37 days! First trip! Please Help!

[disneyfor3boys]

Hoping for some experienced disney families to have a look at our itenerary and offer suggestions/advice/ etc. It's our first trip (6 nights/5days in Disney) We've booked an off-site suite to save $$ and it comes with free breakfast buffet and kids eat free. DH, me, DS10, DS8, and DS4 are all extremely excited!

We plan day one to be at Magic Kingdom. We have a breakfast PS at Crystal Palace at 10:30. We're leaving the rest of the day free to wander about the park. Best counter service places?

Day 2- Epcot. Open to suggestions re meals, rides not to miss, best shows, etc.

Day 3-Typhoon Lagoon with supper at Ft. Wilderness (Trails End)

Day 4-Animal Kingdom with PS dinner (5:30) at Chef Mickeys. Also wondering the best way of transporation from AK to CM?

Day 5-MGM. Considering PS at 50's Cafe or Sci Fi (not exactly sure of names--sorry). May be too late to reserve, but what's your opinion on these places?

Budget for food $100/day? Not enough?

Thanks so much for your extremely valued opinions.

Laurie & 3 Bouncing Boys!

 

[sconstantz]

I can't answer very many of your questions. However, if you are planning a PS at MGM, see if you can make the reservations with a fantasmic special seating option. That is a fabulous show and shouldn't be missed.

shelly

 

[disneymama73]

What kind of tickets are you buying? You will save money buying park hoppers instead of one-day passes. This is just my own opinion, but I really like to park hop mid-day. Sometimes we park hop more than once a day.

We really feel that MGM is a 1/2 day park. I would hate to see you buy a one-day pass & be done there by afternoon.

EPCOT - OMGosh, I don't even know where to begin. I love Epcot!

We love to eat at the Biergarten in Germany. My girls love it as much as us. They have a live band, and you are encouraged to clap and sing, and it is just a great time! It is an all-you-can-eat buffet.

The Rose & Crown in England has wonderful fish & chips.

San Angel Inn in Mexico is excellent and has yummy desserts. It has a beautiful atmosphere overlooking the Rio del Tiempo boat ride. La Cantina De San Angel has counter service outside of Mexico, and the food is great.

Le Cellier in Canada has delicious steaks.

Akershus in Norway has a breakfast character meal with the Princesses. We've never done this, but I've heard great things.

The Garden Grill in the Land is a rotating restaurant. They serve meals, but they also have an ice cream social with Mickey & Friends for about $6.00/person.

I ate at Nine Dragons Restaurant in China when I was a kid, and I don't remember it well, but I do remember it was good.

Alfredo's in Italy - haven't been there in years. The menu changed, and we haven't been back. I remember it was lots of fun and the food was good.

Les Chefs de France has wonderful food, but we haven't been back there since my oldest was 18 mos. It's pretty fancy, and she decided to throw her only mealtime tantrum in the middle of that restaurant. Not a pretty sight. LOL! Their baked French onion soup is outta this world!

Liberty Inn in America is your basic American fare - hot dogs, hamburgers,etc. Counter service. We eat here very rarely.

I've never eaten at Restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco, Coral Reef in Living Seas or Bistro de Paris in France.

Counter service at MK:

We like El Pirata Y El Perico Restaurant, but it is now open seasonally so I don't know if it will be open. They have great taco salads! (near Pirates)

Casey's Corner has hot dogs & fries. (Main Street)

Pecos Bill Café has burgers, & they're really good. (Frontierland)

Cosmic Ray's has burgers & chicken, but there's this singing alien that is just too annoying for words. My kids love it though. (Tomorrowland)

Columbia Harbour House has yummy chicken & fish baskets and clam chowder in a bread bowl.

Here's a link... I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/dining/diningListing?id=MKDiningListingPage


I have not hear good things aboout Pinocchio Village Haus, but I've never eaten there.

 

[disneymama73]

Originally posted by disneyfor3boys

[bAlso wondering the best way of transporation from AK to CM?[/b]

Take the bus from AK to TTC. Then take the monorail to the Contemporary.

