Disney/Universal Studios vacations

[wizards8507]

YOU DON"T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING.
YOU DON"T HAVE TO SEE EVERYTHING.

+1

 

[AdmiralBackhand]

A couple of good links for gaining information and seeing what sounds good for you and your family:

https://touringplans.com/

http://http://www.disneytouristblog.com/

easyWDW – easyWDW

Hope this helps! Enjoy your vacation!

 

[wizards8507]

https://touringplans.com/

These guys are the best in the business IMO. They're the ones who write The Unofficial Guide and I can't recommend them highly enough.

 

[AdmiralBackhand]

These guys are the best in the business IMO. They're the ones who write The Unofficial Guide and I can't recommend them highly enough.

I checked their book out via the library. I think they do a great job and their dining reservation finder tool (which is free) was excellent! We ended up with some good reservations at the time we wanted them by plugging them into the site.

 

[phork]

The Unofficial Guide is a must.

Doing Disney you have 2 options.

1. Go all Army like and hit it all (Can be done)
2. Take your time and plan it out over multiple years.

Essentially I did the 1st option with the Unofficial Guide and it rocked.
My Tips:

If you have little ones, I can't say this enough, RENT THE DOUBLE STROLLERs. So many families I saw were dragging their kids by the arm to rush to the next thing. Kids get tired fast and even faster in the heat and humidity. Plus the stroller acts as pickup truck to hold all your loot on. (If you are staying on the resort whatever you buy can be shipped to your room from the store you bought it at, any park any time).

Avoid a lot of food purchases by bringing a backpack full of snacks and waters. Eat one meal in the park. (Even with the dining plan you'll need to supplment your day.)

Preplan what you want to see and do it. So many people run around like chickens with their heads cut off because once you get in to any park your mind melts. This is a great activity before you leave and gets the kids pumped.

Call well in advance to book character experiences and dinner. They go fast

Don't forget to have fun.

 

[ACamp1900]

I've tried numerous times to get a reservation at the Blue Bayou in Disneyland... Pirates is usually the first (or one of) ride we hit anyway... but even when the park opens the line to get a reservation is crazy and Disneyland food generally sucks as theme park food goes so it's hard to imagine it being worth all that... the ambiance in there looks amazing tho. One day.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

This touringplans thing is legit.

All good tips here guys. Thanks!

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Anyone use Uber to get around the parks instead of waiting for shuttles, buses, etc?

 

[RDU Irish]

Plan your FastPass and let everything else flow from there. You want to use those first three ASAP each day and focus on the highest demand rides. There were always times opening up for virtually every ride except the few tough ones. Once you use the three, you get another, and it replenishes almost instantly when you scan in for use. I would usually "book" the next ride before we even boarded our last FP ride and we let that drive our day. Lead to some more walking but got tons of value out of the day. FP is great for the family of three since mom or dad can ride solo and not wait to long with the little one.

Off the top of my head:

MK-
1) Dwarf Mine Train - absolutely use a FP for this ride every day you plan on starting at MK.
2) Astro-Orbiter -we just skipped this ride - very rare for spots to open same day and lines are always over an hour
3) Splash Mountain - if are going when it is hot, an early afternoon splash isn't a bad idea before you head back for a nap. Times tend to open up in the evening (who wants to get dunked at 9pm?)
4) Dumbo - don't waste a FP on Dumbo, plenty available throughout the day - we ended up cutting OUT of line to play in the bigtop playground - great mid-day escape from the heat.
5) Space Mountain - tended to have a number available throughout the day, good use of FP but easy to get another round in if you look for it.

Epcot - I thought the worst for FP due to only getting ONE for the best rides and needing to use the other two on lesser rides before you can try and reschedule. I was able to vulture for an Epcot ride once we used up at other parks to get in Frozen and Test Track a couple of days - since we stayed nearby it was an easy evening stroll to cash those in and we could make it a leisurely evening. The tough Epcot options did not open up much - I found them the hardest to come by.
1) Frozen - hard AF to get
2) Test Track - awesome and worth it
3) Soaring

Hollywood Studios
1) Toy Story Mania - best ride there by a large margin, IMO.
2) Rock N Rollercoaster
Most of the others have a fair amount of availability - especially later in the day. We hopped to HS for the evening a few times and got a ton of rides in - Star Wars evening show was fantastic too.

