If you've been to Disney - come in!

[Julie Billingsley]

And just because you have a reservation for a specific time, you still might have a wait. We had to wait about 25-30 minutes for our LeCellier ressie.

[jannylynn]

We are working on booking our disney vacation this week. I'm not sure if we are going in Oct. or Sept.? Which is a better month to go?

DH wants to stay on grounds but the cheapo in me says to stay off grounds and save a bit of money. Do they still have it where you get in early if you stay in a Disney hotel?

[NeverendingJen]

Originally Posted by jannylynn

We are working on booking our disney vacation this week. I'm not sure if we are going in Oct. or Sept.? Which is a better month to go?

DH wants to stay on grounds but the cheapo in me says to stay off grounds and save a bit of money. Do they still have it where you get in early if you stay in a Disney hotel?

I vote go late sept/early october. DH and I went for our honeymoon 4 years ago and the longest line we stood in at that time of year was about 20 minutes. It was a great time.

[Tracyfish]

Originally Posted by jannylynn

We are working on booking our disney vacation this week. I'm not sure if we are going in Oct. or Sept.? Which is a better month to go?

DH wants to stay on grounds but the cheapo in me says to stay off grounds and save a bit of money. Do they still have it where you get in early if you stay in a Disney hotel?

Yes if you stay at a Disney resort you get the special magic hours. Its a different park each day.

[Julie Billingsley]

Originally Posted by jannylynn

DH wants to stay on grounds but the cheapo in me says to stay off grounds and save a bit of money. Do they still have it where you get in early if you stay in a Disney hotel?

typically the park with early entry is worth avoiding because that often will be the busiest park.

there are some days to avoid in october if you are looking to go when there is lower attendance. i think columbus day and the time around it is pretty busy. if i was planning to go during october i'd look when mickey's not so scary halloween party is planned for. it looks like a lot of fun!!!!

[momtutu]

We are going Oct 18 - 22!! I think we aren't going to do the Halloween party though. This whole planning thing is making me NUTS!!! So many things to do...so many decisions!!! So much fun though!!

[BrattyMeg]

We're going the week of Thanksgiving..I know it's one of the busiest weeks but this school year is weird for my kids and besides spring break and december holiday break that's the only other time we can go.

[jannylynn]

It looks like it's the first week in Oct. for us. That works for DH's schedule. But there's no discounts for that week. blah.

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by jannylynn

It looks like it's the first week in Oct. for us. That works for DH's schedule. But there's no discounts for that week. blah.

Free dining ends 10/2 so I'd see if you can go before then.. like maybe come home 10/2? No?

[Julie Billingsley]

I thought as long as you check in before the 2nd that you got free dining for the whole time you are there? Maybe not, but I think it use to be that way. It's worth asking about!

[dgreenshield]

I would also go to the dollar store and get some of the glowing bracelets/necklaces or glow sticks to wear during the parade. Plan on taking a break during the day with little ones...staying on property really helps.

[Tracyfish]

Just an FYI about the Not-So-Scary-Halloween...they advertise it as starting at 7:00pm, but they will start letting you in around 4:00pm. We went last year the first Friday date and we rode more rides from 4-7pm than we ever have there. It was that in between time when the normal day people were leaving and the people who thought you couldn't get in until 7 weren't there yet.

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by Julie Billingsley

I thought as long as you check in before the 2nd that you got free dining for the whole time you are there? Maybe not, but I think it use to be that way. It's worth asking about!

I did a test package on the website and it's not giving it to me, but Janny, call them and see!

[jannylynn]

I'm calling later today. I hear rumors on the Dis forums that it might be extended anyway. That would be so helpful! But there is no way that we can get there before Oct. 4. DH has a project to finish up at work and can't take vacation.

Surprisingly our total was still less without the discount room because they gave us a more expensive room at a "nicer" hotel. I want a suite at a value hotel because I think we will be more comfortable in that rather than packing the 5 of us into a hotel room. So it's all good either way. I'm sooooo excited to take the kids. We went for our honeymoon 15 years ago and have yet to return.

[momtutu]

If they extend the meal package - do you have to be there for a certain number of days??

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by momtutu

If they extend the meal package - do you have to be there for a certain number of days??

I think it's 5 nights, 6 days.

