Enjoy the tour and big thanks again to Kay for sharing her suite with us!

Many people have asked for the music used in the video above, it’s from Poppin’ Guitars: A Tuneful of Sherman, which is a great CD! Check it out below:

Contemporary Mary Blair gingerbread tree - my favorite display!

Yesterday we took a quick photo tour of Walt Disney World’s monorail resorts and their holiday decor. Today we’ll focus on what Disney’s Contemporary Resort is cooking up for guests who visit the Mary Blair-themed gingerbread tree in the Grand Canyon Concourse.

As you know, Mary Blair is the gifted artist responsible for so much within early Disney history, including the awe-inspiring murals on the fourth floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Perhaps her most famous contribution is whimsical design of the “it’s a small world” attraction. As a tribute to Mary’s art, Disney has created a gingerbread tree in her style for the past 3 years. This display instantly became my favorite of the Disney resorts, surpassing even the giant gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian, simply because of the simplicity and tribute to Mary Blair.

The gingerbread tree has changed a bit since its first year, when it was just a plain tree with some frosting ‘snow’. Last year candy canes and ornaments were added with space for photo ops.  This year the tree has brighter ornaments, a hidden Mickey or two, and the “it’s a small world” background is now edged in lights, has a black backdrop, and Mr. Sun’s face moves as it does in the attraction. When the tree first appeared, all that was sold at the counter were gingerbread cookies in the shape and style of “it’s a small world” characters and a few other treats. Now there are quite the array of elegantly decorated and beautiful cookies and treats, in addition to a Contemporary Resort-shaped A-frame gingerbread house with white chocolate monorail inside! Let’s take a closer look:

Stay tuned for more posts on the individual resort goodies, starting with the delicious treats offered at the Contemporary Resort. We’ll also visit the Grand Floridian gingerbread house up close, see what the Beach and Yacht Clubs have to share and come back to the Polynesian when their little gingerbread houses are out!

Aulani Disney Dooney & Bourke - Medium tote $220. Photo courtesy: Jeff Oh - DVC member since 2007

Aulani Disney Dooney & Bourke - Letter Carrier $170. Photo courtesy: Jeff Oh - DVC member since 2007

Aulani Disney Dooney & Bourke - Wristlet $50. Photo courtesy: Jeff Oh - DVC member since 2007

Here is the dark brown leather - it looks like the design is embossed into the bag. No price right now but it's larger than the medium tote. Word is it's sold out for the next 2-3 months. Photo via the Disney Dooney & Bourke facebook group

Thoughts? I love the color print and the muted colors in it. Actually, I would love to see one for the deluxe resorts at Walt Disney World, but I know that’s probably an extreme long-shot! In the meantime, I’ll be saving pennies to get to Aulani. Mahalo!

Some changes have taken place over the years; adding the “French Quarter” when its sister resort, the former Dixie Landings also received a name change to become Port Orleans Riverside. In addition, the table service restaurant, Bonfamillies, named of course for the Aristocats’ owner in the animated film of the same name, closed in 2000. Bonfamillies was a favorite of mine and husband’s for our anniversary dinners and we still miss it to this day.

Despite these changes, the resort is still one of the best themed, with the most beautiful grounds to walk through and relax in. It is the one place in the Walt Disney World Resort where you can get delicious, freshly made beignets, a wonderful treat any time of day inside the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory, the resort’s food court. You can also enjoy a scenic ride down the Sassagoula River by boat, which stops at Riverside and Downtown Disney as well. To top it off, there is a pool with a giant sea serpent ridden by King Neptune, which doubles as a water slide.

As if that weren’t enough reason to stay at this delightful moderate resort, the French Quarter is now refurbishing and renovating all of their hotel rooms to make guests stays  even more enjoyable. Let’s check out some photos of the new rooms: (click to enlarge)

Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Refurbished Room

Flat-screen tv

Handicapped-accessible bathroom, sink area

Handicapped accessible shower

New air-conditioner covers, for putting suitcases or other items on safely. I thought this was a great idea!

Regular (non-handicapped accessible) room

Bathroom/tub area

Flat-screen and dresser area

I am excited to stay in one of these new rooms at some point in the future. I think it’s a beautiful renovation and will go well with the new Royal Guest Rooms over at Port Orleans Riverside (which we’ll see more about tomorrow!). What do you think?

