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First Time! Questions
- Thread starter Wehttam
- Start date
Flippin'Flounder
Well-Known Member
Biggest tip is to get your Dining reservations (ADR) early. Sometimes they can all be gone the first few minutes they go up, which is 180 days before your trip. Also, do a lot of research.
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Tinkerkelle
Well-Known Member
Research, research and then research some more. 
Disney is an amazing place to holiday and we've never had a bad experience but we know what to expect because I'm rather an over/obsessive planner-guilty but sneakily proud!!
Decide which parks you want to do on which days - the December calendar will come out in the next few weeks. There are websites that will recommend which days are best to visit certain parks based on their own formulas. You could look at some of those for ideas. Once you've decided that, you can look at restaurants because those ADRs are the first solid plans you can make at 180 days. Resort guests can make them 180 days plus the length of their stay up to 10 days. You are going at an extremely busy time - 21st to 28th December. If you have an ADR that you really want be online at 6am EST 180 days out.
If you are interested in meeting characters then try character dining. It's a bit more expensive but you get to meet upto 5 characters without waiting - well you wait for them to come round but you're eating while you wait so that's all good!! We really enjoy Crystal Palace at MK (Mickey, Winnie-the-Pooh and friends) and Tusker House at AK(Donald, Daisy, Minnie, Mickey and Goofy.) We prefer the breakfasts and have 8am ADRS for both for our October trip so we can eat and be out for park opening. Being at the park for opening can be a really great way to get a lot of attractions done before queues start to build as more and more people arrive. Look up the menus for restaurants that catch your eye and cost what you would spend if you ate there then look to see if it's worth the DDP. We get it free as part of our UK package but if you're paying for it you want to know that you're getting your money's worth.
For quick service meals we love Flametree BBQ at AK and Columbia Harbour House at MK. We love the cupcakes at Starring Rolls in HS (look out for the snacks throughout WDW, not just cupcakes, they are amazing. I asked for help here in compiling a list of must tries and I am determined to plough through them all!) and there is so much choice at Epcot, we like Sushine Seasons for qs in Future World because it has a wide selection that suits the varying tastes of our family. A must do sit down dinner, for us, is Ohana at the Poly - great food, great service and great entertainment. There are so many, actually, depending on what you like and how much you want to spend.
Familiarise yourself with the park layout and have an idea of which attractions you want to cover and how best to do that. Use your 3 FP+ selections wisely - that's a huge change since your were last at WDW and a change you really want to be familiar with. Just about every ride has FP+ now and resort guests can make their selections at 60 days out. Some parks - Epcot and HS - tier their FP+ to cope with demand. Some attractions are best done with FP+ (the ones that have high wait times throughout the day) and others just aren't (any time attractions.)
When your 3 FP+ have been used (or the time slot is up) you can make more but this has to be done at a kiosk in the park where you want to use the FP+. Availability of additional FP+ is ?? It could be tricky to get good additional FP+ over the holidays but always worth a try?
Biggest tip - get to the parks early for rope drop so that you can be through bag check and be at the turnstiles for opening to take advantage of lower early morning crowds, especially as it will be busy.
Other biggest tip - Enjoy! Take time to soak up the atmosphere.
Disney is an amazing place to holiday and we've never had a bad experience but we know what to expect because I'm rather an over/obsessive planner-guilty but sneakily proud!! Decide which parks you want to do on which days - the December calendar will come out in the next few weeks. There are websites that will recommend which days are best to visit certain parks based on their own formulas. You could look at some of those for ideas. Once you've decided that, you can look at restaurants because those ADRs are the first solid plans you can make at 180 days. Resort guests can make them 180 days plus the length of their stay up to 10 days. You are going at an extremely busy time - 21st to 28th December. If you have an ADR that you really want be online at 6am EST 180 days out.
If you are interested in meeting characters then try character dining. It's a bit more expensive but you get to meet upto 5 characters without waiting - well you wait for them to come round but you're eating while you wait so that's all good!! We really enjoy Crystal Palace at MK (Mickey, Winnie-the-Pooh and friends) and Tusker House at AK(Donald, Daisy, Minnie, Mickey and Goofy.) We prefer the breakfasts and have 8am ADRS for both for our October trip so we can eat and be out for park opening. Being at the park for opening can be a really great way to get a lot of attractions done before queues start to build as more and more people arrive. Look up the menus for restaurants that catch your eye and cost what you would spend if you ate there then look to see if it's worth the DDP. We get it free as part of our UK package but if you're paying for it you want to know that you're getting your money's worth.
