It was a trip we had put on the back burner long enough - a visit to Walt Disney World with our three grandchildren, ages 8, 5 and 3. In early September, one month prior to our arrival date, I took the plunge, going online to check out the cost, hotel packages, etc.
Digital Disney became my living nightmare. I quickly learned it takes much more than a mouse click to book a magical experience. It takes a Mickey Mouse-clicking genius.
Once online, I typed in the dates and searched for a package that would best accommodate us. Roadblock No. 1: Finding room availability. Every hotel I tried was booked. After hours and hours of searching for a room, I ended up calling Disney to help me. The friendly Disney employee found a cabin at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. The cost was around $50 more per day than the family suite I was hoping to get at the Art of Animation Value Resort.
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Making the magic happen: Booking a trip to Disney World can be like running a maze
Karen Nazor-Hill
Based on my online research, I also felt a meal plan would be best for my family. Since we were spending just three days there, it would be easier for us to eat at each location and not have to worry about returning to the cabin to prepare all our meals.
Turns out I was wrong.
After purchasing the nearly $500 dining plan that included a "Quick Service" meal, a "Table Service" meal and a snack for the six of us on each day, I thought we'd be able to walk into any restaurant at any time and eat, while the kids could visit with Disney characters, making it a magical experience for them.
I was delusional.
While the Disney website says that most restaurant locations in Disney parks accept the Disney Dining Plan, all don't. And most of the restaurants that do accept the plans were booked solid.
After several nights and around a dozen hours searching online for restaurant openings, I found just three reservations for a table of six in the areas of the park where we would be. The first night we ate at Fort Wilderness at 4:45 p.m., the second day at T-Rex in Downtown Disney at 2 p.m., and the third night back in Fort Wilderness at 7:45 p.m. None of the restaurants had Disney characters, but T-Rex had dinosaurs that screamed and roared very loudly throughout the meal.
You can make dining reservations 180 days in advance, I learned. The truth is, you stand little chance of getting into the popular character restaurants without booking months in advance. Having purchased our tickets 30 days before arrival, I now feel we were fortunate to have gotten any reservations at all.
Getting a FastPass in your package means quicker access to rides and other attractions. But you must book your FastPass times, meaning you must show up at a certain ride at a specific time or you lose your place. So, to complicate matters, you must book your meal plan around the FastPass reservations.
And I learned after paying for the meal plan that, if you don't show up on time or cancel your reservation 24 hours ahead of time, you are charged a cancellation fee, which could be up to $60 for a group of 6, even though you prepaid for the meal. Why would they charge you a cancellation fee if you already paid?
It took me about a week, working online every evening and throughout the weekend, to pull everything together. But I did it - and I didn't like it. I didn't like that we were going to be on a tight schedule.
Still, despite the complicated reservation process (I've since learned that many travel agencies have Disney specialists), we had a good time.
We went to Disney World because of the children. And, when you look at Disney through their eyes, it was a magical experience. The excitement on the face of my 3-year-old grandson William when he met Mickey Mouse face-to-face was an emotional experience for me. I had to fight back tears. And when Tilleigh, 8, and Evie, 5, waved at all their favorite princes and princesses in the Magic Kingdom parade, I was so thankful we made the decision to come.
Our final tab at Disney was $3,310.12 for three days.
Will we go back? Yes. Maybe not next year, but probably in 2017. My advice to anyone planning to visit Disney World, especially for the first time, is to contact a travel agency with a Disney expert. It will make your Disney experience much more enjoyable.
Contact Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.