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If you are planning a trip to Orlando, FL and you are trying to decide where to stay. You may have your eyes on the two French Quarter and the Riverside Resorts and you might be wondering which is better French Quarter or Riverside? Since this a duo resort, you might find it difficult to choose between the two. We’ll try to help that decision become a little easier by comparing the two for you.
Their Themes
The Riverside is a resort that has a very beautiful and relaxing feel to it. They have a beautiful bayou area and some mansion areas with all the resort buildings that are surrounded by landscaping that matches the theme. They also offer beautiful walkways that take you along their beautiful man made river.
The French Quarter is themed directly after the French Quarter in New Orleans. You can even enjoy Mardi Gras all year round at this resort which makes it extremely fun and exciting for their guests. There is a very romantic atmosphere at the French Quarter because of it’s beautiful design that really makes guests feel like they’ve been transported to New Orleans.
Their Rooms
When it comes to the Riverside, they do offer a bigger variety of room options. They offer rooms that will accommodate up to five guests comfortably. They also have what they call “Royal Rooms” that have the theme of the Princess and the Frog. Overall, this resort is a lot bigger than the French Quarter, so this means there are a lot more buildings and options to choose from for rooms.
Guests can choose garden view rooms which include views of the courtyard, the bayou, or other garden areas and they offer two queen beds. You can also choose a room that also includes a pull down bed.
Guests also can choose pool view rooms and they have a view of the pool and offer two queen beds and can accommodate a fifth person as well.
Their standard rooms also have two queen beds with a parking lot view. These rooms are ideal for those who don’t plan on spending much time in their rooms.
One of the more popular room options are the river view rooms that have beautiful views of their man made river.
As for the French Quarter, the maximum number of people for any of their rooms is four. So if you have a party with more than four people this would not be a good choice unless you are willing to get two rooms. The French Quarter is the smallest resort of the moderate rate resorts because all of the buildings are a lot closer together. However, because of this, it’s very easy and quick to get around the entire resort. Because of its size, there are less room options. The options they do offer include standard, pool view, river view, and garden view. All rooms have 2 queen beds but they do offer rooms with a king bed.
Transportation
The Riverside has its own bus that offers guests transportation to the different theme parks, water parks, and various other attractions in the area. They also offer a boat that takes guest directly to Disney Springs. People can also use the walkway to get from one resort to the other so that they can enjoy both of the resorts.
The French Quarter offers the exact same types of transportation as the Riverside Resort. The only difference and pro in this case is that the French Quarter only has one single bus stop which means that it doesn’t take as long to get to the theme parks as it does from the Riverside.
Swimming Pools
The theme for the pool area at the Riverside is called the Ol’ Man Island Pool, it’s really not all that exciting, but it is fun and relaxing, but not really anything all that memorable about it. The pool does have a water slide and different swimming areas that have different depths.
On the other hand, the pool at the French Quarter called the Doubloon Lagoon is really fun and unique. The pool area itself has an alligator band and they have a 51 foot long slide that is a serpent. The theme is also done in beautiful bright colors and its whimsical theme is especially fun for the kids.
Dining
The Riverside offers table service dining at the Boatwright’s Dining Hall and they also have a pretty big food court that offers a variety of different food options that should please everyone in your group.
The French Court doesn’t have their own table service dining so you’d have to walk over to the Riverside for that, but, they do have a very big and very fast service food court. One of the favorites served at the French Quarter would be the authentic beignets, which you won’t want to miss out on.
Discount Options
When it comes to costs, both resorts basically cost the same so there’s no competition there. The big plus for the Riverside over the French Quarter is that the Riverside does offer various discounts and promotions such as free dining offers.
The French Quarter does happen to be the most popular of the two so they don’t need to offer any promotions to fill up their rooms, their rooms fill up extremely fast without any help. This means you won’t see anything like free dining to entice people to stay at their resort.
Activities
They both offer activities such as movie night as well as campfires where you can make s’mores. You can also enjoy riverboat rides, surrey bike rides, arcades, playgrounds, and even catch and release fishing. The Riverside usually offers a few more activities than the French Quarter because it’s a larger resort.
Note – For those who travel with their dogs, you’ll be happy to know that these two resorts are dog friendly and they allow two dogs. They do have a special number to call when it’s regarding dogs at 407-939-7539.
