First trip back in 5 years

[grumpyguy]

We are planning our next trip to WDW, it's sad to say but, it's been 5 years since our last vist. We will be staying at Coronado springs, which i am exciyed about (last trip was at All-Star, too small for me)

I'm looking for information on new things, to see and do, i see where alot has changed since I was last there. Any suggestions on making Character reservations? We are going to get meal plan.

I know I'm leaving my self open to a lot of interuptation on suggestions, but I'm kinda looking as this being my first trip ever.

.......:veryconfu

 

[phichi17]

Wow, congrats....

What characters intrest you? Is your group a party of 8 or more? If so, the Good Morning Gathering, espically for Grand Gathering groups is wonderful!

If not, Chef Mickey's at the CR is, to me the best character b-fast on property. A close second is Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner.

There is so many new things that have opened in the last 5 years, it'll be hard to name them off the top of my head, but here are a few:

Expediton: Everest in AK
Soarin in Epcot
Haunted Mansion and Pirates major refurbs in MK
Lights Motor Action in the Studios (no longer called MGM).

Hope this helps!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I second that. Our favorite character meal on property is Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary. Next I'd say the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom (with Pooh characters). I love booking the meals in the Magic Kingdom prior to park opening so you get the quiet, magical walk up Main Street. I crave that!

If you haven't been in that long you may want to get the Birnbaums guide and the Unofficial Guide. All the big bookstores carry these.

There's a lot to be said for planning and researching. Once you've made your reservation and have your dates that's where it all starts. Look up park hours for the dates you are going to be there, check touringplans.com for the best parks on your dates, nail down what restaurants you'd like for the places you'll be on different days, and make the your reservations. I have a daily spreadsheet that I use for tracking all this info and keeping it straight in my notebook.

Many congrats on your next trip. We're beginning to plan our next one as well! And no kiddos this time! Yaaaaaayyy!!!!! :sohappy:

 

[phichi17]

I second that. Our favorite character meal on property is Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary. Next I'd say the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom (with Pooh characters). I love booking the meals in the Magic Kingdom prior to park opening so you get the quiet, magical walk up Main Street. I crave that!

If you haven't been in that long you may want to get the Birnbaums guide and the Unofficial Guide. All the big bookstores carry these.

There's a lot to be said for planning and researching. Once you've made your reservation and have your dates that's where it all starts. Look up park hours for the dates you are going to be there, check touringplans.com for the best parks on your dates, nail down what restaurants you'd like for the places you'll be on different days, and make the your reservations. I have a daily spreadsheet that I use for tracking all this info and keeping it straight in my notebook.

Many congrats on your next trip. We're beginning to plan our next one as well! And no kiddos this time! Yaaaaaayyy!!!!! :sohappy:

That, for me, is half of the fun!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

That, for me, is half of the fun!

Me, too! :animwink:

 

[Monty]

If you plan to eat at Cinderella's Royal Table, be sure to call 180 prior to check-in date since you're staying on-site. It fills very quickly.

Another that fills fast [it isn't a character meal, just popular] is Le Cellier... If you're interested, book it at the 180-day mark as well.

 

[wdwmomof3]

Welcome back! If you don't have a copy yet go and get the Unofficial Guide to WDW book. I call it my brain. :lol: I have found that going to allearsnet.com and looking at the dining menu's and reviews there helps a lot. I have some favorite places to eat that we go to each time, and a few on the list that I am going to try.

Fav's are: 1900 Park Fare, The Coral Reef, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Sci-Fi, Whispering Canyon Cafe, & Chef Mickeys.

We are going to try these the next time because of the people here and my sister went and loved them as well. They are Le Cellier Steakhouse and 'Ohana.

Some things that are new that are must sees for us are the following.

Wishes ( may not be new but must see)
the Finding Nemo Musical @ AK- loved it!!
Expedition Everest
test track
Soarin'

Of course we try to do it all and normally come real close but just being there is magical enough for me. I hope that you have a great time planning and an even better time when you get there. :wave:

 

[macsmom]

Welcome to the boards! I love it here. People know so much about everything Disney. Anyway, in September I had meals at Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace.

Chef Mickey's was great! Mickey is my favorite character so I had a blast. All the characters came right over to the table and I took great pictures. I am not a huge Pooh and Friends fan, but let me tell you....I was by myself and they all made sure to come over to my table and spend some time with me. I had the best time. So, I do recommend those two places to eat. Non-character, I so enjoy the Sci-Fi in Disney's Hollywood Studios. The atmosphere is so cool.

You so have to go on Soarin'. Everyone here was just saying how great it was, etc. I made a point of hitting Epcot with EMH in the a.m. I was so glad. I went on Soarin', walked right out and got a fastpass. Glad I did since the wait was already an hour. I am already waiting to ride it again next trip.

