Boatload of questions.

[Gaprofitt]

Hey all,

Single dad here with a 3 year old, taking him to WDW for his 4th birthday in Sept. We are currently booked at the Wilderness lodge. I currently have all our fast passes booked, reservations at Crystal palace, chef mickeys, Animal kingdom rainforest and sci-fi drive-in theatre. I have a lot of questions.

My son's mom is going to come but will be staying outside the park. Can I add her to my reservation at the hotel to get her a magic band and so we all can be on the dining plan?

Regarding a stroller when we go to six flags he just walks but sometimes I have to carry him to the car after a long day. Can I just bring a stroller and park it somewhere and leave it all day? Put a towel in it, change of clothes, snacks, etc? Basically use it as a locker?

Regarding the fast passes i understand when you use all three you can book another, do you have to stand in line for a kiosk to book another or can this be done from your phone? Any tips here?

Which waterpark is recommended between the two for a little guy?

How would we get to mini golf from Wilderness lodge? Is totally troublesome to get to from WL? My son loves mini golf and it's included in our package?

Any other dining recommendations? Are my selections good? I nixed hollywood and vine for sci-fi theatre? Good move? What about rainforest cafe vs something else?

Our flight lands at 12:50 and we are using the disney magical express bus. I have reservations at 3:30 at Crystal palace in MK, is this doable or too aggressive? I was thinking check-in, leave luggage and take the boat to MK. I didn't see anything available this day for later.

If I decide not to do the dining plan can adults buy kids meals for themselves? Is this tacky?

Animal Kingdom lodge is about $30-40 lower cost per night for a standard room, is it worth the extra being closer to MK? I have a woods view room now, can we see the fireworks?

Thanks..

Greg

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

My son's mom is going to come but will be staying outside the park. Can I add her to my reservation at the hotel to get her a magic band and so we all can be on the dining plan?

As I understand it - no. You can buy Magic Bands in Disney Stores and I believe that should be able to link her ticket media to your MDE account and book FP together. She will not get the DP unless you pay for her room

Regarding a stroller when we go to six flags he just walks but sometimes I have to carry him to the car after a long day. Can I just bring a stroller and park it somewhere and leave it all day? Put a towel in it, change of clothes, snacks, etc? Basically use it as a locker?

.
Yes you can - but don't count on it still being there when you return.

 

[Gaprofitt]

As I understand it - no. You can buy Magic Bands in Disney Stores and I believe that should be able to link her ticket media to your MDE account and book FP together. She will not get the DP unless you pay for her room.

.
Yes you can - but don't count on it still being there when you return.

Meaning stolen or moved by park management?

She's not getting a room, she would be on my reservation.

 

[Nick Wilde]

Hey all,

Single dad here with a 3 year old, taking him to WDW for his 4th birthday in Sept. We are currently booked at the Wilderness lodge. I currently have all our fast passes booked, reservations at Crystal palace, chef mickeys, Animal kingdom rainforest and sci-fi drive-in theatre. I have a lot of questions.

My son's mom is going to come but will be staying outside the park. Can I add her to my reservation at the hotel to get her a magic band and so we all can be on the dining plan?

Regarding a stroller when we go to six flags he just walks but sometimes I have to carry him to the car after a long day. Can I just bring a stroller and park it somewhere and leave it all day? Put a towel in it, change of clothes, snacks, etc? Basically use it as a locker?

Regarding the fast passes i understand when you use all three you can book another, do you have to stand in line for a kiosk to book another or can this be done from your phone? Any tips here?

Which waterpark is recommended between the two for a little guy?

How would we get to mini golf from Wilderness lodge? Is totally troublesome to get to from WL? My son loves mini golf and it's included in our package?

Any other dining recommendations? Are my selections good? I nixed hollywood and vine for sci-fi theatre? Good move? What about rainforest cafe vs something else?

Our flight lands at 12:50 and we are using the disney magical express bus. I have reservations at 3:30 at Crystal palace in MK, is this doable or too aggressive? I was thinking check-in, leave luggage and take the boat to MK. I didn't see anything available this day for later.

If I decide not to do the dining plan can adults buy kids meals for themselves? Is this tacky?

Animal Kingdom lodge is about $30-40 lower cost per night for a standard room, is it worth the extra being closer to MK? I have a woods view room now, can we see the fireworks?

Thanks..

Greg

I'll answer the ones I can. About the FastPasses, you can book more after you've used all three, but you have to go to a kiosk. Try going to the kiosk near The Diamond Horseshoe at Magic Kingdom, the kiosk near Innoventions East at Epcot, the kiosk near MuppetVision at Hollywood Studios, or the kiosk near Tusker House at Animal Kingdom. Those are the least trafficked. Waterparks. Typhoon Lagoon is better for younger ones. Mini-golf you can drive to it, or take the bus. Your selections for dining are top-notch. You should love them. The Crystal Palace reservation might be pushing it. I'd try for a later time if possible. You can buy a kid's meal! Who cares if someone thinks it's tacky! We get them regularly, since they can fill a stomach and are much cheaper. Hope this helps!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Meaning stolen or moved by park management?

