Disney/Universal Studios vacations

[Irish#1]

says the guy who won't travel anywhere else because he gets a discount

lol..........Calvegas has my back! Rep'd ya.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Booked our trip to WDW for this fall. Shout out to Wiz for all the help/advice during that process.

We'll be staying at the AK Lodge. Our 180 window, I believe, begins Saturday 4/13/19 - 4/15/19. Tentatively, we've planned MK for Saturday, 10/12/19. Wife is set on doing "at least" two character meals but also wants to attempt reservations at Be Our Guest. Chef Mickey has been suggested by a lot of friends/family (we'll have our 4 yr old daughter and 9 month old son).

So with that said, here's a thought someone had:

• Chef Mickey for lunch
• Make a late lunch resv for BOG but only get dessert (is this possible?)

Doing the above will 1) save money 2) allow us to experience both and 3) save time waiting in line to meet Mickey in the park since we'll see him when dining.

The other suggestion is to do the Princess Story Book dinner at Akershus in Epcot. So that'll be 2 character meals + BOG. Happy wife = Happy life.

Thoughts on this?

 

[Southside Sully]

Booked our trip to WDW for this fall. Shout out to Wiz for all the help/advice during that process.

We'll be staying at the AK Lodge. Our 180 window, I believe, begins Saturday 4/13/19 - 4/15/19. Tentatively, we've planned MK for Saturday, 10/12/19. Wife is set on doing "at least" two character meals but also wants to attempt reservations at Be Our Guest. Chef Mickey has been suggested by a lot of friends/family (we'll have our 4 yr old daughter and 9 month old son).

So with that said, here's a thought someone had:

• Chef Mickey for lunch
• Make a late lunch resv for BOG but only get dessert (is this possible?)

Doing the above will 1) save money 2) allow us to experience both and 3) save time waiting in line to meet Mickey in the park since we'll see him when dining.

The other suggestion is to do the Princess Story Book dinner at Akershus in Epcot. So that'll be 2 character meals + BOG. Happy wife = Happy life.

Thoughts on this?

We have the entire family and extended family going in May.. Everything I have been told is the Character lunches/dinners are not worth it at all. We are not going to do that. I don't know if anyone else has heard differently. Our fast passes just went live and its crazy how fast some of these rides book up on their first days of offereing. Stay on that for the first day you can. The app is terrible too.

 

[Irish#1]

Booked our trip to WDW for this fall. Shout out to Wiz for all the help/advice during that process.

We'll be staying at the AK Lodge. Our 180 window, I believe, begins Saturday 4/13/19 - 4/15/19. Tentatively, we've planned MK for Saturday, 10/12/19. Wife is set on doing "at least" two character meals but also wants to attempt reservations at Be Our Guest. Chef Mickey has been suggested by a lot of friends/family (we'll have our 4 yr old daughter and 9 month old son).

So with that said, here's a thought someone had:

• Chef Mickey for lunch
• Make a late lunch resv for BOG but only get dessert (is this possible?)

Doing the above will 1) save money 2) allow us to experience both and 3) save time waiting in line to meet Mickey in the park since we'll see him when dining.

The other suggestion is to do the Princess Story Book dinner at Akershus in Epcot. So that'll be 2 character meals + BOG. Happy wife = Happy life.

Thoughts on this?

Welcome to the poors.

We have the entire family and extended family going in May.. Everything I have been told is the Character lunches/dinners are not worth it at all. We are not going to do that. I don't know if anyone else has heard differently. Our fast passes just went live and its crazy how fast some of these rides book up on their first days of offereing. Stay on that for the first day you can. The app is terrible too.

The wife and I went with our daughter, her hubby and two granddaughters. They were 11 and 8 IIRC. We did a character lunch. I think they could have taken it or left it. There are so many people at these, that the characters don't spend much time with each kid.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

We have the entire family and extended family going in May.. Everything I have been told is the Character lunches/dinners are not worth it at all. We are not going to do that. I don't know if anyone else has heard differently. Our fast passes just went live and its crazy how fast some of these rides book up on their first days of offereing. Stay on that for the first day you can. The app is terrible too.

Welcome to the poors.




The wife and I went with our daughter, her hubby and two granddaughters. They were 11 and 8 IIRC. We did a character lunch. I think they could have taken it or left it. There are so many people at these, that the characters don't spend much time with each kid.

