Disneyworld advice?

[Norrin Radd]

Ok . . .

- It's not Disneyworld. It's Walt Disney World.

Everything else has been covered. Enjoy yourself. You will spend more money than you want to.

 

[ColdCat]

I stayed at Pop Century for a friend's wedding last August. Pretty much the definition of cornball, but another friend who was their with her two young daughters said they enjoyed it.
The bridal party of course stayed at Grand Floridian. Opulence, they has it. Very convenient using the monorail though and even taking buses from Pop Century was fine though they did get crowded from time to time.
Avoid Wide World of Sports all together. There's just nothing there.
Hit Downtown Disney. Tons of good places to eat that rise above the stadium food fare you might get elsewhere, plus the legoland is amazing.
If possible, go off campus to a Walgreens to get a case of Gatorade and a couple gallons of sunscreen. You will need both and they get pretty expensive if you buy them at the park.

 

[Bradley Guire]

Be aware that some animals roam free around Animal Kingdom. I was bitten by a duck in 2008. It was Christmas. I was traumatized for minutes.

 

[trifectarich]

Under no circumstances should you rent a car. I've got to deal with enough idiots who are trying to make a left turn from the far right lane of a five-lane road; or are going 5 mph because you're hopelessly lost as you try to unfold a map with the wife, in-laws and kids all screaming at you . . . And you'll get screwed by the two gas stations closest to the airport when you go to refill your car and see that you're paying $6 a gallon.

 

[Captain Obvious]

How is the meal plan essentially free? We ate breakfast at our rental, and packed lunches and snacks?

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

Well, it can at Disney. If you child is autistic they don't have to wait in lines. It is worth investigating.

Investigate whether your child is autistic? How does that work ? Can you get a note from your pediatrician.

Maybe you can rent autistic children for the day.

No notes, and it doesn't always mean you can skip lines.

My kids are disabled. What we've done is get a note from our pediatrician. When we enter, we go to the customer service place, show them the note, and get us a disabilites pass.

With the pass, usually the smaller rides just let us cut in and we get on right away. With the bigger attractions, they either have us do that, or write down a time for us to come back. At that time, they let us on.

Wasn't this a South Park episode?

 

[93Devil]

How is the meal plan essentially free? We ate breakfast at our rental, and packed lunches and snacks?

It's not. The cost of it is built into the package that you buy, but it feels free because you are not getting out your wallet every time you eat. You basically bring one card, that they give you for everything. You still need to tip at the table service places, which is about $5-7 extra for each person. You do not want to eat at the table services without knowing what it costs sans a meal plan. It works out to between $30 and $40 for each person over two and some places it's more.

For where we live and the size of the family I have, $1,000 per person was the number we use and that is going off season and four and a half days of park fun.

I would also go with AAA or through Disney proper. The AAA agents are trained to know almost as much about Disney as the "cast members."

 

[Key]

Ok . . .

You will spend more money than you want to.

We're planning a trip in October and I'm already bracing for this.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Well, it can at Disney. If you child is autistic they don't have to wait in lines. It is worth investigating.

Investigate whether your child is autistic? How does that work ? Can you get a note from your pediatrician.

Maybe you can rent autistic children for the day.

No notes, and it doesn't always mean you can skip lines.

My kids are disabled. What we've done is get a note from our pediatrician. When we enter, we go to the customer service place, show them the note, and get us a disabilites pass.

With the pass, usually the smaller rides just let us cut in and we get on right away. With the bigger attractions, they either have us do that, or write down a time for us to come back. At that time, they let us on.

Wasn't this a South Park episode?

There was one where Cartman pretended to be disabled so he would win everything at the Special Olympics.

 

[Boom_70]

Agree on not needing a car if you stay on Disney property and do not plan on going anywhere outside the property. One of best features is how well their transportation system works.
With younger kids you are better off staying at Contemporary/ Grand Floridian/ Polynesian which are all on monorail line and closer to Kingdom where you will likely spend more time.

Adults are better off staying over in Yacht club area which is closer to Epcot and MGM where you will want to spend more time.

There is a nice low crowd window at end of summer when Southern schools are back in session and Northern schools are just about going back. Wildly hot and humid but much smaller lines. If staying on property take advantage of early openings which rotate between parks. Get to gate before they open and then have a plan for 2 of most popular rides. Immediately "fast pass " one and then ride the other. By time you are done with first ride your fast pass time should be coming up for the other

Also take advantage of exclusive park night time openings for those staying on Disney properties. Tickets are limited and lines are non existent for most rides. You can literally ride Space Mountain and run right back up and get on again and again.

Grand Floridian is a little pricier but you see less 300 lb ladies in spandex bike shorts and Mickey Mouse hats marring the atmosphere.

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

Well, it can at Disney. If you child is autistic they don't have to wait in lines. It is worth investigating.

