3 hour lunch
Footballguy
Bibbidi is great. Also, Be our Guest or princess castle meal at MK (although pretty late to book these as well)
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Disney Vacation (7 Viewers)
- Thread starter DOVCommish
- Start date
PinkydaPimp
Footballguy
just got back. Those indoor air conditioned lunches are a nice break from the heat. I was just there and whole it was in the 80s its still hot.
The frozen sing along at Hollywood was pretty good. Just know btw that those shows last like an hour. We did not realize that at first and it threw off our schedule.
Otherwise, start early and hit those must see rides early. Waits can get crazy even with Genie. We had rides we wanted where we couldnt get a Genie time until like 7pm(we were booking at like 2pm).
Oh and if the halloween stuff is still happening the halloween party was fun as well.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
Be Our Guest can be hit or miss in regards to getting a reservation. We've been fortunate twice getting a reservation day before. You just have to check early morning since cancelations without penalty are 24 hours in advance.
The Princess meal, yeah, that probably can't happen now.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
Liberty Tree is awesome . One of my family's favorites.
The Commish
Footballguy
Can always count on LT even if you don't have a reservation
The Commish
Footballguy
Disney World Increasing Prices & Removing Reservations for Select Tickets
Walt Disney World is increasing prices and making major changes to single-day ticketing and park reservations. This post offers details and our commentary about how this will impact the guest experience, motivations for the new
www.disneytouristblog.com
- Magic Kingdom – $124 to $189
- Animal Kingdom – $109 to $159
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios – $124 to $179
- EPCOT – $114 to $179
glvsav37
Footballguy
Ding Dong the witch is dead!!!
Effective immediately, Chapek has "stepped down" and Bob Iger has been reinstated as CEO.
apnews.com
Effective immediately, Chapek has "stepped down" and Bob Iger has been reinstated as CEO.
Iger back on top in a Disney plot twist that few saw coming
Bob Iger, the enterprising entertainment executive who brought Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel under the Disney marquee and challenged the streaming dominance of Netflix, will replace his handpicked successor, CEO Bob Chapek, whose two-year tenure has been marked by clashes, missteps and a weakening fin
apnews.com
jb1020
Footballguy
I came in here for your take...Who runs Disney has never really been a concern of mine. This seems to be a popular change? What does this change for the average family that doesn't want to drop $8k to go to Disney for a week?Ding Dong the witch is dead!!!
Effective immediately, Chapek has "stepped down" and Bob Iger has been reinstated as CEO.
Iger back on top in a Disney plot twist that few saw coming
Bob Iger, the enterprising entertainment executive who brought Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel under the Disney marquee and challenged the streaming dominance of Netflix, will replace his handpicked successor, CEO Bob Chapek, whose two-year tenure has been marked by clashes, missteps and a weakening fin
Pip's Invitation
Footballguy
Can't really answer your last question, that's an "only time will tell" thing.I came in here for your take...Who runs Disney has never really been a concern of mine. This seems to be a popular change? What does this change for the average family that doesn't want to drop $8k to go to Disney for a week?Ding Dong the witch is dead!!!
Effective immediately, Chapek has "stepped down" and Bob Iger has been reinstated as CEO.
Iger back on top in a Disney plot twist that few saw coming
Bob Iger, the enterprising entertainment executive who brought Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel under the Disney marquee and challenged the streaming dominance of Netflix, will replace his handpicked successor, CEO Bob Chapek, whose two-year tenure has been marked by clashes, missteps and a weakening fin
My wife is a Disney uber-fan and is in online discussion groups with like-minded people. They all hated Chapek because he was a bean-counter and accelerated the trend of Disney caring about the bottom line way more than anything else. He also cut way back on training and other things that ultimately enhance customer service. The result was the Disney park experience was becoming less and less distinctive from somewhere like Six Flags, because the customer service and attention to the customer experience was lacking. When that becomes obvious, fewer people are going to want to pay the premium that Disney charges for the experience.
I presume the real reason Chapek was fired was because Disney's market cap was way down from where it was when he took over. Some of that would have happened anyway because of the hit the markets took this year. But clearly the board attributed some of it to Chapek's decisions.
HomerSimpson
Footballguy
My sister in law is a Uber Disney fan too. I went to Disneyland (in LA) about a month ago with them. First time in like 5 years I have gone. But I definitely noticed the little things. I used to be able to walk up to a Churro stand and there would be 3 people in line. This time EVERY churro stand was 30 people deep. You’d think, hey lets hire more people and open more churro stands but they were on a “just let them wait in line longer. It’ll save us on employees” kinda thing.Can't really answer your last question, that's an "only time will tell" thing.I came in here for your take...Who runs Disney has never really been a concern of mine. This seems to be a popular change? What does this change for the average family that doesn't want to drop $8k to go to Disney for a week?Ding Dong the witch is dead!!!
