Some questions about our Oct. trip (MNSSHP, ADR, Split Stay, Transportation)

[TheDisneyDudeAbides]

I had a few specific questions I'd like to ask in regard to our Oct 13 - 23rd trip. My fiancee and I are doing 2 nights at Cabanna Bay Universal, 4 nights at Animal Kingdom Villas, and 4 nights at Beach Club Villas. We will be on the standard Dining Plan. We won't be doing the MNSSHP (she doesn't celebrate Halloween), so I'm trying to figure out some strategies around that.

1) I heard it's best to go to MK the day of the party because there are smaller crowds, and leave before 7:00. Is that the best plan?

2) Can we make an ADR for around 6:30 - 7:30, or do they kick us out at 7 regardless?

3) Any other tips when avoiding the MNSSHP?

4) Are there any 6 month ADR's we can make that give us a good view of Wishes or Illuminations, without paying extra or doing a signature dining?

5) With a split stay, do our dining credits not carry over from one hotel stay to the other?

6) I heard something about getting 6 Fast Passes if you have two Bands. I don't want to do this if it's taking advantage of the system. If I'm entitled to that because they are giving us 2 bands each, how do I do that?

7) How do we arrange luggage transfer from AKV to BCV? Does it cost extra?

8) What's the best option for transferring from Universal to AKV? Mears? We are not renting a car.

9) What's the best option for going to Universal from the Airport MCO?

I'd really appreciate the help. I tried to do my research, but sometimes there is just too much information out there.

 

[mesaboy2]

I'll answer #1 and #2.

1. Yes, I think so.

2. You can make ADRs up to (but not including) 7:00p and enjoy your meal. In fact, this is a great way to maximize your park time. At the end of that meal however, you will be expected to proceed if not politely escorted to the park exit.

 

[wdwrich]

I had a few specific questions I'd like to ask in regard to our Oct 13 - 23rd trip. My fiancee and I are doing 2 nights at Cabanna Bay Universal, 4 nights at Animal Kingdom Villas, and 4 nights at Beach Club Villas. We will be on the standard Dining Plan. We won't be doing the MNSSHP (she doesn't celebrate Halloween), so I'm trying to figure out some strategies around that.

1) I heard it's best to go to MK the day of the party because there are smaller crowds, and leave before 7:00. Is that the best plan?

2) Can we make an ADR for around 6:30 - 7:30, or do they kick us out at 7 regardless?

3) Any other tips when avoiding the MNSSHP?

4) Are there any 6 month ADR's we can make that give us a good view of Wishes or Illuminations, without paying extra or doing a signature dining?

5) With a split stay, do our dining credits not carry over from one hotel stay to the other?

6) I heard something about getting 6 Fast Passes if you have two Bands. I don't want to do this if it's taking advantage of the system. If I'm entitled to that because they are giving us 2 bands each, how do I do that?

7) How do we arrange luggage transfer from AKV to BCV? Does it cost extra?

8) What's the best option for transferring from Universal to AKV? Mears? We are not renting a car.

9) What's the best option for going to Universal from the Airport MCO?

I'd really appreciate the help. I tried to do my research, but sometimes there is just too much information out there.

5 - Dining credits do not carry over from one reservation to another. They expire at midnight of checkout day from resort #1.
7 - Disney will move your luggage. Contact bell services for this. Note that your stuff will not arrive at the second resort until late afternoon, so if there is anything you need (medications, etc.) keep them with you.

 

[TheDisneyDudeAbides]

Thanks for the answers so far!

 

[Shmily01]

2. You can make ADRs up to (but not including) 7:00p and enjoy your meal. In fact, this is a great way to maximize your park time. At the end of that meal however, you will be expected to proceed if not politely escorted to the park exit.

We made a late ADR at BOG for a Night of Joy party night. The place was deserted. It was like having dinner in the ballroom all by ourselves. We were escorted to the front by the most wonderful Castmember. It was raining and she had an umbrella for my hubby and I to use and then she hooked arms with my son and daughter and splashed in the puddles with them all the way down Main Street. I've never had a more wonderful experience being "kicked out" of the Magic Kingdom!

 

[mesaboy2]

We made a late ADR at BOG for a Night of Joy party night. The place was deserted. It was like having dinner in the ballroom all by ourselves. We were escorted to the front by the most wonderful Castmember. It was raining and she had an umbrella for my hubby and I to use and then she hooked arms with my son and daughter and splashed in the puddles with them all the way down Main Street. I've never had a more wonderful experience being "kicked out" of the Magic Kingdom!

So it really was a Night of Joy.

 

[TheDisneyDudeAbides]

We made a late ADR at BOG for a Night of Joy party night. The place was deserted. It was like having dinner in the ballroom all by ourselves. We were escorted to the front by the most wonderful Castmember. It was raining and she had an umbrella for my hubby and I to use and then she hooked arms with my son and daughter and splashed in the puddles with them all the way down Main Street. I've never had a more wonderful experience being "kicked out" of the Magic Kingdom!

Haha... That's funny.

 

[starsweeper]

Party nights are great days at MK, very light in our experience. We ride tons of things and leave around 1:00pm to rest for the party. MK starts letting party guests in at 4:00pm, which is when we return. FYI, CMs will be looking for wristbands at 7pm and expect you to leave.

 

[Jennytoon]

#6 -- FP are linked to your MDE account, not the bands themselves. The bands are merely a way to access the information about what reservations are linked to the account. Think of it like a debit card -- you have a debit card, your spouse has a debit card -- they go to the same bank account. Since (presumably) both of your reservations are linked to the same MDE acct, you will only get 3 FP / day, even though you have two sets of bands. You should, however, be able to use either set of bands to access the FP's for the whole trip, so you can get different colors for each resort and color coordinate with your clothing if you happen to be into that.

