First time vacation planner with questions.

[MissBritt]

Hello! I am in the process of planning a vacation package for December. This is the first time I have planned such a trip, and my first time staying onsite. I think I have a good chunk of my details ironed out, but I have a few questions for the WDW pros.

My husband and I originally planned to visit over NYE for our third wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, when we got married on NYE, we didn't realize that vacations are the most expensive at that time of year! The Western Carribbean cruise over our first anniversary and our cabin stay in the Smoky Mountains over our second anniversary were both twice the price they would have been any other time of year, and we wanted to spend a little less money and stay closer to home this year.

I started planning a trip for this December online. I like the look of POR, Mansion side. So I calculated the price for us to stay 3 nights at POR, starting on NYE, doing 4 days at the parks, no park hopper and no water parks, with the DDP. It would have been over $1860. After seeing ads for free DDP through 12/17, I called WDW's line to get a quote for the same stay and details during that time, and inquired about the DDP promotion and FL resident discounts. I was informed that promotions are not stackable, but that I would save more with the FL res discount with DDP added at regular price. If I stayed 12/15-12/18, the cost was basically halved- $985! Plus, as DH's birthday is 12/18, we will get $79 on a Fun Card for goodies in the park.

After scouring multiple sites and boards for dining options, ratings, and reviews, and calculating how few meals we would have to spread over 4 days at the park, and how many more we would be buying out of pocket, I decided to upgrade to DXDDP. We like to have 3 meals a day, and the extra snacks and refillable mugs for the resort made a lot of sense. So we have 18 meals and 12 snacks to spread over 4 days at the parks, rather than 12 meals and 6 snacks. In addition, I really want to do the Le Cellier dinner and Candlelight Processional package at Epcot, and I was informed by a CM over the phone that the package will be 2 TS credits this year.

Right now this is my tentative plan:

12/15- Drive to Orlando, check in to POR, head to the park before lunch.
Hollywood Studios.

Lunch (?)
Dinner @ 50's Prime Time (2 TS credits)
Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.


12/16-
Epcot.

Shared breakfast @ Sassagoula Floatworks (1 CS credit)
Lunch (?)
Dinner @ Le Cellier and Candlelight Processional (4 TS credits)


12/17-
Animal Kingdom.

Shared breakfast @ Riverside Mill (1 CS credit)
Lunch (?)
Dinner @ Tusker House (2 TS credits)


12/18- Check out before leaving for park, head home when the park closes.
Magic Kingdom.

Breakfast (?)
Lunch @ The Plaza (2 TS credits)



Sooo, my questions are...

1) When can I access park hours for the time we are staying?
2) Where do I find the shuttle schedules and charts?
3) How do I use up our 6 remaining meal credits to cover lunch at Epcot and Animal Kingdom AND lunch at HS and breakfast at MK? I don't want to leave the parks to eat at resorts, so are there any restaurants at the parks that are good and have nice portions for sharing, so that we can both eat all 4 meals on 6 credits? Should I book all 3 lunches at TS places and do breakfast the last day at Main Street Bakery on snack credits?
4) Are there any other shows or events during our stay that are included in admission that we shouldn't miss? We don't want to spend $100+ on MVMCP as we have both seen it before.

Thank you all for any help you can offer! I am sooo excited I can hardly stand it!

[vicki_c]

Originally Posted by MissBritt

Right now this is my tentative plan:

12/15- Drive to Orlando, check in to POR, head to the park before lunch.
Hollywood Studios.

Lunch (?)
Dinner @ 50's Prime Time (2 TS credits)
Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.


12/16-
Epcot.

Shared breakfast @ Sassagoula Floatworks (1 CS credit)
Lunch (?)
Dinner @ Le Cellier and Candlelight Processional (4 TS credits)


12/17-
Animal Kingdom.

Shared breakfast @ Riverside Mill (1 CS credit)
Lunch (?)
Dinner @ Tusker House (2 TS credits)


12/18- Check out before leaving for park, head home when the park closes.
Magic Kingdom.

