WDW Help Please

[#1DisneyFreak]

Hey everyone, I'm planning my first EVER DW trip for December! YAY!!
I'm looking to those of you that have been for some advice. Here's what I'm looking for:
-Affordability and availabilty has pointed me to the New Orleanes French Quarter Hotel. Is that a good one?
- We are planning Nov 29- Dec 6. Any activities or shows going on that might be specific to this time period that you think we MUST do or see.
- Transportation: we're using the free shuttle to and from the airport. If our flight leaves at 4:55 to come home, what time will we have to board the shuttle. IOW- will we have time to go to the park that morning?
-Magic your way- is it worth it to get the package that has the 3 meals and 2 snacks a day for everyone? It seems like normally we'd spend about $1000 for the whole trip and this looks like it's about $1200. However, with character dining and such, is this worth it?
-If this is our first trip and we have a 4 year old, is it worth it to do the water parks or should we save those for another trip and focus on the other parks?
- How the heck do we get around inside the resort?! There is so much space in between the parks...SHOULD we get a rental car?!
-weather: warm during the day, chilly at night? Do I need to take a sweatshirt? I'm from Utah and can handle cold, but will it be breezy and chilly enough that I should at least have one jacket and some long pants?
_is Pal Mickey worth it? Do you know of any discounts or places to look for discounts on things in the park? I think going through Disney might not be that cheap :)
- Recommend anything you feel I need to know! I have never been or even done much research on WDW since we didn't think we'd go for a LONG time! Anything you know that you think I should know is appreciated!

[ryguy222]

I laughed when I saw the discount question. Disney doesn't do discounts, and if it says they are, they're probably lieing!

Ok, I haven't used the shuttle before, but I read some info and I think you need to get on the shuttle 2 hours, or 3 hours ahead of time.

As for shows, I believe there is a Cirque Du Solei show going on in DTD, it's been going for a long time, and if I remember correctly its still going. Those are always cool to see.

As for transportation in the resort there are lots of busses. And lots of stops, you can get anywhere in the resort by taking the bus, however they are often crowded, and there is no definite schedule. They say, yeah about every 20-30 minutes, but that's not always an accurate guess.

There are three monorail lines, and they all end up at the Ticket, and Transportation center. The TTC is right in front of magic kingdom (well more on the other side of a lake) you can take a ferry to get into right to the front of the park, buses go into the front, and two monorail lines do as well.
One monorail line is the express line or something, that goes through hotels but doesn't stop at them. Then there is one that goes through hotels, and makes stops at each, so it takes longer. The third line goes from the TTC, to Epcot. So going from Epcot to Magic Kingdom is easy, and quick. Just take a monorail, then the ferry.

As for AK, and DS (Disney studios not mgm anymore) there are just buses. So if you take the bus from your hotel to a Park, it can take quite a while. I think from the point we left our hotel to getting into the park it took about an 1 hour and 45 minutes, and its very crowded. It is a free service to anyone, staying in the hotel or not, so it can get crowded quick!
So if you think that's a waste of your time, and money on park tickets, and think it'll be more beneficial to get a car, then you can do that. We did that, and had a great time, not waiting for the bus! The parking lots don't fill up and get closed like DLR's can sometimes, and if worse comes to worse, you just park at epcot, which has something like 11,000 - 12,000 spaces! Largest parking lot in the US, 2nd largest in the world!

Anyway, I believe that if you are a guest at a Disney Resort you get free parking at any of the lots. Otherwise its something like 8-9 bucks a day.

All the parking lots have trams, so even if you park in the back its not biggie, you just hop on the tram.
As for that hotel, I have not stayed at it, but I did see it on the travel channel, and the rooms looked nice, and the hotel looked nice.

Ok, Pal Mickey...
I think each attraction or show broadcasts a radio frequency that tells the Pal Mickey what to say, and he just says an interesting fact about the attraction, or show. So if you aren't sure what the attraction is, he will tell you. I think the map does a good enough job, but if you think its worth it go ahead and get one.

