Disney Vacation (7 Viewers)

[Yankee23Fan]

So we're waiting to meet and greet Mickey in AK when a cast member walks up to us. She compliments the Santa hats my daughter and I are wearing, and my wife's Christmas scarf. Then she asks my daughter who she likes more: Donald or Goofy. After my daughter answers "Donald" the cast member asks us, "Would you three like to ride in the Donald float in the parade today?" So yeah, we were in the Animal Kingdom parade. Technically it was the float in front of Donald's, and Timon with a few dancers were between our float and Donald's, but it was decked out in Donald garb. It was a blast. We met with our handler by Pizzafari a half-hour before the parade started and got to see the staging area for the parade. Five groups total were there, one for each of the Fab Five. They had Christmas vests for all of is to wear in the parade, and costume head wear specific to each character: Minnie had pith helmets painted like candy canes, Goofy had hats with antlers, we had snow-themed headbands/earwarmers. We put our park bags in lockers, were given earplugs to muffle the sound of the speakers right by us blaring to reach thousands of spectators, and got on our floats. We weren't allowed to take any pictures behind the scenes (I discovered this as I pulled out my camera phone to snap off a few shots of Chip, Dale, Timon, Pluto, and several dancers hanging out and stretching out for the show) but were allowed to take as many photos as we wanted on the parade route. I probably abused the privilege a little, but it's not like I get to ride in a parade float every day. It was a little tiring waving constantly for half an hour, so mixing to up with the camera agreed with my arm muscles. I did shtick it up a little: I'd wave at a group waving and taking pictures, then take a picture of them, then wave my hands close together in a "can you all squeeze in a little?" gesture. Another nice touch from Disney on this: we were given a separate Photopass card for the event, Photopass photographers were stationed along the parade route taking pictures of the guest families and the parade, and we get to download the parade photos for free. I kept expecting to have to sit through a DVC pitch or something, but this is something that happens to five families at AK every day. I wish I could offer some strategy for getting selected for this. We were told we were nominated by a character handler because we showed a lot of Christmas spirit by donning Santa hats and scarves for photos, and were nice and polite to the staff and guests around us in line. I have no idea what the general criteria is; heck I didn't even know AK did this until today.Another magical day at WDW. Universal tomorrow.

It's stuff like this that keeps us coming back to Disney. You can't put a price on that kind of stuff and they go out of their way to do it. That sounds like an awesome experience.The best magical thing we had for our son was when he was 4 or so, we were in the Studios and Fantasia Mickey had just finished his picture spot photos. We were the last ones there and they were closing the building for his break. But my son had such a blast with him that the handler and Mickey just stayed and played with him for about 10 minutes. It was a blast. Some great photos too. Never a rolled eye or a "hurry up" from the handler. Just fun all around.We've never done Universal, so good luck and have fun.

 

[ATC1]

So we're waiting to meet and greet Mickey in AK when a cast member walks up to us. She compliments the Santa hats my daughter and I are wearing, and my wife's Christmas scarf. Then she asks my daughter who she likes more: Donald or Goofy. After my daughter answers "Donald" the cast member asks us, "Would you three like to ride in the Donald float in the parade today?" So yeah, we were in the Animal Kingdom parade. Technically it was the float in front of Donald's, and Timon with a few dancers were between our float and Donald's, but it was decked out in Donald garb. It was a blast. We met with our handler by Pizzafari a half-hour before the parade started and got to see the staging area for the parade. Five groups total were there, one for each of the Fab Five. They had Christmas vests for all of is to wear in the parade, and costume head wear specific to each character: Minnie had pith helmets painted like candy canes, Goofy had hats with antlers, we had snow-themed headbands/earwarmers. We put our park bags in lockers, were given earplugs to muffle the sound of the speakers right by us blaring to reach thousands of spectators, and got on our floats. We weren't allowed to take any pictures behind the scenes (I discovered this as I pulled out my camera phone to snap off a few shots of Chip, Dale, Timon, Pluto, and several dancers hanging out and stretching out for the show) but were allowed to take as many photos as we wanted on the parade route. I probably abused the privilege a little, but it's not like I get to ride in a parade float every day. It was a little tiring waving constantly for half an hour, so mixing to up with the camera agreed with my arm muscles. I did shtick it up a little: I'd wave at a group waving and taking pictures, then take a picture of them, then wave my hands close together in a "can you all squeeze in a little?" gesture. Another nice touch from Disney on this: we were given a separate Photopass card for the event, Photopass photographers were stationed along the parade route taking pictures of the guest families and the parade, and we get to download the parade photos for free. I kept expecting to have to sit through a DVC pitch or something, but this is something that happens to five families at AK every day. I wish I could offer some strategy for getting selected for this. We were told we were nominated by a character handler because we showed a lot of Christmas spirit by donning Santa hats and scarves for photos, and were nice and polite to the staff and guests around us in line. I have no idea what the general criteria is; heck I didn't even know AK did this until today.Another magical day at WDW. Universal tomorrow.

You always hear these stories. It seems like every time someone goes at least one magical thing happens. I figured out a tip to increase your chances of getting picked. The wife and I went on our honeymoon to Disney. My wife bought the Mickey and Minnie wedding hats to wear. I agreed to wear it one day. On that day we were chosen to be grand marshals of the DHS parade. We were also chosen to set off the fireworks in Pleasure Island (Got on a big stage to talk to the crowd.) I happily agreed to wear it the rest of the trip. We got to ride rides by ourselves and had a nice gift in the hotel daily for newlyweds.When we go without the kids (not too often. Usually a few days if we go on an adult only Disney Cruise) we bring the hats.

 

[cowboymouth]

Have any deals been posted for 2012 yet?

