Do the same thing as we're walking out of the park to someone just walking in.I always give my extra fast pass tickets to some kid on the bus on the way back on my last day.
I think Sam's Club sells gift cards for a few cents off of what they are (i.e. $24.80 for $25.00 gift card)Not sure if they sell Disney cards though...You might also be able to get Disney gift cards at a slight discount at secondary market gift card shops like Cardswap. I didn't go that route and I imagine demand for them is high, but it might be worth a shot.
I can verify that Sam's Club does indeed carry discounted Disney gift cards, at least in Cincinnati. From memory, it was something like $48.88 for a $50.00 gift card.I think Sam's Club sells gift cards for a few cents off of what they are (i.e. $24.80 for $25.00 gift card)Not sure if they sell Disney cards though...
Tip...They announce standing room only for Phantasmic WAY before it actually is. We went this Tuesday and easily got a seat on the side after they announced that.So the Christmas crowd has officially arrived. It was a much different vibe tonight at DHS than at any other point in our trip to date.The 6:30 Phantasmic was announced SRO at about 5:45, and a lot of folks that got shut out of the 6:30 show decided to stay in line for the 8:00. I will say this, though: Phantasmic is AWESOME. To see it, I recommend getting a Phantasmic dining deal (can't recall the specific name of it) where you get a table service meal and Reserved seating for Phantasmic. It worked out great for us, even greater because there was a drizzle 20 minutes before showtime that threatened an on-time start, which chased away some groups like those with small children. We busted out the ponchos and waited, it cleared up at 6:27, and we got a show at 6:30 with vacant seats in front of us.If you go that route, keep in mind that "Reserved" does not mean "Assigned". You ate guaranteed a seat in designated sections of the grandstand, but the Reserved section is first-come first-serve among those with Reserved seats. So you still have to get there early, but they let you bring drinks and snacks to the show, and there are concessions within the amphitheatre.Anyway, the Osborne lights were a zoo. Lots of folks, especially big groups, on their first night on town. We found the best place to view the lights was actually in the Photopass queue for the soldiers/tree photo within the display. The queue stalls during the "show" songs, so be patient. My daughter got a little run-down, but those lights are spectacular.Back to Epcot tomorrow. Candlelight Processional tomorrow night.
The 17th starts the Christmas crowd?? Damn, I may need to re-think my plans. I thought the week before would be golden.So the Christmas crowd has officially arrived. It was a much different vibe tonight at DHS than at any other point in our trip to date.The 6:30 Phantasmic was announced SRO at about 5:45, and a lot of folks that got shut out of the 6:30 show decided to stay in line for the 8:00. I will say this, though: Phantasmic is AWESOME. To see it, I recommend getting a Phantasmic dining deal (can't recall the specific name of it) where you get a table service meal and Reserved seating for Phantasmic. It worked out great for us, even greater because there was a drizzle 20 minutes before showtime that threatened an on-time start, which chased away some groups like those with small children. We busted out the ponchos and waited, it cleared up at 6:27, and we got a show at 6:30 with vacant seats in front of us.If you go that route, keep in mind that "Reserved" does not mean "Assigned". You ate guaranteed a seat in designated sections of the grandstand, but the Reserved section is first-come first-serve among those with Reserved seats. So you still have to get there early, but they let you bring drinks and snacks to the show, and there are concessions within the amphitheatre.Anyway, the Osborne lights were a zoo. Lots of folks, especially big groups, on their first night on town. We found the best place to view the lights was actually in the Photopass queue for the soldiers/tree photo within the display. The queue stalls during the "show" songs, so be patient. My daughter got a little run-down, but those lights are spectacular.Back to Epcot tomorrow. Candlelight Processional tomorrow night.
The only bad dining experience I have had at DW was at Tony's. Took forever to get a check. Food was whatever.Tony's is one of the worst places for service. I joked once that the chef's table there would be a garbage can in the alley? Our server was not amused. Will not go back.
