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Questions/help on planning the trip of our lives!
- Thread starter Cybornut
- Start date
linzbear
Flirts with Chip
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2004
I didn't see anyone mention this, so I wanted to throw it out there.
If you haven't already made Dining Reservations for your trip, do NOT do the the dining plan.
Everything's already all booked (reserved), except likely a few resort restaurants.
It'd be a waste of money to do the dining plan and not get in any restaurants to use it.
If you haven't already made Dining Reservations for your trip, do NOT do the the dining plan.
Everything's already all booked (reserved), except likely a few resort restaurants.
It'd be a waste of money to do the dining plan and not get in any restaurants to use it.
kschafer
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2008
Wow, What a trip!! I won't pretend to answer all your questions but here's a couple of my thoughts:
You mention both an afternoon break and possibly the dining plan. My suggestion is do one or the other but not both. You can count on an afternoon break to take a minimum of 2 hours (by the time you do your transportation and all) and table service meals around 90 minutes. Added up, that's a lot of down time (and time away from the attractions).
If you will eat all the food normally, the dining plan is nice (we personally thought it was too much food but others think it's great). You might consider doing a late lunch or very early dinner as your table service AND a built in break (and a may be the only times you can get ADR's a mentioned by the PP). You can get out of the heat, have some down time, etc without the hassle of leaving the parks. We have little ones so we had to go back to the resort for a rest but I would think with adults only, using your big meal as your mid-day break would be a good option. You can then figure on your snacks/counter service credits for breakfast and a late night meal.
I hope your whirlwind trip turns out to be all you hope for!
You mention both an afternoon break and possibly the dining plan. My suggestion is do one or the other but not both. You can count on an afternoon break to take a minimum of 2 hours (by the time you do your transportation and all) and table service meals around 90 minutes. Added up, that's a lot of down time (and time away from the attractions).
If you will eat all the food normally, the dining plan is nice (we personally thought it was too much food but others think it's great). You might consider doing a late lunch or very early dinner as your table service AND a built in break (and a may be the only times you can get ADR's a mentioned by the PP). You can get out of the heat, have some down time, etc without the hassle of leaving the parks. We have little ones so we had to go back to the resort for a rest but I would think with adults only, using your big meal as your mid-day break would be a good option. You can then figure on your snacks/counter service credits for breakfast and a late night meal.
I hope your whirlwind trip turns out to be all you hope for!
If you got your package thru AAA, they also have a parking pass that will let you park right up front, in (or near) the handicap parking. That will save you some time in the parking lots, waiting for and riding the trams.
Sounds like a great trip - have fun!!
Right, the AAA Diamond Parking...
Anyone know where the spaces are and how far it is from the park gates?
(Won't be getting the actual printed pack till Aug 12th)...
Also, how are traffic like if we drove around between the parks? What about peak hours? Like park openings and closings?
mickeystoontown
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2006
HM=Haunted Mansion
mickeystoontown
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2006
Right, the AAA Diamond Parking...
Anyone know where the spaces are and how far it is from the park gates?
(Won't be getting the actual printed pack till Aug 12th)...
Also, how are traffic like if we drove around between the parks? What about peak hours? Like park openings and closings?
I hate driving back and forth between parks and the resorts. If you don't have a really good lay of the land, it gets very confusing.
Well, I think many of your questions have been answered and you have been given a lot to think about. But, since you are still asking here is my two cents on a couple of items;
I would not skip AK if you can help it. Plan to go in the morning for opening, and if you are lucky, EMH. The shows alone are worth the price of admission. The Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo, It's Tough To Be a Bug, they are all wonderful!! The rides are amazing and too be honest, you really don't have to see that many animals unless you specifically look for them!!
For a four day trip I would not get the dining plan, especially at that time of year. The reason I say this is time and the lack of it. As another poster mentioned you need to allot about 90 minutes for a sit down meal. That is a lot of time out of your short four day schedule. However, if you feel that much time for a meal is fine, then the dining plan is worth it. I am of two minds with this one. On our first trip with a four year old we had five days and did not do the dining plan. I am glad we didn't. We still had three booked (ADR's) sit dow meals that we enjoyed, but we were not under pressure to use five sit dow meals, five counter service etc.. On our second trip this past January we had eight days and we did do the dining plan. It was well worth it then because we had more time to enjoy the food and the restaurants.
You could try to see what type of ADR's you could get for the four days by calling now. If you luck out and can get some decent times at the restaurants you want then, yes do the dining plan. As your trip is only a month or so away you may find it very hard to get any ADR's in the times and places you want and it that is the case, then skip the dining plan.