 

[The Hank]

So we're waiting to meet and greet Mickey in AK when a cast member walks up to us. She compliments the Santa hats my daughter and I are wearing, and my wife's Christmas scarf. Then she asks my daughter who she likes more: Donald or Goofy. After my daughter answers "Donald" the cast member asks us, "Would you three like to ride in the Donald float in the parade today?" So yeah, we were in the Animal Kingdom parade. Technically it was the float in front of Donald's, and Timon with a few dancers were between our float and Donald's, but it was decked out in Donald garb. It was a blast. We met with our handler by Pizzafari a half-hour before the parade started and got to see the staging area for the parade. Five groups total were there, one for each of the Fab Five. They had Christmas vests for all of is to wear in the parade, and costume head wear specific to each character: Minnie had pith helmets painted like candy canes, Goofy had hats with antlers, we had snow-themed headbands/earwarmers. We put our park bags in lockers, were given earplugs to muffle the sound of the speakers right by us blaring to reach thousands of spectators, and got on our floats. We weren't allowed to take any pictures behind the scenes (I discovered this as I pulled out my camera phone to snap off a few shots of Chip, Dale, Timon, Pluto, and several dancers hanging out and stretching out for the show) but were allowed to take as many photos as we wanted on the parade route. I probably abused the privilege a little, but it's not like I get to ride in a parade float every day. It was a little tiring waving constantly for half an hour, so mixing to up with the camera agreed with my arm muscles. I did shtick it up a little: I'd wave at a group waving and taking pictures, then take a picture of them, then wave my hands close together in a "can you all squeeze in a little?" gesture. Another nice touch from Disney on this: we were given a separate Photopass card for the event, Photopass photographers were stationed along the parade route taking pictures of the guest families and the parade, and we get to download the parade photos for free. I kept expecting to have to sit through a DVC pitch or something, but this is something that happens to five families at AK every day. I wish I could offer some strategy for getting selected for this. We were told we were nominated by a character handler because we showed a lot of Christmas spirit by donning Santa hats and scarves for photos, and were nice and polite to the staff and guests around us in line. I have no idea what the general criteria is; heck I didn't even know AK did this until today.Another magical day at WDW. Universal tomorrow.

Wow, that is truly amazing, I'm sure your daughter loved that.How cool.

 

[gmbacm]

So we're waiting to meet and greet Mickey in AK when a cast member walks up to us. She compliments the Santa hats my daughter and I are wearing, and my wife's Christmas scarf. Then she asks my daughter who she likes more: Donald or Goofy. After my daughter answers "Donald" the cast member asks us, "Would you three like to ride in the Donald float in the parade today?" So yeah, we were in the Animal Kingdom parade. Technically it was the float in front of Donald's, and Timon with a few dancers were between our float and Donald's, but it was decked out in Donald garb. It was a blast. We met with our handler by Pizzafari a half-hour before the parade started and got to see the staging area for the parade. Five groups total were there, one for each of the Fab Five. They had Christmas vests for all of is to wear in the parade, and costume head wear specific to each character: Minnie had pith helmets painted like candy canes, Goofy had hats with antlers, we had snow-themed headbands/earwarmers. We put our park bags in lockers, were given earplugs to muffle the sound of the speakers right by us blaring to reach thousands of spectators, and got on our floats. We weren't allowed to take any pictures behind the scenes (I discovered this as I pulled out my camera phone to snap off a few shots of Chip, Dale, Timon, Pluto, and several dancers hanging out and stretching out for the show) but were allowed to take as many photos as we wanted on the parade route. I probably abused the privilege a little, but it's not like I get to ride in a parade float every day. It was a little tiring waving constantly for half an hour, so mixing to up with the camera agreed with my arm muscles. I did shtick it up a little: I'd wave at a group waving and taking pictures, then take a picture of them, then wave my hands close together in a "can you all squeeze in a little?" gesture. Another nice touch from Disney on this: we were given a separate Photopass card for the event, Photopass photographers were stationed along the parade route taking pictures of the guest families and the parade, and we get to download the parade photos for free. I kept expecting to have to sit through a DVC pitch or something, but this is something that happens to five families at AK every day. I wish I could offer some strategy for getting selected for this. We were told we were nominated by a character handler because we showed a lot of Christmas spirit by donning Santa hats and scarves for photos, and were nice and polite to the staff and guests around us in line. I have no idea what the general criteria is; heck I didn't even know AK did this until today.Another magical day at WDW. Universal tomorrow.

Sweet. Wonder if Goofy is always the last to get picked?

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

I'll hold off on Universal thoughts to keep the thread Disney-centric.

Loved the anecdote about the Disney bride and groom hats. Turns out it is not good shtick to walk up to a guy wearing a Disney groom hat and say, "you poor dumb *******." Extra demerits if you do this within earshot of your wife of over a decade.

We're loving our room in Port Orleans Riverside. I've noticed a drop in bed quality but everything else is more our style than Yacht Club. The trundle bed is actually a modified Murphy bed with a cool alligator mural. Since we have our car with us and are spending some time off-property Rverside is nice since you can park real close to your front door. And since we're staying long enough to do laundry, Riverside's multiple laundry sites gives us a short walk to available machines.

GTL tomorrow morning then over to Epcot for an afternoon at World Showcase capped with dinner at Le Cellier - our first time there.

 

[ATC1]

I'll hold off on Universal thoughts to keep the thread Disney-centric.

Loved the anecdote about the Disney bride and groom hats. Turns out it is not good shtick to walk up to a guy wearing a Disney groom hat and say, "you poor dumb *******." Extra demerits if you do this within earshot of your wife of over a decade.

We're loving our room in Port Orleans Riverside. I've noticed a drop in bed quality but everything else is more our style than Yacht Club. The trundle bed is actually a modified Murphy bed with a cool alligator mural. Since we have our car with us and are spending some time off-property Rverside is nice since you can park real close to your front door. And since we're staying long enough to do laundry, Riverside's multiple laundry sites gives us a short walk to available machines.