For quick service meals we love Flametree BBQ at AK and Columbia Harbour House at MK. We love the cupcakes at Starring Rolls in HS (look out for the snacks throughout WDW, not just cupcakes, they are amazing. I asked for help here in compiling a list of must tries and I am determined to plough through them all!) and there is so much choice at Epcot, we like Sushine Seasons for qs in Future World because it has a wide selection that suits the varying tastes of our family. A must do sit down dinner, for us, is Ohana at the Poly - great food, great service and great entertainment. There are so many, actually, depending on what you like and how much you want to spend.
Familiarise yourself with the park layout and have an idea of which attractions you want to cover and how best to do that. Use your 3 FP+ selections wisely - that's a huge change since your were last at WDW and a change you really want to be familiar with. Just about every ride has FP+ now and resort guests can make their selections at 60 days out. Some parks - Epcot and HS - tier their FP+ to cope with demand. Some attractions are best done with FP+ (the ones that have high wait times throughout the day) and others just aren't (any time attractions.)
When your 3 FP+ have been used (or the time slot is up) you can make more but this has to be done at a kiosk in the park where you want to use the FP+. Availability of additional FP+ is ?? It could be tricky to get good additional FP+ over the holidays but always worth a try?
Biggest tip - get to the parks early for rope drop so that you can be through bag check and be at the turnstiles for opening to take advantage of lower early morning crowds, especially as it will be busy.
Other biggest tip - Enjoy! Take time to soak up the atmosphere.
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harryk
Well-Known Member
MVMCP will not be held during your scheduled stay. It ends the prior week (unless it has been extended while I'm writing this). The dining plans are great - but you have to be aware that you need to do a little planning to see if they fit into your budget and your eating habits. I personally (and my family) have settled on the delux dining plan in that we like sit-down meals, we avoid quick service (although Disney has some great quick-service options). We tend to make reservations at the signature dining locations (and every now and then, do the character dining which are lots of fun). Wilderness Lodge has two great restaurants - Whispering Canyon and Artist Point. The Roaring Forks has some great quick serve options. If you have not taken in the Hoop Dee Doo Review over at Ft. Wilderness (which the DDP covers) it is well worth seeing. It is just a short boat ride from the Lodge to the Fort.
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Flippin'Flounder
Well-Known Member
Also, before making your FP+ choices, ask here so you don't accidentally waste it on something where it isn't neccesary.
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Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
As for the dining plan, it all depends on your particular dining style. It's generally not a good deal for my family, since it provides things we don't want or need (e.g., souvenir refillable cups, fountain drinks at every meal, dessert at every meal) and doesn't cover things we do often want (e.g., an appetizer or an a la carte salad instead of an entree, dinners at 2-credit TS restaurants without giving up a TS meal somewhere else to compensate).
Once you have an idea of some restaurants you'd like to try, you can run the numbers on this site to figure out if any of the dining plans are likely to save you money: distripplanner.com
Once you have an idea of some restaurants you'd like to try, you can run the numbers on this site to figure out if any of the dining plans are likely to save you money: distripplanner.com
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Otterhead
Well-Known Member
As Weather_Lady says, the Dining Plan really depends on how you eat. If you do the 'standard' plan, each person gets a quick-service meal, a table-service meal, and a "snack" each day. The 'snacks' are anything from a bottle of soda to a soft pretzel or other small item -- they're marked on menus with a little symbol. At each meal, you get an entree, drink, and desert. Tips, alcohol, appetizers, etc aren't included.
If you use all of those and plan out your meals, the Dining Plan is a pretty good deal. You can save money and it's definitely a huge convenience. But if you eat mostly casual quick meals, always order appetizers, or even just buy food & eat in your hotel room, you can absolutely save money without it.
If you use all of those and plan out your meals, the Dining Plan is a pretty good deal. You can save money and it's definitely a huge convenience. But if you eat mostly casual quick meals, always order appetizers, or even just buy food & eat in your hotel room, you can absolutely save money without it.
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