Disney Vacation (3 Viewers)

[Osaurus]

I was not trying to imply that the quality of Italian Food at EPCOT is bad rather that IMO going out for Italian food is a waste of unless you are going somehwere special for the real deal which I do not think EPCOT has. Don't overlook the restaurants at DD if you have the chance. Raglan Rose is very good as is Fulton's (pricey). There's also an Italian place there as well. HTH.

 

[Disco Stu]

Some food notes from this trip...

We're fans of Morocco. Ate at both Restaurant Marrakesh and Tangerine Cafe this trip (two different days). My son loves lamb now. We made the Marrakesh reservation that morning for a late lunch. There were plenty of empty tables, so that wasn't necessary. The roasted lamb is great, as is the baklava. The belly dancer is an added bonus. Tangerine Cafe is probably our favorite counter service anywhere. Lamb wraps are basically gyros.

Somehow this was our first time stopping at Boulangerie Patisserie in France. I guess because it's tucked back there mostly out of sight. Won't make that mistake again. Great place for a snack. Might try it for a light lunch next time.

Toluca Legs Turkey Co. at Hollywood Studios was a pleasant surprise. Can't go wrong with a turkey leg, but the BBQ pork sandwich was also very good.

At Animal Kingdom we always eat at Flame Tree BBQ. But now that we know there's a better BBQ sandwich at Toluca, we may look for another option next time.

Magic Kingdom is mainly good for snacks - cinnamon roll at Main St Bakery and Dole Whip at Aloha Isle are traditions. This trip we also enjoyed Auntie Gravity's pretzel filled with sweet cream cheese.

Dinner at Ohana was a great way to close out the trip. My only minor complaint is that the waves of food hit too quickly in the beginning. I need more time with the wings and dumplings before meat starts getting piled on my plate. The pork was a little dry, but the peanut sauce makes everything better. I didn't remember the noodles being as good as they were. I ate a ton of steak and shrimp and had to dig deep to find room for the dessert, which is amazing.

Just realized my 8 year-old son didn't order off the kids' menu once the entire trip. My 4 year-old niece ate a hot dog at Ohana. But her little sister went to town and was free (under 3), so it worked out.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

Dinner at Ohana was a great way to close out the trip. My only minor complaint is that the waves of food hit too quickly in the beginning. I need more time with the wings and dumplings before meat starts getting piled on my plate. The pork was a little dry, but the peanut sauce makes everything better. I didn't remember the noodles being as good as they were. I ate a ton of steak and shrimp and had to dig deep to find room for the dessert, which is amazing.Just realized my 8 year-old son didn't order off the kids' menu once the entire trip. My 4 year-old niece ate a hot dog at Ohana. But her little sister went to town and was free (under 3), so it worked out.

See. It's not empty hyperbole. O'hana is awesome.

 

[FUBAR]

My wife has strict instructions to book Ohana the first day we are allowed to make reservations.

Italian food is a must also. How are the two Italian restaurants in Epcot?

Very good.

Even better than Olive Garden? [/woz]

Olive Garden is to Italian food like Pizza Hut is to pizza fat girls are to sex. Might be servicable if you have no taste or pride......

Aside from my wife, the best performance I've ever enjoyed was a fat girl.

 

[RBM]

5 nights without Italian is unheard of for my family, so we will probably try that Tutto Italia. I will not expect the quality of some of the local stuff here in Jersey/NYC, but I also do not expect Olive Garden/Macaroni Grill level.

 

[Short Corner]

My wife has strict instructions to book Ohana the first day we are allowed to make reservations.

Italian food is a must also. How are the two Italian restaurants in Epcot?

Very good.

Even better than Olive Garden? [/woz]

Olive Garden is to Italian food like Pizza Hut is to pizza fat girls are to sex. Might be servicable if you have no taste or pride......

Aside from my wife, the best performance I've ever enjoyed was a fat girl.

Fat chicks try harder.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

My wife has strict instructions to book Ohana the first day we are allowed to make reservations.

Italian food is a must also. How are the two Italian restaurants in Epcot?

Very good.

Even better than Olive Garden? [/woz]

Olive Garden is to Italian food like Pizza Hut is to pizza fat girls are to sex. Might be servicable if you have no taste or pride......