GTL tomorrow morning then over to Epcot for an afternoon at World Showcase capped with dinner at Le Cellier - our first time there.

Don't fall for the trio deal where you get an appetizer and a steak for a certain price or with the meal plan. Stick with the Filet Mignon.

 

[The Hank]

At DHS the ride EVERYONE'S rushing to is Toy Story Mania. The park hours today are 9-8 and all the FPs for the day were gone by 11:40. We were able to walk right on Tower of Terror. Aerosmith has been running about 30-40 minutes with FPs an hour forward.

Toy story mania is worth the wait IMHO.

 

[Osaurus]

Off to the Beach Club for a long weekend.

 

[Godsbrother]

At DHS the ride EVERYONE'S rushing to is Toy Story Mania. The park hours today are 9-8 and all the FPs for the day were gone by 11:40. We were able to walk right on Tower of Terror. Aerosmith has been running about 30-40 minutes with FPs an hour forward.

This is always the case.

Is the Toy Story ride that good? I was there when it had just opened and it was absolutely mobbed (2+ hour wait and no FP). We skipped it and I've always wondered if it was worth it.

In some aspects it's similar to the Buzz Lightyear ride, but it's so much better because everything in 3d computer graghics. Much more of an intense experience.

This is one thing that I think Disney could improve upon. My idea would be to have a main FP station at the entrance to the park as well as several locations around the park. That way people wouldn't have to run to one side of the park to get FP for a particular attraction. You just go a FP kiosk, select the attraction you want a FP for, and go about your day. No more running from one side of the park to another just to get a FP that won't be valid for a few hours.

 

[Premier]

Going to MK on the 23rd. Should be a nice Christmas display.

 

[Reaper]

Starting Preliminary planning for attractions for my daughter who will just turn 4....

Magic Kingdom:

Mickey Philharmonic

Buzz lightyear

Its a small world

Pooh

Peter pan

Pirates of Carribean

Speedway

Snow White

Tea Cups

Seems to be just about it for attractions at MK.

I guess from here you figure out a FastPass Plan and how to hit them in 2 days with added Shows, parades, etc....

Seems like this place has hardly changed in 30 years other than a few more hotels...

 

[ATC1]

Starting Preliminary planning for attractions for my daughter who will just turn 4....Magic Kingdom:Mickey PhilharmonicBuzz lightyearIts a small worldPoohPeter panPirates of CarribeanSpeedwaySnow WhiteTea CupsSeems to be just about it for attractions at MK. I guess from here you figure out a FastPass Plan and how to hit them in 2 days with added Shows, parades, etc....Seems like this place has hardly changed in 30 years other than a few more hotels...

MK is undergoing a huge renovation in the kids area. It is always the most packed and seems to be the area with the least amount of space. If your daughter is 40 inches she will be able to ride Splash mt. and thunder mt. I don't find splash mt. to be that bad, but you know your kid. My daughter turns 4 in a couple of days and she loves thunder mt.I think she would enjoy the Monsters inc laugh floor. I would stay away from stich's great escape unless she is a big stich fan. It can be pretty scary, moreso than the haunted mansion, which is my 3 year old's favorite ride.

 

[Reaper]

Starting Preliminary planning for attractions for my daughter who will just turn 4....Magic Kingdom:Mickey PhilharmonicBuzz lightyearIts a small worldPoohPeter panPirates of CarribeanSpeedwaySnow WhiteTea CupsSeems to be just about it for attractions at MK. I guess from here you figure out a FastPass Plan and how to hit them in 2 days with added Shows, parades, etc....Seems like this place has hardly changed in 30 years other than a few more hotels...

MK is undergoing a huge renovation in the kids area. It is always the most packed and seems to be the area with the least amount of space. If your daughter is 40 inches she will be able to ride Splash mt. and thunder mt. I don't find splash mt. to be that bad, but you know your kid. My daughter turns 4 in a couple of days and she loves thunder mt.

Hmmm... I'll work on that one. tks.I've been trying to prep her for the Snow White Ride and we watched the youtube video of it a few times - she's still iffy about facing "the Witch".I'm trying to explain to her that they are only "puppets" and this whole place is make-believe.She seems reluctant to go on the rides in the dark - I was thinking of doing "It's a small World" 1st to get used to the whole indoor ride thing.*also missed Jungle Cruise but, i wonder if the whole Animal Kingdom adventure just replaced the need for that one.

 

[ATC1]

Starting Preliminary planning for attractions for my daughter who will just turn 4....Magic Kingdom:Mickey PhilharmonicBuzz lightyearIts a small worldPoohPeter panPirates of CarribeanSpeedwaySnow WhiteTea CupsSeems to be just about it for attractions at MK. I guess from here you figure out a FastPass Plan and how to hit them in 2 days with added Shows, parades, etc....Seems like this place has hardly changed in 30 years other than a few more hotels...

MK is undergoing a huge renovation in the kids area. It is always the most packed and seems to be the area with the least amount of space. If your daughter is 40 inches she will be able to ride Splash mt. and thunder mt. I don't find splash mt. to be that bad, but you know your kid. My daughter turns 4 in a couple of days and she loves thunder mt.

Hmmm... I'll work on that one. tks.I've been trying to prep her for the Snow White Ride and we watched the youtube video of it a few times - she's still iffy about facing "the Witch".I'm trying to explain to her that they are only "puppets" and this whole place is make-believe.She seems reluctant to go on the rides in the dark - I was thinking of doing "It's a small World" 1st to get used to the whole indoor ride thing.*also missed Jungle Cruise but, i wonder if the whole Animal Kingdom adventure just replaced the need for that one.

