First trip since 1998!!

[Gemma89]

So me and the boyfriend are beginning to plan a trip to Disney world in Florida after doing Paris about three times now. I've been back in the 90's when I was a kid, but have no idea where to really start as so much has changed. We want to go October I think as we both love Halloween, and he's obsessed with jack skellington. We don't have kids (we're childish enough as Disneyland without needing kids with us) so we aren't tied to school holidays or offers for taking children with us, and were wanting to stay at a Disney hotel as car hire is a fortune for us as we're only in our 20's....

Any help or advice? We're quite happy to splurge a bit (been looking at the pirate rooms at the Caribbean beach resort) and like I say we aren't tied to school holidays so we can avoid crowded times like summer

 

[Master Yoda]

Unfortunately, Jack Skellintion has very little presence in WDW. You will sometimes see a character meet n greet at the Not So Scary Halloween Party, but that is about it.

Personally, I would avoid the Caribbean Beach Resort. The resort layout is really inconvenient, the restaurants and food court are rather ho hum and transportation is not all that great.

Either Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter along with Coronado would be a much better choice.

Coronado has much better on site dining , a night club and a much more elegant feel.

The Port Orleans resorts have decent dining, great entertainment (Yehaa Bob is a legend) and boat access to Disney Springs.

 

[Gemma89]

I think we were planning on doing the Halloween party (as I say no kids to drag with us and happy to splurge as this is our final expensive holiday before we start saving for a house) plus the Epcot food and wine festival...

I think I stayed at the port Orleans when I was younger but don't have many memories if I'm honest. I think he's excited about the pirate room more than anything.... We wanted a moderate resort as the website has the dining plan offer which is something else we were looking at

 

[Master Yoda]

I think we were planning on doing the Halloween party (as I say no kids to drag with us and happy to splurge as this is our final expensive holiday before we start saving for a house) plus the Epcot food and wine festival...

I think I stayed at the port Orleans when I was younger but don't have many memories if I'm honest. I think he's excited about the pirate room more than anything.... We wanted a moderate resort as the website has the dining plan offer which is something else we were looking at

Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter as well as Coronado are all moderate resorts.

While the pirate room are cute...they are really nothing more that a few pieces of themed furniture.

 

[Gemma89]

I have to admit the map looked very spread out..... For the Caribbean beach I mean. Would you say the dining plan is worth it? We've always managed to get by on a quick service meal for lunch and a sit down table service for dinner when we've been to Paris, but our breakfast has always been included in the hotel price. And what are these magic bands?

Like I say I was 8 last time and it was back in the 90's and we had none of these available then

 

[Master Yoda]

I have to admit the map looked very spread out..... For the Caribbean beach I mean. Would you say the dining plan is worth it? We've always managed to get by on a quick service meal for lunch and a sit down table service for dinner when we've been to Paris, but our breakfast has always been included in the hotel price. And what are these magic bands?

Like I say I was 8 last time and it was back in the 90's and we had none of these available then

The dining plan being worth is is a very subjective thing, but there are a few things that tend to pull you closer to yes or no.

If you plan on doing a lot of the character meals and buffets, the dining plan can pay off. Both tend to have an artificially inflated price that make the dining plan the better option vs paying cash.

If you tend to eat lighter dinners, split meals, skip desert, etc the dining plan can cost you more than paying straight cash.

The only way to know for sure if the dining plan makes sense from a strictly financial standpoint is to look at the restaurants you wish to dine at, add up the price of what you would normally order and see if cash or the dining plan works out better.

The last thing to consider is the convenience of the dining plan. It does tend to create a sort of cruise ship dining experience where you never look at prices and just order what you want. If the cash vs dining plan numbers are really close I would default to the dining plan for this reason.

In regards to you eating habits you mentioned...you can sort of do that with the plan, but your snack credit can be used at breakfast. Your options will be somewhat limited and you will most likely pay for a beverage out of pocket, but it is pretty close to your average "pasty and coffee style" free breakfast.

The magic band is pretty simple. Everything for your trip is stored on that band. It is your room key, your tickets, your fast passes and you can even use it to charge to your room at nearly every location inside WDW.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

The Port Orleans resorts have decent dining, great entertainment (Yehaa Bob is a legend) and boat access to Disney Springs.

There is something needs to be added for great Entertainment. Depending on the date, the Scat Cats club at the French Quarter has Jason Thomas and Billy Varnes of Off Kilter. I know those 2 have been bringing in the crowds at the Scat Cats Club, but they don't perform all the time there due to them playing outside of WDW also.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Out of the moderates, I stayed at the French Quarter, and the Caribbean Beach before. Riverside isn't a pick pick either if I stay there. While I stated at Caribbean Beach one, it was not a pirate room for a good reason. The location is a turn off compare to Martinique in terms of being close to Old Port Royale and Martinique is a better spot for bus service.

