Disney Vacation (7 Viewers)

[2Young2BBald]

Am I right that there are no real good apps for the Storm 2 for Disney World? The "good" app for the iPhone & Droid does not appear to be available and the Disney Maps app that is available for like $2.99 looks worthless.

 

[Card Trader]

Heading out to Disneyland 15-17 of October (promised kids and that lines up with the Cardinals bye week), hoping to find a good deal on tickets if anyone sees any deals pop up in the next few weeks let me know.

 

[bigbottom]

Anyone down there have a handle on the weather in February? we want to take our 4 yr old for her first time but will also be dragging an almost 1 yr old. not a big fan of super heat/long lines while shouldering a huge backpack of diapers, baby food and the like. Feb or spring break are really our only 2 opts besides summer b/c the wife is a teacher.my other thought would be that first week in june as soon as school lets out.we have not been down there for about 10 yrs. We went xmas-New Yr week 2000 and it was damn cold—and thats coming from a NYer

We went this past February and it was definitely warm jacket weather. I'd say it was in the 40s at the coldest point, and the 50s at the highest point. I actually liked the cooler weather for the Disney trip. Just be sure to wear a jacket that keeps you warm, but isn't too bulky. A North Face type jacket is ideal for those temps.

 

[ATC1]

Headed to Disney Sept 4-10.

Eating at

Le Celler, Ohana, Surf and Turf, Canyon River Brewery, 1800 Parkfare (Breakfast), China

Staying at Bay lake Tower with the Magic Kingdom view. I looked into what rooms had the best view of the fireworks in MK and will be requesting those rooms when I get there early.

 

[GibbyGarcia]

Heading out to Disneyland 15-17 of October (promised kids and that lines up with the Cardinals bye week), hoping to find a good deal on tickets if anyone sees any deals pop up in the next few weeks let me know.

Great time to go and for a shorter trip, I much prefer Disneyland over World. Park is much tighter (shorter walking distance) and with California Adventure, has really caught up in terms of rides.I saw the biggest rides first advice, can't impress that enough, and be there when the gates open. You can literally hit almost every major ride in the park before 10am if done correctly.I suggest the Fast pass from Space Mountain, turn and run for Pirates, Indy, Haunted and Splash plan. You can hit all 4 in 45 minutes if you want. We rode Pirates twice without anyone else on the boat. (Pirates is MUCH better and longer at Land)At Cal. Adv. lines were brutal in the afternoon for Splash, Soaring and Toy Story. I'd go for those first thing the next morning.I'd also suggest leaving your wife somewhere. I left my wife and 3 year old at home and it was just me and the 6 yo. It was perfect, we just went wherever the heck we wanted and stayed until he was burned. btw: If you haven't seen the water show at Cal Adventure. You have to go to one little shop there to get tickets, then sit for 2 hours before it comes on. Yes, its cool, no I would absolutely not give up 2 hours of my life for that again. Same goes for fireworks. You can see them from anywhere, why people sit for 2 hours on main street waiting all packed together is beyond me. Great time to hit rides though.

 

[parasaurolophus]

Two weeks from today. I have never been so excited for a disney trip. Which is saying a lot since I have been there so many times.

 

[Hugonel]

Got back Sunday.

Magic Kingdom

Epcot

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Sea World

With a 6 and 12 year old MK won hands down. The Forbidden Journey at Harry Potter was the best ride by far though.

Wished we'd spent 2 days at MK instead of going to Sea World, though SW was enjoyable. But the SW quality doesn't really compare to Disney.

I thought Epcot was lame with the exception of "Soarin" which was great. It's a theme park that pretends to teach but it's so superficial it's not funny. I'm not blaming them; it's just a fact. You can't do a ride about the Vikings of old and learn something meaningful and still have it be great fun. I'd rather just stick to great visuals and rides and get my learning somewhere else. There's just not enough you can do to successfully mix the two.

There are other "hands on" learning exhibits in Epcot. But for $80 per ticket it's hard to swallow dawdling about with that stuff.

If you've never been to DW or Seaworld or Universal then to suppose you can breeze through any of the parks in one day and 'see it all' is plain crazy. MK might be possible if you skipped meeting any characters but it'd still be quite fast.

Just some highlights on what I'd recommend if you go soon (I indicate where we went twice which tells you something of how much we liked it):

MK - USE THE FAST PASSES

Philharmagic (2x)

Splash Mountain (2x)

Pirates of Caribbean (2x)

Peter Pan

Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (younger kids)

I thought Space Mountain was a joke (and I fondly remembered it from DisneyLand 33 years ago). If you like worrying about biting your tongue off b/c you get jerked around a lot, then this ride is your thing. I thought it sucked. No reason for a ride to jerk you around. Speed is great. The jerking just means they made a corner too sharp and didn't care enough to make it smooth.

Folks, for what it's worth I thought the Fast Passes would be a pain. THEY ARE NOT. Especially if you don't want to wait with the Fam to meet Alice in Wonderland then it's perfect for you to scoot off to Splash Mountain and grab 4 fast passes for the whole lot of you. Trust me, you feel like a GENIUS strolling past the very long lines with your FREE express pass clutches in your sweaty paw. It takes all of 60 seconds to grab fast passes. Do it.

Did I mention the Fast Passes?

Philharmagic is great. Do it early so you can evaluate it. Very short lines. I'd have done that 4-5 times if I could.

