***1st Week of December Thread ADR Plans, Park Hours, and dealing with Pop Warner***

[Karla07559]

@LisaF and @Talby, very good points, thank you. We will mostly just ride the kiddie stuff and not to ride swap. My friend said to get fast pass for things like It's a small world, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, Kilimanjaro Safari, some frozen ride. I think SoG guests can book 30 days out. I don't have the tickets yet, those can be bought at 45 days out. To be honest these 4 days in Disney were an add on to a cruise we are taking the week before. I said to my husband, hey since were already in FL why not take the baby to check out Mickey. He said ok, whatever you want. We would like to see some parades and I love to watch fireworks so I'll research the best spot to see them. Thanks again for the tips. I'm open for more.

You are correct on the SoG being 30 days out (one of the reasons I but my foot down and we switched). You do need to buy your tickets however before those 30 days out and link the tickets to an online account to be able to do the Fast Passes. There are a few ways to do it since I am assuming you are going with the Salute tickets (military discounted) correct? I believe you can buy them from SoG directly and have them FedExed to you I am sure you can do this from Camp Pendleton. Also which is what we did you can go to a nearby base that has a ticket office they will order tickets and have them shipped to the base and then our base gave us the option of shipping those directly to us. It took about 3 weeks for us and I was advised to plan for at least a month ahead of when I needed them.
Finally I don't know if you will take advantage of it but extra magic hours is something that is usually only for guest staying on site but SoG is one of the few resorts that will qualify for that you just need to show your resort key card I believe. Also magic bands aren't included for SoG but you can buy them online ahead of time if you want them but you can just use your physical ticket for that. (I'm not sure how this physical ticket part will work though for you if you get your tickets from a base they sent you a voucher that has the number that you need to link to the website but it isn't your physical ticket that you will need for your park entrance or FP+, I had not thought about that until now because the magicbands take away the need for physical tickets.)

Sorry if this was really lengthy, you should NOT feel overwhelmed you still have a lot of time to make this trip as magical as you want. What is necessary for us may not be what is right for you and your family. Personally I enjoy over planning and that's why I'm all over these boards I have spreadsheets going I'm probably clinically insane at this point lol my family certainly thinks so. You will find your style of how you do disney no worries find your must dos and try your best to make them happen and if for some reason you can't just think of it as a reason to plan a future trip. Good luck and if you have any questions about the military tickets or any of that jazz feel free to ask sometimes that isn't the most talked about of strategies.

 

[Lisa F]

@LisaF and @Talby, very good points, thank you. We will mostly just ride the kiddie stuff and not to ride swap. My friend said to get fast pass for things like It's a small world, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, Kilimanjaro Safari, some frozen ride. I think SoG guests can book 30 days out. I don't have the tickets yet, those can be bought at 45 days out. To be honest these 4 days in Disney were an add on to a cruise we are taking the week before. I said to my husband, hey since were already in FL why not take the baby to check out Mickey. He said ok, whatever you want. We would like to see some parades and I love to watch fireworks so I'll research the best spot to see them. Thanks again for the tips. I'm open for more.

you are in luck that the fast passes you want (except for frozen) are things that are less popular attractions, so you should be fine at 30 days. You will still want them because they will still amass long lines but they are not the first to go either. I would not fast pass it's a small world if I were you, or dumbo either (they opened a second queue and it moves very fast). I would do peter pan, pooh, and things like jungle book, pirates, haunted mansion etc. Yes Safari. Pretty much the only thing you'd need to fastpass in epcot would be frozen.

 

[Lisa F]

You are correct on the SoG being 30 days out (one of the reasons I but my foot down and we switched). You do need to buy your tickets however before those 30 days out and link the tickets to an online account to be able to do the Fast Passes. There are a few ways to do it since I am assuming you are going with the Salute tickets (military discounted) correct? I believe you can buy them from SoG directly and have them FedExed to you I am sure you can do this from Camp Pendleton. Also which is what we did you can go to a nearby base that has a ticket office they will order tickets and have them shipped to the base and then our base gave us the option of shipping those directly to us. It took about 3 weeks for us and I was advised to plan for at least a month ahead of when I needed them.
Finally I don't know if you will take advantage of it but extra magic hours is something that is usually only for guest staying on site but SoG is one of the few resorts that will qualify for that you just need to show your resort key card I believe. Also magic bands aren't included for SoG but you can buy them online ahead of time if you want them but you can just use your physical ticket for that. (I'm not sure how this physical ticket part will work though for you if you get your tickets from a base they sent you a voucher that has the number that you need to link to the website but it isn't your physical ticket that you will need for your park entrance or FP+, I had not thought about that until now because the magicbands take away the need for physical tickets.)

