If you've been to Disney - come in!

[wvasweetness]

We just booked our first ever trip to Disney World! We're going before Wes starts preschool in August!

I'm sooo excited! I've done some reading about the autograph books (that the characters sign) - and saw some cool ones on the Disney forum that I've been poking around on. Soooo, I totally want to make an autograph book for Wes for the trip! Has anyone ever made one? If so, what type of album did you use? What supplies? Do you have pics?

Also, some other random questions...
- What are your favorite "Disney type" kits?
- In your opinion, what are the top three "must see" things at Disney World?

Feel free to share any other advice! I have Disney on the brain!

Thanks girlies!!

[kscwgirl]

Well since I just got back.. literally just.. as in like.. 2 hours ago.. LOL

I don't recommend making your own book, honestly. Depends on how you want to do it though. If you just want to have blank pages, the ones you can get down there are cute and mine loved them. If you're planning on doing the character pages, I really don't recommend doing your own. There's really no way to predict what characters you will see. I went off all the official lists and they weren't right, even. We saw some we never expected to see and rarely saw some common characters.

If you are doing the dining plan, and even if you aren't, I really suggest you make some dining reservations soon.. like tomorrow. People have been booking reservations for August since February and a lot of things are going to be full. Are you planning on doing any character meals?? The two best we had as far as character interaction that Wes might like were the playhouse disney meal at hollywood studios and donald's safari breakfast at animal kingdom. The dinner in the castle was awesome but probably not something Wes would go for.

There's not really a way to give you a top three list. Everyone likes different things. How long are you staying? Do you have park hopper passes? What are you planning as far as meals?

Answer those and I can help you a LOT more efficently.

[momtutu]

That is so funny that this post came up...I have been working on dinner reservations for our trip in October. We've never been before and I am COMPLETELY overwhelmed!!! We got the dining plan and park hopper options and I've made dinner reservations for the 4 nights we are going to be there but I just don't know that my timing is going to be right.

I haven't even started looking at the autograph books but will go do that now!

[kscwgirl]

Kelli, where are you guys eating?

[Nettio]

I really really recommend TourGuideMike. I signed up on the recommendation of Julie and his advice made things SO much easier. We've been twice now and used his site each time and it was well worth the $20 signup fee.

[momtutu]

We get there Monday, Oct 18th and will eat at Chef Mickeys that night.
Tuesday - Garden Grill
Wednesday - Whispering Canyon (or there is also an opening at Liberty Tree that I may change the reservation to depending on what we end up planning for that day).
Thursday - Sci-Fi Theater.

I have a rough itinerary drawn up and We are going to do Wishes and Spectro Wed. night so I'm not sure whether to venture off to Whispering Canyon for the 5:05 reservation we have or to ditch that and do Liberty Tree which would give us more time to stake out good spots for the shows. Any opinions?

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by momtutu

We get there Monday, Oct 18th and will eat at Chef Mickeys that night.
Tuesday - Garden Grill
Wednesday - Whispering Canyon (or there is also an opening at Liberty Tree that I may change the reservation to depending on what we end up planning for that day).
Thursday - Sci-Fi Theater.

I have a rough itinerary drawn up and We are going to do Wishes and Spectro Wed. night so I'm not sure whether to venture off to Whispering Canyon for the 5:05 reservation we have or to ditch that and do Liberty Tree which would give us more time to stake out good spots for the shows. Any opinions?

Garden Grill - just fyi it rotates. It's VERY VERY slow but it made me sick. Food was good though

I wouldn't do Whispering Canyon, transportation from the park there and back would eat up quite a bit of time, if you plan to see wishes that night, I would stay in the park. We ate at Liberty Tree and the food was good, the dessert was yummy (strawberryhubarb crisp)

Sci Fi is okay.. food isn't great but the atmosphere is fun. Just be aware the movie clips they show are all horror movies in case you're taking a little one.

[wvasweetness]

Originally Posted by kscwgirl

If you are doing the dining plan, and even if you aren't, I really suggest you make some dining reservations soon.. like tomorrow. People have been booking reservations for August since February and a lot of things are going to be full. Are you planning on doing any character meals?? The two best we had as far as character interaction that Wes might like were the playhouse disney meal at hollywood studios and donald's safari breakfast at animal kingdom. The dinner in the castle was awesome but probably not something Wes would go for.

There's not really a way to give you a top three list. Everyone likes different things. How long are you staying? Do you have park hopper passes? What are you planning as far as meals?

We are staying 6 nights, 7 days... and we do have park hopper passes. Other than meals, we have nothing "planned" so far (just booked the trip this weekend) - I'm just now starting on a list of things to do while there.

We do have the dining plan and are planning on doing character meals. I have heard great things about the Donald's breakfast (that's Tusker House, right??) - but it's booked for our dates! These are the meal reservations we have as of right now (I C&P'd these from our itinerary, hope they make sense)...