In the end, it really comes down to how much room you need and what size of a resort that you want to stay at because to be fair, both resorts are unique and offer their own beauty and charm.
To help take the stress out of organising your Disney holiday, The House of Travel offers some excellent Disney holiday packages. This ensures that you can enjoy your time here, with all of the planning in hand. After all, there’s no better way to explore Disney than by letting the experts take charge! Either give us a quick call on 0203 950 7371 or simply fill this quick form here for a call back request today.
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If you are planning to visit Walt Disney World from the UK, you more than likely have a lot of questions you want answered in order to be able to plan for what might be the trip of a lifetime. If you are planning on staying at the Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge, you may be wondering can you walk from Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge to Animal Kingdom Park? Well, the simple answer would be no.
Even though the lodge is only 2.5 miles away from the Animal Kingdom park, there are no walking paths from the lodge itself to the theme park. This means that if you wanted to walk, you would need to get across the Osceola Parkway in order to get to the park. This really isn’t something you really want to do. It would be much safer, more convenient, and quicker just to hop on their air conditioned motorcoach transportation that’s offered for free.
Should You Decide To Walk
Even though the Animal Kingdom Lodge is only 2.5 miles away from the theme park, it really isn’t recommended that you walk. However, if you do decide you want to try walking, you should know that this walk can take you anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes of your time to walk and this is for someone who is pretty fit and walk relatively fast. Even though the route to the theme park is generally flat, there are some private and restricted usage roads that you’ll have to go around. Also, as mentioned before, you will need to cross the Osceola Parkway which is the only true link between the lodge and the theme park.
Best Way To Travel To Animal Kingdom
First off, if you have a rental car, then you’ll have nothing to worry about when it comes to getting places. You can easily drive from the lodge to the Animal Kingdom park. It’s probably the easiest and quickest way to get there. Driving in a car is a very short trip and will take you less than ten minutes to go the 2.5 miles. As a guest of the Animal Kingdom Lodge you will get free parking in their resorts and all of their theme parks.
Now, if you are not renting a car, Disney World has their own internal bus service that is very easy and hassle free to use. They offer services about every 15 to 20 minutes and the ride from the lodge to the theme park is a quick one, most of the time it actually takes less than five minutes to get to the theme park.
The third option and a more expensive option would be a taxi or an Uber.
Are There Plans To Add Walking Options?
Hypothetically, Disney World could build a path for walking from the lodge to the Animal Kingdom theme park, but it would really take some creative thinking because of the existing landscape and roads. If they should decide to create a walking path from the lodge to the theme park, it would have to be at least a mile long depending on where it would start and end.
There is another possible idea on the drawing board and that would be the Disney Skyliner being extended so that it would link the Animal Kingdom park to other parts of Disney World, this then would of course include the lodge itself. There are rumors circulating that they are planning a special type of transportation between the them park and the lodge but they have yet to have officially announced any future plans at this time.
How Far Is The Lodge From All Disney Parks?
Of course the Animal Kingdom theme park being just 2.5 miles from the lodge would be the closest of all the theme parks. But, the lodge is pretty remote and it is actually located a good distance from the other three Disney theme parks. The lodge is about 12 miles away from the immensely popular Magic Kingdom theme park. Epcot theme park is around eight miles from the lodge, and Hollywood Studios park is about six miles from the Animal Kingdom Lodge.
As you can see, it really wouldn’t be possible for you to walk to any of these parks from the lodge itself, so you will either need to have a rental car or use the Disney World transportation system, which is free, so this route is highly recommended.
Why Stay At The Animal Kingdom Lodge?
Even though you can’t walk to any of the theme parks, there are good reasons why many people pick the lodge to stay at during their Disney World vacation. This is a beautiful deluxe resort that offers a vast cast of characters that hail from the sub-Saharan countries like Kenya, Mozambique, Botswana, Tanzania, and South Africa as well as décor that includes some of the biggest collections of real African artifacts found in the United States. In fact, this beautiful lodge is the closest you’ll ever get to the continent of Africa without leaving Florida.
The Private Savanna
The biggest feature of the lodge is their private savanna that is the home of over 30 different species of wildlife from Africa that include flamingo, zebra, ostrich, giraffe, and kudu. Each room have wildlife field guides so that guests can identify the different animals they can actually see from their own rooms. They also have specialists that lead really fun programs that educate their guests about all of the animals and their ecosystems.
