Walt Disney World® 2021
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“A Tourist’s Best Friend!” “Indispensable” —Chicago Sun-Times —The New York Times INCLUDES DISNEY PARK CHANGES FOR Six Great Features and Benefits COVID-19 offered ONLY by The Unofficial Guide: A look at Disney’s new rides: Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and Tron Lightcycle/Run How to get access to Disney’s best new ride in years: Star Walt Disney Walt Wars: Rise of the Resistance World How to make the most of Disney’s new Early Theme Park Entry program Exclusive patented, field-tested touring plans that save hours in line in a single day, plus free online customization to match your family’s needs The best hotel rooms—with room numbers—and how to ask for them at every Disney World resort Expert reviews of Walt Disney World’s restaurants, bars, and lounges, backed by more than 200,000 reader surveys over ® the past two years 2021 Check out The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando, and supplement your valuable guidebook with tips, news, and deals by visiting our website, theunofficialguides.com. Walt Disney ® ISBN 978-1-62809-110-6 $24.99 US 5 2 4 9 9 World 2021 • How to navigate Disney’s new park-reservation system Cover photo: © Tom Bricker 9 781628 091106 • Exclusive money-saving tips on Disney tickets and hotels • Ride ratings by age to help fi nd your family’s favorites Plan Your Trip Online at TouringPlans.com Bob Sehlinger & Len Testa THE unofcial GUIDE® TO Walt Disney World 2021 COME CHECK US OUT! Supplement your valuable guidebook with tips, news, and deals by visiting our websites: theunofficialguides.com touringplans.com Sign up for the Unofficial Guide newsletter for even more travel tips and special offers. Join the conversation on social media: @TheUGSeries TheUnofficialGuides @TheUGSeries TheUGSeries TheUnofficialGuideSeries Other Unofficial Guides The Disneyland Story: The Unofficial Guide to the Evolution of Walt Disney’s Dream Universal vs. Disney: The Unofficial Guide to American Theme Parks’ Greatest Rivalry The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas The Unofficial Guide to Mall of America The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C. THE unofcial GUIDE® TOWalt Disney World ® 2021 BOB SEHLINGER and LEN TESTA (Walt Disney World® is officially known as Walt Disney World® Resort.) Please note that prices fluctuate in the course of time and that travel information changes under the impact of many factors that influence the travel industry. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when making your travel plans. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information throughout this book, and the contents of this publication are believed to be correct at the time of printing. Nevertheless, the pub- lishers cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions, for changes in details given in this guide, or for the consequences of any reliance on the information provided by the same. Assessments of attractions and so forth are based upon the authors’ own experiences; there- fore, descriptions given in this guide necessarily contain an element of subjective opinion, which may not reflect the publisher’s opinion or dictate a reader’s own experience on another occasion. Readers are invited to write the publisher with ideas, comments, and sug- gestions for future editions. There is a risk of contracting COVID-19 in any public space. The Unofficial Guides are not liable for any illness or injury. Consult a physician regarding your risk factors before booking travel. The Unofficial Guides An imprint of AdventureKEEN 2204 First Ave. S., Ste. 102 Birmingham, AL 35233 Copyright © 2021 by Robert W. Sehlinger. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923; 978-750-8400; fax 978-646-8600; or on the web at copyright.com. Requests to the pub- lisher for permission should be addressed to AdventureKEEN, 2204 First Ave. S., Ste. 102, Birming ham, AL 35233; [email protected]. To contact us from within the United States, please call 800-678-7006 or fax 877-374-9016. Unofficial Guide is a registered trademark of Keen Communications, LLC, in the United States and other countries and may not be used without written permission. All other trade- marks are the property of their respective owners. Keen Communications, LLC, is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. Cover design by Scott McGrew Text design by Vertigo Design and Annie Long To contact us from within the United States, please call 888-604-4537 or fax 