2012/2013 Beach and Yacht FAQ- Closing Soon- New Thread Started- Don't Post Here

[pixarmom]

P.P.S. Nice photo, Mike! Looks so relaxing!

Dee, still laughing about your DOTD thread in combination with all your Sunken Treasure/Grey Goose posts from yesterday! Sounds like you are moving into vacation mode!! Yay!

 

[Debrn]

Feeling better but still very weak. House is so dirty but it's all I can do to just do the clothes and dish washing. I got my appetite back so maybe now that I start eating again I'll start feeling better.

We may have to alternate our "shore" week because Lily's birthday is 7/11 (the week we are going this year). Jeanne said next year she may have to spend birthday with her dad. If that's the case, we'll either do the shore the week before or the week after. I'll be shooting for the earlier week in July because then Jeanne and the baby always come here for the first two weeks of August too.

Teena I also have a bad sinus inf, just had my antibiotics changed on Monday because I was still having such headaches, I also have felt like a dish rag. It is awful and unfortunately they can last too long. Today I feel a bit better but have never felt this weak/ tired so maybe combo of fllu or other virus.
My kids yesterday were saying wow mom how come we haven't started packing yet...so unlike me
Hope you are feeling better fast

Deb

 

[magicalmoments4]

My DH did the same thing to me a couple of years ago. He was in the Navy when we got married, and for years he avoided cruise ships. I guess he never thought ships & vacations should go together.

So the day before we were to fly out to go o Disneyland (my first time in CA), he says, "How 'bout a cruise to Alaska?"

Oh, and this spring trip.... totally his idea! I think I have brought him over to the Dark Side.

Oh yes!!! My DH was in the Navy too, and for the longest time he said he would not step foot on another boat and then last year, he said he was ready to start talking about going on a Disney cruise!!!

 

[hiwaygal]

It was $9.34

And worth every darn penny!

Thank you so much for all the great information. It has been so helpful in planning our first trip to WDW. I have made reservations for a vacation to WDW 2 or 3 previous times, but we have always had to cancel for one reason or another. 2 weeks ago I decided to take advantage of the spring sale. We have booked a 8 night stay at BC CL 5/17-5/25. I am so excited. I have booked the standard dining plan but after reading the recent discussion I am planning on canceling. It will just be my DH and myself, we are not big dessert eaters, so I just don't think we will get our money's worth from a dining plan.

We are young active grandparents that live in Southern California. My very first REAL paying job was at Disneyland. I have been an AP holder at Dland since my adult children were young one's! WDW has been on my "bucket list" for years and it looks like 2013 is going to be the year that I finally can cross it off my list.

I would love to hear from others who have been to Disneyland what are "must do's" @WDW. We will not have a car.....we are leaving the driving to Mickey.

Jan

We have never done the dining plan - for various reasons. But mostly because we simply can't eat that much food. It kinda depends on the time of year too - we always seem to go August/September and I don't want to eat a bunch of stuff in the heat of the day and by the time we do eat, I don't want to stuff myself too close to bedtime.

I think that's one of the reasons DH loves CL so much. It makes everything so much more relaxing for us. He loves going to get coffee for me and grabbing some stuff for breakfast in the lounge and bringing it back to the room in the morning. In the evening, we'll nibble on the hot offerings and anxiously await the dessert and cordials. I have decided that I am going to be a "lush" on this trip and have at least one glass of wine everyday and maybe some cordials too (love kahlua - and slushies, but I have to pay for those lol).

All that to say that IMO if you are staying CL you don't need the DP (unless you have kids it might help with them...but I wouldn't know).

And I actually visited DL in 2001. It was my very first Disney experience ever (at 35). We went the day after Thanksgiving. Holy crap the crowds were scary! But I'm glad I got to see it all decked out for Christmas. I was able to see the absolute bestest version of the Tiki Room, the "original" Small World, and the Haunted Mansion all done up like the Nightmare before Christmas. It was a very rushed visit, but I have great memories!

WDW is soooooooo different! You will be completely overwhelmed when you see Cindy's Castle (as opposed to Sleeping Beauty Castle). I love them both but there are differences. 8 nights should give you lots of time to explore in a relaxing way. You'll need it 'cause the World is so much more spread out than the Land.

