A few varied questions on DDP etc.

[sjw211]

Apologies, I'm a complete noob here. I've written quite a long post and just read through it - parts of it probably don't belong in this forum but I'd already written it. If I need to edit it and post elsewhere then I will do - it just seemed to flow like that when I was writing it - and I am very excited....
Anyway, here goes..

Going to Florida on 9th August – and staying in Saratoga Springs Resort. This trip will be 4 of us – two adults and two children (9 & 14) and is for 14 nights. My wife and I went back in 1996 and just can’t wait to go back with the kids! We have 14 day Disney ‘hopper’ passes and similar for Universal. Also have passes for Seaworld, Aquatica & Busch Gardens (although may not get to Busch due to costs etc.).

We have the dining package (1 snack, 1 quick service & 1 table service). In around a week’s time (9th or 10th??) we will be at the 180 day period from which we can start to book the restaurants. I believe you can book 10 days worth at a time – but I’m not sure how this works. Once the date of arrival is 180 days away, does that then ‘open up’ the next 10 days for booking? Is it recommended to actually call the 404-WDW-DINE number (we’re in the UK) – or just to make the reservations online? I assume you then repeat the process 10 days later – and that booking this early is still recommended?

Last time we went we stayed on I drive - but spent a bit of time a week or two before travel and did an itinerary of what we would do each day as far as parks were concerned. Dining was much more ‘flexible’ as we were offsite so could choose what we felt like eating almost daily. The itinerary side of it worked very well as we never had to waste any time discussing what to do each day.  This is definitely something that we’d like to do again – but this time I guess we’ll need to tie it more around pre-booked dining/shows etc. too? Does it make sense to see in advance which parks for example open early on which day and to choose that day to do that park – and also book a restaurant there for tea/dinner (the evening meal)? Or do people tend to leave the parks and go back to their hotel to get washed and changed - and then go out again back to a restaurant? In which case it’s not so important to eat in the same park that you have been to that day? I can’t remember when we used to leave the parks last time. My ‘worry’ is how long it will take to get back to the hotel to get ready and come back out again to the restaurant. What do you guys suggest? How far in advance are the opening hours and extended hours published? It seems to be a bit more that 180 days (190?)they’re only 180 days then I’m not sure how we could plan it – unless we wait a week to see and then plan that week’s itinerary.

A friend who has been has recommended some restaurants to make sure we go to – the California Grill and Hollywood Brown Derby for example. I understand some need ‘double’ the tickets for a meal – but my thinking here is that on the days when we’re at the Universal parks etc., we’ll eat there – so tickets won’t be used for these days and this will allow us to visit these ‘better’ restaurants too. What other places are really recommended? Advice on booking restaurants that tie in with shows/displays etc. would be hugely appreciated – even hints on special requests/seating. I believe the table service meal is a main meal and a dessert? I generally prefer starters to desserts – is that OK, not OK – or pot luck? Any tips on using for the quick service option would be appreciated too (breakfast or lunch etc.).

Speaking of Universal, can anybody recommend the best way to get there – a taxi from the hotel? I don’t mind a coach (if there even are any?) but don’t really want to use a bus that may take a while to get there..

The itinerary (well, excel spreadsheet) is currently blank – we can’t wait to fill it!

All advice is very gratefully received.

Steve

 

[ses1230]

For an arrival date of August 9, your 180 day is February 10.

August hours can be found here: http://media.disneywebcontent.com/S.../pdf/ParkHours/WDW_Operating_Calendar_aug.pdf

What I do is first pick which park we will visit on what day, and then I decide on the restaurants. You can find some park suggestions here: http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/08-august-2014-crowd-calendar/

Once you reach your 180 day, your "+10" will become available on the Disney website (assuming you are staying onsite).

The online ADR site rolls over at 6am eastern time. The phone line opens at 7am eastern time. So online provides an hour before the phone lines open. I always start out doing ADRs online and call if it doesn't work for some reason.

For TS restaurants, in Epcot I really like Via Napoli and Biergarten. In MK, BOG is the hot ticket. If you re interested, it is good to plan it for one of your days later in the trip to increase your chances of getting in.

I suggest looking at the menus here on the DIS or over at allears, or check out the dining review board here.

 

[sharonabe]

The DDP is entrée, dessert, and drink. There are NO substitutions for starters. With your family, you will be paying for three adults and one child for the DDP. If starters are more your style and you don't think you'll want/eat three desserts at each TS meal, you may want to look at just paying OOP. Unless, of course, you're getting free dining. Then it doesn't really matter.

A good place to look at menus is allearsnet.com

 

[clanmcculloch]

Since you're interested in HBD and you want appetizers and a show then try to get the Fantasmic! dining reservation. This is different than a regular reservation. You'll get an appetizer along with your meal for the same 2 credits and you'll get to sit in a special area of the Fantasmic! theater reserved for those with this kind of reservation. The times for the meals aren't the greatest (late lunch/early dinner) but it's a great option if you'll be eating there anyway.

