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

[Lisa F]

I believe the path is suggested for all Poly resort guests to use the Grand Floridian's fitness center! I stayed in Aotearoa which is one of the closer longhouses to the path. The walk did not seem too bad. The Grand Floridian is very close in sight! When I needed to make an ADR, I did however utilize the monorail. Being the first stop from the Poly, I do not foresee too many delays, unless that is a day the resort line is down for testing, or if the express is down because it will be flooded with TTC monorail goers! Narcoossee's is also tucked into the very back by the boat dock so there will also be a walk from either the fitness center path or the main building.

I kind of wanted to take the monorail so that we could go through the GF's lobby and see the house and everything. I think maybe I should just plan enough time to do it all. I think I can move my 5:15 to 5:35 which might be a better time. If I get into the room at the poly more like 3:30 it should not be a problem at all but I just worry that my luck I'll end up there at 4

 

[Lisa F]

Transportation question.......

I've never used the buses to get around Disney, in the past we've stayed at Poly or CR and only gone to MK. This trip will be a first for all the other parks, except Epcot when I was a child.
Everyday to allow 90 minutes to change parks for ADRs. That seems like a verrrrry long time to me. I wonder if it would just be easier to budget for Uber and not worry about the buses, except for going to MK.

I'm already planing to Uber to MCO departure day as we have a 7:15 flight.

Any thoughts?

what are your transfers?
for going to the MK, you can uber to the contemporary resort and walk (much faster than going to MK dropoff site at TTC). I am all for maximizing vacation time and I hate buses with a passion so I'd vote for uber. but where are you trying to go to and from specifically?

 

[BDFmom]

what are your transfers?
for going to the MK, you can uber to the contemporary resort and walk (much faster than going to MK dropoff site at TTC). I am all for maximizing vacation time and I hate buses with a passion so I'd vote for uber. but where are you trying to go to and from specifically?

Any park or resort transfer.... LOL.
For rope drop to Epcot... I will probable Uber to BC and walk to IG.
Transfer on the big SW dessert party night... Uber from AK to DHS.

I'm already to budget for Uber... but I would take buses if they are truly efficient. I hate waiting in line for transportation.... and have heat horror stories about wait times at Disney. After a night at MK... I would rather monorail or boat to a resort and Uber back to my resort.

I just don't want to have to plan on 90 transferring from place to place. Does that make sense??

 

[Maryemcd]

No judgements on using SDFP.... Disney tacitly approves of it because many people post about it on these boards and obviously Disney reads some of these posts. They could close the loophole by only allowing you to use the kiosk with a band or ticket that hashe been used to enter the park on that day. "Easy" may not be what the computer programmers say, but it is obviously do-able.

 

[PolyRob]

Transportation question.......

I've never used the buses to get around Disney, in the past we've stayed at Poly or CR and only gone to MK. This trip will be a first for all the other parks, except Epcot when I was a child.
Everyday to allow 90 minutes to change parks for ADRs. That seems like a verrrrry long time to me. I wonder if it would just be easier to budget for Uber and not worry about the buses, except for going to MK.

I'm already planing to Uber to MCO departure day as we have a 7:15 flight.

Any thoughts?

The transportation was so hard to predict. I think Disney suggests 90 minutes just so you have enough cushion, especially if you need to take multiple modes of transportation, pass security checkpoints, and actually get to your destination.

I was very fortunate that I did not have to wait more than 5 minutes for any of my busses from the Poly to HS, AK, or even Epcot one morning the Epcot beam was closed for maintenance. We just happened to walk out of the great ceremonial house at the right time. My worst transportation experience was waiting at HS to go back to Poly. Had to have been at least 25 minutes of waiting, and there was a family there before us who had waited at least 10 minutes prior at the GF/Poly stop. The bus finally came, and another one cut it them off, so it then had to go all the way around again until it could park. Additionally, if you have anyone with a stroller or ECV, this will add time to unload, load, and then unload again.

The monorail seemed to be fine for me, except on a day the express was down for maintenance. The resort line became packed and I had to wait for the next one. Not a big deal, but added a little bit of time.

The boats were probably the least convenient from my experience. Probably because 2 out of the 3 times we took them was because something was closed so extra people were cramming in. The boats also take much longer. If you want an experience and are willing to take more time out, go for the boat! If you want to get somewhere as fast as possible, avoid the boat (IMO).

I am planning on utilizing an Uber for Disney Springs, or to get from resort to resort. You can get some decent Uber credits if you a are a new member, refer a friend or family member, or sign up with a Chase credit card! I know I am the only person in my travel group that currently has an account so I can refer them all and we can probably go our entire trip for free. One side note, I think I read Uber could not pickup at MCO. Not sure if I remember that correctly or if it also includes dropping off. I would check the transportation thread!

