A skeptical family of First-Timers take on WDW Nov 15-22** NOV 28 update

[skier_pete]

Yep, I sort of in the back of my mind been thinking of "what if" situations such as the plane being very late. That's good to hear that maybe, just maybe they would let us go to the Fri. party instead. I really don't intend on going to the party before 6 pm so if our plane is even 6 hours late, we should still be fine. I just gotta see the parade and fireworks and I'd probably still feel the $ was worth it. Not ideal, but I could live with it.

I'm pretty sure we'll be ok with the flight and should have plenty of cushion between landing at noon and making it to the party. I think it will just be a matter of how much rest/nap time we'll be able to sneak in. I hope it's right on time so we can have several hours to rest!!

That's too bad that your party experience wasn't that great
I do feel that we are at an advantage in this case of not being "into characters" because we'll really enjoy short ride lines. I hope. And that parade! I'm just so excited about the Christmas parade and I don't even like parades that much! it's just that I saw it on youtube and loved it!

When we went in 2009, they start doing all the Christmas Party stuff as part of the normal park day as soon as they do the last Christmas Party. So, we were able to see the Christmas Parade and the Castle Show for free. We also watched Christmas Wishes from the top of the cotemporary. I will admit, the Christmas Parade and also the Castle show are much better than the regular parade and show, so I don't think you are wrong to want to see it once. For us, after seeing it for no extra charge, I have no desire to pay that much to see it. (We ARE going to watch Christmas Wishes from the contemporary, though!)

 

[FosterA]

Regarding getting the teens up. On our last trip DH and I took my 20, 17, and 14 year old brothers and let me tell you, dragging them out of bed was a chore in and of itself. However, after our first morning at the park with no lines and getting 300 things done by noon, they understood the value of it. It was still hard to drag them out of bed but they didn't fight it. They just looked at me kinda bleary-eyed but got up a few min later.

I also warned them WAY in advanced, during our planning period, that they weren't going to be sleeping in. I told them why and really just talked up how much we could get done in the AM if we got there for rope drop. So they were prepared and it wasn't a shock that first morning.

As far as eating at the airport...just don't give them the option! :-D I guess if someone pitches a fit and wants food you might have to give in but we arrived about the same time as you and got food in the park about 2pm after getting to our resort, checking in and bussing to the park. We were starving by then but since you'll be eating at the resort you'll get food a little faster than we did.

Don't worry! Your family will be excited once you're on your way! I'm sure they're excited now but it's not "cool" to be excited about the same thing your mom is excited about. My brothers were so chill about it during all the planning but were practically bouncing out of their seats on the plane and once we got to the resort/parks.

I think when it gets closer I totally will sit the fam down and explain 3 things: One, we will not be sleeping in every day (some we are but others are definite rope drop days and no arguing). Two, we will also be eating at the same times everyday instead of one wanting this at this time and one wanting that at another time, before you know it, the whole day is about eating! The 3rd thing will be that we all have to pee at the same time!

After I got thinking about it, with our time change coming from TX. WE will actually be landing at 11 (our time) and hopefully even be at the Poly by 1 (our time) so that will be perfect for lunch. The kids are not huge eaters so I'm sure I can convince them that they will survive long enough to get to the Poly versus some kind of airport food. ick. We don't have any ADRs that first arrival day but I looked online and I think the salads and sandwiches at Cook's look great!!

So happy to hear that your brothers eventually got excited. I think my family will come around once it's closer. It's my husband that i am most excited to see get excited! I know he's going to really like it at the Poly and the parks but he just can't picture or imagine it yet so he has no idea. I hope to have them all bowing down to me at the end of that first night thanking me for making this trip happen!

thanks for following along!

