The times they are a changing at Walt Disney World. While the four parks still offer a blistering array of white-knuckle rides and attractions, and Mickey Mouse and his chums can still be found entertaining the Main Street masses, there’s another side to the Florida theme park that your clients could be missing out on.
From spas to golf to horse riding, I found a whole new ‘alternative’ side of Disney World that could help you sell it to a wider range of customers.
Activities
The first stop on my tour was the mini two-person speedboats called Sea Raycers ($32 for half an hour). These whizz visitors around the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake at a top speed of 23mph, offering a completely different perspective of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and Space Mountain.
For special occasions, suggest hiring the 45ft Sea Ray Grand I yacht to watch the Wishes fireworks display at Magic Kingdom ($520 for an hour).
Next up was the Tri-Circle-D Ranch at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground for a 45-minute trail ride. As I mounted Molly Brown, I noticed even the horses get a touch of ‘Disney’ magic with Mickey-shaped branding on their rear ends.
Trail rides cost from $46, while a 30-minute carriage ride for up top five people costs $45.
Hardcore golfers are well catered for with four 18-hole championship golf courses, while those who want take on tutu-clad hippos should head to Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf.
Other activities include parasailing, waterskiing, wakeboarding and tubing at the Contemporary Resort Marina; stock car racing at the tri-oval Walt Disney World Speedway, at the Richard Petty Driving Experience; and cycling and fishing, available at 13 resorts.
Combine all this with the four main parks – Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Animal Kingdom Park – and the Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach water parks, and your guests might find that two weeks simply isn’t enough time to fit it all in and will need to come back next year.
Wellness
With all the good food and extensive walking in resort, suggest clients check out the Grand Floridian Spa and Health Club or the Spa at Saratoga Springs for a bit of pampering and relaxation.
The deluxe Victorian-style Grand Floridian spa offers a wealth of treatments, including couples treatments. To soothe my legs and to get myself match fit for the mini-golf, I opted for a Soothing Tired Leg Massage ($45 for 25 minutes), where you soak your feet in a whirlpool footbath and receive an invigorating leg massage using tension-relief gel. Bliss.
Accommodation
Spanning an area about the size of Manhattan Island, and with 23 resorts on offer, Disney World has something to suit all tastes and budgets.
Sarah Hodson, head of publicity and promotions for Disney Destination International UK, says: “There are many luxury options. For example, The Grand Floridian is a deluxe and beautiful resort that offers that kind of superior experience, but then you also have the All Star Resorts, which are our value properties.”
The new Bay Lake Tower, one of Disney’s deluxe resorts, is where we rested our weary heads. The property, which is not yet available to sell by UK agents, offers well-appointed suites with wonderful views of Bay Lake.
An alternative deluxe property is Animal Kingdom Lodge, which houses a renowned collection of African art. At the Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Villas, many of the rooms overlook the six-acre Pembe savannah, which opened last September. Guests can take tea on their balcony while keeping a watchful eye on the roaming giraffe, vultures, okapi, zebra and impala.
For families who prefer the great outdoors, the 740-acre Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, which is just a short boat-ride away from Magic Kingdom, has 409 fully equipped Wilderness Cabins that sleep up to six guests, making them ideal for families.
Fine dining
Dining options range from the Greek-orientated Kouzzina to the African-style cuisine of Jiko’s and the international fare at Epcot’s Around the World showcase.
If that’s all too sedate, you can join your favourite Disney characters for breakfast, lunch or dinner at 13 restaurants. We had a character breakfast at the 1900 Park Fair at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and, in between munching on Mickey waffles, squeezed in picture opportunities with Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins, and the mouse himself, regressing about 25 years in the process!
Higher-end restaurants include Citricos at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, and Flying Fish at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, one of Disney’s Signature Dining options.
Hodson says: “The restaurants at Disney are one of the things people don’t really know much about, and we are trying to educate them.
“We have award-winning restaurants here but they’re very much geared to being family experiences as well. It’s not something that just the adults get to come to, although that’s available if they want to have a night out by themselves.”
One for the kids is the Coral Reef at Epcot where fish are both ‘friends and food’, despite what Bruce the shark said in Finding Nemo. Diners can peer through the glass wall into the Living Seas aquarium and check out all the action as they tuck into their seafood.
Disney’s Dining Plan offers quick counter service food and table service meals at more than 100 restaurants in resort, and effectively enables guests to build an all-inclusive holiday. Visitors can choose where to use their ‘tokens’ and can save up for special meals during their stay.
Hodson adds: “It’s a very user-friendly programme and one that we’re looking to do a lot more work with.
“We want to educate travel agents because they have such a fundamental part in educating our guests who come into their agencies.”
Video: Walt Disney World showcase
What’s new at Walt Disney World
Plans are in place for a three-year construction project that will result in the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom’s history. In Fantasyland, guests will be able to step into their favourite fairytales. Disney princesses Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Belle will each have their owned themed village in Fantasyland Forest.
There will also be a new Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid attraction, a ride-through adventure featuring songs from the movie.
The Main Street Electrical parade is set to light up the streets of Magic Kingdom in June – the first time it’s been in Florida since 2001.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios will introduce a new 3D version of the Star Tours attraction next year, featuring “immersive new elements that will take guests to many familiar places in the Star Wars galaxy”.
Special offers
Disney World is currently offering free dining for all members of the party on bookings of five nights or more from July 5 until November 18. Bookings must be made before August 2.
Agents can also get 50% off all Walt Disney World Resort hotels in 2010 and 50% off park tickets on completion of the Disney Stars programme.
More details at disneytravelagents.co.uk.
Sample product
Funway Holidays has seven nights at Disney’s All-Star Resorts from £2,608 for a family of four, for departures until November 30. Price includes flights from Gatwick to Orlando with BA. Pre-book Disney’s seven-day Premium Tickets for £226 per adult and £196 per child (aged three to nine) to enjoy unlimited admission to the main Disney Parks. funway.co.uk, 0844 557 0626
First Choice is offering 14 nights at the three-star-plus Disney Caribbean Beach Resort on a room-only basis from £4,549 for a family of four, based on two adults and two children sharing. The price includes the Disney Quick (Counter) Service Dining Plan and the flights depart from Gatwick on May 9. firstchoice.co.uk/disney, 0871 200 4455