Late Sept Itinerary Advice

[mickeysaver]

Well, this is the first draft of our itinerary. I'm 34 and she's 28
and we are both "fluffy". We will be enjoying the whole week at
WDW. We both love to shop and enjoy doing things at a slower pace. We don't do water parks. We plan on taking a mid-day break to go back to the room if we feel like we need a break. We are not going to do everything and that's fine. We are on vacation, not a mission. lol We should have a blast the first 5 days, but the 6th day will be a bit of a stretch for me due to the addition of family members into our vacation. But, I'm attempting to be positive about it. The last day we also will be transferring to an off property hotel since we will be getting our pup brought back to us when the relatives come to see us at WDW.

Sunday arrive at ASMu - Party at DTD/PI with friends (3-4 other adults) and have dinner at RFC or Planet Hollywood

Monday - sleep late - tour the shops and enjoy every other aspect of MK except the rides until after the parade then go over to MGM and do the Fantasmic! dinner package with dinner at Mama Melrose.

Tuesday - Animal Kingdom (9-5) with dinner at the Whispering Canyon Cafe and a Carriage Ride (alternate dinner idea the All American Backyard BBQ)

Wednesday - Magic Kingdom (9-6) go to Epcot for dinner at The Rose & Crown and watch IllumiNations! from the patio. (we hope)

Thursday - Animal Kingdom (9-12) go to Magic Kingdom (1-4) go to MGM (5-8) Prime Time 50's for dinner and must ride ToT and RnR.

Friday - Epcot (12-9) with additional family members (2 teens and 5 more adults) do Ice Cream Social, ToD, IllumiNations! dinner to be decided later.

So, tell me, what do you think of the plan? Mickey

 

[Disneynutcase]

I think your itinerary is fine except for Thursday. You'll probably be spending as much time riding on WDW busses as you will be inside the parks. If you're already doing a 9-5 at AK, do you really need to go back? That should be more than enough time to see and do all that AK has to offer. More than likely, even if you're only going back to AK for three hours on Thursday (9-12) all you'll be doing is repeating attractions. Depends on how you plan to tour AK though.

Seems like you're short-changing Disney Studios, but if your interest is really only Fantasmic, ToT and RnRC, and not any of the other rides or shows, then I guess you'll do alright.

My only real recomendation would be for you to get Priority Seating reservations for some of your intended dining places.

I'd also highly recommend Marakesh Moroccan Restaurant at Epcot for your family dining. They handle large parties better than any other restaurant I've been to on WDW property. Large parties rarely have to split up like you'd do at other places. It's not exactly cheap, but also not the most expensive at Epcot either. The food and atmosphere are first rate. Nice belly dancer show while you eat. It's our family's favorite eatery at Epcot (including 4 & 8 year old kids).

 

[wannabeBelle]

I think the itinerary sounds fine. The only change Id make is switching dinner from Mama Melrose to The Hollywood Brown Derby. I wasnt so very impressed at all with the food at Mama Melrose. Had a very smoky wood flavor to it that I didnt care for. The Derby is outstanding though and I found dining there wonderful. I like Animal Kingdom as much as I like the other parks. Definitely dont miss Tarzan Rocks! That is probably my favorite show!! Above all have a great time before you get descended on by the family!!!

 

[mickeysaver]

Originally posted by Disneynutcase
Seems like you're short-changing Disney Studios, but if your interest is really only Fantasmic, ToT and RnRC, and not any of the other rides or shows, then I guess you'll do alright.

My only real recomendation would be for you to get Priority Seating reservations for some of your intended dining places.

We went to MGM last year in March and had a great time, but it's not a huge priority on this trip. Thursday's plans are really fluid. It's more of a laid back day than it might appear. We will mostly shop and catch any "big" attractions that we missed the first time through.

