Secret Tips

[loribell]

and others. I'm printing this out to take with me for our next trip. I new sbout to few of these things but now that I have joined DVC and will have much more relaxed trips I hope to enjoy all of the world. I wish that we could go at less crowded times of the year then summer and maybe sometime I will be able to. It's so crowded alot of these things are hard to experience. Someday I'll be there when it's not so crowded!

 

[Geubux]

Gem! I was just trying to get your goat! I know what you mean with a few people leaving then the guy right in the middle of the row thinks it's ok to block all the little kids views as he stands up and takes 4 minutes to get his group out of the aisle.
By the way, where was and who made the post that hundreds of tips? She had a lot of the tips that we do and more.
Anyway, I would never block your view since we travel with my dad and he's in a wheelchair so we sit in the back anyway. However, if you get in front of us while I'm pushing......

 

[goodnighter]

Gem, that is a wonderful idea. I will have my girls do that this time around Thank you for the tip.

 

[lindym]

Way to go Gem!!!! Fantasmic is such a great show and the ending is the ultimate. To have that disturbed is ridiculous. It brings everything together. The one thing that I tell all of my customers is to not miss Fantasmic and to stay right up to the end of it. That brings to mind another point. You have gotten your seat for a parade 1 hour prior and 5 minutes prior a person comes and wants to squeeze their precious little child right down next to yours where there isn't any room. I feel everyone should see the parade and I don't begrudge any child this but where was that inconsiderate parent when we were all waiting. It is not that child's fault. Please be considerate for others and especially for your own children.

 

[Geubux]

Now that you mention it Lindym, that may be worse than leaving a few minutes early at the show. I don't mind if a little kid gets in front of us, if we have room, but when their parent or parents try to shove up too, that kind of irks me. I guess it's payback for standing up in front of Gem at the show. Gem, was that you crowding me at the parade? We're going in Dec. If anyone sees me, give me a hard time!

 

[tinofan]

Here's a quick one, I'll add more later...
As for the meals, we booked character breakfasts late (last seating was around 10:30), so we were one of the last seated. Not rushed out, and quieter. AND, that way we skipped lunch entirely. Maybe a bag of popcorn in late afternoon, then ready for dinner at a reasonable time. We would grab a little something in AM if we really needed until our meal (ie, fruit, box of cereal that kids would eat on way to park).
Worked for us.

Have fun!

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says................................................................Anybody out there with secret tips?
I don't mean two ladies fighting with each other, and everyone else joining in. I want someone to say when at MGM, during the parade, you can do x,y,z because that part of the park is blocked off by the parade. Read my previous posts on this topic, they are real useable tips!! I have one for Cindy's castle, but must test it in November to make sure it is a secret tip.
Any AK fans out there?? I would love some secret tips from you, because I have none! Stuff like, watch the tapestry parade from the Japan pavillion upstairs lounge.(read about it haven't done it)

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says................................. Ooooppsss, The last statement of my last post had nothing to do with AK and was ment for Epcot. Just useing it as an example of what a secret tip is.

 

[Geubux]

OK, a real tip. If you didn't get Cindy's or other ressies at the 60 day window, Call 48 hours in advance and see if they have any openings. Also, call the second you get in the park and see if they can work you in that day. Sure, it's waiting til the last minute, but what a surprise if you get it!
Also, a few years ago I emailed them about a character my dd wanted to see. They responded with a form email that suggested ways to see characters. it made me mad, but I responded and thanked them for the info and further requested if they had any additional info. Anyway, since my email is through go.com, they had my address and phone number. They called us the week before we left and told us how to see the character. They then asked if my daughter would like an autographed picture of said character. They asked about other children, my ds, and if he would like a picture of any characters. Anyway, the pictures were in the mail when we returned home and had my kids names on them. So, email disney and keep in touch. Even the cast members who answer email like to bless us with the magic now and then!

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says.......................................................Great tip about Cindy's, from Geubux.
I did the sixty day thing at 4:00 am west coast and got a 10:15. We did an early entry to MK the day of our ressies. As we walked into fantasyland on our way to Dumbo, I just wanted to poke my nose in to see what it looked like. The CM asked us if wanted to go on in!! I told her we had a 10:15 and she said we could go in now(7:35)! While that was going on another CM asked several families going by if they wanted to go in!! My guess is people make those extra early reservations, and then cancel or don't show up. We still had a few minutes of EE left when we were finished.

 

[melanieewr]

How about a haircut or style at the MK at the barber shop on Main St. I read about this on another post and I think I will make my dh go shaggy since I think this would be a great photo. Of course he will remind me of the awful wal-mart haircut that I made him get on vacation once. From what I have read they do a great job though and there was also a post about the barber shop quartet performing in the shop first thing in the morning. It seems to be popular to have your child's 1st haircut done here also.

Melanie

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says....................................................... Come on, I need some tips for MGM and AK!!! Something that saves time, or money. Here is another tip for the newbies. Ask to ride up front on the monorail, up to four can ride up front at a time. Kinda neat to be able to look forward as you ride. And parents, always be willing to give up your seat up front if it means a child can ride. We were heading to MK from EPCOT, when we asked if we could ride up front. The pilot said sure, and off we went. Me,DW, and DD. A mom and her young child heard our conversation, and asked to join in. Pilot says, sorry only four people at a time. Broken hearts. Disnee Dad says sure you can ride, I don't want to ride up front, just makeing sure my family is safe. As we got out at MK and I reunite with my family, the mom says her son said that this was his favorite ride of the trip so far!!

