October 2013!

[weswife]

looking forward to making my ADR!!!!!! Tomorrow is my day, it also happens to be my Mom's and son's b-day!!!!!

 

[kellyjeanie]

looking forward to making my ADR!!!!!! Tomorrow is my day, it also happens to be my Mom's and son's b-day!!!!!

Hooray, good luck and hope you get great happy birthday news!

 

[HBGdancermom]

I got all overwhelmed and booked a TA. LOL So far she's been great, we put our deposit down for All Star Movies and sent her my tentative itinerary for her to look over. I got the Photopass+, I know it's kind of a splurge but I'm tired of not being in any pictures! I then went over and set up a rental from Apple Strollers and got that out of the way. It feels so official now! Can't believe it's still 6 months away.

I finished the evening by causing my DH's eyes to glaze over as I went on and on about the different resort choices. LOL I'm still holding onto a sliver of hope that the discount they release for October will give me cause to upgrade to a moderate, I have fallen in love with CBR! I know it's not the sensible choice, people always seem to say POR/POFQ but the resort just looks so pretty and I love the looks of that pirate splash pool. Though I also really like how ASMo looks so I know there will be no disappointment either way. Kids will love it.

Just had to laugh.... My DH eyes have been glazed over about the trip for about a year!!! I am so glad that I found these boards.
Great job on all your progress! We are staying at AoA 10-21 to 10/25. It will be our first on property trip and I am sooooo excited!

 

[HBGdancermom]

Hi everyone,

I had no trouble getting the ADRs I wanted....

Now I am wondering if I should have done the Tuskar House Donalds Safari for breakfast instead of lunch?

We will be at the 6:15 Hoop De Doo the night before so my thinking was I didn't want to have two bigs meals side by side? Have it set for 1:35 lunch and plan to be at RD that morning at AK.

Thoughts????

 

[SEASONK]

I finished the evening by causing my DH's eyes to glaze over as I went on and on about the different resort choices. LOL I'm still holding onto a sliver of hope that the discount they release for October will give me cause to upgrade to a moderate, I have fallen in love with CBR! I know it's not the sensible choice, people always seem to say POR/POFQ but the resort just looks so pretty and I love the looks of that pirate splash pool. Though I also really like how ASMo looks so I know there will be no disappointment either way. Kids will love it.

We stayed at CBR last October. It is a beautiful resort! We only went to the main pool once, DS thought it was too crowded. But we loved the quiet pool. It was just a few people swimming in it, and it was just steps from our room. Also laundry was right beside it so I could do laundry while he was swimming. We stayed in the Jamaica section, and I got up every morning to go refill our mugs and pick up something for breakfast. I didn't find the walk bad, I actually enjoyed it. We also would grab dinner at the food court after the parks, my DH nor DS complained about the walk back and forth to the food court. The hammocks on the beach are wonderful also. We are booked at ASMo right now, but like you I am kinda hoping for a discount and upgrade to a Mod.

 

[kellyjeanie]

Just had to laugh.... My DH eyes have been glazed over about the trip for about a year!!! I am so glad that I found these boards.
Great job on all your progress! We are staying at AoA 10-21 to 10/25. It will be our first on property trip and I am sooooo excited!

Thanks! LOL re: DH - there is so much info and the planning seems to be half the fun. AoA looks gorgeous!

Hi everyone,

I had no trouble getting the ADRs I wanted....

Now I am wondering if I should have done the Tuskar House Donalds Safari for breakfast instead of lunch?

We will be at the 6:15 Hoop De Doo the night before so my thinking was I didn't want to have two bigs meals side by side? Have it set for 1:35 lunch and plan to be at RD that morning at AK.

Thoughts????

Congrats on the ADRs! There was a thread on the main board about breakfast vs. lunch, I've never been so take this for what it's worth, people said breakfast is more traditional breakfast foods and lunch is more adventurous. Some people suggested a 10:30ish ADR, i.e. right at the end of breakfast? That way you could sample both breakfast at lunch. I agree that at first thing in the morning you may still be stuffed from the night before!

We stayed at CBR last October. It is a beautiful resort! We only went to the main pool once, DS thought it was too crowded. But we loved the quiet pool. It was just a few people swimming in it, and it was just steps from our room. Also laundry was right beside it so I could do laundry while he was swimming. We stayed in the Jamaica section, and I got up every morning to go refill our mugs and pick up something for breakfast. I didn't find the walk bad, I actually enjoyed it. We also would grab dinner at the food court after the parks, my DH nor DS complained about the walk back and forth to the food court. The hammocks on the beach are wonderful also. We are booked at ASMo right now, but like you I am kinda hoping for a discount and upgrade to a Mod.