I understand that MGM should usually take about the least amount of time to tour of all the parks and we spent the whole day there last year and still missed Fantasmic! and a couple of other things that we wanted to see and we skipped, what I feel like was a significant amount of the park. I was not able to plan the trip as I would have liked to have done because we were supposed to go to AK, but that's a whole different story.

I just want to allow plenty of time to catch AK and MK in full. Epcot and MGM are not huge priorities for us. The last trip I had to Epcot was back in 1986. I liked it, but it wasn't as cool as MGM was last year. I realize things change, but the basic park concept remains the same. My honey has been to WDW many times since she is a born and raised Floridian. I am from GA and while I have been to MK several times a small child, I have only a minimal amount of memories of the park. It will be more or less brand new to me. My honey has not been to AK and neither have I, so it will be new to both of us.

I am planning on doing my PS arrangements as soon as we can get all the family to agree to go to Epcot instead of MK. The kids want to go to MK, but the adults all prefer Epcot. Epcot is open longer and we are trying to bribe the kids with the ice cream social and IllumiNations! We shall see. Thanks for the input. Mickey

 

[Disneynutcase]

"Bribe the kids?" Uh, dude...who's paying? Tell them there are plenty of kid-friendly things to do at Epcot. Have them look through some tour books at your local book store and they should see a few things that should grab their interest.

The Ice Cream Social is cool, pun intended, but probably not enough to "bribe" them.

Instead try working on them with how cool Spaceship Earth is as an audio animatronic ride, that Test Track is one of the most fun and popular WDW rides going (be sure to get Fast Passes for it as early in the day as possible--you'll be glad you did). My kids also loved Cranium Command, Maelstrom, and Universe of Energy for both the humor and the dinosaurs.

Also Journey Into Imagination is pretty much a whole new ride--the "new ride" angle. And you'll also get a nice peek at the pavilion to come--Mission: Space.

There's also a lot to touch and play with--areas in Wonders of Life, at the end of Spaceship Earth, in the Imagination Pavillion, and Innoventions where they can play and do a lot of cause-and- effect type experiments.

And when you go around World Showcase, be sure to stop and catch some of the street shows. My kids loved them. Also each country now has a defacto arts and crafts table called KidCot Stations where they are given a mask and a little country-oriented trinket to add to it. Getting the new trinket in each country's pavillion became an obsession for the young ones.

Okay, so it's not as ride-a-minute cool as MK, but Epcot can still rock if you do it with the right attitude. I've never travelled with a kid who hasn't had a blast at Epcot, even when I've been with ones who constantly have to tell you that MK is better.

 

[mickeysaver]

Originally posted by wannabeBelle
I think the itinerary sounds fine. The only change Id make is switching dinner from Mama Melrose to The Hollywood Brown Derby. I wasnt so very impressed at all with the food at Mama Melrose. Had a very smoky wood flavor to it that I didnt care for. The Derby is outstanding though and I found dining there wonderful. I like Animal Kingdom as much as I like the other parks. Definitely dont miss Tarzan Rocks! That is probably my favorite show!! Above all have a great time before you get descended on by the family!!!

To be perfectly honest, if my honey wasn't such a picky eater, I would rather be eating at the Derby. But, after reviewing all the published menus of all the restaurants at WDW to find the places that offered food that she would eat, I have a list of maybe 5-7 places that are "safe" in each park.

As far as the show aspect of the parks goes, we are not real big live show fans. We will be seeing the Lion King show, but that is the only "must do" show. I hear such mixed reviews of Tarzan Rocks! that I am not really making much effort to plan to see it. But, it's good to see a positive review of the show. Thanks for your input. Mickey

 

[mickeysaver]

Originally posted by Disneynutcase
"Bribe the kids?" Uh, dude...who's paying? Tell them there are plenty of kid-friendly things to do at Epcot. Have them look through some tour books at your local book store and they should see a few things that should grab their interest.