As a little preface, I think we all agreed that the Turf Club is a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of the Parks. We had a lovely table outside on the covered veranda area, overlooking the Sassagoula River. In addition, because it is out of the way – a little hard to get to if you aren’t a Saratoga Springs guest (but not impossible) – and it isn’t shall we say known for its fare, the seclusion is paired with absence of crowds. The result is a quiet, serene, relaxing meal, which is hard to accomplish in most resort dining locations. So for this reason alone, I would definitely head back with my husband to enjoy a quiet meal if we were unable to secure a reservation at a favorite spot.

View from our Turf Club table

Now on to the entrees!

If you’d like to check out the Turf Club Bar and Grill menus you can see what we had to choose from. I had a tough time deciding between the Reuben, the Prime Rib Sandwich and the Angus Burger. With the Reuben, I would’ve ordered it with no sauerkraut or Russian dressing, so I didn’t think that’d be a very worthwhile review for everyone. I was also worried that I wouldn’t care for the Prime Rib sandwich because steak sandwiches can be to cumbersome to eat, so in the end I went with the burger. I think I made a wise choice.

Turf Club Bar & Grill Angus Chuck Burger

Angus Chuck Cheeseburger topped with Cheddar and Applewood Smoked Bacon served with Vegetable Slaw or French Fries for $11.99. The burger was well-seasoned, perfectly cooked and to me, one of the best burgers I’ve had on property – and at $11.99 it’s not far off from the prices for burgers inside the parks. The fries were an excellent companion; a crispy combination of regular and sweet potatoes, seasoned and topped with shredded Parmesan. I might try one of the sandwiches if I were to return, but I definitely recommend the burger and the fries to anyone trying out the Turf Club for lunch.

Amanda chose the Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Cucumber Salad, Avocado, and Wasabi Cream Cheese served with Sesame Bagel Chips for $18.99. I’m glad she did because I don’t eat that kind of seafood, so I wouldn’t have ordered it, but it was beautiful to look at! Sadly, Amanda thought the tuna was lacking in flavor or seasoning of any kind so she probably wouldn’t order it again, but she did enjoy the wasabi cream cheese and bagel chips with it. It is pretty though, isn’t it?

Turf Club Seared Yellowfin Tuna

Our faithful foodie leader had heard great reports about the New York Strip Steak from the Turf Club, but was disappointed to find it not on the lunch menu. Our wonderful server let us know that it was available to order from the dinner menu, so AJ did just that. However disappointment returned in the form of a bland, flavorless steak. In other words, nothing to write home about. Sad!

Turf Club New York Strip Steak from the dinner menu, served as a lunch option

Now the Grilled New York Strip Steak is usually served from the dinner menu as follows: Grilled New York Strip topped with Blue Cheese, Portobello Mushrooms, and Balsamic-Port Glaze served with Yukon Gold Mashed  Potatoes for $27.99. So I’m not sure if perhaps the absence of those accompaniments explained the lack of flavor in her steak above. Still, a good steak should stand on its own, toppings or not and this one definitely did not.

But let’s not leave on a down note – there are still appetizers to describe and desserts to indulge in! Simply click the pictures below to be taken to my companions reviews of our first and last courses. My bottom line recommendation is: The Turf Club is a wonderful place to relax and rejuvenate after a hectic day of park-going. Of course you want to enjoy the meal you’re paying good money for, so I’d feel safe recommending the Angus Chuck Burger, or even just splitting a selection of appetizers and imbibing in some fun drinks on the patio. If you have an extra day or cannot find reservations elsewhere, this is a great go-to spot for a unique resort dining experience. The service and atmosphere were both wonderful and worth the visit.

Click to head to the Disney Food Blog and the Appetizers Review!

Click to head to Disney Every Day and the Desserts review!

Did you like this 3-part review? Let us know in the comments and maybe we’ll bring you more group reviews in the future! Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving to all celebrating tomorrow!

My family are not Disney Vacation Club members, but with my husband and I, an 11 and 10 year-old, a 2 year-old and occasionally my mom, we like staying in DVC properties because of the extra space. We rarely use the kitchen facilities other than the refrigerator but we definitely use every other inch of space and amenity these wonderful resorts offer.

Old Key West in general is one of our favorites because of the beautiful lush, secluded atmosphere the resort possesses. I’ve said this many times, but I could really spend a month at Disney just chilling out at the resorts they are so relaxing and Old Key West is no exception. We’ve always loved Olivia’s restaurant and the pool area too. The only issue we ever had with Old Key West was that it was starting to show its age. In fact, the last time we stayed there around my birthday last year, we actually complained to management about some things, just because I wanted them to be aware of what we’d experienced. So when we were told at that time that the resort was scheduled for refurbishment in the coming year, we were relieved and excited.