 

[ringboyz]

We're leaving Sunday for our first trip to DW - we'll be there for four days, then the cruise. Our boys are 9 and 11 and will probably want to hit the roller coasters and the "bigger kid" rides. Any tips on how to navigate MK with older kids? Is it just a matter of going from one FastPass to another? We're planning to go to MK on EE Monday. Any other tips would be welcome! Thanks.

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says.................................................. Have a great trip!! Yes, work all the fastpasses you can, and do EE anytime you can. Sit down, now and decide what you are willing to save for the next trip, and there will be a next trip!!Even in the slow season it takes 6 days to hit most attractions at the four parks. You may even consider saving one park for the next trip. That said, here are the musts, mostly for the kids. At MK hit the mountains, Alien Encounter and Buzzlightyear.Pirates and Haunted Mansion. At Epcot its Spaceship Earth, Universe of Energy, Test Track, Body Wars, Cranium Command, Honey I shrunk the Audience. Here is where the parents rise up and say " There is a wine and food festival going on and we are going to eat ourselves around World Showcase!! At MGM it is TOT and RnRC, great one two punch! Indy Stunt Show. Star Tours. Backlot Tour. Great Movie Ride. Ashow or two if you have time. The fourth day you can do AK, but you may want to go back to the other parks and hit what you missed the first three days. Of course you already know all this, but I feel good, just in case you missed one or two points.

 

[ringboyz]

We leave tomorrow - I can't believe it. We have literally been saving and planning for this trip for years so I'm in shock that it's tomorrow. I know we won't be able to hit everything (not even close) but we will try to hit the big rides you mentioned. Hope the waits aren't too long. The forecast looks like rain every day, too. Hope that doesn't create problems. But, we're ready!! Can't wait! (Do the rides shut down when it rains?) I will be sure to add my "secret tips" when we get back.

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says........................................................... One last note to ringboyz. The time is short and you may not get it but..... pray for rain!!! Not everyday of course but for a day it is fun. Only the outside rides shut down, and at a place like EPCOT at World Showcase, you walk in the rain for a minute or two, then you are inside the next country. Get cheap ponchos, probably too late now!! We have had 11 actual park days on our two trips, and got rain on three days. Once for maybe twenty minutes. Another time it was an hour. The worst was for a Mickey's Halloween Treat night. It turned out the best! A light rain started out late in the morning and after a couple hours even we said it's time to go, thinking we'll just come back for the Halloween deal. WE get there as soon as we can get the wristbands, I think 4:00PM.
It's still raining some, but eventually the park closes for everyone else, and about twenty minutes later, it's thunderbolts and lightning very very frightning me! Ok, so the bolts stop and lightning also stops very quickly (ten minutes). Now all we have to deal with is a downpour. Everyone is leaving!!!! We hang out at Splash!, saying what do you want to do, I don't know, what do you want to do kinda thing. After another twenty minutes of downpour, I swear the rains stopped in ONE minute!! NO LINES FOR ANY RIDE, except for Space Mountain where we had to wait for three people in front of us. CM's were chasing us down to give us candy, not a piece, but a whole bag!! If we lived in Florida we could have bagged 100 pounds of candy!!! Sorry, got sidetracked. I say prepare for rain and let it be your friend, MANY times it doesn't last long.

 

[colleen mcmaster]

OK Disnee Dad - here's my one and only AK tip that I give to everyone: Get there before it opens and RUN to the safari ride. The lines are terrrible later in the day and you see more animals in the a.m. when it's not so hot. I've also heard that you can go in to the Rain Forest store and enter the park that way - same opening time but a little ahead of the crowd at the gate. I haven't tried this but read it on another site. Good Luck.

 

[Jane E.]

Yes, we entered AK thru the Rainforest Cafe when we were there in June. Dh thought that I was nutz! There was a huge mob of people waiting for the rope drop at the main entrance. I led my family thru RFC and there was no line at that entrance. Of course, the whole time I'm heading thru RFC, dh is questioning me. He thought I was really lost. He was pleasantly surprised when we beat the crowds and hardly had any wait at all for the Safari. Its funny how he still questions me when I do the opposite of what everyone else is doing. After this last trip, I think he knows that I've learned a lot about Disney on these boards!

I would also suggest to spend the money on a nice sitdown meal. When our children were small we were always in a hurry catching the fast food places. Lunch was usually hot and hurried. Now, I always get a ps - we find that its much more relaxed and we have a lot more energy for the day. Our kids love Sci Fi, Prime Time, etc. - we've found it to be lots of fun too!

 

[adamak]

Those who worried about the MK haircut..... Let me assure you it's better than your local KMart / JCPenny cut. My DH goes there every time, and it's really one of the best haircut ever. (By the way, his best haircut ever is from Epcot. Better than Vidal Sassoon. Really).

 

[CanadaKid]

On a blistering hot, busy day at the Magic Kingdom, take a break and walk over to the Contemporary Resort in the afternoon and go up to the lounge in the California Grill. Only a 5-10 minute walk from Main Street USA, this lounge (as well as the Outer Rim - 4th floor) is a perfect place for a cold drink and a rest.

The California Grill restaurant opens later but the adjacent lounge is open in the afternoon. Nobody thinks of going there during the day because they associate the CG with fancy evening dining so there is never anybody there.

It's nice and cool, the seats are comfy, the windows are tinted, the lagoon view is outstanding, the drinks are ice-cold and the place is dead quiet. How does that sound?

Is that a tip or what?

Have Fun!

CanadaKid