Anyone been to Disney lately?

[RangerM]

Thinking about surprising the family with a Disney trip later in the year (around October), but haven't been there before.

 

Anyone have any suggestions? Did you (would you) stay on the Disney property itself? If so, where and would you recommend/avoid it?

 

I've been on the website, and they have packages available, but while I'm not looking to spend myself into oblivion, I'm not looking to go at bottom dollar either.

[NickF1011]

I go there pretty regularly -- perhaps every 2-3 years. I can definitely give you some advice on what are must-sees and what you can pass on. I think the main thing comes down to how long you are going to be staying.

 

If it's going to be a shorter trip, I would definitely spring for one of the resort hotels (one of the premium ones if it's in your budget -- Polynesian, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Fort Wilderness). I've heard the other smaller Disney resort hotels are decent, but not great. Just the advantage of being so close to the park (especially the Polynesian, Contemporary, and Grand Floridian which are monorail-accessible) will give you a lot more time to explore the parks.

 

How old are your kids? That would be a big factor in which parks they would like the most.

 

Weather in October should still be great too!

Edited April 4, 2012 by NickF1011

[akirby]

Definitely stay in a Disney hotel if possible - you get free transportation to and from the parks (bus, monorail and boat). Makes it easy to take an afternoon break and you can charge things at the park back to your room.

 

Try to plan a rest day somewhere in the middle. There are lots of things to do outside the parks especially in downtown disney.

 

We stayed at Caribbean Beach resort and it was fine and reasonably priced. My daughter stayed at Wilderness lodge last year and loved it.

 

If the kids are younger then Magic Kingdom is required. If they're older you might want to skip it or just do a half day with a park hopper pass.

[NickF1011]

If the kids are younger then Magic Kingdom is required. If they're older you might want to skip it or just do a half day with a park hopper pass.

 

I would say one day at Magic Kingdom is mandatory, no matter how old they are. Even at 34, it's still my hands-down favorite of all the parks. One thing to keep in mind though is that they are currently doing a massive expansion of Fantasyland, so a few things there are a bit of a mess at the moment. Those Imagineers do a pretty good job disguising their work areas though.

 

The only park I might avoid if they are relatively young is Epcot. There are a few good all-ages attractions there ("Soarin'" is totally worth it, but you must get there early to get in line or grab FastPasses before they run out) but much of it (especially World Showcase) is geared toward adults.

 

As akirby mentioned, Downtown Disney is a good spot to take an "off day". Go there, do some shopping, let the kids goof off with some Legos, etc.

[RangerM]

My daughters will be 10 and almost-5 in October. (the 10-yo will be out of school) My oldest has been wanting to go for years, and now that my youngest is probably old enough to appreciate and remember it, I’d like to do it while the oldest is still young enough.

 

I’m planning on driving from Raleigh, NC because I don’t want to subject my family to flying, and we can take more stuff (luggage, etc) with us. I also have a ton of (air and hotel) points so if I could rent a luxury car or minivan and stay in hotels on the way there and back virtually free.

 

I’d have to park the car when I get there (at the hotel?), but otherwise I’d prefer something along the lines of an "all-in-one" package that smoothes the way as much as possible (hotel, park tickets, meal plan, etc), BUT while I don’t mind spending a little more, I want to know I’m getting value (as much as you can say that about Disney).

[cal50]

Purchase a meal ticket / prepaid meal card if possible and it fits in your hotel plans.

Eating in the park or resorts adds up fast..

[NickF1011]

My daughters will be 10 and almost-5 in October. (the 10-yo will be out of school) My oldest has been wanting to go for years, and now that my youngest is probably old enough to appreciate and remember it, I’d like to do it while the oldest is still young enough.

 

I’m planning on driving from Raleigh, NC because I don’t want to subject my family to flying, and we can take more stuff (luggage, etc) with us. I also have a ton of (air and hotel) points so if I could rent a luxury car or minivan and stay in hotels on the way there and back virtually free.

 

I’d have to park the car when I get there (at the hotel?), but otherwise I’d prefer something along the lines of an "all-in-one" package that smoothes the way as much as possible (hotel, park tickets, meal plan, etc), BUT while I don’t mind spending a little more, I want to know I’m getting value (as much as you can say that about Disney).

 

Definitely sounds like you want to stay in one of the resort hotels then. All of them provide free transportation to all the attractions so once you park at the resort you wouldn't have to do much other driving.

 

For that age range I would suggest Magic Kingdom and then basically a toss up between Disney Studios and Animal Kingdom. Lots for kids to do at both. You might want to look into one of the water parks also (Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach) if the weather is still warm enough. You might even want to consider a second day at Magic Kingdom if you can't get it all into one. It's a very full day of stuff to do there even when I'm running through there with no kids and skipping some of the "cuter" rides.