What was your 8-night cost?Mini trip report...we got back from 8 days a couple of weeks ago. We were there 11/25-12/3 and stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village in a Studio. I loved this resort. The only downside was that it was too chilly at night to swim. I thought the pools were heated and maybe they are but the pool at Kidani was FREEZING. We woke up on our second day there to the sounds of two zebras playing with and chasing each other right in front of our room. We spent a lot of time at the resort just relaxing and enjoying it. We went to the parks almost everyday but unlike most trips, we didn't do the rope drop, break, close the park strategy but instead slept in and got the parks whenever we wanted. We didn't find the crowds to be bad at all and this is coming from someone who has been the last 3 Septembers when there are little to no crowds. The weather was beyond amazing. Hubby wore t-shirts & shorts and I wore capris and flip flops and only a couple of evenings we needed jackets. All of the Christmas decorations were my favorite part. We went to all the deluxe resorts to check out the trees and gingerbread houses. We only rode a handful of rides at the parks but instead time we took the time to watch the parades, check out the lights, decorations, fireworks, etc. We did rope drop our first morning at Magic Kingdom and got to ride the trolley down Main Street to the castle which was awesome. Osbourne lights at DHS was incredible. I had seen pictures but was blown away by how cool it was. The first night we went to see it, we went during EMH around 11 pm and literally the streets were almost empty and this was Thanksgiving weekend. We hopped on TSM with a 15 minute wait about 11:55pm which was nice. We went to MVMCP mid week and thought the crowds were much more managable than the Halloween party when we went in late September. I would definitely recommend it...there is nothing like the parade, the castle covered in lights and watching it snow on Main Street while sipping hot chocolate. We went to the Candlelight processional and it rained the entire time but it was still amazing. We spent a lot of time at Epcot this time and went to every country to hear their story of Christmas so a couple of the evenings we just stood outside of the theater and watched part of the Candlelight Processional again. Don't pass up Illuminations at Epcot; it has a cool Christmas/Holiday ending. Animal Kingdom has a parade with a Christmas touch and if you go back to Camp Minnie-Mickey there are lots of themed Christmas trees that are really neat. We rented points from a DVC member and we will absolutely be doing that again. I broke down the cost comparison in an earlier post but if anyone wants to use our guy, I would be more than happy to pass his info along so you aren't choosing someone at random (like I did but thankfully it worked out). This trip was soley a trip for relaxing and experiencing all things Disney Christmas and we had a great time. My initial thoughts were that we would go experience Christmas there, enjoy it but then go back to our annual September trips but we both agreed this was by far our favorite trip and new time to go. Yesterday we both said we were ready to go back.
So Jealous.Just checked in at Ohana for Christmas dinner.
Breakfast was inside Cinderella's castle at Magic Kingdom.
MK has extra magic hours on both ends today: 7-8 this morning, and midnight to 3 am. They will need it. MK was wonderful from our 7:45 arrival until about 10. Then it was a zoo. Our plan was to bail at about 2 and rest up for tonight. It was the right call.
I overheard a lot of chatter from park goers misunderstanding the FastPass system. Some thought you had pay extra or stay on WDW property to get them. I chose not to correct them.
The late seating was a blast. We had an outstanding view of Cinderella's castle from our table, and the restaurant piped in the music from the MK fireworks show when it started. They ran the coconut race for the kids, held a hula lesson, and then had a limbo contest. As the wait staff suggested, the mustard sauce paired best with the steak, the peanut sauce paired best with the pork tenderloin, and the sweet and sour sauce paired best with the shrimp. As for the chicken...I used it as s pallet cleanser. I'd take a piece of chicken, sop up any leftover sauce with it, chow it down, and reset the plate for the next round.So Jealous.Just checked in at Ohana for Christmas dinner.
Breakfast was inside Cinderella's castle at Magic Kingdom.
MK has extra magic hours on both ends today: 7-8 this morning, and midnight to 3 am. They will need it. MK was wonderful from our 7:45 arrival until about 10. Then it was a zoo. Our plan was to bail at about 2 and rest up for tonight. It was the right call.
I overheard a lot of chatter from park goers misunderstanding the FastPass system. Some thought you had pay extra or stay on WDW property to get them. I chose not to correct them.
I talked to a couple cast members about this.A character handler at AK said the Christmas crowd showed up on the 19th, with turnstile counts exceeding forecasts. When that happens, the usual response is extending the park hours at the end of the day by an hour or two. So you might run into a case where your info says a park will close at X, bit when you get there it's X+1.A server at MK said this year was unique since Christmas was on a Sunday. People who wanted to spend a week at WDW at Christmas had two weeks to choose from.The 17th starts the Christmas crowd?? Damn, I may need to re-think my plans. I thought the week before would be golden.
