Premium Plan for One Night Just for the Tours, LaNouba, etc.??

[goofytiggerfan]

Hello Ladies! I have been coming back to this thread for a while now and wishing i could do this plan. Guess What?!?! Its official next December 2011 7 of us are going to be doing either a 3 day Premium Plan or Platinum Plan!! then the rest of the week we havent decided stay at a deluxe or go to a moderate resort maybe even Pop or ASMovies. My questions are does anyone know if My Aunt and I would be able to use our husbands spa treatment? im sure they won't. Also we have 3 children tagging along one is going to be 4 at the time do you think either plan will be worth doing with him? We can only do scavanger hunt tour with all the kids as the girls are only going to be 8 and 12 at the time also. We are going to depending on if the kids like it the first time maybe do the kids club 2 days in a row so the adults can have some fun without them and they can have fun without us I figure with the platinum plan my hubby can do the richard petty ride along since he is a car nut, my uncle wants to golf, i have never seen Cirque though my 8 yr old went on my honeymoon , i want to try parasailing, would love a spa day with my aunt, i have been dreaming to stay at the contemporary for like ever, etc I am sorry for rambaling im just to excited!! Any itinerary help would be appreciated and comments welcome!!

 

[2ofUs]

Originally Posted by weHEARTmickey

11/25-11/26 Poly, lagoon view - PREMIUM!!

Thur, 11/25 (Thanksgiving) Check-in You can check-in as early as you need, but there is no guarantee a ROOM will be available. However, leave your luggage and they will call you when the room IS ready.

Early Golf Lessons, followed by Golf (beginner, but not walking course?) Which golf course are you using - Magnolia/Oak Trail/Palm all together by Shades of Green OR Osprey by FW OR Lake Buena Vista by OKW? This will help determine WHERE you eat lunch. The first three are closer to the MK area, the second would be closest to Wilderness Lodge, and the third is closer to DTD and the Epcot area resorts.

I'm going to GUESS you will be doing Oak Trail (a 9 hole walking course) since it is more of a family course. If that is the case, Kona is a good idea, though it is still a 1TS restaurant, they do have excellent food there. Unfortunately, there are not too many Signature restaurants that serve lunch (we are doing HBD in HS for our lunch) and the Castle is the closest to where you may be. Another fun idea might be Wilderness Canyon at WL. The kids would LOVE it and the food is good there as well.

However, Lake Buena Vista is not too tough of a course and winds through OKW and SSR. It is a very pretty course and does have carts. You need to allow a MINIMUM of 4-4.5 hours for a round of golf[. Depending on how early you start (earliest Tee times are 6:45-7:00 am) and what time your lessons are (on the hour only and you must arrive 30 minutes prior, but I believe they don't begin until later in the morning) you may have to do the lesson AFTER your game. You might consider doing a lesson separate from the game for the sake of timing.

There are several nice lunch options in that area: Olivia's @ OKW is nice and the food & staff are excellent. Also, Portabello, which is NOT on the DDP but is covered under the Premium/Platinum plans, could be a great lunch OR dinner option. It isn't a Signature restaurant, but it is a high-cost place with amazing food choices.

2pm-Fulton's Crab House, then rest/get ready at resort I agree that you

5pm-arrive for 6pm showing of La Nouba (Section 204, Row GG, aisle seats 1,2,3,4)

8pm-WP Grand Cafe (Hoped Dining Rm was covered, but it's not....any other signature recommendations at/close to DTD????) Just hate to waste a premium dining credit on regular meal See my comment above about Portabello in DTD.

Fri, 11/26 (Check-out day)
Early Poly photo session You schedule these 60 or 90 days out, but do you know what TIME you'd like? I believe it only takes an hour or so to do. As stated by another poster, you can request a late check-out at the resort desk when you check-in and they will TRY to accommodate.

Boating/Carriage rides after photos How much boating do you plan? Hopefully you won't be getting wet since you won't have anywhere to change after you check-out. Another thought might be to do golf lessons this day at Osprey since it is close to FW. If only one adult wants the lessons, the other could take the kids over to do the pony rides.

Also, depending on your timing, you COULD schedule your carriage ride for right after HDDR. That would make a great ending to your trip before you head home.

Pony rides for kids at FW? Fun for the kids, just work it in to arrive WELL before your HDDR time since lots of other families plan to do this as well. If you are driving over to FW, allow at least 20 minutes to get from their parking lot via internal buses to the HDDR area. The pony rides are near there. Using Disney transportation you will need to talk to the concierge at your resort to help determine your timing. Do this as soon as you can after you check-in (or return from your golf)

5pm-HOOP, Cat #1 As stated above, consider your carriage ride after?
DEPART our favorite place in the world

By the way, what is the LATEST time they'll let us check out on 11/26? It would be nice if we could do it after our photo session. What's the EARLIEST we can check-in on 11/25? We're planning on playing golf early that day. Thanks for any help! You are - again - certainly welcome. Sorry I didn't respond sooner - was on a 4 day weekend trip! Enjoy your trip.