# Jedi Training - An absolute must for any kid age 10 to 5ish. MUST get to the park when the gates open and sign up by Indiana Jones. They actually open the gates 20-30 minutes before the official open. With a 9AM open, I was signed up and getting coffee before 9AM with one of the first Jedi Training sessions so we didn't suck up our whole day there.

AK -
This is a half day park to me, like HS. Rides open up all the time for FP - even the Safari (which was hardest by far - we did not do it). Doing it again I would FP Everest, Safari and Rapids - have to do it well in advance though. Everest and even the Rapids did open up mid day for FPs but had to work at it a bit. The Dinosaur ride was hit or miss as well.

Yacht Club/Beach Club pool was perfect for young kids. Sand bottom pool was great for little ones and the convenience made it so much easier to scoot back for a nap if needed. We packed a ton of Easy Mac and oatmeal - invariably the monsters would be hungry the minute they got back or woke up. Complete waste of time to try and track down food the minute you enter a park - fuel up while everyone is getting ready and it de-risks the experience.

Totally disagree about the busses - they can suck a ton of time out of you. We stayed at Caribbean Beach our previous trip and logistics damn near ruined it for me. Motivated me to pay more for convenience. I would seriously look at an Uber budget for some hopping next time, especially AK or if I stayed further off properties. I could see the hotel savings more than paying for Uber and being a game changer.

 

[ACamp1900]

Dwarf Mine Train

What the holy mouse hell??

 

[ACamp1900]

I had to look Dwarf Mine Train up... the SEVEN Dwarfs.. okay. It basically looks like Orlando's version of Big Thunder Mountain. For Disneyland the ride you MUST fast pass super early if you want any chance at it is the Cars ride... but that's mainly because it's new. Nothing beats the old school Pirates tho, I hear ours is quite a bit longer than the one in Orlando.

 

[RDU Irish]

The Unofficial Guide is a must.

Doing Disney you have 2 options.

1. Go all Army like and hit it all (Can be done)
2. Take your time and plan it out over multiple years.

Essentially I did the 1st option with the Unofficial Guide and it rocked.
My Tips:

If you have little ones, I can't say this enough, RENT THE DOUBLE STROLLERs. So many families I saw were dragging their kids by the arm to rush to the next thing. Kids get tired fast and even faster in the heat and humidity. Plus the stroller acts as pickup truck to hold all your loot on. (If you are staying on the resort whatever you buy can be shipped to your room from the store you bought it at, any park any time).

Avoid a lot of food purchases by bringing a backpack full of snacks and waters. Eat one meal in the park. (Even with the dining plan you'll need to supplment your day.)

Preplan what you want to see and do it. So many people run around like chickens with their heads cut off because once you get in to any park your mind melts. This is a great activity before you leave and gets the kids pumped.

Call well in advance to book character experiences and dinner. They go fast

Don't forget to have fun.

Buy and bring your own stroller - and tie something unique/bright to the handle so you can pick it out of the lineup. If you are there for any length of time, the stroller will pay for itself compared to the $20 or $30 stroller fees. Finding your own stroller is hard enough, but picking it out from the stack of universal rentals is a nightmare. Something with a shade, highly maneuverable, a back that can be lowered for napping and breathable is ideal.

Totally agree on the snacks. It is a convenience thing. I didn't find food prices as offensive as I thought they would be but if you know your kid, you know what you can count on them eating and drinking.

Food - The cinnamon rolls at Gaston's are primo and one of the better bang for buck items I saw all week. Hit it after your morning Dwarf train.

 

[goldandblue]

goldandblue: the following is an old man's perspective, but I stand by it, and believe that nearly everyone here will grow into it when THEY get old.

YOU DON"T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING.
YOU DON"T HAVE TO SEE EVERYTHING.

These times are for YOU and your family. No matter how big the scenery, it's the sharing of "moments" between you that's important. Shockingly, seeing Mickey Mouse, in the end, isn't important. Hugging one another in a non-stressed happy moment is.

