Here are my PS's so far, what else do I need?

[Lambert808]

Hello! I FINALLY get to start making some PS's! Here is what I have so far. We are dictating the park we go to by the PS for at least one of the days LOL! I don't know what other places I should make a PS for though. I am figuring at least one PS a day? There is DH, myself, and DD who will be 8yo by then.

Nov 6-13
Sat - arrive, swim, ride monorail, Chef Mickeys PS
Sun - MK, Cinderella's Breakfast
Mon -
Tues-
Wed- Epcot food and wine festival, Petting Zoo, HDDR, singalong(?)
Thurs -
Fri-
Sat - head home by lunch time

Should I follow the 'potential' EE days for each park? Or change those up some for Mon/Tues, Thurs/Frid? Any suggestions on where to eat on the other days? I am thinking one day will be Trails End Buffet Bkfst then the water park. Another day AK, eat lunch there with those vouchers, then off to Whispering Canyons for dinner.

Any tips / advice / help so far? This is our first trip so any advice is very welcome!!

 

[Lambert808]

Over 20 views, and not a single recommendation of places to fill in with on our other days at the parks

Help a newbie out - where are my mentors and stalkers when I need them?

 

[KimKamMom]

We will be there a week before you.
I also booked CRT,HDDR and CM.
The only difference is that I also booked O'hana for one nights dinner. It looks like food and fun that my gang will love.
Have fun!

 

[sugermouse]

One of our favorites is the Cape May Clambake which is located in the Boardwalk area and you can access via the Int'l Gateway at Epcot.

 

[LuvTigger]

LOL, when I first read your post, I thought you FORGOT to fill in the spaces!

Where will you be staying? As far as EE, during that time, I don't think you need to take advantage of it, unless you're early-birds anyway. I am going two weeks before you and am actually planning to NOT go to the park that has EE, at least not in the morning.

Personally, I like to split my days in half by going to one park in the morning, and another in the afternoon/evening. Between the two, I sometimes visit a resort or go back to my hotel to relax for a while. Somehow breaking the day in two, at least for me, seems to make me feel more rested.

Okay, now down to the PS! I'll just list a few, and based on your likes/dislikes, and where you're staying, you can see if any of these fit:

EPCOT:
Akershus in Norway. I really like this buffet a lot, and this is probably BF's favorite in EPCOT (and he's not even a real big fish lover). IMHO, lunch here is one of the best values in WDW.

San Angel Inn in Mexico. There are a lot of negative reviews of this place, but we've eaten here several times and liked it. We especially like the atmosphere (although it is admittedly dark), your DD might like it.

This year I'm trying Le Cellier in Canada for the first time, based on the great recommendations of so many DISers!

Coral Reef in FW. It might be overpriced, but the food was good, and the atmosphere was great. Again, thinking of what your DD might like.

Btw, not for PS, but the Patisserie in France is a great little counter service place for lunch.

MK:
You already have CRT, which your DD will probably enjoy. If you're looking for another PS here, maybe Liberty Tree Tavern? That's a nice atmosphere, and they have a character dinner too.

For counter service, I really like Columbia Harbor House.

MGM:
50's Prime Time Cafe. However, I would not recommend this if your DD (or yourselves) won't mind a little "interaction" with the waitress/waiter!! I thought the food here was very good. And you must get a shake (probably best to share one).

Sci Fi. I went here years ago, and it was "okay." However, it sounds like the food has improved. I thought the atmosphere was unique.

Resorts:
Beaches & Cream at BC. I went here for the first time my last trip and loved it!! I had a great burger, and I saw a couple order the Kitchen Sink for their young son, and the look on his face was just precious!!

Grand Floridian Cafe. I had lunch here the last time and really enjoyed it. For DD, you might want to consider the afternoon tea? (I forget which restaurant it's in, but it's in GF somewhere.)

Artist Point at WL. BF and I just love this place. We've had our "last dinner" here our last two trips. This year we're going to try something different and go to Boma for our last dinner.

