September 2011 - The Planning Has Started!!!

[MikellaCinderella]

I would recommend breakfast ADRs if you like to eat a big breakfast, and/or want to meet & greet characters without waiting in the parks, and can schedule them *before* the park opens!

IE, we're scheduling an 8am breakfast at Crystal Palace when MK opens at 9am! The food is good, and I LOVED walking down Main Street before the rest of the crowd gets in!

We usually don't do early am ADRs because I'm not an early riser. lol. However, here's a question for those of you who book the ADRs before the parks open. Can you stop on Main Street (or wherever depending on which park you're in) for some photo ops (not characters of course, but I mean the castle...or sorcerer's hat, etc), or are you hurried straight to your restaurant? I wasn't sure how that all works since technically the park isn't open yet. I might actually change some ADR times for before RD if it means we can get some good pics while walking to our ADR!

And....how do you get into the park early....a separate line, I assume? Do you need proof of your ADR time?

 

[MikellaCinderella]

Anyone else doing BBB? I am pretty sure I read that you need a credit card to book it. I do not have one, do you think I could just pay for it instead? Same with PL.

I think you already had your question answered regarding the debit card option instead of the credit card, but I just wanted to say we are doing BBB as well! Last year we used the DTD location one morning and then headed over to Epcot for lunch with the Princesses at Epcot, and spent the rest of the day wandering Epcot, showing off her BBB "do"! My DD was 4 1/2 on that trip. Here are a few pics!

Getting started:

Mikella's fairy godmother sprinkling pixie dust on her:

Putting on her princess sash:

Lunch at Akershus:

Posing at Epcot:

This year, when we go in Sept, she will be 6. We have ressies for BBB at MK one morning, and then plan to spend the day at MK, with dinner at CRT later that evening. A big 6th birthday celebration for her! Can't wait!

 

[youcansmellit]

Hey September people!!! Do you remember when the park hours for September came out?? I am trying to plan my days and ADR's for October but the hours haven't posted yet. Thanks.

I have been using touringplans.com and allears.net They both have estimated hours posted. They have been right for the weeks that We have gone. If you can't wait.

 

[ShhhQ]

Lemonsours, you have to put some things in Disney movies (and all film and media for that matter) in historical perspective. Remember that animated features at that time were made for adults and children to enjoy not specifically thought as cartoons for kids as they often are now.All of this you can teach that as it becomes age appropriate for your kids. If you wanted to delve into that you'd find a lot of things that aren't considered politically correct with many Disney favorites such as the slavery issues in Songs of the South and the Brer Rabbit stories, Native Americans as "Red Men" in Peter Pan, the wench auction in Pirates of the Caribbean, etc, so don't discount Dumbo so fast! !

I agree with you there, but I also agree that the drunk elephant scene could have been left out, it is the most unappealing aspect of the movie as far as I am concerned... actually scenes like that don't appeal to me in any movie... for example, the only part of Beauty and the Beast that I don't care for is the scene where the dishes put on the number (like the song, but not the dance routine) and swirl around the screen... makes me dizzy and just feels off, but Disney DOES like to throw in those kind of scenes.

Hi Becky! I'm Betsy and I'll be at PO Riverside the exact same time as you! Maybe we'll see each other on a bus!

Sadly, you arrive at POR the same day we leave...

 

[MikellaCinderella]

Ok, since everyone else is posting their ADR's, here is a peek at mine!

Ohana breakfast
Akershus lunch
California Grill dinner
Yak N Yeti lunch
Ohana dinner
Tony's lunch
Cinderella's Royal Table dinner
Primetime Cafe lunch
1900 Park Fare dinner

....and considering trying to squeeze in Chef Mickey's, 1900 Park Fare breakfast, Whispering Canyon, and Teppan Edo.

NEW ones for us, out of that list, are: Ohana dinner (since we couldn't get an ADR last year), California Grill, Tony's, Primetime, Teppan Edo, and Whispering Canyon. REALLY trying to visit some new ones and still keep the usual favs!

 

[sjs314]

I think you already had your question answered regarding the debit card option instead of the credit card, but I just wanted to say we are doing BBB as well! Last year we used the DTD location one morning and then headed over to Epcot for lunch with the Princesses at Epcot, and spent the rest of the day wandering Epcot, showing off her BBB "do"! My DD was 4 1/2 on that trip. Here are a few pics!

