I'm Going to WDW!
 

Yip!

The Moonie Junior ensemble is going to Jazz up the Magic Kingdom February 13th/14th so you know I have to be there. There's nothing like a little hot Latin jazz to spice up a cold day, or since it's Florida, a luke warm day.

Flight booked. Resort Booked. Now all I need is a park hopper and perhaps a few dinner ressies.

And the best part of all? I don't have to ride the bus down/back. :D

Victoria & Albert's for all !!!! :cool:

Yay!!

Some day I'll make it there. Heck, if I can make it to DL Paris, I think I should be able to get to Florida!

Double plus good! It looks like a meet up with a corn dog loving local is in the works.

Anyone else in the area/mood for a WDW meet up in the Feb 12-14 range?

I'm thinking of doing the Epcot Segway tour. Especially since for the fist time in years, I can clear the weight requirement with ease...

Are there any other WDW backstage tours worth the time/cost?

Highly recommend Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge for dining.

"Wild by Design" tour at Animal Kingdom if you're at all interested in design, architecture, theming, imagineering.

See if Flippy can get hold of HTHBellcaptain for you and arrange a meeting - and if you're lucky, a backstage look at the TOT. We were blown away. He's an AMAZING guy to talk to (as is Flippy, of course...) - see closeup shots attached of some amazing TOT detail.

...we also enjoyed the "Keys to the kingdom" tour very much. We got to see LOTS of backstage with that, including the parade floats and utilidors, hair & makeup & lots of cool stuff.

...and walking around with Flippy IS like a tour in itself. We are indebted to him for making our time there a total treat !! (and meeting MF, of course). Get Flippy to show you the "Exploding Gazebos" when you're in AK.

It's not too late to book a flight you know. ;)

Inspired by recent local events...

I might have to show up to WDW in a suit and tie, a Motorola walkie talkie on my belt and carrying a clipboard. Just to see what I can see.... :D

er, here's those close-up shots.. Oops.

It's Monday morning. Time to check out the latest updates on WDW..

Let's see, construction in downtown Disney, various deals I don't qualify for, humm let's check the calendar for Feb 12-14th: Splash will be down. Meh it's Feb, so I can live with that.....

Uh wait a second. *blink* *blink* does that say......

Nooooooo!!!!!

Say it ain't so!

Feb. 12-14. UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship (link).

Goddammit I hate perky.

Nice link

The link goes to the National High School Cheerleading Championship website.

I was protecting you by not including it. Some things go beyond a NSFW tag

Under two weeks to go.

I'm starting to get fidgety at work already and of course the two impending snow events are not helping matters....

Fingers crossed about the weather. Where did you end up making dining reservations?

We're getting 8-10" of snow (the forecast keeps climbing). I can't imagine the weather in Orlando would not be an improvement. Even a chilling rain would be fine because it would keep the crowds down...

Right, ressies... I should get on that... Yo! Flippy: Are you up for a dinner sometime in the 12-15th range?

Hey Moonie! The 14th and 15th would be good bets.

I'm really sorry about the cheerleaders in advance.

Cheerfollowers tend to be even more annoying...

Mrs. Moonie is coming along I'm hoping to have plans staying in on Valentines day ;) so the 15th would be perfect. Would you like to suggest someplace? It's pretty much all new to me so whatever you would like. I'll be wielding a park hopper and have my own wheels so in park, on property or off property are all possibilities for me.

I really liked the meals I had at Sanaa (AKL - Kidani Village) and The Wave (Contemporary) on my recent trips. They make a very tasty African Starr mojito at Sanaa, and if you go while it's still light you can see the animals on the savanna right outside.

*sigh*

Just the way Walt wanted the Jungle Cruise to be.....

Maybe I can make it there during the break between Christmas and New years. What's the crowds and weather like then?

Crowds are hugely massive. For me that would be a "must avoid" time of year. Weather can be on the cool side, especially in the evenings. You'll need to plan on layering if you hit the parks early and stay throughout the day.

Oh Oh!!! Pleeeeezzzz Pleeeeeezzzz Pleeeeezzzz!!!!! Delay! Delay! Delay!!!!!

Have you ever seen a launch?