 

[disneylovin24]

Believe me, you do NEED the ADR's. My family never used to make them (don't ask why cause I dont even know) and we ended up never eating "out" on vacation. And there is nothing wrong with being Disney obsessed, those poor people that think we are weird cause we are are the ones we should be sad fo because they are missing out on all the fun and will never experience the joy we do


I went to the Christmas party back in December 2004 (yeah, a long time ago so keep that in mind with what I have to say). The atmosphere was very nice, but nothing you cant get in the day IMO. The parade was really the highlight of it for me, you definetely will love the parade! But other then the parade I felt that it was not special for the money. It was very packed and it was impossible to get on some rides. We actually found that the lines were shorter during the day we went to MK that trip then that night

I think MK is definetely a great way to start the trip off because of the magic it offers and with all of the Christmas decorations and everything it makes it extra special But, at the same time I feel like if it is very crowded it could "turn" your family "off". Like, the rest of the trip they will be fearing big crowds. Im sure itll all work out though Since it is there first taste of disney they might not mind the crowds if they exsist!

I find that there is usually a room ready for you whenever you arrive but if you then request a special location you might have to wait. Example, when we stayed at SSR we arrived and they had a room ready but we then requested one in a different area. They could give us a room there but we had to wait a few hours (rooms are usually ready by 4, we had to wait untill a while after 4 but thats what you get when you reuest a room, but actually on the flip side when we requested a new room at BLT we got into it immediately). So, if you do not want to change the room they give you then I see no problem with the room being ready when you get there.

 

[Oliquig]

I think when it gets closer I totally will sit the fam down and explain 3 things: One, we will not be sleeping in every day (some we are but others are definite rope drop days and no arguing). Two, we will also be eating at the same times everyday instead of one wanting this at this time and one wanting that at another time, before you know it, the whole day is about eating! The 3rd thing will be that we all have to pee at the same time!

There will be a pee break at 11:07AM, otherwise wear a diaper.

Sorry couldn't help it. I like vacations when you sit around and do nothing, but I LOVE vacations where you explore all day long. Good luck, it sounds like you will be herding a lot of cats.

 

[momabaarjo]

My dh can't figure out the Disney planning obsession either...and if he talks to one more person and they unsuggest restaurants that I have ADRs for I am gonna kill him and them! I really want to try Boma...and guess what, DH cousin goes on and on about "Africian" food...and not in a good way!
So do I keep my ADR for Boma, and try to find something else for New Year's Eve...not a great day to try to pick something else!

I think your plans look great...you have plenty of time between landing and the party, so if you don't get to relax a little at the Poly the complete excitement of heading to that castle will make up for the down time! Personally, I would want to hit the pavement running after landing and get started as soon as possible.

As for airport food...just tell them that ME has a time frame and we have to be there...no stopping.

 

[FosterA]

Believe me, you do NEED the ADR's. My family never used to make them (don't ask why cause I dont even know) and we ended up never eating "out" on vacation. And there is nothing wrong with being Disney obsessed, those poor people that think we are weird cause we are are the ones we should be sad fo because they are missing out on all the fun and will never experience the joy we do


I went to the Christmas party back in December 2004 (yeah, a long time ago so keep that in mind with what I have to say). The atmosphere was very nice, but nothing you cant get in the day IMO. The parade was really the highlight of it for me, you definetely will love the parade! But other then the parade I felt that it was not special for the money. It was very packed and it was impossible to get on some rides. We actually found that the lines were shorter during the day we went to MK that trip then that night

I think MK is definetely a great way to start the trip off because of the magic it offers and with all of the Christmas decorations and everything it makes it extra special But, at the same time I feel like if it is very crowded it could "turn" your family "off". Like, the rest of the trip they will be fearing big crowds. Im sure itll all work out though Since it is there first taste of disney they might not mind the crowds if they exsist!

I find that there is usually a room ready for you whenever you arrive but if you then request a special location you might have to wait. Example, when we stayed at SSR we arrived and they had a room ready but we then requested one in a different area. They could give us a room there but we had to wait a few hours (rooms are usually ready by 4, we had to wait untill a while after 4 but thats what you get when you reuest a room, but actually on the flip side when we requested a new room at BLT we got into it immediately). So, if you do not want to change the room they give you then I see no problem with the room being ready when you get there.

