Welp, we finally did it! (Now the "questions thread")

[Model3 McQueen]

Personally, I'd say give green a try. No forces but a pretty movie at least. Lines are usually 20 minutes tops. Honestly, use the FP on SSE. Because of FP, lines can get up to an hour...for a omnimover.

If you think I should, then I probably can get a FP for it. The plan was to do SSE first thing in the morning so we could avoid the line. Then Test Track, then possibly Frozen depending on wait. Go around world showcase from East to West, and hopefully by the time we get to Mexico, we'll be ready to head to DHS.

Ya...I mean, it's unique so I'd give it a go anyways. Just have your expectations low. Really low. Lower then what you're thinking right now. You'll get them low enough by the time you get there Shame though. Our TL is pretty great and our Peoplemover still moves people.

hahaha I read about it on the Stich's Great Escape forum; everyone including you and @marni1971 were pretty much advising against riding it, if my memory serves me correctly. I'd like to, but @Cmdr_Crimson said it's as rough as the Matterhorn.. my lady has a bad back and I would hate to have her trust me with these decisions and end up getting pain. She has no problem on Indiana Jones Adventure or DL's Space Mountain though, but i'm too afraid to have her on the rough side of Matterhorn.

Don't forget about the Indy stunt show or Muppets. They're old but still pretty fun, especially since you haven't been there in a while. Plan for another park though, you'll burn through DHS pretty quickly.

Definitely! I miss MV3D since they wrongfully got rid of it at DCA. Indy stunt show is certainly on our list!

Resort guests still get free parking in the park lots. They only have to pay to park at their resort.
"Registered Guests of Disney Resort Hotels, select Annual Passholders, Premium Passholders and Disney Premier Passport holders may enjoy complimentary standard self-parking at Disney theme parks. "
Quoted from the "Parking" page.

Costco had only non-Disney hotels with a rental car option. Really glad I didn't choose that path, I'd be ripping my hair out paying for hotel parking, park parking, and a rental car.

 

[danyoung56]

Resort guests still get free parking in the park lots. They only have to pay to park at their resort.
"Registered Guests of Disney Resort Hotels, select Annual Passholders, Premium Passholders and Disney Premier Passport holders may enjoy complimentary standard self-parking at Disney theme parks. "
Quoted from the "Parking" page.

That's an important clarification that I didn't realize!

 

[larryz]

That's an important clarification that I didn't realize!

I just wonder how long it will be before an annual passholder parks at the TTC, then rides the monorail to the Contemporary with their luggage to check in for their stay...

 

[danyoung56]

It would be a good dodge, if you could get away with it . . .

 

[thomas998]

Well, at Orlando International Airport, a midsize car is usually around 200 bucks for a week. It's worth it for me, but if you're trying to save every nickel you can get along just fine without one.

Best bet is getting the rental car from a offsite location and then return it to the airport, most major rental car companies allow that with no extra charge and you can avoid the Orlando Airport fee that is pretty high and charged on a daily rate. Worst case for us when we do it that was is to have an additional 15 or 20 dollar taxi ride to the offsite location, but it saves you more than enough on the fee if your trip is a week long.

 

[thomas998]

Resort guests still get free parking in the park lots. They only have to pay to park at their resort.
"Registered Guests of Disney Resort Hotels, select Annual Passholders, Premium Passholders and Disney Premier Passport holders may enjoy complimentary standard self-parking at Disney theme parks. "
Quoted from the "Parking" page.

But are you allowed to leave your car overnight at the TTC parking? If so that gives anyone at the monorail resorts free parking.

 

[danyoung56]

I'm not totally sure, but I think your car is subject to towing. Staff can see if the same car shows up night after night.

 

[Ponderer]

Gotcha! So with food and budget in mind, I’d recommend...
MK: Liberty Tree Tavern - understated, cozy, American fare with sandwiches/salads
Epcot: Coral Reef - seafood, awesome ambience eating next to tanks full of fish! Or at World Showcase, our favorites are San Angel Inn, Spice Road Table, and Chefs de France
HS: Sci Fi and 50’s Prime Time are cool atmospheres and relatively cheap...but I’d also throw in Mama Melrose for some good Italian food!
AK: actually think you may enjoy Satu’li Canteen...a quick service place in Pandora. No reservations needed for surprisingly delectable protein bowls on top of rice or salads with amazing dressings. Seriously so good!

I’ll second Satu’li. We finally got to eat there during our trip a week ago, I had the salad version of the combination bowl, and thinking, “I wish I could eat like this at home.” It was just so much better than any quick casual place we have within 100 miles of here, certainly of the corporate ilk.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

Hey everyone,

Instead of creating a new thread, I wanted to ask a few more questions on here so I don't clutter up the board with inquiries.

