Disney World Advice!

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Hey Kids,

Ok, I'm off to the Magic Kingdom this October for the first time. I have a plan! I don't know if it will go over well, but we shall see.

I hope to get some suggestions from all of you on just about everything. Maybe there's something I missed and NEED to see. :)

But, my biggest questions evolve around Dinning! I have a plan but wonder if making Priority seating works for party of 1?

So:

Sunday - Animal Kingdom - Restrauntsaurus and Chief Mickey dining.
Monday- Magic Kingdom - Crystal Palace & Liberty Tree or Plaza dining
Tuesday - Magic Kingdom - TOnys & Crystal Palace Dining w/ Mickey's Hallween in the evening.
Weds - Universl / IOA - Mythos!! Lunch - Dinner ??? DTD?
Thurs - Studios - SCi Fi Gril - Hollywood Dine/ Fantasmic seating (part of the trip)
Friday - Epcot - Food & Wine (Should keep me full ;) ) Nine Dragons dinner
Saturday - Boathouse and a random park before flying out at 7pm.

Any thoughts or advice??? :cheers:

[CoasterMatt]

CityWalk in Florida has Margaritaville - excellent place to knock back some booze with good people watching.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I'm so happy for you!

My thoughts--

1) You probably won't need two days at Magic Kingdom. You'll yearn for Disneyland-- and it ain't it. (And this is coming from someone whose childhood memories are only of WDW.) EPCOT may be more to your liking-- and I'm not sure you've planned enough time for it.

2) Be willing to veer from your plan, and if you have a park-hopper (I suggest it!) do your best to start in one park and end in another (for instance, Animal Kingdom usually closes kind of early, and you could hit another park that night.) A note about that, though-- I don't know your transportation plans, but be sure to leave enough commute time in between. Buses don't always come fast enough.

3) Priority seating will most definitely work with a party of one-- and you've got to do it, because they really book up (even in the off-season.)

4) Yummy food in the parks... There's excellent orange soft-serve outside the (terrible) Tiki Room. Pastries at Epcot. You will LOOOOOVE the Sci Fi Grill.

5)If you have the chance to explore the hotels, there are some pretty neat-o ones. And the restaurants there are often far better than the ones in the parks (except Epcot, of course.) For instance-- if you're willing to try African cuisine, Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge is swell. Also, I remember thinking the "clam bake" (not all seafood, all kins of good stuff) at Cape May Cafe in the Beach Club resort was effin' delicious, and gave us a chance to check out what was, in my opinion, the coolest pool ever. If I remember correctly, Jesse swears by Artist's Point in the Wilderness Lodge. I found allears.net to be extremely helpful in menu/dining planning.

6) Rides-- Mickey's Philharmagic strikes me as something you'd completely love. Try Journey into Imagination in Epcot, though it's different than the one I grew up with, it still has the swell Figment character I so love. Also in Epcot, ride the Norway ride, and Test Track, and the new Mexican one (I haven't been since they updated it, though.) And Mission: Space but do not lift your head off the back of your seat and do NOT look left or right-- just at the screen. MGM, definitely hit Tower-- it's so much better than ours. Splash is better-executed than ours. Pan has fast-pass.

7) Find out which parks are the "early entrance" parks for hotel members, and don't go there in the morning.

8) And... start training now. WDW is a lot wider than DL, and requires much more stamina to get from one end to the other. I did a massive MK-morning/Epcot afternoon/MGM evening once and could hardly stand the next day.

You're going to have such a blast!

[Matterhorn Fan]

There is a serious lack of Boma on that itinerary.

[keith - SuPeR K!]

spiderman at IOA is a must-see!


...and all of LSPoorEeyorick's advise is good advise!

[Prudence]

Yeah, I was going to note the need for Boma. Or, if you have the funds and want something a little quieter (Boma is pretty loud), you might try Jiko, also in the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

We have a huge soft spot for Liberty Tree Tavern, as well. They have birch beer!

I concur that 2 days is probably more than you need for MK. You might consider splitting one of those days between EPCOT and MK - since you can take the monorail between them. There really is a lot to take in at EPCOT.

Oh, and people always say that Animal Kingdom is a half-day park. And yet, I've always gotten there at opening and not been finished when it closed. I guess it depends on how much time you like to spend looking at animals. I stop and watch just about every critter I see. But do head for Everest first on that day - I love that ride!

The flip side is that I really don't like the studios that much. I go there for Tower, and that's about it. But, they do have some really great streetmosphere characters there. I'd almost go there just for that. So, if you have some downtime, hang out in the Hollywood area up front and watch for the action.

[BarTopDancer]

o'Hana is gross. Skip it.

Also skip nine-dragons. You can get better Chinese food here.

EPCOT is HUGE! We were seriously unprepared for how big that park is. Be prepared to tackle it over a period of days. The Malestrom in Norway is strange. Mission: Space is awesome and so is Test Track. Do single rider in Test Track. The way the cars are, it is quicker to do single rider.

Everst is awesome but AK itself is an 'eh park (in MHO). We went in, rode Everest, left and have no regrets.

Rides I liked better: ToT, Splash, Thunder. Space is our Matterhorn (we totally braced ourselves for our Space turns even knowing it was the Matterhorn. OUCH). The late night Magic hours are the best. The crowds thin out pretty well. But avoid the parks that have the morning magic hours.

