Questions/help on planning the trip of our lives!

[Cybornut]

Well, me and my family are Canadians, we've been to Disneyland many times (relatives in Los Angeles) and have long dreamed of going to Disney World (since I was barely in my teens).

It just so happens to be that we were also dreaming of driving across US.

Now that both me and my sister are adults (I'm pushing 29, scary, almost 30, seemed so far away only a few years ago) we are finally financially secure enough to do this trip with our (not so elderly... yet) parents.

And since we are in different parts of the world right now (me and my parents are in different, far away cities in China, and my sister is in Montreal), this may be one of the last time for a true "family vacation" in a long time.

We are going across the country like so:

LA > Las Vegas > Monument Valley > Dallas > Houston > New Orleans > ORLANDO FLORIDA!! > Daytona Beach > Chapel Hill, NC > DC > Lancaster, PA > Philadelphia > NYC > Detroit > Chicago > St. Louis > Des Moines > Rapid City (Mt. Rushmore) > Yellowstone National Park/Grand Teton National Park > Idaho Falls > Yosemite National Park > San Francisco > Back to LA (passing through Carmel).

All in 32 days, in other words, the trip of our lives...
And the joy will be to "conquer America" more than individual attractions... except one.... DISNEY WORLD!!!

I FEEL LIKE A KID AGAIN! "I'M GOING TO DISNEYWORLD!!"

[Flashes of unhealthy obsessions with the colors of Cinderella's gown passing through my mind... Woe to be whichever CM happens to be her that day, I might kneel down and ask her to marry me... or something...]

We are making sure we stay 4 full days at WDW. The only true relaxation on the trip.

So suitably, being the main planner, I have a few questions on how to make the Disney days the most magical days of the trip. Please help me if you guys can clarify a few of them for me... it would be MUCHO APPRECIATED.

QUESTIONS:
- We are planning to stay at the Music Resort, how is that place?

- We are arriving LATE on Aug 21st (like past 11pm), are there things we need to watch for checking-in?

- We are leaving the park LATE on Aug 25th (also past 11pm, but checking-out say around 11am), making our stay within the KINGDOM 4 nights and 4 days. Are there going to be park ticket problems on the 25th?

- Is adding the food options on "Magic Your Way + Park Hopper" worth it? How are the meals calculated? Can we say have 3 sit down dinner on day 2, but use the last one on day 4? Or do we have to stick with the "1 x sit down, 1 x fast food, 1 x snack PER DAY only"?

- Also, will we get to enjoy meal options and Extra Magic Hours on the last day? Considering that on night 1 we can't practically use any of them (sleep... from a long drive from New Orleans)?

- Speaking of driving, what are the parking situations in the park? Expecially regarding to in and out of the resort/park areas. (we might go to Kennedy Space Center for one of the noon times, where we try to not go into any attractions and just lounge around... we are not 12 anymore, and the afternoon chill is starting to become important)

- Regarding to our "noon breaks", are there very comfortable couches we can lounge around inside the parks? Or would it be better to go back to the resort and watch Disney Channel on the hotel beds?

- What are the camera/flash policies in the parks?

- Even though I've been reading through a lot of fastpass strategies, I am still a bit hazy on that. Can someone help me with a good strategy on maximizing our use of the wait times and maximum passes?

- How to I get a VIP or Unlimited fastpass? Is that even possible if I'm only staying at a low-range resort?

- Is writing in to Disney's Guest Relations explaining how special this trip is to us really going to help us get some "extra attention"? I mean, consider how much mail these guys get, and everyone wanting the MAX MAGIC at all times, we might be "slipping through the cracks" so to speak.

- What's with the buttons and button tradings? Obviously none of us have the "cute factors" any more, so I guess we have to buy a few to trade? And we won't be getting any CM/rare ones?

- Any other park/ride strategies and advices would REALLY help.

Thanks a lot in advance!


"Coming through! Man OBSESSED!"
"FWAP!"
"I am so sorry, I didn't see you there... hmm I guess you're not there anymore anyways..."

 

[catbertdave99]

Well, me and my family are Canadians, we've been to Disneyland many times (relatives in Los Angeles) and have long dreamed of going to Disney World (since I was barely in my teens).

It just so happens to be that we were also dreaming of driving across US.

Now that both me and my sister are adults (I'm pushing 29, scary, almost 30, seemed so far away only a few years ago) we are finally financially secure enough to do this trip with our (not so elderly... yet) parents.

And since we are in different parts of the world right now (me and my parents are in different, far away cities in China, and my sister is in Montreal), this may be one of the last time for a true "family vacation" in a long time.