- 50's Prime Time Cafe (Disney's Hollywood Studios) @ 4:30
- The Crystal Palace (Character Dinner @ Magic Kingdom) @ 3:20pm
- The Flying Fish Cafe (Disney's Boardwalk Resort) (Dress Code) @ 7:25pm {TWO meal tickets per person}
- Whispering Canyon Cafe (Disney's Wilderness Lodge) @ 4:10pm
- Boma - Flavors of Africa (Disney's Animal Kingdom) @ 6:30pm
- Hollywood & Vine (Character Dining @ Disney Hollywood Studios) @ 11:55am
- Ohana - (Character Breakfast @ Disney Polynesian Resort) @ 9:25am

Since this is our first time it's a bit overwhelming - it's like a full time job planning these $%# meals! LOL! Any advice (on meals or otherwise) is appreciated!!

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by Nettio

I really really recommend TourGuideMike. I signed up on the recommendation of Julie and his advice made things SO much easier. We've been twice now and used his site each time and it was well worth the $20 signup fee.

TGM isn't for everyone though. I signed up and ended up asking for my money back. I had much much better success with Ridemax and doing my own research. He has nothing majorly earth shattering in his forums, to me, and his touring plans were weird. JMO.

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by wvasweetness

We are staying 6 nights, 7 days... and we do have park hopper passes. Other than meals, we have nothing "planned" so far (just booked the trip this weekend) - I'm just now starting on a list of things to do while there.

We do have the dining plan and are planning on doing character meals. I have heard great things about the Donald's breakfast (that's Tusker House, right??) - but it's booked for our dates! These are the meal reservations we have as of right now (I C&P'd these from our itinerary, hope they make sense)...

- 50's Prime Time Cafe (Disney's Hollywood Studios) @ 4:30
- The Crystal Palace (Character Dinner @ Magic Kingdom) @ 3:20pm
- The Flying Fish Cafe (Disney's Boardwalk Resort) (Dress Code) @ 7:25pm {TWO meal tickets per person}
- Whispering Canyon Cafe (Disney's Wilderness Lodge) @ 4:10pm
- Boma - Flavors of Africa (Disney's Animal Kingdom) @ 6:30pm
- Hollywood & Vine (Character Dining @ Disney Hollywood Studios) @ 11:55am
- Ohana - (Character Breakfast @ Disney Polynesian Resort) @ 9:25am

Yah a lot is going to be booked. 50's is fun, as long as you intend to have fun with it. The waitresses are not what you would expect, so go into it w/ an open mind.

Crystal Palace is good... we had breakfast there, but I'm sure the food will be good no matter which. Characters were a little slower there than other places, but it looks like you have one of the early dinner seatings so you should be fine

you'll love h&v. JoJo was awesome.

Ohana is FUN..we didn't go there this time but I've been to the Poly in the past for character dining and really enjoyed it.

Which plan are you on? Deluxe or regular?

[wvasweetness]

Originally Posted by kscwgirl

Which plan are you on? Deluxe or regular?

It's the regular, I THINK. Not the quick-service, but not the deluxe - the one in the middle.

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by wvasweetness

It's the regular, I THINK. Not the quick-service, but not the deluxe - the one in the middle.

yep Where are you staying? On or off property??

[scrap2day]

My best "splurge" was prepurchasing the PhotoPass CD. I would order it again in a heartbeat. It looks like you can preorder again here: http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disneysphotopass/#save

One hint: if you tell the photographers that you have preordered the cd, many will take a TON of photos. These "extra" photos were some of my favorites (not just a posed photo with character, but dancing with character, talking with character, etc).

Also, study the "Magic Shots" here. http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disneysphotopass/#magic

Sometimes, photographers will offer to do a magic shot. I got bold enough to ask if they had any magic shots they could do. Got so many more this way. Plus, since I had prestudied them when one of the photographers offered to do the Magic Shot of Stitch coming up through the pavement, I could explain to my father what the photo would look like and why the photographer wanted us to point at the ground and act surprised (and sort of showed him what to do). Really fun because we all knew what to do to get the best shot.

Also, if you do get the photopass cd read the details carefully. We went last year and I think at that time I had 29-30 days to add all of my borders, etc. and order the CD from the first time I looked at our photos.

Wear comfortable shoes! You will be surprised at how much walking you will be doing. Get a stroller for Wes. There are many hints out there for renting/sharing strollers. I didn't go with any little ones this last time so I will let someone with more info give you hints about this but depending on the amount of time you will be spending I think you will all be happier if you have a stroller along.

My "character meal" was Remy at Les Chefs de France in Epcot. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/din...efs-de-france/ If you want to do this one I would ask if he is still scheduled to make an appearance during your reservation time.

Also, since you have Park Hopper tickets I found that I enjoyed going back to Epcot for more dinner options (in the countries). But that's just me. We didn't go for many full sit down dinners so I was wishing for more food options.

