The MLP Arena
Pony Talk => Off Topic => Topic started by: lovesbabysquirmy on October 10, 2016, 08:15:18 AM
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So.... my husband had one of those brilliant ideas that came out of his mouth that he would immediately regret.... he wants to have a "family reunion" at my daughter's birthday at Disney World! Sounds fun, right?
We both HATE crowds, HATE lines, HATE marketing, and I HATE restaurants. I have severe motion sickness - even a bus ride will make me queasy! I'm already stressed about how much medication I can put into my carry-on without either ODing or having customs agents freak out.
My daughter could care less about Princesses, it's all about Mickey and Minnie for her. My husband dreads Disney. I really am not a fan of mainstream Disney these days, I love the unsavory history and the obscure characters. I'm glad they brought Figment back at EPCOT- I will probably spend all my monies on Figment shinies!
And going in January... apparently a lot of things will be closed, including some things we wanted to go to! :( And I doubt it will be a repeat destination unless by some miracle, our daughter is insane with delight over the experience. I can see her getting way more excited about the flights, the airports, and security.... the parts SHE finds fascinating!
I haven't been to Disney World since 1988 - my husband went to Disney Land in about 1980.
Anyway... hints, tricks, tips, suggestions, know-how from Park Passholders who know how to have fun at WDW in January?
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I haven't been since 2008 but there should still be something for everyone there.
Try to be optimistic^^
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not sure if this will help, but there are many diverse rides. One for everybody, lots are very easy rides that probably wont make you sick, and there are always plays and shows as well. lucky you arent going when its hot, so the temperature probably will not be a problem.
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So.... my husband had one of those brilliant ideas that came out of his mouth that he would immediately regret.... he wants to have a "family reunion" at my daughter's birthday at Disney World! Sounds fun, right?
We both HATE crowds, HATE lines, HATE marketing, and I HATE restaurants. I have severe motion sickness - even a bus ride will make me queasy! I'm already stressed about how much medication I can put into my carry-on without either ODing or having customs agents freak out.
Okay I am laughing so hard reading this because it fits our family to a triple T. I hate crowds too, I don't eat out either, I detest lines and my husband can't stand rides. I get motion sick on rides. We have been to Disney twice. We will go again. What we typically do is go to Epcott my favorite, Animal Kingdom and in the Magic Kingdom there are several low impact rides I call it perfect for kids, motion sick riders and freaked out husbands LOL. They go very slow and you will find them fine. There are many activities you can sign your daughter up for that will make her Disney Trip a dream. Usually all of that can be found on line. Since she is all about Minnie or Mickey then I would search for things that involve those two characters that she can sign up for and get a spot in advance. My friend put her daughter on the pirate island to search for treasure, she had tea with Cinderella one day, there was a special breakfast they went to where she got her picture with Peter Pan her favorite. It takes some planning and searching. There are a bazillion things to do. When it comes to food there are plenty of walk up places to get fast food. If you liked restaurants which you do not you would have to make reservations sometimes a year in advance just to get a dinner in some places. My husband and I avoid all that stuff. Epcot has a fast food section that represent the country in addition to a sit down restaurant in many of the countries. We don't have children so we don't have to worry about making reservations for activities, but my friends have done it for theirs.
Also, I am surprised because typically nothing is closed in Disney unless they are rebuilding something. Or it broke for the day.
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I agree with anyone telling you to pick a few key things you / your husband / your daughter want to experience. Make planning these a family experience (depending on your daughter's age, of course) by looking at the parks and what attractions they offer and figuring out what will work best for your family.
I use to go to Disney World with my grandparents every January and the weather was generally pretty good. My park info is way out of date for you, though, since that was back in the 90s. :lol: Still, as an example... Our favorite park was MGM (I think that's Hollywood Studios now or something?) and we knew which rides and attractions we'd want to go on / see and would plan our day around those. We also made sure to leave time to sit down and rest since my grandpa was prone to a lot of foot pain.
Most of the rides I went on at Disney were pretty mild. It may have changed since I went there, but my recalled experience is that the ambiance of being at Disney, meeting the characters, exploring the park, etc. was the draw. The rides my family use to go on enhanced that, rather than trying to do a double back loop leading into an inverted fifty foot drop or anything crazy like that. :lol: I like crazy rides if I can get on them (my balance can make that a pain) but my mom and younger brother tend to prefer the more mellow end of the spectrum, so I can kinda get how you might feel. :)
Anyway, I'll give you the same advice I gave Ledbyrd the other week: comfy shoes, sunscreen, fanny pack, and water. Aside from that, try to relax and have a great trip. There is no need to plan your family around a vacation; plan the vacation around your family instead. :hug: Figure out what will be a fun trip for you, your husband, and your daughter and then do that. :)
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You might try going to Animal Kingdom instead? It's my favorite park by far. The shows, the food, the park itself, the rides-all of it is awesome, and you get to enjoy beautiful shady walking in most of the park, with some really, really interesting animal exhibits, if that's your thing. My family loves Animal Kingdom.
If you go there, go as soon as the park opens, and *RUN* to the back of the park to ride the Safari ride. If you can outrun the herd, then you get right on, and you can enjoy the animals while they're still up and moving around/feeding. Once it gets hot, they all hole up in the shade, so be quick! It's absolutely worth it, I promise!
My favorite restaurant there is the Yak and Yeti, over in the Asia side. But then, I love asian food. :biggrin:
If you're set on Disneyworld itself, there are several ways to enjoy your trip, it just depends on whether you want to see the most stuff, or take your time and explore your favorite things more thoroughly. (Or just to have fun and not stress.)
