Pre-Trip Good thing I like warm hugs...because it's going to be hot between all those people!

DryerLintFan · Jul 12, 2017

mlegerto said:
Thanks for the tips! I will most certianly try dramamine on this trip and report back on how it worked! It is truly awful having motion sickness like this. I think the worst part is that I actually still love rides, so I do them....but then I pay the price LOL! It's just something that came on out of no where....never really experienced this as a child or teen. Guess I really am getting old

Dramamine is the only thing that helps my daughter with car sickness. We bought Sea Bands and they seems to work a little bit, but that might be a placebo effect.

mlegerto · Jul 12, 2017

DisneyBound2017 said:
Dramamine is the only thing that helps my daughter with car sickness. We bought Sea Bands and they seems to work a little bit, but that might be a placebo effect.

I am praying that the Dramamine works for me like others have reported it working for them. I just want to ride the rides carefree again! TAKE ME BACK TO MY YOUTH LOL

kaitertot5249 · Jul 17, 2017

If you've never taken Dramamine before you might want to test it out before trying it in Disney. I know a few people who have had reactions to Dramamine or who get knocked out completely by it (both things that you don't want happening to you in Disney)! Even if you might not be able to test it's effectiveness when it comes to motion sickness but you can make sure that you are still able to function after taking it.

blreinsel · Jul 17, 2017

My parents took Bovine when they went on a cruise and said it was wonderful. Someone recommended it to them and said it's great for motion sickness too. They loved it because it didn't have any of the nasty side effects that Drammamine does (i.e. Drowsiness)

mlegerto · Jul 20, 2017

kaitertot5249 said:
If you've never taken Dramamine before you might want to test it out before trying it in Disney. I know a few people who have had reactions to Dramamine or who get knocked out completely by it (both things that you don't want happening to you in Disney)! Even if you might not be able to test it's effectiveness when it comes to motion sickness but you can make sure that you are still able to function after taking it.

That is a great suggestion...I actually didn't think about that at all and really should have as I can sometimes get an upset stomach when I try new medications! I will be sure to give this a try. Thanks!!!!

blgauger said:
My parents took Bovine when they went on a cruise and said it was wonderful. Someone recommended it to them and said it's great for motion sickness too. They loved it because it didn't have any of the nasty side effects that Drammamine does (i.e. Drowsiness)

I have never even heard of Bovine...I will have to do a bit of research and see what it's all about! As the previous poster recommended, I am going to try Dramamine before our trip and see if I experience any side effect just so I don't have any issues when we are away. I will also look into this, especially if I have any side effects from the other.

Thanks guys! This is why Disney people are the

djpoore94 · Jul 20, 2017

I'm not sure how this approach would work with the motion sickness from rides, but when DH and I went on our first cruise we tried Dramamine ahead of time and discovered that it did make us really sleepy. While on the cruise we took the minimum dose each night before we went to bed. I had read that if you take it every day the anti-nausea effect will last over the course of the whole day. I'm not sure if it really worked or if we just didn't need it. On our second cruise we didn't need to take any at all

mlegerto · Aug 14, 2017

Well I feel like it's been a while since I've given you guys an update!

I have a few things to share, so let's get right to it!

Flights

The other days I received an email from Westjet saying that our flight home at the end of our trip has been changed and to login to see our new itinerary. I was a bit concerned when I saw this email because our original flight home was already a bit earlier than we would have liked (around 7:15-7:45 am departure time), so I was worried that our flight would have been moved up and made even earlier. I was right to be concerned as our flight time was changed to 6:05 am and went from a direct flight to one with a 2 hour layover.

Needless to say, I was not happy about this change so I took a look at other Westjet flights to see what options we might have. There was another direct flight scheduled for 1:30 pm, which would be perfect; I am not sure if this flight was available when we originally booked ours (I am thinking no because I would have booked this one OR it was drastically more expensive so I decided to save the money) or if this was recently added with the changes they made. However, it was nearly double what we paid per person so eeeeek!