Effective immediately, Chapek has "stepped down" and Bob Iger has been reinstated as CEO.
Iger back on top in a Disney plot twist that few saw coming
Bob Iger, the enterprising entertainment executive who brought Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel under the Disney marquee and challenged the streaming dominance of Netflix, will replace his handpicked successor, CEO Bob Chapek, whose two-year tenure has been marked by clashes, missteps and a weakening fin
My wife is a Disney uber-fan and is in online discussion groups with like-minded people. They all hated Chapek because he was a bean-counter and accelerated the trend of Disney caring about the bottom line way more than anything else. He also cut way back on training and other things that ultimately enhance customer service. The result was the Disney park experience was becoming less and less distinctive from somewhere like Six Flags, because the customer service and attention to the customer experience was lacking. When that becomes obvious, fewer people are going to want to pay the premium that Disney charges for the experience.
I presume the real reason Chapek was fired was because Disney's market cap was way down from where it was when he took over. Some of that would have happened anyway because of the hit the markets took this year. But clearly the board attributed some of it to Chapek's decisions.
glvsav37
Footballguy
my overall take is that this needed to be done. DIS is a weird company and has so many properties that its hard to zero in on one thing. Yes the stock was down (big), however the parks reported billion dollar profits (although still a billion less then projected from what I hear).I came in here for your take...Who runs Disney has never really been a concern of mine. This seems to be a popular change? What does this change for the average family that doesn't want to drop $8k to go to Disney for a week?Ding Dong the witch is dead!!!
Effective immediately, Chapek has "stepped down" and Bob Iger has been reinstated as CEO.
Iger back on top in a Disney plot twist that few saw coming
Bob Iger, the enterprising entertainment executive who brought Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel under the Disney marquee and challenged the streaming dominance of Netflix, will replace his handpicked successor, CEO Bob Chapek, whose two-year tenure has been marked by clashes, missteps and a weakening fin
But overall, IMO, the CEO of a company like Disney is very different than most fortune 50 companies. The CEO of a manufacturing or finance company can hide in his corner office and only come out during earnings times and that's it. However, Disney's CEO is expected to lead with much more charisma and "on stage" presence along with having solid business acumen. Unfortunately, Chapek was neither.
Already known as a "cost-cutting at all cost" type of executive before taking over, Chapek's reputation was always 5 steps ahead of any executive move he tried to make. Yes, he was given a very difficult task, to lead the company through the pandemic and historically disastrous time for all industries, but most def travel. And yes, some very unique ways of recuperating revenue were going to be needed. However, a CEO with some shred of charisma might have been able to introduce these programs with a softer sell. Disney fans are a strange bunch, we don't mind paying more than most other things as long as they carry the almighty Disney D on them. But with Chapek, everything came off as a money grab and the fandom was like "don't spit in my face and tell me it's raining.
Then you had the very public and very messy fight with DeSantis. I don't want to turn this political or a pro/anti-anything, but let's just leave it as—at the time—it was a very poor example of leadership and the executive decision ripple effect looked very knee-jerk and reactionary. Disney really put itself in a rock and a hard place bc as a company that has always been very LGTBTQ friendly, it also struck a very even balance with its conservative family type fan....and now they pissed off both groups.
Inside the parks, the guests were still coming, in droves, but they were getting more and more vocal about the quality of the service in regard to the litany of seemingly endless added fees and expenses. There seemed to be no leadership in the parks as entertainment was being cut or changed out after historically low runs. Projects were taking years to complete with no end in sight, while many guests have started looking over the fence at the park down the block—who just so happens to be building a whole new theme park in less time than it is taking to finish Tron, a carbon copy of an already existing attraction.
On the entertainment side, he aliened A list celebrities and was making the studios—in which Iger has spent millions to grow—a place that talent didn't want to do business with.
Overall there were too many very public L's piling up like a body count, and without the charisma of past CEO's, hew was digging the hole deeper and deeper
glvsav37
Footballguy
To add to this: I'm glad the Iger is back.
However historically Disney as a company was at its best when it had a very strong 1-2 punch of crazy "blue sky" type creative leadership, along with the level-headed, straight man who knew how to pay for and monetize things.
Walt had Roy
Eisner had Frank Wells
both IMO ran Disney during their greatest times of growth, storytelling, and entertainment. That's one hill I am willing to die on.
However historically Disney as a company was at its best when it had a very strong 1-2 punch of crazy "blue sky" type creative leadership, along with the level-headed, straight man who knew how to pay for and monetize things.
