gmbacm
Footballguy
Leaving it too long for the older one IMO. Go now and plan to go again in 2-3 years for the younger one.
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Disney Vacation (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter DOVCommish
- Start date
Disco Stu
Confirmed FBGal
There's no perfect age. Different ages will enjoy different aspects.I'd go next year though. 3 is old enough to know what's going on.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
(footnotes added for shuke)Should be comparatively slow. The marathon (1) is this weekend, and after that WDW slows down quite a bit.Magic Kingdom might not be fully operational. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (2) is about to get shut down for a few months for maintenance and queue rebuilding, the Fantasyland expansion (3) isn't open yet, and they're getting ready to pack up the Dumbo ride and move it to its new home in the Fantasyland expansion. But unless Dumbo is the favorite character of someone in your travelling party, that won't matter much. The relatively thin crowd will more than offset the maintenance inconveniences. Check the Orlando weather forecast if you have the time. Orlando weather in January fluctuates a bit, and it's not unheardof to have the temperature swing 25-30 degrees from sunrise to mid-afternoon, or from mid-afternoon to late evening. ----(1) a 26.2 mile running race. WDW usually stages one during a weekend in early January. Those people who run for fun and not to get eaten by loose wild animals say it's a blast. The running course traverses through the Disney grounds, including right down the heart of Magic Kingdom down Main Street and through Cinderella's castle.(2) a mid-level rollercoaster with a railroad/mining theme. It's a smooth ride with fun turns, a nice alternative for parkgoers that like theme park rides but don't care for loops, corkscrews, or 200-foot drops.(3) a section of Magic Kingdom themed around the Disney Princesses and classic animated characters like Peter Pan and Winnie The Pooh. Over the next couple years, Magic Kingdom will add new rides and attractions in the Fantasyland theme in the space that used to be ToonTown (a), including a new rollercoaster with a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs mining theme, a new castle modeled after the one from Beauty and the Beast, and a second Dumbo ride identical to the current one.(a) a park section geared towards little kids themed around the Disney "Big Five": Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto.
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shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Mr. Ected
Footballguy
When your child < 3 they are free. Not having to buy a ticket is not a bad thing.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Shuke,
We have been there a bunch. We have gone when my daughter was 18 months, 19 months, 2 years, 3 years (twice) and my son when he was 13 months and 16 months
They each loved it every step of the way. My son at 13 months was having a blast so I wouldnt worry for a second about your 2 year old especially if she likes Princesses. When we went with my daughter at 18 months the princesses at Cinderellas castle loved her and Belle came over and did the special wand thing with her.
We have been there a bunch. We have gone when my daughter was 18 months, 19 months, 2 years, 3 years (twice) and my son when he was 13 months and 16 months
They each loved it every step of the way. My son at 13 months was having a blast so I wouldnt worry for a second about your 2 year old especially if she likes Princesses. When we went with my daughter at 18 months the princesses at Cinderellas castle loved her and Belle came over and did the special wand thing with her.
Disco Stu
Confirmed FBGal
Knowing each ride's height restriction ahead of time is a good way to prevent disappointment. It can also be used as incentive to eat vegetables.
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
I tried to get Belle to do a special wand thing, and they kicked me out.
Worm
slimy ninja
We are looking at going next fall during off peak times (mostly for $ reasons). I really don't give a crap about pulling my 1st grader out of school for 4 days to go to Disney (school system can suck it up IMO) so going in the fall seems good.
Daughters will be 6 and almost 4. Leaving the babies home with Grandmas.
Questions:
1. How early to book? I've heard about the free dining plan thing... when does that get announced? We almost have to have that to be able to spend money on other stuff to really maximize the trip. Can I reschedule without penalty if I book and they announce the free dining plan ends a week before our trip? Dates are flexible. Do I need to book now with or without the dining plan with hopes to get it free later, or does it not matter?
2. How early to start booking dinners (like the aforementioned cinderella castle thing)?
3. Are all the crappy value resorts basically the same? I think we're pretty much locked into a value resort this go-around ($). I don't really care about the room to much... don't plan on hanging out there.
I think I can figure out all the "what to do" stuff on my own.
TIAs.
Daughters will be 6 and almost 4. Leaving the babies home with Grandmas.
