Shellydon Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Disney planning turns out to be way more than I can handle. I don't know how you Disney people do this. I don't think I have ever been this overwhelmed with planning something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Oh dear! What has you so stressed? Maybe those of us who've done it before can be helpful? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Take a deep breath. Disneyland or Disneyworld? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 We will help you! Give us more details and tell us what is stressing you out so much. It will be fun!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Sheldon, You are very wise that you consider quitting. I don't even want to start to plan. Waiting in long lines for anything will take the joy away for us. And dh hates crowded places, so Disney will not on my list of things to do for as long as I can think of, not to mention the $$$ you will have to spend. You can live without it and you are not alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 Disneyworld. The daily touring plan it what has pushed me over the edge. I have been reserving our meals (only to find out things like Boma's in Animal Kingdom isn't actually IN Animal Kingdom and we can't get back to our resort from it) and trying to figure out which table service places are best, but this touring plan thing has done me in. I have spent 20 hours the last 5 days working on stuff and I am just DONE. I have next to nothing figured out and just cannot keep doing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 It really can be!! Where are you in the planning? Is there anything we can do to help? There are a lot of Disney addicts and experts right here on these boards. I would hate to see you cancel! It really is worth it in the end. I plan in stages: 1. Book and buy insurance. 2. Figure out where I want to eat our sit down meals. 3. Get the reservations for dinners. Some restaurants are so popular you need to book up to a few months in advance, so you need to be flexible! 4. If you don't have park hoppers, plan your park days around your meals. (if your restaurant of choice is at Epcot, we have to be at Epcot that day. If our meal is at the polynesian, we can either go to a park on the monorail or one that closes early that day and the head over.) That is it. Now that we have done it so many times I do not plan our our days at the parks at all. But, for your first trip, I would do some of that. But only if you have time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Its not that big of a deal once you wade through all the info. I am sure anyone on her that has been there can help. My second trip was SO much easier because I had already been there. We can help!!! the DIS boards are as overwhelming as The Well Trained Mind forums are for new homeschoolers :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleWMN Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 We've been to Disney World four times as a family and never waited that long in a line. It's all about timing. We spent 45 minutes our first trip in line to see Ariel (dd's fave at the time). Other than that, we've waited 20 minutes or less. We'd love to help you. We've always enjoyed WDW so much and I'm not big on crowds either (personally, I'd never go at peak times). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 there are people on this board who will figure it out for you. I went a few years ago and it really was worth the trip. It was the best trip my family will ever have. But you are correct, so many questions: on site/ off site meal plan parkhopper and more You'll have to give details of who is going so people can help you figure out what will work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I think the sit-down meals are what did it. I would never go to Disney and have sit down meals. I wouldn't want all of that extra planning, and I wouldn't want to have our meal times dictate what we are able to do/where we are able to go in the parks. We go to Disney for the rides and attractions, not for meals. We are doing the free counter service dining plan (booked a few months ago) and I am having so much fun planning!!! I've heard the dining reservations can be a real PItA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almondbutterandjelly Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Well, we, too are planning a Disney trip, but I refuse to plan the food. We will figure it out when we get there. We don't head to amusement parks to focus on the food, anyway, is my theory. Just stop planning and enjoy. As long as you have your tickets and travel arrangements, you are good to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaM Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Waiting in long lines for anything will take the joy away for us. And dh hates crowded places, so Disney will not on my list of things to do for as long as I can think of, not to mention the $$$ you will have to spend. Going in the off season means virtually no lines. We go in Sept and never had to wait in a line longer than 10 minutes and usually those were the food lines. It also saves you quite a bit of money as they are usually running the free dining option. Disney is a very worth while