Waypointers have great advice for military travelers, like the best places to stay using your military discounts.
They're also helping to build Military Waypoint, the new online travel community exclusive to service members, veterans and their families.
Read on for some insider tips from Stephen Bell, Waypointer and author of the Military Disney Tips Blog:
HOW TO GET DEEP DISCOUNTS AT DISNEY
You don't need to wish upon a star to get a great deal at Disney theme parks in Florida and California.
If you're currently serving or retired military (active, Guard, Reserve, NOAA and Public Health Service Commissioned Corps) or a spouse, discounted tickets are available through several options. My family and I have been taking advantage of these discounts for well over a decade, often going several times a year. But it can get confusing.
Here’s
is
a breakdown of all the different military discounted tickets that are available to our community and where you can get them:
- Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets: These are offered for specific time periods at highly discounted prices. The tickets are about half off of what you would pay at the gate for an equivalent ticket. At Disney World they offers four-day tickets with either the Park Hopper or water parks options, or you can add both. At Disneyland they offers a 3-Day Hopper. Purchase at base ticket offices, Shades of Green or direct at Disney ticket windows (sales tax added at Disney). There are lots of usage rules for these tickets!
- Shades of Green Stars and Stripes Passes: These are special length-of-stay passes sold by Shades of Green, which is the military-only resort at Walt Disney World. They are two- to 10-day tickets that include theme park admission for the number of days on the ticket, the ability to park hop, and admission to WDW’s water parks and other entertainment venues such as mini-golf or Disney Quest, for the duration of the ticket. These tickets are only slightly discounted for the military from the regular prices, but they provide a great all-inclusive option for when the Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets aren’t the right choice. You don’t have to be staying at Shades of Green to purchase them, but you must be staying at a hotel or resort on WDW property, and you can only buy them from Shades of Green.
- Regular military discounted Disney tickets: These slightly discounted tickets have always been available through base ticket offices. They come in various lengths (from one to 10 days at WDW and one to five days at DL) with or without the options mentioned above. These can only be purchased at military travel ticket offices, including Shades of Green.
FOODIE DREAMS COME TRUE, TOO, AT DISNEY FOOD FEST
Dreams come true for foodies, too, at Disney Food and Wine Fest
Photo Credit: Stephen Bell
While any day at Walt Disney World is better than a day anywhere else, there are times when WDW is even more awesome than others.
For me and my wife, one best of the best times is during the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. Here’s what makes it such a tasty time to visit:
- Great timing: The fest runs through much of the fall, when both crowds and temperatures are much more tolerable.
- Wide selection: About 35 food and wine booths from as many countries. Each offers tapas-sized foods representative of their country as well as small-pour beer, wine and drink tasters.
- Reasonable prices: Prices run from a few dollars to $10 or so — occasionally more for very special items. Epcot admission is still required, but there is no extra cost for the festival.
- Appetizing entertainment: Food and wine demos are offered up daily by celebrity chefs, plus there are concerts from a variety of throwback bands, each performing for just a few days to keep things fresh.
The Food and Wine Fest runs for about two months, from September to November each year. For 2016, the dates are Sept. 1-Nov. 14. It is held in Epcot’s World Showcase, with booths set up in the path around the lagoon.
We prefer to go during the first two weeks of November, for the great temperatures. It can sometimes still be very hot in central Florida in October.
I think Epcot is the perfect spot for this event where military families are concerned, as many of the countries represented in the World Showcase are places that we have been stationed or visited. Last year I went to the Food and Wine Fest with several buddies that I’d been stationed with. My favorite memory from that trip is the eight of us sitting around two tables in the Germany Pavilion’s Platz, eating brats, drinking German beer and telling flying stories.
I highly recommend that you try the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival if the timing works with your leave/vacation schedule.
Escape to the wild side at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
Photo Credit: Stephen Bell
EMBRACE THE WILD SIDE AT DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE
One of my favorite places to stay when I visit Walt Disney World is the
ir
Animal Kingdom Lodge. My wife and I first stayed there to reunite after a prolonged separation, not a deployment but it seemed like it. We made great memories there, and it holds a special place in our hearts.
Most rooms in the resort have sliding doors and balconies that overlook the "savannah," where many species of African animals live. You’ll pay more for these rooms than, say, one with a pool or parking lot view, but it is well worth it, and you can use Disney’s Armed Forces Salute 40 percent room discount on rooms at this resort!
Imagine waking up in the morning, opening your room curtains to see a plethora of animals grazing just outside your window. Or coming in from the theme parks at the end of the day to watch giraffes sleeping just a few yards away. We spent plenty of time sitting on that balcony just watching the animals.
But that’s not all that is available for you to do at the lodge. There are daytime tours and educational animal viewings and, our favorite, the nighttime animal viewing through NVGs!
There are several great restaurants in the lodge, from grab-and-go options to buffets, and even fine dining. We had one of our best Disney World meals ever at Jiko’s at the lodge.
You can also spend lots time looking at all of the painstakingly duplicated African architecture, which is reminiscent of African hunting lodges. But don’t forget to head to the theme parks, perhaps Disney’s Animal Kingdom, to use your Disney Armed Forces Salute discount tickets!
Stephen Bell is a Military Times contributor and author of the Military Disney Tips Blog.
