September 2016

[GrandCalifornian]

Hello!

Going September 2-11! Staying at Coronado.

Welcome to the thread and to the DIS. Is this your first WDW trip? You're at under a year to go now!

 

[sunshinemelody]

Welcome to the thread and to the DIS. Is this your first WDW trip? You're at under a year to go now!

Thank you!

It'll be the first I'm planning on my own (and I've been planning for a wee while), but my second time going. It'll be my boyfriend's first time and he's really excited!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Thank you!

It'll be the first I'm planning on my own (and I've been planning for a wee while), but my second time going. It'll be my boyfriend's first time and he's really excited!

That's great. You get to enjoy the whole planning process this way. He might get tired of hearing about WDW but he'll get it once he's there. We can't wait for the schedule to come out in February so we can figure out which days we'll do our ADRs on. We have it down to a short list of the places we want to go, but organizing it into the schedule is the next step. We're also hoping for discounts to come out, but we'll probably have to wait until late April or early May for that.

Having found the DIS you have access to all kinds of great info. CSR has a thread with lots of info in the resorts section, and you can read about lots of great food options on the dining boards. Enjoy!

 

[sunshinemelody]

That's great. You get to enjoy the whole planning process this way. He might get tired of hearing about WDW but he'll get it once he's there. We can't wait for the schedule to come out in February so we can figure out which days we'll do our ADRs on. We have it down to a short list of the places we want to go, but organizing it into the schedule is the next step. We're also hoping for discounts to come out, but we'll probably have to wait until late April or early May for that.

Having found the DIS you have access to all kinds of great info. CSR has a thread with lots of info in the resorts section, and you can read about lots of great food options on the dining boards. Enjoy!

Yeah, I think he's getting tired already, but it sank in for him last night that yep, we're going to Disney. ADRs are Advance Dining Reservations, correct? How do you come up with a list of places without feeling so overwhelmed?

I appreciate your taking the time out to welcome me. Glad to be here, hope to see you around!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Yeah, I think he's getting tired already, but it sank in for him last night that yep, we're going to Disney. ADRs are Advance Dining Reservations, correct? How do you come up with a list of places without feeling so overwhelmed?

I appreciate your taking the time out to welcome me. Glad to be here, hope to see you around!

No problem, that's part of the fun of these boards. Yep, ADRs are Advanced Dining Reservations. You can book them 180 days from the first day of your trip, which gets you a head start on booking them for the later days in your trip than the rest of the world. The reservations date will be some time in March (March 6 for your arrival), and that is a big day in WDW trip planning.

Coming up with a list of restaurants that sounds good is fun and relatively easy. We read trip reports, dining reports, and info on the WDW website about the places we might want to eat. The biggest thing to remember to keep from being overwhelmed is that you really can't go wrong, since most of the restaurants at WDW are going to be very good, some just have different advantages over others. The hard part for us is cutting down the list to one Table Service meal a day. This works well with the dining plan, and helps keep the trip from being over scheduled.

Since you don't have kids to worry about you can probably get better food by avoiding character meals, although there are a few exceptions. You also might want to leave some spots open for spur of the moment dining decisions, but it can be a long wait (or even impossible) to get in to some of the restaurants without reservations.

Some of our absolute favorite restaurants to visit are:
Yak and Yeti in AK
Crystal Palace for Breakfast in MK before the park opens
Akershus in Norway at Epcot for character dining with really good food
Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern at MK (since it is plated, not a buffet at lunch and makes a nice cool break in an MK day).

There are so many great options that a big part of it is realizing that you won't be able to hit them all, unless you get to go to WDW a lot more than most of us can afford to, so just pick some favorites and learn what you like.

Edit: Just realized that we've booked for CS, however, we're also looking into renting DVC points for AKL. I kind of like the latter option of course.

We think renting points at AKL looks like a great deal. Those value studios can be really hard to get though, since they sell out and book up quickly.

Something we like to do while we are there is visit other resorts to see where we might like to stay on a future trip. We have never stayed at AKL, but we visit every time and if the situation were right would definitely consider staying there. It is very similar to WL which we love, and of course has the huge unique advantage of having the animals.

 

[sunshinemelody]

No problem, that's part of the fun of these boards. Yep, ADRs are Advanced Dining Reservations. You can book them 180 days from the first day of your trip, which gets you a head start on booking them for the later days in your trip than the rest of the world. The reservations date will be some time in March (March 6 for your arrival), and that is a big day in WDW trip planning.

Coming up with a list of restaurants that sounds good is fun and relatively easy. We read trip reports, dining reports, and info on the WDW website about the places we might want to eat. The biggest thing to remember to keep from being overwhelmed is that you really can't go wrong, since most of the restaurants at WDW are going to be very good, some just have different advantages over others. The hard part for us is cutting down the list to one Table Service meal a day. This works well with the dining plan, and helps keep the trip from being over scheduled.