Like you, I'm only doing one PS per day. Too many PS's might be hard to keep track of. Plus, at the time your'e going, you will probably be able to walk into most places without a PS.

 

[jann1033]

i might not do food and wine and hdd on the same day...if we eat more than one meal it is too much, am guessing you are going to the early hdd if you are thinking of the campfire also so i think you will be way too full unless you basically don't eat anything at f&w( and then, what's the sense!). i'd make epcot and f& w a day by itslef so you can have plenty of tummy room to try stuff.

don't know where you are staying so it might involve a lot of bus riding but you could do the t.e breakfast or whispering canyon breakfast ( also good and filling) on your waterpark day then skip lunch or just a light snack then hdd. that would be a relaxing out of park day but still lots to do and not as much "eating"

Sunday i might do whispering canyon for dinner instead of after ak unless you are staying close to whispering canyon. it is a short boat ride from mk and if the park is open late enough you could make it an early dinner and go back to mk for wishes. if you are eating breakfast only you would be hungry enough for dinner probably. the portions are very big at wc.

we also usually eat at our resort for dinner at least one night since we like to look around the resort ...maybe the first or last night? or since the
only one we really like at mgm is Brown derby which is a little formal maybe for an 8 yr old. maybe after fantasmic.

if you make it to dtd wolfgang pucks express has great pizza.

 

[Lambert808]

Thank you so much for the ideas!! We are staying at WL - sorry about that LOL I am going to re-work our schedule a little bit, change some days / parks / PS's to make it flow a little better. Thanks so much for the ideas and tips on changing stuff. I will re-post when I get this tweaked today.

 

[hmmchowell]

We're staying at the Poly 11-3/11-8. We're going to try Whispering Canyon at the WL on Friday night (DW and DD) while the boys eat at Artist Point (buffalo steak, yuck!).
We're also going to try Ohana's. We bought Q&C meal vouchers and will try to eat with them in the parks. We also got CRT and are using breakfast vouchers there. We're gonna try Fulton's Crab House for dinner and try to work Fantasmic either before or after it, depending on which time the park closes in NOv.
Hope this gives you some ideas.

 

[Lambert808]

Ok, so I went and started re-working my spreadsheet My dd and I are not people who can skip a meal - we must eat at least 3 meals a day or life isn't pretty so I don't foresee us skipping any meals, just getting smaller items to share at counter service.

Ok, so what parks 'go together'? Like if I am doing MGM in the am, what is best to do in the afternoon? Here is what I was re-working it as:

Sat-arrive at WL, pool/monorail, Chef Mickeys
Sun-Cindi, MK, Cosmic Rays for counter lunch, then off to Epcot
Mon-MGM then DTD
Tues-AK, then MK
Wed-Trails end buffet, water park, HDDR at 5pm
Thurs-Epcot for Food and Wine festival, then MGM
Fri-MK, then epcot
Sat - something, then checkout

Here are some places we would like to eat at but don't have PS's or it scheduled yet:
Roaring Forks(probably will get some Breakfasts there), Ice Cream Social, 50's Prime Time(lunch?dinner?), Beaches and Cream(lunch?dinner?)

Nothing is definite, just things that sound 'us'. So, what should I move around / change in my schedule? Where should I throw in a few of those eateries?

 

[colleen costello]

Hi there. Sorry I missed your post. I am packing to move and so overwhelmed with sorting and tossing and boxing that I am practically brain dead!

I think your week sounds full and fun. The only reminder I will add is to realize that sometimes even the best plans fail when EXHAUSTION sets in! Promise yourselves you'll be flexible if you need a break! You are staying at the Wilderness Lodge, one of my all-time favorites. It has a relaxing, unique magic all it's own. Make some time to just "hang out" at the Lodge! It's too special to take for granted.

Roaring Fork(s) is a great place for ANY meal. When we stayed last summer, if time got the best of us we'd do lunch or dinner there. The food is really quite good for such a little hole-in-the-wall place. The little personal pizzas are my kids' favorites. Buy a refillable mug! You can get a snack here to hold you until your next meal, too. My family also rarely "misses" meals, although sometimes lunch is more of a snack as we are busy. There is also a great bar by the pool, with fluffy mixed drinks, chips, etc.