We are going across the country like so:

LA > Las Vegas > Monument Valley > Dallas > Houston > New Orleans > ORLANDO FLORIDA!! > Daytona Beach > Chapel Hill, NC > DC > Lancaster, PA > Philadelphia > NYC > Detroit > Chicago > St. Louis > Des Moines > Rapid City (Mt. Rushmore) > Yellowstone National Park/Grand Teton National Park > Idaho Falls > Yosemite National Park > San Francisco > Back to LA (passing through Carmel).

All in 32 days, in other words, the trip of our lives...
And the joy will be to "conquer America" more than individual attractions... except one.... DISNEY WORLD!!!

I FEEL LIKE A KID AGAIN! "I'M GOING TO DISNEYWORLD!!"

[Flashes of unhealthy obsessions with the colors of Cinderella's gown passing through my mind... Woe to be whichever CM happens to be her that day, I might kneel down and ask her to marry me... or something...]

We are making sure we stay 4 full days at WDW. The only true relaxation on the trip.

So suitably, being the main planner, I have a few questions on how to make the Disney days the most magical days of the trip. Please help me if you guys can clarify a few of them for me... it would be MUCHO APPRECIATED.

QUESTIONS:
- We are planning to stay at the Music Resort, how is that place?

- We are arriving LATE on Aug 21st (like past 11pm), are there things we need to watch for checking-in?

- We are leaving the park LATE on Aug 25th (also past 11pm, but checking-out say around 11am), making our stay within the KINGDOM 4 nights and 4 days. Are there going to be park ticket problems on the 25th?

- Is adding the food options on "Magic Your Way + Park Hopper" worth it? How are the meals calculated? Can we say have 3 sit down dinner on day 2, but use the last one on day 4? Or do we have to stick with the "1 x sit down, 1 x fast food, 1 x snack PER DAY only"?

- Also, will we get to enjoy meal options and Extra Magic Hours on the last day? Considering that on night 1 we can't practically use any of them (sleep... from a long drive from New Orleans)?

- Speaking of driving, what are the parking situations in the park? Expecially regarding to in and out of the resort/park areas. (we might go to Kennedy Space Center for one of the noon times, where we try to not go into any attractions and just lounge around... we are not 12 anymore, and the afternoon chill is starting to become important)

- Regarding to our "noon breaks", are there very comfortable couches we can lounge around inside the parks? Or would it be better to go back to the resort and watch Disney Channel on the hotel beds?

- What are the camera/flash policies in the parks?

- Even though I've been reading through a lot of fastpass strategies, I am still a bit hazy on that. Can someone help me with a good strategy on maximizing our use of the wait times and maximum passes?

- How to I get a VIP or Unlimited fastpass? Is that even possible if I'm only staying at a low-range resort?

- Is writing in to Disney's Guest Relations explaining how special this trip is to us really going to help us get some "extra attention"? I mean, consider how much mail these guys get, and everyone wanting the MAX MAGIC at all times, we might be "slipping through the cracks" so to speak.

- What's with the buttons and button tradings? Obviously none of us have the "cute factors" any more, so I guess we have to buy a few to trade? And we won't be getting any CM/rare ones?

- Any other park/ride strategies and advices would REALLY help.

Thanks a lot in advance!


"Coming through! Man OBSESSED!"
"FWAP!"
"I am so sorry, I didn't see you there... hmm I guess you're not there anymore anyways..."

What a great trip! Congrats on pulling this together - I'm a bit envious and I'm sure you'll have a great time together!

I can't answer all of your questions, but here are the ones I can answer:

-- As for the 25th, if you have a four-day pass, you will have four days in the parks -- that means your ticket will be good all day and all night on the 25th.

-- We don't get the meal plan, because we're not big on sit-down meals -- however, I think it's a great deal if you do a lot of sit-down meals -- yes, you can use three of your sit-down meals one day, and the fourth some other day.

-- I think your afternoon breaks will be better back at the resort -- we enjoy that, and I have two teenage sons. It's good for us to get away from the park crowds and decompress a bit at the resort in our room, at the pool, etc., before we go to a park for the late afternoon/evening.

-- We use cameras and flash all the time -- except for at Rock'n'Roller Coaster. I got told to put my flash away -- I guess there were signs for no flash photography that I didn't see.

-- Pick the ride you want to get on the most, and get a fastpass for it first. There are lots of strategies out there, but we just pick what is most important to us, get a fastpass, then go to the next on our list when we can get another fastpass and we get one for that, etc. Of course, if there's a short wait time, we don't bother with the fastpass and we get one for something else instead.

Have a great trip!

 

[mickeystoontown]

.

QUESTIONS:
- We are planning to stay at the Music Resort, how is that place?

- We are arriving LATE on Aug 21st (like past 11pm), are there things we need to watch for checking-in?

- We are leaving the park LATE on Aug 25th (also past 11pm, but checking-out say around 11am), making our stay within the KINGDOM 4 nights and 4 days. Are there going to be park ticket problems on the 25th?

