finchfamily4
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2008
- Messages
- 31
This is off my blog:
It's tough to see Disney World - all four parks- in two days unless your kids are industrial strength. The crowds were LARGE. The best advice I got and used is "get to the parks early and ride the top attraction" & " Get a fast pass & ride it twice". I think all totalled we rode 7 or 8 rides. We did get to see Fantasmic and two parades. We ate very well. We obtained reservations before we left. We saw many families turned away from restaurants without reservations. The best meal was at the California Grill overlooking the castle at Magic Kingdom. We sat by the window and had a front row viewing of the fireworks.
What surprised me the most was Chris' statement that this was the "best vacation I've ever been on". He's traveled a bunch. I was glad and grateful we were able to go. BTW, I cried at the song "When You Wish Upon A Star" during the fireworks! It was amazing!
The kids loved the characters even at the ripe old age of almost 12 and 10 years old. We waited in line for well over and hour to see Mickey! They loved the trip. Alex is already planning for next year!
* Hotel Tip: A big $$$ money saver is to buy Disney Vacation Club points from a member. We saved at least $200 a night. Our first night was at the Boardwalk. We stayed in a studio villa. The next two nights at Saratoga Springs Villas in a one bedroom villa. It had W/D and full kitchen. Staying longer I'm sure we would have appreciated those amenities more. A good website regarding DVC is http://www.disboards.com/ It's a very easy and safe way to save. If you intend to use the kitchen there is a local store http://www.gardengrocer.com/ which delivers to your villa.
* Transportation Tip: Spent the extra $$ on taxis if your trip is short. The buses are for the masses and it can take forever - cutting into precious vacation time. We learned quickly taxis are the way to go. We also were provided the Magical Express Luggage service because we used the DVC members points. They deliver your bags straight to your room from the airport! Fantastic.
* Ticket Tip: We bought our tickets from a vendor on ebay. It did save us a significant amount of $$ but beware they don't issue these until close to your departure day. It could have caused a problem. We also saved money by buying Disney Quest tickets ahead of time. The vendors vary in price - make sure the total price includes taxes. We enjoyed Disney Quest in Downtown Disney our first day. We arrived mid afternoon and wisely skipped the parks.
* Photo Tip: Disney Photo Pass is $$$ expensive. Unless you are staying a week or more it's not worth the money. Character photo lines are long and eat quickly into fun.
* Save your marriage tip: Make a printable itinerary for your significant other. Each question was artfully answered by the wonderful piece of paper. Questions included: Where are we staying? Where & what time are we eating, What rides are we riding, etc. LOL.
* Get the Zaggat Guide to Walt Disney World. I reviewed several and this one is concise and has maps.
P.S. Thanks to this board we had a wonderful time
It's tough to see Disney World - all four parks- in two days unless your kids are industrial strength. The crowds were LARGE. The best advice I got and used is "get to the parks early and ride the top attraction" & " Get a fast pass & ride it twice". I think all totalled we rode 7 or 8 rides. We did get to see Fantasmic and two parades. We ate very well. We obtained reservations before we left. We saw many families turned away from restaurants without reservations. The best meal was at the California Grill overlooking the castle at Magic Kingdom. We sat by the window and had a front row viewing of the fireworks.
What surprised me the most was Chris' statement that this was the "best vacation I've ever been on". He's traveled a bunch. I was glad and grateful we were able to go. BTW, I cried at the song "When You Wish Upon A Star" during the fireworks! It was amazing!
The kids loved the characters even at the ripe old age of almost 12 and 10 years old. We waited in line for well over and hour to see Mickey! They loved the trip. Alex is already planning for next year!
* Hotel Tip: A big $$$ money saver is to buy Disney Vacation Club points from a member. We saved at least $200 a night. Our first night was at the Boardwalk. We stayed in a studio villa. The next two nights at Saratoga Springs Villas in a one bedroom villa. It had W/D and full kitchen. Staying longer I'm sure we would have appreciated those amenities more. A good website regarding DVC is http://www.disboards.com/ It's a very easy and safe way to save. If you intend to use the kitchen there is a local store http://www.gardengrocer.com/ which delivers to your villa.
* Transportation Tip: Spent the extra $$ on taxis if your trip is short. The buses are for the masses and it can take forever - cutting into precious vacation time. We learned quickly taxis are the way to go. We also were provided the Magical Express Luggage service because we used the DVC members points. They deliver your bags straight to your room from the airport! Fantastic.
* Ticket Tip: We bought our tickets from a vendor on ebay. It did save us a significant amount of $$ but beware they don't issue these until close to your departure day. It could have caused a problem. We also saved money by buying Disney Quest tickets ahead of time. The vendors vary in price - make sure the total price includes taxes. We enjoyed Disney Quest in Downtown Disney our first day. We arrived mid afternoon and wisely skipped the parks.
* Photo Tip: Disney Photo Pass is $$$ expensive. Unless you are staying a week or more it's not worth the money. Character photo lines are long and eat quickly into fun.
* Save your marriage tip: Make a printable itinerary for your significant other. Each question was artfully answered by the wonderful piece of paper. Questions included: Where are we staying? Where & what time are we eating, What rides are we riding, etc. LOL.
* Get the Zaggat Guide to Walt Disney World. I reviewed several and this one is concise and has maps.
P.S. Thanks to this board we had a wonderful time