Epcot

Soarin

Figment (childish fun)

Harry Potter - Here were the heaviest crowds, but still manageable b/c school had already started

Forbidden Journey (2x), not for small kids. Would have done this 3-4 times if I could. It's critical to know that if you have no bags you can express this line for free (or if you have someone who isn't riding who is willing to hold your bags for you)

Flight of Hippogriff (2x), fun but a bit tame. We didn't do the Dueling Dragons.

Castle Tour (3x), this always felt rushed, and the crowds were pretty tame.

Seaworld

Wow, don't get sucked in too hard. I am a real nature lover and love animals. But it's pretty much just animals looking for a meal. Pet a stingray? Not really b/c they get close to you hoping you have a sardine-sized fish (you get 4 fish for $5!) to feed them. I stopped short and gave a mildly shocked look when the girl showed me what I was going to pay $5 for. And the look on her face was priceless. It said, "Yeah, I get that look about 20 times per day. Give me $5."

I gave her $5. And the four small fish? The first one was summarily taken by a swooping bird out of my wife's hand as she dangled it above the water. That was worth the $5 by itself.

Same thing with dolphins, only you get 5 fish (slightly bigger than sardines) for $7. When you are out of food the dolphins have no interest in you at all.

The shows are the same. It's clear the animals are only doing the current stunt (which is usually neat) for the next bit of fish. The trainers are CONSTANTLY feeding all of the animals. It's just one long succession of food. Who has trained who here? However, this is a 40 year old analysis. The kids thought the shows were pretty cool. And the animal exibits were cool. I liked the manatees were good. the rides in general were ok. The comparable rides (like Atlantis compared to MK's Splash Mountain) were not close to the Disney quality, IMO. But we didn't do the two big coasters (bad for the eyes - they can cause retinal detachments).

But on the whole, SW is a 3-4 Star attraction compared to 4-5 stars for Disney. It just feels cheaper. Don't get me wrong; DW is all about robbing you blind, but they do it with more style. My wife did get miffed when I boycotted the $5 Casey's hotdog at DW.

One more thing - DW does an amazing job of moving large bodies of people in a hurry. I was pretty miffed at my wife for wanting to stay until 10:30 pm to watch the night parade at Magic Kingdom because we stayed off resort and I figured we'd be hours getting out of the crowd, onto the Monorail, then onto the trolly to the parking lot, then into our car and back to the hotel. If I hadn't gotten lost going back to the hotel we'd have been back within 30 minutes. Truly amazing. Relax and stay as long as you want. Get your money's worth.

Also, for souvenirs, mugs are a great value. You get raped on t-shirts ($26 is common), while a nice mug is frequently $12. The Emporium on Main Street is great (and big) and you can just hit that on the way out. It will have most (if not all) of what the smaller shops have.

Quick meals for 4 people: always bank on $40. If you spend under $45 or so then you are doing great.

The Crystal Palace was great value (for DW). $85 for the meal and meeting Pooh, Tigger, Eyore (sp?), and Piglet. And it's a BUFFET. Trust me, you'll appreciate eating as much good food as you want. Service was good though the suggested 18-20% tip is criminal for a buffett (we still gave ours $12, but I used to wait tables, and 18% buffet for already overpriced food is foolish). But the food was quite good. Compared to the $5 hotdogs, it's virtually free.

Question? Ask away.

 

[Todem]

We are all set to go again week of November 8th. Mon-Friday. A great time to go. Weather will be cool, lines will be light. We will be hitting Magic Kingdom for 2 days, Animal Kingdom and Sea World.

We will be staying off property (we live in South Florida been there done that on property and when my son hits 10 years old we will do it again when he can appreciate it) at the Hilton Vacation Club off International. 2 bedroom apartment full kitchen, the works. All for 109 a night and less than 10 minutes from Disney and Seaworld. We will go to the Publix accross the street and pick up some groceries mainly for breakfast (we will eat out for breakfast 2 times eat it in the room 3 times) and plenty of bottled water and fruit for us in the parks.

We use our Chase Disney card for everything and were able to get 3 resident annual weekday passes with our Disney Dollars.

We always love going , but especially now that my son is almost 6 and really is having a great time getting on most of the rides! My sister inlaw and brother inlaw will also be their with thei 5 year old daughter so they will be running around together like kids in a candy store.

Great fun!

 

[Snotbubbles]

We are all set to go again week of November 8th. Mon-Friday. A great time to go. Weather will be cool, lines will be light. We will be hitting Magic Kingdom for 2 days, Animal Kingdom and Sea World.We will be staying off property (we live in South Florida been there done that on property and when my son hits 10 years old we will do it again when he can appreciate it) at the Hilton Vacation Club off International. 2 bedroom apartment full kitchen, the works. All for 109 a night and less than 10 minutes from Disney and Seaworld. We will go to the Publix accross the street and pick up some groceries mainly for breakfast (we will eat out for breakfast 2 times eat it in the room 3 times) and plenty of bottled water and fruit for us in the parks.We use our Chase Disney card for everything and were able to get 3 resident annual weekday passes with our Disney Dollars.We always love going , but especially now that my son is almost 6 and really is having a great time getting on most of the rides! My sister inlaw and brother inlaw will also be their with thei 5 year old daughter so they will be running around together like kids in a candy store.Great fun!

I'm a Hilton Grand Vacation Owner. I've stayed at the HGVC International Drive, Sea World and Parc Soleil. IMO I would rank the International Drive place as the worst of the three. The pool is small compared to the other two places and the parking is pretty awful. Plus because of the location, you might be subject to a lot of automobile noise and/or poor views. I would try and change the reservations to the Parc Soleil. Not only are the rooms brand spanking new, the pool is huge with a water slide. Plus, when you book the room you can ask for a Magic Kingdom view and see the fireworks from your room.

