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Disney Vacation (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter DOVCommish
- Start date
flufhed
Footballguy
I am sure there is tons of info in this thread an an answer to my quesiton, but it is too much to wade through at this point.
We are going down to Orlando for anice long stay.
Layed out some serious jack for Discovery Cove, which is the swim with the dolphins thing. It includes Sea World tickets, which we will use.
Doing those two things, and having a 7 year old that I don't want to force to walk around every day, we only want to do two parks - Magic Kingdom, and the Animal thing.
So really I anticipate just two days at those, and then Sea World and the dolphin deal.
This would give us something to do every other day, approximately, and use our off days to rest, chill at the pool, check stuff out, maybe drive over to a beach one day, or do a water park.
Thoughts on this plan?
If we go with as I have described, looks like we are just as well off to get tickets at the park - true?
And no way is my 7 y/o getting in a stroller. She is 7 going on 17.
Any other tips for my family? We have our hotel booked, which is not on the resortt. Wanted a suite with an extra bedroom or the wife and I (
) as well as a kitchen and a balcony for knocing back drinks at night with the wife.
We are going down to Orlando for anice long stay.
Layed out some serious jack for Discovery Cove, which is the swim with the dolphins thing. It includes Sea World tickets, which we will use.
Doing those two things, and having a 7 year old that I don't want to force to walk around every day, we only want to do two parks - Magic Kingdom, and the Animal thing.
So really I anticipate just two days at those, and then Sea World and the dolphin deal.
This would give us something to do every other day, approximately, and use our off days to rest, chill at the pool, check stuff out, maybe drive over to a beach one day, or do a water park.
Thoughts on this plan?
If we go with as I have described, looks like we are just as well off to get tickets at the park - true?
And no way is my 7 y/o getting in a stroller. She is 7 going on 17.
Any other tips for my family? We have our hotel booked, which is not on the resortt. Wanted a suite with an extra bedroom or the wife and I (
) as well as a kitchen and a balcony for knocing back drinks at night with the wife.
snogger
Footballguy
We've gone twice in Early December, Out of there before December 15th both times. Lines were short for most rides, free dining plan both times.
We plan on returning in 2012 during the same time frame. 
GreekFreak
Footballguy
MNSSHP tickets went on sale today.
peepleschamp
Footballguy
The Contemporary is great if you plan to spend a lot of time at MK. It is only a short walk so you can avoid the wait times for transportation. The monorail runs directly into the hotel so that is helpful when travelling to Epcot. That said, I found the Contemporary a little stale. I have stayed at several Disney resorts and Contemporary just feels pretty much like any regular hotel - not "Disneyfied." We paid the extra $$ to stay there last year versus Wilderness Lodge but we would not do so again. The themed hotels are just more fun, especially for the kids IMO. The only real advantage to the Contemporary is the ease of transportation but the Polynesian is comparable with the monorail stopping there. Hope that helps....
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
I like the theming much better at the polynesian, but I think both are very overpriced.
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
Sitting in California Grill watching fireworks. All I can say right now islast night was Ohanagasm, while today was Holy Boobs, Belle. Big fan.
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
Many thanks to the people in this thread who provided suggestions. We spent last week at WDW, and I'm certain we did it much more intelligently because of the things I read here.
We ended up staying at Contemporary, and I had no complaints. We probably spent a little more than we needed to spend, but my wife loved the hotel, I liked being within walking distance of MK and the easy access to the Monorail, and we spent so much time in the parks that any lack of "theme" that may have come into play wasn't missed.
Going with my daughter, who is nearly 5, I'll echo Sinn's comments about spending an inordinate amount of time doing princess-related ####. My wife and daughter did tea at the Floridian with Sleeping Beauty, which was like an extra secret double reverse quadruple awesome bonus for me. We also did the lunch thing in Norway with all the princesses. The food was underwhelming, but she got to have her picture taken with Belle right away and then got to talk to 4 of the other princesses, so that was a nice "get" that kept us from having to spend more time chasing down the aristocracy. I feel so bad for those poor women. For one, almost none of them are hot. One of the Belles we saw had a REALLY nice rack, Jasmine was good looking, one of the Ariels brought a little something to the table, but for the most part, Disney's doing their best to promote the idea that you can be a princess without having body image issues. But really, you sit there with kids coughing and drooling all over you all day, you have to be upbeat all the time, and you have to stay in character constantly. For minimum wage? Screw that noise. As we walked into Akershus, I said, "I need a beer.." As we turned the corner to see Belle going from one kid to the next, my wife looked at me and said, "I'd imagine Belle's having something MUCH harder than that after work." I refrained from the obvious follow-up. Pretty proud of myself. It doesn't happen often. Anyway...