No jungle cruise is a must for adults. It's basically a boat ride of really corny jokes, but it's pretty good. The kids won't get it, but I laugh. There is a dark cave. I would skip stich's great escape if she is iffy on snow white. I would do Pooh before snow white. Same type of ride with no scary stuff. My daughter seemed ok on Snow White, but her favorite ride is the Haunted Mansion. I would suggest Monster's inc. laugh floor. Interactive silly monsters.

 

[Battles]

Going to MK on the 23rd. Should be a nice Christmas display.

If you want lights you need to go to DHS. They have a street lit up Griswald style.ETA..It's at the back left by the stunt car show.

 

[gmbacm]

Starting Preliminary planning for attractions for my daughter who will just turn 4....Magic Kingdom:Mickey PhilharmonicBuzz lightyearIts a small worldPoohPeter panPirates of CarribeanSpeedwaySnow WhiteTea CupsSeems to be just about it for attractions at MK. I guess from here you figure out a FastPass Plan and how to hit them in 2 days with added Shows, parades, etc....Seems like this place has hardly changed in 30 years other than a few more hotels...

Dumbo is a hit with the 4 y/o crowdSpeedway is terrible IMO. Lineup is full of gas fumes and ride is just not worth it... We did it once and it was one of the few rides the kids didnt want to go back to...

 

[The Hank]

Starting Preliminary planning for attractions for my daughter who will just turn 4....Magic Kingdom:Mickey PhilharmonicBuzz lightyearIts a small worldPoohPeter panPirates of CarribeanSpeedwaySnow WhiteTea CupsSeems to be just about it for attractions at MK. I guess from here you figure out a FastPass Plan and how to hit them in 2 days with added Shows, parades, etc....Seems like this place has hardly changed in 30 years other than a few more hotels...

what about the railroad, may be nice to pass the time in the choo choo.

 

[The Hank]

Starting Preliminary planning for attractions for my daughter who will just turn 4....Magic Kingdom:Mickey PhilharmonicBuzz lightyearIts a small worldPoohPeter panPirates of CarribeanSpeedwaySnow WhiteTea CupsSeems to be just about it for attractions at MK. I guess from here you figure out a FastPass Plan and how to hit them in 2 days with added Shows, parades, etc....Seems like this place has hardly changed in 30 years other than a few more hotels...

what about the railroad, may be nice to pass the time in the choo choo.

Also TTA (Tommorowland Transit Authority) by buzz lightyear/space mountain is another one that is a nice easy going train that goes through some rides/tunnels/etc that she may like...

 

[Yo Mama]

Love all the info here.

Going to Disneyland in CA for a few days next week with the kids (7 and 9). Park hopper for 3 days between the main park and CA Adventure. We're staying at the Paradise Pier hotel. First time going in a few years - lids were so young last time they don't remember much.

I see lots of Disney World tips, anything for CA parks that is a must see/do or helpful tricks?

Thanks.

 

[Osaurus]

Heading to DD for dinner tonight. If you don't have a reservation on a Friday night, you are screwed.

 

[Church of Iggy Pop]

I'll hold off on Universal thoughts to keep the thread Disney-centric.

Actually, I'm looking to tack a couple of days at Universal onto our June trip to WDW, and I need all the advice I can get. I don't see another thread in the FFA. I'm a Disney vet, but know next to nothing about Universal. Any tips?

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Somehow my wife managed to keep part of this trip under wraps even though we planned it for months.

I had thought this morning would be GTL time. It wasn't. My wife secretly booked a swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove. She had told me during the planning that she looked into it but our daughter wasn't big enough for it. Nope. All three of us got to participate. It was a wonderful surprise; I kid you not, this was a bucket list event for me.

So, Le Cellier. It was delicious and we had a great time, but I think if we eat there again it will be for lunch. I'm a lifelong Midwesterner; if I want a steak for dinner, I can walk a block east of my house and shoot one like the family from "Napoleon Dynamite". I'm not saying my Le Cellier steak wasn't divine - it was and I will dream of it fondly tonight. The appetizer bread was phenomenal and i want to learn how to make pretzel bread sticks now. When I saw the look on my wife's face after her first bite of her creme brulee dessert I thought she was simultaneously pleasuring herself under the table.

I'm just saying it's not as difficult for me to find a Le Cellier quality steak back home as it is for many of the other meals I will have on this trip.

If you want to eat a delicious steak in a relatively quiet environment by Disney standards, Le Cellier is for you. If you live in a part of the country where you don't drive by grass-fed beef on your morning commute, Le Cellier will stand out as a dining experience.

Another mini-magical moment from today: we got to the Norway section of World Showcase a few minutes before Sigrid and the Christmas Gnome came out. (During the holidays at World Showcase, each country has a recurring show describing Christmas customs unique to their country.) We'd read if your kid is front and center and paying attention without being too eager, kid had a good chance at getting added to the show. My daughter was added to the show; for those who have seen it, she was the bell-ringer, and the Gnome brought her on stage to ring the bell to mess with Sigrid. After the show, they let us take a few pictures of my daughter with Sigrid and the Gnome, and Sigrid grabbed the bell from the show for my daughter to pose with it during the pictures.

Return to DHS tomorrow. We're going to punt Toy Story so we can rack up the FPs for RnRC, ToT, and Star Tours (the refreshing of this one is IMO a huge improvement), and spend some extra time in the Animation building to take a drawing class, and I want to meet-and-greet my three favorite characters from my favorite Pixar movie: Mr Incredible, Elastigirl, and Frozone.

 

[Disco Stu]

I'm just saying it's not as difficult for me to find a Le Cellier quality steak back home as it is for many of the other meals I will have on this trip.If you want to eat a delicious steak in a relatively quiet environment by Disney standards, Le Cellier is for you. If you live in a part of the country where you don't drive by grass-fed beef on your morning commute, Le Cellier will stand out as a dining experience.

