andyms
03-22-2001, 09:52 AM
Hi folks. Another board reader emailed me yesterday, asking for some info concerning my recent trip to Disney World. Before I new it, my response to her was written and rather long. I figured I might as well share it with everyone - so I cut and pasted and the note is attached. Hope it helps a few of you out with your planning!
First let me tell you how our week flowed.ﾃつ* Looks like you are planning a weeks stay, which is exactly what we did, only Sat. to Sat.ﾃつ* Also, my kids are ages 4, 6, and 8.ﾃつ* Actually they all have bdays coming up, so they will soon be 5, 7, and 9.ﾃつ* Where does the time go!
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Sat.3/3
Arrived Dixie Landings around 1PM.ﾃつ* Checked in to hotel, swam at hotel pool in afternoon.ﾃつ* Saw Cirque du Soleil show 6PM.ﾃつ* (fabulous show).ﾃつ* Back to hotel and kids in bed by 8:30.ﾃつ* It was a long day since we left the house to get to the airport early Sat. morning.ﾃつ*
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Sun. 3/4
Spent the entire day at the Magic Kingdom.ﾃつ* Sunday is a very good day to go to MK as far as crowds are concerned.ﾃつ* Saturdays and Mondays are generally the most crowded days at MK.ﾃつ* We did a character dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern (priority seating), and after dinner watched the Main Street Electrical Parade.ﾃつ* I believe this parade is over end of this month, but will be replaced by another "nighttime" parade when you are there.ﾃつ* We did not stay for the fireworks as all were tired and we've seen them before.ﾃつ* Tip - you can view the MK fireworks outside the balcony of the California Room restaurant in the Contemporary.ﾃつ* This will be especially convenient for you since you are staying there.ﾃつ* Also, Chef Mickeys is a great choice for another character meal which is in the Contemporary.ﾃつ* We didn't do this trip, but did 2 years ago.ﾃつ* I think Liberty Tree Taverns food is a little better, but overall it is a tossup.ﾃつ* The kids will enjoy either.ﾃつ*
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Mon. 3/5
Spent morning in the MK.ﾃつ* Had character meal lunch at the Crystal Palace (priority seating).ﾃつ* (Note, in 1 full day and a half day, we had completed the vast majority of MK.ﾃつ* This included every major and minor attraction, ride, etc., and some several times over.ﾃつ* The only area we did not yet see was Mickey's Toon Town, and Tom Sawyers Island which we did in a previous trip and was not a big hit with my kids.ﾃつ* Keep in mind the crowds are only moderate the first week in March, and it rained on Sunday.ﾃつ* If it rains rejoice a little - put the ponchos on and go.ﾃつ* We never let it bother us and had a great time and saw so much!)ﾃつ*
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We arrived at MGM around 2PM.ﾃつ* Toured until about 7PM.ﾃつ* We were back to hotel about 7:30PM and had a lite meal at the food court.ﾃつ* Tip - If you see the Indiana Jones stunt show, be careful if you raise your hand to participate in the show.ﾃつ* I did, got picked, and had to do a death scene in front of about a thousand people!ﾃつ* What can I say, my kids thought it was cool!