Wednesday sounds a little hectic to me. It will be hard to do quite so much and make it to the HoopDeeDoo by 5pm. This might be the morning to eat at Roaring Forks or even try room service, if you like. Ft. Wilderness is not far from the Lodge but getting there will take a bit of time. I think just going there once on that day -- for dinner -- might make more sense.

Beaches and Cream is a real treat. If you have time to check out the Boardwalk/Beach Club area, this is a fun spot for a great meal. You can even share an entree and save room for the ice cream... The portions are large.

Hope that gets you started. Please ask specific questions as I am so squirrely this week!

 

[jadejazzkayla]

ok. beaches and cream is great. no ps for there...but they give you a beeper.

gotta go to the california grill at the contemporary make a ps a the time the fireworks go off at the magic kingdom.

the flying fish on the boarkwalk is excellent.

when i go in november i'm going to try shula's steakhouse at the dolphin...i have heard excellent things.

if you have a car and want to go off site for a night. bahama breeze is excellent. and so cheap compared to disney that we went twice last time. have fun. eat well.

 

[MinnieGi]

Looks like you have a busy week planned. Just to let you know at Roaring Forks you do not need a ps. It is just WL's counter service area. I would do Roaring Forks for breakfast on the day you plan to do the water park and HDDR. You'll need to be out of the water park early to get ready for HDDR and you'll need to allow transportation time to Pioneer Hall for HDDR. Since you are at WL this will just take a boat ride over and Pioneer Hall is a quick walk from the FW dock. So I would do a quick breakfast at Roaring Forks or even bring it up to your room so you can be at the water park when it opens.

On Monday your MGM day is where I would put a lunch in at Prime Time. The menus do not differ that much between lunch and dinner, but lunch is cheaper!. In the evening you can pick something over at DTD.

I really don't see a great time or day to put in the ice cream social b/c of the F& W. You could always schedule your Epcot F&W day with the ice cream social included and then that day decide if you would like to stick with it or cancel it. That way if you find you are really liking to sample all the F&W dishes you can cancel, but if you find you are not eating as much and are in the mood for ice cream you have your ps in place!

Friday evening is when I would put in a ps for Beaches N Cream if you really feel like leaving Epcot. Realize you will need to walk out the International Gateway Epcot entrance to walk over the Beaches N Cream. While it is fun if I were you I might be more tempted to try a World Showcase restaurant out for dinner. I would not do Beaches N Cream on any day you are not near Epcot due to the hassle factor of getting there from WL or another park.

Have fun!

 

[Lambert808]

Can I just say DUH to myself?? LOL! Colleen - thank you for pointing out I was going back and forth to the Wilderness area twice in one day. LOL Ok, I need to print this whole thing out and make some decisions. I assume my 'match-up' of parks for days was ok. We are going to be very flexible and we know we won't make it through all of this. LOL It is more my 'guide'. Like you said Colleen, I want to see the WL a lot too. Ok, time to rethink. Again.
Thanks so much for all the advice! I will post again with more specific questions when I get to them.


Colleen -Good luck on your move! I feel bad pulling you away from all that fun packing You just are always very helpful!

 

[LuvTigger]

Yes, be sure to include some exploring time at WL, it is so great!! Go to Guest Services and ask for a Hidden Mickey Clue List. You can explore the resort while looking for hidden mickeys. And if you like boats, rent one from the marina. It really is something to see the resorts and MK from the water (be sure to see the geyser going off at WL if you rent the boat).

You know what I'm thinking? Maybe you should just make PS's for only the things where you REALLY need one, like HDDR and CRT, and Fantasmic dinner package (if you're interested in that). Someone else out there please correct me if I'm wrong, but I really don't think you'll have too many problems walking into most restaurants during your dates without a PS, especially if you stay away from peak dining hours.