[momtutu]

That's what I was afraid of...we are only going to be there 4 nights. ugh.

[jannylynn]

Kelli, We'll see you there! We changed plans and are going that same week. It's all booked! We've told the kids so we're locked in!

You may want to call Disney and see if they have a code attached to your name for a discount. You never know. The CM told me to keep calling and asking because they just pop-up out of nowhere and then they tack the discount on. I'm hopeful. But at this point I'm just excited that we get to go! It's just not something that is going to be cheap but discounts are certainly welcome!

I'm frustrated right now because the online restaurant reservations aren't working.

[BrattyMeg]

Originally Posted by jannylynn

I'm frustrated right now because the online restaurant reservations aren't working.

It just worked for me..I had to go in and reserve a different restaurant and cancel another reservation (decided to go to a diff park on that day)

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by jannylynn

Kelli, We'll see you there! We changed plans and are going that same week. It's all booked! We've told the kids so we're locked in!

You may want to call Disney and see if they have a code attached to your name for a discount. You never know. The CM told me to keep calling and asking because they just pop-up out of nowhere and then they tack the discount on. I'm hopeful. But at this point I'm just excited that we get to go! It's just not something that is going to be cheap but discounts are certainly welcome!

I'm frustrated right now because the online restaurant reservations aren't working.

You can also sometimes get a pin code by going to www.disneyparks.com and creating an account with your name.. "booking" a travel package and then logging out without completing. SOMETIMES within a week or so you will get an email with a pin code.

[Julie Billingsley]

Originally Posted by jannylynn

You may want to call Disney and see if they have a code attached to your name for a discount. You never know. The CM told me to keep calling and asking because they just pop-up out of nowhere and then they tack the discount on. :

be sure to order the free Disney planning video because I know a lot of people that got a pin a month or so after they did, including me. When you sign up for it be sure to only list DisneyWorld if that is where you are going because silly me put both WDW and Disneyland. So all my discount pin codes were for Disneyland. Ugh, that didn't help me. LOL But finally months after I reserved my vacation they had the Buy 4 Get 3 Free deal and that ended up what we did for an amazing price.

[jannylynn]

Thanks, Julie! I did that so let's hope some pixie dust flies my way!!!

How did you get a reservation with Le Cellier? Was it as great as the hype? I called and they are booked all week! I think my DH will really enjoy it. They told me to keep calling and checking.

[clbenik]

Awesome thread!! We just booked a trip for September. We have 3 character meals booked. I was so bummed to hear that Cinderella's table books up about 6 months in advance! WOW. We got another Princess meal though, so it should be fine. Thanks for all the tips! I've been a million times, but all before kiddos. Now we're going with our 4 year old and the baby who will be 16 months at the time. I know the baby won't remember, but I'm so excited for our 4 year old daughter to see everything, especially since she's SOOOOOOOO in love with the princesses right now.
I think we're going to take the baby for her first haircut at the disney barbershop! I'm going to keep an eye on this thread, and if I find any good tips or anything, I'll come back and post!!

[clbenik]

oh and P.S. - I think specials for October and beyond are coming soon - never fear, if you don't get the deal they have now, there's bound to be something else.

[clbenik]

Originally Posted by FlirtatiousBrat

We're going the week of Thanksgiving..I know it's one of the busiest weeks but this school year is weird for my kids and besides spring break and december holiday break that's the only other time we can go.

I wanted to go Thanksgiving but we can't this year. I'm soooo jealous that you'll be there for all the gorgeous holiday lights etc!!!

[clbenik]

Originally Posted by wvasweetness

So I've been thinking about this autograph book a little more... and I'm thinking that MAYBE the best way to go would be to make some sort of basic book (like a bunch of plain white tags on a ring or something??) to have the chracters sign... AND THEN use those tags to scrap an autograph book AFTER the trip. That way we could put pics of Wes with the character on the same page with the tag that the character signed... I dunno??

BUT then I'm thinking that's going to be pretty boring carrying around some plain white tags or plain white notecards for the chracters to sign - ya know? I mean, that's kinda chincy compared to what I had in mind. But the finished product would be pretty cool, I think. And then I could just scrap the characters that we met - NOT scrap an entire book of characters that we anticipate on meeting...