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Tues. 3/6
Arrived Animal Kindom at 8AM.ﾃつ* Had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe.ﾃつ* (I believe the Rainforest is simply way overpriced.ﾃつ* Yes it is nice for the kids, but you know what - Disney does such an outstanding job with Animatronics at all their attractions - the Rainforest is not really a "must" stop.ﾃつ* But since it's on your itinerary do it - I'm sure your DD will enjoy).ﾃつ* After lunch we finished up touring AK.ﾃつ* We were back at hotel at 4PM and kids napped until about 6PM.ﾃつ* Note this was the only day my kids actually napped the whole week.ﾃつ* It was important as we arrived at Epcot about 6:30PM.ﾃつ* We did several attractions, and staked out a nice spot at the rail of the lagoon around 8:15 PM in preparation for Illuminations.ﾃつ* This was nice as we used the time to relax and eat hotdogs and popcorn.ﾃつ* And yes, I enjoyed a nice cold brew.ﾃつ* While we all enjoyed the show, I personally was not "blown away" by it as some people are.ﾃつ* Personally, I think Fantasmic at MGM is much, much better.ﾃつ* But - if you are at DW, you definitely should see it - you might be one of the folks that thinks it is simply awesome!ﾃつ*
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Wed. 3/7
We arrived at Epcot and toured all day.ﾃつ* We did Future World until about 1PM, and then hit the World Showcase.ﾃつ* We had no priority seatings for the day, and really enjoyed "sampling" various foods in the different worlds.ﾃつ* This included Mexican, Chinese, and fudge and candy apples from Germany.ﾃつ* My kids really enjoyed the kid stops in the World Showcase.ﾃつ* Basically, in Mexico they each received a white cardboard mask that was mounted on a stick.ﾃつ* At each country they could add more to the mask - glitter in one country, feathers in another, etc.ﾃつ* They also would get the stick stamped with the name of the country at each stop.ﾃつ* We also purchased a passport ($10.50) prior to entering the world showcase.ﾃつ* The kids would get the passport stamped in each country, as well as a little hand written message in that countries language.ﾃつ* We also had fun watching a jugglers show in Italy, in which my oldest daughter was an active participant.ﾃつ* Since we already saw Illuminations, we had a good time spending additional time in Future World between 6PM and 8:30PM.ﾃつ* The crowds were very minimal at this time, and we had a great time really enjoying the Living Seas and the Imagination Center.ﾃつ* Perhaps we were extremely lucky because the crowds were not bad, but we managed to see absolutely all of Future World, (and I mean every attraction - from The Making of Me to Test Track to Honey I Shrunk the Audience) and more than half the World Showcase during this one day and the couple hours the previous night.ﾃつ* (and yes my almost 5 year old rode Test Track and loved it! - not quite as much as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in the MK - which she rode 4 times!)
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Thursday 3/8
This was our down day, but we still managed to be pretty busy.ﾃつ* If I had to do anything over again, I truly would have made this day more of a down day by spending most if not all of the day around the hotel pool.ﾃつ* We started with breakfast at the hotel around 9AM.ﾃつ* We then went over to the Boardwalk Hotel and walked the Boardwalk a bit.ﾃつ* This was followed by a round of mini golf at Fantasia Gardens.ﾃつ* We were back to the hotel around 2PM, and ate hotdogs by the pool.ﾃつ* About 6PM we took a boat ride from Dixie Landings (guess I better call the hotel by its new name which is Port Orleans Riverside) to Downtown Disney.ﾃつ* We had dinner at Planet Hollywood (they don't take priority seatings here) but we got lucky and sat right down - this was not the case as it was packed when we left around 7:30PM.ﾃつ* BTW, Planet Hollywood is also grossly overpriced and quite mediocre in my opinion.ﾃつ* It does have a fun atmosphere however.ﾃつ* After dinner we spent a little time at the Lego Store and the huge Disney store before departing.ﾃつ* Didn't get back to the hotel until after 9PM.ﾃつ* Again - so much for the down day!ﾃつ*
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Friday 3/9
Started the day by taking my youngest daughter 4 and son 6 to the "fishin hole" for about an hour.ﾃつ* Had fun trying to coax little sunfish to take the worms.ﾃつ* We then rented a surrey bike (whole family) and cruised around the hotel grounds (beautifully landscaped) for about 1/2 hour.ﾃつ* We arrived at the MK around 9:45 and had a nice leisurely morning since we had already seen just about everything.ﾃつ* This included Big Thunder Mountain again (for my youngest), and Space Mountain again - my son, oldest daughter and wifes favorite!ﾃつ* We also did Toon Town.ﾃつ* This included riding the Barn Stormer kiddie roller coaster.ﾃつ* No kidding - this was the longest line we stood in all week (1/2 hour), and the ride lasted only 20 seconds!ﾃつ* The kids did enjoy meeting Cinderella who made a special appearance in Toon Town.ﾃつ* Tip - the kids really enjoyed getting the characters autographs.ﾃつ* We bought a Disney autograph book first day in MK - and they really had fun with it.ﾃつ* Had a relaxing lunch at one of the small vendors that included oranges, bananas, and of course hotdogs!ﾃつ*
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We arrived at MGM about 1:30PM.ﾃつ* Saw several attractions, and had dinner at Mama Melrose's around 4:15PM.ﾃつ* This was a priority seating and was part of the Fantasmic Dinner package.ﾃつ* You definitely want to book a dinner package if you plan to see Fantasmic.ﾃつ* It doesn't cost any extra money (other than the meal), and you get a special ticket with reserved seating for the show.ﾃつ* So rather than getting in line an hour or more ahead of time to make sure you get a seat, you simply show up 1/2 hour before and you are in!ﾃつ* As stated earlier, Fantasmic is a show you don't want to miss.