Our most recent stay was completely problem-free and we had a wonderful time. Old Key West continues to be on our ‘favorites’ list (which actually has a lot of resorts on it because it’s so hard to choose just one!). The renovated rooms, which will be completed resort-wide by March 2011, now all have the same mattresses and shower heads used in the other Deluxe resorts, which are heavenly. There are other little decorative touches here and there, but the most prominent changes are shown below –

New laminate wood floors everywhere but the bathrooms, where the original tile remains, granite counter tops and Roman blinds on the French doors.

View of the dry bar area with granite counters

All televisons have been replaced with flat panel models. Stacey never looked so good.

View from our room - building 35

Fun dolphin fountain area by the pool, so many cool little bridges and nooks to explore here.

One of my daughter's favorite water slides - see the hidden Mickey? (People on the side were playing bingo for prizes)

The only negative I have to say about our stay is that it was TOO SHORT! I hope you enjoyed the quick new-room tour!

I know my family and I have wanted to become Disney Vacation Club members since its inception, way back when Old Key West was simply called Disney’s Vacation Club Resort and was the only option to buy into. It’s just not been in the cards for us to purchase, although we almost took the plunge a few years back when we did the tour and presentation when Kidani Village was being built. We still hope to be members some day soon, especially with our family of five (six when my mom comes with us) it would make perfect sense. But – is it really right for us? Is it right for you? What exactly do all the points and home resorts and…well, I should really just let Katie tell you. Please give her a warm welcome and just maybe she’ll come back and tell us other fun stuff about Disney!!

DVC 101: The Ins, Outs, Ups and Downs of Discovering Disney’s Best Kept Secret

New to Disney's Vacation Club? Click here to view the official info dvd direct from Disney!

Owning the Disney Vacation Club may be a dream of many Disney fans.  It’s like owning Mickey Mouse, right? Well the truth is, the Disney Vacation Club, albeit magical, is a long term commitment and takes plenty of research. And right here, right now, I want to help you with that. Yes you. Should you buy into DVC? And should you buy resale or through Disney? And how many points? And what should your home resort be? And what is the square root of pi?  We are going to figure this out for you today.

Should I Buy?

First things first: you need to ask yourself a couple of questions. Will you be traveling to Disney at least once every other year? Can you plan trips in advance? Are you okay with giving up bargain hunting for the sake of timeshare ownership? Are you financially able? Answer these honestly and from the heart. And pending you answered “yes”, it is time to figure out just how to buy into the Club.

Resale vs. Disney

So you have decided to buy and now it is time to discover the best price. The first thing you’ll want to consider is if you want to buy via a resale outlet or through Disney. Resale outlets are brokerage firms selling contracts for DVC members who do not want them any longer. In essence, you bid on a contract and then it is submitted to Disney for review. If the bid is too low, Disney will buy the contract themselves and you are back to square one. This is called right of first refusal. Fear not, your real estate agent will coach you through the process. So why purchase resale?  There are a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, Disney is currently only selling and promoting certain resorts. And second of all, you can get a good deal from those sellers who really need to get rid of their contract. Now that you know there are two avenues to purchase DVC let’s take a gander at some of the factors you will consider that will steer you into the direction of where and who you want to purchase from.

Home Resort, Booking Windows, Contract Life and Dues

A DVC member buys into a home resort. They can have multiple home resorts as well. What is a home resort? Well it simply means the resort you have a booking advantage at. A member can book at their home resort 11 months in advance and at 7 months a member can book at any DVC resort with ease. Let’s quickly name the DVC resorts you can own at.

On Walt Disney World Property:

Bay Lake Tower

Animal Kingdom Villas

Beach Club Villas

Boardwalk Villas

Old Key West

Saratoga Springs Resort

Villas at Wilderness Lodge

On Disneyland Property:

Grand Californian Villas

Off Disney Property:

Hilton Head Island Resort

Vero Beach Resort

Aulani Resort and Spa in Hawaii

So do you care about your home resort? You may. For busy times and popular times with DVC members (early December and October), home resort may be pertinent. For example, I recently could not get into Beach Club or Boardwalk Villas at 7 months for October because of the popularity of staying there due to Food and Wine. If Beach Club was a home resort of mine I could have booked it at 11 months. On the other hand, you may not care where you stay or you may tend to always book vacations not that far in advance. You will most likely be placed in a larger resort (Saratoga Springs or Old Key West) and have to waitlist for a room at another resort. If this does not matter to you buying resale may be the way to go as you can get fantastic deals on resorts like Saratoga.

