Disney Vacation (3 Viewers)

[TenTimes]

It took me 30 minutes to decide where to go what nights. It took me 20 minutes on the phone with Disney. If you get there and decide to wing it, you don't have to show up. Big deal. Only Cinderella's dinner is pre-paid. It's nice to know that I have a table waiting for me somewhere every night.Also, quite frankly, if you're an adult and the dining options you have aren't part of the allure of the trip, maybe you're missing out on something. It's not 5-star food, but some of the places are quite good even by FBG standards.

I guess the problem I'm having is that I have to lock into where and when I'm eating each day.. months in advance. I'm not really seeing the allure of this.

You don't HAVE to. That's just the way some people like to do it. Keep in mind these reservations are only needed at certain table service places. You don't need nor or you allowed to make a reservation at any counter service. Really the only ones you NEED a advance reservation for are the table service character meals. If you are flexible with your dining times, you can get a seat at a popular non term table service with a short term(couple of hours) reservation. They also have some pretty good table services that you can just walk up to and get a seat at any time... Cape May, Olivia's, etc.One of my problems with the dining plan is that you're forced to make all these table service reservations to use all your credits and they sort of dictate your trip. We don't get the dining plan anymore... don't see any value in it for our family. We make a couple character breakfast reservations and a dinner at Ohana's and just wing it the rest of the trip.When are you going Pickles?

First week in August.

1. Soarin, epcot2. Rocking rollercoaster, MGM3. Expedition Everest, Animal Kingdom4. Tower of Terror, MGM5. Space Mountain, Magic Kingdom6. Mission to mars, epcot7. The african safari ride, AKBut that's just me. Haunted mansion is good too.

 

[FBGirl79]

Booked my Dining Reservations over the weekend:9/19 Sat AM - Tusker House - Animal Kingdom - Character Breakfast9/20 Sun PM - 50s Prime Time Cafe - Hollywood Studios 9/21 Mon PM - Raglan Road Irish Pub - Downtown Disney (Boat Ride from our Hotel + Live Irish Music after 7PM)9/22 Tues PM - Boma9/23 Wed PM - Les Chefs De France9/24 Thu PM - O'Hana9/26 Sat AM - Crystal Palace - Magic Kingdom - Character BreakfastIt's becoming a tradition for us to start the week and end the week with a Character Breakfast. On Departure Day we'll hit MK for Breakfast and 1 ride per kid just to say "see ya real soon." to Mickey. Y? Because we like it.

We are going to be there when you are! Here is our lineup:9/19-MK-Crystal Palace9/20-Whispering Canyon Cafe9/21- AK-Tusker House Safari Breakfast. Dinner- Ohana 9/22-T-Rex9/23-Chef Mickey's9/24-Boma's9/25- Le Cellier for me & my husbandCoral Reef for everyone else in our party9/26-Left this day open to go somewhere we find but miss during the week. Did you make your ADR's on the phone or online? I got up early and was on hold for an hour and 20 min when I finally hung up bc I had already made them all online.

 

[Capella]

We decided to hit Epcot for the 4th and Animal Kingdom for a little getaway this weekend. Gotta admit, was a lot of fun. The 4th of July fireworks at Epcot were awesome. Went to AK on Friday, was sort of a bore compared to Epcot, but still had a good time.

The Italian sit-down restaurant owns. Very good entrees. Nice dessert menu. Hot italian chicks. Got a reservation for 9pm after walking in at 2 pm that day. I don't see why people have to call months ahead of time.

We bought a 3-day pass, so we have one more to hit. Probably just make a 3-day weekend and hit Epcot again. GF wants to do Magic Kingdom but I don't think there is a lot for two adults to do there.

Kind of cool living 70 minutes from Orlando. Feels like a different world when you are in the tourist district.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

The Italian sit-down restaurant owns. Very good entrees. Nice dessert menu. Hot italian chicks. Got a reservation for 9pm after walking in at 2 pm that day. I don't see why people have to call months ahead of time.

I question your commitment to Sparkle Motion.

 

[Capella]

The Italian sit-down restaurant owns. Very good entrees. Nice dessert menu. Hot italian chicks. Got a reservation for 9pm after walking in at 2 pm that day. I don't see why people have to call months ahead of time.

I question your commitment to Sparkle Motion.

Mr. Sparkle quote-off?YOU WILL JOIN ME OR DIE

 

[Mr. Pickles]

The Italian sit-down restaurant owns. Very good entrees. Nice dessert menu. Hot italian chicks. Got a reservation for 9pm after walking in at 2 pm that day. I don't see why people have to call months ahead of time.

I question your commitment to Sparkle Motion.

Mr. Sparkle quote-off?YOU WILL JOIN ME OR DIE

I'M DISRESPECTFUL TO DIRT !! CAN YOU SEE THAT I AM SERIOUS?

 

[Capella]

What a brave corporate logo! I accept the challenge of Mr. Sparkle.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

Awesome-a powah

 

[Capella]

"fishbulb"

The Simpsons had some kind of run.

 

[Serenity Now]

We decided to hit Epcot for the 4th and Animal Kingdom for a little getaway this weekend. Gotta admit, was a lot of fun. The 4th of July fireworks at Epcot were awesome. Went to AK on Friday, was sort of a bore compared to Epcot, but still had a good time. The Italian sit-down restaurant owns. Very good entrees. Nice dessert menu. Hot italian chicks. Got a reservation for 9pm after walking in at 2 pm that day. I don't see why people have to call months ahead of time. We bought a 3-day pass, so we have one more to hit. Probably just make a 3-day weekend and hit Epcot again. GF wants to do Magic Kingdom but I don't think there is a lot for two adults to do there.Kind of cool living 70 minutes from Orlando. Feels like a different world when you are in the tourist district.

Epcot's fireworks were the best, IMO. MK is still fun, though crowded. MGM studios is worth consideration for the Aerosmith roller coaster and Tower of Terror.

 

[guru_007]

Just got back from 8 days @ Disney. I was at Epcot for the 4th too...didn't run into Capella, at least I don't think I did.

I'm going to have a longer writeup later today when I catch up from work...from the perspective of a first timer.

But one thing I wanted to mention was the dining deal.

Here's the thing - if you want sit down service at a park, you need to make reservations if you are going during peak season, unless you enjoy waiting a long time.

I had reservations at still waited > 15 minute twice.

Sci Fi diner thing at MGM - waited nearly 30 minutes - they were turning away every walk in (lots of them) telling them they were totally booked up.

Tony's Italian restaurant at MK - waited about 15 minutes - they were allowing walk ins, but people were waiting much longer than an hour for a table (the lobby was filled when we walked in, and fuller when we left and we noticed quite a few families still there).