 

[Dizney73]

First... the facts...
*This is a ladies only trip for 3 nights with the Premium Plan scheduled right in the middle to allow maximum premium FUN!
* 2 of us are DVC owners and so we are using points to stay 2 nights at DVC hotels. Our middle night will be a POP so that we could purchase the Premium package!
* All three of us go to the World once a year as chaperones on a school trip which has us on the move from sunup to sundown... so we are used to the non-relaxing type of WDW trip! So... this is trip is all about us and PREMIUM FUN! 2 of us visit the World mnay times a year!
* Everything we have planned is now booked (except a photo pass session IF we can fit one in!) and we are ready to GO!

Here goes...
Monday July 26..

Arrive at MCO at [/LIST]

• Check into Boardwalk Villas Deluxe Garden View Studio12:30, pick up rental car @ Dolphin (we need one so we can get everywhere we want to be ON TIME!)
  • 
    
    
  Off to EPCOT for a self-guided tour of the World Showcase. We plan to snack (and enjoy beverages) our way around each country! That should be considered LUNCH!
  7:40 PM ADR at the Rose and Crown (hopefully we will be able to check out Illuminations from there! If not... oh well, we already saw it lots of times!)
  9:30 The night is ours to rest... or maybe go to the pool... or JELLY ROLLS!
  
  Tuesday, July 27
  6:20ish... Check out of Boardwalk Villas
  6:45am... check in to POP Century on PREMIUM PLAN!!!!
  7:00 am... pick up a quick breakfast at POP foodcourt... REAL quick!
  7:45 am... Sammy Duvall's for Guided watercraft Excursion at 8 am
  9 am... Deluxe Parasailing Experience
  11:15... Be at FW Bike Barn for FW Segway Tour
  1:30 pm... quick snack!!! Nothing too big ...we are parasailing and saving our calories for Fulton's and Hoop
  2:30 pm... more Parasailing scheduled
  3:30 pm... back to POP... CHANGE QUICK!!!
  4:30 pm... LATE lunch at Fulton's (dinner menu)
  8:30 pm... Carriage Ride at FW
  9:00 pm... check in for HDDR... 9:30 pm Show
  
  
  Wednesday, July 28
  7:00 am... check out of POP hotel and continue to enjoy all Premium Perks!
  7:15 am... breakfast at POP
  8:15 am... Meet for Wild by Design Tour at AK
  1:00 pm ... Sammy Duvall's for Tubing
  2:00 pm... Deluxe parasailing
  3:30 pm... Check in to Saratoga Springs Resort (deluxe dining added), snack, dress and pretty up for the evening activities
  5:30 pm... Check in a Cirque de Soleil for 6 pm show
  9:00 pm ... Dinner at Narcoossee...
  Fireworks at 10 pm will make the perfect end to the perfect Premium trip!
  
  Thursday, July 29
  Rest? Not unless we MUST! That is what the flight is for!
  6:30 am...Check out of Saratoga Springs
  7:05 Chef Mickey's Breakfast
  8:15-8:30 am Head over to the Magic Kingdom!
  1:15 pm CRT lunch
  Depart from MK for airport around 2:45 pm to go home
  
  So... yes.. we know we will busy and running around! No... we don't expect any downtime...
  
  Can we fit anything else in???
  Any suggestions for breakfast or lunch on MK departure day? It is our only time in MK...
  
  Jami, Dawn, and Linda Been to Disney a combined 75+ magical visits!

 

[2ofUs]

* All three of us go to the World once a year as chaperones on a school trip which has us on the move from sunup to sundown... so we are used to the non-relaxing type of WDW trip! So... this is trip is all about us and PREMIUM FUN! 2 of us visit the World many times a year!
* Everything we have planned is now booked (except a photo pass session IF we can fit one in!) and we are ready to GO!

Here goes...
Tuesday, July 27
6:20ish... Check out of Animal Kingdom Villas
6:45am... check in to POP Century on PREMIUM PLAN!!!!
7:00 am... pick up a quick breakfast at POP foodcourt... REAL quick!
7:45 am... Sammy Duvall's for Guided watercraft Excursion at 8 am
9 am... Deluxe Parasailing Experience
11:15... Be at FW Bike Barn for FW Segway Tour How will you be getting here - boat then internal bus? Please let me know how that works out timing-wise since we will be trying to get there from MK during out September trip and are concerned about transport time.
1:30 pm... quick snack!!! Nothing too big ...we are parasailing and saving our calories for Fulton's and Hoop
2:30 pm... more Parasailing scheduled
3:30 pm... back to POP... CHANGE QUICK!!!
4:30 pm... LATE lunch at Fulton's (dinner menu) Ouch - how are you going to eat at 4:45 then again at 9:30??? My stomach would pop! Any way you can skip the 2:30 parasailing and eat lunch earlier? I'm guessing you want to have the dinner menu at Fulton's though, right?
8:30 pm... Carriage Ride at FW
9:00 pm... check in for HDDR... 9:30 pm Show