Another thing to consider is the lifetime of contracts of each resort and the dues per point of each resort. They differ and you should inquire about them through Disney. Some home resort contracts end in 2042 while some end in 2057. It may matter to you how long your purchase will be in effect. One thing I want to state: many will tell you to buy a cheap resale at Vero Beach or Hilton Head and book a WDW resort at 7 months. This may work, however, I am a DVC blogger who will tell you I would not recommend this.  And again, if you always go to WDW don’t buy Grand Californian Villas. If you always go to WDW at least own a home resort there, regardless of what it is, just in case. Also consider dues. Hilton Head and Vero may both have a cheap contract price but the dues are considerably more than other resorts. And remember for the life of the contract you pay dues per point every single year. This is an important factor.

Currently Disney is selling Bay Lake Tower, Animal Kingdom Villas, Grand Californian Villas and Saratoga Springs Resort. If you are purchasing Bay Lake, Animal Kingdom or Grand Californian it may be best to purchase through Disney. If you are purchasing Saratoga or want another home resort, resale may be your best bet. Also consider that Disney does wonderful and easy financing and with resale it is much harder to finance.

How Many Points? Use Year, Banking & Borrowing

So by now you may have decided if home resort matters to you, what home resort you would like, and if you want to buy through Disney or a resale outlet. We have come pretty far. But now I want to touch base on possibly the most important “point”! How many points do you need? DVC is not a regular timeshare in that you do not buy a week a year, in a certain resort, in a certain room type. You buy an allotment of points and you can use those points at any resort, in any room type, in any way you wish.  So if you know your family goes every year in August and would like to stay in a one bedroom, purchase that amount of points plus a few extra in case of point chart reallocation. If you go at various times, in various room sizes, and at various resorts, you may just want to buy an allotment of points (the minimum is 160 through Disney), and see how you can use them. Every year you will get your allotment of points put into your account on your Use Year date and you can use them the way you would like. Your Use Year is simply your DVC anniversary and it can be any month of the year. For example, every December I get my allotment of 220 points deposited into my account for use.

But what if you go every other year? Or what if one year you want to have a large grand gathering? And goodness, what if one year you can’t go? Don’t fret. Because Disney allows you to bank points you don’t use into the next use year or borrow points from the next year into the current one.  If you go every other year what you would want to do is purchase ½ the points you need for your stay and then bank and borrow your way into your every other year amount you need!

What You Didn’t Want To See: Cost

So what will this cost you? That’s easy, your home and first born. Of course I’m kidding! But I will not sit here and tell you DVC is cheaper than the value menu at McDonald’s. It certainly isn’t and even after your initial purchase you pay dues every year that annually increase about 2-5%.  Your cost will vary on the amount of points you buy and what resort you buy at. It will vary if you buy through Disney or resale. But here is a quick example so you can get a general idea.

160 points at Animal Kingdom Villas through Disney will currently cost you:

160 points X the base price per point of $112 = $17,920. Subtract an incentive discount of $12 per point that is 160 X $12 = $1,920.  $17,920 – $1,920 is  $16,000. If financing, 10% is due. Consider Animal Kingdom Villas has a due of $4.9496 per point. So your annual dues this year will be $791.94, which you can also pay per month.

So there you have it, readers. So much information that you currently need a coffee and a Tylenol. We’ve discussed the general DVC information and believe it or not there is still so much to talk about! Did you know you can book other resorts, places, and even cruises with DVC points? And did you know you could rent your points out for money? But let’s save that for next time.  Oh, I forgot one thing. The square root of pi is 1.77245.

…

Katie Siloac is a devoted blogger, Disney lover and tech fanatic. After enjoying fan websites and Disney podcasts for years, joining the Disney Vacation Club pushed her into her passion of blogging about anything and everything Disney and DVC. You can find her on http://thedvclife.com, her photo blog http://disneyinmylife.com and on her podcast Betamouse where she joins her other co-hosts in talking about Disney and technology at http://betamouse.net.

…

Of course, the first thing to remember is that you will not melt. Unless there are some hurricane-force winds going on or crazy lightning, Disney will remain open for your use. Certain rides with all or portions of the ride outside may temporarily shut down (especially if lightning is present) but the rest of the World will be there for those daring enough to get soaked and keep on walking.

Pre-yellow Disney ponchos? June 1983

In 2003, Disney made the switch to clear ponchos, so you weren’t *quite* as funny-looking (and you could spot your family members easier!). I have noticed that the most recent ponchos we purchased [it is the law that if you buy ponchos, you must forget them on every subsequent visit so you need to buy more when it rains again] are much thinner than they used to be, and the hood is sort of useless in keeping the rain off your face. If you have a baseball cap, wear that under the hood. You can also of course buy other ponchos at discount stores ahead of time but again, the key is remembering to carry them with you.

