DISNEY - AGAIN!!!!
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive August 2008:
DISNEY - AGAIN!!!!
OK, I know there have been tons of posts on Disney, several recently. What I'd like all you Disney experts to do here is:
*Recommend your *favorite* Disney messageboard
*Give your tried-and-true hints on rides, accommodations (on and off grounds)
*Give us any tricks to getting great deals....
DH and I are *thinking* of a Disney vacation in early December, since I'll be in another cast then so cruising won't work.
I know there are others who want Disney information, and what I'd like to do is compile a *list* of all of you Disney experts' suggestions and recommendations and keep it for future posters, and we can add to it as something new is posted that will be helpful.
Anyone game??? I KNOW we have some experts here!
Karen, early December is my favorite time for Disney. We went a few years ago at this time, and it was our best trip. We went the 2nd week in December, and the crowds were very low, everything was decorated for Christmas, it was just great!!
I love the discussion boards at www.wdwinfo.com and I also like mousesavers.com
My favorite onsite hotel is the Polynesian. We spend a lot of time at MK, so it is great for us. However, if dh and I went alone, I would probably want an Epcot resort, like Boardwalk. Off site the Hyatt Grand Vacation Club on International Dr. It was inexpensive, for a one-bedroom villa. It is new, and an easy drive to Disney. It is just 10 minutes away, and you don't have to get on the highway. They also didn't bug us about a sales pitch. They called and asked if we wanted to do it, we said no, and they never bothered us again.
As far as deals, I have found the best ones at mousesavers.com. When we went in December, I was about to get 40% off at the Polynesian. They list all discount codes for resorts, etc. Also, wdwinfo.com has a budget discussion board, with tips on getting deals.
One tip for those with kids. Mine really got into the pin trading thing. I wish I had prepurchased some pins from ebay, cheaply so they had stuff to trade. Instead we bought starter sets there and traded up. This replaced autograph books for them.
Don't have much time now, but ditto Debbie on December! DH and I have always gone the week after Thanksgiving or sometime during the first 2 weeks of December. LOW, LOW crowds, also value season so everything is less expensive. Ditto Debbie again - loved the Christmas decos - a beautiful different-themed tree at every resort and park.
Coronado Springs is our favorite on site resort. It is so kid-free it's ridiculous. Lots of business people at that one, so no kids. HUGE, a great lake you can paddle boat on, beautiful Aztec-type theme. So quiet and sereme at night, again no kids.  There are beautiful quaint little bridges throughout, star gazing at night. The Pepper Market is where we ate most of the nights whenever possible because the food is so YUMMY!!! The only downside is that since it is so spread out, it could be a long walk to the restaurant, office area, bus stop if your room isn't close to all of that. It's just really spread out, which makes it wonderfully peaceful and romantic, but if you're not wanting to walk far to leave, get to the restaurant, then it wouldn't be for you.
It is so romantic there Karen! I highly recommend it! Perfect place for strolling in near silence under the stars with your sweetie. Again, very few kids. Did I mention that already?
We have stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge once and Coronado 3x. AKL is beautiful as well, but expensive, more kids, and really watching the animals out of your balcony is a bit overrated. Very nice, but we would pick Coronado time and again.
Is there a good place to buy discounted tickets or is Disney directly the best choice?
"Is there a good place to buy discounted tickets or is Disney directly the best choice?"
That is DH's biggest question right now. LOL
Thanks for the responses so far............keep the info coming. I will save it and it can be updated in the future as more advice or recommendations or experiences are posted.
I have not found a place to really get a good discount on tickets. It is cheaper to buy them in advance though.
Passporter.com is by far my favorite message board and information source. I found great tips, right down to which rooms to request within the resort.
Ditto early December as a great time of year to go. No crowds. Loved it.
The last time we went, we stayed at the Old Key West Resort. We had a two bedroom villa, and it worked so well for us. The resort is very quiet, so when you leave the parks, you can actually relax, unlike some of the Disney resorts where the overstimulation continues. LOL. Also, because it was a villa, we had a full kitchen. We always ate breakfast in our room, which saved a lot of money. And, since it was the off-season, the villa wasn't outrageously priced.
oh...my new disney advice. They have this new photo system call photopass. Basically they take the photos and then your order at home. However, you pay about 14 a picture. BUT you can order a cd with all your pictures and copy rights (so you can print your own) for 130. So if you want pictures, do lots of photo pass ops. We turned them down, because I knew I only wanted a few. So now I am spending just shy of 100, when for not much more I could of had a LOT of high quality pictures.