Wednesday, July 28
7:00 am... check out of POP hotel and continue to enjoy all Premium Perks!
7:15 am... breakfast at POP
8:15 am... Meet for Wild by Design Tour at AK We are doing this on our trip as well, and they do include a 'food' break mid-tour so you might be able to skip breakfast. Our choice after the tour ends at 11:30 is to go to HS for lunch @ HBD. It is a Signature meal and you might consider this instead of trying to do Fulton's & HDDR so close together? You could be at HBD eating by 12:15-12:30, schedule your tubing for 2pm and skip parasailing or vice/versa. The rest looks great!
1:00 pm ... Sammy Duvall's for Tubing
2:00 pm... Deluxe parasailing
3:30 pm... Check in to Saratoga Springs Resort, snack, dress and pretty up for the evening activities
5:30 pm... Check in a Cirque de Soleil for 6 pm show The show is out by 7:30, so could you move dinner to 8:15? I'm afraid if you don't, you may still be eating during Wishes. Oh, just realized you are probably planning to WATCH Wishes from the restaurant...never mind. Hey, at least I am reading closely. I love experiencing other vacations vicariously ... hee, hee.
9:00 pm ... Dinner at Narcoossee...
Wishes at 10 pm will make the perfect end to the perfect Premium trip! Did you book the special viewing area for Wishes too? If so, you need to be there by 9:45.

Thursday, July 29
Rest? Not unless we MUST! That is what the flight is for!
At our leisure... although 8am is more like it!... Check out of Saratoga Springs
and Head over to the Magic Kingdom!
Depart from MK for airport around 2:30 pm to go home

So... yes.. we know we will busy and running around! No... we don't expect any downtime... Okay and in the JULY heat as well...you guys are tough!

Can we fit anything else in??? Surely you say this in jest, right?
Any suggestions for breakfast or lunch on MK departure day? It is our only time in MK... Main Street Bakery - great baked goods and, after all, you guys have burned plenty of calories by now!

Jami, Dawn, and Linda Been to Disney a combined 75+ magical visits!

I do have one thought. Since you have DVC points, have you considered booking a room in 1 resort for all three nights, then adding POP for 1 night w/Premium but not actually staying there? This would eliminate pack/unpack/pack/unpack and the time it takes to switch resorts. Yes, it would take 1 more night of points, but it may be worth it to get the most out of your trip. And, though AK & SSR are both wonderful resorts, WL is a better location for Segway, FW and all your water sports. All you would have to do is have one of your group go down to POP to 'check-in' and grab the necessary vouchers. If you pre-pay the room, you won't even have to go back to check out either!

Anyway, your trip just as it is sounds like great fun and I hope you ladies enjoy your trip!!!

 

[dznyacct]

This is such a GREAT idea!! DH is not as big of a fan of the parks as DS and myself, so doing something like this for one night on our next trip sounds like a FANTASTIC idea. Between the food and all the activities, we would get lots of bang for our buck. I am printing out some of the itineraries that DISers have developed. Thanks for posting them .

 

[Dizney73]

First... the facts...
*This is a ladies only trip for 3 nights with the Premium Plan scheduled right in the middle to allow maximum premium FUN!
* 2 of us are DVC owners and so we are using points to stay 2 nights at DVC hotels. Our middle night will be a POP so that we could purchase the Premium package!
* All three of us go to the World once a year as chaperones on a school trip which has us on the move from sunup to sundown... so we are used to the non-relaxing type of WDW trip! So... this is trip is all about us and PREMIUM FUN! 2 of us visit the World mnay times a year!
* Everything we have planned is now booked (except a photo pass session IF we can fit one in!) and we are ready to GO!

Here goes...
Monday July 26..

Arrive at MCO at 12:30, pick up rental car (we need one so we can get everywhere we want to be ON TIME!)

Check into Animal Kingdom Villas-Value Studio Jambo House

Off to EPCOT for a self-guided tour of the World Showcase. We plan to snack (and enjoy beverages) our way around each country! That should be considered LUNCH!

7:40 PM ADR at the Rose and Crown (hopefully we will be able to check out Illuminations from there! If not... oh well, we already saw it lots of times!)
9:30 The night is ours to rest... or maybe go to the pool... or enjoy the campfire at Jambo house... or rest... or maybe night vision at Jambo house or did I mention rest (we will need it)!

Tuesday, July 27
6:20ish... Check out of Animal Kingdom Villas
6:45am... check in to POP Century on PREMIUM PLAN!!!!
7:00 am... pick up a quick breakfast at POP foodcourt... REAL quick!
7:45 am... Sammy Duvall's for Guided watercraft Excursion at 8 am
9 am... Deluxe Parasailing Experience
11:15... Be at FW Bike Barn for FW Segway TourHow will you be getting here - boat then internal bus? Please let me know how that works out timing-wise since we will be trying to get there from MK during out September trip and are concerned about transport time
I do believe that we are planning to just park our car at Contemporary and then take the boat over and the internal bus... I am used to doing this for the campfire over at FW and it doesn't take THAT long. We will have an hour and 15 minutes... we'll just grab a boat from Contemp over to FW... and then come back to do our parasailing once again and reclaim our vehicle! and if we don't have time to change... then Fulton's will see us in all our helmet head... windblown glory!!!.. I'll throw a sundress over my suit, of course!
1:30 pm... quick snack!!! Nothing too big ...we are parasailing and saving our calories for Fulton's and Hoop
2:30 pm... more Parasailing scheduled
3:30 pm... back to POP... CHANGE QUICK!!!
4:30 pm... LATE lunch at Fulton's (dinner menu)Ouch - how are you going to eat at 4:45 then again at 9:30??? My stomach would pop! Any way you can skip the 2:30 parasailing and eat lunch earlier? I'm guessing you want to have the dinner menu at Fulton's though, right?
POP... we might! BUT Where there is a will ... there is a way!!! Hey... I might have to get dessert to go!!! And parasailing??? Fact of the matter is... Parasailing is a Bucket list item for my friend Dawn... we have it scheduled 3 times to ensure that we get to do it in case of weather! You never know when a hurricane could blow in! And yes... we do want Fulton's dinner for "lunch"! Now just a quick thought... is there a restaurant that is super great and $$ on the monorail line that might be worth it???
8:30 pm... Carriage Ride at FW
9:00 pm... check in for HDDR... 9:30 pm Show