Aside from my wife, the best performance I've ever enjoyed was a fat girl.

Fat chicks try harder.

I'm sure some of the good people at Olive Garden try plenty hard, too. But I'm not eating their enthusiasm either.

 

[Disco Stu]

Of all the threads...

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Better?

 

[Foosball God]

GB Sac

 

[Disco Stu]

Better?

I was trying to reply to the "fat chicks try harder" post. Olive Garden talk is perfectly acceptable GB.

 

[GreekFreak]

5 nights without Italian is unheard of for my family, so we will probably try that Tutto Italia. I will not expect the quality of some of the local stuff here in Jersey/NYC, but I also do not expect Olive Garden/Macaroni Grill level.

Skip Tutto and eat at Via napoli.The pizza is the best I've had in a long time(could even be better what you have in Jersey) and the other food is great.

 

[Lehigh98]

About 60 hours away from landing in Orlando for first Disney trip in 20 years.

Still trying to decide what the wife and I will do for our night out without kids.

What do you think from the following options?

- Drink around the world at Epcot, dinner at LeCelier ~8pm.

- Drink and eat (try various foods for "dinner") around the world at Epcot.

- Late dinner at California Grill ~9:30 for 10:00 fireworks.

- Dinner at O'Hana ~9:00 (pretty much our only chance to try it)

- Other suggestions?

(Didn't get to make decent reservations because we didn't know about the 6 month backup until it was too late, we booked the trip later than that anyway)

If we do a late dinner, ideas for activities/drinks beforehand?

Not sure if we'll just hit a WDW park or show (fireworks, phantasmagoria?) w/o kids to see what its like.

 

[Disco Stu]

5 nights without Italian is unheard of for my family, so we will probably try that Tutto Italia. I will not expect the quality of some of the local stuff here in Jersey/NYC, but I also do not expect Olive Garden/Macaroni Grill level.

Skip Tutto and eat at Via napoli.The pizza is the best I've had in a long time(could even be better what you have in Jersey) and the other food is great.

My parents sent a picture from their Napoli lunch yesterday. Pizza looked really good and huge.Today is their 21st (and final) day in the parks during this month long trip. Wish I was retired...

 

[Disco Stu]

About 60 hours away from landing in Orlando for first Disney trip in 20 years.Still trying to decide what the wife and I will do for our night out without kids.What do you think from the following options?- Drink around the world at Epcot, dinner at LeCelier ~8pm.- Drink and eat (try various foods for "dinner") around the world at Epcot. - Late dinner at California Grill ~9:30 for 10:00 fireworks.- Dinner at O'Hana ~9:00 (pretty much our only chance to try it)- Other suggestions?(Didn't get to make decent reservations because we didn't know about the 6 month backup until it was too late, we booked the trip later than that anyway)If we do a late dinner, ideas for activities/drinks beforehand? Not sure if we'll just hit a WDW park or show (fireworks, phantasmagoria?) w/o kids to see what its like.

Epcot is the way to go for a night without kids. Walking around the countries, drinks, doing something low-key like the film in France, etc. If Le Cellier is booked, try another country. And then watch IllumiNations.

 

[Foosball God]

My step mother in law scored a huge one for us. She gets these mailings from Disney and got one offering up a free basic meal plan. We all have the deluxe plan but our Disney planner was able to apply the discount and we just have to pay the difference for the deluxe plan. Saved us almost $1000 per family.

 

[snogger]

My step mother in law scored a huge one for us. She gets these mailings from Disney and got one offering up a free basic meal plan. We all have the deluxe plan but our Disney planner was able to apply the discount and we just have to pay the difference for the deluxe plan. Saved us almost $1000 per family.

Got the same e-mail. But WAY too early for us as we won't be returning until December of 2012. Should be back home though before December 21st..

 

[Bob Sacamano]

My step mother in law scored a huge one for us. She gets these mailings from Disney and got one offering up a free basic meal plan. We all have the deluxe plan but our Disney planner was able to apply the discount and we just have to pay the difference for the deluxe plan. Saved us almost $1000 per family.

Got the same e-mail. But WAY too early for us as we won't be returning until December of 2012. Should be back home though before December 21st..

Mind passing it along?