Busses are pretty prompt but can be delayed. The monorail is fun and it GOES INSIDE A HOTEL!!!!!!

[Kevy Baby]

I got nuthin' as I have never been

[BarTopDancer]

Most importantly, TAKE YOUR TIME TO TAKE EVERYTHING IN!

MK is not Disneyland. Our motto became "it's the same, but different!" and we overlooked so many details. So much stuff because it was so similar to DL.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

AWESOME advice everyone!

My fear is missing something at the Magic Kingdom - yes its not Disneyland, but I so want to take in that park fully!!

This is so tough this planning. I wish all the parks were open until
midnight every day.

I planed some of the days for the Magic Hours but they're not specific as to night or day on the website.

Ugh, this is so long time coming (as Heidi knows) I think I'll need another week there!!! ;)

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

I got nuthin' as I have never been

I could use a roommate!! ;)

[innerSpaceman]

Don't rely on public (or WDW) transportation.

Actually, you can get by with the Studios / Epcot / Magic Kingdom loop via boat and monorail pretty well. But without your own car, forget about going anywhere else.


In other words, the bus system SUCKS.

[BarTopDancer]

We thought the bus system was awesome. Only once did it take longer than 10 minutes for a bus to show up (that was at the Polynesian). The entire transportation system was a bit cumbersome though (going from hotel to park, then needing to go to a hotel or the transportation center to get to another park). It was nice not having a car, not needing to navigate the streets and deal with parking.

[Stan4dSteph]

I didn't have an issue with the bus system, but you should allow for transport time.

I love Animal Kingdom. The theming is so detailed. It's definitely a park to take your time in, if you are so inclined. I like talking to the CMs who are positioned around near the animals. I could spend hours in the aviaries watching the beautiful birds.

Here's the page that lists morning and evening EMHs (http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/calendar/extraMagicHour?id=CalendarExtraMagicHoursPage).

I'll be down later in October for the ToT 13K. Have fun!

[mousepod]

Just got back from a mini-vacation (not in WDW), so I apologize for coming to this thread late. What are your travel days? You know that October is EPCOT's 25th Anniversary, right?

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Thanks s4s - Good to know - Looks like I'm getting the evening ones. YAY!

ISM! - I'll keep an eye out. Monorail is what I'm looking to do as much as possible.

MP -I'll be there for the big MiceScat trip Oct 20-27.

[lashbear]

What ?!?!?! No Victoria & Albert's ?

DO go on Mission: Space, Intense Side, and make sure your capsule has barf-bags. Mine had run out :eek: Try less intense first if not sure....

DO go on The Seas With Nemo - it's way better than the Subs.

Make sure you get Matterhorn Fan and Flippyshark to meet up with you, at least once. They're AWESOME people and you can run them ragged all day and they won't complain :D

Do go to Boma - the food is divine. Try to get a glowing Martini if they still have them.

DO see if HTH Bellcaptain can give you a tour of the TOT.... you'll remember it for the rest of your life *Waves to HTHBC*

Oh, and don't miss Illuminations like we did. :(

Also, not Disney related, check out Skull Kingdom (http://www.skullkingdom.com/) one evening while you're in Orlando.... if you're not chicken, that is.... Bwah hah hah hah.

[lashbear]

PS: Forget Stitch. Blah.

[Mary Blairiffic]

I'll echo some other posts here -- allot way more time for EPCOT! I'm a Disneyland fanatic whose second favorite Disney locale is EPCOT. Frankly, you can easily spend a half day in the Magic Kingdom and you'll be fine since Land is 150 times better! Oh, and when in EPCOT, do dine at the fancy schmancy restaurant in France!!!:)

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

OMG! I just looked up Victoria and Albert - I can't pernounce half the menu.... hehehe - Wholy Cow $100? :(

I've added BOMA to the list! And I will raise a Martini in your honor Lash!

I think the big "hole" is dinner at Epcot! I had Nine Dragons but that got a thumbs down. Mary mentioned France? Hmmmm...

Thoughts?

[HTHBellcaptain]

Do go to Boma - the food is divine. Try to get a glowing Martini if they still have them.

DO see if HTH Bellcaptain can give you a tour of the TOT.... you'll remember it for the rest of your life *Waves to HTHBC*


Boma? Did someone say Boma? Boma, Boma, Boma, Boma, Boma, Boma, Boma, Boma, Boma, Boma, Boma, Boma, Boma, Boma, Boma. I love Boma

I also like Ohanas (Polynesian Resort) a lot. Have a great time.

*HTHBellcaptain waves at Lashbear*

[HTHBellcaptain]

I think the big "hole" is dinner at Epcot! I had Nine Dragons but that got a thumbs down. Mary mentioned France? Hmmmm...

Thoughts?

I've eaten at Nine Dragons many times, and I've never had a bad meal there. With World Showcase, all of the full service restaurants are good. It just depends on what your tastes are.

[lashbear]

Japan's got good food too, but I'm biased.

[Prudence]

I love the Biergarten. Probably my favorite EPCOT restaurant.

[BarTopDancer]

Biergarten!!!!!!!!! It was awesome!!

My rule of thumb (since most of the reservations were my choice) was to pick places that we didn't have amazing versions of at home. I didn't want to be disappointed so I skipped Mexico, Japan and Chinese. We ate at Le Cellular, Biergarten, Alfredos (pass!) and Tangerine Cafe (counter service, amazing).

