Category: Other

Many guests have a tradition of visiting Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts during the holidays because of the wonderful gingerbread display and Christmas village each resort offers. This year these displays are not out, but there are still lots of beautiful decorations to enjoy.

At Beach Club the decorations are full of details that celebrate the seaside and sea life. The decorations have soft pastel tones. Sea turtles and seashells are just some of the details you’ll find. There is also a miniature gingerbread carousel in the lobby in honor of the traditionally large display.

At Yacht Club the decorations are a little masculine and sophisticated. Strong maritime themes with navy blue and metallic hues can be found here. Ships and anchors are some the details you’ll see.

Have you stayed at Disney’s Yacht Club or Disney’s Beach Club during the holiday season? Which resort is your favorite this time of year?

 

The post PHOTOS – Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts Are Decked Out for the Holidays appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Christmas, Photos and Video, Resorts, disney christmas, disney on site hotels, disney’s beach club, disney’s yacht club

This Friday, we’re continuing our #DisneyMagicMoments with a special “To The Stars edition” of Family Game Night filled with out-of-this-world surprises for the entire family. 

Beginning at 7pm ET on November, 27, you can create magical memories and have some Disney trivia fun during the “To The Stars” Disney Family Game Night. Each game, you’ll be playing for Mickey Stars – trying to collect as many as you can for a full constellation! 

Also, Ryan Seacrest  from ABC’s “American Idol”, “Live with Kelly & Ryan” and the upcoming “The Disney Holiday Singalong” will be a special guest host of this edition’s bonus round! You can watch Ryan on “The Disney Holiday Singalong” at 8|7c Monday, November 30 on ABC!

As always, we’ve gathered a few items you’ll want to have ready for game play. First, PRINT OUT a “To The Stars Edition” scorecard.

Beginning with the first game – “To Infinity and Where?” – you’ll need scorecards to play along during challenging trivia rounds that’ll test just how much you know!  

OOoooOOh, more fun awaits! 

To make Game Night extra special, we’re sharing a DIY project for the entire family.  This “Toy Story” Alien Pom Pom Garland from another universe is easy to create.  To bring the cuteness of these Aliens to your night, visit Family.com for detailed steps.

Your friends and family will also be “eternally grateful” for a delicious cup of “Toy Story” Alien hot cocoa during Game Night. The Aliens are made by dip-dyeing your favorite marshmallows similar to an Easter egg.  Family.com will show you exactly how to create this treat in just a few steps!

And as you navigate the stars on Friday night, keep a camera handy for photos capturing all the fun you’re having and send them to Mission Control using hashtag #DisneyMagicMoments.  

Check back here on the Disney Parks Blog on Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. ET for what may be our most challenging Disney Family Game Night yet.  If you’re not able to join us, the game will be available for replay on YouTube and Facebook. 

Gather your team and we’ll see you back here on Friday!  

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Crowds are bringing higher wait times to Walt Disney World ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.  The Magic Kingdom and EPCOT posted their highest average wait times of the past month today, while Animal Kingdom posted its second-highest average of the past month. Hollywood Studios wasn’t less busy, either.

At the Magic Kingdom, we counted 485 of 500 people (97%) following Disney’s rules for wearing face masks.  We received 116 actual wait times today. Let’s do the numbers!

 

Animal Kingdom Wait Times

Every Animal Kingdom attraction except Avatar Flight of Passage reached its highest average posted wait time of the month today – and Flight of Passage’s was #2 for the month.

 

EPCOT Wait Times

Every EPCOT attraction except Living with the Land (#15) and Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros (#10) posted its highest average wait times of the month today.

Hollywood Studios Wait Times

Rise of the Resistance had another solid day of operation. Rise started calling boarding groups around 9:45 a.m. and continued almost continuously until 3 p.m. (as usual), when boarding group returns were paused for around 40 minutes.  Even with that delay, boarding groups were being called earlier today than they’ve been for the past week.

 

Magic Kingdom Wait Times

Every major attraction at the Magic Kingdom set new monthly highs for average posted wait times today. Actual wait times we received ranged from 52% to 72% of the posted waits.

The post Crowds Keep Increasing – Disney World Wait Times for Tuesday, November 24, 2020 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), wait times

If this sign does not get you excited, you don’t know what you are missing. Having a rodent as your mascot is always good in our book. Buc-ee’s is to gas stations as Walt Disney World is to amusement parks. Buc-ee’s holds two world records: The World’s Largest Convenience Store and  World’s Longest Car Wash.

Buc-ee’s was founded in Texas in 1982. The first two Buc-ee’s outside of the Lone Star State are now open for travelers on their way to Florida. The Alabama location is off I-10, and the newest store is in Georgia, south of Macon off I-75. Their first Florida location is planned to open in 2021, south of Jacksonville off I-95.

First off, Buc-ee’s is a gas station; a huge gas station with 120 pumps. Central Georgia typically has good gas prices. On our visit, regular gas was $1.539 per gallon. This was about 20 cents less than the surrounding gas stations.

Bathrooms

Buc-ee’s claims the cleanest bathrooms. As well as being clean, the bathrooms are big. Taking pictures in a bathroom is a bit weird. Below is the only picture I took. It only shows half of the bathroom.  The men’s bathroom has 12 urinals, 12 toilets, and 12 sinks. The bathrooms have their own dedicated cleaning crew.

The Store

If cheap gas and clean bathrooms don’t get you excited, the “convenient store” will. As with everything at Buc-ee’s, the store is not your typical convenience store. Their stores are 50,000 square feet, the size of a normal grocery store. Anything you expect to find in a convenience store can be found at Buc-ee’s with 10 times the selection.