 

[Bob Sacamano]

BTW: If you access Undercover Tourist through This link to buy your tickets, you can save an extra couple of bucks. Nothing major, but it's $5 you can use on a stick of gum in the park.

 

[snogger]

My step mother in law scored a huge one for us. She gets these mailings from Disney and got one offering up a free basic meal plan. We all have the deluxe plan but our Disney planner was able to apply the discount and we just have to pay the difference for the deluxe plan. Saved us almost $1000 per family.

Got the same e-mail. But WAY too early for us as we won't be returning until December of 2012. Should be back home though before December 21st..

Mind passing it along?

I thought it was just a "normal" offer for all so I deleted it and emptied my trash.. Sorry.. Next time I'll save any offers and post before deleting.

 

[Foosball God]

My step mother in law scored a huge one for us. She gets these mailings from Disney and got one offering up a free basic meal plan. We all have the deluxe plan but our Disney planner was able to apply the discount and we just have to pay the difference for the deluxe plan. Saved us almost $1000 per family.

Got the same e-mail. But WAY too early for us as we won't be returning until December of 2012. Should be back home though before December 21st..

Mind passing it along?

I thought it was just a "normal" offer for all so I deleted it and emptied my trash.. Sorry.. Next time I'll save any offers and post before deleting.

I'll see if I can get the PIN number from my SMIL Sac.

 

[Dr. Doofenshmirtz]

Sexy mother in law?

 

[Foosball God]

Sexy mother in law?

Step Mother in Law. Sorry to burst your bubble Doof.

 

[GreekFreak]

Is staying at one of the resorts in downtown Disney a negative? We are looking at Old Key West and Saratoga Springs, but feel like being in the Epcot or Magic Kingdom area by the monorail would be much better/easier.

Same thinking applies for Animal Kingdom.

If you decide to stay at a DVC resort, try renting points from owners. It may be cheaper than booking thru disney.A few people I know used this site http://www.dvcrequest.com/default.asp and had good luck renting points.

We used this site and booked a 2 bedroom at Beach Club Villas for November saved quite a bit of money. Bringing my parents along so the 2 bedroom was perfect. Daughters will be 3 and 1 by then, cant wait.Thanks Geek for the tip.

 

[JaxBill]

About 60 hours away from landing in Orlando for first Disney trip in 20 years.Still trying to decide what the wife and I will do for our night out without kids.What do you think from the following options?- Drink around the world at Epcot, dinner at LeCelier ~8pm.- Drink and eat (try various foods for "dinner") around the world at Epcot. - Late dinner at California Grill ~9:30 for 10:00 fireworks.- Dinner at O'Hana ~9:00 (pretty much our only chance to try it)- Other suggestions?(Didn't get to make decent reservations because we didn't know about the 6 month backup until it was too late, we booked the trip later than that anyway)If we do a late dinner, ideas for activities/drinks beforehand? Not sure if we'll just hit a WDW park or show (fireworks, phantasmagoria?) w/o kids to see what its like.

Hope the weather clears out for you.there's been a rain band going across I-4 for the last few days. I feel bad for those who booked their Spring Break trip this week.

 

[Osaurus]

Tornado watch about to expire on West side of I-4. It will be back to normal shortly.

 

[RBM]

Is staying at one of the resorts in downtown Disney a negative? We are looking at Old Key West and Saratoga Springs, but feel like being in the Epcot or Magic Kingdom area by the monorail would be much better/easier.

Same thinking applies for Animal Kingdom.

If you decide to stay at a DVC resort, try renting points from owners. It may be cheaper than booking thru disney.A few people I know used this site http://www.dvcrequest.com/default.asp and had good luck renting points.

We used this site and booked a 2 bedroom at Beach Club Villas for November saved quite a bit of money. Bringing my parents along so the 2 bedroom was perfect. Daughters will be 3 and 1 by then, cant wait.Thanks Geek for the tip.

Sorry about that

 

[schlesinj]

Great thread, I have been lurking for a while and now we are strongly considering a trip for my family of 6 (includes my 4 kids 7, 5, 3 and 1.5) to Disney in starting Wed, October 5th for 7 days. My wife and I were last at the park while right before our oldest was born.