When we got to the park on Sunday, I went to get a FastPass while the ladies were in a line. I passed the line for Repunzel, and it didn't look too bad. So I stepped over and pulled out the phone. It was around 9:45 I think. One of the Cast Members comes over and says, "The 9:15 meet an greet is going on now. The people ahead of you are in line for the 10-whatever. There is no next show, so you're in line for the 1-whatever.
The hell I am. "#####, are you for real!?!?!?"
Like Sinn, Repunzel is my daughter's current favorite (used to be Sleeping Beauty. Didn't keep my daughter from telling Sleeping Beauty when she met her that she now liked Repunzel better. Good times!). So by Thursday I hated Repunzel's ### with the intensity of 1,000,000 Andrew Bynum tantrums. But MK had Magic Hours at 8am Thursday, so the plan was for me to get up early, head over there, let them sleep in, and then we'd be at the front of the line for the 9:15 show, with minimal interruption to the day, apart from dad losing some sleep. That worked out well. We were 5th in line, got in, got out, got on with the rest of the park. I can't recommend this approach more strongly.
Lines got as long as 75 minutes, I think, while we were there. We were never in line for longer than about 25-30 minutes. One thing I can not stress enough... USE THE LATE NIGHT PARK HOURS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE WHENEVER YOU CAN. MK clears out after the fireworks. Monday night we watched the fireworks from California Grill, grabbed the monorail over in time to see the Electric Parade, and then stayed until close at 1am. We pretty much walked onto anything with no wait for the better part of 2 hours. It was FANtastic.
The Park Hopper worked out great for us. We split days at different park a number of the days, and given I thought Hollywood Studios sucked out loud, that was a great benefit the morning we headed over there and then decided to finish up the day at Epcot.
My daughter loved Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. She also loved Pirates, Buzz Lightyear, and Winnie the Pooh. Fast Track, I think, was her favorite, though. As we started up the incline, she sat there going, "Daddy, I don't want to do this." She repeated that phrase on the hairpin turns and the brake locking. When we were headed towards the wall, she was nearly screaming it. But when the wall went up and we headed out onto the track, she started screaming, and giggling. When we got finished, she yelled, "That was fun!! Let's do it again!" The people in front of us were dying laughing, as they heard the whole progression along the way. We rode it 3-4 more times during the week.
Food: We did Ohana Sunday night. My wife loved the salad and shrimp. The chicken and the pork I'd pass on if I went again. The noodles were good. But sweet bobby jesus, I could eat that steak, those chicken wings, and that dessert every day for the rest of my life. California Grill on Monday was excellent, too. I actually liked it better than Le Cellier. I need to run, so I can add more detail later, but casual dining was meh for the most part.
My biggest beef with the whole Disney thing was their wine service. If I'm paying that much mark-up on wine, would it kill you to keep it at the right temp? I mean, seriously, at a restaurant where you're going to drop a couple hundred dollars, it's unthinkable to serve room temperature wine AND sell it for 50% more than most restaurants would price that wine. I expected the gouging and other minor things we ran into. That surprised me. So annoying.
We ended up staying at Contemporary, and I had no complaints. We probably spent a little more than we needed to spend, but my wife loved the hotel, I liked being within walking distance of MK and the easy access to the Monorail, and we spent so much time in the parks that any lack of "theme" that may have come into play wasn't missed.
Going with my daughter, who is nearly 5, I'll echo Sinn's comments about spending an inordinate amount of time doing princess-related ####. My wife and daughter did tea at the Floridian with Sleeping Beauty, which was like an extra secret double reverse quadruple awesome bonus for me. We also did the lunch thing in Norway with all the princesses. The food was underwhelming, but she got to have her picture taken with Belle right away and then got to talk to 4 of the other princesses, so that was a nice "get" that kept us from having to spend more time chasing down the aristocracy. I feel so bad for those poor women. For one, almost none of them are hot. One of the Belles we saw had a REALLY nice rack, Jasmine was good looking, one of the Ariels brought a little something to the table, but for the most part, Disney's doing their best to promote the idea that you can be a princess without having body image issues. But really, you sit there with kids coughing and drooling all over you all day, you have to be upbeat all the time, and you have to stay in character constantly. For minimum wage? Screw that noise. As we walked into Akershus, I said, "I need a beer.." As we turned the corner to see Belle going from one kid to the next, my wife looked at me and said, "I'd imagine Belle's having something MUCH harder than that after work." I refrained from the obvious follow-up. Pretty proud of myself. It doesn't happen often. Anyway...