When I went with my nieces and nephews (and adult family including my Mom), I ran around like a striped-tailed ape trying to see every last iota of the place --- the times that really mattered were sitting on the deck of the treehouse "apartment" watching the peacocks with Mom and the kids, or relaxing at a themed meal, or settling into a specially interesting imaginative "ride." --- NON-stress times. Those things occurred when I wasn't trying to do TOO much.

Should you go? Sure (if you can afford it). But go with the idea of NOT rushing to glimpse everything. Pick some targets. Take time to just BE with the place rather than run through it. It's not just you who will enjoy it more that way.

I've missed a lot a experiences in my life by running through them rather than stopping and being with them.

In today's wealthy world (and we are) if the spirit moves you, you can always go back.

Great post OMM.... Great post.

 

[ACamp1900]

Buy and bring your own stroller - and tie something unique/bright to the handle so you can pick it out of the lineup. .

Buy one of the balloons at the front gate... that works wonders.

 

[phork]

Buy and bring your own stroller - and tie something unique/bright to the handle so you can pick it out of the lineup. If you are there for any length of time, the stroller will pay for itself compared to the $20 or $30 stroller fees. Finding your own stroller is hard enough, but picking it out from the stack of universal rentals is a nightmare. Something with a shade, highly maneuverable, a back that can be lowered for napping and breathable is ideal.

Totally agree on the snacks. It is a convenience thing. I didn't find food prices as offensive as I thought they would be but if you know your kid, you know what you can count on them eating and drinking.

Food - The cinnamon rolls at Gaston's are primo and one of the better bang for buck items I saw all week. Hit it after your morning Dwarf train.

I disagree about the strollers. Renting theirs is much eaiser, if yours gets lost or taken by accident they will give you another immediately. Plus you can pile 3 maybe 4 kids into the rentals. And you don't have to haul it on buses or cars or Ubers or whatever. Leave it at the gate when you are done.

 

[wizards8507]

I had to look Dwarf Mine Train up... the SEVEN Dwarfs.. okay. It basically looks like Orlando's version of Big Thunder Mountain. For Disneyland the ride you MUST fast pass super early if you want any chance at it is the Cars ride... but that's mainly because it's new. Nothing beats the old school Pirates tho, I hear ours is quite a bit longer than the one in Orlando.

Orlando also has a Big Thunder Mountain. The Mine Train is more for kids. It's slower and has some inside "show scenes." The gimmick is that the ride vehicles are free-swinging, so you sway back and forth.

Food - The cinnamon rolls at Gaston's are primo and one of the better bang for buck items I saw all week. Hit it after your morning Dwarf train.

Don't tell the hardcore Disney people that. One of their biggest bitch fits is that the cinnamon rolls moved from the Main Street Bakery (replaced by Starbucks).

I disagree about the strollers. Renting theirs is much eaiser, if yours gets lost or taken by accident they will give you another immediately. Plus you can pile 3 maybe 4 kids into the rentals. And you don't have to haul it on buses or cars or Ubers or whatever. Leave it at the gate when you are done.

I like bringing our own stroller so we have it at the airport and the resort. It doesn't matter as much at the smaller resorts but we've used it quite a bit when we stay at the bigger ones.

 

[Irish#1]

Exploring new places isn't nearly as much fun with a toddler. Literally every argument anyone has made about not bringing a young child to WDW also applies if we were going to bring her to the Grand Canyon or Kauai or Tanzania. The only way around the "...but she won't really remember it" argument is to just skip family vacations entirely, which isn't an option for me.


The attraction shifts. Now it's not about hype and excitement, it's about returning to old favorites. Lots of people go to multiple Notre Dame games every year for more or less the same experience. It's not much different than that.


To be clear, I'm not suggesting that anyone take a young child instead of taking them when they're a bit older. If BBG's question is "should I take my kid when she's 2 or when she's 5," then the answer is "when she's 5." But if the question is "is my 2 year old too young for her first trip," with the assumption that they'll be back a few years later, then the answer is "no."


These things aren't mutually exclusive. My wife doesn't work, so "local park with a pond with ducks, etc." is a normal Thursday for my daughter. We just got back from four nights in the New Hampshire lakes region. My mother in-law has a house in Ocean City. We've been to Stowe, Hershey, Newport, Hilton Head, and elsewhere. I'm definitely not recommending Disney at the expense of all other experiences.