 

[Hugonel]

I have to add that you should really plan to see the Pirates of the Caribbean (Jack Sparrow) outdoor performance. About 15 minutes or so. Great photo opportunties and he does a fantastic impersonation of the "real" Sparrow.

I wish I was savvy enough to post a picture here but don't seem able to. But if your kids like pirates at all this is really some great stuff.

 

[FBGirl79]

I'm counting down the days for our trip. We leave next Friday and will be there the 11th-23rd. I can't wait! I've already been talking about planning a trip next year around Christmas.

For those of you starting to plan trips for next year, Disney has already announced their Free Dining dates for next year and they have various dates throughout the year unlike in the past when it has only been fall. Depending on your family, free dining can be a great way to save a lot of money.

 

[Snotbubbles]

I'm counting down the days for our trip. We leave next Friday and will be there the 11th-23rd. I can't wait! I've already been talking about planning a trip next year around Christmas. For those of you starting to plan trips for next year, Disney has already announced their Free Dining dates for next year and they have various dates throughout the year unlike in the past when it has only been fall. Depending on your family, free dining can be a great way to save a lot of money.

I heard from people who went during Christmas time. They said it's a mob scene. From what I understand, they put up the Christmas decorations after Halloween. So you can get the Christmas look by going in mid-November but miss the Christmas crowds.

 

[AcerFC]

I'm counting down the days for our trip. We leave next Friday and will be there the 11th-23rd. I can't wait! I've already been talking about planning a trip next year around Christmas. For those of you starting to plan trips for next year, Disney has already announced their Free Dining dates for next year and they have various dates throughout the year unlike in the past when it has only been fall. Depending on your family, free dining can be a great way to save a lot of money.

I heard from people who went during Christmas time. They said it's a mob scene. From what I understand, they put up the Christmas decorations after Halloween. So you can get the Christmas look by going in mid-November but miss the Christmas crowds.

I have gone three times around December 15th week. It was never a mob. It is actually the most pleasant time to be there imo They have a Very Merry Christmas thing that requires a special ticket. It is worth every penny. Only people who have bracelets can ride the rides. You will be able to get the entire magic kingdom done in a night with no lines at all. We will be going for a 4th time this December. Cant wait.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

We go the week after Thanksgiving almost every year. All Christmas stuff is up. No lines anywhere as it is off-peak. Perfect time all around.

 

[FBGirl79]

I'm counting down the days for our trip. We leave next Friday and will be there the 11th-23rd. I can't wait! I've already been talking about planning a trip next year around Christmas. For those of you starting to plan trips for next year, Disney has already announced their Free Dining dates for next year and they have various dates throughout the year unlike in the past when it has only been fall. Depending on your family, free dining can be a great way to save a lot of money.

I heard from people who went during Christmas time. They said it's a mob scene. From what I understand, they put up the Christmas decorations after Halloween. So you can get the Christmas look by going in mid-November but miss the Christmas crowds.

I have gone three times around December 15th week. It was never a mob. It is actually the most pleasant time to be there imo They have a Very Merry Christmas thing that requires a special ticket. It is worth every penny. Only people who have bracelets can ride the rides. You will be able to get the entire magic kingdom done in a night with no lines at all. We will be going for a 4th time this December. Cant wait.

Do you know if when you go the 15th, is that around Pop Warner week? I should have clarified that by "Christmas" I really meant a late November/early December trip when crowds are typically low. I really want to go to the Very Merry Christmas Party, see the decorations, lights at DHS and parades. I believe the week between Christmas and New Year is the busiest week of the year so I'd probably never attempt that...I am too spoiled by September crowds and little to no waits. I love the Not So Scary Halloween party, we did it last year and are doing it again this year and I'm sure I would love the Christmas one!

 

[Snotbubbles]

I'm counting down the days for our trip. We leave next Friday and will be there the 11th-23rd. I can't wait! I've already been talking about planning a trip next year around Christmas. For those of you starting to plan trips for next year, Disney has already announced their Free Dining dates for next year and they have various dates throughout the year unlike in the past when it has only been fall. Depending on your family, free dining can be a great way to save a lot of money.

I heard from people who went during Christmas time. They said it's a mob scene. From what I understand, they put up the Christmas decorations after Halloween. So you can get the Christmas look by going in mid-November but miss the Christmas crowds.

I have gone three times around December 15th week. It was never a mob. It is actually the most pleasant time to be there imo They have a Very Merry Christmas thing that requires a special ticket. It is worth every penny. Only people who have bracelets can ride the rides. You will be able to get the entire magic kingdom done in a night with no lines at all. We will be going for a 4th time this December. Cant wait.

Do you know if when you go the 15th, is that around Pop Warner week? I should have clarified that by "Christmas" I really meant a late November/early December trip when crowds are typically low. I really want to go to the Very Merry Christmas Party, see the decorations, lights at DHS and parades. I believe the week between Christmas and New Year is the busiest week of the year so I'd probably never attempt that...I am too spoiled by September crowds and little to no waits. I love the Not So Scary Halloween party, we did it last year and are doing it again this year and I'm sure I would love the Christmas one!

I'm contemplating doing the Halloween Party next year. I just love going to Disney in May.

