Help me Plan my First WDW trip... I think its really happening this time...three's a charm.

[Disgruntled Walt]

Thanks, you too! You live in Orlando right or at least have been to WDW a few times?

Yeah sucks about MV3D. It was never my favorite at DCA but they should have found a way to keep the original at DHS. I was considering selecting it as one of my fastpass selections at DHS. Considering it closes a month after I’m there I feel like there already might be a lot of people trying to see it for the last time. With that said, that show runs all day long and has good capacity so I might replace it with something that traditionally has higher demand. Even A$$ (best Disney attraction acronym) gets long lines I hear. I don’t need to do TSMM or MMRR. Would like to do them though just to see the differences especially with the queues. I hear TSMM over DHS still has nice bright screens unlike our dull ones over here.

Right now I’m planning on picking Slinky, TOT and MV3D as my LL selections but I’ll probably change MV3D to depending on you and others feedback. I’ll be going for RnRc as my 4th selection if it’s open.

Definitely excited to ride Everest and Dinosaur before it goes away. I’ll always be bummed that I didn’t get a chance to ride Splash Mountain at MK but I’m planning on riding TBA at MK just to get a feel for the ride vehicle and scene layout differences. Maybe I’ll be able to fill in the blanks of what Splash might have been like. Not planning on using a LL for TBA. Well maybe on my second MK day if I’ve already done a few other things higher on my priority list.

We won’t be skipping Navi since we’ll have the LLs and it’s like one of three rides my daughter can do in the park. With LL it shouldn’t get worse than 15 minutes right? From the feedback I’ve read about Navi I think it’s kind of like Pooh at DL. Charming and fine if you have a 5-15 wait but would probably leave one underwhelmed if they waited an hour haha. Being that this is our first trip it’s just one of those things where you feel like you have to try everything within reason of course. I’m sure a few things we do on this trip will be deeemed as skippable if we ever make it out there again.

My kids just love to go to hotels (the escapism and idea of sleeping somewhere else) and love to go swimming and down water slides. They’ll probably truly enjoy that more than the parks themselves. The parks are almost just like a really expensive bonus especially for kids that go to Disneyland 20 times a year. And now you have me wondering - am I dropping the ball not making time for one water park?

I actually live in Chicagoland, in a suburb very close to @Cmdr_Crimson (at least what it says on the profile...maybe I've seen them at the grocery store!). My family used to fly out to WDW nearly every year (see my signature for the specifics), but price and other factors changed that. This is our "one-last-time-as-a-whole-family" 50th Wedding Anniversary gift for my parents.

I haven't been on Slinky at DHS, since TSL wasn't open the last time I was there in 2017, but if you've got little kids you should probably do it. Just bring sunscreen (I've heard the queue is hot).

I also have not been to any of the water parks - we were never really into that, and we stayed at places with sufficient pools/slides for us (Boardwalk, Beach Club, etc), but if your family likes water parks I think you might be missing out. I've always thought that the Disney water parks look better than basically anything else out there (at least the back of their centerpieces aren't made of scaffolding like at Volcano Bay).

 

[mickEblu]

I actually live in Chicagoland, in a suburb very close to @Cmdr_Crimson (at least what it says on the profile...maybe I've seen them at the grocery store!). My family used to fly out to WDW nearly every year (see my signature for the specifics), but price and other factors changed that. This is our "one-last-time-as-a-whole-family" 50th Wedding Anniversary gift for my parents.

I haven't been on Slinky at DHS, since TSL wasn't open the last time I was there in 2017, but if you've got little kids you should probably do it. Just bring sunscreen (I've heard the queue is hot).

I also have not been to any of the water parks - we were never really into that, and we stayed at places with sufficient pools/slides for us (Boardwalk, Beach Club, etc), but if your family likes water parks I think you might be missing out. I've always thought that the Disney water parks look better than basically anything else out there (at least the back of their centerpieces aren't made of scaffolding like at Volcano Bay).

Nice! Hope you and the entire family have a great time!

Cmon, how hot can it be in April!?

Yeah right now I’m leaving toward no water park. My wife and I aren’t really crazy about them and the kids I’m sure will be more than happy with the pools/ slides at the Port Orleans resorts.