- Is adding the food options on "Magic Your Way + Park Hopper" worth it? How are the meals calculated? Can we say have 3 sit down dinner on day 2, but use the last one on day 4? Or do we have to stick with the "1 x sit down, 1 x fast food, 1 x snack PER DAY only"?

- Also, will we get to enjoy meal options and Extra Magic Hours on the last day? Considering that on night 1 we can't practically use any of them (sleep... from a long drive from New Orleans)?

- Speaking of driving, what are the parking situations in the park? Expecially regarding to in and out of the resort/park areas. (we might go to Kennedy Space Center for one of the noon times, where we try to not go into any attractions and just lounge around... we are not 12 anymore, and the afternoon chill is starting to become important)

- Regarding to our "noon breaks", are there very comfortable couches we can lounge around inside the parks? Or would it be better to go back to the resort and watch Disney Channel on the hotel beds?

- What are the camera/flash policies in the parks?

- Even though I've been reading through a lot of fastpass strategies, I am still a bit hazy on that. Can someone help me with a good strategy on maximizing our use of the wait times and maximum passes?

- How to I get a VIP or Unlimited fastpass? Is that even possible if I'm only staying at a low-range resort?

- Is writing in to Disney's Guest Relations explaining how special this trip is to us really going to help us get some "extra attention"? I mean, consider how much mail these guys get, and everyone wanting the MAX MAGIC at all times, we might be "slipping through the cracks" so to speak.

- What's with the buttons and button tradings? Obviously none of us have the "cute factors" any more, so I guess we have to buy a few to trade? And we won't be getting any CM/rare ones?

- Any other park/ride strategies and advices would REALLY help.

Thanks a lot in advance!




First of all, Congrats on a trip of a lifetime. You guys are really going to have a good time and you are going to be really tired by the end!

A vacation at Walt Disney World is a working vacation. It takes a lot of effort to see and do it all but you can do that in the four days you have allotted.

I am going to try and answer your questions in the order you posted them:

1) We have never stayed at the Allstars Music Resort. I suggest you go to www.allearsnet.com. Click on Accommodations and scroll down to the AllStars Music Resort. There, you will find pictures, facts and reviews.

2) Even though it is not a requirement, I always call the resort to let them know that I'll be checking in late. It just makes me feel better. Other than that, you shouldn't have any problems with a late check in.

3) As long as you have enough days on your theme park tickets, you shouldn't have any problems using them on the day of your check out. You will have fourteen days from the day you first use the tickets before they expire (unless you purchase the non-expiring tickets which I wouldn't suggest in your situation)

4) The basic dining plan is $37.00 or $38.00 (I honestly can't remember but I think it's $38) a day per each adult. The basic plan includes one counter service meal, one snack and one table service meal for each night of your day. So, for example, you have 4 people in your party and you are staying 4 nights, you will have a total of 16 counter service meals, 16 snacks and 16 table service meals. Disney doesn't care when or how you use the meal credits. One day, you could use two counter service credits per person and no table service credits. The next day, you could use two table service meals and two snack credits. They also don't care what time of day you use them. You just can't go over your total credits. If you don't use all the credits, you just forfeit them.

I don't know if you are familiar with the different types of Disney meals.

A counter service meal is where you walk up to a counter, order the meal, wait for your meal and then seat yourself.

A snack credit is normally anything under $4.00. Most places will have the items which are considered snack credits marked with a purplely looking label.

A table service meal is meal where you make a reservation, are seated by a host/hostess and enjoy your meal.

If you are unsure whether or not the dining plan will be monetarily beneficial to you, I would suggest you go to www.allearsnet.com. Click on dining and then scroll down to Menus. There, you will find menus for each and every dining facility at the Disney World Resort. You will also see prices listed. Make a chart for each day, write down (using the menus and prices) what you would order and the prices of each item. Keep in mind that taxes are included in the plan but a tip for the table service restaurants are not.

For each counter service meal, you get an entree or combo meal, a non-alcoholic drink and a dessert.

As I said before, the snacks are most items under $4.00.

For each table service meal, you get an entree, a non-alcoholic drink and a dessert. Some table service meals are two credits so plan accordingly.

5) Driving to the parks. We used to drive to the parks and, after using the Disney bus system just once, we never drove to the parks again! We used the bus system. It was so much easier especially when traveling to the Magic Kingdom.

When you drive to the parks (Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom), you must park, board a tram and then get dropped off near the park entrance. This takes some time. By taking the bus, you will be dropped off very near the park entrance.

When you drive to the Magic Kingdom, you must park, board a tram, take either the monorail or the ferry boat and THEN you walk to the park entrance. It's a pain and I definitely prefer the bus system to driving my own vehicle.

It's also nice to board a nice air conditioned Disney bus. I like having somebody else do the driving and navigating their way around Disney World property which can sometimes be quite confusing.