Walt had Roy
Eisner had Frank Wells
both IMO ran Disney during their greatest times of growth, storytelling, and entertainment. That's one hill I am willing to die on.
AcerFC
Footballguy
We hit Studio Park in Paris yesterday. It is very very small. I was really surprised. They do a nice job of dealing with it. Crush’s coaster and RC racers were definitely highlights.
Get this, for my family of 4, if we wanted to get the premier pass (fast pass every ride once), it would cost 640 Euros. Um, no thanks. We waited in lines. The longest one was 45 minutes, even though it posted a 70 min wait time during extra magic hours.
I have noticed that recently. The boards are way off. I’m assuming it is to get people to pay. We went to a show and more people paid $18 per person than didn’t. Yet, the place had tons of open seats. They try to get you with the guaranteed rides and seats. Not our first rodeo so they didn’t get us
Going to spend the day in the Magic Kingdom today. We spent a few hours a few days ago and it was nice. The only thing we didn’t do that the kids need to do today is Star Wars space mountain.
I think we are almost at the point where it’s nice to go and be there and if we do the rides, great. If not, no big deal. Both of my kids didn’t want to wait 20 minutes for tower of terror or any time for web slingers. The whole family is not a big fan of that one. Lol
Get this, for my family of 4, if we wanted to get the premier pass (fast pass every ride once), it would cost 640 Euros. Um, no thanks. We waited in lines. The longest one was 45 minutes, even though it posted a 70 min wait time during extra magic hours.
I have noticed that recently. The boards are way off. I’m assuming it is to get people to pay. We went to a show and more people paid $18 per person than didn’t. Yet, the place had tons of open seats. They try to get you with the guaranteed rides and seats. Not our first rodeo so they didn’t get us
Going to spend the day in the Magic Kingdom today. We spent a few hours a few days ago and it was nice. The only thing we didn’t do that the kids need to do today is Star Wars space mountain.
I think we are almost at the point where it’s nice to go and be there and if we do the rides, great. If not, no big deal. Both of my kids didn’t want to wait 20 minutes for tower of terror or any time for web slingers. The whole family is not a big fan of that one. Lol
Dan Lambskin
Footballguy
So finally rebooked our 2020 trip (COVID), doing 2 days at universal and 4 days at Disney parks
Driving down and staying in a house we rented on VRBO (should be an adventure in itself)
So anyway I haven’t been since 2015 couple of questions
1. Looks like like FastPass has been replaced with Lightning Lane? And I need to spend $30 a day per person on Genie to get it? And I can’t book anything until day of? Or is there more too this
2. Last time we went we had magic bands. Looks like those are optional purchase now? Any reason to get it or can I just use my phone / ticket card ? Me wife and 2 of the kids have phones, little one does not but assume he could just carry his card if he needs it for anything
3. Is Rise of Resistance still a pain in the *** to get on or can I just Lightning or wait? Seems like Guardians is now the ride that I need to join some virtual queue? Is that the one that makes people barf?
4. Best restaurants at Epcot? Probably won’t pick too many reserved sit down dinners but would like to do one here. my boys are 14, 11, 9 so not really into character dinners and things like that.
Any other must eat places? Might do SciFi at Hollywood. Content to wing it and eat basic food at MK and AK but open to suggestions
Driving down and staying in a house we rented on VRBO (should be an adventure in itself)
So anyway I haven’t been since 2015 couple of questions
1. Looks like like FastPass has been replaced with Lightning Lane? And I need to spend $30 a day per person on Genie to get it? And I can’t book anything until day of? Or is there more too this
2. Last time we went we had magic bands. Looks like those are optional purchase now? Any reason to get it or can I just use my phone / ticket card ? Me wife and 2 of the kids have phones, little one does not but assume he could just carry his card if he needs it for anything
3. Is Rise of Resistance still a pain in the *** to get on or can I just Lightning or wait? Seems like Guardians is now the ride that I need to join some virtual queue? Is that the one that makes people barf?
4. Best restaurants at Epcot? Probably won’t pick too many reserved sit down dinners but would like to do one here. my boys are 14, 11, 9 so not really into character dinners and things like that.
Any other must eat places? Might do SciFi at Hollywood. Content to wing it and eat basic food at MK and AK but open to suggestions
glvsav37
Footballguy
So this whole SW fiasco highlights a very unique thing that I wanted to post here. Obv we all see that shart happens in the travel industry, and at best its an inconvenience, but could be a complete vacation nightmare.
So my suggestion: USE A TRAVEL PLANNER!!
I can't speak for all destinations, however when it comes to Disney or Universal, you never pay anything for the service, and you have someone on the inside to be your ally.
