Just booked

[krismusc313]

Hello All. I finally just booked my first disney trip (for my 25th birthday) with my boyfriend for Oct.13 - Oct. 19. We are staying at Port Orleans French Quarter & have the Deluxe Dining Plan.

Have a few questions...

What restaurants are a must do? (including character dining)
Any good insider tips?
What boards should i visit on here?
Are there any current discounts going on now?

Thanks! I look forward to chatting with all of you

-Kristin

 

[RayJay]

Restaurant must do: O'hana's, Chef Mickey's or Crystal Palace for Character's

Tip: Fast Passes, learn about them and use, you'll be very happy while bypassing lines.

Study Resort board, Port Orleans was just refurbed, very nice resort.

Have Fun, I'm sure others will give a lot more details.

My only other advice as a first timer, is try not to do everything because you'll have to go
commando style and run to get everything in, pick some must do's and let the experience
come to you, there is much to do. Also, get ready to be around a lot of people, you have dining plan so the sticker shock of food shouldn't affect you.

Have Fun.
RayJay

 

[godoftheWorld]

California Grill, Fly Fish Cafe, Artist Point, Narcoosee's. These are a couple top rung, can't miss restaurants. At least hit one if not all of them. None of these are character dining, but they are exquisite to eat at.

 

[mommy.foster.6]

exciting! my hubby and i are staying at POR FQ for our anniversary trip in April! its our 3rd disney trip, but first as a couple.

I would just advise you to look at the menu's online for each place and see what looks good to you, and then be ready to book when the window is open. I've tweaked ours a few times and not had much problem getting in with just 2 of us but sometimes certain restaurants book up right away.

we also are doing the deluxe dining, right now we're eating at Liberty Tree, Prime time, Yachtsman, Le Cellier, Les Chefs, Tusker House, Yak and Yeti, and Flying Fish. I based these off the types of foods we liked and also trying *new* things.
I couldn't get in at California Grill for the night i wanted, but keep checking back just in case Narcossee's looks fantastic too! i'm trying to squeeze that one in sometime!

also if you search *snack credits* here on the dis you'll find some fantastic threads that show you what you can purchase with snack credits! it doesn't have to be your usual popcorn or water!
i have the writers stop carrot cake cookie on our list!

I agree try to not go commando, figure out whats important to you to do there and focus on those. Enjoy the magic, and tell yourself this way you can always take more trips! and trust me you'll want to!

 

[Laurali]

Congrats you two will have a blast! You will find so much info on here! We love the restaurant in Mexico at Epcots World Showcase for a quiet romantic spot!

 

[Metro West]

 

[SFreelove]

You picked the perfect time of year to go! The weather is so beautiful in October- still very warm, sometimes even reaching the 90s but lows of 70s which makes for enjoyable weather. You will have lower crowd levels, so that being said.. you will be able to see alot more of disney than you would at a more crowded time. Wait times for attractions can be as short as 10 minutes (walk on). We just previously went this past October and some of our dates fell onto the week your going, and it was the best time we have had at disney yet, we got to go on rides twice back to back sometimes!

Sit down meals that are a must do:
Chef Mickey
Cinderella's Royal Table
Crystal Palace
Rainforest Cafe
SciFi Drive in
Coral Reef
Garden Grill
Hollywood Vine

For inside tips during that time:
1) Make sure to buy a ticket in advance to one of the nights Magic Kingdom is hosting- Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party- its a fun time. Special parades, shows and an amazing firework show! The park will be open till midnight on those night but only for guests who have a special ticket to the event.. you can hit tons of rides during those few extra hours.. and grab some candy along the way!

2) Keep your eye out for a free dining promo for your vacation time, if you didn't already grab it.. because disney tends to offer a free dining promo during sept-october. Its a nice money save.

3) Any character meals make sure you book 180 days out from your arrival in DW because they will book up and then you won't be able to have any of your sit down meals at those spots. You also want to book any normal non-character meals 180 days out, just incase.. don't want to have a DP and not be able to use it! (Sadly that happens for the ppl who don't know about the 180 day rule)

4) Bring your own ponchos incase of any rain fall. (we had none this past october but you might see some and the ponchos at disney will cost you alot more than the $1-$3 ones you can buy at home at ocean state job lot or places like the dollar store!

