WDW tips?

[mousepod]

Back when we lived on the east coast, Heather & I were WDW APers, and we've gone back several times since we've moved out west (from our honeymoon in Jan '97 through December of last year). We've amassed a ton of favorite nerdy things to do... if you want a long list, give me a PM.

For now, my nerdiest suggestion is to get to the Wilderness Lodge before dusk and walk the hiking trail to Fort Wilderness (I saw an armadillo and a deer), and make your way to Chip 'n Dale's Campfire Singalong. You get to sing, eat s'mores and watch one or two classic Disney movies projected on an outdoor screen. Never a huge crowd, and always a hoot and a holler.

[cirquelover]

You should do Boma for breakfast and dinner. I have heard wonderful things about Jiko and that was even from locals! I looked at the menu and made a ps but then my husband became ill and I canceled almost all our ps's. We even enjoyed the pepper pot soup at Mara, the snack bar. The refillable mugs came in handy too!

Do go out to the other viewing areas at the AKL. Don't miss the night viewing of the animals with the night binoculars. When you get to AKL they should give you a calandar with all the activities. We loved the night viewing of the animals, storytelling by the fire pit and mask making inside. Also just wandering around the lodge is fun. There are African artifacts all over the place and most have a placard with a story.

I just loved watching the animals from our balcony, I could've sat out there all day and night. If you have concierge level rooms I hear the sunrise safari is not to be missed! I'm afraid I'll never get to go myself.

I could keep going on about AKL, I loved that place. It was a once in a lifetime trip!
You should have enough days that you can catch the night shows at every park. We enjoyed them all.
I think you should give every park a chance and then go back for the things you missed or want to do again. As I think of more I will post it, or if you have any questions I'll try to answer.

[Name]

Originally Posted by mousepod

watch one or two classic Disney movies projected on an outdoor screen.

When I was a youngun I saw sleeping beauty and song of the south there. good stuff.

[Prudence]

I'm so excited! I just have these pesky exams to get through first....

We do have a PS for Jiko on....Thursday. Right now, we have:

Monday -- dinner PS for Liberty Tree Tavern. (18th century-themed characters? And stuffing? Does it get any better?)

Tuesday -- lunch at Biergarten, dinner at Rose and Crown.

Wednesday -- lunch? dinner at Boma.

Thursday -- lunch at Brown Derby, dinner at Jiko.

Friday -- lunch at Chefs de France, dinner at Marrakesh.

Saturday -- lunch? dinner on the plane in first class as we reluctantly wing our way home.

No plans to do the water parks because 1) I have the cutest ever fat-girl swimsuit, but it's not slide-appropriate and 2) I can't see without my glasses and I get really disoriented. Really. I can't see. I have no depth perception. It makes me really uncomfortable.

If only I didn't have to leave my babies! My poor kittycats! Alone for a week!

[Not Afraid]

I really really really enjoyed California Grill as well as Boma.

Mission Space queue warnings make you more afraid to be sick than the effects of the actual ride.

Pastry in France

Feed the turtles in the river near Flame Tree BBQ.

Look for lots of great copy at AKL and AK written by one of our own. Finding "Free Kittens" sign should be your geek goal.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

First off, we clearly need to have a cutest-ever-fat-girl-swimsuit contest. Or if not a contest, a fashion show. Bless you, Torrid.

Curses! You are staying at the AKL, you lucky wench. It is an incredible space and I was entranced by it-- and someday want to stay there. We spend an evening at Boma and exploring the back forty of the property. There are comfy rocking chairs and firepits and nocturnal animals aplenty.

You are probably used to the DL span of things, but be forewarned that WDW is much wider a collection of parks. It's not all crammed in, which is nice, but there's a longer walk... well... everywhere. If you are going to, say, spend the morning tooling around MGM followed by a hustle to catch an E-ticket at Epcot and a dash back to MGM's Fantasmic! and then a boat back to Epcot before it closes, you may find yourself collapsed in a heap the next day.

There are some fun places you haven't listed yet. The Sci-Fi drive-in was quite a fun meal, and I think the atmosphere would be to your liking. California Grill is a lovely place to eat and see fireworks; the beach at the Polynesian is another fireworks-watching spot (they pipe in the music in both locations.) We ate the dinner buffet at Cape May, and it was more than delightful if you like the east coast clambake kind of thing. I found the oreo truffles there to be superior to the zebra domes at Boma, if you can believe it. Of course, Boma is terrific and you'll enjoy it. I suspect that the PSes for Victoria and Albert's are already snapped up, but if it's in your budget, it's the best meal I've ever had. Anywhere.

As far as I've heard recently, they're doing a fair amount of fastpass tests at the different parks, so be wary. Kevin Yee on MiceAge has reported that MK is letting in a 50-50 balance of fastpass-standby so it seems hardly worth it there. Supposedly Epcot is allowing you to get many fastpasses at a time, tapping out the machines early in the day. Try to keep updated about what they're doing, or ask a pleasant-seeming CM.

[Baileykat]

Originally Posted by LSPoorEeyorick

We ate the dinner buffet at Cape May, and it was more than delightful if you like the east coast clambake kind of thing.

I'll second this! And it's a nice break to take the boat over and play in the sand on the beach after!


And I'll second, triple, quadruple the pastries in France! THE best Ham and Cheese Crossant I have ever had...make you slap your Momma! Oui!


And I really liked the Biergarten as well...but I adore German food and beer and the entertainment was wonderful!


I did have a wonderful wrap type sandwhich in The Land food court...It was all veggie...and I've been craving it for 2 years!


Chef Mickey's is overrated! (No one is allowed to throw things at me for that!)

[mousepod]

Having said that, I found the food at Marrakesh and San Angel to be pretty bland. It's as if they're afraid that American tourists won't be able to handle the real thing.

Alfredo's, on the other hand, is pretty damn authentic, though the portions are more than twice what you'd get just about anywhere else.

If I were you, I'd do Chefs de France for dinner and either graze or do the Coral Reef for lunch.

But that's just me.

[Matterhorn Fan]

Alfredo's is supposed to be a branch/extension of the Alfredo's in Italy, from what I understand (owned/run by the same people?). Whatever it is, or purpots to be, it was absolutely divine.

I'll be interested to hear your review of Marrakesh.

[mousepod]

...and as long as I'm talking WDW restaurants, here are the places that H & I have never missed on a trip back east:

- Flying Fish
- Artist Point
- The California Grill

If we haven't hit those three for dinner, then it hasn't been a trip to WDW...