Disney Adventures

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noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Sun, 02 May 2010 07:05:00 +0000

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What We'll Do Differently

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:28:00 +0000

As amazing as our trip was last time, there are a few things that we plan to do differently this time around.

First, one week is not enough time. You'd think it would be, but it isn't. It's just long enough to give you a taste of what's available and whet your appetite for your next trip. Up until then, we were used to visiting the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California where seven days is more than enough time to see and do everything. So, this time we're planning to stay 15 nights. This gives us a full 14 days at WDW, not counting travel days.

Second, instead of October we plan to go during December this time. Hopefully, December will be cooler and much less humid. Although I've heard people say that October is a great month to visit, we found it to be extremely uncomfortable. Begin from the Northwest, we're used to cooler weather and relatively low humidity.

Third, we won't be taking advantage of the Disney Dining Plan. It was the offer of free dining that prompted us to take our first trip. And while it was fun to be able to order freely without thinking about the cost, it was an incredible amount of food. I don't think I experienced a single hunger pang during the entire week we were there. Rather, it was all about hoping the feeling of fullness would subside enough that we would be able to partake of the next table service meal. Of course being free it was an excellent value. The only expense we incurred for food was the Fantasmic Dining Package at the Brown Derby which we paid for out of pocket as it wasn't available on the Dining Plan at the time we booked our ADR's. We prefer to graze our way through the parks, snacking on things like turkey legs, Dole Whips, churros, chocolate chip cookies and Mickey ice cream bars. Sure, we'll throw in an occasional table service meal, but mostly we'll enjoy counter service meals and snacks. Plus, we didn't like the amount of time that we spent eating at the table service restaurants. It definitely took away from the amount of time we had to explore the parks.

Lastly, we plan to rent a car this time around. On our first trip, we took advantage of Magical Express to get from the airport to our resort and relied of the Disney bus service to get to and from the parks. While it was nice to not worry about navigating through unfamiliar surroundings, it also took more time to get from point A to point B. A lot of time was spent waiting in lines for the bus to come. Also, many times the bus was standing room only. I have trouble with my knees and standing for long periods of time causes me a great deal of pain. I knew I would be spending a fair amount of time standing in line for attractons and didn't want to waste the little stamina I had waiting for a bus. Since we're visiting during the Christmas holiday, we want to be able to go from resort to resort, taking in all the different decorations. This is difficult to do using Disney transportation.

Next time I'll discuss the things we'll do the same.

Have a magical day!

Planning Our December 2008 WDW Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:16:00 +0000

We're now in the midst of planning our next Disney Park vacation. This time we'll visit Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida for the second time. Our first trip was in October 2005 when we spent seven wonderful days. Even though it was incredibly hot and humid the entire time (I don't think I've ever been as sweaty), we've spent the past two and a half years looking forward to the time when we could return. Through a monumental amount of research and planning I think we did quite well for first time visitors. This time around we'll do some things the same and a somes things differently. Mainly, we want to have plenty of time to just stop and soak in the atmosphere. Over the next eight months I'll be blogging about our trip preparations.

Have a magical day!

Disneyland Tip #4

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 21:17:00 +0000

You can get free coffee refills at the Market House on Main Street. We learned this on our trip in December 2005. Save your receipt and you can go back anytime that day and get free refills of your coffee. This is the only place in the park where you can do this. You don't need to save your cup. Just show your receipt and enjoy a delicious cup of coffee anytime. We did this several times on our trip this past October. We stopped at the Blue Ribbon Bakery one morning for a Really Sticky Sticky Bun (which is huge and plenty for two people to share). My son waited in line at the bakery while I went across the street to the Market House to buy coffee, which is .10 a cup cheaper than at the bakery. The Market House also has a nice selection of fresh-baked cookies. One afternoon we stopped to pick up a coffee refill and a cookie to enjoy while we waited at our favorite spot for the Parade of Dreams to begin.

Where Did the Time Go?

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 21:15:00 +0000

I can't believe it's been over six months since my last post. This summer has been crazy busy. Our long awaited October trip to Disneyland has come and gone. I'll be posting a trip report soon.