Sorry if this was really lengthy, you should NOT feel overwhelmed you still have a lot of time to make this trip as magical as you want. What is necessary for us may not be what is right for you and your family. Personally I enjoy over planning and that's why I'm all over these boards I have spreadsheets going I'm probably clinically insane at this point lol my family certainly thinks so. You will find your style of how you do disney no worries find your must dos and try your best to make them happen and if for some reason you can't just think of it as a reason to plan a future trip. Good luck and if you have any questions about the military tickets or any of that jazz feel free to ask sometimes that isn't the most talked about of strategies.

sounds like we have a SoG expert here!

 

[Karla07559]

sounds like we have a SoG expert here!

Lmao well we did have it booked originally so I started planning based on that I am no expert just a bit of a nut with too much time on my hands and an unwillingness to go to sleep at any normal hour when there's Disney planning to be had. SoG ended up being not the right fit for "us" (when I say us I mean me lol I threw a fit and said I would pay the difference but we HAD to stay on site).

If we go again in the future especially with little ones SoG might be perfect they have delux rooms for value prices and not that much further than on site value hotels that extra room would really be helpful. But for two adults who like to open and close parks the convenience of being on site ended up winning this time.

 

[CaleCakes]

You are correct on the SoG
being 30 days out (one of the reasons I but my foot down and we switched). You do need to buy your tickets however before those 30 days out and link the tickets to an online account to be able to do the Fast Passes. There are a few ways to do it since I am assuming you are going with the Salute tickets (military discounted) correct? I believe you can buy them from SoG directly and have them FedExed to you I am sure you can do this from Camp Pendleton. Also which is what we did you can go to a nearby base that has a ticket office they will order tickets and have them shipped to the base and then our base gave us the option of shipping those directly to us. It took about 3 weeks for us and I was advised to plan for at least a month ahead of when I needed them.
Finally I don't know if you will take advantage of it but extra magic hours is something that is usually only for guest staying on site but SoG is one of the few resorts that will qualify for that you just need to show your resort key card I believe. Also magic bands aren't included for SoG but you can buy them online ahead of time if you want them but you can just use your physical ticket for that. (I'm not sure how this physical ticket part will work though for you if you get your tickets from a base they sent you a voucher that has the number that you need to link to the website but it isn't your physical ticket that you will need for your park entrance or FP+, I had not thought about that until now because the magicbands take away the need for physical tickets.)

Sorry if this was really lengthy, you should NOT feel overwhelmed you still have a lot of time to make this trip as magical as you want. What is necessary for us may not be what is right for you and your family. Personally I enjoy over planning and that's why I'm all over these boards I have spreadsheets going I'm probably clinically insane at this point lol my family certainly thinks so. You will find your style of how you do disney no worries find your must dos and try your best to make them happen and if for some reason you can't just think of it as a reason to plan a future trip. Good luck and if you have any questions about the military tickets or any of that jazz feel free to ask sometimes that isn't the most talked about of strategies.

Wow, what great information. Thank you so much. SoG wasn't my first choice- it was the Poly or the Beach Club, but again seeing that this was an extension of our original trip to FL I couldn't justify spending another couple grand on the room. Next time when our little man is older we will stay onsite for sure. I spoke with the ticket agent at SoG (Kathy?) and she said at the 45 day out mark I'll get an email with a paperwork to fill out for the tickets and then I can have them mailed to us. And yes we are looking at the Salute to Armed Forces 4 day park hopper. Our tentative plan is to to What are your thoughts on the magic bands? Should we get them? We will be getting the memory maker. I know I can't charge anything to the room using the magic band, but i thought they would be more convenient than just a ticket. What is the ticket like? It is paper or is it more like hard plastic? I have the Xmas party ones already and they are hard plastic.