Questions:
1. How early to book? I've heard about the free dining plan thing... when does that get announced? We almost have to have that to be able to spend money on other stuff to really maximize the trip. Can I reschedule without penalty if I book and they announce the free dining plan ends a week before our trip? Dates are flexible. Do I need to book now with or without the dining plan with hopes to get it free later, or does it not matter?
2. How early to start booking dinners (like the aforementioned cinderella castle thing)?
3. Are all the crappy value resorts basically the same? I think we're pretty much locked into a value resort this go-around ($). I don't really care about the room to much... don't plan on hanging out there.
I think I can figure out all the "what to do" stuff on my own.
TIAs.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Once I hit add reply I knew that didnt sound good
AcerFC
Footballguy
ODoyleRules
Footballguy
:highfive:considering the same plan... I also have daughters who will be 4 and 6 and I also don't give a crap about the oldest missing a few days of 1st grade. I'm thinking about the week before Thanksgiving when it starts to get a little cold here in Chicago and Florida should still be warm.
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
Week before Thanksgiving should be good. IIRC the two big windows late in the year for less-crowded parks are after Halloween but before Thanksgiving, and after Thanksgiving before the Christmas crowd shows up. The Florida weather should be more reliable before Thanksgiving.
kt3nlee
Footballguy
Just got back from DisneyWorld with my daughter who is 2 years and 11 months (did this because she was still free for a month), and she absolutely loved it. I thought it was the perfect age to take her.
Bruce's insight was perfect for me. I was a little scared when i opened this forum up, but I really found that the stuff he said helped us out a ton. That and using the Disney Parks app that I got for my Droid phone
Bruce's insight was perfect for me. I was a little scared when i opened this forum up, but I really found that the stuff he said helped us out a ton. That and using the Disney Parks app that I got for my Droid phone
Bruce Dickinson
Footballguy
1. IIRC the free dining plan incentive was announced in the spring last year. It's not a guarantee that it will be offered, but WDW has done it the last few years for sluggish booking times. We were able to add it after booking our hotel reservation.2. The general rule is the dining reservation book opens 180 days in advance. However, if you have a Disney property reservation on the dining date, you get "180+10" days. That's in quotes because it's a little better than that - you can book dining reservations for your entire stay 190 days before your arrival date, not having to call back every day for a week to book dining.WDW added some restrictions to their dining reservation system in late October 2010. You used to be able to book multiple dining reservations in multiple parks on the same night. Now the system checks for that. For example, on MegaTrip we actually booked two reservations for Le Cellier (1) on the same night a couple hours apart. I don't think the reservation system lets you do that anymore. Also, you used to be able to no-show dining reservations without penalty. After the switch, you are required to give a credit card number to book a dining reservation at the high-demand restaurants, and they will charge you $10 per person on the reservation if you no-show without cancelling. They're pretty lenient about advance cancellation (worst case scenario is midnight the night before the reservation, might even be as a little as 3 hours), but some of the methods used by hardcore WDW fanatics to game the dining reservation system have been removed.3. I haven't stayed at a value resort, but that's my general impression. If you don't plan on hanging out at the hotel much, you could do a lot worse than the value resorts. I've heard that since the value resorts are large facilities with lots of families with young children, sometimes the bus transportation to the parks (2) gets a little crowded. According to one of the concierges at Port Orleans, if a Disney Transport bus driver has a full bus before completing their pickups, the driver calls it in to the transportation traffic control, and another bus is immediately deployed to the route. (1) a highly-regarded steakhouse in the Canada section of Epcot, one of the higher-demand table-service restaurants in WDW(2) if you're driving to WDW or renting a car and staying on Disney property, you might want to consider driving to Epcot, DHS, or AK since the parking is free and the trams can cover the smaller parking lots fairly quickly. However, I strongly suggest taking the bus to Magic Kingdom. The parking lot for Magic Kingdom is the "Transportation and Ticket Center", and you are still 45-60 minutes away from Main Street via monorail or ferry. The buses drop you off right by the MK front door. The buses out of the park at peak departure times like after the fireworks or an evening parade can get a little crowded, but even a delay at the bus depot is still faster than dealing with the monorail/ferry queue and dealing with exiting TTC.