When we got to the park on Sunday, I went to get a FastPass while the ladies were in a line. I passed the line for Repunzel, and it didn't look too bad. So I stepped over and pulled out the phone. It was around 9:45 I think. One of the Cast Members comes over and says, "The 9:15 meet an greet is going on now. The people ahead of you are in line for the 10-whatever. There is no next show, so you're in line for the 1-whatever.
The hell I am. "#####, are you for real!?!?!?"
Like Sinn, Repunzel is my daughter's current favorite (used to be Sleeping Beauty. Didn't keep my daughter from telling Sleeping Beauty when she met her that she now liked Repunzel better. Good times!). So by Thursday I hated Repunzel's ### with the intensity of 1,000,000 Andrew Bynum tantrums. But MK had Magic Hours at 8am Thursday, so the plan was for me to get up early, head over there, let them sleep in, and then we'd be at the front of the line for the 9:15 show, with minimal interruption to the day, apart from dad losing some sleep. That worked out well. We were 5th in line, got in, got out, got on with the rest of the park. I can't recommend this approach more strongly.
Lines got as long as 75 minutes, I think, while we were there. We were never in line for longer than about 25-30 minutes. One thing I can not stress enough... USE THE LATE NIGHT PARK HOURS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE WHENEVER YOU CAN. MK clears out after the fireworks. Monday night we watched the fireworks from California Grill, grabbed the monorail over in time to see the Electric Parade, and then stayed until close at 1am. We pretty much walked onto anything with no wait for the better part of 2 hours. It was FANtastic.
The Park Hopper worked out great for us. We split days at different park a number of the days, and given I thought Hollywood Studios sucked out loud, that was a great benefit the morning we headed over there and then decided to finish up the day at Epcot.
My daughter loved Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. She also loved Pirates, Buzz Lightyear, and Winnie the Pooh. Fast Track, I think, was her favorite, though. As we started up the incline, she sat there going, "Daddy, I don't want to do this." She repeated that phrase on the hairpin turns and the brake locking. When we were headed towards the wall, she was nearly screaming it. But when the wall went up and we headed out onto the track, she started screaming, and giggling. When we got finished, she yelled, "That was fun!! Let's do it again!" The people in front of us were dying laughing, as they heard the whole progression along the way. We rode it 3-4 more times during the week.
Food: We did Ohana Sunday night. My wife loved the salad and shrimp. The chicken and the pork I'd pass on if I went again. The noodles were good. But sweet bobby jesus, I could eat that steak, those chicken wings, and that dessert every day for the rest of my life. California Grill on Monday was excellent, too. I actually liked it better than Le Cellier. I need to run, so I can add more detail later, but casual dining was meh for the most part.
My biggest beef with the whole Disney thing was their wine service. If I'm paying that much mark-up on wine, would it kill you to keep it at the right temp? I mean, seriously, at a restaurant where you're going to drop a couple hundred dollars, it's unthinkable to serve room temperature wine AND sell it for 50% more than most restaurants would price that wine. I expected the gouging and other minor things we ran into. That surprised me. So annoying.
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Evilgrin 72
Distributor of Pain
You got some great weather, Sac. Those low 80s/low humidity days we had end of last week are not common once you get into May, that's more like March weather - this week it's 92-93 degrees and humid every day.
cowboymouth
Footballguy
Has any experienced Star Wars Weekend at Disney? We are going over Memorial Day weekend and just realized this is the second weekend of Star Wars and are un sure what to think if the crowds, what to do and etc.
For the poster asking about Poly vs. Contemp...I had a similar debate and chose the Poly. My reasoning was it seems more "themed" and also seems to have more to do in/on the resort property.
For the poster asking about Poly vs. Contemp...I had a similar debate and chose the Poly. My reasoning was it seems more "themed" and also seems to have more to do in/on the resort property.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
You have experienced everything that is good in the world. Rejoice and be glad.
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
Well aware, GB. Monday and Tuesday, iirc, felt hot. Otherwise, we were pretty fortunate.
ODoyleRules
Footballguy
Not being hot is like a life sentence, isn't it?
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
Rule of life #714. There's no such thing as an ugly princess. You're in the business of making fantasy a reality. Put a little work into the casting side of the business, people.If Ron Jeremy wouldn't go there, you have no business wearing a tiara and signing autographs for little girls.
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ODoyleRules
Footballguy
Especially if you wait 20+ minutes in line, you don't want to meet a heinous toad. I'm with you. FWIW, the Belle at Disneyland that our daughters met got an A in my book. Ariel was a letdown though.
