DLR Vet, 1st WDW Visit...HELP!

[leahlefler]

We are DLR vets and just returned from Disney World. The MK was PACKED both days we were there (45 minute wait for Small World, e.g. by 10 am). The other parks weren't bad. We focused on the attractions that were different from the ones in DLR. We went to the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Factory, for example, and saw Philharmagic. We prefer Pirates and Space Mountain at DLR over the versions at WDW. We liked the Haunted Mansion at WDW better than the one at DLR. It was fun to compare. We spent a lot of time at Epcot.

We like the park hoppers. Monday was hot and packed at the MK, so we used our morning fastpasses and rode several rides, had lunch at BOG, then left to go back to the hotel and hop over to Typhoon Lagoon. We had a wonderful (completely uncrowded) afternoon at TL, then went back to our hotel. We debated where to go for dinner (we didn't have an ADR that night), then realized we had extra magic hours at Hollywood Studios that night. So we jumped on the bus, had dinner at Hollywood Studios, watched Fantasmic, and rode Star Tours and Rock N Roller Coaster with minimal waits. We really enjoyed the ability to park hop (it does take time, though). We had six days in the parks and could have used more!

We'd love to visit Universal, too, but I think that will be a different trip!

 

[JAG107]

Being a lifetime DLR guy, and making 8 trips to WDW since 2007, I can offer a few tips:

First off, what hasn't been mentioned yet is adjusting to the time difference. If you are 2 hours behind, getting up at 7 to make rope drop will be like getting up at 5am at home, which isn't so easy if you're staying in a deluxe with comfy beds!

I have always had park hopping, and have always enjoyed having the option. It's a nice change of pace to rope drop AK or MK, head back to the room for a break when it gets crowded, then head out for Epcot for the evening. I would also skip Uni if you only have 5 park days, because if you spend only 3 at WDW, you're going to be wishing you had 2 more days! Also, your cost per day will go up a bit.

For attractions, there's a few you can skip, unless you REALLY love them. DHS has Toy Story and Star Tours which are exactly identical to the ones at DL (aside from the queue), and Soarin' at Epcot. Using your "Tier 1" FP at Test Track would be a better idea since you have most likely seen Soarin at DCA already. When you take out TSMM and Star Tours, that leaves really only 3 attractions and some shows at DHS, which makes it more of a 1/2 day park...meaning it would be great to be able to hop on a Friendship boat to Epcot! That boat ride alone is worth the time spent not being in a park. It's very relaxing, and you get to see the Epcot resorts.

For picking a resort, I'd highly recommend the BLT 1 bedroom villa...even better, try and rent points and get a standard view to save $. You're still outside of the 11 month window, so you still have some time to figure out if that's the route you want to go room wise. BLT standard rooms book up really fast starting at 11 months. But being able to walk to MK in 10 minutes while everyone else (especially Epcot resort guests) are losing an hour or more waiting on buses and transportation time is priceless, and well worth the cost of staying at BLT. The bus service is much better than Boardwalk, also.

MK is actually a favorite of ours. Seeing the differences between MK and DL are amazing, and being able to experience the peoplemover, carousel of progress and Country Bears was wonderful. If you're a big fan of Pirates, be prepared to be underwhelmed though.

For dining, I'm not much of a food nut, but I can suggest getting Be Our Guest for lunch. Best QS meal at MK IMHO. I'd suggest reading up on all the dining options on this site, they list all the menus and you can pretty easily figure out where you'd like to try getting ADR's based on what you like to eat. Having teens, sounds like Cinderellas Royal Table probably won't be on your list, or most character meals either, so I think your chances of getting what you want are pretty good well beyond 180 days.

Hope that helps!

 

[fly girl]

Thank you so much! I have no doubt that we'll love it! Do you know when they'll have 2016 booking available online? EMH hours released? If I do want to initially focus on one park per day (parkhoppers or not), should I automatically go with the park offering EMH? I've read that those parks tend to be really busy, but the extra time in the park may offset that?

I think it's usually in the beginning of July for vacation packages to be released for the upcoming year, but don't quote me. I'm not positive since I'm never that lucky to know our vacation schedules that far in advance.


If you know you're going to make EMH rope drop (and JAG107 is on the money -- PST to EST is rough for getting out of bed) then you can hit rides in standby line and have FP+'s for later at the same park or hop over to a different one.

If you're not positive you'll make morning EMH, then I'd stick to a park that doesn't have it. No sense battling the extra crowds.

Crowd wise, MK is always the worst park. AK has narrower pathways in areas and it can feel crowded at times, but not nearly as bad as MK. Epcot is spacious so you won't feel the unbearable crowds fighting you at every turn.

 

[albertamom]

Being a lifetime DLR guy, and making 8 trips to WDW since 2007, I can offer a few tips:

First off, what hasn't been mentioned yet is adjusting to the time difference. If you are 2 hours behind, getting up at 7 to make rope drop will be like getting up at 5am at home, which isn't so easy if you're staying in a deluxe with comfy beds!