If you want to eat at a resort (like Ohana's) you can probably do without a reservation - there are waits, but not unbearable...something around 15-40 minutes, and there is a nice bar to wait at too.

There is also quick service dining all around all the parks. At Epcot on the 4th, I was talking to a guy that waited for almost an hour for fish and chips from the UK. The beer lines were 30+ people deep. But...that was on July 4th. I was at Epcot on the 5th too, and the lines were less than 5 minutes.

I did the dining plan and did not come close to finishing my quick dining meals nor my snacks. And we were forcing ourselves to eat much more often than usual to try to finish these things out. Only reason I did the dining plan was the special they gave us was something like 3 free days after purchasing 4. I'm not sure I made out on that deal at all.

 

[sho nuff]

Got a reservation for 9pm after walking in at 2 pm that day. I don't see why people have to call months ahead of time.

Because I have a 4 year old and an 18 month old and we don't like to eat dinner at 9 pm?Hell, even without the kids I don't want to wait til 9 pm to eat dinner.

 

[Gator Shawn]

Got a reservation for 9pm after walking in at 2 pm that day. I don't see why people have to call months ahead of time.

Because I have a 4 year old and an 18 month old and we don't like to eat dinner at 9 pm?Hell, even without the kids I don't want to wait til 9 pm to eat dinner.

Also, that's when Illuminations starts, so yeah, not much demand for tables inside a building with no clear view of the fireworks.

 

[Gator Shawn]

Just got back from 8 days @ Disney. I was at Epcot for the 4th too...didn't run into Capella, at least I don't think I did.I'm going to have a longer writeup later today when I catch up from work...from the perspective of a first timer.But one thing I wanted to mention was the dining deal.Here's the thing - if you want sit down service at a park, you need to make reservations if you are going during peak season, unless you enjoy waiting a long time.I had reservations at still waited > 15 minute twice.Sci Fi diner thing at MGM - waited nearly 30 minutes - they were turning away every walk in (lots of them) telling them they were totally booked up.Tony's Italian restaurant at MK - waited about 15 minutes - they were allowing walk ins, but people were waiting much longer than an hour for a table (the lobby was filled when we walked in, and fuller when we left and we noticed quite a few families still there).If you want to eat at a resort (like Ohana's) you can probably do without a reservation - there are waits, but not unbearable...something around 15-40 minutes, and there is a nice bar to wait at too.There is also quick service dining all around all the parks. At Epcot on the 4th, I was talking to a guy that waited for almost an hour for fish and chips from the UK. The beer lines were 30+ people deep. But...that was on July 4th. I was at Epcot on the 5th too, and the lines were less than 5 minutes.I did the dining plan and did not come close to finishing my quick dining meals nor my snacks. And we were forcing ourselves to eat much more often than usual to try to finish these things out. Only reason I did the dining plan was the special they gave us was something like 3 free days after purchasing 4. I'm not sure I made out on that deal at all.

You didn't finish your snacks? Shoot, we ran out after 4 days. Were you not, perhaps, aware of the wide array of things you could use them on?

 

[guru_007]

You didn't finish your snacks? Shoot, we ran out after 4 days. Were you not, perhaps, aware of the wide array of things you could use them on?

I was aware you couldn't use the snacks on beer, otherwise they wouldn't have lasted one day.Honestly, I got kinda lucky on snacks, as the weather wasn't unbearably hot the first three days I was there, so I didn't need to get water/soft drinks every hour or so.Also, we got a few waters each day and just refilled them from time to time at water fountains.My family isn't really big on sweets/snacks. I think our kids got at least one ice cream every single day (on top of the deserts at every dinner).

 

[Gator Shawn]

You didn't finish your snacks? Shoot, we ran out after 4 days. Were you not, perhaps, aware of the wide array of things you could use them on?

I was aware you couldn't use the snacks on beer, otherwise they wouldn't have lasted one day.Honestly, I got kinda lucky on snacks, as the weather wasn't unbearably hot the first three days I was there, so I didn't need to get water/soft drinks every hour or so.Also, we got a few waters each day and just refilled them from time to time at water fountains.My family isn't really big on sweets/snacks. I think our kids got at least one ice cream every single day (on top of the deserts at every dinner).

Apples, Oranges, Bananas, Grapes, Waters, Pretzels, all those things are also snacks. Almost all of street vendors take the snacks credit for their stuff. We refilled our waters too, but man, it was brutally hot when we were there in September. They're never as cold as when you grab them out of a bucket of ice.

 

[Bobcat10]

Gonna try to do a little write-up here and people can take what they want from it. It's a little long, so I apologize for that up front.

Visited Disney Friday July 3rd and Saturday July 4th with almost 4-year old son and wife. I was prepared for insanity as far as crowds go, but really only the 4th was crazy. Friday was not busy one bit, so keep that in mind when reading.

We stayed outside of Disney, in the Universal area, short drive really, and never had any traffic issues driving into/around/out of Disney. $12 to park seems reasonable to me, especially when you can drive park to park if you wanted and not have to pay again.

I know it's said over and over in here, but USE FASTPASS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE! These parks are not as huge as they seem, so you can get around easily, which makes Fastpass even more worthwhile. These people waiting 20-60 minutes in lines is hilarious when you are walking right past them.

Only one time did a Disney worker actually check the Fastpass times on the tickets. I was 30 minutes early for the Buzz ride on day 2 and my beef was I saw them letting in people ahead of me without even checking tickets closely and then pulled me to side to look at my tickets. I went back 10 minutes early and a different person wouldn't let me in either. I, along with one other dude that was already fuming, put up a big enough stink about it that the worker called over a supervisor. I know she was doing her job, but we were 10 minutes, and then 5 minutes early, and she made us just stand there.

I know it would be odd with more than one child, but I reccommend getting the birthday pin. My son doesn't turn 4 until August, but we were partially celebrating his birthday in Disney. The workers are generally nice to begin with, but they seemed super nice with my son wearing the pin. They would greet him with happy birthday constantly, even just walking by....sometimes let us get the front car or special entrance on a ride....and hand him stickers/tatoos/etc. By the end of the trip my son thought he was 4, haha. We got the pin the first morning when we bought our tickets.

Even if your child is past stroller stage, like mine even at 3, give great consideration to bringing your stroller along for the trip. We did, and there is no good reason that I can think of to not have one. And, there is no good reason to have to pay to rent one. This even helps with being able to bring along plenty of bottled water (Florida water is kinda gross, but it's impossible to not have to refill your water bottles unless you are buying water when you want it or if you bring a boatload of bottles), snacks, bags, etc.

