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Disney Vacation (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter DOVCommish
- Start date
The Ref
Footballguy
Due to my move this year we didnt' use the Disney gift card I bought for Christmass last year. I bought another one this year plus I can add in any disney card points.
Well, let me say I endorse buying the cards. It helps when you go to plan a trip and you got half paid for.
Well, let me say I endorse buying the cards. It helps when you go to plan a trip and you got half paid for.
The Hank
Footballguy
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
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.
The Hank
Footballguy
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...
Church of Iggy Pop
Footballguy
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.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
So we had a very unDisney moment at Tony's. Curious about how y'all would've handled it...
Overall, the experience was good. We were seated on time in the solarium with a great view of the big Christmas tree at the park entry. As we ate (and yes I did order the spaghetti and meatballs, nosing a meatball over to my wife), we could see characters doing meet and greets, and the trolley came by with Mickey and Minnie.
The problem came near the end of the meal. We had all finished our entrees and were ready to settle the bill and leace the park. The problem was our server, who spent at least ten minutes talking to the folks at the table next to us. Not taking orders, not resolving a dispute, just chatting.
What's the play here? Penalize at tip time? Get a manager's attention? Make a scene?
Overall, the experience was good. We were seated on time in the solarium with a great view of the big Christmas tree at the park entry. As we ate (and yes I did order the spaghetti and meatballs, nosing a meatball over to my wife), we could see characters doing meet and greets, and the trolley came by with Mickey and Minnie.
The problem came near the end of the meal. We had all finished our entrees and were ready to settle the bill and leace the park. The problem was our server, who spent at least ten minutes talking to the folks at the table next to us. Not taking orders, not resolving a dispute, just chatting.
What's the play here? Penalize at tip time? Get a manager's attention? Make a scene?
Battles
Footballguy
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.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
AK today.
Saw the Finding Nemo show. Even better than I remembered it, and Crush didn't sound like Cameron from Modern Family like he did the last time I saw the show. NTTAWWT, just that in the movie and throughout the parks Crush has the voice of a surfer dude, not a flamboyant musical theater actor.
Had another outstanding meal at the sitdown Yak and Yeti. Maybe that place doesn't stand out to folks who have a lot of good Asian restaurants near their homes just like Le Cellier didn't stand out to me. We had a great time and great food.
AK tip: if you're going to do the Kilimanjaro Safari, do it in the morning, preferably within the first hour of the park opening. The animals are more likely to be active and eating, so it's a much better experience. Also, the queue flies since people aren't cashing in FPs yet - the standby line feeds both loading areas until the FPs start coming in.
We rode it twice this morning right when we got to the park, only stopping for a few Photopasses along the way so my daughter and I could show off our new matching Agent P T-shirts. We saw a hippo out of the water, rhinos rolling on the mud, a 2-3 year old elephant following its mother around, and had two animal-related delays: one from an ostrich on the road on her way to get nest just a few feet off it, and a white rhino out for a walk and deciding the tram road was the best way to travel. A few giraffes got close, too. The only bummer was no lion sightings, but on an earlier visit on the trip we saw the male lion patrolling his lookout spot.
One thing I've noticed that I'm sure will come off as a bit racist, but so be it. WDW is an international destination. The more densely populated your home nation is, or portion of your home country where you reside, the narrower your definition of "personal space". I'll spare the details, but I will say we had some unpleasantness with an Indian family in the moments before the parade hit our part of the park, and this was not an isolated incident.
Our character greeting quest is pretty much complete. We greeted the two newest characters roaming the parks at AK today: Dug and Russell from "Up". We caught them just as Russell was about to call it a day, and both signed my daughter's signature shirt. I'd guess no fewer than five passersby yelled "SQUIRREL!" at Dug during our greeting, but to Dug's credit, the only one he responded to was me saying "Everybody say SQUIRREL!" as I was taking a picture of my daughter with both characters.
One more venture to Universal tomorrow. Rumor is IOA will be issuing FastPass-like tickets for entry into the Harry Potter section. On our IOA Day 2 they had queues set up for entry into the shops with 10-15 minute waits, and tomorrow's crowd is suppoosed to be a lot bigger. We aren't planning on revisiting it, but part of me wants to see just how big the crowd will be.
