Last minute tips from ......

[berkshire mike]

all of you experts would be great!
We looked at all the books and quite frankly my head is still spinning. This will be are first tip to the park with our 11 and 7 years olds. We are going April 14-21st and will be staying at the Carribean. I know.....April! Everything we hear is that it will be busy but the wife refused to take the kids out of school so it is what it is. Im sure you could all speak volumes about what to expect but we are just looking for some last minute tips, like;
-can/should we request a certain room?
-will the crowds really be that bad?
-car or not?
-average meal cost per day? 2 adults and 2 children, some nice, no junk, most moderate.
-any other last minute advise
-we booked; Chef Mickeys, Cinderella breakfast and Hoop-dee-do review, anything else we should consider?

Right now I'd say we have done some planning but have not really laid out a schedule. We have a general idea of where we want to go 1st, 2nd and so on. Are we making a mistake? I kind of like the idea of being flexible but wondering if we will be unprepared.

also we booked the trip as a package through our travel agent and got a package price. After I took a good look at it I found that the room rate is based on peak rates even though half of the nights fall under regular season. I complained to the email address at Disney but have no answer, 3 weeks ago. Any advise?

We're hoping to have a great time! Great site!
Thanks and may be we'll see you there!

 

[WL Fan]

Hi! I am definitely NOT an expert, but when we went last year, we paid special attention to what days we should go to each park based on probable attendance, we avoided the park with the early entry day. We were there in March, and had a terrific time with our longest wait at 45 minutes (to meet Ariel in the MK.) There are charts on-line or in the Unofficial Guide that help you make your decision.

Have a great time!

 

[Local_Girl]

Hey berkshire mike...Welcome to the DIS! Don't know that I'm an expert, but my kids are close to yours in age so I thought I'd post. Our last trip was at Christmas time (week before through 12/27) in '03, when the kids were 10 yrs and 7 yrs old. We did Hoop De Do and really enjoyed it--corny, but fun! We enjoyed it so much in fact that we're taking my MIL to see it on our trip in early April. Be sure to allow enough time to get there. Also did Chef Mickey's in '02, but DH got sick (pretty sure it was the peel and eat shrimp at CM) and doesn't want to go back. The kids enjoyed it though!

We drive down and stay offsite so we always have a car...if you guys are only doing WDW and don't plan to go offsite at all, you could get away with using only Disney transportation. Otherwise I'd recommend a car.

As to the crowds...we've never been in early April, but we did Christmas!! It wasn't as bad as we thought it might be. Just decide as a family what your priority rides/attractions are and plan to do those first. Utilize fast pass! It will help you to minimize your waits in lines. If you are early risers, consider going to each parks EMH morning; if you guys are night owls, do the EMH evenings.

Meal costs...hmmm...we are always on a pretty tight budget and only do a few sit downs, but I've read on the boards maybe $100-150 per day for 4, if you do at least one sit down meal a day. Check out this website for meal costs:

http://allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm

Sorry, I have no advice regarding your package price, other than to recommend you post on the Disney Resorts board as you may get some good info there.

Good luck and have a great trip!!

 

[linfin]

I always go the last week in April and how no problems with lines, but I also take full advantage of the fast pass. I stayed at Carribian last year it was nice, the only down fall was the walking to the food court area and main pool. So if you dont want to walk 1/4 mile to get coffee in the morning just request a room near food court. I also did chef mickeys and hop di do last April. Kids really enjoy Chef Mickeys I did too, hoop di do was nice i was not that into the show but the food was good kids love it. Fried chic, corn on the cob, beans, strawberry short cake very good. You'll have good time, April is great weather

 

[berkshire mike]

Thanks all!!!!!
You guys, and gals, are great! I'm so glad I found this site!

 

[sskem96]

Your package is based on peak rates because it always goes by what season the first night of your stay is in. The only way around it is to make 2 separate reservations, one for the 14-16, and one for the 17-21. I don't think the crowds will be too bad when you're there. Some of the eastern states are out of school, but most of the rest of the country will be back in session for spring break. Have a great trip!

 

[lucyjuce27]

If eating lunch in the Magic Kingdom , buy a turkey leg. They taste great and are really filling!

 

[allforpooh]

Hi Mike,

Here is what we do-

>I usually look up the refurbishment schedule and the times of the parades etc so I can plan around them if I have to.
>Go early then take a break in the afternoon -nap, swim- everyone is in a much better mood. Crowds are also better in the AM.
>Get a town car to take you from the Airport - cheaper for 4 and much nicer.
>We budget about 200 a day in meals, my kids eat adult meals. (4adults)
>Relax and enjoy, don't try and see everything...

Denise

 

[pezpam]

Your package room rate is based on the room rate the day you check in. As someone has mentioned, you can split the stay up, but you'll have to decide if that is more trouble than it is worth at this point. You may have to change rooms with a split stay......

You can make room requests - have your travel agent add it ot the reservation. There is, however, no guarantee you'll get what you request.

As far as food, check www.allears.net for menus. They list prices, but take a look at dates for each place and add a bit if it hasn't been updated in a while.

It's perfectly possible to have a wonderful vacation and not plan out every minute. It depends on your personality - we'd go bonkers if we planned everythign out, but others would go nuts without planning. All up to you. If there are things you absolutelypositivelymust do, then make sure you plan out how to do them.

With the Disney buses and monorail, we've never needed a car, but that's a personal decision. For example - will you want to eat or play off-site? Go to Universal? Check out Orlando? etc......

Have a great vacation!