I love AAA for ticket prices!
Kaye-for future info, can you explain the photo pass thing more? I don't understand whose taking the pictures? We're going in early December and I'd like to keep that in mind.
You know when you used to go in, they would take your pics at the entrance, you would get a little piece of paper and go look. Well now those same photographers take pictures and they put them on a credit card. So like us in front of the epcot ball, she took 4 shots, and then 2 shots she photo shopped tinkerbell into. But at some of the character things they do photopass, all over epcot really. Test track did photopass. It wasn't a substitute for personal pics. But I was carrying a smaller camera and those pictures are soo much better than what I took. Plus they had all of us in them. Had I know I could have had just the kids done, or individuals, but I learned a long time ago, don't take pics you don't want to buy, cause you;'ll spend money! Well with this, for 130. you can get all your pics.
The website is www.disneyphotopass.com
www.wdwinfo.com there is nothing the people on those boards don't know! My top tips, stay on site, My favorite resort is the Polynesian but if you want to go cheaper Port Orelans French Quarter is nice too. Use Extra magic morning hours. My favorite time to go is May or October. Not too crowded but warm enough, the food and wine festival is in October at Epcot if you are going with out little ones that could be really fun. I'll be at WDW 3 weeks from today!! Can't wait!!
I try, but I just can't understand the appeal. It's funny too because my brother and SIL just moved to Orlando in January, so we'd have free lodging and they have a pool. We will certainly go visit, but no Disney plans for us.
Pam, have you ever done TONS of research on it AND gone with the boys?? Because I used to hate Disney, too...until I learned what I was doing, and took my girls. Made a HUGE difference. You've said before you went as a kid and waited in mega lines. We don't wait in lines. We know what we are doing...that is KEY!! We go in the heat of August and ENJOY it!! I really think you'd change your opinion if you really did it right and you'd be amazed at the difference in your experience as a kid to the experience you'd have if you became a thoroughly Disney knowledgeable mom taking her kids....
Kate, my DH has to go to amusement parks as part of his job so he hates them. The boys and I aren't fans either. Both boys have been to Disney---my mom took them and my niece. It's not the lines or anything..it's the fakeness, the overstimulation as Melanie mentioned, the consumerism, just the "disneyishness" of it all. I don't know how to word it, but the rides, shows, characters, etc. just do nothing for me. Plus the fact that even with "deals" it is ridiculously expensive. If I am gonna spend that kind of money on a vacation I would rather spend it at a major natural/historic site like Yosemite or the Grand Canyon or in Europe. So for this year we are going to Nicaragua.
Sorry for the thread hijack. Ignore me, carry on and enjoy your time at Disney.
Disney is pure *magic* - letting your imagination run wild with the characters and their stories. I don't even consider Disney to be an amusement park, isn't that funny? The 'rides' at Disney are so unlike amusement parks. We rarely think of rides when we go, but the experience of the characters, the fantastic food, the terrific shows, and the pure magic of putting yourself in a pretend world. DH and I loved going before we had our DD (4x all by ourselves, in-between our trips to Europe), and are experiencing the magic of Disney in a whole new light now with her. I cannot wait to go in December. It *cannot* get here fast enough!!!!
Pam - I've found that people either love or hate Disney World, and that there's very little in-between. I can't even begin to understand the people who don't care for it, just as they can't understand the appeal for Disney lovers. It's a place to be a kid again, or just a dreamer, and not be too serious about life. That's the big appeal for us. I personally love all the places you mentioned (haven't been to Nicaragua, though), but it doesn't change the very different appeal of Disney. We have friends who were true Disney 'haters' until they moved to Orlando a few years ago. Someone gave them day tickets and they skeptically used them. Then they tried it again maybe 6mths. later, and within a year they had season passes and go all the time just for fun or for special events. People can be flipped!!
Tokyo Disneyland turned 25 years old today! (Apr.15th)
We live 1-1/2hours drive to get there but do not visit very often. There are so many foreign people there, are there any of you who has been to Tokyo Disneyland?
