>Playing A-Round

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Hakuna Mawednesday, to you all. Last week we stuck around the Magic Kingdom to Relax before Fireworks. Today, we’re leaving all the Parks behind and heading out to enjoy some family time away from it all. There are many different ways you can leave the parks behind, there are Water Parks, Shopping Areas, Water Sports, tennis, Basketball and of course, Golf.



Around Christmas Disney puts Golf Balls on their Tees.

 The Walt Disney World Resort is home to 99 holes of PGA caliber golf over five courses. Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course, named after the Magnolia Trees around the course, is home to the Children’s Miracle Network Classic along with Disney’s Palm Golf Course. Disney’s Osprey Ridge Golf Course, which is located near Fort Wilderness Campground is one of Golf Digest’s Best in Florida. It is also Certified Wildlife Sanctuary. A little way down the road from this course, on the Grounds of the Saratoga Springs Resort is Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course.

The last course is Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course, which is a 9-hole course that is geared toward a family golf outing. This 36 Par course is a walking course and is set on a very natural environment. My family doesn’t golf, so we haven’t played any of these courses and I can’t give you my opinion of which ones are better than others, but I have talked to other people whom have played them and they said they are all great courses. For more information about Walt Disney World Golf, you can check out my friend Marc’s website at http://www.wdwgolf.com/.

As I said my family is not the golfing type, however, we do enjoy a good round of Mini-golf, especially in Disney. We have played both of the Courses, actually three of the four courses that are available in Walt Disney World.

Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course is located across from the Swan and the Dolphin Resorts. It is split into two different courses. The first one, the Fantasia Gardens course is set up in a whimsical way with characters from the Disney classic, Fantasia. It has obstacles throughout based on the film and some holes with special water and musical surprises. We have not played the other course here it is Fantasia Fairways, as it is just a small version of a real golf course.

The other two courses are located next to Blizzard Beach, one of Disney’s Two Water Parks. This collection of courses is called Disney’s Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course. As the name states one set of holes has a summer setting, while the other 18 has a winter theme. Both sides are fun to play and you have to get around obstacles that are themed around Santa Claus. On one side you play through Santa and the Elves enjoying their Summer Holiday with activities like Surfing and Swimming. On the other side, you get to play through their winter activities, Ice Fishing, Hockey and skiing.

All of the mini-golf courses are a blast to play and most afternoons aren’t very busy, making them a great Hakuna Wednesday thing to do! So, next time you need to relax on your vacation, take some time out to play a round, where all the family can enjoy themselves.

>Take the Earliest Flight?

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A man gets on a plan in Philadelphia at 8:00 am. His Resort check in time in Walt Disney World is 3:00 pm. If his plane ride takes a little less than 2 1/2 hours, what does he do with himself, if he is using Disney’s Magical Express to get to the Resort? (Disney’s Magical Express was explained in our post of August 11 called “In Disney”) I know this seems like an odd question, but this happens to many people in Disney World as they are either first coming in, or as they are leaving. They book a flight that lands earlier in the morning or one that takes off later in the day. Then they are at the resort without a room. A lot of them sit around the lobby and wait for their room, or for the bus back to the airport, but that seems like a waste of a Day in Disney to me. So, if you are in this situation what should you do? After you have checked in to your Resort and found your room isn’t ready, you can enjoy the Unknown Magic of things to do when you don’t yet have a room.

The first thing you should do is something I mentioned in a post a while back, check out your surroundings. Find out what your resort has and what you can do there. Take the time to look for the Unknown Magics that it has to offer, things like a beach or a playground for the kids. Then you should decide if your park tickets will cover every day that you are in Disney, if you go to a park, now. If they do, you can always go to a park. We have on occasion gone to a park, at this point, but most of the time, we wait until after we have been in the room, so that we can change and freshen up, then we head out to a park (of course if you have a park hopper, which is the best way to go, you could do both). If you are like us and don’t want to do the park without freshening up, or you don’t have enough days on your tickets, then there are plenty of other options available to you that can lead to Magical Experiences.

You can Hotel Hop (as described in my post of August 17) this is a great way to find different places to eat and maybe a different place to stay on your next trip. You can also go over to Disney’s Boardwalk, and have lunch at any of the great restaurants. Our family stops in at Big River Brewing Company, usually our first day in Walt Disney World, for lunch, it is one of our favorite places to eat. While on the

Boardwalk, you can shop in some wonderful places like Thimbles and Threads or the Wyland Galleries. The Wyland Galleries have some very cool art work and the prices are not as extreme as you would think they’d be. There is also a Wyland Galleries in the Polynesian Resort.

