Need tips in helping a family plan

[shocky5]

Okay - not to bring a touch of sadness to the boards, but it's required to give you enough information in an effort to get some advice. A friend of mine will be traveling to WDW in Feb. 09 with her spouse, their daughter and her husband and their two young daughters. We have been able to put this trip together for them as the daughter (mother of 2 young daughters) is terminally ill with cancer. As of Monday, the prognosis is 3-6 months. The trip is paid for from a standpoint of airfare, they will be staying at CBR, MYW tickets w/ park hopper. They will arrive on a Sunday, at the resort around 3 and will be leaving on Thursday. Meals have not been paid for yet and secondary to medical issues, funds are tight. There is a fundraiser the night before they go that we are confident will help with this cost BUT what I am looking to for expertise from you wonderful people is the following:

Which parks on which day (Sun evening, all day M, Tue, Wed) and what food? The less expensive the better, but they want the memories and sometimes meals make the best ones. Thoughts?

Mother is in a wheelchair now, daughters are 7 and 1. My goal is to send them with an itinerary of sorts to decrease the overwhelm of Disney for first time guests.

Thanks!

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Since they are staying on property, I suggest taking a look at EMH. However, you might want to avoid those parks. This is their vacation, and they might not want to get up early and race to the parks or stay out late.

They say not to do MK on Saturdays or Mondays, but I don't think it really matters that much. Make up your decision based on EMH and what you think will be best for the family.

As for ADRs, I recommend:

'Ohana (Poly) - character dining that will be a lot of fun for the kiddos
Teppan Edo (Epcot) - japanese cooking... entertaining. Either that or Biergarten, which is a dinner show in Germany.
50's Prime Time Cafe (DHS)- this is a hoot... great for multi-generational families, and not too expensive
Jiko (AKL) - African cuisine... has great reviews, but I'm not sure about costs
Garden Grill (Epcot) - another character meal... this is a relaxed, "family-style" buffet... they bring the food to you, so no fussing with the wheelchair

I think planned meals are a good idea. This way they don't have to fight the crowds at CS restaurants.

Hope the family has a wonderful time at WDW!

 

[PictureJumpr]

I agree with the pp that EMH may be a way to go, and Sunday night EMH at MK is one of our traditions, although I don't know how everyone may feel after the energy spent making the trip down there.

I also agree with the pp that the 50s Prime Time and the Ohana (characters only at breakfast, but lots of fun at dinner) are two good choices. The Biergarten is another fun family dinner, and Crystal Palace (pooh and friends' hangout) is one of our favorites.

I suggest, if planning on a character meal/buffet, that you consider breakfasts or lunches as these are typically $5-10 cheaper per adult than dinners. If you do not wish to go ahead and make ADRs for them, you could at least put the suggested restaurants and the information on how to book from on property for Grandma or someone to call and arrange meals once they arrive so that they will not miss out on experiences they want to have together.

If they are eating at a non-buffet restaurant, they should know that they are welcome to order only what they want to eat, and share plates, which can help to cut costs especially in cases where members of the party may not have full-scale appetites.

Another fringe benefit of TS meals mid-day is that they force the party to pause, rest, spend time together over a meal in air conditioning (which is not a big deal in February, I guess, but even so...). Kind of a way to refresh.

It is also possible to share CS meals - there are several locations that serve CS meals which are large enough for two adults, including:
Cosmic Ray's at MK
Sunshine Seasons at Epcot
Flametree BBQ at AK

If you had a benefactor or two who might be willing to put up a total of $30 or $40, a week or so in advance (rather than the night before), you could arrange a grocery delivery to their resort room to supply them with a case of water and cereal or fruit, milk, cheese and crackers, etc for quick breakfasts and/or late night munchies with no extra expenditure from them once they are there. If they are staying at a mod or higher, there will be a fridge in the room at no charge; if they are staying at a value it really shouldn't be a big deal to get one for medical purposes from the resort if they need to store medications, or maybe a fridge swap here on the boards could help you out.

 

[JerseyMouse]

We are also going Sunday-Thursday (in January '09) and have 2 kids ages 4 & 2. We ordered groceries that will be delivered to our resort by gardengrocer.com (In the long run, this should help cut down on the cost of breakfast, as well as snacks and drinks. We also ordered diapers to free up room in the suitcase) As for our plan, I did consult the Unofficial Guide for least crowded parks and this is what I came up with:

Sunday - Going to MK after we settle in just to catch the parade and fireworks at 7:00pm and 8:00pm respectively.

Monday - Epcot (Reservation for the Princess Storybook Dining Breakfast in Norway) (Downtown Disney for dinner)

Tuesday - Magic Kingdom. (Reservation at Chef Mickey's for dinner) However, Crystal Palace would be a good choice, as well.

Wednesday - DHS (Reservation for 50's Prime Time lunch / Ohana's Dinner)

Thursday - Animal Kingdom

I hope this helps.