We plan on staying at the Contemporary and it appears this would be the only shot at staying there since my youngest is under 2 at the time. My wife and I both vacationed there when we were kids and wow has it changed. We are thinking about not getting any dinning plan as the kids are not huge eaters and we do not want to be tied to any specific places. Does that make any sense or does it save a ton of money if we did?

We are talking to a travel agent who is getting us prices. Should we be paying for this separately or get it all packaged? Do we need park hoppers? We have a Disney credit card and have over 1,500 points, so we plan on using to either cover the ticket or for food/stuff.

Any other thought prior to purchasing? Thanks.

 

[Shaft41]

Great thread, I have been lurking for a while and now we are strongly considering a trip for my family of 6 (includes my 4 kids 7, 5, 3 and 1.5) to Disney in starting Wed, October 5th for 7 days. My wife and I were last at the park while right before our oldest was born. We plan on staying at the Contemporary and it appears this would be the only shot at staying there since my youngest is under 2 at the time. My wife and I both vacationed there when we were kids and wow has it changed. We are thinking about not getting any dinning plan as the kids are not huge eaters and we do not want to be tied to any specific places. Does that make any sense or does it save a ton of money if we did? We are talking to a travel agent who is getting us prices. Should we be paying for this separately or get it all packaged? Do we need park hoppers? We have a Disney credit card and have over 1,500 points, so we plan on using to either cover the ticket or for food/stuff. Any other thought prior to purchasing? Thanks.

I have 5 kids, so I know your dilemma about not getting the dining plan because the kids don't eat a lot. (We got free dining for this summer, so, fortunately, that decision was made for us.) But you might want to think about the dining plan if you want to do character meals. Meals like Cinderella's Royal Table or the Akershus Banquet Hall can get real pricey real fast, especially for dinner. Doing a few character meals makes the dining plan more than worth it. If you're just going to do fast food type meals, then I would skip the dining plan.

 

[Turk Tide]

Great thread, I have been lurking for a while and now we are strongly considering a trip for my family of 6 (includes my 4 kids 7, 5, 3 and 1.5) to Disney in starting Wed, October 5th for 7 days. My wife and I were last at the park while right before our oldest was born. We plan on staying at the Contemporary and it appears this would be the only shot at staying there since my youngest is under 2 at the time. My wife and I both vacationed there when we were kids and wow has it changed. We are thinking about not getting any dinning plan as the kids are not huge eaters and we do not want to be tied to any specific places. Does that make any sense or does it save a ton of money if we did? We are talking to a travel agent who is getting us prices. Should we be paying for this separately or get it all packaged? Do we need park hoppers? We have a Disney credit card and have over 1,500 points, so we plan on using to either cover the ticket or for food/stuff. Any other thought prior to purchasing? Thanks.

I would suggest the dining plan. We (me, wife, 2 kids) would split 2 meals for breakfast and 2 more for lunch(counter service). Shared snacks throughout the day. Used some of the counter service credits the way for a couple of dinners. Allowed us to save the dinners for the dinner at the castle and teh hoop de do review dinner show (both are 2 dinner credits per person).

 

[ditka85]

I need some FBG assistance.

During our stay last year, my wife fell in love with the almond croissants at Boulangerie Patisserie in France. I tried contacting them to see if they would ship out a dozen for mother's day but no go.

If one of you fine people are going to Epcot soon, I'd handsomely pay you for the trouble of grabbing a dozen and shipping them to me. PM me if you are willing and we can work this out. Thanks!!

 

[El Floppo]

Should I start a new thread or just post here... dunno. Posting here...

Pregant wife, 3 yo son and I will be going to Orlando in May- 5 days.

The wife is looking at the Caribbean Hotel in Disneyworld proper (does that sound right?)... anybody been or know anything? She says she likes that it's got a bunch of playgrounds on site that might appeal to our son (Pirates and whatnot).

Speaking for myself, this trip is pretty much only about my son and getting my wife out for one last pre-birth cheap trip to the sun (our tickets were crazily low).

We're not sure if we're even going to take our kid to Disneyworld itself- he threw at fit at PlayLand (Rye, NY) and wouldn't go near the rides... but that was last summer- maybe he's matured. So we were looking at places that had everything we might need on site (fun for him, and... a pool for us).