What do you suggest instead? What's the family vacation that a toddler would comprehend and retain?


I could not disagree more. Planning reduces stress, it doesn't increase it. If you don't plan, you stress out when you're in the park because you're totally unprepared so you scramble. Your wife freaks out that you missed the 2:00 parade because you didn't know there was a 2:00 parade. When you plan ahead, you might have a little more stress leading up to the trip, but then when you're actually on the trip, you have confidence that you're not going to miss out on the things you really want to do because you know the ins-and-outs.

Well, I'm not saying a toddler would comprehend and retain other vacations. Going to WDD for most (your an exception) is a pricey vacation. For those I'm simply suggesting waiting until the child is a little older so your money is better spent.

I know WDD adds attractions all the time, but going simply to experience a new attraction isn't worth the time or money to me. The Haunted Mansion is still the best attraction in the park IMO and we see it every time we go. The last time we went I found I didn't get the same "experience" as previous visits.

Disagree all you want. I have no problem with that. We're opposites, we find we don't feel stuck on a schedule and an urgency to get from attraction A to attraction B to enjoy our trip. We did WDD with five kids so many times and that's what worked best for us. Maybe it's because I'm older now and have visited so many times that the Disney experience is pretty much the same anymore, regardless of new attractions.

 

[Irish#1]

goldandblue: the following is an old man's perspective, but I stand by it, and believe that nearly everyone here will grow into it when THEY get old.

YOU DON"T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING.
YOU DON"T HAVE TO SEE EVERYTHING.

These times are for YOU and your family. No matter how big the scenery, it's the sharing of "moments" between you that's important. Shockingly, seeing Mickey Mouse, in the end, isn't important. Hugging one another in a non-stressed happy moment is.

When I went with my nieces and nephews (and adult family including my Mom), I ran around like a striped-tailed ape trying to see every last iota of the place --- the times that really mattered were sitting on the deck of the treehouse "apartment" watching the peacocks with Mom and the kids, or relaxing at a themed meal, or settling into a specially interesting imaginative "ride." --- NON-stress times. Those things occurred when I wasn't trying to do TOO much.

Should you go? Sure (if you can afford it). But go with the idea of NOT rushing to glimpse everything. Pick some targets. Take time to just BE with the place rather than run through it. It's not just you who will enjoy it more that way.

I've missed a lot a experiences in my life by running through them rather than stopping and being with them.

In today's wealthy world (and we are) if the spirit moves you, you can always go back.

So true. About five years ago, the wife and I planeed a trip to WDD. Not long after, we find out our daughter and her family have a tripped planned at the same time and are flying on the same flight. We kept it a secret from from the granddaughters (ages 8 & 12)to make it a surprise. They board the plane. We get on after and tell them we came to say goodbye. Of course they don't realize you can't get on a plane without a ticket. We hug them goodbye and the 8 year old says she wishes we were coming with them. I look at my wife and say, "Grandma, why don't we just go ahead and go with them?" She says Okay, let's go". The 8 year old gets real excited and says, "You'll really go with us?" I tell grandma to "Sit down were going". Both girls are excited and as we're taxing to the runway, the 11 year old says, "Wait a minute, don't you have to buy tickets to fly?" That's when we let the cat out of the bag. We had a great time on the trip. To this day, they still bring it up and say it was still the best part of the trip.

 

[AdmiralBackhand]

Anyone use Uber to get around the parks instead of waiting for shuttles, buses, etc?

I had a free Uber ride so I did use it. We were picked up at the Contemporary and dropped off at the entrance to Animal Kingdom. It probably did save me some time but the buses, boats and monorail were good too.

 

[RDU Irish]

Don't tell the hardcore Disney people that. One of their biggest bitch fits is that the cinnamon rolls moved from the Main Street Bakery (replaced by Starbucks).

They need a life then. Main Street is nothing but a PIA bottleneck meant to slow people down and push overpriced merch on your way in and your way out. No way I'm killing the shortest line times of the day munching on food at the entrance half a mile from the nearest attraction.

