Originally Posted By ophellia My goodness, I have been checking out WDW facts and trying to plan my September trip...it's just SOOO Huge! As an AP for DL for 8 years and a former CM I thought I'd be pretty good at this...but I truly am overwhelmed. I have chosen to stay at Port Orleans Riverside in the 'Gator rooms...and I'll be getting an AP...but's thats all I have decided so far. Initially I will be there 4 days 3 nights and then back at least once a month so I don't need to see everything the first trip. Any advice for another first timer?
Originally Posted By Disneymom443 Take your time. It's so big the you will go crezy if you think it can all be done at once. Being an APer will help, you can come and go at your own will. Take one day at a time and enjoy the things that you can. the stuff that you missed you can go back to do. Most of all enjoy yourself, it is the most magical place on earth.
Originally Posted By hopemax First, you have made an excellent resort choice. That is where we stayed the first time, and the second and the third time we went to WDW. It's still my Dad's favorite place to stay, even being able to stay at Deluxe resorts. Second, because of the dining plan, and especially free dining in Sept you should get a move on making any dining reservations you might want. It's probably already too late for the ever popular steakhouse in Canada called Le Cellier. That one has to be the minute it becomes available at the 180 day mark for dinner. If you want lunch you might have a couple days to work with. Check out menus at <a href="http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm" target="_blank">http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm</a> However, in order to plan dining reservations you need to put together a general touring strategy. It's easier to eat dinner in Epcot when you are visiting Epcot that day (or maybe the Studios) than if you are at the MK. There are a couple different strategies for picking your park days. Are you an early riser? If so, you might want to use the extra magic hours in the morning to your advantage. Then, there are two strategies for the rest of the day. When the park starts filling up, "park hop" to a different park for the evening (you can plan around evening entertainment). You can stay all day, but you should plan to do less crowded attractions. If you aren't an early riser, and don't think you can get to the parks at opening, the strategy is to head for the park that had early entry the day before. This also works for figuring out what park to hop to in the previously mentioned "early riser" strategy. Link to the extra magic hour schedule <a href="http://allears.net/tp/emhour.htm" target="_blank">http://allears.net/tp/emhour.htm</a> Once in the park, it works pretty much like at DL...Coasters first, save things like Carousel of Progress, Tiki Room, Hall of Presidents for mid-day. Popular attractions, ie the ones you have to "plan" for. AK - Everest, Safari, Kali, Nemo show MK - Space, Splash, Big Thunder Epcot - Soarin Studios - ToT, RnRC, Toy Story
Originally Posted By mousermerf Your AP needs to be active before you check in at the resort to get the discount - though they don't always check for the AP even, it's better safe then sorry. By active, it needs to be valid/functioning/admission-ready and not just a voucher. You can goto any theme park ticket booths or the easiest route for most is Downtown Disney. The resorts themselves can't do AP's but they can do any other sort of regular guest ticket. It's a matter of ticketstock (resorts put tickets on room keys, an AP would obviously not be on a room key..) Riverside may or may not put you in the Alligator Bayou rooms - you may end up in one of the mansion homes. WDW has a very "flexible" (that's the nicest way to put it) view on room bookings and categories. You could be pretty much anywhere in the resort that meets your basic room requirements - like if you booked standard or waterview. The requests on the rservation will be considered, but it's always good to voice your request at check-in as well, even citing you're willing to wait for a room to open later. You can check-in as early as 7am, possibly earlier, but the systems go down overnight around like 3am (resorts actually print out all the late-night check-ins for that downtime, so don't expect a room request at that hour). Whoo, that's far more then you needed to know. I figure though, as an ex-CM the more you know about how they work the better you'll feel prepared. You'll get a feel for the place pretty quick. There's lot of signage and it's far better then the roads/interstate in CA. Always - ALWAYS - remember that when you're going past the Disney-owned wayfinder signage that any sign that says "All Other Guest Areas" is your turn if you want to go anywhere on property you did not see a specific exit or direction for. This includes missing an exit, it will just put you back in the road system and you'll get to your destination eventually. Do not miss the "All Other Guest Areas" sign - you'll drive off the property and sometimes into hard to navigate unpopulated wooded areas that surround the resort. Disney's signs are the purple ones. Also - accept the idea that you'll drive to get to most places or be taking Disney buses if you stay at a resort. From your chosen resort you can take the boat to Downtown Disney. You'll learn the various bodies of water and transportation systems with time. Your resort is on a body of water known as the Sassalagousa (spelling?) and a dock will be near the main building. Your resort is the furthest "upstream" and from there heading toward Downtown Disney your boat will stop at Port Orleans French Quarter before continuing to the various Downtown Disney stops on the lake flanking the shopping/dining district. You'll float past 3 other resort docks - Treehouse Villas, Old Key West, and Saratoga Springs. They're all Disney Vacation Club (DVC). To get to the main parks you'll need to drive or take the Disney bus. As a new AP I'd seriously recommend some driving instead of just the buses so that you learn your way around. Most AP's like to park at Epcot to goto anything on the monorail line - Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Contemporary. Epcot is open every single day 9am-9pm so the regularity and ease of access for the parking makes it preferred. If Magic Kingdom is open late, transport back to Epcot will continue as Disney realized people like to park there. A quick note on monorails. There are 3 lines, all originating for the Ticket and Transportation Center (and nearly everyone calls it "the TTC"). It's actually Magic Kingdom's main parking lot, and is separated from the park-proper by a big man made lake. So every guest going into MK who drove themself has to take a monorail or ferry boat. Disney Resorts have bus-stations right by the front gates. The monorail lines include the Resort and Express. Express is what most people take as it only stops at the TTC and MK, however on peak days the Resort line might be faster. It goes from the TTC to Polynesian, to Grand Floridian, to MK, to Contemporary, to TTC. From the TTC is also the Epcot line, which connects the TTC to Epcot, so if you go to/from Epcot on monorail you have to change trains at the TTC - lest you end up back at Epcot. Inbound to Epcot from the TTC actually goes through the park though, so it's a nice first time overview. I like to make my friends ride it around once before going into the park for the first time - even if it means parking at Epcot and then riding it in the full circle. Hmm... what else? Oh yeah, don't stress over rides. Early morning, late night, slow days - you'll get them all in over time. If it's not a relatively short wait or you can't get a Fastpass there's no good reason to wait for it as an AP. Nothing at WDW stays ridiculous 24-7 except for perhaps Toy Story Mania, Soarin at Epcot, and Test Track. Fastpass them, fastpass them early in the day - they all tend to run out. Quick note on Animal Kingdom - do the safari early in the day. Nothing more fustrating then getting to park in the afternoon/early evening and finding out the safari closed early. It does this a lot - they claim it's for the animals but in reality they just don't want to staff the park that late in the evening. They will close safari an hour or more before the park closes with no warning prior to entering the park.