Because my daughter is so young and is in love with Disney princesses, we would love to meet some characters be it while dining or standing in line in the parks.

 

[wizards8507]

Our 180 window, I believe, begins Saturday 4/13/19 - 4/15/19.

Just to be clear, you can book dining for your entire length of stay at 180 days prior to check-in. You don't have to wait until 180 days from the day of the reservation itself.

Wife is set on doing "at least" two character meals but also wants to attempt reservations at Be Our Guest.

That would be a mistake, both financially and in terms of experience. Character meals are fine on a 7+ night trip but your trip is fairly short anyways and it's a tremendous waste of park time to be doing too many sit down meals.

If your wife is really insisting, try to convince her to do breakfasts inside the parks at 8am before the parks open so you're not wasting time. Akershus, Crystal Palace, Tusker House, or Garden Grill would be the best options because they're in the parks themselves and wouldn't require you to go to a different resort than the one you're staying in.

Make a late lunch resv for BOG but only get dessert (is this possible?)

BOG is quick-service at lunch time (but still takes reservations), table service at dinner time.

 

[ACamp1900]

How was Disneyland wiz???

 

[wizards8507]

How was Disneyland wiz???

It rained the whole damn time, but southern Californians are a bunch of weenies so there were practically no crowds. We had a blast, will definitely be back.

 

[Irish#1]

Because my daughter is so young and is in love with Disney princesses, we would love to meet some characters be it while dining or standing in line in the parks.

Don’t get me wrong. Yours is younger and may enjoy it more, but given the time I would opt to meeting them in the park.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Just to be clear, you can book dining for your entire length of stay at 180 days prior to check-in. You don't have to wait until 180 days from the day of the reservation itself.

Oh ok. Good info. Honestly thought we were going to have to make one resv per day.

That would be a mistake, both financially and in terms of experience. Character meals are fine on a 7+ night trip but your trip is fairly short anyways and it's a tremendous waste of park time to be doing too many sit down meals.

I've made both arguments. Neither went over very well. Keep in mind, neither of us are going into this with the mindset of "we have to see the entire place and ride every ride." Instead, we just want to eat, see the characters, ride some rides w/ fast passes, and take things in stride. Because of this, doing a sit down once per day be it B/L/or D seems reasonable, other than the costs involved.

This brings up a question: Should we consider a meal plan? That's something I'm evaluating now...Some people say they're a waste of money if you know you can't eat all the food. Others say they won't go to WDW w/o it.

If your wife is really insisting, try to convince her to do breakfasts inside the parks at 8am before the parks open so you're not wasting time. Akershus, Crystal Palace, Tusker House, or Garden Grill would be the best options because they're in the parks themselves and wouldn't require you to go to a different resort than the one you're staying in.

Pardon the ignorance, but I can schedule a character breakfast "in the park" prior to the park opening? We were operating under the impression that doing a breakfast in the park would waste time solely because crowd levels would be lower in the mornings. If that's not the case, then yea, I'll definitely consider breakfasts as our sit-downs.

BOG is quick-service at lunch time (but still takes reservations), table service at dinner time.

Noted. Although as of last night, wife is pushing dinner just to see the Beast. It got heated quickly to say the least.

Don’t get me wrong. Yours is younger and may enjoy it more, but given the time I would opt to meeting them in the park.

I did a random TouringPlans itinerary for the days we're going and most often, I was getting about 30 min wait times for meet and greets inside the park. That doesn't sound too bad. And for the record, we aren't trying to meet every single character. Just a few favorites: Mickey, Ariel, Belle, Tinkerbell, and maybe Rapunzel. At Epcot, off the top of my head, I think it's just Anna and Elsa we're trying to meet.

 

[wizards8507]

Pardon the ignorance, but I can schedule a character breakfast "in the park" prior to the park opening? We were operating under the impression that doing a breakfast in the park would waste time solely because crowd levels would be lower in the mornings. If that's not the case, then yea, I'll definitely consider breakfasts as our sit-downs.

On a 9:00 opening day, the first breakfast reservations are usually 8:05 and you can enter the park around 7:45. It's pretty neat walking through the park with absolutely nobody else there.

Garden Grill is inside The Land pavilion, so if you did an early morning there you'd be finishing up breakfast right before the crowds all showed up for Soarin', saving you the need for a Soarin' FastPass. I don't know how tall your four year old is, but if she's 40", Soarin' is not to be missed. It's the perfect entry-level "big kid ride."