Saw the Finding Nemo show. Even better than I remembered it, and Crush didn't sound like Cameron from Modern Family like he did the last time I saw the show. NTTAWWT, just that in the movie and throughout the parks Crush has the voice of a surfer dude, not a flamboyant musical theater actor.
Had another outstanding meal at the sitdown Yak and Yeti. Maybe that place doesn't stand out to folks who have a lot of good Asian restaurants near their homes just like Le Cellier didn't stand out to me. We had a great time and great food.
AK tip: if you're going to do the Kilimanjaro Safari, do it in the morning, preferably within the first hour of the park opening. The animals are more likely to be active and eating, so it's a much better experience. Also, the queue flies since people aren't cashing in FPs yet - the standby line feeds both loading areas until the FPs start coming in.
We rode it twice this morning right when we got to the park, only stopping for a few Photopasses along the way so my daughter and I could show off our new matching Agent P T-shirts. We saw a hippo out of the water, rhinos rolling on the mud, a 2-3 year old elephant following its mother around, and had two animal-related delays: one from an ostrich on the road on her way to get nest just a few feet off it, and a white rhino out for a walk and deciding the tram road was the best way to travel. A few giraffes got close, too. The only bummer was no lion sightings, but on an earlier visit on the trip we saw the male lion patrolling his lookout spot.
One thing I've noticed that I'm sure will come off as a bit racist, but so be it. WDW is an international destination. The more densely populated your home nation is, or portion of your home country where you reside, the narrower your definition of "personal space". I'll spare the details, but I will say we had some unpleasantness with an Indian family in the moments before the parade hit our part of the park, and this was not an isolated incident.
Our character greeting quest is pretty much complete. We greeted the two newest characters roaming the parks at AK today: Dug and Russell from "Up". We caught them just as Russell was about to call it a day, and both signed my daughter's signature shirt. I'd guess no fewer than five passersby yelled "SQUIRREL!" at Dug during our greeting, but to Dug's credit, the only one he responded to was me saying "Everybody say SQUIRREL!" as I was taking a picture of my daughter with both characters.
One more venture to Universal tomorrow. Rumor is IOA will be issuing FastPass-like tickets for entry into the Harry Potter section. On our IOA Day 2 they had queues set up for entry into the shops with 10-15 minute waits, and tomorrow's crowd is suppoosed to be a lot bigger. We aren't planning on revisiting it, but part of me wants to see just how big the crowd will be.
Dragons
Delusions of Grandeur
Thinking of going the week before Christmas next year (available between the 14th and 23rd). I have some American Airline miles that I'd like to use to get down there (last time we drove, which was grueling from CT). The problem is, in order to not use a boat load of miles, I'll need to book some time next month. Are there package deals this early for next December? I'd hate to book the flights and then try to find a deal that matches up cleanly. Any advice? Should I contact Ham's wife?
Dragons
Delusions of Grandeur
The 17th starts the Christmas crowd?? Damn, I may need to re-think my plans. I thought the week before would be golden.
The Ref
Footballguy
The only bad dining experience I have had at DW was at Tony's. Took forever to get a check. Food was whatever.
Premier
Footballguy
Went to MK today. Never seen so many people in one place in my entire life. My girlfriend went ape#### over the Castle when it was lit up at night to look like it was covered in ice. The show put on the castle was incredible as well. Had a good time but it was a bit too thick in there.
Also, it may be time to put Tomorrowland out to pasture. It's really hokey now.
Food at MK really blows. Looking forward to going to Epcot on Monday to get some amazing chow. Touring the worlds there with the different beers and food is really a blast. Just not the same when you're eating some below-McDonald's level burger at Pecos Bill.
Also, it may be time to put Tomorrowland out to pasture. It's really hokey now.
Food at MK really blows. Looking forward to going to Epcot on Monday to get some amazing chow. Touring the worlds there with the different beers and food is really a blast. Just not the same when you're eating some below-McDonald's level burger at Pecos Bill.
Bobcat10
Footballguy
What was your 8-night cost?
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
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.
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.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
Best fireworks show is a matter of taste, but I can say with 100% certainty that Epcot has the loudest fireworks show in WDW.
Oh, Ohana. You are delicious, and at one table service credit on the DDP, you are an absolute steal. Mele Kalikimaka, everyone!