This year, when we go in Sept, she will be 6. We have ressies for BBB at MK one morning, and then plan to spend the day at MK, with dinner at CRT later that evening. A big 6th birthday celebration for her! Can't wait!

The pictures of your daughter great, she is adorable

 

[heatherbynum]

We're thinking of MNSSHP the 27th too

I am starting to get Ohana envy. Everyone that has gone there seems to love it!

That is the date we are thinking of too.
I know what you mean about Ohana. I thought about it but the others said maybe next time.

 

[heatherbynum]

Hey September people!!! Do you remember when the park hours for September came out?? I am trying to plan my days and ADR's for October but the hours haven't posted yet. Thanks.

From what I remember, several travel agents had posted them around Feb 15th.
I am not sure when the WDW website actually posted them though.

 

[sjs314]

Hey September people!!! Do you remember when the park hours for September came out?? I am trying to plan my days and ADR's for October but the hours haven't posted yet. Thanks.

I am waiting on October's hours also, for now I made a tentative park schedule based on the 2010 TA Calendar. I know there will be minor changes no doubt but I find my worst problem is deciding which day to do Fantasmic! and MNSSHP and those days tend to be the same most years. Fantasmic! Sundays and Thursdays and in 2010 the times were 7:30 and 9pm when and if they add a second show closer to Oct and MNSSHP Sun, Tues, Thur, & Fri Nights in October. Parade times in the parks, tend to stay the same year round as does Illuminations.

Link to 2010 TA Calendarhttp://www.disneytravelagents.com/StaticFiles/DTA-Domestic/pdf/ParkHours/WDW_Operating_Calendar_oct.pdf

 

[MikellaCinderella]

The pictures of your daughter great, she is adorable

Thank you!

 

[heatherbynum]

12 days and I can make ADR and ressies at BBB and Pirates League
Here are mine. I might change them before time to make them LOL. The kids helped to pick out the places based on menus

Akershus Breakfast
Chef Mickeys Breakfast
50's Prime Time
Planet Hollywood
Via Napoli
The Plaza
TRex
WCC

 

[sillylily]

We usually don't do early am ADRs because I'm not an early riser. lol. However, here's a question for those of you who book the ADRs before the parks open. Can you stop on Main Street (or wherever depending on which park you're in) for some photo ops (not characters of course, but I mean the castle...or sorcerer's hat, etc), or are you hurried straight to your restaurant? I wasn't sure how that all works since technically the park isn't open yet. I might actually change some ADR times for before RD if it means we can get some good pics while walking to our ADR!

And....how do you get into the park early....a separate line, I assume? Do you need proof of your ADR time?

There is a separate turnstile for early arrivals, and yes, I would have your ADR information just in case they don't have you listed. And yes, you can stop for a couple of photo ops instead of being rushed straight through, this is why Crystal palace is my #1 ADR, with an 8:05 start time!lol

 

[MikellaCinderella]

There is a separate turnstile for early arrivals, and yes, I would have your ADR information just in case they don't have you listed. And yes, you can stop for a couple of photo ops instead of being rushed straight through, this is why Crystal palace is my #1 ADR, with an 8:05 start time!lol

Thanks for the info! Hmm....might have to rethink a few ADR times and get my butt out of bed a little earlier!

 

[DaniB]

We usually don't do early am ADRs because I'm not an early riser. lol. However, here's a question for those of you who book the ADRs before the parks open. Can you stop on Main Street (or wherever depending on which park you're in) for some photo ops (not characters of course, but I mean the castle...or sorcerer's hat, etc), or are you hurried straight to your restaurant? I wasn't sure how that all works since technically the park isn't open yet. I might actually change some ADR times for before RD if it means we can get some good pics while walking to our ADR!

And....how do you get into the park early....a separate line, I assume? Do you need proof of your ADR time?

Yes you can get great photos! Last year it was our first full day at MK (first at Disney ever), and we were late for our CP ADR. I was worried that our ADR would be cancelled, but I still insisted on making the family stop at each and every photopass photographer all the way down Main Street. As close to the Castle as possible, then hoofed it over to CP.

Thankfully we had no issues with being late. That was the only ADR we were late for. Thankfully my family is used to getting up early.

 

[MikellaCinderella]

Yes you can get great photos! Last year it was our first full day at MK (first at Disney ever), and we were late for our CP ADR. I was worried that our ADR would be cancelled, but I still insisted on making the family stop at each and every photopass photographer all the way down Main Street. As close to the Castle as possible, then hoofed it over to CP.