 

You might also want to consider a trek over to Universal Studios (if you wanted to do anything non-Disney), especially if either of the kids are Harry Potter fans. I hear the new area over there for that is pretty awesome.

 

There are some cool miniature golf courses and other short excursion type things all around the resort areas too if you're just looking for something to kill a couple hours on any given day.

[NickF1011]

Purchase a meal ticket / prepaid meal card if possible and it fits in your hotel plans.

Eating in the park or resorts adds up fast..

 

Completely agree. I know many of the packages include that.

[Bored of Pisteon]

Disney owns ABC and with their biased news outlet. You won't see me supporting them anytime soon.

[NickF1011]

Disney owns ABC and with their biased news outlet. You won't see me supporting them anytime soon.

 

I don't see a whole lot of correlation between what their news division does and how their theme parks entertain millions every year, but hey, that's your choice as a consumer. :shrug:

[Bored of Pisteon]

I don't see a whole lot of correlation between what their news division does and how their theme parks entertain millions every year, but hey, that's your choice as a consumer. :shrug:

 

I never even been to them anyway, and I don't plan on going anytime soon. To me, there are lots more vacation getaways that are less costly.

[NickF1011]

I never even been to them anyway, and I don't plan on going anytime soon. To me, there are lots more vacation getaways that are less costly.

 

Of course there are cheaper places to go. There's always the World's Largest Ball of Twine musem...

[StevenCaylor]

I would highly recommend The Polynesian. It's one of the three hotels with direct monorail service. The Grand Floridian is very formal and the Contempory (IMHO) is sterile. The Polynesian is very laid back and relaxing. My other favorite is the Animal Kingdom Lodge (make sure to get a room facing inside where the animals are).

 

The first time we went, we did the all inclusive meals included plan. A very big advantage to that is that you can make a reservation at any of the waitress service restaurants up to IIRC a month in advance. You can eat at the finest restaurants throughout Disneyworld, even at the 5-star Victoria and Alberts at the Grand Floridian. Some of the fun restaurants are the SciFi dinein at Disney-MGM studios and the Coral Reef restaurant (part of the Living Seas aquarium in Epcot). The kids would enjoy Cinerella's Royal Table inside the castle at the Magic Kingdom (especially for the Once Upon a Time Character Breakfast).

 

 

 

 

Take advantage of the Early Bird specials. Each day, there is one park that will open early to guests staying at anyone of the Disney Resorts. When we stayed at the Polynesian, we would get to the hotels restaurant the moment they opened in the morning (IIRC 7:30), have a nice breakfast and then hop on the monorail to the park with the early opening.

 

Speaking of the monorail, here's the trick to ride with the pilot in the forward cabin (provided you're not in a big hurry). When you get up to the boarding platform, head toward the forward most gate. When they let everyone on, stay back a bit and say you would like to wait for the next monorail. When they close the gate, get everyone in your party at the exact spot where the gate opens. When it does when the next monorail arrives, you will be right there to get into the forward cabin.

 

Also, do your homework and take full advantage of the Fastpass system for each park. When you get there first thing in the morning, figure out which rides will have long lines later on in the day. Get those fastpasses first and then go on rides that are less popular. Also, note on the Fastpass ticket when the next Fastpass will be available. It takes some research, but is well worth the effort.

[NickF1011]

Also, do your homework and take full advantage of the Fastpass system for each park. When you get there first thing in the morning, figure out which rides will have long lines later on in the day. Get those fastpasses first and then go on rides that are less popular. Also, note on the Fastpass ticket when the next Fastpass will be available. It takes some research, but is well worth the effort.

 

One thing to keep in mind also with the FastPasses is that apparently the parks are going to start enforcing the times on them a bit more strictly than they have in the past. You used to usually be able to get way with using a FP anytime after the start time printed on it, even if it was after the expiration time. I read recently that they are planning to stop doing that due to more people using FastPass now.

[Mark B. Morrow]

Of course there are cheaper places to go. There's always the World's Largest Ball of Twine musem...

 

 

Ellen Griswold: Clark, let's just skip the house of mud. I think Dodge City was enough fun for one day. Besides, Catherine and Eddie are expecting us.

Clark: It's living history Ellen. But if you'd rather see your cousins. Personally I'd rather see a pile of mud than Eddie.

[RangerM]

Of course there are cheaper places to go. There's always the World's Largest Ball of Twine musem...

I'd thought about a Disney Cruise---"Disney" for the girls and "Cruise" for me/wife. Mentioned a cruise to wife already, but wife scared of possibility of hurricanes in October, so a cruise is out. Didn't mention the "Disney" part to her, though. So that would still be a surprise.