Oh, Ohana. You are delicious, and at one table service credit on the DDP, you are an absolute steal. Mele Kalikimaka, everyone!
The Ref
Footballguy
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
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.
The noodles were better than i remembered, but I actually forgot Ohana served anything besides meat on sticks with sauces that are, as Y23F says, "poured from the right hand of God." The wings were spectacular, too. I took courtesy bites of broccoli and salad; I hadn't eaten too much green food over the last three weeks.
Well, that was it. We hit the road tomorrow. I hope I was able to give back a fraction of what this thread gave me during the planning phases, and I'll try to give some more organized/streamlined thoughts after I get home.
For those coming the first couple months of 2012, kept in mind the mouse is almost punting on Magic Kingdom. After the Christmas/New Year's crowd leaves, Big Thunder Mountain is closing for about six months to refurbish the ride and redo the queue - should be good when done (BTMR queue is the most claustrophobic in MK, and it doesn't have any games or interactivity like SM or Pooh) but that's a good ride closed. Dumbo will get packed up and moved to its new home in the Fantasyland expansion. When reopened there will be two Dumbo rides with a "queueless queue" but that's another ride shut down. We could see some of the Fantasyland expansion construction from onboard Dumbo and the pieces we saw (Dwarfs Mine ride, Beast castle, second Dumbo) looked interesting but a lot of it is still over a year away.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
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.
JaxBill
Footballguy
Battles
Footballguy
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.
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.
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.
saintsfan
Footballguy
Soon I am going to start planning a trip for Mardi Gras 2013 and I've been looking at the meal plans.
I have never done the meal plans before. Last time I tracked what I spent on food and I'm not sure I would save that much money, but last time, we did more than we've ever done before. On a 6 day trip, we had Chef Mickey's, Cindarella's Royal Feast, Teppan Edo, and the seafood place in Epcot (can't remember the name), and the 50's Cafe plus all the counter service.
Looking at the regular meal plan, for my family of 4, including gratuities, I still think I will end up paying $1500 in food. That's probably about what I spent last time. Now, I realize that I will get a sit down meal every day, but I'm not sure that's a good thing. I don't really like having to stop our touring to sit down and eat a full meal. That sounds like a good thing for just the wife and I, but I have two daugters.
Here's what I am thinking and I wanted to know if anybody has tried this. I was thinking about doing the Quick Service Plan, which would come to about $900 for my family, then do a character meal and maybe one or two other sit down meals. I would think 3 sit down meals shouldn't cost any more that $450 (depending upon where we have them) and that would come out to about $1,350.
Or, do you think it would be cheaper if I just followed the same schedule without the meal plan. In other words, pretend like I have the meal plan and have the 2 counter service meals and one snack per day and do the 3 sit down meals??
I have never done the meal plans before. Last time I tracked what I spent on food and I'm not sure I would save that much money, but last time, we did more than we've ever done before. On a 6 day trip, we had Chef Mickey's, Cindarella's Royal Feast, Teppan Edo, and the seafood place in Epcot (can't remember the name), and the 50's Cafe plus all the counter service.
Looking at the regular meal plan, for my family of 4, including gratuities, I still think I will end up paying $1500 in food. That's probably about what I spent last time. Now, I realize that I will get a sit down meal every day, but I'm not sure that's a good thing. I don't really like having to stop our touring to sit down and eat a full meal. That sounds like a good thing for just the wife and I, but I have two daugters.
Here's what I am thinking and I wanted to know if anybody has tried this. I was thinking about doing the Quick Service Plan, which would come to about $900 for my family, then do a character meal and maybe one or two other sit down meals. I would think 3 sit down meals shouldn't cost any more that $450 (depending upon where we have them) and that would come out to about $1,350.
Or, do you think it would be cheaper if I just followed the same schedule without the meal plan. In other words, pretend like I have the meal plan and have the 2 counter service meals and one snack per day and do the 3 sit down meals??
Reaper
Footballguy
See if this helpsGood weeks to go - crowds / weatherhttp://yourfirstvisit.net/2009/12/23/the-most-comfortable-time-to-go-to-walt-disney-world/
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
"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.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
I 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.
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.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Premier
Footballguy
The people mover is what kills me.
Premier
Footballguy
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.
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.
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Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
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.
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.
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Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
The people mover is what kills me.
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.
Premier
Footballguy
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.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
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.
