I need some veteran's help - park hopping strategy

[orbital62]

Hello,

I've just booked a week at WL at the end of August. I confess I haven't been to WDW since 93 so I'm wayyy out of the loop regarding the parks, amenities and what to do. I am going to read as much as I can, starting with the message boards here but thought I'd ask for some general info and tips. Any help you vets could toss my way would be very appreciated. I hope I'm asking in the right forum as well.

-We are staying at WL: woods view I think I booked. I see the thread re: concierge level - is it really worth it? If so, do I book now or wait for some deal at check-in?
-Park strategies: what would you suggest as a strategy to get the most out of the park hopper ticket - our groop is just myself, my wife and 10 year old daughter.
-Food strategies: dine where, when.... I was told to reserve for dinner - are reservations for lunch advisable as well? Any recommendations for dining?
-Is a car needed at all? Would one want to get off the property for a night? (as I wrote that I imagined everyone laughing -get off the property?! )

I'm sure there is more and hopefully, as I get some responses, I'll think of further questions.

Thanks so much
Michael

 

[Harambe]

Welcome to the boards!

As you've probably read by now - it is important to go to the parks early - go back to your resort and swim, nap, etc. - then head back to the parks for the evening! Don't know how long you're staying, but try to plan a day to lounge and enjoy the pool!

We don't rent a car because there is so much to do at WDW, you don't really need to leave! Disney transportation is fine.

You should make a few dinner reservations (PS's). Plan your park days first and fit in the PS's. Go to the restaurant boards for some suggestions. You'll probably want to do one character meal.

Have a wonderful time!

 

[InstImpres]

Welcome Michael -

To answer a few of your questions, reservations, or Priority Seating (PS) as Disney calls them, are highly recommended at many places for Brekafast, lunch or dinner. We try to generally book 1 PS per day. For the other meals, we do as the mood stricks us and where we are. Also, if we do a large buffet breakfast we usually just do an afternoon snack and than an early dinner.

I happen to love having a car. I prefer to go at my rate to and from the hotel. I also do drive to Downtown Disney, AK and sometimes to other resorts for activities. It may be my perception but I find it faster in many cases.

Good luck,
Sandy

 

[DrTomorrow]

Harambe has given all the good advice, but I'll differ on one point: a rental car is a very personal decision. I like the extra options it gives in some situations. You can go offsite for food,[adult] beverages and a meal on the cheap. If you are going to do any amount of resort - resort traveling, a car can make it much easier - and faster, say, if you have a PS at Animal Kingom Lodge when you're staying at the WL. We'll be going to a water park at least one morning while we're there, and having a car with dry clothes, shoes, extra towels, etc. you can drive back to your hotel sure beats a tired wait for the bus.

I'm not knocking Disney transportation - they do a great job and offer some interesting options - I usually would prefer to take it. But there is a limit to what they can do, and - sometimes, for some situations - a rental car makes things easier; and isn't that what you want on vacation?

Erick

 

[ScarletIndigo]

Originally posted by orbital62
I've just booked a week at WL at the end of August. I confess I haven't been to WDW since 93 so I'm wayyy out of the loop regarding the parks, amenities and what to do.

Hi Michael!

Welcome to the DIS! Hope you enjoy your stay here; the friendly folks around these boards have definitely become like a second (and much more WDW-knowledgable) family to me! ;-)

I'm with you on the 1993 time-warp -- it's been ten years since my last visit as well. And lucky you, you'll be beating me to WDW by a month this year! Be sure to post your trip report so we can hear about how much you enjoyed your vacation and all of the wonderful tips that DIS members will surely post for you here!

Take care,
Jessie

PS -- DrTomorrow, I think you are I are chasing each-other around the DIS boards tonight! I may need to get a restraining order if this persists!

 

[diznee25]

-Food strategies: dine where, when.... I was told to reserve for dinner - are reservations for lunch advisable as well? Any recommendations for dining?