I have always had park hopping, and have always enjoyed having the option. It's a nice change of pace to rope drop AK or MK, head back to the room for a break when it gets crowded, then head out for Epcot for the evening. I would also skip Uni if you only have 5 park days, because if you spend only 3 at WDW, you're going to be wishing you had 2 more days! Also, your cost per day will go up a bit.

For attractions, there's a few you can skip, unless you REALLY love them. DHS has Toy Story and Star Tours which are exactly identical to the ones at DL (aside from the queue), and Soarin' at Epcot. Using your "Tier 1" FP at Test Track would be a better idea since you have most likely seen Soarin at DCA already. When you take out TSMM and Star Tours, that leaves really only 3 attractions and some shows at DHS, which makes it more of a 1/2 day park...meaning it would be great to be able to hop on a Friendship boat to Epcot! That boat ride alone is worth the time spent not being in a park. It's very relaxing, and you get to see the Epcot resorts.

For picking a resort, I'd highly recommend the BLT 1 bedroom villa...even better, try and rent points and get a standard view to save $. You're still outside of the 11 month window, so you still have some time to figure out if that's the route you want to go room wise. BLT standard rooms book up really fast starting at 11 months. But being able to walk to MK in 10 minutes while everyone else (especially Epcot resort guests) are losing an hour or more waiting on buses and transportation time is priceless, and well worth the cost of staying at BLT. The bus service is much better than Boardwalk, also.

MK is actually a favorite of ours. Seeing the differences between MK and DL are amazing, and being able to experience the peoplemover, carousel of progress and Country Bears was wonderful. If you're a big fan of Pirates, be prepared to be underwhelmed though.

For dining, I'm not much of a food nut, but I can suggest getting Be Our Guest for lunch. Best QS meal at MK IMHO. I'd suggest reading up on all the dining options on this site, they list all the menus and you can pretty easily figure out where you'd like to try getting ADR's based on what you like to eat. Having teens, sounds like Cinderellas Royal Table probably won't be on your list, or most character meals either, so I think your chances of getting what you want are pretty good well beyond 180 days.

Hope that helps!

AWESOME! Thank you so much for the spot-on advice! You are right that we won't be needing character meals, and we'll be quite curious to see the differences between rides in DLR & WDW.

 

[albertamom]

We are DLR vets and just returned from Disney World. The MK was PACKED both days we were there (45 minute wait for Small World, e.g. by 10 am). The other parks weren't bad. We focused on the attractions that were different from the ones in DLR. We went to the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Factory, for example, and saw Philharmagic. We prefer Pirates and Space Mountain at DLR over the versions at WDW. We liked the Haunted Mansion at WDW better than the one at DLR. It was fun to compare. We spent a lot of time at Epcot.

We like the park hoppers. Monday was hot and packed at the MK, so we used our morning fastpasses and rode several rides, had lunch at BOG, then left to go back to the hotel and hop over to Typhoon Lagoon. We had a wonderful (completely uncrowded) afternoon at TL, then went back to our hotel. We debated where to go for dinner (we didn't have an ADR that night), then realized we had extra magic hours at Hollywood Studios that night. So we jumped on the bus, had dinner at Hollywood Studios, watched Fantasmic, and rode Star Tours and Rock N Roller Coaster with minimal waits. We really enjoyed the ability to park hop (it does take time, though). We had six days in the parks and could have used more!

We'd love to visit Universal, too, but I think that will be a different trip!

Another DLR vet! Yay!!! More and more, I think we're going to end up with park hoppers. My biggest worry now seems to be ADRs, and not knowing exactly where we'll be when. Thanks for the help!

 

[fly girl]

AWESOME! Thank you so much for the spot-on advice! You are right that we won't be needing character meals, and we'll be quite curious to see the differences between rides in DLR & WDW.

Character meals aren't the only ones that go at the 180 mark. BOG and 'Ohana quickly go.

Certain ones won't go that fast but will be hard to get at peak meal times after a few weeks include: Narcoosee's, California Grill (esp during MK fireworks), Le Cellier, Teppan Edo, and Sci-Fi. I know there are others but those come to mind.

My type A wants you to get the restaurants you desire so book them as early as you can.

 

[hiroMYhero]

SciFi is a must-do. Whenever we have new-to-WDW guests with us, we book SciFi, BOG, Sanaa, and Jiko.

 

[albertamom]

I think it's usually in the beginning of July for vacation packages to be released for the upcoming year, but don't quote me. I'm not positive since I'm never that lucky to know our vacation schedules that far in advance.


If you know you're going to make EMH rope drop (and JAG107 is on the money -- PST to EST is rough for getting out of bed) then you can hit rides in standby line and have FP+'s for later at the same park or hop over to a different one.

If you're not positive you'll make morning EMH, then I'd stick to a park that doesn't have it. No sense battling the extra crowds.

Crowd wise, MK is always the worst park. AK has narrower pathways in areas and it can feel crowded at times, but not nearly as bad as MK. Epcot is spacious so you won't feel the unbearable crowds fighting you at every turn.