This is a good general dining point. With all the great options at Epcot, dropping your "local specialty" from consideration is a good way to narrow your choices.Coming from Texas, there's no reason for me to eat at the Mexican place. It makes more sense to book Morocco instead. If you're coming from New York, you can probably skip Italian. Etc.

 

[Disco Stu]

Starting Preliminary planning for attractions for my daughter who will just turn 4....Magic Kingdom:Mickey PhilharmonicBuzz lightyearIts a small worldPoohPeter panPirates of CarribeanSpeedwaySnow WhiteTea CupsSeems to be just about it for attractions at MK. I guess from here you figure out a FastPass Plan and how to hit them in 2 days with added Shows, parades, etc....Seems like this place has hardly changed in 30 years other than a few more hotels...

Dumbo is a hit with the 4 y/o crowdSpeedway is terrible IMO. Lineup is full of gas fumes and ride is just not worth it... We did it once and it was one of the few rides the kids didnt want to go back to...

Yeah, Speedway has some appeal for boys under 8, but that's about it.Add Jungle Cruise, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Country Bear Jamboree, the Railroad, the Carrousel, People Mover, Carousel of Progress, and Monsters Inc.Maybe also Haunted Mansion if you think she'd be ok in the room they put you in before moving on to the "doom buggies". That's the scariest part.

 

[Osaurus]

Taking a break from Epcot. No walkups at LeCellier whatsoever today. Going to Micobrew or ESPN to watch the game here shortly. Dinner in France later. Been real happy staying at Beach Club. Love walking back and forth to Epcot. I know someone in this thread didn't like the Yacht Club, but I think this is one of the best resort areas in Disney.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

GTL right now after a morning at DHS. There was an Extra Magic Hour this morning. We were walking towards the Sourceror hat as the rope dropped and loved seeing a bunch of wide open space on the road to RnRC and ToT as everyone else bum rushed Toy Story Mania. We hit RnRC twice (got a great picture of us in Rows 1 and 2 thanks to no front row queue and no single rider line), ToT once, got photos with Mickey and The Incredibles, learned how to draw Grumpy, saw the Beauty and the Beast show, and left the park at noon with three sets of RnRC FPs, two sets for Star Tours, and one for ToT.

Thanks to the cluster#### at the front gate with everyone rushing to get good rope position to run for TSM, my daughter managed to get in the park without her Key to the World validating. This meant her Key didn't work for FPs. Fortunately, the FP attendant at ToT realized an honest mistake was made and gave us a FP key for the day, letting us get full sets of FPs without having to go to Guest Services or reenter the park.

More DHS tonight. Gotta burn through the stash of FPs and see the Osborne lights again.

Dining at DHS is a bit limited, but Mama Melrose's is IMO one of the best price performers in the parks. We're on DDP so I had the steak when we went there, but reasonably priced pastas and flat bread pizzas can be had there, and the "Spaghetti and Meatball Cupcake" is amusing and tasty.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Taking a break from Epcot. No walkups at LeCellier whatsoever today. Going to Micobrew or ESPN to watch the game here shortly. Dinner in France later. Been real happy staying at Beach Club. Love walking back and forth to Epcot. I know someone in this thread didn't like the Yacht Club, but I think this is one of the best resort areas in Disney.

I think I would have liked Beach Club a lot more than Yacht Club. The pool was awesome (the pirate ship water slide was a nice touch), and that burgers/fries/shakes place was delicious and fun to eat at. It was a late add for us so we didn't have Epcot or DHS scheduled while we were there, and that would have helped.I'm also a little negative on Yacht Club because i had by fsr my most unDisney customer experience there. I was trying to find the auxiliary elevators because the onsite laundry is on the first floor next to them. We were staying on the fourth floor on the opposite side of the building and the Yacht Club hallways are labyrinths with little signage. I got lost and asked a cleaning crew member where the side elevators were, asking "can you help me find this elevator" pointing to the side elevators on a map of the building, while lugging a few loads of dirty laundry. She starts insulting me, laughing to herself and saying "why are you trying to find laundry on the fourth floor? Laundry is on the first floor!" and gives me directions to the elevators. The main elevators that empty into the main lobby.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

When I saw the look on my wife's face after her first bite of her creme brulee dessert I thought she was simultaneously pleasuring herself under the table.

It's entreily possible she was.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

So the Christmas crowd has officially arrived. It was a much different vibe tonight at DHS than at any other point in our trip to date.

The 6:30 Phantasmic was announced SRO at about 5:45, and a lot of folks that got shut out of the 6:30 show decided to stay in line for the 8:00.

I will say this, though: Phantasmic is AWESOME. To see it, I recommend getting a Phantasmic dining deal (can't recall the specific name of it) where you get a table service meal and Reserved seating for Phantasmic. It worked out great for us, even greater because there was a drizzle 20 minutes before showtime that threatened an on-time start, which chased away some groups like those with small children. We busted out the ponchos and waited, it cleared up at 6:27, and we got a show at 6:30 with vacant seats in front of us.

If you go that route, keep in mind that "Reserved" does not mean "Assigned". You ate guaranteed a seat in designated sections of the grandstand, but the Reserved section is first-come first-serve among those with Reserved seats. So you still have to get there early, but they let you bring drinks and snacks to the show, and there are concessions within the amphitheatre.

Anyway, the Osborne lights were a zoo. Lots of folks, especially big groups, on their first night on town. We found the best place to view the lights was actually in the Photopass queue for the soldiers/tree photo within the display. The queue stalls during the "show" songs, so be patient. My daughter got a little run-down, but those lights are spectacular.

Back to Epcot tomorrow. Candlelight Processional tomorrow night.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Random thought about MVMCP: you can enter the park early. For example, one of the MVMCP we attended ran from 7-midnight. They don't publicize this, but we entered the park at around 5. We used the event entrance and were given wristbands to show we were MVMCP partiers. At MVMCP they will boot you from the park after the party starts if you don't have wristbands.