 

[Todem]

We are all set to go again week of November 8th. Mon-Friday. A great time to go. Weather will be cool, lines will be light. We will be hitting Magic Kingdom for 2 days, Animal Kingdom and Sea World.We will be staying off property (we live in South Florida been there done that on property and when my son hits 10 years old we will do it again when he can appreciate it) at the Hilton Vacation Club off International. 2 bedroom apartment full kitchen, the works. All for 109 a night and less than 10 minutes from Disney and Seaworld. We will go to the Publix accross the street and pick up some groceries mainly for breakfast (we will eat out for breakfast 2 times eat it in the room 3 times) and plenty of bottled water and fruit for us in the parks.We use our Chase Disney card for everything and were able to get 3 resident annual weekday passes with our Disney Dollars.We always love going , but especially now that my son is almost 6 and really is having a great time getting on most of the rides! My sister inlaw and brother inlaw will also be their with thei 5 year old daughter so they will be running around together like kids in a candy store.Great fun!

I'm a Hilton Grand Vacation Owner. I've stayed at the HGVC International Drive, Sea World and Parc Soleil. IMO I would rank the International Drive place as the worst of the three. The pool is small compared to the other two places and the parking is pretty awful. Plus because of the location, you might be subject to a lot of automobile noise and/or poor views. I would try and change the reservations to the Parc Soleil. Not only are the rooms brand spanking new, the pool is huge with a water slide. Plus, when you book the room you can ask for a Magic Kingdom view and see the fireworks from your room.

Stayed at Parc Soleil....it is awesome I agree. And it is also $100 more a night. If I were going to use the resort I would stay there again but we will only be eating breakfast and sleeping in our room. The rest of the time we are at the parks. I did not notice the car noise at all to be honest and the rooms were also great for the price. The service there was also great.But I agree Parc Soleil is a great resort. I would stay there over Disney Property any day you. The price is still much better than Disney.

 

[Snotbubbles]

We are all set to go again week of November 8th. Mon-Friday. A great time to go. Weather will be cool, lines will be light. We will be hitting Magic Kingdom for 2 days, Animal Kingdom and Sea World.We will be staying off property (we live in South Florida been there done that on property and when my son hits 10 years old we will do it again when he can appreciate it) at the Hilton Vacation Club off International. 2 bedroom apartment full kitchen, the works. All for 109 a night and less than 10 minutes from Disney and Seaworld. We will go to the Publix accross the street and pick up some groceries mainly for breakfast (we will eat out for breakfast 2 times eat it in the room 3 times) and plenty of bottled water and fruit for us in the parks.We use our Chase Disney card for everything and were able to get 3 resident annual weekday passes with our Disney Dollars.We always love going , but especially now that my son is almost 6 and really is having a great time getting on most of the rides! My sister inlaw and brother inlaw will also be their with thei 5 year old daughter so they will be running around together like kids in a candy store.Great fun!

I'm a Hilton Grand Vacation Owner. I've stayed at the HGVC International Drive, Sea World and Parc Soleil. IMO I would rank the International Drive place as the worst of the three. The pool is small compared to the other two places and the parking is pretty awful. Plus because of the location, you might be subject to a lot of automobile noise and/or poor views. I would try and change the reservations to the Parc Soleil. Not only are the rooms brand spanking new, the pool is huge with a water slide. Plus, when you book the room you can ask for a Magic Kingdom view and see the fireworks from your room.

Stayed at Parc Soleil....it is awesome I agree. And it is also $100 more a night. If I were going to use the resort I would stay there again but we will only be eating breakfast and sleeping in our room. The rest of the time we are at the parks. I did not notice the car noise at all to be honest and the rooms were also great for the price. The service there was also great.But I agree Parc Soleil is a great resort. I would stay there over Disney Property any day you. The price is still much better than Disney.

Yeah. When we go to Florida, Hilton Grand Vacation properties are the only place we stay. The only problem is you can't do the Disney Dining Plan. I recommend taking a trip during the summer months and just staying on the property, the activities they have are great fun for the kids and mine don't even like going to the parks anymore, they'd rather stay at the pool and do the scheduled activities. I love the Dive-In movie on Wed and Sat nights at the pool.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

We added a couple extra days to our stay and managed to grab reservations at Le'Cellier and O'Hana. Oh yeah.

 

[Parasailer]

So we're planning on doing Disney sometime next year. What is the best time to go? I was thinking it might actually be around now, maybe 3 weeks after school has started. The weather should still be really good, and the kids won't be missing too much as the beginning of the year there isn't much done anyway. Thoughts?

 

[The Noid]

Anyone had any experience doing a combo cruise and park stay?

 

[AcerFC]

So we're planning on doing Disney sometime next year. What is the best time to go? I was thinking it might actually be around now, maybe 3 weeks after school has started. The weather should still be really good, and the kids won't be missing too much as the beginning of the year there isn't much done anyway. Thoughts?

I dont know when they start the Halloween stuff but I am sure that would be awesome as the have a special ticketed night where you will probably wait on zero lines and get the Magic Kingdom done in a night. Worth the $40 bucks to me.Otherwise, I always go around the second or third week of December. I dont ever want to go in the summer again. Might try to do the marathon one year also. That is in January

 

[Parasailer]

So we're planning on doing Disney sometime next year. What is the best time to go? I was thinking it might actually be around now, maybe 3 weeks after school has started. The weather should still be really good, and the kids won't be missing too much as the beginning of the year there isn't much done anyway. Thoughts?