Are you familiar with rider swap?

Noted. Although as of last night, wife is pushing dinner just to see the Beast. It got heated quickly to say the least.

If you can convince her that counts as a "character meal," see if you can get one of the earliest possible dinner reservations (4:30 I believe). The parks a pretty crowded at that time and you'll be looking for a break from the heat, so use it to take a break before heading back out for some evening rides. The food is pretty legit as well (though pricey).

I did a random TouringPlans itinerary for the days we're going and most often, I was getting about 30 min wait times for meet and greets inside the park. That doesn't sound too bad. And for the record, we aren't trying to meet every single character. Just a few favorites: Mickey, Ariel, Belle, Tinkerbell, and maybe Rapunzel. At Epcot, off the top of my head, I think it's just Anna and Elsa we're trying to meet.

TouringPlans is the best. We usually do one park in the morning, then a break in the afternoon, then back to a different park in the evening for an 8 night trip. There are usually some mornings or evenings at the resort sprinkled in, but we usually head off on our trips with 12 or so different TPs, one for each half-day.

My planning is also ridiculously complicated with my different complimentary tickets and discounts. If I ever quit, I'd need at least $10K from my new job to make up for the lost Disney discounts.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

On a 9:00 opening day, the first breakfast reservations are usually 8:05 and you can enter the park around 7:45. It's pretty neat walking through the park with absolutely nobody else there.

Garden Grill is inside The Land pavilion, so if you did an early morning there you'd be finishing up breakfast right before the crowds all showed up for Soarin', saving you the need for a Soarin' FastPass. I don't know how tall your four year old is, but if she's 40", Soarin' is not to be missed. It's the perfect entry-level "big kid ride."

Are you familiar with rider swap?

I'm definitely going to look into breakfast as our table-service meals. I had no idea you could get in before everyone else if you had a reservation for breakfast.

My daughter should be 40" by October. She's already pretty close. We're a little nervous about rides, in general, scaring her. This will be our first time doing anything bigger than a dumbo-style fair ride (which she enjoys).

You mentioned rider swap in your email. Speaking of, will our daughter get to ride twice in those situations; is that how it works?

If you can convince her that counts as a "character meal," see if you can get one of the earliest possible dinner reservations (4:30 I believe). The parks a pretty crowded at that time and you'll be looking for a break from the heat, so use it to take a break before heading back out for some evening rides. The food is pretty legit as well (though pricey).

This sounds like a good compromise.

TouringPlans is the best. We usually do one park in the morning, then a break in the afternoon, then back to a different park in the evening for an 8 night trip. There are usually some mornings or evenings at the resort sprinkled in, but we usually head off on our trips with 12 or so different TPs, one for each half-day.

Yea so far the website and Unofficial Guide have been really helpful.

We arrive at AK Lodge Wednesday. Doing just a resort day. Then we have single park tickets for Thur-Sat. Home on Sunday. Epcot appears to have morning magic hours Thursday. So I assume we'll head there first. Friday will be AK and then Saturday MK so we see Happily Ever After.

My planning is also ridiculously complicated with my different complimentary tickets and discounts. If I ever quit, I'd need at least $10K from my new job to make up for the lost Disney discounts.

I can see why you take advantage of those discounts and go there often. We're doing this short trip and it's going to cost $5k by the time it's said and done (including flights, etc).

 

[wizards8507]

My daughter should be 40" by October. She's already pretty close. We're a little nervous about rides, in general, scaring her. This will be our first time doing anything bigger than a dumbo-style fair ride (which she enjoys).

My daughter is a giant so she's been riding the 40" rides since she was 3. Soarin' has one bit that's a little loud but there's nothing scary about it otherwise. At Epcot, you'll only be able to pick one of Soarin', Test Track, and Frozen for a FastPass, so I'd say FastPass Frozen and ride Soarin' first thing in the morning, while skipping Test Track.

Hopefully you're able to persuade her onto Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain because those are two of the best mom-and-dad-fun rides anywhere.

The tactic that worked best for us is to not even hint that there's anything to be scared of in the first place. A lot of parents go into great detail about what to expect and how to be brave, but I think that blows it up in the kid's imagination and makes them more likely to be scared.