Ok, time for bed...

Oh, and I added the rain ponchos to the list - I NEVER would have thought of that!

LOVE this idea! I would be YOU will be carrying the notecards or whatever for autographing 90% of the time, except for the actual signing, so I don't think the thought of them being white cards on a ring would be boring at all!!

can you all tell I'm reading this whole thread, and catching up? LOL

[Julie Billingsley]

Originally Posted by jannylynn

How did you get a reservation with Le Cellier? Was it as great as the hype? I called and they are booked all week! I think my DH will really enjoy it. They told me to keep calling and checking.

When I made my reservation it was before the online reservations and I made my reservations the very first day possible (I think it was 90 days before my trip? I can't remember). We thought it was terrific and probably one of the best meals we had at WDW. I would certainly eat there again. We had the dining plan and it was totally worth the meal credit. The dining plan was an excellent thing for us. I took pictures at every place we ate. Here are the pictures of our Le Cellier meal. (I didn't include a mustard chicken dish picture because it is no longer available.) Soup was awesome!! Loved the breadsticks too! New York Strip was awesome. All the desserts were great except the cake was dry and Jacob doesn't recommend trying to eat the Mickey head, it's totally hard and probably a toothbreaker. LOL









let me know if you all want to see other food pics from the other places we ate. LOL

[BrattyMeg]

Le Cellier is booked the week we're going too but that's ok..we're going to Coral Reef that day instead so it'll be good!

[Julie Billingsley]

Originally Posted by FlirtatiousBrat

Le Cellier is booked the week we're going too but that's ok..we're going to Coral Reef that day instead so it'll be good!

we had a good time at Coral Reef too. We asked to wait for a good view of the tank. We only ended up waiting about 10 minutes and it was worth it. LOVED LOVED the view! I have pics of the food and view if anyone wants to see.

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by jannylynn

Thanks, Julie! I did that so let's hope some pixie dust flies my way!!!

How did you get a reservation with Le Cellier? Was it as great as the hype? I called and they are booked all week! I think my DH will really enjoy it. They told me to keep calling and checking.

Le Cellier is fairly small compared to some of the other restaurants so the seating is limited and what is there is fairly crammed in.

I, personally, don't find it as fabulous as the hype, but that is JMO.

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by Julie Billingsley

we had a good time at Coral Reef too. We asked to wait for a good view of the tank. We only ended up waiting about 10 minutes and it was worth it. LOVED LOVED the view! I have pics of the food and view if anyone wants to see.

OMGosh I loveeeeeeeeeeeed Coral Reef. One of my top 3 dinners. SO SO SO good.

[BrattyMeg]

Originally Posted by Julie Billingsley

we had a good time at Coral Reef too. We asked to wait for a good view of the tank. We only ended up waiting about 10 minutes and it was worth it. LOVED LOVED the view! I have pics of the food and view if anyone wants to see.

sure post away!

Sara said it was her favorite food she ate there so I'm sure it's fantastic

[BrattyMeg]

Jinx

[Julie Billingsley]

honestly, before I went I read lots of mixed reviews. So I went with an open mind and hoped it was simply eatable. LOL The view was amazing. I'd eat there just for that. The food was just okay-to-good. I'd still rate it as a "must do" if I went again because of the whole cool factor of the aquarium view. If we weren't on the dining plan, I would have gone for lunch instead to save some money. Here are our plates-

[jannylynn]

I'm hungry. LOL I could tear into that dessert right now!

Love your pics, Julie. I'm going to get shots of everything we eat too.

[momtutu]

Yea Janny!!! Aren't you excited??? Have you been before? (You may have answered all of these earlier-I just haven't gone back to look) Where are you all staying? We are staying at Port Orleans French Quarter.

I couldn't get into Le Celier either. We have one character meal - we did have 2 but the kids really wanted to go to Whispering Canyon so we switched out one. I dunno how good we did with our eating reservations but it'll be ok.

Are you all doing MNSSHP?

[jannylynn]

We went for our honeymoon back in 1995. We stayed at Port Orleans but back then it was called "Dixie Landings." So this is our first time with the kids and a lot has changed since then. We are staying at the All Star Music in a family suite this time.

