Walt Disney World Resort Non-Park Discussion Thread

Looks like a great addition. Definitely will help on those evening when your looking for something to do. I like Downtown Disney because of how easy it is to get in and out, and you don't have to pay for parking. Sure it gets busy, but compared to City Walk it is much more convenient.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2013/01/relax-rejuvenate-unwind-at-disney-resort-fitness-centers-spas-salons-at-walt-disney-world-resort/

Did you know that Disney’s Yacht & Beach Ship Shape Massage Salon & Fitness Center just underwent a major renovation? It is sparkling with a modern, yet warm, motif that complements the nautical resort. There are five treatment rooms and even a relaxation room for the ultimate in lounging.

 

Around Disney property there are other facilities that offer traditional salon services, plus a limited menu of massages, facials, manicures and pedicures, plus a fitness center to soothe and unwind. Think of these offerings as a super convenient way to get a little “you time” right at your home resort.

 

All six locations are now owned and managed by Disney so that means a whole new menu of relaxing and pampering services with a dash of Disney in décor and guest service. Treatment hours are from 8 a.m.-8 p.m., and salon hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Zahanati Massage & Fitness Center, Disney’s BoardWalk Muscles & Bustles Health Club, Disney’s Coronado Springs La Vida Health Club and Casa de Belleza Salon, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Sturdy Branches Health Club, and Disney’s Contemporary Resort Olympiad Fitness Center. And remember the spa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort is now closed for a major renovation and is scheduled to reopen in summer as the brand new Senses – A Disney Spa at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort. (The fitness center will remain opened with limited hours.)

 

For the ultimate in well-being, there’s also the newly opened Senses – A Disney Spa at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. This full-service spa opened its doors last month to feature 15 treatment rooms with services such as water therapy, sugar exfoliation body treatments, rejuvenating citrus facials and an extensive array of massages, spa manicures and pedicures.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-no-expiration-tickets-chnanges-20130123,0,6094699.story

'No-expire' option lives on for Disney tickets — just not for online purchases

 

By Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel

January 23, 2013

 

Disney World has altered the way it sells the "no-expire" option on theme-park tickets. That selection, which allows multiday tickets to be used any time in the future, no longer will be available online. The no-expire add-on continues to be available via phone or at theme park front gates, a Disney spokeswoman said Tuesday.

 

Adding "park hopper" status, which allows a ticketholder to move between all four parks in a single day, and the water-park option can still be purchased online at DisneyWorld.com.

 

Giving the tickets new life comes at a price. Disney charges between $30 and $295 on top of the regular admission, depending on how many days were purchased originally.

 

No-expire buyers tend to be "guests who like to visit Disney on a whim but not regularly enough for having an annual pass makes sense," says John Frost, owner of The Disney Blog, which is not officially affiliated with Walt Disney World.

 

"If you're planning to visit less than eight days a year but more than five then it makes sense to get this pass," Frost says.

 

Disney's multiday tickets become invalid 14 days after the first use of the pass, unless a no-expire option is activated. That is also true of most ticket plans for theme parks at SeaWorld Orlando and Universal Orlando.

 

Sue Pisaturo, owner of New Jersey-based Small World Vacations travel agency, says the great majority of her customers do not use the no-expire option.

 

"I polled my agents … across the United States, and we book people from all over the world, and they said rarely do they have any inquiry about it."

 

She says many of her clients are first-timers to Disney World and not inclined to buy into additional trips yet.

 

"Most people, when my agents tell them the price, say they don't want to add the non-expiration," Pisaturo says.

 

Frost says he thinks that Disney is deemphasizing the no-expire option — it no longer appears on the signage at the parks' gates — as part of the shift to Disney's upcoming NextGen features.

 

"Disney wants more guests to stay on property. And when guests stay on property, they want them to use the all-in-one package as they're moving to the My Disney Experience and MyMagic system," Frost says. "So it's all wrapped up into one wristband. They can't sell no-expire tickets that way."

 

Copyright © 2013, Orlando Sentinel

We bought our 10-day non-expiring tickets at AAA. We want to take advantage of the MyMagic system, but does it preclude the multi-day non-expiring tickets? I have to read some of the other threads on MyMagic and NextGen.

^ Considering that My Magic+ isn't fully rolled out yet, I'd say you'll have to "wait and see." What we've learned is that the majority of what is being talked about in other threads both on our forum, and on other sites, is that no one knows for sure, and everyone is just "speculating", but so much of this has been happening that people are quoting rumors as fact.