July 3rd - Magic Kingdom and Epcot

--Park opened at 9am, we got there around 8am to secure tickets and get a decent entrance spot. It was more than enough time to do this.

-- I made a bee-line to Fantasyland/Peter Pan to get a Fastpass while the wife/kid went to Dumbo. These rides are very close, so I made it over to Dumbo in time to take pictures. No more than 10 min wait here for them. Without small children, even possbily with small children, the play here is to go right to Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain, Fastpass one of them and ride the other while your Fastpass is maturing.

-- After Dumbo, we went to It's A Small World, Mad Tea Party, Winnie the Pooh (didn't even bother with Fastpass as we walked right on) and the Tomorrowland Speedway before going back to use Peter Pan's Fastpass. None of these rides were longer than a 10 minute wait. So, at some point during the 10 oclock hour, we were essentially done with Fantasyland, and I was stoked about that.

-- Headed up to the section (name slipping my mind) where Mickey and Minnie houses are. Toured the houses and had a very short wait for Goofy's rollercoaster. Judge's Tent, behind Mickey's house, was our longest wait of the ENTIRE day, and that was only about 30-40 minutes, partially because I think the characters took a break. So we waited all that time and when it was my son's turn to get Mickey and Minnie's autograph/picture he freaked. Wouldn't go near them after he gave Mickey the autograph book. I was not pleased.

-- About lunch now, and we head to Splash Mountain to get a Fastpass. It was from 4:00-5:00...so we had some time to do other things. Ate lunch somewhere, saw the Country Bear Jamboree, and Alladin ride brought us to about 1:30pm.

-- Headed towards Main St for the 3:00pm parade. Somebody gave us Fastpass for Buzz Lightyears ride on the walk so we headed there for that gem (I think I scored 400,000+ unless I read the score wrong. The second time on the ride I was under 100,000). Waiting for the parade was insanely hot, so we broke down and bought the $17 battery powered water bottle/sprayer, and this also convinced our son to ride Splash Mountain. Well worth the price over the two days (and they will fill it up with ice and/or water for free throughout the park, they better for that price). Had a nice spot on the circle facing the castle for the parade.

-- After the parade, hit up Splash Mountain before heading over to Epcot. Sweet ride and my son actually wanted to do it again.

-- Epcot was also not busy at all. I highly reccommend everything in the Nemo section for kids, especially Turtle Talk with Crush (which was actually just as good for parents). Then hit up the Mexican ride and the Maelstrom before the laser show. People start lining up pretty early for the show, so we didn't have a great view since the show is mostly lower near the water and my son is sitting in a stroller.

July 4th - Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Magic Kingdom

-- Drove straight to Hollywood Studios, got there a little after 9am, so my Fastpass for Toy Story Mania was not until 11:30 hour.

-- Peeled over to the left side of the park and it was like a ghostown. Ran into Lightning McQueen and Mater's area and they were going to come out at 10am. So we went to see the Muppets 3d show before visiting McQueen (a super highlight for my son).

-- Went to Star Wars ride and it was a short wait, the simulator freaked out my son a bit but he was ok. Then went to Honey I Shrunk movie set and that was enjoyable for the youngsters.

-- Toy Story Mania is amazing. I wish they had more stuff like this (and the Buzz ride at MK). I had a good score, but I didn't get used to the pully system until near the end, and I was a bit off the days high score. Wish we could have done that again, but it was too long of a wait.

-- Drove back to the MK parking lot and caught the monorail over to Epcot for the afternoon to hit up the two Innovations buildings. Lots of stuff for kids and adults in them. We walked around the countries as my son fell asleep in the stroller.

-- Monorailed it back to MK and realized we made a wonderful choice doing that park on Friday. It was INSANE there on Saturday the 4th. Nothing really worth waiting for as far as rides go, all the lines were long. We Fastpass'd Buzz's ride (the one where I ended up getting in that beef) and then ate dinner at the baseball hot dog shop and saw the end of a parade we didn't know about. Then did the merry-go-round and Pooh's playground while we waited for our Fastpass to mature.

-- By the time we finished, it was time to find somewhere to go for fireworks. Headed towards the entrance and found a good enough spot to hang. Was a great idea because they threw off fireworks over the castle and behind the entrance....so when it was done (we had already started walking out), we caught the monorail quickly as the masses were behind us.

All in all a great two days. Could have spent more time there because we didn't venture to Animal Kingdom, water parks, or do some of the things at the parks my wife and I would have liked to do, but my son was happy and that's all that matters.

 

[sho nuff]

"I know it would be odd with more than one child, but I reccommend getting the birthday pin. My son doesn't turn 4 until August, but we were partially celebrating his birthday in Disney. The workers are generally nice to begin with, but they seemed super nice with my son wearing the pin. thumbup1.gif They would greet him with happy birthday constantly, even just walking by....sometimes let us get the front car or special entrance on a ride....and hand him stickers/tatoos/etc. thumbup1.gif By the end of the trip my son thought he was 4, haha. We got the pin the first morning when we bought our tickets.Even if your child is past stroller stage, like mine even at 3, give great consideration to bringing your stroller along for the trip. We did, and there is no good reason that I can think of to not have one. And, there is no good reason to have to pay to rent one. This even helps with being able to bring along plenty of bottled water (Florida water is kinda gross, but it's impossible to not have to refill your water bottles unless you are buying water when you want it or if you bring a boatload of bottles), snacks, bags, etc."

Agreed on the birthday pin...we did it the first trip with my son. They also set up some automated phone call with Mickey or Goofy in that guest services area right inside MK. Put my son on the phone and they had a message for him. He loved it.Then got a card from all the Pooh gang at Crystal Palace as we were there on his birthday.Also on the stroller, I agree, don't rent one. For what you spend to rent one...if you have a car there...find a walmart and buy a cheap umbrella stroller.

 

[ATC1]

"I know it would be odd with more than one child, but I reccommend getting the birthday pin. My son doesn't turn 4 until August, but we were partially celebrating his birthday in Disney. The workers are generally nice to begin with, but they seemed super nice with my son wearing the pin. thumbup1.gif They would greet him with happy birthday constantly, even just walking by....sometimes let us get the front car or special entrance on a ride....and hand him stickers/tatoos/etc. thumbup1.gif By the end of the trip my son thought he was 4, haha. We got the pin the first morning when we bought our tickets.Even if your child is past stroller stage, like mine even at 3, give great consideration to bringing your stroller along for the trip. We did, and there is no good reason that I can think of to not have one. And, there is no good reason to have to pay to rent one. This even helps with being able to bring along plenty of bottled water (Florida water is kinda gross, but it's impossible to not have to refill your water bottles unless you are buying water when you want it or if you bring a boatload of bottles), snacks, bags, etc."

