Okay here's our rough schedule for WDW

[queenie82]

Yes, although I've only got one day planned for each of the four Disney parks, I had assumed we'd get a 5-day Park Hopper plus Water-parks etc so that we had another park day up our sleeves and could use the Disney water parks. We have been watching all the great videos on the Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon websites and my 12 year old is so keen to try Summit Plummet!
wear boardshorts

Also, I'd never even realised what Disney Quest was until I looked on the website and I actually think my DH would enjoy it as would our daughters.
I do enjoy it. Go EARLY if you can as it does get busy. It is a very popular night spot and the queues for things like pirates can get long. Now I would also say don't go early if it detracts from park time or water park time but the later it gets the busier it gets.

I thought that maybe we would go to Downtown Disney (by boat presuming we are staying at POR) on that first day to look around, start feeling the magic and visit Disney Quest. However, that is very interesting to hear that we may not be as jet-lagged as I'd thought so maybe we'd be okay to visit a park. Therefore your suggestions of getting a 10-day pass are well worth considering.

Yes while I do get tired on the first day...because you arrive at night you crash and then wake up fairly refreshed.

I had begun to wonder if there was actually any point getting a Park Hopper (I'm just in the habit of having one at Disneyland) but the idea of a water park in the morning and then perhaps over to a park late afternoon to catch the evening activities sounds a great option to have. I'm just really unsure of how much my family will physically be able to take each park day , expecially our youngest!

Park hopper has NOTHING to do with a water park and regular park on the same day.
When you get a water parks and more option it gives you access to Disney Quest and Water parks. This is separate to hopping between Epcot and Magic Kingdom.
I still think hopping is good. But this is partially because it allows you to make the most of emh. Early emh brings people into the parks. In the morning you get a lot done. But combining the extra onsite emh people to the rest of the offsite guests makes the park generally busier by the middle of the day.


I never intended to time our trip for the Epcot Food and Wine festival so that's a shame that it will make it a busier time. Can't do anything about that now though so will just have to plan around it and use all available resources to try and figure out which park will be best for each day. I am thrilled to be there at the time MNSSHP will be on though, as I've never done that before. We do trick or treat now here in N.Z. but it's not the same as when I would do it as a child living in the U.S. - it's not even dark here! It will be great for my girls to experience an American Halloween

How amazing that would be to be in Orlando when a rocket is launched at the Kennedy Space Centre! Gosh, I'd have one happy DH if I managed to schedule that into our itinerary (the scary cost of this trip might go down a bit easier) Does anyone know how far in advance they post their launch dates?
the last shuttle just landed. The Shuttle program has now ended. So what will happen now regarding launches is more unknown.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...05/26/AR2010052600917.html?hpid=moreheadlines
Even before this it was very difficult to time because they can get scratched regularly and the one we potentially could have seen but missed out on tickets for anyway (so didn't look into further) was scratched so we would have wasted a day.

By the way, the plan to move offsite for the second week is so that we can have a week in a Two-Bedroom type place giving us all a bit more space. Seven nights squeezed into one room at POR with my youngest on a trundle bed will be a challenge but I'm counting on the presumption that we'll hardly ever be in our rooms that week and we'll be so exhausted in the evenings, we'll all fall straight to sleep - do you think this is right? We then will go onto the cruise ship where, whilst we will have two interconnecting cabins, we'll have two children with us in our cabin and our third child will be in the connecting cabin with my in-laws (meeting us to do the cruise as well as my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and niece). Plus we need to move offsite so that we can have a week of our U.S. holiday where we can have opportunity to have our U.S. junk food fix and eat at Taco Bell etc

By the way, we will have a rental car that second offsite week, but do you think it would be better to have it while we were staying onsite too? I'm so confused about the Disney transportation system - as to whether its good or not! I certainly love the idea of arriving from the airport by Magical Express and one of the benefits of staying onsite is having the use of the transportation system (should technically be more relaxing than driving/finding a park etc) but then I read of people having cars and driving to the parks even if they are staying onsite ??

Thanks so much for all of your advice and encouragement - I'm so pleased I posted

Get a car...for the whole time. The longer you have it the cheaper the per day rate. I hate disney transport
Ferries aren't too bad...but the buses are awful.
ALSO get a car at the airport if you can. Some families split up with one person getting the car and the other going to the accommodation on ME.
The reason to get it at the airport is you get a MUCH bigger selection of cars. You can pick the cleanest and one with the least miles. It will make the stay much more enjoyable with a newer car.