Disneyland October 2006

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 20:00:00 +0000

I'm in the early stages of planning our next trip to Disneyland for October 2006, right before our annual passes are due to expire. Our hotel rooms are reserved at our favorite hotel, Howard Johnsons Plaza Hotel. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get the really low rate that we enjoyed during our first two visits. So, I booked with the annual passholder discount that gets us about 20% off the regular rack rate. I'll try calling back periodically in hopes that they'll offer an Entertainment Book rate of 50% off the rack rate. Anyway, it's nice to know that we have a place to stay in case things fill up. One thing we're hoping for is that Disney will offer really good annual passholder rates sometime during our stay and we'll be able to spend at least a few nights at the Disneyland Hotel.

Airfare has been climbing steadily and I'm beginning to think that I should have booked airfare earlier in the year. Right now it's hovering at around $330 round trip. Last December we paid $196. I guess if it gets too expensive, we could drive. This would save us the cost of renting a car once we're down there. However, it's a long, hard drive and takes most of two days each direction. These are days that could be spent in the parks.

Anyway, as plans for the trip unfold, I'll be posting them on this blog.

Disneyland Tip #3

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 21:05:00 +0000

Make priority seating reservations for your table service meals. Although Disneyland has far fewer restaurant options than Walt Disney World, it's still a good idea to make priority seating reservations for any table services restaurants you plan to visit. Priority seating reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance by calling (714) 781-DINE.

During our last visit, we had priority seatings at the Carnation Cafe for three mornings during our trip. Each time there was a long line of people waiting to be seated. After checking in at the podium, we were immediately ushered to our table, bypassing the long line of hungry and envious people.

We also love to have lunch at the Blue Bayou restaurant. The restaurant was very busy the day of our priority seating and they were not accepting any walkups. So if you had wanted to eat there and hadn't planned in advance, you were out of luck.

Disneyland Tip #2

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 18:09:00 +0000

Take full advantage of the FastPass system. The Fastpass system is a great way to reduce the amount of time you spend standing in line for an attraction. Although it's not available for all attractions, most of the more popular attractions have the fastpass feature available.

When you arrive at an attaction that offers Fastpass, you insert your park ticket into the Fastpass machine and out pops a FastPass ticket. On the ticket it indicates a one hour window for you to come back and ride the attraction without waiting in the regular line. Only a designated number of Fastpasses are available each day so the earlier in the day you get a Fastpass, the earlier your return time will be. Return times are posted on a sign above the Fastpass distribution area so you'll know what your return time will be before you get the Fastpass.

There is also a limit to the number of Fastpasses you can have at one time. You are eligible to get another Fastpass after the either the start time of your one-hour return window or two hours after you received your last Fastpass. Here are two examples of how this works:

At 10:00 AM you go to Space Mountain and get a Fastpass with a return time window of 11:15 AM to 12:15 PM. You would be able to get your next Fasspass at 11:15 AM, which is the start of your one-hour return window.
At 10:00 AM you pick up a Fastpass for Space Mountain but this time the return time window is between 6:30 to 7:30 PM. Instead of making you wait until 6:30 PM to get your next Fastpass, you would be able to get one two hours after you were issued the Fastpass, which would be 12:00 PM.

When it's time for you to return to your attraction, you'll use a specially marked Fastpass Return line. A Cast Member will check your Fastpass to make sure you're not entering before your return time window. The amount of time you'll save waiting in line depends upon the attraction. At some point, all Fastpass return lines merge with the regular line and you'll end up waiting in some sort of line. However, it will be shorter than if you had waited in the regular stand-by line.

A little known fact about Fastpasses at the Disneyland Resort is while you are not able to use them to enter the return line before the start of your return window, you are able to use them anytime before park closing that day. So if your return time window is from 11:15 AM to 12:15 PM and you don't make it back to the attraction by 12:15 PM, you are still able to use the Fastpass anytime up until park closing. This is important to remember and will help you make the best use of the Fastpass system.

One thing we like to do is pick up a Fastpass for an attraction before we ride it. For example, it may be 9:30 AM and the wait time for the Buzz Lightyear attraction is only 10 minutes. The Fastpass return window for the attraction may be from 10:30 to 11:30 AM. We'll pick up a Fastpass before entering the regular standby line and save the Fastpass for use later in the day when the lines are longer. Because the Fastpass has such an early return time, we're eligible to get our next Fastpass after 10:30 AM.

