A Blog About Disney Stuff

The most iconic restaurant in all of Walt Disney World is back. Cinderella’s Royal Table reopened yesterday and you helped us decide what to dine on during our lunch to welcome back this royal establishment. While the traditional Disney princess character experience is on pause, Cinderella still graces diners with her presence, from afar. While this dining experience has changed, we still believe Cinderella’s Royal Table is still worth a visit.

Cinderella’s Royal Table – Lunch $62.00 Adults / $37.00 Child (Three Courses)

Cinderella’s Royal Table is rated at 88% thumbs up according to over 500,000 surveys submitted by our readers. Where this royal restaurant falls short is value. It is one of the most expensive meals in all of Walt Disney World. The quality of the food is strong, but depending on your budget may not be worth the high price of the meal. What wins over guests here is the atmosphere and service. No where else can you dine inside the most recognizable theme park icon in the world.

Check out the menu here. You can choose between the Soup of the Day, Charcuterie Plate, and the Castle Salad to start off your royal meal. We asked our Instagram followers to choose our appetizers. The Charcuterie Plate is a Chef’s selection of cured meats, pickles, and accompaniments. The portion was a little small, but each piece on the plate was quality; the spicy mustard and the pickles pack a punch. The Castle Salad is composed of hearty mixed greens, toasted pumpkin seeds, Riesling-marinated golden raisins, pink lady apples, and maple-balsamic vinaigrette. This salad was a hit with our team–well composed and satisfying.

For your main entrée you have a choice of four options. We asked our Instagram followers to help us select our entrees. They selected the Fish of the Day, which was a pan seared filet of Salmon, and Tenderloin of Beef, which comes with celery root mash, seasonal vegetables, and Sauce Bordelaise. Each was nicely prepared, seasoned well, and the portions were satisfying. The beef was cooked exactly as we had requested and the sauce should be bottled and sold. (You’re welcome, Disney.) The salmon rested on mixed greens and dill. The side of spaetzle had pancetta or bacon – adding a nice smoky flavor – and was not over salted.

The kid’s meal choices have classics like chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese, but there is also the kid’s beef tenderloin and kid’s fish of the day. These small, simplified version of adult entrées are great for kids who are willing to explore different flavors.

A royal meal deserves elegant desserts. Our team could not choose between The Clock Strikes Twelve, Jaq & Gus, and the Coffee Pots de Creme. In an example of going above and beyond, the Cast Member brought out all three!

Jaq & Gus has been given a fall makeover. This special dessert looks a bit deconstructed with whipped pumpkin cheesecake, roasted pumpkin seeds, gingerbread cubes, tiny pumpkin meringue drops, caramel, spiced streusel, and rolled chocolate. This was one of the best desserts our team has ever had anywhere on Disney property.

The Clock Strikes Twelve is a signature chocolate dessert that is divine. The chocolate raspberry sauce is sinful and elegant; our team could not get enough. The Coffee Pots are sinful, but not heavy, with coffee-infused coconut custard, passion fruit gelee, and crumbled chocolate espresso beans.

Each are a sweet way to end a special meal. The servings are enough to share, but not so much that they weigh you down.

The kid’s meal dessert is precious and allows your little one to build your own cupcakes. Lots of Disney restaurants offer this build-your-own dessert for kids, but this one might be the best with its perfectly themed components.

Cinderella’s Royal Table New Experience

When arriving to Cinderella’s Royal Table you check in outside, at the back of Cinderella Castle. Soon you enter an interior waiting area, adorned with royal decorations and a beautiful display of Cinderella’s glass slipper. The dining room has large vaulted ceilings with sparkling, tall stained glass windows overlooking Fantasyland. It is easy to feel like royalty here.

Tables are spaced six feet apart. The chairs are cushy and high backed. Cast Members wear regal costumes and offer some of the best service you’ll experience at Walt Disney World. Normally your meal will be accompanied by the Disney Princesses coming to your table one by one for a short meet and greet. Due to COVID-19, this experience is on pause, but Cinderella does make an appearance in the dining room. She greets her royal guests from afar, but it is still a delightful moment.

If you’re looking for one of the best meals you can savor at Disney you may want to consider California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, which offers breathtaking views of Magic Kingdom and the surrounding area, and some of the highest rated food on property. Be Our Guest is also an option for consideration if Cinderella’s Royal Table’s price tag is unreasonable.