It was amazing to me how clearly the launch can be seen from onsite.

Can an admin please change the title of this thread to:

I'm not going to WDW.

Moonie Juniors concert trip has been canceled and it looks like we won't be able to get out of here on Friday anyway so the trip is officially off.

Sorry to hear that. Major bummer.

Aww, sh!t.
Sorry to hear that, Moonie.
:(

Give that we are within two days of check in, the policy is that I'm on the hook for all four days room cost.

I talked with Disney and they are waving the policy for us poor SOB's here on the extremely bitter east coast.

Word from the band is that they are trying to rebook for March or April. Which could mean better weather, the resorts were totally booked for this weekend so it can't be any more crowded and perhaps there will be no cheerleaders..

Man, what a joykill!

I do hope you'll be able to reschedule.
(And who knows - maybe hte cheerleaders won't be able to make it this week - or ANY week! :evil: )

My folks are supposed to come out from Pennsylvania this week as well, but they are blizzarded in right now. We'll see what happens.

Looking forward to welcoming you here someday soon!

I guess I should post this at some point. Alex and I will be at WDW from the 9th-16th of March. We won't be open to hanging out every day (honeymoon and all that) but could certainly make ourselves available for a day or two to see folks if anyone will be around.

I wish I was going to be in WDW in 3 days. :(



(I will live vicariously...:D )

Me too.

Oh crap Moonie, I hadn't read all the way through. I'm sorry :( .

(but glad they gave you a refund)

That's a bummer Moonie. I hope it can be rescheduled.

We're (finally) going to WDW. June 13-19. Yay!

So what are are must see/do's? We've ruled out the dining plan as Maddie only eats like 4 things. So keep in mind any resturants must serve fries and some sort of chicken nuggets. Which shuts us out of a lot. We're also not really interested in any character dining.

EPCOT needs at least 2 days. It's a HUGE park and the best dining is in that park.

Spend some time exploring different hotels. Animal Kingdom lodge is beautiful.

When we went, we didn't go on direct copy rides (like Sorin) but we did make a point to go on rides that are the same but different (Splash, Thunder, Pirates).

Read up on the Disney bus system a little before you leave. It's not complicated but it would have been easier if we kinda knew how to get from hotel to park to other park. Remember the monorails aren't just a ride, they are transportation.

As I remember about all it shuts you out of is the French Fry cart because they only serve fries. Even Victoria and Albert's has a kids menu.

No they don't. They just allow kids over 10. But they have to be adventurous eaters.

The first time we went I bought the WDW Passporter and found it an invaluable resource. You could check the library for a copy. It has layouts of the hotels and parks. It lists all the rides and restaurants too.

Moonie posted the link for the spot with all the menus. I found that very helpful to figure out where we wanted to eat. I found PS's more important at WDW. Especially if they are having the free dining deal! Although we usually had no problems making a PS the day before or morning of the day we wanted.

Have a great time!

Where are you staying? Check out Early Entry options offered my the hotel (or avoid the park that has early entry that day because it will be crowded).

Magic Kingdom can be done in a day because it is so similar but it's fun to go through attractions and play the "spot the differences" game. You also MUST do the People Mover and Carousel of Progress. Their fireworks show is always great as well.

I LOVED EPCOT and could have spent 3 days there easily. Their lagoon show is also wonderful and worth getting a good spot for. Animal Kingdom is completely different than other Disney parks but they do have Everest now. The dinosaur ride is built on the same track as Indy but isn't quite as fun. The Safari is great but go in the morning for the most action. Also, the Animal Kingdom Lodge is a fantastic hotel (with great restaurants) and a lovely public balcony on the 2nd floor that overlooks the park.

Have fun!!!!

The Boma restaurant. Not sure if they have fries or nuggets...

American Adventure in EPCOT. I missed that when I went in 2000 and have regretted it ever since.

Tower of Terror at the Disney Studios park. It's waaaayyy better than DCA's.

MK's Splash Mountain. I like it better than Disneyland's.

Rock'n Roller Coaster.

Country Bear Jamboree.

I wish I could still say Adventurer's Club... sigh.

