Sunday, January 16, 2011

97 DAYS TO GO . . .

     SUNDAY JANUARY 16, 2011

     TODAY'S TOPIC IS WHAT KIND OF ROOM IS BEST FOR YOU.  IT WAS ONLY 2008 WHEN I FINALLY STAYED IN A DISNEY RESORT HOTEL ROOM, BUT I'VE COVERED THE GAMBIT OVER THE YEARS.  I STAYED IN DISNEY'S FORT WILDERNESS CAMPGROUND MORE THAN ONCE, EVEN BACK WHEN IT HAD ITS OWN WATER PARK CALLED RIVER COUNTRY.  I'VE STAYED AT NEARBY HOTELS, TIMESHARE ONE AND TWO BEDROOM CONDOS, AND EVEN A NEARBY CAMPGROUND.  AROUND 15 YEARS AGO OR MORE, AN OLD GIRLFRIEND OF MINE AND MYSELF FLEW ROUND TRIP, STAYED IN A CAMPGROUND, ATE EVERY MEAL OUT, WENT TO THE PARKS EVERY DAY AND TOOK TRANSFERS TO AND FROM THE PARKS AND AIRPORT ALL FOR ABOUT $750 FOR ALMOST A WEEK!  HOW?  WELL OBVIOUSLY A LOT HAS CHANGED IN THAT AMOUNT OF TIME, SO IT'S A LOT MORE EXPENSIVE NOW, BUT AGAIN, IT'S ALL WHAT YOUR WILLING TO DO.  I GOT A GREAT DEAL ON A FLIGHT AND SHE FLEW AS A CHILD!  THAT'S RIGHT.  BACK THEN, NO ONE EVER ASKED, AND KIDS TICKETS WERE WAY CHEAPER.  WE STAYED IN A TENT NEXT TO THE CAMPGROUND BATHROOMS FOR $7 - $17 A NIGHT!  PARK TIX WERE A LOT CHEAPER, BUT WE BOUGHT MULTIPLE DAYS FROM SOMEONE AT A DISCOUNT THAT INCLUDED OUR TRANSPORTATION.  OBVIOUSLY THE TENT WAS A HUGE SACRIFICE (LUCKILY IT NEVER RAINED), BUT LOOK AT THE SAVINGS.  SO YOU GET THE POINT, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, BASED ON YOUR FLEXIBILITY.
     WELL, THE SAME IS TRUE WITH THE DISNEY CRUISE LINE.  ONCE YOU'VE CHOSEN DISNEY, YOU CAN LOOK AT THE LAYOUTS AND MEASUREMENTS OF ALL THE STATEROOMS (THAT'S WHAT THE D.C.L. CALLS THEM) ON-LINE AT: http://www.disneycruise.disney.go.com/ AND START TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU.  FIRST THING IS GOING TO BE, HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU'RE TRAVELING WITH, AND DID YOU HOPE TO HAVE THEM ALL IN ONE ROOM.  DISNEY DOESN'T ALLOW MORE THAN 5, BUT 5 IS DOABLE.  EXCLUDING THE ONE AND TWO BEDROOM ZILLION DOLLAR SUITES, OF WHICH THERE ARE VERY FEW, THERE ARE 7 DIFFERENT STATEROOMS THAT DIFFER BY LAYOUT AND MOSTLY SQUARE FOOTAGE (APROX.); 310 SQ FT, 300 SQ FT, 250 SQ FT, 240 SQ FT, 2 WITH 200 SQ FT, AND LASTLY ONE WITH 170 SQ FT.  SOME HAVE BALCONIES (OR VERANDAS), SOME HAVE 5 FT WIDE PORTHOLES, SOME HAVE 3 FT WIDE PORTHOLES, AND THE TWO SMALLEST STATEROOM DESIGNATIONS HAVE THE CRUISE INDUSTRIES NEWEST ADDITION, A "VIRTUAL (OR MAGICAL) PORTHOLE".
     THE NUMBER IN YOUR PARTY WILL PRIMARILY DETERMINE WHAT KIND OF ROOM YOU'LL WANT, BUT A BALCONY OVER THE WATER IS EASILY ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR REQUESTS.  WHEN YOU LOOK AT A DECK PLAN, YOU WILL SEE THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE ROOMS ARE ALONG THE OUTSIDE OF THE SHIP ALONG IT'S MANY DECKS.  THE MAJORITY OF THE SHIPS INTERIOR IS CREW SPACE AND ENTERTAINMENT: THEATERS, RESTAURANTS, BARS, KIDS CLUBS, ETC.  THE REMAINING SPACES ARE CATEGORIZED AS "INSIDE STATEROOMS".  AKA - NO PORTHOLE OR WINDOW TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD, NOTORIOUS FOR BEING EXTREMELY DARK.  WELL DISNEY HAS COME UP WITH AN INNOVATION THAT WILL WITHOUT A DOUBT BEING SWEEPING THROUGHOUT THE INDUSTRY AS SOON AS THEY CAN COPY IT.  