Can you have a look at these ADRS - revised touring and ADR's!

[shushh]

I wouldn't stress too much about it. When we were there at the same time of year that you'll be going, crowd levels were very low. Many of the rides were walk on. Pick whichever recommrndation suits you better with regard to arrival time, what you wish to see, where you want to dine etc and forget about the other. we used touring plans when we organized our days

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Thanks Shushh. I could seriously drive myself crazy with this stuff

 

[Melbourne5]

Thanks Shushh. I could seriously drive myself crazy with this stuff

You have some great selections. Try not to over analyse it as you will most likely end up thinking you should be going at a different time of year if you are not careful

All the selections sound great, with many that I have done. I would try and do 1900 park fare for a character breakfast or dinner! It's a lot of fun and probably the best Buffett food out of chef Mickey & crystal palace.

Good luck....you will have a ball

Ps: don't rush to 3 broomsticks at Harry potter. Food is so-so.

 

[aussietravellers]

I agree with Shushh and Melbourne5. You have a great plan, I would just stick with that

 

[Sugarglider]

Having done several trips I am now less worried about time in the parks and now everything is about the meals! (hmmm they don't have an overstuffed porky emoticon)

So booking my meals is one of the first things I decide.

People are so different in their tastes - hard to judge. (although I prefer 50's Prime Time to Sci Fi and the food is way better at Yak and Yeti - but Tusker House meals is the easiest way to see the characters. I do avoid Chef Mickey now). I agree with a couple of others - bfast at 1900 is great! good food - with a few unique dishes - and great character interaction

re: the candlelight processional - I will be going for the first time this year and I am just going to take one of my Epcot bookings and turn it into a processional package. I would imagine that NPH is a popular narrator - but then again I really dislike queuing - and if I was gonna buy dinner anyway - well - it seems too easy to me. You also get an Illuminations viewing area - which may be something you want.

Anyone who has done CP - did you see the Illuminations special area? was it any good?

Finally - have you been out to the Deep Space Centre at Tidbinbilla? I would recommend doing this just before your trip. Will get the kids started on space stuff. I've done 2 tours at the DSC and found it fascinating - and some parts are better than KSC. Their shows in theatrette are great with some amazing photos! Both are NASA - so they are kind of similar - except KSC has all the rockets. I did a KSC tour and was glad to do so. got some extra bits not otherwise accessible.

 

[Toy Story]

We did the Tusker House lunch on this trip and really enjoyed the food, a lot of variety and different flavours. The character interaction was good - the restaurant was not full and characters came around twice.

DD loves the food at Ohana, we have been twice.

I am going to suggest an alternate - Arakeus (?) is great. We received a photo with Belle, smorgasbord appetizer, main and denser platter to share - and the Princess come to your table. It is now one of her favourites.

ETA - we loved Fantasmic, and did the lunch dining package at Mama Melrose?

 

[beachcat]

Hello Ms. Shuttergirl

I live in Florida and have looked at your plan. It looks great. I live about 100 miles away from WDW and always go there during the time frame that you will be there because the crowds are always less. There are a lot of people there but the first half of December is less crowded than the Christmas season for instance. In fact, I am staying at Old Key West December 8 – 11.

3 Suggestions

Eat at Jikos. It is at the Animal Kingdom Lodge so it would be easy to get to and a good place to eat while recovering from travelling. I really like the filet and have eaten there several times. A beautiful restaurant too.

Walk around the lake in the EPCOT resort area and check out the Christmas decorations at the Boardwalk, Beach Club and Yacht Club. They are well done and it is a nice stroll around the lake.

When you go the KSC, do the Discover KSC Today and Tomorrow tour. It takes you to the Vehicle Assembly Building where the Endeavor and Atlantis shuttles currently are. I did this tour in December 2011 and got to see the Endeavor shuttle from about 50 feet away and took lots of pictures of it. This tour also takes you to where the Saturn 5 rocket is which is very impressive. Your son should enjoy seeing the Atlantis or Endeavor shuttles up close as well as the Saturn 5. I am a NASA fan so I am biased but I could see shuttle launches from my house.

