Our first WDW trip Oct/Nov 2013

[lffam]

Hi all

We were going to do a trip in May and go to WDW , NYC, Washington la, but we ended up moving it up and going this year which meant NYC. Was going to be a bit cold for us.

Well we have locked in most of our dates and are now filling in the gaps. We fly out on 25th oct and into LA for a couple of days then out to Orlando on 27th -30th. We will only be doing Universal. We haven't chosen hotel yet but it will be one of the on site ones. Then after that we check into WDW on 30th. We have booked Caribbean Beach Resort. Part of me would love GF as we stayed in GC in Disneyland in 2010 but the cost is just so much, even with rented points. Anyway we are there till 11Nov. Very exited about it all. I've done quite a few dining reservations. We got the free dining deal. Not too sure how it will all go as we are a bit more like we see a place we like and we say oh let's eat there ...so a bit more structured might be something that takes a bit to get used to but I'm sure we will manage.

We will be doing Mickey's Halloween party on 31st and also the first night of Mickey's Christmas party on 9th. We've booked a Fantasmic lunch package one day. Dinner just seemed to rushed to eat and get to the show.

At the moment we are having trouble comprehending the size of the place and getting around. Having experienced DL and being able to walk to DTD or the other hotels for character dining etc, clearly WDW is on a completely different scale. Something which I don't think we are going to be able to comprehend until we actually get there.

Love to hear any advice or experience or any must do dining or attractions.

After WDW we are back in LA for a few days before heading back down under.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Hi all

We were going to do a trip in May and go to WDW , NYC, Washington la, but we ended up moving it up and going this year which meant NYC. Was going to be a bit cold for us.

Well we have locked in most of our dates and are now filling in the gaps. We fly out on 25th oct and into LA for a couple of days then out to Orlando on 27th -30th. We will only be doing Universal. We haven't chosen hotel yet but it will be one of the on site ones. Then after that we check into WDW on 30th. We have booked Caribbean Beach Resort. Part of me would love GF as we stayed in GC in Disneyland in 2010 but the cost is just so much, even with rented points. Anyway we are there till 11Nov. Very exited about it all. I've done quite a few dining reservations. We got the free dining deal. Not too sure how it will all go as we are a bit more like we see a place we like and we say oh let's eat there ...so a bit more structured might be something that takes a bit to get used to but I'm sure we will manage.

We will be doing Mickey's Halloween party on 31st and also the first night of Mickey's Christmas party on 9th. We've booked a Fantasmic lunch package one day. Dinner just seemed to rushed to eat and get to the show.

At the moment we are having trouble comprehending the size of the place and getting around. Having experienced DL and being able to walk to DTD or the other hotels for character dining etc, clearly WDW is on a completely different scale. Something which I don't think we are going to be able to comprehend until we actually get there.

Love to hear any advice or experience or any must do dining or attractions.

After WDW we are back in LA for a few days before heading back down under.

Happy planning whatever size you think it's is quadruple it

 

[lffam]

Yeah I'm beginning to get that!!

 

[PrincessInOz]

The experience at the World is all-encompassing. Rides, shows and food. Just plan what you think and then when you get there, don't be locked in to the plan.

I personally plan my days around the Extra Magic Hours and my ADRs. Others do plan differently; and like everything, it does come down to personal preference.

It is completely different to DLR where you can walk between parks. Plan for at least 30 minutes for any sort of transition, if you are park hopping or heading back to your resort.

 

[lffam]

The experience at the World is all-encompassing. Rides, shows and food. Just plan what you think and then when you get there, don't be locked in to the plan.

I personally plan my days around the Extra Magic Hours and my ADRs. Others do plan differently; and like everything, it does come down to personal preference.

It is completely different to DLR where you can walk between parks. Plan for at least 30 minutes for any sort of transition, if you are park hopping or heading back to your resort.

Thanks PrincessInOz. We have realised it is just something we have to experience to comprehend and cant wait...something like 52 days now.

We have booked a few ADR's. unfortunately cant get Chef Mickeys for breakfast any day and best dinner we could get there is 930pm.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thanks PrincessInOz. We have realised it is just something we have to experience to comprehend and cant wait...something like 52 days now.

We have booked a few ADR's. unfortunately cant get Chef Mickeys for breakfast any day and best dinner we could get there is 930pm.

It won't be the end of the World if you don't make it there to eat.

But if you really want to eat there, try Guest Relations or Concierge to see if any cancellations open up. You never know, if you don't try.

 

[ssour]

It won't be the end of the World if you don't make it there to eat.

But if you really want to eat there, try Guest Relations or Concierge to see if any cancellations open up. You never know, if you don't try.

The day before is a great time to try for openings, as that's when people have to cancel by to avoid the cancellation fee.

 

[lffam]

The day before is a great time to try for openings, as that's when people have to cancel by to avoid the cancellation fee.

great tip ssour..i will definitely keep checking right up the last minute .

anyone got any real fave restaurants they think are a must?

so far we are doing :

Planet Hollywood
Date:
Friday, November 01, 2013
Time:
6:00 PM

1900 Park Fare
Date:
Saturday, November 02, 2013
Time:
8:25 AM

The Garden Grill
Date:
Sunday, November 03, 2013
Time:
7:10 PM

Tusker House Restaurant
Date:
Monday, November 04, 2013
Time:
12:50 PM

'Ohana
Date:
Monday, November 04, 2013
Time:
9:35 PM

Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano (Fantasmic Package)
Date:
Tuesday, November 05, 2013
Time:
1:30 PM

Crossroads at House of Blues at Walt Disney World
Date:
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
Time:
7:00 PM

Chef Mickey's
Date:
Thursday, November 07, 2013
Time:
9:10 PM

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
Date:
Friday, November 08, 2013
Time:
7:05 PM

 

[ssour]

anyone got any real fave restaurants they think are a must?

