Tips about Resorts and Water Parks

My husband and I played a round of mini golf this past weekend at Fantasia Gardens and we accidentally timed it perfectly with Fantasmic! across the road at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The whimsical Fantasmic! music went quite well with the Fantasia golf course! It was such a treat. Plus, we could see the fireworks at the end of the show. Check to see what time Fantasmic! is and plan your tee time accordingly! - Kathryn

POLYNESIAN RESORT - I just wanted to add a great place to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. At the Polynesian, just off the path that leads to the Grand Floridian (by Luau Cove), there is a nice little beach removed from the rest of the resort, with lounge chairs and a swing. It's a perfect place to watch the fireworks from afar, and you get a whole different perspective and realize just how majestic they really are. It's also nice to watch them and not be in crowds of people. - Tim

ALL STAR MUSIC - I just returned from a very quick trip to Walt Disney World. Normally we stay for at least three nights, but this time we only had a one-night stay. This is the first time that we stayed in Building 1 at All Star Music. Since we made our reservation at the last minute, we did not have much choice in the way of a room selection. We got a room facing the swimming pool. If you are a light sleeper, or have problems falling asleep because of noise, a room facing the swimming pool is a very bad idea. The pool is open late, and the noise from the pool made it very difficult to sleep. In the morning, I was awakened at about 7:15 from more noise coming from people at the swimming pool. The tip here is to stay away from the swimming pool if you can't handle the noise. - Craig M

All Resorts - The shower stalls at our hotel (Villas at the Wilderness Lodge) were quite slippery when wet. We did find out that housekeeping has a limited number of rubber floor mats available on request. They also have night lights available. - Naomi

We just rented a cabin at Fort Wilderness and thought we would pass on some tips. We ordered water and drinks, along with eggs and cold cuts from an Orlando grocery delivery service. We also had room in our checked luggage for some groceries, condiment packs and little pouches of basic spices (sea salt, fresh pepper, garlic powder). The cabin's kitchen has about everything you need, but you might want to pack a small sharp kitchen knife, and if you plan to fry anything, know that the pan is stainless steel and not nonstick (VERY non-nonstick!). Stop at your local sub shop and pick up some oil packets (canola or extra virgin olive) and throw them in a zipper-top bag in your checked luggage. Being able to throw together breakfast in the morning is a great time- and money-saver, and having a late-night turkey sandwich and chips on the couch is a bonus. - Brian Phillips

I have a comment to add to Josh's tips for larger guests (ALL EARS® Issue #342, April 11, 2006). He mentioned that he had tested Typhoon Lagoon water rides with the exception of Crush 'n' Gusher. When I visited in November '05 with my husband and two children, I went on Crush 'n' Gusher with my 8-year-old son and it was AWESOME! I was a little anxious about whether I would be able to manage this because of my weight and I had my husband try it out first (he is much closer to average weight). I am 5'4" and weigh about 290 lbs. We used the two-person raft and I sat in the back (as instructed by the attendant). The great thing about this water ride is that you can get yourself situated properly on the raft since you are resting on rollers, not water, before you are launched. The attendant had no problem waiting until we were ready. My son was so happy that I was able to ride with him. We went on all three slides, each being different in its hills and turns. The ride does have rollers throughout the slide to help propel you up the inclines. For a larger person, I would recommend keeping your backside raised up off of the bottom (the raft has a cut-out hole in each seat portion) as far as you can because hitting the rollers with your backside is quite a shock and can be painful. It didn't stop me from going on multiple times and I would do it again in a heartbeat, but I did have some bruising the next day because of it. This evidently is not a problem with average weight individuals, as they don't sink down as far as a larger person. Also, Crush 'n' Gusher is somewhat hidden off to the right when you enter Typhoon Lagoon. It wasn't on the map when we went so we had to ask to find it. We didn't discover this area until late in the day and I wish we had found it much earlier. It has its own large chaise area, sand areas, and a walk-in pool area adjacent to the splash-down pool at the bottom of Crush 'n' Gusher that was beautifully landscaped (as would be expected). - Anne Marie