Breakfast (?)
Lunch @ The Plaza (2 TS credits)



Sooo, my questions are...

1) When can I access park hours for the time we are staying?
2) Where do I find the shuttle schedules and charts?
3) How do I use up our 6 remaining meal credits to cover lunch at Epcot and Animal Kingdom AND lunch at HS and breakfast at MK? I don't want to leave the parks to eat at resorts, so are there any restaurants at the parks that are good and have nice portions for sharing, so that we can both eat all 4 meals on 6 credits? Should I book all 3 lunches at TS places and do breakfast the last day at Main Street Bakery on snack credits?
4) Are there any other shows or events during our stay that are included in admission that we shouldn't miss? We don't want to spend $100+ on MVMCP as we have both seen it before.

Thank you all for any help you can offer! I am sooo excited I can hardly stand it!

1) Disney hasn't released hours for December yet. Maybe around September 1 they will.
2) Not sure what you're referring to here - there are no shuttle fixed schedules - Disney transportation runs pretty much continuously all day and evening.
3) No good advice there - I would do counter service meals because I wouldn't want to spend so much time sitting around and eating. TS meals take a lot of time that we don't like to spend while at WDW.
4) I wouldn't miss Wishes and Spectro at MK, and Illuminations at Epcot.

[MissBritt]

Thanks. What I meant by shuttle schedules is how do I figure out how to get to other resorts to see lights and things at night? I should have specified that I was considering doing that. Also, what are Wishes, Spectro, and Illuminations?

[MissBritt]

Can anyone else offer any advice? Thanks a bunch.

[vicki_c]

Wishes - fireworks at the Magic Kingdom.
Spectro - nighttime parade at the Magic Kingdom (not every night)
Illuminations - fireworks at Epcot

You might try picking up a WDW book at the library or bookstore to get a feel for what different things are available at the parks to see what you feel is a must do for you. There's so much - you can't do it all!

As for the transportation thing - it's probably easiest to ask a specific question about how to get from A to B, here on the DIS and someone will tell you. Basically, there are buses from all the resorts to all the parks. There are no buses that run from one resort to another. So if you want to go from your resort to another one for a meal or something, it involves some transferring - might be easy, might be not - depends on where the places are.

There's also the monorail and boat transportation, again, accessible from different parks and different resorts, depending on where you're trying to go.

[MissBritt]

Thanks again. So are all of those additional charges to see? I really should find a book about it all, so thanks for that suggestion.

I have read that AKL and WL are nice to visit for lights, so I would be interested in getting to those 2 from POR.

[GinaBean]

There is no extra charge for fireworks or parades.

[GinaBean]

The only restaurant that you have listed that we have eaten at is the 50s Prime Time Diner, and we did not like it all. It is a very popular choice with many people, but we were not impressed. I would not want to use 2 TS on it for sure.

[PrincessTiffany]

50's Prime Time is 1TS.

[zippy doo dah]

When you go resort hopping to see the decorations, I would also suggest the huge gingerbread house at GF, the chocolate carousel at BC, there is a little ski village set up at YC and since it's right across from BC stop by and check it out. When you're visiting these, don't forget to look for all the hidden mickeys - my family loves finding them (even at home too lol) - Have a magical trip and a happy anniversary!

[GinaBean]

Originally Posted by PrincessTiffany

50's Prime Time is 1TS.

I thought most of them were, I was going by her post. We were not on DDP when we ate there.

[PrincessTiffany]

Originally Posted by GinaBean

I thought most of them were, I was going by her post. We were not on DDP when we ate there.

I believe the 2TS credits that the OP had listed were indicating how many TOTAL credits they would be using for that meal, not how many TS credits the restaurant actually charged.

Also, to the OP, the Candlelight Processional packages have always been 1 TS and, unless I missed it, I haven't heard anything about them going up to 2 TS this year.

The only restaurants inside the parks that charge 2 TS are Cinderella's Royal Table in Magic Kingdom and The Brown Derby at Disney Hollywood Studios.