 

[aussietravellers]

the last shuttle just landed. The Shuttle program has now ended. So what will happen now regarding launches is more unknown.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...=moreheadlines
Even before this it was very difficult to time because they can get scratched regularly and the one we potentially could have seen but missed out on tickets for anyway (so didn't look into further) was scratched so we would have wasted a day.

Queenie the Shuttle program schedule was updated about 10 days ago and the remaining shuttle launches are still on the schedule.

There is not a plan to end the rocket launches. NASA will continue to launch rockets and they are already planned. Here is an article about the rocket launches from 5 days ago.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/delta_50.html

Here is a their current schedule for the rockets for 2011
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html

It is true that there is a chance the launch can be changed due to weather and other delays but this isn't as common for rocket launches it seems. When we went our rocket launch did not change although it did look like it may, but didn't happen. We did end up organising to go a couple of days before just incase it did change, but it didn't and it was just fantastic!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Queenie the Shuttle program schedule was updated about 10 days ago and the remaining shuttle launches are still on the schedule.

There is not a plan to end the rocket launches. NASA will continue to launch rockets and they are already planned. Here is an article about the rocket launches from 5 days ago.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/delta_50.html

Here is a their current schedule for the rockets for 2011
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html

It is true that there is a chance the launch can be changed due to weather and other delays but this isn't as common for rocket launches it seems. When we went our rocket launch did not change although it did look like it may, but didn't happen. We did end up organising to go a couple of days before just incase it did change, but it didn't and it was just fantastic!

Thanks for that info aussietravellers. Just checked the dates for 2011 and it looks like the last one is late November which means we would miss out for a launch in December, but that's okay. I'm still excited for us to visit there.

 

[aussietravellers]

Thanks for that info aussietravellers. Just checked the dates for 2011 and it looks like the last one is late November which means we would miss out for a launch in December, but that's okay. I'm still excited for us to visit there.

Ms.Shuttergirl, bookmark the page because the launches do get delayed. But the rocket program is not ending at this stage, maybe December isn't the best time to send a rocket into space I'll keep my fingers crossed that it may change as it is really pretty cool watching it, thinking that you are watching that thing that is heading out into space.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Apologies - I didn't mean to imply that the park hopper was the same as the water park. I meant that we have twice now bought 10 day plus park hopper tickets. We figured that we would potentially only visit a water park once in the 10 day period - and it was cheaper to buy 1 day separately at a water park rather than add the cost on top of the park hopper ticket.

Given that we have yet to visit a Disney Water Park, I guess we made the good decision both visits.. We seriously contemplated adding the water park to this previous visit but given that we were staying at 5 nights at BCV, we had access to StormAlong Bay and that kept my son happy.

However, next time we go with our son, we will definitely be spending time at the water parks.

 

[queenie82]

Queenie the Shuttle program schedule was updated about 10 days ago and the remaining shuttle launches are still on the schedule.

There is not a plan to end the rocket launches. NASA will continue to launch rockets and they are already planned. Here is an article about the rocket launches from 5 days ago.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/delta_50.html

Here is a their current schedule for the rockets for 2011
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html

It is true that there is a chance the launch can be changed due to weather and other delays but this isn't as common for rocket launches it seems. When we went our rocket launch did not change although it did look like it may, but didn't happen. We did end up organising to go a couple of days before just incase it did change, but it didn't and it was just fantastic!

Queenie the rocket launches have not ended!

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/news/delta_50.html Article from 5 days ago! There are several rocket launches planned for 2011!

Also there are two more shuttle launches scheduled for this year. That article says So the other two shuttles are yet to make their final voyages (still doesn't help those going next year), but all launches have not ended. I am hoping that the Space Shuttle Discovery, which is due to launch on the 16th Sept will be delayed and we may get to see it.

Nothing in my post was INCORRECT!!

My point was that the shuttles have ended.
They have...
There are 2 lauches left...but that is it...and the program HAS ENDED.

My point was to emphasise it won't be a shuttle.
In my experience people say rocket assuming a shuttle these days.
So I wanted people to be aware there are no longer going to be any shuttle launches.

Please READ my post.
There was NO INCORRECT INFORMATION

 

[queenie82]

First you say

t is true that there is a chance the launch can be changed due to weather and other delays but this isn't as common for rocket launches it seems.

Then suddenly it is this?

Ms.Shuttergirl, bookmark the page because the launches do get delayed. But the rocket program is not ending at this stage, maybe December isn't the best time to send a rocket into space I'll keep my fingers crossed that it may change as it is really pretty cool watching it, thinking that you are watching that thing that is heading out into space.

