I'm going to Disney WORLD!

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Both LSPE and www.allears.net were extremely valuable when I planned my first visit. That site had menus which is invaluable IMHO.

Best advice is to be SELFISH and see what YOU want. See EVERYTHING! (Except The Monsters Inc. Laugh Factory).

When you start thinking about never setting foot in Disneyland after the magic of WDW, that's when you go see their Tiki Room.

[Scrooge McSam]

You'll get a slight break in the crowds with school in session.

You will not get a break from the heat and humidity. Expect rain. But don't let it get you down. You'll find a lot more indoor queue space in Florida for this very reason. Get a poncho and keep plugging.

Afternoon breaks are your friend. A full day of California theme park-ing can be quite pleasant. A full day of Florida theme park-ing can be grueling.

Disneyland Resort is tightly packed. Disney World is not. Expect to do a lot more walking.

Attractions:

ANIMAL KINGDOM is quickly becoming my favorite park. The level of theming is first rate. It's not as ride-oriented as the others, but if you take your time you will be rewarded. See how many different animal themed light fixtures you can find. Try to find DeVine - she's usually somewhere on the path between African and Asia

Kilimanjaro Safari - Hit it at park opening. You know what happens to wild animals when it gets hot, right? Walt figured it out with his original Jungle Cruise. Resist the urge to spend a lot of time in the Oasis on the way in. You can see that later in the day on the way out when you're in desperate need of some shade.

Expedition Everest - Oh HELL yeah! Don't expect a working Yeti though. He's been down for quite a while. Get your fastpass and enjoy Maharaja Jungle Trek while you're waiting. Tigers! RAWWRRR And Fruit Bats as big as a small child.

Pangani Forest Exploration Trail is another favorite, mostly for the gorilla exhibit.

If you don't decide to see It's A Bug's Life, at least take a walk down the queue. The setup is so far superior here.


MAGIC KINGDOM will illustrate what I was saying earlier about park size. You will immediately notice how much more spread out everything is.

Haunted Mansion is a MUST! Notice the new audio effects in the stretching room and the Escher staircase room with the ghostly footprints going up and down the stairs. The upgrade this attraction received a couple of years ago puts it ahead of the California original. Notice the Madame Leota tombstone on your right at the end of the queue. It's ALIVE!

Pirates? Please. California has it all over Florida on this one.

And you know you want to ride the PeopleMover again. You KNOW you do.

Tom Sawyer Island is still Tom Sawyer Island too!


A STUDIO visit must include Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. RNR was, at one time, the smoothest coaster I've ever ridden, but I did detect a little more roughness last time. Still a fun ride, though.

Lights, Motors, Action! is a fun show.

Fantasmic? Uhm... maybe not. While I appreciate the effort they went through to make a more comfortable venue, the show's just not up to par.


Epcot - Probably my least favorite, though I do enjoy the World Showcase.



Dining:

Make ADRs as soon as you can if table service dining is your thing. Disney's been pushing their dining plan HARD lately and it tends to fill up the full service venues.

Boma? Yes yes yes a thousand times yes... and you'll enjoy touring the Animal Kingdom lodge while you're there. I've had breakfast and dinner there and they were equally delightful.

Le Cellier in Epcot's Canada pavilion - Many will recommend this place. I tend to avoid it now. Food quality has dropped. The claustrophobic atmosphere tends to bother some (it is, after all, supposed to be a cellar) but that never really bothered me. They do have an excellent cheese soup though, so you may not be able to resist.

San Angel Inn in Epcot's Mexico pavilion - Yeah, sounds nice and very much like Blue Bayou with the perpetual early evening and the boats sailing by, but when they bring out the Tostitos and bottled salsa you're going to be pissed.

50's Prime Time Cafe at the Studios is a lot of fun. Imagine meatloaf and mashed potatoes at Wally and the Beav’s house.

O’Hana at the Polynesian resort has been a consistent favorite for friends I've brought. Time your reservation right and you can watch the fireworks from across the lagoon.

California Grill at the Contemporary resort - SUSHI! Most times I've been able to sit at the bar with no reservation, but I hear that may no longer be possible. Also check out the Outer Rim Lounge in the Grand Canyon Concourse for a refreshing adult beverage overlooking Bay Lake.

Whispering Canyon at Wilderness Lodge - How they ever came up with the name of this place is beyond me. It's got to be one of the loudest, most boisterous places I've ever dined. They have stick pony races for the kids through the dining room. But they do have great BBQ. Plus if you visit there, you can see my absolute favorite of all the resorts.


Oh... and do me a favor. Give my regards to the Bay Lake Tower next to the Contemporary. I'll be there in December, which is taking its dear sweet time getting here.

[Stan4dSteph]

My opinions:

There's a great tequila bar inside the Mexico pavilion. Highly recommend trying a tequila flight.