Just left on Tuesday after 9 nights. Really glad to get out of there before the super crazy crowds came. The crowds before Christmas were considerably lighter even though it was still busy. Since we have small kids we'd hit the parks at opening till lunch. As others have said, no matter what day it is, the early bird gets the worm. Morning magic hours are awesome. Our routine was get up early, come home around lunch, relax, and then hit the pools. Worked great with our younger kids.
See if this helpsGood weeks to go - crowds / weatherhttp://yourfirstvisit.net/2009/12/23/the-most-comfortable-time-to-go-to-walt-disney-world/We're thinking about vacationing at WDW in late June/early July in 2012. Anyone know what the crowds are like there around the 4th of July? We're basically debating about arriving for a week on June 23rd or June 30th.Looks like there is a discount on packages that ends on June 14th. Any likelihood that it either gets extended through the end of June or that some other discount kicks in after the 14th? A few years ago we went in late June and were able to take advantage of a stay 4 nights, get 3 nights free promotion. Would love to catch something like that again.
"Space Mountain may be the oldest ride, but it's still got the longest lines! WHOOOOOO!" - "Nature Boy" Ric FlairI get what you're saying, though. I enjoyed Space Mountain and the Buzz Lightyear shooting gallery ride, but Tomorrowland still IMO has a feel of what the people of the 1960s thought the world would look like today. I got a similar vibe from the FutureWorld section of Epcot right down to the cheesy sci-fi movie soundtrack background music.Also, it may be time to put Tomorrowland out to pasture. It's really hokey now.
They got rid of the galactic gobblers thereI apologize if this is a repeat.At Cosmic Ray's quick service restaurant in Tomorrowland, there are three main counters labelled "CHICKEN BAY", "BURGER BAY", "SANDWICH BAY". Not all park goers know this, but you can order from the entire menu at all three bays. The Burger Bay always has the longest line, but you can get the same burger from the Sandwich Bay, the shortest line.At peak eating times, cast members will try to restrict the practice of having one person order for the entire party whole the others stake a claim for a table. Be prepared fro a cast member to deny passage into certain dining areas if you don't have a tray of food with you.
The people mover is what kills me."Space Mountain may be the oldest ride, but it's still got the longest lines! WHOOOOOO!" - "Nature Boy" Ric FlairI get what you're saying, though. I enjoyed Space Mountain and the Buzz Lightyear shooting gallery ride, but Tomorrowland still IMO has a feel of what the people of the 1960s thought the world would look like today. I got a similar vibe from the FutureWorld section of Epcot right down to the cheesy sci-fi movie soundtrack background music.Also, it may be time to put Tomorrowland out to pasture. It's really hokey now.
I've been to Epcot on eight different days this millenium. I celebrate Michael Jackson's entire catalog. I haven't seen Captain EO. IMO it's indicative of a lot of the challenges FutureWorld has; it was probably futuristic when produced, but technology has accelerated so much the last 15 years, cutting-edge stuff from the late-80s/early-90s looks ancient now. MuppetVision 3-D at DHS has a similar problem IMO. The show is OK (I despise the animated Waldo character, enjoy the tribute to the old Muppet Show, which I am old enough to adore), but shows like PhilharMagic (and Shrek 4-D at USF) make it look ancient.Went to Epcot yesterday. Captain EO is the biggest piece of #### I've ever seen. Holy crap. How was this ever popular?
