Walt Disney World: It's Not Just for Kids » MCO

Disney Discount: Restaurant.com

Hedy — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:43:02 +0000

At home, I’m a huge fan of getting discounted restaurant gift certificates at Restaurant.com. However, I always thought that there was no point in looking at them for Orlando, as I stay on-site at both Universal and Disney World.

However, Kim of Reward Site Round Up posted that the House of Blues, which is in Downtown Disney, is now on Restaurant.com. The fabulous folk on the Disboards have alerted me to the fact that a number of Swolphin restaurants: Garden Grove (just for dinner, not the Character meal), Kimonos, bluezoo, Il Mulino, and Shula’s. As you can easily walk from Epcot to these restaurants, it seems like a painless way to save some money on vacation.

This led me to do my own poking around on there, and I found that Bice at the Portofino Bay Resort at Universal Orlando is also on Restaurant.com.

Every month, new certificates go up on Restaurant.com. on the first of the month (they are also re-stocked, so you can pick up any which may have been sold out in the previous month. While poking around there, I found that they had Giraffe Cafe at Royal Plaza Hotel. Now, if you’ve never been there (we returned a rental car there, but that’s another story for another day), it’s within spitting distance of Downtown Disney. Additional, Restaurant.com also has the Outback Restaurant at the Buena Vista Palace, and Andiamo Italian Bistro, both of which are also at Downtown Disney hotels. If you’re looking to save on food, it might be worth the trek there.

If you’re planing on staying at an airport hotel at one part of your trip, or even eating at MCO, they have McCoy’s Bar and Grill and Hemisphere restaurant, both of which are at the Hyatt which is in MCO.

Between now and September 14, save 60% at restaurant.com using the code SAVE.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter trip report, part 1.

Hedy — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:05:25 +0000

My bags were packed. I was ready to go. My mom drove me to Logan without incident. I checked my bag. I grabbed a snack at Starbucks, and settled down at my gate to surf the net before I boarded my plane. In retrospect, this feels a little like the opening of Meet the Fockers. I saw that the earlier plane to Orlando was delayed, which didn’t stun me, as there had been thunderstorms in the area. My flight was fine.
Then I checked again-my flight was delayed three hours. My main concern was my reservation at the Hyatt Orlando, as when I had called them to let them know that I would not be checking in until after eleven pm, they said that they held rooms until midnight. I was able to get them t hang onto my room. Then we changed gates. Then we were delayed half an hour, then an hour. Public service announcement-whining does not change when the plane leaves. I originally debated pulling an all-nighter and still going to wwohp in the morning, but I decided it was a bad idea, so I canceled those plans. Eventually we departed from another gate. I boarded. I found I was sitting next to a kid and parent who were yelling about what the kid could watch on the TV. Fortuitously, my tv was broken, so the stewardess let me move to another seat.
The plane ride was motherly uneventful. I disembarked, boarded the holy monorail, and was at the terminal. I checked into the Hyatt, and gave the bellhop my luggage tags. This may have been the best $10 I spent all trip: my bags were brought up to me. I crashed into bed, debating what to do on my next day in Orlando.