[sleepyjeff]

I am flying there Tomorrow:):)

Got ressies(PS/whatever) at Raglan Road, Chefs de France, Concourse Steakhouse, Sci-Fi Diner, and The Rose and Crown....tried for Teppynyaki but they're going to be closed durring my stay:(. Glad I could get into the Concourse Steakhouse as they are scheduled to close(forever) in the near future.

[€uroMeinke]

When I was there, the girls in the German Pavilion were the most flirty - try some Riesling

[Not Afraid]

But, if it BOYS you're after, try Italy. ;)

[Mrs. Nesbitt]

Le Cellier Steakhouse - Canada at Epcot

For Animal Kingdom, if you want to see animals get there early and do the walks first. Once the heat of the day sets in, they disappear. Do the jeep safari next. From there either single rider Everest or get a FP. The rest of the park is themed well, and enjoyable to walk around, but is limited on what to do. There are the kids carnival type rides and the Dinosaur ride similiar to Indy.

I would do 1 1/2 days Magic Kingdom and 1 1/2 days EPCOT. Yes, MK is not DL, but this is your first time and you will enjoy it. This time of year is pretty quiet and waits for most attractions where short. Everest got busy and Test Track, but most everything else was about 15 minutes. The Food and Wine Festival will be going on at EPCOT, so evenings get busier, especially Friday and Saturday nights.

Weather was perfect last year. We stayed at Carib. Beach and had no issues with the bus. This year with Port Orleans, you can motorlaunch to DTD and the transportation hub and get anywhere fairly quickly. Do use the monorial when possible.

You will have a park hopper pass with entry into Pleasure Island, the waterparks and Disney Quest.

[Not Afraid]

California Grill at the Contemporary.......BEST meal I had a WDW with BOMA a close second.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

When I was there, the girls in the German Pavilion were the most flirty - try some Riesling

Excellent! A pub stop is a must then!! hehe

Thanks all for the additional advice. It's all coming togeather... somewhat! :)

[Mrs. Nesbitt]

California Grill at the Contemporary.......BEST meal I had a WDW with BOMA a close second.

Doing that one with the significant other this year and the fireworks.

Skip Illuminations, did it last year and it is very overated.

[Matterhorn Fan]

I STRONGLY disagree about IllumiNations. It's the best nighttime show at WDW (if not the best show).

[innerSpaceman]

Um, I think Alfredo's (Italy) is gone .... never had a bad meal there. Um, for decades, it was THE most popular restaurant in the entire United States.

Chefs de France is usually delicious. The Biergarten is fun, but the food is so-so (imo). Nine Dragons sucks.




Oh, the monorail will get you between the Tragic Kingdom and Epcot. That is all. And especially considering you might want to go off-property (cough*Islands of Adventure*cough), you cannot beat the convenience and time-saving of your own (albeit rented) vehicle.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Ditto on the "do Illuminations." Knowing your taste, I think you might really like it. (I sure do.)

[BarTopDancer]

I regret not seeing all of Illuminations. See it!

[Prudence]

We like Illuminations a lot. BT doesn't like fireworks at all, really, and he liked Illuminations.

We also like having our own car while we're there. We haven't done the buses at all. My brother likes them, but I like knowing I won't have to stand and that I can crank up the A/C. If you get there early in the morning you don't end up parking that far away, usually. We do take the monorail between EPCOT and MK, if we're park hopping, but for the rest of the time we like the car. Gets us away from the unwashed masses that much faster.

Chefs de France probably has better food than Biergarten, but for me the Biergarten was more comfortable. Plus, my last name doesn't confuse them.

We did the table service place in Morocco and I have mixed feelings about that. The food was great, but the price seemed too high for what it was. The belly dancer was only out for a minute or two and wasn't really that good, frankly, and I generally felt...unwanted. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but I felt like I was bothering them or intruding somehow. You know how sometimes when you go to an "ethnic" restaurant that isn't normally frequented by WASP types and they're really suspicious of you until you've demonstrated that you really like their food and them and aren't going to be a problem? That's how I felt at Morocco's sit-down place. And to me it seems like at WDW people who look like me would be more expected and not "zomg! white girl approaching! no one make direct eye contact and maybe she'll go away!"

The counter service was almost as tasty, much cheaper, and less interaction with the staff -- so I'd recommend that.

[mousepod]

Illuminations is the best Disney show I've seen (in America. Ask NA and €uro about BraviSEAmo).

Since you've never done EPCOT, the best way to really appreciate and enjoy Illuminations is to spend the whole day at the park, from opening to closing. Be at Future World as soon as the park opens - get your fast pass for Mission:Space right away and do your single rider Test Track. Enjoy the Kodak-sponsored show in their pavilion (the live one, of course) and dig on Nemo in The Living Seas. Have a light but healthy lunch in The Land. Once you've done all of Future World, head into World Showcase and don't look back. Pick one side and explore the park in an orderly fashion. When you're halfway done, you'll be exhausted - so it's a perfect time to get refreshed in the air-conditioned patriotism of The American Adventure (you'll be so raw by that time that you might need to hide your tears at the sappy but effective theme music). You can graze through World Showcase or pick a nice place for dinner (plenty of good suggestions already in this thread) - but make sure you're outside at least 30 minutes before Illuminations. If you follow these directions, you'll have had at least a dozen hours of the not-so-subtle messages of EPCOT being drilled into your head: a message of national pride and international friendship and cooperation, a message that with a global vision, anything is possible. At this point, you'll be primed for Illuminations. It's the perfect punctuation to the message. And when it ends and you slowly make your way back through Future World, past the shining sphere that is Spaceship Earth, you will understand why EPCOT is the best American Disney park.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

ooh, MousePod's getting me all gitty about it!!