Reflecting on MegaTrip... of the Disney properties, Epcot was the biggest disappointment. (The biggest overall disappointment was Legoland; I'll recap my Legoland and Universal experiences later this week, and I'll put them in spoiler tags so those who are here for Disney stuff only can skip over it quickly) The food was stellar: Le Cellier was a great meal, Teppan Edo was delicious and a fun show, the QSR at Japan (name escapes me) was one of my favorite QSR meals of the trip, I enjoyed broadening my food horizons at Tangerine Cafe, the crepes we got off a food cart in the France area were spectacular. heck, I even liked the character dining at Garden Grille. The food was just OK, but the revolving restaurant part was actually peaceful. You weren't crowded around a bunch of other tables with screaming kids, and with the loop around being the only way to walk the restaurant, we saw the characters extra times.But outside of Soarin, none of the rides exceeded expectations. I loved riding Soarin, but wow, the wait times skyrocket. And since the ride is difficult for the cast to process riders quickly, even cashing a FP was a 30-35 minute endeavor.We skipped Test Track after a bleh experience on it last time. I heard Disney is planning to shut it down for most of 2012 for a much-needed refresh, shifting focus away from the crash-test dummies, and more on the future of cars. If that's true, it's a great decision. We also skipped the Ellen energy ride because I fell asleep on it last time. I thought about hopping in for the opening video part (which was fairly entertaining if dated), but didn't want to risk riding the thing. The beginner-level Mission:Space had a lot less content than I expected. I was fired up for it with Gary Sinise giving us instructions like he did for the Apollo 13 crew, but it was just a couple of buttons to press. The only Innoventions booth worth our time was Sum of All Thrills, and I managed to screw myself on it: I took a behind-the-scenes photo I shouldn't have taken, and the cast member didn't process our ride cards fully. We hopped on the simulator and got to "ride" the rollercoaster we designed, but our codes for online viewing later didn't work.Check that... the Living with the Land ride exceeded my expectations. I'm a geek, so I liked seeing the experimental growing techniques for fruits and vegetables. It wasn't worth the 25-30 minute wait we usually saw for it in the morning when folks waiting for their Soarin FastPasses to go live rode on it to pass the time, but we hopped on with no wait late in the day.Another check... it's positioned almost as an afterthought in the exit area of the Finding Nemo ride, but Turtle Talk with Crush is awesome. And since a lot of the show is built around interacting with the kids (the voice talent for Crush can see the audience), the show varies just enough each time.Also suffered through the unbelievably long and boring Ellen energy show. 37 minutes! The only good thing is the huge boat thing they put you in was totally empty, and it was big...so I told my girlfriend to move down and I laid down and took a nap. Never saw a theme park as empty as Epcot was yesterday. No wait for anything other than Soarin. It was great.
Yeah, we skipped that one and the other kids' stuff at Tomorrowland. My daughter doesn't care for Lilo or Stitch, and Monsters Inc. is at the bottom of my family's Pixar power rankings.The people mover is what kills me."Space Mountain may be the oldest ride, but it's still got the longest lines! WHOOOOOO!" - "Nature Boy" Ric FlairI get what you're saying, though. I enjoyed Space Mountain and the Buzz Lightyear shooting gallery ride, but Tomorrowland still IMO has a feel of what the people of the 1960s thought the world would look like today. I got a similar vibe from the FutureWorld section of Epcot right down to the cheesy sci-fi movie soundtrack background music.Also, it may be time to put Tomorrowland out to pasture. It's really hokey now.
Epcot is the perfect park hopper park because the food is so damn good. When we're there we always make a point to go to Via Napoli and get the prosciutto and melon pizza...one of the best pies I've ever had. And all the sweets in France and Norway are terrific. Also, I like going to Germany for a pretzel and a great beer. It's a good park to hit for dinner after doing MK or Hollywood for the day. Good fireworks show too. But yea, spending a whole day there after you've been once is tough. We last went on July 4th, and we were struggling for things to do to fill the entire day yesterday. Hence the Ellen and EO disasters.Reflecting on MegaTrip... of the Disney properties, Epcot was the biggest disappointment. (The biggest overall disappointment was Legoland; I'll recap my Legoland and Universal experiences later this week, and I'll put them in spoiler tags so those who are here for Disney stuff only can skip over it quickly) The food was stellar: Le Cellier was a great meal, Teppan Edo was delicious and a fun show, the QSR at Japan (name escapes me) was one of my favorite QSR meals of the trip, I enjoyed broadening my food horizons at Tangerine Cafe, the crepes we got off a food cart in the France area were spectacular. heck, I even liked the character dining at Garden Grille. The food was just OK, but the revolving restaurant part was actually