I finally got my reservations down. (for now) We have a lot of character meals because that's what the kids asked for. But I did them according to that park we are visiting that day or did a breakfast. I have a reservation for every night. I hope that isn't overkill.

And we are doing MNSSHP the first night we arrive. I had a friend tell me that we shouldn't miss it and I think it will be fun to kick off our vacation with a party!

I'm sooooooo excited. And I'm not sure how I'm going to keep my kids from driving me nuts over the next few months because they are asking 1000's of questions each day. My DD is detailed oriented like me and it seems like she expects me to have everything ready to go right now. I still have a lot of planning to do!!!

Oh, we're going to do a countdown chain starting at 100 days. I'm hoping that will my youngest understand that we aren't going tomorrow.

[jannylynn]

I'm trying to decide if we should do a dinner show. Any opinions on them?

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by jannylynn

I finally got my reservations down. (for now) We have a lot of character meals because that's what the kids asked for. But I did them according to that park we are visiting that day or did a breakfast. I have a reservation for every night. I hope that isn't overkill.

we had a breakfast ressie every morning except for the last 2 and a dinner ressie every night and it was totally fine. We got everything done except for the Carousel of Progress (for some reason we never made it back to tomorrowland) and the Hall of Presidents.

[Julie Billingsley]

Originally Posted by jannylynn

We went for our honeymoon back in 1995. We stayed at Port Orleans but back then it was called "Dixie Landings." So this is our first time with the kids and a lot has changed since then.

oh wow! My first to WDW was in July 1995 and I stayed at Dixie Landings too! A lot has changed since then! It's just gotten so much better! I will say that I miss Pleasure Island though. I went to the Comedy Warehouse and the Adventurers Club like every night that I was there in 95. But I didn't have kids with me back then either. LOL

[wvasweetness]

Le Cellier and Coral Reef were booked for our week (we booked kind of last minute), but we did get Flying Fish Cafe - looking forward to that!

Can someone clear up for me one thing... the Lodges (like Animal Kingdom) aren't inside "the park"?? I thought everything was inside "the park"? I've never been there - only going off maps!

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by wvasweetness

Le Cellier and Coral Reef were booked for our week (we booked kind of last minute), but we did get Flying Fish Cafe - looking forward to that!

Can someone clear up for me one thing... the Lodges (like Animal Kingdom) aren't inside "the park"?? I thought everything was inside "the park"? I've never been there - only going off maps!

No. None of the resorts are inside any of the parks. You can see parts of the savannah from some of the animal kingdom lodge rooms, but to go there to eat, you will have to leave a park and transport to the hotel. To get back to your hotel, you will have to transport back to a park and then back to your hotel.

[eranslow]

Originally Posted by kscwgirl

No. None of the resorts are inside any of the parks. You can see parts of the savannah from some of the animal kingdom lodge rooms, but to go there to eat, you will have to leave a park and transport to the hotel. To get back to your hotel, you will have to transport back to a park and then back to your hotel.

But they are all part of Disney World - just not connected to the parks. lol does that make sense? lol

[CupcakeJamie]

Fun! We're taking our little one on her first trip in 2 weeks!

As for the autograph thing - I had the same idea about making her one for the trip but what I've decided to do is we are going to get her one (let her pick it out when we get there) and then for Christmas I'm going to make her an autograph album - where I can scan in the autograph and make a page with the autograph and the picture of her with that character


Have a blast!

[BrattyMeg]

Not sure if you October girls saw but they extended the dining plan thru 12/21! It's not valid the week we're going to be there grrrrr but I think we might pull them out of school for 2 days so we can arrive in time to get it..2 days of school is worth 900 bucks to this family!

[kendallt]

I'm loving this thread! We're booked from Dec. 16-21. This will be our first time going at Christmas, and I'm so excited. I've been a few times but always during the summer, so I'm looking forward to cooler temps! We were able to get free dining for our trip (Discounts released today), which saved us an additional 400 or so dollars (We'd already gotten a pin code).

I LOVE Le Cellier and have a reservation booked for our Epcot day. Has anyone done the Candlelight Processional? I'm hoping to eventually convert our "regular" Le Cellier reservation to a CP package. We're also doing the Christmas party on the 16th and plan to do the Osbourne Lights on our DHS day. Any other holiday-specific tips?