 

[mickEblu]

@mlayton144 or @Centauri Space Station (or anyone would would be so kind) im pretty sure I know the answer to this but you guys don’t think it would make sense to start my trip at Pop Century for like 3-4 days and then transfer to French Quarter do you? With the idea being to do all my Epcot and DHS days while staying there and avoid having to use the bus every single parks day. Is that worth the hotel transfer hassle? The trade off is obviously an inferior resort for a few days. Is the skyliner that efficient? I’ve heard that it sometimes isn’t a walk in the park either.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I actually live in Chicagoland, in a suburb very close to @Cmdr_Crimson (at least what it says on the profile...maybe I've seen them at the grocery store!).

I'm pretty much a Hop, Skip and flight out by O'Hare...Quite convenient..

 

[mlayton144]

@mlayton144 or @Centauri Space Station (or anyone would would be so kind) im pretty sure I know the answer to this but you guys don’t think it would make sense to start my trip at Pop Century for like 3-4 days and then transfer to French Quarter do you? With the idea being to do all my Epcot and DHS days while staying there and avoid having to use the bus every single parks day. Is that worth the hotel transfer hassle? The trade off is obviously an inferior resort for a few days. Is the skyliner that efficient? I’ve heard that it sometimes isn’t a walk in the park either.

You could do that , personally I prefer to stay in one place and pop rooms are really small. If you want to do that why not just stay at Caribbean Beach resort ? Direct skyliner (unlike Pop) to both parks plus a nicer atmosphere with greenery vs Pop

 

[mickEblu]

You could do that , personally I prefer to stay in one place and pop rooms are really small. If you want to do that why not just stay at Caribbean Beach resort ? Direct skyliner (unlike Pop) to both parks plus a nicer atmosphere with greenery vs Pop

Caribbean Beach totally slipped my mind. I think I must have blocked it out after my wife had a very negative reaction to the pirate themed rooms. Lol. Not that they re all pirate themed right? So thank you. If I do decide to switch to a split stay (probably won’t) I’d go carribean beach over Pop. Especially since Pop will have construction. Sometimes you go back n forth and the planning stage, get fixated on certain things and miss something like this. Appreciate it

 

[mlayton144]

Yeah I guess on a sort of subconscious level I’m leaning towards the unique places you can only find at Disney World over fine dining or better quality food but that is a good point and ideally there would be a mix of both on the trip. So everywhere you listed above (aside from Grand Floridian cafe) you are saying are guest favorites more for the theming or unique aspects right? Not necessarily becasue the food is good?

Would you go Grand Floridian cafe over Ohana? I’d probably try one of those on my second MK day. Do you think it’s worth to make the time to see some of the monorail resorts? Maybe just if I’m eating there? It’s the kind of thing I feel like might sound good on paper but wonder if it’ll feel like it was worth going out of our way for with the kids.

I would say the food is good at all of those places , not signature good but fresh ingredients made to order. Scifi and 50s maybe less so but they are fun, simple food, and not as expensive. The buffets and family style places are decent quality but more expensive. Boma even better. Really depends on what You prioritize and of course your budget

 

[mlayton144]

Caribbean Beach totally slipped my mind. I think I must have blocked it out after my wife had a very negative reaction to the pirate themed rooms. Lol. Not that they re all pirate themed right? So thank you. If I do decide to switch to a split stay (probably won’t) I’d go carribean beach over Pop. Especially since Pop will have construction. Sometimes you go back n forth and the planning stage, get fixated on certain things and miss something like this. Appreciate it

With CBR it’s huge so same problem if you can’t hack the walking but the park transportation to Epcot and HS is muchbetter than riverside,

 

[mickEblu]

With CBR it’s huge so same problem if you can’t hack the walking but the park transportation to Epcot and HS is muchbetter than riverside,

Not too worried about the walking but would probably look into which rooms are closest to the skyliner.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Not too worried about the walking but would probably look into which rooms are closest to the skyliner.

