Disney World

[Flynn]

I have searched the archives quite a bit in the last few days for tips, highlights, and places to stay. I really appreciate everything that was written here!!!

My kids are 3 and 5. We would like to stay close to the park (which one? I have no idea..) so we could take a train back and forth and NOT deal with parking and driving all the time. We also would like a pool or water area for kids at the hotel.

I know your time is short and this topic has been covered a bit in the past so I'll try and ask questions where you can list your answers and not have to explain. I'll do further research on my own.

• 1.) If you stayed at an awesome place you would give two thumbs up, can I have the WHOLE name and what kind of room you had? (one bedroom, suite, etc.) Was breakfast included? Was there at least one eating place on site? A pool?
  
  2.) For a 3 year old boy and a 5 year old girl, what are one or two things you would for SURE take the time to explore and NOT miss?
  
  3.) Was there something that was a bit too $$$ that you wish you had done anyway, OR is on your list for post training fun stuff? (an activity, a restaurant, or where you stayed?)

I'm a Disney LAND girl so this is a bit daunting.
Thanks in advance for all advice!

[MDPhDWife]

Re: Disney World

1.) If you stayed at an awesome place you would give two thumbs up, can I have the WHOLE name and what kind of room you had? (one bedroom, suite, etc.) Was breakfast included? Was there at least one eating place on site? A pool?

We stayed at ALL Star Movies, which I thought was just alright. It is a Disney Resort, but in the most economical category, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless money is tight. Because it is a Disney resort, we had free transportation to/from the airport, all the theme parks, water parks, and Downtown Disney. Breakfast is not included (at any of the Disney resorts), but each resort either has a food court or several different restaurants on site to choose from. All Disney resorts have pools. The Value resorts (all star movies, all star music, all star sports, and pop century) have just basic themed pools, the moderate resorts (port orleans riverside and port orleans french quarter, caribbean beach, and coronado springs) have nicer pools with usually a slide. As for the Deluxe resorts (polynesian, grand floridian, contemporary, wilderness lodge, boardwalk, and the yacht and beach club) they have nice pools and sometimes beaches. IMO the Beach Club has the nicest pool with the best slide. Depending on what theme you're looking for and which park you want to be closest to, I can make a recommendation. Just PM me.

2.) For a 3 year old boy and a 5 year old girl, what are one or two things you would for SURE take the time to explore and NOT miss?

My girls were 3 and 6 when we took them in September. We stayed a week with them so we had time to do all 4 theme parks and the water parks. We spent 2 days at Magic Kingdom because that was their favorite. You'll more than likely spend a lot of time in Fantasyland. DD especially loved Ariel's Grotto. I would say MGM was their least favorite, but they still enjoyed it. We did several character meals which the kids got a big kick out of. The princess breakfast at Akershaus in Epcot was probably a favorite as well as dinner at Chef Mickeys at the Contemporary. I would definitely try to catch Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot. The kids loved that.

3.) Was there something that was a bit too $$$ that you wish you had done anyway, OR is on your list for post training fun stuff? (an activity, a restaurant, or where you stayed?)

As I had mentioned before, if we were post training, we definitely would have stayed at a Deluxe resort. I personally liked the Wilderness Lodge (they have rooms that have bunkbeds which would be a plus for kids their age) or the Beach Club. As for restuarants, we got the dining plan for free, but I would have paid for it even if it wasn't part of the promotion we got because it was nice choosing whereever we wanted to eat without having to consider the cost. Doing a cruise/land package was a pricey option we would have considered more if we were post training. The cruise is nice because you will have the opportunity to have some adult only time. We booked this for next year.

Hope this helps! Since I just got back from Disney World and I am the anal type in terms of researching/planning for vacation, I would be more than happy to answer any of your other questions, so just PM me.

Re: Disney World

Ditto on the Grand Floridian recommendation. Transportation/parking at Disney can be a drag, but you won't have to worry about that if you stay at the GF.

[Phoebe]

Re: Disney World

We went in 2006 in Feb during President's Week which is one of their busiest times. We had no idea since our kids weren't in school yet.

We flew down and wanted to stay on the monorail because we had a 4 and 2 year old and I was pregnant and had 24/7 morning sickness. We picked the Polynesian. We enjoyed it very much. They have some nice pools (one zero entry and a cool waterslide) and some beach area on the Seven Seas Lagoon. I think it was warm enough to swim a couple days while we were there, but I didn't. Most of the rooms should be renevated by now so they are pretty nice. We stayed in the Tokelau building room which faced the Magic Kingdom and allowed us to see the nightly fireworks. The restaurants were pretty good. I can't remember the names off the top of my head. Most of the time we would grab breakfast and eat in our room before heading off to the parks. The poly also has a conceirge service which we didn't take advantage of, but it sounded good and had food available. There are certain areas of the hotel resort which are specific to that level. The resort also has a luau which is fun to watch. The service was excellent.