6) I see that you might want to go to Kennedy Space Center. It's a bit of a drive from the parks and, if you have only four days to visit Walt Disney World, I, personally, wouldn't take precious time away from the theme parks. It will take you at least one full day to see each of the parks.

7) Even if you drive, it will take some time to get to your resort for a break. The first year we went to WDW, we took a mid-day break. We couldn't wait to get BACK to the theme parks. We didn't rest at all. So, after that first year, we started finding little nooks in the theme parks to just take a break.

That being said, there really aren't any "comfortable couches" in the theme parks. There are, however, nice shaded spots to simply rest and relax for a bit.

In the Magic Kingdom:

There is a bridge from Adventureland to Liberty Square. At the end of the bridge is a large shaded area with benches.

The Tomorrowland Noodle Station in Tomorrowland is open seasonally as is El Pirita (spelling?) Restaurant in Adventureland. They are both open air restaurants and have lots of seating if they are not operating.

The walkway from Mickeystoontown to Tomorrowland is often overlooked. To find the walkway, simply go to the Mickeystoontown train station and turn to your right. There are benches along the walkway too. Another nice spot to rest.

If you just need a minute to rejuvenate, take a ride on the train or on the Transit Authority in Tomorrowland. You can ride the Transit Authority over and over again without ever getting off. It's a smooth relaxing ride that affords view of the inside of Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and a view of Tomorrowland.

In Epcot:

The countries have lots of nooks and pathways and they all provide resting spots.

In Futureland, you can always pop into the Innoventions buildings and just sit in the air conditioning and people watch.

Near the entrance of the Coral Reef restaurant, you will find a shaded area
to relax.

In Hollywood Studios:

There doesn't seem to be quite as many hidden resting areas but you will not be hard pressed to find benches there.

Take the Animation tour and when the tour is over, you can take your time to sit in the characater greeting area. There are also touch screen games there.

In Animal Kingdom:

There are many many paths around the Tree of Life. Take those paths and you'll find an abundance of resting places. Not only can you rest but you are also afforded great views of the Tree of Life.

Take the train over to Rafiki's Planet Watch take a load off on the pathways.

You'll also find resting areas on the Pangani Forest trail.

8) Cameras are allowed in most places around the park. Flashes, however, are not. There will be signs posted and the castmembers will make an announcement if you are not allowed to take flash photographs.

9) Fastpasses are a dream come true. Fastpass can save you so much time in wait times. However, keep in mind that you can only have two Fastpasses at a time. There is an exception to that rule.....you can obtain a Fastpass two hours after obtaining your first Fastpass. While I have never done held the two Fastpasses at once, I have read in two different books that this is possible.

Keep in mind that Fastpasses for some of the most popular attractions could all be distributed by early afternoon. So, if you have your heart set on certain attractions, head to the first one and ride it and then, immediately, head to the second on your list and obtain a Fastpass for that ride/attraction. Otherwise, you may find yourself waiting in a very very long line later in the day.

10) I honestly dont' think it would do you any good to write to Disney but, I always say it doesn't hurt to try. You can, however, ask Disney Travel to make a notation on your reservation. If you are celebrating a birthday or anniversary, they will, sometimes, deliver balloons or a card to your room. But, I wouldn't get my heart set on it because it's not a guarantee.

If you want something special delivered to your room, you can call Disney Florist and purchase something.

You can go to Guest Relations of any of the theme parks and ask for a First Time visitor button. They are free of charge and you'll get lots of attention from the castmembers and other gueests.

11) Pin trading is lots of fun but it can be expensive. You probably have time to order some pins on ebay. There is a very reputtable seller on ebay that I recommend to all my friends. His ebay user name is sellandship. He has pins starting at just 99 cents.

We usually buy a few of the cheaper pins to trade with the CMs.


Let me know if you have other questions and I'll try to help.

 

[Cybornut]

I can't believe you guys took the time to answer all my questions!

Tapping the wealth of experiences on this site is probably the best thing I've done so far about a single destination on the trip. A lot of my friends have small children (gosh, am I at that age already?) whom they took to the park, but never had any strategies on how to attack the place for MAX MAGIC (or MM for short ) and had been doing a lot of naysaying about the place.

But so far we've deduced a few things from this board so we can have a better time:
- Stay in the resorts, not off-site hotel (for EMH alone it will probably be worth it)
- Learn to fastpass (grasshopper )

And I have a lot of fun (getting VERY anxy...) reading the million wishes thread (noting that most of them are not "wish granted" type of stories, but rather personal magic moments is EVEN BETTER! )

Meanwhile, I am going to compile a list of all the answers and print them our for us to take along, and hopefully I will get more replies before we go.

That said, there seems to be a bit of dissenting opinions about wether to go back to the resort for "noon naps" between the 2 answers so far, and I'd like to get more opinions on that if possible.