Correct

She's not getting a room, she would be on my reservation.

She's staying offsite and therefore not entitled to buy a Dining Plan

 

[Gaprofitt]

Correct

She's staying offsite and therefore not entitled to buy a Dining Plan

I don't think you understand. She would be on my room reservation. 2 adults and 1 child. How would anyone know she is staying offsite?

 

[Tom]

My son's mom is going to come but will be staying outside the park. Can I add her to my reservation at the hotel to get her a magic band and so we all can be on the dining plan?

Disney will gladly accept your money. You would all three need to be on the room reservation and also have tickets as part of the package, then you can add a DDP for anyone on the room reservation. If she happens to not sleep inside the room, that won't affect anything.

Regarding a stroller when we go to six flags he just walks but sometimes I have to carry him to the car after a long day. Can I just bring a stroller and park it somewhere and leave it all day? Put a towel in it, change of clothes, snacks, etc? Basically use it as a locker?

I would recommend a locker. Your stuff is not safe sitting in a stroller all day. And you should check on the stroller itself often. They get moved by CMs a lot, to tidy up or prepare for a parade or whatever. They also get stolen by other guests (and no, you cannot lock it to anything in the park).

Regarding the fast passes i understand when you use all three you can book another, do you have to stand in line for a kiosk to book another or can this be done from your phone? Any tips here?

Yes, currently you have to book 4+ at a kiosk. Hopefully they get their heads on straight and fix this soon.

Which waterpark is recommended between the two for a little guy?

Can't help you here.

How would we get to mini golf from Wilderness lodge? Is totally troublesome to get to from WL? My son loves mini golf and it's included in our package?

You can take a bus to Blizzard Beach and walk to Winter Summerland. Or a bus to (I forget which resort....Swan/Dolphin) and walk to Fantasia Gardens. I'd recommend just taking a cab.

Any other dining recommendations? Are my selections good? I nixed hollywood and vine for sci-fi theatre? Good move? What about rainforest cafe vs something else?

I have a rule that I stick to actual Disney restaurants when I'm there. Rainforest is crap, in my opinion, and not Disney. Kid will enjoy the theme of sci-fi, but H&V would probably be more entertaining for him, since it's Disney Jr characters (I think) and Sci Fi plays OLD movies and TV shows.

Our flight lands at 12:50 and we are using the disney magical express bus. I have reservations at 3:30 at Crystal palace in MK, is this doable or too aggressive? I was thinking check-in, leave luggage and take the boat to MK. I didn't see anything available this day for later.

It's going to be VERY close. You won't be on a moving bus until probably close to 1:20-1:30. Then if you're the last stop, it's 45-60 min to your resort, so let's say 2:30 worst case. If check-in is packed, that could be a 20-30 minute process. Then I would take a boat to the MK and hustle to CP. It's all do-able, but there are a lot of factors that could force you to miss it.

If I decide not to do the dining plan can adults buy kids meals for themselves? Is this tacky?

Anyone can buy a kids meal. Lots of light eaters visit WDW.

Animal Kingdom lodge is about $30-40 lower cost per night for a standard room, is it worth the extra being closer to MK? I have a woods view room now, can we see the fireworks?

Yes, in my opinion, it's worth it to be closer to MK with direct non-bus access (boat). AKL is very far from everything except AK. With a little kid in tow, that makes for a LONG bus ride, especially at park close. And since he's so young, I predict you'll spend 90% of your time at the MK, since DHS is a disaster and Epcot will probably bore him. Stay close to the MK.

And I don't think you can see fireworks.

 

[DManRightHere]

Meaning stolen or moved by park management?

She's not getting a room, she would be on my reservation.

You would have to buy her tickets and dining plan, put her on the room reservation. Disney won't know she is staying elsewhere, but it looks like she is staying on site.

I don't think 3:30 reservation is doable.

AKL is very nice and I would choose over WL. BUT, if you are primarily at WDW for MK, WL is a much much better proximaty. AKL is far.

 

[Tuvalu]

You can see the fireworks from some of the woods view rooms (5th & 6th floors.) Request a higher floor room on the "0" hallway and you may be able to see them. There are a lot of tall trees though.

Winter Summerland mini golf is best for a 4 year old. The course is very "forgiving" and not as frustrating as Fantasia Gardens. More familiar characters there too. From WL, take the bus to Blizzard Beach (it shares with Animal Kingdom) and walk to the nearby mini golf entrance.

Typhoon Lagoon typically is less crowded than Blizzard Beach and has a fun kids area.

 

[Po'Rich]

Sci Fi plays OLD movies and TV shows.

Actually, Sci Fi plays clips and trailers (shorts) from old movies and TV shows. I don't want you to think that you are actually going to see a full movie or show there. But it is a fun environment with decent burgers and good shakes. My kids are a bit older, but they love it.

Our flight lands at 12:50 and we are using the disney magical express bus. I have reservations at 3:30 at Crystal palace in MK, is this doable or too aggressive?

Too aggressive. There's likely to be a delay with the bus (they don't leave immediately when you show up). If you can, I'd push the reservation back an hour.