Kate, you said "Because I used to hate Disney, too...until I learned what I was doing, and took my girls. Made a HUGE difference." This is EXACTLY what I am looking for - educate me! LOL
Pam I actually agree with you on this. My hubby and I went right after we got married, he had a business trip there and we thought what the heck. We had fun, we were newlyweds, but, didn't really understand the disney fanactics. FF we have three small kids, we took them to disney, really for my mom who had just died. It was an amazing vacation, they really were transported into another time. It was truly a magical vacation. But the oldest was 5, the yougnest 1. So we just went back (14,12, and 10). We had a good time. But we won't go back. We didn't stand in lines, we ate great food. But end all be all, it is an amusement park. My kids loved the rides, they loved the shows, and it was a good time. But been there done that really. We like kings island and six flags in dallas, disney was really no different, just a whole lot more.
My next vacation, I need to go to a beautiful beach somewhere.
My children are going to san fransico, the redwood forest and such this summer with my dad, I am jealous
I couldn't have said it better my self, Deanna. It's so cliche to say it but to me it's truely MAGICAL with the kids. I loved Disney before I brought my kids, but now I love it even more. To see the looks and smiles on their faces when they saw the Castle for the first time brought tears in my eyes. I have a video of it. My ds (then 3) goes "WOOOOOW!" my dd (then 5) says "that's booootiful!"
Then the looks and smiles when they met the characters and went on the rides. It a very special family time.
53 days till we go!!
Karen, utilize the FAST PASS. This is a way to get into lines and only have to wait maybe 15-20 minutes instead of an hour. You go to a little FASTPASS machine by the ride (not all rides have them, but most of the headliners do) you swipe your ticket in the machine and the machine spits out another ticket that tells you to come back to the ride between, say 1:00 and 1:15. You come back at that time and go to a special line and only wait a short time. I don't think you can get another Fastpass until after your first Fastpass time has passed.
Get the Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld book, either buy it or get it at your library. This was my Disney Bible when we went with the kids. It was SO helpful. THere are parts of the book for just adult guests that maybe helpful for you. I didn't read that part since I didn't need to.
I'll try to think of other tips for you.
Patti, we did use fastpass the last time we were there. DEFINITELY worth doing. I'm going to Amazon right now for the book. Thanks!
Well Karen...I avoided this thread for a while, just because there is SO much to learn that it's hard to know where to start!! The fact that you've been there before will make it easier. I'm glad you're getting the book because I agree with Patti that it's the ultimate Disney guide....it's by Bob Sehlinger if you have trouble finding it. Try to read it from cover to cover!! Even though it's long!! You'll glean SO much knowledge from that book alone. I'll come back when I have more time...glad your trip isn't until December, LOL!
*Recommend your *favorite* Disney messageboard There are three that are great sources of information Intercot, Passporter and Disboards
*Give your tried-and-true hints on rides, accommodations (on and off grounds) Use Fastpass for the more popular rides. We don't like to schedule ourselves or rush to ride this ride or that, but if it is something we really want to do, we use Fastpass.
We've always stayed onsite - once at Port Orleans Riverside and twice at Caribbean Beach. We are a big family, so getting two rooms is usually cheaper than one room at a more expensive resort. Besides, we always explore the other resorts when we stop in to eat at their restaurants.
One other tip that I read on one of the Disney message boards was to make a reservation at Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom for early morning (before the park opens) on a non-early entry day. The pictures we have of the castle, and park, without a lot of people around was worth getting up so early in the morning! Walking down a nearly deserted Main Street was an unusual experience in itself!
*Give us any tricks to getting great deals....
Sometimes there are codes that you can use to get a better deal but the only ones I know about are the ones Disney sends directly to me. Since we have gone 3 times in the past 10 years, Disney keeps trying to get us to come back more often. One deal I know going on now is free dining, but the caveat is you need to book during certain dates for certain dates (which I believe is late August through September) and there are limited rooms available. Also, being a member of AAA(or CAA) will get you a discount, but I'm not sure if you can book the rooms only. We've always booked a package.
As far as the appeal of Disney, well, I think it's all in how you want to view it. If you view it as an amusement park, nothing anyone says will change your mind. I think it is more than just an amusement park; it is the whole experience. Disney knows how to entertain and it knows how to treat its guests. I don't know of any other all-inclusive vacation that pays attention to details the way Disney does and, literally, has something for every age group. I also think if you priced it out you'll find that it isn't that much more expensive than any other vacation you take if, say like me, you are traveling more than 1000 miles to get there. It all depends really on how much you have (or want) to spend.