Agreed on the birthday pin...we did it the first trip with my son. They also set up some automated phone call with Mickey or Goofy in that guest services area right inside MK. Put my son on the phone and they had a message for him. He loved it.Then got a card from all the Pooh gang at Crystal Palace as we were there on his birthday.Also on the stroller, I agree, don't rent one. For what you spend to rent one...if you have a car there...find a walmart and buy a cheap umbrella stroller.

Next time go with just your wife and wear the bride mickey and Minne hats. At first I thought it was pretty cheesey, but we rode as grand marshals in the MGM day parade, got to set off the fireworks in downtown disney. Rode several rides by ourselves. The best Disney trip we had byfar.

 

[sho nuff]

We might go for our 15th anniversary, just us.

But I don't care how much crap we get to do...unless its ushering us up to the front of any line all week...no way I am wearing that bride and groom mickey and minnie hat with her.

 

[ATC1]

We might go for our 15th anniversary, just us.But I don't care how much crap we get to do...unless its ushering us up to the front of any line all week...no way I am wearing that bride and groom mickey and minnie hat with her.

If you don't have the mindset of a 8 year old when you go, you won't have as good of a time as you could have. Trust me, let it go. You won't see any of these people ever again.

 

[AcerFC]

On my way now. Wife driving on 95. At exit 86 for charleston. I drove 12 hours. 4 more til wifes grandmothers house in Jacksonville.

 

[guru_007]

Okay, going to do my best here to provide a trip report/recommendations. A few notes before I begin:

-As this was my first trip, in no way am I purporting to be an expert on all things Disney.

-I hope not to offend anyone, as this is not my intent. I'm not a huge amusement park fan as it is, so bear that in mind.

Okay, let's start off with the good. For the sheer volume of people that visit Disney every single day, they do a remarkable job keeping this place clean and looking nice. I mean everything, even the bathrooms is clean and pleasant.

The shows at each locations are outstanding. Beauty and the Beast was probably the best, followed by the Indiana Jones stunt show. Finding Nemo was good so was Lion King, I mean, all of them were worth it.

Everything was very fluid and slick moving, from airport, to hotel check in. Buses are clearly marked, bags were brought to room, check in was a breeze, shuttles to each park are often and well done - amazing how well they have it down.

There is a ton of food selections and things to do - but, with that being said, I thought the food was pretty poor all in all. I understand they have to make thousands of meals each day at every restaurant, but the selections are minimal and the food is just so-so at best. A few things I especially didn't care for:

-On the meal plan you get an entree, non-alcoholic beverage and a desert. Well, what about the people (like me and my wife) that don't care for desert and would prefer a salad or appetizer instead? Well, you have to pay extra for that. My kids ending up eating many deserts this trip, and I grinned and bared it having to pay for a salad with dinner.

-Again on the entrees, you only had 5 or 6 to pick from from each restaurant. As I don't eat meat or pork, well, that narrowed my options down to 1 or 2 per restaurant.

For comparison's sake, here are the restaurants I went to and my thoughts:

Spoodles (Boardwalk) - just so-so. I got the spinach ravioli, and it was actually not bad, but everyone else hated their dinners and I tasted them, and they were no good.

Ohanas (Polynesian) - a lot of people mentioned this earlier in this thread, and well I didn't care for it. I enjoy shrimp, I don't enjoy burnt shrimp. The turkey was bland, and I didn't try the pork or steak, but basically it was charred on the inside and pink inside. Basically what they do is put the meat over a flame and bbq. they have some dipping sauces, but they tasted like variations of ketchup, mustard and sweet and sour sauce to me. They bring you all you can eat which is okay, but again, not a big fan. I've had worse though.

Boma (Animal lodge) - buffet, and the only place without a line because, well the food was awful, definitely the worst and would not recommend to anyone to ever go there.

Lunch with the PRincesses (NOrway) - don't remember the name of this place, but it was far and away my favorite. There was a seafood chowder which was the best portion of any meal I had in Disney, and I got the salmon sandwich and it was terrific. Plus, they have a little salad buffet before they bring you your meal with a lot of really good food (salads, fruits, smoked salmon, breads, spreads...more stuff). My 3 year old loved it because she got her picture taken with all of the princesses too. I would highly recommend going to this place if you have a little girl. Even if you don't, the food was really good.

Bier Garten (Germany) -buffet. I'm not a huge fan of buffets really, and I don't eat meat, but this one wasn't that bad. Tons of options, all the food was pretty solid, pretzel bread was good too. sure, I had been drinking a little that day, but it was 100x better than Boma.

Sci Fi Diner (MGM) - meh. Basically, you go here for the atmosphere and the kids loved it. Huge waits, even with reservations, but it was pretty decent. The food was underwhelming, I got a chicken sandwich and fries. but the desert was probably the best (cheese cake, peanut butter cake, ice cream bomb) I'd go there again.

All the fast food places are some variation of each other, and so-so. I think I got a veggie burger, vegetable pizza, chicken nuggets, grilled chicken wrap and a chicken salad. All were big enough to leave me satisfied and not hungry, but none of them would I say were much more than that. Sustenance.

Okay, onto the parks. As I saw it, each of the parks has two good rides. Fast pass those. If the lines are short on the other rides, go, otherwise if you skip them, you haven't missed anything. I have a 3, 8 & 12 year old, so each had different priorities on which ride to go to first - very frustrating. Anyway.....I guess everyone will get their own thing out of each park. My best recommendation is to get a Disney book. My wife got one which rated each ride and which one to fast pass first. Worth it. We went on almost all the crappy rides too, but wouldn't go on most of them again.

random notes:

Strollers - ugh. My youngest hasn't had one in 2 years, I wish I had brought one. $15/day to rent one, and needed it every day. If you rent for multiple days its $13/day, spent almost 100 bucks on stroller rentals. If you're very cheap, you can get away with "borrowing" one from the train stops at magic kingdom.

Bring 2 pairs of comfortable shoes. You are going to walk a lot. It rains in Florida on occasion and if your shoes get wet, it may take a day or two to have them dry out. My kids only brought one pair of shoes each - so we ended up buying flip flops down there. Big mistake on me, two fold - not double checking their shoe supply. First, they are very pricey at the park, and Second, everyone got blisters

Get to park at 9:00 a.m. and there are no lines for most of the attractions. By noon, there are 40+ minute waits. We got more done in the mornings than the afternoons each day, so it pays to motivate early.