1. we were thinking, instead of flying in Sunday and leaving Saturday, that maybe we should fly in Saturday and book a value resort for that day. In this event, we'd be able to spend a full day riding around to different hotels, checking out Disneysprings, have time to go to Target for breakfast supplies, etc. Can I do this / should I do this? Should I book a value for Saturday, and continue to Coronado on Sunday? Is this even feasible given our luggage and the magical express and all that? Or should we possibly tack on another 200 dollar day at Coronado? What would you all suggest?

2. I'm a little confused with FP+.. For EPCOT, I wasn't allowed to choose Frozen AND Test Track.. it had to be one or the other. Some rides like Avatar Flight and 7 dwarves were unavailable 55+ days out. When I am actually at the parks, can I book and arrange in a matter similar to Disneyland's MaxPass system, or do I need to go to individual booths around the park? I have the app and i'm fully ready to book on the move.

This is where i'm at so far..
Monday EPCOT
Spaceship earth 955, Frozen 12:10. Plan is to arrive early, hit TT first, then spaceship, then Frozen later. Around evening, walk or boat to DHS for ToT
Tuesday AK
Dinosaur 1045, Everest 12, Kali River 3:15. I was hoping for Avatar over Kali but it was unavailable.
Wednesday MK
Splash 1020, Haunted 1155, Pirates 225. 7 dwarves was unavailable, and Space Mountain is a maybe depending on how my girls back is holding up
Thursday DHS
Rocknroll 915, ToT 1025, Indy Stunt Show 12:45 - showtime 115. I didn't want a fastpass for Indy but nothing else interesting was available.
Friday Wildcard
Our free day, I didn't book anything yet.

 

[larryz]

1. we were thinking, instead of flying in Sunday and leaving Saturday, that maybe we should fly in Saturday and book a value resort for that day. In this event, we'd be able to spend a full day riding around to different hotels, checking out Disneysprings, have time to go to Target for breakfast supplies, etc. Can I do this / should I do this? Should I book a value for Saturday, and continue to Coronado on Sunday? Is this even feasible given our luggage and the magical express and all that? Or should we possibly tack on another 200 dollar day at Coronado?

That's how we did our last trip. Originally sched Mon-Fri, we added a Sun night at CSR to get there on time and relatively settled before moving to our 4-day resort. Since you're booked at CSR anyway, see if they can add you a night up front.

 

[thomas998]

Hey everyone,

Instead of creating a new thread, I wanted to ask a few more questions on here so I don't clutter up the board with inquiries.

1. we were thinking, instead of flying in Sunday and leaving Saturday, that maybe we should fly in Saturday and book a value resort for that day. In this event, we'd be able to spend a full day riding around to different hotels, checking out Disneysprings, have time to go to Target for breakfast supplies, etc. Can I do this / should I do this? Should I book a value for Saturday, and continue to Coronado on Sunday? Is this even feasible given our luggage and the magical express and all that? Or should we possibly tack on another 200 dollar day at Coronado? What would you all suggest?

2. I'm a little confused with FP+.. For EPCOT, I wasn't allowed to choose Frozen AND Test Track.. it had to be one or the other. Some rides like Avatar Flight and 7 dwarves were unavailable 55+ days out. When I am actually at the parks, can I book and arrange in a matter similar to Disneyland's MaxPass system, or do I need to go to individual booths around the park? I have the app and i'm fully ready to book on the move.

This is where i'm at so far..
Monday EPCOT
Spaceship earth 955, Frozen 12:10. Plan is to arrive early, hit TT first, then spaceship, then Frozen later. Around evening, walk or boat to DHS for ToT
Tuesday AK
Dinosaur 1045, Everest 12, Kali River 3:15. I was hoping for Avatar over Kali but it was unavailable.
Wednesday MK
Splash 1020, Haunted 1155, Pirates 225. 7 dwarves was unavailable, and Space Mountain is a maybe depending on how my girls back is holding up
Thursday DHS
Rocknroll 915, ToT 1025, Indy Stunt Show 12:45 - showtime 115. I didn't want a fastpass for Indy but nothing else interesting was available.
Friday Wildcard
Our free day, I didn't book anything yet.

You can certainly stay at multiple hotels without any real problems. We've done it when the hotel we really wanted wasn't available until later in our trip. But unless things have changed the real pain the backside is getting your luggage. The first time we let Disney move the luggage from one hotel to the other because we thought it would be less of a hassle - it wasn't. You have to be in your room for them to deliver the luggage and that ended up chewing up almost 3 hours of time waiting for it to arrive... and by 3 hours I mean we arrived at the new hotel called the front desk they said it was there asked if we would be there so they could deliver it and we said yes, and then almost 3 hours and several phone calls asking why it hadn't arrived yet and it finally got there. So if you do a hotel switch it is best if you take your luggage from the first hotel to the second in your own car using Disney as the porter is going to waste some time. And I'm assuming you have a car since you are mentioning that you will be going from your hotel to Target.

