Walt Disney World With Kids (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [39]
Closed Attractions
Because Disney World is open 365 days a year, there’s no downtime for repainting and repairing rides. Because of this, two or three attractions throughout Disney World may be closed for refurbishment on any given day. (They try hard to keep major attractions up and going for summer and holidays, so refurbishment is more likely to be an issue in the off-season.) You can check to see which attractions are scheduled to be closed for maintenance during the time you’ll be in Orlando by visiting www.disneyworld.disney.go.com. There’s still a slight chance that a ride will be malfunctioning and thus temporarily closed when you visit, but this is relatively rare, and the rides usually come back on line quickly.
Unexpected Problems
No matter how carefully you plan your vacation, the unforeseen can always occur. Your best bet when trouble brews is to go straight to the nearest Disney cast member and report your problem. There’s a reason you’re paying these high prices and one of the biggest is that Disney has created a very responsive team of cast members whose highest priority is to help you have a great experience. Our mail is absolutely full of stories about Disney cast members who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. For example:
“My father lost his cell phone in the Animal Kingdom, and a cast member called every single attraction we had ridden that day until they found the phone. I can’t say enough about the helpfulness of Disney employees!”
“Our family missed the last bus leaving the Fantasia Gardens miniature golf course, and we had no idea how we were going to get back to Fort Wilderness. Panic was setting in when an out-of-service bus passed by. My dad flagged him down, and, to our surprise, the driver told us to get aboard, and he would take us there himself. He even calmed my little sister down by singing to her through the loudspeaker. It was the end of his shift, and he could have easily driven by, but that’s not the Disney way.”
“We had a Princess dinner at Epcot scheduled for our first night, and my daughter’s princess dress was packed in our luggage, which hadn’t yet been delivered through Magical Express. We called the bell captain at our hotel, who was able to track the bag and get it to our hotel. He had it waiting for us when we got to the bell desk and let my daughter change in the luggage holding room! Then, since by that time we were running late, he even arranged for a special car to take us to Epcot so we wouldn’t have to wait on the bus. It was a shining example of Disney customer service.”
“One day our 4-year-old was crying hysterically—I think it was because his sister drank the last of the pineapple juice. A street sweeper on Main Street asked us what was wrong, and then said ‘Follow me’ and led us into Casey’s where he got my son a Sprite. I was blown away. Such a kind gesture, especially considering how many crying kids that man probably sees in a day.”
Got the picture? If a problem develops, let the Disney cast members try to sort it out. And even if things are going smoothly, stop and chat with them. Many of our readers report that cast-member interactions are some of the highlights of their Disney stay.
Saving Money
Saving money at Disney World is somewhat of an oxymoron, but there are ways to contain the damage.
Be aware that once you cross the Florida state line, there’s an inverse relationship between time and money. You have to be willing to spend one in order to save the other. It’s worth taking a few minutes to really analyze if cost-cutting