Disco Stu
Confirmed FBGal
New value resort "Art of Animation" opens in May. In Hollywood Studios area.Looks like only the family suites are available now. Standard rooms not opening until the end of the year.
gmbacm
Footballguy
Start booking meals the day you can (I think its 180 days out). Even if you dont have the trip officially booked and just have some dates in mind, you can still make reservations - you are not asked for anything other then your name when booking. Much easier to cancel later then to find openings.We went recently and did a bunch of character meals. One that was near the top for us that is often not mentioned was Garden Grill at Epcot. Food was excellent (id go back without kids just for the food), but highlight by far was the character interaction. Way more character interaction then other places we hit and the kids loved it. Each character came to our table 4-5 different times. Worst for us was probably chef mickey. Characters were good, but food was terrible. Didnt help that it was the middle of a monsoon and the rain was hitting us at our table. (Terrible design of the building allowing the wind to blow rain in the "open area".
AcerFC
Footballguy
There is a Cinderella dinner 1900 Park Fare
It was actually pretty good if you get froze out of the castle. The step mother and step sisters are there and so is Prince Charming. He asked my daughter to dance. Its stupid things like this that keep us coming back. And they must have some camera recognition because my daughter seems to always be involved in something
In terms of character dining I would rate it (food pretty much the same buffet style)
Cinderellas Castle > Tusker House > Chef Mickeys > Park Fare > Crystal Palace > Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (even though ALL the princesses are there)
It was actually pretty good if you get froze out of the castle. The step mother and step sisters are there and so is Prince Charming. He asked my daughter to dance. Its stupid things like this that keep us coming back. And they must have some camera recognition because my daughter seems to always be involved in something
In terms of character dining I would rate it (food pretty much the same buffet style)
Cinderellas Castle > Tusker House > Chef Mickeys > Park Fare > Crystal Palace > Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (even though ALL the princesses are there)
AcerFC
Footballguy
The food is OK. Cant really remember price as it was two sit down meals on the dining plan (I think). I was not floored by it. You are really paying for the experience. Unless she is a total Cinderella nut, I would try for something in Epcot or Ohana (according to most here)ETA: My list a few posts up has more to do with overall experience, not just food. Most people will probably put the Norway Princess place higher
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RBM
Footballguy
Boring food. Tiny app, few thin slices of tenderloin, and a dessert. Like the prev poster said....its all about the decor and princesses. My 3 yr old was in her glory. She was all done up from that salon in the castle and had her Belle dress on....just loved interacting with the princesses.
Disco Stu
Confirmed FBGal
Bad idea unless your GF is five years old.
Mr. Pickles
Footballguy
Another satisfied customer of Kingdom Planners.
AcerFC
Footballguy
I just called to ask because I think I will be booking for November. She said any change you make outside of 45 days is free of charge including getting a better price because of a new offer. Anything inside 45 days comes with a charge but if you are saving enough money, it might be worth it
AcerFC
Footballguy
Anyone been there for Halloween? Is this typically a week that they do not offer free dining. Thinking of leaving Oct 30 and coming back on Nov 4. But if the dining is not offered that week, might go the next as Im thinking it might be slow. But then dont want to have a bunch of rides closed for renovations either
Premier
Footballguy
She's 26, but when it comes to Disney she acts like a kid.
For those with daughters the Disney Princess Land is currently being built, so it may make some sense to wait a little longer so you can get the full princess experience if you have some flexibility.
We were at the park in October and it was in full construction and we are already penciling a return trip in a few years to give the girls the new experience.
We were at the park in October and it was in full construction and we are already penciling a return trip in a few years to give the girls the new experience.
We were at the park in early October. They close the park early for the Not So Scary Halloween and charge an additional fee to do it. We skipped it since twp of our kids were 3 and under.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Yes, thanks. I am actually planning on going so we could be there for that Halloween thing. Best bang for the buck since you can get the whole park done in a night. Figure Epcot or Animal Kingdom in the morning, go back for a nap and then hit up Not so scary at night. At least that is the plan.
RBM
Footballguy
We went the week before Thanksgiving this past yr. 80s everyday and didnt rain once. First day we got there was last day of Epcot food and wine festival which was awesome
ODoyleRules
Footballguy
Excellent - thanks. For some reason, airfares to Fla from Chicago are much better in the fall than in the spring. So this also helps.