The Polynesian Resort is another great place to go if you are waiting to get into your room. The Kona Café is wonderful for lunch and the Waterfall in the Lobby is a very nice place to sit and relax before a busy Disney Vacation starts. Another thing to do while you’re are waiting for your room, is to ride the Monorail. Disney’s Highway in the Sky is a Magical Experience in itself.

And on the Magic Kingdom Loop you can get out at the Contemporary Resort and enjoy the Grand Canyon Concourse, and at the Grand Floridian you can enjoy the piano playing in the lobby. You can also ride the Monorail over to Epcot and get a sneak preview of the park as the Monorail makes its loop around the entrance to the Epcot Station.

Another fun thing to do as you are waiting is to take a boat ride. If your resort is one of the many Disney resorts that offers floating transportation, this is a great way to learn where it goes. Not only that but it gives you a different view of the Walt Disney World Resort you may miss later in your trip.

If you get to Disney World very early and you have an hour or two before your room is ready, you can go play miniature golf. The Fantasia Gardens Minature Golf Course is near the Dolphin and Swan Resorts. To get there you need to take a bus to any Park and then take one to the Dolphin and the Swan. Winter Summerland mini-golf is connected to Blizzard Beach, so to get there you just need to catch a bus to Blizzard Beach.

Which brings up another option for you if you have a lot of time; you may want to go to either Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon. If you don’t want to purchase the ticket to either of the water parks, or didn’t have it as an add on to your Park Hopper Pass, then you can enjoy one of the most wonderful things to do for the wait before your room is available, Swim in your Resort’s Pool (I talked about the Resort pools in my article Let’s Take a Dip, back in June).

So, now you know, if you get an early flight and have to kill sometime in Disney before you get into your room, there are some great things you can do to create Magical Experience. So, book that early flight and enjoy your extra half day.

>Fore!-or maybe 2; it’s miniature

>In yesterday’s post, we talked about your teenagers needing a break from you. Not only do they need a break from you and you from them, but you all need a break from the Theme Parks from time to time. It doesn’t matter if you have teenagers, young children, or you are just there without kids, you need to take a break from the Parks. You need to get away from the crowds, the lines, the sun and the heat. My family does things at a slower pace, than a first time visitor, but we still take a break almost every day from whichever park we are in. This is my biggest tip for First Time Visitors, especially those of you with young children. TAKE A BREAK!

Now, during your break from the park, there are many different things you can do. Most people do the Pool at the Resort. Some may go to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon (Disney’s two Water Parks). Others may take in a round of golf or do some shopping at Downtown Disney. All of these are great options (as is a NAP, One of my favorite park breaks!) But there is an Unknown Magic that you can enjoy during your Park Break that even some repeat Disney travelers don’t know about.

Walt Disney World is home to 99 professional holes of golf. They are also home to two Miniature Golf course, Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course and the Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course. Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course is located across the road from The Dolphin and Swan Resorts. Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course shares a parking lot with Blizzard Beach.

Both courses have their own charms. Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course is based on the 1940 Disney Film Fantasia. The course is set up with memorable characters from the film. It also features some Water “Hazards” and musical rewards. It is a good putting course, with not many obstacles to play through.

Winter Summerland is a little different. Like Blizzard Beach (and most other attractions in Alt Disney World), there is a back story.

From the Disney Website, here is the story of how Winter Summerland came to be:

“Late one moonlit Christmas Eve, as Santa was flying over Florida on his way back to the North Pole,

he glanced down and discovered snow in a place that is usually hot.

After surveying the strange location,

he decided to build a vacation destination for his off-duty elves—a Winter Summerland.

Seeing that the only thing Winter Summerland lacked was a golf course,

the Santa Claus and his elves divided into two camps,

one that enjoyed the warm Florida sun and another that preferred the snow and cold of the North Pole.

The elves then built two distinctly different 18–hole golf experiences

— a sand course and a snow course.”

The sand course is set up as if it is summer time and Santa and the Elves are on Vacation at a beach type resort. There is Surf music like the Beach Boys playing and all the holes are sand/summer themed. The snow or winter course looks like you are in a wintery wonderland. There are hockey rinks and ski slopes and a very mischievous snowman that lives up to his name. As you finish hole 18 on both courses, you get a special Message from Santa, Thanks to the computer system and the “Winter-net”. After your round, you may want a snack from Santa’s “Winterbago”, which is also the starting point and gift shop for Winter Summerland. You may also want to play a round on the other side of the of the course, either snow or sand depending on which one you just played, please know though that it does cost to play another round.

So now that you know, you can get in 18 holes of family fun and maybe have yourself a Magical experience, away from the Parks.