You've got my DH's fav covered with 'Ohana. I love Whispering Canyon Cafe, but that's mostly for the cornbread - I could just have that and be happy.... mmmmm. I always ask for another loaf when I know we're approaching our limit so I can have it boxed to go for later! Chef Mickey's was our fav character meal from the last trip - much preferred it to Tusker House (we saw all the characters at CM in the same time it took to see 1 at TH).

Some of our other go-tos are Teppan Edo in Epcot and Yak & Yeti in Animal Kingdom.

 

[lffam]

Thanks for the tips. Not sure what cornbread is but ill be sure to give it a go!

We are not 100% on Tusker our son is not the most adventurous eater by any stretch. He's 10 so I think that means he orders off the adult menu (dining plan) does anyone know if he could still order of kids menu if he wants?

 

[ssour]

Thanks for the tips. Not sure what cornbread is but ill be sure to give it a go!

We are not 100% on Tusker our son is not the most adventurous eater by any stretch. He's 10 so I think that means he orders off the adult menu (dining plan) does anyone know if he could still order of kids menu if he wants?

Cornbread is tastes like cake disguised as 'bread' - made with cornmeal and too much sugar!

Tusker House is a buffet, so he'll be able to grab food from the kid's station, at our breakfast it was the most popular part of the buffet (for adults and kids alike).

Everywhere else he can order from the kids meal, if you're paying for the dining plan it's not particularly good to do so value wise since you're still docked an adult credit. If you're paying out of pocket or got the dining plan free then go for it.

 

[marvel]

I wouldnt worry if you miss Chef Mickey's. it was probably the worst place we ate in WDW and if you look on the food thread on DIS you will see many many people talk about how bad the food is and how badly it is organised.

the mama melrose fantasmic package is pretty awesome.

 

[lffam]

Thanks marvel and ssour


We are in the free dining though I'm sure we are paying for it somewhere!

 

[gogo65]

Most people rave about la collier, we enjoyed our meal there although it wasn't our favorite but we still enjoyed it a lot!
We loved chef mickeys for the atmosphere, the food was blah but it was worth it.
Our kids liked tucker house as there was plenty for them to choose from
We loved coral reef, had a great meal and one which I would ove to do again.

Would really like to try sci-fi next trip

 

[ssour]

Most people rave about la collier, we enjoyed our meal there although it wasn't our favorite but we still enjoyed it a lot!
We loved chef mickeys for the atmosphere, the food was blah but it was worth it.
Our kids liked tucker house as there was plenty for them to choose from
We loved coral reef, had a great meal and one which I would ove to do again.

Would really like to try sci-fi next trip

Have you tried 50s Prime Time gogo65? We always went to Sci-Fi and decided to try 50s last trip - found it much better (food wise anyway).

We love Le Cellier but it is very expensive, not worth using 2 dining credits on in my opinion.

 

[lffam]

Gogo: scifi dine in was recommended to us plus I'm a bit of a sci fi geek so I think it will be great. Can't get anything for Mickeys Backyard BBQ which we would like also. My son told me today it was three years ago this very day that we left for our last Disneyland trip! 51 days for us to go this time around to WDW!!

 

[gogo65]

Have you tried 50s Prime Time gogo65? We always went to Sci-Fi and decided to try 50s last trip - found it much better (food wise anyway).

We love Le Cellier but it is very expensive, not worth using 2 dining credits on in my opinion.

We did 50s prime time our first trip and loved it, I would like to do sci-fi so I can compare.
When we did LE cellier we were on the dining plan but it was only one dining credit, (2008) agree wouldn't be worth it for two.
Because our last trip and our next trip will be based around DD's schedule (Cheerleading world championships) we can't book a lot of meals.
Last time we managed a group booking at rose and crown and breakfast at akershus and next trip hoping to do sci-fi, figure it will be a good option for a large group people of varying interests.

 

[gogo65]

Gogo: scifi dine in was recommended to us plus I'm a bit of a sci fi geek so I think it will be great. Can't get anything for Mickeys Backyard BBQ which we would like also. My son told me today it was three years ago this very day that we left for our last Disneyland trip! 51 days for us to go this time around to WDW!!

I think it must be very close to the day 13 years ago when we took our kids to DL

I'm jealous of your 51 days, you will love WDW. We still have 7 months

 

[lffam]

I think it must be very close to the day 13 years ago when we took our kids to DL

I'm jealous of your 51 days, you will love WDW. We still have 7 months

We were going to go in May then brought it forward...the wait would have been excruciating so very happy it's just around the corner!

Was wondering were you guys bought you universal tickets from? Both undercover tourist and USSSA Store are cheaper than universal but universal seems to offer print at home ones and not sure if the other two ship to AU or how much. USSSA does seem a great price at $110 for 2 day park to park compared to US $147

 

[ssour]

We were going to go in May then brought it forward...the wait would have been excruciating so very happy it's just around the corner!

Was wondering were you guys bought you universal tickets from? Both undercover tourist and USSSA Store are cheaper than universal but universal seems to offer print at home ones and not sure if the other two ship to AU or how much. USSSA does seem a great price at $110 for 2 day park to park compared to US $147

Undercover Tourist ships to Australia for free! Takes about 2 weeks for the tickets to arrive.