Oh thank you - I'm so happy to hear that. I love the fact that the quiet pools are right by the laundry, that's so clever. How old is your DS?

 

[JediBonas]

I'm hoping some of you that have more experience at Disney then me can give me a few tips. We can book our dining reservations Tuesday (!!!!) and trying to figure out some good places for the kiddos. I'm having difficulty because it's still six months away and they could change so much in that time (like they have the last six months). I guess my big questions are what places would be best for toddlers (we already plan on the Hollywood and Vine Disney Junior charactor meal one day)? They will be turning 2 during our trip, so I was also wondering what a good birthday lunch or dinner place might be for them. My son is starting to get picky about food (won't eat meat, loves pasta and veggies, though) and has soy, peanut and egg allergies (although he can and does sometimes still eat soy and egg), my daughter is a little carnivore and will pretty much eat anything. On the other hand, who knows what their tastes might be in another six months?!? UGH!

Also, strollers: bring one of ours or rent? We're flying in from NY and probably lugging their carseats with us for the flight so do I really want to add a double stroller to that? We have a nice one (maclaren) that folds down pretty nicely but it's still heavy and one more thing to bring.

Anything thing else I should think of? I am sooo excited for this trip!!!

 

[SlightlyocdDisneyfan]

I'm hoping some of you that have more experience at Disney then me can give me a few tips. We can book our dining reservations Tuesday (!!!!) and trying to figure out some good places for the kiddos. I'm having difficulty because it's still six months away and they could change so much in that time (like they have the last six months). I guess my big questions are what places would be best for toddlers (we already plan on the Hollywood and Vine Disney Junior character meal one day)? They will be turning 2 during our trip, so I was also wondering what a good birthday lunch or dinner place might be for them. My son is starting to get picky about food (won't eat meat, loves pasta and veggies, though) and has soy, peanut and egg allergies (although he can and does sometimes still eat soy and egg), my daughter is a little carnivore and will pretty much eat anything. On the other hand, who knows what their tastes might be in another six months?!? UGH!
Also, strollers: bring one of ours or rent? We're flying in from NY and probably lugging their carseats with us for the flight so do I really want to add a double stroller to that? We have a nice one (maclaren) that folds down pretty nicely but it's still heavy and one more thing to bring.

Anything thing else I should think of? I am sooo excited for this trip!!!

How fun!!!

We took our twins (and their sister) a couple years ago when they were a couple weeks away from turning 2, so I can tell you what worked for us. We traveled cross country, and I would highly recommend bringing your own stroller. We had the same one -it works great as a luggage carrier to pile the car seats and carry-on bags through the airport. Also, once you get to Disney, the kids will have the stroller they know and you will be able to use it around your hotel and outside the parks.

We also have a daughter with a peanut allergy. Disney is our favorite place to take her, because they are fabulous with food allergies. Be sure to make a note on your reservation and tell them when you are seated about the allergies. There is also an email (Special.Diets@disneyworld.com) where you can speak with someone ahead of time to get more personalized food assistance since you have multiple food allergies. I would highly recommend this. If you are going to MNSSHP be sure to mention this as well. The year we went, they had a special bag of treats waiting for my daughter.

Buffet meals can be nice for picky eaters, but we found that getting up and down from the table and trying to also see characters was chaotic and stressful with almost-two-year-olds. Garden Grill in Epcot has a "family style" dinner (assortment of foods brought to your table on platters and refilled if you want) where you can meet Mickey Mouse and Chip/Dale (great for twins!). It's a quieter restaurant and the characters have more time to spend with each kid -assuming your two aren't scared of characters. I believe that any table service restaurant will make a special allergy-free dessert for your children. My kids have been thrilled with these! (sometimes they are even better than what the non-allergic kids were offered)

I'm sure you are going to have a wonderful trip! Don't expect to be able to do everything, but take your time and enjoy what you do and be ready to adjust your plans as your kids' energy comes and goes (which I'm sure you already know!). We really enjoyed pool time and trying out different playgrounds -almost as much as visiting the parks! I'm a big planner, but some of our best times were when we threw out the plan for a couple hours because someone was about to melt and just stopped and tried something off the beaten path.

