Help, I'm a new girl!!

[Hilarytoo]

Although this is my first post, I have been looking at this site since February when our trip to Orlando was booked, and I know now some of the important things that we should be doing, like planning some sort of itinery and having some priority seating booked!! On telling my DH this he said he didn't want every day of his holiday planned and thought we could "take each day at a time" It will be our first trip and we are going in August, so you all know that he is fooling himself!!! Please could you advise me as to what priority seating we should not miss out on, for lunch and evening meals and then I can at least have a few places booked without him having to know, well not at least until we get there!!! Thanks in advance.

 

[carolfoy]

Hello and a great big welcome, IMHO I'd wait until the opening times of the parks are out so you have an idea at least of which park you'll be in on which day, unless you're wanting a 'biggie' like CRT or chef mickeys then you don't really want to waste too much time hopping between parks to just eat! make a ps (or ADR) for evry other day and at least then you'll have a nice meal booked for those evenings and let your other half think he's organising the other day by getting counter service! , Also find out if there are any big events happening when you go ie thanksgiving as that will make a ps essential on those days

 

[Hilary]

Hi, Hilarytoo and welcome to the boards!

I can absolutely understand your DH's reluctance to have every minute of his trip mapped out a month before he's even got on the plane, but maybe he can be persuaded to have a draft plan just so you know what tickets you'll need. How far have you got with your secret planning?

It's difficult to advise on eating plans before you have a park plan as you'll want to tie the two together. You won't want to have a meal booked in Epcot if you're planning the evening in MK!

Let us know where you'll be staying (on-site or off-site can make a big difference to your plans) and how many days you think you'll want to spend in which parks. Then it'll be easier to come up with ideas for 'must do's

 

[tim june and sam]

Hi & welcome!

To get DH over to your way of thinking (which I agree with - get a plan or get a frontal lobotomy I once read about WDW), try a copy of the unofficial guide at....

www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0...8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/202-9698910-5952618

....just to get an idea of the scope and intensity of a trip. The best £9 you will spend and then you can decide whether to plan or go with the flow.

 

[natalielongstaff]

welcome hilary
get your dh on here !! i have never planned a holiday in my life but now im an addicted planner and i blame the dis

 

[KayleeUK]

Welcome to the DIS Hilarytoo

I am a planner I like to have my meals planned (I always think of my belly ) I am a bit piccy with what food I like so I need to do this.

I haven't been in August before, Karen (Miffy) is going this August I am sure she will be able to help with some advice

 

[Minniespal]

Hell Hilary and welcome to the Dis

I love to plan, makes the holiday last so much longer.

 

[Miffy2003]

Hi Hilary and welcome to the Dis

August will be hot hot hot and very humid.

There are two answers to this; get to the parks early and keep going for as long as possible and then call and time out and return to your hotel / villa for a rest or a swim, relax for a few hours and return to the parks in the evening refreshed.

Or, you can get out of the really really hot mid day sun by arranging a nice sit down meal - sometimes the air con is enough to perk you up again for a few hours.

You must stay hydrated. We get bottle carrier things which dangle round our neck and constantly sip from bottles of water.

Whereabouts are you staying? As this may make a difference to what your plans could / should be.

Will you have a car?

You definitely need to decide how many days at which parks so you can get the "best" tickets for you, and when you do your itinerary (if you do one) make sure you give yourself days off - the heat is exhausting and you just can;t go on every day without giving yourselves a break. Oh and make sure (if you like shopping) you include that!

Sorry to ask so many questions, but advice from people here will be tailored better to your situation with that.

We will be there in August as well so maybe see you there

Karen

 

[Miffy2003]

Oh and if we are talking about this August, the park hours have been out for more than three weeks already - check Disney.com (If you need the exact link just shout)

 

[Hilarytoo]

Thanks for the welcomes and help so far! My DH and DS and I are going to Orlando on the 14th August until 28th. We knew Orlando would be hot but we chose August as it would to fit in with school holidays. We are staying in a villa in Kissimmee and we have arranged for a hire car. We have brought the 7 day Premium tickets, 4 Park flex tickets and tickets for a day at the Kennedy Space Centre. We are hoping to go to Clearwater and I fancy a day or two! having a look at the malls. I have brought the Disney Guide and Simons book so I know that planning is the key to getting as much as we can from this holiday, I am just going to have to convince my beloved of that. I have to confess that our DS doesn't even know that we are going yet, we are going to tell him next month so he will then have a month to look forward to it, rather than talking about it for 6 months and us all feeling like we have lived it before we arrive!! That has been some of the reason too that my DH and I haven't discussed too much what to do on what days. I can feel the horror on some of your faces as I write!! As for the PS's I did wonder about booking the Rose and Crown so we could watch the fireworks, the 50's Prime Time Cafe looks good too and a lot of people seem to like Le Cellier. What do you think???

