Conference koolit::disney

275.0. "Article for Science Fiction Fans (please review)" by HANCOK::FELDMAN (Larix decidua, var. decify) Wed Aug 28 1991 22:01

    Folks,

    This is a draft of an article that I will submit to my local science
    fiction newsletter.  The goal is to excite people enough about next
    year's World Science Fiction Convention (MagicCon) that they not only
    decide to go to the convention, but also decide to spend additional
    time in the Orlando area, seeing the sites.  This article is part 1,
    encouraging people to make the decision to go, and to get started on
    any research they may need to do to find bargains in accomodations.
    Later on, I may do a second article on activities.

    I'm putting it here because I'd like your feedback on it.  I doubt
    there's anything new here; I lifted almost all of the information from
    this notes file.  It's just a draft, so please don't pick on my grammar
    and spelling too much.  Keep in mind that the target audience will tend
    to be young adults, frequently with lower incomes than many of us
    Digits.  Few of the readers will have children.  Of course, if
    you're uninterested in a rehash, hit Next Note now.

    Many thanks,

       Gary

    Time to Plan for MagicCon in 1992!

    With ChiCon just barely behind us, you may wonder why we're bringing
    MagicCon to your attention now.  The answer is in a simple fact that
    surprises many people who aren't familiar with Florida and Orlando: 
    the off-season starts around the middle of August, with the day after
    Labor Day being the start of the super off-season.  This means that
    with advance planning, hotels and other accomodations will be available
    at super rates, and the crowds at the various tourist attactions will
    be relatively light. So if you're thinking of going to MagicCon, and if
    you've wanted to visit Disney, Universal, the Kennedy Space Center, and
    many other sites, but you've avoided it because of the crowds and
    expense, this may be your best opportunity ever to share in the fun of
    a WorldCon and have an extended vacation at the most popular tourist
    site in the Solar System.  With Star Tours, Captain EO, a new 3D Muppet
    Movie, a new SF Restaurant, and other attractions at Disney (including,
    I hope, a chance for a behind-the-scenes tour), and Back to the Future,
    Star Trek, ET, Ghostbusters, and many other attractions at Universal
    Studios, this may be an opportunity that no fan would want to miss.

    It would be unfair of me to trap you into reading the rest of this
    article without first pointing out some of the downside.  The end of
    the summer is hot and humid in Orlando; not really worse than Boston,
    but more consistently so, with much less chance of a break in the
    weather.  Smart travellers solve this problem by scheduling their
    afternoons for one of the super water parks in the area, just lounging
    by the pool, or spending as much time as possible in air conditioned
    areas.  Last year (1990) around this time there was an encephalitis
    scare in the area.  It will probably be back in 1991, though I have yet
    to hear anything serious, and it's too soon to tell for 1992.  While
    not a major threat (it's probably riskier to drive on Boston streets),
    area businesses responded by closing pools and water parks in the late
    afternoon, cancelling early evening outdoor activities, and extensive
    spraying.  Visitors protect themselves by wearing lightweight
    long-sleeve shirts and long pants once the mosquitoes come out, and
    staying indoors until night.

    You should also know that while accomodations become very cheap,
    admission to the various parks never is.  Some discounts, group rates,
    and multiday packages are available, but you should still plan on
    spending an average of $30 (plus or minus $5) for each day's admission
    to a theme park, based on prices as of May, 1991.  And, precisely
    because it's the off-season, the parks tend to have shorter hours and
    fewer special events (with weekends being better than weekdays in this
    regard).  I'll discuss these issues in more detail in a future article,
    while concentrating on accomodations below.

    If you do decide on an extended vacation at MagicCon, now is the time
    to act.  With the con there, chances are that many of the better
    bargains will be snarfed up soon.  It is not too early to be do
    research and making reservations (except, of course, for the con hotels,
    where you must wait until they send out the forms).

    ACCOMODATIONS:

    Choices span the gamut, from cheap campgrounds to expensive resort
    hotels.  I'll discuss the following options: campgrounds, budget
    hotels, condos/timeshares (a best buy!), traditional hotels, and Disney
    resort hotels.  In all cases where I mention prices, they are without
    the Orlando room tax, which is a whopping 10 or 11%, and they are based
    on the best data I have, which is sometimes quite dated.  Specific
    names and numbers are listed for informational purposes only; I haven't
    stayed at most of them, so I can't make specific recommendations.