 

[JediBonas]

OMG, wonderful info, thank you sooo much! I'd have no problem hanging around the pool with them all day . What did you do for beds for your twins, cribs? Beds with rail guards?

 

[SlightlyocdDisneyfan]

OMG, wonderful info, thank you sooo much! I'd have no problem hanging around the pool with them all day . What did you do for beds for your twins, cribs? Beds with rail guards?

We stayed at the Poly on that trip and put them perpendicular on the bed. We untuck all the sheets and it works well for us. I don't think I knew about the bed rails (or maybe they didn't have them back then), but the sideways sleeping is how do do most hotels.

 

[lemonsours]

OMG, wonderful info, thank you sooo much! I'd have no problem hanging around the pool with them all day . What did you do for beds for your twins, cribs? Beds with rail guards?

We stayed at the Poly on that trip and put them perpendicular on the bed. We untuck all the sheets and it works well for us. I don't think I knew about the bed rails (or maybe they didn't have them back then), but the sideways sleeping is how do do most hotels.

If you are worried about it, they can give you two bedrails, you just have to request them. I listed it on the original reservation, and then confirmed it at check in and they were delivered to the room in an hour or two at the most. (DS was 2 at the time, DD was 6 and they slept together with the two bedrails.)

 

[SlightlyocdDisneyfan]

If you are worried about it, they can give you two bedrails, you just have to request them. I listed it on the original reservation, and then confirmed it at check in and they were delivered to the room in an hour or two at the most. (DS was 2 at the time, DD was 6 and they slept together with the two bedrails.)

Those look great! Thanks for sharing the photo!!

 

[soontobewed07]

We just booked our trip 10/29 to 11/6 at AKV Savannah view

 

[cthompson476]

OCT 10-13! Animal Kingdom Lodge and we can't wait! This will be my first Food & Wine festival trip!

 

[anjalee6]

We just booked AKL for October 30- November 3. ( short Halloween MNSSHP and anniversary trip).

 

[arubia]

This is our first trip to Disney and we picked October because we heard it had smaller crowds. The crowd predictors I've looked at have started to go up since i booked and I'm getting worried. We are planning Oct 16-22. Does anyone know how bad that time if year will really be?

 

[hollygolitely93]

Booked ArDs today. Feels real now! I didn't get all I wanted I used the UK site and was on at 6am...I missed

- BOG wanted 180+1 but got 180+ 5 (our second MK day...but we wanted DD's birthday...)

- Ohanas on 180 day (arrival day)... Good grief...they had 8 pm open and that's too late for my little ones. I tried again on our resort day 10/31 but still no luck. So guess we will stay at Poly but not eat at Poly...ha!

I got everything else at the times I wanted! I had no idea Ohana would be so difficult. I went for BOG first and Ohana second.

 

[jvalic33]

Wow, if this is not a busy week, why am I having so much trouble with ADR's?

I got BOG back in February just when it opened but you can barely touch it now. I can only get a 6:50 on Halloween but I didn't want to miss out on the party for dinner?

What happens if you have a dinner reservation right before the party? I was going to do MNSSHP on Tuesday but if I do it Tuesday and come out of my meal around 8:50 will I still get to see Hallowishes or stay around a bit or will they hunt me down and kick me out? How does that work? Should I pay for two party nights?

Seems kinda crazy.

 

[smitch425]

Wow, if this is not a busy week, why am I having so much trouble with ADR's?

I got BOG back in February just when it opened but you can barely touch it now. I can only get a 6:50 on Halloween but I didn't want to miss out on the party for dinner?

What happens if you have a dinner reservation right before the party? I was going to do MNSSHP on Tuesday but if I do it Tuesday and come out of my meal around 8:50 will I still get to see Hallowishes or stay around a bit or will they hunt me down and kick me out? How does that work? Should I pay for two party nights?

Seems kinda crazy.

For an ADR on a party night when you are not staying for the party, you can book up to (not including) 7pm. Once you have finished your meal, you will likely be escorted to the gate by a CM, or at the very least, directed to the exit by every CM you encounter between the restaurant and the gate. You will not be permitted to enter any store, snack line or restroom without a wristband. That said, they will not rush you through your meal.

 

[Disney2013Girl]

10/26-11/1 here! Just booked it yesterday! I'm working on my pre-trip report as we speak