Let’s hear it for facial hair!  In a reversal of nearly 60 years of grooming tradition, Walt Disney World has agreed to allow its male cast members to grow beards or goatees.  Disney has always enforce a very rigid code of appearance for all of its employees in an attempt to set itself apart from the carnivals and midway attractions that competed for its guests. (more…)

In the past, I have jokingly described myself as a resort snob. Honestly, who would not enjoy the luxury of a Disney deluxe resort? For many families a deluxe just isn’t in the budget however. We have been fortunate to stay at all levels of Disney resorts, but for us deluxe stays are a rare treat.

Our first experience with a Walt Disney World value resort was actually a last minute add-on to a 10th Anniversary stay at the Grand Floridian. We had booked 6 nights there and decided to travel down a day earlier but hated to pay another $300+ for a less than a half day plus sleep time. So we decided to give a Disney value resort a try. (more…)

Have you ever had an opportunity to spend a day or two in Orlando with very little time to plan? This happened to us when a family friend offered us a short stay in his condo in Daytona, Florida. Being that close to our favorite place in the word, how could we not drop in for a quick hello? This offer came to us only about a week before the travel dates. Which happened to be the week before the Fourth of July. We knew we didn’t have the time to spare before or after the beach portion of the trip to go into the parks, but we knew we could do some resort-hopping, hit Downtown Disney, eat at a couple of Disney restaurants, and maybe even ride a quick loop on the monorail. (more…)

As a family with 3 kids, you would think character meals would be at the top of our list of things to do while at Walt Disney World. Though we do make a point to hit at least a couple of character meals each trip, we also enjoy the opportunity to have a leisurely meal without the additional hassle of having the camera, video camera, and autograph books at the ready.  That said, all of us young and not-so-young wouldn’t think of our Disney trips as being complete without dining with some of our favorite Disney “celebrities”. (more…)

Orlando, Florida plays host to uncountable conventions and other business and sports events in addition to being a vacation destination for families the world over. As such, there are numerous hotels, resorts, condos, villas, timeshare accommodations, and rental homes from which to choose when planning a visit. Our first choice is always a Disney resort even if our activities are not on WDW property We are in Orlando annually for a national youth sports championship in which our kids participate. Although it is not held on Disney property, we always make a point to visit the World during our visit. Usually we stay at a Disney resort and enjoy a few days in the parks as well. However, on our most recent trip we stayed at the resort the activities were in, the Rosen Shingle Creek. (more…)

As a family of five, we have fewer resort options – especially affordable resort options – than the typical four-person family. The one resort that best meets our needs for sleeping space with a below-deluxe price tag is Port Orleans – Riverside. Caribbean Beach Resort, Port Orleans French Quarter, and the non-suite Coronado Springs rooms only allow 4 plus one child under 3 in a crib. Riverside, however, allows 5 plus the additional child under 3. (more…)

We have spent two memorable vacations at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort at Walt Disney World Resort. Our first was our honeymoon in 1994 and more recently in September of 2008 as a family of five. As honeymooners CBR offered a good value for the money, and we loved the tropical beach theme. We enjoyed a corner room on the second floor in the Trinidad North section which was very convenient to Old Port Royale which houses the main pool, shops, arcade, food court, and full-service restaurant (now Shutters). Since that time, rooms in the sections of North Trinidad and Martinique have been designated as preferred rooms meaning you will pay $25-$30 more per night for that convenience. When we returned in 2008, (more…)