Also, there is a park attendance prediction chart online for all the parks, (I forget the web address, sorry), and that's pretty accurate. It's a good way to try and aim for a less crowded day. Do NOT go on maximum capacity days, it sucks. :pout:
As for Disneyworld, a lot the lines there are not nearly as bad in the afternoon and evening--because most people start really early and the little kids are wiped by 1 or 2.
Personally, my best Disneyworld advice is to eat at the *restaurants* not the food courts or the food carts. The cost is similar but the quality and atmospere is exponentially better. Some of them are practically attractions in themselves. If you want to get in to the Beast's castle for a treat (the dining room is like walking into the movie), go early or book in advance. The line for lunch is long and they cut it off fairly early.
There are Mickey and Minnie specific rides and areas, most of them don't have crazy lines. Those aren't usually my focus when I'm there, so I can't say much about them, but to be perfectly honest, Disney doesn't really do lame attractions. Some of them just have much longer lines, and they tend to come off as 'not worth the wait'. Everything is fun if you can get in without waiting too long.
For the 'must-see-all-the-THINGSSSS' route:
Pick three or four must-see rides/attractions, and get your fast passes online the night before. You can only get 2 or 3 (?) and sometimes the one you want is full, so have a backup in mind when you're making your choices. Plan your day according to what you can get. Study the park map carefully, so that you can pick the best route to get from one fastpass location to another. This way of doing things works best when you know the park well, or at least have done your best to memorize the maps! In theory, once you've used a pass, you can then book another at the terminals in the parks, but I've never had any luck there. The terminals can be hard to find, and the slots are all taken if it's busy enough to make having passes essential. For the record, I don't enjoy this way, it's stressful and exhausting rushing around the park, worrying about making it to the next place on time. Bleh.
But, for people who think you only get your money's worth if you see as much as possible as fast as possible, then there you go.
for the 'lets-relax-and-just-enjoy-the-park' route:
Keep an eye on the munchkins, and whenever someone starts to droop or whine, grab a snack at one of the themed restaurants and cafes, or hit up an attraction that lets you sit down. (The Laugh Floor in tomorrowland is great.)
There are also stage performances and musicals at all the parks! (The ones at Animal Kingdom are flat-out AMAZING. Don't miss them if you go!)
There are places that sell seasonally appropriate themed food, which can be really fun.
Disneyworld is awesome, as long you take things at the pace that suits you best. Some of the teenagers may be *MUCH* happier ditching the grownups and canvassing the park in a pack of rampaging vikings, lol. (I personally go from restaurant to restaurant with attractions stuffed in between. I save up a food budget for every visit, and blow it with a smile. ...Dang it, now I'm hungry.)
If you want to ride something without a fast pass, the best time to hit most of the big attractions is during the parades--the lines get much shorter, and in the evening sometimes you can even ride multiple times if you can make it outside and back in again quickly.
Yes, it's crowded, yes it can be stressful, but the key is to remember that it's *your* vacation, and just do whatever makes you happy. If that means raiding Starbucks every time you go past(my friend), or stalking a certain character for a photo(my dad), or taking as many selfies as your phone battery can handle (my neice), or hitting everything that goes faster than is usually advised(my mom), or eating all the things(Me!), then all that matters is that the end of the day, you had a good time. ^.^
So there, my love letter to Disney, lol.
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I'm more of a Disneyland oriented girl (I've only been to Disneyworld once, in 2007, but I'm going again next year.) Here's what I've gleaned.
This is a really helpful website with a lot of tricks and tips, especially for first time park hoppers.
http://www.disneydining.com
My main recommendation is planning ahead. As long as you know what you plan to do, there's less of a chance of stressing out (at least in my case.) I like staying on property, only because it makes life so much easier. It's more expensive but you don't have to deal with transportation from your off-site hotel to the parks. Disney is running some discounts right now, if you go to their website.
I also recommend the dining plan, which you have to pay for in advance. The cheapest version includes two quick service meals, a snack and a refillable drink. It can be a lot of food but you don't have to worry about paying for food once you're in the park. You just show them your band. :) There's also a package available right now that includes the hotel and meal plan but you have to stay at least 3 nights on property.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/planning-guides/in-depth-advice/disney-dining-plan/
You can make dinner reservations 6 months in advance, which you might need if you plan to do dinner anywhere that is popular (such as the Be Our Guest restaurant.) You can make Fast Pass+ reservations 60 days in advance, provided your staying on property. Prioritize which rides are definite for you and don't worry too much about the ones you miss. WDW is not a one day trip. :)
As for the parks themselves, take your time and keep in mind that you're walking a lot. Magic Kingdom will have the most kid-friendly rides, IMHO. Epcot has the Frozen ride (you may need to Fastpass this) but there isn't much in Future world. I know Hollywood Studios is in the midst of renovations and Animal Kingdom tends to close early, so be aware of that.
That's all I can think of for now, but have a wonderful trip! :)
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I went this last January/Feb. Some tips: utilize the fast pass app via mobile. It sucks but it will get you through the lines faster on those key rides that are a must for your family. (Seriously use it on Spaceship Earth at Epcot it was almost an hour wait the day we were there but we had a fastpass)
Make food reservations with the app as well, though I must say the Beast castle was a bit disorganized at lunch time we had to wait in the general line despite having reservations. And the food was overpriced and not up to par with some of the other things we had in the parks. Sleepy Hallow Waffles were a great cheap meal as well as the Pinocchio one.
Pack at least one light jacket/long sleeve shirt. It dropped down to 45 one morning we were there. My photo at the castle I'm in long sleeve! We also camped the whole week at the Disney campgrounds.