(snippage)

Okay, so it's not as ride-a-minute cool as MK, but Epcot can still rock if you do it with the right attitude. I've never travelled with a kid who hasn't had a blast at Epcot, even when I've been with ones who constantly have to tell you that MK is better.

The admission for the teens (Mikey & Felicia) and their mother is coming out of our vacation "fun money" because my honey's sister has been ill most of this year and hasn't been able to work much. The kids are FL residents and have been to WDW more times than I have. I don't think anyone has ever tried to show them the activities that exist at Epcot that they really might enjoy, like the kidcot stuff. We are trying to sell the park to the kids and their mother for this "reunion in the parks" but it's not going to be easy. These kids are not like the kids in my own family that love just about anything that involves learning about history or worldly culture, they are slaves to TV and pop culture.
This should be an interesting day. Thank goodness, I have the "out" of being able to excuse myself to go walk the dog. lol Mickey

 

[hadleybarth]

I just have to put in my two cents worth on Tarzan Rocks. I hadn't realized there were mixed reviews. My whole family absolutely loves it--it is a must see for us every time we go down. It woulkd be a favorite of mine (and my husband) even if the kids didn't love it--and they do. In fact my little guy, who was just shy of three when we were last down in November, asks every time we talk about our upcomming September trip if we will get to see "Tarzan Rocks with the skating monkeys." The only complaint I can imagine about the show is that it is loud. However, many Disney attractions are too loud for sensitive young ears, so I have taken to carrying ear plugs aournd with me.

We generally catch the last show of the day, which lets out after park closing.

Good luck with your difficult sounding family.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hey Mickey Good luck on the food thing!!! As I said I didnt care for Mama Melrose. it wasnt the foods that were listed, that was more than fine (I am a picky eater also) It was the way they were prepared! As far as Tarzan Rocks! I cant imagine anyone not liking it but then again that is just my opinion. I have to agree with my fellow poster that is one of my must see ittems for AK park. Above all have a great time!

 

[2much2do]

How old are the teens anyway? They sound pretty immature

 

[Worldphile]

Originally posted by mickeysaver


To be perfectly honest, if my honey wasn't such a picky eater, I would rather be eating at the Derby. But, after reviewing all the published menus of all the restaurants at WDW to find the places that offered food that she would eat, I have a list of maybe 5-7 places that are "safe" in each park.

I'd second the recommendation of the Brown Derby over Mama Melroses. I live in Chicago, and here, Mama Melroses would be considered mediocre Italian at best. The Brown Derby is a much better restaurant.

My wife is a picky eater as well, but the Brown Derby is pretty flexible in my experience. When we did the Fantasmic dinner package last Dec., they let my wife upgrade one of the salads to a dinner entree (they made it larger and charged more) and she was happy.

 

[wannabeBelle]

and when I went I had the Filet mignon which is supposed to be done with pepper and they grilled it plain for me. Very nice over the roasted shallot Mashed potatoes!! As I said I just didnt care for the preparation of the food at MM. I grew up Italian in NYC so I know from good Italian food and that wasnt it. I was much more impressed by Tony's Town Square for italian food!

 

[2much2do]

Originally posted by wannabeBelle
I grew up Italian in NYC so I know from good Italian food and that wasnt it. I was much more impressed by Tony's Town Square for italian food!

I'm not Italian, but I am a New Yorker, and I second that!!! Tony's makes much better Italian than MM any day, hand's down!

 

[Disneynutcase]

Okay, time to be the contrarian.

When my family (party of 10--from ages 2 to 65) went to WDW last Easter, we saw quite a few shows. Everyone in our party agreed that Tarzan Rocks! was by far the worst show of the bunch. The aireal Tarzan & Jane part was really cool. The "skating monkeys" were okay. But you're constantly confronted by a mediocre cover band and 15 minutes of Rosie O'Donnell as the voice of Terk. Doesn't help that I'm not a fan at all of Phil Collins music and that Rosie truly grates on my nerves. At best, the place had some nice high-powered fans blasting the audience that helped cool us off during a hot day.