A couple of notes on your latest itinerary, not sure anymore the time of year you are going but I would suggest you get some cheap ponchos before you go and take them for the Splash Mountain and Kali.... If it is a cool day you can end up very cold until your clothes dry out and on either of those rides it a complete roll of the dice as to whether you will remain dry or be soaked to the bone... Also if you want Space Mountain just head there in the morning when you first get to the park, most people tend to head to 7 dwarves and Space Mountain will often have no line at all in the first hour or so of the park opening.

As for making fastpass changes in the parks.. we have had mixed luck doing it online... but I would be surprised if you were able to get a 7 Dwarves or Avatar Flight the day you are there. You are better off just trying to change your existing fastpasses to one of those before you ever leave on a daily basis. Fastpasses do become available but they are more likely to become available days out than on the day they were set for and they will likely get snagged fast so just check back often until you actually get there.

 

[Model3 McQueen]

That's how we did our last trip. Originally sched Mon-Fri, we added a Sun night at CSR to get there on time and relatively settled before moving to our 4-day resort. Since you're booked at CSR anyway, see if they can add you a night up front.

You can certainly stay at multiple hotels without any real problems. We've done it when the hotel we really wanted wasn't available until later in our trip. But unless things have changed the real pain the backside is getting your luggage. The first time we let Disney move the luggage from one hotel to the other because we thought it would be less of a hassle - it wasn't. You have to be in your room for them to deliver the luggage and that ended up chewing up almost 3 hours of time waiting for it to arrive... and by 3 hours I mean we arrived at the new hotel called the front desk they said it was there asked if we would be there so they could deliver it and we said yes, and then almost 3 hours and several phone calls asking why it hadn't arrived yet and it finally got there. So if you do a hotel switch it is best if you take your luggage from the first hotel to the second in your own car using Disney as the porter is going to waste some time. And I'm assuming you have a car since you are mentioning that you will be going from your hotel to Target.

A couple of notes on your latest itinerary, not sure anymore the time of year you are going but I would suggest you get some cheap ponchos before you go and take them for the Splash Mountain and Kali.... If it is a cool day you can end up very cold until your clothes dry out and on either of those rides it a complete roll of the dice as to whether you will remain dry or be soaked to the bone... Also if you want Space Mountain just head there in the morning when you first get to the park, most people tend to head to 7 dwarves and Space Mountain will often have no line at all in the first hour or so of the park opening.

As for making fastpass changes in the parks.. we have had mixed luck doing it online... but I would be surprised if you were able to get a 7 Dwarves or Avatar Flight the day you are there. You are better off just trying to change your existing fastpasses to one of those before you ever leave on a daily basis. Fastpasses do become available but they are more likely to become available days out than on the day they were set for and they will likely get snagged fast so just check back often until you actually get there.

Thanks! I may just look into getting another day at Coronado, i'm just not thrilled at the idea of spending another 200+. But since a value is just above 100 maybe it might not be such a bad investment.

Unfortunately I will NOT have a rental car, Disney is providing all of the transit. We'd get a ride to Target and back via Uber or Lyft. @thomas998 I'm sorry for your experience, that is sort of what i'm afraid of. Checkout would be morning, check in to next hotel isn't til like 3 or 4. So that means we'd have a few hours to burn carrying around our luggage, which just isn't feasible. And for one overnight stay? It's probably dumb idea on my part.

Does FP+ work like Maxpass? Am I allowed to book on my phone for more fastpasses, on top of the 3 we already book?

 

[Model3 McQueen]

I just played with it on MyDisneyExperience.. adding another day jumps the price of my total package up from 2,090 to 2,324.22... That's something to ponder.

 

[larryz]

Thanks! I may just look into getting another day at Coronado, i'm just not thrilled at the idea of spending another 200+. But since a value is just above 100 maybe it might not be such a bad investment.

Considering most of your CSR day would be spent moving, I'd say it's worth the slight upcharge if they can accommodate you.

Does FP+ work like Maxpass? Am I allowed to book on my phone for more fastpasses, on top of the 3 we already book?

After you check in for your latest FP, you can book anything else that's available that day...

 

[Model3 McQueen]

Considering most of your CSR day would be spent moving, I'd say it's worth the slight upcharge if they can accommodate you.


After you check in for your latest FP, you can book anything else that's available that day...

Yeah i'll have to talk to my lady about that.

Thanks! For whatever reason, this answer was really difficult to find. So after the 2nd or 3rd FP+ reservation is done and over, we can book like MaxPass for the rest of the day. So it's better to be done earlier than later with FP+. I'll look back into moving my reservations up if possible.