I dont know when they start the Halloween stuff but I am sure that would be awesome as the have a special ticketed night where you will probably wait on zero lines and get the Magic Kingdom done in a night. Worth the $40 bucks to me.Otherwise, I always go around the second or third week of December. I dont ever want to go in the summer again. Might try to do the marathon one year also. That is in January

I really want to avoid any peak times if possible, but going to Harry Potter World or whatever near Halloween would probably be really good.

 

[Card Trader]

Anyone have 4 2day passes they'd like to sell?

 

[Mr. Chumley]

Leaving tomorrow for Disney World. Any last minute tips or advice? Also is there a better section of the Pop Century to be in?

 

[AcerFC]

Leaving tomorrow for Disney World. Any last minute tips or advice? Also is there a better section of the Pop Century to be in?

Have fun

 

[FBGirl79]

We got back last weekend from a 13 day stay at Coronado Springs. We really liked Coronado. We were located near the main building with a free waterview upgrade which was nice. It was a short walk to go refill mugs. The grounds and room were very clean when we were there. We ate a Pepper Market a few times and went to Club Rix which is a night club but on Sundays they have Sunday Ticket and show the games so we grabbed a pizza from Pepper Market and went over there to watch the games in between parks. Maya Grill is their sit down restaurant and it was by far the worst food and service we have ever had at Disney. Terrible. I would not go there again if you paid me. The main pool was pretty far from where we were but we only used it late at night so we would just take the car over.

Parks & crowds were great and the restaurants were not nearly as busy this year as they were last year. We also did the Halloween Party which was a blast as usual. Most rides had a 10-15 min wait or less with the exception of the headliners (Toy Story, Safari, Peter Pan).

Restaurants we had were mostly good with the exception of Maya Grill. Ohana was disappointing for dinner which was so sad bc it was our favorite last year. We had 2 dinners planned but cancelled the 2nd one and went to Boma instead. Our food at Ohana took forever to come out (the appetizers were hot and good) but the meat & noodles were cold. We had to ask for hot food which then took forever. I would still go there again but it def wasn't as good as last year. Our steaks at LeCellier were good as usual but 2 of the new places we tried ended up being our best meals. Captain's Grill at Yacht Club Resort was great and The Wave at Contemporary was awesome. I had the filet and it was much better than LeCellier and one of the best I've ever eaten. For dessert they give you a trio sampler of 2-3 bite sized desserts and I am still craving their olive oil infused chocolate mouse with salted caramel sauce...heavenly!

 

[AcerFC]

We got back last weekend from a 13 day stay at Coronado Springs. We really liked Coronado. We were located near the main building with a free waterview upgrade which was nice. It was a short walk to go refill mugs. The grounds and room were very clean when we were there. We ate a Pepper Market a few times and went to Club Rix which is a night club but on Sundays they have Sunday Ticket and show the games so we grabbed a pizza from Pepper Market and went over there to watch the games in between parks. Maya Grill is their sit down restaurant and it was by far the worst food and service we have ever had at Disney. Terrible. I would not go there again if you paid me. The main pool was pretty far from where we were but we only used it late at night so we would just take the car over. Parks & crowds were great and the restaurants were not nearly as busy this year as they were last year. We also did the Halloween Party which was a blast as usual. Most rides had a 10-15 min wait or less with the exception of the headliners (Toy Story, Safari, Peter Pan). Restaurants we had were mostly good with the exception of Maya Grill. Ohana was disappointing for dinner which was so sad bc it was our favorite last year. We had 2 dinners planned but cancelled the 2nd one and went to Boma instead. Our food at Ohana took forever to come out (the appetizers were hot and good) but the meat & noodles were cold. We had to ask for hot food which then took forever. I would still go there again but it def wasn't as good as last year. Our steaks at LeCellier were good as usual but 2 of the new places we tried ended up being our best meals. Captain's Grill at Yacht Club Resort was great and The Wave at Contemporary was awesome. I had the filet and it was much better than LeCellier and one of the best I've ever eaten. For dessert they give you a trio sampler of 2-3 bite sized desserts and I am still craving their olive oil infused chocolate mouse with salted caramel sauce...heavenly!

Damn. i tried to get Le Celier reservations and they botched it and gave us Wave reservations. I threw them out since I never even heard of it

 

[FBGirl79]

We got back last weekend from a 13 day stay at Coronado Springs. We really liked Coronado. We were located near the main building with a free waterview upgrade which was nice. It was a short walk to go refill mugs. The grounds and room were very clean when we were there. We ate a Pepper Market a few times and went to Club Rix which is a night club but on Sundays they have Sunday Ticket and show the games so we grabbed a pizza from Pepper Market and went over there to watch the games in between parks. Maya Grill is their sit down restaurant and it was by far the worst food and service we have ever had at Disney. Terrible. I would not go there again if you paid me. The main pool was pretty far from where we were but we only used it late at night so we would just take the car over. Parks & crowds were great and the restaurants were not nearly as busy this year as they were last year. We also did the Halloween Party which was a blast as usual. Most rides had a 10-15 min wait or less with the exception of the headliners (Toy Story, Safari, Peter Pan). Restaurants we had were mostly good with the exception of Maya Grill. Ohana was disappointing for dinner which was so sad bc it was our favorite last year. We had 2 dinners planned but cancelled the 2nd one and went to Boma instead. Our food at Ohana took forever to come out (the appetizers were hot and good) but the meat & noodles were cold. We had to ask for hot food which then took forever. I would still go there again but it def wasn't as good as last year. Our steaks at LeCellier were good as usual but 2 of the new places we tried ended up being our best meals. Captain's Grill at Yacht Club Resort was great and The Wave at Contemporary was awesome. I had the filet and it was much better than LeCellier and one of the best I've ever eaten. For dessert they give you a trio sampler of 2-3 bite sized desserts and I am still craving their olive oil infused chocolate mouse with salted caramel sauce...heavenly!

