Just got back & because of this board, I got to...

[southernbella]

1. Ride in the front of the monorail.

2. DD got to be junior conductor on the Railroad.

3. I (and 22 lovely Pirates) got to ride the last boat on POTC the night it closed for refurbishment.

4.Stayed in a fabulous 4 br. condo offsite for less than the price of a decent hotel.

5.Got in the hotseat for Millionaire on the first try. I didn't have the fastest finger, but I had the high score when they picked the next contestant. I missed on the $32,000 question (Where would you find a hippodrome? answer- A circus), but I had a blast. (I wore my 1,000 point hat all day!).

6. Planned our days & used Fast Passes. We never waited more than 10-15 mins.

7. Picked a Pearl at Epcot with my MIL & DD. We got 3 pearls & 3 rings for under $150 & had a blast. We ended up seeing friends from home & they went to pick pearls too. They got twins (sweet because they have twin boys). They got a ring made for the wife & one made for her mother.

8. Saw numerous things that we would have passed by if we just wandered around. Example, the toy museum in Japan.

9. Went to Once Upon a Toy & filled a box with My Little Ponys. My DD was in heaven. They have Disney outfits for the ponys (princess', Minnie, Mickey ears). Well worth $18 plus tax.

10. We sailed into dinner with our ADR, no waits.

11. DD adored being a pirate for a day after going on the pirate cruise out of the Grand Floridian. The castmembers are outstanding.

12. DD got her first haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop. Micheal did a great job with her (and nervous Mommy). I told him that he was famous on the internet. He laughed & said that he's heard about the Disboards & all of the members he's met have been great customers.

13. I have a great cd with all of the park music on it to play over & over again.

14. Bought Brita Fill & go water bottles. They paid for themselves within the first day we were there. You forget how dehydrating all that walking can be & at $2.50 a bottle of water, the savings adds up quickly.


The best part of the trip was when DH & I were riding Rockin Rollercoaster & I realized that the girl checking our harness was a friend of mine that I thought was off at college. Turns out, she's on the college program. So, we stayed an extra day & went to the parks with her.

It was a great trip & alot of that has to do with the great advice I received here on the boards. Thanks again, Sbella

 

[2belles'mom]

Wow, so glad you had a great time! These boards are fantastic!

 

[dgaston]

You really made the most of your trip, and sounds like you created great Disney memories.

 

[makinorlando]

Sounds like you all had a wonderful trip!!!

 

[twinkletoesmom]

Sounds wonderful!! Can you tell me about becoming a JR. conductor on the train. Thanks

 

[slo]

That's awesome!!!

I'm glad that The DIS was able to help you plan your trip and helped make it great. These boards are wonderful, and I'm so glad I'm a member!!!

 

[chanty]

1. Ride in the front of the monorail.

What's the secret?

 

[chanty]

just subscribing

 

[DianaPrincessofWales]

To sit in front with the monorail driver all you need to do is ask politely! And if no one is already there-enjoy! My 13 yr old son was so impressed when we did this a few years ago. The view from up there was so awesome going around the MK resort route. Just beautiful driving around towards the GF! Wow great memories with my son!

 

[chanty]

ok call me stupid, but we've never rode on the monorail. This year, we plan to do so since we'll be staying at BWV - we'll probably take it from Epcot to go to MK.

So when you get on, do you ask the "attendant (CM)" (if there's one!) or you go directly to the driver.....?

Thanks

 

[DianaPrincessofWales]

Oops, also wanted to say to the OP, glad you had such a wonderful time and I agree the DIS boards rock! Such a great bunch of people with invaluable information to share!

 

[tjmouse]

You should ask the CM standing there (I think they are conductors) and they will be able to tell if they driver already has passengers or if the driver isn't taking passengers. They are wonderful and it is a lot of fun with a great view!

 

[southernbella]

Hi all! Hope everyone is having a great day!

We did have a great trip. This board has helped so much. Several members of our family went with us (MIL & FIL stayed with us). I'm the baby of the family, so if I have a suggestion, sometimes it isn't given to much credit. Let's just say this trip changed a few opinions about "all that time I spend playing on the internet". The best was when my DH's older brother decided right before Wishes that he wanted to take everyone to eat at Ohana's, no reservations. I got to save the day when I hit speed dial for WDW DINE & got us in 10 minutes after older brother was told they were full for the night. Yea Disboards!

(forgot one)
15. Saved over $60 on tickets with Ticketmania & the mousesavers discount link.


Guest conductor on the Railroad- When you get on the train, look for the partial seat in the last row(only room for 2 people to sit). The children sitting there get to say "All aboard" & get junior conductor licenses.

As far as sitting in the front of the monorail, every time we got on the monorail, the 1st castmember we saw after we walked up the ramp, we asked "You got anybody sitting up front yet?" If they didn't (more than half the time), they just pointed you up to the front loading area. They only let 4 people up front, so you might be sharing with another person if they got there first. DH & DD rode with another Mom & child on one ride. This is sooooo worth it! The view, well, nothing can beat it.

Thanks again for all of the great advice. As I add to my Disney trips, I hope that I can be just as helpful to others. Sbella

Can't wait till the next trip!

 

[dpuck1998]

Micheal is great isn't he. He did a wonderful job with both our boys last trip and my youngest (1yo DD) is getting her first haircut in April, hopefully Michael is working!!

My middle DS loves his pearl from Japan, for some reason this is our favorite country and we seem to spend the most time in Japan.

Tell me about the junior conductor! Is it the same as riding in front of the monorail?

 

[cdpa4d]

That's great that these boards made your trip so much more enjoyable. These boards are soooooo addicting! I've been a member since 2001 and can't seem to get away from them.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

It sounds as if you had a wonderful, wonderful trip.

I would love to know more about the music cd that you mentioned. Did you buy it or make one yourself?

 

[southernbella]

RweTHEREyet- I got the music cd at a store on Main Street (Main Street Cinema). It is a 2 cd set that has all of the music from the parks (tiki room, haunted mansion, it's a small world, etc.). It was $24.98 + tax.

dpuck1998- I posted a little more detail in a previous post about the conductor. It's like the monorail, fun for the kiddies & cool for Mom & Dad too!

Soooo, does anyone else have things that they learned from the boards that they wouldn't have known? I can always use more tips for future trips! Sbella

 

[hfrink13]

sounds like you had a great tip. And thanks for the post I learned a couple of things I didn't know about. My husband thinks I'm a nut always being on here, but when we go in May he will really understand what it is all about.

 

[jann1033]

actually saved money on a Disney trip! we used the (now defunct) quick and casual and lunch and animal kingdom vouchers and saved a lot on meals our last trip. hope the dining plan will at least help a little next trip