The smart thing to do is be aware of when you're eligible to get your next Fastpass and to make a point of getting one as soon as your eligible. This way you'll have a selection of Fastpasses to use later in the afternoon and evening when crowds are at their peak and the allotment of Fastpasses for the day may have been reached.

Another thing to remember is that the Fastpass sytems for Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure are not connected. So theoretically you would be able to get a Fastpass for an attraction at Disneyland and them immediately go over to Disney's California Adventure and pick up a Fastpass for one of the attractions in that park.

The Fastpass system is a win-win situation for both the park guest and for Disney. Guests are happy because they spend less time in line. Disney is happy because guests who are not waiting in line may be shopping or dining, therefore creating more revenue for Disney.

Disneyland Tip #1

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 20:58:00 +0000

As my reputation as a Disney fan spreads, I am occasionally asked to provide tips on how people can make the most of their Disneyland vacation. I decided to list a few of things that come to mind.

Get to the park before opening time. The first few hours that a park is open are what I refer to as the "golden hours." The crowds are fairly low and it's a great time to ride attractions without long lines. As tempting as it may be to stop and browse through the Main Street shops, I urge you to resist and take advantage of the low crowd levels to ride some of the more popular attractions. Many people use their vacation to sleep in and eat a leisurely breakfast before wandering over to the park mid morning. You'll see an increase in the crowd level around 11:00 AM. By that time you would have covered all the attactions in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.

Hooked on Podcasts

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 23:36:00 +0000

Sometime in mid 2005, I discovered Podcasts and I've been hooked ever since. For the first few months I was satisfied with the Disney Insider, an official Disney podcast that provided the lastest exciting news, interviews and events from the Walt Disney Company. Some that wasn't enough and I began to crave regularly fixes not provided by the bi-weekly Disney podcast. A search on iTunes provided me with a stash of official and not so official Disney-related podcasts on which to satisfy my cravings.

As a result, I now subscribe to six different podcasts. I would probably subscribe to more, but I've downloaded all previous episodes of these podcasts and am gradually making my way through them. Three of them are official Walt Disney podcasts and are all much better than you might expect from this behemouth of an organization. The other three are fan-based podcasts, where you get nitty-gritty detailed information, mostly about Walt Disney World.

My absolute favorite is WDW Today, hosted by Matt Hotchberg of MGMStudios.org. He is regularly joined by Len Testa of the Unofficial Guide and TouringPlans.com, Mike Scopa of MousePlanet.com, and Mike Newell from MousePlanetRadio.com. These guys are the ultimate Disney geeks and very knowledgable about Walt Disney World. They are also very funny in a way that not everyone will get or appreciate, but I love it. On a couple of occasions, Mary Waring of MouseSavers.com has made a guest appearance. It was because of information on Mary's website that we learned about the free Dining Plan offer that prompted our decision to make the trip.

When we decided to make the almost spur of the moment decision to go to Walt Disney World in October instead of our planned trip to Disneyland, the first thing I did was order a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World of which Len Testa is co-author along with Bob Sehlinger. This book should be required reading for anyone contemplating a visit to WDW. The information was invaluable. I also visted Mouseplanet.com and re-read all of Mike Scopa's past articles which provided first hand insight of the parks and resorts. With the knowledge and expertise of these guys, our trip was infinitely better than any first time visitor could reasonably expect. Now this knowledge is available via podcast every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

All I can say is... outstanding!

Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 23:24:00 +0000

In an effort to make things a little more organized and because Blogger doesn't provide the basic functionality of allowing its users to categorize posts, I've made some changes to my Disney Adventures Blog. I've moved my October 2005 Walt Disney World trip report to its own blog and added another blog for my as yet unfinished trip report from our December 2005 Disneyland trip. These reports can be accessed by clicking the desired link in the Trip Reports section located on the right hand side of the page. This will make it easier for people to read a specific trip report without needing to scroll through pages of other posts.

I plan to use the Disney Adventures blog as my main blog for general Disney information and trip planning. If I get particularly ambitious, I'll move the two 2004 trip reports to their own blogs as well.