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Sat. 3/10
Our departure day (booh), but our flight doesn't leave until 7:50PM, so we have all day (Yeah!)ﾃつ* We had a decision, back to Epcot (still had a day left on hopper passes), or Typhoon Lagoon.ﾃつ* You guessed it, the kids picked TL.ﾃつ* (Note, my kids really enjoyed Epcot so this was not to say Epcot wasn't fun - quite frankly they really just wanted to swim and TL was more exciting than staying at the hotel pool.)ﾃつ* And just a bit more expensive! - my hoppers did not include the water parks as I knew at best we might get there one time.ﾃつ* We really enjoyed TL, it's a pretty amazing place and definitely worth a visit.ﾃつ* My two youngest spent most of their time in the "kiddie" sections.ﾃつ* The bigger flumes, etc. were a bit intimidating.ﾃつ* However my 8 year old did do most of the chutes with me.ﾃつ* My wife pretty much just enjoyed being out in the Florida sun.ﾃつ* BTW, since this was travel day we had to do a little packing planning.ﾃつ* Check out of the hotel was 11AM - so we simply packed a bag with a change of clothes for our trip home.ﾃつ* After TL, we went back to hotel and utilized the locker rooms and showers out by the hotel pool.ﾃつ* I will say the tropical drink tasted fabulous after showering and getting mentally prepared for departure.ﾃつ* Our driver arrived at 6PM, and we headed to the airport.ﾃつ*
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Wow, I can't believe I wrote all this!ﾃつ* It really was a fabulous vacation and retelling it was kind of fun.ﾃつ* Just spending a week with the kids and my wife was great - no work to worry about ( I actually only called in a couple times!) and a week in Disney is truly magical for the kids.ﾃつ*
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Let me close with a few other tips and observations.ﾃつ* These are presented in no particular order.ﾃつ* Remember also that this is my opinion only, and the parks were not overly crowded during our stay.
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- MK is generally the most crowded park, with Saturdays and Mondays the most crowded.ﾃつ* If you are at the MK on one of these days (or any day) and it gets quite crowded, head to another park in afternoon.
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- Favorite Rides: Wife - Space Mountain, Daughter age 4 - Big Thunder Mountain & Splash Mountain, Son age 6, Space Mountain and Tower of Terror, Daughter age 8 - Rock n Roll Roller Coaster, Me (dad) - Rock n Roll Roller Coaster.
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- Cirque du Soleil show is simply awesome.
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- Fantasmic is Fantastic
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- Definitely make your priority seatings ahead of time.ﾃつ* Don't feel bound to them.ﾃつ* You can always change your mind on any given day and do or go somewhere else.ﾃつ* Priority seatings are most especially important for character meals.ﾃつ* Our Monday lunch at Crystal Palace would not have been possible without a priority seating.
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- Have a plan defined ahead of time.ﾃつ* We didn't get crazy, meaning do this ride first, etc.ﾃつ* Howeverﾃつ* we did have a feel for how each day might flow at a high level.ﾃつ* We made a few deviations but for the most part we stuck to the plan and it was very helpful.
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- If you will rent a stroller at the parks, take a bright colored shoelace to tie onto the stroller.ﾃつ* It will make it so much easier to identify your stroller as thousands of them look the same!
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- Take advantage of fastpass!ﾃつ* We used it several times and it was great.ﾃつ* It also makes it a little less necessary to plan your every move ahead of time within the parks.ﾃつ* Remember I said the longest line we ever stood in was 1/2 hour?ﾃつ* Well, for a few of the majors, this would not have been the case if it wasn't for fastpass.ﾃつ* Some rides (Peter Pan's flight, Space Mountain, Rock n Roll Roller Coaster, etc.) had lines of 45 minutes or even over an hour.ﾃつ* We used fastpass several times to avoid these lines.ﾃつ* This was at a time of moderate crowds!ﾃつ* Use fastpass, it works!