I kind of wanted to take the monorail so that we could go through the GF's lobby and see the house and everything. I think maybe I should just plan enough time to do it all. I think I can move my 5:15 to 5:35 which might be a better time. If I get into the room at the poly more like 3:30 it should not be a problem at all but I just worry that my luck I'll end up there at 4

Yes, we found the monorail ride to be very convenient to the GF from the Poly. And that lobby is very impressive when you walk in on the second floor! It is the reason our December trip is booked there! The whole time we were walking to our meal my mom kept saying how she could see herself staying there. I can only imagine what it would look like with the tree up in person! The 5:35 may be a better option to plan for the unknown. You could even get there very early and try to check-in for the 5:35 rather than be on time for the 5:15.

 

[Lisa F]

Any park or resort transfer.... LOL.
For rope drop to Epcot... I will probable Uber to BC and walk to IG.
Transfer on the big SW dessert party night... Uber from AK to DHS.

I'm already to budget for Uber... but I would take buses if they are truly efficient. I hate waiting in line for transportation.... and have heat horror stories about wait times at Disney. After a night at MK... I would rather monorail or boat to a resort and Uber back to my resort.

I just don't want to have to plan on 90 transferring from place to place. Does that make sense??

when you have to take disney transport you have to take the longest round trip transportation time (usually about 20 minutes) and double it because murphy's law says that your chances of just missing a bus/boat/monorail when you are in a rush goes up exponentially. If all goes right it can be efficient. if not it is very frustrating. I have taken the buses before and hate them, so I rent a car because it is not much more than taking a town car from the airport and takes care of that transportation for me too. I also just feel better knowing I am not relying on anyone else to get somewhere if I need to (urgent care clinic for example, I have spent some time there, believe me!) But uber is a good alternative also if you are not going to use a car much. Even if it takes me 20 minutes to walk to a tram, tram to car, walk to car... get in car and drive and repark and do it in reverse I would rather be moving forward with a known quantity than standing around leaving my destiny in the hands of the disney bus system. It's just how I roll.

 

[Lisa F]

The transportation was so hard to predict. I think Disney suggests 90 minutes just so you have enough cushion, especially if you need to take multiple modes of transportation, pass security checkpoints, and actually get to your destination.

I was very fortunate that I did not have to wait more than 5 minutes for any of my busses from the Poly to HS, AK, or even Epcot one morning the Epcot beam was closed for maintenance. We just happened to walk out of the great ceremonial house at the right time. My worst transportation experience was waiting at HS to go back to Poly. Had to have been at least 25 minutes of waiting, and there was a family there before us who had waited at least 10 minutes prior at the GF/Poly stop. The bus finally came, and another one cut it them off, so it then had to go all the way around again until it could park. Additionally, if you have anyone with a stroller or ECV, this will add time to unload, load, and then unload again.

The monorail seemed to be fine for me, except on a day the express was down for maintenance. The resort line became packed and I had to wait for the next one. Not a big deal, but added a little bit of time.

The boats were probably the least convenient from my experience. Probably because 2 out of the 3 times we took them was because something was closed so extra people were cramming in. The boats also take much longer. If you want an experience and are willing to take more time out, go for the boat! If you want to get somewhere as fast as possible, avoid the boat (IMO).

I am planning on utilizing an Uber for Disney Springs, or to get from resort to resort. You can get some decent Uber credits if you a are a new member, refer a friend or family member, or sign up with a Chase credit card! I know I am the only person in my travel group that currently has an account so I can refer them all and we can probably go our entire trip for free. One side note, I think I read Uber could not pickup at MCO. Not sure if I remember that correctly or if it also includes dropping off. I would check the transportation thread!



Yes, we found the monorail ride to be very convenient to the GF from the Poly. And that lobby is very impressive when you walk in on the second floor! It is the reason our December trip is booked there! The whole time we were walking to our meal my mom kept saying how she could see herself staying there. I can only imagine what it would look like with the tree up in person! The 5:35 may be a better option to plan for the unknown. You could even get there very early and try to check-in for the 5:35 rather than be on time for the 5:15.

i'm planning to use the boat to go from HS all the way back to Epcot (a long ride i know but better than walking!) and to go from Narcoossees to the MK since it is right by the boat dock and from the MK to HDDR and back. Though I might come back via WL because it is the only stunning lobby we won't have cause to see on this trip done up for christmas.

I just changed my narcoossees from 5:15 to 5:35. the extra 20 minutes gives me a more comfortable cushion but if we show up early maybe they would seat us a bit early.

 

[Candycane83]

Wow this thread has gotten long since I've been here a couple hours ago!