WDW's Fantasmic. Just so you can laugh at their steamboat. "Haw haw!" ~ Nelson Muntz

Walking around the Tree of Life at AK. Lots of detail there.

Fantillusion.

Check out Obama at the Hall of Presidents...

Skip:

Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management

Thanks for all the advice. I really wish I could get her to eat more, while many have kids menu options a great number don't have anything she'll actually eat (ie chicken nuggets and fries). Same with Disneyland. They've updated the menus to be "healthier" which means we can currently only eat at stage door since tomorrowland terrace is under referb.

We're staying at either French Quarter or Port Orleans. Working on that detail now.

I like eating at The Wave in the Contemporary, but I don't know that they will let Madz order off the kids menu there. The quick service place there, Contempo Cafe, had a really yummy steak flatbread.

Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge is a good choice for a meal and they have one station of the buffet with chicken strips/mac and cheese etc. for the less adventurous eaters.

Get some cinnamon-roasted almonds from one of the ODV carts. They are delicious and usually still warm out of the roaster. Way better than a churro.

Animal Kingdom is a great park with lots of detail. I love going there and just wandering.

Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney is a great place to eat. Food is good and prices are low (comparatively). Raglan Road at DTD is also good. It's Irish pub food and they have entertainment in the evenings. They also have a counter service window.

Don't be shy to come over to MP and poke around the WDW forums either. :)

When I was there in 2000, I wished I had snooped around more at all the different hotels and checked out the different themes and restaurants etc.

I have been ;)

Just ordered Passporter and a couple of other books. Hidden Mickeys and another one that has stuff to look for in the Queues. That should keep us entertained.

We're trying not to do a huge amount of eating that requires reservations so that hopefully we can be a bit more flexible. I know all the "good" stuff requires reservations but we'd like to not be running around trying to make this or that reservation all day. One a day will be good I think.

Steph I am also worried about them letting her order off the kids menu. We can always try to pull the diabetic card if that happens. Or I'm happy to pay a little more as well.

A return visit is required.

Boma is a must.

I love Expedition Everest.

People mover! And properly located rocket jets!

If you're in the Magic Kingdom, that eatery with the audio-animatronic -- name escapes me -- is decent for burgers, etc. But do not get anything other than the burger-like items! The "meals" are disgusting.

Snow White has a plot, Winnie the Pooh has a plot - much better there.

This is driving me nuts. Does someone know the name of this place? I can't think of anywhere that has AA's in MK.

Cosmic Rays

Thank you BTD! Didn't try that one, so of course it just didn't register in my mind.

Really, most restaurants can seat you in a rasonable time as a "walk up" (except the very hottest restaurants).

If you want to eat in the Castle, I have had some of the best luck calling the day before or the morning of. Since they charge you if you are a no-show, people actually cancel their reservations here.

AKL is on of my absolute favorite hotels (although I love YC/BC for their proximity to Epcot).

If you are staying at a moderate hotel, I strongly recommend renting a car instead of dealing with the buses, especially in the summer when it's crowded. Strongly. (It is not unheard of to wait 45 minutes or more during high season.)

Plan one more day then you would otherwise think for Epcot. It is a huge park.

Leave one unplanned day so you can go back and visit favorites and/or things you missed.

I'm in the minority...I like the new tiki room. Just don't expect to make an apples to apples comparison with DL.

On the other hand, I hate Country Bear Jamboree. I've never liked it, even as a kid. But that's me.

Don't forget to get a map in the MK. You'll think you're in the same place until you move into Town Square. Or at least we operated on auto-pilot until we went under the railroad tracks and realized we should get a map.

If you go here you can get your own, personalized maps prior to leaving.

Once you have a confirmation number, then you can log in to get the personalized map.

Isn't that their Red Rockets? I get all of my MKs mixed up.

Edit: Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café

EDIT AGAIN: I supose if I realized there was another page, I would have had to think about my answer, however, it's nice to know that I do remember SOME things about my trip to WDW.

You can create maps and print them yourself at any time without a conformation number. However, I think you may need a confirmation number in order to have customized maps mailed to you from Disney.

The only thing about the WDW Tiki Room is the animatronic goddess that shows up. She's pretty cool.