 

[Hilary]

As for the PS's I did wonder about booking the Rose and Crown so we could watch the fireworks, the 50's Prime Time Cafe looks good too and a lot of people seem to like Le Cellier. What do you think???

It sounds as though at least one of you does have a rough idea of what you're going to do!

Personally, I don't rate the food at R&C, and I'd rather try something that isn't trying to British! However, I can't fault the view of Illuminations from the terrace there. On the other hand, you can get a great view of the fireworks from pretty much anywhere around the lagoon if you're prepared to stand and wait for a while. I haven't been to WDW in August, but I believe the second half of the month is fairly quiet as the US schools are back in, so you shouldn't have too much problem finding a decent spot for viewing maybe half an hour or so before the scheduled time.

50's Prime Time is good for a laugh and a decent menu. How old id DS? He might not appreciate the humour here as much as you and DH, and maybe Sci-Fi would suit him better if he's a teen - but the food is more burgers and fries.

I haven't been to Le Cellier for a few years, but it gets consistently good reviews here and we're hoping to try it when we're there next month

If you haven't done so already, take a look at the menus for most WDW restuarants here .

Happy secret planning!

 

[Miffy2003]

We fly out at almost the same time as you Hilary! We leave on August 13th

As to your meal ideas - we love Le Cellier. We had an absolute whale of a time at Moms Fifites Prime Timer Diner - the food was nothing special (but was fine) but the experience was a hoot! Having said that, I can see this not appealing to everyone - if you are happy to play along and get into the fun I'm sure you'll have a great time, but the people we went with last time didn't really "get it" and I'm not sure they got that much out of it.

As to the Rose & Crown, we ate there last trip and had a great meal. It was wonderful to have something not with chips, LOL. We had heard a lot of bad reports of this place but we had a great meal there. I'll try and dig out some photos!

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

Hi Hilarytoo

First time we went as a family, the mother in law came too My DH is more than happy to let me carry on organising everything about our holidays, but I knew the MIL would freak if I started talking plans, so I just kept them all to myself and we'd sit down at dinner each night and I would casually say "I reckon . . . . park would be great for tomorrow since the crowd levels will be lower, according to the experts" - it worked a treat every day. We'd each said before we went exactly what we were particularly interested in, so in the plan already was everyone's fave choice.

We too are going in August - in 6 trips this will be our first during the really hot summer months since I now work as school admin officer - but I'm prepared for longer lines, my DH is a total sun worshipper so he will be happy (even if it rains since it will be warm), we know exactly what we want to go see and will just take each day as it comes (but with a plan in place for best days).

Haven't even begun to think about any PSs yet - last few years we've stayed onsite both Disney and Universal, so they've been easier to get - this time after 10 nights Ft Myers beach, we're back to Orlando for a week in a villa, so should really sit down and plan the PSs or whatever we're doing food wise!

Oh goody, more planning

 

[Miffy2003]

Here's some photos & waffle from me from Le Cellier in December 04.

First impressions of Le Cellier? I see why it’s called this. Le Cellier being French for cellar. It is very dark but cosy with candlelight effects. The décor is nothing outstanding and for some reason I am left with the overall impression of the nineteen eighties. Our server, who is called Lisa and is the best of the entire trip, gives us an extremely friendly welcome! She explains we are seated in the Ontario section, which I think is pretty cool as this is where my mum was born. The food here is absolutely fantastic. The presentation is superb and the tastes and textures amazing. We will return here without a doubt.

King Prawns

Mushroom Filet Mignon

Strip Steak

Cheesecake

'Smores

Chocolate Moose

 

[Miffy2003]

Rose & Crown

Girls' Castle Pudding

Sausage and Mash (Yummy!)

Dessert Sampler (Yummy Yummy!)

Mary Poppins Pizza

Our table is out the back of the Rose and Crown and it is just like an Olde Worlde UK pub (without the cigarette smoke, dart throwers and spilt beer). The atmosphere is pretty nice, and I am equally impressed by the menu offerings; I can state unequivocally that the cocktails were rather good (I had two just to be sure)

 

[Hilarytoo]

Thanks Miffy for the photos and I think that I will follow Mrs Dazzle's idea of "suggesting" which day, at which park is quietest!! I am going to try and PS the Rose and Crown as the fireworks are something we won't want to miss but it is good to know that we should get a good view from around the lagoon if I can't manage it. The DS is 14 so do you think he would enjoy the 50's cafe or will he cringe with embarrassment?!! It would be worth it just to see his face at being told off by Mom!!