Originally Posted By ophellia wow, thanks so much! I printed those responses out! It's a lot to take in...my choice of PORR is to counter the lac of a NOS at the MK...now I'll get my Bayou fix... I'm told its likely just plain too late to make many reservations for this trip, so we'll probably eat at DTD and rely on QS...I will do a special trip to enjoy the restaurants on another visit... I am Very excited about this, I never expected to re-locate to Florida so I never really considered going to WDW...and it been since Jan 2007 since I was at DL...I'm looing SO forward to this new adventure! thanks SO much for the info! Its going onto my to my trip planning folder...
Originally Posted By danyoung >Your AP needs to be active before you check in at the resort to get the discount...< Sorry, merf, but that's just not true, unless there have been recent changes. I've checked in many times with just the voucher for my AP, and had no problems. ophellia, if you're going to go with AP's, then you gotta spring for the Tables in Wonderland card. It'll cost you $75, and only one person in your party needs to have it to take advantage of the discouts. And it'll give you 20% off of all table service (and some quick service) dining, INCLUDING ALCOHOL! Mine easily pays for itself in one trip, and it's good for an entire year!
Originally Posted By mousermerf <<<Sorry, merf, but that's just not true, unless there have been recent changes. I've checked in many times with just the voucher for my AP, and had no problems.>>> That's one of those technicalities - hence how they often don't even check the AP. In theory someone could buy an AP voucher and never exchange it and keep reusing it year to year, so its supposed to be active.
Originally Posted By danyoung I agree that that's the official line, merf. But in reality I've not once been refused check-in, and at least once a year I go with just the voucher. I show it to them, and they always have accepted it, since around '92 or so.
Originally Posted By Disneymom443 I don't know for PORR, but you can at CBR. So I would figure that you should.(both being mod. resorts) Didn't help did I. :}
Originally Posted By danyoung >I'm wondering, can you have a pizza delivered to your room at PORR?< I'm pretty sure that they have pizza delivery at all of the moderates.
Originally Posted By Hats and Wands According to allears.net: >>Sassagoula Pizza Express will whisk fresh, hot pizza, cold soft drinks, and beer to your room from 4 p.m. to midnight seven days a week. Just touch "Pizza Delivery" on your room phone to order or for more information. A menu will be located in your room.<< Hope that helps.
Originally Posted By Hats and Wands >>As an AP for DL for 8 years and a former CM<< One thing Mousermerf didn't mention was that since some rides are very similar (Small World, Jungle Cruise, etc.) to those at DL, you might want to wait to ride them. But MK's Haunted Mansion has the staircase room added, Carousel of Progress hasn't been in DL in years, so you may have never seen it, plus their Pooh ride is much better then DLs. Also, if the parade is still running, you will be able to see the Electrical Parade being shown on MAIN STREET again. The Safari at AK, and the Nemo musical, both are must dos. Since you will be in Florida for awhile, you won't need to do Dinasour to start with.(It's Indy track with Dinasours - Indy's better!) Tower of Terror at DH studios is different then DCA's & Rock'n Rollercoaster is way different then Screamin'. (Also, coming from Calif, the references will make more sense.) Soarin at EPCOT is the same film as DCA's, so if the wait is long, you may want to see other things. We don't have Figment here & Test Track is pretty cool. (You'll have a feel for what our Carsland attraction will feel like.)Universe of Energy gets you cooled off & time to rest, but not a must do for your first visit.
Originally Posted By danyoung >(It's Indy track with Dinasours - Indy's better!)< While this is more or less true, I have a hard time with this sentiment. I think Dinosaur is a totally different experience than Indy - different story, different pacing, and definitely different AA sights to see along the way. It's very much worth a visit or two or three!
Originally Posted By mousermerf Dinosaur is the scariest ride ever. It's Indy like but in the dark with large puppets trying to eat you.
Originally Posted By bobbelee9 The only thing that scared me was worrying about getting whiplash, ouch.
Originally Posted By smedley Yeah count me into the list of people who don't ride Dinosaur often because of an old neck injury, it is fun and scary, but the whiplash thing means I don't ride it every time.