[cnfdrate1]

To answer your questions:

Port Orleans FQ is wonderful. The smallest moderate resort, it practically guarantees that you won't have far to walk to get to its food court or bus stops. We stayed in Christmas 2006 and thought it was very nice. We are staying again this Thanksgiving.

Aside from the standard shows, I believe that Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party will take placeduring your time at the world. You should buy tickets for that (the tickets are in addition to your park admission) and enjoy.

I have never used the shuttle (Disney's Magical Express), but have heard that it has to leave extra early, because it has to bring not only you, but also tons of other people to the airport for their flights. You may want to do a search in the forums to check out other people's experiences. At worst, you could take the Magical Express from the airport to Port Orleans French Quarter, and then take a cab or town car to the airport on your way out.

As for the dining plan, it appears that you fear overkill for the food. Rather than have the three meals and two snacks (deluxe) plan, why not try the one table service, one counter service one snack plan. It is probably cheaper for you, and a lot of character meals are available. Also, you could always pay out of pocket for one really good character meal, but still use the dining plan for everything else.

I'm probably the last person to ask about water parks, as I am not a big fan of them. That said, I would say for four years old, you could take him to the resort pool at Port Orleans French Quarter (do a search for it, its one of the best) and that will be enough for him. Go to the waterparks some other time. In fact, they usually shut down one or the other during the winter months for refurbishment, so you would only be able to go to one anyway. I would just go to the parks, ignore the water parks, and check those out when your four year old is older.

With respect to transportation, disney's bus, monorail and water taxi system is more than sufficient. We usually fly in, and rely on Disney to get us everywhere. From Port Orleans French Quarter buses pick up at Port Orleans French Quarter and drop off at all of the parks and Downtown Disney. You can also take a water taxi to Downtown Disney. The monorail is only between the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, the Contemporary Resort, the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian, so you would not use it except if you wanted to see those resorts after leaving the Magic Kingdom (or Epcot) or if you wanted to go from Epcot to Magic Kingdom (or vice versa). Might I suggest that you visit the Grand Floridian at least once during your trip to view the giant gingerbread house that they make every Christmas. It ought to be up when you are there.

The key is to dress in layers. The last few years, there have been little cold snaps in December in Walt Disney World. Also, it may get kind of breezy and that makes it even cooler. A sweatshirt and a couple of pairs of pants or jeans should be fine. You can also look online and find the historic weather (like last year's) for the same time that you are going. That should help you judge what you need.

I have never used Pal Mickey, but it is my understanding that he is quite expensive. I know of no discounts, and am not sure Disney gives them. I would think that a good trivia book (they are not hard to find) will be just as good, and much less expensive. Once you leave Walt Disney World, Pal Mickey doesn't sign on to the system anymore (unless you return to Walt Disney World), so no more trivia. I think he is a little too expensive.

I would suggest you get a guidebook, whether it is Passporter or the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, get something. The tips in those books are great.

More important than that is to HAVE FUN. Enjoy your trip!

Johnny

[staystrong]

All the above tips are great...one thing I did when I was planning my family's first trip to WDW last summer...was to always mention that this was my FIRST trip to WDW to the Disney people. I paid for a standard room at Wilderness Lodge. When we arrived we got bumped up to Concierge level!!! Talk about a welcome surprise! We got soooo spoiled...we probably just got lucky...but ya never know!

[#1DisneyFreak]

you guys are awesome!! Thank you so much for all the advice! Keep it coming! :)
I hate Costco... we just found out they won't give my hubby the time off cause it's the busy season. Even though he has 4 weeks of vaca built up. The rage is building. However, we are still going to go VERY soon. We might try for March, his birthday.
As for the discounts, I just meant the travel agents and such, not Disney :)Who knows though, if I get upgraded, I"ll call that a discount! :)
Thanks again everyone!!

[ryguy222]

If you are a AAA member, they have great discounts! And if not you may want to consider being a AAA member. We usually can get Disneyland tickets, 20-30 bucks off of the original price on Disney's website. We also usually get 10-40 dollars off on hotel rooms. We've booked through their site, and they are very reliable, unlike travelocity and orbit. Those two sites and many others sometimes don't get you a room, or move you to a different hotel, and they don't tell you @_@

Many of the Disney hotels do have AAA rates, that make it cheaper, so you can still book through their site, but if there is the option for AAA rate, then check mark it.