Hollywood studios is probably going to be the area that has the most stuff closed right now due to them building star wars land. There wasn't a whole lot to do otherwise when we went other than window shop and see the stunt cars before they tore it down. I'd avoid Star Tours if you get motion sick, it was the worst ride the whole trip IMO.
If you do a day at Disney Springs, Disney Quest was fun but it's an arcade so not everyone's cup of tea.
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Personally, I would LOVE it if someone offered to take me to Disney World (I used to work there and it really is my favorite place). Since you'll be going during the "off" season, the lines may not be so bad for you. I have not used the new fastpass system. The last time my friends and I went we only had one day to do all four parks so single rider lines were our friend (and I have enough experience with the parks that I can get us through all four parks and ride everything we wanted to ride-including the popular things in one day--I do not recommend this for people who aren't crazy like me). I have only been to the Magic Kingdom once since they opened the new Fantasyland, so I don't have information on all the rides/attractions there but I will give you what help I can. As far as I know, this is where you will still be able to meet Mickey and Minnie at the Magic Kingdom, but check when you get there, they might have other locations they meet in as well.
Suggestions for you based on the information you gave us:
Magic Kingdom (most people refer to this park as Disney World but Disney World is actually the property comprised of the four main parks, two water parks, Downtown Disney and the many resorts and golf courses that Disney owns in that area): Most rides in Fantasyland at The Magic Kingdom are designed for smaller riders so you're less likely to get motion sick. However, if you're not sure how much you can handle, I recommend riding the People Mover in Tomorrowland to get a feel for the speed of most of those rides. The People Mover also lets you have a peek inside some of the rides in Tomorrowland like Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and Space Mountain. It does go in the dark, but there are some little exhibits that you can only see on the People Mover. Winnie the Pooh has a portion where you "bounce" with Tigger and it goes up and down a bit, but it's not like a rollercoaster. It also has a portion where there's a "flood" and the cart moves a bit like if you were floating around. Peter Pan generally has a long line (people think I'm kidding when I say 75 minutes is a short wait time, I've seen it at 180 minutes and people were STILL getting in line for it). Use a fast pass for that if you want to ride it or try to catch it first thing in the morning before the line has a chance to get long. Check back during different times of the day as well, there are lulls in the line sometimes around mealtimes. If you want to chance a "kiddie" rollercoaster, try Goofy's Barnstormer (I think that one is still there). It's very slow and the ups and downs aren't bad. Tom Sawyer's Island in Frontierland usually has very few people on it. It's basically somewhere that you walk around. There are caves to "explore" and an old west fort to look at, but if you just need a break from the crowds, that's usually a decent place to manage it. You do have to take a VERY short ferry ride across the small lagoon to get there but it's a very smooth ride. Frontierland also has The Country Bear Jamboree, which is a show, not a ride. It's cute. It's an older attraction but it's inside and a lot of people usually overlook it. The Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square is a slow constant-motion ride (it only stops when they're transferring people from wheelchairs). It's also in the dark and may be scary for some smaller children but there are no sudden drops or anything like that. Ghosts do pop up from behind things, though. The Hall of Presidents is also an overlooked attraction, which given that you don't like crowds, might be an okay choice. It's educational, though and it's not really something that would probably keep your daughter's attention. But it also has some nice details if you look close enough. The Franklin Roosevelt animatronic actually has braces on his legs, for example. Heading over to Adventureland there's the Tiki Room, which is a show. Pirates of the Caribbean is over there, it's a boat ride with one small drop right at the beginning. Also in Adventureland is The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, which is a walkthrough thing, so keep that in mind. Aladdin's carpets are like the Dumbo ride, you get to decide how much up and down you do but it goes in a circle. There is usually a show on the Castle Stage, so check into that, though depending on the day the crowds might be more than you want to deal with. The Monster's Inc Laugh Floor can be a lot of fun, too. It's an interactive show so it's different every time you go in. A lot of the obscure characters show up in the parades but check with a cast member to see if there are any doing photos/autographs that day. They have a character hotline they can check with to see who is doing meet and greets and where. I have pictures with Friar Tuck, Honest John, and Uncle Scrooge so it's not all newer/popular characters.
EPCOT: Mission Space has two settings. One side is a lot less intense (I've never ridden that side so I don't know how bad it is) but the intense side uses spinning to simulate the gravitational pull. I do not recommend that side for you if you decide to try it. The Test Track is like riding in a car (because you're "test-driving" it), but you don't get to drive. Last time I was there I think the outside portion got up to about 84 mph, but it is not that speed for the whole ride, just the speed portion of the "test". The Seas with Nemo is pretty neat. There is a slow ride (like the Haunted Mansion), but you don't have to ride the ride if you don't want to. You can just go in the back way (by the shop) and get in to look at the aquariums. There are dolphins, sharks, manatees and loads of different kinds of fish. There are movies in the different countries, so those might be a good place to go to get away from a lot of crowds (I'll admit that I took a short nap during the France one--in my defense I was super exhausted that day). But be on the lookout for outside acts. There's a mime in France, living sculptures in Italy, drummers in Japan, and tumblers in China. Also, there is usually a band playing in the American Pavilion. If you get a chance, check out the Voices of Liberty in the America Pavilion. They're amazing! The countries are also a place to meet some of the obscure characters. You can meet Marie (Aristocats) in France, Mary Poppins in the UK, and Panchito and Jose Carioca in Mexico. There is also a ride inside of the Mexico pavilion. It's a boat and moves slowly like "it's a small world". I have no idea what they did to the ride in Norway now that it's Frozen themed. I haven't been since they updated that.