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- We only used early entry one day.ﾃつ* However, I would think in May the parks will be more crowded and EE will be very useful.ﾃつ* However, don't let the lure of EE push you unreasonably.ﾃつ* If your daughter is up early and you can do it great.ﾃつ* If not, don't worry about it!
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- We never used eNight option (MK stays open 3 hours extra on selected nights for Disney Hotel guests - there is a fee for this, I think around $10/per).ﾃつ* We really didn't have to because as I've said the parks weren't that crowded.ﾃつ* However, my kids were always very tired by 8/9PM, so I don't believe the eNight would have been an option for us.
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- Bring ponchos from home.ﾃつ* It's worth it because if it rains, thousands of people will be wearing the same color ponchos purchased in the park.ﾃつ* The MK is a sea of yellow on a rainy day!
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- If your child has a favorite character, buy some pins of that character for her to wear.ﾃつ* As an example, my 4 year olds favorite character is Pluto.ﾃつ* She was sporting a nice Pluto pin, and Pluto really made a fuss over her at the character dinner at LTT.ﾃつ* This was really a highlight for her.ﾃつ* Likewise my son got into Mickey pins.ﾃつ* When he met Mickey at MGM, Mickey obviously was flattered by the 8 Mickey pins all located on my sons Mickey hat!
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- My kids all enjoyed the pins and pin trading.ﾃつ* Prior to the trip we had no Disney pins, and by weeks end each kid had 7 or 8.ﾃつ* Might sound a little extravagent to some, but purchasing multiple pins is really no more expensive than buying a nice sweater and tshirt.ﾃつ* Even I enjoyed it, focusing on the character golf pins since I love to golf.ﾃつ* Tip (and it took me a while to figure this out).ﾃつ* Find some pins that are on sale.ﾃつ* A regular pin costs $6.50.ﾃつ* A few pins might be marked down.ﾃつ* We found a particular Mickey and a Minnie pin that were reduced to $3.99.ﾃつ* Buy several of these on sale pins, and then simply trade them with cast members for other pins that you like.ﾃつ* This is definitely smarter than paying $6.50 for every pin!
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- Rather than doing Cinerella's Royal Table twice, try another character meal such as Liberty Tree Tavern or Chef Mickeys.
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- Take more film than you think you will need.ﾃつ* You'll use it, and it is way overpriced in the parks.
- We used Tiffany Town Car to get to and from the airport. If you're not renting a car, this is a great options. Driver meets you right at the airport, and takes you directly to your hotel. Same service in reverse on the way back. $80 plus tip - can't beat it!
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- Take some email address's (family, friends) with you, and email fun pictures of your DD to them directly from Epcot!
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- We liked all the parks, but I would say our favorites in order were: MK, Epcot, MGM, AK
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- What frightened my kids?ﾃつ* Not a whole lot, but my son did not like Honey I Shrunk the Audience even a little bit.ﾃつ* This from a kid who rode space mountain 3 times and was mad he was not tall enough to go on the Rock n Roll Roller Coaster!ﾃつ* Although he was fine this trip with It's Tough to be a Bug, I remember he didn't care for that 2 years ago!ﾃつ* My youngest was OK with the Haunted Mansion, but when asked if she would go through again, the answer was a pretty matter of fact no!ﾃつ* You most definitely will want to pass on Alien Enounter and perhaps Dinosaur in AK.ﾃつ* Some rides your daughter will not be tall enough, such as RnR Coaster and Spacemountain.ﾃつ* However, many parents might be reluctant to put a 5 year old on Big Thunder Mountain or Splash Mountain.ﾃつ* Honestly, my youngest loved both!
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- The Lion King show in AK is great.ﾃつ* Some love Tarzan as well, I thought it was just OK.
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- For your daughter, don't miss The Little Mermaid show at MGM, and the Legand of The Lion King show at MK.ﾃつ* Also, Bear in the Big Blue House will be a hit at MGM if she likes the TV program.
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- Well, I could probably go on and on rating every ride but I am exhausted as it is almost midnight - and honestly everyone has different favorites and opinions.ﾃつ* If you don't have a copy, purchase or borrow from someone "The Unofficial Guide to Disney World."ﾃつ* It is a great book and very helpful.ﾃつ* Just remember not to take every word and suggestion as gospel!