I know its super easy to book hotels and tickets, etc through the site, but with a solid agent, they can do it all, and it would all be the same price. However their job is to keep up with the discounts and deals and they can apply those to your trip when they pop up. Disney is not emailing you about special codes, but they do for the agents. You can do as much or as little of the day-to-day planning, but for the main stuff, they are a great resource.
Also, if you are ever stranded—lost room reservations, ticket issues, etc—we know on site customer service has been lacking and getting worse atr some places, heck even times you are stuck with only an app. Your agent usually has people behind the scenes who can help in certain situations.
Again, at least for Disney, DCL, and Univ there is no extra cost to you—Disney/Univ pays them a %—but the benefit could be invaluable.
My 2 recommendations are:
Any of the Mouse Fan Travel agents, but I use Kathy Geiger (kathy.geiger@mei-travel.com)
Or my good friend Stephen Conti at Magical Vacation Planner (s.conti@magicalvacationplanner.com)
So my suggestion: USE A TRAVEL PLANNER!!
I can't speak for all destinations, however when it comes to Disney or Universal, you never pay anything for the service, and you have someone on the inside to be your ally.
I know its super easy to book hotels and tickets, etc through the site, but with a solid agent, they can do it all, and it would all be the same price. However their job is to keep up with the discounts and deals and they can apply those to your trip when they pop up. Disney is not emailing you about special codes, but they do for the agents. You can do as much or as little of the day-to-day planning, but for the main stuff, they are a great resource.
Also, if you are ever stranded—lost room reservations, ticket issues, etc—we know on site customer service has been lacking and getting worse atr some places, heck even times you are stuck with only an app. Your agent usually has people behind the scenes who can help in certain situations.
Again, at least for Disney, DCL, and Univ there is no extra cost to you—Disney/Univ pays them a %—but the benefit could be invaluable.
My 2 recommendations are:
Any of the Mouse Fan Travel agents, but I use Kathy Geiger (kathy.geiger@mei-travel.com)
Or my good friend Stephen Conti at Magical Vacation Planner (s.conti@magicalvacationplanner.com)
glvsav37
Footballguy
1. Yes, the whole FP system has been reworked. IMO it is very confusing, costs extra, is all phone-based, and people cringe at it.......but if you get a good grip on the system, it works pretty damn well. I wanted to hate it with every bone in my body, but on our 4th of July trip last summer we maxed the hell out of the parks. I could spend a day explaining here but I'll link a few videos that show it better then I can explain.
The down side is yes, there is a cost involved and also being an off-site guest, you get a little bit of of delay in booking things vs the on-site resort guests. So you need to factor some extra bucks into your budget and just "live with it" if you want the convenience. You don't HAVE to buy it, IMO, if you needed to pinch, you dont need it for Epcot or AK, those parks have less to do, but I would highly recommend it at Studios and MK.
Basically, there are 3 tiers on the app called "Genie+":
1. Free: It will tell you wait times and "Suggest" the best times to go to an attraction. You can load in your favs and it will monitor them based on historical data and crowd levels
2. Lighting Lane: Paid (about $15/day/pp) that let's you do the FP thing and physically reserve times.
3. Special LL: 1-2 attractions per park that you can't book through the regular LL, you need to pay for them individually. NOTE: you don't need #2 to use #3. You can skip on #2 for the day-to-day stuff, if you want to save $$, and just pay for the #3 rides.
2. MB are still a thing, just not free. You can get an RFID card or use your phone. You'll need to DL the My Disney Experience (MDE) app. this is your EVERYTHING while you are there. Your tickets can go right into your "wallet" and every FP is loaded on the app. So just wave your phone at the tap-in point and it will do the same as the MB. Splurge and get the little guy a MB, they actually have new ones that light up and have vibration type actions. They have installed interactive games in places like SW Galaxy's edge that he/she can do and run around scanning codes that work with the new MB's.
3. Not as much, but it may cost you. I believe it is still one of the "special" Lighting Lane that costs extra. So you can just "buy it" and have no issues. You can also wait, we rope-dropped Studios, went right there 1st and had a 20-30'ish min wait.
GoG is still under boarding pass. So you'll need the app there. IDK how it works for off-site guests, but its pretty easy process. THe only downside is that you cant pick you BP window, so be prepared to be anywhere from 1st at park opening to some time in the afternoon. THey also do a 2nd BP drop at 1pm so if you miss out on the 1st one, be ready at 12:59 for the second (just confirm that time, dont rely on me lol)
It makes some people sick, but I rode it 2x and thought it was great.
4. The golden ticket in Epcot right now is Space220. Where you start off by riding an "elevator" 220 miles up and dine in space. But its a very hard ticket to get, so Start now.
