Newbie... Intro and Questions

[NeverSayNever]

Hi!

I have been lurking for the past week or so and first want to Thank all of you for such a fantastic forum and the invaluable wealth of information.

THANK YOU!

So now I have decided to join in... and could use some of your expert advice. First a little background, I have never been to Disney (unfathomable I know) and we have decided to take our twins(girl/boy)there in Sept for their 4th B'day.

We have booked the GF for 5nights mid month... (is the poly better? I am looking for some luxury for myself though) ofcourse this decision was made after free dining but we did opt for the dining plan.

In regards to ADR I would appreciate some thoughts/input suggestions. This is what I have so far:

Night of arrival : Dinner Grand Floridian Cafe _ Character from park fare
Day 1 (B'day): 6:45 at the Royal table
Day 2: 11:30 Ohana's for breakfest
Day3: 12:30 Chef Mickey for Lunch
DAY4: 7:45 Crystal Palace Breakfest (early for us but...)
5:30 Dinner at Narcoossee's (last night)


Ok.. so are these good choices/times? Is it over doing the character stuff?
SOmething is going to have to be OOP since there are too many table services here... how do I decide which one it should be? Is Narcoossee's really good... is there a better choice for a really nice way to end our 1st visit?

Please... any and all suggestions opinions would be greatly appreciated.

I never thought we would be getting to Disney... but we are looking at it as a lifetime opportunity and decided if we are going to do it we would scrimp and cut back in other things and do it really nice...

Thanks and sorry for the rambles.

Best,

 

[WildGrits]

No matter what you decide to do, you are going to have a great time.

I would just like to make a comment. You are going to Chef Mickey's for lunch. That means which ever park you are in that day, you will have to leave and come back. I know lots of folks here swear by an afternoon breaks, but if you plan on returning to the park, you are really missing a lot of park time. You will have to leave the park min 30 mins to get to the Contemporary. That means leaving the park before noon. With 12:30 ADRs, you are not necessarily looking at being seated at that time. My family usually last a little over an hour at a buffet. With that in mind you can guess-ta-mate waiting for transportation back to the parks at 2pm. To me that's a big hunk of your day going for a meal.

If I where to change anything, I would dump that ADR and spend my lunches using counter service in the park. You will get your fill of characters and can see Mickey everywhere.

But remember, that is just my opinion. Doesn't mean it's what would work for you.

 

[hockeybabe]

Welcome to the DIS and your newest obsession!

Have you checked out the DIS Restauarant board? That would be a good place to get some restaurant recommendations. And have you been to www.allearsnet.com and checked out the menus? I always make sure I do that so I can be sure there is something there that I am excited to eat, as well as for your twins. You can also check on prices to help with your decision on which meal to pay OOP.

Can't help you with the resort decision, I haven't been to either, but I have heard rave reviews on both resorts. Even if you read other resort reviews on the resorts board, ultimately it is all a matter of opinion, so I would go to the resort that appealed to you most, the GF.

As far as a lifetime opportunity, sure, plan a great vacation as if it were, but I warn you, you WILL be back!

 

[mericletwins]

Hi and welcome.

I like your plan. As far as the Poly vs. the GF I would do whichever appeals more to you as far as theme, unless you wanted to save a few bucks and then go w/ the Poly because it is a bit cheaper.

We always have done and still do mid-day breaks with our twins, plus 1. I think your ressies are good. For the 11:30 one you could do MK for a couple hours and then head over to the ADR or do the pool first thing and then do the ADR. Same for the 12:30 ressie. We never used to do enough pool time because we spent so much time in the parks. Part of the magic for us is relaxing at the resort and using the pool so now we do most afternoons at the pool when we go or at least an hour in the pool.

Not to throw a complete monkey wrench into your hotel plans, but for about $20 more a night from the standard room at the GF you can get a MK view room at the Contemporary which would probably add to the magic. I personally have never wanted to stay at the Contemporary, but may consider it because of the price of the MK view rooms. I think that the rooms may also have been redone so everything would be nice and new. The rehab info I am not sure about so I will be checking that out for our next stay.