Splurge a Little and Stay at the Beach Club Resort!

We have had the opportunity to go as a family to Walt Disney World several times. Our family of four fit very nicely in the children and budget friendly value resorts, the All Star Movies and All Star Sports on our first visits to Orlando. By staying onsite we were able to take advantage of perks like the extra magic hours and Disney's dining plan. However, once they opened Pop Century, that became our family favorite place to stay! But as our kids hit their teens, we found it impossible to cram 4 people into the rooms...and so on one trip we opted for two rooms and discovered there was no way to guarantee adjoining rooms! Not an ideal situation as we pack to share many supplies like shampoo and toothpaste.


So we were forced to upgrade...and found our new family favorite: Disney's Beach Club Resort! About a month before our trip, I received a promo key code to upgrade our reservations to the concierge floor! Boy were we spoiled. The view of Epcot from our room's balcony was epic! I was able to get shots of the fireworks from right outside the sliding glass door!

So now thoroughly spoiled our family is planning our next Orlando trip. We are going to give Animal Kingdom Lodge a try as the bunk beds might be a better option than the wooden day bed that left a few bruises on my 6 foot plus teens. No concierge this time since it was overkill for food and treats considering we were on the Deluxe Dining Plan. We will miss the proximity to the parks...It's awesome to walk into Epcot from the Beach Club.

The thing is, every Disney resort has it's perks and drawbacks. It takes a bit of trial & error to discover which will work best for your family. And what a fun idea it will be to "TRY" by visiting over and over again!

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales

Happy 40th Disneyworld!

Back in the summer of 1971, as a 9 year old Minnesota kid, I remember reading a magazine article about the NEW Walt Disney World theme park. I was extremely excited when I read that the Grand Opening would be October 18th! I thought it was a sign, certainly my parents would want me to be there on opening day for my 10th birthday. Of course, my mom's reaction was not so positive. Guess I should have known as our family of seven had never taken a road trip longer than 2 hours to a Wisconsin lake cabin. Disappointed yes...but one can dream right?

Fast forward 40 years. We are planning our 7th family vacation to Walt's magical world of the mouse in Orlando Florida! (There was also a honeymoon in Florida and a work trip to Disneyland over the years.) We have become Disney-Junkies and we have to visit this year as I turn 50 and WDW turns 40! Yes, my family collects and trades pins. We stay at the WDW resorts and travel using the food plan so we can visit all the best Disneyworld restaurants. Every trip is an adventure that we anticipate for months and get teary-eyed when it comes to an end. 

One of our favorite places to spend time at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the often overlooked, One Man's Dream exhibit. (It is tucked in on the way past the big sorcerer's hat on the way to the Toy Story ride. ) It recounts the journey of Walt Disney's life in pictures, videos and displays. Several of the actual models of the parks and rides are on display in the building. There is also a short biographical movie about Walt. If you have never visited, One Man's Dream, I encourage you to take the time to do so this year. It is the perfect way to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of this Disney destination!

Copyright 2011 Magical Mouse Tales