Disney Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM Studios): Toy Story Mania is pretty awesome, I'm not gonna lie. It combines a ride with a 3D video game, so you may want to decide if it's worth chancing motion sickness on. It usually has a long line and fast passes are not easy to get for it. If you're going to do it, get to the park early and get there first. Rockin' Rollercoaster goes from 0 to 60 in 2 seconds and has two loops and a barrel roll. I don't know how your husband feels about roller coasters but if he's looking for one that's fast, that one is it. You might enjoy The Great Movie Ride. It's a slow moving ride that takes a look at some of the old classics like Casablanca and Wizard of Oz. Star Tours is not one I recommend if you get motion sick. The Muppets have a 3-D show that's cute. There's a little playground area based on Honey I Shrunk the Kids that's good if your daughter has excess energy and you need a little break. Fantasmic is an awesome show. Yes, it's in a huge amphitheater and it usually fills up, but at the end is a boat with a lot of characters that you can't find anywhere else, like Steamboat Willie. It has pyrotechnics and a lot of fun special effects.
Animal Kingdom: My grandfather is also not a fan of crowds or a lot of rides and Animal Kingdom was his FAVORITE. As someone else said, catch the Safari in Africa (I used to drive that one). How bumpy it is really depends on the driver, so I can't give you any guarantees there. But the animals are REAL (no those mating antelope are NOT animatronic-but I think you won't be there during the mating season so that shouldn't be an issue) and sometimes the baby giraffes will come up and lick their reflections in the mirrors on the trucks. They're SOOOoooooo cute! There is also a walkthrough trail with gorillas and other animals. You can take the train up to the Conservation Station. I met Jiminy Cricket up there and there is also a petting zoo with (mostly) goats. It's Tough to Be a Bug is a 3-D show with the characters from A Bug's Life, so if you're squeamish at the thought of spiders, moths, or bees, you might want to consider carefully if you can handle this one (even though they're animated some people have issues with them still). In Asia there is a water ride that can be a little rough and you will not come out of it dry. So if it's cold, consider carefully when (if) you want to do that one. There is also a walkthrough area with tigers, komodo dragons and tapirs. There are also bats, but there is an option to just go around that area if they freak you out. Around the Tree of Life there is another walkway with kangaroos and other animals. Between Asia and Dinoland USA there is a theater. Last time I was there they were showing Finding Nemo the Musical, which is really cute. I don't know if that is still there or if they're doing something new yet. Dinoland USA is kind of kitschy. There are carnival rides/games in one area but next to it is a "jungle" with statues of different dinosaurs and then there is the Dinosaur Ride. That one can be a bit scary for smaller ones. I think my recommendation for that one would be to have your husband (or someone else who knows how much you can handle) ride it first and let you know if they think you can handle it. That might not be a bad idea on any ride that you think you want to ride but aren't sure about. The Jammin Jungle Parade is a lot of fun. Usually you can meet Baloo and King Louie at the Animal Kingdom. I've also met Flik and Atta and Koda and Kenei there.
Other things to keep in mind: Each park has a First Aid Station where you can rest if you need to. I think you can also get certain over the counter medicines there so if you run out of medicine, that might be a good place to look (I have no idea how expensive it will be, though).
Hidden Mickeys: This can be a fun activity that doesn't necessarily require you to be in line to find. Yes, some of them are only found in the lines but there are Hidden Mickeys everywhere. You can buy a book to help you hunt them down or you can ask Cast Members if they know of any nearby. There is a Hidden Donald in the Haunted Mansion and also one on the Kilimanjaro Safari. There is a Hidden Baloo somewhere in the Animal Kingdom as well.
Almost every ride is going to let you out in a shop. It's just the way it's designed so expect it and it probably won't annoy you as much. If you do decide to buy things and don't want to carry them around all day, you can either shop on the way out or ask about package pickup. There are also lockers for rent but that is an additional cost, so keep that in mind. If you're staying at a Disney resort, they can send the stuff up to your room (this can take up to 48 hours, though, so keep that in mind near the end of your stay). But you can always have them send it up to the front of the park to be picked up on your way out. I think this service stops two hours before the park closes because it can take up to two hours for your items to get to the pickup spot.
As far as taking in your own food goes, there is a size limit for how big your cooler can be. But if you want to take in sandwiches, drinks and snacks, that's okay. Also keep in mind that you can ask at any of the food counters for a glass of ice water and it is free. If I'm going to buy food, I look at the kids options because a kid's size hamburger is going to be the same size as an adult hamburger, it usually comes with fewer fries or fruit but it's generally cheaper. And even though I have no kids, they never demand to see my children before letting me buy it.
And don't forget your sunscreen. It might be January but it is still Florida and if you burn as easily as I do, you'll want it. A light jacket might be a good idea as well. Evenings can get fairly cool.
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Looks like you have some great advice!! I'm more of a Disneyland expert, so I don't see much I could add that isn't already here.
Have tons of fun though! :)
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I love love Disney World...but almost no matter when you go there will be lines, crowds and long wait times.
I would recommend really planning out each day ahead of time - schedule your fast passes, plan where you will eat, and what events you don't want to miss.
This way you'll have an idea of how long you want to spend at each park. Animal Kingdom is always the least crowded and its so "jungly" that the crowds don't seem to be as obvious.
Since you get motion sick, there are a few different modes of transport. You can take the buses to all the parks. But you can also take the Monorail from Epcot to Magic Kingdom. For rides there are so many options now that you shouldn't have any trouble finding a few you can enjoy too!