The Lodge is a wonderful place to spend time when not visiting the theme parks because it offers so much for the entire family to do and keep busy, or you can just relax and enjoy the incredible atmosphere. Kids can have fun watching the flamingos being fed, they can decorate cakes, enjoy the kids pool, learn to play a drum, or play in their Hakuna Matata playground. As for the adults and even older kids they can sign up for what’s called Sense of Africa which is a 3.5 hour sunrise safari that includes a breakfast buffet.
To help take the stress out of organising your Disney holiday, The House of Travel offers some excellent Disney world Florida package holidays. This ensures that you can enjoy your time here, with all of the planning in hand. After all, there’s no better way to explore Disney than by letting the experts take charge! Either give us a quick call on 0203 950 7371 or simply fill this quick form here for a call back request today.
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If you are thinking about visiting Walt Disney World and you’re coming from the UK, you no doubt want to make sure that you really plan out your vacation very well. One thing you’ll be considering is a place to stay and one of those might be the Animal Kingdom Lodge. One of the most common questions asked is what is there to do at Animal Kingdom Lodge? In this piece we’ll give you a good idea of what you’ll find at this deluxe resort.
Many people only seem to be concerned about the rooms more than anything else, but when you spend the kind of money you’ll spend for one of these rooms, what they have to offer should be of great interest and that’s why we’re covering this instead of room information.
Even though, the schedule of activities will change slightly every month, there are many that continue monthly and have been going on for years so there’s a good bet that they’ll still be doing them when you arrive.
Some Great Free Things To Do
The best thing about staying at this incredible deluxe resort is that most of the things they offer are free and some of those are some of the best free things in all of Disney World. The events range anywhere from arts and crafts to tours and games to looking for wildlife. Here are a few highlights of the free stuff offered:
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Food Tour Of Boma And Jiko –
This is a tour that includes the sampling of various different foods. This tour takes around an hour and you usually start in Jiko around 4:00 pm. While going through Jiko the cast member will explain the designs of their authentic African aesthetics mean that’s found in the restaurant. They explain all of the food to you that you are sampling and any traditions behind the foods you sample. After Jiko they take you across the hall over to Boma and this is another tour of this restaurant and you will learn about the reason for the name of the restaurant and how its design actually reflects the name. You also get to sample one of their more popular deserts called the zebra dome
On the back patio you’ll be treated to wonderful stories next to a roaring fire. It’s a comforting atmosphere that’s filled with the charm of a variety of different fun and interesting stories.
Especially for the Kids
This is a wonderful way to enjoy the lovely décor in Sanaa without really having to eat dinner there. Just take the kids to the cookie decorating workshop. This usually happens in the afternoons. Your kids will get to decorate their own cookies that they can eat then and there or take them back to the room. You can help your kids or you can just sit and relax and talk to other Disney guests.
This is where the kids can play with their animal building blocks. This helps kids learn more about what the animals might do for fun along with the kinds of toys and actual games that the animals really need so they stay entertained and remain happy while living on the savanna.
This is really cute and fun for the kids to get involved with. The kids meet at their gift shop and the kids get drums to play with and then they follow one of the lodge’s cultural reps all through the lobby while singing African songs.
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Dining With Animal Specialists –
You can only do this on certain days of the week. It lets you to have a really relaxed experience while also have a tasty four-course meal while in the company of Disney’s animal specialists that care for and interact with all the animals that live
Things to Do As a Family
This is one of the top perks for staying at the lodge. Guests get to meet all the people that work there and it lets guests listen to personal stories from the lives of all the cultural reps who work on site.
Each day families can join different animal experts and help them prepare the enrichment materials that the different animals use on the savanna.
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The Music of the Savanna –
Families can join the cultural reps in the lobby and learn how to play different African musical instruments and also learn how the instruments play a huge part in the culture of Africa.
Encountering Animals
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Night Vision Animal Viewing –
Guests can watch the feeding of flamingos during morning hours and at night use night vision goggles to watch animals that might be on the edge of the savanna.
This takes three and a half hour program where you enjoy both a dining experience and then a private safari. You start off with breakfast then the safari.
Here you take an afternoon safari and end the day with a delicious dinner.
To help take the stress out of organising your Disney holiday, The House of Travel offers some fantastic Disney package holidays. This ensures that you can enjoy your time here, with all of the planning in hand. After all, there’s no better way to explore Disney than by letting the experts take charge! Either give us a quick call on 0203 950 7371 or simply fill this quick form here for a call back request today.