vacation. I dont regret any of the money we have spent making those memories. To each their own I guess. It can be overwhelming for sure! Especially if you have alot of ADR's planned. Take a deep breath and try reading the DIS Boards if you havent already. That helped me so much! Also, when are you going? We have an off site trip planned for May :) It will be our 3rd time and we love it EVERY time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Sorry, I'm no help. Any plan I make involving the state of FL looks like this: 1) drive to the beach 2) sit on the beach 3) eat, go to bed 4) wake up and sit on the beach REPEAT! (Alternately, walking on the beach is also a possibility if desired). :D Hope you come up with plans you like, no matter what they may be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Maybe we don't do Disney the "right" way, but we just...go. We know the big rides are going to have longer lines later in the day. We stay in a condo and take a break in the late afternoon to go there and rest/eat dinner, then go back feeling fine and refreshed. We just eat kabobs or burgers or whatever at the small places, w/o sit down. We don't do the characters. We don't care about that stuff. You can make it totally stressfree if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Dump the reservations. Pick one...like the princess breakfast.....and do fast food the rest of the time. Try to get a sit down place in Epcot the day of but don't sweat it. We just got back and I used the touringplans.com and it did work. We never waited or had minimal wait times. Our previous trip had loads of lines. I highly recommend touringplans. But no, don't try to do all the reservations....you never know when you will be hungry or where you will be in a park!!!! We booked a place the day we were at Epcot but an hour before our reservation it was pouring rain and when I checked she admitted they were so behind that we wouldn't get in until much later so we cancelled. And we weren't the only one that day. Oh well, wasn't meant to be. :tongue_smilie: If you don't like planning just go. Pick a park and go. And go in whatever order you want. But I will say our trip last week was the best we ever had and I know the touringplans.com schedule is what made it awesome :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Disneyworld. The daily touring plan it what has pushed me over the edge. I have been reserving our meals (only to find out things like Boma's in Animal Kingdom isn't actually IN Animal Kingdom and we can't get back to our resort from it) and trying to figure out which table service places are best, but this touring plan thing has done me in. I have spent 20 hours the last 5 days working on stuff and I am just DONE. I have next to nothing figured out and just cannot keep doing this. Okay. Questions. Do you have a park hopper? Which restaurants are you aiming to get? Can you add a car rental to your trip? I know it sounds like a pain, but there are some places that are really hard to get to quickly without a car. What are your dates? You can look up the hours of the parks when you will be there and that will help too. ( you can go to one of those restaurants that aren't in a park when you go to animal kingdom, which tends to close earlier, depending on the time of year you are there. Do not worry about touring plans yet. Get th e dining reservations first. Then plan your park days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 It really can be!! Where are you in the planning? Is there anything we can do to help? There are a lot of Disney addicts and experts right here on these boards. I would hate to see you cancel! It really is worth it in the end. I plan in stages: 1. Book and buy insurance. 2. Figure out where I want to eat our sit down meals. 3. Get the reservations for dinners. Some restaurants are so popular you need to book up to a few months in advance, so you need to be flexible! 4. If you don't have park hoppers, plan your park days around your meals. (if your restaurant of choice is at Epcot, we have to be at Epcot that day. If our meal is at the polynesian, we can either go to a park on the monorail or one that closes early that day and the head over.) That is it. Now that we have done it so many times I do not plan our our days at the parks at all. But, for your first trip, I would do some of that. But only if you have time! We have booked the trip, we are staying at Saratoga Springs on site. No car. I am trying to figure out where we want to eat, but I can't figure out where things are located and if we can get to them without a car. I though the bus system would take us everywhere, but am learning that is not true. I have park hopper passes and thought I had planned what parks we will visit when, but the crowd levels keep changing and the recommended parks keep changing and I am about to lose my mind. Finally, I have no idea, not even a small clue what we want to see. How do I figure out what we want to ride/see if we have never been? I've looked at the website and Disney DVD, but found it totally unhelpful. My kids are not interested in any of the rides they have seen. I think they might like some of them when they see them in person, but they have deemed all the rides thus far as 'too scary.' AHHHH! I keep thinking- I have a master's