Reaper
Footballguy
Uh Oh... MY TIME HAS COME....
I've kept an eye on this thread but, I need to read a lot more.
My Inlaws and co. have booked 4 nights and 5 days with a 5 day hopper at The All-Star Sports hotel.... With "Memories Plus Dining"...
It's for September 20 week...
Total for 2 Adults and 3 Children = $1786.00
Doesn't sound too bad...
Should I spend countless hours trying to beat that down and get my own deal or should I just chalk the 1st trip up to a learning experience and get that same deal while saving myself from countless Disney reading hours.
My kid is only 3 years old - So, I'm going into this thinking my goal is to relax by the pool A LOT and only do quick hits at the parks for a few hours at a time and some cool dining reservations - and Princess ####... It's not like we have to run around with the inlaws and their older kids and get on every ride and kill ourselves with marathon park sessions....
I've kept an eye on this thread but, I need to read a lot more.
My Inlaws and co. have booked 4 nights and 5 days with a 5 day hopper at The All-Star Sports hotel.... With "Memories Plus Dining"...
It's for September 20 week...
Total for 2 Adults and 3 Children = $1786.00
Doesn't sound too bad...
Should I spend countless hours trying to beat that down and get my own deal or should I just chalk the 1st trip up to a learning experience and get that same deal while saving myself from countless Disney reading hours.
My kid is only 3 years old - So, I'm going into this thinking my goal is to relax by the pool A LOT and only do quick hits at the parks for a few hours at a time and some cool dining reservations - and Princess ####... It's not like we have to run around with the inlaws and their older kids and get on every ride and kill ourselves with marathon park sessions....
AcerFC
Footballguy
Disco Stu
Confirmed FBGal
IMO your best bet is to get to the park when it opens. In two or three hours you can knock out just about everything you'll want to do with a 3 year old.Then leave as most people are arriving. Nap/swim/relax until dinner.
Todem
Footballguy
I will always contend that if you really want to save some $$$ stay off property.
My wife and have done the resort hotels, the moderate and value before kids.
Now with our son we did the value resort. He is now 6 years old. He could care less about the hotel and the themes or whatever. All he cares about is the rides and seeing the sea life, animals etc.
Hilton vacation clubs have 3 resorts all within an ear shot of Disney, Universal and Sea World.
You can get a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment superbly clean and high end in nature, with a fully stocked kitchen, washer and dryer, hot tub, resort pools, water slides...the works. Privacy for the adults as well if you want seperate bedrooms.
Anywhere from 129-199 a night.
Seriously it is a huge savings. Disney is raping you for their hotels! Save your money for park tickets and great dinners. Makes a big difference.
We stayed at Parc Sole as well as the International Drive Vacation Club and the Sea World Vacation Club on International. All of them have been fantastic and we laugh at how much money we save. Over 500-700 dollars easy for a 4-5 day stay. Yes some of the resorts at Disney are pretty amazing (Boardwalk, Beach Club Resort, Floridian, Animal Kingdom Lodge) but how much time do you spend in the hotel? We also go to Publix and buy breakfast for the week and eat breakfast in the dining room in our apartment. We will go out for breakfast once as a treat. But it saves a huge amount of time and $$$ having a simple breakfast in our room.
Just some tips on that end. You should try it out...because once you see how close you are (anywhere from a 5-15 minute car ride from the parks) and how much coin you will save....you will swear off Disney property for the most part. If you want to experience it a few times because you won't be going to Orlando almost every year like we do (we live less than 3.5 hours away) by all means knock yourself out. It is pretty nice. But if your going to be traveling at least once every year or 2 to Orlando....save the money.
My wife and have done the resort hotels, the moderate and value before kids.
Now with our son we did the value resort. He is now 6 years old. He could care less about the hotel and the themes or whatever. All he cares about is the rides and seeing the sea life, animals etc.
Hilton vacation clubs have 3 resorts all within an ear shot of Disney, Universal and Sea World.
You can get a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment superbly clean and high end in nature, with a fully stocked kitchen, washer and dryer, hot tub, resort pools, water slides...the works. Privacy for the adults as well if you want seperate bedrooms.
Anywhere from 129-199 a night.
Seriously it is a huge savings. Disney is raping you for their hotels! Save your money for park tickets and great dinners. Makes a big difference.
