Blog - Page 4 of 7 - DisAnswers = Disney Answers

Can you walk from the Grand Floridian to the Magic Kingdom?

Disney Answer: Yes!

For many years, you could not walk from the Grand Floridian to the Magic Kingdom. Even though the two are only several hundred feet apart, Disney made it impossible to walk between them. There is no path or sidewalk, and the two are separated by a fairly large canal that connects Seven Seas Lagoon to the Rivers of America inside the Magic Kingdom (it is also used for the parking area of the nightly Electrical Water Pageant floats).

Curiously, on the Contemporary side, there has been a walkway since the resort opened.

However, as of early 2021, there is now a completed walkway from the Grand Floridain to the Magic Kingdom. It is a long walk, but you get fantastic views of both the Contemporary and Grand Floridian as well as the Seven Seas Lagoon and the monorail.

The good news is that the resort monorail continues to stop at the Grand Floridian every few minutes and goes directly to the Magic Kingdom monorail station, and requires way less walking.

Are Pop Century Pools Heated?

Disney Answer: Yes

All Walt Disney World resort pools, including the three pools at Disney’s Pop Century Resort are heated year round. Every single day of they year, all Disney pools are 82 degrees.

By the way, Pop Century has three pools, the Hippy Dippy Pool, the Bowling Pin Pool and the Computer Pool, all heated all year round. Happy swimming!

Can you walk from the Wilderness Lodge to the Contemporary?

Disney Answer: No

While Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Contemporary Resort are only about 1,000 feet apart, you cannot walk between the two. They are separated by a body of water, the canal that runs between Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake. While World Drive runs in front of both resorts, there isn’t any sidewalk or anyway to walk on the road.

While you can’t walk from the Wilderness Lodge and the Contemporary, there is a boat that runs between the two resorts as well as the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, so you can get back and forth between the two.

Are Adventures by Disney Worth the Money?

Disney Answer: It depends

Adventures by Disney is Disney’s guided tour business. At this point, they have “adventures” to just about every continent, though most adventures are either in Europe or North America. Adventures by Disney is a unique product, and is not for everybody. You won’t find any Disney characters, thrill rides or massive crowds. You will find first class hotels, world class adventure guides and unique experiences you and your family cannot have anywhere else.

Adventures typically include your hotel(s), and the hotels are usually the best around. Every year Disney looks to upgrade hotels to the nicest/best options in the locations where they serve, so if you are used to first class, that is what you get. Adventures also includes all of your transportation once you arrive at your destination, most of your food, all entrance fees to any attraction you visit, etc. The only thing not included in Adventures are going to be your airfare, some meals and tips for your adventure guides. And souvenirs of course.

The question “Are Adventures by Disney worth the money?” comes up often because the adventures are expensive, especially when compared to staying at a value resort on Disney World property. For example, I did the Ireland adventure a few years ago. It is 7 nights, and the cost for 2 adults is in the $11,800 range, double that if you have 2 kids that you want to bring along. I am headed on the Italy adventure in a few weeks, and it is also 7 nights, and about the same price as Ireland. There are some less expensive and shorter Adventures, and more expensive and longer.

After going to Ireland, I sat down and tried to recreate our trip including hotels, meal, transfer, tickets, etc. It was cheaper for me to do it on my own, but not much cheaper, and it didn’t include a tour guide or any of the unique experiences that we got to do (nor would I be able to go to the front of all the lines like we did with Disney).

Adventures by Disney are first class, you will not be let down. I still consider my Ireland adventure as one of the 2 or 3 best vacations I have ever had, and I look forward to Italy being just as good.

While you find another tour company that offers a similar tour for less money, they do not offer the same tour at all. When you go on an Adventure by Disney, you will find that almost everyone on the tour has been on multiple adventures, Disney has a huge repeat business. Once you go on an Adventure, you won’t want to go on any other kind of vacation.

The answer to wether they are worth it or not depends on you. I really depends on what $1 is worth to you. To some people, they could never fathom spending $11,000+ on a vacation, and to them an Adventure by Disney is NOT worth the money. To others who often spend $11,000+ on a vacation all the time, an Adventure by Disney is DEFINITELY worth the money. Also, if you are looking for a once in a lifetime vacation, but it is a stretch for you, I think Adventures by Disney is worth the money. You will not be disappointed.

are adventures by disney worth the money — Adventures by Disney – Norway

Are Hollywood Studios and Universal Studios the same?

Disney Answers: No

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a theme park located at Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida, and is known for attractions such as The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Toy Story Mania! and Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. It is one of the four theme parks located at Walt Disney World. It opened in 1989 as Disney-MGM Studios, and was renamed Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2008.

Universal Studios consists of two theme parks, both also located in Orlando, Florida. Universal Studios also a theme park in Universal City, California. The Orlando locations are located 12 miles north of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and consist of the original Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. Universal Studios Florida features Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts, Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. Islands of Adventure features The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and The Incredible Hulk. If you want to ride Hogwarts Express in real life, it runs between the two theme parks.

Which Epcot Rides Should I Fastpass?

Disney Answer: See Below

Questions like this are very subjective, and there isn’t necessarily a correct answer. I may love Soarin’ but you may think Test Track is better. So, please take these answers with a grain of salt, and pick which rides you think your family will enjoy.

FastPasses allow you to basically bypass the line at Disney. You are allowed to book up to 3 fastpasses per day either online or via the WDW smart phone app. Reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance of your trip.

In Epcot, due to the reduced number or attractions, they have put the fastpass options in two tiers, Tier 1 and Tier 2. Here are the options in each tier:

Epcot Tier 1 Fastpass attractions

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
Soarin’
Test Track
Frozen Ever After

Epcot Tier 2 Fastpass attractions

Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
Journey Into Imagination
Living with the Land
Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot
Mission:Space
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Spaceship Earth
Turtle Talk with Crush

You are currently allowed to select 1 option from tier 1 and 2 options from tier 2. Once you have used all three fastpasses that day, you are allowed to make an additional reservation from any tier, if there are any times left.

So, which Epcot rides should you fastpass?

From tier 1, I would avoid Illuminations. Now, DO NOT avoid the show itself, it is fantastic, but the fastpass allows you access to a reserved standing area, and the view from there is no better than anywhere else. 15 minutes before the show starts, find yourself a spot somewhere around the lagoon with a good view of the center.

If you have little girls, get Frozen Ever After. Beware, these go super quickly, and are usually gone within a few minutes of being made available.

Both Soarin’ and Test Track are great options for a thrill ride, pick one of the two, and then arrive at Epcot a few minutes before opening and go directly to the other one and get in line. Your wait should be pretty short, and much shorter than any other time during the day.

From tier 2, it really depends. Mission:Space is a no brainer, it is the other thrill ride in Epcot. The other options would be wisely used on something your family would like. Personally, I love Living with the Land, and Spaceship Earth is fantastic, but you can usually find both of these rides without lines late in the afternoon. If you have kids, the Disney Pals meet and greet is quite fun, and a great way to meet a lot of Disney characters in just a few minutes.

When I do Epcot Fastpasses here are my choices:

Soarin’
Mission:Space
Living with the Land or Spaceship Earth

I think Epcot is harder to figure out then any other Disney theme park. It is pretty easy to pick the best 3 or 4 rides in the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, but because of the tiers, the three most popular rides are limited to you, so you have to pick between rides that really do not need a fastpass most of the time. Pick what works best for your family.