I woke up around 8:00am. I decided to head off to grab breakfast at Krispy Kreme. I showered (the airport Hyatt has a separate shower from the bathtub, which is awesome.) I had deliberately packed my clothes for today in my carry-on, so I switched out my “Muggle” shirt for a tank top. I dressed, and headed down to the shopping area of MCO. I’d found a coupon book for the shops in my room, and there was one for a free tote bag at Del Sol. Now, you all know that I have never found a free thing or bag I didn’t like, so you better believe I brought it with me.
We are wholly unsurprised to hear I started at the Earport, right? I gotta admit, the Summer Nightastic ads made me wish that I had tacked a day at WDW onto my trip. I didn’t get anything. I then headed over to the Universal store. Universal’s store has a decent sampling of the Harry Potter stuff-if you’re thinking of getting something, you can actually *think* here. I got my free bag, and headed onto Krispy Kreme. Tragically, they did not have my favorite Krispy Kreme, Sour Cream. I did get a plain glazed donut, and a Sprite to have with my Emergency C. I headed back to my room, and had breakfast enjoying their view from my balcony. I packed up, and rang for a bellhop. I checked out-the $10 fee to get my bags was listed as a “gratuity,” so I might have overtipped. Oh well.
My driver to the RPR was awesome-he had a binder of money from all over the world in it. I arrived, was greeted by name. The employee was all excited telling me about Harry Potter and how you can use your Fastpass for the new ride once a day (FJ has no Express Pass. Fail.) And went to check in. I was informed my room was not ready (I think the check-in people have been saying their spiel too much lately. I was told that check-in time wasn’t until 4pm. Girlfriend, it’s 10am, if you have people expecting their room to be ready, you have issues. I stored my luggage, and headed off to IOA.
I was half-way to IOA when I realized that my print at home park ticket was in my carryon. Oops. Went back, got it, and entered IOA.
There were people with signs directing you to go through WWoHP through Marvel Superhero Island. My first stop, was Spiderman. Yepp. Sorry. Spiderman is still the best ride in Orlando. End of Story. I then headed over to get soaked on Popeye. Heading towards Jurassic Park I saw that there was, in fact, a masking tape line for the people waiting just to get into the WWoHP. I kid not. I headed onto Seuss Landing, and then rode on High in the Sky trolley. You can get some awesome pictures from here (well, you could if camera’s weren’t banned on the ride.) ;) I decided to head to Universal Studios.

How to: Get the Hyatt at the Orlando Airport on Hotwire

Hedy — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:43:40 +0000

Hotwire.com can be a great way to save money on your Orlando vacation. With Hotwire, you do not see what hotel you are staying at until you pay (and it’s non-refundable). I had gotten the Hyatt Orlando through Hotwire on my trip in 2008, and wanted to do so for my upcoming trip.

I had a Costco rate for $125 at the Hyatt MCO. I hoped to get a rate through Hotwire for $99 or less.

Rate/Date 05/09-$129
Rate/Date 05/24-$129
Rate/Date 07/07$59 (3.5 *)
Rate/Date 07/09 $69 (4*)
Rate/Date 07/10 $69 (4*)
Rate/Date 07/12 $66 (4*)
Rate/Date 07/13 $69 (4*)
Rate/Date 07/14 $69 (4*)
Rate/Date 07/15 $73 (4*)

I ended up biting the bullet and buying it last night. I could see that it was a four-star hotel located in the Orlando Airport/MCO area (the Hyatt does occasionally come up as being 3.5 star). When I clicked on it, the page said that the Trip Adviser rating was 4.5, as it is with the Hyatt Orlando airport.

While I did get the Hyatt at the Orlando Airport via Hotwire, I was willing to end up staying at another Orlando Airport area hotel if that was the outcome. If you want to try bidding, please make sure this is the case for yourself as well.

Trip planning updates July 10, 2010

Hedy — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:55:45 +0000

I’m tracking the rates for the Hyatt MCO on Hotwire for my August Universal Orlando trip, but I am hesitant to pull the trigger until my vacation time at work is finalized. However, it appears I have a very good chance of getting the Hyatt for $69 for the night. I called them today to verify that they will get my bags from baggage when I land. I will need to check in, give them my luggage claim stubs, and they will go get them from the baggage carousel. There is a $10 fee for this, which is fine with me.

Also, I have decided to stop thinking about renting a car, as car rental places are not open at early o’clock i the morning. Score one for cabs.

I picked up the water bottle lanyard and Mouse Strap from Glamour Mouse and have recieved them. Should I review both items both before and after my trip?

Trip planning updates, June 29, 2010

Hedy — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:30:35 +0000

I am now thisclose to being one month out from my Universal Orlando trip. As such, I’m going to chat a bit about planning and share my to-do lists.

As the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP)is now open, I have begun a more fleshed out touring plan. I had been pretty settled on not going to Islands of Adventure (IOA) my first day. But let’s get real-patience is not one of my virtues. Besides, who sleeps on an Orlando vacation? If you want to, that’s what Sinbad’s is for (I speak from personal experience). I toyed with the idea of staying at an on-site Universal Orlando hotel for the night I’m scheduled to be at the Hyatt MCO, but I found that prices range from arms to legs. I’m sticking with the Hyatt MCO for now. Here’s the plan:

Thursday: Go to Logan after work. Have dinner at Johnny Rockets. Fly to MCO. Land. Check into the Hyatt.