degree, I homeschool three children, keep a toddler busy and run a household and I can't plan a silly vacation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 If you don't like planning just go. Pick a park and go. And go in whatever order you want. But I will say our trip last week was the best we ever had and I know the touringplans.com schedule is what made it awesome :lol: I totally agree. My family thought I was crazy (talking of the cousins, in-laws, etc, even my husband) for being so regimented with my planning. I had a list down to the minute (based on touring plans). However, that enabled us to ride and see virtually everything in Magic Kingdom in one day (with 5 young children) while still having a relaxing, fabulous time (to be fair, we did go off season)...whereas our cousins who went just the day before us only got to see 3 things, they went with no plan and waited in lines most of the day. Having a solid plan makes a HUGE difference. For all the money and effort we spend to go, I'm not just going to get there and fart around, I want to have the best trip possible and milk every minute! That being said, sit down meals hold NO appeal to me. I'm sure that would stress me out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 We went to Disney World several years ago and while this may sound crazy to die-hard Disney planners, we didn't plan AT ALL. I honestly had no clue that you were even "supposed" to. We booked a hotel room, bought our tickets to the park and that was it. Drove down in our car, got to the hotel and went to Animal Kingdom. Next day we went to Magic Kingdom. Third day went to Epcot. We rode on the rides, walked around, swam in the hotel pool, and when we got hungry simply found someplace to eat. It wasn't difficult or complicated. No, we didn't eat at fancy places (but it wasn't in the budget anyhow) or do character breakfasts. I had no idea that such things even existed until AFTER we left, LOL. We did eat at Boma (absolutely wonderful!) but that's because we were staying at that particular hotel/resort. No reservations, we just walked in and ate. Really, it doesn't have to be so hard. As long as you've got a place to stay and tickets to the park you can totally wing it once you're there and still have a fantastic time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaBearTeacher Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 (Hugs) This is exactly how I felt last year. It was a real project planning it all but had lots of fun in the end so it was well worth it. The kids LOVED it and the rides and shows were so good. We want to go back this year and planning the smaller stuff will be a lot easier if I could just find a reasonable flight/hotel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Well, we, too are planning a Disney trip, but I refuse to plan the food. We will figure it out when we get there. We don't head to amusement parks to focus on the food, anyway, is my theory. Just stop planning and enjoy. As long as you have your tickets and travel arrangements, you are good to go! This works too. But, know that you will have a tough time getting in to the sit down restaurants. You may be eating a lot of fast food. If that works for you, great! I really enjoy eating really good meals on vacation. Disney has great restaurants and I want to take advantage of them! I joke that I go on vacation to get a break from cooking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyLady Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Disneyworld. The daily touring plan it what has pushed me over the edge. I have been reserving our meals (only to find out things like Boma's in Animal Kingdom isn't actually IN Animal Kingdom and we can't get back to our resort from it) and trying to figure out which table service places are best, but this touring plan thing has done me in. I have spent 20 hours the last 5 days working on stuff and I am just DONE. I have next to nothing figured out and just cannot keep doing this. First let me say that I feel your pain. We started planning our trip and I finally had to tell my DH that I needed to stop thinking about it before the holidays because it was getting to be too much! I told him once 2012 came I'd start planning. :) I'm definitely going to be watching this thread because I'm going to need all the advice I can get as well!! And what do you mean Boma isn't *in* Animal Kingdom?? We plan on going there because #1 we plan on staying in the Animal Kingdom and want to eat at our resort and #2 it seems to be the most vegan friendly restaurant. We're going to have to plan most of our meals, unfortunately, because we'll have to give notice because of our dietary needs, but that honestly doesn't bother me. Hopefully I'll pick up some helpful hints here! But could someone tell me how on earth you start booking things?? Do you do it right through Disney, a travel agent, what?? That's my biggest issue right now. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 there are people on this board who will figure it out for you. I went a few years ago and it really was worth the trip. It was the best trip my family will ever have. But you are correct, so many questions: on site/ off site meal plan parkhopper and more You'll have to give details of who is going so people can help you figure out what will work. We are going March 3-10. Flying in and using Disney transport. We will not have a car and are staying at Saratoga Springs Resort. We have park hopper passes. I have the Coral Reef reserved for lunch on Thursday the 8th. I have BOMA reserved for Wednesday the 7th dinner, but everyone tells me this is a terrible plan and we won't be able to get back to our resort. - We are planning on AK that day.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 How old are your kids? We stayed away from the bigger rides one time--got to do Pirates, the Tiki Birds, Jungle Queen in that section; Tom Sawyer's Island and the Swiss Fam Treehouse (it's different now, but same idea); Small World, Peter Pan, Toad (do they have that anymore?) and one other in Fantasy; and a few of the shows. We didn't do the coasters or the other stuff. We still had fun! I have one who hates rides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Planning is an event all in itself. I love the planning part. Not every meal needs to be a sit-down dinner. Also, one can sometimes get into a restaurant without priority seating. It isn't guaranteed but possible as we've done it in the past. Remember that if you change your mind on which park on what day, you need not keep the priority seating. Typically there is no penalty for cancelling (except Cinderella's Castle or anything you have to pre-pay in advance). The first thing that I do is determine which park on what day. I don't necessarily do that based on restaurants, but it is nice to have a game plan. Standing around trying to figure out what to do next wastes time and makes for restless children. Once you roughly know which park on what day, figure out the restaurants of interest. Take into consideration the times that your family likes to eat. Make your priority seating arrangements for those times. Not every meal needs to be in a restaurant, so don't feel obligated to make PS arrangements for every meal. If your family changes their mind on which park for that day or decides they aren't hungry, skip the restaurant. Priority Seating doesn't dictate what you do. You are still free to change your mind. It just helps you know there is a seat waiting for you if you should decide you want to eat at X at Y time. I don't encourage people to make reservations just to cancel later as that takes away possibilities for others, but if it doesn't work out, don't worry about not showing. Last time we went I had a PS for each day at each park. At the end of the week, we kept all of our reservations and went to all of the parks. We even got into Le Cellier when I didn't have a reservation. Just wanted to add that my husband was originally against all the pre-planning. He said that he didn't want to be forced into a schedule. We had done many non-planned trips in the past. After the first day of the planned one, he happily said, "What's next on the agenda?" He loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 First let me say that I feel your pain. We started planning our trip and I finally had to tell my DH that I needed to stop thinking about it before the holidays because it was getting to be too much! I told him once 2012 came I'd start planning. :) I'm definitely going to be watching this thread because I'm going to need all the advice I can get as well!! And what do you mean Boma isn't *in* Animal Kingdom?? We plan on going there because #1 we plan on staying in the Animal Kingdom and want to eat at our resort and #2 it seems to be the most vegan friendly restaurant. We're going to have to plan most of our meals, unfortunately, because we'll have to give notice because of our dietary needs, but that honestly doesn't bother me. Hopefully I'll pick up some helpful hints here! But could someone tell me how on earth you start booking things?? Do you do it right through Disney, a travel agent, what?? That's my biggest issue right now. :) I booked through a travel agent. I will PM you her info. It is free and easier than anything else I found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Don't let the mouse get you down, Sheldon.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 (Hugs) This is exactly how I felt last year. It was a real project planning it all but had lots of fun in the end so it was well worth it. The kids LOVED it and the rides and shows were so good. We want to go back this year and planning the smaller stuff will be a lot easier if I could just find a reasonable flight/hotel. I don't know if you're locked in to the idea of a hotel but we are going in February and are renting a house instead. There are tons of options available on www.homeaway.com. We are going with another family and the total cost for the 4 bedroom/3 bath condo we picked this time is $600 for the week. We went a few years ago and did the same thing. It was cheaper for us than a hotel and dd gets her own room and bathroom so we get privacy.