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commenting to follow!
My mom's best friend gifted us her timeshare in Kissimmee, FL the week of 4th of July. So, I'm planning to go to Magic Kingdom and & Animal Kingdom two of the days. My co-worker told me that I absolutely had to get dinner at Ohana, and to make reservations immediately. Apparently, you can see the fireworks show if you're there at 9. We have a toddler, so I just don't see that working out, but we did book dinner at 5:20 one of the nights.
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We just booked our trip! We decided to try to go before my kids turn 3 at the beginning of May (so their park tickets will be free), so we've spent the last week frantically trying to get things together. This morning we finalized our plane tickets and resort (Animal Kingdom Lodge with savanna views which my kids are going to loveeeee! I hope we can get them to leave the resort to actually go into the parks...) so now I just need to figure out dining and Fast Pass reservations since we will be coming up on 60 days till our trip pretty quickly. I think we're going to take it easy and try to only do a couple ride/characters at each park. I'm just not optimistic about my kids' tolerance for waiting in lines. I'm also worried they are going to be scared of the characters, but I guess we'll just have to see when the time comes.
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@twodoghouse: Come back and post here as you make decisions, and then definitely come back here and post after you actually go! Since you are going at a lower crowd time, I'll be curious to see how much waiting you actually do with fastpasses.
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@Anagram: I'll keep you updated on what we decide! It looks like on this quick notice we are going to be limited on dining reservations. My kids aren't great at eating out, so I don't mind quick service, but I was hoping. To do Akershus princess or Be our Guest breakfasts and there's no availabilities. Maybe something will free up as we get closer. I guess I'll just keep looking!
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@T.H.O.U.: , @Charm54:, and @808love: Thanks for the responses! I think I misunderstood why @caterw: was wondering about not returning to their hotel for naps.
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@dc yoga bee: I am trying Ohana for the first time next week, I've heard amazing things so I'm excited! We have a 6:30pm reservation and the plan is to go watch Wishes on the Polynesian beach right afterwards if my dd isn't too tired. They pipe the music onto the beach and I guess the view is spectacular
@twodoghouse: Check out Touring Plan's Dining Reservation Finder. It's free to use and they will text or email when a reservation becomes available so you can log on the Disney site to snag it. I got Be Our Guest and Ohana for this upcoming trip thanks to it, for a party of 8!
https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/reservation-finder
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@Charm54: Thank you for that tip!! I'll definitely check it out
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Also with Touring Plans subscription you can pick your exact room (with photos of view) and they will fax your hotel with your request. I did this and although it wasn't the exact room it was very very close.
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@Charm54: oh, thanks for that dining link. I'm still more than 180 days out from out trip, but I'm not good at remembering exact days. I think we're only going to do maaaaybe 1 harder-to-get dining reservation. Trying to decide between breakfast at Cinderella's castle or Akershus. The rest of the time, we'll do quick-service and eat in room.
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@Anagram: We did both on two different trips. At Akershus, LO did a marching parade with all the kids. I don't remember doing that at Cinderella's Castle. (eta:dh said she did it at CC but they just didn't walk by us bc it was so big) In Cinderella's Castle the open lighting and being in the castle itself was so magical, you felt like royalty. The servers/place weren't as personable and the same family feel as Akershus. If I had to choose just one, CC for a Disney purist but Akershus was really good too so it's not like you are missing out.
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@Anagram: http://www.themouseforless.com/walt-disney-world/planning/date-calculator/
This is great for keeping track of when you can make reservations/fast pass
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@T.H.O.U.: Thanks! I'm torn between those two, so you didn't help at all saying they are both good.
LO's favorite princess right now is Cinderella, so I feel like she would love to go inside Cinderella's castle. But also, she love Anna and Elsa...are they at Akershus?
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@Anagram: Anna and Elsa are not at either restaurant. The interaction with princesses at Akerhus is via a parade, a quick photo upon entry with one princess (Belle for our visit) and then the princesses stop by the tables. It's similar, minus the parade at CC, except that each princess is introduced there. Cinderella is available for a 1:1 photo op when you enter CC. Also, the princesses spent a LOT more time and were much more engaged and interested at CC. Snow White spent almost 15 minutes at our table - I couldn't believe it!
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Check because I think you can schedule an early Akershus breakfast so that you can time it and hop in a very short line at opening to see Elsa and Anna before the crowds. But if you go to CT and still want to see E and A, we went during off peak season first thing in the morning without breakfast and waited about half hour to see Frozen sisters and got on the Frozen ride with a reasonable wait. I think we had the Fast Pass for the ride though.
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@Anagram: Anna and Elsa are pretty easy to see now that they have their new location at Epcot. There aren't even FPs available for it, I think they have like 3 sets of Anna/Elsas meeting at a time lol. They meet close to Akershus so you could eat there and hop in line before or after. The biggest priority is the new Frozen ride also near Akershus, which can see some pretty crazy wait times. Definitely snag FPs for that if you can.
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So we did decided to try renting points. We currently have a deposit on a 1 bedroom at Bay Lake tower--super exciting!
However, Dh's parents heard about our trip and are possibly interested in joining (that's totally fine with me, btw....we were going to take them on a big trip last summer for FIL's 70th birthday, but MIL found out she can colon cancer and we had to cancel for her treatments. But she's doing well now a year later).....so now we have a request in to see if there are any standard view 2 bedrooms at Bay Lake Towers, Beach Club, or Boardwalk villas that we can get instead. For some reason, (excluding the Magic view at BLT, which is way more expensive), getting a 2 bedroom is only about $500 more for the entire week than a 1 bedroom. So that's cheaper for us to pay for the inlaws than what we were going to do last summer (all inclusive or cruise somewhere).