5) Pack 2-3 lighter sweaters and jeans just incase.. some nights it may feel chilly.. but for the most part the weather is just perfect.. we went night swimming tons of times!

6) Although the crowd levels are low still grab fast passes to the BIG attractions you will want to ride because you could hit a 60 minute wait time but thats probably the maximum you'll see.. for like- aerosmiths rockin rollarcoster, toy story mania, soarin, tower of terro, splash mountain.. even those we saw not big wait times other than for aerosmiths rollarcoster.

7) make sure to catch fantasmic! it will only be 1-2 nights thru your week so plan accordingly

 

[cbeeindisney]

That's so exciting, going with my boyfriend soon too for the second time as a couple and it's the best experience!

I think that it's the best idea to look online at all of the menus to decide what you would be into, I think this is one of the most exciting things about planning your trip! I just made my ADRS and these are some of our must do restaurants...

Marrakesh
Chefs de France
Le Cellier
Raglan Road
Rose and Crown Pub
Biergarten

Epcot is the best place to eat! We have tried Crystal Palace, but it wasn't for us, I found that the food wasn't very good and it was awkward for two adults without children. We try to eat all of our meals in Epcot, nice atmosphere and a romantic setting.

Happy Planning!

 

[shell8558]

We love Ohana's, Crystal Palace for Breakfast, Whispering Canyon, and Mama Melrose.

 

[krismusc313]

You picked the perfect time of year to go! The weather is so beautiful in October- still very warm, sometimes even reaching the 90s but lows of 70s which makes for enjoyable weather. You will have lower crowd levels, so that being said.. you will be able to see alot more of disney than you would at a more crowded time. Wait times for attractions can be as short as 10 minutes (walk on). We just previously went this past October and some of our dates fell onto the week your going, and it was the best time we have had at disney yet, we got to go on rides twice back to back sometimes!

Sit down meals that are a must do:
Chef Mickey
Cinderella's Royal Table
Crystal Palace
Rainforest Cafe
SciFi Drive in
Coral Reef
Garden Grill
Hollywood Vine

For inside tips during that time:
1) Make sure to buy a ticket in advance to one of the nights Magic Kingdom is hosting- Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party- its a fun time. Special parades, shows and an amazing firework show! The park will be open till midnight on those night but only for guests who have a special ticket to the event.. you can hit tons of rides during those few extra hours.. and grab some candy along the way!

2) Keep your eye out for a free dining promo for your vacation time, if you didn't already grab it.. because disney tends to offer a free dining promo during sept-october. Its a nice money save.

3) Any character meals make sure you book 180 days out from your arrival in DW because they will book up and then you won't be able to have any of your sit down meals at those spots. You also want to book any normal non-character meals 180 days out, just incase.. don't want to have a DP and not be able to use it! (Sadly that happens for the ppl who don't know about the 180 day rule)

4) Bring your own ponchos incase of any rain fall. (we had none this past october but you might see some and the ponchos at disney will cost you alot more than the $1-$3 ones you can buy at home at ocean state job lot or places like the dollar store!

5) Pack 2-3 lighter sweaters and jeans just incase.. some nights it may feel chilly.. but for the most part the weather is just perfect.. we went night swimming tons of times!

6) Although the crowd levels are low still grab fast passes to the BIG attractions you will want to ride because you could hit a 60 minute wait time but thats probably the maximum you'll see.. for like- aerosmiths rockin rollarcoster, toy story mania, soarin, tower of terro, splash mountain.. even those we saw not big wait times other than for aerosmiths rollarcoster.

7) make sure to catch fantasmic! it will only be 1-2 nights thru your week so plan accordingly

when do you get the tickets for MNSSHP? do you pay extra for them? can i get them prior to arriving in DW?

also, fantasmic? is there a sched released when it will be? is it posted online or wait until we get there? do you need tickets for that as well?


thanks for all the tips!