Honestly from my POV Epcot seems always seemed so low in expectation. The ol'e "Educational" blah!!

For IOA - someone in the MiceScat crew has transportation for all, so that's a load off.

Thanks for being so helpful everyone!!!

[CoasterMatt]

EPCOT is my favorite park in WDW, despite it's non-thrill nature.

Maybe you can head back next year when Spaceship Earth is reopened.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

I've been looking around for info on the Fastpass system. I know certain rides are linked like here in DLR. Anyone have the heads up on that?

:)

[Matterhorn Fan]

It's not possible (nor practical, nor necessary) to "work" the Fastpass system like you can in California.

[Mrs. Nesbitt]

www.waltdisneyworld.com)

;)

[innerSpaceman]

I got all giddy over Mousepod's Epcot post (and even mojo'd him for it). Epcot is, hands down, the 2nd best Disney theme park ever created.

That said, I have no idea what it's like nowadays. World Showcase is probably locked in a time warp, but FutureWorld took a turn for the worse in the mid 1990's and has, I daresay, never fully recovered.

Regardless, it's most certainly an all-day park. Pffft, FutureWorld alone used to be an all-day park. I used to love taking people there, spending the entire day at FutureWorld ... and only after that, just before fireworks, taking them across the bridge to World Showcase ... whereupon their jaws would drop at the sudden and unexpected appearance of a dozen nations wrapped around a lake the size of Disneyland.

[xharryb]

Also, not Disney related, check out Skull Kingdom (http://www.skullkingdom.com/) one evening while you're in Orlando.... if you're not chicken, that is.... Bwah hah hah hah.

I think Skull Kingdom is closed down and at least partially demolished at this point.


You've already been given plenty of great advice, so i don't have much left to add. My biggest advice really is don't be afraid to deviate from your plan. Take your time to enjoy things and if you wind up liking one park more than another, spend the time there.

Epcot is my personal favorite of the parks and I often find myself going there just to walk around and not even do any attractions. But that's just my style (and the benefit of living less than 2 hours away). I also love Animal Kingdom. It's just so beautiful, and they are finally getting it built up with enough stuff to entertain people for a longer day. I'd HIGHLY recomend the stage shows at AK. Festival of the Lion King is fantastic and I rather enjoyed the Nemo musical (but get there early if that's something you want to see. the line is insane.).

I don't dine at the parks often enough to offer any great advice there, so I'll deffer to others on that front.

Have fun, and perhaps I'll see ya around at the parks during your stay. I'm sure I'll make it over at least once during the trip to say hello to a few people.

[swanie]

The worst advice we got for our WDW trip 4 years ago was that our kids would be bored at Epcot and to only schedule one day.

What a mistake. We loved it and the kids loved it. One day was just not enough. We completely underestimated the size and scope of the park. We were there for the opening day of Mission: Space (which was unbelievably cool), so there was a real buzz to the park and we ran ourselves ragged from 8am until the kids dropped at 9:00pm. As for the food, we loved the Biergarten patio in Germany and the Yorkshire County Fish Shop for fish and chips in the United Kingdom.

We really enjoyed MK and AK, loved Epcot, but beyond the shows for the kids at MGM we were bored with that park.

We're going back for our second trip in October too, but this time we're staying for 10 days. We scored reservations to Le Cellier and Coral Reef at Epcot, but most of our other reservations are more "kid" friendly and character dining-ish. We're new owners at AKLV, so we're hoping to sneak into Boma while we're there too. Also, try to set aside a bit of time to run around the different resorts while you're there. We hopped around a few of the resorts just to take a look. They are really incredible and each is so different. That's one of the biggest reasons we're going for 10 days this go around. We didn't even get a chance to see the Beach Club and Boardwalk.

Have a great time!
swanie

[wolfy999]

Hey, you won't be alone if you don't want to be....remember you have friends traveling with you!

[innerSpaceman]

Have I mentioned you should rent a car?

THE (NOT SO) MAGICAL BUS: I opted not to rent a car this trip. I thought I am staying on property and they have buses, monorails, and boats that go everywhere....why would I need or want the inconvience of a car. Well, first of all those buses make lots of stops and sometimes you end up standing for 20 - 50 minutes. Secondly not every destination is served directly by one bus......sometimes you're going to have to get off the bus and onto another one...which also may make several stops. Worse of all, sometimes they just don't show up. Most of the time a bus came within 20 minutes....but we did have a couple of waits that exceeded 45 minutes. One journey took us, from start to finish, 80 minutes. Made us late for dinner ressies at the Contemporary Resort...

IMO, the extra expense is worth your convenience. Not to mention time. Which, considering airfare, park admissions, lodging and excess dining expense .... costs you approximately $6.53 every minute you are on property. The car pays for itself!

[Stan4dSteph]

Yes you have, and many others have said don't bother.

