Hello from Texas, headin' out in November

[hemi68charger]

Hello All..
My name's Troy. I live in Texas and my wife Kim and I have 3 children; 19, 10, 4.. We will be headin' out from Houston to Disney World at the end of Nov. prior to Thanksgiving. The two younger kids are going with us. Which forum should I inquire about our trip and to make the best of it? Maybe this is it? We're planning on staying at the All-Star Movies for 4 nights (arriving on a Sunday late afternoon/early evening) and leaving the Wednesday after a full day). I'm in the military, 20+ with the Air Force Texas Air National Guard (Active and Guard). Neither one of us have ever been to Disney Hollywood Studios. Is it possible to see all the attractions in one day? We're planning on visiting a theme park a day (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Studios). We will be driving there. We had flown in the past, but the ticket prices are sky-high now... Plus, we'll have our Durango to visit my Uncle for Thanksgiving over in Melbourne..

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom and/or advice.. We're thinking on getting the tickets/resort reservations over the weekend for the trip.

PS: is it my imagination or is it cheaper to purchase the resort time and tickets separately? It seems that way when I tried online browsing..

Cheers,
Troy

 

[foreverbelle]

Well welcome Troy and congratulations on you upcomming vacation to the world. You and your family are going to have a fabulous time.

This forum has some great resources and a lot of people ask planning questions so I would stick around here, do a search for things you may be looking for and if you can't find it then by all means ask away. Most folks will answer what we can and are always willing to help out a fellow Disney fan.

So some of my advice:

HS has some great attractions that your children as well as your wife and you will enjoy. Check out Toy Story Mania, but make sure to get their early and go straight to the fast pass line, this being a big attraction it will sell out quickly.

The big attractions are:

Toy Story Mania
Rock N Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith
Tower of Terror
American Idol
Lights Motor Action

If you plan out your day, it is possible to see most everything HS has to offer in one day yes it is. But if your going down Thanksgiving week, its going to be packed and so you may have a harder time to do so. My suggestion is get to the things you and your family really want to see and then do the rest if you have time.

Have you thought about dinning yet?

 

[WendyTinkerbell]

And don't forget that you may be able to get a military discount on room and tickets.

 

[slappy magoo]

Being in the military, you're probably more used to early mornings than most folks. Take advantage of the early morning Extra Magic Hour when it comes to that day you want to go to the Disney Studios (assuming one will be available during your stay). Get right over to Toy Story Mania, get a Fastpass, ride it WITHOUT using Fastpass, then go to Rock n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. As far as actual rides go, these are the three that generate the longest lines. There are of course shows and exhibits that also generate lines; I'm not sure how interested you are in any (IF any) of them. Those rides are usually the ones that take a good chunk of your day, and if you go during an early morning Extra Magic Hour, there's a good chance you'll have all three of them under your belt (and a Fastpass to ride Toy Story Mania again) before the park opens to the general public.

 

[hemi68charger]

Anyone have experience, either positive or negative, about Pixie Vacations? Was recently contacted by them and sent in a quote request.. Being a man of the world, I draw from the world in terms of experience/know-how.......

Troy

 

[Soaringirl]

When my daughter was 4 she enjoyed Muppet Vision 3D, Playhouse Disney and the Beauty and the Beast show.
Are you not planning a day at Epcot? Just my personal opinion but I would go to Epcot over HS and AK any day.
Have a wonderful time!

 

[amykissangel]

I think after a day at Animal Kingdom (it will most likely close around 6), you should head over to Epcot. There are some great rides for your kids, and you and your wife will love to walk through the countries and enjoy some wine/dessert, and afterwards you can watch Illuminations.

 

[Xethis]

Hello & welcome Troy . . .

. . from another Texan who's new around here too.

As for the pricing question you had I can only say that in my research without military discounts I fould it easier to book the whole package through Disney, take advantage of their transportation system and the dining plan as well. Wife & I use our extra dining points to hit up some of the nicer places Disney has to offer.

When it come to parks I say definately try to get there as soon as you can in the morning & get the 'must-do's' knocked out first, then use any excess time as you see fit. My family usually does a park a day. A full day open-close in Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. On our Animal Kingdom day we get there early, do what we want & then use the rest of the day to hit a water park, or Downtown Disney. We also leave one day open if we can, to park hop back around to all the things we want to try & do one more time before heading home.

Hope you guys have a great trip!

 

[tampabrad]

As military (thank you by the way) you should be able to get discounted tickets. You also may want to consider staying at Shades of Green. If it is sold out, they will book you at a Disney Resort with a very good rate.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Welcome! We're also in the Houston area and will be going to WDW shortly after you guys. It's been quite some time since I went to DHS (was MGM last time I went), but I agree that the Muppet Vision 3D was awesome for kids and adult kids :lol: My girls are super excited Beauty and the Beast as well as Toy Story.

As far as travel agents go- we're using Small World Vacations and have loved them so far. There are a lot of agents on this forum from Kingdom Konsultants who have also been very helpful and informative. I recall seeing that one woman specializes in military discounts- or something along those lines, so you might want to check into that.

As for what's the cheaper way to go...I think it all depends on what you're booking and the discounts you're able to get. :wave:

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Welcome aboard :wave:

 

[Tater48]

Howdy from another Texan and welcome to the boards. We're north of Houston in the Spring area.:wave:

 

[hemi68charger]

Thanks for the welcome all.... Hope to have things squared away regarding the resort reservations by week's end. I'll probably put off getting the tickets until it's closer. There will hopefully be an extension of military discounts past Oct into the end of the year.. We'll see... Taking care of my Mom with Dementia has taken it's emotional toll on both Kim and I. We need this more so than the children.

Cheers,
Troy

 

[bootsietx]

Heading from Texas in Nov too!

Hey Troy,

I am also a Texan (League City) and we visit each November for Thanksgiving. I am happy to help you plan and answer specific questions you might have if you or Kim want to send me a private message.
Take Care.
Brenda

 

[hemi68charger]

Well, under advisement, I at least booked a vacation at the very least. It looks like I have a vacation reservation for 4nights/4days at the Allstar-Movies/tickets with the quick-service meal plan for free... $1440.. If I find a better deal, I can always cancel and take the better plan all the way up to Oct.01... Is this a good deal or are there better deals to be had?

Troy

 

[JillC LI]

I'm not sure of the dates of your trip, but keep in mind that free dining has been extended to the end of the year. As a result, it will be hard to come by prime dining reservations. You may want to make a few special selections as soon as possible!:wave:

 

[hemi68charger]

I'm not sure of the dates of your trip, but keep in mind that free dining has been extended to the end of the year. As a result, it will be hard to come by prime dining reservations. You may want to make a few special selections as soon as possible!:wave:

Hello Jill... Free Dining? I received the quick-service meal plan free with my package yesterday. Is that different than the free dining that you're referring to? I see there's a free Dining plan if one stays at a Moderate Resort and then the Quick-Service for the Value Resorts like I'm getting...........

Troy

 

[wendysue]

I agree with the others that have posted regarding using Disney website to get the best deals. Make sure to look towards the bottom where it specifies what deals they are offering so you can compare. Enjoy!!!