With the August sun, we might want to do it simply to avoid the heat.


Oooh ooh ooh, more questions! [Raises hand]

Speaking of August sun, what's the weather like this time of the year? I heard hot and humid, but that is pretty much the norm in Florida no? So how much worse is mid-August compared to the normal hot and humid weather?

Also, we might skip Animal Kingdom as both of my parents and my sister had been to the real Africa (she volunteered there for a year), and without further information, we think that we can take much fuller advantage of the attractions concentrating on the 3 other parks.

How far is it between the parks and the resort areas (by Disney Busses)? And how realistic is it for us to go to Animal Kingdom 1st thing in the morning on EMH mornings, get onto the 1 or 2 rides we want to go to, and hop back to the other parks?

And how much time ahead of opening times (EMH or not) should we get on the Disney busses from the resort to get to the front of the line at the parks?

Finally, how bad is the crowd on EHM mornings and nights? I've been digging the board, but the opinions on that is kinda 50/50 and would like to get some personal experiences if possible.

Thanks for the help, the wait will be torture... guess I'll be digging the boards a lot till then.

Will definitely send you guys a PM regarding to the trip itself. We are thinking of starting a travel blog.

Of course, I am sure we will do a Disney report in the reports threads after that leg of the trip.




"MM = MAXIMUM MAGIC..."
"Hmmm... sounds like a lot of work..."

 

[mickeystoontown]

I can't believe you guys took the time to answer all my questions!

Tapping the wealth of experiences on this site is probably the best thing I've done so far about a single destination on the trip. A lot of my friends have small children (gosh, am I at that age already?) whom they took to the park, but never had any strategies on how to attack the place for MAX MAGIC (or MM for short ) and had been doing a lot of naysaying about the place.

But so far we've deduced a few things from this board so we can have a better time:
- Stay in the resorts, not off-site hotel (for EMH alone it will probably be worth it)
- Learn to fastpass (grasshopper )

And I have a lot of fun (getting VERY anxy...) reading the million wishes thread (noting that most of them are not "wish granted" type of stories, but rather personal magic moments is EVEN BETTER! )

Meanwhile, I am going to compile a list of all the answers and print them our for us to take along, and hopefully I will get more replies before we go.

That said, there seems to be a bit of dissenting opinions about wether to go back to the resort for "noon naps" between the 2 answers so far, and I'd like to get more opinions on that if possible.

With the August sun, we might want to do it simply to avoid the heat.


Oooh ooh ooh, more questions! [Raises hand]

Speaking of August sun, what's the weather like this time of the year? I heard hot and humid, but that is pretty much the norm in Florida no? So how much worse is mid-August compared to the normal hot and humid weather?

Also, we might skip Animal Kingdom as both of my parents and my sister had been to the real Africa (she volunteered there for a year), and without further information, we think that we can take much fuller advantage of the attractions concentrating on the 3 other parks.

How far is it between the parks and the resort areas (by Disney Busses)? And how realistic is it for us to go to Animal Kingdom 1st thing in the morning on EMH mornings, get onto the 1 or 2 rides we want to go to, and hop back to the other parks?

And how much time ahead of opening times (EMH or not) should we get on the Disney busses from the resort to get to the front of the line at the parks?

Finally, how bad is the crowd on EHM mornings and nights? I've been digging the board, but the opinions on that is kinda 50/50 and would like to get some personal experiences if possible.

Thanks for the help, the wait will be torture... guess I'll be digging the boards a lot till then.

Will definitely send you guys a PM regarding to the trip itself. We are thinking of starting a travel blog.

Of course, I am sure we will do a Disney report in the reports threads after that leg of the trip.




"MM = MAXIMUM MAGIC..."
"Hmmm... sounds like a lot of work..."

The true magic of these boards is the fact that everyone here are Disney fanatics and love to help others out.

From the first time I stepped onto Disney property, I fell in love. We go every year (sometimes more than once a year) and had a trip planned in May/June of this year. I had to cancel it when our daughter got hurt on a missionary trip and I started a new job. We were soooo bummed because we thought we were not going to go back until 2009. But, we just found out three days ago that we are going back on August 9th! I can hardly wait. We aren't telling our 11 year old son. It's going to be a total surprise for him.


[U]STAYING ONSITE[/U]
The first nine trips, we stayed offsite. Even though our hotel was just 3 miles from the main entrance of WDW, it took us a bit of time to make our way down West Irlo Bronson Highway to the park. We didn't think the travel time was bad at all. Until......we stayed onsite. After that first onsite stay, we said we would never ever stay offsite again.

There are too many perks when you stay onsite. First of all, you're right on Disney property. Second, you don't have to pay to park your vehicle which can add up after several days. I think parking is now $10 or $11 a day for cars. Third, you have the benefit of taking the Disney transportation and, with the price of gas now-a-days, everybody should love saving the gas and letting Disney do the driving. Fourth, the EMH are a dream come true for our family.