If you're going in October crowds are going to be lighter. Buses won't be as crowded. It also depends on what resort you stay at. Some resorts are bigger, so buses can get a lot more crowded.

IMO it's not worth the extra expense and hassle. Also, on a personal level I feel better about not emitting as many pollutants into the air when I'm not driving my own car.

[innerSpaceman]

You don't have to drive your car everywhere. Take the boat and monorail between MGM (excuse me, the "Studio Park"), Epcot and the Tragic Kingdom.

But rely on the bus system for everything else? For Fools Only.


Perhaps in my fervor, I've missed a recommendation of the DisneyWorld bus system. I'd be happy to read one, if pointed in such a direction.

[madmonkeygirl]

Well when CM and i stayed at the same resort way back in Oct 2001 whether it was cuz after 9/11 or just magic i don't know but our room was a short 3 minute walk to the nearest bus stop. Where i can boast we never had to wait more than 10 minutes for the first bus. We never had it overcrowded to a park that we had to stand (to my recollection). Never making more than 2 stops getting us to our park of choice in time for early opening with time to spare one morning for Magic Kingdom (that we had to walk around killing time). I know we took the boat once and used the monorail to go from MK to Epcot over and over again.

I would not rent a car. Waste of money to me. But then it depends i guess on time of year that you go to WDW. I know that at more crowded times (summer, holidays) that with more visitors that will happen with the bus system there. But if you go in off season then you shouldn't have to worry about taking the bus to the parks.

THe only drawback yes there is one was at the end of the night but then we didn't have to wait maybe more than 2 bus fulls and we were one of the first stops believe it or not so even though we did have to stand a couple of bus rides it wasn't unbearable. Even if you are going to Universal IOA you can either take a taxi (hey i am that lazy yes) or else if big enough group one can rent a van for the day. Is my way of looking at it.

[Kevy Baby]

Whenever possible, I prefer to have a car. I just like having the flexibility of living on my own schedule.

But I'm weird that way.

[Matterhorn Fan]

As for the boat between EPCOT and the Studios, if you don't want to wait for that boat (or if you don't like how it's all closed in), you can walk. From World Showcase, exit towards the Yacht & Beach club, choose a direction to walk around the lake, and take a left just past the dance hall. There's a sidewalk next to the canal the boats take that goes right up to the Studios.

It's maybe a mile long and there's not much shade, but it's a really pretty walk.

[Kevy Baby]

Can you swim between EPCOT and the Studios?

[flippyshark]

Can you swim between EPCOT and the Studios?

Technically, yes. I doubt you'd be encouraged to do so, and the water is kind of murky and yucky, but, sure.

[Matterhorn Fan]

Only if you wish to die.

[Gemini Cricket]

If you're going and it's hot and humid, drink lots of water.
Lots of people get dehydrated.
:)

[innerSpaceman]

I don't know if they have these anymore, but I used to LOVE the popsicles coated in wax, so they wouldn't melt in 4.2 seconds. The wax was edible, but it was gross.


You should be used the humidity and able to breathe liquid (a la The Abyss) in about 5 days.

[flippyshark]

I remember the waxy popsicles. I don't think we have those anymore. The main Popsicle type treat around here is the elongated, multi-colored Itza-Ka-Doozie, which I mostly see being sold in the evening, especially at Fantasmic. It melts very efficiently, even at night.

Most of the frozen treats are of the chocolate coated banana or ice cream sandwich type. These are stored in dry ice, and you can break your teeth on them if you try to bite into them before they thaw.

[lashbear]

Most of the frozen treats are of the chocolate coated banana or ice cream sandwich type. These are stored in dry ice, and you can break your teeth on them if you try to bite into them before they thaw.
Ah! Those AK Memories !! I think you and MF were there to witness it...

(PS: at Tokyo DL it took an hour before I could make a dent in my Hunny Icecream Pot contents - ceramic being an efficient insulator...)

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Thanks for the suggestions and such.

So, I've made my dining plans and thought I'd share.

Sunday: Animal Kingdom
Breakfast - Donald's Breakfastsaurus
Dinner - Boma!

Monday:
Magic Kingdom
Breakfast - Crystal Palace
Dinner - Liberty Tree Tavern

Tuesday:
Epcot/ Magic Kingdom
Breakfast - Ohana
Dinner - Tony's

Weds
Universal IOA

Thursday:
Studios
Breakfast - Boatwrights
Lunch - Sci-fi Diner
Dinner- Fantasmic thingy

Friday:
Epcot
Breakfast - Boatwrights
Diner - Biergartens

Saturday
Open

:)

[Gemini Cricket]

What about second breakfast?

[Kevy Baby]

And supper?

[BarTopDancer]

And second dinner?

[Matterhorn Fan]

What about the Food & Wine Festival?

[Gemini Cricket]

I think it's smart to book an open day. You never know what you might want to revisit.

Also, I heard a rumor about Splash Mountian in WDW. Isn't there a weasel from "America Sings" that says something to you right at the top of the big drop? If I were going to WDW, I'd definitely look for that.

[Stan4dSteph]

What about the Food & Wine Festival?We're planning to go to that on Friday, I think, then head over to the MNSSHP that night. AllEarsNet has a list of the F&W booths on their site.

[Matterhorn Fan]

They make changes now and again. Last year it seemed that they took away a lot of the decent vegetarian stuff.