Right! I think planning is actually a ton of fun. They sure are missing out!
As far as room being ready, I am actually thinking of NOT requesting a particular room because for one, I can't decide which longhouse I'd like anyway! and two, for the exact reason you mentioned, I think we'd have a better chance of early check-in if we don't have a request. Thanks for following along!

There will be a pee break at 11:07AM, otherwise wear a diaper.

Sorry couldn't help it. I like vacations when you sit around and do nothing, but I LOVE vacations where you explore all day long. Good luck, it sounds like you will be herding a lot of cats.

ooooh, adult diapers for my family!! Thanks for the great idea.

My dh can't figure out the Disney planning obsession either...and if he talks to one more person and they unsuggest restaurants that I have ADRs for I am gonna kill him and them! I really want to try Boma...and guess what, DH cousin goes on and on about "Africian" food...and not in a good way!
So do I keep my ADR for Boma, and try to find something else for New Year's Eve...not a great day to try to pick something else!

I think your plans look great...you have plenty of time between landing and the party, so if you don't get to relax a little at the Poly the complete excitement of heading to that castle will make up for the down time! Personally, I would want to hit the pavement running after landing and get started as soon as possible.

As for airport food...just tell them that ME has a time frame and we have to be there...no stopping.

You are so right about others unsuggesting stuff after you have already reserved and made plans. I haven't had that happen yet exactly but David's coworkers have piped up alot about how they only plan for an hour or so and never need reservations and all that. He thinks they are "right" and I'm just being obsessive. I don't even bother explaining to him. I figure once we get there he'll understand.

 

[FosterA]

Alright all you foodies out there. Here are the ADRs I picked for our Nov. trip.

Disclaimer: I realize there are no character meals I know most people highly recommend them but my family is just horrible with buffets because David eats waaaaay too much and is miserable all day and the kids eat like little birds so it's hard to justify the prices. Especially since we are doing OOP and not dining plan. Plus, honestly with the kids being 11 and 14, they really aren't into the characters much and I can totally see my son trying to act cool and ignore the characters so it just doesn't pay off.

Also: we have the benefit of being newbies to Disney so we wont be tired of Counter Service yet so I'm totally ok with hotdogs from Caseys' and whatever we should run into.

But...here's what I have picked for sure:

Breakfast at Kona
Breakfast at Grand Floridian Cafe (eggs benedict!)

Lunch at Yak and Yeti
Lunch at Sci Fi

Dinner at Luau
Dinner at Hoop De Doo
Dinner at Rose and Crown for Illuminations

I plan on sprinkling in some places like Pizza Planet, Harbour House, Starring Rolls, Mexican counter service place at Epcot, Earl of Sandwich, and Flametree BBQ along the way also.

Now that the ADRs are out of the way, my next chapter will continue on with the plans of Day 2

 

[swwake]

I think your dining plans sound great! We also don't mind a CS meal here and there, and we only schedule our ADRs "just in case we need them". Don't feel bad about no character meals. We have never had one and don't feel that we're missing them. That leaves more open ADRs for families with younger kids, so we are doing them a favor, right?

 

[skier_pete]

Breakfast at Kona
Breakfast at Grand Floridian Cafe (eggs benedict!)

Lunch at Yak and Yeti
Lunch at Sci Fi

Dinner at Luau
Dinner at Hoop De Doo
Dinner at Rose and Crown for Illuminations

I plan on sprinkling in some places like Pizza Planet, Harbour House, Starring Rolls, Mexican counter service place at Epcot, Earl of Sandwich, and Flametree BBQ along the way also.

Nice choices...I haven't done too many of those myself though - only the Sci-Fi and Hoop De Doo, which we both liked a lot. (Your kids might find HDDR kind of corny though.) You are probably right to avoid the character Buffets, especially if you are paying OOP. They are way overpriced and if you don't want to see the characters, forget it.

And also, CS is not as bad at WDW as many make it out to be. While some of the places mostly serve garbage, there's a lot of variety and we never get sick of the CS choices. Sunshine Season's is fantastic at Epcot, as is Flame Tree @ DAK. CHH is another nice choice @ MK, as is Cosmic Rays because of the huge variety there.

