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Disney adds Polynesian Villas & Bungalows to its DVC lineup

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After a small opening ceremony last night, Disney’s latest resort is welcoming it’s first guests today. The Polynesian Villas & Bungalows are the 14th resort to join the Disney Vacation club portfolio.

Offering 360 Deluxe Studio accommodations (opening in phases through summer 2015) and 20 over-the-water Bungalows, the new resort delivers the spirit of the South Pacific along with fun Disney touches to create a vacation experience that only Disney can provide. Nestled along the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon, the resort is a quick monorail ride from the enchanting Magic Kingdom Park and steps away from the world-class amenities of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, one of the original Walt Disney World Resort hotels.

“This is truly a stunning addition to the Disney Vacation Club portfolio,” said Ken Potrock, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Disney Vacation Club. “Research has told us that Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is one of our most beloved Walt Disney World Resort hotels. As a result, we integrated a new Disney Vacation Club resort that stays true to the original character of this spectacular and iconic property.”

The Deluxe Studios at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows are the largest at Walt Disney World Resort, sleeping five guests each. Each features tropical décor complete with striking prints, bamboo-style fixtures, a whimsical hidden pull-down bed and a split bathroom perfect for families. The Deluxe Studios also offer the flexibility of connecting to an adjacent room.Read More »Disney adds Polynesian Villas & Bungalows to its DVC lineup

Polynesian Village Resort Lobby Emerges After Long Refurbishment

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The Polynesian Village Resort Lobby has just come out of a long refurbishment in the middle of a resort wide set of improvements and DVC addition. We take a look around in this new video (note, stick around to the end for a little bonus):

I get what Disney’s hotel designers were trying to do with the remodeled lobby of the Polynesian. It’s lighter, more open, and, best of all, has this amazing vista of Cinderella Castle from the moment you park in valet all the way out the rear doors of the lobby heading toward the pool. It’s a wonderful effect and was totally worth getting rid of the giant waterfall for.

But that doesn’t mean they needed to go as generic as they did with the new water feature. It’s pretty basic. In fact, the whole thing feels slightly generic. The stores give some excitement around the edges, but the central part of the lobby feels very similar to every other large hotel on the planet.Read More »Polynesian Village Resort Lobby Emerges After Long Refurbishment

Walt Disney World is almost ready to add a new DVC Property

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With both the Contemporary and Grand Floridian getting Disney Vacation Club exclusive extensions, it was only a matter of time before the “worst kept secret” made its way to the Polynesian too. Unlike the other two projects on the resort monorail loop, there is no new dedicated wing, instead there will be remodeled rooms and new bungalows that are perched out over the Seven Seas Lagoon.

We have watched as the Bungalows were constructed, but we finally have a better idea of what they’ll look like, what the floor plan will be, and what a stay will cost.

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Each of the 20 Bungalows will sleep 8 in 1093 sq. ft pacific island design themed luxury. But it’s a tight floorplan with 4 of those beds either murphy or pullout beds. Read More »Walt Disney World is almost ready to add a new DVC Property

More changes announced for Disney’s Polynesian Resort

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Disney mentioned changes coming to the Polynesian Resort at the What’s New What’s Next presentation earlier this month, now they’ve updated us with some additional information on what we can expect as the resort transitions.

As announced it will be getting a few DVC Suites as bungalows out over the water. To accommodate this change the name will revert back to its original 1971 opening-day name: Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

Disney also announced a brand new children’s activity center called Club Disney will be opening at the resort next month. Imagineers drew inspiration from classic Disney Little Golden Books, including “Alice In Wonderland,” “Pinocchio” and “Lady and The Tramp” to make the play areas. Club Disney replaces the Neverland Club. Read More »More changes announced for Disney’s Polynesian Resort

Coordinating Your Dining with Fastpass+ at Disney World

This post brought to you by Christina Wood of Pixie Vacations, the preferred Disney vacation travel planner of The Disney Blog.

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Back when Disney opened up dining reservations for guests 180-days in advance of travel, there was  a lot of grumbling about how this meant too much planning and took a lot of the spontaneity of your trip. And they were right. It’s difficult to predict what you’ll want to eat next week, much less six months in advance. Add to that variables like heat, crowd levels, sick kids, grumpy uncles, and the occasional cash flow problem and it can be downright stressful to plan your meals that far in advance.  But here we are years later and most of us have adapted to the system just fine. Of course, now there’s a new wrench thrown into your plans: Fastpass+.