Just be aware that some rooms are extremely far apart, I stayed really far out and had a 20 minute trek just to the main building.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

@mlayton144 or @Centauri Space Station (or anyone would would be so kind) im pretty sure I know the answer to this but you guys don’t think it would make sense to start my trip at Pop Century for like 3-4 days and then transfer to French Quarter do you? With the idea being to do all my Epcot and DHS days while staying there and avoid having to use the bus every single parks day. Is that worth the hotel transfer hassle? The trade off is obviously an inferior resort for a few days. Is the skyliner that efficient? I’ve heard that it sometimes isn’t a walk in the park either.

It’s totally up to you, if you don’t mind taking time away to move your resort and are able to get transportation to the other hotel then it’s doable.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Yeah I guess on a sort of subconscious level I’m leaning towards the unique places you can only find at Disney World over fine dining or better quality food but that is a good point and ideally there would be a mix of both on the trip. So everywhere you listed above (aside from Grand Floridian cafe) you are saying are guest favorites more for the theming or unique aspects right? Not necessarily becasue the food is good?

Would you go Grand Floridian cafe over Ohana? I’d probably try one of those on my second MK day. Do you think it’s worth to make the time to see some of the monorail resorts? Maybe just if I’m eating there? It’s the kind of thing I feel like might sound good on paper but wonder if it’ll feel like it was worth going out of our way for with the kids.

Disney Springs has some great food that’s not really Disney. Polite Pig, Eet, Raglan Road, Boat House, Homecomin’ are all great options. Garden Grill is a really unique experience as it rotates over the dark portions of Living with the land, and the food grown in the ride are served at the restaurant. Biergarten is a buffet so theoretically you can be out fairly quickly if you chose. Yak and Yeti is very good at DAK. At the resorts Steakhouse 71 is very good food and reasonably priced, The Swan and Dolphin offer some pretty good third party restaurants. Boma is a really good buffet at Animal kingdom lodge. There are nice waterside restaurants like Geyser Point and Wailulu Bar and Grill. Epcot and DAK have good quick service options. The bakery in France is one of my favs. Connections and Regal Eagle are really good too.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

Nice! Hope you and the entire family have a great time!

Cmon, how hot can it be in April!?

Yeah right now I’m leaving toward no water park. My wife and I aren’t really crazy about them and the kids I’m sure will be more than happy with the pools/ slides at the Port Orleans resorts.

Good point, I was thinking summer temps.

My family stayed at the Port Orleans resorts almost exclusively from about 2005-2009, and the pools were always more than enough for us. The Ol' Man Island complex at Riverside is fun, but being in the main French Quarter pool after most people were asleep is a favorite memory for me. The slide is off when there's no lifeguard, but it's still a great quiet pool after hours when you can have it almost to yourself. Which one are you staying at?

We've got 11 people this time, so we're doing Old Key West villas because of the in-room laundry. I haven't been since the Skyliner opened, but I'm not sure that it would be that more efficient for you to get to Epcot and DHS from Pop. The bus service for French Quarter isn't too bad, as I recall, but it's literally over 15 years ago, so...

 

[PiratesMansion]

That’s good to know. Thank you. We definitely want to do all the rides at AK. As far as shows, there is nothing we’re dying to see there. Would be nice to see ITTBAB one last time but I’m not expecting it to be open. Definitely want to walk all the trails and just explore the park.

Definitely do the Lion King show. For me, the Nemo show is whatever (though I haven't seen the redone version), but those two shows are the big ticket entertainment of WDW. And both will give you time in AC, which is in short supply at DAK.

I really liked the bird show in its original incarnation as Flights of Wonder-really, a sleeper hit for our family-but I have not seen it since they added and then deleted (I believe?) the Up characters. Not sure what other changes have been made beyond that.

We won’t be skipping Navi since we’ll have the LLs and it’s like one of three rides my daughter can do in the park. With LL it shouldn’t get worse than 15 minutes right? From the feedback I’ve read about Navi I think it’s kind of like Pooh at DL. Charming and fine if you have a 5-15 wait but would probably leave one underwhelmed if they waited an hour haha. Being that this is our first trip it’s just one of those things where you feel like you have to try everything within reason of course. I’m sure a few things we do on this trip will be deeemed as skippable if we ever make it out there again.