The Gran Fiesta ride in the pyramid in Mexico at Epcot might be a nice attraction for your family. It is inside so it is air conditioned. And it is a slow entertaining boat ride that, if I remember correctly, shouldn't be really scary for your little one. It's Donald Duck. Also, when we went, it wasn't crowded at all. I wonder how many people know it is there. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/par...n-fiesta-tour/

I'm sure I'll think of other ideas. You are going to have such a fun time.

ETA: with the photopass CD you can end up with 100s of photos. If it takes 2 or 3 cds to actually burn all of the photos they will do that for the one price. Also, you can add borders, etc. to your photos.

[Nettio]

Originally Posted by kscwgirl

TGM isn't for everyone though. I signed up and ended up asking for my money back. I had much much better success with Ridemax and doing my own research. He has nothing majorly earth shattering in his forums, to me, and his touring plans were weird. JMO.

Fair enough. We followed his advice and had an amazing time though so I was just passing that info on since I wouldn't have even known about his site if it wasn't for Julie passing it on to me in the first place.

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by scrap2day

My best "splurge" was prepurchasing the PhotoPass CD. I would order it again in a heartbeat. It looks like you can preorder again here: http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disneysphotopass/#save

One hint: if you tell the photographers that you have preordered the cd, many will take a TON of photos. These "extra" photos were some of my favorites (not just a posed photo with character, but dancing with character, talking with character, etc).

Also, study the "Magic Shots" here. http://www.stitchkingdom.com/disneysphotopass/#magic

Sometimes, photographers will offer to do a magic shot. I got bold enough to ask if they had any magic shots they could do. Got so many more this way. Plus, since I had prestudied them when one of the photographers offered to do the Magic Shot of Stitch coming up through the pavement, I could explain to my father what the photo would look like and why the photographer wanted us to point at the ground and act surprised (and sort of showed him what to do). Really fun because we all knew what to do to get the best shot.

Also, if you do get the photopass cd read the details carefully. We went last year and I think at that time I had 29-30 days to add all of my borders, etc. and order the CD from the first time I looked at our photos.

Wear comfortable shoes! You will be surprised at how much walking you will be doing. Get a stroller for Wes. There are many hints out there for renting/sharing strollers. I didn't go with any little ones this last time so I will let someone with more info give you hints about this but depending on the amount of time you will be spending I think you will all be happier if you have a stroller along.

My "character meal" was Remy at Les Chefs de France in Epcot. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/din...efs-de-france/ If you want to do this one I would ask if he is still scheduled to make an appearance during your reservation time.

Also, since you have Park Hopper tickets I found that I enjoyed going back to Epcot for more dinner options (in the countries). But that's just me. We didn't go for many full sit down dinners so I was wishing for more food options.

The Gran Fiesta ride in the pyramid in Mexico at Epcot might be a nice attraction for your family. It is inside so it is air conditioned. And it is a slow entertaining boat ride that, if I remember correctly, shouldn't be really scary for your little one. It's Donald Duck. Also, when we went, it wasn't crowded at all. I wonder how many people know it is there. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/par...n-fiesta-tour/

I'm sure I'll think of other ideas. You are going to have such a fun time.

I told aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall of mine that we pre-ordered and we only got 87 pics. BLAH. LOL

I found one photographer in animal kingdom that would do the trick shots. I couldn't find a single one in magic kingdom or anywhere else that woudl do it. I was annoyed. ah well.

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by Nettio

Fair enough. We followed his advice and had an amazing time though so I was just passing that info on since I wouldn't have even known about his site if it wasn't for Julie passing it on to me in the first place.

He works for a lot of people... just not me. (i'm weird though)

[wvasweetness]

Originally Posted by kscwgirl

yep Where are you staying? On or off property??

On property at All Star Movies. I agonized between a Value and a Moderate (there were VERY FEW choices and VERY FEW dates left since we are booking about 50-ish days out), and decided to save $500 and go for the value resort - hope I made the right choice! But I figure if we don't like it then we will stay somewhere else next time! LOL!

[scrap2day]

Originally Posted by kscwgirl

I told aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall of mine that we pre-ordered and we only got 87 pics. BLAH. LOL

I found one photographer in animal kingdom that would do the trick shots. I couldn't find a single one in magic kingdom or anywhere else that woudl do it. I was annoyed. ah well.

Oh no. I'm sorry to hear that. Of course, I was just sort of happy that it gave me an opportunity to be in the pics (instead of always being the one taking them. LOL).

[wvasweetness]

Thanks everyone for the great advice - keep it coming!