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 Don't let the mouse get you down, Sheldon.:001_smile: HA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Maybe we don't do Disney the "right" way, but we just...go. We know the big rides are going to have longer lines later in the day. We stay in a condo and take a break in the late afternoon to go there and rest/eat dinner, then go back feeling fine and refreshed. We just eat kabobs or burgers or whatever at the small places, w/o sit down. We don't do the characters. We don't care about that stuff. You can make it totally stressfree if you want. the only planning we did was to book the plane and condo, and buy a week long parkhopper pass. On the first trip, we did book a princess lunch and a make an appointment at the Bippity Boppity Boo-tique. With the condo, we went to the grocery store and bought breakfast foods and snack foods, and some canned soups/spaghetti, pb&j supplies and waters/milk/juices. We went to a park in the morning, after breakfast. We stayed until we were tired. Sometimes we ate lunch there, sometimes not. Then we'd come home. Our condo had a pool, so we had that in the late afternoon/evening. the post seems long, but it really was a relaxed vacation. (especially the second time, when we KNEW that dd had anxiety disorder and spd :001_huh: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 Planning is an event all in itself. I love the planning part. Not every meal needs to be a sit-down dinner. Also, one can sometimes get into a restaurant without priority seating. It isn't guaranteed but possible as we've done it in the past. Remember that if you change your mind on which park on what day, you need not keep the priority seating. Typically there is no penalty for cancelling (except Cinderella's Castle or anything you have to pre-pay in advance). The first thing that I do is determine which park on what day. I don't necessarily do that based on restaurants, but it is nice to have a game plan. Standing around trying to figure out what to do next wastes time and makes for restless children. Once you roughly know which park on what day, figure out the restaurants of interest. Take into consideration the times that your family likes to eat. Make your priority seating arrangements for those times. Not every meal needs to be in a restaurant, so don't feel obligated to make PS arrangements for every meal. If your family changes their mind on which park for that day or decides they aren't hungry, skip the restaurant. Priority Seating doesn't dictate what you do. You are still free to change your mind. It just helps you know there is a seat waiting for you if you should decide you want to eat at X at Y time. I don't encourage people to make reservations just to cancel later as that takes away possibilities for others, but if it doesn't work out, don't worry about not showing. Last time we went I had a PS for each day at each park. At the end of the week, we kept all of our reservations and went to all of the parks. We even got into Le Cellier when I didn't have a reservation. Just wanted to add that my husband was originally against all the pre-planning. He said that he didn't want to be forced into a schedule. We had done many non-planned trips in the past. After the first day of the planned one, he happily said, "What's next on the agenda?" He loved it. Is priority seating the same as reserving a table? Beginning this past October, when you reserve a table, if you no-show, or cancel with less than 24 hours notice, they charge you $10 per person (on your credit card). That would be $60 for each meal we no-show. Maybe priority seating is different?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Sheldon,You are very wise that you consider quitting. I don't even want to start to plan. Waiting in long lines for anything will take the joy away for us. And dh hates crowded places, so Disney will not on my list of things to do for as long as I can think of, not to mention the $$$ you will have to spend. You can live without it and you are not alone. The BLESSINGS of homeschooling!! We have been 7 times to Disneyworld/land (everytime my husband or I had to relocate for promotions we promised a trip...we moved a lot!) and NEVER had to wait in a line longer than 5-10 minutes!!! The trick is going the 2nd week in January (after their marathon event), the second week in September (Tuesday after Labor Day), or the first week in November...those are incredible weeks...we rode Splash Mountain over 10x in a row because NO ONE was in line!!! Great! We now go on the Disney cruises b/c they've started offering incredible deals with almost 4 ships on the water (fourth coming out this March)...many kids sail free deals, and the newer ships have rooms that fit five, so 3 kids free in a room, you can't beat that! :) HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyLady Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I booked through a travel agent. I will PM you her info. It is free and easier than anything else I found. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 Planning is an event all in itself. I love the planning part. Not every meal needs to be a sit-down dinner. Also, one can sometimes get into a restaurant without priority seating. It isn't guaranteed but possible as we've done it in the past. Remember that if you change your mind on which park on what day, you need not keep the priority seating. Typically there is no penalty for cancelling (except Cinderella's Castle or anything you have to pre-pay in advance). The first thing that I do is determine which park on what day. I don't necessarily do that based on restaurants, but it is nice to have a game plan. Standing around trying to figure out what to do next wastes time and makes for restless children. Once you roughly know which park on what day, figure out the restaurants of interest. Take into consideration the times that your family likes to eat. Make your priority seating arrangements for those times. Not every meal needs to be in a restaurant, so don't feel obligated to make PS arrangements for every meal. If your family changes their mind on which park for that day or decides they aren't hungry, skip the restaurant. Priority Seating doesn't dictate what you do. You are still free to change your mind. It just helps you know there is a seat waiting for you if you should decide you want to eat at X at Y time. I don't encourage people to make reservations just to cancel later as that takes away possibilities for others, but if it doesn't work out, don't worry about not showing. Last time we went I had a PS for each day at each park. At the end of the week, we kept all of our reservations and went to all of the parks. We even got into Le Cellier when I didn't have a reservation. Just wanted to add that my husband was originally against all the pre-planning. He said that he didn't want to be forced into a schedule. We had done many non-planned trips in the past. After the first day of the planned one, he happily said, "What's next on the agenda?" He loved it. Dump the reservations. Pick one...like the princess breakfast.....and do fast food the rest of the time. Try to get a sit down place in Epcot the day of but don't sweat it. We just got back and I used the touringplans.com and it did work. We never waited or had minimal wait times. Our previous trip had loads of lines. I highly recommend touringplans. But no, don't try to do all the reservations....you never know when you will be hungry or where you will be in a park!!!! We booked a place the day we were at Epcot but an hour before our reservation it was pouring rain and when I checked she admitted they were so behind that we wouldn't get in until much later so we cancelled. And we weren't the only one that day. Oh well, wasn't meant to be. :tongue_smilie: If you don't like planning just go. Pick a park and go. And go in whatever order you want. But I will say our trip last week was the best we ever had and I know the touringplans.com schedule is what made it awesome :lol: How do you know what you want to do if you have never been? I have a touring subscription, but the plans seem fast paced. We have a dining plan, can I use a Table Service credit at a Counter Service place? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 We are going March 3-10. Flying in and using Disney transport. We will not have a car and are staying at Saratoga Springs Resort. We have park hopper passes. I have the Coral Reef reserved for lunch on Thursday the 8th. I have BOMA reserved for Wednesday the 7th dinner, but everyone tells me this is a terrible plan and we won't be able to get back to our resort. - We are planning on AK that day.... We flew down too, stayed on site, and used Disney transport for everything. It was awesome!!! Coral Reef is great. We didn't eat at BOMA. We did not do the hopper passes mainly because our kids were so little, and I knew we would rather have a nap every afternoon than hop anywhere. :D We had the dining plan, had a character or reservation meal every day, and that worked perfectly for us. After I booked our character/reservation meals, I planned which park we would hang out in that day according to where the restaurant was. Does that make sense? I highly recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Disney-World-Guides/dp/111801233X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325107677&sr=8-1 It will tell you about every show, ride, attraction, and restaurant. It really is great without being overwhelming. I got it for the year we were there, and I'm so glad I did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Okay, we normally do Disneyland as DisneyWorld is just too big for me. The bus will get you everywhere, though not necessarily directly. You can take a bus to any of the parks, and then any of the hotels from the park. Can be a bit of a pain. I would just take the animal kingdom lodge meal off, or if you really want to go, take the bus to the lodge from the animal kingdom. We packed with us a Costco pack of odwalla bags, and a big trail mix, pop tarts, dry cereal. that I took with us. We then ate at off peak times. Bar first thing than a brunch at 10ish (after some rides) lunch/dinner around 2 or 3 (this was our big meal of the day and still at lunch prices) then a snack around 6 and then snacks for dinner. If you are on a dining plan then great, but if not, bring some food. If this is your first trip, just go to a park a day (don't go to the early hours one as it will be most crowded). Find out what ride has the craziest line. For instance, on the day you go to Hollywood studios, get straight in line for toy story and get a fast pass. Then spend the rest of the day just exploring. We go slowly through, we look at the flowers, watch the entertainment. Sit on a bench for ten min and see how many people are smiling and how many are just in a rush. It is impossible to see it all, so don't try, just enjoy what you do see. So if you are there for more than 4 