I called Westjet up to explain to them that the new flight they put us on didn't work for us. I was not interested in having nearly a 2 hour layover when the total flight it only 2.5 hours and was not happy with the earlier flight time. I explained to them that if I had a choice, I would like for us to be moved onto the 1:30 pm direct flight, but wasn't sure how that would work because of the price difference. I MAY have also told a little white lie that I'm a nervous flyer which is why I don't book connecting flights whenever possible. After a few minutes on hold, the Westjet customer rep told me that he had moved us both onto the 1:30 pm flight and selected seats for us close to the front of the plane (similar to what we selected on the original flight). I was extremely happy with this change as it works out even better for us than our original plan did, so score! Thanks Westjet!

Dining

I was browsing the Disney website the other day; as one does when they are uber excited for an upcoming trip, and noticed that there were now firework dessert party reservations available for December 30th at Magic Kingdom. This is a night we were planning on spending in Magic Kingdom to see the NYE fireworks Fantasy in the Sky (they are shown both on December 30th and December 31st) so we could go to EPCOT on December 31st for their NYE fireworks. Previously I was advised and I think I've seen it here on the boards as well that they typically do not do dessert parties on special occasion firework nights, so I was shocked and jumped on the reservation right away! So we've added to our plans. We decided to save A BIT of money by selecting the Garden Plaza viewing location (rather than the reserved seating at Tomorrowland Terrace). We figured we didn't need reserved seating and that this area would still be a much better location (and hopefully less crowded) than the general viewing area. We also selected the second showing (the fireworks will go at 6:30ish and 11:50 ish I believe), so our entry time on our tickets says 10:40 pm for dessert eating. This will go nicely with our already existing plans, which is lunch at BOG at 2:25 pm; we shouldn't be too stuffed as there is quite a bit of time between the two, so hopefully we can enjoy as many of the desserts as we wish to.

I am still hoping to do the ROL dining package at Tiffins (we currently have a dinner reservation at Tiffins for the date I'd like it to become a dining package), but I haven't yet seen anything become available. If it does become available, I think I will end up booking this for us as we (again) will only have one chance to be in Animal Kingdom in the evening to see the show.

This got me thinking about Fantasmic! We are only going to be in Hollywood Studios for one night and I am planning on seeing Fantasmic! on that night. We currently have the Sci-Fi Dine-In scheduled for 5:00 pm and Fantasmic! is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

1. Do you think this is cutting it too close? Should I move up our dinner reservation to allow for more time in case there is a long lineup to enter Fantasmic!? I normally wouldn't, but considering this will be our only chance to see the show (do I risk it?) and it's a busy week between Christmas and New Years, I'm second guessing myself.

2. I am also considering booking a reservation for the Fantasmic! Dining package. I just did a quick search and unfortunately Mama Melrose isn't available at the moment; I've only eaten here once, but we actually enjoyed it (I know others have had terrible experiences). I am not a fan of Hollywood and Vine and not really looking for a character meal, so that leaves Hollywood Brown Derby. Confession time....I have actually never eaten at HBD! I've heard mixed reviews, more on the positive side though. However at a $65 + tax per person price tag, it's pretty steep (and seems like a lot of food!). BUT the it comes with a guarantee of seeing Fantasmic!.

Thoughts? Would you suggest moving up our dinnering ADR at Sci-Fi to an earlier time to allow more time before Fantasmic!? Would you recommend canceling that all together and booking the Fantasmic! Dining package at HBD for $65+ tax per person?

HELP!

I've also noticed that a lot more information for the period of our trip is becoming available; showtimes, firework times, etc. So I am starting to putting a more detailed plan/itinerary together, which I will share with you once I have something more complete. However, we are only 24 days away from our Europe trip (including Disneyland Paris!) so that will be taking priority for now!

djpoore94 · Aug 14, 2017

Hi! Since you are going at such a busy time, I would suggest an earlier dinner on the night you want to see Fantasmic, if you can get one. We are going Oct 28 - Nov 4. We had an ADR at Sci-Fi, but then the group decided to add another person to our travel party and now I can't get a new ADR for us, there are no times available at all that work for our schedule On that note, we have not eaten inside at HBD, but have had drinks and some small plates on the patio. The food was awesome, so if you can score the dining package there, IMO it would totally be worth it!