Excellent advice about EMH. We're on Mountain Time, so a little easier, but 7:00 will still be really tough with 2 teenagers. We'll definitely take that into consideration.

 

[albertamom]

Character meals aren't the only ones that go at the 180 mark. BOG and 'Ohana quickly go.

Certain ones won't go that fast but will be hard to get at peak meal times after a few weeks include: Narcoosee's, California Grill (esp during MK fireworks), Le Cellier, Teppan Edo, and Sci-Fi. I know there are others but those come to mind.

My type A wants you to get the restaurants you desire so book them as early as you can.

Type A here, too!

We're not foodies, at all, but do like to enjoy a nice sit-down meal. That's why I'm worrying about the ADRs so much. I haven't even begun researching restaurants yet, but do know that, as Canadians and steak lovers, Le Cellier is a strong contender. Thank you!

 

[albertamom]

SciFi is a must-do. Whenever we have new-to-WDW guests with us, we book SciFi, BOG, Sanaa, and Jiko.

Next four I'm going to research!

 

[hiroMYhero]

Next four I'm going to research!

If you stay at BLT, The Wave has a great breakfast buffet and very reasonably priced.

 

[albertamom]

If you stay at BLT, The Wave has a great breakfast buffet and very reasonably priced.

I love a buffet for breakfast! Do you know how early they start serving? One problem we've always had at DLR is finding a place open early enough to hit before early entry at the parks.

 

[hiroMYhero]

I love a buffet for breakfast! Do you know how early they start serving? One problem we've always had at DLR is finding a place open early enough to hit before early entry at the parks.

7:30am. They serve local produce, lox and bagels, and sweet potato pancakes!

 

[albertamom]

7:30am. They serve local produce, lox and bagels, and sweet potato pancakes!

Thank you! Sounds great! I'm pretty confident that we'll end up staying there.

 

[fly girl]

ADR's are best when they revolve around the park you'll be at. Easy peasy! Don't stress.

Personally, here is my completely and totally biased opinion.


Breakfast. We tend to stick with our resort unless we are hitting a character meal which you previously mentioned you won't do.


Lunch.
MK. QS, Columbia Harbour House. It's our go to, every time.

Epcot. TS, Via Napoli is our fave for lunch. For QS, Tangerine Cafe, Fish and Chips in England, or a Beer and Brat in Germany.

HS. TS, Sci-Fi.

AK. TS, Yak & Yeti. QS, Flame Tree BBQ


Dinner.
MK, TS. BOG if you can get it. If not, go to MK resort for a meal. Narcoosee's, California Grill, Citrico's, 'OHANA, or Artist Point all wonderful and worth leaving MK for a nice relaxing meal and adult beverage.

Epcot, TS. Tons of options! Le Cellier, Teppan Edo, or walk over to Boardwalk area to Flying Fish, Shula's, Bluezoo, or the new Trattoria Al Forno.

HS, unless you're getting a Fantasmic dinner package ... head over to Boardwalk or Epcot TS.

AKL. TS at AKL. Sanaa or Jiko. I'm not a buffet person but I know many people love Boma.


Again, this is all highly opinionated. lol. I just know that I want a beer or wine with my dinner after a day at MK. Epcot, tons of options and you can just wander through the World Showcase eating snacks from all the countries and not even need an ADR. HS is the worst park for food except for a sweet treat at Starring Rolls. AKL has really unique options.

 

[albertamom]

ADR's are best when they revolve around the park you'll be at. Easy peasy! Don't stress.

Personally, here is my completely and totally biased opinion.


Breakfast. We tend to stick with our resort unless we are hitting a character meal which you previously mentioned you won't do.


Lunch.
MK. QS, Columbia Harbour House. It's our go to, every time.

Epcot. TS, Via Napoli is our fave for lunch. For QS, Tangerine Cafe, Fish and Chips in England, or a Beer and Brat in Germany.

HS. TS, Sci-Fi.

AK. TS, Yak & Yeti. QS, Flame Tree BBQ


Dinner.
MK, TS. BOG if you can get it. If not, go to MK resort for a meal. Narcoosee's, California Grill, Citrico's, 'OHANA, or Artist Point all wonderful and worth leaving MK for a nice relaxing meal and adult beverage.

Epcot, TS. Tons of options! Le Cellier, Teppan Edo, or walk over to Boardwalk area to Flying Fish, Shula's, Bluezoo, or the new Trattoria Al Forno.

HS, unless you're getting a Fantasmic dinner package ... head over to Boardwalk or Epcot TS.

AKL. TS at AKL. Sanaa or Jiko. I'm not a buffet person but I know many people love Boma.


Again, this is all highly opinionated. lol. I just know that I want a beer or wine with my dinner after a day at MK. Epcot, tons of options and you can just wander through the World Showcase eating snacks from all the countries and not even need an ADR. HS is the worst park for food except for a sweet treat at Starring Rolls. AKL has really unique options.

So many great options!

There are so many restaurants to wade through when researching. This really gives me a great place to start!!!