Are there other places that a 3yo boy would love to stay at (and that wouldn't horrify his parents)?

 

[FUBAR]

Park Hopper Passes - Are you really jumping from park to park during the day a lot?

We just returned from our trip. Monday was Magic Kingdom and Epcot - we left after Frontierland and Liberty Square because Fantasyland was too busy and we needed a break. Tuesday was Animal Kingdom and Epcot - planned it this way as AK just doesn't take a full day for us.Wednesday was Magic Kingdom. Thursday was Hollywood Studios and our resort pool. I guess we could have gone without the hoppers, but flexibility was good to have and AK/Hollywood could be either done the same day or shared with MK or Epcot easily. We spent more time in Downtown Disney than I anticipated. With the quick meal plan, Puck's is easily the best food and worth the trip over. Plus, we were staying in the Treehouse Villas and the boat ride over was nice. Nice night scene with music, the Lego tent was a hit even though the store was closed. We ate at Puck's 3 dinners and a breakfast (on a rainy day). If you have a large party and can get into the Treehouse Villas, I strongly recommend them. 3 rooms and 2 extra beds in the living room made our trip better. There were 9 in our party - me, wife, 4 sons, in-laws and sister in-law. Plus, although it takes a while to get to the parks, being away from people after a long day of bumping into them was a good thing.Toy Story in Hollywood is AWESOME! Easily the best 5 minutes of the trip. But you must get there first thing, we hit the fastpass immediately after opening and had to settle for an 11:15 fastpass, they sold out for the day less than an hour later. 90 minute wait all day on a relatively slow day. My oldest (8) loved Everest, but found Tower of Terror a little scary. Soarin' was one of the best rides, Turtle Talk with Crush an absolute must if you have kids. We got a lot more done than I thought we could. The only two things I really wanted to do that we missed were the Aerosmith Roller Coaster and Test Track. We were just spent on the last day and needed time in the pool, and with Test Track we just needed to budget more time at Epcot. We put off this trip, fearing that we'd waste our money and we're just not into canned fun, but this was great. Our boys are probably the right ages (8, 6, almost 3, and 3.5 months) Our youngest obviously couldn't do much, and the 3 year old missed a lot of things but there was plenty for him and he loved the characters. I don't remember seeing his face quite as lit up as when he met Buzz Lightyear. We will be back before another 20 years pass (probably in 5).

 

[GreekFreak]

I just tried to make a bunch of reservations at 180 days out at everything I wanted was booked solid.

 

[The foo]

I just tried to make a bunch of reservations at 180 days out at everything I wanted was booked solid.

What time did you try? I am 180 tomorrow.

 

[snogger]

I just tried to make a bunch of reservations at 180 days out at everything I wanted was booked solid.

This is where using one of the Travel Agents come in VERY Handy. Last time we went, we discussed with her 3 months before reservations could be made (6 months before our trip) the days and times we were looking for. She got all but one within the time frame we wanted. The one she couldn't get that day, she was able to get for us 3 weeks later as she just kept checking for any openings and found one for us.

 

[Sinn Fein]

We are going this week, and aside from one character breakfast, I don't think we have a single reservation.

I hope we don't go hungry...

 

[belljr]

We are going this week, and aside from one character breakfast, I don't think we have a single reservation. I hope we don't go hungry...

We had Zero and manged to survive. Don't think we actually ate dinner in the park once.

 

[Sinn Fein]

I have read some of this thread, but this is a last minute vacation for us - I have a conference I will be attending the first part of this week, then doing disney the last part of the week. For our first trip we are really winging it, I guess we were lucky to get a character breakfast - albeit not at the Castle - on short notice.

Has anyone used TouringPlans.com? Thats not Ham's Wife's site is it? We have younger/smaller kids - so I was interested in the itineraries for families with young kids.

Also - three days - Magic Kingdom is a given, but, how would you split Epcot and Hollywood studios? I think Animal Kingdom is out this trip, though my older daughter is really into Dinosaurs these days. Maybe a half day?

Could we do Epcot and Hollywood studios in a single day - are the both worth it? I think we are going to Epcot so my wife can see the German pavilion so its a matter of what we can do in a single day.

Also - best night attraction? Fireworks at MK, Illuminations at Epcot, or Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios?