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
The food here was awful imo. You're going for booze and princesses, basically.
Worm
slimy ninja
6 nights... 2 kids... what can I expect to pay for all the 'extras'? Gratuity, extra shows, mickey t-shirts, whatever (I really have no idea). Assume we'd do an average amount of stuff.
I know this is a hard question to answer.
Would budgeting ~$1,000 be enough to do plenty of stuff and not skimp?
I know this is a hard question to answer.
Would budgeting ~$1,000 be enough to do plenty of stuff and not skimp?
gmbacm
Footballguy
We did meal plan. Only extra money was tips, souvenirs, drinks. Not really any extra shows to pay for. $1k is more then enough - depending on what you spend on booze.
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GreekFreak
Footballguy
Heres a list of places with prices.http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/disneydining.cfm'Premier said:
The Hank
Footballguy
A lot of momentum here today.
Planning to do a trip probably in 2013 or 2014 when my Son is 2-3 yrs old with my son, my wife and my parents.Absolutely cannot wait to go!
AcerFC
Footballguy
There are no extra shows. Everything is in the cost of tickets. My advice for a 6 night trip is to spend the extra cash on park hopper tickets. It will be more, but you have so much more flexibility. If you get the meal plan for free, you only need money for tips. Average t shirt is probably 25-30 bucks. Sweatshirts 50-75. Figures 5-15. Not too much mark up from regular Disney store in the mall prices. Just don't buy the $15 balloons early in the day unless you want to buy a 2nd round.
ATC1
Footballguy
Sitting in my Old Key West Room with the run tommorrow. Holy #### there are a lot of people running. This is going to be fun because we will be running through the parks with characters cheering us on etc. Problem is it needs to be done before park opens, so I need to be up a 3 am. Moved up to the same corral as my wife. Lunch at Le Celler in Epcot, nap and then the Saints game.
ragincajun
Footballguy
Ummm Saints? LSU?Ha nah I want to do one of those runs someday but about 40 pounds from now. How do you like Old Key West?
Dragons
Delusions of Grandeur
Which resorts are good for monorail access to the parks? Is there a monorail that goes between all (major) parks?
I'll have a 3 year old and an almost 2 year old. I'm going to need to weigh the savings from booking a value resort with the ease of access (for strollers and naps) of a monorail resort.
I'll have a 3 year old and an almost 2 year old. I'm going to need to weigh the savings from booking a value resort with the ease of access (for strollers and naps) of a monorail resort.
Dragons
Delusions of Grandeur
Thanks, I checked rates for Polynesia and Contemporary and you're right, although it's more like 3-4 times the room price.
The Wilderness Lodge is on the low end of that. Not sure if the convenience will be worth it. How bad is the bus with 2 kids and a stroller? 
RBM
Footballguy
Did it all week when I was there. Stayed at Beach Club so we took the bus to MK a few times and Downtown Disney once. Not really a big deal. Bus runs so frequently its never really packed. And the ride is never too longThanks, I checked rates for Polynesia and Contemporary and you're right, although it's more like 3-4 times the room price.
ATC1
Footballguy
The most space of any of the resorts. The buss route takes 15 minutes to make a round trip, but we always request to stay at the hospitallity rooms. Pool not as nice as Sarotoga, but the room is bigger and requires less points. It's a boat ride to DTD. Wasn't able to hit my pace comfortably until mile 6 because of the sheer number of people, but it was a Disney like run. 13.1 miles - 2:14:16 Some people actually get up and run a full marathon after running the half the day before. Just crazy.'ragincajun said:
AcerFC
Footballguy
yeah, we have never stayed in a deluxe resort because the price was so drastically difference it didnt make economic sense to me. However, the last time we were there, my wife made a comment about staying in one on the monorail so since I want to surprise her and the kids for her birthday, Im thinking of springing for it.Every time we have gone and stayed in value, the bus ride was great. You have to fold your stroller up so be aware of that but enough space and buses run so often (especially in values).We stayed at Caribbean Beach once and I hated it.Thanks, I checked rates for Polynesia and Contemporary and you're right, although it's more like 3-4 times the room price.
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