Currently, I'm working on adding pictures to my WDW trip report. In an attempt to accomodate those still using dial-up, I've tried to keep the picture sizes small. Larger versions are available just by clicking on the picture.

It's Expressly Magical

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 19:36:00 +0000

Yippee! My Magical Express packet arrived today! I really wasn’t expecting it until sometime late this week, but my son received his packet last week. We booked our individual trips at exactly the same time, so I was a little worried that he received his and I didn’t. The packet contains information about how the Magical Express system works and includes special yellow luggage tags that identify which luggage needs to be transported to the resort. When the Magical Express service began last May, there were some bugs to be worked out. People reported lengthy delays in getting their bags delivered to their rooms, with some bags not arriving until the next day. A recent poll on the Dis Boards indicated that 85% of the 63 poll participants were very pleased with the Magic Express Service and would use it again. I’m really looking forward to this part of the trip. It will be so nice not to worry about hauling our luggage to and from the airport.

The New Look

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 19:48:00 +0000

My original DisneyAdventures website was created in FrontPage using tables nested within tables nested within tables. As a result, it didn’t lend itself very well to modifications. As the number of blog entries grew, the need for archiving became very apparent. So, one weekend I decided to use one of the templates that Blogspot provides. Because green is my current favorite color, I chose a template with different shades of that color. At first I was very happy with the new look, especially the Previous Posts and Archives sections in the sidebar. But, as time wore on, I really missed my DisneyAdventures header that I had on my old site. The background of the header included at picture I had taken of “it’s a small world” during our Spring Break trip in 2003 with my parents, son, my niece and two of my nephews. My son helped me crop the picture, and add the special effects. It really made me happy to see it and brought back many wonderful memories of that trip and the trips afterwards. I also missed the vacation countdown clock.

It was easy enough to add my header to the template; however it really looked awful with the green color scheme. So, following my son’s suggestion, I switched to a new template that had minimal colors and graphics. After that it was fairly easy to make modifications to the existing template. I added back in my header and countdown clock, and changed some of the fonts and colors. It’s still not completely done, but I want to concentrate more on adding blog entries at this point.

California Dreamin'

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 19:32:00 +0000

Located on the top floor of the Contemporary Resort, the California Grill offers a unique dining experience. I had heard from several people that it is possible to view “Wishes”, the Magic Kingdom’s fireworks show, from inside the restaurant. At show time, they dim the lights and pipe in the music. With that in mind, we made an ADR for 7:30 PM, hoping that the time would coincide with the fireworks show. There is also concern that we won’t be able to view the fireworks from our table. This fear is somewhat alleviated by learning that there is an observation deck reserved solely for patrons of the restaurant. If we’re not able to get a good view of the fireworks from our table, we’ll step outside and watch the show, then return to our table afterwards. At the time I made our ADR, I didn't know what time the fireworks would begin. I figured if they start at 8:00 PM, we'll watch them at the beginning of our meal. If they begin at 9:00 PM, then we'll watch them after we eat. Either way, I'm not leaving the 14th floor of the resort until the last firework has dimmed.

It's Fantasmic!

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 19:25:00 +0000

We are really looking forward to seeing Fantasmic! during our visit. We saw Fantasmic! at Disneyland last December for the very first time and want to see how it compares with WDW. One of the nice things about Fantasmic! at WDW is that the show is presented in it’s own outdoor theater with seating, so you don’t have to camp out and save a spot on the curb, like you do at DLR. Fantasmic! is very popular at WDW, as it is in California, so people begin lining up 1 to 1-1/2 hours before the show in order to get a seat.

I learned that WDW offers a dinner package that gives you preferred seating for Fantasmic!, eliminating the need to line up so far in advance of the show. It is still recommended that you arrive at the theater about 30 to 45 minutes before the show starts; however, you don’t need to wait in the long line outside, but instead can enter the theater right away and sit down. Three of the table service restaurants in the park offer the dinner package: Mama Melrose’s, Hollywood & Vine, and The Brown Derby. Each of them offers a fixed price meal that is roughly equal to what you would pay to eat there without the dinner package. The bonus is that you get the preferred seating. Also, the dinner package is not covered by the Dining Plan, so you would have to pay for this out of pocket.