Premier
Footballguy
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.
Disco Stu
Confirmed FBGal
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.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.
2. You were at WDW how many days, and you skipped Test Track?
Honestly, I don't think I'd skip anything if I had (basically) unlimited time. I sure wouldn't skip a fun ride like Test Track. Good use of a FP.3. Energy is admittedly slow, but it's a nice little break during busy times. Definitely worth catching if your kid is interested in dinosaurs and/or science.
4. The beginner (green) level Mission Space really isn't Mission Space. The centrifugal force makes all the difference and is what the ride was designed around. The no-spinning no-thrill version was tacked on three years later to appease the weak.
5. Spin-off to Magic Kingdom... if you like Turtle Talk, you would also like Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. Same concept but aimed at both kids and adults. Very entertaining.
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?
Or is it worth paying the higher cost of the entire Disney package?
Disco Stu
Confirmed FBGal
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.
Godsbrother
Footballguy
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.
Yo Mama
Footballguy
I know most of the conversation here relates to the Orlando parks, but here are some thoughts on my family's trip to the CA parks a couple weeks ago.
We went into the parks Wed, Thu, Fri before Christmas, so we knew it was going to be busy but it was great being there this time of year with everything decorated for the holidays. We did the main park Wed-Thu and then CA Adventure Fri, which ended up being a good decision since the kids were pretty fried after the first 2 days in the big park and CA Adv. is smaller and not open as long. We have 2 kids - 7 year old girl and 9 year old boy.
We stayed in the Paradise Pier Hotel, which was nice due to location - easy walk into Downtown Disney and the monorail station for the main park and easy walk across the street to Grand Californian and the CA Adventure side entrance. Close enough to make trips back from the park mid-day to get jackets for the night and take breaks from the busiest time in the afternoons. It also has a nice pool and waterslide. If you want to do one of those character meals, I would suggect the breakfast buffet they have in the Paradise Pier over the dinner at Goofy's kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel. I loved the breakfast (chilaquiles and caramel banana french toast, mmmmm) but thought the Goofy's dinner was more like Hometown Buffet for kids. Bring in snacks and water so you don't have to spend a fortune for food all day. They check bags, but don't care about small stuff like water, granola bars, and fruit snacks. We also brought our kids' DS, which was huge for waiting in longer lines. If you want breakfast in the park but don't want a full meal, there is a bakery half way down on the left side of main street that has great rolls/muffins/coffee/hot chocolate that was great our one cold morning (I love CA weather).
Get in Early
#1 tip (which has been mentioned a bunch in this thread) is to get into the parks as soon as they open. The first couple hours are great to get to do as many rides as you can before all the big crowds come. We found the busiest time to be from about 11:30 AM to the early evening. Most of the season pass people (and there are a ton in SoCal) come in for the second half of the day and stay through one of the parades - afternoon for smaller kids and night for older kids. We were able to hit all the must-have rides during this time and get fast passes for when things got busier. The main park also opens up an hour earlier on Sun/Tue/Thu for people who stay at a Disney hotel. Definitely take advantage of this if you can. Even if you do this and take a break mid-day for everyone to rest/nap, it is definitely worth it. For CA Adv, they open up an hour early (in the side entrance attached to Grand Californian) to get Water Show fast passes and some of the park opens at this time too (like the adventure park or whatever it is called)
Fast Pass
We didn't go too crazy with Fast Passes (some people have it down to a science) and even had some left over one day. By going in early, we were able to get in most of the rides we wanted (some multiple times) and not feel stressed about missing out on anything when it got crazy busy later. Our routine was to get in early, hit a few rides (like Star Tours, Space Mountain, Matterhorn, etc), then grab a fast pass for something like Indiana Jones or Haunted Mansion later in the day (like right after lunch). I'd also grab fast passes for something early evening. The main one to get strategic about is Star Tours. Those fast passes actually run out during the course of the day and require a little more preplanning. Get those earlier if you want to go the fast pass route (we just went there first thing in the morning both days and once at the end of the day without fast pass). The main rides you want to use fast pass for if you don't hit them early are Star Tours, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Thunder Mountain, and Haunted Mansion (in that order of how much they are needed). In CA Adventure, it would be Soarin (highly recommend), CA Screamin and Tower of Terror.