Yet, for many Disney fans, dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table is a must-do. If you’re celebrating a special occasion this iconic location should be a contender on your list. It truly is the most iconic Walt Disney World restaurant and something that should be experienced at least once, if it fits into your budget.

If you want to feel like royalty throughout your entire Walt Disney World trip, become a TouringPlans Subscriber to get a full library of tools and resources at your fingertips.

Have you dined at Cinderella’s Royal Table before? Will you consider dining here even without the full character experience?

 

The post REVIEW: What Is It Like to Dine At Cinderella’s Royal Table Without the Characters? appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Dining, In the Parks, Magic Kingdom, Trip Planning, Cinderella Castle, Cinderella’s Royal Table, disney covid, disney reopening, magic kingdom dining, magic kingdom restaurant

Walt Disney World typically ranks among the most photographed places in the world. If you’re going, you’re going to take photos, probably a lot of them. Here are some practical photo tips for real-world families who want to capture their vacation memories.

• • BACK UP your photo files early and often. Yep, before you take a single shot, you should have plan to back up your pictures. Someday you’ll have time to make your photos sing. Someday you’ll de-red the redeye, balance the white balance, correct the colors and PhotoShop a smile onto your crabby-pants cousin Al. But that day is not today. In the meantime, make sure you don’t lose your photos. Take an hour to send them to the cloud, download to your laptop, and turn on your Time Machine or copy them to a flash drive. When you’re an empty nester you’ll be able to make beautiful photo gifts for your children, but if you lose the images, that will never happen.

• • Think about what you’re wearing. I’m not saying you have to make matching tee shirts or color coordinate everyone’s outfits, but honestly, those kind of details can make a meh picture into a good picture. At the very least, think about whether you want certain logos on tee shirts or whether a shirt should be tucked in.
  • Ask adults’ permission before posting/tagging their image on social media outlets. It’s only polite.
  • Your camera has a better memory than you do. Take advantage of your camera’s, well, photographic memory. Snap shots of your room number, your rental car, your parking space, your child’s outfit of the day (in case he gets lost), and anything else that’s mission critical, but not part of your daily routine. When you inevitably lose or forget these items, your camera will have your back.
  • A photo of a thing is sometimes as good as purchasing a thing. When your child is beggggging you for a souvenir, suggest that you take a photo of it. Sometimes that alone is enough to avert a meltdown.
  • No one looks good in bright sunlight. Move to the shade. It will look like you’ve been to the spa and gotten 8 hours of sleep in comparison to a shot in the sun.

• • Pictures of little kids next to absurdly big things are cute, always. The juxtaposition of a toddler with Goofy, the Toy Story toys, a plus-size turkey leg, or the
    oversize icons at the Pop Century resort bring a smile every time.
  • Photograph different combinations of your family members. I have twins. There are approximately 57 zillion photos of them together. There are approximately 6 pictures of either of them with other family members. Mix it up. You’ll never know when you’ll want to prove that little sis really did have a happy moment with big bro. Or someday little sis may decide she wishes she had a photo of just her and big sis (awww), without annoying big brother in the frame (grrr). Capture all the options.
  • Take photos of individual family members. When your child is older, she can frame the picture of herself with Mickey next to a photo of her own daughter with Mickey at the same age. See, you’re crying already. This won’t be possible if the only picture of her with Mickey has the annoying brother in it. (What’s with him, anyway?)
  • Take the obligatory posed-in-front-of-the-icon photos. A photo of your family standing in front of Cinderella Castle is not interesting or imaginative. Take that picture anyway. Someday, when your child tells you that you never did anything for him, and you’re sure he’s spending more time with his therapist than he is with you, you can console yourself by looking at that Castle picture and remembering that there is evidence that you tried your darnedest and really did bring him to the happiest place on earth. Besides, what else are you going to put on the mantle?
  • Take photos of the adults. Yes, we may think we need to lose 10 pounds. Our hair is a fright from the Florida humidity. Those shorts do nothing to conceal the cellulite. Trust me, I know. But I assure you, your children don’t see this. They think you’re beautiful and will someday cherish that photo of mom hugging them in front of a giant golf ball, cellulite and all.