 

[Kingbish01]

I'm an annual pass holder and go to Disney World 7-10 times a year. If anyone ever has any questions, feel free to PM me. I've got it down to a science from where to stay, eat, drink, and what to ride.

 

[Kingbish01]

Paging Wiz (or anyone else with exceptional knowledge):

*Disclaimer: I have never been to Disney....not one single park or resort. I know absolutely nothing. Proceed accordingly.

1) When would be a good time to begin trips w/ kids to Disney? I have a 2-yr old and thinking maybe next year would be a good time to start. Too young still?

2) Just a quick Google search and I'm completely overwhelmed. Where do you begin? Obviously this is a multi-trip ordeal. But what are the "must do's" for first-timers? What are the "don'ts" for first-timers?

3) For those with loads of experience, what advice/tips/tricks do you have to offer?

4) What am I looking to spend? Broad question, I know. Again, clueless here.

5) Best time of year to go?

1.) 2 year old kids are perfect.
2.) Find out where you wanna stay, then look at what parks you wanna go to on the days you are there. Then lock up food reservations and fast passes for the parks you will be at.
3.) My best advice is avoid character buffets. Kids love them, but they are super expensive and the food is usually terrible.
4.) What ever your budget is, plan on spending 1500.00 more. LOL
5.) Sept

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Good stuff. Thanks Kingbish.

 

[koonja]

So we're staying in a Universal Studios hotel, and will be there 3 full days, and only using 2 days worth of park tickets.

We'll mostly relax for the 1 day we're not visiting the parks, but any other near by attractions/things to do/restaurants to go to in that area for 2 ppl with a day to kill?

 

[Kingbish01]

So we're staying in a Universal Studios hotel, and will be there 3 full days, and only using 2 days worth of park tickets.

We'll mostly relax for the 1 day we're not visiting the parks, but any other near by attractions/things to do/restaurants to go to in that area for 2 ppl with a day to kill?

You could always go check out Disney Springs, lots to see and a few great places to eat.

 

[AdmiralBackhand]

So we're staying in a Universal Studios hotel, and will be there 3 full days, and only using 2 days worth of park tickets.

We'll mostly relax for the 1 day we're not visiting the parks, but any other near by attractions/things to do/restaurants to go to in that area for 2 ppl with a day to kill?

I would suggest touring the resorts on the monorail loop at Disney. Perhaps make a dining reservation at the Polynesian and then try a Dole Whip afterwards. Or Disney Springs would be pretty good as was mentioned before.

 

[wizards8507]

I would suggest touring the resorts on the monorail loop at Disney. Perhaps make a dining reservation at the Polynesian and then try a Dole Whip afterwards. Or Disney Springs would be pretty good as was mentioned before.

Resort hopping is for the poors (unless, like you said, you have a dining reservation). The last thing people want to deal with when they're staying at a $500-a-night hotel is randos like Koon showing up to gawk at them. Stay out of my resort unless you have a dining reservation.

Koon, make a dinner reservation at Ohana at Disney's Polynesian Resort. It's dope. Kind of like a Brazilian steakhouse where they keep bringing you meats and sides and whatnot, but it's all south Pacific food. Find out when the Magic Kingdom has fireworks that night and you can watch them from across the Seven Seas Lagoon.

 

[Irish#1]

Resort hopping is for the poors (unless, like you said, you have a dining reservation). The last thing people want to deal with when they're staying at a $500-a-night hotel is randos like Koon showing up to gawk at them. Stay out of my resort unless you have a dining reservation.

Koon, make a dinner reservation at Ohana at Disney's Polynesian Resort. It's dope. Kind of like a Brazilian steakhouse where they keep bringing you meats and sides and whatnot, but it's all south Pacific food. Find out when the Magic Kingdom has fireworks that night and you can watch them from across the Seven Seas Lagoon.

Actually resort hopping is pretty decent if you don't want the hassle of the crowds, attractions and are looking for something a little more leisurely to do. Helps with planning if you're going to be coming back some day.

 

[wizards8507]

Actually resort hopping is pretty decent if you don't want the hassle of the crowds, attractions and are looking for something a little more leisurely to do. Helps with planning if you're going to be coming back some day.

Irish#1 is a poors confirmed.

 

[calvegas04]

Irish#1 is a poors confirmed.

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