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If your planning florida disney holidays any time soon and wondering if the weather will be very pleasant or weather it’s bordering on the hotter side in August than keep reading this post as we discuss whether this month could be an option for you to travel in or if it’s just too hot to consider.
If you want to know when the ideal time is to visit, it would be in January or in September. This is because the crowds are thin, prices are lower and the weather is pretty mild. But, if you are more into seeing special events and great decorations, then the best months would be August, September, October, November, and of course December.
Weather At Disney World, Orlando
Most people who have heard of Florida knows how famous it is for all of its sunshine, however, a lot of visitors often aren’t really prepared for the extreme humidity and heat that Florida has to offer. The summer months often climb well above 90 degrees F and combine that with the high humidity, it can really be stifling especially when you compare it to the winter months that are much more moderate. You also should be aware that their hurricane season begins in June and goes through to October. Even though, chances of a hurricane hitting the area while you are visiting Disney World is quite slim, it is still something you might want to keep in mind when you’re planning for your trip to Walt Disney World.
Disney World Peak Season
When it comes to the crowds, they are always going to be the worst during all school holidays like summer vacations, Thanksgiving week, all of Christmas time, and also during the spring break season. However, if you are going during these times, you can make your visit a lot easier if you lock in the ride times and your dining by getting their “My Disney Experience” app. This app will let you choose the FastPass+ attractions and choose dining experiences with great ease and this really helps when the crowds are really huge.
Back in 2016, Disney decided to introduce a surge pricing model for their theme park entrance tickets which follows a long established practice that hotels follow with their room prices, what this means is that the hotels and ticket prices are now far less expensive during the slower times of the year, like January or September. Just realize the pricing is actually done on a day to day basis. This means you might discover that a ticket for Thanksgiving day is a lot more expensive than say on a Saturday in the month of July. It all depends their past attendance records. So, it’s important that you check with them when you are planning out your trip to Walt Disney World.
Popular Festivals And Events
Disney World has a variety of major events all through the year, some of the events and festivals that are very popular include the following:
- Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
- Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival
- Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
- Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Month Of January
January is probably one of the last months remaining that can truly be considered a slow month for crowds. The really high prices from the holiday season just prior are now a lot cheaper and the weather is very mild considering this is supposed to be the dead of winter for most other places. You’ll find temperatures usually around 70 degrees F.
Just realize that even though the days are most often warm and really sunny, there might be a chill in the air in the evenings and you might end up waking up in the morning to a little bit of frosty dew.
It’s important to note that after New Year’s Day the park hours do shorten and workers often are busying removing all of the holiday decorations, but that should be OK because the lines for all the rides and attractions are much shorter than other times of the year. So the shortened hours should affect your visit there.
Even though all of the pools and spas at the resorts are heated and open all year round, their two water parks Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon are usually closed for the winter months and they don’t usually open up again until sometime in March and stay open until October.
Month Of February
A lot like the month of January, February is considered a slower month except for when President’s Day comes around which is on the third week every year. This is because the schools are closed during this time. You’ll also find that Valentine’s Day is a very popular day for the locals to pay a visit to Disney World.
Month Of March
You still have great weather for visiting however, there is spring break, Bike Week, and Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival, you are going to run into a lot of huge crowds. You’ll also find that Easter is a very popular day for local families to visit, however, this is a holiday that more often falls in April than it does March, you just need to be aware of what month it might be in when you’re planning your trip.
Month Of April
This is the month that it starts to warm up with temperatures beginning to rise into the 80s and there are still a continuous flood of spring breakers coming the the theme park. The prices for tickets and hotel rooms are going to reflect all of this.
Month Of May
Even though your calendar still says it’s spring, you wouldn’t know it because this is when the temperatures start reaching 90 degrees F. May is quite famous for afternoon thunderstorms so you’ll want to plan your trip around this and wear the right clothing for a sudden shower. There is one thing about May, is that the crowds are quite often more moderate in size as compared to the summer months.
To help take the stress out of organising your Disney holiday, The House of Travel offers some fantastic Disney package holidays. This ensures that you can enjoy your time here, with all of the planning in hand. After all, there’s no better way to explore Disney than by letting the experts take charge! Either give us a quick call on 0203 950 7371 or simply fill this quick form here for a call back request today.