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I hope this was helpful.ﾃつ* Let me know if you have any other specific questions that I can answer.ﾃつ* Have a great trip, and say hi to Mickey for me!
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- Andy
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First let me tell you how our week flowed.ﾃつ* Looks like you are planning a weeks stay, which is exactly what we did, only Sat. to Sat.ﾃつ* Also, my kids are ages 4, 6, and 8.ﾃつ* Actually they all have bdays coming up, so they will soon be 5, 7, and 9.ﾃつ* Where does the time go!
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Sat.3/3
Arrived Dixie Landings around 1PM.ﾃつ* Checked in to hotel, swam at hotel pool in afternoon.ﾃつ* Saw Cirque du Soleil show 6PM.ﾃつ* (fabulous show).ﾃつ* Back to hotel and kids in bed by 8:30.ﾃつ* It was a long day since we left the house to get to the airport early Sat. morning.ﾃつ*
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Sun. 3/4
Spent the entire day at the Magic Kingdom.ﾃつ* Sunday is a very good day to go to MK as far as crowds are concerned.ﾃつ* Saturdays and Mondays are generally the most crowded days at MK.ﾃつ* We did a character dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern (priority seating), and after dinner watched the Main Street Electrical Parade.ﾃつ* I believe this parade is over end of this month, but will be replaced by another "nighttime" parade when you are there.ﾃつ* We did not stay for the fireworks as all were tired and we've seen them before.ﾃつ* Tip - you can view the MK fireworks outside the balcony of the California Room restaurant in the Contemporary.ﾃつ* This will be especially convenient for you since you are staying there.ﾃつ* Also, Chef Mickeys is a great choice for another character meal which is in the Contemporary.ﾃつ* We didn't do this trip, but did 2 years ago.ﾃつ* I think Liberty Tree Taverns food is a little better, but overall it is a tossup.ﾃつ* The kids will enjoy either.ﾃつ*
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Mon. 3/5
Spent morning in the MK.ﾃつ* Had character meal lunch at the Crystal Palace (priority seating).ﾃつ* (Note, in 1 full day and a half day, we had completed the vast majority of MK.ﾃつ* This included every major and minor attraction, ride, etc., and some several times over.ﾃつ* The only area we did not yet see was Mickey's Toon Town, and Tom Sawyers Island which we did in a previous trip and was not a big hit with my kids.ﾃつ* Keep in mind the crowds are only moderate the first week in March, and it rained on Sunday.ﾃつ* If it rains rejoice a little - put the ponchos on and go.ﾃつ* We never let it bother us and had a great time and saw so much!)ﾃつ*
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We arrived at MGM around 2PM.ﾃつ* Toured until about 7PM.ﾃつ* We were back to hotel about 7:30PM and had a lite meal at the food court.ﾃつ* Tip - If you see the Indiana Jones stunt show, be careful if you raise your hand to participate in the show.ﾃつ* I did, got picked, and had to do a death scene in front of about a thousand people!ﾃつ* What can I say, my kids thought it was cool!
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Tues. 3/6
Arrived Animal Kindom at 8AM.ﾃつ* Had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe.ﾃつ* (I believe the Rainforest is simply way overpriced.ﾃつ* Yes it is nice for the kids, but you know what - Disney does such an outstanding job with Animatronics at all their attractions - the Rainforest is not really a "must" stop.ﾃつ* But since it's on your itinerary do it - I'm sure your DD will enjoy).ﾃつ* After lunch we finished up touring AK.ﾃつ* We were back at hotel at 4PM and kids napped until about 6PM.ﾃつ* Note this was the only day my kids actually napped the whole week.ﾃつ* It was important as we arrived at Epcot about 6:30PM.ﾃつ* We did several attractions, and staked out a nice spot at the rail of the lagoon around 8:15 PM in preparation for Illuminations.ﾃつ* This was nice as we used the time to relax and eat hotdogs and popcorn.ﾃつ* And yes, I enjoyed a nice cold brew.ﾃつ* While we all enjoyed the show, I personally was not "blown away" by it as some people are.ﾃつ* Personally, I think Fantasmic at MGM is much, much better.ﾃつ* But - if you are at DW, you definitely should see it - you might be one of the folks that thinks it is simply awesome!ﾃつ*
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Wed. 3/7