 

[GreekFreak]

I have read some of this thread, but this is a last minute vacation for us - I have a conference I will be attending the first part of this week, then doing disney the last part of the week. For our first trip we are really winging it, I guess we were lucky to get a character breakfast - albeit not at the Castle - on short notice.

Has anyone used TouringPlans.com? Thats not Ham's Wife's site is it? We have younger/smaller kids - so I was interested in the itineraries for families with young kids.

Wife uses it and said its great.

Also - three days - Magic Kingdom is a given, but, how would you split Epcot and Hollywood studios? I think Animal Kingdom is out this trip, though my older daughter is really into Dinosaurs these days. Maybe a half day?

Could we do Epcot and Hollywood studios in a single day - are the both worth it? I think we are going to Epcot so my wife can see the German pavilion so its a matter of what we can do in a single day.

Animal kingdom and Hollywood Studios can be done in a day.

Also - best night attraction? Fireworks at MK, Illuminations at Epcot, or Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios?

Fantasmic is ok, but I prefer the fireworks and night parades at MK.

 

[Disco Stu]

Also - three days - Magic Kingdom is a given, but, how would you split Epcot and Hollywood studios? I think Animal Kingdom is out this trip, though my older daughter is really into Dinosaurs these days. Maybe a half day?

Some here disagree, but I don't think you can really enjoy any two parks in a single day. Maybe if your kids are small... skipping Expedition Everest, Rock 'n Roller Coaster, etc.The Park Hopper adds $50 per ticket. Not worth it for just a three day trip imo.

Just skip Animal Kingdom and do a day each at the other three parks. AK really doesn't have much in the way of Dinosaurs. One ride that's too intense for younger kids, and a midway area that is "dinosaur themed". Get her dinosaur fix at Epcot's Energy Adventure instead.

Or if your kids like animals, skip Hollywood Studios. AK is probably better for little kids. Lion King and Finding Nemo are the two best shows in WDW imo, parades and fireworks included.

 

[FBGirl79]

I have read some of this thread, but this is a last minute vacation for us - I have a conference I will be attending the first part of this week, then doing disney the last part of the week. For our first trip we are really winging it, I guess we were lucky to get a character breakfast - albeit not at the Castle - on short notice.

Has anyone used TouringPlans.com? Thats not Ham's Wife's site is it? We have younger/smaller kids - so I was interested in the itineraries for families with young kids.

Also - three days - Magic Kingdom is a given, but, how would you split Epcot and Hollywood studios? I think Animal Kingdom is out this trip, though my older daughter is really into Dinosaurs these days. Maybe a half day?

Could we do Epcot and Hollywood studios in a single day - are the both worth it? I think we are going to Epcot so my wife can see the German pavilion so its a matter of what we can do in a single day.

Also - best night attraction? Fireworks at MK, Illuminations at Epcot, or Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios?

I love Touring Plans. I have paid the past two years and it is worth it (I think it is only about $10) for one year. I don't use it for the itinerary because I like to make our own but I do use the crowd calendar to plan our days as to what parks are the best. I also use their lines app on my blackberry and you can look while you are in the parks to see what the wait time is on various rides. It is nice if it is busy so you don't have to leave a particular area and trek to another only to find that the wait is way too long for your or out of Fastpasses. Likewise it is great to look at while waiting in line (although with proper planning you can avoid most long lines) to find a lull in a line elsewhere and hit that up with little to no wait. I'm not sure how to suggest to split your time up bc Animal Kingdom is one of my favorite parks and I like to spend 2 days there whereas Epcot is 1/2 a day park to me. If I were to rank the parks for me it would be Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios (although I could spend an entire day doing Toy Story Mania and the Animation Studio) then Epcot. For your children and nighttime attractions, I would say the Electrical Parade and Fireworks at MK. I like illuminations and Fantasmic I have seen once didn't really love it.

My best advice would be to try to come up with a list of the top things you want to do and see, hit the most important first and go down your list and try to take your time to let your kids meet characters, ride something twice if they love it, etc. I think a lot of people don't like disney bc they try to cram everything in rather than slow down a little and take in the magic. Have fun!