We stayed at Parc Sole as well as the International Drive Vacation Club and the Sea World Vacation Club on International. All of them have been fantastic and we laugh at how much money we save. Over 500-700 dollars easy for a 4-5 day stay. Yes some of the resorts at Disney are pretty amazing (Boardwalk, Beach Club Resort, Floridian, Animal Kingdom Lodge) but how much time do you spend in the hotel? We also go to Publix and buy breakfast for the week and eat breakfast in the dining room in our apartment. We will go out for breakfast once as a treat. But it saves a huge amount of time and $$$ having a simple breakfast in our room.
Just some tips on that end. You should try it out...because once you see how close you are (anywhere from a 5-15 minute car ride from the parks) and how much coin you will save....you will swear off Disney property for the most part. If you want to experience it a few times because you won't be going to Orlando almost every year like we do (we live less than 3.5 hours away) by all means knock yourself out. It is pretty nice. But if your going to be traveling at least once every year or 2 to Orlando....save the money.
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Reaper
Footballguy
That's the one thing I definitely learned from this thread....I remember reading back where someone posted that you leave around noon and come back for a dinner later on and watch all the miserable, sunburned, agitated families on line to leave.I'm ALL OVER that!!!!!
AcerFC
Footballguy
We had intentions on doing this but we couldnt get the kids out of the park. Maybe when they are older or maybe when its hotter. We went in December and February
ATC1
Footballguy
My Sister-in-law did the college program at Disney. She would tell us stories of the princesses behind the scenes smoking and telling her about passing out drunk the night before. She was offered a position as a fairy and/or a princess and turned it down despite a pay raise.
Prude?I worked at a theme park in college - lots of fun parties, passing out drunk was not that unusual imo
El Floppo
Footballguy
Hey Reap- we just got back from a 3 night trip to WDW last night- also, as you know, with the 3yo.So- you obviously know your 3yo... ours- not so much a ride/crowd guy. and yet, the wife booked a trip to Orlando and WDW
That's the one thing I definitely learned from this thread....
I remember reading back where someone posted that you leave around noon and come back for a dinner later on and watch all the miserable, sunburned, agitated families on line to leave.
I'm ALL OVER that!!!!!
We went to MK for a day... showed up, the kid walked through the Swiss Family Robinson tree house and was done; he preferred to see performers and shop for ####. His favorite time at MK was seeing the Pirates of the Carib performance (not ride) and walking through the shop. I started to lose my #### after shelling out 250 for the family and have him not even want to try anything- even going inside for a performance (the Monsters' INC laugh thing). But really, that's my kid- tough to blame him as a 3yo for not fulfilling what my expectations for that trip were. For that matter- none of us likes this type of thing (themeparks, huge crowds, mass-America), so again- I have no idea why we even went (other than my pregnant wife realized months ago that she was going to want an easy/cheap trip to the sun when she just hitting her 3rd trimester, and that I wasn't going to send us back to the Caribbean again so soon after a recent trip in Feb).
My son's favorite things down there were watching the "comedians/magicians" at The Boardwalk and shopping in Downtown Disney... both of which are free.
The trip to the Lego store probably would've made the whole trip worthwhile for him on it's own.Some general observations from a guy who probably should've read this thread more closely:
- The weather this last weekend was freaking amazing (80s and no humidity)- dunno if this is typical of early May, but confetti.
- The Swan was ok- we got an Alcove Suite or something that had a little bit more room than the typical rooms. Food was all ok- just fine in a non-threatening kind of way (we're from NYC so food wasn't something on our list of things to look forward to down there). Not a ton of stuff for the kid to do- the playground sucked and the pools could've been a little more kid-interesting... but he enjoyed himself. Felt like service, albeit uniformly friendly, varied intensely depending on the staff.
- I was suprised by how IN-expensive most everything was for a major resort. Other than some slight upticks in food and tourist-item prices (very slight), the only thing that seemed resort-priced was the admission to the park. Even in the park, I was shocked to find lunch things for less than $10... even more so that there wasn't really much for MORE than $10. Our room-service meal was less than we'd pay for a typical night out, or even ordering in, home in NYC.
- As with parenting in general- mediating my expectations with my family's was key. I didn't on our day at MK and we all suffered for it (it wasn't "hot" but it was hot enough to fluster a family of people not on the same page and tired).
ATC1
Footballguy
The trick with hoppers IMO is to get to the early hours until the park starts to fill, go back to the hotel and chill until after dinner and stay for the extended hours.
ATC1
Footballguy
We told her she was crazy for not taking it, but she would have had to sign up for another semester, and I think she wanted out ASAP.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Oh, another realization... the Disney performers- that is one serious Glee cast-off looking bunch of queeny guys, and the largest assembly of ugly women dancers/actors I've ever seen put together in one place.Hey Reap- we just got back from a 3 night trip to WDW last night- also, as you know, with the 3yo.So- you obviously know your 3yo... ours- not so much a ride/crowd guy. and yet, the wife booked a trip to Orlando and WDW
That's the one thing I definitely learned from this thread....