days, you have gone to the four parks, then pick which you want to go back to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5kidsforME Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 First let me say that I feel your pain. We started planning our trip and I finally had to tell my DH that I needed to stop thinking about it before the holidays because it was getting to be too much! I told him once 2012 came I'd start planning. :) I'm definitely going to be watching this thread because I'm going to need all the advice I can get as well!! And what do you mean Boma isn't *in* Animal Kingdom?? We plan on going there because #1 we plan on staying in the Animal Kingdom and want to eat at our resort and #2 it seems to be the most vegan friendly restaurant. We're going to have to plan most of our meals, unfortunately, because we'll have to give notice because of our dietary needs, but that honestly doesn't bother me. Hopefully I'll pick up some helpful hints here! But could someone tell me how on earth you start booking things?? Do you do it right through Disney, a travel agent, what?? That's my biggest issue right now. :) There are 4 Disney parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. There are 2 waterparks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. They also have Disney Quest in Downtown Disney. There are multiple resorts. You must be staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. That is not in Animal Kingdom but is close to it. You will tak a bus to AK, just like you can take a bus to MK, EPCOT and DHS. You can take a bus to anywhere in the Disney World Resorts. Sometimes you just have to be creative. Like, If you wanted to eat at Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club Resorts and you were staying at Saratoga Springs Resort you would have to catch a bus to Downtown Disney or MK and then take the bus from there to Beach Club resorts. It can be a little time consuming but easy once you get the hang of it. FYI**** If you are want to eat at a Table Service Restaraunt (or sit down dinner) I HIGHLY recommend making a reservation. It is easy to do online through the Disney website. Here is the link. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Sheldon, You need a map! http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/propertymap.htm Click on each park, and it will show you the restaurants, attractions, etc. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 We are going March 3-10. Flying in and using Disney transport. We will not have a car and are staying at Saratoga Springs Resort. We have park hopper passes. I have the Coral Reef reserved for lunch on Thursday the 8th. I have BOMA reserved for Wednesday the 7th dinner, but everyone tells me this is a terrible plan and we won't be able to get back to our resort. - We are planning on AK that day.... Okay. You are definitely doing Epcot on the 8th then, I'm assuming. Does animal kingdom close early on the 7th? When we go, they close at 5 and we get a 7 pm dinner reservation. What time is your ressie? You can always take disney transport from AK to AK Lodge for dinner. Plan on about 30 minutes. After dinner, take Disney transport to another park. You have hoppers, so you can either go in to the park or just catch a different bus back to saratoga springs. I do not know how long that would take. But it is doable. Where else do you want to eat? First let me say that I feel your pain. We started planning our trip and I finally had to tell my DH that I needed to stop thinking about it before the holidays because it was getting to be too much! I told him once 2012 came I'd start planning. :) I'm definitely going to be watching this thread because I'm going to need all the advice I can get as well!! And what do you mean Boma isn't *in* Animal Kingdom?? We plan on going there because #1 we plan on staying in the Animal Kingdom and want to eat at our resort and #2 it seems to be the most vegan friendly restaurant. We're going to have to plan most of our meals, unfortunately, because we'll have to give notice because of our dietary needs, but that honestly doesn't bother me. Hopefully I'll pick up some helpful hints here! But could someone tell me how on earth you start booking things?? Do you do it right through Disney, a travel agent, what?? That's my biggest issue right now. :) There is animal kingdom park and animal kingdoms lodge. Boma is in the lodge. I booked right with Disney. I called their reservations number with my dates and a list of restaurants I wanted to get. The agent worked with me to get them. I wrote them down by date and then sat down with the park hours and planned my parks. I prefer to do it myself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 This works too. But, know that you will have a tough time getting in to the sit down restaurants. You may be eating a lot of fast food. If that works for you, great! I really enjoy eating really good meals on vacation. Disney has great restaurants and I want to take advantage of them! I joke that I go on vacation to get a break from cooking! This is me! Fast food makes my hubby pretty ill, he cannot handle the grease apparently. I want to eat at one nice restaurant each day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5kidsforME Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 