If, however, you arrive to the Walt Disney World Resort and see on the local weather that there is a 99% chance of rain all day every day of your visit, there are some activities to make you forget all about the rain rain rain coming down down down. Here are my top 3:

3. Innoventions This area of Epcot’s Future World is chock-full of activities to keep the whole family entertained. These buildings are located to the east and west of Future World, as you walk in the main entrance beyond Spaceship Earth. They have undergone many facelifts since their Communicore days with SMRT-1 (a robot that answered your questions with the latest in 1980s voice recognition technology) and the EPCOT Poll (a census-like poll where guests answered questions and learned group results at the end).

Club Cool by Coca-Cola's beverage choices

2. Resort Hopping on the Monorail This is a favorite activity of our family any time, but it’s especially convenient during a storm, because you never have to get wet once you hop on the Resort Monorail from the Magic Kingdom or the Transportation and Ticket Center. There are some truly unique shops and restaurants you can explore and enjoy whether you’re a hotel guest or not. In addition to being a fun rainy day activity, our family makes sure to tour the resorts each holiday season. I will discuss more on that in upcoming entries, but it is truly a magical experience the way Disney decorates for the holidays.

• The loop from Magic Kingdom takes you first to the Contemporary Resort which always has some fun shopping to experience as well as the popular must-reserve dining spot Chef Mickeys, as well as the delightful culinary addition of The Wave on the first floor. Another treat on the ground floor (no pun intended) is the coffee and espresso bar Contemporary Grounds, which serves delicious lattes. Our family also loves the arcade at the Contemporary and has spent many hours there accumulating tickets to turn in for prizes.
• Next stop on the monorail is the Polynesian Resort. The decor alone is reason enough to spend some time here – the lush gardens and waterfalls will relax even the most frazzled park visitor. Here you’ll find shopping with a tropical flair and items not found in other locations. Delicious meals, desserts and coffee await at the Kona Cafe (one of my favorite restaurants on property). Here’s a secret – you can also get Dole Whip at Captain Cook’s Snack Co. inside the Polynesian! You don’t even have to be inside Magic Kingdom to enjoy this popular treat. Breakfast lunch and dinner are also served at Captain Cook’s, if you’d like more than dessert.
• The final stop on the monorail resort loop is the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Disney’s flagship resort. While here you can enjoy the elegant atmosphere, shops and restaurants, listen to music or just explore the lobby. There is a Basin White location within the Grand Floridian which offers unique items not found in the Downtown Disney location, so it’s worth a visit if you love their soaps and bath bombs as much as I do.

T-Rex Cafe dining experience is unforgettable

However you choose to spend your rainy day at Disney, remember Mickey can’t control the weather (as much as I’ve been wishing for a clear dome with air conditioning placed over Disney World on the hottest of summer days there!). As frustrating as it might be to have your vacation interrupted by ride-stopping, shoe-soaking rain…you are still in the Happiest Place on Earth and it’s truly how you react and make the most of all Disney has to offer that sets the tone for the success or failure of your trip. Some of my happiest memories are of wearing cloth napkins on my soaking shoulders inside Germany’s Biergarten, laughing at how we’d just run through the rain and puddles to get there. A change of plans doesn’t have to mean a short-change in the memories.

Antelope, Giraffes and Zebra, that’s who! And that is just a few of the many animals you can see right from the windows of Sanaa (pronounced Sah-NAH) the newest restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Sanaa is located in the Kidani Village section of Animal Kingdom Lodge, a new area built for Disney’s Vacation Club members. Kidani Village contains studio, 1 or 2 bedroom villa suites. This area has its own lobby and check-in area, its own pool and recreation area and its own savanna, viewable from many of the villas as well as Sanaa itself.

While the lobby area is not as breathtaking as Jambo House (the original Animal Kingdom Lodge section) it is still quite beautiful. It is more cozy. However, you will still be in awe as you walk down the spiral staircase to Sanaa and get your first glimpse of the savanna. The staircase itself is beautiful, and the thatched roof above this area is amazing. After you check in for your reservations at Sanaa, feel free to explore the hallway directly behind you. It is beautiful on its own and you can see the animals from all the windows. There is a viewing area outside, where you can walk out and see the animals closer without glass to get in the way. There are cast members out there to ask questions and a firepit for late night story-telling.

As we were brought to our table, we were told that Sanaa was meant to represent a marketplace – the decor is to look like the trees of a village and a colorful marketplace within it. We were lucky enough to be seated right at a window. Our server welcomed us and carefully explained how the menu at Sanaa worked, with its special entrees and drinks. We instantly felt special and taken care of with the patience and attention we received. I would add that this was because we were celebrating a birthday there, but I was actually quick to notice that all the tables around us, with the same and different servers, received this same incredible

Decor in Sanaa - Can you find the Hidden Mickey?