If anyone is interested here the thread on uber/ lyft and is pretty useful I think: http://www.disboards.com/threads/everthing-you-wanted-to-know-about-uber-lyft-at-wdw.3443634/

Love your plans @Lisa F i swear I need to be as organized as you! I've though a little about fastpasses but not as much yet. My latter park days are undecided too even if my dining is sort of set.

 

[PolyRob]

i'm planning to use the boat to go from HS all the way back to Epcot (a long ride i know but better than walking!) and to go from Narcoossees to the MK since it is right by the boat dock and from the MK to HDDR and back. Though I might come back via WL because it is the only stunning lobby we won't have cause to see on this trip done up for christmas.

I just changed my narcoossees from 5:15 to 5:35. the extra 20 minutes gives me a more comfortable cushion but if we show up early maybe they would seat us a bit early.

That friendship boat ride was my best/favorite boat trip! Walked right on after Fantasmic! and Star Wars Fireworks (when you could see both in one night... all of 2/3 months ago) to go for late night ice cream at Beaches and Cream! Then I took a bus to MK, hopped on the monorail and was back home. Disney transportation worked great that night!

I guess my lesser boat experiences came with the small one that runs from MK, to GF, and Poly. That one was very tiny and slow. I was thinking about how many times I could have been on the monorail when I was on it! Also, it has a big step down. Was not the easiest for my mom with some knee issues.

Staying at the GF, I think I may try it again one night when I want to relax at the Tambu Lounge. It may seem like a faster trip when I don't have an ADR or FP+ to catch! lol

 

[rasadkowski]

We all love this thread for all of the help, tips, advice, experience and fun. It's a wonderful, happy, stress-free (generally ) place to share our excitement about this trip with others that share our passion! It's a once in a lifetime trip for many! I've learned lots of cool tricks and tips to help make the best of my family's time there. Touring Plans?! Never would have known about it. Awesome! There are some great people ( and some very wise women ) here, and lots of us are very grateful for what they share

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

you're not "discussing." you are judging. I do not have a guilty conscience about it at all. Believe me, of all of the things I have to feel guilty about in my life this doesn't even register. I just don't like being called out publicly and called rude names. If you feel the need to "discuss" people's plans in a rude way, take it somewhere else. Please don't come in here and ruin this thread for people who have been enjoying each other for months. If you want to debate SDFP then take it over there and see what the mods think of it. I doubt they would tolerate your "discussion" there either.

Just wanted to say that I agree with your position on this Lisa F. Not cheating, not stealing. Just smart planning. I have my second set of MBs ready to go also. And I'm sure Disney was happy to take my $12.99x4=$51.96 for them too. Oh and were traveling with DD 8 and DS22months. He's my rider swap token and we plan to take full advantage of that too.

Mstephen87,
If you think SDFP is cheating/stealing, you should check out the thread on booking "Throwaway Rooms". It's a good read!

The fact is, Disney could squash SDFP in a second if it was a priority to them. Having any/all FP require valid ticket media linked to them would be a simple fix.

The REAL OUTRAGE to me is that I have paid for Park Hopper tickets for our 10 days and I am limited to make advanced Fast Passes to only one park per day. If you DO decide to call Disney to complain, please complain about this as well.

Cheers,
Me

 

[BDFmom]

I'm brand new to Uber!! I just installed the app a few days ago. I've been scoping pickup times from various Disney locations at different times of day. I've yet to see more than a 5 minute wait time.

Yes, Uber can't pickup from MCO to resorts. But you can get one to the airport for a cost of around $30!

Someone said that we should set up multiple Uber accounts with any phones that have to take advantage of the credits. And to also add Lyft .... My kids both have data enabled smartphones but only my daughter has a payment method.

 

[Lisa F]

Just wanted to say that I agree with your position on this Lisa F. Not cheating, not stealing. Just smart planning. I have my second set of MBs ready to go also. And I'm sure Disney was happy to take my $12.99x4=$51.96 for them too. Oh and were traveling with DD 8 and DS22months. He's my rider swap token and we plan to take full advantage of that too.

Mstephen87,
If you think SDFP is cheating/stealing, you should check out the thread on booking "Throwaway Rooms". It's a good read!

The fact is, Disney could squash SDFP in a second if it was a priority to them. Having any/all FP require valid ticket media linked to them would be a simple fix.

The REAL OUTRAGE to me is that I have paid for Park Hopper tickets for our 10 days and I am limited to make advanced Fast Passes to only one park per day. If you DO decide to call Disney to complain, please complain about this as well.

you would not believe the nasty PM this person sent me. I just reported it and these posts to the mods. hopefully it will just go away and we can go back to planning. 144 pages of fun and support was a really good run though!