If you're staying at a park resort let me know and I can recommend a few hotels, we've been to a lot :)
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Thanks everyone. I have been driving myself insane with the amount of planning that is having to go into this. Did I mention I LIKE to vacation by just flying someplace and figuring it out along the way? hahahaha
I think it will be really interesting to see how much has changed and NOT changed since last I remember. There's a family tradition photo that has to be taken at Epcot if I can find the spot by the fountain!
I doubt we will be going to Animal Kingdom unless it's for a restaurant. We've pretty much burnt ourselves out on wild animals now that we have had a Calgary Zoo membership for the last 6 years.
But there are a bunch of things that are going to be closed so that's annoying. Swiss Family Robinson! Tom Sawyer! Country Jamboree! Tiki Room! It's a Small World! The Steamboat, the Railroads.... Most of Hollywood - except we only wanted to see the Walt Disney bio (closed!) and the Muppets. I cannot believe the macro playground from Honey! I Shrunk the Kids is still there...
We want to stay at the Port New Orleans Riverside hotel if anyone has ever been there... my child LOVES sushi and I have found 22 Asian restaurants so far... :)
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But there are a bunch of things that are going to be closed so that's annoying. Swiss Family Robinson! Tom Sawyer! Country Jamboree! Tiki Room! It's a Small World! The Steamboat, the Railroads.... Most of Hollywood - except we only wanted to see the Walt Disney bio (closed!) and the Muppets. I cannot believe the macro playground from Honey! I Shrunk the Kids is still there...
We want to stay at the Port New Orleans Riverside hotel if anyone has ever been there... my child LOVES sushi and I have found 22 Asian restaurants so far... :)
Jeez that's more closed than this last Feb! We were talking about going again before my other half's military ID expires. As for sushi, we went to Morimoto Asia at Disney and I was NOT impressed. You could tell the fish quality was good but it was served room temperature and I'm used to nigiri cold out of the coolers when it comes to the fish. I'm very touchy to temperature on fish/rice though.
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Thanks everyone. I have been driving myself insane with the amount of planning that is having to go into this. Did I mention I LIKE to vacation by just flying someplace and figuring it out along the way? hahahaha
I think it will be really interesting to see how much has changed and NOT changed since last I remember. There's a family tradition photo that has to be taken at Epcot if I can find the spot by the fountain!
I doubt we will be going to Animal Kingdom unless it's for a restaurant. We've pretty much burnt ourselves out on wild animals now that we have had a Calgary Zoo membership for the last 6 years.
But there are a bunch of things that are going to be closed so that's annoying. Swiss Family Robinson! Tom Sawyer! Country Jamboree! Tiki Room! It's a Small World! The Steamboat, the Railroads.... Most of Hollywood - except we only wanted to see the Walt Disney bio (closed!) and the Muppets. I cannot believe the macro playground from Honey! I Shrunk the Kids is still there...
We want to stay at the Port New Orleans Riverside hotel if anyone has ever been there... my child LOVES sushi and I have found 22 Asian restaurants so far... :)
I have stayed at Port Orleans in the French Quarter and it is pretty nice! The bonus is you can take the riverboat to Downtown Disney I believe, which is awesome!
For sushi I would maybe check out the places at Downtown Disney. I haven't eaten at Japan in Epcot in years, but I think its more like a Benihana type restaurant.
Also ALOT has changed. Just between my first trip in 2002 and the last one in 2015, so much has been added and taken away. The new areas of Magic Kingdom are awesome! I would just go expecting things to be different, or closed, and just enjoy everything you end up finding :)
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So glad this topic was raised, thank you! My husband just started working for a company based in Florida and suggested taking our children to Disney World soon. I never thought we would be able to go before the girls were older ( figured I would take them alone, as DH hates crowds and marketing as well!)
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I thought of something I forgot to mention. If you have a child in your group who is too small to ride a ride, ask about the "Child Swap". This is only available on rides with a height restriction. The way it works is one parent rides the ride and then the other is swapped in with little to no wait so that the child isn't left unattended and you don't have to wait through the whole line twice. The Cast Member at the beginning of the line will get you set up.
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I live near Disney and have been there a billion times. You actually don't need to worry about restaurants and food plans at all if you're staying somewhere with a kitchen, as you are allowed to bring food into the park. I feel like people don't realize that. My son is a type 1 diabetic so we have to know the exact amount of carbs in everything that he puts into his mouth and when I called to find out about food stuff they said you're allowed to bring things in.
Otherwise, I don't have a lot of advice. I hate Disney during the day time because of the heat and the crowds and we really only go for the holiday parties at night now. I hope you have a good trip, though.
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RainbowQuartz brings up a good point. If you have food sensitivities, ask to speak to the chef about it and they will do whatever they can to get you food you can eat. When I worked at the All Star Music Food Court we used to a "Magical Moment" where we would pick a child to decorate a brownie. One day the child they picked was allergic to gluten so they let her decorate the brownie and then gave her a gluten-free Popsicle to eat instead. Don't be embarrassed to ask, the Chefs are very good at knowing what is in the meals they prepare and every restaurant (even the fast food ones) has a Chef that is in charge of that kind of thing.
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...Okay what about restaurant recommendations? We ended up getting the dining plan that requires that I micromanage this kind of stuff and make reservations. :)
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Tusker House at Animal Kingdom is good, as is the Yak 'n Yeti.
EPCOT has SO many places to pick from. If you want to eat in the countries, pick your favorite kind of food and go from there. Otherwise I really like the food in the Land Pavilion at Seasons. I'll be honest, they have mashed red potatoes and they're kind of my favorite.