We stayed 5 days which I think was one day too long (at least for DH). We hit Magic Kingdom two full days, ate breakfast with the princesses at Cinderella's Castle. It is the most expensive one, but had the most characters and was pretty good. We also went to Epcot which was a little out of our kids league, but they enjoyed it. We aren't foodies so we didn't eat there, but I've heard the restaurants are great. Animal Kingdom was a hit, especially the safari ride.

If you are willing to spend the money, the monorail is really nice and quick. I would recommend it. Although we didn't stay there, the Grand Floridian is very nice. They also have kid's activities that I noticed. I think I would have picked that place if we went back again. Ok, I just read my post and realized I said a lot of the same things as Pollyanna.

Friends of ours loved the Animal Kindgom resort. We used http://www.smallworldvacations.com/ to book our trip and worked with Anne. She was great and was able to get us a seating at the Princess breakfast and at good time. Calling yourself can be a nightmare I have heard. This company specializes in Disney vacations and gives a discount. I think we saved $400 going through them over the Disney Parks.

Hope that helps!

[houseelf]

Re: Disney World

If you stayed at an awesome place you would give two thumbs up, can I have the WHOLE name and what kind of room you had? (one bedroom, suite, etc.) Was breakfast included? Was there at least one eating place on site? A pool?

When we had moonlighting money, we stayed at Disney's Fort Wilderness resort, the cheapest of the deluxe resort. It was very nice. When we went back to being on a resident's salary, we stayed at All Star Movies and Pop Century. Their basically Disney motels. I will say that it was worth it to stay on Disney properties because of the "extra hours". Do not underestimate how crowded the parks will be. A whole extra hour to spend at the park without the crowds is worth it. Disney typically offers an hour before opening and an hour after opening. One night, my seven year old and I stayed up until 2 in the morning and had the entire park to ourselves. It really is an unforgettable experience. Pack breakfast cereal, snacks, and bottles to fill with water to save money. Do not underestimate how expensive it will be.

2.) For a 3 year old boy and a 5 year old girl, what are one or two things you would for SURE take the time to explore and NOT miss?

Just make sure that they get some down time like swimming or playground time. It is easy to get swept up into a crazed desire to "DO IT ALL!". I think that your age set will enjoy meeting the characters. The Crystal Palace offers great food and a calmer place to meet the Winnie the Pooh characters.

3.) Was there something that was a bit too $$$ that you wish you had done anyway, OR is on your list for post training fun stuff? (an activity, a restaurant, or where you stayed?)

[/quote] We want to do a cruise someday.

Have a ball!

Kelly

Re: Disney World

We wanted to go to breakfast with the princesses at Cinderella's Castle, but we waited too late to get reservations. The hostess told me they are booked six months in advance, so plan way ahead if you want to do this.

[Vanquisher]

Re: Disney World

1.) If you stayed at an awesome place you would give two thumbs up, can I have the WHOLE name and what kind of room you had? (one bedroom, suite, etc.) Was breakfast included? Was there at least one eating place on site? A pool?

We stayed in a house off-property, and I whole-heartedly recommend it.

http://www.going2orlando.com/Properties.htm

We had our own pool that we didn't have to share. We were able to eat breakfast and dinner (if we wanted) outside of the park. These houses have all the comforts of home. You can do laundry and pack lighter. We didn't have to deal with noisy neighbors. It made the whole vacation very relaxing. If we were tired and wanted to leave the park, it was easy to get the kids back to the pool. It cost just over $100 a night. The owners of these houses are great, wonderful people. We refer to him as Florida Bob.

I do not think transportation is a problem. Disney has everything soooo streamlined, and getting there from the houses is easy. Parking is $11 a day, and not a big deal at all. Disney World even does parking well, really. Plus, the park is SOOOO huge, that you will have to get from park to park anyway. If you really don't want to pay to park, parking in Downtown Disney is free for anyone, and many hotels are located in downtown disney, and you can take Disney transportation from there to any of the parks. I think staying at the resorts, transportation is worse! You have to wait for the buses, in lines, and worry about people. If you drive and park, you go right up to the gates at every park except Magic Kingdom, which if you take the bus to is a pain anyway. You will have to take a ferry or the monorail to get there.

I firmly believe that the "extra magic hours" that you get with staying at the resort properties are completely wasted. These parks become busier on the days they host extra magic hours, making their crowds heavier and the parks less manageable. Going to a park that does not have extra magic hours on a given day is the way to go. It's all about minimizing the crowds at Disney, which leads the MOST important point about going to Disney. GO AT LOW SEASON. Do not go when it will be crowded. You will have a lot more fun, and get more bang out of your vacation, plus a more relaxing time and less waiting in line if you go when other people don't. It is so worth pulling the kids out of school.

http://www.intercot.com/infocentral/wea ... ovisit.asp

See this website for info on the best time to go. I think the fist few weeks of December well before Christmas vacation, but after Thanksgiving would be an excellent time to go. You would have great weather and have the advantage of Christmas lights in the park. You would not be able to take advantage of Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon, if that is a consideration for you. January is also an excellent time to go.

http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=ms051104ms

This link explains why extra magic hours are not necessarily a good thing. If you have park hoppers and want to use those, it couls be a good idea to stay on property and use the morning extra magic hours and hop to a park that doesn't once the "normal" gates open, but it does take quite a bit of time to hop parks.