[MissBritt]

PrincessTiffany- Yes, that was what I was referring to. I called WDW to ask about what would be included in the dinner since there were questions on different boards about appetizers being part of it, and whether the Chef's fixed price menu was a valid selection at Le Cellier as part of the package, and I was informed that this year the Candlelight Processional would be 2 TS credits per person.

Thanks for all of the information everyone. I will keep this in mind.

Does anyone else have any thoughts on the best places to eat for our gaps in the plan, or best resorts to visit for decor?

[ses1230]

Originally Posted by MissBritt

Hello! I am in the process of planning a vacation package for December. This is the first time I have planned such a trip, and my first time staying onsite. I think I have a good chunk of my details ironed out, but I have a few questions for the WDW pros.

My husband and I originally planned to visit over NYE for our third wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, when we got married on NYE, we didn't realize that vacations are the most expensive at that time of year! The Western Carribbean cruise over our first anniversary and our cabin stay in the Smoky Mountains over our second anniversary were both twice the price they would have been any other time of year, and we wanted to spend a little less money and stay closer to home this year.

I started planning a trip for this December online. I like the look of POR, Mansion side. So I calculated the price for us to stay 3 nights at POR, starting on NYE, doing 4 days at the parks, no park hopper and no water parks, with the DDP. It would have been over $1860. After seeing ads for free DDP through 12/17, I called WDW's line to get a quote for the same stay and details during that time, and inquired about the DDP promotion and FL resident discounts. I was informed that promotions are not stackable, but that I would save more with the FL res discount with DDP added at regular price. If I stayed 12/15-12/18, the cost was basically halved- $985! Plus, as DH's birthday is 12/18, we will get $79 on a Fun Card for goodies in the park.

After scouring multiple sites and boards for dining options, ratings, and reviews, and calculating how few meals we would have to spread over 4 days at the park, and how many more we would be buying out of pocket, I decided to upgrade to DXDDP. We like to have 3 meals a day, and the extra snacks and refillable mugs for the resort made a lot of sense. So we have 18 meals and 12 snacks to spread over 4 days at the parks, rather than 12 meals and 6 snacks. In addition, I really want to do the Le Cellier dinner and Candlelight Processional package at Epcot, and I was informed by a CM over the phone that the package will be 2 TS credits this year.

Right now this is my tentative plan:

12/15- Drive to Orlando, check in to POR, head to the park before lunch.
Hollywood Studios.

Lunch (?)
Dinner @ 50's Prime Time (2 TS credits)
Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.


12/16-
Epcot.

Shared breakfast @ Sassagoula Floatworks (1 CS credit)
Lunch (?)
Dinner @ Le Cellier and Candlelight Processional (4 TS credits)


12/17-
Animal Kingdom.

Shared breakfast @ Riverside Mill (1 CS credit)
Lunch (?)
Dinner @ Tusker House (2 TS credits)


12/18- Check out before leaving for park, head home when the park closes.
Magic Kingdom.

Breakfast (?)
Lunch @ The Plaza (2 TS credits)



Sooo, my questions are...

1) When can I access park hours for the time we are staying?
2) Where do I find the shuttle schedules and charts?
3) How do I use up our 6 remaining meal credits to cover lunch at Epcot and Animal Kingdom AND lunch at HS and breakfast at MK? I don't want to leave the parks to eat at resorts, so are there any restaurants at the parks that are good and have nice portions for sharing, so that we can both eat all 4 meals on 6 credits? Should I book all 3 lunches at TS places and do breakfast the last day at Main Street Bakery on snack credits?
4) Are there any other shows or events during our stay that are included in admission that we shouldn't miss? We don't want to spend $100+ on MVMCP as we have both seen it before.

Thank you all for any help you can offer! I am sooo excited I can hardly stand it!