DISNEY MAGICAL PORTHOLES ARE DIGITAL PORTHOLES OVER THE BEDS IN INSIDE STATEROOMS THAT BEAM IN LIVE CAMERA SHOTS FROM OUTSIDE THE SHIP OVER THE WATER OF YOUR PART OF THE BOAT FROM CORRESPONDING CAMERAS AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE SHIP.  NICE HUH?  WELL HERE'S THE DISNEY KICKER.  NON-STOP THROUGHOUT THE DAY, VARIOUS DISNEY CHARACTERS WILL APPEAR ON AND/OR THROUGH YOUR MAGICAL PORTHOLE.  LIKE, TINKERBELL FLYING BY, OR STEAMBOAT MICKEY CHUGGING BY, OR THE HOUSE FROM "UP" FLYING BY ON BALLOONS, AND MANY, MANY MORE.  SO WHEN I WAS PICKING WHERE I WOULD LIKE MY BALCONIED ROOM TO BE, I MADE THE MISTAKE OF SHOWING MY SON THE NEW VIRTUAL PORTHOLES IN THE NEW DISNEY DREAM AND THE ROOMS THEY WERE IN.  NOW MOST SAY, MUCH LIKE A DISNEY WORLD VACATION, YOU'RE NOT IN YOUR ROOM MUCH, BUT I WOULDN'T HAVE MINDED A VERANDA OVER THE WATER!  YOU'D THINK IT WAS ARRANGING TO HAVE MICKEY TO COME BY THE ROOM IN PERSON THE WAY MY SON GOT SO EXCITED ABOUT THE IDEA OF CHARACTERS APPEARING IN THIS WINDOW.  AND AFTER SPEAKING TO MY DISNEY RESERVATIONIST, THERE ARE MANY, MANY MORE PARENTS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME THING.  THE ADVANTAGES FOR ME ARE THAT IT'S DEFINITELY LESS EXPENSIVE THE SMALLER YOUR ROOM IS, THERE'S ONLY GOING TO BE TWO OF US STAYING IN OUR ROOM.
     ANOTHER THING ABOUT STAYING WITH DISNEY THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW IS THAT YOU CAN PRETTY MUCH PICK THE EXACT ROOM YOU WANT TO STAY IN IF YOU DO THE RESEARCH, IT'S AVAILABLE, AND YOU PLAN A LITTLE AHEAD.  I DID IT AT THE CONTEMPORARY, AND THEY MADE A MISTAKE AT CHECK-IN AND STILL FIXED IT WHEN I BROUGHT IT UP.  REMEMBER, DISNEY IS THE ONE PLACE THAT DOES NOT LIKE CONFRONTATION OR AN UPSET GUEST IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM.
     WHEN I ORIGINALLY MADE MY RESERVATION ON THE DISNEY CRUISE LINE, WE HAD THE SMALLEST ROOM THERE WAS ON DECK 7 WAY IN THE FRONT OF THE BOAT.  BEST I COULD DO, SO I WAS HAPPY.  BUT IN CHECKING BACK I WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO THE NEXT ROOM UP FOR $25 MORE ON DECK 5 WHERE ALL THE KIDS CLUBS ARE LOCATED AND MY SON REALLY WANTED TO BE.  I GAINED 30 MORE SQ FT AND HE GOT TO BE CLOSER TO WHERE HE WANTED TO BE, WHICH CAN ONLY SAVE TIME WHEN DROPPING HIM OFF OR PICKING HIM UP FROM THE KIDS SPACES AT ANY TIME.  AGAIN, BY CHECKING AND TALKING TO SOMEONE, I HAND-PICKED MY ROOM # AND HAVE IT ON MY NEW RESERVATION CONFIRMATION.
     MY RESERVATIONIST FRANCESCA (OR "VACATION SERVICES SPECIALIST") ALSO SAID THAT BECAUSE OF THE PRICE DIFFERENCE AND SMALLER AMOUNT OF INSIDE STATEROOMS, THAT PEOPLE IN THESE ROOMS ARE FAR MORE OFTEN OFFERED FREE UPGRADES BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE STILL TRYING TO BUY THEM AFTER THEY ARE ALREADY SOLD OUT.  THE REASON BEING (AS I WELL KNOW FROM THE HOTEL BUSINESS) THAT AN EMPTY (OR MORE EXPENSIVE AND UNSOLD) ROOM MAKES YOU NOTHING.  RE-SELL THE CHEAPER ONE AND UPGRADE SOMEONE ELSE.  YOU MAY HAVE ONLY MADE THE LOWER RATE, BUT THAT WAY YOU ALWAYS MAKE SURE EVERY ROOM IS MAKING YOU MONEY VS. SITTING EMPTY AND MAKING YOU NOTHING.  SO KEEP THIS IN MIND AND TOMORROW I'LL GET INTO THE DIFFERENT TRIP LENGTHS AND DESTINATIONS. 
     SEE YA REAL SOON!

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