mid-November trip - advice needed please

[slider9499]

Hey guys - a newbie here. My wife and I are heading down to WDW in mid-November and will be at Port Orleans - French Quarter Resorts.

Can anyone give me some overall tips on lines, startegies, dining tips and overall transportation tips?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dzneelvr]

Welcome to the Boards! We've found that www.allears.net is a great resource for planning where you want to dine. They have specific menus.

You picked a good time to go-- pre-thanksgiving crowds. The lines should be no problem, but use Fast Passes (FP) when you can. Then you are free to explore or attend a show until your time comes up and you are guaranteed a seat.

Plan to make a PS for a special meal each day. The other meals you can grab at the resort on at a Park counter service. Transportation is provided by each resort. the buses run regularly to all Parks and DTD. You can get to anywhere from the transportation center. Some alternatives to try: take the boat from MGM to EPCOT--you get to see a whole other side to WDW. Take the monorail around to all the Deluxe resorts and try to tour each one. We like to make PSs at their dining spots such as OHanas in the Polynesian.

Don't stress about what you don't/can't get to. There is no humanly way possible to see it all on the first trip. Pick a park each day, PS a dining option, and just enjoy.

As far as shopping, with the exception of EPCOT, most of the WDW merchandise can be found at the Disney store at DTD (downtown disney). It saves shopping as you can buy most anything there in one shot--have it delivered back to your resort--and if you have an annual pass (AP) you get a straight 10% discount on the total.

Any question you have, do a search on the applicable DisBoard for the topic and you'll get great information without starting a new thread each time. For example, if you want the lowdown on your resort, go to Resort board and type in it's name. All the threads on the resort will come up and you can choose the one(s) you want.

Have a Wonderful Time.

 

[slider9499]

Thanks for the fast reply - just two quick questions:

What is a Fast Pass and how do I get them?

And what is a PS?

 

[Amirah95]

Priority seating is a reservation that you make in advance to dine at the Disney full service restaurants. For example, in order to make a reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table you will need to call Disney Dining to get a PS.

Fast passes guarantee you a ride on an attraction and it all depends on the time on the ticket when you pick it up (usually located in front or side of an attraction and yes they are free). For example, we went to MK once where we wanted to ride Peter Pan but the lines were queueing up quickly and we knew we would have to wait 15 minutes so we grabbed a FP for that ride and headed over to It's a Small World instead which there was a shorter quicker line. After we came out of It's a Small World, we took our FP and headed to Peter Pan where we walked on the ride with no wait.

 

[Desnik]

I will add that you really picked a great time to go!! The weather is usually hi 70's low 80's and sunny and little to no rain at all!! The crowds should be really low and you will get spoiled by them! You will probably be able to walk on most attractions with the exception of the popular rides like Test track and such. But then you just get a fast pass and that helps! When you check in to POFQ you will be given a transportation map. Your resort has bus service to all parks and a boat to take you to Downtown Disney. A friend of mine and my grandpa just came back from this resort and they both loved it and said it was so clean! The resort has recently been renovated. Here are a few links to get you started on understanding all the DIS lingo and the ton of info that is out there. Have fun and let us know if you have any other questions!

DIS abbreviations:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/abbreviations.htm

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

Priority Seating info:
http://www.allearsnet.com/din/reserv.htm

Fast Pass info:
http://www.allearsnet.com/tp/fastpass.htm

Extended weather forcasts:
http://wwwa.accuweather.com/adcbin/public/local_index.asp?nav=home&metric=0&zipcode=32830

Transportation:
http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/transp.htm

POFQ FAQ:
http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_po.htm

POFQ Photos:
http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/g_po.htm

Here are a few links to other helpful sites for planning your trip:
http://www.mousesavers.com/
http://www.mouseplanet.com/index.php
http://passporter.com/wdw/
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index?bhcp=1
http://www.allearsnet.com/


We go every year and Nov. is the best!! See you there!!!

 

[MrsJ Henry]

My husband and I are also going mid Nov. 15th-22nd.We picked this time due to the low crowds and the nice weather. Also some of the Christmas decorations will be going up.
My best advice to you is read read read on here before you go.
You want to have a plan even in the slower seasons.
People that don't and just wing it come back sometimes saying they didn't like it. I've experienced this with a few people.
Check out some of the dining options. Get somewhat of a plan on how you want to tour the parks, start early in the day.... this is not a place you want to start later on. Take breaks so you aren't tired from starting early in the day.
Once again read everything you can on here. This is the best place for info. Also : Allearsnet.com has menus and lots of helpful info.If you pick some restuarants where you want to get priority seating (PS) call 800-838-0228 for the reservations. Don't use the other number since it will cost you money.
We are going to Chef Mickey for the character dinner, Boma's at Animal Kingdom lodge, Crystal Palace in MK, Cape May at the Yacht club..... check some places out and see what you like. They have such great themed places to eat there that are so much fun. Try some character meals
You will have a GREAT time!!!!! Have fun