Friday: Get ready to go around 6am. Take taxi to Royal Pacific Resort (RPR) . Check in, get keys for FOTL. Be in line to enter IOA by 7:30. Hit WWOHP. Do more IOA. Grab lunch at Pastamore (new!). Head over to catch a few shows at US. Head to RPR for Torch Lighting. Grab dinner at the pool bar (new!)

Saturday: Start at US for Mummy, MIB etc. Lunch at Finngans. Head over to do some stuff at IOA (by which I mean Spiderman a zillion times). Diner at Bice, possibly (new!).

Sunday: Shopping day! Go to Premium Outlets (and possibly Prime as well). Take cab to DTD. Have lunch at Paradiso 37 (new!). Go up in Characters in Flight (new!). Head home. Eat at the Kitchen at HRH.

Monday: IOA early. Lunch at ?. US in the evening. Dinner at Tchoup Tchoup.

Tuesday: Breakfast at Three Broomsticks. A little IOA, a little US. Cab to MCO to go home. :(

To do list:

Continue to check car rental rates (I’m pretty sure I’m just using cabs though.)
Once vacation time is finalized check Hotwire for the Hyatt MCO.
Cash out Opentable cheques. . Done! One $20 one for Tchoup Tchoup, another $20 one for Paradiso 37.
Cash out at Sunshine Rewards. Done for the $40 I earned in June.
Confirm plans
Get singles from bank
buy hooks for door hanger
Print out coupons

Friday Favorites: Orlando International Airport

Hedy — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:31:57 +0000

Or, as I refer to it, MCO. My Friday Favorites come from all sorts of places-other people’s posts, holidays, TV. This week’s comes from the hallows of my brain. See, my pre-cruise stay is going to be in six months. So on Wednesday I was thinking about how six months from then I’d be going from work to the airport. I then started getting all excited about getting to airport and everything there is to see there.

First of all, you get off the plane, and you are in Orlando. W00h00! If it’s winter, here’s normally where I stuff my coat into my carryon. I then grab my bags and head onto the first ride of any trip to Orlando-the airport monorail! It even tells you to please stand clear of the doors! Once you’re off the airport monorail, you get to see part of the Orlando Airport Hyatt-if it’s December, you’ll see their tree, the first Christmas decoration of your trip.

From there, you pass the Earport, great if you need to make a quick purchase, or if you need to pick up something you missed while on your vacation. Depending on whether you are using Magical Express or not, as well as what time you arrive, you may need to grab your luggage. Then, it’s off toground transportation!

To me, there’s nothing like arriving at Orlando International Airport. You?

Taxis….

Hedy — Tue, 04 May 2010 07:26:13 +0000

I’ve touched upon taxis in Orlando before. However, I thought I would spell out why exactly I think they work for myself, and other adults at Disney World. 90% of the time, Disney transportation is just fine with me. It may not be lightning fast, but it’s free and I do not have to drive. However, there are times when a cab is much more convenient than Disney transportation, especially if you are coming back late (think Jellyrolls), or going to a restaurant at another resort. I first started using cabs in Walt Disney World more out of necessity than anything, as I was too young to rent a car without a massive fee.

However, even once I was able to rent a car, I often found cabs to be much more cost efficient. Within 24 hours on my last trip, I took two cabs-one from POFQ to AKL, and one from POFQ to the Polynesian. Both cabs rides were around $30 total, which is comparable to the cost of a rental car, but much more hands free. For my trip to Universal last year, renting a car would have been $50 a day, plus another $15 a night to park. Comparatively, the cab rides I took to and from Prime Outlets ran me about $50 together. My others cabs were priced similarly.

Although I’ve heard of Mears cabs being sleazy, but I have only had two negative experiences. The first was in 2006, when I took a cab from POR to the Contemporary. The cost was around $13-and the cabbie didn’t have change for my $20. I pushed back, and he got change from a fellow cabbie. The other bad cab experience I’ve had was at the Dolphin. I went out and requested a cab. I was given a black car, and when I arrived at DHS (which is half a mile away), I was told my fare was $12 owing to it being a towncar. What? I spoke with the Dolphin’s staff the next morning. Their baloney answer was that they automatically give you a towncar, they only give you a cab if you ask for one. Um ok. (I place the blame on the Dolphin, rather than Mears).

No related posts.