And I'm still waiting on someone to tell me what a FABULOUS idea it is to make a crazy autograph book for Wes (since I already bought $15 worth of supplies).... OR I guess I could just save the papers for the post-trip scrapbook, huh? Here's a thread of pics of other ppl's DIY autograph albums: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2210478

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by wvasweetness

On property at All Star Movies. I agonized between a Value and a Moderate (there were VERY FEW choices and VERY FEW dates left since we are booking about 50-ish days out), and decided to save $500 and go for the value resort - hope I made the right choice! But I figure if we don't like it then we will stay somewhere else next time! LOL!

You'll be completely fine there!!! We've always stayed value until this trip when we stayed moderate. Only diff. really is no fridge in the rooms in value. But no seriously, you will be fine. All Star Movies is fun Plus, you have EMH to take advantage of!!!!

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by scrap2day

Oh no. I'm sorry to hear that. Of course, I was just sort of happy that it gave me an opportunity to be in the pics (instead of always being the one taking them. LOL).

I def. got in the pics.

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by wvasweetness

Thanks everyone for the great advice - keep it coming!

And I'm still waiting on someone to tell me what a FABULOUS idea it is to make a crazy autograph book for Wes (since I already bought $15 worth of supplies).... OR I guess I could just save the papers for the post-trip scrapbook, huh? Here's a thread of pics of other ppl's DIY autograph albums: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2210478

If you want to make one, go for it. I wanted desperately to make my own but it would have been cost prohibitive for me to do so b/c of the way I wanted to do my pages, and my kids actually loved going to downtown disney our first night there and picking out their autograph books

[scrap2day]

Originally Posted by wvasweetness

On property at All Star Movies. I agonized between a Value and a Moderate (there were VERY FEW choices and VERY FEW dates left since we are booking about 50-ish days out), and decided to save $500 and go for the value resort - hope I made the right choice! But I figure if we don't like it then we will stay somewhere else next time! LOL!

I will be interested in hearing your review. We did not stay on property. We were very happy with our off property hotel, the only thing was we couldn't go back and forth to the hotel to rest during the day because the hotel shuttle only dropped off at the parks in the morning and picked us up in the evening. My sister and her family did stay on property (Port Orleans, I think). I keep thinking about staying on property but I think because of $ I would probably choose one of the Value ones also. I also would be running around to all of the Value hotels to take photos of their "decorations" (like the 101 Dalmations & Buzz Lightyear outside of Movies), but I'm always looking for crazy things to scrapbook. LOL.

[eranslow]

We went last August (gosh it's hard to believe it will be a year soon!) - we had a TON of fun! One thing that I highly suggest bringing are rain ponchos. You can pick them up at Target for around $1 - compared to the expensive park rain ponchos. Rain showers pop up at random times during the summer months - and it can rain HARD!! Here's a pic from our trip



As for hotel - we weren't all that thrilled with the Pop Century. The next time we go we'll stay at a moderate hotel. (We stayed at Port Orleans in the past and were very happy there)

[scrap2day]

Originally Posted by wvasweetness

Thanks everyone for the great advice - keep it coming!

And I'm still waiting on someone to tell me what a FABULOUS idea it is to make a crazy autograph book for Wes (since I already bought $15 worth of supplies).... OR I guess I could just save the papers for the post-trip scrapbook, huh? Here's a thread of pics of other ppl's DIY autograph albums: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2210478

Ok. I'm saying if you want to make an autograph book. GO FOR IT! and then take pics and share it with us.

It's all a part of the fun.

[scrap2day]

Originally Posted by eranslow

We went last August (gosh it's hard to believe it will be a year soon!) - we had a TON of fun! One thing that I highly suggest bringing are rain ponchos. You can pick them up at Target for around $1 - compared to the expensive park rain ponchos. Rain showers pop up at random times during the summer months - and it can rain HARD!! Here's a pic from our trip

Oh yes. Bring your own rain ponchos. Very good idea. We did this too.

[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!

[scrap2day]

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...

I like this idea. I know I would find it more exciting to have the kid/character pic with the autograph. And I like the idea of white cards on a ring.

[kscwgirl]

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!

Hee! T hat's exactly what I wanted to do Abby got an autograph book there, though, that had a 6x4 picture space on one side and then the autograph page on the other. hers is Tink but they had a Mickey one too

[Melissa Bennett]

We brought rain ponchos and the biggest help was our camel backs!! We would load them in the morning with ice and water and they would last until we went back to our trailer for a rest and then we would fill them for our return trip for the evening. Also a lot of people had those spray bottles with fans with them, we got one in the park and it was $18 dollars. They help with the heat to cool ya down while standing in line.

[Julie Billingsley]

Thanks Lynnette for mentioning Tour Guide Mike I'm a huge fan of his touring advice! We went during Spring Break '09 which is a very busy time of year and we had little or no waits for rides. It was amazing! We had lunch and talked to a family that had waited 2 hours for Space Mountain. During that 2 hours we had not only riden Space Mountain but like 6 other rides. That alone was worth the $20! My husband (who hates to be told what to do and very much likes to do rides "in order") was resistant to trying TGM but after just our first few hours at the Magic Kingdom he was telling me he would email Mike and tell him that he was a convert! Specifically at TGM, I did Brett's spreadsheets of what to ride/when. My membership is lapsed at TGM so I can't tell you exactly where to find that info, but if you join, sign up for the August forum and those people will help guide you to the info.