One of the posters mentioned exhaustion...I have experienced that and have cancelled (or not shown up) at several PS's because we were either too tired, or just did not feel like eating at that place at that particular time. So on my upcoming trip, I've only made PS's at the places I REALLY do not want to miss, and those that require PS like dinner at LTT during MNSSHP, and the Fantasmic dinner package. Otherwise, we shouldn't have any problems as walk ins.

 

[jann1033]

roaring forks is a good idea but since you mentioned te for breakfast in your original post...it opens at 7 :30 and the water parks much later ( 9-10) so you would have plenty of time to take the boat to fw( like maybe a 5 min ride , probably the closest thing except inside wl) . we have never had to wait for a table there and go there prepark opening often. bring your stuff for the waterpark with you then after breakfast just hop on the FW bus to the waterpark. i am guessing you will want to go back to your room long before 5 if you get to the waterpark at opening and afterward it is again an easy boat trip to hddr. we go back and forth between Wl, FW and the Contemporary( another boat ride that links you to the monorail resorts and epcot) all the time since the boats seem much shorter than the buses ( and lots more fun)

 

[colleen costello]

I was looking again at your schedule and it sure looks fun. I think the advice here is good, you can certainly make priority seatings closer to their time as you are there and decide what you want to do. Often you can call that morning and get a PS; I have done this from my cell phone on the Disney boats and buses... You can also plan on meals and decide closer to the time "we're too pooped!" and just cancel... There really is no way to describe how BIG and TIRING the World can be!

I would also tell you one of my favorite things to take to WDW is my Passporter guide. Not only is this one my favorite of the guidebooks, it has little pockets in the back for your receipts and papers and lines to write in your "memories" of every day. You will be amazed at how you can forget "what you did yesterday" because the days at WDW are so full... I treasure my recorded memories from our trips. It's fun to review them after you get home, and it helps you plan your next trip. You can get a Passporter at bookstores or order on online at their site, Passporter.com. Every evening at WDW before bed, I record the day's memories.

Also, if you are too tired Thursday to do MGM after Epcot, you could do the Boardwalk/Beach Club instead. This area needs to be seen to be believed -- very fun. You can walk out the International gateway, behind England, and walk or take a boat to the resorts. There are great shops and fun places to eat -- Beaches and Cream is here. Sometimes a half day at the parks is enough. I LOVE resort-hopping. It's my favorite thing to do at WDW.

It's so exciting to plan your trip -- enjoy this time!

 

[Lambert808]

LuvTigger- thanks so much! Those are some great ideas and I really appreciate it. I think that is what I will do - I am making a list of places my family would LIKE to eat at (I am a picky eater. hehe!!) and then only keep the 3 PS's I have. Like you and Colleen said I can make more closer to the time or just go that day due to the time of year we are going. I have a feeling we will eat a decent breakfast, small snack then a big early dinner some days and other days a small breakfast, large late lunch and then a light dinner.

Colleen - Cool about the Boardwalk area! I have my Passporter ready to go I really know my DH would LOVE to go to Beaches and Cream- he loves desserts!

So, my spread sheet now has many 'ideas' but only a few bolded items that are must do's. As long as I have a plan, we can alter the days, skip things depending on how tired we are and the weather.

Thanks so much!

 

[fun & fancy free]

If your dd is into princesses Storytellers breakfast in EPCOT is a must. We are also big fans of Ohana's. we figure if your gona do a meal you might as well have the characters. Oh yes, Crystal palace is great.

 

[colleen costello]

We also love the Crystal Palace for dinner. Lots of fun and so many yummies to pick from!

 

[CindyAnn]

Our recommendations to friends are usually:

On your AK day - have dinner at Boma at AKL
On your Epcot day - have dinner in World Showcase (Le Cellier for food or San Angel for atmosphere)
On your MGM day - choose one of the restaurants for the Fantasmic dinner package (Hollywood Brown Derby for choice)
On your MK day - take the monorail to 'Ohana at the Polynesian for dinner.