Personally, unless you are staying on property and buying in from the WDW website, I wouldn't expect to use My Magic+ in 2013 as I feel most of this year will be in the testing phase.

I noticed that when I booked my stay at WDW last year Fitness-Centers were included for ALL Disney Resort Hotel guests - now on their new site it says it's only included for guests of the Disney Resort Hotel guests that reside in the hotel in which the Fitness-Center is located. All other Disney Resort Hotel guests have to pay USD 12 per visit which IMO is outrageous.

At for example Europe-Park the Fitness-Center at the Bell Rock Hotel is free for all resort guests. I'll try to force my way in for free as I booked when it was still free for all...

^Different hotels have different amenities. I'm sure when you booked the fine print said they have the right to change benefits and whatever they want. Why does everyone in this thread threaten hate, yelling, and forcing crap!?! Just be decent humans.

^ Humans don't know how to be decent. "Decent humans" is pretty much an oximoron.

Also, why would you even want to travel across the resort to go to another gym? If you liked the gym at another hotel, why didn't you just book there to begin with?

^Different hotels have different amenities. I'm sure when you booked the fine print said they have the right to change benefits and whatever they want. Why does everyone in this thread threaten hate, yelling, and forcing crap!?! Just be decent humans.

Exactly. If you pay for a budget resort, you shouldn't expect the amenities of a deluxe.

I've now checked my 2013 Package Inclusions that came with my booking and the Fitness-Centers are included and Spa's at a 15% discount - so I'll better print that to have it handy if showing up there...

Why does everyone in this thread threaten hate, yelling, and forcing crap!?! Just be decent humans.

Because we live in a society where people have realized that if they complain enough, they'll get whatever they want from businesses. Most places are managed by completely clueless idiots that rarely leave their desks, and spend their days napping and looking at goat porn in the internet, and really don't care what abuses the front line people take as long as the cash (and their bonuses) keep rolling in. They're so afraid a customer will post a complaint to Yelp or Facebook or whatever that might threaten their bottom line (and more importantly, their bonus), they just bend over to whatever insane demand the latest crazy person is making, rather than occasionally telling some malcontent that no, the rules do actually apply to them, and telling them to go pound sand instead of giving into their insane demands.

This is sad, but this is what happens when you have a society that tells everyone they're an unique individual special snowflake. I personally wish more companies would have a backbone and stand up to these people. I certainly try to patronize businesses that don't let the crazy walk all over them.

dt

I noticed that when I booked my stay at WDW last year Fitness-Centers were included for ALL Disney Resort Hotel guests - now on their new site it says it's only included for guests of the Disney Resort Hotel guests that reside in the hotel in which the Fitness-Center is located. All other Disney Resort Hotel guests have to pay USD 12 per visit which IMO is outrageous.

 

At for example Europe-Park the Fitness-Center at the Bell Rock Hotel is free for all resort guests. I'll try to force my way in for free as I booked when it was still free for all...

Why is that outrageous? Just listen to how rude and obnoxious you sound. "I'm not getting my way, so I'm just going to be a dick to someone until I do." You know what? As a former park employee, and someone who is very good friends with a lot of current ones, we hate people like you.

All the fitness centers are very similar and adequate. This change makes complete sense to me. While the fitness centers are not small, they also sized to accommodate a ratio number of people from that given hotel to use the facility. Unless this is a case where you're staying at All Stars and you're being cheap trying to go use the Grand Floridian amenities or something, which in that case you SHOULD be charged $12 extra. They probably have had to make this change due to people like you who feel entitled to do whatever they want and "force" their way into something.

Seriously, posts like yours really piss me off because YOU are the type of person who ruins good things for other people.

--Robb "Sorry, it had to be said." Alvey

EDIT - LOL! I like that Elissa posted something similar before I even saw it!

Most places are managed by completely clueless idiots that rarely leave their desks, and spend their days napping and looking at goat porn in the internet, and really don't care what abuses the front line people take as long as the cash (and their bonuses) keep rolling in.

Sounds like an awesome gig. Where do I apply?

^Apply for a job as upper level management at any entertainment company, especially a game developer. If you know nothing about how to make the product, what actual entertainment is, and you'll fire anyone and everyone just to get your yearly bonus, YOU'RE HIRED!

dt

The $12 fee is not new. I think you read the old terms incorrectly. You either have to stay at a resort that has a gym or you pay the $12.

Why does everyone in this thread threaten hate, yelling, and forcing crap!?! Just be decent humans.