Here is a list of all the menus for restaurants located in WDW. The prices are listed as well to help estimate a food budget:

http://www.wdwig.com/menu/menus.htm

Look at the "Disney Restaurant" board for recommendations on dinning. You might actually get more responses to this question if you start a thread on that board.

Reservations for lunch are not only just accepted, it's advisable as well. If you look on the link above, you'll find that lunch is a little cheaper then dinner. You could always make a priority seating around 4pm for a late lunch, then you save some money!
Compare a lunch and dinner menu from the same restaurant. Sometimes the dinner menu offers more selections then the lunch menu. Remember, that's not the case for all the restaurants, search thru the menus and have fun!!

Just one more suggestion.

-We are staying at WL: woods view I think I booked. I see the thread re: concierge level - is it really worth it? If so, do I book now or wait for some deal at check-in?

I know you will get a lot more replies if you post this on the Disney Resorts board!!

Hope this helps,
Diznee25

 

[orbital62]

I really appreciate the ideas and suggestions so far - I'm finding them incredibly useful.

Just want to see if anyone else can contribute to my Disney education!

Michael

 

[dgaston]

I would also like to add that probably in the last week of August the parks will not be open very late. You should consider an enight at the MK--fewer people for the big rides. And definitely think about a water park for a slower day. We love Typhoon Lagoon for its tropical theming, but our adult children love Blizzard Beach for its challenging slides. And even I love the family raft ride there.

HTH

 

[Eileen226]

Have never been the week you're going (only busy times like, Easter, Christmas, Fourth of July) but we find (other than going to Magic Kingdom by bus, which doesn't include WL) we love to have a car to just leave in, not wait, not stand( but we're from the NY area LOL). Another good place for Lunch is the Plaza Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom on Main Street. Really good food. We LOVED the Wilderness Lodge last fourth of July. We stayed with my mil and fil and my dh, ds, dd. The mousekeeper (or is it lodgekeeper) left animal towels EVERYDAY!. My mil was thrilled. Love the resort. Have fun. e-mail me with any questions!

 

[bobcat]

You have already gotten a lot of great responses. The DIS is a great source of info and welcome aboard!

August is a great time to visit WDW. Many southern schools are back in session and the attendance drops the further you get into August. The hours also start to drop as well so make sure you plan around them. Epcot usually stays open the latest so it is a great place to hop to after another park closes. August is very humid and rainy so bring ponchos and plan on taking breaks.

I usually drive to WDW so I have a car, but the times I have flown I haven't missed having a car at all. I usually only use my car when I am going directly to a resort because it is faster. I rarely go off site, except to the outlet malls. There are a couple of great character outets at both the Belz and Premier outlets that carry official park merchandise, usually at a great discount.

The link for menus is wonderful and I use it each trip to plan where I am going to eat and my budget. Priority seatings are great if you know where and when you want to eat. I would suggest them for any character meals you want to do. Evenings at Epcot as well. All others we eat counter service or have a late sit down lunch if we can get in.

 

[bjakmom]

Michael - DS and I spent last week of Aug at BWV/AKL last summer. The crowds were low, but the park hours were also short, no EE last summer, no E nights either. It was hot, but not unbearable in the AM/PM - rained most days in the late afternoon/early evening. We found it worked best to get to the parks just before opening to beat the crowds/heat - we were always ready to leave or have lunch by 12 or 1 - then back to the hotel for a nap in the air or a swim in the pool. For the AK, MK and MGM parades, I went back just before parade time and always got great spots by the front of the park. We saved DQ,DD, BW & WS for our evenings, since they were open later. We spent one whole day at BB - only meant to stay until 1, but it was so enjoyable (nice breeze that day) that we stayed until closing, then tried Fantasmic after a rest - never saw Fantasmic because it was rained out every night we tried, so if this is a must for you, try it early in your trip just in case you get a lot of evening storms. We'd never gone in Aug before, but found that with our afternoon breaks out of the parks it was very enjoyable- you're going to be amazed at all there is to do now - don't try to do too much - it's an easy way to ruin a vacation-especially in the heat (IMHO!)