 

[aussietravellers]

First you say
Then suddenly it is this?

Your tone and manner really is unnecessary, often on these boards and I have no desire to enter into that sort of posting. I'll leave you on your own here

 

[BecBennett]

Have you been able to find flights for the 1st of October (I don't mean book, just find) Just because it's been my experience that you wont get to Orlando until early on the 2nd - at the earliest. I will admit I haven't looked at Air NZ's flight schedules to see what time they get to LA, to be able to get a connecting flight, but from other airlines I've either looked at or flown with - Qantas, VAustralia, United etc. they get to LA in the arvo, and the only flight that day is a red eye - so it flies through the night, getting you there the following day.

I know this probably doesn't seem like a problem as your 2nd day is a rest day, but check in isn't until later in the day, and personally I'd like somewhere to go straight away - to shower and rest up.

This might all be moot because as I said, I don't know what air NZ is like...

 

[Jade+3]

We were at Epcot last year for F&W festival, and it was not busy at all. Apparently it does get busy with locals on the weekends, so we stuck with going during the week.

 

[Travel Mum]

Have you been able to find flights for the 1st of October (I don't mean book, just find) Just because it's been my experience that you wont get to Orlando until early on the 2nd - at the earliest. I will admit I haven't looked at Air NZ's flight schedules to see what time they get to LA, to be able to get a connecting flight, but from other airlines I've either looked at or flown with - Qantas, VAustralia, United etc. they get to LA in the arvo, and the only flight that day is a red eye - so it flies through the night, getting you there the following day.

I know this probably doesn't seem like a problem as your 2nd day is a rest day, but check in isn't until later in the day, and personally I'd like somewhere to go straight away - to shower and rest up.

This might all be moot because as I said, I don't know what air NZ is like...

At the moment, I'm basing it on the Qantas schedules for October this year. The flights from Auckland arrive into L.A. at 6.30 am currently allowing time to connect with American Airlines from L.A. to Orlando which gets in about 7pm Saturday night Orlando time. I know schedules may change so I have to be open to that beginning changing. I think I'd prefer to overnight at a LAX hotel and flying out the next morning rather than waiting around to catch that red-eye when travelling with our young children.

Many thanks for your advice

 

[Travel Mum]

We were at Epcot last year for F&W festival, and it was not busy at all. Apparently it does get busy with locals on the weekends, so we stuck with going during the week.

Oh wow, that is great to know I've planned to steer clear of the parks on weekends anyway. However I do wonder if that is as necessary in Orlando as it is in L.A.? In L.A. so many locals come to the parks on the weekends in addition to the tourists whereas I wonder if, as Orlando has so many more tourists, does the addition of locals on the weekend make much difference (with the exception of the Epcot F+W) ?

 

[Jade+3]

At the moment, I'm basing it on the Qantas schedules for October this year. The flights from Auckland arrive into L.A. at 6.30 am currently allowing time to connect with American Airlines from L.A. to Orlando which gets in about 7pm Saturday night Orlando time. I know schedules may change so I have to be open to that beginning changing. I think I'd prefer to overnight at a LAX hotel and flying out the next morning rather than waiting around to catch that red-eye when travelling with our young children.

Many thanks for your advice

We got into LA at 7am on a Friday. We stayed overnight by LAX, and got the red eye on the Saturday night to Orlando. My kids were 4, 3 and a baby. The mistake we made was that we could not check into out Orlando accommodation until 3pm (silly me booked the flight before seeing if we could add an extra day to our stay). The kids were not too bad as they slept on the flight, but DH and I were buggered. I have never been so tired. We had a really early night, and were fine in the morning to have breakfast at Chef Mickey.

 

[aussietravellers]

We were at Epcot last year for F&W festival, and it was not busy at all. Apparently it does get busy with locals on the weekends, so we stuck with going during the week.

Oh Jade+3, thank you for posting this. We are going this year during F&W festival and our second part of the trip is at Beach Club and the first half is at AKL. We move over to BC a day before F&W starts, so we are having quite a few meals at Epcot because it's so close. I was trying to make ADR's for the first at the 180 day mark and couldn't get one restaurant at Epcot, not one, at any time! So I posted on the restaurant board thinking that was weird that on opening at the 180 day mark there was not one ADR at any restaurant at Epcot.

I got heaps of replies about it being F&W festival and will be so busy and they wouldn't be going near there etc. So we were sort of second guessing our plans, should we change the order of resorts around and be at AKL during the final part etc. But just decided to stick with everything the way it was but was sort of changing our plans.

