Please help me give my Grandma a special Disney Experience!! - Doubts and Strategies

[crazylady]

I would look into the Pirates and Pals cruise. It is a great way to see wishes without having to fight crowds and it doesn't involve alot of walking. If money is an issue, I'd opt for a less expensive dinner in favor or the cruise.

 

[rwdavis2]

IMHO, just do the Magic Kingdom. I agree that grandma won't know what she's missing so MK is the best place to go. You are spending too much time traveling around for what you want to do.

 

[kay1864]

Two hints for HP, since you're going:

1. Just like with WDW, get there early. If IOA opens an hour before US (or vice versa), visit that park first (and make sure you buy 2-park/1 day tickets). Ride Forbidden Journey (or Escape from Gringotts) first, then take the Hogwarts Express to the other park for the other ride.

2. See [URL="http://www.disboards.com/threads/heres-how-to-avoid-the-long-line-for-forbidden-journey.3366312/"]my post [/URL]on avoiding the long line for FJ.

 

[JJsmama]

Why not spend some time at AKL spotting animals and sitting in the rocking chairs instead of rushing around?

OR if you want to go to MK area, how about an early dinner at garden view tea room at the GF? Grandma would probably think that was very special with you three girls/ generations. Then you could ride the monorail resort loop and view the castle, etc. does she want to stay up that late to see Wishes? That is going to be a very long day.

 

[rlovew]

That said, I had already booked dinner at Sanaa at 6:55. Then I realized it would be cool to visit Downtown Disney, POFQ (one of my favorite resorts - I really want to take some pics there) and to watch Wishes with my Grandma. This day, Wishes will be at 10PM.

1 - Is parking at Downtown Disney still free? Would you go from/to POFQ by boat or is it quicker to drive there? Boat is sure nicer but I'm afraid the boat ride would be too much time consuming... And I'm expecting to arrive @ Downtown Disney at 4PM. Or should I skip the visit to DTD at all?

2 - How much earlier from the reservation time should we arrive to get a table by the window? I'm thinking to arrive there maybe 45-30 min before...

3 - I'm thinking about watch Wishes from the docks at TTC or from the Contemporary.
From the TTC, we have a straight view of the fireworks but the lights and the boats can be distracting. Also, we would have to pay the parking fee to park there for half an hour, what I think to unwise (or we could park at Poly and walk, maybe??)
From the Contemporary, we can watch from the deck at the 4th floor, but I think they don't pipe in the music there, do they? Or we can go to the bar at Cali Grill, order some drinks and watch from the balcony. The only downside, IMO, is we don't watch the fireworks in a straght line with the castle. Is the balcony there too crowded? At what time should we arrive? Which viewpoint would you choose???

Thank you in advance and sorry for any grammar mistake, since I'm not a native English speaker.

With your reservation at 6:55 you will unlikely be able to get a window before it is dark outside and there is no point in having a window at that point. If you are going for a view of the animals then this is a pointless reservation- either you need to find a 5pm reservation and hope for a window or plan on enjoying the ambiance of the place without planning on animal viewing.

By the time you go through your plan and arrive at the Contemporary you will be very unlikely to be allowed up to the California Grill until after wishes, the 4th floor viewing area does have music piped in. If you want a straight on view but aren't buying tickets (which it sounds like you have no plan to do) then you would need to view from the Poly but they have limited viewing with construction going on there, or possibly from the boat dock area outside the MK. If you are arriving after dinner at Sanaa at an MK resort you need to be expecting to be turned away unless you have a reservation at that resort so planning to pay to park at the TTC at that point is you best bet and yes you will have to pay the full parking feee even for only half an hour.

I would suggest choosing 1 place to go and really see the beauty and experience Disney at- new to Disney people don't generally like the experience of spending their whole time traveling which it sounds like you are doing. I suggest getting a reservation at an MK area resort for dinner and then viewing the fireworks from that resort- since you will be there for dinner you won't have to pay for parking and you will be allowed in.

 

[limabeanmom2003]

What a sweet idea to treat your grandma to some disney magic! Here's my 2 cents to get the most bang for your buck! I would book dinner at one of the monorail resorts: Polynesian, Contemporary or Grand Floridian. That way, you will be able to park directly at the resort. After dinner, plan to take the resort monorail around to the other resorts and enjoy their lobbies. You could also take the boat. Very relaxing! Time it right so that you can view wishes from one of the resorts.

 

[AThrillingChase]

I am going on the assumption you do not intend on entering a park.

So, I am going to agree with all of this said above. You just can't do all of that between 4 and 10pm. Since you are driving, you could try to stop at POFQ. But I imagine they would want you to pay to park there without a reservation. Maybe someone can help you with this - but I think you can park anywhere with that same parking pass for that day? I know that is the case with the parks, not sure with the resorts.

If it were me, I'd ask grandma which of the monorail resorts/themes intrigue her the most and plan dinner there. If you get reservations at California Grill for an hour before wishes you could watch from their observation deck. Or, you could eat at O'hana and go to the Poly beach afterwards to watch (they have the music). The Grand Floridian Mizners lounge may be nice with the band playing for a drink.

I'd skip DTD, it was a hassle to get to even before the construction and would be a long walk once you get there. Don't forget that the deluxe resorts all have shops - the Grand Floridian having the most. And for your last day the beach and yacht clubs each have a shop and the beautiful boardwalk to walk around. I also worry about the monorail ride to Epcot and say maybe consider skipping it. It goes through the park so grandma would get to see some of it, but I'd worry a bit that she'd be disappointed since it is her only trip and would realize she would never actually enter the park to see things that stuck out to her. This is one of those "you know your grandma more than we do" questions.

So to sum up - pick either AKL or POFQ to visit when you first arrive, then have dinner at a monorail resort and visit the ones on the monorail you are not staying at for a drink and to explore, and pick one to watch wishes from (I vote Poly for the straight on view).

 

[Mambo Junkie]

You are going to eat at Cape May Cafe? I love the whole Boardwalk/Beach Club/Swan and Dolphin area. From there you can walk to Epcot, or boat to Hollywood Studios. I think your grandmother would love that area, too. When we stayed at the Beach Club, we could watch and hear Illuminations every night. Loved it!