Another forum that I used a lot was the Disboards.com . Also check out Mousesavers.com and sign up for their monthly newsletter. It came out around the 15th, so the next one isn't due for a couple weeks.

As for the meals you've planned, it all depends on your touring schedule and which park you'll be at each day. (We didn't have the park hopper because using TGM's plan, you won't typically need to jump parks.) Of those you've mentioned I will comment on the ones that I've been to-

for Character interaction, we loved Chef Mickeys. Food was only so-so but at least it's buffet so you can pick your favorites.

We LOVED Whispering Canyon! Don't know if that would work with your Wishes plan though. Whispering Canyon is known for their crazy antics, which I thought my husband would hate so I told him to relax and just go with it. We ended up having a blast and LOVED our waiter (named Marshall Law, LOL) My husband had the Canyon Skillet and loved it. I had the vegetarian dish (which is off the menu now, I've heard) and thought it was awful so I also had the Skillet. LOL We had so much fun there! We'd certainly go there again! And the boat ride to the Wilderness Lodge from the Magic Kingdom was FUN! It was terrific and the best way to get to Whispering Canyon.

50's Prime Time Cafe was only okay-good. We had a strange waitress and the playfulness wasn't great. We enjoyed it once but wouldn't go there again.

We didn't eat at the other place you've mentioned. Disboards can really help with figuring out if the place is for you. I also looked up all the menus and made sure we'd even like the food beforehand. That helped a lot.

As for kits that work for Disney, I have a few Disney pages in my gallery and Cindy has a ton in hers. I know others do too, so that might help see some kits in action for disney pages.

[Sharon Kay]

Originally Posted by wvasweetness

On property at All Star Movies. I agonized between a Value and a Moderate (there were VERY FEW choices and VERY FEW dates left since we are booking about 50-ish days out), and decided to save $500 and go for the value resort - hope I made the right choice! But I figure if we don't like it then we will stay somewhere else next time! LOL!

My sister just stayed at All Star Movies back in April ... she loved it.

We went in May 2009 with 2 teenagers and 2 adults ... we loved All Star MUSIC ... it was better for us. More room for in the hotel room! ... we had a kitchnette with a microwave, mini frig, and actual cabinets, sink, etc. That was NICE!!

You can buy a covered mug in the dining area for about $15 ... if you drink pop it is so worth it...the whole time you are there you get unlimited refills.

The boys liked All Star Music because they had dive-in movies EVERY SINGLE night ... all Disney movies of course. My sister said that All Star Movies did NOT have it...but recommended they take the shuttle over to MUSIC to see them (she said that was too much of a hassle).

Pay extra (I want to say a fee of $100) and you can stay at a location CLOSER to where you check in and ride the shuttle ... otherwise you could have a bit of a walk. It was worth it to me because by the time we got back to the hotel my feet were killing me!

Sci-Fi restaurant ... not on the menu ... you can ask for a hamburger! An employee gave us that tip ... which was good because my boys don't eat much other than a hot dog and hamburger.

I have extremely picky teenagers when it comes to food ... I went through all the Parks online and looked at their menu ... I made a little mini book of the restaurants they would eat at ... and the food they would eat ... and organized it by park then by location in the park. WOW did that ever save us headaches ... so easy to figure out where to eat!!! It took me a lot of time but was worth it.

[nesser1981]

I had a big long post and then I lost it.
You can find all the kits I used for our trip here.
http://southernmamamisplaced.typepad...sney-kits.html
I've got like 12 kits there I used.

Here's my album.
http://southernmamamisplaced.typepad...rch-2010-.html
like 40 disney pages or something like that.

And I'd totally recommend booking a character meal if you can, and getting this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Birnbaums-Walt...7739627&sr=8-2

[Sharon Kay]

My boys being teenagers said they were too old for autographs ... but my 14yo did grab my "notes" notebook I had made and asked for a few in the excitement ... and I finally met Jiminy Cricket (which I had wanted to do since I was a child) ... and got his autograph...which I need to scan and use on my page... (adding to my list of things to scrap from Disney trip) ... I think they got Stitch and Indiana Jones oh and the Incredibles ... lol just a fun thing to add to your book. ...so I would just use white paper, scan it and use it in the scrapbook.

[Sharon Kay]

What I did hear on the Disney boards is that those rain ponchos you buy cheaply might tear and then you are soaked ... the Disney ponchos will replace them at any Disney store if they do tear ... so maybe if you are pushing a stroller...might want the Disney ones or whatever.