mlegerto · Aug 14, 2017

@djpoore94 , I am thinking you are right and that I should move my dining at sci-fi up a bit to give us a bit more room. There is some availability so I certainly can do that. I also see there is availability for 4:30 for the fantasmic dining package at Hollywood Brown Derby. Ideally I'd like to book both of them and then decide closer to the date if we are willing to dish out the extra cash for the dining package, but the site won't let me book two reservations anywhere near one another in terms of timing....is this new?

djpoore94 · Aug 14, 2017

mlegerto said:
@djpoore94 , I am thinking you are right and that I should move my dining at sci-fi up a bit to give us a bit more room. There is some availability so I certainly can do that. I also see there is availability for 4:30 for the fantasmic dining package at Hollywood Brown Derby. Ideally I'd like to book both of them and then decide closer to the date if we are willing to dish out the extra cash for the dining package, but the site won't let me book two reservations anywhere near one another in terms of timing....is this new?

This is a policy that has been in place for a while. I think to prevent people from hoarding ADRs. I wish it would let you have two for at least a short time while you decide which one you really want!

In the past if we tried to book one ADR within two hours of one that we already had the site would make us cancel the first one, or not allow us to book the second one. Last night we changed an ADR for our upcoming trip. The new one was earlier, but still within that two hour window and it let us have both of them (we did cancel the first one after the replacement was booked). We were shocked that it let us do that, but I think it may have been some sort of glitch since we have 8 people on our room reservation but only two of us have and ADR for that night.

mlegerto · Aug 14, 2017

Figured it out! You can call to have them book you one reservation and then you can book one online. So for now, I have both Sci-Fi and HBD booked and I will just need to decide closer to the date which one we want to keep.

All of your feedback and thoughts is much appreciated!

Doc Disney · Aug 14, 2017

mlegerto said:
Previously I was advised and I think I've seen it here on the boards as well that they typically do not do dessert parties on special occasion firework nights, so I was shocked and jumped on the reservation right away! So we've added to our plans. We decided to save A BIT of money by selecting the Garden Plaza viewing location (rather than the reserved seating at Tomorrowland Terrace). We figured we didn't need reserved seating and that this area would still be a much better location (and hopefully less crowded) than the general viewing area.

This is so awesome that they have a dessert party! I wish they had one for the 4th of July! I saw the NYE fireworks from Epcot and they were great! I also think the Garden Plaza Viewing is a great choice. I just did the HEE dessert party and while it was nice to sit I think the Garden Plaza Viewing is actually better because of all the trees

amjt660 · Aug 14, 2017

This may be an unpopular post - it is not targeted at mlegerto - she is simply using the system that is available to her.

I support Disney's approach to limiting the number of ADRs to only one
The reason being is that they (ADRs for popular resturants) are difficult to get - especially at Christmas.
People need to make a decision and stick with it
It sucks that it is 180 days out for a busy time of the year but that is how busy the parks will be.

So if everyone can get two at a time ( by using a loop hole like calling for one and online booking the other) what is the result?

Who loses?
Proactive People who take the time to plan lose out on getting a good reservation time and place

Who wins?
Slightly Less Active Knowingly Effortless Retched Sloths (acronym is SLACKERS) who have them fall into their laps when the second ADR is cancelled.

Rant over
Feel free to disagree

Max

mlegerto · Aug 17, 2017

Doc Disney said:
This is so awesome that they have a dessert party! I wish they had one for the 4th of July! I saw the NYE fireworks from Epcot and they were great! I also think the Garden Plaza Viewing is a great choice. I just did the HEE dessert party and while it was nice to sit I think the Garden Plaza Viewing is actually better because of all the trees

Yes, I remember you tell me that it wasn't available for 4th of July so it likely wouldn't be available over the holiday. BUT I am so glad it became available LOL

mlegerto · Aug 17, 2017

amjt660 said:
This may be an unpopular post - it is not targeted at mlegerto - she is simply using the system that is available to her.

I support Disney's approach to limiting the number of ADRs to only one
The reason being is that they (ADRs for popular resturants) are difficult to get - especially at Christmas.
People need to make a decision and stick with it
It sucks that it is 180 days out for a busy time of the year but that is how busy the parks will be.