Wednesday, July 28
7:00 am... check out of POP hotel and continue to enjoy all Premium Perks!
7:15 am... breakfast at POP
8:15 am... Meet for Wild by Design Tour at AK We are doing this on our trip as well, and they do include a 'food' break mid-tour so you might be able to skip breakfast. Our choice after the tour ends at 11:30 is to go to HS for lunch @ HBD. It is a Signature meal and you might consider this instead of trying to do Fulton's & HDDR so close together? You could be at HBD eating by 12:15-12:30, schedule your tubing for 2pm and skip parasailing or vice/versa. The rest looks great! No park hoppers for Dawn... what can I say??? she is using a GAD ticket for day 1 and our 1 day tickets that Disney said could be transfered to her for the others! So no park hopping I think I tried to squueze it in here somewhere on this day but couldn't do the necessary travel time. And oh yes... I do remember about that light breakfast thing on the tour!!! Woo-hoo... a few more minutes of sleep OR AN EXTRA CUP IF COFFEE in my refillable mug!
1:00 pm ... Sammy Duvall's for Tubing
2:00 pm... Deluxe parasailing
3:30 pm... Check in to Saratoga Springs Resort, snack, dress and pretty up for the evening activities
5:30 pm... Check in a Cirque de Soleil for 6 pm show
9:00 pm ... Dinner at Narcoossee... The show is out by 7:30, so could you move dinner to 8:15? I'm afraid if you don't, you may still be eating during Wishes. Oh, just realized you are probably planning to WATCH Wishes from the restaurant...never mind. Hey, at least I am reading closely. I love experiencing other vacations vicariously ... hee, hee We are planning to watch them from the restaurant... but I do love your idea about fitting in the preferred wishes viewing!!!! Oh that would be perfect... but once again that hopper pass thing is in my way... maybe I will have to check and see if we can upgrade one day to a hopper??? Now... THAT would be AWESOME!!! Great ideas!!!
Wishes at 10 pm will make the perfect end to the perfect Premium trip!

Thursday, July 29
Rest? Not unless we MUST! That is what the flight is for!
At our leisure... although 8am is more like it!... Check out of Saratoga Springs
and Head over to the Magic Kingdom!
Depart from MK for airport around 2:30 pm to go home

So... yes.. we know we will busy and running around! No... we don't expect any downtime...

Can we fit anything else in??? Surely you say this in jest, right? maybe a bit... but I am always looking to fill everybit of time!Any suggestions for breakfast or lunch on MK departure day? It is our only time in MK...

Jami, Dawn, and Linda Been to Disney a combined 75+ magical visits!

Oh... and we did think about booking all three nights... but somehow we thought that maybe we wouldn't get away with it! We also thought about booking the campground with no tent... because it was cheaper!!!

 

[Dizney73]

Ooops... sorry!!! Change of plan already!!! MY waitlist came through for Monday night, July 26... so now we are spending night number 1 at the Boardwalk Villas in a Deluxe Studio Garden View!!! I had little doubt that this would come through BUT YIPPPPPEEEEE... it did! Now... we can walk back to our room after our self-guided eating and beverage tour of EPCOT!!!: Life is GOOD!

 

[disneyfreak7]

Can I add the premium package to my AP room rate at Beach Club? Or do I have to pay rack rate for room?

 

[Dizney73]

Can I add the premium package to my AP room rate at Beach Club? Or do I have to pay rack rate for room?

Nope... no discounts except AAA.

 

[Dizney73]

OK... call it a sickness... we refer to at Disney-itis...
New add-on: we made our night three at Saratoga Springs Deluxe Dining so that we can eat breakfast at Chef Mickey's at 7:05 am (yup...7:05 am) and then lunch in the castle at 1:15 pm before leaving for the airport!! woo hoo!

And... the new plan for Monday night after Epcot's is Jellyrolls! I haven't ever been there so I am super excited!!!

I love all this planning!

 

[2ofUs]

Disney 73 - wondering about the Deluxe upgrade for night 3. Would you really save anything by doing that? I assume you already did this, but if not, I suggest you total the cost of CM and the Castle meal (which includes the photo and, I believe, gratuity), then compare that to the difference in upgrade cost if you paid OOP for CM.

Sounds like you guys have everything planned out. So now you are at BC instead of AK for the 1st night? I like that better. Too bad about Dawn and no PH option. Unfortunately, you have to pay $50 to get PH whether it is for 1 day or 10.