Otherwise, we enjoy "Tepen Edo (the Hibachi place) or any of the Italy restaurants, But my kid's are not very internationally flavored, so we skip many of the ethnic restaurants. Also, don't forget that you can sneak out the side door (behind UK) and pop out to the Boardwalk and eat over there.
TBH, the quick service game has come a long way. Lots of great options in all parks. And with the app, you can mobile order ahead of time and when ready, go pick it up and eat. Very little standing in line to order experiences. Connections Cafe in Epcot is a QS but pretty premium for food quality and you'll save a ton of time.
Sci-fi in Studios is always a fav of mine.
MK is still lacking in sit-down restaurants IMO, so stick to QS
AK has some good options, Yack & Yeti or Rainforest is prob best.
Honestly, if you have the time, your best restaurant experiences for quality and enjoyment will be at Disney Springs. Tons of options. And you can also use Open Table to get seats there if you cant get them on the Disney app.
Here are those videos on Genie:
IMO Molly at All EArs had the best breakdowns, so I'll stick with her. Shes not with AE any longer but the content is still relevant
Genie+ 101: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMTKMxo4vR8&t=251s
G+ at MK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFmHpCJCF_c&t=8s
G+ at Epcot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6CDiEO56_4&t=259s
G+ at Studios: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDNmCGOlXJY&t=28s
G+ at AK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE44dmAAUNY&t=65s
feel free to ask any other q's!
glvsav37
Footballguy
forgot to mention, prob one of the biggest changes you'll need to know since the last time you visited:
At the time of writing this—you now need to select the park you are citing before you get there. You just cant just show up at the gate. People are speculating that may change, but not yet.
so when you buy your tickets, you may be prompted to select the parks to assign to each day. 99% of the time you wont have an issue, but if you are going during summer or peak times like spring break, you need to lock in those parks as soon as you can. We found MK unavailable on certain days when we went on 4th of July week.
Dan Lambskin
Footballguy
Thanks. Yeah I got this selected already, possible we will change it but our order is MK HS Epcot AK. For AK we are checking out that day and starting our ride home after we finish, so that one is definitely going to be our last park. Mainly just want to see avatar land
glvsav37
Footballguy
So it looks like we will not be going to WDW this year, which means I have 143'ish DVC points available to rent if anyone is interested. Must be used before Oct 1, 2023. $15/per point.
The process is super smooth, you give me the resorts and dates you want to travel, I book the room, and then transfer the booking/confirmation to you. The points can be used at any WDW DVC resort, Hilton Head, Vero Beach or Aulani in Hawaii. You can even use them to supplement a trip and do a split stay, 1/2 of our trip on my points and the rest on your dime.
Here are the points charts for each resort so you can see what each night would cost in points. Points vary based on resort, room size and time of year.
Message me if interested.
The process is super smooth, you give me the resorts and dates you want to travel, I book the room, and then transfer the booking/confirmation to you. The points can be used at any WDW DVC resort, Hilton Head, Vero Beach or Aulani in Hawaii. You can even use them to supplement a trip and do a split stay, 1/2 of our trip on my points and the rest on your dime.
Here are the points charts for each resort so you can see what each night would cost in points. Points vary based on resort, room size and time of year.
Message me if interested.
Manster
Footballguy
Depends on the kid. We just got back from Disneyland with our 10 yo son and 13 yo daughter. Their first time to DL. There was a group of twelve of us and our kids were the youngest. Some people just like the magic of Disney......It was a lot of fun. The 10 yo trooped it out......we did a TON in 3 full days at DL and Cali. My 13 yo was a machine. She went hard all 3 days. My wife and are both glad we waited for the kids to be old enough to really appreciate it and be able to handle the rigors of miles, and lines, etc .... I would not want to take like a 4/5 yo and definitely not a baby......yet lots of people do.
glvsav37
Footballguy
I think age is dependent of adjusting expectations.
I took my son at 1 and would do it again in a heartbeat . It’s not always what they remember but our memories as parents as well.
at that age they are free, so we didn’t have the pressure of needing to maximize the value of the ticket. we opted for experiences over attractions. Lots of character meals and interactions. Took lots of photos. We got his 1st hair cut at the barbershop on main st. It came with little “1st haircut ears”. We made sure to stay on the monorail loop so we could easily go in and out of MK with the stroller And watch fireworks from the resort vs dealing with the crowds.
if one of us wanted to ride a ride, we did And the other stayed with the kid. We used child swap and FPs to do the few “must do’s“ that we wanted.
when we got home, the wife made a photo book that we still have and look at often.
Obv Disney is a fav of ours so we wanted to enjoy it with the baby. But everyone’s mileage may vary. And we knew going in that it wasn’t going to be the typical open to close, pack it all in type trip that we normally did, and that was cool. One of the biggest issues people have with those parks if heightened expectations and hen they are not met 100% that’s when people get grumpy.