• • Take a billion photos. Perhaps even two billion, really. It’s hard to get good photos, someone’s always blinking or looking the wrong way or pinching their little sister. The more photos you take, the more likely it is that somehow an actual quality image will sneak in there among the mayhem. In fact, I absolutely forbid you from taking any fewer than a dozen shots any time your child is standing next to Mickey.
  • It’s OK not to photograph/video some things. Here’s the contradictory corollary to the item above. If something truly amazing and wonderous happens, try to be in the moment rather than reaching for the camera. When my oldest daughter was six, she was pulled on stage at the Biergarten in Epcot to chat with the bandleader. My husband and I both remember this as a star-making moment where she showed intelligence, diplomacy, wit and charm, dazzling her way into the hearts of thousands. I’m sure if we had a video of this, we’d see that instead of being the next Emma Stone, Princess Kate, and Hillary Clinton all rolled into one, as we remembered, she was really just a stammering little kid. I LOVE my version of it. I’m glad there’s no video to prove me wrong.
  • Nothing good can come of photographing your kids naked. Junior rips off his diaper to run free at the Epcot fountain. It’s hysterical, yes, but resist the urge to capture the moment in JPEG. Someday he’ll be president, or at the very least have a mother-in-law. No commander-in-chief or hubby-to-be wants prying eyes on his tiny tot schmeckle.
  • Ask a helpful cast member if you can take a photo with them. This will not only help you remember a great moment, but also the great people behind the moment. And you never know, you may run into that cast member cast on your next trip and be able to forge a long-standing relationship. Or even better, give them a shout-out on the Cast Compliments account on Twitter and they’ll get some love from the world at large.

• When you’re traveling with kids, consider leaving the DSLR at home. I own a workhorse Canon D70 and half a dozen precision lenses and some flashes and other indispensable accessories. When my kids were small, I took all that to the parks with me. This meant that I was carrying 20 pounds of photo gear, 20 pounds of diaper bag, and 30 pounds of preschooler back and forth across Fantasyland for days on end. My physical therapist could buy a Ferrari with the money I’ve spent to get my back back in working order. If you’re not carrying anything else but your camera, go ahead and take that SLR to the parks. If you’re toting kids and their gear, your phone camera is probably fine, or invest in a good pocket model instead. You’ll make up the expense in savings on Advil in just one trip.
• Consider an upgrade to your phone. If you’re using your phone as your primary camera, think about whether it has the capability to get the kind of shots you’ll want on vacation.
• Brush up on your camera techniques. Again, if you’re planning to use your phone as your primary camera, now’s a good time to review all the things you can do with your phone’s camera. Do you know how to zoom? How to take action shots? Can you use a timer for selfies? Do you know optimal photo composition techniques? Maybe spend an afternoon watching YouTube videos on best photo practices for your camera model.
• Check on your available storage. If you’re using your phone as your camera, before embarking on your trip, check your available storage. If you’re close to maxing out, now may be the time to invest in some cloud storage, offload unused apps, or otherwise clean house. You don’t want to miss capturing a magical moment because you’ve unexpectedly run out of memory.
• You can never have enough camera batteries. If you need an extra memory card, you can buy it at the parks. But the odds of them having your exact model of battery fully charged is zero. Go on Amazon, buy six extra batteries for your camera. Do it now, I’ll wait. When they arrive, charge them all and put them in your Disney backpack. If you’re using your phone as a camera, you absolutely must bring an external charger, or two, with you into the parks. No more vacation camera power worries.
• Be careful with your flash. Better, yet, just turn your flash off. It’s rude to take flash photos inside attractions, flash photos at night are nearly impossible to pull off, and daytime photos rarely need a flash.
• Spend the money on the ride photo. You have the means to take your own pictures so yes, it’s absolutely ridiculous to spend $25 on one PhotoPass picture or to spend $150 to buy a Memory Maker Package. Do it anyway. You will never look more vulnerable and happy and frightened and silly and human than you do when you’re dropping into the abyss at Splash Mountain. And remember that the pictures taken by Disney staff may be the only ones you get that include the entire family.
• Label your camera. If you’re using a camera, put your name and cell phone number somewhere on it. When you inevitably lose the camera, a good samaritan will return it to you. Similarly, use a Sharpie and write your cell number on all your memory cards. If you’re using your phone, be sure to enable the “find my phone feature” (or similar) and perhaps show your email address on your lock screen.
• Let your kids take some photos. Hand over your old phone or buy an inexpensive pocket model. There are many waterproof digital cameras on Amazon for about $75. (Now you don’t have to brainstorm a birthday present.) That 75 bucks will entertain your kiddo in the pool for hours, allowing you to enjoy a fruity beverage and another chapter of that page turner novel on your Kindle. And who knows, Junior might even get a decent shot or two. You’re welcome.
• Keep your mask on. I get, you’ve spent all this time/money/energy to get to the parks and try to take great pictures, but during the pandemic having a mask on in pictures, the last thing you want to see is a mask covering your family’s faces. But keeping your masks on, particularly in-park pictures, is common sense, good manners, and a strenuously enforced rule. In 20 years, those masked photos will be huge conversation starters with the grandkids and valuable artifacts of this unprecedented time in history. If you absolutely need to take a picture without a mask, do it while you’re at the pool, seated with food, or on the balcony of your own hotel room.