As for meals on the monorail that serve lunches, most offer salads and sandwiches with some specialty items:

Kona Cafe @ Poly - many Asian style choices - entrees from $11.49-$14.99;

Grand Floridian @ GF -features NY strip and a pasta dish - entrees from $11.99-$24.99 (NY strip) most @ $14-15;

Wave @ Contemporary - concentrate on locally grown items - entrees from $11.99-$20.99 but most @ $14.

Each has its own atmosphere. Wave is closed in, no windows, but very unique and calming. Kona is open and overlooks the atrium in Poly. GF has windows overlooking the resort. My personal choice is the WAVE, but I enjoy all 3 - and they all have very nice vegetarian options.

Oh, and don't forget to change your TICKER now since you aren't going to be at AKL (absolutely LOVE AKL...trying to talk DH into stay there next trip).

 

[Dizney73]

Disney 73 - wondering about the Deluxe upgrade for night 3. Would you really save anything by doing that? I assume you already did this, but if not, I suggest you total the cost of CM and the Castle meal (which includes the photo and, I believe, gratuity), then compare that to the difference in upgrade cost if you paid OOP for CM.

Sounds like you guys have everything planned out. So now you are at BC instead of AK for the 1st night? I like that better. Too bad about Dawn and no PH option. Unfortunately, you have to pay $50 to get PH whether it is for 1 day or 10.

As for meals on the monorail that serve lunches, most offer salads and sandwiches with some specialty items:

Kona Cafe @ Poly - many Asian style choices - entrees from $11.49-$14.99;

Grand Floridian @ GF -features NY strip and a pasta dish - entrees from $11.99-$24.99 (NY strip) most @ $14-15;

Wave @ Contemporary - concentrate on locally grown items - entrees from $11.99-$20.99 but most @ $14.

Each has its own atmosphere. Wave is closed in, no windows, but very unique and calming. Kona is open and overlooks the atrium in Poly. GF has windows overlooking the resort. My personal choice is the WAVE, but I enjoy all 3 - and they all have very nice vegetarian options.

Oh, and don't forget to change your TICKER now since you aren't going to be at AKL (absolutely LOVE AKL...trying to talk DH into stay there next trip).

Yes... as long as we want to eat 2 meals on our last day it is worth it!
Cost for 3 adults to go Deluxe... $71.99 pp ... TOTAL $215.97

Cost for 3 adults to dine at CM Breakfast...$26.62 pp... TOTAL $ 79.86
Cost for 3 adults to dine CRT Lunch... $53.38 pp ... TOTAL $160.14
TOTAL SPENT IF OOP $240.00
and that doesn't include the 2 snacks (one last Mickey Ice Cream Bar and something to bring home for my 4 year old daughter) and the extra mug I don't need!
Total saved by adding Deluxe... $24.03
Remember, that we added it to one of our DVC nights so we don't have to buy anything extra.

Oh... and the Ticker... That is right on! July 5...I vacation with my dh, dd(4) and ds(1) for 9 nights at AKV! The nametag ticker is our countdown to Girls Only trip! I am one lucky girl!!!
I love all this planning!

 

[ScottOKW2K]

Hey all, I'm thinking about splitting up my 2-week stay in December with a 1-night Premium plan in the middle.

What do ya think?? Has anyone done this?? I'm a super frequent visitor, so park time is not huge for me, and I'm thinking this might be a fun couple of days

Clkellely, I bow to you - you are a true genius ! I stumbled across this thread some months ago and after playing with the numbers finally convinced my wonderful wife that this was a good idea. Her first response was "he's lost it - too much reading of the boards has finally sent his brain around the bend !"

I would like to report that I am posting this from our room at Kidani, and we just finished the premium package stay last night. We started our vacation at OKW, moved to Riverside for Fri & Sat night, and checked in here yesterday. We did the two nights at Riverside for two reasons - save some DVC points and so that we wouldn't have to change our room at the beginning of our package stay - we were already there so all I had to do the morning of the start of our package was pick up the magic room room keys that said Premium on them.

I would like to report that the last two days were a BLAST !!! Here is what we did the last two days :

Saturday -
Breakfast at Boma for the first (but NOT the last) time.
Fort Wilderness Segway Tour
Parasailing at the Contemporary - my wife and daughter did the deluxe tandem but I was not able to do it because of rain moving in.
Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue - Catagory 1 seating front and center about 3 tables back. Must have been a good location as the first performer to come off-stage - Claire de Lune (think ditzy blond character) - came and sat in my lap and started carrying on. I've always wondered if I would like HDD and now I know - lots and lots of good , clean (and very corny ) fun.
Preferred viewing of Illuminations - you view this from the boat dock at Morocco. Good viewing, but we still prefer Italy.