Finally, regarding your previous comments on handling the rest of your family. Being the planner of the family can be a tricky balance. If you are lucky and you can convince your family to follow along, that's great. I think you have the right idea to kind of focus on a few things....making rope drop, time when you are eating. The balance is not getting too regimented while at the same time preventing the "what do you want to do next?" "I don't know, what do you want to do?" "I don't know."

You joke about bathroom breaks, but that is how we do it. Of course, our DD is only 8, but she will NEVER, EVER go to the bathroom until she has to go NOW! The only way we can get her to stop to go to the bathroom is by having "family bathroom breaks" where we ALL go to the bathroom at once. She still fights going, but we basically don't give her a choice. I don't think you'll have that big a problem with bathroom breaks with such a small group.

 

[Chicago Mo]

still trying to get the nerve with a TR.. yours is great!
we did save more money on the FD v/s the 40% i did the math.. with my family of 5 we are saving a bundle on the fd... there are other places to dine without characters too.. i hear HUGE reviews on kona cafe. and le cellier. i know i spelled that wrong.. i am stuck on the Dis board with disney food pictures! ha ha ha.. anything on the boards and i will read.. i am going to have to Dis anonymous soon..

 

[momabaarjo]

But...here's what I have picked for sure:

Breakfast at KonaThe tonga toast is amazing...enough to split with dd!
Breakfast at Grand Floridian Cafe (eggs benedict!)Oh my....way to yummy to even try to describe. I ate there on my "planning"trip just for these!

Lunch at Yak and Yeti Not eaten there ,but have it planned for our trip!
Lunch at Sci Fi

Dinner at Luau
Dinner at Hoop De Doo
Dinner at Rose and Crown for Illuminations Okay food, but the view for illuminations is awesome! What time did you get for your ADR. I loved the silton salad here and the sticky toffee pudding, the fish & chips were just okay!

I plan on sprinkling in some places like Pizza Planet, Harbour House, Starring Rolls, Mexican counter service place at Epcot With being able to get great Mexican food where you live I probably would pass on this and find someplace else in the world to eat that might be more of a stretch...the Norway Bakery next door to Mexico has a great sandwich menu and pastries...I had the ham, cheese and apple sandwich...so yummy!, Earl of Sandwich, and Flametree BBQ along the way also.

Now that the ADRs are out of the way, my next chapter will continue on with the plans of Day 2

 

[FosterA]

still trying to get the nerve with a TR.. yours is great!
we did save more money on the FD v/s the 40% i did the math.. with my family of 5 we are saving a bundle on the fd... there are other places to dine without characters too.. i hear HUGE reviews on kona cafe. and le cellier. i know i spelled that wrong.. i am stuck on the Dis board with disney food pictures! ha ha ha.. anything on the boards and i will read.. i am going to have to Dis anonymous soon..

haha. Dis anonymous! sign me up too!
yep, I hear Kona is great. I thought about LeCelier too but being in Tx, I gotta say, we're no strangers to a good slab of beef! I thought we'd branch out and try some other things instead of leCelier. Besides, it seems very overpriced. yikes!

so glad you saved a bundle on Free Dining. Congrats

 

[FosterA]

Thanks for your advice!
Yep, Im sure me and Allison can split the tonga toast and she loves fruit so if she has a dish of fruit and half my toast, we're all good!

I don't like eggs but I love eggs benedict for some reason. yum!

Our Rose and Crown reservation is for 8 pm I believe. Mainly there for some cold beer. Oh, and I love tarter sauce! lol I'll take a side of fish with my tartar sauce.

As far as the little Mexican counter service place, that will be more for my son. He'll need a fix of tortilla chips by this time (one of the few things he eats). I imagine we can sit there and he can have something and then the rest of us 3 can try something more exciting in one of the countries. I do know we must hit that Tequila bar place for sure too!

 

[FosterA]

First off, thanks to all of you Dis Friends that keep reading along! Trust me, I read each and every post. Sometimes I may not respond back but I really am soaking in all your great advice. I have learned more on this Dis Board than all the guide books together!