We arrived at Epcot and toured all day.ﾃつ* We did Future World until about 1PM, and then hit the World Showcase.ﾃつ* We had no priority seatings for the day, and really enjoyed "sampling" various foods in the different worlds.ﾃつ* This included Mexican, Chinese, and fudge and candy apples from Germany.ﾃつ* My kids really enjoyed the kid stops in the World Showcase.ﾃつ* Basically, in Mexico they each received a white cardboard mask that was mounted on a stick.ﾃつ* At each country they could add more to the mask - glitter in one country, feathers in another, etc.ﾃつ* They also would get the stick stamped with the name of the country at each stop.ﾃつ* We also purchased a passport ($10.50) prior to entering the world showcase.ﾃつ* The kids would get the passport stamped in each country, as well as a little hand written message in that countries language.ﾃつ* We also had fun watching a jugglers show in Italy, in which my oldest daughter was an active participant.ﾃつ* Since we already saw Illuminations, we had a good time spending additional time in Future World between 6PM and 8:30PM.ﾃつ* The crowds were very minimal at this time, and we had a great time really enjoying the Living Seas and the Imagination Center.ﾃつ* Perhaps we were extremely lucky because the crowds were not bad, but we managed to see absolutely all of Future World, (and I mean every attraction - from The Making of Me to Test Track to Honey I Shrunk the Audience) and more than half the World Showcase during this one day and the couple hours the previous night.ﾃつ* (and yes my almost 5 year old rode Test Track and loved it! - not quite as much as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in the MK - which she rode 4 times!)
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Thursday 3/8
This was our down day, but we still managed to be pretty busy.ﾃつ* If I had to do anything over again, I truly would have made this day more of a down day by spending most if not all of the day around the hotel pool.ﾃつ* We started with breakfast at the hotel around 9AM.ﾃつ* We then went over to the Boardwalk Hotel and walked the Boardwalk a bit.ﾃつ* This was followed by a round of mini golf at Fantasia Gardens.ﾃつ* We were back to the hotel around 2PM, and ate hotdogs by the pool.ﾃつ* About 6PM we took a boat ride from Dixie Landings (guess I better call the hotel by its new name which is Port Orleans Riverside) to Downtown Disney.ﾃつ* We had dinner at Planet Hollywood (they don't take priority seatings here) but we got lucky and sat right down - this was not the case as it was packed when we left around 7:30PM.ﾃつ* BTW, Planet Hollywood is also grossly overpriced and quite mediocre in my opinion.ﾃつ* It does have a fun atmosphere however.ﾃつ* After dinner we spent a little time at the Lego Store and the huge Disney store before departing.ﾃつ* Didn't get back to the hotel until after 9PM.ﾃつ* Again - so much for the down day!ﾃつ*
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Friday 3/9
Started the day by taking my youngest daughter 4 and son 6 to the "fishin hole" for about an hour.ﾃつ* Had fun trying to coax little sunfish to take the worms.ﾃつ* We then rented a surrey bike (whole family) and cruised around the hotel grounds (beautifully landscaped) for about 1/2 hour.ﾃつ* We arrived at the MK around 9:45 and had a nice leisurely morning since we had already seen just about everything.ﾃつ* This included Big Thunder Mountain again (for my youngest), and Space Mountain again - my son, oldest daughter and wifes favorite!ﾃつ* We also did Toon Town.ﾃつ* This included riding the Barn Stormer kiddie roller coaster.ﾃつ* No kidding - this was the longest line we stood in all week (1/2 hour), and the ride lasted only 20 seconds!ﾃつ* The kids did enjoy meeting Cinderella who made a special appearance in Toon Town.ﾃつ* Tip - the kids really enjoyed getting the characters autographs.ﾃつ* We bought a Disney autograph book first day in MK - and they really had fun with it.ﾃつ* Had a relaxing lunch at one of the small vendors that included oranges, bananas, and of course hotdogs!ﾃつ*
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We arrived at MGM about 1:30PM.ﾃつ* Saw several attractions, and had dinner at Mama Melrose's around 4:15PM.ﾃつ* This was a priority seating and was part of the Fantasmic Dinner package.ﾃつ* You definitely want to book a dinner package if you plan to see Fantasmic.ﾃつ* It doesn't cost any extra money (other than the meal), and you get a special ticket with reserved seating for the show.ﾃつ* So rather than getting in line an hour or more ahead of time to make sure you get a seat, you simply show up 1/2 hour before and you are in!ﾃつ* As stated earlier, Fantasmic is a show you don't want to miss.