[NickF1011]

I'd thought about a Disney Cruise---"Disney" for the girls and "Cruise" for me/wife. Mentioned a cruise to wife already, but wife scared of possibility of hurricanes in October, so a cruise is out. Didn't mention the "Disney" part to her, though. So that would still be a surprise.

 

The idea of a Disney cruise just doesn't seem to sit quite well with me. Frankly, I don't think any cruise ship is really a place for kids, no matter how many water slides and Mickey Mouse silhouettes there are.

[RangerM]

I went on a Carnival Cruise years ago (before kids). They had what they called "Camp Carnival" for the kids at the time. Seemed very good.

[akirby]

I went on a Carnival Cruise years ago (before kids). They had what they called "Camp Carnival" for the kids at the time. Seemed very good.

 

It is. I know a lot of adults who love Disney cruises. The biggest difference between Disney and the others is that Disney does not have a casino so no slot machines, blackjack, etc.

[retro-man]

Sounds like a great trip for the family. We drove down the coast to Disneyland (and Universal Studios, Knott's Berry Farm, etc. etc.) when my 2 kids were 8 and 12. The weather was incredibly bad: "Stormwatch '96". The coast highway was washed out, so we couldn't get to San Simeon, it was so wet at Universal Studios that my shoes were making that spongy noise when I walked, and the brown dye had leached from the shoes and colored my white pant legs most of the way up to the knees. Kind of comical actually. I think the kids enjoyed San Francisco (Fisherman's Wharf, street cars, wax museum, and big city downtown hotel) as much as they did Disneyland and Universal Studios.

[NickF1011]

and the brown dye had leached from the shoes and colored my white pant legs most of the way up to the knees.

 

That'll teach ya to wear white pants!

[Summer Cruiser]

I went last fall. Highpoints for my kids were dinner with Cinderella at the Grand Floridian and Breakfast with Mickey at the Contemporary as far as meals went.

 

Epcot was cool for Mom and Dad - we also went in October and they had a "taste of the world" event going on where there were booths with snack-size foods from the different countries that were not the normal restaurant fare there.

 

Magic Kingdom was a 2-day event for us. Also try and see one of the parades at night there.

 

I would second the going early to extra magic hours for the parks. The extra hour does not seem like much, but it is nice.

[Bored of Pisteon]

 

That'll teach ya to wear white pants!

 

Can I borrow $50,000.00?

Edited April 5, 2012 by Bored of Pisteon

[Bored of Pisteon]

 

I'll get into my wagon and take off for there right now!

 

Of course there are cheaper places to go. There's always the World's Largest Ball of Twine musem...

[NLPRacing]

The last time we were there was Spring Break 2009. It was fourth time in 4-1/2 years to drive the motorhome out there with our Expedition in tow all the way from Texas and stay at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground. My wife & I are in our mid 30's and my kids are 12, 10 & 5. We all absolutely love it there. We have another trip planned for June and we're going to be there for 2 weeks this time (we saved up a lot of "Disney" dollars on my Disney Chase Visa, too bad we can't use them for fuel). If you have an RV, want to can rent one or stay in a cabin, I would highly recommend Fort Wilderness. It's right on Bay Lake so you can take the boats to Wilderness Lodge, the Contemporary Resort or all the way to the Magic Kingdom. Plus you can hop on a bus and go anywhere, go over to the Contemporary and hop on the Monorail or drive to any of the parks and park fro free since you are staying on property. It sits on about 200 acres (it's the largest resort by area at WDW). There's tons of amenities, they have two pools (one with a slide and splash zone). You can also rent 4 passenger golf carts and cruise around the various loops. What we like best is that we can come back to the camper and cook our own meals if we fell like it versus eating at Disney's restaurants, which get really pricey for a family of five.

 

On a couple of the trips, we did the Disney Dining Plan. It's not too bad of a deal as your dining totals end up being much more than what you pay for the plan. The biggest reason we don't do it anymore is that it basically makes you have to plan out every hour of your trip. In order to eat at the nicer restaurants, and really take advantage of the plan, you have to make reservations months in advance.

 

One place we try to make at least once during our stay is the character breakfast at Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort, the Sci-Fi Drive-In Theater at Hollywood Studios and the Rose & Crown Pub at Epcot. We've done the Princess breakfast at Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom before. It's a "must do" if you have any little girls that like the Disney Princesses.

 

 

My wife and I also went to WDW back in 98 (before kids) and stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort. It was nice and also had a lot of amenities. I would love to do another trip without the kids, but I don't see that ever happening until after they all graduate.

 

We also went to Disneyland back in 96 for our Honeymoon. Disneyland is nice, but the WDW experience is worth the trip.

 

Hope this helps!