Mostly enjoy yourself. I have been to WDW about 90 times over the last 30 years and see something new each time. Welcome in advance to Florida. Hope you and your family have a great trip. If you have any questions, ask away. I am looking forward to seeing your country someday myself. All the best.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I don't know much about most of the places your going we are not even going to Epcot on this trip.
We are trying Ohanas this trip as well it just seems to be one of those places people love or hate but thanks for reminding me about the fire works on the beach I had totally forgotten about that

CRT We had Lunch and I would highly reccomend the lunch it was great.
I guess im also wondering why you wouldn't go to animal kingdom when your are staying near it and don't have to travel so far

If the space centre is anything like the one in Houston it is worth it we loved the Houston one so much we are going back again this year.

Good to hear CRT for lunch was good. I actually think I am going to book lunch now instead of breakfast to take a bit of pressure off arriving super early.

I'm soooo pleased to hear this! We loved Cape Canaveral and have planned to visit the Houston space centre on this trip. I've been a bit worried that it would be a bit of a let down after cape canaveral, but if you're planning to go back for a second visit then it must be good.

Shuttergirl, Your ADR's look great I think you have a nice mix of old favourites and new experiences in your planning.

Andona

Thank you Andona.

I wouldn't stress too much about it. When we were there at the same time of year that you'll be going, crowd levels were very low. Many of the rides were walk on. Pick whichever recommrndation suits you better with regard to arrival time, what you wish to see, where you want to dine etc and forget about the other. we used touring plans when we organized our days

Thanks Shushh, I am making myself crazy with this and really I should just move on lol

You have some great selections. Try not to over analyse it as you will most likely end up thinking you should be going at a different time of year if you are not careful

All the selections sound great, with many that I have done. I would try and do 1900 park fare for a character breakfast or dinner! It's a lot of fun and probably the best Buffett food out of chef Mickey & crystal palace.

Good luck....you will have a ball

Ps: don't rush to 3 broomsticks at Harry potter. Food is so-so.

We did 1900 Park Fare last time for breakfast and really enjoyed it. I agree the food is very nice.

That's a shame to hear that the 3 Broomsticks food isn't that great, I actually think I remember reading about it in your TR.

I agree with Shushh and Melbourne5. You have a great plan, I would just stick with that

Thanks luv.

Having done several trips I am now less worried about time in the parks and now everything is about the meals! (hmmm they don't have an overstuffed porky emoticon)

So booking my meals is one of the first things I decide.

People are so different in their tastes - hard to judge. (although I prefer 50's Prime Time to Sci Fi and the food is way better at Yak and Yeti - but Tusker House meals is the easiest way to see the characters. I do avoid Chef Mickey now). I agree with a couple of others - bfast at 1900 is great! good food - with a few unique dishes - and great character interaction

re: the candlelight processional - I will be going for the first time this year and I am just going to take one of my Epcot bookings and turn it into a processional package. I would imagine that NPH is a popular narrator - but then again I really dislike queuing - and if I was gonna buy dinner anyway - well - it seems too easy to me. You also get an Illuminations viewing area - which may be something you want.

Anyone who has done CP - did you see the Illuminations special area? was it any good?

Finally - have you been out to the Deep Space Centre at Tidbinbilla? I would recommend doing this just before your trip. Will get the kids started on space stuff. I've done 2 tours at the DSC and found it fascinating - and some parts are better than KSC. Their shows in theatrette are great with some amazing photos! Both are NASA - so they are kind of similar - except KSC has all the rockets. I did a KSC tour and was glad to do so. got some extra bits not otherwise accessible.

Good to hear I'm not the only person who thinks the food is crazy important lol.

I agree Chef Mickey's is to be avoided, we weren't that impressed last time.

I've had a bit more of a read about the Candlelight Processional and I definitely think it is something we would love to see. Now I just need to wait to see who the narrators are and when the Packages go on sale.

Sugarglider, I have taken the kids out to the Space Centre at Tidbinbilla but not for a while. Perhaps I could do that over the July school holidays to get them into the spirit again.

We did the Tusker House lunch on this trip and really enjoyed the food, a lot of variety and different flavours. The character interaction was good - the restaurant was not full and characters came around twice.

DD loves the food at Ohana, we have been twice.

I am going to suggest an alternate - Arakeus (?) is great. We received a photo with Belle, smorgasbord appetizer, main and denser platter to share - and the Princess come to your table. It is now one of her favourites.