Sunny, DH and I see it as the whole experience, even though I LOVE amusement parks, period. Like so many have said, it is magical to me, as well. As for expense, we normally take a long cruise at that time of year, so with flights, cruise, excursions and souvenirs, I seriously doubt that Disney will cost much more, if any. We figured Disney was one thing I would be able to do in a cast, which I will be in, at that time this year.
We have AAA and AARP, so DH will check for discounts for having either of those. We DO plan to stay on the grounds this time - something neither of us has ever done.
I ordered THREE books from Amazon, including the one Patti mentioned above, this morning. LOL
Patti- I know I will be the same way! I will SO have tears rolling down my face when we take Natalie and she sees the castle. I will probably get teary throughout the whole trip!! LOL
BUMPING UP A LITTLE LONGER - I KNOW there are some more Disney experts here - hopefully you aren't too burned out on the discussions and will weigh in. I've saved this thread on my computer for future questions. Thanks to everyone who responded. Kate, I'd still love your *detailed* input! :-)
I agree completely with the statement that you either love Disney or hate it. I think the big thing with Disney is that you have to plan and do some research before you go. Otherwise, in my opinion, you will not have a good time. It is a big place, and if you don't know what you are doing, you will get overwhelmed. My neighbor is one that hates Disney. They went over Spring Break, which is super busy, and they did no planning or research. They had a horrible time, and thought it was a waste of money. She didn't even know there was a Pirates of the Carribean ride!
Karen, with just you and dh, I would definitely stay on property. The Unofficial Guide Book is a great tool to plan. Before you decide on a resort you may want to see what park appeals to you more. I have heard great things about some of the Epcot resorts, such as Boardwalk and Beach Club. But, if Magic Kingdom looks like a place you might want to spend more time at, then a monorail resort like Polynesian or Contempory might be better. We don't plan every minute of our day, but we do plan which park we are going to, we make a dinning priority seating, and we know what rides are "must do's" and which ones we would like to do. The Unofficial Guide lists all the rides in each park, and gives a description. You can look through them, and see what rides you really want to do. It also tells you which ones are headliners. These rides get busy later in the day, so it is best to do them first. The Unofficial Guide also tells you which parks are better to go to on what days.
Know about, and use fastpass. Also, one tip I got is that when the parks aren't really busy, they do not hold you to the return time window. So, last time we went, as we rode rides(wait times were less then 15 minutes)we collected fastpasses for our favorite rides, we saved them, and used them when we returned after dinner. The lines were longer then, so we just used our fastpasses.
It is busier on the weekends during December, so I would spend more time at the parks during the week.
Also, in December they have the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. Held every year at Epcot, the Candlelight Processional is not to be missed. A mass choir, joined by a 50-piece live orchestra and a celebrity narrator, tell the story of Christmas in words and music, in a very moving performance. Performances are held at the America Gardens Theatre. We have never gone because our dks were little when we went in December, but I have heard nothing but wonderful things about this. They have a dinner package, where you get dinner at an Epcot Restaurant, and you are then guarenteed a seat without waiting in long lines.
So the one nice adult thing we did (we took our kids..lol). Is we had dinner at the grand floridian (narcooses). We did this around firework time, so before hand there is a water parade really for the restuarant. It sits out on the water over looking the mk castle. So when fw time happens, they dim the lights and play the music. It really was just beautiful and romantic.
If riding rides is your goal, and it is busy, you must get there first thing. Most guest arrive at around 10-11, so you really want to beat the crowds. We did that and used fast pass. You can only get one fast pass every 2 hours, so you can't really hoard them. It was busy when we were there, they were very exact on times. For example we had a fast pass from 10:20-11:20, we showed up at 10:18 and we had to wait for 2 minutes before entering the queue.
We did the dining plan, you have to organize a bit more and you have to want to eat at least one sit down meal a day. If that is your style and probably it would be with no kids, then the dining plan is a great value. We ate at the coral reef, okay but not great.
I will also swear by the unofficial guide, it gives lots of hints for different things.