Coffee

Buc-ee’s ranked the best gas station coffee based on a GasBuddy survey. The coffee condiment-bar has an almost unlimited options of syrups, creamers, and toppings.

Snacks

Buc-ee’s has all the candy and snacks you expect from a convenience store.

 

 

Buc-ee’s is most famous for their beef jerky and Beaver Nuggets.

 

Entree

Buc-ee’s has a full selection of sandwiches, tacos, burritos, and salads. As well as the freshly made grab and go items, there is a kiosk to order custom made items.

The star of the show is the Texas BBQ.

Bakery and Sweets

Buc-ee’s has an in-shop bakery and sweet shop. You can pick up fresh pastries, fudge, and roasted nuts.

A good video that covers and reviews several of the food options is posted below.

 

Other Stuff

Buc-ee’s does not stop with consumables. Anything that can have Buc-ee the Beaver printed on it is available. From underwear to outerwear you can have the Buc-ee version. They also have homewares with either a Buc-ee or Texas themes. If you need a fire pit, or smoker Buc-ee’s has you covered.

Staff

The store is well staffed. The staff is friendly and helpful. The company seems to respect their workers.

What Buc-ee’s is not

Buc-ee’s is not a truck stop. There are no pumps for commercial trucks. Buc-ee’s is not a restaurant. There are no tables inside or outside for dining.

COVID-19

The Georgia store just opened and it was crowded. Besides the store having signs stating the requirement of face masks, there were no enforcement efforts. Inside the store, there was about 90% mask compliance and no social distancing. The chaos and lack of COVID-19 safety measures were too much for my wife and son. Until the crowds die down, or COVID-19 spread decreases you may just want to stop for gas.

 

Have you heard of Buc-ee’s before? Would this be a place you’d like to stop on an upcoming drive to Florida? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. 

 

The post New Destination for Drivers to Florida appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com

Filed Under: Transportation, Trip Planning, Walt Disney World (FL), Beyond the Parks, Driving

Comfortable shoes…check! Shorts and bathing suits…check! Mickey ears and face coverings… heck! Now when you are packing for your Walt Disney World Resort face coverings are as important as the comfy shoes you bring. Today the planDisney panelists are here with some timely tips on selection of face coverings, how many you need, and yes, even tips on how to get that stylish teenager to enjoy wearing a mask!

Choices, choices, and a few more choices are what Lauren recommends. Just as you don’t want to wear the same shirt each day, neither do your family members want to wear the same mask each day. Lauren says her family is most comfortable when they can select their mask for the day. Maybe your family prefers a solid color, or perhaps they prefer a print from the amazing collection shopDisney has to offer. No matter your style, pack up as many as you desire.

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Samantha agrees different styles for different days is a great recommendation, and she also suggests trying out a variety of disposable and cloth masks while running errands at home. For Samantha, this means having her children put their mask on before they leave their house and not removing it until they get home. “Then when you need to wear a mask for longer periods of time, like during your Walt Disney World Resort vacation, you’ll know which mask you find the most comfortable.”

planDisney Pro Tip: Bring a small package of detergent suggests Lauren. “I washed everyone’s (cloth face coverings) in our sink and hung them to dry overnight. Having a fresh and clean mask for the start of your park day really helps.”

The Florida sun is bright, but sometimes sunglasses and masks don’t mix well. Betsy has a suntastic idea for fixing this issue, wear a hat! “I get much better airflow to the rest of my face when I wear a hat with my mask AND I have less resting on my ears!”

And what about that teenager you ask? Our panelists agree that no matter if your child is 5 or 15, they key is allowing them to select their face covering. The more they like it, the better the chance they will not complain about wearing it! 

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Remember, encouragement is a great tip to help your little one understand the importance of wearing his or her mask. Play games to keep their mind off the mask. And maybe, just maybe, the promise of a Mickey premium bar at the end of the day might be all the inspiration they need!

planDisney Pro Tip: Betsy talks to her kids a lot about “fighting the virus” and reminds them that wearing a mask makes them superheroes in helping with the battle! 

Break Time

Kristin says, “Don’t forget to get your snack on!” Her top tips include scheduling multiple snack and dining breaks throughout the day; giving you and your family a chance to rest and enjoy a delectable snack! 

planDisney Pro Tip: Make an Advanced Dining Reservation for lunch instead of dinner recommends Andrea H. “Take a break AND give your feet a rest by enjoying that special meal midday instead of waiting until later. You’ll feel rejuvenated in so many ways!”

Just back from a trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth, Aena can’t say enough great things about the Relaxation Stations. “They are wonderful! And there are indoor and outdoor Relaxation Stations to suit everyone’s preferences.” She adds that the Disney Resort pools are also a perfect place to cool off and relax.

As a reminder, face coverings are required for all guests (ages 2 and up). Guests must supply their own face covering and wear them at all times, except when dining or swimming. You may remove your face covering while actively eating or drinking, but you must be stationary and maintain appropriate physical distancing. So, from the parking lot, to the park, and back to the parking lot, don’t forget to wear a mask! Please also note neck gaiters, open-chin triangle bandanas and face coverings containing valves, mesh material or holes of any kind are not acceptable face coverings. For a list of other important items, be sure to review our commitment to health and safety measures.

The world looks different, but the magic of a Walt Disney World Resort vacation is still alive and well. planDisney wants to especially thank every Cast Member who helps to remind Guests about health and safety and to Guests who comply with the current protocols. Together we are truly making a difference!

If you have questions regarding operational updates or questions about your next Disney vacation, visit us at planDisney.com. We are here to make your Disney vacation planning as easy as wearing your face covering! 

From our friends at disneyparks.disney.go.com

Filed Under: Walt Disney World Resort, planDisney, shopDisney, WDW