 

[ODoyleRules]

GTL right now after a morning at DHS. There was an Extra Magic Hour this morning. We were walking towards the Sourceror hat as the rope dropped and loved seeing a bunch of wide open space on the road to RnRC and ToT as everyone else bum rushed Toy Story Mania. We hit RnRC twice (got a great picture of us in Rows 1 and 2 thanks to no front row queue and no single rider line), ToT once, got photos with Mickey and The Incredibles, learned how to draw Grumpy, saw the Beauty and the Beast show, and left the park at noon with three sets of RnRC FPs, two sets for Star Tours, and one for ToT. Thanks to the cluster#### at the front gate with everyone rushing to get good rope position to run for TSM, my daughter managed to get in the park without her Key to the World validating. This meant her Key didn't work for FPs. Fortunately, the FP attendant at ToT realized an honest mistake was made and gave us a FP key for the day, letting us get full sets of FPs without having to go to Guest Services or reenter the park. More DHS tonight. Gotta burn through the stash of FPs and see the Osborne lights again. Dining at DHS is a bit limited, but Mama Melrose's is IMO one of the best price performers in the parks. We're on DDP so I had the steak when we went there, but reasonably priced pastas and flat bread pizzas can be had there, and the "Spaghetti and Meatball Cupcake" is amusing and tasty.

GYAHAGT

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

My daughter got a Christmas Minnie plush to go with her standard Minnie plush. The housekeeping staff has been having a blast with them. One day we came back to see the Minnies sitting up and reading a book. On another the Minnies were were laying down on the bed. On another they were sitting up watching TV; they were holding the remote control between them, and the TV was tuned to the Disney Channel (on low volume so no other guests were bothered). It's been a nice touch coming back to the room and guessing what the Minnies have been up to all day.

 

[Osaurus]

Epcot was insane last night. Never seen that many people there evah! Had dinner at Les Chefs de France. It was terrific, but . Got caught in traffic from procession and then went back to the Beach Club for the night. A great weekend trip for us.

 

[glvsav37]

Starting Preliminary planning for attractions for my daughter who will just turn 4....Magic Kingdom:Mickey PhilharmonicBuzz lightyearIts a small worldPoohPeter panPirates of CarribeanSpeedwaySnow WhiteTea CupsSeems to be just about it for attractions at MK. I guess from here you figure out a FastPass Plan and how to hit them in 2 days with added Shows, parades, etc....Seems like this place has hardly changed in 30 years other than a few more hotels...

MK is undergoing a huge renovation in the kids area. It is always the most packed and seems to be the area with the least amount of space. If your daughter is 40 inches she will be able to ride Splash mt. and thunder mt. I don't find splash mt. to be that bad, but you know your kid. My daughter turns 4 in a couple of days and she loves thunder mt.

Hmmm... I'll work on that one. tks.I've been trying to prep her for the Snow White Ride and we watched the youtube video of it a few times - she's still iffy about facing "the Witch".I'm trying to explain to her that they are only "puppets" and this whole place is make-believe.She seems reluctant to go on the rides in the dark - I was thinking of doing "It's a small World" 1st to get used to the whole indoor ride thing.*also missed Jungle Cruise but, i wonder if the whole Animal Kingdom adventure just replaced the need for that one.

Reaper: if your daughter has fears of the dark, go to a dollar store and get a bunch of glow braclets and glow necklaces. Keep them on you and when you get ready to do a dark ride break it out and let your daughter wear it. We did this w our daughter this year. And she was much more brave with her "magic braclets".

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

I'm ambivalent about the Kim Possible secret agent thing in World Showcase.

The case for: Kim Possible is the second-hottest piece of animated fumder on the Disney roster behind Ariel, and with her show no longer on the air, this is the main way Kim stays in the Disney consciousness. It's not a bad device for keeping a kid with zero attention span and/or international culture moving through World Showcase without throwing tantrums. And the spy reveals themselves are actually pretty cool with sounds, motions even objects appearing that you would not experience in a normal trek.

The case against: the characters other than Kim in the KP universe are pretty much unbearable and they dominate the transmissions on the "Kimunnicator" phone. The missions can get time-consuming. The kid spends more time with their head buried in the KP phone than actually experiencing the park and other cultures. If you do stop for while to hear a storyteller or eat, the KP phone keeps beeping every minute or so without obvious instructions on how to silence it.

After one mission, we dropped out of Kim Possible's agency. It was kind of fun making that "jade" monkey pop out of the water in China, bit when we stopped in Germany to hear the storyteller talk about Christmas in Germany, the damn KP phone kept trying to transmit messages. I had to take the battery out of it to get it to shut up, and we returned the device at the next available station.

We ate at Teppan Edo for the first time. We loved it. The chef was entertaining, the food was great, my daughter taught me how to use chopsticks properly, and it wasn't a long walk to the Candlelight Processional afterwards. If we were on a short visit we probably wouldn't have burned an extra table credit on reserved seating for the CP (you're not buying a better seat, but time not spent in line), but we got a free DDP added to our reservation months ago when Disney ran a promotion for it for a time window that overlapped with our booking, and got it added to our stay after a little pleading with a Disney phone rep.

Mini-magical moment: at the "Father Christmas" storyteller in the UK portion of WS, as Father Christmas was telling the origin story of mistletoe, he held some mistletoe on a stick over my wife and I, giving me an excuse to kiss my beautiful, intelligent, patient, and understanding wife with dozens of onlookers watching. Considering once when we first started dating she refused to kiss me when the "Kiss Cam" was on us at at a basketball game, this was progress.

Going off-mouse tomorrow to check out the new Legoland Florida, hopefully back in time to take the boat from Port Orleans Riverside to DD for dinner and shopping.