GOING BACK TO THE RESORT FOR A BREAK

It's true that you are going to get many different opinions on this question. Like I said before, we did it the first year but never again. There are too many resting places within the park.

Relative to the heat, it is definitely going to be hot but you can always rest in the air conditioned shows. Keep in mind too, that most attractions are indoors so, while you might be out in the heat getting to and from the attractions, you will also get the opportunity to cool off while in the air conditioned attractions.

Disney sells misting fans. They are battery operated and you carry them with a strap. You just fill with water and spray yourself as needed. Disney will also have fans set up along the waiting lines. This will help too.


I just, personally, don't like taking time away from the parks just to take a break. You will need to factor in the time to get back to the front of the park, wait on transportation (even if you drive your own vehicle, you will have to wait for a tram to take you to the parking lot and then walk to your car) and then the drive time. Then, you have to turn around and factor in the trip back to park.

Also, since you don't have small kids in your group, it should be easy for you guys to relax in the parks.

Our typical day: Arrive at the theme park at least 30 minutes prior to opening. We don't eat breakfast so we are ready for lunch around 11:00 a.m. or so. We stop for a mid-afternoon snack around 3:00 p.m. This is when we find one of the nice resting spots and take our time to just people watch. Sometimes our breaks are just 15 minutes and sometimes they are almost an hour. Then, we tour the park until our dinner reservations. I try to make our dinner reservations in the theme park we are visiting for the day. I make our ADR for 7:30 p.m. or a little later. Most table service meals take about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. By the time we finish, we are ready to take in the evening entertainment.

SKIP THE ANIMAL KINGDOM?

Since this is a trip of a lifetime, I would say definitely do not skip this fantastic theme park. While I understand that your parents have gone to the "real" Africa, Animal Kingdom is sooo much more than just the safari.

The theme park has one of the very best shows you will find in all of Walt Disney World. The Festival of the Lion King is outstanding. Lots of singing, dancing and acrobatics.

The rides at the Animal Kingdom are also exceptional....Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, Primeval Whirl, Kali River Rapids.


VISITING THE ANIMAL KINGDOM DURING EMH

If you arrive at the Animal Kingdom at least 30 minutes prior to opening, you will be able to take in several of the rides. Many of the attractions at the Animal Kingdom are walk through exhibits and trails which mean you can take all the time you want for those things.

We always arrive at least 30 minutes prior to opening and we are finished with the Animal Kingdom at least an hour and sometimes 2 hours prior to park closing. We use the rest of the day to park hop to another park or to visit Downtown Disney.

TRAVEL TIME?

We have never stayed at the Allstars Music Resort but we have stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort which is very centrally located. If you want to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to park opening (which I strongly suggest for every theme park), I would think you should be at the bus stop about an hour prior to park opening.

Someone at your resort's Guest Relations desk should be able to help you with the travel time to and from the them parks.

HOW BUSY IS IT DURING EMH?

We have found that the extra morning hours are more crowded than the evening hours. We were once in the Magic Kingdom at 11:00 p.m. which was the official park closing. Because we were resort guests and it was extra evening hours, we were allowed to stay in the parks until 2:00 a.m. We had NO waits for any of the attractions. We rode things over and over and over again. It was so much fun.


After having been to WDW so many times, we have pretty much gotten the packing, supply list, park touring down to an art form. So, if you have any more questions, feel free to post them and I'll try my best to help you out!

 

[Cybornut]

Great!

I'm gonna run it through the family and see what I've missed.

Meanwhile, how does the discount codes work?
Is there a code for the Caribbean so we can enjoy a reduced rate?
WDW is already more than 1/10th of the budget of the entire trip, and we are worry about going overboard.

... looking forward to a severely reduced bank balance bit after the trip heehee

 

[Maxie86]

First I would suggest that you buy The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World. Do not underestimate the size of WDW. The UG has detailed information on all the parks and attractions. 4 days is really not enough time to explore all of the parks, so skipping AK, if that is your least favorite, would be a good option. We do not do all the parks on a short 4 or 5 day trip. Since this is a trip of a lifetime, could you possibly stay a little longer? August will be hot and humid. Plan on going to the parks at opening and getting out of the sun in the afternoon, then returning in the evening. I would not get the Dining Plan, you will spend too much time planning your days around meals. EMH mornings are a lot less crowded than EMH evenings, but the EMH morning parks will get more crowded later in the morning. Another note, the AK is the hottest place on earth, so if you do go there plan on being there at opening and getting out early. Even though we are WDW veterans, I subscribe to TGM. A lot of information on his site is outdated, but the least crowded park days alone is worth the price of admission. Have fun planning your trip. I would love to have the time to drive across the country.