peaceful. You weren't crowded around a bunch of other tables with screaming kids, and with the loop around being the only way to walk the restaurant, we saw the characters extra times.But outside of Soarin, none of the rides exceeded expectations. I loved riding Soarin, but wow, the wait times skyrocket. And since the ride is difficult for the cast to process riders quickly, even cashing a FP was a 30-35 minute endeavor.We skipped Test Track after a bleh experience on it last time. I heard Disney is planning to shut it down for most of 2012 for a much-needed refresh, shifting focus away from the crash-test dummies, and more on the future of cars. If that's true, it's a great decision. We also skipped the Ellen energy ride because I fell asleep on it last time. I thought about hopping in for the opening video part (which was fairly entertaining if dated), but didn't want to risk riding the thing. The beginner-level Mission:Space had a lot less content than I expected. I was fired up for it with Gary Sinise giving us instructions like he did for the Apollo 13 crew, but it was just a couple of buttons to press. The only Innoventions booth worth our time was Sum of All Thrills, and I managed to screw myself on it: I took a behind-the-scenes photo I shouldn't have taken, and the cast member didn't process our ride cards fully. We hopped on the simulator and got to "ride" the rollercoaster we designed, but our codes for online viewing later didn't work.Check that... the Living with the Land ride exceeded my expectations. I'm a geek, so I liked seeing the experimental growing techniques for fruits and vegetables. It wasn't worth the 25-30 minute wait we usually saw for it in the morning when folks waiting for their Soarin FastPasses to go live rode on it to pass the time, but we hopped on with no wait late in the day.Went to Epcot yesterday. Captain EO is the biggest piece of #### I've ever seen. Holy crap. How was this ever popular?Also suffered through the unbelievably long and boring Ellen energy show. 37 minutes! The only good thing is the huge boat thing they put you in was totally empty, and it was big...so I told my girlfriend to move down and I laid down and took a nap. Never saw a theme park as empty as Epcot was yesterday. No wait for anything other than Soarin. It was great.
The marginal costs of park tickets on MegaTrip were so low (the cost of jumping from 5-day tickets to 10-day tickets for us was less than going from 1-day to 2-day) we skipped Park Hopper this time, but I agree with your strategy, especially since good dining at DHS is limited.That bakery in Norway is a hidden gem. And their best stuff was $3.95, right in the price range for maximum DDP snack credit value. If we go back (it will be a few years, but haven't ruled it out), I'd like to do a table service dinner in Italy or France. We had fun hitting some of the restaurants at the high-fallutin' resorts after DHS and AK days, but I know there's still great food to be had at Epcot that I haven't tried yet.Epcot is the perfect park hopper park because the food is so damn good. When we're there we always make a point to go to Via Napoli and get the prosciutto and melon pizza...one of the best pies I've ever had. And all the sweets in France and Norway are terrific. Also, I like going to Germany for a pretzel and a great beer. It's a good park to hit for dinner after doing MK or Hollywood for the day. Good fireworks show too. But yea, spending a whole day there after you've been once is tough. We last went on July 4th, and we were struggling for things to do to fill the entire day yesterday. Hence the Ellen and EO disasters.
The school bread at Norway is 2.95 and out of this freaking world. I like the 3 chefs place in Paris but it is freaking expensive. I would imagine it's one of the very most expensive places in all of the Disney parks. We (reluctantly for me) just bought annual passes, so hopping is free. I like going quite a lot, but not as much as my GF. She's pretty into it.The marginal costs of park tickets on MegaTrip were so low (the cost of jumping from 5-day tickets to 10-day tickets for us was less than going from 1-day to 2-day) we skipped Park Hopper this time, but I agree with your strategy, especially since good dining at DHS is limited.That bakery in Norway is a hidden gem. And their best stuff was $3.95, right in the price range for maximum DDP snack credit value. If we go back (it will be a few years, but haven't ruled it out), I'd like to do a table service dinner in Italy or France. We had fun hitting some of the restaurants at the high-fallutin' resorts after DHS and AK days, but I know there's still great food to be had at Epcot that I haven't tried yet.Epcot is the perfect park hopper park because the food is so damn good. When we're there we always make a point to go to Via Napoli and get the prosciutto and melon pizza...one of the best pies I've ever had. And all the sweets in France and Norway are terrific. Also, I like going to Germany for a pretzel and a great beer. It's a good park to hit for dinner after doing MK or Hollywood for the day. Good fireworks show too. But yea, spending a whole day there after you've been once is tough. We last went on July 4th, and we were struggling for things to do to fill the entire day yesterday. Hence the Ellen and EO disasters.