We ordered the Indian Bread Sampler, where you pick 3 types of breads and 3 accompaniments. The bread choices are Naan, Roti, Paratha, Paneer Paratha. We chose all but the Roti. The accompaniments to choose from are: Mint and Onion Raita, Cucumber Raita, Coriander Chutney, Mango Chutney, Garlic-Ginger Pickle, Mango-Lime Pickle, Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus, Tamarind Chutney. Your server can explain better than I the differences between all of these choices, but we went with the Cucumber Raita, Hummus, and Garlic-Ginger Pickle. We loved them all. I highly recommend this sampler, because there will be something for everyone and at the very least, you can share plain naan with your picky eaters.

We also ordered the Mustard Seed Crusted Scallops with a coconut cream sauce. I am a sucker for all things coconut, but even if you are not a fan, it’s not an overpowering coconut flavor. These scallops were perhaps the best I’ve ever eaten. They were perfection on a plate. I would go back and order 2 orders for an entree, they were that good! I definitely want to try the Samosas next time though, because I’m sure they are delicious too.

For an entree, I ordered the Tandoori Chicken. I have had Tandoor chicken many times before, so I knew I couldn’t go wrong with it. To my surprise, it came already off the bone and in fork-sized pieces. Perfect! It came with your choice of Basmati rice or 5-grain Pilaf. “From the Tandoor Ovens” also has a shrimp or lamb chop option rather than the chicken.

Other menu options include slow-cooked meats, or a vegetarian option as well, including chicken or shrimp curry, paneer cheese and spinach, or beef short ribs. Also available are African Cooking with Indian Flavors, which feature Cornish Game Hen, Strip Steak, Dum Biryani and a Sustainable Fish, which changes nightly.

Our meals were just fantastic, and though were worried about my picky 10 year-old, as you read, he loved his naan pizza. My daughter enjoyed her Meaty Macaroni made with ground turkey as well. The problem with dinner was that we were so full from the delicious appetizers and entrees that we had no room for dessert, which, if you know me and my family at all, is shocking.

As we dined, various animals strolled past, stopping to eat some strategically placed hay, or hanging out by the trees further back. We loved watching the Antelope *right* outside our window. Soon many friends joined and later the far-off Giraffes came by to say hello. In the distance we could see Wildebeests, Zebras, and the long-horned Ankole Cattle. We saw Ostriches off to the side and Red Crown Cranes came up closer than any other creature, since they could fly around the little unobtrusive barriers set up so you don’t end up having Wildebeest for dessert. Even the server remarked that there was an unusually large turn-out of animals that night.

While we were enjoying the view, we started to hear drums from the front of the restaurant. I thought they must just do a musical presentation, but as we continued to watch, the drummers paraded through the restaurant and over to a table where they sang a Sanaa version of Happy Birthday. I thought that was really impressive, but then they came over to our table for my mom’s birthday. They sang the song again and it was SO moving! Way different than a plain ol’ Happy Birthday by weary servers that you usually see in restaurants. Everyone was clapping along to the beat and looked genuinely excited for your celebration. After the song, a hostess handed my mom the Disney birthday card that you usually get, signed by various characters. However – this card was signed by every member of the front of the house staff, with wishes in their native language. I just thought that was the coolest thing ever. As a result, I *highly* recommend Sanaa for a birthday celebration. I know that’s where I’m headed for MY birthday this year.

All in all, our experience with Sanna was a marvelous one. I have been singing its praises ever since to anyone that’ll stand still. I loved it there, and so did the whole family. It is not just a place to eat…it is an experience – one which you’ll likely treasure for years to come. If you are planning a trip to Disney World, include Sanaa in those plans. If you do, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Oh! I almost forgot – on our way out we stopped at the restroom. I’m not sure I’ve ever said this about a restroom or not, but it was GORGEOUS. Beautiful dark wood and stone…just beautiful. Make sure you make a stop there before you go!

All photos are ©Zanna DiMarzio under Creative Commons license – more photos available at Flickr.

There are several things you can do to make your birthday more special at Disney, including ordering gift baskets, flowers or balloons to your Disney resort, or special ordering a small cake ($21) to be delivered (with song of course!) as you dine in a Disney restaurant. In addition, there is one very important, completely FREE thing which you should do first and foremost upon arriving on Disney property: Tell EVERYONE it’s your birthday!! Tell the front desk when you check in at your resort, tell them at the ticket sales booth, guest relations or City Hall at the parks, and tell them at every Disney restaurant at which you dine.