    Disney Resorts receive extra attention here.  This isn't because
    they're necessarily better, but rather because they're well documented
    and I have more experience with them.  It's very difficult to draw
    distinctions between the huge number of hotels and motels in Orlando,
    while the Disney Resorts are each distinctive, have their own special
    character, and their own advantages and disadvantages.  Many people
    (myself included) swear by them for that extra special vacation; others
    view them as a ripoff.

    Campgrounds:
    
    There are numerous campgrounds in the Orlando area.  Rates can be as
    low as $10 a night for a site with no hookups.  Campgrounds tend to get
    many trailers, but you can survive with a tent (just not as
    comfortably).  The premier campground is Fort Wilderness, the Disney
    campground, where prices start at $30/night, but is reported to be far
    and away the best campground in the county (if not the entire
    southeast).

    Budget hotels:

    Budget hotels are ubiquitous.  Some even get relatively close to Disney
    World.  You'll find the usual collection of Red-Roof Inns, Motel-6's,
    and so on.  Rates start around $25.  You won't find too many discounts
    at these prices, but there are some, more of the $1 to $5 off variety.
    Most of the cheaper hotels are clustered along Route 192, which cuts
    through the southern third of Disney World and is somewhat removed from
    the convention.  Some are located along International Drive, not too
    far from the con (at the Orlando Convention Center on International
    Drive).  The Days Inn and Quality Inn are two well known ones.  For a large
    listing, get a Florida guidebook from the AAA or a bookstore.  Or you
    can contact Exit Information Guide, 3014 N.E. 21st Way, Gainesville,
    FL  32609  (904-371-3948).  For $2, they will send you a booklet of ads
    for discount hotels in the area.

    Condos and timeshares:

    Condos and timeshares are really a best buy, especially this time of
    year.  You tend to get spacious, well-equipped accomodations, with
    kitchens and two bedrooms.  These are great for saving money,
    especially if you want to cook your own food.  The major disadvantage
    is that most are further away from all the action.  One, Vacation
    Villages, has two bedroom units (I think sleeping 6) for $420/week,
    which is $60 a night.  Their number is (800)866-2660.  Or contact the
    Orlando Chamber of Commerce at (800)327-9159 for a complete listing.

    There are also a variety of Disney Villas, which fall into this
    category in terms of accomodations, but not in terms of price.  They're
    very nice, having originally been intended as private apartments and
    townhouses.  They can compete with hotels in terms of price, especially
    if you cook your meals there, but they're significantly more expensive
    than private condos.  The people who really win with these are those
    with children, who can really pack them in; you just can't squeeze as
    many adults in to make them as worthwhile.

    Traditional hotels:

    Traditional hotels tend to start around $80 this time of year, and go
    up to over $200 (for luxury accomodations or poor bargain hunters). The
    two primary con hotels, the Clarion and the Peabody are in this class. 
    The Peabody is a renowned luxury hotel, famous for its parade of ducks
    to their pond each morning and back to their quarters each evening. 
    The con rates are exceptional rates, and they'll be available after the
    con, so here's your chance to live in high style.  I have no info on
    the Clarion, but in general they tend to be high quality hotels (the
    same or better than Sheratons and Hiltons), with similar rates.

    There are numerous other options, mostly clustered on International
    Drive, with another cluster in Disney Village at Lake Buena Vista.  The
    latter is part of Disney World, but the various hotels (a Hilton, a
    Howard Johnsons, a Travellodge, a Guest Quarters Suite's, etc.) are
    privately owned and operated.  These tend to charge a bit more than
    their cousins further away from Walt's land, but they do have the
    advantage of better transportation and other privileges for facilities
    at Disney World.

    Disney Resorts:

    This brings us to the Disney Resort hotels.  If you've ever
    investigated them, you know that they're expensive, yet Disney keeps
    building more, and they don't seem to have much trouble keeping them
    full.  And some of the newer ones are cheaper than you may have
    thought, with prices starting around $89.

    What is the magic?  For many people, it is the atmosphere that pervades
    them.  They're all removed from the hustle and bustle of urban Orlando,
    so you truly can immerse yourself into the vacation land.  You can't
    see anything outside of Disney World from their hotels.