This is me! Fast food makes my hubby pretty ill, he cannot handle the grease apparently. I want to eat at one nice restaurant each day. This is what we do and not to be a nag but it is a MUST that you make reservations. Specially if you are going in March. Is it free dining then too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 We flew down too, stayed on site, and used Disney transport for everything. It was awesome!!! Coral Reef is great. We didn't eat at BOMA. We did not do the hopper passes mainly because our kids were so little, and I knew we would rather have a nap every afternoon than hop anywhere. :D We had the dining plan, had a character or reservation meal every day, and that worked perfectly for us. After I booked our character/reservation meals, I planned which park we would hang out in that day according to where the restaurant was. Does that make sense? I highly recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Disney-World-Guides/dp/111801233X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325107677&sr=8-1 It will tell you about every show, ride, attraction, and restaurant. It really is great without being overwhelming. I got it for the year we were there, and I'm so glad I did. I have the book. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Fast Pass helps us avoid the long lines. Been to both Disneyland and WDW and it has been amazing!! No need to stress over it. Just be flexible -- and lots of us can help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 This is what we do and not to be a nag but it is a MUST that you make reservations. Specially if you are going in March. Is it free dining then too? Yes. Where should we eat? We arrive Saturday night. Should we go eat at a park that night, or not? We will be at MK on Sunday, EP on Monday, MK on Tuesday, AK on Wednesday (BOMA), EP on Thursday (Coral Reef) and no plans yet on Friday. I don't think we can use our dining plan on Saturday because we are leaving that day and it no longer counts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 We had the dining plan, had a character or reservation meal every day, and that worked perfectly for us. After I booked our character/reservation meals, I planned which park we would hang out in that day according to where the restaurant was. Does that make sense? I highly recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Disney-World-Guides/dp/111801233X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325107677&sr=8-1 It will tell you about every show, ride, attraction, and restaurant. It really is great without being overwhelming. I got it for the year we were there, and I'm so glad I did. :iagree::iagree: We used it for WDW and the book is excellent! Dining plan was easy to use too w/ the book as a guide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Yes. Where should we eat? We arrive Saturday night. Should we go eat at a park that night, or not? We will be at MK on Sunday, EP on Monday, MK on Tuesday, AK on Wednesday (BOMA), EP on Thursday (Coral Reef) and no plans yet on Friday. I don't think we can use our dining plan on Saturday because we are leaving that day and it no longer counts. How old are you kids? Sorry if I missed that somewhere. We loved Crystal Palace (Winnie the Pooh characters). It was yummy and so fun! Chef Mickey's is fun for all the "original" characters like Mickey and Donald, but it's not in a park. Someone remind me where it is, a hotel I think. Rainforest Cafe is right outside AK, but you can't use your dining plan to eat there, or at least you couldn't when we were there. It's very good! Do you have little girls? We took ours to Cinderella's Castle (MK) and Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Norway in Epcot). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I see you have the dinning plan. I still like eating off times 10, 2,8 with a snack in the am and around 4 if that is the plan you have. In the Magic kingdom I really like the liberty tree tavern. Turkey, mashed potato, mac and cheese etc... I like sitting down around 2 at table service. Your feet are hurting, kids outside are melting down. It is nice to just sit and relax and have someone bring you your food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Oh, I wanted to add that I think all of the counter service restaurants are about the same, quality wise. We aren't picky, so we were happy with the food, for the most part. If you go to Hollywood Studios, do not eat at Hollywood and Vine. It's not good at all. I actually don't know anyone who likes the food there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 How old are you kids? Sorry if I missed that somewhere. We loved Crystal Palace (Winnie the Pooh characters). It was yummy and so fun! Chef Mickey's is fun for all the "original" characters like Mickey and Donald, but it's not in a park. Someone remind me where it is, a hotel I think. Rainforest Cafe is right outside AK, but you can't use your dining plan to eat there, or at least you couldn't when we were there. It's very good! Do you have little girls? We took ours to Cinderella's Castle (MK) and Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Norway in Epcot). 9,7,5,2. Three olders are girls, the youngest is a boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.