 

[Cybornut]

Sorry um... what is TMG?

I guess I can find The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World at any Barns and Noble's?

Unfortunately a few of us have to get back to work, so 4 days is really as long as we can stay at WDW... considering we only have 32 days to travel, with about 2 days on each ends to windup/rest before we have to get back to our regularly scheduled life.

In comparison, we are only doing 2.5 days in NYC... but of course, we've all been there multiple times on business or visits, so 2.5 days is really plenty enough there.

 

[Maxie86]

You should be able to pick up the UG at any bookstore or on line. TGM is Tour Guide Mike. He is a sponsor of this board. Click on the link at the top of the page to get a discount. You have to pay for the site, but it isn't any more than a guide book. For a short trip it is especially important that you have a good plan in order to avoid long lines and maximize your time. I use both. TGM is a very large site and be difficult to navigate until you get the hang of it. He will also refund your money if you decide it is not for you. Mike was a VIP tour guide at Disney for many years, and now he has his own VIP tour business. He is in the parks almost everyday. When there is conflicting advice, I go with Mike. If you go to the right park and use fastpasses, you will be able to get a lot done in 4 days. You do not have to spend 2 hours standing in lines, you just have to know how to avoid them.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Great!

I'm gonna run it through the family and see what I've missed.

Meanwhile, how does the discount codes work?
Is there a code for the Caribbean so we can enjoy a reduced rate?
WDW is already more than 1/10th of the budget of the entire trip, and we are worry about going overboard.

... looking forward to a severely reduced bank balance bit after the trip heehee

Go to www.disneyworld.com Click on Tickets & Reservations. Look at the left hand side of the screen and find Special Offers. Click the Special Offers page and see if anything applies to your dates. I know that there are some dates in August and September but many many of the resorts are booked.

If you find a special offer, go ahead and book it. You can then call back and cancel your earlier reservation. If you don't want to do that, then call Disney reservations, tell them what you found and see if they will modify your existing reservation.

While I have never used Tour Guide Mike, I have purchased the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. I have found that some of the things they say about WDW are a bit harsh but I really like the descriptions of the rides and it has helped out many of our friends.

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World can be purchased on the Books A Million website.

I would just hate for you guys to skip the Animal Kingdom. It's a great experience and it is definitely not just a zoo.

And, since you guys have visited Disney many many times, some of the rides and attractions at the Magic Kingdom are similar to those at Disneyland. You might decide you can skip some of the Magic Kingdom attractions and focus on those unique to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

I seriously think you need to head over to www.allearsnet.com and check out their information. They have tons of information that would be helpful to you. They even have pictures of ride vehicles. I love their website.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

A few odds and ends.

Fastpass

You mentioned a VIP or Unlimited FP, these are not for purchase.

Also about FP.......http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/fastpass.htm

You can hold multiple FP at one time. Fastpasses do not expire they are good from the beginning of the return window till park closing. I spend my morning touring the parks and collecting all the FPs I can. Getting a new one as soon as I'm able. I go back to my resort for a break and return in the evening and use all of my FPs. I have NEVER been refused entry, even with FP as late as 7 or 8 hours past the window, and only had one CM ever comment about how late I was.

Many many many people do not know this about FP because it is not advertised. There are only 2 rides where I would strictly use my FP in the window :Soarin at Epcot and Toy Story Mania at DHS. Soarin is the only ride where there have been reports of a CM refusing a late FP and TSM because it is new. If for some reason (maybe you have a newbie CM working the FP line) you are refused entry with a late FP, ask for a 2nd opinion.

EMH

In my experience morning EMH is much less crowded than evening EMH. More folks will stay up late opposed to those that will get up early.

If you chose to do a morning EMH be prepared to hop to another park an hour after regular park opening, because it gets crowded fast.

I find that going to a non emh park at opening is better for us, than doing EMH. I avoid EMH parks altogether.

Regarding park transportation.
You will get everywhere faster (except for MK) if you drive. Since you will spend so much time on the road in your car on your trip, you may just want a break from driving, so if that is the case go ahead and take Disney transportation. I find transportation at the All Star resorts is very good. There is a chart in the unofficial guide that lists travel times between the parks and resorts both for your car and Disney transportation.

 

[Cybornut]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

Got the Caribbean for 4 days (Aug 21st - Aug 25th).

Park hopper for 4 days (with dining plans because it's just easier).

Went AAA because I can't get the package off Disney if they applied the AAA room discount.

Bought the book off Amazon to be shipped to the US relative (Making the sister read it so *I* won't be the only one doing working vacation heehee).

Gonna go dig AllEars a bit as well.

Still confused on pin trading, how to start, what to start with etc.

I can hold multiple fastpasses? I thought there's a wait time on getting another one? I am a bit confused now.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

There is a time printed at the bottom of the FP telling you when you can get another.