We went in May and got POURED ON one entire day ... we were basically rained out of Epcot which was a shame because we never got back to the countries at all ... it was just a total downpour the entire day. I had really wanted to see their fireworks.

We only got to see one fireworks display in all the days we were there ... that was at Magic Kingdom ... all other days it rained in the evening.

[julifish]

Originally Posted by momtutu

We get there Monday, Oct 18th and will eat at Chef Mickeys that night.
Tuesday - Garden Grill
Wednesday - Whispering Canyon (or there is also an opening at Liberty Tree that I may change the reservation to depending on what we end up planning for that day).
Thursday - Sci-Fi Theater.

I have a rough itinerary drawn up and We are going to do Wishes and Spectro Wed. night so I'm not sure whether to venture off to Whispering Canyon for the 5:05 reservation we have or to ditch that and do Liberty Tree which would give us more time to stake out good spots for the shows. Any opinions?

I recommend taking the Liberty Tree reservation so that you will be in the park and not trying to get back in for Wishes and Spectro. Whispering Canyone is a fun place to eat and the food is good - but the hassel of trying to get everyone back to the park, find a spot, etc...staying in the park will be easier on you all.

[Julie Billingsley]

I totally forgot to answer one of your questions-

In your opinion, what are the top three "must see" things at Disney World?

1. Toy Story Midway Mania at Hollywood Studios (it was my favorite ride )

2. Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom (we saw so many animals close up, even a baby giraffe!)

3. Wishes fireworks! I watched it from near the Main Street flagpole, from the deck of Narcoossee's (at the Grand Floridan resort), and from the beach of the Polynesian resort. Best of all was from Narcoossee's. I don't think you have to eat there to get onto the deck. But we did eat there and it was a big favorite of our family, although it is 2 credits each.

[kscwgirl]

I totally agree about TSM and the safari. We did TSM twice and the safari 3 times. The safari was AWESOME.

I think the longest line we waited in (in June, at peak) was 90 mins for the fairies... which you can't fastpass or anything. Other than that, we waited maybe 15-20 mins. We did wait an hour i think for our first TSM but I had fastpassed it for a 2nd ride and my kids loved the queue so we stood in it.. I don't think it was actually an hour. Fastpass bypasses Mr Potato Head and J was not happy.

[KristinCB]

wow i don't think i would be very good with these places.. I am SO not a planner. I like to go somewhere and have no idea what we are going to do from one day to the next. I would be a big disneyworld failure LOL

[julifish]

We are seasonal passholders so we've been to Disney a lot! My girls are now 7 and 11 but stil like to get autographs. We use a spiral bound index card book for autographs. I took the spiral part out, made my own cover, switched out the front and back of the book (so the plain white side showed out when you opened it from the cover). I also bought plastic index card boxes at Walgreens to keep the books in so they don't get distroyed in our backpack. If you are a dilgent scrapbooker you can use the back of the card to write a note about that specific character interaction for scrapping when you get back home. I'm not that good, but my kids like to write on the back occassionally and date so they can remember when they got the autograph. The pages are perforated so you can cut them out when you get back home and either scan or use in a paper layout. I really love this system after trying to use homemade tag books for my DD's birthday. They got really beat up in the bags.

Favorite things at each park from my kids' perspective -
Magic Kingdom - Barber Shop - you can get colored gel in your hair with confetti for $5-$7. For girls they put the hair in a bun and tease out the end. For boys they spike up the hair and put in the color. If the back is short they'll put a Mickey head on with the colored gel.

Go straight to Fantasy Land and get it done first! That is the only time during the day you can ride Dumbo without a 30+ minute wait.

My kids love Buzz Lightyear - they'll ride it mutliple times if we can get the fast passes for it (and/or the line is not too long).

Favorite place to eat counter service - Cosmic Rays - with the dining plan you can get the chicken and ribs and it will feed 2 people easy. Save your other counter service for another meal or a bigger snack.

EPCOT -
Don't skip Innoventions. They have some really fun exhibits that are educational. Save this for after lunch when it's really hot out! My kids love this area now that it's been upgraded!

Kim Possible adventure - you get a phone that takes you on little mysteries in the countries. It makes the countries a lot more fun for the kids (and the adults). There are several places in the park to sign up before you get back to the countries. This was surprisingly fun!

Favorite place to eat counter service - The Land - there is a food court and everyone can get what they want. It does get hard to find a seat. They have a little parade every now and then with instruments for the kids to participate in - fun little extra!

MGM/Hollywood Studios -
The Great Movie Ride can be a bit scary for little kids - but it's a family favorite.

Playhouse Disney is a must do if your kids are under 5!

The Beauty and the Beast show is not to be missed!