Disney Hollywood has a lot of fun places, too. There's the Sci-Fi Drive in that has "cars" to sit in while you eat and they play old 60's space cartoons. Pizza Planet is fun, especially if you're a fan of Toy Story.
Magic Kingdom has Cinderella's Royal Table, Crystal Palace (I think that's what it's called) Character Dining, and the new Beauty and the Beast restaurant.
You also might want to consider some meals at the resorts. The Polynesian Resort has Ohana's, which I've heard is super awesome (I've never had the chance to go there myself) and depending on your reservation time you can watch the fireworks from there.
The Hoop De Doo Revue at Fort Wilderness was really fun (a bit pricey, but if you leave hungry it's your fault). It is one of the longest running show in America. It's been going for more than 40 years.
There are also restaurants at the Board Walk and Downtown Disney, so it wouldn't hurt to bring up some maps and see if anywhere looks like someplace you want to try.
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I've heard the Be Our Guest restaurant (Beauty and the Beast themed) is awesome!
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I've heard the Be Our Guest restaurant (Beauty and the Beast themed) is awesome!
Dunno about the food but i was disappointed in the cupcake. The grey stuff icing was great but the cake itself tasted like a processed hoho Plus overpriced. Was worth it to see the inside though! The Waffle shop is cheaper and Pinocchio restaurant was tasty and more reasonable in price.
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...Okay what about restaurant recommendations? We ended up getting the dining plan that requires that I micromanage this kind of stuff and make reservations. :)
I could actually go on forever lol. Also I've eaten more places than this but these are the most recent I can remember :)
Hollywood Studios:
50's Prime time!
Sci Fi Dine in Theatre (One of my favorites!!)
Epcot:
Beaches N Cream (its nearby)
Chefs du France
Coral Reef Restaurant (Good food, awesome atmosphere)
Rose & Crown (Yummy fish and chips)
San Angel Inn Restaurant
Magic Kingdom:
Tony's
Be Our Guest (Awesome Atmosphere, food is good)
Cinderella's Royal Table (great for the experience but very $$$)
Grand Floridian Café (food is ok, but the atmosphere is nice)
Kona Café (yum yum yum!)
The Plaza Restaurant (Good food!)
Animal Kingdom:
Rainforest Café (classic, not a ton of options in this park)
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Thanks everyone. I have been driving myself insane with the amount of planning that is having to go into this. Did I mention I LIKE to vacation by just flying someplace and figuring it out along the way? hahahaha
I think it will be really interesting to see how much has changed and NOT changed since last I remember. There's a family tradition photo that has to be taken at Epcot if I can find the spot by the fountain!
I doubt we will be going to Animal Kingdom unless it's for a restaurant. We've pretty much burnt ourselves out on wild animals now that we have had a Calgary Zoo membership for the last 6 years.
But there are a bunch of things that are going to be closed so that's annoying. Swiss Family Robinson! Tom Sawyer! Country Jamboree! Tiki Room! It's a Small World! The Steamboat, the Railroads.... Most of Hollywood - except we only wanted to see the Walt Disney bio (closed!) and the Muppets. I cannot believe the macro playground from Honey! I Shrunk the Kids is still there...
We want to stay at the Port New Orleans Riverside hotel if anyone has ever been there... my child LOVES sushi and I have found 22 Asian restaurants so far... :)
I am a huge Disney World Nerd (I go 1-2 times a year) so feel free to ask anything. I'm current planning for my trip in February for a family reunion.
January is a great time to go to avoid crowds (as long as you don't go on a marathon weekend). The weather is nice, and besides the water parks most things are in operation.
Don't get discouraged about the closings. Things sometimes say they are closed but open randomly during your time there. For example, I was there in September and it's a Small World was closed for refurb, but it opened the Saturday we were there to accommodate crowds. I can assure you the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground is gone... mostly nothing is left of Hollywood Studios right now unless you like Tower of Terror or Star Wars. The Disney biography thing "One Man's Dream" exhibit should be open and the movie they play should go back by then because Moana will have been out for awhile.
Port Orleans Riverside is a great hotel! My second favorite after Caribbean Beach. I get motion sick easily as well, but they have a super relaxing Boat Ride from the hotel to Disney Springs (the shopping and food district) that is great at night and I don't get sick on. Also they have a lot of resort recreation such as Fishing and Swimming. I personally just love the relaxing theming.
What kind of food does your family like? Picky eaters, big eaters?
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...Okay what about restaurant recommendations? We ended up getting the dining plan that requires that I micromanage this kind of stuff and make reservations. :)
You should check out the Disney Food Blog (http://www.disneyfoodblog.com (http://www.disneyfoodblog.com)), and DISboards has a board dedicated to Disney restaurants (http://www.disboards.com/forums/disney-restaurants.14 (http://www.disboards.com/forums/disney-restaurants.14)). You can get some tips and information about working with the dining plans there, for sure. :)
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...Okay what about restaurant recommendations? We ended up getting the dining plan that requires that I micromanage this kind of stuff and make reservations. :)
You should check out the Disney Food Blog (http://www.disneyfoodblog.com (http://www.disneyfoodblog.com)), and DISboards has a board dedicated to Disney restaurants (http://www.disboards.com/forums/disney-restaurants.14 (http://www.disboards.com/forums/disney-restaurants.14)). You can get some tips and information about working with the dining plans there, for sure. :)
Oh good! More reading! :D
I have spent more hours researching this trip than any other vacation, I think! really! I took a road trip clear across the Midwest once, and just followed highway signs - hence how I came to find out that "lil' white girls don' stop fer gas in Ferguson!" ;)
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Eeeeek sorry to double-post but it has been awhile!