Everyone keeps recommending Boma. What do you like about it? Which mealtime do you recommend?

For mealtime, I recommend dinner at Boma.

March 15th, 2010.

7:55pm.

Cuz that's the only time, probably for a very very long time, that you can dine with there with the Moonie clan.

Oh yeah, the trip is back on baby! We are set for March 12-16th.

Well, that's good news!
Yay!
:)

I don't recommend 'Ohana. Super dry meat. Very loud restaurant (which we knew going into it, but after sensory overload of WDW it was pushing it. Thank goodness for alcohol ;)

Loved Biergarten (recommended by MousePod) but I'm not sure Maddie could find food there. I haven't been to Boma but I don't think she'll find food there either :(

Boma has a whole section of bland, boring food that my sister-in-law partakes of. No problem feeding Maddie at Boma.

I love Boma because there's more different stuff there than at any of the other buffets I've been to. The buffet line goes halfway to forever! And the food is generally pretty good in quality. And it's not all the same stuff as in every other buffet.

Hmm... we do not yet have reservations for that night...

Do they have breaded chicken in strip or nugget form?

The only other advice I have about WDW (which doesn't really pertain to Moonie or katiesue) is that you should never go to WDW in August. I did. It was 100% humidified windless misery.

:eek:

BTD - according to allears yes they do.

Yup. See it with my own eyes. And mac'n'cheese.

Pasta al fromage!

Kevin: "Au gratin"

Moonie: if I make the ressie, we get a discount. How many ppl do you have?

*sigh*

I'm afraid we are back down to zero.

I just found out that while the trip is on Moonie Jr's band is not having a public performance. Disney was not able to find a stage for them to play on.

That was pretty much the main reason for the rest of us going down. Without the concert the trip just doesn't make a sense for us right now.

So unless anyone knows a way to get a venue for a REALLY good Jazz band in one of the parks on short notice.....

:(

Welcome to my life.

That sux.
Sorry to hear that.
:(

Damn.

We leave tomorrow night on the redeye for a week. Any last minute tips? We're staying at Port Orleans French Quarter. I've got reservations for Biergarten, Boma and Kona Cafe.

I suppose I better just suck it up and renew my pass.

That's a really long flight.

I'm thinking it will probably seem like that long of a flight by the time we get there. We also plan to get the Premier or whatever they call the WDW/DL Annual pass. And maybe if we win the lotto we can make another trip back before they expire.

Do you plan on going to WDW?

How in the hell did that end up here. That was supposed to be in the WoC thread.

I moved it with my secret Super Admin capabilities

What kind of tips are you looking for? I'm not sure when your last trip was. There's a nice tequila bar inside the Mexico pavilion that also has some pretty good food.

The same ones you use to change the time on messages you post no doubt.

I would point you to the upcoming "Spirited Beasts" gallery show in the Japan pavilion, which was supposed to open today, but installation is a couple of weeks behind, so you're arriving too soon to see it. (It's a project I was very involved with, and I'm anxious to hear how people react to it, but we're late, alas.)

So WDW on crutches - anyone? LuLu decided to be a bad pony today and Maddie ate it. She's badly bruised her knee and is on crutches. She is otherwise fine, except a smidge annoyed with LuLu.

ECV would be the call for EPCOT, you can probably hobble around the other parks ok.

Tequila bar.....

:D

After pushing the wheelchair all day I will definately need a Tequila Bar - thanks Steph!

EPCOT takes way longer than you think to explore.

Also - I'll be interested to hear how you like where you're staying. *IF* we go to the fall MA event, that's the resort we're considering. (the only other place I've stayed is AKL.)

We stayed at Port Orleans and it was pretty convenient. We took the bus to our destination every day, which was very convenient. I do recall MatterhornFan drove us a few places.

You MUST try and track down TJ at Tower of Terror, and if you can grab Flippy for a moment or 2, I highly recommend it. He's fun to grab. ;)

There's a lot of natural wildlife that hangs around the resort. Bright pink birds, tree frogs and, every once in a while, alligators. There are also these cool turtles that hang out in the water by the Flame Tree BBQ in AK. Take some leftover bread and feed them. The second floor of the AKL has a lovely public balcony that overlooks the savanna and is a nice place to go after dinner at Boma.