 

[Bobcat10]

Going off-mouse tomorrow to check out the new Legoland Florida, hopefully back in time to take the boat from Port Orleans Riverside to DD for dinner and shopping.

I'd like to read what you think about this...

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

If you're staying on property that has a quick service restaurant, you can get your food to go. It's not publicized much and you might have to be persistent with the restaurant staff, but it can happen. This works nicely if you want to take a quick breakfast with you to eat on your way to the parks, or if you want to bring a late dinner back to your room with you. We did the latter last night and it worked out great. I dropped the girls off at the room and let them get off their feet then went over to the QSR to get food. They had lids for the hot food, grocery sacks at the checkout for transport, and I grabbed a bunch of napkins and plasticware to have in the room. It was a fun way to use up some DDP QSR credits, and shaved a lot of time off the bedtime routine.

Some properties also have in-room pizza delivery. It is very expensive if you pay cash, and a premium price if you use DDP credits. Disney considers their hotels to be private property and pizza delivery from non-disney entities to Disney hotel rooms to be trespassing. We haven't tried ordering in from off-property bit we've heard some shops won't do it.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

More and more Disney goers are figuring out the second time listed on the FastPass doesn't mean anything. This means the FastPass queues clog up some late in the day as folks who stocked up early finally turn them in.

Not sure what levels at late use will be necessary before Disney starts enforcing both ends of FP time windows, but if you stock up on FPs early to use them late, understand a lot more people are doing this than the last time you visited.

 

[shader]

More and more Disney goers are figuring out the second time listed on the FastPass doesn't mean anything. This means the FastPass queues clog up some late in the day as folks who stocked up early finally turn them in. Not sure what levels at late use will be necessary before Disney starts enforcing both ends of FP time windows, but if you stock up on FPs early to use them late, understand a lot more people are doing this than the last time you visited.

I had friends who considered themselves "Disney experts" and have been five times at least, and they didn't even know that the second time is meaningless until I told them in preparation for a trip we have planned in a year.I don't see it as a problem though. It might shift the heavy fastpass lines to the end of the day rather than the middle. Also, I think more fastpasses are being sold than used now by probably a bigger margin than ever.I remember in 2010 (when we didn't know that the second time was irrelevant), we used basically every fast pass that we got. This last time, I would come to the hotel every night with 8-10 unused fastpasses.I'm sure Disney does all the calculations and adjusts the number of fastpasses it dishes out in relation to the number that get used. They have that thing to a science.From an anecdotal perspective, my trip over thanksgiving showed me two things:1. If you tried to ride a fastpass ride without fastpasses, you were doomed to a long, long wait.2. Fastpass lanes varied, but they SEEMED quicker than normal during the day and a bit longer than normal at night. Of course my visit was over one of the busiest weekends of the year, but even during that weekend, in which things got so crazy you could barely walk at times....smart use of fastpasses still allowed us to ride anything we wanted with minimal waits.If you make sure you ALWAYS get another set of fastpasses as soon as the time allows, you are in good shape.

 

[belljr]

How do you guys get multiple fastpasses? Seemed like we couldn't get a second pass until the first one expired.

Meanig we go with our 4 poeple and get a fastpass for a ride, try to get another fastpass ride for all of us and it say we already have one

 

[Bob Sacamano]

How do you guys get multiple fastpasses? Seemed like we couldn't get a second pass until the first one expired.Meanig we go with our 4 poeple and get a fastpass for a ride, try to get another fastpass ride for all of us and it say we already have one

You don't have to wait for them to expire. You just have to wait until the time the first one says you can get a second. The "expiration" time is what Bruce was just referencing. They don't enforce them at all. So, if you get one, and it says you can get another one at 12:00, you can go get that second one at 12:00 without using your first. Then at 2:00 you can go get another one without using either of the first two. Effectively, they don't expire that entire day.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

How do you guys get multiple fastpasses? Seemed like we couldn't get a second pass until the first one expired.Meanig we go with our 4 poeple and get a fastpass for a ride, try to get another fastpass ride for all of us and it say we already have one

When I say "multiple" I mean "stock up". I keep track of when our keys become live to get FastPasses again, then go get them even if we haven't used the ones we are holding.Once you get a FastPass, your key is locked out of the FastPass system until the redemption time of your FastPass or two hours, whichever comes first. That two hour time usually comes into play for Toy Story Mania at DHS and Soarin at Epcot.We're willing to split the group up. While my wife and daughter are in line for a character greeting or show, I'll take all three keys to another part of the park and get FastPasses for a ride we want to do later.(Lots of downtime today. After seeing the rides at Legoland can't match the thrills of other parks, my daughter is doing Lego Mindstorms clinics, which have been great)

 

[17seconds]

mouseplanet explains how to get the most out of Fastpasses

 

[FBGirl79]

Mini trip report...we got back from 8 days a couple of weeks ago. We were there 11/25-12/3 and stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village in a Studio. I loved this resort. The only downside was that it was too chilly at night to swim. I thought the pools were heated and maybe they are but the pool at Kidani was FREEZING. We woke up on our second day there to the sounds of two zebras playing with and chasing each other right in front of our room. We spent a lot of time at the resort just relaxing and enjoying it. We went to the parks almost everyday but unlike most trips, we didn't do the rope drop, break, close the park strategy but instead slept in and got the parks whenever we wanted. We didn't find the crowds to be bad at all and this is coming from someone who has been the last 3 Septembers when there are little to no crowds. The weather was beyond amazing. Hubby wore t-shirts & shorts and I wore capris and flip flops and only a couple of evenings we needed jackets.