Sunday -
Epcot Segway tour - the wife and I did this , the daughter stayed in. We've done it before and it was just as much fun as then.
Parasailing again - We had originally scheduled horseback riding for the wife and daughter but decided since the weather was so nice to skip this and head over to the Contemporary. I did the deluxe single and the wife and daughter did the deluxe tandem.
Speedboat around Bay Lake / Seven seas lagoon - When we were booking the parasailing we mentioned that it might be nice to get a sea-racer or pontoon boat to explore the area. The booking agent suggested why not get a ski boat with a guide instead. We did - toured both bodies of water and left sea-racers waaayyyyyy behind. We left a nice tip for the two parasailing operators and the speedboat operator. We then went to the room at Kidani to get showered and changed for ...
Supper at Jiko - Excellent, as always. The wife and daughter had the ostritch app and I had the cheese plate. Wife and I shared , daughter did not . I do understand - the has been waiting for that app again for a looonnnngg time. She was very happy. The daughter and I did the short ribs and my wife did the halibut. We finished with dessert - the dessert trio for my wife and I and ice cream for the daughter.
(Important scientific note here - Disney dining seems to have an effect on localized gravity. When I stand up after a nice meal I seem to feel twice a heavy as when I sat down. )
Preferred vewing of Nightastic at MK. - This was worth doing ! We arrived at the Magic Kingdom about 9:30 and Main Street was super-crowded. It probably took 10 minutes to get from the train station to the viewing area (normally the smoking area to the right of and below the Plaza restaurant) and that was with taking shortcuts through some of the shops. If you had fainted you would still be standing up and carried forward - it was that crowded ! Once we were admitted to the viewing area it was so much different - think of about two dozen or less people in that seating area. Sweet ! The trees across that waterway did block some of the view of the castle and lower level fireworks so we eventually moved to the railing at the back of the lower level and just pulled some seats over there. Think sitting on one seat feet, propped up on another and leaning back to take in the castle and perimeter fireworks. I was feeling fine at this point .

A few comments and observations.

For Hoop-Dee-Doo the tip is included as part of the Plan. You do need to pick up your ticket to the event but it is prepaid by the plan. Tips were not part of the plan at Boma and Jiko so the total I had to spend at these locations was the tip at Boma and the Victoria Falls Mist for the wife and tip for the server at Jiko. Better than the almost $200 the meal would have cost (that does not include tip).

We knew Cirque was dark during our dates. When we checked in for our package reservation the cast member presented us with the infamous gift cards. I had not asked about these before and had no expectation of this. The amounts were $85 for each adult booked on the package and $69 for each child. That's $239 in "free money" to us.

This weekend was one of the BEST times we have ever had at WDW, and we are disney veterans with close to 30 trips here. We've done fewer rides in the last week than a "commando" would do in a morning but more experiences thah we would do over several trips.

Would we do this again - H*LL YEAH !!!!! As far as "bang for the buck" this was one of the best things I have ever done. Our only questions now are when, and what to do.

Hope everyone enjoys their trips - we did !

 

[Symans3honeybees]

ScottOKW2K, I am super happy to read that you and your family enjoyed your "one-day Premium Plan" One little question if I may?? you mentioned that you had originally booked "horse-back riding" tour, then decided to do parasailings instead. Didn't you need to cancel at least a day earlier?? Currently I have all our "premium plan" activities scheduled almost back to back. Did you feel that Disney is "flexible" regarding last minute plan change?? Right now, I have to use my CC for a guaranteed hold for our Segway tours and horseback Riding excursions??

 

[2ofUs]

ScottOKW2K - SOOOO glad to read a post from someone who has now completed the Premium Package! Hopefully you can answer a few questions - pretty please?

We have done the Epcot Segway several times, but never the one at Ft. Wilderness so that is the one we chose this trip.

1-Did you enjoy one over the other or, since they are so different, were they equally appreciated?

2-On your Saturday Segway at Ft. Wilderness, how did you get from Breakfast at Boma (we too love that meal) to the tour?

3-Assuming you drove, but however you arrived, how much TIME did you allow?

4-I have been given 2 locations for the tour, but Mike's Bike Barn is where I am told it begins - is that correct?

5-How long did it take you to get there from the parking lot or boat dock - whichever you used?

6-As for the viewings for Illuminations and Wishes, I thought it was only available for 1 of the nights?

We can't use it but once on our trip anyway (doing late dinner at Flying Fish after early La Nouba), but thought I'd ask for future use. This leads to my next question.

7-Have you ever eaten at Flying Fish?

DH is 'okay' with Jiko, but I LOVE the place. Last year I took a mother/son trip and we tried FF for the first time and LOVED it as well, so I booked them for our 'after Cirque' meal. I would still prefer Jiko, but need something to pursuade DH.

8-Parasailing, if one has a bit of 'fear of heights' and is not a terribly good swimmer, may I assume this would not be a good activity?

Glad you had such a great time! Good to hear the plans worked. Any suggestions or tips about travel time from place to place?

 

[ScottOKW2K]

ScottOKW2K, I am super happy to read that you and your family enjoyed your "one-day Premium Plan" One little question if I may?? you mentioned that you had originally booked "horse-back riding" tour, then decided to do parasailings instead. Didn't you need to cancel at least a day earlier?? Currently I have all our "premium plan" activities scheduled almost back to back. Did you feel that Disney is "flexible" regarding last minute plan change?? Right now, I have to use my CC for a guaranteed hold for our Segway tours and horseback Riding excursions??