Day 5-MGM. Considering PS at 50's Cafe or Sci Fi (not exactly sure of names--sorry). May be too late to reserve, but what's your opinion on these places?

I'm not that crazy about 50's Cafe. I like Sci Fi, but my husband thought it was so-so. I had grilled chicken fettucine alfredo, and it was delicious.

Budget for food $100/day? Not enough?

Depends on where you decide to eat. With 5 people, it may not be enough. I'm thinking probably not.

 

[Joan S.]

Hi Laurie,Since you asked for advice I am going to give it!! On the day you are to visit the MK have a light breakfast as early as possible at your hotel(6:30-7:00 am would be good). Arrive at the turnstiles to the MK at least a half-hour before opening(be sure to allow enough time for this if you are staying off-site!) Have a plan for which rides you would like to do before your breakfast PS.(Also study a map of the MK and know your way around!!This way you will not waste time trying to read the map once you are in the park,the MK is larger than you will expect!) This is your best time to get on rides with little to no wait time! You can also take advantage of fast pass for both before and after breakfast at the CP. Since this a buffet it will serve more as a brunch for you and your family(we do this all the time a PS between 10 and 10:30) and usually only require a snack in the afternoon. The buffet has PLENTY of food and variety, you will be stuffed! My second part of good advice is to have a game plan for after breakfast.Which rides or shows do you want to do?? What kind of wait times will there be?? Some rides load faster than others and a long line may not mean a long wait. You also have an age variety so you will have to be sure who will want to, or can ride each ride. I find the more I plan each day the better it goes! You can always delete things as you go along but to wander around will be harder because there are so MANY choices!Get your boys in on the planning also! And try to do all the rides/shows in one land at a time to avoid walking across the park too many times!Any more ?? feel free to ask! Hope this was helpful! Joan

 

[Sinclare]

When you go to Epcot don't miss Mission Space. I'm not a big fan of Epcot but this one ride alone is worth admision. Also, another thing at epcot you might want to do is the Leave a Legacy thing. There are these big marble pillars you pass while going into the park (just before the epcot ball). On them you will see they have small pictures etched into the metal plates on them. I forget how much it costs (around $25 I think). They take your family picture and etch it into one of the plates and you also recieve a special Leave a Legacy pin that you can't get anywhere else and after you get back from vacation you will recieve a nice looking package with the negative and location of your picture.

Years from now when your kids take their kids back, they can show their kids.

 

[pocohontas2004]

Having visited with young kids, we loved MGM and Animal Kingdom. Actually, MGM is our favorite. In order to see the various shows, it does take a full day or even two half days. You need to plan around the shows at that park. Our kids loved it, too.

EPCOT was the most difficult with little kids - they were not interested in too much. Adults probably could spend several days exploring all the sites, but not so for little kids.

 

[orlosipher]

I'm not sure of the exact dates of its closure, but Typhoon Lagoon will be closed for refurbishment when we're there February 8-15. I would suggest checking on the WDW website to make sure it will be open during your visit.

HTH!

 

[TammyC]

The free breakfast at your hotel will help your food budget, and I think you could make it on $100/day if you stick with counter service and snacks. Things like Chef Mickey's will put you over budget.

We enjoyed Columbia Harbor House at MK and found the portions to be large. I suggest always looking at other people's food before ordering. You might get by with ordering less meals, and if not, you can snack later on things like dole whips at MK and beaver tails at Epcot.

AK was my son's favorite park and one full day was not quite enough. Since you have dinner plans that night I would be sure to arrive early. Tusker House has good food for lunch. Give the shows a chance.. they are all good. I'm guessing that you will have a car, since staying off-site so I would think driving to Chef Mickey's would be the most efficient.

At Epcot, the food court at the land has a good variety of food. My son (only 2 1/2) didn't like many things here, but LOVED the illuminations fireworks. Also check out ice station cool for some free soda samples!