The French Quarter is better than the Caribbean Beach. I usually stay at the French Quarter. There really isn't an area that is spread out at the French Quarter.

 

[Melanie415]

Just wanted to say that we haven't been to WDW since 1997. It was my fiancée and I, for 4 nights, no pre planning, stayed at Dixie landings ( now Port Orlerans). We had the best time.
Fast forward 19 years, we are married and returning with a 5 and 8 year old. We are excited about going during MNSSHP (plan on 2 parties) and we rented DVC from a DVC owner at Bay Lake a tower and Beach club October 16-28. Really excited about The Food &'Wine festival too. There is so much to plan and a lot of it is not set in stone at this point because the October schedule is not settled yet.

 

[Figgy1]

To anybody who has not gone in several years the first thing I would say is get a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Disney ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Read it cover to cover and repeat! Dining reservations can be made at 180 days out from your trip and some places can fill on that date. fast passes can be made at 60 days out and some attractions also fill at that time. Happy planning!

 

[Gemma89]

I'm leaning more to the French quarter now as its a smaller resort and more grown ups seeing as we don't have kids with us... I will look into that book though! Thankyou

Which are the hardest places to get reservations for? I'm desperate for some character meals as that's what really turned it around for him during our first trip to Paris and I'm obsessed with beauty and the beast so be our guest is on my list as well.

We are deffo doing MSSHP and we wanna make the most of the food and wine festival but dates are still up in the air as we're finding the best price right now. Defiantly over sept and oct though as I've read the heat dies down slightly from summer?

 

[Figgy1]

BOG is one of the hardest ADRs to get.

 

[Master Yoda]

I'm leaning more to the French quarter now as its a smaller resort and more grown ups seeing as we don't have kids with us... I will look into that book though! Thankyou

Which are the hardest places to get reservations for? I'm desperate for some character meals as that's what really turned it around for him during our first trip to Paris and I'm obsessed with beauty and the beast so be our guest is on my list as well.

We are deffo doing MSSHP and we wanna make the most of the food and wine festival but dates are still up in the air as we're finding the best price right now. Defiantly over sept and oct though as I've read the heat dies down slightly from summer?

Your hardest dining reservations will be for Be our Guest in Magic Kingdom and Ohana at the Polynesian. Cinderella's Royal Table and Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom and Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary resort come in a close second. Bottom line, any and all table service dining needs to be reserved well in advance. You can book your dining for your entire trip at 180 days out with a Disney resort reservation.

Are you traveling from outside the US or are you stateside?

 

[Gemma89]

Nah I'm flying over from England so obviously it gets expensive so we wanna make the most of it coz it'll be a good few years before we can get there again. I've read about the 180 days out to book reservations but how does that work over here? Do I have to be sat waiting for the US time before I can book anything?

 

[Master Yoda]

Nah I'm flying over from England so obviously it gets expensive so we wanna make the most of it coz it'll be a good few years before we can get there again. I've read about the 180 days out to book reservations but how does that work over here? Do I have to be sat waiting for the US time before I can book anything?

It works the same as it does here.

When you have a Disney resort reservation you can begin booking your dining 180 days prior to arrival. Online opens at 6:00 AM EST and the phones open at 7:00 AM. (I think you are 5 hours ahead so adjust accordingly) You can book dining for up to 10 days of your trip, hence the name 180+10.

If you want to go to the more popular restaurants you will need to be online or on the phone as soon as they open at 180 days out. It is also a good idea to try and push those more popular places towards the end of your trip as it is not uncommon for places like Be Our Guest and Ohana to be booked solid 183-185 days out.

 

[cdeev8690]

I second the Unofficial Guide. I consider myself relatively seasoned WDW visitor and even I am finding it extremely helpful with trip planning.

 

[Gemma89]

Oooo ok so I just do it all online? Do the character meals get book Is that the same with the fast passes?

I've just downloaded the book on my iPad and I can't stop reading it haha

 

[Master Yoda]

Oooo ok so I just do it all online? Do the character meals get book Is that the same with the fast passes?

I've just downloaded the book on my iPad and I can't stop reading it haha

In theory yes. The problem is the site often overloads and crashes in the mornings so be prepared to call as a back up.

 

[Gemma89]

Mmmmm I'm not sure from England that's quite as feasible....