 

[Plaid Boxer]

Touring Plans shows their crowd calendar for the 30-60 day period from current day free. Today you can see May 20-Jun 19 for free. Very handy for any trip that is not last minute. Touringplans

 

[FBGirl79]

Finally officially booked our 10 day November trip yesterday and today realized that our first 3 days will overlap with the Food & Wine Festival and the Festival of Masters so I'm expecting huge crowds. We've done F&W festival before but not the Festival of Masters. We are staying at Port Orleans and the boat goes to Downtown Disney so I'm looking foward to that. Anyone here been to the Festival of Masters before? How was it and what is it like? Any suggestions for navigating the crowds like the best time to check it out? I'm looking foward to a whole new experience this year with the Christmas Party, Osbourne Lights, Festival of Master's, etc. but still not sure about the crowds.

 

[Disco Stu]

My best advice would be to try to come up with a list of the top things you want to do and see, hit the most important first and go down your list and try to take your time to let your kids meet characters, ride something twice if they love it, etc. I think a lot of people don't like disney bc they try to cram everything in rather than slow down a little and take in the magic. Have fun!

Accept the fact that you won't see and do everything. And get there early. If you knock out most of the "big ticket" items in the first two hours, you can take the rest of the day at a relaxed pace.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Polynesian vs. Contemporary for about a $100/nt difference. Anyone have thoughts/experiences with the two?

 

[AAABatteries]

Leave this Saturday for a week at Disney with the family. After years of listening to Yankee go on about Ohana I will finally be taking the plunge. At this point I better orgasm at least twice during the meal or I'm going to feel led on.

Haven't had time to type up a trip overview but we had a blast - had to come in here and tell Yankee that I fully expected to be slightly underwhelmed but I'd be lying if I said I was - O'hana was simply fantastic. The one item that I couldn't stop talking about - the potstickers - my god I ate an entire plate of them. I only wish we lived close enough to Orlando where we could just do date night there on a regular basis.I'll try to type up the remainder of our trip later this week.

 

[Sinn Fein]

Well, we just got back from our three-day trip to Disney. Thanks for the last minute input!

Some observations (we went with 7 and 4 yo girls) :

We did not stay on the resort as this was wrapped around a business trip for me - we stayed at a hotel near the convention center, about a 20-minute drive to the park. Next time we will stay on the resort We will also be their longer - this trip was a week-long trip but we did not do Disney until Thursday-Saturday. It would have been easier to get going a little earlier, and take a mid-day break, if we were a little closer.

We initially rented a single stroller for our 4 yo, and pretty quickly realized we needed a double - easy enough to trade in. Having a stroller made it much easier to get from place to place - once you got to a location, you could park the stroller and ride/watch all the attractions in the area, but with 90+ heat, and crowds, being able to put both kids in the stroller made life much easier for everyone.

As noted, we went with young girls - so Princesses were an important part of our agenda. We did not plan the trip until about 6 weeks ago, but it might have worked out for the best - we did not get the princess breakfast at the castle, but we did get a princes breakfast at Epcot - Norway castle - and the girls had a blast. You get a staged photo shoot with Belle when you go in, and then once everyone is seated, there is an opening procession where the kids get to parade around the restaurant with the princesses, and then once you eat, the princesses all come by the table to sign autographs and take photos. Then there is a closing procession with the princesses.

Toughest line for princesses was Rapunzel - about a 90-minute wait, almost all in the sun. We passed on this the first day - but she is our older daughter's current favorite, so we knew we would tackle it later.

We did use TouringPlans as a guide, and it was helpful in planning each day, and throughout the day using the app to track wait times.

It took me about a half-day to really figure out the fastpass system, but once we did, everything was a breeze. Touringplans also was helpful in figuring out which rides you needed to get fast passes for ASAP.

We did convince both kids to ride Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain - our younger one is more adventurous, but is 40.01 inches tall, with tennis shoes and a hat - but she passed every measurement test. Turns out they loved both rides, and we rode each about 5-6 times over two days. (Although half-way through the first time on Thunder Mountain, my older child turned to me, and said: "I don't even know why they allow kids on this ride!") By the end though, she really enjoyed it. I think we rode everything in Fantasy Land, and Frontier land, and a couple of things in Adventure Land. We saw Mickey's Philharmagic - liked that. Spent some time meeting characters for photos and autographs.