OK fellow shutterbugs, what are your favorite real world photo tips? What’s your Disney photo strategy? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Walt Disney World Photo Tips for Families appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Trip Planning, Walt Disney World (FL), disney photography, photography

Disney Cruise Line has temporarily changed the final payment policy for cruises through March 31, 2021. Final payments will now be due 60 days prior to travel, for all stateroom categories except Concierge, and restricted categories (IGT, OGT, VGT) – these remain nonrefundable and non-transferrable. The Cruise Date Flexibility Option still remains in effect for this time period as well.

Additionally, the cancellation penalty policy has also been adjusted for cruises within this time frame. The new penalty structure is as follows:

Cruises 1 to 5 Nights (Excluding Suites and Concierge Staterooms)
Days Prior to Vacation Commencement Date      Fee Amount
60 days or more                                                           No fee
59 – 45 days                                                                 Deposit per Guest
44 – 30 days                                                                 50% of vacation price per Guest
29 – 15 days                                                                 75% of vacation price per Guest
14 days or less                                                              100% of vacation price per Guest

Cruises 6 Nights or More (Excluding Suites and Concierge Staterooms)
Days Prior to Vacation Commencement Date      Fee Amount
60 days or more                                                           No fee
59 – 56 days                                                                 Deposit per Guest
55 – 30 days                                                                 50% of vacation price per Guest
29 – 15 days                                                                 75% of vacation price per Guest
14 days or less                                                              100% of vacation price per Guest

Suites and Concierge Staterooms
Days Prior to Vacation Commencement Date       Fee Amount
60 days or more                                                           Deposit per Guest
59 – 56 days                                                                 50% of vacation price per Guest
55 – 30 days                                                                 75% of vacation price per Guest
29 days or less                                                              100% of vacation price per Guest

With this, we are one step closer to ships being out on the water again!!!

The post Temporary Update to Disney Cruise Line Final Payment Policy appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Disney Cruise Line, disney cruise line

Universal is offering a new, daytime Halloween event that entices fun-sized candy connoisseurs to the biggest horror aficionados. We braved the sun, rain, heat, and crowds to give our review and the tips to efficiently tour the event.

What is Universal’s Daytime Halloween Event?

Universal’s unnamed daytime Halloween event (also referred to as Universal Fall Fright Fix and #TeamHalloween) is a collection of daytime Halloween activities at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure:

• Two Haunted Houses
• Unique Food and Beverages
• Themed Walk-Throughs
• Candy Scavenger Hunt (All Ages)
• Trick or Treating (Under 12 Only)

Similar to Walt Disney World’s modified Halloween offerings, this event is included with admission to the parks. Universal’s Halloween 2020 runs September 19, 20, 26, 27, October 3 – 31, and November 1 during normal operating hours of Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.

Haunted Houses Reviews

Universal’s haunted houses are E-ticket-level walkthrough experiences. These attractions are grand in scale and execution, on par or surpassing the most elaborate rides designed by Disney or Universal.

WARNING: Universal’s Halloween haunted houses are NOT for children. Reconsider bringing kids under the age of 13 and use your judgment for anyone under 18. Houses feature low lighting levels, fog, strobe lights, startling imagery, mature themes, and confined spaces.

Revenge of the Tooth Fairy

“All children must give up their baby teeth to the goblinesque tooth fairies or pay a gruesome price.”

An original concept house, here Universal’s designers postulate what happens if the Tooth Fairy’s promised teeth are not delivered? Guests walk through a Victorian mansion as it is besieged by the grotesque goblins who will collect their bounty at any cost. Of the two houses we toured, this one was the most grotesque and unsettling with many human victims.