Restaurant reviews for Morimoto Asia anyone? My child is a sushi addict - you can get her to do ANYTHING if you promise her a fish. LOL I will be the one eating off the kid's menu there ahahaha. And what other restaurants serve actual sashimi? I see a number of seafood options but if they are cooking the fish, nobody at my table will touch it.
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I haven't eaten there (not a fan of seafood in any form) but I did try one of the restaurants in the Japan Pavilion at EPCOT and it was okay. I ended up getting chicken of some kind. Though, my opinion is probably not the best because I'm not a huge fan of Japanese cuisine.
It looks like this site has the menus for the Disney Restaurants. On the search page I put in "Japanese" as the cuisine type and it had a list. Maybe it will be helpful.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningmain.cfm
Looks like Kimonos at the Swan (Boardwalk area hotel) has sashimi. The site looks like it hasn't been updated overly recently but you can use that as a starting point. And if there's a restaurant in a hotel that you want to go to, you don't need to be staying at that hotel. You can just go in and tell the cast members that you're looking for that restaurant and they'll get you there. :)
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Eeeeek sorry to double-post but it has been awhile!
Restaurant reviews for Morimoto Asia anyone? My child is a sushi addict - you can get her to do ANYTHING if you promise her a fish. LOL I will be the one eating off the kid's menu there ahahaha. And what other restaurants serve actual sashimi? I see a number of seafood options but if they are cooking the fish, nobody at my table will touch it.
I've eaten at Morimoto Asia 1 1/2 times (one was their like street food snacks lol). But it was really good! My husband let me try some of his spicy tuna roll and I loved it. And I hate fish in any form. I mean he is ruined for sushi after that night. And the duck ramen I got was really good and filling for the price if anyone wanted to try something new in that respect.
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...Okay what about restaurant recommendations? We ended up getting the dining plan that requires that I micromanage this kind of stuff and make reservations. :)
I could actually go on forever lol. Also I've eaten more places than this but these are the most recent I can remember :)
Hollywood Studios:
50's Prime time!
This was definitely my favorite place as well, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was great.
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Honestly, I LOVE to go there for the resturaunts! The kind you have to make reservations for of course! :P The Castle is my favorite place to dine but its pricey! I also love the Japan resturaunt above the gift shop and the bakery in the France pavillion! Im also a fan of the Italy soda in the cocacola shop- it taste like grapefruit juice! If you plan on dining, the food and wine festival is AMAZING! Lots of free samples and cheap appetizers! OMG its bliisssss! :heart: I stayed late after park hours and did some cheese and wine tasting! :biggrin:
Epcot is my TOP favorite park to go to. Theres always something to do there!!! I get lost in the aquarium, The Seas, with all the finding Nemo stuff. I can stare at fish for hours and I love to look for the sea turtle!
I havnt been there since they introduced the bracelet thingies but Im also planning on going next year!!!! :biggrin:
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Sadly this trip has caused so much stress that I don't know how any of us adults are going to enjoy themselves. I could try to rant but... *siiiiiiiiiiigh* I totally GET why "Tantrums at Disney" are a thing because we've had so many already and we haven't even put on mouse ears!
I don't even know if I can explain it all without sounding like a whiny North American with First World Problems. Here goes!
Okay so this was intended as a family reunion meet-up sort of gathering in the state of Florida, because most of my family are:
1) too poor to travel and don't have the credit to debt themselves more
2)unable to obtain passports for various reasons and ...
3) my grandmother is in her 80's with leukemia and "nobody's sure how long she's got". Last time we scheduled a huge trip to the States for family, she backed out claiming health- but we all know it was because even 40 years after the divorce, she wouldn't be in the same room as her ex-husband. :(
4) we had gut-churning, sickening amounts of Reward Points that would be expiring on Dec 31, 2016. we had to book a trip or lose 13 years of collecting them. More on this later!
5) We had a gut-churning, sickening amounts of Avion points (points just for air travel, includes all insurances, concierge services, never expires, no blackout dates)
So I started planning a trip in which we could drive around and visit family all over the state and Disney wasn't even involved and we could go to the beach and blah blah blah normal vacation. Turns out my grandparents had sold their houses in FL AND their house in GA and nobody told me. And apparently my mom's senior citizen trailer park is super strict to the point of not even letting visitors into the park. So then it was, "Find a hotel because you can't stay with family". Okay. So the outset price on the trip just doubled.
Then mom tells me, "you know that's my busiest season so I'll be working the whole time so please just plan a birthday vacation for the little one." and I'm like.... oh great, now I have to rent a car. And know all the toll roads to use, have exact change, and deal with aggressive road raged drivers with GUNS? I HATE Florida, I used to live there and it sucked. And everytime I visit, it's worse. No offense to Floridians...
I didn't want to drive... we can't spend our living moments scheduling Uber pickups, AUGH! Okay where in Florida can we vacation safely as a family? DISNEY! we can stay on-resort and be all-inclusive! And other family members can just come to the parks when they can, if they can, right? And we can have a birthday party at Disney! Princesses!
Fast forward a week. Mom is now telling me that Grandmom won't even come down to FL because she wants to be close to her leukemia clinic in Nashville TN. THAT.IS.THE.REASON.FOR.THE.FLORIDA.YOU.STUPID.MORONS.I.JUST......
Thankfully when my husband threw the Epic Man Tantrum, everyone got some sense into their head.