Damn. i tried to get Le Celier reservations and they botched it and gave us Wave reservations. I threw them out since I never even heard of it

That sucks seriously! I had never heard of it either but read online that it was good so thought we would try it. They use sustainable, fresh, organic, etc. wherever they can. It was by far the best meal we ate. We ate there on our last day and headed home right after dinner...perfect way to end our trip. ETA...As of Jan 1, LeCellier becomes a 2 credit TS meal for the dining plan and now that I've been to LeCellier twice and discovered the Wave, I doubt I would ever use 2 credits to dine there when I know you can get a better filet at the Wave. I forgot to add that Wolf Gang Puck Express is still by my far my favorite counter service meal in all of Disney. In my 13 days I probably went there at least 5 times between breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are another that uses local/organiz as much as possible as well. Their roasted rosemary chicken was delicious, pizzas were awesome, my mom got salmon once and their meatloaf and thought both were great. For breakfast we split the breakfast pizza which was great, my husband had some egg & ham pocket that was huge and he said was really good. We have always had great food there and the meals are always plenty big enough to share.

 

[sho nuff]

Just found out my mother wants to take us and my sister and her family next year.

Only problem is it will be another summer trip...in the heat and crowds (only way with 4 kids, 3 in school with different breaks).

But can't complain if mom wants to foot some of this bill.

I don't think mom and sister know what they are in for...not sure they can keep up with the way me and my wife do Disney. Will probably have to scale back some plans.

 

[The Ref]

Since our Dinsey Wold test run went OK this past Feb with our then 1 1/2 year old, I want to plan a grand trip to Disney in a year and a half. My plan is as follows....

1. Get a Disney Card (already done - $200 in Disney bucks)

2. This Christmass buy 3 7 day park tickets, hopper pass with a promise for the future.

(Seems like AAA is the best place to buy park tickets?)

3. This late spring reserve 7 days at some property on the monorail with a food plan.

Other then reserving tables once the hotel/food plan is bought - what am I not doing right?

 

[AAABatteries]

Leaving tomorrow for Disney World. Any last minute tips or advice? Also is there a better section of the Pop Century to be in?

Have fun

People will always overlook it but seriously, enjoy the trip. Don't micromanage your time and be flexible. You are there to have fun, not to "win" at a Disney vacation.

 

[Tat]

we'll be there a week from today.

 

[heckmanm]

Heading down in February. First time for me, but wife and kids have been there once before. Staying in an RV at Fort Wilderness, on the in-laws dime .

 

[ODoyleRules]

Went to Disneyland (Anaheim) last week for 1st Disney experience for me since 1984. We have 4 and 2 yo girls. Some thoughts:

- Best thing about Disney vs. other amusement parks is the staff. Usually you run across one shlub worker who puts a damper on the day and there were none of these at Disney. Everyone was friendly. Probably the biggest thing I noticed.

- Going in late Sept. mid-week seemed to reduce crowds, but there were still a LOT of people there. Longest wait was 20-25 minutes, with little wait for carousel, train, etc. It never felt that crowded.

- Park opening at 10AM cut into our time at the park, since our kids were up at 630 most days. We did character meal for breakfast, so our first ride wasn't til noon-ish.

- Since we did the character meal first thing in the day, we had no idea how easy/difficult it would be to see characters rest of the day. Turned out, it was fairly easy and we probably lingered too long at breakfast.

- We stayed in Long Beach and drove there - extremely easy to get in/out of. 30 min drive both directions and ~10 minutes from car to park entrance gate.

- While it was helpful to know upfront where different attractions were, we found the day to be more enjoyable to just go with the flow. We were lucky to have 2 other adults to scout lines at other attractions, but this never really changed our plans.

- Both 4 yo and 2 yo did great and enjoyed it. There wasn't a single ride/attraction that we had to split the two.

 

[The Ref]

Never seen this thread over 10 pages back before, so I'll give it a bump.

glvsav37 - I went this past January and it was in the high 30's in the AM the few days we stayed, but we seemed to be "lucky" in that regard.

 

[bshell27]

Booked in July. Paid in full this Month. Reserved for 11/30 thru 12/07.

Just called to verify everything and they stated we are booked thru 12/06.

When told that all of our paperwork says thru the 7th they say that is not the case and we need to pay $167 for one more night. Well when you pay $2K for one week in a down economy you would think they would rectify this right?

Back to that in a second, we booked the flight for the 7th, all paperwork says the 7th. We bought the 8 day park pass, why would we buy that and not the 7 day if we were only going to be there 7 days and not 8? AFTER full payment it changed to the 6th?

After talking for 1 hour, cancellation threats and even though we probably would have caved and paid the extra $167, they FINALLY said they would take care of it. It was a "System Error".

All is right with the world. Learned my lesson to verify all of this before paying in full.

 

[Aggie 86]

Disney is offering 35% off resorts at the present time if you go by May 6.

We are looking at the Polynesian Resort because we want to be on the monorail - anyone stay there recently? Did you like it?

 

[Glass Joe]

Disney is offering 35% off resorts at the present time if you go by May 6.We are looking at the Polynesian Resort because we want to be on the monorail - anyone stay there recently? Did you like it?

