DH went on a Year Long Vacation to a Desert Island & Now Its MY turn, 9 DAYS in WDW

[Christine9125]

When is the taping of the parade usually?
Is it just for one day?
Does it only affect the Magic Kingdom Park?
Would it be a really busy time to go because people want to be at WDW for the taping?[/color]


• First weekend that has at least one day in December.
• It starts on Friday and continues thru that Saturday and, sometimes, Sunday.
• Only affects Main Street and Castle in MK
• Most guests seen in the parade crowd are pre-selected in advance by the parade producers.
They spend long hours watching the same 5 minutes of the event, over-and-over, as the cameras capture different angles of the same thing. Then, on to the next 5 minutes of event, over-and-over.

They shoot the show in the mornings, so if you go past Main Street, the rest of MK is pretty empty of guests until, say 2pm, when all of the parade watchers are finished for the day and come into the rest of MK.

 

[ilovemickeymost]

Thanks so much for the info.

 

[ilovemickeymost]

You might have done the math & realized the dates I picked only gave us 7 days & the PTR title mentions 9 days. Before I booked the trip, I made the decision that this was going to be my longest trip ever. I wan't sure when we would all go to WDW again together. I really wanted DH to get the full effect of Disney, so MAYBE the next trip would be his idea. Come on Disney Bug don't fail me now. Bite DH please!!!! I wanted it to be a really relaxing time. On top of all the normal stuff I wanted to experience w/ my family, there was all the Christmas stuff too. I wanted to visit as many resorts as possible to view the Christmas decorations & we will be headed to Gaylord Palms to see "Ice". And figured, I could still fly during cheap days & get an extra 2 days @ WDW. What about MVMCP? We'll after reading the reviews & figuring the cost, I decided to skip it this year. I'd much rather see "Ice". We've done MNSSHP & loved it & have heard that the Christmas party is no where near as neat. And besides all the other reasons, I'd get 2 more days to eat at all my favorite places & places I've always wanted to try.

Now speaking of food, the meal plan always comes to play in booking the ressies. I LOVE the convience of paying ahead of time & not thinking about money the whole trip & Just ordering whatever you want. No need to look at prices. We've used it 2xs in the past & loved it. Unfortunately, Disney has made some changes & taken away aps (my favorite) & tip. So, I'm still gonna have to think about money. GRR. For know I decide to book the regular DP. I can always change my mind later. I'm a woman, its my paragative.

So, I called the Ressie CM & she was by far the nicest one I've ever had. I think we spent an extra 30 min on the phone talking about all the things we love about WDW.

Here's what our ressies look like:
Tuesday, December 01 - Wednesday, December 09 (yippie 9 days)
CB resort, "PIRATE ROOM" standard view (DD only request for the whole trip, how cool? We get to sleep in pirate ships)
9 day passes (no hopper, we don't use it)
8 night regular Dining Plan (I immediately start dreaming about where we will eat)
Magical Express (I love that this is FREE)

I get off the phone w/ CM & am jumping around the house like a Kangaroo. I'm so excited!!! We're going home!!!

If I haven't mentioned it before, planning the trip is one of my favorite parts of the trip. I get a high right after booking that no drug could ever give you. Its undescribable unless you are a Disney Freak like me.

 

[Krista in MA]

Is anyone home? We're waiting for more trip plans!

I'm sure you've been all wrapped up in Thanksgiving, the Holidays AND the baby coming up!

Patiently awaiting your next update....

 

[ilovemickeymost]

1st I must apoligize for leaving you hanging. We're finally "all" getting over a virus to end all viruses. DS had it the worst. 7 wks of all night coughing & runnie nose, 2 trips to the doc's office, 2 different rounds (10 days each) of antibiotics, an infection caused by antibiotics (now applying aointment to his skin), & an ear infection. Mine was 2 wks shorter & required a trip to urgent care & a round of pinicilin & decongestant. I've also been on self imposed bedrest for the baby & had a trip to the ER for what I thought was a broken ankle (turned out to be a gnarly sprain). DS#2 is guestimated to be delivered around 10lbs, just like his big bro. So, we are anxiously awaiting his arrivial in 4 wks & getting everything ready. DS#1's 1st year scrapbook is the main thing. So, I've been a crazy crafter.