The birthday button is your key to special Disney attention

Citrico's special birthday treatment

a celebration cake may be purchased for a fee, cupcakes are free

a special Kona Cafe creme puff on my birthday

We told the front desk at Disney’s Beach Club Resort it was our daughter’s birthday and she was greeted with a nice surprise one day as we were relaxing in the room. This is not guaranteed, but worth a try, tell everyone!!

you never know what your Disney resort might bring on your birthday

balloons & an autographed Tink doll at the Beach Club

of course princesses get special birthday treatment

Of course this year is the Free Admission on Your Birthday promotion at the Disney Parks, which is a wonderful way to celebrate! And if you have annual passes or admission tickets already, there are other options that ensure you receive some Disney magic on your special day. Whether or not you make visiting Disney on your birthday an annual tradition, don’t be shy and enjoy celebrating YOU in the Happiest Place on Earth!

Disney's Vacation Villas in 1984

My mom and I posing as my dad took the picture from the loft above.

This was me, before heading to dinner at the Empress Lily Room. Pre Pleasure Island too!

We could drive our golf cart over the bridge in the area that now houses the bus stops for Downtown Disney. From there we could park over where Downtown Disney Guest Relations now is, plug in the golf cart and explore the shops and restaurants. I think there were only a few at the time Cap’n Jack’s was one, and Chef Mickeys, which stood where Rain Forest Cafe now exists. It was a quaint, little place then. Dark wood decor, windows overlooking the lake and the Empress Lily. It had a separate lounge where you could wait and have a drink while you waited for your table. Back then, if you ordered one of a few specific drinks, you could get a souvenir plastic mug to keep. I remember getting a drink similar to a Shirley Temple, with rock candy swizzle sticks. A lot. I have quite a few of those red mugs with Chef Mickey’s image on them. I had to stop using them because the dishwasher was wearing off the design.

Souvenir mugs from the *original* Chef Mickey

Sadly, Disney decided to discontinue operations of the Villas. They used some of the buildings during the Disney Institute years, but then demolished all of the original villas (apart from the Tree House Villas) and built the Saratoga Springs Resort as part of the Disney Vacation Club program. Saratoga Springs now offers some of those same gorgeous views of the Empress Lily that we once enjoyed, even though it’s now called Fulton’s Crab House.

Another thing I found in my search for old pictures was this coupon for the arcade at the Lake Buena Vista Villa Center. Think they’ll still honor it?

Arcade Coupon good for 1 game at the Lake Buena Vista Center

We stayed on two different occasions in the 1980′s at Disney’s Vacation Villas. These were townhouse-style villas over by the “new” Disney Marketplace. There were 3 different types of villas – The Club Lake Villas, the Fairway Villas, Vacation Villas and the Treehouse Villas. In the 1990′s, these resorts were turned into accommodations for the Disney Institute. When that didn’t quite take off as planned, Disney decided to completely tear down and rebuild the villas (except for the Treehouse Villas!) and created the Saratoga Springs Resort, part of the Disney Vacation Club ownership program.

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Our experiences there were so wonderful that after that, we were hooked and became Disney Resort regulars. It’s kind of hard to go back to a motel off property once you’ve been spoiled by Disney. We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter quite a bit, then moved on to Wilderness Lodge and Beach Club. When we stayed at Beach Club, we knew we’d found our home. We would also enjoy the wondrous Animal Kingdom Lodge, Boardwalk, the All-Star and Pop Century properties and Port Orleans Riverside. But like I said, we found our home at Beach Club. If you try out a few Disney resorts, you will find your home too, trust me. There will be one setting that just stands out and each time you walk in the front doors, you take a deep breath, relax, and think – we’re home. This is the type of guest experience that other hotels only dream of achieving.

So where should you start? The choices seem endless don’t they? Monorail access? Boat access? Close to which park? What about budget? Which is best for families with kids or those without? As explained in Disney Planning 101, there are countless places to find out in-depth information about Disney resort options. All Ears Net is my favorite – they have pictures and maps of every resort so you can even request which building you’d like to try to be in. You should start with that Disney Vacation Planning dvd you ordered (right?) and then check back with DisneyWorld.com to look at the different amenities and options that will best suit your family’s needs. You can even ask a specific question to the Disney Moms Panel (or call 407-W-Disney and as a Disney Reservation Specialist as well. What I will do here is explain the differences among the resorts and some things to think about when you are choosing your resort.

