I have a ton of planning questions now that our Disney trip is getting closer (next month!! Aaaahh!!), and you might, too! It does require some work to get all your answers, so hopefully you had some of the same questions as me and you just have to read this to get yours answered.
Flight Changes: My boyfriend and I thought we should change our flight to later on our last day (our current one is 7:30AM--yikes!--but it was the cheapest option) so we could spend a little more time in the magic (mini golfing, one last character breakfast, a trip to Downtown perhaps) before heading home. Well I called the questions line: (407) 939-5277 and asked if it was possible and what prices I'd be looking at. I was transferred to a Disney Flight person who made sure to tell me first that there is a $200-per-person charge for changing a flight. Yeah. So I decided to keep the flight we have, but out of curiosity, I asked him what the price difference would be for a later price. There was a 5pm flight that would cost $300-something (I don't know if that was per person--I was too shocked to ask), so that would be AT LEAST $700 just to change our flights. Which is like the cost of one more week in Disney, so, no, thank you. So when you book your flight (we used the Magic Your Way package), make sure it's one you can live with!!
Memory Maker: First of all, the Disney Chat people are just THE. BEST. I highly recommend using them whenever you find trouble on the website or have questions about planning.
Usually when you are looking around on their website, a little side-bar "Chat" word bubble will pop up just waiting to be clicked! Their support hours are between 7AM and 11PM (as I said in my earlier post). I was about to pre-purchase the Memory Maker (normally $199 but $50 gets knocked off if you purchase before your visit, down to $149, and there is no tax or shipping unless you want it Express-mailed to you) when I saw "Delivery Options." I thought this was an option that would be linked to our Magic Bands, so I was curious about what exactly was being shipped. I asked the Chat folks and was told that you get a physical card. I asked about the Magic Band and she said that since not everyone comes in with a Magic Band, everyone gets a card, and if you do have a Magic Band, you can link your card to it! So you can do Will Call (pick it up at one of the theme parks), Domestic Shipping (free but you have to wait about 2 weeks), or Express (which is about $15). I like getting exciting things in the mail, so I chose Domestic, and can't wait to get that magical envelope in my mailbox!
I also asked how you get the photos on your card from photographers and from rides that take your photo, and what exactly you get. It is similar to the Photo Pass (which I used on my last visit) where you have the photographer scan your card, and your photo is linked. On rides, you have to get your photo linked as well, which I guess means going up to the photo kiosk and telling them you'd like it on your account. (This is wonderful because I love those candid ride photos!) The price you're paying for the Memory Maker is what lets you download all of those photos to your computer. Then you can do whatever you want with them, I imagine. It is a hefty price, but compared to other services (I dare you to look at Spa prices), and considering what a convenient and personal gift this is, I think it's totally worth a splurge. (I'll definitely let you know how it works out at the end of August when we get back from our vacation!)
Dining Reservations: I have made 2 dining reservations for this trip--one was online, and one was on the phone. The online one--Character Breakfast at the Crystal Palace (with Winnie the Pooh and friends--SO EXCITED)--was a breeze. I went into my Disney account, hovered over "Things to Do," and clicked on "Make Reservation" under "Dining."
I chose the Crystal Palace, put in the date and time I wanted, and clicked "Find a Table." They showed me what times were available, and I chose from that. Went through the payment process and it linked to my itinerary! Just like that! It is wonderful and efficient.
The phone was wonderful as well--they do all the legwork for you (or, I guess in this case, fingerwork). I called, was transferred to Dining, and asked about the Afternoon Tea at the Garden View Tea Room in the Grand Floridian (I saw on the website it has temporarily relocated to Citrico's Lounge, also at the Grand Floridian, which is why I wanted to speak to someone about my reservation and make sure they are still offering the full tea service). I asked if we would still have "tea" even though the website said the tea service was between 2pm and 5pm, and the only available reservation was at 1:10pm. She said yes, the regular adult tea service would be available, not the children's one (which is fine for us!), and booked it for me very quickly, and linked it to My Disney Experience. When we got off the phone it was sitting there in my itinerary without me lifting a finger!
I am sure I'll be using the Chat and phone systems further down the line, and I'm not worried at all! Disney really knows how to do customer service.