I remember reading back where someone posted that you leave around noon and come back for a dinner later on and watch all the miserable, sunburned, agitated families on line to leave.
I'm ALL OVER that!!!!!
We went to MK for a day... showed up, the kid walked through the Swiss Family Robinson tree house and was done; he preferred to see performers and shop for ####. His favorite time at MK was seeing the Pirates of the Carib performance (not ride) and walking through the shop. I started to lose my #### after shelling out 250 for the family and have him not even want to try anything- even going inside for a performance (the Monsters' INC laugh thing). But really, that's my kid- tough to blame him as a 3yo for not fulfilling what my expectations for that trip were. For that matter- none of us likes this type of thing (themeparks, huge crowds, mass-America), so again- I have no idea why we even went (other than my pregnant wife realized months ago that she was going to want an easy/cheap trip to the sun when she just hitting her 3rd trimester, and that I wasn't going to send us back to the Caribbean again so soon after a recent trip in Feb).
My son's favorite things down there were watching the "comedians/magicians" at The Boardwalk and shopping in Downtown Disney... both of which are free.
Some general observations from a guy who probably should've read this thread more closely:
- The weather this last weekend was freaking amazing (80s and no humidity)- dunno if this is typical of early May, but confetti.
- The Swan was ok- we got an Alcove Suite or something that had a little bit more room than the typical rooms. Food was all ok- just fine in a non-threatening kind of way (we're from NYC so food wasn't something on our list of things to look forward to down there). Not a ton of stuff for the kid to do- the playground sucked and the pools could've been a little more kid-interesting... but he enjoyed himself. Felt like service, albeit uniformly friendly, varied intensely depending on the staff.
- I was suprised by how IN-expensive most everything was for a major resort. Other than some slight upticks in food and tourist-item prices (very slight), the only thing that seemed resort-priced was the admission to the park. Even in the park, I was shocked to find lunch things for less than $10... even more so that there wasn't really much for MORE than $10. Our room-service meal was less than we'd pay for a typical night out, or even ordering in, home in NYC.
- As with parenting in general- mediating my expectations with my family's was key. I didn't on our day at MK and we all suffered for it (it wasn't "hot" but it was hot enough to fluster a family of people not on the same page and tired).
Tough As Nails
Glave Master
My two daughters (ages 6 and 4) LOVED those guys. They would go back and gladly just sit there and watch the street performers on the Boardwalk every day. It's very repetitive and corny for adults, but man, kids love them.My son's favorite things down there were watching the "comedians/magicians" at The Boardwalk and shopping in Downtown Disney... both of which are free.
ATC1
Footballguy
It's our favorite place to stay. Grandparents stay with the kids either still in the park or passed out in the room while the wife and I walk the boardwalk. ESPN club for sporting events, dance club, piano bar, sweet shop, bakery, performances and a close by professional putt-putt course. Don't let the word putt-putt fool you, this is one tough course.My two daughters (ages 6 and 4) LOVED those guys. They would go back and gladly just sit there and watch the street performers on the Boardwalk every day. It's very repetitive and corny for adults, but man, kids love them.My son's favorite things down there were watching the "comedians/magicians" at The Boardwalk and shopping in Downtown Disney... both of which are free.
RBM
Footballguy
A week away from making dinner reservations. My wife is all psyched to do it first thing, on the first day available.
O'Hana
Via Napoli
Chef De France
Coral Reef
Princess Castle Dinner
I think that is our dinner list. Chef Mickeys for a breakfast will start the trip I believe.
O'Hana
Via Napoli
Chef De France
Coral Reef
Princess Castle Dinner
I think that is our dinner list. Chef Mickeys for a breakfast will start the trip I believe.
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Reaper
Footballguy
I hear ya.... And I wouldn't even consider it if my Inlaws didn't threaten to take her without me....Hey Reap- we just got back from a 3 night trip to WDW last night- also, as you know, with the 3yo.So- you obviously know your 3yo... ours- not so much a ride/crowd guy. and yet, the wife booked a trip to Orlando and WDW
That's the one thing I definitely learned from this thread....
I remember reading back where someone posted that you leave around noon and come back for a dinner later on and watch all the miserable, sunburned, agitated families on line to leave.
I'm ALL OVER that!!!!!