Another poster said this was the Value Season, but I think it is the start of Free Dining. That promotion is huge, which means the restaurants will be really full by now with ADR's, so I would do a quick call soon to see what, if anything is still available.
Oh, one other thing on the dining plan. If you get it and find you do not use all your snack credits ( happens to many people) by the last day, then just go and pick up a bunch of pre-packaged snacks and put them in your cooler. By the end of our trip in January we had seven snack credits left on our last night. I used them all up by getting pretzels, little cookies, etc.. and just took them home!!
We have always found the resort transportation to be wonderful! Much easier than worrying about the car, paying to park, remembering where the car is, etc... The bus stops for each resort are fairly decent and with the Carribean there should be several stops as it is a large resort. YOu get to ride in an air conditioned bus and leave the car keys at home. The busses do get crowded once the park closes, so we usually hang out and shop a bit to let the crowds die down.
Oh, even with a small child we found it a pain to do an afternoon break at the resort. We had a stroller so she would nap a bit in it and we would just relax in some shade with a cool drink. With the little amount of time you have I would suggest not returning to the resort for a break, unless you really, really need it.
Oh, Pin Trading! It is a lot of fun, but it is not for everyone. If you do it I would order some pins on line first. They run about six bucks each and go up from there in the parks, so online you can get them much cheaper. My first and second time ordering them I got about 25 for $35.00 . We then bought a lanyard at the resort gift shop the first morning. The kids really loved doing the trading and I enjoyed it becasue I got to chat with a lot of CMs. It is not that time consuming in the end, but if you all do it the time might add up. Maybe just have two lanyards and share them.
Have fun. You will have an amazing trip! Please let us know, if you can, what you are calling your Trip Report.
Suz
I would not skip AK if you can help it. Plan to go in the morning for opening, and if you are lucky, EMH. The shows alone are worth the price of admission. The Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo, It's Tough To Be a Bug, they are all wonderful!! The rides are amazing and too be honest, you really don't have to see that many animals unless you specifically look for them!!
For a four day trip I would not get the dining plan, especially at that time of year. The reason I say this is time and the lack of it. As another poster mentioned you need to allot about 90 minutes for a sit down meal. That is a lot of time out of your short four day schedule. However, if you feel that much time for a meal is fine, then the dining plan is worth it. I am of two minds with this one. On our first trip with a four year old we had five days and did not do the dining plan. I am glad we didn't. We still had three booked (ADR's) sit dow meals that we enjoyed, but we were not under pressure to use five sit dow meals, five counter service etc.. On our second trip this past January we had eight days and we did do the dining plan. It was well worth it then because we had more time to enjoy the food and the restaurants.
You could try to see what type of ADR's you could get for the four days by calling now. If you luck out and can get some decent times at the restaurants you want then, yes do the dining plan. As your trip is only a month or so away you may find it very hard to get any ADR's in the times and places you want and it that is the case, then skip the dining plan.
Another poster said this was the Value Season, but I think it is the start of Free Dining. That promotion is huge, which means the restaurants will be really full by now with ADR's, so I would do a quick call soon to see what, if anything is still available.
Oh, one other thing on the dining plan. If you get it and find you do not use all your snack credits ( happens to many people) by the last day, then just go and pick up a bunch of pre-packaged snacks and put them in your cooler. By the end of our trip in January we had seven snack credits left on our last night. I used them all up by getting pretzels, little cookies, etc.. and just took them home!!
We have always found the resort transportation to be wonderful! Much easier than worrying about the car, paying to park, remembering where the car is, etc... The bus stops for each resort are fairly decent and with the Carribean there should be several stops as it is a large resort. YOu get to ride in an air conditioned bus and leave the car keys at home. The busses do get crowded once the park closes, so we usually hang out and shop a bit to let the crowds die down.
Oh, even with a small child we found it a pain to do an afternoon break at the resort. We had a stroller so she would nap a bit in it and we would just relax in some shade with a cool drink. With the little amount of time you have I would suggest not returning to the resort for a break, unless you really, really need it.
Oh, Pin Trading! It is a lot of fun, but it is not for everyone. If you do it I would order some pins on line first. They run about six bucks each and go up from there in the parks, so online you can get them much cheaper. My first and second time ordering them I got about 25 for $35.00 . We then bought a lanyard at the resort gift shop the first morning. The kids really loved doing the trading and I enjoyed it becasue I got to chat with a lot of CMs. It is not that time consuming in the end, but if you all do it the time might add up. Maybe just have two lanyards and share them.
Have fun. You will have an amazing trip! Please let us know, if you can, what you are calling your Trip Report.
Suz
Sleeping Becca
<font color=green>It went to Looneyland, by way of
- Joined
- May 22, 2006
The AAA lots are in the same area as the handicap lots. They are very close to the gates, except for MK because you park at the TTC and take a ferry or monorail to the gates.