Check out the link in my previous post, there is an article about FP and a picture of what they look like.

As far as pin trading, I wouldn't bother with it, since your trip is so short.

Pin Trading

You purchase a lanyard and pins and you go up to cast members wearing lanyards and ask them if they want to trade. Then you inspect the CM's pins and see if the Cast Member has any pins you want, if they do then you can trade any of your pins you'd like, as long as the CM isn't already wearing one.

To me this takes a lot of time, and I don't really "get" it. Some folks really love it. I am a pin buyer, if I see a pin I like; I buy it.

 

[Cybornut]

Cool, I think we are about as covered as we can be short of going to it.

As I've stated previously, and as advised, we are going to have someone taking it as a "working vacation" while the other 3 simply report to him/her.

I am going to assign that (being the overall planner, or Super-Planner or Executive Planner heehee ) to my sister, but I am sure I will end-up with me intervening at some point.

BTW: What is the dream squad actually wearing? Is there a difference between white sweater and no sweater? I am asking this because I am quite inspired by the family "hunting" DS heehee... even though they finally just got dream fastpasses, it's just making the trip more fun...

I for one am fully prepared for "no dreams granted", I am sure I would be having super fun with or without it anyways.


Speaking of duplicated rides between Disneyland and Disneyworld, are they EXACT duplicates or at least similar enough experience-wise to actually be skippable? I've heard from a Disney Junkie friend of mine who said that she prefers the Orlando ones because they are generally bigger/newer/more detailed.... is that true?

 

[MollyMoo]

Will add my 2 cents worth ...

-Although I have never actually seen them I understand that the "Dream Squad" wear khaki slacks or shorts (in August I imagine the latter will be the case) and white vests with some sort of logo on the back ... there are pics somewhere on the boards.

-I have made several trips to WDW without a visit to Animal Kingdom ... it is large and there aren't as many places to escape the heat as there are in the other parks. It is, however, a beautiful place and it does have the new "Expedition Everest" ride ... which is awesome, by the way. We were there in June and spent a morning there and headed for the Studios for the afternoon. Having been to both several times we know what we like to see and do and can do both in a day. For a first trip ... not so sure.


-Be sure to have your designated planner make advanced reservations for sit-down meals ... you will be there at a crowded time and it might prove difficult to enjoy a cool and relaxing meal without a reservation.

-We always enjoy returning to the resort mid-day for some R and R, but again for a first time trip and a short one at that you might want to maximize your time at the parks. Make a reservation for a "late lunch/early dinner" at a sit down restaurant on you meal plan. At about 3:00 or 4:00 you will find that a relaxing meal out of the sun and in air conditioned comfort might be enough to get you through the rest of the day and evening. That always worked for us when we were younger.

Sounds like you do have the trip of a lifetime planned ... I am jealous but have had my share of wonderful travels so I can't complain. I will order some great weather for your Chicago visit ... my home town is a beautiful city with lots to see and do ... especially in the summer!

 

[Cybornut]

Also, just ordered the planning DVD just for the heck of it, good to keep the tension (and passion) high!


Our family's known to, outside of normal working hours, revert back to early teenage years whenever possible (and acceptable).


... this includes our pushing 60 mom and dad... who were a bit of back in the days...
Quite a feat for "Asian Canadians".... too bad they are all "so normal" and "fashionally stuck" (sometimes in the late 80s - early 90s, erck!) now...

Molly: (off topic) Alas we are only staying for an afternoon and a night in Chicago (coming in 4th of Sep and leaving 5th), this trip is simply too massive... and we are going to focus a bit more on Springfield on our way to St. Louis (My dad's kinda a Lincoln fan).
As for Chicago itself, we are going to do a self-guided walking tour of the earlier skyscrapers in the afternoon. Are there any other suggestions of things to do? Oh, and which Doughnut shop you prefer the most, knowing that's Chicago's most famous dessert/meal?

 

[Cybornut]

May be a stupid question, but Aug 21-25 is at the end of "PEAK SEASON" right?

How is that compared to other peak season, crowd-wise?

I am guessing there's a rush to get the vacationing done before "back-to-school" so it'd probably be pretty jam packed, but am always hoping for DS and DD's to already be back home prepping for the start of school year and the park be quieter heehee...

 

[Cybornut]

HM... can anyone help??

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Rides that are about the same or better at DL
Dumbo
Snow White
Small World
Winnie the Pooh
Space Mountain
Thunder Mountain
Haunted Mansion
Pirates
Jungle Cruise
Soarin
Star Tours
Buzz Lightyear
Honey I Shrunk the Audience
Tommorow Land Speedway
Astro Orbiter
Toontown

Rides that are better at WDW
Spash Mountain
Peter Pan
Tower of Terror

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Your dates are during value season, so the parks will not be crowded.