I agree completely with the statement that you either love Disney or hate it. I think the big thing with Disney is that you have to plan and do some research before you go. Otherwise, in my opinion, you will not have a good time. It is a big place, and if you don't know what you are doing, you will get overwhelmed. My neighbor is one that hates Disney. They went over Spring Break, which is super busy, and they did no planning or research. They had a horrible time, and thought it was a waste of money. She didn't even know there was a Pirates of the Carribean ride!
Karen, with just you and dh, I would definitely stay on property. The Unofficial Guide Book is a great tool to plan. Before you decide on a resort you may want to see what park appeals to you more. I have heard great things about some of the Epcot resorts, such as Boardwalk and Beach Club. But, if Magic Kingdom looks like a place you might want to spend more time at, then a monorail resort like Polynesian or Contempory might be better. We don't plan every minute of our day, but we do plan which park we are going to, we make a dinning priority seating, and we know what rides are "must do's" and which ones we would like to do. The Unofficial Guide lists all the rides in each park, and gives a description. You can look through them, and see what rides you really want to do. It also tells you which ones are headliners. These rides get busy later in the day, so it is best to do them first. The Unofficial Guide also tells you which parks are better to go to on what days.
Know about, and use fastpass. Also, one tip I got is that when the parks aren't really busy, they do not hold you to the return time window. So, last time we went, as we rode rides(wait times were less then 15 minutes)we collected fastpasses for our favorite rides, we saved them, and used them when we returned after dinner. The lines were longer then, so we just used our fastpasses.
It is busier on the weekends during December, so I would spend more time at the parks during the week.
Also, in December they have the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. Held every year at Epcot, the Candlelight Processional is not to be missed. A mass choir, joined by a 50-piece live orchestra and a celebrity narrator, tell the story of Christmas in words and music, in a very moving performance. Performances are held at the America Gardens Theatre. We have never gone because our dks were little when we went in December, but I have heard nothing but wonderful things about this. They have a dinner package, where you get dinner at an Epcot Restaurant, and you are then guarenteed a seat without waiting in long lines.
Sorry for the double post
LOL, Karen, I'm sure I'll disappoint as so many people here have already given great tips! The Unofficial Guide is the best investment you could have made. If you invest in actually reading it and highlighting it you'll benefit greatly. Subscribing to this:
http://www.tourguidemike.com/
is a good idea, too. He either used to, or still does, work for Disney and had to plan itineraries for important people who came. He will take your dates and tell you exactly what will be going on when you are there and which parks to go to on which days to avoid the crowds. People swear by this website and this guy. The Unofficial Guide also has a website that is helpful, and free. Tour Guide Mike is about $21 I think...
Staying on site is key. As someone said, decide which park is your favorite and stay in a hotel near that one. I prefer the monorail hotels as we prefer the Magic Kingdom. Wilderness Lodge is a Magic Kingdom hotel, too, but no monorail, BUT still close to the Magic Kingdom and a lot cheaper than the monorail hotels. You could stay at Port Orleans French Quarter, which is the New Orleans hotel, and you could laugh at it since you know the real thing, LOL!
I highly recommend the dining plan. They have two versions but they must be purchased along with a whole package that includes your hotel and tickets. Are you certain you want December? Because if you go in September you can get it for free. Anyway, the basic plan includes one snack, one counter service meal, and one sit down meal for every night that you book your hotel. You can use them in any order you want...you can stay for seven nights and eat seven sit down dinners on one day if you want....or two sit downs one day and two counter services the next day.... The deluxe plan offers I think two or three table service meals and possibly your tips...can't recall... Basic is about $38 per day per person, and deluxe is about $75 per person per day. Your counter service meals for basic include drink and entree and dessert, your sit down includes entree, drink, and dessert also. Deluxe includes appetizer, drink, dessert, entree, and I think tip... They just changed all this so I'm not remembering all the changes.
We always eat poptarts in the room and get out there before the gates open. Arriving before it opens is KEY. A Disney vacation is not a restful vacation...you're on a mission!! A mission to cram as much in as you can before the crowds invade! So get there early and do your thing. And when the crowds come, take a break and leave or eat somewhere in the park. Yes, use fastpass as mentioned. The book you got will give you ideal times to visit each attraction and so will Tour Guide Mike. Extra Magic Hours are when certain parks are open either an hour early, or three hours late, to Disney resort guests. The MORNING extra magic hours are very very worth it...go go go!!! The evening ones we've always found to be a crowded mob scene so we avoid those. However, I've never been in December, I go at the end of August. It might be worth checking out an evening extra magic hours to see how they are.