Why will you be pushing a wheelchair all day?

From further up

Sweet! Maddie can get drunk! ;)



MickeyD and I stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter and really enjoyed it too. It was pretty convenient.

I really like the food court in The Land pavilion. They have soups, salads, hot grill foods (bbq, chicken) and Asian food.

Yak & Yeti in Animal Kingdom is yummy, and the portions are large so you might even be able to split an appetizer entree between the two of you.

There's a lot of work going on in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom in preparation for its expansion. Star Tours is also closed.

Summer Nightastic is going on at WDW, with Electrical Parade and fireworks at MK, new drop sequences at ToT and a dance party thing at Hollywood Studios. Here's a link to the MP WDW Update from Monday with info. :)

Would anyone have a source for cheap WDW tickets? I know a little 9 Year old boy (Wife's side of the family) who's been saving his pennies for years for a WDW trip but it's still a bit out of his reach. We are kicking in towards his room and dining but he (and his mom) could use a good discount on admission.

Try Mousesavers.com

I love being grabbed, but i'm afraid I won't be anywhere near WDW for quite some time. Shakespeare has taken over my every waking moment, and will continue to do for a couple of months. (I'm loving it, by the way!) But I do hope you have a fantastic trip. Be sure to ride the WDW Railroad, and enjoy the charming new narrator. :D

And for those who won't, here's a video of it. :)

Can someone download it so I can see it - It's not coming up here. :(

Turn your computer upside down. That should do it.

The weather Gods are once again angry. Last year I had to cancel the WDW trip altogether. This time around we have another issue: Ice.

There was a minor ice storm last night leaving a thin coating of the stuff on the roads. So the wimpy school district canceled classes for today. Which is a problem because it pushes finals back by a day into our planned trip time. So unless Moonie Jr and Headliner can make other arrangements for two of there classes we'll have to lose a day at Disney and leave Friday afternoon (assuming I can find us flights.)

*sigh*
No good vacation goes unpunished.

Packing for a WDW trip is a good way to take your mind off a crappy day.


Almost.

It's D-Day.

:D

KatieSue: if you don't have meal ressies for Magic Kingdom, keep trying to score one, or resign yourself to quick service while in that park.

Go to the biergarten HUNGRY :D

Flight late.
Rental car checkout slow

AK lodge?
2min check in
Free upgrade to savanna view.

Thanks Disney
I needed that tonight.

Goodnight.

I hope the rest of the trip is magical Moonie!

*Whew*

I made it back alive from WDW. Just in time for a snow storm..... :(

It was definitely a mixed bag of a trip. Highlights included an all too brief meet up with Flippyshark for a guided tour around the world showcase, something actually fun in innovations, the savanna animals outside our window at the AK Lodge, IASM without the infusion of Disney characters, TOT with roaming ride vehicle, and the always fun Kilimanjaro Safari.

On the down side, forgotten meds that had us spending hours on a tour of southern Florida pharmacies, rain, downed attractions, Disney Studios in general, and most of all Brazil.

Last time we visited WDW in late January we pretty much had the place to ourselves. This time not so much. Apparently the entire country of Brazil decided to drop by for a visit. I can't count the number of times we approached an attraction only to see a guide carrying a yellow or green flag herding a group of 100+ in ahead of us. Plus the language barrier brought things to a crawl at all the food and merchandise locations. I had to switch to the more militarized summer high-season touring plan.

Still even a tough day at Disney is a good day so much fun was had, Zurg was defeated, A baby elephant was reunited with its mom, we made it to the concert on time, our car passed inspection and the new castle light show was phenomenal!

Cool!

Yeah, those Brazilian tour groups are seriously killer in winter now.

Do all of the Brazilians have Brazilians?

Say hi to Moonliner and Flippyshark doing the standard Epcot pose.

Wow, must have taken you a while to photoshop that stupid hand and wand out.

That was only at the California Epcot.

This photo is for you GC. Your Rhino is all better!




It was raining at Animal Kingdom.

I'm glad to hear you made it and the trip was good, besides a few hiccups!