I have to tell everyone how great Typhoon Lagoon is! We had the most fun at this water park. I wasn't really into going, but I was really glad we did. They have this huge wave pool -- it is awesome. I have a 3-year-old and we were all able to go down the water slides with her. My husband went first, then I helped my daughter (gave her a push), and my husband caught her at the bottom. I was the last. This was GREAT! There was lots of stuff for kids... I would put it on your list of things to do! - Amy Facchini

All Resorts - I'm sure that many people, like myself, are light sleepers and wake up at the slightest noise. As you may well know, even the Deluxe resorts at Disney World are plagued with their share of noises, and for me nothing ruins a vacation more than not getting enough sleep. What I've found to be extremely helpful in getting a good night's sleep is to bring along a cheap pair of foam earplugs. I put them in right before bed and sleep soundly the whole night. I've found them in stores such as Target, but you can also get them at your local pharmacy for only a few dollars. - P.F.

We have just returned from a stay at the Art of Animation Resort, in a Little Mermaid room. It didn't have any tea- or coffee-making facilities in it, so if you want to make a hot drink in your room or warm a baby bottle, you'll want to bring a travel kettle (or something similar) with you. - Katy Hand

ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE - During a recent stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge, we walked outside to enjoy a warm evening, seeing if we could see any animals. Well, being nighttime, there wasn't much to see. One of the guides stationed at the observation posts offered us his night vision goggles. It was absolutely incredible. Each of us got to see the animals moving around. It was literally like opening my eyes when looking through them. There were lots of animals where we thought there were none. We have been to the Animal Kingdom Lodge before, but this was a first for us. I highly recommend this experience. Ask the guides; they are always so helpful. It's just another reason tolove this resort, and Disney! - Linda Waltz

ALL STAR RESORTS - We stayed at All Star Music Resort during a "value" or low attendance time period for WDW. As it turns out, due to the lower volume of people, the transportation buses tend to make stops at All Star Sports, All Star Music and All Star Movies -- in that order. The end result is that by the time the bus gets to Movies over 50 percent of the time it's standing room only. This may not apply during the regular season and I'm sure it does not apply during the peak or holiday seasons. I developed a saying midway through the vacation: If you want to sit and ride, stay at All Star Sports. - Michael Dodson

All Resorts - In the room at the hotel, there typically isn't any place to store your bathroom stuff. Toothbrushes, makeup, medicines, shaving supplies, or whatever else ends up sitting on the counter where it either gets moved or is subject to cleaner overspray when the staff comes in to make up the room. My wife found this tip on a cruise ship website and it worked great for our Disney trip over Thanksgiving. She found a clear plastic hanging shoe holder, the kind that has pockets for holding individual shoes. We hung this in the closet and put all our bathroom stuff in there. It was out of the way, but easy to see where individual items were. The holder went down to the floor, too, so we could put things our 5-year-old needed towards the bottom so she could get them herself. Everything had a place so the bathroom countertop was completely clear when we left for the parks each day. - Pete Johnson

Contemporary - Though you can't just go to the top floor of the Contemporary to watch the fireworks, you can go to the third floor lookout (or the stairwells of the 4th-14th floors). Also, remember that the monorails stop when there are perimeter fireworks. - Kenny

Fort Wilderness - We seem to arrive at Fort Wilderness late in the afternoon after driving for several days. After setting up, it's too late to visit any of the parks. What we do is take the boat over to the Wilderness Lodge for some minor shopping (the Orlando paper) and then over to the Magic Kingdom. We don't go in, but exchange our vouchers for the park tickets. By that time of day, there's no line but a couple of Cast Members are still on duty. If we time it right, we can watch the fireworks from the boat on the way back. - David and Dayle Youngs

If you are at a water park and they announce, "The National Weather Service has issued a thunderstorm/severe weather warning. We may close if it comes closer," just get out then and avoid the rush. We did that at Typhoon Lagoon and missed the crowded change rooms and being trapped by a thunderstorm. - Victor