If you want discounts you can go through orbit, and travelocity, but there still is a 20% chance you won't get a room. We had that happen to us a few times, and our friends have as well, but that was a few years ago so maybe its changed.

[AraBrokenDreamer]

alright, for WDW trips, speaking as a teen who has been to WDW four times, I can say that unless you are willing to risk yours and your child's tastebuds on park food every meal for your stay, you will want a car, or at least take a taxi to the Publix to grab some heat-up meals or sandwich materials (every time we've gone, we're a family of five, so we get the suites with kitchens, but most people don't). You'll also want the car if you wish to have the option of going back to the room whenever you need to, because it can take up to half an hour to get from certain parks to certain hotels, depending of time of day, crowds, etc.

If you're going with a four year old... I'd just as soon stay away from the water parks and focus on the parks. If there's a sudden heat wave, maybe, but otherwise, it can wait. I'd spend maybe half a day in Animal Kingdom, you can get the gist of that park in that amount of time. MGM- Hollywood Studios, pardon... you can spend a day to a day and a half there between the shows, ToT (if your kid is that adventurous), GMR, the TLM ride, Muppets, etc. Epcot and MK can easily fill two days each if you'll take the time for them. Half of that is the amount there is to do, and the other half is the size of the lines there.

And I wouldn't take kids to Cirque du Soleil who are under the age of... 10 or 12.

Other tips: consider staying at a vacation home outside the resort, as they are significantly cheaper, minutes from the park, and usually quite nice . Yes, you'd need to rent a car, but wouldn't you want that anyways?

-Ara

[#1DisneyFreak]

great advice! My son is adventurous and has gone on the TOT with my hubby. I won't go haha. He's freakishly tall for his age too so he's tall enough to go on just about every ride. He'll sit through some shows, but not all so I"ll take your advice on the Circ show Ara. I think you're right about the food. If I can do one of the kitchen suits and just grab some stuff to make sandwhiches I think all of us would be happier :) We can just do dinner and snacks in the park, and a character breakfast one day.
you guys are awesome! Thanks so much for taking the time to help us with this!

[wdwcmdlguest]

i agree that these are all advice for a persons first time at disney world. I have been to disneyworld once and it was from august 07 to may 08 lol so i have lots of advice too. First of all disneey food is not that bad...lol. I kind of wish it was like disneylands food though. For someones first time to disneyworld and does not know what food places are around or anything i highly recomend the disney dinning plan. This plan can be used at almost all resturants and the snacks can be used almost everywhere. My friend used the dining plan when she came and she has been soooo many times. Her family really enjoys it. But if you do have time to find the food places it would not hurt getting food to make for your family too.

Speaking of disney transportation I have to admit that sometimes they are not reliable yet they are a free service and it did not take me more than an hour to get from one side of the resort to the other. The buses usually come to pick you up every 20 mins. I had to take this bus system all the time and it never frusterated me like it did with my college program buses....lol.

With the water parks I too have to agree that you should not go with a 4 year old. It is not worth it. Spend most of your time in the regular parks. I had lots of better times there than the water parks. I went to my pool if i wanted water...lol.

Now to the clothing thing. During this time it is kind of unpredictable if it will be too hot or cool. I think you should bring a sweater just in case for the night time but I dont think you will need winter coats...This is central florida...lol.

If you are here during the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party I HIGHLY recommend going. It is soo cute and fun! The castle durring christmas time is GORGEOUS and they have a special parade, castle stage show, and firework show. Also they give out free hot chocolate and cookies and for healthy sides they give out apple juice and apple slices.