But I am absolutely thrilled to hear your report! Thank you SO much. We will just stick to during the week and keep weekend plans away from Epcot.

 

[Travel Mum]

Queenie and AussieTravellers, I'm sorry my post has caused a bit of grief between you two and I just want you to know that I really appreciate both of your great advice. Please don't stop passing on your advice as I'm lapping it all up and loving the learning

By the way, I went to the rocket launch link and, wouldn't you know it, there is a rocket launch scheduled for the week before we are due to arrive!! I'd love to be able to go a week earlier to be there for it but we just can't take our oldest daughter out of school any longer. We must work with the two-week school holiday and then just that one week prior as it will be her first year of high school. I have no such qualms about taking our younger two out of school but my daugther was advised the other day that missing 1 day of highschool is equivalent to a week of primary school, so she's told me it will be like her missing 5 weeks of school Yikes ! However, if they end up re-scheduling the rocket launch to either one or two weeks later, we'd be thrilled

 

[Jade+3]

Oh wow, that is great to know I've planned to steer clear of the parks on weekends anyway. However I do wonder if that is as necessary in Orlando as it is in L.A.? In L.A. so many locals come to the parks on the weekends in addition to the tourists whereas I wonder if, as Orlando has so many more tourists, does the addition of locals on the weekend make much difference (with the exception of the Epcot F+W) ?

I think the F&W festival worked in our favour as there were so many more food options, that the regular food places were almost empty.

BTW, we only ate at CS places.

 

[aussietravellers]

Queenie and AussieTravellers, I'm sorry my post has caused a bit of grief between you two and I just want you to know that I really appreciate both of your great advice. Please don't stop passing on your advice as I'm lapping it all up and loving the learning

You are so sweet for posting that! You do not need to be sorry for anything.

 

[Jade+3]

Oh Jade+3, thank you for posting this. We are going this year during F&W festival and our second part of the trip is at Beach Club and the first half is at AKL. We move over to BC a day before F&W starts, so we are having quite a few meals at Epcot because it's so close. I was trying to make ADR's for the first at the 180 day mark and couldn't get one restaurant at Epcot, not one, at any time! So I posted on the restaurant board thinking that was weird that on opening at the 180 day mark there was not one ADR at any restaurant at Epcot.

I got heaps of replies about it being F&W festival and will be so busy and they wouldn't be going near there etc. So we were sort of second guessing our plans, should we change the order of resorts around and be at AKL during the final part etc. But just decided to stick with everything the way it was but was sort of changing our plans.

But I am absolutely thrilled to hear your report! Thank you SO much. We will just stick to during the week and keep weekend plans away from Epcot.

We got to Orlando on 20th October, and visited Epcot on Thursday and the following Monday. I picked the days based on the Touring Plans crowd calender. We had minimal waits for rides, but did use FP for Test Track and Soaring. Both days we had left by dinner time so did not see the night time crowds, but it was really quiet during the day. I thought it was a perfect time to go, with fantastic weather. I also did not have any problems getting an ADR for breakfast with the princesses.

 

[queenie82]

One thing about F&W that affects accommodation is in regard to parking.
This is mainly an issue at Boardwalk.
The GUESTS will often not be able to get a parking space because inconsiderate pricks decided to park at he various Epcot resorts so they can walk over to Epcot through the international gateway.
I know trying to get a space in the middle of the day to late arvo at BW when were staying there was sometimes difficult which was a pain. It is so obvious it is park guests as there is no trouble after 9pm

Anywho...my point about this is just a warning to those staying at the Epcot resorts. It is GREAT walking to Epcot for the F&W from there so if you are staying there be prepared for issues getting a space in the main lot if you come back from somewhere else.
[There is another overflow lot which the jerks not staying at that resort should be sent to but whether this will happen is never consistent.]

Also this would be a good idea

We got to Orlando on 20th October, and visited Epcot on Thursday and the following Monda. I picked the days based on the Touring Plans crowd calender. We had minimal waits for rides, but did use FP for Test Track and Soaring. Both days we had left by dinner time so did not see the night time crowds, but it was really quiet. I thought it was a perfect time to go, with fantastic weather. I also did not have any problems getting an ADR for breakfast with the princesses.

There have been situations where there start being drunks by around 8-9pm...so if you have young kids just watch out for this

 

[Travel Mum]

Thanks for your input everyone - I'm learning so much and getting so excited! Please keep it coming if you think of anything else