@CaleCakes What a great husband! lol Fantastic that you're doing both a cruise and spending time at WDW--nice!! I think you can definitely combine some winging it style along with a little bit of planning; they can mutually coexist! I am NO expert, but I think it's a nice combination to have a little bit of both. I think your friend gave you solid fast pass advice. If your family happens to be early risers, getting to MK at rope drop is an idea to consider. That way you can knock out a few of the kiddie rides before the crowds are in full force. Not to worry if that's not your family's style; lots of people prefer to sleep in and get to the parks later in the morning. @Lisa F wrote a great post recently (it's in the middle somewhere that you skipped! haha) about various touring strategies. The great thing is there is no right or wrong, just preferences. I would look over the parade/fireworks times at each park and decide what you want to go to. Google or search on here for best fireworks viewing spots in _____ (whichever park) to get some ideas of where you want to be for those. I would HIGHLY recommend looking at park maps to get an understanding of the layout of the parks. Find where your ADRs are, look over the rides you want to go on and see where those are, find your fireworks viewing spots. You're going to have a GREAT time!

Unfortunate for us our son is an early rider- I mean like 5:15 am sometimes. Ugh. So we will probably be able to make it to rope drop and get in before the crowds. I hate breakfast and he is happy with a big cup of milk and some mini pancakes and a banana. My husband could go all out or just have a muffin. One good thing is our room comes with free breakfast buffet every morning. Our son is pretty much go with the flow but he is super nosy and may or may not sleep in the stroller. I guess we will have to wait and see if a mid day nap back at the room is needed. Would you say that our day at AK would be an all day event since it is a little further away? Meaning should we plan not to go back to the room midday? Good idea pulling the maps and seeing where things are ahead of time and looking at the schedules. I'll get right on that.

 

[Talby]

Unfortunate for us our son is an early rider- I mean like 5:15 am sometimes. Ugh. So we will probably be able to make it to rope drop and get in before the crowds. I hate breakfast and he is happy with a big cup of milk and some mini pancakes and a banana. My husband could go all out or just have a muffin. One good thing is our room comes with free breakfast buffet every morning. Our son is pretty much go with the flow but he is super nosy and may or may not sleep in the stroller. I guess we will have to wait and see if a mid day nap back at the room is needed. Would you say that our day at AK would be an all day event since it is a little further away? Meaning should we plan not to go back to the room midday? Good idea pulling the maps and seeing where things are ahead of time and looking at the schedules. I'll get right on that.

With that little early riser of yours, you'll be able to get to the parks nice and early! lol That breakfast buffet at SoG is a great perk as it will save both time and money and will obviously be very convenient. Here's the kicker about AK--they have not announced when park hours will be for December yet. We are all patiently (cough, cough) waiting for those hours to be announced. Right now, they have AK park hours listed as 9 to 5 for December. If that were the case, I would recommend not going back to your room midday. There are some really cool-looking potential nighttime experiences that are possibilities for December and that would extend AK park hours if those are a go. Check those out (Rivers of Light, Tree of Life Awakenings) to see if they interest your family. If you do decide you want to see those, and especially if your little man doesn't sleep well in the stroller, I would give serious consideration to going back to the room in that instance. That would be a reallllly long day if he is up and at 'em at 5:15 a.m. and didn't nap in the stroller. I remember what over-tired toddlers are like.

 

[Talby]

To those with Star Wars Dessert Party interest, I found this fun to look through. (scroll down to Day 3)

http://www.disboards.com/threads/th...ip-new-8-3-breakfast-at-garden-grill.3502952/

PS: Our upcoming trip won't be the right time for it, but one day I would absolutely adore going to Victoria and Albert's! (also in this person's trip report).

 

[Lisa F]

To those with Star Wars Dessert Party interest, I found this fun to look through. (scroll down to Day 3)

http://www.disboards.com/threads/th...ip-new-8-3-breakfast-at-garden-grill.3502952/

PS: Our upcoming trip won't be the right time for it, but one day I would absolutely adore going to Victoria and Albert's! (also in this person's trip report).

that is from before the new show and before moving the party to the launch bay. But still a totally fun TR!

