WDW planning help needed

[wallyb]

I don't think we signed up for the bag handling part. But that whole "your bag shows up magically later on that day" scares me. LOL

Never had an issue with it.
We get there - check in - and - go play.
When we get back to our room the bags right there!

 

[rpmdfw]

Ok, a few more questions about our trip in only two months! Woohoo!

1. What is this Flower Festival Thingy at EPCOT? We'll be spending some time there, but I wasn't sure if there were some special things we need to see or do, or is it just that the park has special landscaping or something?

2. How does the Disney Magical Express or whatever it's called from the Airport, exactly work? Is there a place at the airport to jump on one of the vans?

3. We're not going to have time to do anything outside of the parks, so is there any Orlando people willing to meet up inside the one of the parks at some point for lunch/dinner, walk around, etc?

The Flower and Garden Festival is pretty much additional landscaping elements to Epcot with a couple of vendor areas and seminars thrown in.

We'd love to meet you guys! PM me and we'll work out a plan.

 

[mickeysaver]

I love the Flower and Garden Festival. I wish that I was able to go this year to see Epcot all decked out again this year. Disney has put the flyer for the event up online. F&G PDF I enjoy going through the different garden areas and seeing what's new. I have never gone when there was anyone that I wanted to see perform at the Flower Power Concerts, but there are performances on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. Basically, it's about the prettiest that you will ever see Epcot look. I like the added layer of stuff to see and do during the festival.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I don't think we signed up for the bag handling part. But that whole "your bag shows up magically later on that day" scares me. LOL

Yes, ORDINARILY your bag shows up later that day. You know, until it DOESN'T, which is what happened to us in December. Yes, they found it. But you know how I am ("high strung" is a nice way of putting it) so I was running around completely unglued that whole morning.

If you sign up for Magical Express they will automotically send you a booklet (which you need to get on the bus) and yellow tags for your CHECKED luggage. You don't use the tags if you are just doing carry-ons or if you want to claim your own checked bags and bring them with you to the bus. And they are big charter buses, not vans. They don't all say "Magical Express", either. They use cruise line buses, too, so don't be alarmed if they put you on a DCL bus.

 

[MonorailMan]

DME made our trip very easy, and I can't recommend it enough. If you'd rather take your luggage with you, I believe they allow that as well. Just keep this in mind........

Our luggage showed up at our room while we were still there, which was only about an hour after we arrived......and the baggage guy was a hottie!!

The bus driver who took us back to the airport was a hot little number too. He was a dark-haired, blue-eyed early 30-something of a cub. He made the depressing act of going home not so bad.

 

[rpmdfw]

But you know how I am ("high strung" is a nice way of putting it)

Okay, I just laughed out loud at that.

Sorry.

It's just funny because it's true.

 

[OrlandoMike]

I dont like the bus.......too many shady characters get on it!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvdepQF7Dow&feature=related

 

[zeitzeuge]

How soon before your trip to you usually receive your information about DME? We've not received anything and we go in April so I'm just curious.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Okay, I just laughed out loud at that.

Sorry.

It's just funny because it's true.

I know it's true. Might as well be honest!

 

[MonorailMan]

I dont like the bus.......too many shady characters get on it!

The only shady characters I recall are the 2 or 3 screaming kids that had the ability to shatter eardrums.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Usually the packet arrives about 3 weeks before your trip - sometimes sooner.

 

[mickeysaver]

There is a new blog over on Allears.net about the Flower & Garden Festival topiaries starting to appear. I see some old favorites and some neat new stuff too. http://land.allears.net/blogs/michaelbachand/2010/02/2010_flower_and_garden_festiva.html

Oh and I love Magical Express. I have only used it a couple of times, but we had good experiences with it. Sorry Elizabeth, I hate that you had the one in a million bad experience. Granted it was a doozy, but at least they did find your stuff in the end.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Yep. We stopped by EPCOT this past weekend. There are Lion King topiaries up behind Spaceship Earth, and bedding plants in ground (Mickey shape) along the retention pond.

The floating dish gardens are out too.

 

[zeitzeuge]

With only two weeks left to go, I have another question.

PhotoPass. At DL, you just get the card from a photographer, get your picture taken all day, then go to the Photo Shop on Main Street and get all your pics put on a cd for about 60 bucks.

How does it work at WDW? I see there's a special going on for 99 bucks for a CD and 149 I think for the "memory package" or something. Do you have to pre-order a photopass card? Or can you pick them up at the park and get your cd before you leave?

 

[C&G'sMama]

You generally get a better deal if you sign up ahead of time. You still pick up your card from the 1st photo "guy" then when you get home you enter all the inforamtion. (at least this is how we have done it).

2 weeks, I'm so excited for you. We just got a PIN code for free dining in August, but it's so hot and we really should wait 'til next May (but if we can figure out a way we may go in October).

 

[zeitzeuge]

You generally get a better deal if you sign up ahead of time. You still pick up your card from the 1st photo "guy" then when you get home you enter all the inforamtion. (at least this is how we have done it).

2 weeks, I'm so excited for you. We just got a PIN code for free dining in August, but it's so hot and we really should wait 'til next May (but if we can figure out a way we may go in October).

Thanks for the info.

So there's no Photo Shop or anything to have it done there at the park?

 

[C&G'sMama]

I'll check with DP (koolaidmoms) as she's the "expert" in our house. What the $99 gets you is the CD and rights to the photos (so that you can email at will to friends and family and print off as many as you want). Yes there are photo shops in the park and you can get prints there. Generally with the CD's you can pick borders and stuff for each picture, then you submit it and they download everything and send you the CD with your changes on it.

We spent the extra $50 to get the book last April. It came out nice and in the book you can add pictures from your own camera if you like.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

The deal is this:
If you pre-order your CD it is typically cheaper ($99) because you get a pre-order discount code. You have to wait for them to send the CD to you. When you get home you enter your PhotoPass card # into the website, it pulls all your photos, you add borders, graphics, etc. (as many as you want), then you place the order and they send the CD to you. From there you are free to print off as many copies as you want (we print at Sam's).

If you buy a CD in the parks you can't add the borders (you may be able to add it to a few, but it is a time consuming process). I also think a CD in the parks is $149. There are photo centers in all 4 parks, so you can view your photos and have prints made if you want. I think a 5x7 is about $14.

If you don't mind waiting until you get home it is a much better deal to get the CD in the mail.

 

[Gypsybear]

The deal is this:
If you pre-order your CD it is typically cheaper ($99) because you get a pre-order discount code. You have to wait for them to send the CD to you. When you get home you enter your PhotoPass card # into the website, it pulls all your photos, you add borders, graphics, etc. (as many as you want), then you place the order and they send the CD to you. From there you are free to print off as many copies as you want (we print at Sam's).

If you buy a CD in the parks you can't add the borders (you may be able to add it to a few, but it is a time consuming process). I also think a CD in the parks is $149. There are photo centers in all 4 parks, so you can view your photos and have prints made if you want. I think a 5x7 is about $14.

If you don't mind waiting until you get home it is a much better deal to get the CD in the mail.

Exactly!! Last time we were there, we did this and got 5 CDs in the mail from them (it took that many for all the pics)....of course we added those to the 12,000 + pics that we took ourselves....all in a week...

 

[zeitzeuge]

Thanks for the help everyone!

Only two more weeks until I'm headed on a flight to meet the hubby in Orlando. We'll probably spend the evening walking around DTD shopping and eating that first night. Now I just need to find the itenerary we drew up of what parks, which days and times.

I know it's around somewhere........