So if everyone can get two at a time ( by using a loop hole like calling for one and online booking the other) what is the result?

Who loses?
Proactive People who take the time to plan lose out on getting a good reservation time and place

Who wins?
Slightly Less Active Knowingly Effortless Retched Sloths (acronym is SLACKERS) who have them fall into their laps when the second ADR is cancelled.

Rant over
Feel free to disagree

Max

Hey Max, no offense taken here...I completely get your argument and I really do agree with Disney's policy.

I can honestly say that this is the FIRST time I have ever "double booked" a reservation in all of the times that I've gone to Disney. I am always online 180 days (or ASAP if I book a last minute trip) to take advantage of booking things in advance to ensure I get what I want. I am also the person who is online everyday checking for ADR's I wanted but didn't get in hopes they will open up.

That being said, I've done it this time. I will be sure to speak with my husband and create a more detailed itinerary and budget so we can make a decision on which better suits us sooner rather than later so we can cancel one of these ADR's so someone else can grab it with enough time to add it to their plans.

amjt660 · Aug 17, 2017

mlegerto said:
Hey Max, no offense taken here...I completely get your argument and I really do agree with Disney's policy.

I can honestly say that this is the FIRST time I have ever "double booked" a reservation in all of the times that I've gone to Disney. I am always online 180 days (or ASAP if I book a last minute trip) to take advantage of booking things in advance to ensure I get what I want. I am also the person who is online everyday checking for ADR's I wanted but didn't get in hopes they will open up.

That being said, I've done it this time. I will be sure to speak with my husband and create a more detailed itinerary and budget so we can make a decision on which better suits us sooner rather than later so we can cancel one of these ADR's so someone else can grab it with enough time to add it to their plans.

Thank you for the response
It was not personal at all

We good

Max

DryerLintFan · Aug 18, 2017

I have two BOG reservations, so I can't judge. To be fair though, I'd only need one if Disney bothered to release their real park hours around the time that we book reservations. The first reservation time we got was perfect for the park opening at 7 or 8, which is predicted/expected for Christmas morning. When they released the park hours though, they had the park opening at 9 am, which didn't suit a 9:05 reservation so I grabbed another one for 10:15 just in case the park hours didn't change. Every single source I've read said that Disney will release real park hours at a later time after they gauge how many people will be there, which is kind of silly for the busiest time of the year.

mlegerto · Aug 22, 2017

DisneyBound2017 said:
I have two BOG reservations, so I can't judge. To be fair though, I'd only need one if Disney bothered to release their real park hours around the time that we book reservations. The first reservation time we got was perfect for the park opening at 7 or 8, which is predicted/expected for Christmas morning. When they released the park hours though, they had the park opening at 9 am, which didn't suit a 9:05 reservation so I grabbed another one for 10:15 just in case the park hours didn't change. Every single source I've read said that Disney will release real park hours at a later time after they gauge how many people will be there, which is kind of silly for the busiest time of the year.

I feel your pain. We waited until they "released" their park hours to book our ADR's as well. It's just what we always do in order to plan our days out better, but we know they CAN (and probably will). I just find it strange that Disney wants you to book everything in advance (180 days, 60 days, etc.), but they often cannot provide us with accurate information to make these decisions. Guess a lot of it is luck of the draw!

Hopefully they will confirm hours shortly so you can decide which one works best for you and your party.

We are on the edge of canceling the HBD Dining Package....and we will 100% make that decision soon so that there is still plenty of time for someone to grab the time slot to add to their plans! I'm all for rules, but this time I just needed to break one to try and decide! I most certainly will not make a habit out of double booking - I can honestly say we've never done it before on any of our trips.

mlegerto · Aug 22, 2017

amjt660 said:
Thank you for the response
It was not personal at all

We good

Max

Max, we're always good!

Lyssa · Sep 7, 2017

We're equally as crazy. We're going 12/31/17 through 1/5/18, and it'll be our first trip in so many years [my last one was 1995! DH's one was 1997!] and we're going during the craziest time all year, LOL

Pre-Trip Good thing I like warm hugs...because it's going to be hot between all those people!

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