We went to MK for a day... showed up, the kid walked through the Swiss Family Robinson tree house and was done; he preferred to see performers and shop for ####. His favorite time at MK was seeing the Pirates of the Carib performance (not ride) and walking through the shop. I started to lose my #### after shelling out 250 for the family and have him not even want to try anything- even going inside for a performance (the Monsters' INC laugh thing). But really, that's my kid- tough to blame him as a 3yo for not fulfilling what my expectations for that trip were.
I'll look for an opening to completely back out for now...
As a Sidenote and Hi-Jack for Floppo and others with small kids.. And cuz i think I read where Floppo is 100% against this place BUT, as an alternative for the younger kids... We did Beaches in Turks and Caicos last March and it was AWESOME... We got home looking to book it again.
We have done the Caribean a few times so far with the toddler but, this was different and we realized how beach pool beach pool beach pool is great But, Add all the other kids to play with and kid friendly events and camps, dances, and slides and on and on... The Sesame Street Characters were every where and it wasn't even a wait or big deal / mad rush like it is at Disney.. We stayed at a nice resort in T&C the 1st few days and then BAM, what a difference for kids in that enviroment.. Just so much activity, ice cream, cotton candy, games, on and on.
It was actually relaxing - A lot of Beach and Pool... Sesame Street Shows. Well, laid out place - Food is ok, but, I don't mind picking at buffets from lots of different things, all the fresh fruit you can eat as well as shrimp...
Met Orlando Pace and Brad Smith there as well... Water Park is super cool !!!! Swim up Bars!!!!
El Floppo
Footballguy
The inlaws would be awesome... I kept mentioning to the wife that her mom would've made a big difference, at least in our enjoyment (pool/sun) while somebody takes care of the kid. There was a kids' club aIf your kid enjoys these kind of things, It'll be fantastic- lots of kids even younger than ours were there having a blast and enjoying the rides/shows. Our guy is a ####### ##### when it comes to any kind of adrenaline activity-- but maybe yours isn't?I hear ya.... And I wouldn't even consider it if my Inlaws didn't threaten to take her without me....Hey Reap- we just got back from a 3 night trip to WDW last night- also, as you know, with the 3yo.So- you obviously know your 3yo... ours- not so much a ride/crowd guy. and yet, the wife booked a trip to Orlando and WDW
That's the one thing I definitely learned from this thread....
I remember reading back where someone posted that you leave around noon and come back for a dinner later on and watch all the miserable, sunburned, agitated families on line to leave.
I'm ALL OVER that!!!!!
We went to MK for a day... showed up, the kid walked through the Swiss Family Robinson tree house and was done; he preferred to see performers and shop for ####. His favorite time at MK was seeing the Pirates of the Carib performance (not ride) and walking through the shop. I started to lose my #### after shelling out 250 for the family and have him not even want to try anything- even going inside for a performance (the Monsters' INC laugh thing). But really, that's my kid- tough to blame him as a 3yo for not fulfilling what my expectations for that trip were.
I'll look for an opening to completely back out for now...
As a Sidenote and Hi-Jack for Floppo and others with small kids.. And cuz i think I read where Floppo is 100% against this place BUT, as an alternative for the younger kids... We did Beaches in Turks and Caicos last March and it was AWESOME... We got home looking to book it again.
We have done the Caribean a few times so far with the toddler but, this was different and we realized how beach pool beach pool beach pool is great But, Add all the other kids to play with and kid friendly events and camps, dances, and slides and on and on... The Sesame Street Characters were every where and it wasn't even a wait or big deal / mad rush like it is at Disney.. We stayed at a nice resort in T&C the 1st few days and then BAM, what a difference for kids in that enviroment.. Just so much activity, ice cream, cotton candy, games, on and on.
It was actually relaxing - A lot of Beach and Pool... Sesame Street Shows. Well, laid out place - Food is ok, but, I don't mind picking at buffets from lots of different things, all the fresh fruit you can eat as well as shrimp...
Met Orlando Pace and Brad Smith there as well... Water Park is super cool !!!! Swim up Bars!!!!
I'll shoot a pm about T&C rather than hijack here.
The foo
Footballguy
Not sure if this is well known but you can reserve online 1 hour before the phone lines open up. So 6am Est. We did this a few weeks ago and were able to get everything. Get acclimated with the site/process and you should have no issues.
RBM
Footballguy
Cool, I will mention this to my wife. Would be surprised if she doesn't know though...she is obsessed.
Foosball God
Foos
How much money do you guys normally spend when you're down at the park for a week? 
I didn't realize that I had to send away for a special reward card for my Disney dollars so the payment for our trip is due today and I can't use the $680 for the payment because it will take a week to get the card out to me.
