the best answers for all over the world and hired the zookeepers right then. The idea seemed great until the design teams all arrived speaking multiple languages. :)

After the safari, you will head over for the most divine meal ever. The chef's table offers little bites of most of the dishes served at Jiko's. If you don't fall in love again this day, your stomach certainly will.

 

4. Baby can come or not. Take a boat ride from Downtown Disney to Port Orleans Riverside. Then do a little fishing. Check available times. If Boatman's is open afterwards, then try some of the pot roast. After dinner take a horse and carriage ride around Port Orleans. Notice the alligator swamps in contrast to the old antebellum fountains. End the night with some piano humming at the bar which allows babies.

 

5. Baby probably cannot come. Take a class together. These are expensive, but if you are willing to pay for a master lesson in something, then Disney makes it available. You can learn the art of cooking those fabulous wedding cakes at Grand Floridian or photographing weddings. There are lunches with artists, imagineers, or anyone else you can think of. I've spent an afternoon with a photographer, eaten with a rollercoaster designer, and learned to bake cookies (although I failed miserably at this one). The sky is the limit here.

 

6. Baby can come, but hold on tight! You want to go really fast? There's an antique speed boat at the Yacht Club. I can't remember the name of it right now. But anyway, it's the fastest thing at Disney. Thirty minutes will be plenty of time to squeal, grab hubby, and lose your hat to the alligators. For the super romance bonus, take the speedboat to Epcot during Illuminations and dine on chocolate covered strawberries while getting a private run down on the true story behind the fireworks spectacular. As a matter of fact, both Illuminations, and the fireworks at Magic Kingdom have private boat viewings.

 

7. Call the Disney florist and have your resort bed decorated with rose petals.

 

That should get you started. I'm sure I'll remember a few of the other things we've done later.

 

:)

Edited June 27, 2012 by Minniewannabe