Investigate whether your child is autistic? How does that work ? Can you get a note from your pediatrician.

Maybe you can rent autistic children for the day.

No notes, and it doesn't always mean you can skip lines.

My kids are disabled. What we've done is get a note from our pediatrician. When we enter, we go to the customer service place, show them the note, and get us a disabilites pass.

With the pass, usually the smaller rides just let us cut in and we get on right away. With the bigger attractions, they either have us do that, or write down a time for us to come back. At that time, they let us on.

Wasn't this a South Park episode?

There was one where Cartman pretended to be disabled so he would win everything at the Special Olympics.

There was another where he got to go to the front of all the lines for rides.
The scooter episode maybe?

 

[Mizzougrad96]

We go every year... My kids go freaking nuts for Disney World...

I think the best time to go is October or November... January or February are pretty great too, but depending on where you're flying in from it kind of sucks to have to worry about weather (not in Florida, but where you're flying in from or over...)

We've stayed at the elite resorts on the monorail (Polynesian, Contemporary and Grand Floridian) and as nice as it is and as convenient as it is, it's not worth the extra money. We loved Port Orleans and Caribbean Beach and both were a lot less expensive. You have to take a bus to the resorts, but they run all the time and are very convenient...

Get the meal plan. If you go in the fall, you can usually get this thrown in for free. Even if you pay for it, it's definitely worth it.

Get a park hopper pass. It gives you flexibility. Some of the parks (usually Animal Kingdom) close earlier than others and then you can go to dinner and then spend a few hours at Epcot before calling it a day. I don't really care for Epcot that much, but going there for two hours two or three times at the end of the day is a lot better than spending a full day there... Keep in mind, my kids are 5 and 6...

Chef Mickey's restaurant is a must if you have kids, especially if they're into meeting the characters, getting autographs etc...

I've heard the Princess character dining at Epcot (some Norwegian place) is awesome, but I haven't been there since I have boys and there wasn't any interest...

We got to see some of New Fantasyland when we were there last year, and it's pretty cool... They have a Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant called "Be Our Guest" that is really, really awesome, no matter what gender or how old you are... The food is insanely good, and it's just really, really classy and nice, but in a way where you're not scared to take the kids there...

As someone else said, go when school is in session....

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Hollywood Studios is awesome, especially if you have boys...

The Jedi Training Academy is one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Both of my kids have done it and haven't ever stopped talking about it. It's free and if they charged an extra $100 for it, I would gladly pay it and call it a bargain...

 

[Mizzougrad96]

We have eaten in the Castle and at Cafe Akershus is a good option if you don't want to use all the dining passes. But eating in the Castle is eating in the Castle.

I've heard the castle meal is a bit overrated, since you have to use two meals to eat there. What was your opinion of it?

 

[Cosmo]

I covered one of the bowl games in Orlando this past season and found that Christmas week is nuts for Disney. Park was at capacity every day from Christmas eve on. Thought about going to Epcot for a day but it was crazy pricy and I didn't have an entire day off to properly enjoy it.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I highly recommend The Grand Floridian. It's on the monorail line, has great pools and water slide .

It's awesome. It's also insanely expensive. But being on the monorail is pretty great...

The last two times we went, we stayed at the Grand Floridian once and Port Orleans once, I think we saved $1500 by staying at Port Orleans... We're going back soon and I'm guessing we'll either stay at Port Orleans or Caribbean Beach.

 

[novelist_wannabe]

Someone mentioned pubs ... Raglan Road at Downtown Disney is pretty good.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Downtown Disney is pretty fun too... The Disney dining plan allows you to eat at some of the restaurants there... The last time we went we ate at the T-Rex cafe, which is similar to Rainforest Cafe, just with dinosaurs all over the place... My kids went nuts for it...

 

[Boom_70]

Winter Baseball meetings are at Disney this year based at The Dolphin.

 

[93Devil]

We have eaten in the Castle and at Cafe Akershus is a good option if you don't want to use all the dining passes. But eating in the Castle is eating in the Castle.

I've heard the castle meal is a bit overrated, since you have to use two meals to eat there. What was your opinion of it?

If you ask me, Akershus is just as cool and half the "credits," but if you ask my wife and daughter, the Castle is still the Castle. You meet the same number of princesses, but for many women, eating in the Castle is the end all be all. So what I think doesn't really matter.

It is also very important to know that a trip to Disney for a boy will be a lot different than a trip for a girl. They are really pushing pirates down there, and that keeps the boys busy while the girls are meeting Snow White.

If your child watches DisneyJr, there is a show at Hollywood Studios that features three of those shows.

I would also make it a point to know when the parades are happening. They are short, but a really cool way to "see" everyone.

I would also not be afraid to split up of you have different ages and different genders. Text messaging is a cool tool that our parents never had when we were younger, and it will allow you to locate each other in the park.