You can get a separate pamphlet that shows where each booth is, but I don't think it lists menus.

Go early in the day; lines get longer around dinnertime.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Yeah, friday will be Food Fest. I'm looking forward to sampling the goodies.

Also, I forgot Tea Time. Good lord, where will I find tea...

[Stan4dSteph]

Yeah, friday will be Food Fest. I'm looking forward to sampling the goodies.Me too. Maybe I'll see you there! :)

[Matterhorn Fan]

Yeah, friday will be Food Fest. I'm looking forward to sampling the goodies.

Also, I forgot Tea Time. Good lord, where will I find tea...There's a stand on the path to Expedition Everest in AK.

There's a stand in China in EPCOT.

Teavana is at the Florida Mall.

[BarTopDancer]

I liked their Splash and Thunder more than ours. Splash just seemed to flow better. Thunder was just better. A bit more wild I think.

[xharryb]

If you're going and it's hot and humid, drink lots of water.
Lots of people get dehydrated.
:)

Hot and humid describes pretty much every day in Florida. You should always drink plenty of water here.

I liked their Splash and Thunder more than ours. Splash just seemed to flow better. Thunder was just better. A bit more wild I think.

Our Big Thunder is longer..... genetics :evil:

[innerSpaceman]

It's longer, but their mountain is just too cartoony-looking for me. I do like the scene with the goat, and the part that goes out over the water for a second. Yeah, it lasts longer, but does not have that great hairpin curve of the original.


That said, all Big Thunders pale in comparison to the French One. All hail DLP Big Thunder Mountain!!



I don't like side-by-side riding in Splash, and I don't know why it's daylight inside their mountain. So I'm firmly in the Disneyland camp on Splash Mountain, even though the Florida one is hardly a craptacular ride. It's very enjoyable. Just not my personal fave.


Viva la differance!!

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Viva la differance!!

Exactly. I'm interested in the differeances between all the parks and perticularly the rides. Why go all the way to Florida or Paris if its just another clone. Plus with all the wide open space, all should get more bang for the buck.

[Gemini Cricket]

DLP's Big Thunder is by far my favorite. In fact, I rode it with iSm and Zappp... with Donald Duck merchandise betwixt my legs.
:D

[mousepod]

with Donald Duck merchandise betwixt my legs.

...is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?

[Gemini Cricket]

...is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?
I had to do some shopping before the stores closed and had to ride BTM one more time. It could have turned out to be dangerous. One of the items was a Donald Duck glass.
:eek:

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Ok - thrilling news everyone! I added an additional 3 days to my trip, so I'm leaving 3 days before I was originally going to!

3 more days of fun!! Wheee and it's less than a month away!

[Morrigoon]

Holy randomness, Batman! *Zok!*

Actually, that's awesome, have fun! (jealous...)

[Prudence]

So, shall we discuss where you're eating those three days?

[katiesue]

Now I'm really jealous. Someday.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

So, shall we discuss where you're eating those three days?


Suuure!

I am adding one of those days to Universal.
I wanna add California Grill on a Fireworks night.

I am planing the extra days right now! geeeeeee!:D

[Not Afraid]

CALIFORNIA GRILL!!!!


yum.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Dare I say it!
Less than a week until WDW!!

YAY!!! Happy Dance!

[Chernabog]

Best meals were at Le Cellier (Canada Pavillion in Epcot), Boma (Animal Kingdom Lodge) and I had friends rave about the California Grill.

My advice is to RENT A CAR. Relying on transportation there really, really stinks. At least, it did last October. We waited anywhere from a few minutes to FORTY-FIVE minutes for a bus. i.e. we wanted to get to Animal Kingdom from our hotel on an early morning hour when they should have had extra buses running and no bus came for 45 minutes.

Another time I wanted to get from the Studios park to Downtown Disney, and as there is no direct route I needed to take a bus to the nearest resort, and ANOTHER bus to DtD. Took 1 1/2 hours.

You'll need a car anyway to do IoA/Universal. Mythos was fantasic, I ate there last year on my birthday.... definitely get a park hopper since the highlights (or ALL) of both parks can be done in one day in the off-season. Get there when it opens, and go to IoA first.

DO NOT MISS SPIDERMAN. I REPEAT DO NOT MISS SPIDERMAN. RUN, DO NOT WALK DIRECTLY TO SPIDER MAN (we went on it first thing a couple times, it was walk-on). Hulk Coaster was in the same area and it was great. Dr. Doom's drop ride is skippable. Cat in the Hat dark ride was run. Jurassic Park was skippable because it is the same thing as ours. Dudley Do-Right's RipSaw Falls was fantastic -- as long as it isn't too cold since you'll get wet. Dueling Dragons.... do both sides a few times, duh!

At Universal, make a point to do the Mummy coaster, since it's WAY better than ours, as well as Men In Black, which makes Buzz Lightyear look like a 2nd grader made it. We also did the Jaws ride, ET (yup, it's the same as our old ET), and the Nickelodeon "Jimmy Neutron" ride which was a lot of fun if you've seen Jimmy Neutron. I'm not sure if if that ride is still there, they might have switched out the movie.