Manster
Footballguy
DL is so expensive that we probly won't go again.....or maybe one more time. My wife and I are not adults that are crazy into it...it's more like a check it off the list kinda thing...... when we went, we wanted to squeeze it all in.....and we did, and it was fun....but it was crowded as hell. Crowds, lines, and overpriced things are NOT a few of my favorite things
Capella
Footballguy
We just got back from Disneyland two weeks ago. As far as convenience goes it’s unbeatable if you stay on property or close to it. Our Grand California hotel literally had an entrance attached to the park. I like how close the parks are, especially when compared to Florida where every park is miles away from each other.
The food was also 10x better than DW too. Medium rare steak? On a Disney property? Fries with…Parmesan and garlic and flavor? So much good food there. Shocking.
Both parks are smaller and not as many rides but we loved it. Just so much easier than DW to plan for.
The food was also 10x better than DW too. Medium rare steak? On a Disney property? Fries with…Parmesan and garlic and flavor? So much good food there. Shocking.
Both parks are smaller and not as many rides but we loved it. Just so much easier than DW to plan for.
FreeBaGeL
Footballguy
Regarding the age thing, our kids are 6 and 8 and we've been 3 times now, as well as a Disney Cruise. We have family in the area though that we visit every couple years so these are mostly 1 or 2 day trips from there (other than the cruise), and not the big week long Disney dream vacation thing.
I definitely think it's been worth it going at younger ages. Like @glvsav37 said even if the kids don't remember the trips we will remember them forever, and look back on them fondly. And while the kids don't remember the trips when they were really young, they do still remember the ones when they were around 5+ and talk about them often. I'm sure that will fade in time as everything does for kids, but our now 8 year old still talks almost daily about the Ride of the Banshee ride that he went on like 18 months ago. Seriously if he meets some kid on the park his opening line is "have you been on the banshee ride at Animal Kingdom? It's the coolest ride EVER!".
We have our first ever group trip (not counting grandparents) coming up in May with my cousin who has kids the same age as us, so we'll see how that goes. It will also be our longest Disney trip (other than the cruise) at 4 days. We're staying at the funhouse we built in Champions Gate, so not quite as convenient as staying on property but we'll have a pool, arcade, star wars playroom, etc and I think the kids are going to have the time of their lives playing with their cousins in that house and going to the parks. Maybe a golf day for the guys mixed in too.
I definitely think it's been worth it going at younger ages. Like @glvsav37 said even if the kids don't remember the trips we will remember them forever, and look back on them fondly. And while the kids don't remember the trips when they were really young, they do still remember the ones when they were around 5+ and talk about them often. I'm sure that will fade in time as everything does for kids, but our now 8 year old still talks almost daily about the Ride of the Banshee ride that he went on like 18 months ago. Seriously if he meets some kid on the park his opening line is "have you been on the banshee ride at Animal Kingdom? It's the coolest ride EVER!".
We have our first ever group trip (not counting grandparents) coming up in May with my cousin who has kids the same age as us, so we'll see how that goes. It will also be our longest Disney trip (other than the cruise) at 4 days. We're staying at the funhouse we built in Champions Gate, so not quite as convenient as staying on property but we'll have a pool, arcade, star wars playroom, etc and I think the kids are going to have the time of their lives playing with their cousins in that house and going to the parks. Maybe a golf day for the guys mixed in too.
glvsav37
Footballguy
as I mentioned, everyone's milage will vary. I know Disney isn't for everyone with or without kids...let along really little ones.
But I mention it for only b/c so many people just automatically dismiss the idea of a trip b/c little kids are normally tough and a Disney vacation isn't easier either. However, as long as you go in with proper expectations, its a lot of fun. But I get it too...some people dont want to modify their expectations the overall expense and such.
It wasn't his 1st trip, but maybe his 2nd when he was about 3. My daughter was doing the Bibbity boppity Boutique thing and getting all princess'ed up. To match her, my wife got this Silver Knight costume and modified it a bit for him. We had reservations at the castle that night and holy cow...all the Princesses were falling all over him. He was like a little rock star that night.
I know it is not mainstream, but there are a lot of things for kids that age to do that may not be park related specifically. Also, every park has amazing baby care centers where parents can go, have kids nap, feed, change or just outright chill out for a few minutes.
But I mention it for only b/c so many people just automatically dismiss the idea of a trip b/c little kids are normally tough and a Disney vacation isn't easier either. However, as long as you go in with proper expectations, its a lot of fun. But I get it too...some people dont want to modify their expectations the overall expense and such.