The food at Hollywood Studios is so-so. If we have the time we leave the park and take the boat over to the Boardwalk Hotel. They have a great little counter service food stand on the boardwalk that has pulled pork sandwiches, hamburgers, hotdogs, for less than in the park. There are some shady places to sit and grass for the kids to run around. Get some ice cream before you head back on the boat.

Animal Kingdom -
Finding Nemo is a must do for any age - great show and nicely air conditioned for the afternoons.

In the dinosaur playground there is a great place up over the bridge where the kids can dig out bones in the sand/gravel. There is shade and fans for parents who need a rest.

The best time to see the characters in Camp Minnie Mickey is between Lion King Shows (another cannot be missed attraction!). Right before and right after the show is craziness!!


What keeps me sane -
We keep a backpack packed with our core Disney needs. Ponchos are a definite must - reusable camping ponchos that have little bags are what we use. They have kid sized ones that fit my girls better than the adults. We take these on every vacation no matter where we are going.

Refillable water bottles - you could buy some there as a souvnier, but we take our own Old Navy ones along with little packets of drink mix. Disney water from the fountains is NOT tasty!

Dollar store glow sticks - keeps the requests for us to buy the Disney ones down and at 15 for $1 they can each use 3-4 and mom is still happy.

Little pots of Play Doh (the party favor sized ones). This was a life saver with my 5 yo nephew on our recent trip. He waiting with DH and I while everyone else road Splash Mountain. He was too big to play on the little playground so we sat on the wall under the train and made little animals. Also great when you are waiting for dinner to be served. A quick game of guess what I'm sculpting can be fun. If the doh gets yucky you can pitch it and not feel guilty.

Extra change of clothes for the little kids because inevitably there will be a fountain or some way to get wet unexpectedly. I stick flip flops in for MK so we can ride Splash Mountain without getting our shoes wet.

If you are taking a stroller or have a large backpage I highly recommend taking a blanket to all parks if you are planning on watching a parade or fireworks. The sidewalk is hot during the parade times and it keeps little bottoms from getting burned. Also, it helps define your area so if one of you goes for a snack you still have a spot for that person. I have a picnic blanket I got at Target that has a carring band and one side is waterproof. This has proved to be a lifesaver more than once.

There are lots of fun things to do at the Disney resorts (that could be a vacation in and of itself). For anyone going for an extended period looking for something non-park related to do I recommend chekcing out the Movie and campfire at Fort Wilderness. It's free to anyone staying on property. They have a place to make smores (they sell kits) and then Chip and Dale come out and sing and get the kids to dance. Afterward they circulate the area to meet people. Then a Disney movie plays - there are benches and stadium seating. It's fun and a different way to experience Disney. If your movie is done before 10pm you can head to the Fort Wilderness boat launch and see Wishes (they pipe in the music). There are some tetherball poles there on the beach which my kids love. Fun stuff!

Hope that helps someone - feel free to ask if you have a specific question. I'll do my best to answer.

[aggiefamily]

Originally Posted by KristinCB

wow i don't think i would be very good with these places.. I am SO not a planner. I like to go somewhere and have no idea what we are going to do from one day to the next. I would be a big disneyworld failure LOL

Which is why Sara is planning my trip for me. LOL!

[eranslow]

We loved Toy Story Mania too - I highly recommend heading there first when you get to Hollywood Studios because that line can get really long.

I know Juli mentioned the movie and campfire - when we walked around the boardwalk hotels we saw that they did this on the beach. So cool! I don't know if any characters come out but it sure looked like fun!

If you've been to Disneyland - you've probably riden the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters - and in my personal opinion - I like the one in Disneyland better then the one in Disney World. But I'm sure your son would love it

One place that we LOVED eating at was Le Cellier in Epcot. We've eaten there twice (2 different trips) and loved it. There really are so many awesome eating options!

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by eranslow

We loved Toy Story Mania too - I highly recommend heading there first when you get to Hollywood Studios because that line can get really long.

I know Juli mentioned the movie and campfire - when we walked around the boardwalk hotels we saw that they did this on the beach. So cool! I don't know if any characters come out but it sure looked like fun!

If you've been to Disneyland - you've probably riden the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters - and in my personal opinion - I like the one in Disneyland better then the one in Disney World. But I'm sure your son would love it

One place that we LOVED eating at was Le Cellier in Epcot. We've eaten there twice (2 different trips) and loved it. There really are so many awesome eating options!

Rumor is Le Cellier will be going to signature dining, meaning 2 credits per meal.. and while I love Le Cellier, with the current menu, I don't think it's worth 2 credits. I am hoping they revamp the menu.. a lot.

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by KristinCB

wow i don't think i would be very good with these places.. I am SO not a planner. I like to go somewhere and have no idea what we are going to do from one day to the next. I would be a big disneyworld failure LOL

I planned out everything and you know.. most of it went out the window, and those who know me will be shocked to know I was okay with that. LOL

My schedules got shot to hell day 1 and I didn't have a nervous breakdown or anything. Well. Not outwardly. I had one in my head.