    For others, it is the pragmatic advantages.  Disney World is huge -
    about the same size as the city of San Francisco.  If you want to see
    all three theme parks (the Magic Kingdom, which is just one park that
    many people mistakingly call Disney World, Epcot Center, and MGM
    Studios) at a leisurely pace, it's nice to be able to get back to your
    hotel for an afternoon siesta without having to put up with a half hour
    drive.  Once you're in one of the Disney Resorts, a car is unnecessary
    for getting around the World.  The transportation is free, and runs
    frequently.  Guests staying at the Disney Resorts are frequently
    allowed into the theme parks an hour before others, are given a small
    discount on their admissions, are allowed to charge meals within the
    parks to their hotels (except fast food), and are allowed to make
    reservations for most of the special restaurants before reservations
    are opened to the common folk.

    At the low end, there's the Carribean Beach Resort and Port Orleans,
    both relatively new.  Rooms start at $89, higher for prettier views.  These
    are both new hotels, Port Orleans having just opened.  Rooms are
    simple, with the sinks outside the bathroom, as you might expect at the
    typical low cost hotel, but with two sinks (at least the room I was in
    had two sinks).  The Carribean Beach Resort is sprawling, divided into
    several color-coded clusters named after various Carribean islands.
    Both resorts have a food court, but no sitdown restaurants.  I don't
    know anyone whose been to Port Orleans yet, but personally I would
    still pick the CBR, as it's more conveniently located, just 5 minutes
    from Epcot and MGM Studios.

    In the middle range are the older, Magic Kingdom hotels, the
    Polynesian, the Contemporary, and the Disney Inn.  The Contemporary is
    the well-known A-frame hotel with the monorail running through the
    center canyon.  Off-season  prices for this time of year start around
    $165/night, but it's possible to find better discounts, bringing
    the price to below $100.  One such discount is given to holders of
    Disney stock (which is one reason many people own a single share);
    another is given to people who hold annual passports to the theme
    parks.  (Annual passports are what they sound like -- unlimited
    admission to the parks for a year; the breakeven point is surpisingly
    short, around 8 or 9 days.)  All of these hotels are located close to
    the Magic Kingdom, further away from Epcot and MGM.  The Disney Inn is
    not on the monorail, so it's slightly less convenient, but quieter.
    These days the monorail can get to be so crowded that it's no longer an
    advantage, although during the busiest hours, one of the tracks is
    reserved for hotel guests.

    Slightly higher are the newer hotels, the Yacht Club, the Beach Club,
    the Swan, the Dolphin (the latter two being operated by other hotel
    companies, but still heavily promoted by Disney).  Prices start at
    $190.  Again, some drastic discounts are available.  All four are
    located near Epcot Center.  The most expensive hotel is the Grand
    Floridian, with prices starting at $205.  The Grand Floridian is
    modelled after one of the famous luxury hotels of Florida's early
    commercial growth, and the luxury pervades the hotel.  The most
    expensive restaurant on the grounds, Victoria and Alberts, is here,
    with $75 meals served by your own butler and maid.  The Grand Floridian
    is also located on the monorail line.  Discounts are much harder to
    come by; it tends to be for the wealthy and that once in a lifetime
    splurge.

    RECOMMENDATIONS:

    As indicated above, it's too soon to make reservations for the con.
    However, it's not too soon to plan and start saving.  If you are
    interested in some of the more mundane motels, such as Comfort Inn or
    Motel 6, then you have plenty of time to make reservations.  However,
    if you're interested in a condo or timeshare, then you must start your
    legwork now.  These places are harder to research, and there are fewer
    of them, so they fill up fast.  Start now.  If you're interested in any
    of the Disney Resorts, you should also start your research now, as the
    cheaper hotels will fill up even in the off-season.  Besides, if you
    make your reservation now, you'll also be able to make a reservation
    for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review, which can be a hoot (if you're into that
    sort of G rated burlesque).

    Good article.

    One point though, I have not heard anything about a mosquito outbreak
    this year.  In 1990 it was a problem all summer.

	We were in Orlando/Tampa area from 8/28 thru 9/3; absolutely nothing
	heard or going on with Mosquitos... The pools are the resorts were
	open till 11 or 12 pm (at the Yacht Club only the "quite" pools
	were; the storm-along-bay closed at 7pm); So I suspect they did
	a fairly good job of spraying mosquito breeeding areas so there
	wouldn;t be a problem this year. We were out till 9-10pm both
	nights; everyone was in shorts; as it was hot and humid; and
	I don't remember ever seeing a mosquito; and certainly was never
	bitten...... Annie

	P.S. So I am not so sure you need to point out the 1990 mosquito
	problem for something happening in 1992.....