All of the Christmas decorations were my favorite part. We went to all the deluxe resorts to check out the trees and gingerbread houses. We only rode a handful of rides at the parks but instead time we took the time to watch the parades, check out the lights, decorations, fireworks, etc. We did rope drop our first morning at Magic Kingdom and got to ride the trolley down Main Street to the castle which was awesome. Osbourne lights at DHS was incredible. I had seen pictures but was blown away by how cool it was. The first night we went to see it, we went during EMH around 11 pm and literally the streets were almost empty and this was Thanksgiving weekend. We hopped on TSM with a 15 minute wait about 11:55pm which was nice. We went to MVMCP mid week and thought the crowds were much more managable than the Halloween party when we went in late September. I would definitely recommend it...there is nothing like the parade, the castle covered in lights and watching it snow on Main Street while sipping hot chocolate. We went to the Candlelight processional and it rained the entire time but it was still amazing. We spent a lot of time at Epcot this time and went to every country to hear their story of Christmas so a couple of the evenings we just stood outside of the theater and watched part of the Candlelight Processional again. Don't pass up Illuminations at Epcot; it has a cool Christmas/Holiday ending. Animal Kingdom has a parade with a Christmas touch and if you go back to Camp Minnie-Mickey there are lots of themed Christmas trees that are really neat.

We rented points from a DVC member and we will absolutely be doing that again. I broke down the cost comparison in an earlier post but if anyone wants to use our guy, I would be more than happy to pass his info along so you aren't choosing someone at random (like I did but thankfully it worked out). This trip was soley a trip for relaxing and experiencing all things Disney Christmas and we had a great time. My initial thoughts were that we would go experience Christmas there, enjoy it but then go back to our annual September trips but we both agreed this was by far our favorite trip and new time to go. Yesterday we both said we were ready to go back.

 

[schlesinj]

If you're staying on property that has a quick service restaurant, you can get your food to go. It's not publicized much and you might have to be persistent with the restaurant staff, but it can happen. This works nicely if you want to take a quick breakfast with you to eat on your way to the parks, or if you want to bring a late dinner back to your room with you. We did the latter last night and it worked out great. I dropped the girls off at the room and let them get off their feet then went over to the QSR to get food. They had lids for the hot food, grocery sacks at the checkout for transport, and I grabbed a bunch of napkins and plasticware to have in the room. It was a fun way to use up some DDP QSR credits, and shaved a lot of time off the bedtime routine. Some properties also have in-room pizza delivery. It is very expensive if you pay cash, and a premium price if you use DDP credits. Disney considers their hotels to be private property and pizza delivery from non-disney entities to Disney hotel rooms to be trespassing. We haven't tried ordering in from off-property bit we've heard some shops won't do it.

We stayed at the Contemporary (Contempo Cafe) with 4 kids 7 and under and would eat breakfast in the room almost every morning. I would just go down grab a few bagels, milks, etc.We also grab meals as well. They make some great food for a quick service menu.

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Returned to IOA during the day, then over to Fort Wilderness for the evening.

We took a sleigh ride through Fort Wilderness. Oh what fun it was to ride in a one horse open sleigh. The ride was through the RV park to see the Christmas decorations. We had a great time, a nice leisurely pace on an evening when we needed one.

After the ride, we took the boat back to Wilderness Lodge and had dinner at Artist Point. We were one of the last seatings of the night, so the place was already about half-empty, one of the quietest meals we will ever have at Disney. The meal was great. I know after my take on Le Cellier it seems odd I would turn down the Cedar Plank Salmon at Artist Point to have the filet, but I was in the mood for some cow and the sides (green and white beans, pearl onions, marble potatoes) were more my style. My wife had the prawns and crab hot pot and loved it. My daughter devoured her baked salmon.

The big culinary treat here IMO was the kids dessert menu. My daughter's dessert was a "Mickey Puzzle": six small pieces of white chocolate that could be pieced together to form a portrait of Mickey. It was served with dots of red, yellow, and green icing and a thin paintbrush, so after you part together the puzzle you could paint the Mickey portrait with the icing. Clever, tasty, and fun.

Morning at MK tomorrow, followed by a return to Downtown Disney. We had so much fun at DisneyQuest we didn't get to the shopping part of our last DD trek.

 

[Godsbrother]

Here is a tip for those that have grocery stores with rewards points: buy Disney gift cards and use them to pay for your Disney vacation. They are accepted at virtually everywhere in Disney World and can be used to pay for resorts, passes, restaurants, gifts, souvenirs, etc.

Around here both Giant Eagle & Shop N Save have fuel perks on gift cards ($0.20 for every $50) so you can save quite a bit...

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

Here is a tip for those that have grocery stores with rewards points: buy Disney gift cards and use them to pay for your Disney vacation. They are accepted at virtually everywhere in Disney World and can be used to pay for resorts, passes, restaurants, gifts, souvenirs, etc.Around here both Giant Eagle & Shop N Save have fuel perks on gift cards ($0.20 for every $50) so you can save quite a bit...

This is an outstanding idea. We stocked up on Disney gift cards throughout the year to assist us in setting aside funds for the trip. They spend like cash in the Disney parks and ate easier to carry around than a gangsta roll of bills.I guess Santa liked the idea, too. We brought our Christmas stockings with us and hung them up in the room. On Disney park days, Santa magically left Disney gift cards in our stockings for us to use in the park that day. The magic continues...

 

[AcerFC]

Love all the info here.Going to Disneyland in CA for a few days next week with the kids (7 and 9). Park hopper for 3 days between the main park and CA Adventure. We're staying at the Paradise Pier hotel. First time going in a few years - lids were so young last time they don't remember much.I see lots of Disney World tips, anything for CA parks that is a must see/do or helpful tricks?Thanks.

Not sure from your post if you have already been there or not but Ill throw this out there anyway. Disney in California is much smaller then Florida. A 3 day park hopper is perfect and will allow you to hit everything you want with no worries. Plus the parks are literally 500 yards or so away from each other so the travel time between one and the other is non existent