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

you would not believe the nasty PM this person sent me. Told me I was slimy and I must be a democrat because I will justify anything I can manipulate for free. I just forwarded the PM and a link to these posts to a mod, i'm hoping they come in and just wipe out the nastiness and we can all just get back to planning. You don't want to use SDFP? skip on by. you want to use it? I'm happy to help out to the extent I can and someone has taken the time to write a very detailed and extensive FAQ about it on the FP+ board. Honestly I'm not sure where someone with so few posts gets off coming into this thread and spreading that kind of crap. Newcomers, always welcome to join in the fun. Being a jerk is not fun for anyone.

Totally agree with forwarding that PM to Mods. That kind of conduct is not even permitted on the SDFP thread and it is clearly stated there. I've lurked on this thread since I booked my trip way back in May (or was it April?) at 4:15am when FD dropped. I haven't posted much here because technically I'm arriving the 2nd week in December but I've shared many of the same milestones as everyone on here. Your posts, as well as many others on here, have given me so many good ideas. Don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch. Keep up the good work everyone!

 

[BDFmom]

Just wanted to say that I agree with your position on this Lisa F. Not cheating, not stealing. Just smart planning. I have my second set of MBs ready to go also. And I'm sure Disney was happy to take my $12.99x4=$51.96 for them too. Oh and were traveling with DD 8 and DS22months. He's my rider swap token and we plan to take full advantage of that too.

Mstephen87,
If you think SDFP is cheating/stealing, you should check out the thread on booking "Throwaway Rooms". It's a good read!

The fact is, Disney could squash SDFP in a second if it was a priority to them. Having any/all FP require valid ticket media linked to them would be a simple fix.

The REAL OUTRAGE to me is that I have paid for Park Hopper tickets for our 10 days and I am limited to make advanced Fast Passes to only one park per day. If you DO decide to call Disney to complain, please complain about this as well.

Cheers,
Me

I have a shopping cart with 3 yellow MBs.... just need to fill up the cart to $75 for free shipping.

If we are smart enough to understand the complexities of SDFP and willing to put in the effort. Why not make our trip more enjoyable!

So anyone that wants to try it.... if you have not yet purchased your MVMCP tickets yet.... don't link them to you MDE when you buy. You'll have all you need to give it a go and won't need to buy extra MBs. Unfortunately, I found the SDFP thread too late and my tickets were already linked.

So .... I'll either be adding another MVMCP night or buying 3 unlinked MBs.

And.... ohh the frustration.... this decision also hinges on the EMM. Just keep swimming!

 

[Candycane83]

Totally agree about SDFP. If Disney really wanted to stop it, (like the services to find ADRs) they could easily stop it. Look at it this way, some guests do not even know they can book 3 FPs, let alone the 4th one. Some guests do not know they can book dining 180 days ahead. If you say that SDFP is cheating, then basically anything you are doing (booking ADRs and FPs) is cheating those who do not know they can do all these things. My law teacher used to say that the law doesn't forgive ignorant people. This is really just being informed.

 

[rasadkowski]

I have a shopping cart with 3 yellow MBs.... just need to fill up the cart to $75 for free shipping.

If we are smart enough to understand the complexities of SDFP and willing to put in the effort. Why not make our trip more enjoyable!

So anyone that wants to try it.... if you have not yet purchased your MVMCP tickets yet.... don't link them to you MDE when you buy. You'll have all you need to give it a go and won't need to buy extra MBs. Unfortunately, I found the SDFP thread too late and my tickets were already linked.

So .... I'll either be adding another MVMCP night or buying 3 unlinked MBs.

And.... ohh the frustration.... this decision also hinges on the EMM. Just keep swimming!

This made me laugh so much! Waiting to reach $75 to get free shipping on these things is the icing on the cake!

 

[Candycane83]

This made me laugh so much! Waiting to reach $75 to get free shipping on these things is the icing on the cake!

I'd like a US address just to get free shipping. Shipping to Canada is sooooo expensive!

 

[Lisa F]

I have a shopping cart with 3 yellow MBs.... just need to fill up the cart to $75 for free shipping.

If we are smart enough to understand the complexities of SDFP and willing to put in the effort. Why not make our trip more enjoyable!

So anyone that wants to try it.... if you have not yet purchased your MVMCP tickets yet.... don't link them to you MDE when you buy. You'll have all you need to give it a go and won't need to buy extra MBs. Unfortunately, I found the SDFP thread too late and my tickets were already linked.

So .... I'll either be adding another MVMCP night or buying 3 unlinked MBs.

And.... ohh the frustration.... this decision also hinges on the EMM. Just keep swimming!

you have time - wait for a friends and family sale at the disney store for 20-25% off. the black friday sale will be great! sometimes they have free shipping on all orders regardless of size. Though maybe black friday will be too late. but there will be a sale between now and then! I will post here if I see one.

 

[Candycane83]

Hmm I was just thinking I would really like to insert HDDR instead of artist point... Are they still becoming available one month before??