This is another guest post by my friend Alexia.  Alexia is a Disney Vacation Specialist with Destinations in Florida.  When she is not helping plan magical vacations, you can find her on Facebook and Twitter.  Click here to contact her and she’ll help you find the best rates for your magical vacation!

If you are anything like me, you pack your entire medicine cabinet and enough Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer to last your family a year when you go on vacation.  As much as you think you are prepared, illness and/or injuries could happen at any time.  Here is everything you need to know about how to handle when sickness or injuries strike at Disney World:

If you suffer from a minor illness or injury such as a headache, upset stomach, runny nose, or blister while at the parks, head to the first-aid station. These first-aid stations are staffed by licensed nurses who can give you over the counter medicines, bandages, ice packs, etc. for free.  At the Magic Kingdom, the first-aid station is located at the end of Main Street, between Casey’s Corner and Crystal Palace.  At Epcot, the first-aid station is located at Odyssey Center, between Future World and World Showcase.  At Hollywood Studios, the first-aid station is located at Guest Relations building on Hollywood Boulevard.  At Animal Kingdom, the first-aid station is located at Discovery Island, behind Creature Comforts.  At Typhoon Lagoon, the first-aid station is located behind Leaning Palms.  At Blizzard Beach, the first-aid station is located between Lottawatta Lodge and Beach Haus.

If you suffer from a minor illness or injury while at your resort, the resort gift shop should have everything you need.  If it is late and the gift shop is not open, call the front desk.  They will usually open up the shop for you so you can get what you need.  Although I cannot confirm this, I have heard many people say that they were given what they needed from the gift shop for free if they asked for it when the shop was closed.

If you suffer from a moderate illness or injury such as an ear infection or persistent fever while at the parks, head to the first-aid station or alert a cast member.  They can call one of the local Urgent Care Centers for you.  Both Buena Vista Urgent Care and Centra Care are close and offer a complimentary shuttle service to and from the Disney property.  The shuttle service will usually stop at Walgreen’s for you as well if you need to fill a prescription.

If you suffer from a moderate illness or injury while at your resort, call the front desk.  Again, they can call one of the Urgent Care Centers for you.  If you do not want to leave your resort (and are willing to pay for it), the front desk can have a doctor come to your hotel room.  Doctors on Call Service (Docs) will send a licensed physician to your resort to treat you.

If you suffer from a major illness or injury while in the parks, call 9-1-1 or alert the nearest cast member.  They will call the Disney paramedics (yes, Disney does actually have paramedics) who are usually on the scene in less than five minutes.  The Disney ambulance will transport you to the nearest hospital, which is Florida Hospital Celebration Health.

If you suffer from a major illness or injury while at your resort, call 9-1-1 or call the front desk.  Again, the Disney paramedics will arrive and transport you to Florida Hospital Celebration Health.

One of the many things I love about Walt Disney World is the fact that the cast members go above and beyond to take care of the guests.  I have heard many stories of guests needing to take a cab back to their resort from the hospital, only to be reimbursed by the front desk when they return.  I have also heard many stories of guests returning to their resort from the hospital or urgent care to balloons and stuffed animals waiting for them just to try to spread a little Disney magic during a difficult time.

Have you ever had a medical emergency while at Disney World?  Did the cast members take care of you and your family?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

For past posts about Disney, click here.

This is another guest post by my friend Alexia.  Alexia is a Disney Vacation Specialist with Destinations in Florida.  When she is not helping plan magical vacations, you can find her on Facebook and Twitter.  Click here to contact her and she’ll help you find the best rates for your magical vacation!  

One thing I love about staying onsite at Walt Disney World is the free transportation systems.  There is no need to drive or rent a car unless you choose to do so.  Here is an overview of the Walt Disney World transportation options:

To and from the airport:  If you fly into MCO (Orlando International Airport), make sure you sign up for Disney’s Magical Express Service.  A few weeks before your check in date, you will receive a voucher and luggage tags in the mail.  Once you arrive in Orlando, head straight to Magical Express.  No need to pick up your luggage from baggage claim!  Disney will do it for you and deliver your luggage to your room.  One thing to note:  It can take up to three hours for your luggage to be delivered, so be sure you have everything you need for the day in your carry-on bags.

If you drive to Disney World:  Parking at all Disney resorts, Disney parks, and Downtown Disney is free if you are staying on the Disney property.  I live just south of Nashville, TN, and we always drive to Disney World.  It takes about 12 hours for us to get there.  Once we are there, the last thing we want to do is more driving, so I love knowing that we can just park our car at the hotel and use Disney transportation to go everywhere on the Disney property!