So.....to recap: Day 1 will consist of flying into Orlando and landing around noon. Should be squared away at the Poly by 2:00 at the latest We'll lounge around and rest (hopefully room will be ready) and get pumped up to go to the Christmas parade so Uber-planning Mama can see her wooden soldiers!! Unless we just can't wait, I don't think we'll enter the party early, as in 4pm. Probably head over there around 6:00 instead. Since we are not character groupies, we'll probably try to hit a few rides and mainly take in parade and fireworks. I've heard conflicting stories on the ride situation though. Some say little lines, others not so much. um?? guess we'll have to see. I'll be reporting back of course!

The food for Day 1 will be Counter Service all the way. Probably breakfast at airport, lunch at Poly for sushi or sandwiches, dinner at someplace at MK (Harbour house, Casey's, whatever)



So here's Day 2:
Assuming we stay at the party until midnight, we'll be pretty dang tired so I planned this day to sleep in of course. Not too too late but until 9 or 10ish. We will be checking out our very first ADR at KONA for a 10:45 breakfast/brunch
I am so ready to tear into some Tonga Toast!! Now, the reason why the Dining plan isn't a good value for my family is because this is what I predict we'll eat: Me and Dave will order a regular platter of food. Me, the Toast with whatever side comes with it. Dave will get something with eggs and sausage, something more "manly" I assume. Allison will want a small bowl of fruit and a bite of my toast. Ian will whine about why we even need to eat at all! I'll have to bribe him to eat and eventually he'll settle on a side of a few bacon strips. So, having 2 kids that would be "adult" prices yet eat like 2-year olds played a big part in us not doing the dining plan. Of course if the plan is "free" than that is a whole other story. But...we got the 40% off the room so that discount was better in our situation.

After eating we will head back to MK and spend most of the day there. I came up with my itinerary by using Tour Guide Mike and Easy WDW for the best parks of each day. I also figured since the end of our stay will start butting into the Thanksgiving crowds arriving that we should do our MK stuff first since that tends to be the most popular. Hopefully we'll get our MK fix and have a chance to do all the attractions before the Thanksgiving crowds surge in.
Anyhoo....after Kona, we'll go back to MK and do all the stuff we didn't do during the party. I'm foaming at the bit to see the movie Philarmagic (?) and we recently saw the Tom Sawyer movie so the kids would probably like to run around that island a little bit.
I imagine at some point we'll burn off the Tonga Toast calories and get hungry for lunch ( a late one I'm sure since we ate breakfast at 10:45!). For lunch, we'll grab something at Cosmic Rays or Pecos or such. Like I said, as newbies, we wont be tired of Counter Service yet and honestly, when I went back in Feb, I was very surprised at the variety of CS food! hotdogs, BBQ, fried fish, salads....... I'm always surprised when people say everything is burgers and chicken nuggets. I saw lots of other stuff

So....then I noticed that Fantasmic is this night also and I just MUST do that. Right now it's set for 6:30 but rumor is that there will be an 8 pm showing more than likely that week too. I really hope there is an 8 pm because then we can hang out at MK a little longer before having to head over to the Studios. We'll just have to wait and see. Either way, we'll run around MK until it's time to go to the Studios and watch Fantasmic. OH! plus we'll just have to see Osborne Lights also of course!!

We are not doing the Fantasmic Dining plan because I guess I just wasn't thrilled with the restaurant options. Also, I'd much prefer the later showing and I believe the dinner pkg is only for the first show. I may regret this decision later but for now I'll take the risk. I'll be prepared to stand in line, but once again, since we are such newbies, we'll be so oblivious and pumped up that maybe we wont mind so much As far as dinner this day, I'd really like to get some pizza at Pizza Planet but if the crowds there on a Fantasmic night are insane, we may settle for whatever we can find.