I'm not sure if it's better to stay on or off the park, but if I were to do it again, I'd stay on the park again. Very easy transport around all the kingdoms, room key acting as meal card/credit card was very slick, magic hours where only guests can ride the rides after hours was a bonus. didn't need to rent a car for anything, it was very easy to get everywhere I needed to go and not carry around a lot of stuff.

They really need to not rent out those motorized scooters except for people with legitimate problems walking. Laziness/Obesity should not entitle you to scoot your way around the park. My kids almost got hit twice by impatient people with these things and once by a kid playing around on one. Here's a hint, if you go to Disney, expect to walk around quite a bit. And it does get hot. It's okay to take breaks from time to time. (this is a bit of a rant and I'm doing my best to bite my tongue, but I was pissed off at a few people)

The entire staff at Disney is unbelievably nice and helpful, seriously. Those people should be commended. Tons of smiles, everyone willing to help out, talk to you - I know it's their job, but if it were me, well, I just wouldn't last. I get in bad moods sometimes.

Also, it was hot and muggy a lot while I was there and I got a total of one mosquito bite. Not sure how the hell they managed that one - I didn't put a drop of insect repellent on me.

All in all, I'd rate my experience there a 7/10. My kids had about a 9.5/10 so it was well worth it for me. I'd go again, but not for a few years. It is a bit pricey, and there are other things I'd prefer to do before I return. If anyone has any specific questions and I can help, I'd be more than happy to. This thread helped me out a ton and I'd love if I could return the favor to one poor soul.

g'luck

 

[Yankee23Fan]

Ohanas (Polynesian) - a lot of people mentioned this earlier in this thread, and well I didn't care for it. I enjoy shrimp, I don't enjoy burnt shrimp. The turkey was bland, and I didn't try the pork or steak, but basically it was charred on the inside and pink inside. Basically what they do is put the meat over a flame and bbq. they have some dipping sauces, but they tasted like variations of ketchup, mustard and sweet and sour sauce to me. They bring you all you can eat which is okay, but again, not a big fan. I've had worse though.

I...... I don't know what to say... I've seen people that complain about fruit being too sweet, women being too beautiful, the Yankees winning too much. I never quite understood it. I mean, to me, if fruit isn't sweet, what's the point? They become vegetables on trees. So, the sweeter the better I say. And women; beauty being in the eye of the beholder aside, no one is too beautiful. I think that opinion shows in public a deep seeded personal self loathing that requires less beauty so that the beholder isn't as ugly as they really feel.And the Yankees, well, 161 wins and a title is still not perfection to me.But, to go so far and and to say, "... well I didn't care for it," when speaking of the great O'Hana. I think I understand humanity now. All my years of faith in Christ, entertainment by the Yankees, physical gratification by women and sated tummy of fruit have not given me the answer to humanity, but this has. I see it now. The clouds have given way to the horizon of all things and it is there. Clear. Perfect. The message is so obvious, the lesson so simple that you can actually see the letters of the words of the great true meaning of life. They say,"Some people are just ******* crazy."

 

[guru_007]

I knew it wouldn't be a popular opinion. Best part about dinner at Ohana was the appetizer - my kids loved the wings and dumplings

 

[ATC1]

There is a ton of food selections and things to do - but, with that being said, I thought the food was pretty poor all in all. I understand they have to make thousands of meals each day at every restaurant, but the selections are minimal and the food is just so-so at best. A few things I especially didn't care for:

-On the meal plan you get an entree, non-alcoholic beverage and a desert. Well, what about the people (like me and my wife) that don't care for desert and would prefer a salad or appetizer instead? Well, you have to pay extra for that. My kids ending up eating many deserts this trip, and I grinned and bared it having to pay for a salad with dinner.

-Again on the entrees, you only had 5 or 6 to pick from from each restaurant. As I don't eat meat or pork, well, that narrowed my options down to 1 or 2 per restaurant.

For comparison's sake, here are the restaurants I went to and my thoughts:

Spoodles (Boardwalk) - just so-so. I got the spinach ravioli, and it was actually not bad, but everyone else hated their dinners and I tasted them, and they were no good.

Ohanas (Polynesian) - a lot of people mentioned this earlier in this thread, and well I didn't care for it. I enjoy shrimp, I don't enjoy burnt shrimp. The turkey was bland, and I didn't try the pork or steak, but basically it was charred on the inside and pink inside. Basically what they do is put the meat over a flame and bbq. they have some dipping sauces, but they tasted like variations of ketchup, mustard and sweet and sour sauce to me. They bring you all you can eat which is okay, but again, not a big fan. I've had worse though.

Boma (Animal lodge) - buffet, and the only place without a line because, well the food was awful, definitely the worst and would not recommend to anyone to ever go there.

Lunch with the PRincesses (NOrway) - don't remember the name of this place, but it was far and away my favorite. There was a seafood chowder which was the best portion of any meal I had in Disney, and I got the salmon sandwich and it was terrific. Plus, they have a little salad buffet before they bring you your meal with a lot of really good food (salads, fruits, smoked salmon, breads, spreads...more stuff). My 3 year old loved it because she got her picture taken with all of the princesses too. I would highly recommend going to this place if you have a little girl. Even if you don't, the food was really good.

Bier Garten (Germany) -buffet. I'm not a huge fan of buffets really, and I don't eat meat, but this one wasn't that bad. Tons of options, all the food was pretty solid, pretzel bread was good too. sure, I had been drinking a little that day, but it was 100x better than Boma.

Sci Fi Diner (MGM) - meh. Basically, you go here for the atmosphere and the kids loved it. Huge waits, even with reservations, but it was pretty decent. The food was underwhelming, I got a chicken sandwich and fries. but the desert was probably the best (cheese cake, peanut butter cake, ice cream bomb) I'd go there again.

All the fast food places are some variation of each other, and so-so. I think I got a veggie burger, vegetable pizza, chicken nuggets, grilled chicken wrap and a chicken salad. All were big enough to leave me satisfied and not hungry, but none of them would I say were much more than that. Sustenance.

Did you check with the board to see about what meals to plan? For someone that does not eat meat, we should have provided some better places. I would have suggested Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club - seafood (clams, shrimp and muscle buffett) good stuff for the kids as well. I think this would have suited you because you liked Norway. A lot of people don't like it because of all the cold seafood.

Boma takes a aquired taste. I did not care for it either, but they try to make it known that saying it's "the flavors of Africa"

Spoodles, Sci Fi, German were all decent enough, but would not plan them again if I had my choice.

Surprised you did not like Ohana. One of my favorite places although I like the open flamed taste.