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Sat. 3/10
Our departure day (booh), but our flight doesn't leave until 7:50PM, so we have all day (Yeah!)ﾃつ* We had a decision, back to Epcot (still had a day left on hopper passes), or Typhoon Lagoon.ﾃつ* You guessed it, the kids picked TL.ﾃつ* (Note, my kids really enjoyed Epcot so this was not to say Epcot wasn't fun - quite frankly they really just wanted to swim and TL was more exciting than staying at the hotel pool.)ﾃつ* And just a bit more expensive! - my hoppers did not include the water parks as I knew at best we might get there one time.ﾃつ* We really enjoyed TL, it's a pretty amazing place and definitely worth a visit.ﾃつ* My two youngest spent most of their time in the "kiddie" sections.ﾃつ* The bigger flumes, etc. were a bit intimidating.ﾃつ* However my 8 year old did do most of the chutes with me.ﾃつ* My wife pretty much just enjoyed being out in the Florida sun.ﾃつ* BTW, since this was travel day we had to do a little packing planning.ﾃつ* Check out of the hotel was 11AM - so we simply packed a bag with a change of clothes for our trip home.ﾃつ* After TL, we went back to hotel and utilized the locker rooms and showers out by the hotel pool.ﾃつ* I will say the tropical drink tasted fabulous after showering and getting mentally prepared for departure.ﾃつ* Our driver arrived at 6PM, and we headed to the airport.ﾃつ*
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Wow, I can't believe I wrote all this!ﾃつ* It really was a fabulous vacation and retelling it was kind of fun.ﾃつ* Just spending a week with the kids and my wife was great - no work to worry about ( I actually only called in a couple times!) and a week in Disney is truly magical for the kids.ﾃつ*
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Let me close with a few other tips and observations.ﾃつ* These are presented in no particular order.ﾃつ* Remember also that this is my opinion only, and the parks were not overly crowded during our stay.
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- MK is generally the most crowded park, with Saturdays and Mondays the most crowded.ﾃつ* If you are at the MK on one of these days (or any day) and it gets quite crowded, head to another park in afternoon.
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- Favorite Rides: Wife - Space Mountain, Daughter age 4 - Big Thunder Mountain & Splash Mountain, Son age 6, Space Mountain and Tower of Terror, Daughter age 8 - Rock n Roll Roller Coaster, Me (dad) - Rock n Roll Roller Coaster.
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- Cirque du Soleil show is simply awesome.
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- Fantasmic is Fantastic
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- Definitely make your priority seatings ahead of time.ﾃつ* Don't feel bound to them.ﾃつ* You can always change your mind on any given day and do or go somewhere else.ﾃつ* Priority seatings are most especially important for character meals.ﾃつ* Our Monday lunch at Crystal Palace would not have been possible without a priority seating.
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- Have a plan defined ahead of time.ﾃつ* We didn't get crazy, meaning do this ride first, etc.ﾃつ* Howeverﾃつ* we did have a feel for how each day might flow at a high level.ﾃつ* We made a few deviations but for the most part we stuck to the plan and it was very helpful.
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- If you will rent a stroller at the parks, take a bright colored shoelace to tie onto the stroller.ﾃつ* It will make it so much easier to identify your stroller as thousands of them look the same!
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- Take advantage of fastpass!ﾃつ* We used it several times and it was great.ﾃつ* It also makes it a little less necessary to plan your every move ahead of time within the parks.ﾃつ* Remember I said the longest line we ever stood in was 1/2 hour?ﾃつ* Well, for a few of the majors, this would not have been the case if it wasn't for fastpass.ﾃつ* Some rides (Peter Pan's flight, Space Mountain, Rock n Roll Roller Coaster, etc.) had lines of 45 minutes or even over an hour.ﾃつ* We used fastpass several times to avoid these lines.ﾃつ* This was at a time of moderate crowds!ﾃつ* Use fastpass, it works!
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- We only used early entry one day.ﾃつ* However, I would think in May the parks will be more crowded and EE will be very useful.ﾃつ* However, don't let the lure of EE push you unreasonably.ﾃつ* If your daughter is up early and you can do it great.ﾃつ* If not, don't worry about it!
