Tips, Tricks, Suggestions and any other info!

[Jae99]

My first ever post so go easy if I miss step.

Sooo I am sitting here in front of my monitor both overly excited and completely overwhelmed with my head spinning.

Where do I start? Quite literally.

My parents have decided that they are going to treat the kids and grandkids to a Disney Christmas and New Year. The rooms and dining plan are booked and and we are all set to go. We arrive on Dec 26 and stay until Jan 2.

But wait!

I am given the minor task (I say with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek) of planning our entire stay from fastpasses each day to making reservations at restaurants. I will also add at this point that I haven't been to WDW in 23 years, my wife in about 30 years, our son is 21 and visited WDW at the age of 7 and our 11 yr old daughter will be visiting for the first time.

The last time I was in WDW was at the exact same time of year so I do have somewhat of an understanding of how busy it will be. But, to say that things have changed over the last 20+ years or so is just a bit of an understatement.

I have been reading and researching as much as possible, but it is very very confusing at times.

So I sit here asking for help from the many members of this forum who seem to be the best people in the world to give this humble Disney noob some helpful advice.

Thanks in advance for all the help. I am sure it will make this process so much easier.

 

[Jae99]

Le Cellier Steakhouse in the Canada pavilion at EPCOT would be perfect for you.

Here are a list of my favorites that are a bit different (kind of, haha)
-Sanaa at ALK
-Tusker House at AK
-Akershus Boyal Banquet Hall at EPCOT
-Be Our Guest Restaurant
-Rose & Crown at EPCOT
-Artist Point or California Grill for signature dining
-Pecos Bill for quick service

Ahhh yes Le Cellier would be a good fit

I was hoping to go to Rose and Crown since we are all big fans of British style pubs and all the adults except my DW love to have a few beers now and again (I think its part of our canuck dna). Is Le Cellier a signature restaurant or does it count as 1 TS credit?

 

[Tuvalu]

Ahhh yes Le Cellier would be a good fitIs Le Cellier a signature restaurant or does it count as 1 TS credit?

It is a signature, so 2 TS credits.

 

[iluvMainStMagic]

Since you will be staying on property, if you decide to drive some, it's nice that your parking will be free, but we love Disney's bus system. There is sometimes a little longer wait than we want, but it's so nice to sit back and leave the driving/directions to them. There are plenty of signs to direct you, or you could use your own GPS, but being unsure of the roads adds stress for me, so I'm very happy not to have to worry about it....and at the end of the day when we're tired, it's nice to sit back and rest, and reflect on the day on the bus back to the resort.

 

[Jae99]

Since you will be staying on property, if you decide to drive some, it's nice that your parking will be free, but we love Disney's bus system. There is sometimes a little longer wait than we want, but it's so nice to sit back and leave the driving/directions to them. There are plenty of signs to direct you, or you could use your own GPS, but being unsure of the roads adds stress for me, so I'm very happy not to have to worry about it....and at the end of the day when we're tired, it's nice to sit back and rest, and reflect on the day on the bus back to the resort.

I imagine we will take full advantage of the buses and other forms of transportation.

Is there a guide of some sorts that gives some tips to efficiently use the various methods and ways to get around the different parks and resorts. I am hoping some WDW veterans have some very sly short cuts to get around

 

[TinkSassy]

Picking which park to go to each day seems to be the hardest part. If I have the energy I would love to hit the morning EMH's at one park and book FP's during the busier times at a different park.
This is a great plan! If found at Christmas early is everything! We couldn't move by 11am and that was our clue to go get lunch and change parks - worked well.

Yes we are using the basic dining plan with 1 QS, 1 TS, and 1 snack. I am thinking that I might want to book our dinners away from the parks and dine at different resorts each night to get away from the bigger crowds for a while. We will always dine together each night as a family. My parents are paying for this family trip and getting together for family meals is always important to them.

Is it worth the cost of 2 credits to dine at some of the signature restaurants or would we be better off to pay for those meals out of pocket?
I was thinking of doing two signature restaurants if possible and paying for one as a thank you to my parents. Leaving some extra credits to do another signature restaurant on NYE.