After Fantasmic we'll go back to the room and collapse. Hopefully at this time, I will have successfully proven to my family that we're not at just another filthy Six-Flags since we'll have done the Christmas Party, MK for most of the next day, Fantasmic, and eaten the famous Tonga Toast all in 2 days! Not to mention, choosing a fabulous resort such as the Poly to stay in! Maybe they'll finally give me the respect I deserve getting this vacation off the ground and organized.

Stay tuned for Day 3 plans!

 

[momabaarjo]

Thanks for your advice!
Yep, Im sure me and Allison can split the tonga toast and she loves fruit so if she has a dish of fruit and half my toast, we're all good!There is a side of strawberry sauce for the toast...sure you can order a side of fruit. That is what dd and I plan to do...she is not a big eater...a lot like your daughter in size...just turned 14 and stands 4'10 and weighs about 80 pounds. Sure wish I had her issues!

I don't like eggs but I love eggs benedict for some reason. yum! Me too...these were pretty yummy.

Our Rose and Crown reservation is for 8 pm I believe. Mainly there for some cold beer. Oh, and I love tarter sauce! lol I'll take a side of fish with my tartar sauce. I like the side of tarter too...your ADR will be perfect for Illuminations.

As far as the little Mexican counter service place, that will be more for my son. He'll need a fix of tortilla chips by this time (one of the few things he eats). I imagine we can sit there and he can have something and then the rest of us 3 can try something more exciting in one of the countries. I do know we must hit that Tequila bar place for sure too! Make sure you try the tequila Flight....but split it with dh or you may not make to Norway I had the avacado marg...so yummy...and the blood orange was pretty tasty too!

 

[disneylovin24]

I think after all that time at the MK your family will definetely love WDW and view it as more then just another Six Flags If they dont then there is something wrong with them

 

[kthshh]

I'm sure your kids will be able to tell the difference between WDW and Six Flags. My 9yo and 7yo DS's know the difference!!! And they'd much rather go to WDW.

We're in the Dallas area and I'm enjoying reading your trip report so far. It's been a few years since we went for the first time. Well, technically, I went once as a kid but it had been over 20 years ago.

My DH is a lot like you in that he is never impressed by what the masses are impressed by. He enjoys our vacations, but doesn't have the same appreciation for WDW that I do. He sometimes gets so focused on what he's out to accomplish that he overlooks the details all around him.

Looking forward to reading more about your plans and can't wait to hear about the actual trip.

 

[FosterA]

I think after all that time at the MK your family will definetely love WDW and view it as more then just another Six Flags If they dont then there is something wrong with them

:

So true, if my family isn't impressed by Disney, I'm locking them up in the looney bin! They don't need to turn into Disney nuts at all, just simply be "impressed" by The World. I have no doubt that they will all LOVE IT of course. Just my poor little skeptical family has no expectations at all so that makes it even more fun!

 

[FosterA]

I'm sure your kids will be able to tell the difference between WDW and Six Flags. My 9yo and 7yo DS's know the difference!!! And they'd much rather go to WDW.

We're in the Dallas area and I'm enjoying reading your trip report so far. It's been a few years since we went for the first time. Well, technically, I went once as a kid but it had been over 20 years ago.

My DH is a lot like you in that he is never impressed by what the masses are impressed by. He enjoys our vacations, but doesn't have the same appreciation for WDW that I do. He sometimes gets so focused on what he's out to accomplish that he overlooks the details all around him.

Looking forward to reading more about your plans and can't wait to hear about the actual trip.

Thanks for jumping in!
Oh, I know, it will only take a minute for the kiddos and Dave to realize this aint no regular Amusement Park. lol I just think it's funny because the only "theme" park type places we've ever been to is Six Flags San antonio and King's Dominion in Virginia and Enchanted Forest near Portland Oregon! That's all they have to compare what they "think" Disney is to. That's what makes this trip so fun. I KNOW how spectacular Disney is and I can't wait to show them!

 

[spreadingpixiedust]

I am enjoying your reports! We are planning a family trip in nov but my DH just surprised me with another trip in sept/Oct trip for just us as a 25th anniv present. Staying at Poly for the first time.
I will pass on details of "can't miss" resort wonders if you like.