Our group preferred Brides over Tooth but found this house was the most consistent with scares. We never had a weak walkthrough but also never an outstanding one.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Universal Monsters: Bride of Frankenstein Lives

“‘We belong dead.’ The last words of Frankenstein’s monster on that fateful night when his Bride rejected him. But his end was her beginning.”

A sort-of-sequel to last year’s Universal Monsters, this house takes place immediately after The Bride of Frankenstein as the castle is destroyed and The Monster dies. The Bride, grieving, is dead-set on resuscitating the Monster. She begins to experiment with the local residents, Brides of Dracula, and us to bring him back to life.

Bride’s scares are the most advanced between the two houses, using instances of misdirection and special effects. This house also suffers the most if all positions are not staffed, meaning the quality of the house can be impacted. While not unanimous, an informal poll between sixteen friends found a majority preferred this house over Tooth Fairy.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Touring & Virtual Line Tips

Haunt fans descended upon Universal Studios Florida opening weekend to catch a limited glimpse of the houses. Now that the event has been extended into November we expect haunted house demand to lessen but still remain among the resort’s most popular attractions.

At the time Virtual Line is the only way to access the haunted houses – Virtual Line opens roughly 15 minutes prior to park open.

We were able to acquire passes using the following method:

1. Download and set up the Universal Orlando app
2. Open the app and “Favorite” the houses by tapping the heart in the upper-left corner of the page. You can find the houses by using the search function or clicking on them on the map.
3. Arrive at Univeral Orlando no later than 30 minutes prior to Universal Studios Florida park opening.
   • Virtual Line passes are accessible anywhere on the property, including the parking garage, CityWalk, all parks, and the resorts.
4. At 15 minutes prior to park opening open the app, navigate to My Favorites, update the page (pulling the page down and releasing).
5. Between 15 minutes to 5 minutes after the park opening the house will show “Virtual Line” in a blue circle on the attraction’s image. Keep refreshing till the Virtual Line opens.
6. Select the attraction’s name and scroll down and tap “Virtual Line Pass”.
7. Select your party size and your desired return time. Tap “Reserve” on the bottom of the page.
8. A QR code will display for Team Members to scan. Take a screenshot of the code in case of technical issues.

Universal pre-loads the queues in the morning, which results in wait times of 30-40 minutes in the morning. Waits diminished in the late afternoon and by the early evening, the queues were empty. To minimize your wait we suggest selecting a time after 3:00 p.m.

If you are unable to acquire a Virtual Line pass at opening, check throughout the day on the app to see if more passes were released. Universal sometimes admits stand-by guests into the lines in the last few hours of park operations based on demand – simply walk up to a Team Member and plead your case if you notice the line is empty.

Food & Beverage

Universal is conjuring some tantalizing new food options featured around the park in addition to the seasonal Voodoo Donuts and Pizza Fries at Louie’s.

Food Trucks

Two food trucks serve unique spins on traditional theme park food. The food truck located next to the Music Plaza Stage features a fried chicken and funnel cake with strawberry sauce and pork rind nachos. Despite the weird dichotomy between the chicken and strawberry sauce, it works.

The second food truck is located in front of the Tribute Store in New York. This truck features the classic Twisted Taters, a spiraled potato placed on a stick and fried, and a Twisted Tater variant served with a hot dog. Both food trucks sell alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Skeleton Bar

The Skeleton Bar is a combination counter service restaurant, bar, and spooky walkthrough located at Cafe LaBamba. Food options include tandoori chicken skewers, vegan mac and cheese, shrimp cocktail, and ‘smores fries. The bar is located in the dark bayou themed walkthrough and features three new alcoholic mixed drinks:

• Loup-Garou – a rum-based cocktail with tropical juices. Our favorite of the three, very refreshing.
• Mango Inferno – tequila, mango, jalapeno, and yellow curry spice. An acquired taste, only order if you enjoy yellow curry flavor and spice.
• Circus Peanut – peanut butter whiskey, creme de banana, and Campari. Our least favorite, repugnant for some. Do not order; this is the Beverly of mixed drinks.

Waits for the bar ebbed and flowed through the day. If the food, drink, or atmosphere piqued your interest we recommend lining up 10 minutes prior to opening (11:00 a.m.) or visit in the late afternoon.