Our original plan was to eat at The Brown Derby on Sunday evening without the dinner package and use two of our table service credits (since it is considered a signature restaurant). Then, we planned to purchase the dinner package at Hollywood & Vine for later in the week. The Hollywood & Vine dinner package was the least expensive of the three, around $23 compared to $37 at The Brown Derby. Our thought was to spend as little out of pocket as possible.

During my last call to Disney Dining to make ADR’s, the CSR that I was working with suggested that we book the dinner package at The Brown Derby and use the dining plan for Hollywood & Vine, which is only one table service credit. This would free up a table service credit to use elsewhere. Her reasoning was that the two table service credits used separately would be worth more than the $37 we would pay to do the dinner package at The Brown Derby. After discussing this with my son, we decided that it made sense to do that.

I called back and switched our Fantasmic! Dinner Package from Hollywood & Vine on Friday to The Brown Derby on Sunday evening. Since we had used up all of our table service credits, we had planned to just have dessert and beverages at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater restaurant. By freeing up the extra table service credit, we are now able to eat lunch there on Tuesday.

New ADR Procedure

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 19:23:00 +0000

On July 18, making dining reservations just got a little easier. When guests staying at Disney-owned and -operated resorts reach their 90-day booking window for the beginning of their trip, they may now make reservations for ten days' worth of Advance Dining Reservations. The dining agent will confirm your hotel reservation before making the dining reservations. Those not staying at Disney resorts will need to continue making reservations on a rolling 90-day basis.

Apparently, the new policy will not be opening all reservations for a given restaurant for early booking. A sliding percentage of seats will be made available for early booking, with fewer seats opening up for the more popular restaurants. This means that very few seats will be opened up for the Princess character meals at Cinderella's Royal Table and Restaurant Akershus. However, it will give resort guests an additional chance to snag a reservation, first at their 90-day-plus-ten window, then again when the rest of the reservations open up at 90 days out.

While the tough-to-get seats will remain difficult, what the policy does is allow resort guests to make all of their reservations with one call (with the possible exception of high-demand seats), lowering the number of required long-distance calls. While not quite back to the old days of "only resort guests can make advance reservations," Disney has given guests one more incentive to stay on-property.

Your Table is Ready

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 19:22:00 +0000

In the afternoon of July 4, even though I had been told that Disney Dining would be closed, I called anyway and was very surprised to find that it was open. The Customer Service Rep (CSR) that answered my call told me that they are open 7-days a week, including holidays. I asked for an ADR for Cindy’s and was not surprised to find that they were booked for the day. Fortunately, I was able to book the Brown Derby for dinner which was on our schedule for the first day of our trip.

Each of the next six days, I was up at 3:55 AM and began dialing the phone at 3:58 AM. Fortunately, was able to make all the ADR’s we had hoped to make. I did make some minor adjustments to the original schedule. Here’s what we ended up with:

Sunday, October 2, 4:00 PM – The Brown Derby Fantasmic Dinner Package
Tuesday, October 4, 12:00 PM – Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater
Tuesday, October 4, 7:30 PM – L’Originale Alfredo di Roma
Wednesday, October 5, 7:30 PM – California Grill
Thursday, October 6, 4:55 PM – Liberty Tree Tavern
Friday, October 7, 6:00 PM – Hollywood & Vine
Saturday, October 8, 8:55 AM – Cinderella’s Royal Table Character Breakfast

Breakfast at Cindy's

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 19:19:00 +0000

To date, our one and only character dining experience was for lunch last October at Ariel’s Grotto in Disney’s California Adventure. Our trip in October was our very first trip with just the two of us and our first time with an annual pass. We made a point to try some new and different things. Unfortunately, our experience was less than stellar. The room was very crowded with noisy, excited kids, which we should have expected. In addition, we spent the entire meal at the same time worried that we would be ignored by the characters, and fearful that they actually would stop at our table. It was an extremely awkward meal and we ate as quickly as possible. Only one character stopped for just the briefest of visits before moving on to the next table. We vowed never to subject ourselves to this embarrassment again.

So even with that experience still fresh in mind, we decide to book a breakfast at Cinderella’s Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom. The selling point of this eating establishment is that we get to eat in the actual castle. In attendance at this meal are Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother, Snow White, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and Mary Poppins. Unfortunately, ADR’s for this breakfast are extremely hard to get, filling up within minutes after the call center opens at 7:00 AM. In fact, the more I read about how difficult it was to get ADR’s, the more it became my mission in life to eat there.