We will be splitting up at times in the parks. I am hoping to book a Keys to the Kingdom tour for myself and parents, as this is the one must do thing for them.

Thank you for your help!

This is a great plan! If found at Christmas early is everything! We couldn't move by 11am and that was our clue to go get lunch and change parks - worked well.

Think about your timing for dinner (when your family will eat and if you will already be at the park for your night show). Remember dining includes "special seating" book packages for Candelight Processional or Fantasmic if you can get them anything that gives you an edge.

I can't speak to the Signature restaurants as I haven't spent the money on those.

 

[Jae99]

also i hope your planning a day or 2 at universal

Our DS has mentioned that he would like to visit and with us driving down we won't have to worry about catching flights back home, so we will have some flexibility on our arrival and departure from Orlando.

I am a huge Harry Potter fan and would love to hit up Harry Potters Wizarding World.

 

[Jae99]

sounds like a great trip in the making, dont over due it with all the planning...(just saying once u have your dining , FPs and what not set just go with the flow)

sounds like you have the basics down as how to plan.

and..

holy cow, driving from ontario to florida

It's a 20 hr drive from Toronto to Orlando according to Google Maps. We will be leaving on the 24th to make sure we have enough time to get down without having to worry about any crazy weather throwing a wrench into the plans.

 

[SteveW]

Can you leave a day or 2 earlier? Even if you drive straight through to Orlando, you might be a bit wore out to hit the parks the next day....especially it being Christmas. If you got there a day earlier, you could rest up, hit the outlet malls, etc.

We've done the drive (22 hours) from Nebraska and would spend a day outside of the parks to relax.

 

[Jae99]

Can you leave a day or 2 earlier? Even if you drive straight through to Orlando, you might be a bit wore out to hit the parks the next day....especially it being Christmas. If you got there a day earlier, you could rest up, hit the outlet malls, etc.

We've done the drive (22 hours) from Nebraska and would spend a day outside of the parks to relax.

We are hoping to leave on the 24th in the morning. With two days of moderate driving we should be into Orlando sometime on Christmas Day and will be able to check into a hotel outside of the park and spend a relaxing evening resting up for our check in to All Star Music and then onto the parks.

But as we all know sometimes the greatest plans never go exactly as planned. Hopefully Mother Nature will be kind and we will have a couple of smooth days of driving.

 

[JillC LI]

Rope drop. Rope drop. Rope drop.

 

[Jae99]

This is a great plan! If found at Christmas early is everything! We couldn't move by 11am and that was our clue to go get lunch and change parks - worked well.

Think about your timing for dinner (when your family will eat and if you will already be at the park for your night show). Remember dining includes "special seating" book packages for Candelight Processional or Fantasmic if you can get them anything that gives you an edge.

I can't speak to the Signature restaurants as I haven't spent the money on those.

Thanks for the suggestion of the dining packages for different nighttime shows. Any idea if our dining plan will work for these or will we have to pay out of pocket?

 

[Jae99]

Rope drop. Rope drop. Rope drop.

I am really hoping to get to MK early enough for my DD to see the park opening show. Some of us are early risers and others like their sleep, so I have a feeling DD and I will be up and out early and will catch up with the others a little later in the morning. But, maybe the Disney bug will catch us all and we will all be out at the crack of dawn.

I am not a huge breakfast fan so I will be happy with a latte and some sort of snack a little later in the morning. No bacon and eggs to slow this guy down.

 

[JillC LI]

I am really hoping to get to MK early enough for my DD to see the park opening show. Some of us are early risers and others like their sleep, so I have a feeling DD and I will be up and out early and will catch up with the others a little later in the morning. But, maybe the Disney bug will catch us all and we will all be out at the crack of dawn.

I am not a huge breakfast fan so I will be happy with a latte and some sort of snack a little later in the morning. No bacon and eggs to slow this guy down.

Yeah, we stick to quick breakfasts at Disney, sometimes even packing little baggies of our favorite cereals so we can get to the parks before rope drop! Whenever the alarm goes off early on vacation, I groan, but then I remember I'm at Disney World, and I immediately pop out of bed with tons of energy, psyched to get going.