You are supposed to cancel a day early but they allowed us to cancel that evening before. We had all wanted to do the parasailing that first afternoon but the weather only allowed my wife and daughter to do the tandem. When I called to cancel the evening before the cast member on the phone did not have any problem with me doing so. There was also no issue with our daughter not showing up the next morning for the Epcot Segway tour.

 

[Symans3honeybees]

You are supposed to cancel a day early but they allowed us to cancel that evening before. We had all wanted to do the parasailing that first afternoon but the weather only allowed my wife and daughter to do the tandem. When I called to cancel the evening before the cast member on the phone did not have any problem with me doing so. There was also no issue with our daughter not showing up the next morning for the Epcot Segway tour.

Thanks ScottOKW2K. Just when I am worrying that my dad might not want to do the Segway on the morning of the tour...

 

[ScottOKW2K]

ScottOKW2K - SOOOO glad to read a post from someone who has now completed the Premium Package! Hopefully you can answer a few questions - pretty please?

We have done the Epcot Segway several times, but never the one at Ft. Wilderness so that is the one we chose this trip.

1-Did you enjoy one over the other or, since they are so different, were they equally appreciated?

I would say equally appreciated. It's hard to compare the two because the places are so different. The FW segways are different as they are built for offroad and are wider, with larger tires. You do at least a full two hours - the guides said the total distance was 4.5 miles. You do a lot around the campground and then take a trail over to Wilderness Lodge and a different trail - closer to the lake - on the return trip. You even get to stop near the River Country area. I would suggest the early tour as it got pretty hot during tour little journey. I would also mention that we enjoyed the Epcot segway tour too, as it was cooler because of the early morning and the female guide was really cute .

2-On your Saturday Segway at Ft. Wilderness, how did you get from Breakfast at Boma (we too love that meal) to the tour?

We had driver down to WDW so we used our own car.

3-Assuming you drove, but however you arrived, how much TIME did you allow?

We made our reservation at Boma for 8:15 and our Segway for 11:30. We finished at AKL about 10 am, and were at Ft. Wilderness about 10:15 ~ 10:30. We used the ORANGE bus to get to the area where the bike barn is. I do remember the cm saying that they may wait a little past the 11:30 time for latecomers - but not for the 8:30 tour.

4-I have been given 2 locations for the tour, but Mike's Bike Barn is where I am told it begins - is that correct?

That is correct.

5-How long did it take you to get there from the parking lot or boat dock - whichever you used?

From the parking lot to the bike barn about 10 ~ 15 minutes tops. This may be high as I was not looking at a watch at this time. I was on "vacation time". Einstein described this in one of his lesser known papers.

6-As for the viewings for Illuminations and Wishes, I thought it was only available for 1 of the nights?

One of each viewing. Remember, you package is good from the time you checkin to midnight of your checkout date.

We can't use it but once on our trip anyway (doing late dinner at Flying Fish after early La Nouba), but thought I'd ask for future use. This leads to my next question.

7-Have you ever eaten at Flying Fish?

No. But I have heard many good reports about this restaurant. One of those on my list of "to-do's".

DH is 'okay' with Jiko, but I LOVE the place. Last year I took a mother/son trip and we tried FF for the first time and LOVED it as well, so I booked them for our 'after Cirque' meal. I would still prefer Jiko, but need something to pursuade DH.

Can't help you there. We love AKL enough that we bought AKV sight-unseen and have never regretted it. Did i mention (again) that I am posting this from Kidani . Jiko is one of out favorites !

8-Parasailing, if one has a bit of 'fear of heights' and is not a terribly good swimmer, may I assume this would not be a good activity?

Wrong ! I have a mild fear of heights and my beautiful wife (she married a smart man ) is not a good swimmer but we both thoroughly enjoyed this. She even let her arms go and spread them wide she was enjoying this so much. I was not able to go that far but I NEVER got a dizzy or nervous feeling, and I'm the type to get vertigo from a tall ladder. They instruct you that if you have any problems to cross your legs back and forth and they will reel you in. It would take about 1 minute from full height. Also, they never put you into the water and you WILL be wearing a life vest. This is Disney - safety first. As my wife wanted to add this is a very smoooth experience, and surprising quiet. Once you are up there and you turn your head to the side there is no wind noise - it is almost silent. If your husband and children are still down there on the boat did I mention it is almost silent .

Glad you had such a great time! Good to hear the plans worked. Any suggestions or tips about travel time from place to place?

Either have your own car or group your experiences close together physically or use a cab if needed. We almost missed the MK fireworks because of a stop a downtown disney but parked at OKW and took a MK bus from there. Remember, I think AVIS rents cars on site from the car care center near the Magic Kingdom. This may be incorrect as I have never had to use this service.

 

[2ofUs]

Thanks for all your answers.

We are currently booked for 7:30 Magic of Steam Trains tour at MK, then the 11:30 Segway at FW. We hope to be able to catch the boat from MK to FW, then internal bus to Mike's - all within an hour??? We may end up cancelling the train tour (bummer) and doing the early FW Segway. Our afternoon WAS to be the FW Segway, QS lunch, rest, then photo session & dinner at Citricos followed by Wishes viewing.