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- We never used eNight option (MK stays open 3 hours extra on selected nights for Disney Hotel guests - there is a fee for this, I think around $10/per).ﾃつ* We really didn't have to because as I've said the parks weren't that crowded.ﾃつ* However, my kids were always very tired by 8/9PM, so I don't believe the eNight would have been an option for us.
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- Bring ponchos from home.ﾃつ* It's worth it because if it rains, thousands of people will be wearing the same color ponchos purchased in the park.ﾃつ* The MK is a sea of yellow on a rainy day!
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- If your child has a favorite character, buy some pins of that character for her to wear.ﾃつ* As an example, my 4 year olds favorite character is Pluto.ﾃつ* She was sporting a nice Pluto pin, and Pluto really made a fuss over her at the character dinner at LTT.ﾃつ* This was really a highlight for her.ﾃつ* Likewise my son got into Mickey pins.ﾃつ* When he met Mickey at MGM, Mickey obviously was flattered by the 8 Mickey pins all located on my sons Mickey hat!
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- My kids all enjoyed the pins and pin trading.ﾃつ* Prior to the trip we had no Disney pins, and by weeks end each kid had 7 or 8.ﾃつ* Might sound a little extravagent to some, but purchasing multiple pins is really no more expensive than buying a nice sweater and tshirt.ﾃつ* Even I enjoyed it, focusing on the character golf pins since I love to golf.ﾃつ* Tip (and it took me a while to figure this out).ﾃつ* Find some pins that are on sale.ﾃつ* A regular pin costs $6.50.ﾃつ* A few pins might be marked down.ﾃつ* We found a particular Mickey and a Minnie pin that were reduced to $3.99.ﾃつ* Buy several of these on sale pins, and then simply trade them with cast members for other pins that you like.ﾃつ* This is definitely smarter than paying $6.50 for every pin!
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- Rather than doing Cinerella's Royal Table twice, try another character meal such as Liberty Tree Tavern or Chef Mickeys.
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- Take more film than you think you will need.ﾃつ* You'll use it, and it is way overpriced in the parks.
- We used Tiffany Town Car to get to and from the airport. If you're not renting a car, this is a great options. Driver meets you right at the airport, and takes you directly to your hotel. Same service in reverse on the way back. $80 plus tip - can't beat it!
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- Take some email address's (family, friends) with you, and email fun pictures of your DD to them directly from Epcot!
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- We liked all the parks, but I would say our favorites in order were: MK, Epcot, MGM, AK
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- What frightened my kids?ﾃつ* Not a whole lot, but my son did not like Honey I Shrunk the Audience even a little bit.ﾃつ* This from a kid who rode space mountain 3 times and was mad he was not tall enough to go on the Rock n Roll Roller Coaster!ﾃつ* Although he was fine this trip with It's Tough to be a Bug, I remember he didn't care for that 2 years ago!ﾃつ* My youngest was OK with the Haunted Mansion, but when asked if she would go through again, the answer was a pretty matter of fact no!ﾃつ* You most definitely will want to pass on Alien Enounter and perhaps Dinosaur in AK.ﾃつ* Some rides your daughter will not be tall enough, such as RnR Coaster and Spacemountain.ﾃつ* However, many parents might be reluctant to put a 5 year old on Big Thunder Mountain or Splash Mountain.ﾃつ* Honestly, my youngest loved both!
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- The Lion King show in AK is great.ﾃつ* Some love Tarzan as well, I thought it was just OK.
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- For your daughter, don't miss The Little Mermaid show at MGM, and the Legand of The Lion King show at MK.ﾃつ* Also, Bear in the Big Blue House will be a hit at MGM if she likes the TV program.
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- Well, I could probably go on and on rating every ride but I am exhausted as it is almost midnight - and honestly everyone has different favorites and opinions.ﾃつ* If you don't have a copy, purchase or borrow from someone "The Unofficial Guide to Disney World."ﾃつ* It is a great book and very helpful.ﾃつ* Just remember not to take every word and suggestion as gospel!
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I hope this was helpful.ﾃつ* Let me know if you have any other specific questions that I can answer.ﾃつ* Have a great trip, and say hi to Mickey for me!
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- Andy
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