Since you don't have kids to worry about you can probably get better food by avoiding character meals, although there are a few exceptions. You also might want to leave some spots open for spur of the moment dining decisions, but it can be a long wait (or even impossible) to get in to some of the restaurants without reservations.

Some of our absolute favorite restaurants to visit are:
Yak and Yeti in AK
Crystal Palace for Breakfast in MK before the park opens
Akershus in Norway at Epcot for character dining with really good food
Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern at MK (since it is plated, not a buffet at lunch and makes a nice cool break in an MK day).

There are so many great options that a big part of it is realizing that you won't be able to hit them all, unless you get to go to WDW a lot more than most of us can afford to, so just pick some favorites and learn what you like.


We think renting points at AKL looks like a great deal. Those value studios can be really hard to get though, since they sell out and book up quickly.

Something we like to do while we are there is visit other resorts to see where we might like to stay on a future trip. We have never stayed at AKL, but we visit every time and if the situation were right would definitely consider staying there. It is very similar to WL which we love, and of course has the huge unique advantage of having the animals.

Thanks for the lengthy reply!

I gave my boyfriend the honor of looking into restaurants that he'd like to venture to during our time there. Hopefully they're reasonably good, knowing his tastes. I told him Be Our Guest is the only one that he can't eliminate, since I thought it was absolutely beautiful. Didn't like what I ate (Croque Monsieur, they do it very differently there than the French restaurants out in NYC), but the atmosphere was so gorgeous.

I'll definitely see about the Crystal Palace and Akershus as those two were places I was eyeing.

About renting those points, though! I know, I'm so nervous! I'd love to get the value studio, but, if we can't, then that's fine. Thankfully, I have an aunt who has DVC and I texted her to ask if we could use (or rent) them for our trip, since she rarely uses them for she and her kids. Might as well put them to good use, right? Last year, when I was supposed to take my mother to Disney (which sadly fell through because of reasons), she offered to set us up in a villa, so, who knows! Might be able to get something bigger!

May I ask, the link that is in your signature, is that a trip report? Oh wait. I looked again. They're all trip reports! I'm going to take a look! Thanks for the amazing chat, I'm now more excited than ever!

Edit: I noticed that you're trying to stay at Wilderness Lodge? I'm not entirely sure why I didn't notice that one, but it's breathtaking. Right up our alley. But, it was probably the pricing that made us look for something more moderate (which we have no problem with). But trip reports! I didn't know that we could do pre-planning reports. Do people help each other out to help plan if they're stuck? I'd really love to utilize the reports and get some feedback from folks into the best way to make sure that our vacation is done well.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Thanks for the lengthy reply!

I gave my boyfriend the honor of looking into restaurants that he'd like to venture to during our time there. Hopefully they're reasonably good, knowing his tastes. I told him Be Our Guest is the only one that he can't eliminate, since I thought it was absolutely beautiful. Didn't like what I ate (Croque Monsieur, they do it very differently there than the French restaurants out in NYC), but the atmosphere was so gorgeous.

I'll definitely see about the Crystal Palace and Akershus as those two were places I was eyeing.

About renting those points, though! I know, I'm so nervous! I'd love to get the value studio, but, if we can't, then that's fine. Thankfully, I have an aunt who has DVC and I texted her to ask if we could use (or rent) them for our trip, since she rarely uses them for she and her kids. Might as well put them to good use, right? Last year, when I was supposed to take my mother to Disney (which sadly fell through because of reasons), she offered to set us up in a villa, so, who knows! Might be able to get something bigger!

May I ask, the link that is in your signature, is that a trip report? Oh wait. I looked again. They're all trip reports! I'm going to take a look! Thanks for the amazing chat, I'm now more excited than ever!

No problem, I'm glad that I could contribute to the excitement. I don't need much prompting to write about Disney stuff. Now you see the whole trip report side of the DIS. Sorry for the huge amount of time that will cost you, but at least it should be fun.

I noticed that you're trying to stay at Wilderness Lodge? I'm not entirely sure why I didn't notice that one, but it's breathtaking. Right up our alley. But, it was probably the pricing that made us look for something more moderate (which we have no problem with). But trip reports! I didn't know that we could do pre-planning reports. Do people help each other out to help plan if they're stuck? I'd really love to utilize the reports and get some feedback from folks into the best way to make sure that our vacation is done well.

We absolutely love Wilderness Lodge. We picked it for our honeymoon in 2007 and then returned in 2012 and 2013. Last year we tried POR and really enjoyed it too, but we are hoping to get back to WL. It is the most reasonably priced of the deluxe resorts, especially with a standard view room, so that helps us out. We also love the location because it is beautiful and has boat transportation to MK. Being a deluxe resort it usually is included in Fall free dining or 20-30% off room only promotions, which is what we are counting on this time.