ETA - we loved Fantasmic, and did the lunch dining package at Mama Melrose?

Good to know the Tusker House lunch was nice. I love character meals because a buffet is great for the whole family and you don't have to line up for characters lol.

I have read lots of reviews on Akershus character meals and they definitely get much better reviews than the castle but I just can't seem to get past how cool it will be to eat in the castle .

Hello Ms. Shuttergirl

I live in Florida and have looked at your plan. It looks great. I live about 100 miles away from WDW and always go there during the time frame that you will be there because the crowds are always less. There are a lot of people there but the first half of December is less crowded than the Christmas season for instance. In fact, I am staying at Old Key West December 8 – 11.

3 Suggestions

Eat at Jikos. It is at the Animal Kingdom Lodge so it would be easy to get to and a good place to eat while recovering from travelling. I really like the filet and have eaten there several times. A beautiful restaurant too.

Walk around the lake in the EPCOT resort area and check out the Christmas decorations at the Boardwalk, Beach Club and Yacht Club. They are well done and it is a nice stroll around the lake.

When you go the KSC, do the Discover KSC Today and Tomorrow tour. It takes you to the Vehicle Assembly Building where the Endeavor and Atlantis shuttles currently are. I did this tour in December 2011 and got to see the Endeavor shuttle from about 50 feet away and took lots of pictures of it. This tour also takes you to where the Saturn 5 rocket is which is very impressive. Your son should enjoy seeing the Atlantis or Endeavor shuttles up close as well as the Saturn 5. I am a NASA fan so I am biased but I could see shuttle launches from my house.

Mostly enjoy yourself. I have been to WDW about 90 times over the last 30 years and see something new each time. Welcome in advance to Florida. Hope you and your family have a great trip. If you have any questions, ask away. I am looking forward to seeing your country someday myself. All the best.

Hey Beachcat, thanks for chiming in with some awesome local knowledge. Thank you so much for the Jiko recommendation, that may just be the perfect place to eat on that first evening.

Great idea about walking around the Boardwalk. We plan to go to Flying Fish for dinner one evening and I thought having a wander afterwards would be just perfect.

KSC sounds amazing and it's clear that you adore it. I haven't looked much into our options once there as of yet but do plan to do a bit more research over the next month or so. Thank you for the advice.

Oh and I'm totally jealous about how many visits to WDW you've had. What a wonderful experience.

 

[DVCAustralia]

I am sorry for causing confusion, but I found easyWDW so good for my last trip and I am using it for my next trip so I thought it best to recommend it.

I was a huge fan of Touring Plans (actually the Unofficial Guide as it used to be known) and in fact still have the 2000 edition and 2008 edition books as reference. They were a fantastic help in all aspects of our earlier trips, not just the parks and the restaurants but accomodation, travel times etc. Unfortunately, as they became more popular and particularly as they enhanced their website I found that they became more about the money and exact figures and less like the book I had come to know.

Early last year I stumbled accross easywdw.com and as I explored the website I found it to be a fantastic resource. In particular, the day to day guides are fantastic even though I occasionally disagree with a particular detail or recommendation.

Having now used the website for about a year I can tell you that easywdw typically comes out on top in a head to head comparison with Touring Plans and he sometimes even shows how wrong Touring Plans can get it, often as a result of them being too focused on statistics.

In conclusion, do not worry too much about which is right, if they conflict simply read the reasons on easywdw and see if they make sense to you and fit with your overall plan.

 

[Toy Story]

Mrs Shuttergirl - have you thought about any of the new dining places as part of the Fantasyland extension?

 

[Sugarglider]

OHHH MS SHUTTERGIRL - I forgot!! Toy Story is right!! Be Our Guest is meant to be open by the time we are there!! I have kept a couple of nights free in my calendar (including my MVMCP night) to try and snare a booking as soon as they load it up!!

And I was gonna say re: Tidbinbilla - compare the size of their moon rock to KSC's offering

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I am sorry for causing confusion, but I found easyWDW so good for my last trip and I am using it for my next trip so I thought it best to recommend it.