We've never had a car there. Always use ME and the Disney Transportation and actually prefer it that way.

Enjoy your visit!

 

[seashell7290]

Thank you so much for all of this wonderful information! I have been lurking on the boards for a while now. I plan on staying at the BCV from July 21-27 and cannot wait. I am a die hard disney girl but I am bringing a few first timers so it should be fun showing them the magic of disney Can I be added to the Be Our Guest list?

 

[daneenm]

Thank you so much for all the great information. It has been so helpful in planning our first trip to WDW. I have made reservations for a vacation to WDW 2 or 3 previous times, but we have always had to cancel for one reason or another. 2 weeks ago I decided to take advantage of the spring sale. We have booked a 8 night stay at BC CL 5/17-5/25. I am so excited. I have booked the standard dining plan but after reading the recent discussion I am planning on canceling. It will just be my DH and myself, we are not big dessert eaters, so I just don't think we will get our money's worth from a dining plan.

We are young active grandparents that live in Southern California. My very first REAL paying job was at Disneyland. I have been an AP holder at Dland since my adult children were young one's! WDW has been on my "bucket list" for years and it looks like 2013 is going to be the year that I finally can cross it off my list.

I would love to hear from others who have been to Disneyland what are "must do's" @WDW. We will not have a car.....we are leaving the driving to Mickey.

Jan

Jan, we are DL Vets and visited WDW several years ago with our children for the first time. It is really a great experience and we liked it so much, we are going back this summer. I would recommend Hydroguy's 'WDW for DL Vets' article on the DL forum. It is very informative. The biggest differences in my book...

- MUCH longer travel time between parks. No quick walk in between parks.
- dining is much better/more varied in WDW
- we prefer DL to MK on the whole (Pirates especially)
- the variety of parks is terrific!

We fully enjoy our experience at both DL and WDW for different reasons. I hope you have a great trip!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Ninja Mom]

How old is your DD? Mine will be 8 when we go and as of now, she is not a big eater. We call her our little birdie, but my DS (who will be 11) is a good eater but also has more expensive taste (steak, lobster, the good stuff). Plus, my son and I both enjoy dessert after our meals. But, I'm thinking of taking the advice and doing a mock meal plan and pricing it out. This should not be so stressful, but when given too many choices, my brain can't seem to quit and then I stress out!! But, that's why I love it here, everyone has good ideas, advice, and whatnots!!!

I have one like that! He is a teen now and a lot better but it always seems as if one of the kids is on an alternate eating schedule. I really loved Club Level because everyone felt no pressure to order food at Dinner that they couldn't eat because they were still full. If we were on the dining plan they knew that there would be no more food after the dinner and they had to get it then. That problem disappeared!

We would have our CL breakfast, which was filling but didn't bog anyone down like a big heavy breakfast would.... then have the grand Table Service lunch (at lunch time prices too!) take a rest in the afternoon and digest peacefully and then eat lightly at CL with the appetizers and then later the desserts when we returned from the parks.

The other thing we did was have the person that went back early at night grab a tray and bring back desserts for those that would stay out later (the kids). Since we are a family we all knew who was the fruit fiend, who was the cookie monster and who was the chocoholic, so picking a treat for the absentees was easy.

I need to do some research on TIW. Do you like it? Is it per person or per family? I have an AP. So, am I right in thinking I only need 1 TIW membership for my family of 5?

Thanks!!

We love Tables In Wonderland! (TIW) My Husband, who could never bring himself to order a beer at a table service because of the high prices for alcohol now enjoys the option of trying some of the different beers at the countries in Epcot during our Table service meals there. The fact that alcohol is included when calculating the discount for TIW makes him very happy and he doesn't feel so ripped off. We are 20% tippers anyway so we really are saving that 18%.

What building is represented by that model? Is it a particular house? It resemebles the Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris (their version of the Haunted Mansion), but with quite a few differences in details and color palette. Maybe it's some other Victorian manor?

I think since the resort is Victorian themed that there might be a story behind it. If not, I'm sure a good CM can make up a whopper on the spot. I'd love to hear what the back story is on this house too.

Too bad HH & BCMarketplace are not QS spots where we can get the discount, or it would be a no-brainer.