Parasailing is something DH would love, but I have problems riding Soarin' - I know, what a wimp. Hey, I can handle RnR, ToT, MiS, Space & Splash & Big Thunder Mountains, but on Soarin' the moment my feet leave the ground and the screen lights up my eyes slam shut and I grip the sidebars as if my life depended on staying in that seat.

My LOGICAL brain says "hey, relax - you have on a seat belt and can't fall out. Even if you did, the worst that could happen is you drop 2 feet down (I was on the lowest level 1st time)" but the OTHER side screams "hang on or you're going to jump - see that lake (or mountain or field or whatever is on the screen) - well that's where you'll end up!" I have ridden twice more since (once at WDW, once at DL) and I have forced myself to relax a bit more, but still cling to the side bars and can only open my eyes for a peek now and again. I'm just stubborn enough that I won't accept this silly weakness.

But I digress...just didn't want to parasail up in the air with no SIDE BAR to cling to. Even if I chicken out, DH could still do it. And I like your suggestion of the ski boat tour, except I am EXTREMELY fair and cannot take much sunshine. Golf lessons for DH and an OOP massage my be our best choice for the afternoon.

Our second morning is Wild by Design tour at AK, then HS. We love ToT and plan to grab a quick ride there prior to our 1:30 HBD lunch. That evening is early Cirque, then 8:30 dinner at FF.

We always rent a car at WDW as DH LOVES to drive there. Also, we are staying at POP for the 1st two nights (and premium package) then moving to a non-Disney resort for 3 nights (Wyndham Bonnett Creek - right next to POP) then Bay Lake Towers for the last 3 nights, so we need the car to relocate.

I think I have allowed plenty of time for arrival everywhere except that time between MK & FW. As for the Wishes viewing, we will be at the GF so we can monorail over and we have an early dinner ADR just in case.

Again, thanks for the 1st hand update. I'll keep working on DH for Jiko, but there is always next time...and with WDW isn't there always a next time?

 

[ScottOKW2K]

Thanks for all your answers.

We are currently booked for 7:30 Magic of Steam Trains tour at MK, then the 11:30 Segway at FW. We hope to be able to catch the boat from MK to FW, then internal bus to Mike's - all within an hour??? We may end up cancelling the train tour (bummer) and doing the early FW Segway. Our afternoon WAS to be the FW Segway, QS lunch, rest, then photo session & dinner at Citricos followed by Wishes viewing.

You schedule is possible, but it may be tight. I know the busses run fairly often but I am not sure about the boat schedule. The good news is that the Steam train tour ends at the front of the park. We've done it before and enjoyed it quite a bit. It would be a shame to cancel it. You could try either monorail to the Contemporary or walk to Bay Lake Tower and get a cab to Ft. Wilderness. It should be a relatively moderate fare for a distance that short.

Parasailing is something DH would love, but I have problems riding Soarin' - I know, what a wimp. Hey, I can handle RnR, ToT, MiS, Space & Splash & Big Thunder Mountains, but on Soarin' the moment my feet leave the ground and the screen lights up my eyes slam shut and I grip the sidebars as if my life depended on staying in that seat.

My LOGICAL brain says "hey, relax - you have on a seat belt and can't fall out. Even if you did, the worst that could happen is you drop 2 feet down (I was on the lowest level 1st time)" but the OTHER side screams "hang on or you're going to jump - see that lake (or mountain or field or whatever is on the screen) - well that's where you'll end up!" I have ridden twice more since (once at WDW, once at DL) and I have forced myself to relax a bit more, but still cling to the side bars and can only open my eyes for a peek now and again. I'm just stubborn enough that I won't accept this silly weakness.

But I digress...just didn't want to parasail up in the air with no SIDE BAR to cling to. Even if I chicken out, DH could still do it. And I like your suggestion of the ski boat tour, except I am EXTREMELY fair and cannot take much sunshine. Golf lessons for DH and an OOP massage my be our best choice for the afternoon.

You don't have a side bar to cling to, but you do have the straps that secure the harness you're in to the paracute mechanism. Think of it sitting in a swingset seat, and that being strapped to the parachute. Here is a picture I found via Google which shows someone in the parasail :

After reading the list of rides you can do my wife says you are braver than she is ! She does the chicken exit for ToT and has never seen the full ride of RnRC. She also just mentioned that the parts of Soarin' over water make her nervous. I didn't realize she was such a wimp until she read this .

Our second morning is Wild by Design tour at AK, then HS. We love ToT and plan to grab a quick ride there prior to our 1:30 HBD lunch. That evening is early Cirque, then 8:30 dinner at FF.

We always rent a car at WDW as DH LOVES to drive there. Also, we are staying at POP for the 1st two nights (and premium package) then moving to a non-Disney resort for 3 nights (Wyndham Bonnett Creek - right next to POP) then Bay Lake Towers for the last 3 nights, so we need the car to relocate.

I think I have allowed plenty of time for arrival everywhere except that time between MK & FW. As for the Wishes viewing, we will be at the GF so we can monorail over and we have an early dinner ADR just in case.

Again, thanks for the 1st hand update. I'll keep working on DH for Jiko, but there is always next time...and with WDW isn't there always a next time?


And a next time, and another , and another again. Celebrate days ending in "Y".