Why stay on property? We've stayed in Kissimmee at least 5 times and will never stay on property (which we did once, at Port Orleans). We found a property management company which has really nice properties, with more room than you get at Disney for far cheaper. Even considering a car....

 

[Snotbubbles]

Disney is offering 35% off resorts at the present time if you go by May 6.We are looking at the Polynesian Resort because we want to be on the monorail - anyone stay there recently? Did you like it?

Why stay on property? We've stayed in Kissimmee at least 5 times and will never stay on property (which we did once, at Port Orleans). We found a property management company which has really nice properties, with more room than you get at Disney for far cheaper. Even considering a car....

To get the Disney Dining Plan you have to stay at a Disney property. But I agree, we never stay at Disney. So much more to do.

 

[Aggie 86]

Disney is offering 35% off resorts at the present time if you go by May 6.We are looking at the Polynesian Resort because we want to be on the monorail - anyone stay there recently? Did you like it?

Why stay on property? We've stayed in Kissimmee at least 5 times and will never stay on property (which we did once, at Port Orleans). We found a property management company which has really nice properties, with more room than you get at Disney for far cheaper. Even considering a car....

We have been to Disney on two occasions. The first trip we were able to stay off property at a friends condo for $100 (for a week). It was a bad experience. Very noisy and parking at the condo was awful. By the time we came home from the park all of the spots were gone and we had to park about 1/4 mile away on the street.Trip #2 we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, and the family loved the entire experience. The Mouse took care of our luggage, transportation, and meals. I don't think I will ever stay off property again. But it's just a personal preference.

 

[parasaurolophus]

Disney is offering 35% off resorts at the present time if you go by May 6.

We are looking at the Polynesian Resort because we want to be on the monorail - anyone stay there recently? Did you like it?

Why stay on property? We've stayed in Kissimmee at least 5 times and will never stay on property (which we did once, at Port Orleans). We found a property management company which has really nice properties, with more room than you get at Disney for far cheaper. Even considering a car....

I would never stay off property. I think there are always great deals to be had and I love the transportation. We usually stay at Coronado Springs. I also like to have a few beers at Epcot so it is nice to not have to worry about driving at all.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Disney is offering 35% off resorts at the present time if you go by May 6.

We are looking at the Polynesian Resort because we want to be on the monorail - anyone stay there recently? Did you like it?

Why stay on property? We've stayed in Kissimmee at least 5 times and will never stay on property (which we did once, at Port Orleans). We found a property management company which has really nice properties, with more room than you get at Disney for far cheaper. Even considering a car....

I would never stay off property. I think there are always great deals to be had and I love the transportation. We usually stay at Coronado Springs. I also like to have a few beers at Epcot so it is nice to not have to worry about driving at all.

I understand why you wouldn't. But there are a ton of great deals off property ...and really we all got very tired of the same food everywhere but the pricier places. Its all the same under different names. We enjoyed going to different places off site. There are beautiful condos for $199 - $299 a week that are 2-3 bedroom deals. MORE privacy for mom and dad - bid deal. Kids go to bed and TV doesn't have to go off early. Adult time O-City. Thank you very much. Kid time is great - but we need a break too - works out great.

 

[Todem]

Heading out in 2 hours for our 4 hour drive up! 5 days of Disney fun! We are also hitting Sea World this time up as well.

It's always a great time.

 

[Fruitbat]

Disney is offering 35% off resorts at the present time if you go by May 6.

Where are you seeing this? I can't find such an offer?

 

[belljr]

Disney is offering 35% off resorts at the present time if you go by May 6.

We are looking at the Polynesian Resort because we want to be on the monorail - anyone stay there recently? Did you like it?

Why stay on property? We've stayed in Kissimmee at least 5 times and will never stay on property (which we did once, at Port Orleans). We found a property management company which has really nice properties, with more room than you get at Disney for far cheaper. Even considering a car....

I would never stay off property. I think there are always great deals to be had and I love the transportation. We usually stay at Coronado Springs. I also like to have a few beers at Epcot so it is nice to not have to worry about driving at all.

I understand why you wouldn't. But there are a ton of great deals off property ...and really we all got very tired of the same food everywhere but the pricier places. Its all the same under different names. We enjoyed going to different places off site. There are beautiful condos for $199 - $299 a week that are 2-3 bedroom deals. MORE privacy for mom and dad - bid deal. Kids go to bed and TV doesn't have to go off early. Adult time O-City. Thank you very much. Kid time is great - but we need a break too - works out great.

We always stay off site. usually rent a house, have our own pool, hot tub. Yeah the price is only slightly cheaper after you rent a car and pay for parking but buying groceries and having breakfast at the house was/is always nice.I see the appeal to both sides actually but we prefer the house/condo route.

 

[Foosball God]

OK I need some help here. I was counting on more time to research things but I was thrown a monkey wrench. We're going to go on a big family trip to Disney in 2011. That means the Foos family of four (son 8, daughter 7), SILs family (daughter 7, son 5), In-law grandparents. I was pushing for late September/early October but have been shot down and so it needs to be in late June/early July. I am going to set up the resort stuff for everyone, and probably do most of the research on dining and activities.

I am going into this with the expectation that we are not all going to do the same things all the time. I'm going to let everyone know that upfront, because trying to get everyone to do the same things and get everyone ready and going at the same time is a headache I don't want to take on.

