AAA Traveler - Summer 2015 - 7

YOUR STORY
or Judy Fry it was the dream vacation: a
week immersed in the magic of Walt Disney
World® Resort. The hitch was that her
husband, Dan Girvan, wasn't crazy about the idea.
However, for their 30th wedding anniversary Dan
conceded and the couple talked it over with Jennifer
Steinheiser, a Travel Specialist at AAA Travel's Charlotte
W.T. Harris office. They booked the trip and drove to
Orlando. Disney fans won't be surprised at the outcome:
Dan was just as thrilled as Judy and is ready to go back
for another visit."I'd been bugging him for years, and it
just wasn't something he wanted to do," said Judy, who
visited California's Disneyland® in the 1960s and Walt
Disney World® Resort in 1980 before
her marriage to Dan. She never
forgot the parks. "I just thought
they were the most magical
places in the world."

IMAGE: DEBORAH TRIPLETT

Perfectly Planned

Not only was the couple
celebrating a special anniversary
but it was the first real vacation for
Judy, 61, a nurse midwife in Manning,
South Carolina, and Dan, 64, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot,
in all their years of marriage. Most of their free time is spent
visiting far-flung family members, including their children
and grandchildren.
Judy also had her own doubts. She wasn't sure that a
couple in their 60s visiting Walt Disney World® Resort
without children would fit in. However, within minutes of
arrival at the Port Orleans Resort - Riverside, a romantic
hotel with a Southern hospitality theme, they knew AAA's
Steinheiser had steered them to the right place. "Jennifer
was just awesome. She found out what our budget was and
took into account our age and that we were going without
kids. It isn't a huge resort and although there were a fair
number of kids, it was quiet at night."
Steinheiser, who specializes in Disney vacations and is
on top of the latest Disney offerings, said she wasn't surprised by the outcome and Girvan's enthusiasm.
"It's a minority, but I've booked a fair amount of
honeymoon couples and couples without children who
go year after year. Adults just love Disney, too. This
was a unique situation because the husband was not as
excited. But it turned out that he loved it."
Steinheiser recommended steps to make the vacation
hassle-free. The couple visited during a less crowded time,
just after spring break, and arranged their park visits on

weekdays to ensure even shorter waits at major attractions. She also urged them to use the website touringplans.
com, which is a free perk for AAA Members.
"It's a very good planning tool," said Steinheiser. "The
people who created it put tons of time and energy into it.
You can find detailed itineraries and information on rides,
restaurant menus, insider tips and tricks - anything that
you can think of. There's also an app for your phone that
tells you at that moment which rides are the busiest."
With Steinheiser's help, Judy planned details weeks
ahead of departure, making restaurant reservations and
ordering MagicBands, Disney's wrist bands that take the
place of tickets and allow guests to check into their hotel,
enter the parks, use their FASTPASS+®
at attractions and rides and charge
food and merchandise to their
rooms, simply by touching the
band to a sensor.
"The MagicBands are used
for practically everything,"
said Steinheiser. "It's the room
key and park pass and dining
plan, if you have that. It works great
because guests get them in the mail
before their trip and they're ready to go when they arrive
at the parks."
The couple's Disney FASTPASS+® allowed them to
schedule their visits to attractions, rides and reserve
spots at special viewing areas for fireworks and parades
up to 60 days before their trip.
Judy and her husband took advantage of the planning
tools for their six nights at Port Orleans and four full days
in the parks, getting the most out of Epcot®, Animal
Kingdom®, Hollywood Studios® and Magic Kingdom® .
With advance reservations they dined at
popular restaurants, including Le Cellier Steakhouse in
the Canada Pavilion at Epcot® and Yak & Yeti, a
Nepalese-themed Asian restaurant in the Animal
Kingdom®.
"We were exhausted when we got home but we
wanted to take full advantage of every day," said Judy.
"My favorite ride was the Twilight Zone Tower of
TerrorTM in Hollywood Studios®. I never thought I'd like
scary rides but I loved it."

Mouse ears come in all sizes.
Call 1-800-750-5386 or visit your AAA office to
speak with a AAA Travel Specialist and start
planning your custom vacation.
TRAVELER SUMMER 2015

AAA Traveler - Summer 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AAA Traveler - Summer 2015