Disney divides its resort experiences into categories:

Disney Deluxe Villas
This category includes all the Disney Vacation Club properties, studio, one or two-bedroom home-away-from-home type accommodations. They also feature all the same amenities as Disney’s Deluxe resorts.

Disney Deluxe Resort Hotels
For these resorts you will be treated to the finest rooms Disney has to offer. Extra amenities, such as full-service dining and pool features, room details like in-room hair dryers and luxurious comforts await you here. These properties also feature valet parking for a fee.

Disney Moderate Resort Hotels
This category is a step up from the value resorts, offering more amenities and space without a huge jump in price. Here you will find pools with waterslides, more activities and most have full-service dining as well.

Disney Value Resort Hotels
For the budget conscious, these resorts feature typical motel room function with added Disney flair and fun. Food courts, huge pools, everything is bigger in this category, except the price.

Disney Campgrounds
Here you can pitch a tent under the stars, park your RV, or relax in a Disney-built wilderness cabin, all while enjoying the wonderful activities that Fort Wilderness has to offer.

Disney Accommodations for 5 or more guests
If you have a family that doesn’t fit in a typical one-room hotel, but don’t want to spread out into two separate hotel rooms, you can find what you need here.

Once you decide which resort category best fits your family, you can move on to the next option – location! Do you find yourself spending most of your time at the Magic Kingdom? Epcot? There’s no doubt a resort to keep you close-by your favorite park.

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Magic Kingdom area Resorts:

Of course the most well-known are the “Big 3″ of The Contemporary Resort and now the Bay Lake Tower villas at the Contemporary, The Polynesian Resort and The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. All three of these are on the monorail loop leading to both the Magic Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket Center, so you need only step out to the monorail platform to get to the magic. If you want to head to Epcot, a trip to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) will let you switch to the Epcot Monorail. From there you could take a boat from Epcot’s World Showcase to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or get a bus directly there from the TTC. There are also buses directly from each resort to all the theme parks, water parks and Downtown Disney.

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and Wilderness Lodge Villas are also in the Magic Kingdom resort area, though not on the monorail loop. You can, however take a boat directly to the Magic Kingdom from the Wilderness Lodge property. If you want to head to the other parks and Downtown Disney, buses will take you there. Fort Wilderness Campground is also part of the Magic Kingdom resort area, with boat access directly to Magic Kingdom. Bus service is available to all other theme parks, as well as the TTC.

Epcot area Resorts:

Located a short walk (or boat ride) from the International Gateway entrance to Epcot’s World Showcase, are Disney’s Yacht Club and Disney’s Beach Club Resorts, Beach Club Villas, as well as Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Boardwalk Villas. Also accessible here are the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels, run by Sheraton. These resorts also offer the same boat service directly to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Pop Century and Caribbean Beach Resorts are also part of the Epcot resort area, though not accessible by boat or walking, only by bus.

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Animal Kingdom area Resorts:

There is not direct boat or monorail service to Animal Kingdom, but there are still resorts very close to this park, including of course Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Jambo House and Kidani Village Villas. Also in this area are the All-Star Sports, All-Star Music and All-Star Movies resorts and Coronado Springs Resort and Convention Center. All of these resorts feature direct buses to the parks and Downtown Disney.

Downtown Disney area Resorts:

This area features the resorts of Old Key West, the original Disney Vacation Club property, Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside (Riverside is formerly known as Dixie Landings), Saratoga Springs and the newly refurbished Treehouse Villas at Saratoga Springs. All of these properties feature boat access directly to Downtown Disney and bus service to the parks.

Those are the two main criteria when choosing which Disney Resort will fit you best. Once you decide your budget and the location you’d like to stay in, you can narrow the choices down based on which amenities will best fit your family. Things like which pool would you enjoy the most, which resort has water or other sports activities, full-service restaurants, which resort theming would you or your family enjoy the most.

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It’s hard to recommend a specific resort here, because each family is different – which is precisely why Disney World has SO many options to stay in! A family with small children might love the larger-than-life decorations at an All-Star property or Pop Century, but they might be equally as entertained by seeing animals out their window in a savannah view room at Animal Kingdom Lodge. The choice is up to you! When I asked my Twitter followers to name their favorite resort, there were almost no two answers that were the same. Everyone has their favorite, for different reasons. Even among families, each person may have their own favorite resort – and that may even change over time. It’s great to resort-hop and check out what else is out there for a return visit.

In the coming weeks, I will be featuring blogs on individual resorts, to give you more of an idea of what each property has to offer. Enjoy the decision process – it’s quite exciting! I hope you find your ‘home’ at Disney World – I’d love to hear about your favorite resort, comment and tell me all about it.