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World offers some great advice on how to get those coveted ADR’s for Cinderella’s Royal Table. Bob Sehlinger, the author, offers the following advice:

Verify that your clock is set correctly by visiting the atomic time website and adjusting your clock if necessary. He says the Disney Dining center is about 1 to 3 seconds off from this time.

Call Disney Dining in the afternoon (when it’s the least busy) a few days before your 90-day window begins to make a note of the options on the automated call system in order to speed your way through it when you call back for real, and to verify with the dining representative the actual date that your 90-day window begins.

On the morning that you call, begin dialing a few minutes before 7:00 AM eastern. If you start to hear the recording telling you that the office is closed, hang up immediately and hit the redial button. Continue doing this until the recording changes to the one indicating the office is now open. Quickly work your way through the automated system without listening to the entire recorded message. Once reach the point where you are on hold and listening to Disney music, do not hang up. If you hang up and redial you will just place yourself at the end of the line.

Once the representative gets on the line, do not engage in any phone pleasantries. Instead you should blurt out your request as quickly as possible, i.e., “Cindy’s, May 21, 4 people.” You can apologize for your abruptness after you get your ADR. Do not waste time asking which times are available or you’ll find yourself without an ADR.
Even though Friday (our last full day before we leave) was the day we hoped to eat at Cindy’s, I planned to try to get an ADR each morning I called just in case I wasn’t able to get the day I actually wanted. We could always cancel an unneeded reservation and make someone else’s day.

90 Days and Counting

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 19:18:00 +0000

An Advanced Dining Reservation (or ADR) is Disney’s version of a reservation. However, they do not set aside a specific table for you at your assigned time slot. Instead, when you arrived for your ADR, you will be seated at the next available table for your party size, ahead of any walk-ins that may be waiting. ADR’s may be made up to 90 days in advance and are highly recommended during peak times and for the more popular restaurants.

The biggest obstacle to making ADR’s 90 days in advance is that Disney doesn’t publish the park hours and events schedule until about 60 days in advance. Since you don’t know when any of the parks will open or close, or when the parades and fireworks are scheduled, it makes it hard to plan your meals. I found a website that listed park hours for the same time last year and used those as a guide.

If you plan to make ADR’s for more than one day of your stay you’ll need to call Disney Dining when the 90-day window comes up for the each ADR or risk not being able to eat where you want to eat on the day that you want to. Unfortunately, the Disney Dining phone number is a long distance call. In addition, Disney Dining opens at 7:00 AM eastern time, which is 4:00 AM on the west coast.

When I called to make our ADR for the Liberty Tree Tavern, I confirmed with the representative that July 4 would be the 90-day point for our first day in the park. However, she told me that the Disney Dining call center would be closed for the holiday. So I was prepared to call bright and early at 4:00 AM on Tuesday, July 5 to make the first of our ADR’s.

That's the Plan, Stan

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 19:09:00 +0000

Since there is so much to see and do at WDW, it seemed like a good idea to come up with a general outline of which park to visit on each day.

I created a spreadsheet in Excel in which I entered in the park hours, the morning and evening magic hours, and the parade and fireworks schedules using a combination of last year’s schedule and September 2005 park information as a guide. Next, I scheduled in the parks that we wanted to visit on each day. Our basic plan is to visit one park in the morning, go back to the resort for a rest in the afternoon, and return to another park in the evening. Since we both think that the Magic Kingdom will be our favorite park and since we think there is more to do there than any other park, we plan to spend the majority of our time there.

After many hours of research and debate and after undergoing numerous revisions, we finally came up with a general outline of which park we want to visit each day. Here’s what we’ve come up with so far:

Saturday, Day1
Travel Day

Sunday, Day 2
AM – Magic Kingdom
PM – Disney-MGM Studios

Monday, Day 3
AM – Epcot
PM – Magic Kingdom

Tuesday, Day 4
AM – Disney-MGM Studios
PM – Epcot

Wednesday, Day 5
AM – Magic Kingdom
PM – Magic Kingdom

Thursday, Day 6
AM – Animal Kingdom
PM – Magic Kingdom

Friday, Day 7
AM – Magic Kingdom
PM – Disney-MGM Studios

Saturday, Day 8
AM – Magic Kingdom
PM – Fly Home

We had already planned to spend the most time at the Magic Kingdom Park and as we filled our scheduled with the activities we were most interested in, our time in the MK seemed to grow. Once we decided on the general outline, we plugged in our choices for table service meals for each day, based on the park we were planning to visit at the time.