It is amazing how they make everyone so cheerful and run like a well oiled machine. The thing Disney does exceptionally well and takes a lot of time doing is cast placement on the employee interviews. They know where to place the right people where they will enjoy themselves while working.

 

[ATC1]

I knew it wouldn't be a popular opinion. Best part about dinner at Ohana was the appetizer - my kids loved the wings and dumplings

uuuuummmm the wings.....:drool:

 

[ATC1]

I knew it wouldn't be a popular opinion. Best part about dinner at Ohana was the appetizer - my kids loved the wings and dumplings

uuuuummmm the wings.....:drool:

BTW, you know you could have asked for more of the chicken wing appetizer? You could eat 100 of them for a full meal insrtead of the shrimp. I would have to eat some other stuff, but I would certainly go to a place if it only served those damn wings.

 

[guru_007]

I knew it wouldn't be a popular opinion. Best part about dinner at Ohana was the appetizer - my kids loved the wings and dumplings

uuuuummmm the wings.....:drool:

BTW, you know you could have asked for more of the chicken wing appetizer? You could eat 100 of them for a full meal insrtead of the shrimp. I would have to eat some other stuff, but I would certainly go to a place if it only served those damn wings.

Didn't know that - may have opted for that instead. My kids ate everything fast, and rather than order more, I wanted to get to the main course to "get our money's worth"As an aside, when we sat down to eat, there was a family of four, mom/dad and two young girls and they were eating the main course. 30 minutes later, the girls and mother had stopped, and the guy was still there chowing down. I remember he was wearing a Jason Kidd jersey. When we left, about an hour later, they still hadn't got desert because the guy was still eating. I felt bad for the little girls, because they were getting restless. This dude must have had 20+ servings of food

 

[ATC1]

I knew it wouldn't be a popular opinion. Best part about dinner at Ohana was the appetizer - my kids loved the wings and dumplings

uuuuummmm the wings.....:drool:

BTW, you know you could have asked for more of the chicken wing appetizer? You could eat 100 of them for a full meal insrtead of the shrimp. I would have to eat some other stuff, but I would certainly go to a place if it only served those damn wings.

Didn't know that - may have opted for that instead. My kids ate everything fast, and rather than order more, I wanted to get to the main course to "get our money's worth"As an aside, when we sat down to eat, there was a family of four, mom/dad and two young girls and they were eating the main course. 30 minutes later, the girls and mother had stopped, and the guy was still there chowing down. I remember he was wearing a Jason Kidd jersey. When we left, about an hour later, they still hadn't got desert because the guy was still eating. I felt bad for the little girls, because they were getting restless. This dude must have had 20+ servings of food

I have went back to the appetizer after the main course on multiple occassions. Oh and breadpudding is my favorite dessert. I usually always go for 2nds. LOL, I own a Jason Kid Jersey too....

 

[SharkBait]

Ohanas (Polynesian) - a lot of people mentioned this earlier in this thread, and well I didn't care for it. I enjoy shrimp, I don't enjoy burnt shrimp. The turkey was bland, and I didn't try the pork or steak, but basically it was charred on the inside and pink inside. Basically what they do is put the meat over a flame and bbq. they have some dipping sauces, but they tasted like variations of ketchup, mustard and sweet and sour sauce to me. They bring you all you can eat which is okay, but again, not a big fan. I've had worse though.

I...... I don't know what to say... I've seen people that complain about fruit being too sweet, women being too beautiful, the Yankees winning too much. I never quite understood it. I mean, to me, if fruit isn't sweet, what's the point? They become vegetables on trees. So, the sweeter the better I say. And women; beauty being in the eye of the beholder aside, no one is too beautiful. I think that opinion shows in public a deep seeded personal self loathing that requires less beauty so that the beholder isn't as ugly as they really feel.And the Yankees, well, 161 wins and a title is still not perfection to me.But, to go so far and and to say, "... well I didn't care for it," when speaking of the great O'Hana. I think I understand humanity now. All my years of faith in Christ, entertainment by the Yankees, physical gratification by women and sated tummy of fruit have not given me the answer to humanity, but this has. I see it now. The clouds have given way to the horizon of all things and it is there. Clear. Perfect. The message is so obvious, the lesson so simple that you can actually see the letters of the words of the great true meaning of life. They say,"Some people are just ******* crazy."

LOL. Some people get a rush out of knocking a place that everyone else really likes. Makes them feel kinda superior. Not saying this is the case here, but I know a few people that are like that...

 

[Yankee23Fan]

I knew it wouldn't be a popular opinion. Best part about dinner at Ohana was the appetizer - my kids loved the wings and dumplings

uuuuummmm the wings.....:drool:

BTW, you know you could have asked for more of the chicken wing appetizer? You could eat 100 of them for a full meal insrtead of the shrimp. I would have to eat some other stuff, but I would certainly go to a place if it only served those damn wings.

Didn't know that - may have opted for that instead. My kids ate everything fast, and rather than order more, I wanted to get to the main course to "get our money's worth"As an aside, when we sat down to eat, there was a family of four, mom/dad and two young girls and they were eating the main course. 30 minutes later, the girls and mother had stopped, and the guy was still there chowing down. I remember he was wearing a Jason Kidd jersey. When we left, about an hour later, they still hadn't got desert because the guy was still eating. I felt bad for the little girls, because they were getting restless. This dude must have had 20+ servings of food

Yeah, you can seriously do damage there with any course you choose. Like I've said, I have plates of wings coming the whole time. As for the couple next to you, that is kinda sad. Once everyone is done with the main course we try to get the Banana's Foster covered bread pudding with Vanilla ice cream.... (wait, hang on............................) ok, I'm back... had to throw cold water on my face just thinking about it.... yeah, we try to get that on the table so that the meal can be close to done - but if anyother plate of wings happens to appear, well, then they must be eaten.

 

[Team]

There is a ton of food selections and things to do - but, with that being said, I thought the food was pretty poor all in all. I understand they have to make thousands of meals each day at every restaurant, but the selections are minimal and the food is just so-so at best. A few things I especially didn't care for:-On the meal plan you get an entree, non-alcoholic beverage and a desert. Well, what about the people (like me and my wife) that don't care for desert and would prefer a salad or appetizer instead? Well, you have to pay extra for that. My kids ending up eating many deserts this trip, and I grinned and bared it having to pay for a salad with dinner.-Again on the entrees, you only had 5 or 6 to pick from from each restaurant. As I don't eat meat or pork, well, that narrowed my options down to 1 or 2 per restaurant.