I also noticed that you said you wanted to go to a character breakfast or dinner...what characters does your son like? there are soooo many character dining areas. I loved eating at cinderella's castle for me and my loved ones one year anniversary (yes i did a one year anniversarry there...lol) for dinner and we watched wishes from the caslte. We saw cinderella, the fairy god mother and the mice from cinderella. Durring breakfast they have cinderella and in the upper portion of the castle whille you are eating they have all the princess visit you table. There is also the buffet on main street at the crystal palace were the pooh characters are. And in liberty square they have minnie, goofy and someone else at the liberty tree taven and that is really cool. At the brown durby in hollywood studios they have the playhouse disney characters....at epcot you can eat with the princesses at the norway resturant...At animal kingdom a really really good place to go is Tusker House. Its a buffet but it has Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and daisy duck. and it is really really cool. LOL...and they have character dining at the resorts....OHH SOO MANY!!!! lol

If you have any questions feel free to ask me. I am sure if i dont know them i can find the answers...after working there for a year now i learned ALOT! (BTW: The time you are going down there might be perfect. It is about the time right after thanksgiving were things die down before the first week of december when things kick back up again...lol.) But i dont want to sound like i know everything everything. These other people definetly know what they are talking about too. I just wanted to put my two cents in...lol. Have a fun trip down!!! You will have a blast!!!

[Stitch626]

Hi There!

Everyone has some great info but I'd have to disagree with some things.

1. Dining Plan : It's a catch 22..... we tried the DP for the first time during our last trip and on the plus side, we ate at some fantastic restaurants that we would never have otherwise been to .... but on the downside we kind of felt that we were kind of planning our day around eating because you needed to make reservations. If you are the type of family that has set eating times (we are not) it's worth it to do. Just take the cheapest dining option like CNFDRATE1 suggested. Breakfast is cheap enough that the one counter and one dinner service is all you need.... we even came back with unused meals!!!! (I know they've changed some things but I think they still offer the Dessert option.... when we ate at the hotel for dinner, we learned that we could grab a fruit bowl as a dessert and saved that for the next morning's breakfast.)

2. Rental Car???? I don't think it is necessary to spend the extra money, especially since you will be going with a 4 year old. (I'll explain below) Disney is equipped to take you everywhere you need to go and if for some reason one night you need to hurry home and absolutely can't wait, take a taxi. The lines to get pretty long at closing but they mover very quickly and they pack us all in very tightly.

*** Tip, when taking the monorail, ask to stay in front, it's a great view and opportunity for pics.

It sounds like it would be cheaper to stay off property but it really isn't. Renting a vehicle will cost the same amount of money that you saved!! Maybe even more!
When you stay on property you have the luxury of eating anytime you want to (without having to drive to a restaurant). I know the idea is a FAMILY vacation but I love the the option that we can go our separate ways if we need to (I usually go with four or five people) Just think if your 4 year old (or MOM or DAD!) gets fussy, because you are staying on property you have the option of staying at the park or going home while the other does the opposite. Maybe Dad want's to see Indianna Jones and Mom doesn't want to, Mom can take the lil one for a nap and Meet up with Dad later..... and there is no sense ruining everyone's day if someone get's sick or is tired. (It works out great for us, Mom gets a headache.... she goes for a nap and meets up with us later for dinner)..... if you rent a car either everyone has to leave or the one who wants to go has to come back to pick everyone up!!!

I know this is kinda long winded but I had to get my point across! LOL

I have been to Walt Disney World 13 times so I am very opinionated on how things should be done! If you have any questions at all feel free to contact me, I love to talk about the parks!!


*** Really pay attention to the warnings before the rides, you know your child better than anyone else, It may be wise sometimes to preview the ride before putting a 4 yr old on em... many of the rides have very dark scenes and can be very scary.... "Stitch's Great Escape" in MK sounds cute but it's pitch black and show's Stitch in a not so friendly light.... a poor kid about 8 was so petrified I felt so bad for him!!! "The Great Movie Ride" in Disney Studios has a few scenes that could be scary to a child so just be a aware. Disney was created for all ages so not all rides are kid appropriate.

HAVE FUN!!!!!!

[wdwcmdlguest]

I agree...if you are staying on property there is no real need for a rent a car. The disney busses will take you everywhere. The TTC will take you to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT on the monorail and from there there are also busses that take you to Animal Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios. (But from your hotel you can go anywhere on the bus, all the parks, downtown disney, and the water parks)

[disneyfreak89]

I know that Typhoon Lagoon (one of the Disney Water Parks) will be closed for their annual refurbishment in December.