You mentioned rider swap in your email. Speaking of, will our daughter get to ride twice in those situations; is that how it works?

Yeah, mom rides with daughter while dad waits with baby. Then dad rides with daughter while mom waits with baby.

I can see why you take advantage of those discounts and go there often. We're doing this short trip and it's going to cost $5k by the time it's said and done (including flights, etc).

Yeah, we can usually get through an 8 night trip with airfare, food, merch, and rental car in a deluxe resort for about $4K.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Historically, per TouringPlans, Epcot's morning Magic Hours are on Thursdays. So we'll be taking advantage of that. Which means scheduling a breakfast table-service isn't necessary for early entry. Would you concur? We still may do Akershus for the Princess meal but will probably do an early dinner or something.

Animal Kingdom, probably going to skip the table-service and save the money.

MK, we have some decisions to make:
1) BOG at 8am - it's cheaper, early entry into MK --> saves us using FP on 7 Dwarfs, etc.

2) BOG for dinner - see the Beast

If we choose option 2 (wife's vote), I still feel the need to schedule an in-the-park breakfast at 8am, so that day gets exponentially more expensive. Are Crystal Palace and The Plaza my only choices for breakfast reservations?

 

[wizards8507]

Historically, per TouringPlans, Epcot's morning Magic Hours are on Thursdays. So we'll be taking advantage of that. Which means scheduling a breakfast table-service isn't necessary for early entry. Would you concur? We still may do Akershus for the Princess meal but will probably do an early dinner or something.



Animal Kingdom, probably going to skip the table-service and save the money.



MK, we have some decisions to make:

1) BOG at 8am - it's cheaper, early entry into MK --> saves us using FP on 7 Dwarfs, etc.



2) BOG for dinner - see the Beast



If we choose option 2 (wife's vote), I still feel the need to schedule an in-the-park breakfast at 8am, so that day gets exponentially more expensive. Are Crystal Palace and The Plaza my only choices for breakfast reservations?

BOG breakfast is trash and extremely expensive. Worst meal in all of WDW. Legit makes me embarrassed to be a Disney fan. Avoid at all costs. Lunch and dinner are good-to-excellent.

I typically avoid Extra Magic Hours because those parks end up more crowded than they'd otherwise be, but if you're set on that plan for Epcot, then the rest of your itinerary holds up.

Otherwise, I'd flip Epcot and Animal Kingdom and shoot for an 8am Animal Kingdom Tusker House, which is my personal favorite character meal and it'll have you right near Kilimanjaro Safaris to ride first thing when the park opens.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

BOG breakfast is trash and extremely expensive. Worst meal in all of WDW. Legit makes me embarrassed to be a Disney fan. Avoid at all costs. Lunch and dinner are good-to-excellent.

I typically avoid Extra Magic Hours because those parks end up more crowded than they'd otherwise be, but if you're set on that plan for Epcot, then the rest of your itinerary holds up.

Otherwise, I'd flip Epcot and Animal Kingdom and shoot for an 8am Animal Kingdom Tusker House, which is my personal favorite character meal and it'll have you right near Kilimanjaro Safaris to ride first thing when the park opens.

So something like

Thurs: AK, 8am Tusker House
Friday: Epcot, 8am Akershus
Saturday: still need a morning resv for early entry, BOG for dinner


Thanks for making my trip more expensive haha

 

[wizards8507]

So something like

Thurs: AK, 8am Tusker House
Friday: Epcot, 8am Akershus
Saturday: still need a morning resv for early entry, BOG for dinner

Thanks for making my trip more expensive haha

I mean you don't HAVE TO have the early entry, but you're the one insisting on multiple character meals and doing them at breakfast time is the most efficient. If you're at the turnstiles 20 minutes before park opening, you're still going to get a ride or two in with minimal wait regardless of whether you were there for early entry anyways.

For MK, I'd use a FP for Mine Train and hit Splash Mountain / Big Thunder first thing, since they're right next to each other and absorb the initial crowds much better than Mine Train does.

 

[ACamp1900]

Oh wiz, I meant to ask, thoughts on Dl Pirates vs DW Pirates...??