Just booked my MCO room for August….

Hedy — Sun, 02 May 2010 02:32:43 +0000

For my late arrival when I go to Universal this summer, I’d been debating between an off-site hotel near Universal, or an airport hotel. On my trip to Universal in 2008, I stayed at the airport Hyatt via Hotwire and loved it. I’d been planning on trying to re-Hotwire closer to my trip. However, today I stumbled upon a great code for the Hyatt at MCO, which is in fact less than the Hyatt looking hotel* on Hotwire. It was through Costco. I’m very excited to go back there!

In many people’s experience, Hyatt is a 4 star with the trip adviser rating of 4.5 with over 100 reviews

Friday Favorites: JetBlue

Hedy — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:00:17 +0000

For this week’s Friday Favorite, I am discussing my favorite airline, JetBlue. I first flew JetBlue six years ago, and since then they have been my airline of choice. (I flew a legacy carrier who shall not be named in 2008, and felt like I was in steerage compared to JetBlue). JetBlue’s seats are roomy, and while sitting on a dead cow doesn’t thrill me, there are those who consider leather seats a luxury. I have only used the “extra leg” room seats on a flight to Vegas and there was a decent amount of room (enough that I did not have to get up when the person in the window seat boarded). The TV’s are at your seat, which lets the trip fly by-it’s especially nice to get your last hit of Food Network before you hit Disney World*.

They are generous with snacks, give you a whole can of Coke, and let you ask for more than one. They do charge for a pillow and blanket, but I’m a germaphobe so that doesn’t bother me (although the one time I wanted one they didn’t have any.)

However, the reason that I keep on going back to JetBlue is their service. Every single time I’ve spoken to a JetBlue agent, they have been nothing short of pleasant. They give you a credit with JetBlue if your flight goes down in cost (I cannot stress this enough-Yapta is your BFF, and mine too. You find out if you qualify for a credit via your inbox.) Every time I have called their call center, they have been polite, competent, and pleasant. I once had a credit that dd not process correctly. The person at JetBlue took care of it so quickly I was gushing to her about how much I loved her company.

How about you? What’s your favorite airline?

*Ok, there are a bazillion Disney Food Network features, Cat Cora has a restaurant, Guy Fieri was at the California Food and Wine fest, but on-site hotels don’t get Food Network. Weird.

Trip Planning for my Cruise…updated 4/20

Hedy — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:41:54 +0000

As you may remember, I am taking my first Disney Cruise this December. The eternally wonderful JetBlue opened their flights through January 4 today, so I book my ticket. Can I just say how awesome it is that I got roundtrip airfare for $260? Anyway, I’m flying in the Thursday night before my cruise, then I’m flying out of Orlando in the evening of the 16th (they day my cruise ends). As such, I’m looking at changing my hotels or at least tweaking it. I’m hesitant to do anything too permanent until I find out if Dreams Unlimited will be having any specials, but at the moment I’m torn between the following:

Keep my reservation for Friday and Saturday at the Swan, but stay at a value resort Thursday night.
Move my whole three day stay to a Value. Use money saved for park tickets.
Move my whole stay to a Moderate. As I’ve stayed at both POR and POFQ during Christmas, I’d probably stay at CBR.

In addition to waiting for any deals Dreams Unlimited has, and any Disney deals, there is a third wrench in my plan. My brothers, SILs, and nephews may be going to WDW in August 2011. If I pony up for an Annual Pass(AP), I could potentially save on my room in both December and August, get a Tables in Wonderland Card. However, an AP is a big chunk of money to spend on an “if.”

Any thoughts?

ETA: So, I looked at my Swan confirm, and found out I’m already booked there that Thursday night-doh! I’m not jumping up and down for the Swan, but at present clinging onto the rate I have seems the smartest thing to do. Thus, this is my plan (I’m going forward as if I have no AP)

Thursday: Go to Swan.

Friday: Breakfast at Capt. Cooks. Spend morning checking out resort decorations. Head to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP)that night.

Saturday: Epcot! Possibly meet up at Jellyrolls!

Sunday: Breakfast at Swan. Take coach to port. (woohoo)

Last day of cruise: Use Onboard Airline Check In. Rent car. Drive to Downtown Disney. Spend day there. Grab dinner to go at Earl of Sandwich and head to airport at 4pm.