Another biggie is to go to the park that had extra magic hours the day before. If the MK has extra magic hours on Wednesday, you can be sure the MK will be LESS crowded on Thursday because the typical people will be headed to whatever park has the extra magic hours for Thursday.... So whatever park had them the day before is always less crowded than any other park because most of the typical people went to that park yesterday.
Our pattern, again, for August, is to arrive before the gates open, to do morning magic hours when possible, and to tour until around eleven or twelve. Then we leave for our hotel and have lunch there or at one of the nearby hotels, then swim or nap, and head back around four or five when the crowds are exhausted and hot. December might not have hot, exhausted crowds though...
Go to the official Disney site to see the hours for December and which parks have magic hours and begin to plan your week. Write down which parks you want to visit on which days. This will help you plan your meals, too, as you won't want to make a reservation to eat in an Epcot restaurant on a day you've decided to spend at the MK...
We always buy park hoppers so you can hop from park to park. We never ever ever ever ever ever stay at one park the entire day. We ALWAYS go to at least two parks in one day. Like if the MK has evening magic hours, we go there in the morning and then get OUT of there as the crowds come in. See, your NON park hoppers will have to choose just ONE park to go to...if a park has extra magic hours, you can BET they will chose that park. So you want to LEAVE that park when it gets crowded because the non park hopper people CAN'T leave it. They can leave, yes, but they have to come back to that same park...no hopping to a less crowded park like you can!
Example: MK has morning extra magic hours. Get up and go in. Other hopping and non hopping people will come in. The non hopping crowds will be stuck there and it will get more and more crowded as the park fills up, especially as it will start to fill from having had the morning extra magic hours. But YOU would get to leave and go to a less crowded park. OR, say MK has EVENING extra magic hours....in that case go in the morning and enjoy, and then get out of there as the hopping and non hopping people come in to take 'advantage' of the extra magic hours. See, if you have the hopper pass you can ALWAYS change your plans if necessary and ALWAYS hop to a less crowded park.
I use the Disboards site constantly. It's overwhelming and chock full of so much info you don't know where to start, but if you're serious about all this, you can just buckle down and start reading it and eventually things will begin to sink in, especially if you're also reading the Unofficial Guide at the same time... Other sites that are good are:
http://www.allearsnet.com/index.html
The above site gives ride and hotel rehabs going on, entire menus for each restaurant, pics of all the hotels inside and out.
http://www.mousesavers.com/
Mousesavers doesn't do anything for me, personally...I think it's more for people who stay off site. But some people swear by it. Since I ALWAYS buy a whole package Mousesavers doesn't offer me anything.
Are you renting a car? We never do. If you stay on site you'll get free transport to and from the airport anyway with Magic Express, Disney's special FREE service. Many airlines also let you check your luggage and get your boarding passes at your Disney hotel.
Are you planning on leaving the Disney grounds for Universal or Sea World or anything? We've never done that so I can't help you there.
If you tell me your food preferences I can help with restaurants. Please feel free to email me at any time as you plan all this. You must have my email since you're a mod, right?
Good luck and have fun! If I think of more I'll weigh in again. I've just begun planning my own ten day trip. We're going late August into September and staying at Wilderness Lodge with ten day park hoppers, no rental car, and the dining plan. Being at the Wilderness Lodge allows us to easily take a boat to the Contemporary Resort for their restaurants or to use their monorail to go to the Grand Floridian or Polynesian for their restaurants.
THANK YOU!!!
Yes, we plan to stay on site, DH is leaning towards the Port Orleans French Quarter or The Coronodo Springs.
We can't go in September - there are several months that DH cannot take vacation, and unfortunately, that is one of them. *I* have wanted to vacation in September for years. :-( We always take our 2-week vacation late in the year due to his job.
"Go to the official Disney site to see the hours for December and which parks have magic hours and begin to plan your week. Write down which parks you want to visit on which days. This will help you plan your meals, too, as you won't want to make a reservation to eat in an Epcot restaurant on a day you've decided to spend at the MK..." We'll definitely do this!