With the Tables in Wonderland discount you have to train yourself to ask every time you pay for food if the discount is accepted. At the food courts at the POP resort they accepted TIW. I nearly fell out of my orthopedic sneakers when the cashier said yes!

I always ask, even when I'm pretty darn sure the answer will be no (like at the pop corn stand at the MK). I then had great fun asking all the cashiers if they took TIW, even if I was buying a pin or something obviously not food. Usually, they got the joke and laughed a little. Between my Annual Pass discount, my Disney Visa and my TIW discounts I would tell the cashiers surely they accepted ONE of them!

~NM

 

[1coolnini]

And worth every darn penny!



We have never done the dining plan - for various reasons. But mostly because we simply can't eat that much food. It kinda depends on the time of year too - we always seem to go August/September and I don't want to eat a bunch of stuff in the heat of the day and by the time we do eat, I don't want to stuff myself too close to bedtime.

I think that's one of the reasons DH loves CL so much. It makes everything so much more relaxing for us. He loves going to get coffee for me and grabbing some stuff for breakfast in the lounge and bringing it back to the room in the morning. In the evening, we'll nibble on the hot offerings and anxiously await the dessert and cordials. I have decided that I am going to be a "lush" on this trip and have at least one glass of wine everyday and maybe some cordials too (love kahlua - and slushies, but I have to pay for those lol).

All that to say that IMO if you are staying CL you don't need the DP (unless you have kids it might help with them...but I wouldn't know).

And I actually visited DL in 2001. It was my very first Disney experience ever (at 35). We went the day after Thanksgiving. Holy crap the crowds were scary! But I'm glad I got to see it all decked out for Christmas. I was able to see the absolute bestest version of the Tiki Room, the "original" Small World, and the Haunted Mansion all done up like the Nightmare before Christmas. It was a very rushed visit, but I have great memories!

WDW is soooooooo different! You will be completely overwhelmed when you see Cindy's Castle (as opposed to Sleeping Beauty Castle). I love them both but there are differences. 8 nights should give you lots of time to explore in a relaxing way. You'll need it 'cause the World is so much more spread out than the Land.

We've never had a car there. Always use ME and the Disney Transportation and actually prefer it that way.

Enjoy your visit!

Thank you for the warm welcome. Since we live so close to DL I think I am almost looking forward to the resort time as much as the parks. I have looked at the information on CL and the wine in the evenings is what sold me!!! Ha! I think that was another deciding factor for me on the dining plan. I would much rather have a class of wine with my TS and a salad or appy instead of dessert.

Not having a car is a very scary thing to a Californian....but we are going to give it a try. The fact that we can walk to two of the parks was a big factor in deciding to stay at BC.

 

[1coolnini]

Jan, we are DL Vets and visited WDW several years ago with our children for the first time. It is really a great experience and we liked it so much, we are going back this summer. I would recommend Hydroguy's 'WDW for DL Vets' article on the DL forum. It is very informative. The biggest differences in my book...

- MUCH longer travel time between parks. No quick walk in between parks.
- dining is much better/more varied in WDW
- we prefer DL to MK on the whole (Pirates especially)
- the variety of parks is terrific!

We fully enjoy our experience at both DL and WDW for different reasons. I hope you have a great trip!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Thank you for the welcome. This visit will just be my DH and I. We tend to vacation in the same spot several years in a row, so I have a feeling that if we have a great time we will be back next year. I keep hearing about "bounce back" discounts, I may have to look into that. We were considering upgrading our DL AP to the pass that allows unlimited access to both DL and WDW, but since our DL AP expires a week after our WDW stay I think that complicates things. I keep hearing about the distance between the parks, and quite honestly it does concern me a bit, especially since we won't have a car. I went ahead and purchased parkhoppers because Epcot is walkable from BC. Since Epcot is so different from DL I have a feeling we will spend the majority of our time there.

As for the dining experience at WDW, I am really looking forward to that!! I have made dining reservations and cancelled and remade reservations so many times that I am sure the WDW computer system has me flagged in the system!! The frustrating part is that all of my reservations are showing up on My Disney Experience".....even the cancelled ones. Any ideas on how to fix that?

I will check out the link from Hydroguy on the DL/WDW comparisons. Thanks a bunch.