PTRs aren't as common (or exciting) as regular trip reports, but they are a fun way to share your plans and ask others their opinions. It also helps pass the time waiting for the next trip. People on here are often willing to offer opinions from past experience of what worked for them. Pop on over to ours if you want and we'll see you there.

 

[tflood]

Add me to the list, we booked our bounce back Monday for ASMU for September 11-17, 2016

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Add me to the list, we booked our bounce back Monday for ASMU for September 11-17, 2016

Yay for the bounce back! It is great to know you'll be back all year. Another first for a resort too. We're glad to have you signed up.

 

[tflood]

Yay for the bounce back! It is great to know you'll be back all year. Another first for a resort too. We're glad to have you signed up.

Thanks GrandCalifornian! We just returned from a very short visit and I couldn't wait to book for next year. I'm sooo looking forward to next September

 

[DanaRylan]

We are in the process of booking our first ever Disney trip Sept 8-15 2016. Staying at Art of Animation. Im searching the blog for good travel agent to help book and answer my many many questions.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We are in the process of booking our first ever Disney trip Sept 8-15 2016. Staying at Art of Animation. Im searching the blog for good travel agent to help book and answer my many many questions.

Welcome! I am honored to have your first post be here. You chose a great time of year to go, and with the time you'll have to plan and use of the DIS, you could handle it yourself. You could also go with a TA, and there are many who specialize in Disney, and an agency that runs this board. Either way though you will want to be informed yourself, and we're here to help with that, and any questions you may have.

Are you planning on a Little Mermaid room or a family suite at Art of Animation? It is a great resort, and you can walk across the bridge to visit POP and check it out too. Welcome and happy planning.

 

[DanaRylan]

Thanks! We were planning on a little mermaid room but I've been to!d there are no deals with that room. So now I'm kind of looking at Pop.
I started a notebook today so I can try to keep track of things. I really want to pick the hotel and room pretty quick.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Thanks! We were planning on a little mermaid room but I've been to!d there are no deals with that room. So now I'm kind of looking at Pop.
I started a notebook today so I can try to keep track of things. I really want to pick the hotel and room pretty quick.

That sounds good. We liked visiting POP, and that bridge to AoA goes both ways, so you can still go check it out. The Little Mermaid rooms are the only non-suite rooms at AoA, and are the cheapest but you can save money and get better discounts at POP. If you want to go value, POP is not a bad way to go.

Upgrading to a Moderate gets you queen beds, larger rooms, and pools with slides. Then the extra $$$ for Deluxe gets you interior hallways, balconies, and closer locations to parks.

There are FAQ threads for each resort, and you can learn more about the perks of each.

If you decide to go with another resort just let me know and I will update the list. You might want to wait and see on the discounts, even though they won't be announced until the spring (usually April or May) and many people will change their reservations then. You just want to make sure to be booked somewhere when we hit the 180 day mark in March so you can get your dining reservations. Happy planning.

 

[merdie]

We are booked for 9/28-10/3! Going on a bounce back with FD, staying at POR! So excited!!

 

[GrandCalifornian]

We are booked for 9/28-10/3! Going on a bounce back with FD, staying at POR! So excited!!

Yay! We loved POR during our last trip. It is so great to have the bounceback booked so you know you are set for free dining, and don't have to worry about whether it will be offered at POR. Congratulations and we are glad you're here.

 

[crystalsmom1021]

Can you add me to the list. We are booked 9/11-09/16 Staying at Pop. 2nd trip celebrating daughters 11 birthday

 

[crystalsmom1021]

Can you add me to the list. We are booked 9/11-09/16 Staying at Pop. 2nd trip celebrating daughters 11 birthday

After planning the trip of a lifetime in Oct 2014, taking up any free time and 24 hrs a day it seemed , I am ready to grab some QS meals and wing about 75% of our trip

 

[GrandCalifornian]

Can you add me to the list. We are booked 9/11-09/16 Staying at Pop. 2nd trip celebrating daughters 11 birthday

Welcome! Sounds like it should be a great way to celebrate your daughter's birthday. We celebrated our daughter's fifth there last year.

It is tough to find the right balance between over planning and winging it. The only way to know what works best is to try it multiple ways, which means more trips. Are you planning something special for her birthday day?

 

[crystalsmom1021]

Welcome! Sounds like it should be a great way to celebrate your daughter's birthday. We celebrated our daughter's fifth there last year.

It is tough to find the right balance between over planning and winging it. The only way to know what works best is to try it multiple ways, which means more trips. Are you planning something special for her birthday day?

Sorry was a out of pocket. Last year we had a cake delivered to the room. Yummy. She picked breakfast with Lilo and Stitch and we attended the MNSSHP . Not sure how we will top that.