 

[Maryemcd]

Oh and it looks like I'll be letting go a BOG lunch and Skippers Canteen dinner. BOG conflicts with 'Ohana now and there's nothing at SC that my DD will eat.

Did you release the BOG lunch? What date/time do you have?

~mary

 

[Winniebell10]

Hi guys. I should maybe ask this somewhere else, but I'm too used to coming to my 1st week of December group for answers. I've been thinking of fast passes the past couple of days. I'm wanting to make sure I'm making the most out of them, and was hoping for your input.

It's looking like I'm going to have to pick them usually for our later park on days that we park hop. (Which I've always done). But, FEA is making me feel like I'm wasting a day of FP. Just wanted to go over it with you guys to make sure I'm not missing something.

So, there is a morning we are going to HS very early to try to make it to Jedi Training. We will spend our morning at HS through lunch time. We have a dinner reservation at Biergarten that evening, so we plan to either take a break mid day at resort, or just go on over to Epcot depending on how we feel. Anyway, I figured since we'll be at Epcot later, that I would try for a FEA FP for that night. That we'd probably have a good chance at getting FEA at a later time, plus we'd be there then anyway. (We have more time built into Epcot, but will be using FP for TT or Soarin). I just hate that I'm really just getting in only 1 FP that day. Seems like a waste. I have older boys, no one is a Frozen freak over here, but we definitely want to ride it. I know that now with FP, you can book say one or two FP at first park, then, once you are using up those FP the day of, you can book something in park you are hopping to. That new option with FP is a cool idea, but, I'm betting there wouldn't be options with the popular rides on the day of. From what I can tell, what I'm doing is really my only option. Anyone see anything I'm missing?

 

[Lisa F]

I just posted this on the tread about MSEP but I will post it here too since I posted my original letter:

I just wanted to check in again because I wrote an email to wdw guest services expressing my disappointment. Someone called today. She sounded like she was on her first day of the job, stumbling over her words and I wasn't about to hassle someone like that. First she read to me from the script that yulilin3 posted, assuring me how much the parade would be enjoyed by those in Disneyland. Then she said she wanted to take me through all of the exciting new things at the Magic Kingdom. Apparently my 8 year old son should be mollified about the loss of the MSEP by the fact that Princess Elena is arriving at the MK. So there you have it, for everyone wondering about what WDW is going to get in it's place. Princess Elena. I'm not even sure who the heck that is and I'm certain that my son, who won't set foot in CRT castle for all of the gold in the kingdom would know either (believe me, I tried. "please, mom, no princesses!" But I'm glad that Disney took the time to tell me about it!

actually now I am more annoyed than I was before. I would prefer no response than in insensitive canned one. Princess Elena? really?

 

[Candycane83]

I just posted this on the tread about MSEP but I will post it here too since I posted my original letter:

I just wanted to check in again because I wrote an email to wdw guest services expressing my disappointment. Someone called today. She sounded like she was on her first day of the job, stumbling over her words and I wasn't about to hassle someone like that. First she read to me from the script that yulilin3 posted, assuring me how much the parade would be enjoyed by those in Disneyland. Then she said she wanted to take me through all of the exciting new things at the Magic Kingdom. Apparently my 8 year old son should be mollified about the loss of the MSEP by the fact that Princess Elena is arriving at the MK. So there you have it, for everyone wondering about what WDW is going to get in it's place. Princess Elena. I'm not even sure who the heck that is and I'm certain that my son, who won't set foot in CRT castle for all of the gold in the kingdom would know either (believe me, I tried. "please, mom, no princesses!" But I'm glad that Disney took the time to tell me about it!

actually now I am more annoyed than I was before. I would prefer no response than in insensitive canned one. Princess Elena? really?

Really?!?!?!?! MSEP for Princess Elena?! If that's the sort of math Disney is doing, I think people are going to revolt! I still have a reservation for the MSEP package on Dec 3 and they have not contacted me yet. Hmm... we'll see what they come up with.

 

[Candycane83]

Hi guys. I should maybe ask this somewhere else, but I'm too used to coming to my 1st week of December group for answers. I've been thinking of fast passes the past couple of days. I'm wanting to make sure I'm making the most out of them, and was hoping for your input.