That said, I will need to find out what the best things to do are for the kids. I know we'll want to set up a princess thing (make-over? or breakfast or something) for the two 7 year old girls. I've heard good things about the Kim Possible thing which I think my son would like.

I also don't know how fast passes work or anything like that. We will want to stay on resort and I am thinking Polynesian because of monorail access. I realize I can probably get better deals on stuff but I don't mind paying a premium for convenience as this is a once in a lifetime type trip. If we ever do Disney again it won't be with such a large group.

The whole prospect of what I need to do is daunting, I don't even really know where to start. If someone can give me some good info or references on what websites I should be looking at that would be great. This thread is a great resource but it has gotten so big that I don't even know where to look in here.

TIA

 

[Aggie 86]

OK I need some help here. I was counting on more time to research things but I was thrown a monkey wrench. We're going to go on a big family trip to Disney in 2011. That means the Foos family of four (son 8, daughter 7), SILs family (daughter 7, son 5), In-law grandparents. I was pushing for late September/early October but have been shot down and so it needs to be in late June/early July. I am going to set up the resort stuff for everyone, and probably do most of the research on dining and activities.I am going into this with the expectation that we are not all going to do the same things all the time. I'm going to let everyone know that upfront, because trying to get everyone to do the same things and get everyone ready and going at the same time is a headache I don't want to take on.That said, I will need to find out what the best things to do are for the kids. I know we'll want to set up a princess thing (make-over? or breakfast or something) for the two 7 year old girls. I've heard good things about the Kim Possible thing which I think my son would like.I also don't know how fast passes work or anything like that. We will want to stay on resort and I am thinking Polynesian because of monorail access. I realize I can probably get better deals on stuff but I don't mind paying a premium for convenience as this is a once in a lifetime type trip. If we ever do Disney again it won't be with such a large group.The whole prospect of what I need to do is daunting, I don't even really know where to start. If someone can give me some good info or references on what websites I should be looking at that would be great. This thread is a great resource but it has gotten so big that I don't even know where to look in here.TIA

We are about to go to Disney World for the 3rd time. I am Mr. OCD when it comes to planning things.One of my favorite resources is touringplans.com - I think a membership costs about $11 for one year. It has "Crowd forecasts" and really helped me plan each day. You can use this resource to plan out the order of the rides at each park. My wife thought I was a little crazy for doing this the first trip, but we we there during a very busy time (Spring Break), and it enabled us to be really efficient.We took my daughter (age 7 at the time) to the Breakfast with Cinderella. You're paying $125 for a Waffle House breakfast that has all of the Disney princesses there. Expensive, yes. Worth it? Absolutely.You can start making reservations for character meals etc. 180 days in advance unless it has changed. I guarantee you that many of us know exactly when that 180 day window opens, and we are calling the reservation line at 7am. I strongly urge you to plan out this far if you want the Foos Family to get good reservations for these things.I'll post more as I have time.

 

[Foosball God]

OK I need some help here. I was counting on more time to research things but I was thrown a monkey wrench. We're going to go on a big family trip to Disney in 2011. That means the Foos family of four (son 8, daughter 7), SILs family (daughter 7, son 5), In-law grandparents. I was pushing for late September/early October but have been shot down and so it needs to be in late June/early July. I am going to set up the resort stuff for everyone, and probably do most of the research on dining and activities.I am going into this with the expectation that we are not all going to do the same things all the time. I'm going to let everyone know that upfront, because trying to get everyone to do the same things and get everyone ready and going at the same time is a headache I don't want to take on.That said, I will need to find out what the best things to do are for the kids. I know we'll want to set up a princess thing (make-over? or breakfast or something) for the two 7 year old girls. I've heard good things about the Kim Possible thing which I think my son would like.I also don't know how fast passes work or anything like that. We will want to stay on resort and I am thinking Polynesian because of monorail access. I realize I can probably get better deals on stuff but I don't mind paying a premium for convenience as this is a once in a lifetime type trip. If we ever do Disney again it won't be with such a large group.The whole prospect of what I need to do is daunting, I don't even really know where to start. If someone can give me some good info or references on what websites I should be looking at that would be great. This thread is a great resource but it has gotten so big that I don't even know where to look in here.TIA

We are about to go to Disney World for the 3rd time. I am Mr. OCD when it comes to planning things.One of my favorite resources is touringplans.com - I think a membership costs about $11 for one year. It has "Crowd forecasts" and really helped me plan each day. You can use this resource to plan out the order of the rides at each park. My wife thought I was a little crazy for doing this the first trip, but we we there during a very busy time (Spring Break), and it enabled us to be really efficient.We took my daughter (age 7 at the time) to the Breakfast with Cinderella. You're paying $125 for a Waffle House breakfast that has all of the Disney princesses there. Expensive, yes. Worth it? Absolutely.You can start making reservations for character meals etc. 180 days in advance unless it has changed. I guarantee you that many of us know exactly when that 180 day window opens, and we are calling the reservation line at 7am. I strongly urge you to plan out this far if you want the Foos Family to get good reservations for these things.I'll post more as I have time.

Thanks, I knew the reservation window was like 6 months out and that they filled up very quickly, that's why I know I don't have a lot of time to get my stuff together because we're already almost 6 months out.

 

[baaloc1968]

Are you planning meals for everyone or leaving each family on their own? How long is your stay? Is this your first trip?

Your trip is during the busy time of the year, so any preparation you do will be beneficial. There are several sights that can help. Mousesavers has some good information. Disboards does too.

Be sure to look into the refurbishment schedule to be aware of ride closures.