It wasn't his 1st trip, but maybe his 2nd when he was about 3. My daughter was doing the Bibbity boppity Boutique thing and getting all princess'ed up. To match her, my wife got this Silver Knight costume and modified it a bit for him. We had reservations at the castle that night and holy cow...all the Princesses were falling all over him. He was like a little rock star that night.
I know it is not mainstream, but there are a lot of things for kids that age to do that may not be park related specifically. Also, every park has amazing baby care centers where parents can go, have kids nap, feed, change or just outright chill out for a few minutes.
Manster
Footballguy
I think the main thing for me is the cost.....it's insane, especially now with airfare so much higher.....I'm sure a lot of people feel like they need to give their kids the experience and go into debt for it....and there are lots of middle class folks who just straight up can't go because they can't afford it. That aspect definitely takes away from how I feel about Disney.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
If anyone has any doubts, let me calm your fears. My family rented points from glvsav37 a few years ago. Super easy process and a super nice guy.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
Best restaurants for Valentines Day? The wife and I will down there next month and that Tuesday will be an off day for us so we can go anywhere on property.
glvsav37
Footballguy
My vote is the California Grill at the top of the Contemporary. See about timing it with the fireworks.
other notables are Todd English Blue Zoo or Shula's Steakhouse at the Swan/Dolphin (actually all of their fine dining restaurants are top-notch). They also just built a new hotel across the street called the Swan Reserve that has a well-reviewed restaurant called Amare
Narcoosee's at the Grand Floridian or Topolino's Terrace at the Riviera
I've never been, but I hear Wine Bar George at Disney Springs is a good choice as well.
and thanks for the vote of confidence on renting the points! appreciate it GB.
Osaurus
Footballguy
Wine Bar George is terrific, but the ambience isn’t exactly ideal for Valentine’s Day imo. California Grill is awesome, but good luck getting a reservation.
glvsav37
Footballguy
Its not the old Disney Dining plan, but a new way to do "Dining" at WDW.
Tomorrow, they are rolling out the "Disney Dining Promo Card"
guests with qualifying reservations will get a digital card with various values (depending on your resort category) to be used daily for dining/snacking purchases.
this appears to be a promotional thing and not something you would purchase. It is loosely based on the free dining promotions in the past bc in order to receive this you must not have any other discounted rate or promotion applied to your stay, and req min 4 nights stay with 4-day park tickets.
Tomorrow, they are rolling out the "Disney Dining Promo Card"
guests with qualifying reservations will get a digital card with various values (depending on your resort category) to be used daily for dining/snacking purchases.
this appears to be a promotional thing and not something you would purchase. It is loosely based on the free dining promotions in the past bc in order to receive this you must not have any other discounted rate or promotion applied to your stay, and req min 4 nights stay with 4-day park tickets.
Deranged Hermit
Not cool & Pissed
I used Dreams Unlimited Travel in the past and had no issues
glvsav37
Footballguy
I think you liked my post, so I assume you found it, but these were my 2 reccomendations
Any of the Mouse Fan Travel agents, but I use Kathy Geiger (kathy.geiger@mei-travel.com)
Or my good friend Stephen Conti at Magical Vacation Planner (s.conti@magicalvacationplanner.com)
jb1020
Footballguy
Starting to grind the gears on a WDW trip we have coming up in May. We'll be out of there by Memorial day so I hope its not overly crowded. I go from excited to bummed when I'm even thinking about it. We booked 7 nights at the Poly with DVC points. Kids will be 13, 11 and 8 when we go. That room is going to be tiny. I've tried to talk my wife into 3 nights at the Poly "for old times sake" and then we bust it to a 1 or 2 bedroom spot at AK or something similar and relax. Points really aren't an issue and our family has let them pile up. I can't get her to budge.
The part that really threw me for a loop was the ticket prices in comparison to other trips. My wife and I rarely get away just the 2 of us. If we do its usually a business trip and I'm MIA most of the day. We finally decided to head to Europe. Haven't booked it yet, but on Costco a trip for 2, 7 nights split between London and Paris with 4 star hotels and transportation and airfare was like $4200.
5 tickets for 6 days, with Park hopper are $3850. We started doing Disney in 2013 or 2014. I really used to think it was a pretty good bang for your buck. Always expensive, yeah, but a solid purchase. The money part of the trip just gets me every time.
I just turned 40 too so maybe my mindset on things is changing. I don't know. Just a rant I guess.
The part that really threw me for a loop was the ticket prices in comparison to other trips. My wife and I rarely get away just the 2 of us. If we do its usually a business trip and I'm MIA most of the day. We finally decided to head to Europe. Haven't booked it yet, but on Costco a trip for 2, 7 nights split between London and Paris with 4 star hotels and transportation and airfare was like $4200.