Man, my whole family loves Epcot. Different strokes I suppose, but allow me to comment...1. If you're a Michael Jackson fan, you should enjoy Captain EO. It's basically an extended music video on the big screen, with some special effects thrown in. This type of attraction has a retro appeal imo. I enjoyed it as a kid, and now I can enjoy it again with my kid. I'm glad we didn't miss it... caught the last showing on our last day. I was pleased with the revival. It looked a lot cleaner than Honey I Shrunk the Audience was at the end of its run.I've been to Epcot on eight different days this millenium. I celebrate Michael Jackson's entire catalog. I haven't seen Captain EO. IMO it's indicative of a lot of the challenges FutureWorld has; it was probably futuristic when produced, but technology has accelerated so much the last 15 years, cutting-edge stuff from the late-80s/early-90s looks ancient now. MuppetVision 3-D at DHS has a similar problem IMO. The show is OK (I despise the animated Waldo character, enjoy the tribute to the old Muppet Show, which I am old enough to adore), but shows like PhilharMagic (and Shrek 4-D at USF) make it look ancient.Went to Epcot yesterday. Captain EO is the biggest piece of #### I've ever seen. Holy crap. How was this ever popular?Reflecting on MegaTrip... of the Disney properties, Epcot was the biggest disappointment. (The biggest overall disappointment was Legoland; I'll recap my Legoland and Universal experiences later this week, and I'll put them in spoiler tags so those who are here for Disney stuff only can skip over it quickly) The food was stellar: Le Cellier was a great meal, Teppan Edo was delicious and a fun show, the QSR at Japan (name escapes me) was one of my favorite QSR meals of the trip, I enjoyed broadening my food horizons at Tangerine Cafe, the crepes we got off a food cart in the France area were spectacular. heck, I even liked the character dining at Garden Grille. The food was just OK, but the revolving restaurant part was actually peaceful. You weren't crowded around a bunch of other tables with screaming kids, and with the loop around being the only way to walk the restaurant, we saw the characters extra times.But outside of Soarin, none of the rides exceeded expectations. I loved riding Soarin, but wow, the wait times skyrocket. And since the ride is difficult for the cast to process riders quickly, even cashing a FP was a 30-35 minute endeavor.Also suffered through the unbelievably long and boring Ellen energy show. 37 minutes! The only good thing is the huge boat thing they put you in was totally empty, and it was big...so I told my girlfriend to move down and I laid down and took a nap.
Never saw a theme park as empty as Epcot was yesterday. No wait for anything other than Soarin. It was great.
We skipped Test Track after a bleh experience on it last time. I heard Disney is planning to shut it down for most of 2012 for a much-needed refresh, shifting focus away from the crash-test dummies, and more on the future of cars. If that's true, it's a great decision. We also skipped the Ellen energy ride because I fell asleep on it last time. I thought about hopping in for the opening video part (which was fairly entertaining if dated), but didn't want to risk riding the thing. The beginner-level Mission:Space had a lot less content than I expected. I was fired up for it with Gary Sinise giving us instructions like he did for the Apollo 13 crew, but it was just a couple of buttons to press. The only Innoventions booth worth our time was Sum of All Thrills, and I managed to screw myself on it: I took a behind-the-scenes photo I shouldn't have taken, and the cast member didn't process our ride cards fully. We hopped on the simulator and got to "ride" the rollercoaster we designed, but our codes for online viewing later didn't work.
Check that... the Living with the Land ride exceeded my expectations. I'm a geek, so I liked seeing the experimental growing techniques for fruits and vegetables. It wasn't worth the 25-30 minute wait we usually saw for it in the morning when folks waiting for their Soarin FastPasses to go live rode on it to pass the time, but we hopped on with no wait late in the day.
Another check... it's positioned almost as an afterthought in the exit area of the Finding Nemo ride, but Turtle Talk with Crush is awesome. And since a lot of the show is built around interacting with the kids (the voice talent for Crush can see the audience), the show varies just enough each time.