Thankfully we had no issues with being late. That was the only ADR we were late for. Thankfully my family is used to getting up early.

The Photopass CM's are out and available even though the park isn't technically open?

 

[MissLiz]

I keep missing out on all the chat, darn it!




So, DH sits down next to me last night and says "Hey, what about doing an IllumiNations cruise instead of Via Napoli and maybe splitting the cost?"

We are planning on meeting some friends that are going to be at WDW the same time we are for dinner at Via Napoli. As much as I would like to do an IllumiNations cruise, I don't think we could convince them to spend that much more money. I told him that he could ask, but I didn't think they'd go for it. Plus, I'm not sure if I want that added cost this trip.

We are already planning on getting annual passes this trip, plus doing CRT, and MNSSHP. I think that's about enough for this trip. We are probably going to head down again in January and May, so we could do the cruise ourselves one of those times if he really wanted.

And I've decided against the Fantasmic dinner package. As much as I enjoy the show, I just don't want to spend that much time at DHS.

 

[KELLY]

If Disney thinks you are nuts you will be in good company, I half expected them to ask me if I was nuts when I changed my ressie date and resort then called back the next day to change the dates again

My DH is easy going too and always says it is up to you , or that he does not care about everything, when I asked him if he wanted to stay BC or BW he said BC later when I pinned him down he said he thought I wanted to stay at BC so he chose it.

I think I would change to back to CBR if I thought that is really what he wanted to do, but then I left our ressie at BC and did not change to BW......big help I am huh?

lol it's enough to pull your hair out isn't it?? DH and I went back and forth between the Poly and Beach Club today as an Epcot resort makes more sense, since that will be where we spend most of our time....lol but I think we are just going to keep what we have.

I look at it like this...sure I could save a few hundred dollars by staying at POP for the whole trip. Is the few hundred going to break me? Nope. Do I really really want to stay at the Poly? Yep. Will I likely ever get a 40% off PIN and stay there again? lol likely not. What the hell. Why not.

If you can switch to the CBR and have a great, relaxing trip without worrying about how much money you would have saved if you just stayed at POP, then switch. If you will spend time worrying about how much extra it cost, or it will impact other things you wanted to do, then I'd stick with POP.

lol i know..totally not much help am I???

I switched 5 times since I booked our vacation! I've gone from CBR to POR to CBR to POR back to CBR. Now I'm not switching again because I'm afraid they will "accidently" delete my reservation. We can't be the only ones to change our resort reservation multiple times, right?

I'm really glad to see its not just me! Just switched to a two-resort stay! Boardwalk Villas and AKL Jambo

I was able to make my adr's today! This is my first trip so I just booked dinner since I don't know how I will adjust to the new time zone. When I went to hawaii I was up at 5am everyday and fell asleep by 7:30 My body just doesn't want to adjust I guess. I know its not a huge difference but I'm just not sure if I could make a breakfast adr.

My ADR's

September 12 - Le Cellier Steakhouse 7:10 p.m
September 14 - Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano 5:50 p.m
September 15 - Ohana 6:50 p.m
September 16 - Jiko – The Cooking Place 7:10 p.m

I'm thinking that lunch is a safe bet but I don't know where to book. I want something fun but vegetarian friendly.

Oh, and by the way, this is how i feel about my trip I have to get this all out here because I'm driving my DH crazy!

Thanks everyone. I haven't made up my mind yet. LOL I only want to call one more time. So I really need to make sure this is what I want. They just make it to hard to choose.

 

[jbmom]

I keep missing out on all the chat, darn it!




So, DH sits down next to me last night and says "Hey, what about doing an IllumiNations cruise instead of Via Napoli and maybe splitting the cost?"

We are planning on meeting some friends that are going to be at WDW the same time we are for dinner at Via Napoli. As much as I would like to do an IllumiNations cruise, I don't think we could convince them to spend that much more money. I told him that he could ask, but I didn't think they'd go for it. Plus, I'm not sure if I want that added cost this trip.

We are already planning on getting annual passes this trip, plus doing CRT, and MNSSHP. I think that's about enough for this trip. We are probably going to head down again in January and May, so we could do the cruise ourselves one of those times if he really wanted.

And I've decided against the Fantasmic dinner package. As much as I enjoy the show, I just don't want to spend that much time at DHS.