 

[TDC Nala]

Speaking of Universal, can anybody recommend the best way to get there – a taxi from the hotel? I don’t mind a coach (if there even are any?) but don’t really want to use a bus that may take a while to get there..

I would think a taxi would be your most expensive option.

Besides a taxi, the options are private car service, car rental, or shared shuttle bus. I would think you are eliminating a shared shuttle bus since you want as short a trip as possible. That will leave you with car service or car rental (you would call it car hire in Britain - meaning you rent the car to drive yourself. With a car service you hire a driver as well as the car.)

The Transportation Board can help you with where to rent a car (if you are willing to drive in the US) or which car services to contact.

 

[disneybliss2]

The first thing I do is choose our parks to know where we'll be. I take into account whether we do/don't want to do EMH. Then I also take into account if I will park hop. We tend to hop a lot to Epcot to have a meal there. Once you know where you'll be, I start making restaurant choices based on where I'll be. If I'm in Epcot, I'll choose something there. I go to 'Ohana on a day that I go to MK because it's an easy boat ride over there. I plan Boma for a day that I've been to AK just to lessen transportation time. We do not take a mid-day break, but many do so you will need to take that into account when planning your travel time. If you get the park hopper, it provides some flexibility that you may enjoy that will not keep your meals tied to a specific park.

 

[sjw211]

Wow, many thanks for the replies!! Some of the abbreviations took a bit of googling - got there though.
The August Calendar is full of fantastic advice - many thanks. Can I ask, seeing as Disney don't yet appear to have announced the Extra Hours and opening times, are these all assumed in the calendar/itinerary - or have I not looked in the right place? The whole idea seems to NOT go to parks on their extra hours days - this was a surprise. I guess with a Hopper pass and as a Disney guest, if you could get there really early and make it really work for an hour or two before moving on? The advice seems really sound though and obviously based on a lot of experience. I definitely admit I was looking at the likes of MK early on - but again, this seems contrary to the advice and definitely something I'll adhere to (assuming the Extra hours dates are right of course )

Many thanks for the restaurant tips, we'll give them a good close look over the next few days! We ate in the Teppan Edo last time which was very memorable (first time we'd ever had teppanyaki).

We're staying at Saratoga and arrive around 5 ish I think - maybe DTD would be the easiest place to do then - even somewhere like Planet Hollywood? (I assume that, as we're staying for 14 nights (15 days..) that if we used a pass on the first evening then we wouldn't be able to use on the last day?)

Slightly disappointed about the appetiser/dessert issue (I'm sure that must have been mentioned here before I'm sure ) but that's fine and thanks for the correction. You're right - it is free dining.

How do the timings work for the HBD if you say they're generally not great? I assume you mean they're early and the show is later? Do you only get so long at your table - and then what?

What do people tend to do who are staying in a Disney hotel - and on the DDP? We would not have a break away from it all at midday (will have a QS though - and just play this by ear without too much planning - OK?). Do many go back for a shower etc. and then go out again? While this is certainly what I'd like to do, I'm also mindful of how long it would take getting back, ready and out again.. What sorts of times should I be allowing to get to and from the various parks?
One other question - how do gratuities with the DDP? As I say, there are four of us. Is it based on what the bill would have been - or the extra things we buy like alcoholic drinks/appetisers etc.?

Renting a car wasn't something I'd really thought of until you mentioned it. I did rent one last time - but that was to drive down to St Pete's Beach for a week after two weeks of Orlando..
We do have tickets for both Universal Parks (2 days?) and Seaworld and Aquatica (how does that compare to Blizzard Beach?). That's maybe 4 days at least 'offsite' so that may start to add up. Even have ticket that includes Busch Gardens that we LOVED last time. May be a car may not be such a bad idea after all??

14 days is starting to seem such a short time...

Thanks once again everybody!

Steve

 

[TDC Nala]

The park schedules will come out about 6 months ahead so you have a bit of time to wait.

 

[sjw211]

The park schedules will come out about 6 months ahead so you have a bit of time to wait.

Hi, thanks for that - but the August calendar in the link (I couldn't quote the link) details the days to go to each park based on it which parks have the Magic Hours and the day of the week etc.? Have the been assumed based on what's already been announced for July/early August?

 

[TDC Nala]

Walt Disney World website has them out through August 14. Not for the whole month yet.

Personally I never pay any attention to those planning sites that tell you what days to go to which park - I just go to the park I feel like going to. But some folks swear by the planning sites. I don't know where they are getting the hours when Disney itself hasn't posted the full month yet.

 

[sjw211]

Walt Disney World website has them out through August 14. Not for the whole month yet.

Yes, that's what I could see - so wondered how Josh had made such a detailed plan based on Opening times, Magic Hours, days that people tended to arrive and parks they tended to visit then.

 

[Aliceacc]

We're going a week or 2 before you do, and my kids are pretty close in age to yours.
Here are our ADRs: Chef Mickey's, the Coral Reef, an off day (we'll do counter service so we can do the Brown Derby later in the week), Cape May, Be Our Guest, Tusker House Breakfaast, and the Brown Derby.