My family also stumbled upon Mama Melroses while doing the Fantasmic Dinner Package. We absoultely loved it. I will agree that it's not traditional Italian. It's more like a combo of Olive Garden and a trendy new-age Italian Trattoria (which in L.A. would be something like the Louise's chain).

Know it advance that it does hype itself as cooking a lot of stuff--flatbread pizzas, calzones, and its casserole type dishes--in a wood burning oven, thus the "smoky" flavor. We didn't find the flavor unappealing, in fact walked away considering this place one of WDW's hidden gems. Good food, nice atmosphere, not too crowded, not too rushed. Especially given that the other Fantasmic packages are usually Hollywood & Vine (we had done buffets to death) and Brown Derby (pretty damned expensive menu, although the food is supposed to be great). I would highly recommend Mama Melrose's. Unless you're there when the chefs are making disasters, I think you and your honey will enjoy it a lot.

But I will admit, for Italian food purists--those who like it authentico(sp), you're probably better off going to Alfredos (mediocre at best Italian at Epcot) or Tony's (actually quite good but not spectacular Italian at MK).

Just know that my family is planning a return visit to Mama Melroses on our next WDW trip and we'll also be avoiding Tarzan Rocks! I think instead we'll check out the Pocahontas Show (gag!) or the Bird Show.

That's my two cents on the subjects.

 

[all_good_chic]

i am probobly one of the most pickest eaters ever... Vegetarian who doesn't like vegetable/fruit and can't eat most dairy(top that lol) and i love the brown derby so don't underestimate it. A lot of disney restuarants will do special meals for you anywho i would also say switch to brown derby I believe it is a lot better then MM

 

[mickeysaver]

Originally posted by 2much2do
How old are the teens anyway? They sound pretty immature

Mikey will be 14 and Felicia will turn 13 about 2 weeks after our visit. The kids are bi-racial and I don't really know them that well, but they used the "N" word in our house in jest and it totally freaked me out. I'm your basic WASP and this didn't fly real well with me. There are layers to the issues with the kids. Their mother now may end up backing out all together as well as the other family members. We shall see.

Mickey who hates not being able to plan!!!

 

[mickeysaver]

Thanks for all the input on the Derby, but I just can't justify the prices and the menu is just not as appealing to either of us. We like comfort food and American/Italian is one of our mutual favorites. We will stick with Mama Melrose. Mickey

 

[BlueFairy]

i agree with disneynutcase. don't squeeze all those things into 1 day. if your rushing to keep that kind of schedule you won't have fun and enjoy your trip. it's just 2 much 2 do. HA!!

 

[mickeysaver]

Originally posted by BlueFairy
i agree with disneynutcase. don't squeeze all those things into 1 day. if your rushing to keep that kind of schedule you won't have fun and enjoy your trip. it's just 2 much 2 do. HA!!

Nutcase said....
I think your itinerary is fine except for Thursday. You'll probably be spending as much time riding on WDW busses as you will be inside the parks. If you're already doing a 9-5 at AK, do you really need to go back? That should be more than enough time to see and do all that AK has to offer. More than likely, even if you're only going back to AK for three hours on Thursday (9-12) all you'll be doing is repeating attractions. Depends on how you plan to tour AK though.

I forgot to address this. First, we will be traveling by car between the parks. It should be quicker than the buses since we will have a AAA diamond lot pass to use. Thursday is more of a mop up day. We will go back and catch the one or two things that we missed and wanted to see in the parks. It's more laid back than it may look on the schedule. We will be shopping and vegging more than running from park to park in a desparate attempt to see it all. Besides, by Thursday, we will need a quiet day of low stress and to me, that is exactly what it provides. We love to shop and people watch and Thursday is all about that sort of thing. As for AK, we have Thursday starting there in case we don't catch many animals out. We love critter watching too. lol Mickey