Also you can find menus for all restaurants, including the prices, at allearsnet.com in the dining section.

Have a great trip

 

[marcyinPA]

Hey Girl!
I have to put in my suggestions for meals, of course! LOL For Epcot, the boys LOVED Japan (Teppanyaki) and I couldn't believe it but they actually ate! (Grilled chicken and veggies/rice) The show was really fun for them, though. They enjoyed it! We always have to get a treat in France...the pastries are to die for. I also like the food court in the Land (I can't remember the name of the place...Sunshine something or other). They have a good selection of "healthy" foods for a quick lunch.

Counter Service at MK...We usually do the Pirates place in Adventureland (can't remember the exact name of that one either! What kind of Disney Queen am I anyway ) Love the tacos/taco salads. Also Pecos Bills is really good. And dh and I have been known to pick up a Turkey Leg from the cart in Frontierland. They are big but tasty. We've done Pinocchio's before, avoid it if you can.

As for MGM...I've eaten at the 50's Primetime and the Sci-Fi Dine In...they are pretty comparable as far as quality is concerned. I think your boys would like the Sci Fi better...you sit in cars facing a movie screen and they play snippets from drive in movies. They serve the kids' dessert on glow in the dark frisbees.Fun! We also did the Fantasmic Dinner package two years ago. I made PS's at Mama Melroses and got the reserved seating tickets for the Fantasmic show. The food was pretty good, but unfortunately, it POURED at show time and we were all too wet and irritable to stay even though the show went on, so we never saw the show.

You asked about $100 a day for meals, and I think you might need a little bit more, unless your boys aren't big eaters and they share some meals. We are planning on $100 a day for the 4 of us.

Hope this helps!
Marcy

 

[disneyfor3boys]

Thanks so much for all your opinions. And a special "hello!" to Marcy. Thanks again for leading me to such an incredible site.

I've taken all your advice to heart especially increasing our budget for food. I've decided $150 may be more appropriate, considering my boys are pretty big eaters! I must say, one thing that concerns me a bit, is riding roller coasters, etc., after a BIG buffet breakfast with Pooh! But of course, Pooh is the highlight for my four year old. Perhaps we can get Space Mountain in BEFORE breakfast...

I have some questions about Typhoon Lagoon. Fortunately for us, the water park opens just two days before we go. I'm guessing we'll run into HUGE crowds here, and plan to arrive early. Are coolers allowed into the waterparks? Should I bring our own life jacket for our four year old? (He can swim, but, well, he's four...LOL). I read about "swimming with sharks", and have read in one place that a child must be 10 or over to participate, and in another place that a child under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. My 8DS (great swimmer--on provincial swim team and everything) is sooo hoping he can participate in this! Anyone know if he'd be allowed?

Thanks again folks for all your help!

Laurie & Boys
33 days now and counting!

 

[Vavasmon]

Concerning Typhoon Lagoon:

we did this last April and had a lot of fun.

My DD 7 swam the shark reef with DH and myself. Kids had to be
accompanied. There were a few very young kids with life jackets on but I think 5 is a min age to enjoy the attraction. Make sure his equipment fits correctly before you leave the area where they give it out. The man behind the counter the day we went was a poor judge of kids sizes.

Also, prepare DS that they discourage kicking in the water. It is a wonderful experience. Bring one of the underwater box cameras from home - your kids will enjoy being able to show off the pictures of the fish the swam with.

The park "rents" life vests witha credit card deposit. We didn't do this because my DD is like your older son. There were signs in may locations stating that only Disney owned life vests could be used. I don't know how strongly they enforced it.

People took in small coolers. People with the coolers had to enter through a separate long and slow moving line to have them searched. People using chairs near ours said that they were very through about checking for glass and prohibited beverages.

We had a great day. DD wnjoyed both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. I will say the zip line at BB was her favorite water park attraction.

p.s. space mountain doesn't have any real big sudden drops (more curves and small hills). We ride it after eating all the time.