I would have a hard time choosing! I really want to try Via Napoli, but an Illuminations Cruise would be great too.

This is the first year we aren't doing the Fantasmic dinner package, I don't want to be in DHS on a Fantasmic day so we are just going for Fantasmic one evening.

 

[KellyWasHere]

This answers another question for me...yeah I love this thread. I was wondering what the earliest time to get an ADR in MK was, we want to do Crystal Palace so I would assume they do a 8:05am too? I can start making adrs on the 19th!

Yes, I do believe CP also allows you to make reservations that early, think someone posted that upthread.

Glad to hear the positive review of T-rex! It is high on our list plus I will probably either use the 99 cent kids meal coupons or join the safari club to get the free app/$10 voucher I might pick up a Landry's gift card while I'm at too so I can pre-pay that meal too, LOL

Thanks for this info, I wouldn't have even thought to look for T-Rex coupons!

I think you already had your question answered regarding the debit card option instead of the credit card, but I just wanted to say we are doing BBB as well! Last year we used the DTD location one morning and then headed over to Epcot for lunch with the Princesses at Epcot, and spent the rest of the day wandering Epcot, showing off her BBB "do"! My DD was 4 1/2 on that trip. Here are a few pics!

Your daughter is beautiful! I'm sure she had a blast.

Ok, since everyone else is posting their ADR's, here is a peek at mine!

Ohana breakfast
Akershus lunch
California Grill dinner
Yak N Yeti lunch
Ohana dinner
Tony's lunch
Cinderella's Royal Table dinner
Primetime Cafe lunch
1900 Park Fare dinner

....and considering trying to squeeze in Chef Mickey's, 1900 Park Fare breakfast, Whispering Canyon, and Teppan Edo.

NEW ones for us, out of that list, are: Ohana dinner (since we couldn't get an ADR last year), California Grill, Tony's, Primetime, Teppan Edo, and Whispering Canyon. REALLY trying to visit some new ones and still keep the usual favs!

12 days and I can make ADR and ressies at BBB and Pirates League
Here are mine. I might change them before time to make them LOL. The kids helped to pick out the places based on menus

Akershus Breakfast
Chef Mickeys Breakfast
50's Prime Time
Planet Hollywood
Via Napoli
The Plaza
TRex
WCC

Both these lists sound great! I can't wait to try 1900 Park Fare and Via Napoli on some future trip...

I keep missing out on all the chat, darn it!




So, DH sits down next to me last night and says "Hey, what about doing an IllumiNations cruise instead of Via Napoli and maybe splitting the cost?"

We are planning on meeting some friends that are going to be at WDW the same time we are for dinner at Via Napoli. As much as I would like to do an IllumiNations cruise, I don't think we could convince them to spend that much more money. I told him that he could ask, but I didn't think they'd go for it. Plus, I'm not sure if I want that added cost this trip.

We are already planning on getting annual passes this trip, plus doing CRT, and MNSSHP. I think that's about enough for this trip. We are probably going to head down again in January and May, so we could do the cruise ourselves one of those times if he really wanted.

And I've decided against the Fantasmic dinner package. As much as I enjoy the show, I just don't want to spend that much time at DHS.

I know what you mean. I knew CRT was going to be expensive, I knew the exact amount, but actually putting it on my CC when I made the ressie? Hair raising experience.

 

[KELLY]

I keep missing out on all the chat, darn it!




So, DH sits down next to me last night and says "Hey, what about doing an IllumiNations cruise instead of Via Napoli and maybe splitting the cost?"

We are planning on meeting some friends that are going to be at WDW the same time we are for dinner at Via Napoli. As much as I would like to do an IllumiNations cruise, I don't think we could convince them to spend that much more money. I told him that he could ask, but I didn't think they'd go for it. Plus, I'm not sure if I want that added cost this trip.

We are already planning on getting annual passes this trip, plus doing CRT, and MNSSHP. I think that's about enough for this trip. We are probably going to head down again in January and May, so we could do the cruise ourselves one of those times if he really wanted.

And I've decided against the Fantasmic dinner package. As much as I enjoy the show, I just don't want to spend that much time at DHS.

We are skipping fantasmic also. We are doing the QSDP so it make sense just to pick what we really want to do.

I think this trip it is MNSSHP,T-rex and Tusker house breakfest or Norway Breakfest.