From the value resorts:  If you are staying at All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, All-Star Movies, Pop Century, or Art of Animation, the buses are your only transportation option.  Buses run to Downtown Disney, Disney Water Parks, Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports, and the four Disney parks.  If you plan on visiting another resort, you will need to take a bus to one of the parks or Downtown Disney and then switch busses to the resort you are visiting.  Buses usually begin an hour and a half before the parks open and run until about two hours after the parks close.

From the moderate resorts:  Like the value resorts, Caribbean Beach Resort and Coronado Springs Resort only offer buses as your transportation option.  Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter also offer a ferry boat to and from Downtown Disney.  The Cabins at Fort Wilderness also offers a water taxi to and from the Magic Kingdom.

From the deluxe resorts:  Animal Kingdom Lodge only offers buses as your transportation option.  Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, Polynesian Resort, and Wilderness Lodge also offer a water taxi to and from the Magic Kingdom.  Disney’s Boardwalk Inn and Villas, Beach Club, Yacht Club, Swan, and Dolphin all offer boats to and from Epcot and Hollywood Studios.  Old Key West and Sarasota Springs offer a ferry boat to and from Downtown Disney.  Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, and Polynesian Resort all offer the Monorail to and from the Magic Kingdom.

If you plan on visiting other theme parks during your stay:  Universal Studios offers a round trip transfer ticket option as well.  This ticket option includes a shuttle to Universal Studios, one day base ticket to either Universal Studios or Island of Adventure, and a shuttle back to your Disney resort.  If you plan on visiting Sea World, Legoland, or else not on the Disney Property, you will need to drive.

What are your thoughts of the Disney Transportation system?  Are you a fan or do you prefer to drive?

This is another guest post by my friend Alexia.  Alexia is a Disney Vacation Specialist with Destinations in Florida.  When she is not helping plan magical vacations, you can find her on Facebook and Twitter.  Click here to contact her and she’ll help you find the best rates for your magical vacation!  

Last week we discussed the Epcot Food and Wine Festival which takes place in the fall. Did you know that Epcot also hosts a spring festival called the Flower and Garden Festival? Today we will go over Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival’s highlights and what to expect from this event.

The Epcot Flower and Garden Festival takes place on select dates March through May. For 2014, the event will be held March 5, 2014 to May 18, 2014. This event is included in the price of admission of Epcot. Not much information for the 2014 festival has been released, but here is what we know so far and what to expect based on the past events.

Goofy, Donald Duck, and Daisy Duck will be present in topiary form as they celebrate spring with a butterfly hunt adventure in the Epcot front entrance garden. Whimsical topiaries of Mickey Mouse and other Disney character favorites will surprise guests beyond the park’s iconic Spaceship Earth. More than 100 topiaries, 220 floating mini-gardens, dozens of flower towers and sweeping beds of multi-colored blooms will add floral splendor to the park landscape.

At the Festival Center, daily interactive gardening seminars will set the stage for outdoor do-it-yourself inspiration, and popular HGTV celebrities will headline weekend seminars filled with home, garden and design ideas. Personally, I would love to attend one of these. I seem to have a black thumb instead of a green one. I think I have found every way possible to kill a plant!

Back by demand, the Cars garden and playground will bring Lightening McQueen, Mater, and friends to life. Tinker Bell’s Butterfly House will feature hundreds of the butterflies and intricate fairy topiaries including Tinker Bell and Periwinkle.
Musical entertainment pairs brilliantly with the breathtaking botanicals during the nightly Flower Power Concert Series. The diverse lineup of performers include popular musicians of the 1960s and 1970s. The opening weekend Flower Power Concert Series at America Gardens Theatre will present fan-favorite band The Guess Who March 7-9. Other pop acts set to perform include Chubby Checker & the Wildcats, The Village People, Paul Revere & The Raiders and Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone.

Similar to the Food and Wine Festival, the Flower and Garden Festival will feature Garden Marketplaces at the World Showcase for the second year. Although there are not as many marketplaces as there are at the Food and Wine Festival, the Flower and Garden Festival Garden Marketplaces feature flavors from around the world using only the freshest and highest quality ingredients. Fan favorites from last year include shrimp and stone ground grits from the Florida Fresh Marketplace, tarte à la ratatouille et fromage de chèvre (zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, onions and tomato tart with goat cheese) from the L’Orangerie Marketplace, baked goat’s brie with kumquat chutney from The Cottage Marketplace, and Dole Whip with Siesta Key spiced rum from the Pineapple Promenade Marketplace.

Have you been to the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival? What are your thoughts?