With two small children, it might be worth it just to minimize the travel time. Staying on property can make mid-day naps/breaks more feasible.Thinking about going down in May to Walt Disney World with two 3 1/2 year olds. Was looking at renting a house instead of staying in a hotel. But was told by a friend that 100 times better to stay on Disney property is it worth the extra money to stay on the property? Looks like we can rent a house of about $100-150 a night which would give them the time to wind down?Or is it worth paying the higher cost of the entire Disney package?
The #1 rule is to get to the parks EARLY, 30 minutes before the stated opening time. Then you had back to the resort around noon for lunch and then maybe a nap or dip in the pool. Then head back to the parks around 5:00 for evening touring. Staying on property makes this a lot easier to do.With two small children, it might be worth it just to minimize the travel time. Staying on property can make mid-day naps/breaks more feasible.Thinking about going down in May to Walt Disney World with two 3 1/2 year olds. Was looking at renting a house instead of staying in a hotel. But was told by a friend that 100 times better to stay on Disney property is it worth the extra money to stay on the property? Looks like we can rent a house of about $100-150 a night which would give them the time to wind down?Or is it worth paying the higher cost of the entire Disney package?
Can't stress that enough. Breaking up the day is a must. Although May is not super hot and if you have a stroller for each they can nap there. At that age, if you stay on property, I suggest one of the monorail resorts. I know they are pricier, but the connivence is so worth it, esp w/ strollers....you need to fold up strollers on the busses which is a major PIA if you are like my wife that uses the stroller as a mini-U-Haul. We stayed at Bay Lake/Contemporary and it is a leisurely 5min walk to MK, or hop on the monorail to the TTC to catch the Epcot mono.'Disco Stu said:With two small children, it might be worth it just to minimize the travel time. Staying on property can make mid-day naps/breaks more feasible.'greenroom said:Thinking about going down in May to Walt Disney World with two 3 1/2 year olds. Was looking at renting a house instead of staying in a hotel. But was told by a friend that 100 times better to stay on Disney property is it worth the extra money to stay on the property? Looks like we can rent a house of about $100-150 a night which would give them the time to wind down?
Or is it worth paying the higher cost of the entire Disney package?
Enjoy.I ran the Disney full marathon last year. Its a fun race. Not sure if you are a serious runner or not. If possible, send proof (or bring a copy) of your time in a previous race as you don't want to be stuck in the last corral. Lots of walkers back there apparently.'ATC1 said:Leaving Thursday night for the half-marathon on Saturday. Staying at OKW. Best resort of the most spacious floor plan IMO and one of the cheapest if not the cheapest on DVC points. I think I might fake a late injury as I'm finishing the race so I can skip out on the park that day to watch the Saints play. However, we have reservations a Le Cell. The kids will be with the grandparents, so I may talk the wife into a after lunch nap.
I submitted a time, but had no proof as the most I have done before is a 5K. They won't except that. I stuck to 3-4 miles of running before this, but my wife wanted to run in Disney, so we are trying the half. My wife is in corral #5 and I am in the last corral. I figured we will end about the same since my pace is 1 minute better a mile, but with all the walkers, I'm not so sure. I did get some tips on how to run to avoid the slower folks. Can't say I'm happy about it, but this is not a run for time, but for enjoyment. I'm going to run the crescent city classic next year and get a time on record. I will say that for those that run the Goofy are nuts. A half marathon and full marathon the next day? Crazy.'SteelCurtain said:Enjoy.I ran the Disney full marathon last year. Its a fun race. Not sure if you are a serious runner or not. If possible, send proof (or bring a copy) of your time in a previous race as you don't want to be stuck in the last corral. Lots of walkers back there apparently.'ATC1 said:Leaving Thursday night for the half-marathon on Saturday. Staying at OKW. Best resort of the most spacious floor plan IMO and one of the cheapest if not the cheapest on DVC points. I think I might fake a late injury as I'm finishing the race so I can skip out on the park that day to watch the Saints play. However, we have reservations a Le Cell. The kids will be with the grandparents, so I may talk the wife into a after lunch nap.