[MrsPeel]

well, we went to Disneyland Paris, so I guess is not too much help for you..
but the parks are very similar, and I know you will have the time of your life...
I was as excited as my daughter (can't remember if she was 10 or 11 then) and the idea of an authograph book is a great idea!
have a wonderful time

[lovely1m]

I love Disney, but I have never been there with kids. 2 years in a row I have been planning on going, but had to scrap the plans. I am really hoping to go soon. Have fun! BTW, Boma is on my MUST eat at list when I do go. It looks awesome.

[momtutu]

WOW - great information everyone!!!

Juli - our Whispering Canyon reservation is at 5:05 so I'm thinking we should be able to get the boat back to MK in time for Spectro at 8 - right?
I've heard great things about Liberty Tree but I think the kids would enjoy Whispering Canyon more. I dunno.

I think we've just decided to save the $$ and not do the park hopper option which I originally had reserved. Since we are only going to be there 4 days, we can spend a day at each park and be covered without hopping. Here's what I'm thinking...

Monday - arrive at 10:30 and spend afternoon at Animal Kingdom. Dinner at Chef Mickeys at 6:45.

Tues - Epcot with Dinner at Garden Grill and see Illuminations at 9

Wed - Magic Kingdom all day with dinner at Whispering Canyon then Spectro and Wishes at 8 and 9.

Thurs - Disney Studios with dinner at Sci-Fi at 4:45 and Fantasmic at 7:30 (I hear you have to get lined up starting at 6 though so hopefully we won't be too much after that for dinner).

Friday - go home - if we can drag ourselves out of bed and make it to the airport.

[jaylensmom]

I so want to take my son to DW...maybe next year...Great info for my files...

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by momtutu

WOW - great information everyone!!!

Juli - our Whispering Canyon reservation is at 5:05 so I'm thinking we should be able to get the boat back to MK in time for Spectro at 8 - right?
I've heard great things about Liberty Tree but I think the kids would enjoy Whispering Canyon more. I dunno.

I think we've just decided to save the $$ and not do the park hopper option which I originally had reserved. Since we are only going to be there 4 days, we can spend a day at each park and be covered without hopping. Here's what I'm thinking...

Monday - arrive at 10:30 and spend afternoon at Animal Kingdom. Dinner at Chef Mickeys at 6:45.

Tues - Epcot with Dinner at Garden Grill and see Illuminations at 9

Wed - Magic Kingdom all day with dinner at Whispering Canyon then Spectro and Wishes at 8 and 9.

Thurs - Disney Studios with dinner at Sci-Fi at 4:45 and Fantasmic at 7:30 (I hear you have to get lined up starting at 6 though so hopefully we won't be too much after that for dinner).

Friday - go home - if we can drag ourselves out of bed and make it to the airport.

I think you will need more time at Animal Kingdom, IMO. I had planned on 3/4 of a day there and we ended up going back twice. You'll have to leave there by 5:15-5:30 to catch a bus to contemporary to get to Chef Mickeys. (I think you can get there by bus, but now that I say that, I'm not so sure that you won't have to bus to the ticket & transportation center and then monorail to the contemporary..which would take even longer)

You should get out of Sci-Fi in time for Fantasmic.

I would really rethink Whispering Canyon though.. You're going to want to get a spot for Spectro by 7 pm at the latest.. it would be pushing it to eat at 5, finish 6:15ish and get back to the park.

[kscwgirl]

Originally Posted by wvasweetness

We are staying 6 nights, 7 days... and we do have park hopper passes. Other than meals, we have nothing "planned" so far (just booked the trip this weekend) - I'm just now starting on a list of things to do while there.

We do have the dining plan and are planning on doing character meals. I have heard great things about the Donald's breakfast (that's Tusker House, right??) - but it's booked for our dates! These are the meal reservations we have as of right now (I C&P'd these from our itinerary, hope they make sense)...

- 50's Prime Time Cafe (Disney's Hollywood Studios) @ 4:30
- The Crystal Palace (Character Dinner @ Magic Kingdom) @ 3:20pm
- The Flying Fish Cafe (Disney's Boardwalk Resort) (Dress Code) @ 7:25pm {TWO meal tickets per person}
- Whispering Canyon Cafe (Disney's Wilderness Lodge) @ 4:10pm
- Boma - Flavors of Africa (Disney's Animal Kingdom) @ 6:30pm
- Hollywood & Vine (Character Dining @ Disney Hollywood Studios) @ 11:55am
- Ohana - (Character Breakfast @ Disney Polynesian Resort) @ 9:25am

Since this is our first time it's a bit overwhelming - it's like a full time job planning these $%# meals! LOL! Any advice (on meals or otherwise) is appreciated!!

Deanna just making sure you know that Boma is at Animal Kingdom Lodge.. it's not in the park.