Jan

 

[nannette]

Btw...wasnt the tip included in the ddp a few years ago? I can't remember for sure but I do remember enjoying the appetizer option much more .

I can answer this one... I was at Disney when the plan changed... It was December 2007 and the planned changed as of January 1, 2008. I had the DDP with tips included. People were not happy when they were changed tips they all thought the tips were included...but you had to have been at Disney and have the dinning plan before January 2008, so while everyone who came January was paying tips I wasn't because my card was dated prior to 1/108 and that told the servers that tips were included lucky lucky lucky!! That is when the dinning plan was worth the money!!

Now I don't know if it's worth it... I am giving my DD and FDSIL a honeymoon to Disney... I am now going back and forth on the DDDP.. DD wants it because they are eating every night at a 2pt restaurant, but they are also staying AKL CL. They are big wine drinkers at all meals... I guess I need to look at where the reservations are and if they are included in TIW. I'm not sure if I purchase a TIW card for them and just give them a gift card if it would be a better deal for me. I'm not big into math so if anyone has thoughts on this please share!!

~Nannette

 

[hiwaygal]

Not having a car is a very scary thing to a Californian....but we are going to give it a try. The fact that we can walk to two of the parks was a big factor in deciding to stay at BC.

I understand! I get a little panicked every day at work because I can't have my car here. It's like giving up a little freedom...but at WDW it doesn't feel that way. In fact, it almost seems MORE liberating to NOT have a car! While the distances between parks is greater, it really isn't that hard to go from one to another.

If you want to go between MK and Epcot - take the monorail! Being in an Epcot resort, this works especially well if you go to Epcot from your resort in the morning, then take the monorail to MK for the afternoon.

If you want to go to Epcot or DHS - from your resort (or from either park for that matter) it's a walk or boat ride away!

Really the only park that the ONLY option is the bus is AK. And then there's DTD.

As for how the My Disney Experience thing works....ummm...yeah...can't help you there! LOL I'm still trying to figure it out myself! I think it's still very new and maybe still has some bugs to work out. And I think it will be better as we get closer to our trip (August). Or at least I hope it will.

 

[Karebear]

Thank you so much for all the great information. It has been so helpful in planning our first trip to WDW. I have made reservations for a vacation to WDW 2 or 3 previous times, but we have always had to cancel for one reason or another. 2 weeks ago I decided to take advantage of the spring sale. We have booked a 8 night stay at BC CL 5/17-5/25. I am so excited. I have booked the standard dining plan but after reading the recent discussion I am planning on canceling. It will just be my DH and myself, we are not big dessert eaters, so I just don't think we will get our money's worth from a dining plan.

We are young active grandparents that live in Southern California. My very first REAL paying job was at Disneyland. I have been an AP holder at Dland since my adult children were young one's! WDW has been on my "bucket list" for years and it looks like 2013 is going to be the year that I finally can cross it off my list.

I would love to hear from others who have been to Disneyland what are "must do's" @WDW. We will not have a car.....we are leaving the driving to Mickey.

Jan

Hi Jan

We live in N. CA and we have been to Disneyland as well as Disneyworld. I would say that Epcot and Animal Kingdom are the most "different" from Disneyland and where you might want to focus some of your time. You will have a wonderful time. I can't explain it, but when I am at Disneyworld, I feel that people are there to experience a vacation which includes dining, shows, rides, and shopping and walking around. When I am Disneyland, it feels more ride focused. Anyway, that is just my feeling. Have a great trip!

 

[1coolnini]

If you want to go to Epcot or DHS - from your resort (or from either park for that matter) it's a walk or boat ride away!

Really the only park that the ONLY option is the bus is AK. And then there's DTD.

I love the idea that we can walk to Epcot and DHS. I think DHS has some of the same rides as DL and I have read that the food is marginal, so we may not spend a lot of time at DHS. I know that we will need to take the bus to AK. How close is the Animal Kingdom Lodge to the Animal Kingdom. We have reservations at Boma. How easy is it to get there from AK?

I think we will skip DTD. I have read multiple horror stories about the transportation to DTD. With only 7 full days I think we will concentrate on the parks and the resort. We'll do DTD another time.