The new pizza place in Italy, Via Napoli, appears to be getting good reviews. I plan to try it in October.

Yak & Yeti restaurant in Animal Kingdom is worth a stop for lunch or dinner.

I would recommend getting tickets for the Halloween Party. The parade is very cool.

[BarTopDancer]

It rains every day at 3pm. Then the humidity isn't as horrible. Or something.

Figure out what park opens early on what day and AVOID that park like the plague. If you can do extra hours at MK do it. Nothing quite like walking down Main St. USA at 230am.

It takes forever to get anywhere on property compared to here. But the bus system is pretty awesome. Find a map or guide before you leave. One of the monorails goes through a hotel. Like literally through it. It's awesome.

Go on PotC just to see how bad it is. I love their Splash and Thunder more than ours. Mission Space is amazing and they have a non-spinning side if you're one to get motion sick.

Was not impressed with 'Ohana's (it means family, not an Irish pub) but it's meat heaven. I found the meat really, really dry. Biergarten was fabulous. Loved the counter service restaurant in Morocco (forget what it's called). Cosmic Rays in MK is fun.

[Gn2Dlnd]

Wow, wow, and wow! I've been so preoccupied with making sure my ducks are all in a row before I leave (Can I really afford this?!? Yes, I can!) that I haven't actually felt excited.

Now I'm excited!

Great recommendations. Rain gear would not have occurred to me. I know Tiki, Stitch, and MILF suck, which is why I'll be doing them as soon as I can. I'll be on the phone the next few days making reservations wherever they'll have me. The hardest thing will be deciding where to eat on my birthday!

I desperately want to see the Hoop-de-doo Revue and the Grand Canyon mural in the Contemporary. I'm disappointed that the steam train and the river are both gone from Camp Wilderness. Liberty Square will probably make me cry, hell, everything will probably make me cry! Halloween party, yes! Early entry, no. Extra hours, yes. Tables in Wonderland, thanks katiesue. I'll ask about that. Looking forward to meeting you, too, flippy! No tequila for me, Steph, but, maybe the Outer Rim (snicker) Lounge, Scrooge, for a refreshing iced tea! I read "pastries in France" as "pasties in France," and I thought, "But of course!"

I want to be there now.

[Morrigoon]

Book. Your meals. Now.

EPCOT = favorite park. Assume you'll be visiting it a lot.

Le Cellier - Yes, yes and again YES! And have the maple creme brulee. So-called because you will "creme" when you taste that brulee. It's that good. No really. And the cheese soup (made with bacon!) is not to be missed.

We loved the Biergarten. Partly for the food & entertainment, and partly because it was one place you had a shot at getting into on a day when you were lacking in ressies (especially if it's like 3pm when there might be openings) But really, we liked the food too.

Coral Reef in The Seas is one you need ressies for and is worth a visit. Try to get a table next to the fish tank, though all have a view of it.

Oh yeah, ride their Nemo.

Norway had great sweet pretzels.

RAIN GEAR! At the very least, a spare set of tennis shoes for when yours get soaked and won't dry out by the next day.

MK seems to be the hardest place to eat. Try to score ressies at the Liberty Tree.

Whispering Canyon is great, we recommend breakfast - they have this (as we call it) skillet of doom filled with all manner of good things including biscuits baked by southerners who know how to do such things. But if they offer you ketchup.... accept >

Also, the Wilderness Lodge has Humphrey Bear merchandise. How can you say no to that?

The water parks are great. If your pass includes them, try to visit at least one.

[lashbear]

One word about the Orange Lake Country Club - You'll LOVE it !! We stayed there in our 2002 trip.

[Stan4dSteph]

Originally Posted by Gn2Dlnd

No tequila for me, Steph,

Sorry, I failed on that one. They do have some good tapas there though.

If you like giant cupcakes, they have ridiculous ones all over the resort. The Butterfinger cupcake at Starring Rolls in Hollywood Studios is yummy, but definitely share with someone. Here's a picture of it cut in half. We ended up splitting it 4 ways.

I really liked The Wave restaurant in the Contemporary resort. Fresh ingredients, well prepared. You will leave satisfied, not stuffed.

For me, Kona is always a must for breakfast, usually on a day I'm not in a hurry to get to a park early in the morning.

[BarTopDancer]

Ok, I need to go back to WDW STAT. There is so much I missed! Including that tequila flight. How come no one told me about it? sad cheese.

We didn't take rain gear. Then again in June we were living in flip flops and dried out almost instantly.

Kona Tonga Toast. Carb central but oh, so, heavenly.

[Gn2Dlnd]

Originally Posted by Stan4dSteph

Sorry, I failed on that one. They do have some good tapas there though.

Don't worry, I appreciate the thought! I don't expect everyone else to remember how I manage to stay out of the gutter on a daily basis! I believe, though, I will have a carb or two. Kona toast, is that like "French" toast or "Thai" toast? I do like toast!