No Fast Pass
Most smaller kids rides have no fast pass (Buzz Blasters, Dumbo, Peter Pan, etc) so hit them either early or late. Avoid mid-day for these if you can. Pirates of the Carribaean moves pretty quick and is normally no longer than 30-40 minutes, but was a huge line for us this week and close to an hour all week - plan accordingly. The Nemo Submarines are another one to try to get to early if you want to since that line is SLOW and LONG. We never went because my wife and I hate them (stuffy and cramped and I'm a big guy who gets a little claustraphobic in there), but if you want to go it needs to be early. They're right outside the monorail exit, so go there first if you use that way to get in. In CA Adventure, the Toy Story Mania ride is very cool and has no fast pass. The line moves quick, but gets fairly long so try to hit this early.
Shows/Parades
Fortunately (since I'm not much of a parade guy), our kids never pushed to watch any of the parades so we didn't have to deal with camping out much for these. We were able to catch some of the afternoon parade one day while eating lunch at the restaurant at the far right end of Main Street (we actually hit the corn dog cart and ate in the patio there, mmmm), which had a decent view of the parade. We were also able to watch the fireworks from our hotel. In CA Adv, I highly recommend going to the Aladin show - it's awesome. We had some travel bundle that included priority seating for this - which was huge because we were able to get middle 3rd row seats getting in line 15 minutes before they let us in. Otherwise you need to get there fairly early for good seats. The kids also really liked the Muppet 4D show, since they are really into the Muppets now. For the Water Show (Color of something, forgot what it is called), it is awesome but needs some planning. Getting the fast passes first thing only gets you into the better zones. Blue zone is best except if you have some kind of an in with guest services to get into the reserved sections. It says to line up at 7, but you really want to have someone camp out earlier if you have smaller kids. If it gets really busy, they make everyone stand up for the show to squeeze more people in and this makes it hard for kids to see. Granted, we were there the day before Christmas Eve (Friday night, no less), so it was about as crowded as that show will get. Make sure you grab a spot where nobody will be in front of you if you have smaller kids. If you get right up in front, keep in mind you'll probably get wet from the mist.
Overall great trip. Using the early morning and occaisonal fast passes allowed us to do and see everyting we wanted with only a couple of really long lines without stressing about things even in one of the busiest times. We even were able to head outside the parks for breaks/meals for lunch one day and dinner another.
We went into the parks Wed, Thu, Fri before Christmas, so we knew it was going to be busy but it was great being there this time of year with everything decorated for the holidays. We did the main park Wed-Thu and then CA Adventure Fri, which ended up being a good decision since the kids were pretty fried after the first 2 days in the big park and CA Adv. is smaller and not open as long. We have 2 kids - 7 year old girl and 9 year old boy.
We stayed in the Paradise Pier Hotel, which was nice due to location - easy walk into Downtown Disney and the monorail station for the main park and easy walk across the street to Grand Californian and the CA Adventure side entrance. Close enough to make trips back from the park mid-day to get jackets for the night and take breaks from the busiest time in the afternoons. It also has a nice pool and waterslide. If you want to do one of those character meals, I would suggect the breakfast buffet they have in the Paradise Pier over the dinner at Goofy's kitchen in the Disneyland Hotel. I loved the breakfast (chilaquiles and caramel banana french toast, mmmmm) but thought the Goofy's dinner was more like Hometown Buffet for kids. Bring in snacks and water so you don't have to spend a fortune for food all day. They check bags, but don't care about small stuff like water, granola bars, and fruit snacks. We also brought our kids' DS, which was huge for waiting in longer lines. If you want breakfast in the park but don't want a full meal, there is a bakery half way down on the left side of main street that has great rolls/muffins/coffee/hot chocolate that was great our one cold morning (I love CA weather).