 

Because we live in a society where people have realized that if they complain enough, they'll get whatever they want from businesses. Most places are managed by completely clueless idiots that rarely leave their desks, and spend their days napping and looking at goat porn in the internet, and really don't care what abuses the front line people take as long as the cash (and their bonuses) keep rolling in. They're so afraid a customer will post a complaint to Yelp or Facebook or whatever that might threaten their bottom line (and more importantly, their bonus), they just bend over to whatever insane demand the latest crazy person is making, rather than occasionally telling some malcontent that no, the rules do actually apply to them, and telling them to go pound sand instead of giving into their insane demands.

 

This is sad, but this is what happens when you have a society that tells everyone they're an unique individual special snowflake. I personally wish more companies would have a backbone and stand up to these people. I certainly try to patronize businesses that don't let the crazy walk all over them.

 

dt

Goat porn? LOL

I may be out in Florida with a friend in April to conquer the Disney Parks and the Universal ones. We won't have a car though. I have been reading online for ways to get from Disney to Universal, but I thought i'd pitch the question to the locals or people who have tried this before. What is the best way to get from Disney property to Universal and back? Where should we try to depart from? Downtown Disney seems popular on the internet as a departure place.

I'd love to hear about all the options, cheap, more expensive, efficient and not so efficient just to come up with some ideas. Thanks.

I am not a local, but when I did this, we found the simplest decision was to rent a car. There are rental locations on WDW property, with a shuttle to pick up/drop off from your hotel if your on Disney property. Also factor in the Universal parking fee. There are cheaper options, but they are more of a hassle. If you do a little digging, you can even find some good deals on the rental.

You can take Mears shuttle to Universal from any Disney resort easily.

When you get to MCO, go down to DME as normal, then find the Mears desk NEXT to the DME desk and tell them you want to purchase a RT voucher from xxxxxx resort to Universal. You can then pay for the transfer with a credit card and you will be given a bus ticket.

Then check in for your DME transportation and head to Disney as normal.

The day before you wish to go to Universal, dial "0" from your room phone and ask to be connected to Mears, when Mears comes on the phone tell them you want to go to Universal the next day, approximately what time you want to leave and the name of your resort.

The Mears operator will give you a pickup time and location at Your resort.

Be at the pickup location approximately 15 minutes before they state, and you will be driven to Universal.

This is a shared service and there will be other stops.

Give the driver the voucher you purchased while at MCO.

The driver will tear off half of the ticket.

The other half of the ticket is your return voucher. It should have a phone number on it.

You can schedule your return time when you are dropped off OR you can call the phone number 2 hours before you wish to be picked up and schedule your return over the phone.

Then at the appropriate pickup time be at the same location where you were dropped off and you will be driven back to your resort.

I hope this helps!!

(Oh by the way, you can bypass purchasing the voucher at MCO and just make the Mears reservation over the phone the day before, but you MUST pay the van driver in CASH if you don't prepurchase the voucher.)

When I was there in November, most hotels (even the ones near Disney) had shuttles to Universal. Otherwise there is a Taxi (about $25-$30 each way) or the Mears Shuttles which are like $19 I think. Next time I will rent a car though, in the long run it is cheaper.

Is it easiest to just rent a car the whole time, even if you're staying on-property?

Is it easiest to just rent a car the whole time, even if you're staying on-property?

Depends where you're staying.

Is it easiest to just rent a car the whole time, even if you're staying on-property?

Unless the parking lot is insanely crowded and/or you mind the walk to the parking lots, I've always found it faster/easier just to rent a car the entire time and drive/self-park place to place rather than waiting to use Disney Transport buses that aren't on any schedule, or Mears that is but still has multiple stops to make.

With the deals that can be had on the internet, the time saved by having the car more than makes up for the cost IMO, but of course that depends on how often you plan on moving about in WDW. If you're content with staying in one park for the entire day and would only want to go from your hotel to a park in the morning, and back to the hotel at night, the car might not save you enough time to justify the cost. On the other hand, if you plan on park hopping, resort hopping, going to Universal/Sea World/BGT and various other places, it'll absolutely be easier just to have a car the whole time even if you're staying on WDW property while doing all that.

Thanks for all the ideas everyone. I think the Mears shuttle is the best for our situation. They've all got their perks and downsides but since we're trying to save money, we'll just have to deal with some downsides.

Saw this on facebook and could not help laughing!

How not to wear your Disney T-shirt