 

[Planogirl]

You've gotten great advice so far so I can't add much. One thing about the PS or Priority Seating is that it's not exactly the same as a reservation. It only guarantees you the next available table before those persons who don't have PS. In other words, you'll get a table but you may have to wait a little while rather than being seated immediately. I would make them for any full-service restaurant you really want to try just to be on the safe side. At some restaurants they're vital while others not so much but it never hurts to have them.

As far as the park hoppers go, it depends on how many days they are and where you want to spend the most time. The best thing to do in my opinion is to check the hours of the parks and plan accordingly, spending a little time at each park early to get a feel for your preferences. You may also want to plan around any night time fireworks or parades that you wish to see since they aren't necessarily offered every night.

If you like using guidebooks or at least browsing through them while at the bookstores, I recommend checking out the Unofficial Guide by Bob Sehlinger. He's a little hard on the restaurants but his advice is pretty good as far as touring goes.

 

[orbital62]

Thanks again for all the great replies....

Michael

 

[donna in Oz]

Welcome!! One additional thing to keep in mind when considering PS's: You may want to limit it to just one PS per day, since they can take up a considerable amount of time in your touring day. And if you do make PS's that you later decide not to use, please call to cancel. Lots of other folks would probably like to have the PS that you just cancelled!!

A good plan that lots of folks use is to have a substantial breakfast, plan a late lunch/early supper PS and enjoy a leisurely meal, then just "nosh" your way through the evening hours. Making two PS's for any one day will use up approx. 3-4 hours of time if you include the time you'll spend making your way to the restaurant, waiting for your table & for your meal to be served, etc.

We're among those who prefer to have a rental car. If you've taken a look at the Unofficial Guide, there's a table there which lists how long Disney transportation will take to get from Point A to Point B. We like the freedom of being able to travel wherever we like without being tied to a timetable. And when you've spent lots of time waiting in lines already, a line for a bus can seem a little bit much!!

 

[smfnj]

Michael,

About a rental car - I agree with Sandy, Erick & others, I wouldn't be without a car at WDW.

If you do any resort hopping (we visit at least 5-6 resorts each visit), Disney transportation can take an hour or more to go resort to resort for a 5 minute drive. Some of the best restaurants on property are at the resorts. You can also use a car to go to Boardwalk, Mini-golf, Downtown Disney, etc.

With a good map and all the signs on property, navigating WDW by yourself is no problem and it gets easier after each trip.

BTW, Orlando is the cheapest place in the US to rent a car. When you figure your total cost of vacation, a rental is not that much.

steve

 

[April in Disney]

ok lets get down to business,
When you pick your dates for WDW, you want to balance four factors:
crowds, weather, park closing times, special events
This is last year Aug park hours,
http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/aug.html
Remenber Most visitors to Walt Disney World sample all four theme parks, as a guest staying at a WDW resorts you get the benefit of "Extra Magic Hour" (formerly "Early Opening Days".)This means you and your family can get into selected parks on selected days an hour before the park initially opens to public. You should take advantage of those days.If you can’t get up early enough! AVOID that park that morning, and perhaps even all day: the park will be more crowded than usual.
read these:http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/earlyentry.htm, http://www.wdwig.com/emhour.htm
Take early afternoon break.
USE FAST PASS.It’s free, it’s simple, and it saves you from standing in line for the most popular rides.
Use PS for restaurant meals. It's easy, it's free, it entails no commitment -- yet it gets you seated instead of waiting in line.
I highly recommand Fantasmic Dinner Package.
Go to resturant board for more information about the resturants and places to eat. Not all food in WDW are good!!!
Use the Disney Transportation System. Every hour of the day, and well into the night, cool Disney buses ferry people free from one park to another and to and from the Disney resorts. YOU REALLY DO NOT NEED A CAR.
Keep Cool. How in Aug, on a hot and humid day? By using cool clothes, cool shoes, and cool-down gadgets water sprayer buy them before you get there. Afternoon Breaks in pool will be refreshing. DON'T FORGET SUNBLOCK.
This is a great packing list.
http://members.cox.net/krisborden/ultimate.html