Second day was intended to be split between Epcot and Hollywood studios, but we got a little bit of a late start, and by the time we got Fast Passes for Soarin' the ride time was 2:00, so with some of the other rides, and the princess breakfast/brunch - we ended up staying at Epcot for the day. Kids rode Soarin', Test Track, Living with the Land, Nemo (liked), saw Captain EO (did not like), (I got to ride the space mission ride with a fast pass, and I rode test track a couple of other times using the singe rider lane - about 20-minute wait, and we spent a bit of time touring the country pavilions - not really kid favorites, but my wife is from Germany, so she wanted to spend some time there, and we lingered in a few other countries - bonuses for seeing Rapunzel's Tower, and also getting photos with Aladin and Jasmin. Ate dinner in Mexico, and watched the evening show illuminations.

Third day started at Hollywood studios - fast pass for Toy Story (this and soarin' were the only two rides that I saw sold out of fast passes over our three days). Watched little mermaid show (Get a fast pass, since it does not count against your limit), which ended just in time to get in about a 20-minute wait for Playhouse Disney show - really recommend this if your kids watch Mickey Mouse Club playhouse, Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, Jake and the Neverland Pirates - cute live action show. Spent some time in the Honey I shrunk the kids play area. We could have spent more time here - but had to get back to MK to get in line for Rapunzel, so we left shortly after lunch.

Spent the last afternoon at MK - sent my wife to get in line for Rapunzel, while I took the girls to get fast passes for Splash Mountain - that helped pass the time. Rode some of the kid rides in fantasy land with 15-20 minute waits. Went to Tomorrow land to ride Orbiter and Buzz Lightyear - both with very small waits. Used fastpasses and short lines to ride Splash Mountain and Thunder mountain a few times - the last time we were on Thunder Mountain, the ride broke while we were on the ride, but in the station, so we got a free fast pass. Ate dinner spent some time in Adventure land, before using up last two sets of fast passes on splash mountain, and a fixed thunder mountain.

Things to do next trip - stay on the resort; stay longer, to allow for multiple days at each park. Meals were not a problem - with young kids we were not looking for a dining experience, as long as we had a place to sit, out of the sun - and we never had a problem. Water was an issue - we took water in everyday, but it did not last long - frozen lemonades were a god-send. We did not appreciate it going in - but learned quick enough, to have an autograph book for the kids. Stroller, even if you think your kids have outgrown them, is a good thing - these were long days, and getting from point A to point B was much easier with a stroller. Parks were crowded, but manageable. Use fast passes on popular rides. Some rides you have to get fastpasses for when you get to the park - but then use the down-time on rides with shorter lines. We made only one "error" - waiting in line about an hour the first day for the Winnie the Pooh ride - understood the value of the fastpass after that.

 

[Sinn Fein]

ETA - I think someone mentioned this recently, but for a short (three-day) visit - I am not sure the park-hopper option was worth it. We used it once in three days, and could easily have not used it.

I can see using it for longer stays, where you spread out the trip - but for some parks you need to be there in the morning to get the fast passes for key rides. With the extended stays - the price per day obviously drops, so that makes it easier to take, even if you only use the park-hopper 1-2 times.

 

[FBGirl79]

I can't remember if we mentioned this earlier in the thread or not but your post about bringing in water and running out quick reminded me. You can go up to any window that serves fountain drinks and ask for an ice water and it is free. You do not have to stand in line either. Most windows (snack places or actual quick service food locations) have an order line and pick up line. Just walk up to the pick up line and lean in and ask for an (1,2,3...however many you need)ice water. My husband and I usually ask for 2 each because they are small but we do this at almost every place we come across. We have never spent a dime on drinks (unless you count a Dole Whip Float as a drink )and you can stay well hydrated in the heat.

ETA-Another staying cool tip with the hot weather approaching or already there. For our trip last year we went to ****'s Sporting Goods and each picked up a Froggs Toggs Chilly Pad. We kept them in a ziplock bag in our room refrigerator at night and just tossed the bag in our backpack. They stay cool for quite a while and whenever we would stop for the restroom, we would just wash them out. On crazy hot days, we would ask for an extra icewater and soak them in that for a couple minutes.