5 tickets for 6 days, with Park hopper are $3850. We started doing Disney in 2013 or 2014. I really used to think it was a pretty good bang for your buck. Always expensive, yeah, but a solid purchase. The money part of the trip just gets me every time.
I just turned 40 too so maybe my mindset on things is changing. I don't know. Just a rant I guess.
Snotbubbles
Footballguy
Can they get you dining reservations at tough to get places or do they just do your normal airfare, hotel...
glvsav37
Footballguy
I'm pretty sure they can get your dining reservations but IDK if they have any more pull or special access to reservations. I'm assuming their job would just be the ones waiting online/booking vs you having to. However, to be honest, I've never used them for that, so its worth asking them directly.
glvsav37
Footballguy
if I'm reading it correctly, you've never been to the boathouse?
great restaurant. I prefer to sit outside if its not too hot. I cant say a bad thing about its menu, always had a good meal.
glvsav37
Footballguy
not gonna lie GB, that's gonna be a little tight. We did the split with a studio at AKL and then 1 bedroom at BayLake a few years ago and it was well worth it...and I only have 2 kids. About day 4 is when everyone starts hating each other and we need our space.
agreed.....tickets were our biggest sticker shock, esp since we use to be AP holders and would leapfrog trips (buy on the August trip and use again the following July before they expired). DVC AP's were about $450/pp and we would get 2, 11-14 night trips out of them making them about $20-25/day pp average. I could dig on that no problem.
Osaurus
Footballguy
Correct. I’ve eaten at a bunch of places in Disney Springs, but never Boathouse.
jb1020
Footballguy
I might need you to call my wife! I'm still working on her.
We were pass holders too. It was $599, and that was the top of the line pass. I think we had probably 14 or 15 park days that year. Maybe thats what I'm hung up on?
glvsav37
Footballguy
yea that prob was the price, I knew it was around that. But yea, park hopers and all for that AP price...and no stinkin' park reservations or 2pm hopping. So we would dance in and out of parks, go ride one ride and bounce to another or even one trip we didn't go into any park until 4pm and just enjoyed the resort all day b/c we didn't feel like we were losing any value on the tickets. APs had the ultimate freedom.
glvsav37
Footballguy
the only other thing I got is that 1 bedroom has a washer and drier, so you can pack less clothes.
jb1020
Footballguy
I'm gonna test the waters tonight and make my pitch. AK - Kidani Village (176 points), Copper Creek Villa (170) Old Key West (140) and Saratoga Springs (144) seem to be our options left. All those are 2 bed rooms.
You have a preference of those? I've never even looked in any of those?
Rivera Resort is an option too, but too many points (232).
You have a preference of those? I've never even looked in any of those?
Rivera Resort is an option too, but too many points (232).
rodg12
Footballguy
What were your favorite places to eat, Cappy? We’re going to Disneyland in June and had been underwhelmed at the food selection compared to WDW just looking at the choices.
glvsav37
Footballguy
AK: love that resort as a whole. Having the savana is like living in a zoo for a few days. I prefer Jambo house b/c that's where the main action is (quick service, grand lobby, gift shop, etc). Kidani has a breakfast and coffee pop-up at Sanaa in the AM but it's not like the full-blown QS breakfast. Also, the resorts are not super close, you need to take a shuttle between Jambo and Kidani which is a bit of a pain IMO. THey both have their own bus stop, and I belive Kidani is the 1st stop so that makes it a little better b/c you are on/off faster.
We just stayed in Saratoga and loved it. Recently redone rooms, lots of pools and great pool grill at one of them. Easy walk or boat ride to Disney springs. Its a huge property, so if you can, def get the preferred sections, there are closer to the hospitality and Disney Springs. Otherwise, you could find yourself really away from the action (and prob on your wife's sh!t list). The buses take a bit longer b/c they have 5 stops they make (that's how big it is).
I like OKW but it def has a different, older vibe to it. I'd pick SS over OKW, and OKW is my home resort. Its just a little smaller then SS but has less pools and food options.
I've never stayed at copper creek but its still in the MK area. Apparently, it was just refurbished wich is a plus. I've been to wildrenss lodge and really enjoyed it's so I would consider it as a viable option.
all in all, you need to find out what your wife's attraction to the polly is. I get it, MK sightlines/fireworks, monorail, cool vibe. Yuo def lose those when you start working your way out to the other resorts. CC has the boat to MK, so that's at least a little easier to get around, but otherwise, any of these you are looking at buses only. PLus once you are in the resort, you are there, no fireworks, or beaches, etc. AKL is the only one do these that is "special" as in they have the savanna. SS has Disney springs and at night it looks nice to walk around the water and see the lights.
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