Now on with Disney plans: I'm never content to leave plans as they are until I know they are just right. I started tweeking the reservations a bit. I realized that by splitting our vacation between a value resort & the Carribean Beach we would save about $400. But, I never thought DH would agree to repack & have our belongings moved to a new resort. Remember, he hates to deal w/ any kind of hassle. I tell him about the $400 savings 1st. Then, on w/ the fact I've done it before w/ no problem & how it works. He's hooked. So now, we'll be staying at All-Star Sports (his pick) in the baseball area (my pick) for 5 nights & CB for 3 nights. We're doing the dining plan for 5 nights instead of 8. And b/c they expire at midnight on check out we have 6 days to use them. I take all my plans to a local AAA agent & tell her what I want. She quotes me & by booking w/ them, on top of the $400 we're saving an extra $300. Do I ever love saving $$$$. I come home & tell honey & he's way happy. He loves it when I save him money. LOL We still get all the cool extras we'ld get by booking thorough WDW & AAA has some pretty nifty extras of their own. I booked during their yearly Disney celebration so there were even more extras added in. I know we get a private storytime w/ the fairy Godmother, a discount card for tons of different places, a seprate meet & greet, & autograph books. Can't think of the rest just yet. All deposits have been made & I'm ready to start thinking about food.

Side note: Recently, A fellow disser brought up the fact that the cheerleading/football thingy takes place during the time we will be there & most stay at the sport & few stay at Pop. I haven't changed it yet, but am planning to switch us to Pop. Part of me is starting to think we might need to pick a different week+ to go. Any input would be great.

 

[ilovemickeymost]

I've heard good & bad things about booking w/ AAA. Mainly that travel agents are misinformed about what WDW offers or is really like. Some have never been or only been once. So for a newbie that doesn't know that much, I wouldn't suggest booking that way. But, I walked into the office w/ the dates, resorts, & options I wanted. All she had to do was put everything in the computer & take my money. My AAA travel agent has been to WDW several times & is very educated on the dining plans & the resorts & transportation etc. And like I said, I'm saving me some $$$$$.

 

[ilovemickeymost]

In case I haven't mentioned it, I LOVE FOOD. And nothing is better than eating at WDW. I know some will disagree with me, but I don't really care about them. I love the themed resturaunts. We eat at Rainforest Cafe here at home just to see the monkeys & elephants in the thunderstorm. And we've had some super yummy meals that we are still talking about years later. Now that all the other details are in place, I can consentrate on the most important (for me) detail. Where will we be filling our bellies? Each trip back home, we try & stay at a new resort & eat at new places. This trip is no different. Both of our resorts our Newbies. And ALMOST all of the restaurants on this list below are Newbies too. There are very few "GOING BACK"s (tried & trues that we love) & a few "FOR SURE"s that we've already decided we want to try. The remaining places are the list of possible candidates. So sit back, relax, & enjoy the trip down memory lane. Please help us narrow down our choices. We'ld love to hear about your favorites on the list & what you like to eat there.

Animal Kingdom
Flame Tree BBQ been before & was soooo good & reasonable
Tusker House heard great things about it & we really liked Boma
Yak & Yeti probably just get aps to share. want to see the inside of this place.

Hollywood Studios
50's PrimeTime (FOR SURE for dinner) We normally eat at Sci-Fi, but last trip realized there isn't enough room between you & the table while holding a baby. So, decided to go to Prime Time. I've been wanting to eat here anyway. Can't wait to try the Pot Roast & Mashed Potatoes. We are going to do this one for dinner. Want to fit it in between Osbourne Lights & Fantasmic.

Epcot
Rest. Marrakesh (GOING BACK for lunch) DD & I LOVE this place. It is so beautiful & so was our waiter last time (LOL). The food was amazing & we still talk about it.
Patisserie(GOING BACK) This is a tradition for us. DD has to have a crossaint for here every trip. I normally have 2 or 3 desserts. We might stop more than once for breakfast.
Sunshine Seasons great healthy choices for CS
Biergarten This is up to DH. He served in Germany. And thought he might want to eat the food again.
Epcot has so many yummy places to eat. I'm sure we won't be at a loss for places to try.