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universal studios Orlando package holidays can become an expensive affair if you are going for the first time and are not quite sure exactly how to budget for your trip. Here we discuss the key areas you need to plan ahead for so that you can experience universal studios on a budget and help your money go further on your holiday.
If you are planning a trip to Universal Studios from the UK, you probably already know that this is going to be a once in a lifetime trip due to how much it’s going to end up costing. So no doubt you may wonder how do I get to Universal Studios on a budget? In this article we’ll try to give you a variety of tips on how you can try and save money on a variety of different things.
Book Your Flight Well In Advance
It’s really important that you try to book your flight to Orlando as far in advance as you possibly can. It’s also important that you try and book a flight that’s during the middle of the week and if at all possible try to pick your flight date that is not during Universal Studios peak season which would be from June through August. You also will want to make sure that you do several comparisons with several different airlines with a booking website. When planning your trip know that early in September and November do tend to be the least crowded and less expensive. Another good reason for going in these months is that you’ll find that the temperature is much milder because during the summer months it can get extremely hot and very humid.
For Overall Best Rates Make Trip During Slow Season
As mentioned above, the two best months to visit Orlando Universal Studios are September and November. Other months that aren’t quite as bad as the summer months would also be January, February, and the first part of March. These months have much better weather when it comes to heat and humidity but you’ll also see lower ticket prices for the theme parks and lower hotel room prices.
Research The Hotels Months In Advance
You need to give yourself plenty of time to find a good value hotel room. While you are doing this you can check for different kinds of vacation packages and them compare with other hotels. This way it will give you plenty of time to be on email lists that will send you their special promotions.
If you are considering staying at one of Universal’s hotels, the best one for a budget would probably their Cabana Bay. Not only is it one of their least expensive hotels, it also has a lot of perks. It also has a free shuttle to their them parks so this will cut down on paying for a taxi, Uber, or a rental car. Alps, by staying there you get entrance to the parks an hour before the general public.
Plan What Park Restaurants You Eat At In Advance
By planning where you are going to eat when at Universal Studios will give you some time to check the different menus and prices before you get there. This way you can figure out ahead of time how much you’ll be spending on food. It’s also a good idea to take a backpack with you to the theme parks and put sandwiches and other small snacks along with some water to help cut down on eating all of your meals in the theme park.
Make Sure Your Room Has A Kitchenette
Another way in which you can save money is to make sure that you book a hotel room that has a kitchenette. This can actually save you hundreds on your vacation if you cook some of your meals in your room. Dining can often end up being the third biggest expense on your vacation if you’re not careful. You really don’t one with just a microwave, you want one that offers a small refrigerator and a small stove top in order for it to save you the money you are looking to save.
Consider Staying At An On-Site Hotel
You may want to consider staying at an on-site hotel if you are thinking about buying a fast pass when visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Some of the hotels like Loews Royal Pacific, Loews Portofino Bay, and the Hard Rock Hotel offer their guests all a fast pass for every day they stay at their hotels. This is a great perk when you consider that these passes start at $40.00 or £28.42 per day. So, if you are definitely planning on visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter you seriously will want to consider staying at one of these hotels.
Visit Parks For More Than One Day
The more days you visit their theme parks the cheaper per day it is for you. For example, if you plan to visit for just one day, you can expect to pay $136.00 or £96.64 per day, per person. However, if you buy a three day pass you’ll pay $185.99 or £132.16 per person. This makes it just $62.00 or £44.06 per day and that’s a pretty good savings. Besides, you really can’t see everything in one day either.
Buy Tickets Online
Not only is this quicker and far more convenient it can also save you $20.00 or £14.21 per ticket by buying them online instead of at the theme park gate. Also, when you purchase your tickets online you’ll also be able to access to their savings coupon book. You should really print this out because it can actually save you a lot of money at the Islands Trading Post, Universal Studios Store, dining, and other shops inside the theme parks
Visit The Orlando Visitor’s Center
Orlando’s Visitor’s Center is a really good place to find a variety of discount coupons for a variety of attractions that include both Universal and Disney theme parks. You can also find a lot of information about all the different things to see and enjoy during your vacation in Orlando.
Consider Having A Few Non-Universal Days
You might want to take a day or two off to just check out the local scenery of Orlando and mingle with the locals, enjoy local foods and visiting local shops. This will not only save you money but give you a better feel for what it’s like living in Florida.
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