Oh and back and EPCOT don't chicken out on Mission:Space, do it once on the normal mode at least (but not when you're super exhausted). Really, I was so nervous going on that first ride since the warnings made it seem much scarier than I thought it was going to be. The launch (the first part) is the most intense part of the ride, so if you're okay for that it's smooth sailing for the rest. Just follow their instructions -- look straight ahead, don't close your eyes, and have fun! The scariest part of the attraction is Gary Sinease's horrific hairpiece.

[Morrigoon]

Me too. Maybe I'll see you there! :)
Just look for the tall guy in the Chicago t-shirt ;)

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Thanks for the advice C'Bog!

I've already added Le Cellier to my plan - menu looks great!

I'm gonna look into renting a car. I know a couple other of the MC clan will be renting, so I fit pretty much anywhere - maybe the trunk? hehe

Thanks!

[dlrp_bopazot]

Hey Borneo we re going to Universal Orlando all day on friday yay .

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

YAY! Universal and Halloween Horror Night!

3 MORE DAYS!!!

[dlrp_bopazot]

yes you ll be here shortly and the weather forecast is like everyday HOT and it started to get humid again .

[Nephythys]

MK- skip the Tiki Room altogether- seriously. Get in and out of Fantasyland EARLY or you will be overcome by stroller rage. It's insane and I think the strollers out number the people like 3 to 1. Everyone is right- it's NOT Disneyland. Don't miss Mickey's Philharmagic- it is amazing! I had heard Mansion is down for a much needed re-hab though.

Epcot- one of my favorite parks at WDW. You can just get lost there- it's so huge and immersive and amazing. When you are in the world showcase- wander into the countries- get lost in the back streets so to speak. There is so much more there than you think- and stay for Illuminations. It's fabulous!

Studios- Meh- Tower, RockNRoller Coaster- we liked the Studio Tour Ride- otherwise...not my favorite park. We did do the Fantasmic Dinner package- ate at a great place and then got priority seating for Fantasmic. It was worth it.

AK- my other favorite- so detailed and amazing. This park has really come into it's own- too bad for the parking lot carnival though. The rest of the park is awesome-spend a day here- it's worth it.

As for getting around- I parked at Epcot- took the monorail out and hit MK and something else (can't recall now) and then took it all back to my car end of day- the monorail can get you about anywhere. But having a car helps.

Too bad you won't have time to hit the water parks- they are astounding!

Have fun!

[BarTopDancer]

Skip the Country Bears too. It isn't the same show and it's not even good for reminiscing. It's awful.

[innerSpaceman]

I hear the maintenance on Country Bears is atrocious ... but if they are still showing the ORIGINAL Country Bear Jamboree, far superior to the drek Vacation Hoedown Disneyland was saddled with for decades, it will be worth it to see the original while you still can.


I haven't been to Disney World in 15 years, which is why I'm not giving much advice.


But I'm going next May ... so I'd appreciate any of YOUR advice once you get back.

[xharryb]

I had heard Mansion is down for a much needed re-hab though.

It reopened last month. ;) I've been too busy lately and haven't made it over to see the improvments, so I'll be experiencing them with the Invasion group.

[Nephythys]

It reopened last month. ;) I've been too busy lately and haven't made it over to see the improvments, so I'll be experiencing them with the Invasion group.

Happy to hear it- it would have been sad for him to miss it on this trip- it's delightful.

Of course I'm a HM freak :blush:

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Great advice again folks - thanks!

ISM - yes, a full report will be on file here at LoT!

Thanks Nephy!

XB - we'll see you there!

I'm still pondering what my "first ride" at MK is going to be on Thursday - Either, Carousel of Progress - Country Bears - Mickey's Philharmagic - or Dumbo (which is prob my first disneyland memory).

[figment1986]

yes you ll be here shortly and the weather forecast is like everyday HOT and it started to get humid again .

you forgot that cold front that might bring rain with it thats coming through either this week or next week.

otherwise, plenty of water, some soda/pop and shade will be good to cool off. EMHs are the best to experience since many attractions might not be as crowded towards the middle and end.

[Not Afraid]

Advice from me: HAVE FUN (DAMNIT)!

[BarTopDancer]

Rule #2! Enjoy yourself!

And I recommend BTMRR or Splash as your first ride. And if the MK is open till 2am any day for extra evening hours - do it! Because you can! There's something very satisfying about being inside the MK at 2am.

[figment1986]

Rule #2! Enjoy yourself!

And I recommend BTMRR or Splash as your first ride. And if the MK is open till 2am any day for extra evening hours - do it! Because you can! There's something very satisfying about being inside the MK at 2am.

Isn't Big Thunder closed for all of October for upgrades? If not, try riding B.T.M. at 11:59.. real fun riding it into a new day. otherwise try it on another attraction, anything but small world.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

YEah, I Cant ride BTMRR until my last day there because of the rehab - otherwise - YES!

#1 Have Fun!
#2 Enjoy Myself!
#3 Repeat (Or until Kevy makes some comment about #2)

Thanks everyone again! 24hours until I take off to Orlando.

[wendybeth]

YEah, I Cant ride BTMRR until my last day there because of the rehab - otherwise - YES!

#1 Have Fun!
#2 Enjoy Myself!
#3 Repeat (Or until Kevy makes some comment about #2)

Thanks everyone again! 24hours until I take off to Orlando.

Have a great time, Bornieo!:cheers:

[katiesue]

Have fun Borneio!!

[Snowflake]

Have a great trip Borneo!