Jan

 

[Dis703]

I've seen some pics of the deluxe CL rooms at BC but can't seem to find info about how much bigger they are than standard rooms. I noticed the deluxe CL rooms at BW actually have an additional queen sofa and can hold more people, but BC is still only 5. Just wondering if the size difference will make it worthwhile.

Also, since there are only something like 7 deluxe rooms, do these book fast or are they not that popular? I can't be certain we'll be able to do CL at all until much closer to our trip but if we do upgrade for our last few nights I'm thinking of trying for deluxe. Just wondering if I'm dreaming to think there might still be one available upon arrival or within a week or two before. If it matters we'll be there the third week of May.

TIA!

 

[hiwaygal]

I love the idea that we can walk to Epcot and DHS. I think DHS has some of the same rides as DL and I have read that the food is marginal, so we may not spend a lot of time at DHS. I know that we will need to take the bus to AK. How close is the Animal Kingdom Lodge to the Animal Kingdom. We have reservations at Boma. How easy is it to get there from AK?

I think we will skip DTD. I have read multiple horror stories about the transportation to DTD. With only 7 full days I think we will concentrate on the parks and the resort. We'll do DTD another time.

Jan

The Lodge is really close. I can't remember if we walked there from the park or not, but I'm pretty sure we did via a walking path. We did AK last time and had dinner reservations for BOMA, it wasn't a problem at all.

DHS is probably our least favorite park. I think we miss the point or something! We'll spend some time there, but we'll spend most of our time at MK and Epcot and the resort.

 

[Missyrose]

The Lodge is really close. I can't remember if we walked there from the park or not, but I'm pretty sure we did via a walking path. We did AK last time and had dinner reservations for BOMA, it wasn't a problem at all.

There's no walkway from AKL to AK. You either have to drive or take the bus.

 

[1coolnini]

Hi Jan

We live in N. CA and we have been to Disneyland as well as Disneyworld. I would say that Epcot and Animal Kingdom are the most "different" from Disneyland and where you might want to focus some of your time. You will have a wonderful time. I can't explain it, but when I am at Disneyworld, I feel that people are there to experience a vacation which includes dining, shows, rides, and shopping and walking around. When I am Disneyland, it feels more ride focused. Anyway, that is just my feeling. Have a great trip!

Thank you Karebear. Since we are at BC I think we will spend more time at Epcot, like you suggest. I am also looking forward to Animal Kingdom. We will just need to learn how to navigate the transportation. I am so looking forward to spending a relaxing vacation. No matter how many times we visit Disneyland and California Adventure my DH is "ride focused", as you say. We spend our time going from ride to ride. I sometimes find myself praying it will be busy so we can't get on any rides and we can spend our time just eating and people watching (my favorite activities!)

Jan

 

[hiwaygal]

There's no walkway from AKL to AK. You either have to drive or take the bus.

LOL! See it was so short, I thought it was part of the walk!

 

[Ninja Mom]

There's no walkway from AKL to AK. You either have to drive or take the bus.

I always think that the reason there is no walkway at AK is because you would get eaten by one of the animals. Even though all the animals are staying at Club Level some of them always appreciate a nice snack outside the parks...

~NM

 

[Wood Nymph]

As for the dining experience at WDW, I am really looking forward to that!! I have made dining reservations and cancelled and remade reservations so many times that I am sure the WDW computer system has me flagged in the system!! The frustrating part is that all of my reservations are showing up on My Disney Experience".....even the cancelled ones. Any ideas on how to fix that?

Jan

We just returned from our trip and we had one of our cancelled reservations show up on My Disney Experience. I just ignored it. We never received a reminder for that reservation, like we did for the other ones, and I was never charged the $10 for not showing up. But you could try calling them and see if they can fix that for you.

The funny thing was when we went to the restaurants to check in, three of the 6 reservations ended up under my daughter's name instead of mine. I had booked all of them. But it worked out fine.

I was able to use the app to cancel a dining reservation while we were waiting in line for Test Track. My DH said that he really didn't want to go to that restaurant that night. So I hit the cancel button and it was canceled - very cool. It was a lot better than trying to call central reservations.

I liked using the My Disney Experience to check on wait times. And the park hours changed in response to the unexpected crowds. They had added another MSEP and extended hours on Sat at MK. So it was nice to have the app for that. It also told us when a ride was down.