It's exactly the sort of ride some people say they want-weird and atmospheric-but also very short. If its average wait time was shorter, it would have a much better reputation.

My kids just love to go to hotels (the escapism and idea of sleeping somewhere else) and love to go swimming and down water slides. They’ll probably truly enjoy that more than the parks themselves. The parks are almost just like a really expensive bonus especially for kids that go to Disneyland 20 times a year. And now you have me wondering - am I dropping the ball not making time for one water park?

I'm torn on the water parks. On one hand, they're definitely dated (especially Blizzard Beach, which hasn't added a single slide since it opened in the 90s) and sort of inessential. They don't have super modern or thrilling slides, as a general rule.

BUT they are a distinctly WDW thing that you can't do anywhere else, they are thematically pure in a way the Disney theme parks in the states simply are not anymore, and they are lower stakes than the theme parks. They are VERY late 80s/early 90s Disney, in a positive sense. Typhoon to me is the better overall water park (featuring both more modern slides and also some water slides old enough to be weird/interesting/novel by modern standards), but Blizzard Beach has a more interesting, unique theme.

Great question. Last time I planned a WDW trip I was way more concerned about where we’d be eating. For whatever reason this time I’m not giving it as much thought. The only thing I know for sure is that I want to try Sci Fi Dine in. I remember wanting to try Flametree and that cool little lounge overlooking the river at AK. I think at MK we were just going to wing it as BOG wasn’t getting the greatest reviews around here at that time. Epcot I had reservations for Biergarten but thinking about it practically I just don’t know if I’ll have the space for all that food after a day at the park and eating some of the snacks around the world - I guess maybe if we go for lunch? I think we also had dinner reservations for Whispering Canyon so might look into that again.

Any recommendations? If I go to DHS a second day 50s Prime Time also appeals to me. As for Disney Springs I know there was a restaurant that had southern comfort food that sounded pretty good. I love Hawaiian food. So maybe Ohana on one of my MK days?

Honestly the thought of eating Disney food for 8 days straight is making me feel sluggish already. Then again we’ll be walking a whole lot. Don’t get me wrong I think the food at DLR is fine but I can’t imagine eating it for 8 days straight.

WDW is definitely better at themed dining and table service than DLR, so go for those when you can. MK especially has really limited/mediocre counter service options. For Flame Tree, I can't speak for the current menu, but there are a lot of nice waterside seating areas with great views of Everest. Biergarten has ok food but it's a beautiful environment, and the kids will enjoy the music/dancing. The only counter service in the parks I would actively recommend is the one in Pandora. While a bit out of the way, every restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge is very, very good.

The southern comfort restaurant at DS you're referring to is Homecomin' (which I thought was meh, bougie fried chicken that didn't live up to the hype or the price). Of the limited number of DS restaurants I've tried, I'd most recommend Raglan Road, which has (had?) great live music and a fantastic dessert in the bread pudding.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Definitely do the Lion King show. For me, the Nemo show is whatever (though I haven't seen the redone version), but those two shows are the big ticket entertainment of WDW. And both will give you time in AC, which is in short supply at DAK.

I really liked the bird show in its original incarnation as Flights of Wonder-really, a sleeper hit for our family-but I have not seen it since they added and then deleted (I believe?) the Up characters. Not sure what other changes have been made beyond that.

It's exactly the sort of ride some people say they want-weird and atmospheric-but also very short. If its average wait time was shorter, it would have a much better reputation.

I'm torn on the water parks. On one hand, they're definitely dated (especially Blizzard Beach, which hasn't added a single slide since it opened in the 90s) and sort of inessential. They don't have super modern or thrilling slides, as a general rule.

BUT they are a distinctly WDW thing that you can't do anywhere else, they are thematically pure in a way the Disney theme parks in the states simply are not anymore, and they are lower stakes than the theme parks. They are VERY late 80s/early 90s Disney, in a positive sense. Typhoon to me is the better overall water park (featuring both more modern slides and also some water slides old enough to be weird/interesting/novel by modern standards), but Blizzard Beach has a more interesting, unique theme.