I think you have convinced DH to get the park hoppers - he was solidly against that, and he read this thread yesterday and said *I'm thinking it WILL be a good idea to get the hopper passes*. LOL
The car rental is up in the air right now. We had initially planned on renting one. Then DH thought that since we could get from park to park without one, we'd wait until we were done with Disney to rent one - we DO want to to to Sea World and maybe Busch Gardens after the Disney leg of the trip, so we will need a car at some point.
Thanks again for all the tips, and thanks for the detailed advice!!! As promised, I have saved this thread for the *next* time someone has Disney questions. :-)
There *is* one more question, which I am also posting as a new thread:
Has anyone ever used Small World Vacations to book a Disney vacation? OR do you ALWAYS book everything on your own? Apparently DH has done more reading than I have and he is saying it looks like this particular travel agent may be THE way to go.
My mom has offered to pay for a vacation there for me and daniel and the boys...i was thinking may would be a good time but i'm wondering what week.The reason i am guessing may is because hopefully it won't be too cold or too hot...on monday and tuesday when me and my mom where down there it was really cold ... but wed and thursday i wore shorts... = )
Okay, in addition to what others have posted, and somewhat in response, here are my comments:
I find a Disney trip with small children and a Disney trip with adults to be two totally different things, and planning for each differs widely.
So these tips will apply specifically to YOUR trip, being adults in December only. My advice would vary depending on season and presence and ages of children, so just pointing that out since you said something about saving this thread for others...
I've been to Disney in early December. The first two weeks are nice, crowd levels low (for Disney), and weather usually beautiful, 70s. The closer you get to Christmas, the more the crowds increase, and of course Christmas week is THE busiest week of the year at Disney. So definitely aim for the first half of the month. We went the second week because the first week the Pop Warner kids are there. I've heard this doesn't have too much affect on crowds at the parks as they're involved in their competitions a lot of the time and therefore aren't in the parks all day every day, but they stay at the value resorts and can be noisy and boisterous as teenagers usually are, especially when in a group... we were staying at a value resort so avoided this week; if you all are planning to stay at a moderate resort though, it's not as big of an issue.
I know Kate just converted you to parkhoppers and I don't mean to detract from that, but remember her advice was for August. In December the best plan does differ a bit. In August, the heat is miserable and exhausting, so an afternoon break at the hotel is really a must. The parks are open late at night so there are still plenty of hours left when you return in the evening. However, in December, the weather is very pleasant throughout the day, and therefore you can tour the parks all afternoon without getting exhausted due to the heat. The parks close much earlier, so to go back to the hotel for the afternoon and then return for the couple hours you have left is really a big waste of good park time. I have found that for winter touring, it actually works best to just go and stay all day (or until you're done for the day...) rather than taking those afternoon breaks. Therefore, a hopper might not be so great after all. Because to use the hopper, you have to go from one park to another, and that can sometimes take some time, waiting on buses and such. Going between MK and Epcot isn't too bad because of the monorail but even so, that's valuable park time, and we'd rather not waste it.
We've always HAD hopper passes, and we HAVE hopped, but we have found that even with the option of hopping, we rarely do it. One day, maybe two tops, in a weeklong trip, we hop. We've come to the conclusion that it isn't really worth the extra money -- for that time of year. For summer, different story. One thing you COULD keep in mind is that you can buy the passes without hopper and if you change your mind when you get there, you can just pay the additional cost to have them ADD hopper privileges at any point during your visit.
Another thing I must recommend is Tour Guide Mike. Since using his service, our trips have been SO much better -- and also, I wouldn't go to the parks without a hopper if I didn't have his info on which parks to go to on which day. The thing I like best is that he always tells WHY he advises what he does, so if you want to deviate from his plan, you know the understanding behind his advice and can make smart decisions about how to modify it to fit your personal needs. He will list morning and evening for each day of your trip and list each park as green (a good option for the day), yellow (okay under some conditions but maybe not the best choice), or red (don't go to this park!!!) What we do is find the park for each day that is green both morning and evening, except when we need to deviate (for example, if you want to see Spectromagic, it's only offered a couple times a week in December, so those days are NEVER green as people have to go to Magic Kingdom that day to see the parade, so we work around that and make sure we know ahead of time that isn't going to be a great day for rides, so let's do attractions that never have crowds for that part of the day and save crowded attractions for a green day.)