It's looking like I'm going to have to pick them usually for our later park on days that we park hop. (Which I've always done). But, FEA is making me feel like I'm wasting a day of FP. Just wanted to go over it with you guys to make sure I'm not missing something.

So, there is a morning we are going to HS very early to try to make it to Jedi Training. We will spend our morning at HS through lunch time. We have a dinner reservation at Biergarten that evening, so we plan to either take a break mid day at resort, or just go on over to Epcot depending on how we feel. Anyway, I figured since we'll be at Epcot later, that I would try for a FEA FP for that night. That we'd probably have a good chance at getting FEA at a later time, plus we'd be there then anyway. (We have more time built into Epcot, but will be using FP for TT or Soarin). I just hate that I'm really just getting in only 1 FP that day. Seems like a waste. I have older boys, no one is a Frozen freak over here, but we definitely want to ride it. I know that now with FP, you can book say one or two FP at first park, then, once you are using up those FP the day of, you can book something in park you are hopping to. That new option with FP is a cool idea, but, I'm betting there wouldn't be options with the popular rides on the day of. From what I can tell, what I'm doing is really my only option. Anyone see anything I'm missing?

I've just started looking into Fastpasses but haven't gotten through much yet... There's the SDFP too and that seems very complicated... I'm hoping that after I read the FP thread I wouldn't be this confused... Right now, my understanding is book 3 FP per day at 60 days for onsite. You can book x number of FP in the same park or any other park after you use the first 3. I'm not sure whether you can book 1 at a time only after?

Yes, FEA seems like the hottest ticket right now, along with 7DMT. Other than that, everything else seems ok...? But planning around this and ADRs seem like a lot of research. I have a PPO for Akershus that I'm holding onto because it might be a plus for FEA. I hear it's still breaking down a lot though. I have a 2 year old boy who could care less about Frozen (my DH doesn't care either) but I do want to see it... (Mommy likes cute things, LOL) The park hopping thing seems logical but you have to remember to use all three FPs first? I know you can book just one but I've read somewhere that it's still advisable to book 3 before booking the additional FPs. Maybe someone else here can clarify...

 

[Winniebell10]

I've just started looking into Fastpasses but haven't gotten through much yet... There's the SDFP too and that seems very complicated... I'm hoping that after I read the FP thread I wouldn't be this confused... Right now, my understanding is book 3 FP per day at 60 days for onsite. You can book x number of FP in the same park or any other park after you use the first 3. I'm not sure whether you can book 1 at a time only after?

Yes, FEA seems like the hottest ticket right now, along with 7DMT. Other than that, everything else seems ok...? But planning around this and ADRs seem like a lot of research. I have a PPO for Akershus that I'm holding onto because it might be a plus for FEA. I hear it's still breaking down a lot though. I have a 2 year old boy who could care less about Frozen (my DH doesn't care either) but I do want to see it... (Mommy likes cute things, LOL) The park hopping thing seems logical but you have to remember to use all three FPs first? I know you can book just one but I've read somewhere that it's still advisable to book 3 before booking the additional FPs. Maybe someone else here can clarify...

We were there recently, and I found that 7DMT was easy to book at the 60 day mark. Most of them are pretty good to go at the 60 day point. I just hate tying up fast passes for just that one ride. But I think that's my only option. That ppo Akershus sounds like you'll be good to go. Hopefully FEA won't be breaking down by December.

 

[Candycane83]

We were there recently, and I found that 7DMT was easy to book at the 60 day mark. Most of them are pretty good to go at the 60 day point. I just hate tying up fast passes for just that one ride. But I think that's my only option. That ppo Akershus sounds like you'll be good to go. Hopefully FEA won't be breaking down by December.

Was it easy to get more FP after the first one? For things like jungle cruise haunted mansion or pirates?

 

[Winniebell10]

I found MK easy to book at the 60 date, for everything no problem. I think at the 30 date if you were off property, 7DMT can be tough sometimes. But, what I did notice one day in Epcot we used our 3 Fast Passes and neither Test Track nor Soarin were available the day of. That's why I didn't want to take the chance this time of trying that with FEA, I figure that would be impossible. Not sure if it's possible to get decent additional fast passes at MK, never tried that.