WDW is definitely better at themed dining and table service than DLR, so go for those when you can. MK especially has really limited/mediocre counter service options. For Flame Tree, I can't speak for the current menu, but there are a lot of nice waterside seating areas with great views of Everest. Biergarten has ok food but it's a beautiful environment, and the kids will enjoy the music/dancing. The only counter service in the parks I would actively recommend is the one in Pandora. While a bit out of the way, every restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge is very, very good.

The southern comfort restaurant at DS you're referring to is Homecomin' (which I thought was meh, bougie fried chicken that didn't live up to the hype or the price). Of the limited number of DS restaurants I've tried, I'd most recommend Raglan Road, which has (had?) great live music and a fantastic dessert in the bread pudding.

Flight of wonder is back to its original show more or less, definitely worth watching. For MK quick service is decent at Gaston, Sleepy hollow and Columbia house. For DHS ABC Comissary, Docking bay seven or woodys lunchbox .

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

Gotcha. To be clear I’m not worried about the people drinking. Was just wondering why Epcot was busier than MK on Sundays. Flower and Garden is a nice bonus. Wasn’t a factor in choosing our dates but very happy that it’s going on while we re there.

Great question. Last time I planned a WDW trip I was way more concerned about where we’d be eating. For whatever reason this time I’m not giving it as much thought. The only thing I know for sure is that I want to try Sci Fi Dine in. I remember wanting to try Flametree and that cool little lounge overlooking the river at AK. I think at MK we were just going to wing it as BOG wasn’t getting the greatest reviews around here at that time. Epcot I had reservations for Biergarten but thinking about it practically I just don’t know if I’ll have the space for all that food after a day at the park and eating some of the snacks around the world - I guess maybe if we go for lunch? I think we also had dinner reservations for Whispering Canyon so might look into that again.

Any recommendations? If I go to DHS a second day 50s Prime Time also appeals to me. As for Disney Springs I know there was a restaurant that had southern comfort food that sounded pretty good. I love Hawaiian food. So maybe Ohana on one of my MK days?

Honestly the thought of eating Disney food for 8 days straight is making me feel sluggish already. Then again we’ll be walking a whole lot. Don’t get me wrong I think the food at DLR is fine but I can’t imagine eating it for 8 days straight.

If you like all-you-can-eat, a more affordable option (and my favorite restaurant...as of 2017 when I was last there) is Liberty Tree Tavern at MK. Great atmosphere and delicious food!

 

[mickEblu]

Disney Springs has some great food that’s not really Disney. Polite Pig, Eet, Raglan Road, Boat House, Homecomin’ are all great options. Garden Grill is a really unique experience as it rotates over the dark portions of Living with the land, and the food grown in the ride are served at the restaurant. Biergarten is a buffet so theoretically you can be out fairly quickly if you chose. Yak and Yeti is very good at DAK. At the resorts Steakhouse 71 is very good food and reasonably priced, The Swan and Dolphin offer some pretty good third party restaurants. Boma is a really good buffet at Animal kingdom lodge. There are nice waterside restaurants like Geyser Point and Wailulu Bar and Grill. Epcot and DAK have good quick service options. The bakery in France is one of my favs. Connections and Regal Eagle are really good too.

Thank you! I’ll be looking into some of these.

 

[mickEblu]

Good point, I was thinking summer temps.

My family stayed at the Port Orleans resorts almost exclusively from about 2005-2009, and the pools were always more than enough for us. The Ol' Man Island complex at Riverside is fun, but being in the main French Quarter pool after most people were asleep is a favorite memory for me. The slide is off when there's no lifeguard, but it's still a great quiet pool after hours when you can have it almost to yourself. Which one are you staying at?

We've got 11 people this time, so we're doing Old Key West villas because of the in-room laundry. I haven't been since the Skyliner opened, but I'm not sure that it would be that more efficient for you to get to Epcot and DHS from Pop. The bus service for French Quarter isn't too bad, as I recall, but it's literally over 15 years ago, so...

Haha I was joking. Apparently 88 and humid is kind of normal in late April/ May. I’m kind of in denial and hoping it’ll be more like 78.