-The entrees on the menus have been stripped more and more each year since the creation of the dining plan.-Dining plan USED to include an appetizer AND dessert. That was way too much food. I agree... it should be a choice between the 2.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

Ohanas (Polynesian) - a lot of people mentioned this earlier in this thread, and well I didn't care for it. I enjoy shrimp, I don't enjoy burnt shrimp. The turkey was bland, and I didn't try the pork or steak, but basically it was charred on the inside and pink inside. Basically what they do is put the meat over a flame and bbq. they have some dipping sauces, but they tasted like variations of ketchup, mustard and sweet and sour sauce to me. They bring you all you can eat which is okay, but again, not a big fan. I've had worse though.

I...... I don't know what to say... I've seen people that complain about fruit being too sweet, women being too beautiful, the Yankees winning too much. I never quite understood it. I mean, to me, if fruit isn't sweet, what's the point? They become vegetables on trees. So, the sweeter the better I say. And women; beauty being in the eye of the beholder aside, no one is too beautiful. I think that opinion shows in public a deep seeded personal self loathing that requires less beauty so that the beholder isn't as ugly as they really feel.And the Yankees, well, 161 wins and a title is still not perfection to me.But, to go so far and and to say, "... well I didn't care for it," when speaking of the great O'Hana. I think I understand humanity now. All my years of faith in Christ, entertainment by the Yankees, physical gratification by women and sated tummy of fruit have not given me the answer to humanity, but this has. I see it now. The clouds have given way to the horizon of all things and it is there. Clear. Perfect. The message is so obvious, the lesson so simple that you can actually see the letters of the words of the great true meaning of life. They say,"Some people are just ******* crazy."

So is it any good?

 

[Capella]

Got a reservation for 9pm after walking in at 2 pm that day. I don't see why people have to call months ahead of time.

Because I have a 4 year old and an 18 month old and we don't like to eat dinner at 9 pm?Hell, even without the kids I don't want to wait til 9 pm to eat dinner.

Also, that's when Illuminations starts, so yeah, not much demand for tables inside a building with no clear view of the fireworks.

Illuminations started at 10pm on the 4th. Don't know if it was a holiday thing or a Saturday thing, but we made dinner (actually got seated early...8:45) and had plenty of time to get situated for the fireworks.

 

[Capella]

They really need to not rent out those motorized scooters except for people with legitimate problems walking. Laziness/Obesity should not entitle you to scoot your way around the park. My kids almost got hit twice by impatient people with these things and once by a kid playing around on one. Here's a hint, if you go to Disney, expect to walk around quite a bit. And it does get hot. It's okay to take breaks from time to time. (this is a bit of a rant and I'm doing my best to bite my tongue, but I was pissed off at a few people)

Also, it was hot and muggy a lot while I was there and I got a total of one mosquito bite. Not sure how the hell they managed that one - I didn't put a drop of insect repellent on me.

Funny...two topics we were talking about Saturday while walking around Epcot.Amazing how many fat people use the scooters to get around...and borderline dangerously. Cutting in front of people, zigging in and out of traffic...stupid. Walk your fat ### around the park. It's good for you. They must bug bomb the #### out of that park at night. The only reasonable explanation. I could walk outside right now and get 5 bites. Not even a nick at Disney.

 

[tdog]

Just got back from 7 days at Disney. June 21-28. Stayed at the Wilderness Lodge with the meal plan. Two kids 4 and 6.

We had a great time. 7 days made it very easy to leave the park when the kids had had enough. We never pushed too much as we had plenty of time to come back.

I had a basic plan for each park that generally involved hitting the big ticket rides early, eat lunch, go on the rides that were easier to go on after lunch or with the fast pass, hit the pool, then back for a character meal and catching other attractions. Getting there at opening the first 4 days along with using fast passes got us into every ride we wanted (granted limited to ones for younger kids) in under 15 minute although the crowds were big

Dining Reviews (my kids liked characters a lot):

Dinner with Pooh--Great food, fun place, kids loved it, probably the best quality and variety of food we had, lots of salad type stuff

Lunch with Cinderella at the Castle--the big ticket thing wasn't all that great. Mostly because the kids were really hot and tired on that day but it's a bit forced.

Dinner in Norway with the Princesses--much better option for princess stuff, good food, nice cold bar with smoked fish that I loved, great interaction with the characters, good service from hot girls from Norway.

Chef Mickey's--lots of fun, good food, great characters, the contemporary is a neat hotel

Whispering Canyon--lots of BBQ food, funny servers and fun for the kids (riding wood ponies around the place, yelling for ketchup).

Tusker House lunch--at Animal Kingdom, lots of flavorful food with african spices, liked it a lot and we got seats for Nemo by dining at 1pm.

Very suprised by the high quality of the quick service meals. Only bad meal was at Hollywood studio's ABC commisary thing. Did alot of the "wrap" or salad options at the quick service places.

We especially liked--

Epcot:

Sorin

Mission Space

Doing the kidcot stations around the world, they got passports stamped at each country and did an art project, mom and dad drank beer. Excellent late afternoon activitity

Turtle Talk with Crush and all the Nemo sea stuff

Magic Kingdom:

Mickey's Philharmonic

Belle's Story Time (kids got put in the show)

Small World

Pooh Ride

Peter Pan

Big Thunder Mountain

Jungle Cruise

Monsters Inc Laugh Stage

Tom Sawyer's Island (great when the park is full)

Animal Kingdom:

Safari and walking through the animal exhibits

Lion King

Hollywood (least amount of time):

Star wars

The 3D movies / shows got old quickly, Philharmonic was very good though. Bugs Life, a bit disappointing. Despite the advance tickets for Nemo, we missed it because the kids wanted more autographs. The only thing I didn't plan for was the amount of time the kids wanted to wait to meet the characters. It made them happy so we went with it. Wilderness Lodge was only a short boat ride from MK and had a bunkbead for the kids. We booked through AAA and got the preferred parking, which worked great at the other parks. We didn't take the buses. The dining plan was a great value because we had all the character stuff, the kid price for one character meal was generally equal to the entire daily cost for the kid plan. Seemed to be about even for adults. We came out ahead but I wouldn't do it unless you were willing to make the reservations prior to going. Used a lot of the snack credits for muffins or bagels at breakfast, frozen lemonades and ice cream at the parks.

In sum for those with little kids--go early, leave before you feel the need to start yelling at your kids (like half the people do), plan lots of character dining, get your fast passes.

 

[Bobcat10]

Got a reservation for 9pm after walking in at 2 pm that day. I don't see why people have to call months ahead of time.

Because I have a 4 year old and an 18 month old and we don't like to eat dinner at 9 pm?Hell, even without the kids I don't want to wait til 9 pm to eat dinner.

Also, that's when Illuminations starts, so yeah, not much demand for tables inside a building with no clear view of the fireworks.