 

[Winniebell10]

I just posted this on the tread about MSEP but I will post it here too since I posted my original letter:

I just wanted to check in again because I wrote an email to wdw guest services expressing my disappointment. Someone called today. She sounded like she was on her first day of the job, stumbling over her words and I wasn't about to hassle someone like that. First she read to me from the script that yulilin3 posted, assuring me how much the parade would be enjoyed by those in Disneyland. Then she said she wanted to take me through all of the exciting new things at the Magic Kingdom. Apparently my 8 year old son should be mollified about the loss of the MSEP by the fact that Princess Elena is arriving at the MK. So there you have it, for everyone wondering about what WDW is going to get in it's place. Princess Elena. I'm not even sure who the heck that is and I'm certain that my son, who won't set foot in CRT castle for all of the gold in the kingdom would know either (believe me, I tried. "please, mom, no princesses!" But I'm glad that Disney took the time to tell me about it!

actually now I am more annoyed than I was before. I would prefer no response than in insensitive canned one. Princess Elena? really?

Seriously? I would have loved to have heard this conversation. I bet you were scratching your head the whole time.

 

[Lisa F]

Seriously? I would have loved to have heard this conversation. I bet you were scratching your head the whole time.

well she called at like 4:50 and I had to pick my kid up so I did not really engaged. She sounded young and very inexperienced and like she was awkwardly reading off of a script and I didn't have it in me to get mad at her knowing she was just doing a crappy job probably for crappy pay. Going off on her would not have made me feel one bit better at all. The part about princess Elena was part of basically (paraphrasing) "and we appreciate you spending your upcoming vacation with us. please permit me to tell you of all the new exciting things happening in the Magic Kingdom. Princess Elena is arriving!" and that was it. woo. hoo.

 

[Lisa F]

Really?!?!?!?! MSEP for Princess Elena?! If that's the sort of math Disney is doing, I think people are going to revolt! I still have a reservation for the MSEP package on Dec 3 and they have not contacted me yet. Hmm... we'll see what they come up with.

well as i said first she said that i should be excited that DL was getting the parade. then she said "let me tell you about about all of the exciting new things we have for your trip coming up" and when she started reading the list, that was it. it was awkward at the end. honestly I am tempted to complain again about their complaint response.

 

[Karla07559]

Wow, what great information. Thank you so much. SoG wasn't my first choice- it was the Poly or the Beach Club, but again seeing that this was an extension of our original trip to FL I couldn't justify spending another couple grand on the room. Next time when our little man is older we will stay onsite for sure. I spoke with the ticket agent at SoG (Kathy?) and she said at the 45 day out mark I'll get an email with a paperwork to fill out for the tickets and then I can have them mailed to us. And yes we are looking at the Salute to Armed Forces 4 day park hopper. Our tentative plan is to to What are your thoughts on the magic bands? Should we get them? We will be getting the memory maker. I know I can't charge anything to the room using the magic band, but i thought they would be more convenient than just a ticket. What is the ticket like? It is paper or is it more like hard plastic? I have the Xmas party ones already and they are hard plastic.

http://www.militarydisneytips.com/b...and-fastpass-plus-for-shades-of-green-guests/

The link is to a website I used when i was planning with SoG in mind and when I was weighing out our options. It has tons of good information. A magic band was one of the things i had decided to get at least for myself. The convenience of not having to pull out that little ticket for everything was worth the money. And maybe just one of you needs it which was the plan for us. Because since it is not likely you will ever be separated for things like reservations, ride pictures or memory maker only one of you needs to scan. Of course for FP+ you will need to pull out the ticket if you don't have the magic band but it's the only scenario where you both need it after you get in the park. Also I can't really say on the tickets paper or plastic question. below is what we got in the mail from our base. They are paper and on the back is a number you link to your online account and presto you have tickets. Since we are getting the bands with our resort stay I didn't think past that step. In the past I believe Disney World gave paper tickets at the gate and gave plastic tickets to their resort guest because it doubled as their room key. SoG is in that iffy middle spot and I think a quick call back to Kathy should clear it up. My tip is to get at least one magic band ahead of time. Once you are there if you feel like getting another while in the parks you can and it can serve as a souvenir as well. Just my thoughts.