The others are right, though. Planning is half the fun!

danna

 

[grumpyguy]

Wow!

Seems like I came to the right place, websites (spreadsheets?) and books. Thanks. I think I may be in over my head, but we are not planning on going until November, so maybe I can catch up. Still working on an exact date, looks like THanksgiving, not real sure I'm happy about that, I'm not a crowd person, but school and work play a big part in the trip.

Keep feeding me information, it seems I got alot to do to make this a great trip.


T
............

 

[OmegaKnight]

Here are some attractions that have been added in the past 5 years that you definitely must experience at WDW:

• Mission: SPACE
• Soarin'
• The Seas with Nemo and Friends
• Newly rehabbed Spaceship Earth
• Newly rehabbed Haunted Mansion
• Newly rehabbed Pirates of the Caribbean
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
• Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show
• Expedition Everest
• Finding Nemo- The Musical

 

[KingStefan]

Seems like I came to the right place, websites (spreadsheets?) and books. Thanks. I think I may be in over my head, but we are not planning on going until November, so maybe I can catch up. Still working on an exact date, looks like THanksgiving, not real sure I'm happy about that, I'm not a crowd person, but school and work play a big part in the trip.

Keep feeding me information, it seems I got alot to do to make this a great trip.


T
............

Welcome!

I have never personally been at Thanksgiving, but the word is that it is some of the worst crowds of the year. You may want to reconsider and plan to go before or after Thanksgiving weekend. Up to the Friday before Thanksgiving, and after the Monday after Thanksgiving up to the week before Christmas is a better choice, even if it means taking extra days off.

(unless you really love crowds!:lol

 

[grumpyguy]

Crowds

Has anyone been the week of Thanksgiving, are the crowds really bad? Or is ti worth it for the parades?

 

[hrcollectibles]

Nothing is new... Same old attractions.....Just kidding.. .Have fun.. Take lots of Pictures

 

[dvcnut39]

We really enjoy resort hopping. Especially for meals.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Has anyone been the week of Thanksgiving, are the crowds really bad? Or is ti worth it for the parades?

Thanksgiving or anytime kids are traditionally out of school will be much busier than when kids are in school. If there's no other time you can go then you just go with a realistic point of view and an understanding that you will make an effort to enjoy the basic fact that you're there. Pick the things you want to see and do the most. Anything more would just be lagniappe. Right?

 

[KingStefan]

Has anyone been the week of Thanksgiving, are the crowds really bad? Or is ti worth it for the parades?

If you do end up going on Thanksgiving weekend, then definitely get and read the Unofficial Guide to WDW, especially the recommended tours. You don't have to follow the tours verbatim, but they are great for ideas and rules of thumb.

The basic idea is go early, early, early to the parks, and you should be able to get a lot of attractions in before the crowds. Use FP wisely. Then if it gets unbearable, go relax somewhere, in or out of the park. Thanksgiving will probably not be crowded enough for parks to close due to capacity (like they sometimes do at Easter or Christmas), so you can always go late as well, a few hours before closing. And if you are staying on-site, take advantage of Extra Magic Hours (EMH).

Also the UG's sister web site, touringplans.com, give great advise on which parks to visit and which parks to avoid on specific days, and expected crowd levels.

 

[ClemsonTigger]

Has anyone been the week of Thanksgiving, are the crowds really bad? Or is ti worth it for the parades?

If days before Thanksgiving or days after Thanksgiving weekend are part of your trip, then you will see a big swing in crowd size. Thanksgiving and after you will get to enjoy the start of the Christmas events in the parks that can be enjoyed regardless of crowds.

As with even the most crowded days, if you start your days early, you will have the ability to enjoy yourself without much hassle, get FP's for later and have great visits.

Temperature is usually very cooperative. You will need to be a bit better in planning meals for those key days. Thanksgiving has special meals at a number of the restaurants. Book early.

 

[grumpyguy]

.

Thanks for all the information. I may have to reconsider November due to the crowds. I have started looking at Mardi Gras 2009, I'm in Louisiana, so the kids are out for the whole week. Not sure about the crowds then though, Mardi Gras dates change every year, this year it is Feb. 5th, next year it's Feb. 24th. I'm going to buy the Guide today and see what it can help with. We may have to just suck it up and go in November. Keep the suggestions and help coming.:brick:


....

 

[mickey&me]

Your Feb. dates would be great.

We loved the Crystal Palace (had lunch there, and, despite the jerk across the aisle who started yelling at the characters to "come over here next" as soon as he could see them, we had a fabulous time. The buffet was both kid- and adult-friendly.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Remember that a lot of kids in Louisiana are out of school at the same time yours is. It's actually a pretty popular time to go for your area. We used to live there, too. Still, I think that time would be way better than Thanksgiving.