Parking is free for guests staying at Disney Resorts.
As far as driving times, check out the chart in the Unofficial Guide. I like to be in control, and not be at the mercy of Disney Transport. Many love using Disney transportation, I'm just not a fan. Don't get me wrong many times I will take the bus, but generally I prefer to drive around.
I'm am assuming you have GPS, with a trip like yours it will come in handy. Getting to the parks is easy, just follow the signs. Getting back to the resort can sometimes be a challenge, that is where the GPS comes in. We program the address of the resort into the GPS and voila', getting back is easy as pie.
Don't bother with the dining plan, the restaurants will be packed, and you don't want to waste time.
Parking is free for guests staying at Disney Resorts.
As far as driving times, check out the chart in the Unofficial Guide. I like to be in control, and not be at the mercy of Disney Transport. Many love using Disney transportation, I'm just not a fan. Don't get me wrong many times I will take the bus, but generally I prefer to drive around.
I'm am assuming you have GPS, with a trip like yours it will come in handy. Getting to the parks is easy, just follow the signs. Getting back to the resort can sometimes be a challenge, that is where the GPS comes in. We program the address of the resort into the GPS and voila', getting back is easy as pie.
Don't bother with the dining plan, the restaurants will be packed, and you don't want to waste time.
clutter
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2001
Generally, I agree with that, except that it is August. There is nothing like a sit down meal in air conditioning in the late afternoon/early evening. I would call to see if you can get any reservations in the parks however. And I would let that make my decision about whether to do the dining plan or not. If you can't get all four reservations, then you may want to pay cash for your meals. Free dining starts on the 24th, so it's getting tough to make reservations.
To get the true disney experience, you may want to do a character meal. Crystal Palace at MK or something like that.
We've been at that time of year past 2 summer & will be there again next month. It is NOT as crowded as height of the summer. We find the crowds quite manageable. It is hurricane season, so be aware that severe disruptive weather can happen, although there will be ample warning. Brief but torrential rain is common.
We stayed at ASMusic in Sept 07 and really enjoyed the resort. We were in one of the more distant buildings and we liked the quiet and found the stroll to the dining area/bus stops to be pleasant and not a burden at all.
I spent a summer in Kenya and I wouldn't pass up AK on account of familiarity with Africa. Africa is only 1 part of AK. I find Harambe Village especially pleasant because it does remind me of Africa. Exp Everest is a favorite of my DD, we all love Kali River Rapids, Festival of Lion King, Safari, and Finding Nemo. The parade has a good reputation but we've never stuck around for that.
We do not take midday breaks, but we don't go to the park every day. Keep in touch with how you're feeling and do what seems right at the time. Having fun is the priority, not doing the most rides.
I recommend taking time prior to arrival to get opinions from each member of the party as to what they do not want to miss. Do not leave touring in the hands of one person unless that person has consulted with and will fulfill the wishes of the other group members. Get these must-dos taken care of early in the day (unless they are truly easy to do at any time) and then everything else is icing on the cake.
When considering what is a must-do, think about parades and shows as well as rides.
Have a great trip!
P.S. One final idea. I drove cross country and back last summer. I kept a journal and in particular wrote down the price of gas each time I filled up. Even 1 year later those prices seem amazingly low! $2.95 a gallon!
We stayed at ASMusic in Sept 07 and really enjoyed the resort. We were in one of the more distant buildings and we liked the quiet and found the stroll to the dining area/bus stops to be pleasant and not a burden at all.
I spent a summer in Kenya and I wouldn't pass up AK on account of familiarity with Africa. Africa is only 1 part of AK. I find Harambe Village especially pleasant because it does remind me of Africa. Exp Everest is a favorite of my DD, we all love Kali River Rapids, Festival of Lion King, Safari, and Finding Nemo. The parade has a good reputation but we've never stuck around for that.
We do not take midday breaks, but we don't go to the park every day. Keep in touch with how you're feeling and do what seems right at the time. Having fun is the priority, not doing the most rides.
I recommend taking time prior to arrival to get opinions from each member of the party as to what they do not want to miss. Do not leave touring in the hands of one person unless that person has consulted with and will fulfill the wishes of the other group members. Get these must-dos taken care of early in the day (unless they are truly easy to do at any time) and then everything else is icing on the cake.
When considering what is a must-do, think about parades and shows as well as rides.
Have a great trip!
P.S. One final idea. I drove cross country and back last summer. I kept a journal and in particular wrote down the price of gas each time I filled up. Even 1 year later those prices seem amazingly low! $2.95 a gallon!
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