Also, consider the Hoop De Doo Revu (2 meal credits, but I bet your kids will like it better than the Brown Derby ), and the Sci Fi Diner.

Also, make a point to book the Dessert Party at your 180 day mark. It is extra, but you're going to LOVE it. You get SEATS to see Wishes from a plaza just off Cindrella's Castle.. and you get to enjoy a wonderful array of desserts. It's so very much worth it!!! You could always book it now, and give it to your wife as a Valentine's Day gift

We do the mid day break every time. We get to the parks at rope drop, and tour like crazy all morning. By the time lunch rolls around, the parks are crazy hot and crazy crowded. We go back to the resort, swim for a few hours and return for dinner time and the evening. We do lose some park time, but it's great family time-- and that's kind of the point.

As to the EMH/ non EMH advice, it's pretty mixed. Consider your whole day-- are you planning to stay most nights for fireworks? If so, I'm guessing your family dynamic might flow better if you let your kids sleep in that extra hour. If, on the other hand, they're morning people, then maybe you should give the EMH a try. We typically do a few.

Consider investing in some MistyMate personal misters at amazon... two will do your family just fine. They're the size of an electric toothbrush, and need no batteries. They're refillable at any bathroom or water fountain. But they'll enable you to spray a cool mist onto yourself when it gets too hot. I promise you, they're worth double the cost!!!

Another little tidbit: we always order bottled water, park snacks and breakfast stuff from www.gardengrocer.com . You NEED the water, and it's expensive in the parks.. and you don't want to waste a snack credit on water!! (2 cases does the 5 of us for a week.) And by getting some snacks and breakfast stuff, you free up snack credits for things like ice cream in the parks.

The BEST advice I ever got was this: don't give any ride or restaurant or attraction the power to "MAKE" your vacation. If you reach the point where everyone is tired and cranky, or your plans simply aren't working, then cut your losses and do something else. Disney will be there next time, and so will that restaurant.

 

[kaybird]

We generally find that eating at the TS takes care of our break. We rarely go back to the room, and find that sitting in the comfortable and usually beautiful restaurants refreshes us enough that we don't miss a trip back to the room. (also, the long cool rides and attractions that give us the unexpected nap.)

I did notice you talked about not using a ticket on the California Grill, and Hollywood Brown Derby days. HBD is inside the Disney Studios park, so if someone already mentioned that, I apologize.

We love the dining plan, gives so many options that you might not try. The rare occasions we don't have it, we may spend a little less, but we certainly do not eat as well!!!

 

[ses1230]

Hi, thanks for that - but the August calendar in the link (I couldn't quote the link) details the days to go to each park based on it which parks have the Magic Hours and the day of the week etc.? Have the been assumed based on what's already been announced for July/early August?

The August TA calendar is already out. I linked to in my previous post.

 

[sjw211]

I'm just off out to work now - but thanks for the replies, I'll read them all properly later.

The August TA calendar is already out. I linked to in my previous post.

Hi, yes I saw that - but to be honest, I don't quite know which sites are 'official' and which are not. When I look here disneyworld.disney.go.com/calendars , it only shows until the 15th August so was just wondering where the other information was coming from.

Thanks again everyone.
(Allice, thanks for PM - I can't reply but will read it all later!)

 

[sjw211]

Well we've had a good sit down and this is how it's looking at the moment....
Arrive Sat 9th - no park, eat Planet Hollywood.
Sun 10: DHS. HBD
Mon 11: Blizzard Beach. Cali Grill
Tue 12: AK. Boma
Wed 13: MK. Be Our Guest
Thu 14: Typhoon Lagoon. Rainforst Cafe
Fri 15: MK and afternoon in DHS or by pool. Ohana
Sat 16: Seaworld. I drive
Sun 17: Universal. I drive
Mon 18: Epcot. Teppan Edo
Tue 19: Aquatica. I drive
Wed 20: Island of Adv. I drive
Thu 21: EP & BB. Hoop Dee Doo Revue
Fri 22: .??... Narcoosssees.

When we're 'offsite', that's because we're meeting up with family who are staying on I drive so we've chosen those days to go to those parks, eat off site... and save some TS's to double up for CG, HBD etc....

Look OK??...

Steve

 

[sjw211]

Hi all,
I'm just booking the reservations for our holiday in August.
Gettingt there - but lots of 'Server is Busy'..
I'm trying to book the Fantasmic package - and although the booking page says you can book it upto 180 days in advance, it's only showing up to May 11th as available for booking.
Can anyone clarify the allowable advance booking time?
Also, is the Hollywood Brown Derby package worth the extra ticket compared to the Hollywood and Vine or Mama Melrose's? The extra ticket could allow us to do a character meal at some point (anywhere particularly recommended?).

EDIT: It's OK, just tried again and all the days showed up. HBD booked for 17:45.

Thanks for reading,

Steve