When you say share, I am assuming you mean order 1 plate and you and hubby share. I didn't think this is routinely allowed. This is what the sticky says:

Can I share meals with other guests on the Dining Plan staying on the same hotel reservation?
There is no clear answer to this. Consistently, guests seem to be allowed to share the meals ordered on the Dining Plan amongst the guests at their table, with the exception of fixed price meals, such as buffets or other all-you-can-eat options. However, this question has been asked directly to Disney via email, by a number of guests, and consistently, they have answered this question by saying specifically that, "sharing is not permitted." Despite several attempts to get clarification about that statement, no clarification appears to be forthcoming from Guest Communications, and nothing official has been released by Disney Dining to resolve the confusion. Ask your server.

Maybe someone else can verify??

Don't miss shows for us are: all the fireworks and parades!
At MK (while not technically a show) we love Mickey's Philharmagic.
At Epcot, Turtle Talk with Crush in FW and the performers in WS - especially Miyuki the candy lady.
At AK it's FoLK and the safari,
and at DHS it's Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.

Have a look at http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/ for shows and times.

[mickeyluv'r]

I like your plan as far as budget and value goes!

Okay, for starters, the regular DDP is PLENTY of food for our family. Remember that many of the WDW TS places are BUFFETS. If you eat dinner at a buffet, are you really going to want to fae another buffet for breakfast? I think that would personally make me throw-up. Seriously. After a buffet dinner, I want little more than coffee and maybe half a bagel for breakfast. Deluxe DP gives you three table service meals every day.

Beyond that, TS meals at WDW are time consuming. The best time to be in the parks is at 9am. If you can eat breakfast and be done with it - before 9am AND be at the park gate - you are much more of an early riser than I am. We usually get up at 6:30am when at WDW. (I drink coffee and get ready in room until about 8am, then head to Quick breakfst, and am at the park near 9am) If you eat breakfast at 8:30 in the food court at POR, there will be a rush of folks and you won't be there at 9am.

Also, QS meals are often pretty generous in portion. DH and I often split a meal and find it plenty of food.

One area where we do sometimes pay oop on the dining plan is extra beverages. I hate to use a snack credit for a drink, but then sometimes the last day we end up with extra snack credits. REmember, a 'snack' is many food itmes that are under $4 - that includes bagels, ice cream, cookies. Dessert at many QS places can be a yogurt. At lunch, if a complete meal is a double-burger, fries, yogurt and a HUGE drink - that's plenty for the two of us.

Also, even arriving early and staying late - it is hard to get full use of arrival and departure days.

You don't really need a shuttle schedule. Shuttles arrive about every 20 minutes from your resort to the parks. One tip, at POR - it will probably be best to use the Main bus stop when going to the parks. It is better if you DON't go back to your room after breakfast, as you will be cutting in to prime park time. They start about an hour before each parks opens and continue until an hour after it closes. After that, more or less - ask a CM for help. From POR, it's all buses except to DTD. If you are at POR, it is nice to go to DTD via boat at least once. I'd also check out the food court at POFQ at least once. It is nota long walk between POR and POFQ, but there is also a shuttle boat.

AS far as how to eat, there is no shortage of places to eat at WDW. You don't need a plan if you just want to eat at any of the QS places. Epcot has the best QS locations. (WS, Land) But you really can't go too wrong at WDW when it comes to dining. I just recently talked to another WDW lover, and they listed all their favorites. Almost none if his favorites were our favorites! WDW is just okay when it comes to pizza, otherwise pick your favorite foods. AK has mostly QS places to eat.

Personally, with that short amount of time, I'm not sure the processional package is a great deal, but that's me. Other folks love it. Without the packages, you can still see the show, just not with reserved seating. One year we walked by the show and it was raining cats and dogs. I felt bad for the folks who had paid for seats. Seeing part of the show is enough for us. There are decorations ALL OVER WDW. In four days, you'll only see a fraction of it!

At HS, it won't take you all night to see the Osbourne lights. You'll have time to hit a few attracions too.

If you are open in your plans, I do suggest seeing the GF and/or the Boardwalk hotel lobbies. You can eat a meal at the GF's QS place.