I didn't realize that I had to send away for a special reward card for my Disney dollars so the payment for our trip is due today and I can't use the $680 for the payment because it will take a week to get the card out to me.
ATC1
Footballguy
Yup, a pain. Make sure you keep your card. Every time you want the rewards, you can just call and have them transferred to that card. Can't help with the price for a week though, I am a DVC member and get a annual pass.How much money do you guys normally spend when you're down at the park for a week?
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
Don't judge me.'El Floppo said:
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
You can spend that on water at MK.How much money do you guys normally spend when you're down at the park for a week?
FBGirl79
Footballguy
Not sure if you have but you might consider switching this to a breakfast. If you do it on a normal MK day, you can schedule it for 1 hour before the park opens (we do this at Crystal Palace & Tusker House every year). It is a great chance to get some pictures of an empty Main Street and castle, you are already in the middle of the park at rope drop and from everything I have read, the food isn't so great at the castle so you are spending less but getting the same character/ambiance.'RBM said:
cowboymouth
Footballguy
We (2 adults, 1 child age 7) just returned from a 5 day / 6 night stay over Memorial Day Weekend which happened to coinside with Star Wars weekend. If you don't read any further please note this advice...don't go over Memorial Day Weekend, especially if it is Star Wars weekend as the crowds were almost unbearable during the day, by this I mean the 14 Billion stollers in each park at any time on any given day. I don't just mean Hollywood Studios either...the Magic Kingdom was impossible to do during the day or at night until it was late around 9:00 or 10:00 PM. All of the 'major' rides in all of the parks were atleast an hour wait with Fast Passes gone for the day by noon.
We stayed at the Poylnesian (which was awesome), used the dining plan and park hopper passes. Both the dining plan and hoppers are well worth the extra money. We were late to plan our vacation so most of the "signature" restaurants were already booked. We did not do one character meal and it was quite nice. We ate at Via Napoli and The Chefs of France, both real good. We could not get into O'Hana, so we ate in Kona a lot and it was good... the pot stickers, sticky wings and tuna are great. I downloaded the free Undercover Tourist app for my I-phone and I was pleased with the accuracy of the wait times and the GPS map feature. In all a good free app.
Overall we had a great vacation except for the large crowds, which when we go back we'll plan for a better time of the year.
My only rant(s) about WDW:
rant #1: Any child over the age of 5 should not be allowed in a stroller.
rant #2: If you are not disabled but you are mortally obese, this does not allow you to get a wheelchair or an electric scooter.
rant #3: If you are in an enclosed 3D ride, you don't have to yell at the people sitting next to you to talk to them, they are only 6 inches away. If fact shut the #$%& up.
We stayed at the Poylnesian (which was awesome), used the dining plan and park hopper passes. Both the dining plan and hoppers are well worth the extra money. We were late to plan our vacation so most of the "signature" restaurants were already booked. We did not do one character meal and it was quite nice. We ate at Via Napoli and The Chefs of France, both real good. We could not get into O'Hana, so we ate in Kona a lot and it was good... the pot stickers, sticky wings and tuna are great. I downloaded the free Undercover Tourist app for my I-phone and I was pleased with the accuracy of the wait times and the GPS map feature. In all a good free app.
Overall we had a great vacation except for the large crowds, which when we go back we'll plan for a better time of the year.
My only rant(s) about WDW:
rant #1: Any child over the age of 5 should not be allowed in a stroller.
rant #2: If you are not disabled but you are mortally obese, this does not allow you to get a wheelchair or an electric scooter.
rant #3: If you are in an enclosed 3D ride, you don't have to yell at the people sitting next to you to talk to them, they are only 6 inches away. If fact shut the #$%& up.
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Disco Stu
Confirmed FBGal
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
lol
Foosball God
Foos
I leave for Disney in 10 days. Is there anything I should be doing to prep? Any tips of things to bring?
GreekFreak
Footballguy
Only tip I have is read this thread.
Foosball God
Foos
Anyone use the Undercover Tourist Disney app? I leave in 5 days. 
sho nuff
Footballguy
Why does it matter to you how old a stroller rider is?Even 5 and 6 year olds get tired of walking in the heat.
sho nuff
Footballguy
Same here...driving down Saturday. Only 4 days of parks this trip (but mom is paying so what do I care?).Anyone use the Undercover Tourist Disney app? I leave in 5 days.
Foosball God
Foos
See you there GB.Same here...driving down Saturday. Only 4 days of parks this trip (but mom is paying so what do I care?).Anyone use the Undercover Tourist Disney app? I leave in 5 days.