This was even true on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We went to Universal on Xmas Eve. We strolled up right as the rope dropped. While folks bumrushed Harry Potter and Seuss Landing GrinchMas, we turned left and had the Marvel section pretty much to ourselves. We hit Hulk thrice, Dr Doom thrice (two back-to-back as in "if no one comes through that door you can stay in your seat and ride again"), and Spidey once in about 45 minutes.On Xmas Day, we took the bus over to MK and walked through the gates a few minutes before the park opened. It was beautiful and spacious until about 10:30. By 11:00, the Space Mountain standby line was 90 minutes. By noon, the standby lines everywhere were close to an hour.The #1 rule is to get to the parks EARLY, 30 minutes before the stated opening time. Then you had back to the resort around noon for lunch and then maybe a nap or dip in the pool. Then head back to the parks around 5:00 for evening touring. Staying on property makes this a lot easier to do.
A lot of your DHS day is built around the question, "do I want to do Toy Story Mania?"If yes, be there at rope drop, and bumrush it to the Pixar section. There will be running room behind the street carts and kiosks that aren't open yet - it's a great way to avoid maniac stroller drivers. Have your fastest runner hit the FP kiosk with everyone's tickets while the second fastest runner gets in the standby line. That's your best chance at riding TSM without tying up your FP privileges for two hours.If you decide you don't need TSM that bad, stroll to the Tower of Terror and Rock and Roller Coaster. RnRC will have the longer line and more FP demand. I'm a big fan of Tower of Terror and Rock and Roller Coaster. You can find faster and more aggressive coasters in Orlando, but none of them sync Aerosmith songs with your ride. At Tower of Terror, take a moment to appreciate the details - they did a great job making the place look like it's been rundown for decades.Star Tours has improved a ton. Rather than try to launch a new character, they changed it to populate it with famous SW characters. The ride (it's a simulator) cycles through several different stories, so if you ride it twice there will be subtle differences.AVOID the backlot tour. It's a huge time suck with little payoff. I'd put the Great Movie Ride in the same bucket, with the exception of GMR is an air-conditioned option if the temp is above 90.If you and/or the gal pal like musical theater, the Beauty and the Beast show is good. It's a compressed version of the Broadway show hitting the song highlights. There's also a Little Mermaid show, but it's IMO geared towards kids. For a good snack, the Starring Rolls Cafe has good pastry options. I dug the chocolate croissant and the sweet rolls looked good.For dining... Mama Melrose's has reasonably priced pasta and flat breads for lunch. There's a Sci-fi themed eatery where you sit in an old convertible and watch 50s Sci-fi while you eat. If you're still around at dinner time, I'd actually park hop it over to Epcot.If you and/or yours are into the classic characters and/or drawing, consider an Animation Academy class in the animation building. They usually start up after the park has been open for a couple hours and run every half-hour. You'll learn how to draw one of the headliners like Mickey or Donald from a great instructor and get to keep your drawing.The MuppetVision 3D show is OK. It's a bit dated, but the theater you see it in is an excellent reproduction of the theater from the original Muppet Show. If you're into the Muppets, the studio store right by MuppetVision has some cool Muppet stuff and signage.The car stunt show and Indiana Jones shows are good, but probably don't need to be seen twice.Throughout the day, an American Idol competition takes place. No shtick. There's a studio theater for it and everything. Park goers can audition in the morning to compete in semifinals in the afternoon. The top singers advance to the Finals in the evening, and the studio audience votes for the winner. I think the daily champs win the right to audition for the real American Idol but I'm not sure about that. The finals are simulcast on video boards on the outside on the AI studio. Nothing I heard on those simulcasts made me want to watch the competition from inside the studio, but if someone from your group can sing it looks fun enough to compete in if you have talent.The big fireworks show is Phantasmic. It has its own dedicated amphitheatre and most of the show cannot be seen from other parts of the park. We did a dining/Phantasmic package where be got lunch at Mama Melrose's and reserved tickets to Phantasmic. I enjoyed it, but keep in mind that "Reserved" does not reserve you a seat, but the right to sit in a preferred viewing section that is first come first serve for Reserved ticket holders. You will still need to show up 45-60 minutes before showtime but they do let you bring snacks and drinks in with you.Bruce -- doing DHS in a week or two. Any must sees and must avoids?