Waves hello to Flippyshark while I'm at it!

[cirquelover]

Have a great time at WDW! I can't wait to hear your comparisons between the two!

[innerSpaceman]

OMB, Borneio, have a blast!

[Gemini Cricket]

How exciting!
Bon voyage, Bornieo!
:)

[swanie]

OK - I'll repeat my advice from the Alice in Wonderland line :)

1. Buy the meal plan. With all of your reservations, you'll come out money ahead. Just remember, you will get an appetizer, dinner, dessert, and drink with each sit down dinning location. Use your snack for breakfast and you'll be fine with a counter service meal as your other meal (meal, drink, and dessert).

2. Buy the refillable cup and smuggle it in to as many places as you can. That $12 will be the best $12 spent your whole trip. If you do that, you can get bottled water with your counter service meal. It'll save you a ton on drinks the whole trip. We quickly noticed that the cup was a generic 2007 cup that everyone else had. We used it at every resort we visited. Coffee, soda, tea, hot chocolate, etc.

3. Do not miss Boma! It is the best buffet there hands down. Mr. Swanie really enjoyed the African wine tasting. For something like $12 he got three different glasses of wine to taste...and to our surprise they were full glasses. He did the red wine selection, but you could also do a white wine sampling.

4. A warning if you have reservations and are relying on the buses... We didn't have any trouble getting from a theme park to another resort since that was direct, but it sucked having to make transfers after dinner with 3 small kids. If you decide not to rent a car, budget for a taxi because you're looking at a 45 minute minimum ride back to your resort (and that's if you have no wait for either bus. If you have to wait, you could be looking at 1:20, and that's with the buses running on their normal 20 min. schedule. With that all said, if you're planning on going back to a theme park to hang out, it isn't such an issue.

5. Give yourself at least 2 days at Epcot. I know you plan on doing the Food and Wine Festival, and that alone will take a whole day. I LOVED Epcot. I think we ended up there for parts of 4 days on our trip.

6. To our surprise, the normal snacks and desserts ran much cheaper than those at the DLR. I think the Mickey ice creams were only $2.25. If you do the dinning plan you can use your credits for pretty much anything under $4. We initially waited to use ours because we were trying to get the most bang for our buck, but we realized that there wasn't much that was that expensive. As a result, we came back with a full bag of snacks (13 to be exact) from the Markeplace at AKL. Cotton candy, huge boxes of cookies, bags of trail mix, etc. We even used our last counter service meals on sandwiches for the plane ride back. Oooohhh, one of the better "snacks" was a huge brownie sundae from the Mrs. Pott's at the Magic Kingdom.

7. Don't miss Expedition Everest. And try to sit in the very last row :D

Have an awesome time!

swanie

[Prudence]

I expect a detailed report, particular on the food.

And have a birch beer for me!

[dlrp_bopazot]

i met Bornieo today at Downtown Disney we're going to Universal TOmmorrow and HHN .

he loved The Magic Kingdom .

[wolfy999]

Glad you met up with Mark and he's having a good time.....see ya on Sunday!

[figment1986]

Nice meeting and hanging out at HHN...

Enjoy the rest of your stay at Walt Disney World...

[dlrp_bopazot]

Nice meeting and hanging out at HHN...

Enjoy the rest of your stay at Walt Disney World...

Sorry for your feet !

[innerSpaceman]

i met Bornieo today ... he loved The Magic Kingdom .


:eek: Sacrelige!


He's fired.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Hi all!

I am back!

I had a blast! I can't even begin to tell you what I saw, experiance, felt - it was just so.... bizzare...It was moving, magical, and amazing all in one.

Hallowishes!
Space Mountain!
Mission SPACE!
Dream Along With Mickey!
The Country Bears!
Lost luggage!
Adventurers Club!
3000 pictures took!
Foooood!
I will post highlights in the coming day - now I need sleep!

Wake me in about 3 days. :)

[Disneyphile]

Welcome back! Missed you! Can't wait to hear all about it! :D

[lashbear]

Isn't Mission Space a surprise !?!

and I'm sorry I wasn't there to hold your hand through the Halloween Horor Nights. I hope you weren't too scared.

BTW: did you go through the "Dead Silence" maze? I LOVE that movie !!!!

[katiesue]

Welcome back. Can't wait for a full report.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

I can't wait to hear all about it! (And it's totally going to make me want to go to Orlando again, isn't it?)

[BarTopDancer]

Welcome home! I can't wait for all the details!

[Prudence]

No waiting! Full report NOW! :p

[lashbear]

Is he awake yet?

[figment1986]

and I'm sorry I wasn't there to hold your hand through the Halloween Horor Nights. I hope you weren't too scared.

BTW: did you go through the "Dead Silence" maze? I LOVE that movie !!!!

I think he was holding Bopazot's hand in one of the mazes... before bopazot jumped back and accidentally landed on my foot :(

we all skipped dead silence, since the wait was too long all day, and too long near the end of the night if he wanted to catch his bus back.. Unless he found a way back in a few days later.

[Not Afraid]

Welcome back! I can't wait to hear about your trip!

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

hahah - I'm awake - Downloading almost 3000 pics takes forever!!

A "impressions" report will be posted shortly.

I'm tired! I need a vacation!

[figment1986]

I'm tired! I need a vacation!

isn't a vacation from a vacation also known as work?