We’re staying at French Quarter. Really loving the vibe of both of those resorts… at least on video. Yeah probably no water park for us. It either cuts into your “down” time or theme park time and I don’t really want to do that on my first trip.

Old Key West looks really nice! When I did all my research on WDW hotels it was on the short list of hotels I wrote down as a possibility. I’d have to buy DVC points though. I had Polynesian and Beach Club in the spare no expense tier. The Port Orleans resorts and Old Key West because I love the ambiance and theming and then Pop if I was trying to go cheapest with the perk of efficient transpo to two of the parks.

Yeah the Easier bus service is one of the reasons we went with French Quarter over Riverside.

 

[mickEblu]

Definitely do the Lion King show. For me, the Nemo show is whatever (though I haven't seen the redone version), but those two shows are the big ticket entertainment of WDW. And both will give you time in AC, which is in short supply at DAK.

I really liked the bird show in its original incarnation as Flights of Wonder-really, a sleeper hit for our family-but I have not seen it since they added and then deleted (I believe?) the Up characters. Not sure what other changes have been made beyond that.

It's exactly the sort of ride some people say they want-weird and atmospheric-but also very short. If its average wait time was shorter, it would have a much better reputation.

I'm torn on the water parks. On one hand, they're definitely dated (especially Blizzard Beach, which hasn't added a single slide since it opened in the 90s) and sort of inessential. They don't have super modern or thrilling slides, as a general rule.

BUT they are a distinctly WDW thing that you can't do anywhere else, they are thematically pure in a way the Disney theme parks in the states simply are not anymore, and they are lower stakes than the theme parks. They are VERY late 80s/early 90s Disney, in a positive sense. Typhoon to me is the better overall water park (featuring both more modern slides and also some water slides old enough to be weird/interesting/novel by modern standards), but Blizzard Beach has a more interesting, unique theme.

WDW is definitely better at themed dining and table service than DLR, so go for those when you can. MK especially has really limited/mediocre counter service options. For Flame Tree, I can't speak for the current menu, but there are a lot of nice waterside seating areas with great views of Everest. Biergarten has ok food but it's a beautiful environment, and the kids will enjoy the music/dancing. The only counter service in the parks I would actively recommend is the one in Pandora. While a bit out of the way, every restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge is very, very good.

The southern comfort restaurant at DS you're referring to is Homecomin' (which I thought was meh, bougie fried chicken that didn't live up to the hype or the price). Of the limited number of DS restaurants I've tried, I'd most recommend Raglan Road, which has (had?) great live music and a fantastic dessert in the bread pudding.

You guys have sold me on the Lion King. Wasn’t really on my radar but I feel like it’s something we should k see.

You make the water parks sound appealing! Ultimately a day or 1/2 day there is cutting into either my “down” time or theme park time and it doesn’t sound like it’s worth it. Maybe on my second trip to WDW.

Yes Homecoming! So it’s not that great huh? I do love me some good bread pudding so Raglan Road might be the move. As far as AK, how do you feel about Nomad Lounge? I know it’s not known for its food but it looks pretty neat.

 

[waltography]

@mlayton144 or @Centauri Space Station (or anyone would would be so kind) im pretty sure I know the answer to this but you guys don’t think it would make sense to start my trip at Pop Century for like 3-4 days and then transfer to French Quarter do you? With the idea being to do all my Epcot and DHS days while staying there and avoid having to use the bus every single parks day. Is that worth the hotel transfer hassle? The trade off is obviously an inferior resort for a few days. Is the skyliner that efficient? I’ve heard that it sometimes isn’t a walk in the park either.

Will throw out there that I did a split stay from Coronado to Beach Club for my first-ever WDW trip and the process was pretty painless (kudos to the CMs here) and the transfer was absolutely worth it (granted, Beach Club is literally steps away from Epcot so that certainly helps haha). I dropped my bags off at Coronado, headed to Epcot, and then by 4pm my room was ready so I left through International Gateway to freshen up before dinner and fireworks. Perfect move IMO.

In general, I think a split stay where the second hotel is the nicer of the two is worth it 9 times out of 10. Plus, you'll have gotten to experience two resorts during your trip.