We almost never go to Extra Magic Hours. We find it better to go a park on a "green" day than to go to EMH, far less crowded. Morning EMH hours may be better, as Kate said, we have never gone to them because when I go, I take my niece, and she is a grump if you wake her up too early in the morning, and the whole day is then shot. BUT if you want to avoid crowds, being at the parks at opening is definitely key, as Kate said.
We had an issue the first night we were at Disney on our latest trip (our bags didn't arrive until after 1 am, so there went any ideas of getting up early the next morning!) and we didn't get to Epcot until nearly 11 (it opened at 9). Even though it was a green day, we got very little accomplished. We went another day and got there at 9 and did more between 9 and 11 than we did the whole day when we arrived late. It makes THAT much of a difference to be there early. Know where the crowds will be and go THERE in the early morning hours, and then you spend the rest of your day enjoying the attractions where crowds are rarely an issue.
The other thing I MUST recommend about December is Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Use Tour Guide Mike's advice on how to do the party and which nights to go and you're sure to have an awesome time. It was our favorite thing of our entire December trip.
Oh, also Photopass was mentioned. If you were taking children, it's worth it to buy the CD, but I can't imagine actually wanting enough pictures to make it worthwhile on an adult-only trip. If, however, you are a picture fanatic and really WILL want printouts of all those pictures (photopass photographers are typically only available at park entrances (in front of the park icons) and with characters) and it's worth it to you to pay $130 for them, then I do have another tip I don't want to post to a public message board because it won't be a good tip anymore if too many people find out about it. Is there a way to private message on this board? If so, those interested in this can let me know and I'll share. :o)
Have fun and enjoy your trip. :o)
We downloaded a *schedule* that someone posted on one of the Disney boards and are using that as well. I am not impressed with TourGuideMike - his information was always late to be announced, by the time he had it up on his board, we had received it several days ago. His planning and reminders are things you can do on your own, or have your TA help you with. The best advice I was given was to read the Disney boards.
Anyway, our trip is set, everything is planned, down to meal reservations, which parks on which days, which extra activities we are doing and we have our dining plan, which we thought was a good deal. We plan to do Photo Pass in the parks as well. And DH just found this (through one of the Disney boards:
Recent News:
General public WDW discount coming Aug 14. Travel 9/24 - 12/23. Must buy room and tickets, and it's a discount on the room.
If it's cheaper than what we have already booked, our prices will be adjusted.
I agree, that even though the park admission ticket price seems high initially, it's a great deal for all you get.
Bumping up
It's been interesting reading all of these posts. I like the one that Disney is a mission! I can not find who wrote it but I laughed out loud...too funny.
We took the kids when they were little. First trip dd was 4 and M was an infant. Thank goodness we took videos because they do not remember a thing! We went back when kids were 9, 6, 4 and 3. Again, thanks to videos and pics the kids have a faint memory of the entire vacation. lol
On the last trip we went with my sis, bil and their niece. Kay wanted to see Sleeping Beauty, that was our main goal. She was 4 at the time. We paid for the princess brunch and who didn't appear...Sleeping Beauty. Tears were flowing...then walking down the steps, we saw SB sitting in the foyer, taking pics and writing autographs....dd was like a fan at a Beatle's concert!! I remember her expression and my heart still skips a beat when I think of the joy she had in her eyes. But she doesn't remember a thing!
I have no advice about Disney. But I say stay in the afternoon because everyone is going back to their rooms for a nap and a swim!
Wellllll.....actually it's only the smart people with small children who leave in the afternoon. Most stay. Also, it greatly depends on how far your hotel is. If someone is staying offsite it's much more of a hassle to get to the parking lot, drive all the way off the grounds and into Orlando traffic to get to your hotel, only to have to turn around and do it all over again. The travel time really eats into the nap time. I even know of someone who booked at one Disney hotel for their 'main' hotel, located near MK, and booked another as their 'napping' hotel that was more central to all the parks. So really not everyone is leaving in the afternoons. The afternoons are usually filled with those who slept in and entered the parks around 11:00, or filled with people who have hotels too far away, or filled with those who don't realize they are going to drop around 6:00 (depending on the season....you can go nonstop in the cooler months).
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