205-326-1012. You may also email us at [email protected]; on social media, you may contact us at TheUnofficialGuides on Facebook; @TheUGSeries on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest; and TheUnofficialGuideSeries on YouTube. AdventureKEEN also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic formats. ISBN: 978-1-62809-110-6; eISBN: 978-1-62809-111-3 Distributed by Publishers Group West Manufactured in the United States of America 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS List of Maps and Diagrams ix Introduction 1 For the Love of Disney 1 Why Disney World Needs a 750-Page Guidebook 1 How to Use This Book 3 SPECIAL SECTION Disney World in the Time of COVID 9 Is Disney World Worth It? 9 What’s Open at Walt Disney World 10 Safety Procedures 11 PART ONE Walt Disney World: An Overview 15 What Is Disney World? 15 WHAT’S NEW AT WALT DISNEY WORLD SINCE YOUR LAST VISIT 24 Universal Orlando 25 PART TWO Planning Before You Leave Home 27 Gathering Information 27 When to Go to Walt Disney World 39 WALT DISNEY WORLD PHONE NUMBERS 46–47 IMPORTANT WALT DISNEY WORLD ADDRESSES 48 PART THREE Making the Most of Your Time 49 Allocating Time 49 How to Avoid Long Waits in Line 53 PART FOUR Making the Most of Your Money 68 Allocating Money 68 WHAT YOU PAY AND WHAT YOU GET AT WDW 70–72 Walt Disney World Admission Tickets 74 WDW THEME PARK TICKET OPTIONS 76–77 Optional Expenses 84 PART FIVE Accommodations 86 The Basic Considerations 86 The Disney Resorts 91 Readers' Resort Report Card 121 vi CONTENTS Walt Disney World Hotel Profiles 126 How to Evaluate a Walt Disney World Travel Package 206 DISNEY LODGING FOR LESS 208–209 Hotels Outside Walt Disney World 217 SIX QUICK TIPS FOR BOOKING THE HOTEL YOU WANT 224–225 Hotels and Motels: Rated and Ranked 245 THE TOP 30 BEST DEALS 248 HOW THE HOTELS COMPARE 250–253 HOTEL INFORMATION CHART 254–264 PART SIX Dining In and Around Walt Disney World 265 Reader Surveys Plus Expert Opinions: Our Approach to Dining 265 Dining in Walt Disney World 266 Where to Find Good Meals 268 Disney Dining 101 269 ADVANCE RESERVATIONS: THE OFFICIAL LINE 272 THE REALITY OF GETTING LAST-MINUTE DINING RESERVATIONS 275 GOOD RESTAURANTS WITH LAST-MINUTE AVAILABILITY 276 WDW RESTAURANTS BOOKABLE AT OPENTABLE.COM 277 Character Dining 280 CHARACTER-MEAL HIT PARADE 282–283 Disney Dining Suggestions 285 Counter-Service Mini-Profiles 295 Full-Service Restaurants In Depth 309 WALT DISNEY WORLD RESTAURANTS BY CUISINE 310–313 Dining Outside Walt Disney World 363 WHERE TO EAT OUTSIDE WALT DISNEY WORLD 364–366 PART SEVEN Walt Disney World with Kids 372 The Ecstasy and the Agony 372 Lost Children 388 Disney, Kids, and Scary Stuff 390 SMALL-CHILD FRIGHT-POTENTIAL TABLE 392–394 ATTRACTION AND RIDE RESTRICTIONS 396 Waiting-Line Strategies for Adults with Young Children 397 The Disney Characters 399 WDW CHARACTER-GREETING VENUES 400–401 Character Meals 403 Childcare 403 Special Kids’ Programs 404 Birthdays and Special Occasions 405 PART EIGHT Special Tips for Special People 406 Walt Disney World for Guests with Special Needs 406 Walt Disney World “At Large” 412 Walt Disney World for Seniors 413 Walt Disney World for International Visitors 415 Walt Disney World for Expectant Mothers 416 Walt Disney World for Singles 418 TIPS FOR GOING SOLO 418–419 Walt Disney World for Couples 419 PART NINE Arriving and Getting Around 422 Getting to Walt Disney World 422 How to Travel Around the World (or, The Real Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride) 432 COMMUTING TIMES BY CAR VS. THE DISNEY TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM 436–437 CONTENTS vii PART TEN Bare Necessities 452 Money, Etc. 452 In-Park Issues 453 Services 457 PART ELEVEN The Magic Kingdom 461 Overview 461 Arriving 461 Getting Oriented 465 Main Street, U.S.A. 471 Adventureland 473 Frontierland 476 Liberty Square 480 Fantasyland 482 Tomorrowland 491 Magic Kingdom Entertainment 497 Traffic Patterns in the Magic Kingdom 503 Magic Kingdom Touring Plans 504 PART TWELVE EPCOT 509 Overview 509 Arriving 512 Getting Oriented 514 Future World 518 World Showcase 529 EPCOT Entertainment 539 Traffic Patterns in EPCOT 542 EPCOT Touring Plans 542 PART THIRTEEN Disney’s Animal Kingdom 544 Overview 544 Arriving 548 Getting Oriented 549 The Oasis 552 Discovery Island 553 Africa 556 Asia 560 DinoLand U.S.A. 564 Pandora—The World of Avatar 566 Animal Kingdom Entertainment 570 Traffic Patterns in Animal Kingdom 571 Animal Kingdom Touring Plan 571 PART FOURTEEN Disney’s Hollywood Studios 573 Overview 573 Arriving 576 Getting Oriented