Trick or Treating

Universal Studios Florida Scarecrow Stalk Scavenger Hunt

Find all the unique skeleton statues in a scavenger hunt through the Studios park with the all-ages Scarecrow Stalk. Pick up a map and guide at participating stores throughout the park, then head on a search for all 13 themed scarecrows. Each location’s scarecrow is slightly different, with the Transformers scarecrow featuring car parts and the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem scarecrow decorated as a merry-go-round.

Proceed to the main counter at each store to receive a stamp, once the map is complete guests will receive a complimentary small bag of candy. On average guests can complete the scavenger hunt in around 30-45 minutes.

Islands of Adventure Trick or Treating

Guests 12 or younger, accompanied by an adult, can Trick or Treat in Islands of Adventure. Pick up a trick or treat bag and find Pumpkin stickers at select retail establishments for special treats. Despite our offers of “cheap child care”, no family would allow a group of five 30-somethings to take their kid trick or treating; let us know your thoughts in the comments if you participated.

Per Universal’s terms, you must use one of their supplied bags. We suggest you procure a bag immediately at the park opening on weekends and hold onto it till the afternoon once the major attractions are visited.

Costumes

Had a amazing day @UniversalORL for #HHNLite very well done to all involved, @Michael_Aiello my fav house was Bride of Frankenstein #Oldschool #universalmonsters pic.twitter.com/j1fxifAg8z

— James (@randomtales30) September 20, 2020

Guests are encouraged to wear costumes to the parks during the event. During our trip, we saw dozens of Beetlejuices (Beetlejuici? Beetlesjuice?), Mario & Luigi, steampunk Scooby gang, and more. If you wish to dress to impress we suggest choosing a costume that is breathable in the Florida weather and conforms to Universal’s costume guidelines.

Have you experienced Universal’s Halloween activities this year? Leave us your comments and thoughts below!

The post Universal Orlando Resort Halloween 2020 Event Review & Touring Advice appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Halloween, Universal Orlando Resort, #teamhalloween, Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida

We’re here with a series of quick posts, “Disney in a Minute”–bite-sized nuggets of information that can better help you understand a Disney term or planning topic. Enjoy!

When making reservations at many Walt Disney World resort hotels, you’ll be presented with the option to choose a standard room or a preferred room. What’s the difference?

The first thing you’ll notice is the obvious price difference, from about $30 per night for annual passholders at a value resort, up to several hundred dollars per night for a multi-room villa at a deluxe resort. So what do you get for that hefty markup? Not a better appointed room – the preferred rooms at, for example, Pop Century, are exactly the same as the standard rooms. Not necessarily a better view. At, for example, Coronado Springs, the standard King Bed rooms might have a view of a “courtyard or parking area,” while the preferred King Bed room might overlook a “lake, courtyard, or parking area.”

The real difference in standard vs. preferred is location of the room within the resort. For example, the Saratoga Springs resort preferred rooms are “close to Disney Springs or to The Carriage House and Dining.” The resorts that offer a preferred designation are typically large, so a location nearer transportation or restaurants might make a difference in your stay. But how much of a difference and at what cost? If you have a car and plan to drive to the theme parks, does it matter if you’re close to the bus stops? If you’re planning to eat most of your meals in your room or at the theme parks, does it matter if you’re close to the hotel food court?

Another thing to consider is that Disney’s preferred location might not be your preference. For example, at Saratoga Springs, the preferred rooms are in red in the photo below.

The Congress park preferred rooms are great if you want a quick walk to Disney Springs. The Springs preferred rooms are great if you want a quick walk to the main pool or the golf course. But neither location is great for the other purpose, and Disney doesn’t make it easy for you to specify which you want.

But good news! The TouringPlans Room Finder tool can help you get the actual preferred room you want, or better yet, get a room location you prefer without paying preferred prices. Just go to any of our hotel pages (here is Pop Century’s) and click on the “Find a Great Room” button.

There you can select a preferred room type (in the “room type” field) and click “show matching rooms” to reveal those expensive preferred rooms.

Then, for the best of both worlds, as a TouringPlans subscriber, you can select a room that’s right next to the preferred area (the right-pointing spoke of Pop Century’s building 9, or the Paddock building closest to Congress Park at Saratoga Springs, for example) and we will fax Disney to make that request for you, helping you get the best room available without paying extra.

Let us know what Disney topics you think need just a bit more explanation in the comments.

The post Disney in a Minute: What is a Preferred Room? appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Resorts, Trip Planning, Walt Disney World (FL), disney room locations, preferred rooms, room location, Room requests