In order to get extra FP with extra bands, you would need to have a second MDE acct and link the second set of bands to the second account.

 

[jimandami]

4) Wishes: You could do O'hana or Kona at the Poly and then go outside and watch from the beach? Cali Grill has a great view but it's a signature. I think a few tables at O'hana have a view but it's definitely not guaranteed. Illuminations: I believe Rose and Crown, La Hacienda, and Spice Road Table have some tables that allow a good view of Illuminations. Again, not guaranteed.

 

[jimandami]

8) We have used Mears and been satisfied but our last trip we used Uber. When my DH made an account, he used a promo code (they are all over the internet) for a free first ride. I then created an account and used the promo code they gave him so that our round trip transportation from AKV to Uni and back was free. The service was great and the drivers were very professional.

 

[goofy4tink]

I had a few specific questions I'd like to ask in regard to our Oct 13 - 23rd trip. My fiancee and I are doing 2 nights at Cabanna Bay Universal, 4 nights at Animal Kingdom Villas, and 4 nights at Beach Club Villas. We will be on the standard Dining Plan. We won't be doing the MNSSHP (she doesn't celebrate Halloween), so I'm trying to figure out some strategies around that.

1) I heard it's best to go to MK the day of the party because there are smaller crowds, and leave before 7:00. Is that the best plan?

2) Can we make an ADR for around 6:30 - 7:30, or do they kick us out at 7 regardless?

3) Any other tips when avoiding the MNSSHP?

4) Are there any 6 month ADR's we can make that give us a good view of Wishes or Illuminations, without paying extra or doing a signature dining?

5) With a split stay, do our dining credits not carry over from one hotel stay to the other?

6) I heard something about getting 6 Fast Passes if you have two Bands. I don't want to do this if it's taking advantage of the system. If I'm entitled to that because they are giving us 2 bands each, how do I do that?

7) How do we arrange luggage transfer from AKV to BCV? Does it cost extra?

8) What's the best option for transferring from Universal to AKV? Mears? We are not renting a car.

9) What's the best option for going to Universal from the Airport MCO?

I'd really appreciate the help. I tried to do my research, but sometimes there is just too much information out there.

1. Yes, that's a good day to go. It will start getting more crowded around 4 since that's when party goers can enter with just a party ticket.

2. Usually you can....then when you're done, you will be escorted out of the park.

3. Not really.....just don't go to MK after 6ish that day. There will be Halloween decorations up, so be aware of that.

4. Not really. There are no restaurants in MK that offer a view of the fireworks. There are some restaurants in Epcot, in World Showcase, where you might get a view of IllumiNations, but it's not a 'view' that you can book. You just have to take your chances...tables that offer such a view are in high demand because there just aren't all that many.

5. Again, not really. If you make the move from AK to BC on, say, a Thursday, your AK dining credits are good until midnight on Thursday. They are unusable after that.

6. No idea. I have multiple MBs...I usually get two per trip since I switch resorts. I have about 12 of the darn things at the moment. I'm not sure how I would get more FPs using one of them. I'm sure someone else has a suggestion for getting around the system....it's nothing I can be bothered with.

7. Just call Bell Services from your room the morning you want to switch resorts. They will tag your bags and get them moved to the new resort. They will expect to be tipped, on both ends of the service. You also will be without your bags until late afternoon, possibly early evening. I've never had my bags before 4:30.

8. I would book a car service, either with Mears or another company.

9. Again, a car service. I would book it as a two way service....from MCO to US/IoA, then from US/IoA to WDW.

 

[TheDisneyDudeAbides]

Thanks to everyone here for answering my questions so quickly. This will be our first time going outside of the summer. We've never been to one of the events like F&W, so we are really excited.

 

[purple figment]

2. You can make a dining reservation for any time before 7 PM, but you need to check in before 7PM so you cannot get into line for a ride right before 7:00 and show up at the restaurant after 7. Also, do all your shopping before dinner because if you are escorted to the entrance after you finish dining you won't be able to stop at any of the stores or bathroom.

3. There will be fall and Halloween decorations in the MK all day.

4. Wishes: There are no 1 credit restaurants that will guarantee a view of Wishes, but you could plan to eat early enough to go outside afterwards to watch the fireworks. At the Grand Floridian there is the Grand Floridian Cafe or 1900 Park Fare (character meal) - afterwards walk over to the GF boat dock. At Poly there is 'Ohana which has some view tables, but no guarantee or Kona. Afterwards go down to the beach IF they are allowing those not staying at the Poly to watch from the beach. At the Contemporary you could dine at The Wave, then go upstairs to the 4th floor deck to watch or Chef Mickey's (character buffet).

IllumiNations: Rose & Crown (1 TS credit) has a patio which you can request when you check in, but there is no guarantee you'll get a table with a view. However, it is the only restaurant that has a viewing area adjacent to the patio for just those dining at R&C so if you are seated inside let your server know you want to see the show and they will pace your meal accordingly. We often go to the viewing area between the entree and dessert courses. Some other Epcot restaurants have some tables with a good view, but none will guarantee a seat at any of the tables and only R&C has the dedicated viewing area.

7. Arranging with bell services to transfer your luggage is the easiest, but as Goofy4tink pointed out, don't plan on having your luggage until late afternoon so keep anything you might need during the day with you. You could also take a taxi in the morning with your luggage to BCV, check in and leave the luggage with bell services if your room is not ready.

 

[TheDisneyDudeAbides]

I think we'll try 'Ohana and see if we luck out and get a good seat.

We will contact bell services for the luggage transfer. We shouldn't have any reason to get our stuff before evening.