2.) For a 3 year old boy and a 5 year old girl, what are one or two things you would for SURE take the time to explore and NOT miss?

That really depends on what your kids are in to. Characters, rides, thrills, wonder? There is something different at every park, and I could talk more specifically about each of those depending on your kids temperments, heights, and what would make them happy. Call me if you want to talk more about it.

Things that were universally loved by all the kids on the trip we went on:

Epcot: Turtle Talk with Crush
Magic Kingdom: Mickey's Philharmagic, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Splash Mountain (big thrills, but my 3 year-old loved it.)
MGM is really a park for bigger kids for the most part, but I can talk to you more about that.
Animal Kingdom: Kilamanjaro Safari, Kali River Rapids

3.) Was there something that was a bit too $$$ that you wish you had done anyway, OR is on your list for post training fun stuff? (an activity, a restaurant, or where you stayed?)

Wish we had park hoppers. Wish I wasn't with the IL's and could afford to go on our own. Wish we could have afforded and done a character breakfast (princess).

While you are at the parks, mention the year of a million dreams to cast members casually, and you might get a dream fastpass!

Manage fast passes wisely. Have a gameplan before you go to the parks lest you waste a ton of time deciding while at the park, but make your plan flexible.

Do a lot of internet research. It will help you. The more you know, the smoother it will go. Look into the dining plan.

Oh, and if money were truly no object, I'd stay in Cinderella's castle overnight, but you have to win that and get it by invitatation, or buy someone off who did win.

Hope that helps!!

[peggyfromwastate]

Re: Disney World

.) If you stayed at an awesome place you would give two thumbs up, can I have the WHOLE name and what kind of room you had? (one bedroom, suite, etc.) Was breakfast included? Was there at least one eating place on site? A pool?

Military resort- 2 thumbs up b/c it was cheap! The Poly would be my non-military choice- it's on the monorail line. I think I would be hesitant to take my kids to the Floridian. It seems a little too "formal" for us. They can run around in the Polynesian lobby and have no trouble.

We also stayed off site one year- it was OK but I do like the convenience of being at the park. I found the parking and driving to be a bit much. Getting on the monorail itself is "fun" to my kids- but getting into the car, not so much.

2.) For a 3 year old boy and a 5 year old girl, what are one or two things you would for SURE take the time to explore and NOT miss?

MK: Winnie the pooh- the play area is right there too. They also liked the "Magic Carpet Ride". My kids are NOT adventurous. The Philharmagic was even a little intense, but when it got to be too much, they just took the glasses off. Also, the Buzz Lightyear ride is great- it is like a full-size video game. Lots of fun.

AK: Safari ride, and a play area in Dinoland. The 5 y.o. will probably love the Pocahontas show. It's really low key. The other shows are WILD and Loud.

Epcot: We regret going on "Ellen's Energy Adventure". It was too much- huge dinosaurs. Very scary for my little scaredy cats. We did like "Figment"- Imagination, and then Soarin for the adults (so cool), and the Nemo pavilion with Turtle Talk. *Also, the princess breakfast/lunch at Epcot is really a great alternative to the Princess one at Cinderella's castle. We had 5 princesses there, and we like Norwegian food. I thought it was delicious- my favorite.

MGM: Um... My oldest liked this. The little kids... not so much. It's all quite intense. But it is nice to look around. Fun scenery and what not. Fantasmic is a great show, but it starts really late.

We also did SeaWorld which was really fun. There is a play place at Seaworld (Shamu's play land or something) and the shows are fun, and accessible to little kids.




3.) Was there something that was a bit too $$$ that you wish you had done anyway, OR is on your list for post training fun stuff? (an activity, a restaurant, or where you stayed?)

The Princess Tea would have been great. Look into that- it's like $200 or something, can't remember. But there is lots of great stuff included. Your daughter would probably love it.

[Flynn]

Re: Disney World

Thank you so much guys! I KNEW you all would have specific tips that would make this the perfect trip.

I'm off to research my brains out! I tried before you guys put in your two cents...and was completely overwhelmed. Ug.

[Vanquisher]

Re: Disney World

http://touringplans.com/tp2/UG2_index.php?PageID=14

[Flynn]

Re: Disney World

http://touringplans.com/tp2/UG2_index.php?PageID=14

Geez Heidi! THANKS!
I feel like I'm cheating on a test getting all this streamlined info!!!!!

[Flynn]

Re: Disney World

...just got back from Disney World yesterday and we had a ball. Thanks to all of you with some inside scoop. I used most of it and improvised where necessary.

I'll put the highlights in my blog eventually. Until then, it's nice to be home DESPITE the weather (-18 without the windchill) and we're having a lazy Sunday.

Re: Disney World

Welcome back!

Re: Disney World

Welcome home! We are back at Disney in 39 days!!!