Magic Kingdom
Crystal Palace(GOING BACK for lunch) Another tradition. We've been going here since DD was 2yo. She'll be 15 on this trip. She insisted we return.
Casey's Corner I love baseball & everyone here loves hotdogs & fries.
Columbia House Heard their BLT salad is huge is super yummy
El Pirata Just in case we need a Mexican food fix.
Pinocchio Village Hausonly for the cheese, bacon, tomatoe covered fries
Plaza Resturaunt Heard its very good & reasonable & portions are large.

 

[ilovemickeymost]

I really want to visit as many of the resorts as possible to see all the Christmas Decorations & gingerbread houses. I know we will never make time for it if its a single event. But, I'm pretty sure that if its where we are eating, no one will complain. So here's the resort restaurants that we can choose from:

Boardwalk: Big River Grille-They have Mahi mahi Oscar, no more words needed.
Boardwalk Bakery-Yummy stuff for snacks.

Carribean Beach: Old Port Royale Food Court-Since we're staying here, I'm sure we'll eat here a few times. I love the fact that its a market place inside.

Contemporary: California Grill-would be flatbreads & dessert only. I think the view is just amazing. I know you can see the fireworks from here, but I want to be in the park when they have those.

Coronado Springs: Pepper Market- I love that its counter service, but has tons of different types of ethinic foods in stations. The prices are resaonable & its really cute in there. Besides I've heard they really decorate for the holidays.

Grand Floridian: GF Cafe-Breakfat probably. They have lobster eggs benedict. YUM. Heard the food is super yummy & reasonable.

Garden View Lounge-DD & I would do afternoon tea. DH & DSs would have some boys time. We love to do tea, but haven't had a chance in a long time.

Poly: Ohana-Breakfast w/ Stitch & friends (FOR SURE for breakfast) Stitch is a famly favorite & we've never seen him up close.

Kona-(FOR SURE for lunch) This is my top pick of newbies. I can't wait. The food looks so good & the rave reviews are many. I already have my meal planned out. LOL

Wilderness Lodge: Whispering Canyon -I love interactive meals. And the resort is amazingly beautiful. We'll probably hit this one for lunch b/c its cheaper for the same things.

Yacht & Beach: Beaches & Cream -I want to go everytime & we never make it. I never thoguht about eating here until I read a write up on it.

Downtown Disney: Cuban Cafe- I love Cuban food & found that you can eat sandwiches here from 11-4 & they run about $8.

Earl of Sandwich-Huge portions & can easily split.

Fulton's Crab House-This is a Disney orginal (even though someone else is running it) in honor of his wife. I'm a traditionalist & want to experience the history & his vision. This would definately be a lunch meal. Once again prices will be cheaper.

TRex-Just not sure if it would scare the boys. But DS#1 loves dinosaurs.

Wolfgang Pucks Express- The food looks amazing & the reviews have been great/ Once again, we can split b/c there is so much food.

Planet Hollywood-(Most Likely)-We have a coupon + a discount off here. I love their chicken tenders. Probably do this on our last day.

Once again, if you have any feedback or favorite things to eat there, on any of the places on the list, please let me know. Even if its negative. I can use all the help I can get. Most of these places are new to us & are only being considered b/c of input from others.

 

[ilovemickeymost]

This section will be updated as we make more decisions & are allowed to make ressies. If you have any suggestions as to favorites to eat at these resturants, please feel free.

Breakfast
1) Ohana w/ Stitch @ Poly (NEW)

Lunch
1) Rest. Marrakesh @ WS Epcot (RETURN)
2) Crystal Palace w/ Pooh @ MK (RETURN)
3) Kona @ Poly (NEW)

Dinner
1) 50's Prime Time Cafe @ HS (try to do in between Osbourne's & Fantasmic) (NEW)

Snacks
1) Patisserie @ WS Epcot (RETURN)

Not Sure When
1) Old Port Royale FC @ Carribean Beach (NEW)

 

[Christine9125]

All of these meals sound good. I don't have much input as we haven't really been to many of these, but our next trip will be trying as many as we can. I will be reading so see what happens with yours!