Halloween Party

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 03:30:00 +0000

One of the fun things we decided to do is attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party which takes place in the Magic Kingdom on about 20 different dates between September 30 and October 31. On the nights of the party, the Magic Kingdom closes down at 6:00 PM and only guests that have purchased tickets to the party are allowed to stay. The cost to attend is around $37.00. At the Main Entrance gate, your ticket is exchanged for an orange wristband identifying you as a party guest and you are given a small orange trick-or-treat bag. At 6:00 PM, regular guests are asked to leave the park, while party guests are herded over to Tomorrowland. During the next hour, the park is transformed into a kid-friendly Halloween Party. It is one of the most themed special events at the Magic Kingdom and provides an evening of great fun for adult and kids alike.

Here are some of the events that are scheduled throughout the evening:

Mickey’s Boo to You Parade (at 8:00 and 10:00 PM) – A fun parade of floats and characters you won’t see any other time. Disney characters in costume! Even Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet dress up in costume for the parade! About 10 minutes prior to the parade start time, Mr. Knickerbocker takes his place in front of the Liberty Bell and tells the story of the Headless Horseman. At the time he finished the story, the Horseman begins his gallop through the Magic Kingdom. Once the Horseman clears the entire parade route, the parade begins!

Adults and children trick-or-treat throughout the park in costume. At designated locations throughout the park, Cast Members give out treats. These special areas are marked with a Mickey Ear Pumpkin Balloon overhead.

Characters in Costumes – Characters in the meet and greet areas and throughout the park are in Halloween costume. This provides a unique photo opportunity.

Halloween Riverboat Ride – with strolling musicians, storytellers and character, this is always a popular show.

Main Street is transformed into an eerie sight with dark green and orange lights, pumpkins in the windows and shadows of witches and bats moving to and fro.

Complimentary Family Photo - get your picture taken with Mickey’s Halloween background and receive a free 4x6 in the mail.

Halloween Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks (9:15 PM) – Fantasy in the Sky with changes! Instead of Tinker Bell flying at the start of the fireworks, look for a witch on a broomstick near the end of the show. Awesome perimeter fireworks are also part of the show.

Attractions – most of the attractions are open.

A very few of the table service restaurants allow party guests to arrange a priority seating more than 90 days in advance. As soon as I learned that bit of information, I called Disney Dining and was able to secure a spot at the Liberty Tree Tavern at 6:50 PM, the earliest spot they had available at the time. Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy and friends attend this character meal and they are usually dressed in Colonial garb. For the party, they will be dressed in Halloween costume. I think I would prefer to see them in their usual Colonial dress rather than in costume, but it will still be fun. I also would have preferred an earlier seating as this means we will be eating dinner with the party begins at 7:00 PM. I plan to call back at the 90 day mark when they will open up some earlier seating times.

The Mother of all Guidebooks

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 03:04:00 +0000

"The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World," written by Bob Sehlinger, is by far the best guide book around and is jam packed with all the information you need to make the most of your trip. Since it isn’t sanctioned by Disney, you get good solid, unbiased information on every aspect of your trip. It covers everything including the best time to go, best and worst days to visit each theme park, detailed information on all dining options, tickets, hotels, attractions, entertainment, tips on where to get the best view for parades and fireworks, and much more. Although the author intended it to be a reference book, it’s a very entertaining read and many people (myself included) read it cover to cover.

I first became familiar with Bob Sehlinger’s wonderful guides almost 10 years ago when I purchased the 1995 edition of “The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland” on clearance at a bookstore. At the time, my mom, son and I had last visited Disneyland in October 1993 and weren’t planning any trips in the near future. However, the price of the book was very cheap and it looked interesting. Even though we had a great time on our trip in 1993, I learned so much from the book that it would have made the trip even better. So when we decided to go again during spring break in 2003, I purchased the current edition and read it cover to cover, at times sharing aloud funny passages with my family.