Then it turns out that very few of my family are actually able to travel or afford Disney because okay, yes, the last time I went was in 2001 but seriously, when did tickets become INSANE? Just getting into the MK for one day, is over $100! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAA WHOA WOW NO. This plan is getting seriously out of hand but now the Epic Man Tantrum happened and We.Are.Having.This.Vacation. Think "National Lampoon" movies, because that's what we are practically dealing with. So maybe I can book something on Disney property that doesn't require theme park admission?????
Mom says she will light a fire to get family to understand we are NOT returning to the USA for the next FIVE YEARS - if you want to meet our child before she hits puberty, you need to figure out how to drive to Orlando.
Supposedly this Reward Company has "inclusive Disney packages" - but the phone operator tells us, "No, you just go online and decide what you want, then you call us back and we apply your Rewards Points." So we pick out what we want. My husband starts bugging the Rewards Company - who are backlogged with all the customers who are desperate to redeem points before expiration. Phone calls are 4 hours on hold at the absolute minimum. Finally after 2 weeks he "books" an appointment where the Specialist will call us back in ANOTHER 2 weeks. Meanwhile we watch all the resort options that we wanted ....dwindle away and sell out on the Disney website. :( The Reward Company keeps assuring me that we will get what we want.
Meanwhile I find out that booking a space at a resort for a party is also NOT happening due to availability and budget. Also ordering a cake at Disney that would be suitable for the party started at $80, plus you have to stay on top of the pastry chefs to ensure that they understand you REALLY want the cake, because apparently 30% of the time, Cast Members screw up and forget your cake despite that you are pre-charged for it. And no characters can be on the cake due to concerns about them not being on-model! WHAAAAAAAAAAA if you order a Disney cake it should come with Mickey as a default standard OMG WUT.
Okay. Birthday party out the window. Delivered or picked up cake now out the window. Originally had 20 family members RSVP, now we are down to 3 - US. JUST US.
Rewards Company misses their appointment call-back. I had taken a whole day off work to deal with watching the small person while husband dealt with (what we thought) travel reservations. There was Epic Man Tantrum: the Revenge when they called back..... while we were taking the kid to school. They called during the ONLY 20 minutes we were out of the house. Somehow through some miracle the Rewards Company managed to get ahold of us. However... they had a much different story than any of the other 15 people my husband had spoken to!!!!!
"No, we at rewards Company don't do "packages", our Partners do! And no, you don't pick out what you want and call us. You should have called us; we tell you what we offer."
Rewards Company now offers us a basic, standard, more boring package full of limitations and restrictions that is actually MORE expensive than going directly through Disney. "But you're redeeming those soon-to-expire points, right? It'd be worse to lose them and pay anything out of pocket, wouldn't it? Right? Except we forgot to tell you, the points ratio we list on the website has nothing to do with what our Partners offer - those are special prices at the time of your booking! Just for you! No, if want to talk to your wife about this, you'll lose the booking, you need to tell us NOW! Soooooo we can give you $3300 off the $6800 that the package would "cost" - that's only $3500 that you have to pay. What, no, we didn't say that you wouldn't be paying out of pocket!" Yes, I realize this is a complete and utter 180 from what they just said about costs. Now we start arguing with Rewards Company that we do NOT need the Partner Airfare - we have Avion points, they are much better than whatever Reward Company can offer. Package without airfare suddenly turns into only $1300 off the $6800.
Audience, keep in mind that this "package" cannot be accessed by the general public, so the value isn't actually valid - I wouldn't be booking THROUGH anyone third-party if I was booking direct through Disney. The price we have sitting in our shopping cart at Go DisneyWorld is actually $5500 flat-out.
Now we finally have Rewards Company book our package Their Way because obviously, all the options we wanted - the resort we wanted, the room type, the room size... it's all radically downgraded. We had to pay massively out of pocket. and what do we read in the newspaper headline the following Monday???? That the federal government had heard from The People and they said it was illegal for these points to expire now! Anyone who hadn't had their redemptions go through yet was granted a reprieve! Except... you can guess that doesn't include us!
Naturally the Viking-level Epic Man Tantrum was to ensue over the minor detail that he has friends on Facebook who live in Florida; who, when they found out about our trip, were happy to let us AirBnB their place and borrow their car, if we had only *said* something...
At least we have managed to get three family members with actual purchased tickets now. The latest from Grandmom is that she was able to switch her timeshare week to the last three days of our being in Florida. And she isn't going to the parks. And this means it's a mostly-wasted park pass that day as we will have to leave Disney to go to her timeshare.
Massive amounts of cookies if you made it through all that! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
*beats a pinata into a flat shape*
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Wow. What a big huge mess!! Sorry that this is so stressful for you! Disney is supposed to be fun!
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AAAAAAAAAAND WE HAVE RETURNED!!
Thank all the gods that I can think of, that this trip was MAGICAL and AMAZING and my husband drank the Mickey Kool-Aid LOL! By Day 2 he was singing all the songs and going full steam on Pixie Dust.
My family only made things difficult on one day so that was a miracle. We managed to get a mini-reunion and a Four-Generations Photo taken.
Now all any of us can think about is, "How do we get back to our Disney Home?" LOL
We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter on resort - very very nice hotel! The only park we did not go to was Animal Kingdom and Typhoon Lagoon (closed for maint.) But Blizzard Beach was AWESOME.
*sings*
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I'm so glad it worked out magical in the end and was worth all the insane hassle, I cannot even relate to how stressful that was for you... on a whole 'nother level if it resulted in a Viking-level Epic Man Tantrum.
Sometimes it feels like you need a holiday to recover from planning your holiday lol.
Belated happy birthday to your daughter too! Did she love Disney World? (I want to visit a Disney theme park some day, but they're all so far away)
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I'm so glad that you enjoyed yourself! ^.^