Kingdom Konsultant Travel Blog

The Swan and Dolphin Resorts are just slightly off the beaten path, but offer a ton of great dining establishments worth a visit.  On my recent trip, we were able to secure a same-day reservation for Il Mulino at the Swan and thought it was the perfect opportunity to give a new restaurant a try.  This isn't the only location of this restaurant in the country as the original location can be found in NYC and it has quite a following for great Italian food. We had dinner on the early side because we had places to be later that night. So when we arrived, it was very empty in the restaurant. The restaurant itself is spacious and upscale. A great retreat from the busy park dining options. The décor was really just lovely and sophisticated, perfect for a date night or quiet retreat.  It did fill in as we dined but it stayed a nice retreat, never getting quite as hectic as many Disney establishments tend. Our meal started with an eggplant amuse bouche which was a nice touch. Eggp...

Since Disney discontinued their complimentary Magical Express service in January of 2022, guests have had to turn to alternative transportation options from the Orlando International Airport to their Disney Resort Hotel. The Disney Magical Express service was so convenient and a great benefit of staying on property. I know I was extremely sad to see the service go but hey, it was great while it lasted!  Guests looking for a new ground transportation option don't have to look far. Mears, the same company that used to operate Disney's Magical Express, introduced their new service, Mears Connect. Although the service may have a new name and price, Mears offers the same safe and reliable service guests have been using for years. In fact, if you use Mears Connect on your next vacation, it may look very familiar.  Mears offers two service options; Standard and Express. The Standard service is a shared shuttle service with monitored wait times and limited stops at at other Disney Res...

Is it possible to get into Space 220 without a reservation?  Yes, but it isn't easy!  Here's how we secured a last-minute ride into space. We walked around Mission Space to find a short line but no Cast Members to be seen. We asked people in line if that was the line for Space 220 and they said yes so we got in. It was unclear that the line was “closed” so about 15 or so minutes later a CM finally showed up and kicked us out of line. She said it’s closed and she doesn’t know when it will reopen but unofficially, “hover”. Once you are in the line it’s an estimated 90-120 minute wait. That’s a long time but we didn’t really have anything else to do on this particular day. So we did hover and sit on the ground for a little while near the line.  There are no benches and not really any shade so it isn't the most pleasant experience. The Cast Member returned and reopened the line about an hour later and we hopped on in along with a few others that were hovering. But, a couple h...