I was a huge fan of Touring Plans (actually the Unofficial Guide as it used to be known) and in fact still have the 2000 edition and 2008 edition books as reference. They were a fantastic help in all aspects of our earlier trips, not just the parks and the restaurants but accomodation, travel times etc. Unfortunately, as they became more popular and particularly as they enhanced their website I found that they became more about the money and exact figures and less like the book I had come to know.

Early last year I stumbled accross easywdw.com and as I explored the website I found it to be a fantastic resource. In particular, the day to day guides are fantastic even though I occasionally disagree with a particular detail or recommendation.

Having now used the website for about a year I can tell you that easywdw typically comes out on top in a head to head comparison with Touring Plans and he sometimes even shows how wrong Touring Plans can get it, often as a result of them being too focused on statistics.

In conclusion, do not worry too much about which is right, if they conflict simply read the reasons on easywdw and see if they make sense to you and fit with your overall plan.

No, thank you for putting me onto easywdw. I have to say that I thought their reasoning for why they recommended certain parks and why they didn't made alot of sense to me from what I know of WDW and from our previous experience. TouringPlans worked well for us last time but in their recommendations they don't really explain why so the Easywdw does and it just rings very true to me. So I've mainly followed them in my new schedule with a double check at what Touring Plans were saying as a back up.

Mrs Shuttergirl - have you thought about any of the new dining places as part of the Fantasyland extension?

To be honest I hadn't thought of that. I would love to go to Be Our Guest. We were planning on wandering into MK on the last evening in town for a last hoorah so I'm going to set that night aside to try and get a reservation if possible.

OHHH MS SHUTTERGIRL - I forgot!! Toy Story is right!! Be Our Guest is meant to be open by the time we are there!! I have kept a couple of nights free in my calendar (including my MVMCP night) to try and snare a booking as soon as they load it up!!

And I was gonna say re: Tidbinbilla - compare the size of their moon rock to KSC's offering

Do you know when Be Our Guest ADR's will open up ?

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Okay so after days more going backwards and forewards on this I have completely redone our touring plan and adr's.

I'm happy with where things have landed at this point in time. We would like to add the Candlelight Processional dining package in when that time comes so I have allowed enough flexibility to include that if I need to. Gosh this was hard.

 

[shushh]

Having done several trips I am now less worried about time in the parks and now everything is about the meals! (hmmm they don't have an overstuffed porky emoticon)

So booking my meals is one of the first things I decide.

People are so different in their tastes - hard to judge. (although I prefer 50's Prime Time to Sci Fi and the food is way better at Yak and Yeti - but Tusker House meals is the easiest way to see the characters. I do avoid Chef Mickey now). I agree with a couple of others - bfast at 1900 is great! good food - with a few unique dishes - and great character interaction

re: the candlelight processional - I will be going for the first time this year and I am just going to take one of my Epcot bookings and turn it into a processional package. I would imagine that NPH is a popular narrator - but then again I really dislike queuing - and if I was gonna buy dinner anyway - well - it seems too easy to me. You also get an Illuminations viewing area - which may be something you want.

Anyone who has done CP - did you see the Illuminations special area? was it any good?

Finally - have you been out to the Deep Space Centre at Tidbinbilla? I would recommend doing this just before your trip. Will get the kids started on space stuff. I've done 2 tours at the DSC and found it fascinating - and some parts are better than KSC. Their shows in theatrette are great with some amazing photos! Both are NASA - so they are kind of similar - except KSC has all the rockets. I did a KSC tour and was glad to do so. got some extra bits not otherwise accessible.

Sugarglider, I meant to reply earlier...

We did the dinner package for the CP with Coral Reed. It was a bit of blur as one of the girls had diarrhoea after dinnner and so half of us lined up for the CP after dinner and 2 of us had to go clean the child up and buy clean undies and pants! But we did have to line up even with the dining package. From memory it was 30-45 min before hand. We sat towards the back but midline. We still had a good view of the stage and the sound was fine.

It was also very cold that night...at the end of the show, my youngest had a poo in his bum. So we had to change that, and by the time we finished, we had missed the rush to get to the special viewing area. Illuminations had started while we were still walking.

From memory, it was close to the big christmas tree so a decent spot. But please check on the other subforums as we had had a long day and we were tired so I didn't pay a lot of attention to where things were that night. We watched the fireworks as we walked along and just managed to get out before the crowds dispersed after Illuminations.