Of particular help in 2003 book was learning about the FastPass feature, which wasn’t available during our trip 10 years previous. We also made great use of the 2-day touring plan, one of several great plans outlined in the book. My son copied down the plan on a small index card and we carried it around with us as a reference. Being spring break, the park was rather crowded, although not nearly as crowded as it is during the summer. The 2-day touring plan enabled us to quickly see all the major attractions with a minimum wait in line.
As soon as I learned that we would be making the trip in October of this year, I purchased the Walt Disney World version of the Unofficial Guide from Amazon.com and waited impatiently for it to arrive. Once it did, I began reading; stopping periodically to mark important sections with purple Post-It flags. As I write this, I am almost all the way through and have gained such a vast array of knowledge, tips, and tricks, that I no longer feel overwhelmed with my lack of experience of WDW.

Six Days is Not Enough

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 03:07:00 +0000

The more I read and learn about Walt Disney World, the more I realize that while six days may be ample time to fully experience the Disneyland Resort in California, it seems like barely enough time to scratch the surface of all four Disney theme parks in Florida. It seems that the best thing to do is come up with a general outline of which parks to visit each day before we leave home, based on which park has the early and evening magic hours, the different parade and fireworks schedules, the table service restaurants we want to visit, keeping in mind the touring plans outlined in the unofficial guide. Once we arrive, we’ll concentrate on enjoying everything single thing that we are doing, without focusing on what we might be missing. Anything that we are unable to experience during this trip, can head up the list of things to do on the next trip, if we are so fortunate enough to be able to go back.

Since we have limited time, we plan to mainly focus on the attractions, shows, shops and exhibits that are unique to Walt Disney World and then, if there’s time, visit the things that are identical to their counterparts in California.

Refillable Mugs

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 03:03:00 +0000

One of the things I’m looking forward to is the refillable mugs that are offered at all the resorts. For $11.99 you can purchase a souvenir travel mug that can be refilled for free at your resort during your stay. Drink options include coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soda, apple juice and some type of slurpy beverage. Since the rooms don’t have coffee makers, I’ll be down at the food court every morning getting my morning cup of coffee. It may be entirely too hot to do this, but I’m also looking forward to getting a cup of hot chocolate at the end of the day.

The Dining Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Eighty8Keys) — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 03:03:00 +0000

The primary reason we booked this trip and the thing that made it affordable, was the free Dining Plan that Disney is offering with our trip. This plan usually costs $35 per day and includes one table service meal, one counter service meal, and snack for each night that you’re booked at the resort. The table service meal allows you to select an appetizer, entrée, dessert and beverage. The counter service meal gives you an entrée (or combo meal), dessert and beverage. The snack is a choice of either a Mickey Mouse ice cream, a bag of chips, a piece of fruit, a small popcorn, a 20-oz bottled soft drink/water, or a medium fountain drink or apple juice. It will be plenty of food, more than we usually eat at one time. We are not in the habit of ordering appetizers with our meals and are usually too full to order dessert.

During our last two trips to Disneyland, we kept careful account of what we spent on meals and both times we averaged $26 per day per person. While we didn’t deprive ourselves, we also were careful with our spending. At the beginning of each trip, we stopped at the nearby grocery store and stocked up on cereal, snacks, pop, milk and juice. On most days we ate breakfast in our rooms before leaving for the Park. We would generally eat one big meal at the Park at either a nice table service restaurant or a counter service restaurant and then have smaller snacks throughout the rest of the day. Sometimes we would pick up dinner from the nearby Boston Market or El Pollo Loco and eat back in our rooms.

I seriously doubt that we could get away with $26 a day at Walt Disney World. Since we won’t have a car, we’ll have to eat all our meals at either one of the theme parks or at our resort. Even if we had to purchase the $35 a day meal plan, it would have been worth it.

Now with careful planning, we can get by almost exclusively using the meals provided by the Dining Plan. One evening, we spent a couple of hours reviewing all the table service restaurants and making a list of all the restaurants we wanted to try. Priority seating can be arranged 90 days in advance and I wanted to be prepared to call exactly 90 days before our trip.