Get in Early
#1 tip (which has been mentioned a bunch in this thread) is to get into the parks as soon as they open. The first couple hours are great to get to do as many rides as you can before all the big crowds come. We found the busiest time to be from about 11:30 AM to the early evening. Most of the season pass people (and there are a ton in SoCal) come in for the second half of the day and stay through one of the parades - afternoon for smaller kids and night for older kids. We were able to hit all the must-have rides during this time and get fast passes for when things got busier. The main park also opens up an hour earlier on Sun/Tue/Thu for people who stay at a Disney hotel. Definitely take advantage of this if you can. Even if you do this and take a break mid-day for everyone to rest/nap, it is definitely worth it. For CA Adv, they open up an hour early (in the side entrance attached to Grand Californian) to get Water Show fast passes and some of the park opens at this time too (like the adventure park or whatever it is called)
Fast Pass
We didn't go too crazy with Fast Passes (some people have it down to a science) and even had some left over one day. By going in early, we were able to get in most of the rides we wanted (some multiple times) and not feel stressed about missing out on anything when it got crazy busy later. Our routine was to get in early, hit a few rides (like Star Tours, Space Mountain, Matterhorn, etc), then grab a fast pass for something like Indiana Jones or Haunted Mansion later in the day (like right after lunch). I'd also grab fast passes for something early evening. The main one to get strategic about is Star Tours. Those fast passes actually run out during the course of the day and require a little more preplanning. Get those earlier if you want to go the fast pass route (we just went there first thing in the morning both days and once at the end of the day without fast pass). The main rides you want to use fast pass for if you don't hit them early are Star Tours, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Thunder Mountain, and Haunted Mansion (in that order of how much they are needed). In CA Adventure, it would be Soarin (highly recommend), CA Screamin and Tower of Terror.
No Fast Pass
Most smaller kids rides have no fast pass (Buzz Blasters, Dumbo, Peter Pan, etc) so hit them either early or late. Avoid mid-day for these if you can. Pirates of the Carribaean moves pretty quick and is normally no longer than 30-40 minutes, but was a huge line for us this week and close to an hour all week - plan accordingly. The Nemo Submarines are another one to try to get to early if you want to since that line is SLOW and LONG. We never went because my wife and I hate them (stuffy and cramped and I'm a big guy who gets a little claustraphobic in there), but if you want to go it needs to be early. They're right outside the monorail exit, so go there first if you use that way to get in. In CA Adventure, the Toy Story Mania ride is very cool and has no fast pass. The line moves quick, but gets fairly long so try to hit this early.
Shows/Parades
Fortunately (since I'm not much of a parade guy), our kids never pushed to watch any of the parades so we didn't have to deal with camping out much for these. We were able to catch some of the afternoon parade one day while eating lunch at the restaurant at the far right end of Main Street (we actually hit the corn dog cart and ate in the patio there, mmmm), which had a decent view of the parade. We were also able to watch the fireworks from our hotel. In CA Adv, I highly recommend going to the Aladin show - it's awesome. We had some travel bundle that included priority seating for this - which was huge because we were able to get middle 3rd row seats getting in line 15 minutes before they let us in. Otherwise you need to get there fairly early for good seats. The kids also really liked the Muppet 4D show, since they are really into the Muppets now. For the Water Show (Color of something, forgot what it is called), it is awesome but needs some planning. Getting the fast passes first thing only gets you into the better zones. Blue zone is best except if you have some kind of an in with guest services to get into the reserved sections. It says to line up at 7, but you really want to have someone camp out earlier if you have smaller kids. If it gets really busy, they make everyone stand up for the show to squeeze more people in and this makes it hard for kids to see. Granted, we were there the day before Christmas Eve (Friday night, no less), so it was about as crowded as that show will get. Make sure you grab a spot where nobody will be in front of you if you have smaller kids. If you get right up in front, keep in mind you'll probably get wet from the mist.
Overall great trip. Using the early morning and occaisonal fast passes allowed us to do and see everyting we wanted with only a couple of really long lines without stressing about things even in one of the busiest times. We even were able to head outside the parks for breaks/meals for lunch one day and dinner another.
ATC1
Footballguy
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 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.
glvsav37
Footballguy
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:
The other good resorts are Boardwalk or Yacht/Beach. With those you can walk into the side entrance of Epcot, or take a boat to Dis Studios (don't need to fold up stroller on boats either). Plus lots of night time entertainment on the BW for both resorts.
And no matter where you stay on property, my favorite perk—besides the meal plan—is all souvenirs you buy in the park get shipped to your room free. Which means no lugging bags of crap all around the park and trying to hide them in the stroller when on rides. And with 3 yr olds, I'm sure there will be a few purchases made in gift shops
SteelCurtain
Footballguy
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:
ATC1
Footballguy
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:
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
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.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
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.
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