 

[ilovemickeymost]

More to update, but you'll have to wait for more PTR. Just had to tell someone. Yesterday, I just bought $1700 in Disney Dollars. You should have seen the look on the face of the cashier. And then when she found out we weren't going until December. I was actually a little shaky when she handed it too me. B/C if I loose it were are out of luck for our trip. Why would anyone want that much in Disney Dollars you might ask? Remember, this is a no debit trip. Since we have the money now for things like food & spending and we want to make sure we still have it when its time for our trip. So, I buy Disney Dollar & put them away until its time to go. That way its not as easy to spend. I've even got our children doing it. Once they get there allowance, they come to the "Bank of Mom" & trade in part of it for DDollars.

 

[ilovemickeymost]

Once again our plans have changed. Hopefully, that's it for awhile. I discovered that WDW is offering discounts for military & their families. This is a rareity & hasn't happend since 2003. DH & I were newly dating then & he was deployed so I couldn't use the discount. GRR This time they are offering 40% off room rates. We were able to get 8 nights @ CB for $142 less than if we split our stay between as sports(5) & CB(3). Also, the military person gets a 5-day hopper deluxe for FREE. Family members can buy a basic 5 day pass for $99. Its an extra $25 to make it a hopper. Since DH isn't BUYING a pass, we'ld have to buy a 1 day pass to get the dining plan. Not worth it.

 

[ilovemickeymost]

I always budget on the higher end. That way I feel wonderful when our actually spending is way less. I would hate to be in WDW & run out of money or worry about every penny the entire time. I normally come back w/ money left over or can handle something unexpected when it comes up.

So here's the break down of our budget & some explaination of how I came up w/ those amounts:

AIRFARE (SWA or AirTram) $800

AIRPORT PARKING ($8 daily) $72 or stay @ hotel near airport that offers free parking. That way we are already right next door & packed $78

TIPS: PORTER ($1 per bag) $4, DRIVER ($2 per person, 2xs) $8, MAID ($2 per night) $16, BELLMAN ($2 per bag) $4

RESORT $1052. It will be $939.68 (military discount)

5 DAY HOPPER PARK PASSES $372 or $297 w/out hopper (DH gets his ticket for FREE & we get military discount)

TICKETS TO ICE @ Gaylord Palms $60 (weekday rate) or $51 (buying online) 3 & under is FREE

TRANSPORTATION to resort FREE from Magical Express
TRANSPORTATION to Gaylord Palms $40 (Mears, private car. $18 each way total & $2 tip each way)

MEALS $1413 ($40 per adult (3), $11 for our son, & $26 tip = $157 per day X 9) I used the dining plan for the amounts

SPENDING MONEY $500 ($100 per person)

GRAND TOTAL $4359

I can't wait to see how much money we end up saving. I've already saved on the resort cost & park passes.

We've already paid for our resort, meals, & spending money. I'm just waiting for the airlines to release tickets for the dates we need. And we need to head to the military base & pick up our park passes.

 

[ilovemickeymost]

If you're reading my trip reports you need to post a reply. LOL She got to touch the Disney Dollars & tried to "BORROW" a stack of them. No go my little friend.

 

[disneylovinfamily]

Yes, I am reading along I just suggested that she share the disney wealth It was amazing----huge stack of disney money! I would be afraid of losing it though. that would be typical me

 

[raraloveseeyore]

Ok it's time for an update! I know you've been in the hospital but that's no excuse. Some of us check everyday for updates(it can't be that hard to do with a 3 year old and an infant) Anyway, hope you're feeling better and I'll see you at the birthday party!

 

[ilovemickeymost]

Here's an update for you! About 2 wks ago I mentioned to DH that if we went beginning it was free dining. He said, "oh", so I dropped it. My DH who is relucantly going w/ us, brings up the free dining a couple days ago. I've cleared it w/ all family members. Now, I'm back to doing the calculations to see if its cheaper. If we go in December, we get 40% off our resort & DH pass is free & ours will be $99. If we go in October & book w/ AAA, we get 15 or 20% off our room, have to buy at least 1 day passes (I think), but dining is free. GRR. I was able to talk to my Disney expert friend (the only reson I keep u around. JJ) to find out the pros & cons. Once I do the math I'll decide. And let you all know. Thanks for reading.