[Julie Billingsley]

I haven't tried this out, but thought I'd mention there is an ap for the iPhone (and limitedly for the iTouch) that should help with WDW info-
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/under...ign-mpt=uo%3D6

[scrap2day]

Originally Posted by kendallt

I'm loving this thread! We're booked from Dec. 16-21. This will be our first time going at Christmas, and I'm so excited. I've been a few times but always during the summer, so I'm looking forward to cooler temps! We were able to get free dining for our trip (Discounts released today), which saved us an additional 400 or so dollars (We'd already gotten a pin code).

I LOVE Le Cellier and have a reservation booked for our Epcot day. Has anyone done the Candlelight Processional? I'm hoping to eventually convert our "regular" Le Cellier reservation to a CP package. We're also doing the Christmas party on the 16th and plan to do the Osbourne Lights on our DHS day. Any other holiday-specific tips?

Oh, I want to hear about your trip at Christmas with all of the decorations and extra parties. I dream of going at that time. I think it would just take the magic of the place over the top.

[MichaelsMomJo]

Whew, just caught up with all the posts on this thread! Disney is my obsession, and Disney World is my second home! We're vacation club members, so even before I moved to FL, I spent a tremendous amount of time there. Now, we hop in the car and go very often (thank goodness for annual passes!).

In answer to some questions. None of the resorts are within the parks. The entire WDW Resort Area is made up of the 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, Downtown Disney, and the various hotels/spas. That being said, some of the resorts have direct transportation between itself and a park. The Contemporary Resort (where you'll find Chef Mickey's) is connected by monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Along this same monorail line are Disney's Polynesian Resort (where you'll find Ohana and the Kona Cafe), and the Grand Floridian. Disney's Wilderness Lodge (Whispering Canyon) has boat service directly to the Magic Kingdom. If you are going to take the boat from the Magic Kingdom to Wilderness Lodge, make sure you pay close attention. Don't confuse Wilderness Lodge with Fort Wilderness. They are two separate resort areas. Sometimes (depending on time of day and year), the boats will run to both areas, but not always. So make sure you get on the boat for the Wilderness Lodge. Disney's Boardwalk, Yacht Club, and Beach Club all have boat service to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. None of the other resorts have direct connections to any of the parks, you use the busses. When traveling from a park to a resort for a meal, give yourself at least an hour for travel time.

As far as autograph books go, I got a very simple journal with blank pages to use for my son. I scrapped a cover and then used cold laminating film on it. This is pretty much a must if you create your own because rain can happen at any moment around here, without warning. And the humidity can be downright beastly. When looking for characters, they make it really easy in Epcot and the Animal Kingdom. There are big character stations. In Epcot, it's across from Innoventions as you head toward The Land, Imaginagion, and Finding Nemo. In Animal Kingdom it's by Camp Minnie Mickey. Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios you'll find characters pretty much throughout the park.

Along with the app Julie posted, there are also these for iPhone. I have both of them, and they're both free!
Disney World Wait Times - This app is useful for figuring out what to do next based on your location and how long the wait times are for surrounding rides. The nice thing about it is that it uses the phone's GPS to determine where you are and can show you the surrounding attractions (with distances) if you are unfamiliar with park layout. The wait times are determined based on app users entering the info, which is extremely intuitive. So if you pay attention to how long you wait, you can enter your wait time when you get off the ride.
Disney World Park Hours - This app tells you what hours each of the four theme parks are open every day, including those parks that have Extra Magic hours each day. It goes out months into the future, so this is good for planning your visit. I'm looking at my phone right now, and all four parks are included through December 31. Only Animal Kingdom's hours are missing beginning in January. It says "Not yet available."

Just a bit of trivia that may help you in the Magic Kingdom - this came from either my annual passholder magazine or vacation club magazine (can't remember which one). I've tested it both ways and find that it's pretty accurate. The majority of Magic Kingdom visitors start in Tomorrowland and work their way counterclockwise until they get back to Main Street. Therefore, wait times are generally shorter if you start in Adventureland and work clockwise through the lands.

Have fun, and don't be surprised if we run into each other.

[wvasweetness]

Just thought I would bump this up and see how everyone's Disney plans are going... we leave in about 3 weeks! Eek!