 

[wizards8507]

For reference, an 8-night non-poors (i.e. heavily subsidized) itinerary looks something like this:

Friday, 8/16 - Check in at Fort Wilderness Cabins, Animal Kingdom evening
Saturday, 8/17 - Hollywood Studios morning, Epcot evening (IllumiNations)
Sunday, 8/18 - Church morning, Magic Kingdom afternoon/evening
Monday, 8/19 - Epcot morning, Hollywood Studios evening (Fantasmic)
Tuesday, 8/20 - Magic Kingdom morning/afternoon, Ohana dinner
Wednesday, 8/21 - Animal Kingdom morning, Epcot evening
Thursday, 8/22 - Animal Kingdom morning, Disney Springs evening
Friday, 8/23 - Hollywood Studios morning, Hoop Dee Doo Revue dinner
Saturday, 8/24 - Magic Kingdom morning/afternoon, Depart evening

Oh wiz, I meant to ask, thoughts on Dl Pirates vs DW Pirates...??

DL Pirates infinitely better. Hardly a comparison. Most of the other duplicate rides are basically the same thing, but DL Pirates is incredible.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

I mean you don't HAVE TO have the early entry, but you're the one insisting on multiple character meals and doing them at breakfast time is the most efficient. If you're at the turnstiles 20 minutes before park opening, you're still going to get a ride or two in with minimal wait regardless of whether you were there for early entry anyways.

For MK, I'd use a FP for Mine Train and hit Splash Mountain / Big Thunder first thing, since they're right next to each other and absorb the initial crowds much better than Mine Train does.

Correction: Wife is insisting on multiple character meals.

 

[ThePiombino]

Going to Disney this summer! First time with my kids, very excited!!!

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

[wizards8507]

Going to Disney this summer! First time with my kids, very excited!!!

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I'm the master. AMA.

 

[ThePiombino]

I'm the master. AMA.

Gonna be my kids' first time. Will be like my 8th lol

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Irish#1]

If I ever quit, I'd need at least $10K from my new job to make up for the lost Disney discounts.

Interviewer: What's your salary requirements?

Wiz: I'm looking for 5% more than my current salary and 6 weeks of vacation along with annual passes to DW with accommodations and meals included.

Interviewer: LOL, that's funny. Surely you can't be serious. What's your salary requirements?

Wiz: I am serious and don't call me Shirley.

 

[wizards8507]

Interviewer: What's your salary requirements?



Wiz: I'm looking for 5% more than my current salary and 6 weeks of vacation along with annual passes to DW with accommodations and meals included.



Interviewer: LOL, that's funny. Surely you can't be serious. What's your salary requirements?



Wiz: I am serious and don't call me Shirley.

The awful part is that I'm severely underpaid and could probably get closer to a 20% lift if I bailed.

 

[Irish#1]

The awful part is that I'm severely underpaid and could probably get closer to a 20% lift if I bailed.

Aren’t we all? Lol

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Today began our 180-dining resv window. Excited to say we got our first choices: BOG dinner, Akershus dinner, Boma dinner, and tentatively Rainforest dinner (although, we'll probably skip this one and go for something quick). Can't wait!

Turns out my mother-in-law is planning a family trip for either 2020 or 2021, so we saved some character meals for that trip as well. Crystal Palace and Tusker House were two we wanted on the list but will save for next trip.

Thanks again to everyone who helped me out.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Just got back from my first trip to Disney. We had an absolute blast! Already can't wait to get back there.

My 4yr old daughter loved the character experiences, Barnstormer, and 7 Dwarfs. Her reaction to meeting Anna and Elsa and also riding the Frozen ride was worth all the money spent.

Be Our Guest and Akershus dinners....wow. Expensive, but so worth it. Delicious food. Great experience.

 

[ACamp1900]

Just got back from my first trip to Disney. We had an absolute blast! Already can't wait to get back there.

My 4yr old daughter loved the character experiences, Barnstormer, and 7 Dwarfs. Her reaction to meeting Anna and Elsa and also riding the Frozen ride was worth all the money spent.

Be Our Guest and Akershus dinners....wow. Expensive, but so worth it. Delicious food. Great experience.

Orlando or Anaheim??

 

[wizards8507]

Just got back from my first trip to Disney. We had an absolute blast! Already can't wait to get back there.

My 4yr old daughter loved the character experiences, Barnstormer, and 7 Dwarfs. Her reaction to meeting Anna and Elsa and also riding the Frozen ride was worth all the money spent.

Be Our Guest and Akershus dinners....wow. Expensive, but so worth it. Delicious food. Great experience.

My man. Where'd you stay?