With Fastpass+, you’ll plan your fastpasses up to 60 days prior to travel (30 for off site guests).  Since you’re already planning your meals months before that, you’ll need to plan your fastpasses around those meals. Fortunately, if you’re using My Disney Experience and you’ve either made your reservations with that system or adding your confirmation numbers to your profile, your dining reservations will pop up when you make your fastpass selections, alerting you to any overlap.  You’ll choose your three fastpasses and then be offered up to four groups to select from. The first one is supposed to be ideal and usually doesn’t conflict with your dining time, but the rest will often have an overlap for at least one ride. Don’t fret about that. Instead, make your selection and once you’ve processed it, go back in and change that time–you’ll usually be given several other options.

So how do you organize all this?  I know a lot of you don’t like all this planning and what I’m seeing is that for the average guest, it seems like a lot of extra work, but with a little extra thought, it doesn’t have to be. Here’s a timeline to help:Read More »Coordinating Your Dining with Fastpass+ at Disney World

Introducing Christina Wood, Disney Vacation Planning Partner For The Disney Blog

This post brought to you by Christina Wood of Pixie Vacations, the preferred Disney vacation travel planner of The Disney Blog.

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You may have noticed my articles popping up over here at the Disney Blog for a while now and I thought I would take the opportunity to introduce myself.  My name is Chris, and I write here and at my own blog, Everything Walt Disney World.  I’m also part of the Mouse Chat podcast team and I’m a travel agent with Pixie Vacations.  I spend about 55 days (and counting) a year in the parks, both in Walt Disney World and Disneyland and I’ve been fortunate to cover everything new that’s popped up over the last couple of years. In short, I have a little bit of a Disney obsession.

As a travel agent and a blogger, I walk the fine line between selling Disney and giving readers the most honest opinion possible about my experiences in the parks, resorts, and restaurants.  Fortunately, Disney makes this pretty easy: It’s a great product. When it’s not such a great product, I make sure my readers know. Hopefully some bean counter at Disney sees it and passes it on to someone who can make a positive change.

As a travel agent, I get two questions all the time: 1) How do I get your job and 2) what can you do for me?  I’m going to concentrate on the second one.  First, if you’re a Disney fan or even if you’re just planning your first trip and you don’t yet know if you’ll even like Disney (you probably will), go with an agent who specializes in Disney, known as an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. You’ll want to look for the “Earmarked” designation which tells you that this agency sells mostly Disney and that its agents are all trained by Disney.  It doesn’t have to be a huge agency, or even one that’s that well-known, but find an agent who travels to Disney frequently, keeps up with changes and, just as importantly, with whom you connect.Read More »Introducing Christina Wood, Disney Vacation Planning Partner For The Disney Blog

Can You Really Cook in a DVC Kitchen?

This post brought to you by Christina Wood of Pixie Vacations, the preferred Disney vacation travel planner of The Disney Blog.

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Disney Vacation Club (DVC) resorts are Disney’s timeshare properties. They’re basically very nice condos attached to Disney deluxe properties and while booking priority is given to DVC owners, non-owners can also enjoy these properties if they book far enough in advance. These one, two and three bedroom properties feature multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, a washer and dryer, and full kitchens. The downside, of course, is the price. But the upside is all the comforts of home.

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Of course, not everyone thinks that having to cook on vacation is a great deal, but for those who want to cook or, for those that need to cook due to food allergies, having a kitchen can be a great bonus.  So what’s available in these kitchens? Obviously, they’re not as well equipped as your kitchen at home. You’ll find an electric range with a ceramic cooktop, a microwave, full-size refrigerator, toaster, and dishwasher.Read More »Can You Really Cook in a DVC Kitchen?

Disney Vacation Club Rolls Out New Benefits in Membership Magic

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Of all the things I wish I’d known about fifteen or so years ago, is how affordable DVC is to those who plan a trip to Disney World every year or so. I had a friend who was a member, but never thought about taking the leap ourselves. The point is pretty moot now that we live in central Florida. But the parental units would have enjoyed having a yearly vacation to see the grand kid essentially paid for in advance.

Everybody has to discover and come to their own conclusion about the cost benefit of joining the Disney Vacation Club on their own. The numbers make sense for some people and just never line up for others. But now the DVC is sweetening the pot with even more magic for its members with the launch of Membership Magic.

Membership Magic is a new program designed to introduce numerous enhancements for members, create exclusive vacation options across multiple Disney experiences and provide special, money-saving discounts for members to enjoy. The first wave of experiences has officially rolled out, but members can expect to see several ongoing enhancements in the months to come.

“With Membership Magic, we are giving families even more to love about Disney Vacation Club,” said Ken Potrock, senior vice president and general manager, Disney Vacation Club. “We are introducing great new perks, exclusive experiences and other service enhancements that only members and their guests can access. It’s our special way of thanking our members for being such a valued part of the Disney Vacation Club family.”Read More »Disney Vacation Club Rolls Out New Benefits in Membership Magic