We got back from our 10-day gold plan trip last Monday. The first 8 days were on the gold plan. We planned on staying one night at AKL, but (long story short) we were stuck staying at GF for two because of Frances.
Anyway, we though we would share some lessons learned.
Tours
We went on Magic Behind on Steam Trains, Backstage Safari, Hidden Treasures of the World Showcase, and Gardens of the World. We had planned on Wild by Design, but that was cancelled because of Frances. This was just too many tours - two might have been okay, but this was out of control. The problem is that the tours have the effect of dictating the first half of your day.
Tours are a strange dynamic between the tour guide and the group. On the train tour, we had a great guide. He could have talked your ear off, but he was very informative and the tour was a lot of fun. He seemed a little hurt when people had to split at the official end of the tour, but we were about to miss our breakfast PS.
Backstage safari was okay. We got to pet a white rhino, which was cool. Otherwise, we were in a large group (14 or so) and that made things awkward. I don't want to say anything harsh here, but some people on the tour made it less than wonderful. Also, there is an extended time spent inside with a person bringing in a particular animal. In our case, it was a tarantula. I view tarantulas as things to be killed with a shovel before they get to the dog, and the time felt like a bit of a waste. This tour required us to be out in the heat for an extended period of time with no shade around, making it very uncomfortable and pretty much wiping us out for the day.
Hidden Treasures was not much fun. The tour guide was being graded by somebody and stuck to the script, which was annoying at times. DH has a doctorate and DW a masters degree. We felt like we were being talked down to like school children during parts of the tour. This was not the best use of our time.
The Garden tour was really good. Our guide was on the horticulture staff and knew what she was talking about. She loosely followed the script and was able to personalize the tour, interject her personality, and make this an enjoyable learning experience.
The Disney Institute needs to figure out how to bill for the gold plan. Both the EPCOT tours, which are operated by the Institute, were billed to our room instead of the gold plan. That created a major fiasco trying to get those taken off, wasting about an hour.
Cirque du Soleil
Awesome! This is a must see. Perhaps a little "out there" for some, but a good show nonetheless.
Recreation
We went parasailing our first day there. That was something we would definitely do again. It's also a great value for the gold plan or a good use of wishes on the silver. Beware, the line will make a popping sound when they start to reel you in - that can really freak you out if you aren't expecting it.
Boat rentals are a great diversion. We rented a pontoon boat and went up the river near DTD. It's a very relaxing way to get away from the hustle and bustle of everything else.
We didn't get as much in as we hoped because Frances spoiled our plans. Were it not for Frances, we would have likely spent another $400 on recreation activities. We still came out about $500 over what we spent for the gold plan.
Anyway, we though we would share some lessons learned.
Tours
We went on Magic Behind on Steam Trains, Backstage Safari, Hidden Treasures of the World Showcase, and Gardens of the World. We had planned on Wild by Design, but that was cancelled because of Frances. This was just too many tours - two might have been okay, but this was out of control. The problem is that the tours have the effect of dictating the first half of your day.
Tours are a strange dynamic between the tour guide and the group. On the train tour, we had a great guide. He could have talked your ear off, but he was very informative and the tour was a lot of fun. He seemed a little hurt when people had to split at the official end of the tour, but we were about to miss our breakfast PS.
Backstage safari was okay. We got to pet a white rhino, which was cool. Otherwise, we were in a large group (14 or so) and that made things awkward. I don't want to say anything harsh here, but some people on the tour made it less than wonderful. Also, there is an extended time spent inside with a person bringing in a particular animal. In our case, it was a tarantula. I view tarantulas as things to be killed with a shovel before they get to the dog, and the time felt like a bit of a waste. This tour required us to be out in the heat for an extended period of time with no shade around, making it very uncomfortable and pretty much wiping us out for the day.
Hidden Treasures was not much fun. The tour guide was being graded by somebody and stuck to the script, which was annoying at times. DH has a doctorate and DW a masters degree. We felt like we were being talked down to like school children during parts of the tour. This was not the best use of our time.
The Garden tour was really good. Our guide was on the horticulture staff and knew what she was talking about. She loosely followed the script and was able to personalize the tour, interject her personality, and make this an enjoyable learning experience.
The Disney Institute needs to figure out how to bill for the gold plan. Both the EPCOT tours, which are operated by the Institute, were billed to our room instead of the gold plan. That created a major fiasco trying to get those taken off, wasting about an hour.
Cirque du Soleil
Awesome! This is a must see. Perhaps a little "out there" for some, but a good show nonetheless.
Recreation
We went parasailing our first day there. That was something we would definitely do again. It's also a great value for the gold plan or a good use of wishes on the silver. Beware, the line will make a popping sound when they start to reel you in - that can really freak you out if you aren't expecting it.
Boat rentals are a great diversion. We rented a pontoon boat and went up the river near DTD. It's a very relaxing way to get away from the hustle and bustle of everything else.
We didn't get as much in as we hoped because Frances spoiled our plans. Were it not for Frances, we would have likely spent another $400 on recreation activities. We still came out about $500 over what we spent for the gold plan.