Illuminations started at 10pm on the 4th. Don't know if it was a holiday thing or a Saturday thing, but we made dinner (actually got seated early...8:45) and had plenty of time to get situated for the fireworks.

Started at 9pm on the 3rd. Possibly they pushed it to 10pm on the 4th because the MK fireworks started at 9pm?

 

[Capella]

Got a reservation for 9pm after walking in at 2 pm that day. I don't see why people have to call months ahead of time.

Because I have a 4 year old and an 18 month old and we don't like to eat dinner at 9 pm?Hell, even without the kids I don't want to wait til 9 pm to eat dinner.

Also, that's when Illuminations starts, so yeah, not much demand for tables inside a building with no clear view of the fireworks.

Illuminations started at 10pm on the 4th. Don't know if it was a holiday thing or a Saturday thing, but we made dinner (actually got seated early...8:45) and had plenty of time to get situated for the fireworks.

Started at 9pm on the 3rd. Possibly they pushed it to 10pm on the 4th because the MK fireworks started at 9pm?

Yea, maybe. Seemed like those were ending up as the Epcot show was starting.

 

[sho nuff]

Few things...the first trip we took (Sept 2006...got there Sunday before Labor day)...perfect time for us to go for the first trip. Boy was just about to turn 2.

There were no lines for most rides (small world, snow white, peter pan, pooh...all of that)...also, we did not do any character meals til a last minute lunch at Crystal Palace because we had no clue how my son would react. I need to post the pictures from that trip because you can see the evolution from day 1 of being afraid of the characters to later in the week where he would just run up to them hugging them and wanting to touch their noses and eyes. Kept saying, "touch eye". Thankfully, those lines for meeting characters were also very short. Even with long lines...best place to meet a bunch of them on hot days is Epcot...being inside and air conditioned and the wait did not seem that long during our 2nd trip (the next June we went back). In June, it was great having a bunch of character meals because we then did not spend time waiting in line to meet most characters. We lucked into Lightening and Mater, Woody and Buzz, and Mike and Sully at Hollywood Studios right when they were about to come out and had minimal waiting.

Headed back next march and already planning our itinerary and meals so we get it all planned out. My son will be 5 and my daughter will be 2 (and hopefully going with a set of grandparents as it would make it easier for my wife and I to hit some of the bigger rides, plus be able to take my son on things together that my daughter is too small for).

 

[Gator Shawn]

I knew it wouldn't be a popular opinion. Best part about dinner at Ohana was the appetizer - my kids loved the wings and dumplings

uuuuummmm the wings.....:drool:

BTW, you know you could have asked for more of the chicken wing appetizer? You could eat 100 of them for a full meal insrtead of the shrimp. I would have to eat some other stuff, but I would certainly go to a place if it only served those damn wings.

Didn't know that - may have opted for that instead.

It was 3 nights into my first Cruise before I was informed that if I liked one of the entrees at Dinner I could get more. This was 1 night after Lobster Tail was served.

 

[FBGirl79]

Has anyone done Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party? We are thinking about adding it to our late September trip but wanted to know if anyone thought it was worth the price.

 

[Godsbrother]

Has anyone done Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party? We are thinking about adding it to our late September trip but wanted to know if anyone thought it was worth the price.

We're going to be in Disney in October and have opted out of the MNSSHP. The parade is awesome and the fireworks cool and trick or treating is fun but the price keeps going up every year. This year the prices are $55 for adults and $49 for children (advance ticket prices). This would have cost our party of 19 over $1,000! Instead we're going to hang at the park until the normal closing (the park will be decorated in a holiday theme) then we're going to hop on the monorail and eat at the Contemporary where we will be able to see the halloween fireworks.

 

[Payne]

Has anyone done Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party? We are thinking about adding it to our late September trip but wanted to know if anyone thought it was worth the price.

We've did it in both 2005 and 2007. It was fun. But not worth the price to me.

 

[wefcpa]

Has anyone done Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party? We are thinking about adding it to our late September trip but wanted to know if anyone thought it was worth the price.

I'll go against the prior 2 posters and say this was alot of fun. We have 2 younger boys and they had a ball going through the park and getting candy. We have also done the Pirates and Princess' Party which they enjoyed as well. The park is alot less crowded during these after hour festivities and you can ride pretty much any ride you want without having to wait. It is also funny to see the different costumes along with the number of adults who are dressed up.

 

[Godsbrother]

I'll go against the prior 2 posters and say this was alot of fun. We have 2 younger boys and they had a ball going through the park and getting candy. We have also done the Pirates and Princess' Party which they enjoyed as well. The park is alot less crowded during these after hour festivities and you can ride pretty much any ride you want without having to wait. It is also funny to see the different costumes along with the number of adults who are dressed up.

We weren't saying it wasn't fun but questioning whether the price was worth it. If you are doing it for the parade (which is AWESOME) and trick or treating then you won't be disappointed. If you are doing it mainly for short lines at the attractions then I would say it isn't worth it. You are going in September so crowd levels are going to be low and lines will be short anyway.One other thing to consider is the age of the children you are taking. Even though it is called Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party my 3 year old nephew did not like the parade at all.

 

[Kiddnets]

going again the 2nd week of august - 7 days - anyone go during this time of the month? I figure its going to be hot - planning to hit the parks from opening to 1pm - get lunch then swim at the hotel (Polynesian) - early dinner then head back to the parks after. Figure this will limit the heat stroke! Any one else do this?

 

[Godsbrother]

going again the 2nd week of august - 7 days - anyone go during this time of the month? I figure its going to be hot - planning to hit the parks from opening to 1pm - get lunch then swim at the hotel (Polynesian) - early dinner then head back to the parks after. Figure this will limit the heat stroke! Any one else do this?

Yep. That is the way to go, especially in the summer. Have a good time!

 

[snogger]

Some have questioned why I use The magic for less to book our trips..

Well, today it paid off BIG TIME!

E-mail from them:

Hi Shane!

Something Magical Has Happened!!

We always try to stay on top of the latest discounts, and today our persistence paid off…for you! We have secured a new discount for your stay. This special package includes FREE dining.

A savings of $840 without having to search for it!!

 

[Gator Shawn]

Some have questioned why I use The magic for less to book our trips..

Well, today it paid off BIG TIME!

E-mail from them:

Hi Shane!

Something Magical Has Happened!!

We always try to stay on top of the latest discounts, and today our persistence paid off…for you! We have secured a new discount for your stay. This special package includes FREE dining.

A savings of $840 without having to search for it!!

Outstanding. I use www.smallworldvacations.com. That free dining deal has been around for awhile though, or did they recently expand the dates?