 

[thomas998]

Yeah i'll have to talk to my lady about that.

Thanks! For whatever reason, this answer was really difficult to find. So after the 2nd or 3rd FP+ reservation is done and over, we can book like MaxPass for the rest of the day. So it's better to be done earlier than later with FP+. I'll look back into moving my reservations up if possible.

Yes... the last thing you want to do is have one of the 3 fastpasses you start out with for late afternoon or evening... it makes the odds of getting an additional fastpass much worse. Also don't expect to be able to get a E-ticket ride for that later add on fastpass you'll usually be stuck with lower demand rides, I think the best add on we ever got at MK was a Thunder Mountain and maybe a Peter Pan... but a lot of the ones that will be available will be rides you don't really even need a fastpass for to begin with... also one other thing to be aware of if you were going to do park hopping and you use up all you fastpasses in MK and then want to add another one on for a ride in EPCOT or any other park besides MK you can't do it until you have entered the park you are trying to get the fastpass for. We didn't know that and when the phone app didn't work, we assumed we needed to use a kiosk, and when that didn't work a CM finally explained why it wasn't working, so unless they have made changes to the system don't expect to snag A Space Mountain after you finish at AK until you get your magicband scanned at the MK gate.

 

[choyt73]

Thanks! I may just look into getting another day at Coronado, i'm just not thrilled at the idea of spending another 200+. But since a value is just above 100 maybe it might not be such a bad investment.

Unfortunately I will NOT have a rental car, Disney is providing all of the transit. We'd get a ride to Target and back via Uber or Lyft. @thomas998 I'm sorry for your experience, that is sort of what i'm afraid of. Checkout would be morning, check in to next hotel isn't til like 3 or 4. So that means we'd have a few hours to burn carrying around our luggage, which just isn't feasible. And for one overnight stay? It's probably dumb idea on my part.

Does FP+ work like Maxpass? Am I allowed to book on my phone for more fastpasses, on top of the 3 we already book?[/Q

On Monday after ToT go to ToyStory land right before close. You can usually ride Toy Story Mania with 5-15 minute wait and then Slinky Dog 40 minute wait.

My family and I just did this at the beginning of Nov. We were originally booked arriving at POR, arriving Saturday and leaving the next Saturday. We decided to arrive on Friday instead so we booked 1 night at Caribbean Beach (POR was full). Saturday morning we arranged to have our bags picked up at Caribbean Beach at 7:15 am, we had to be in the room so they can confirm with us how many bags they are taking to POR. They took the bags to POR and locked them up with bell services. Shortly after they took our luggage we left for Epcot. Around 4pm we left Epcot and went to POR to check in and collect our bags from bell services (I gave them a $20 tip to drive them over and bring them up to our new room) we rested for a bit and then headed back to Epcot for the evening. Transferring our luggage wasn't as easy as I had been lead to believe it was going to be but looking back it wasn't that difficult either.

 

[Disneyfreak Jen]

There have been 2 trips where I flew in a day early and did DS, relaxed at the pool, resort hopped, etc. Sometimes it’s nice to do that. Other times it may be much less expensive to travel the day before. This happened to me a few years ago. I couldn’t figure out why the airfare was so high, and it was because of the Jewish holidays. I flew on Friday instead and saved over $250.

Disney transformation works well for me. It’s not perfect, but nothing ever is. Cars are an extra expense, andin the MK you still have to take Disney transport to the TTC to get to your car anyway.

 

[nickys]

Not sure anyone has explained the tiering yet. Which explains your query about Epcot FPs.

All parks except Mk have a tiered system. There are tier 1 FPs and tier 2 FPs.

You can only pre-book one tier 1 FP at each park. You can also book two tier 2 FPs. Or you can book three tiers 2 FPs if you don’t want to ride any of the tier 1 rides.

Once you have used these you can book others one at a time, with no further tier restrictions. Park hopping has a more complicated set of rules that I’m not going to get into unless you ask!

At Epcot, Test Track, Soarin, FEA, the character spot and Illuminations are all tier 1.

At AK, both Pandora rides are tier 1 - that is Flight of Passage (FoP) and Navii River Journey.

At DHS, the three Toy Story Land rides are tier 1 - TSMM, Slinky and Aliens.


You can book all your FPs for an onsite stay (up to 14 days) at 60 days out from check-in day. So someone staying 2 weeks gets the first 14 days at once. Because of that, some FPs will be almost impossible to get at exactly 60 days out. In general, FoP and Slinky are difficult to get until around the 3rd or 4th days of an onsite stay. 7dmt can also be challenging but you should get one if you’re not too picky about the time.

 

[danyoung56]

Disney transformation works well for me.

Is that, like, a surgical procedure???