But the rep already told us the 2 bedrooms go fast in summer, so there may not be any available. We'll see.
Also, I had my heart set on BLT.....Beach Club looks amazing but Boardwalk just seems meh to me. Has anyone stayed there? DH wants to take any 2 bedroom that is available in any of those 3.
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@Anagram: Super excited for you to stay on property! We took my mom with us last year and she really wanted to stay on property (on our dime for a change). DH still likes off site just as well but you are paying for magic, preferences of the entire group and convenience. You are bound to have a great time!!!!
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@Anagram: Ooh, make sure to report back on how the whole process goes. We're considering renting points and staying at the Grand Floridian in a year or two.
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@Anagram: Awesome!! That's really exciting. Please let me know how it goes - we've just decided to rent points too for next March at Beach Club. I've never stayed there but have visited and it's always been my dream. The pool is out of this world and I think I will love being able to walk to Epcot. We need two studio rooms though (my sister and her family are coming too) so not sure if we will be able to get both rooms. Boardwalk and AKL are our back up choices (mostly because they're in our budget lol). Did you send your request through David's?
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@Anagram: Because we're doing our trip a little last minute, a lot of rooms were booked up. In the week it took us to figure out what we were doing, we seemed to have missed out on the AKL villa that we were considering at first. So we just book two separate AKL rooms and our travel agent (ex-gf of BIL's so my MIL really wanted to book through her), has requested us to have side by side rooms. I guess it can't really be guaranteed, but they will try to accommodate the request. We know there's a chance we could end up on opposite ends of the resort, but to get the rooms we really wanted (savanna view at AKL), we're taking the chance. What about just booking two rooms at BLT and make the request and see what happens?
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@Charm54: Just curious--why 2 studios instead of a 2 bedroom villa at Beach Club?
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I'm fully aware this is a first world problem--but, we haven't taken a real vacation since LO2 was born and she turns 2 this summer--so this is it, and I want to be happy with how we spend our money.
I just heard back that the only 2 bedrooms available our week are the Polynesian bungalow (ha. ha. Maybe after we win the lottery. It's about 10k for a week), a 2 bedroom at the Grand Floridian (not as crazy, but still more than we want to spend and also...GF doesn't seem all that kid friendly?), and a 2 bedroom at Boardwalk Villas. Somehow I knew that only Boardwalk Villas would be available.
I never researched Boardwalk at all because it was just further down my list and I was pinning my hopes to Bay Lake Towers or Beach club.
So, now we have to talk to DHs parents and see how serious they are about coming. And if they are, do we all squeeze into a 1 bedroom at Bay Lake Tower (I just think the location can't be beat) or get the 2 bedroom at Boardwalk?
BLT 1 bedroom has enough beds for all of us--1 king bed, 1 queen size sofa bed, 1 single chair-bed, and room for a crib. And we could spend some extra money on dining stuff or park hopper passes. We'd be a bit crowded, but we would be sleeping in different rooms, and the location is amazing.
Boardwalk has 2 bedrooms so everyone has their own space. Price isn't too bad, and you can walk to Epcot/boat to HS, but it shares busses with Dolphin AND Swan hotels to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. Boo.
Thoughts?
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@Anagram: I would not want to share a room with my in-laws. My kids already don't sleep well away from home, but it's a million times harder when grandma and grandpa are all up in our space because they just won't settle down. I also wouldn't give up your dream location if you really don't want to stay elsewhere. Instead, I'd book two separate rooms in the resort you want and request for them to be as close as possible.
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@twodoghouse: well there is a seperate bedroom and living room. So they would be on the queen sofa bed in the living room. I read some forums and apparently the sofa beds are comfy. And there are 2 full bathrooms so no sharing that.
But you may be on to something. It looks cheaper too. I'm going to ask what the studio availability is like.
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@Anagram: it's quite a bit cheaper (about $1500) for us to get 2 studios rather than a 2 bedroom. I stayed in a 1 bedroom at Saratoga Springs with 4 adults and it was a bit tight. I don't think I would want to throw kids into the mix.
I'm sorry BLT isn't available ... FWIW my neighbors adore the Boardwalk. I've heard the evening entertainment is so much fun and the location can't be beat. It's not my #1 choice but I know we would still have an awesome stay if that's all is available.
Did you go through Davids?
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@Anagram: If there's a door, I could make do with sharing! I don't think that's Too bad as long as your ILs don't mind a sofa bed! I just know I (and my kids) sometimes need some time to just decompress away from my ILs (well, anyone really).
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If they both have 2 baths, I'd go with your choice of the location!
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I have a question for those of you who are experienced with Disney. If you spend the morning in the park, then head back to your resort for nap/afternoon rest, do you ever head back into the park in the evening? On the day we plan to do Magic Kingdom, I can get reservations for all 6 of us to go to Be our Guest for dinner at 5:20 (a good time for my kids' dinner). We are going in two months so I think this might be our only opportunity to do BOG. Is it reasonable to think we could leave the park, relax a while, then head back in to MK? Or is that just too full of a day? We are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, so I think it will be a long haul in and out of MK.
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@twodoghouse: Book it! I love BOG for dinner!
Another option would be to just have an early dinner and then leave?
We push hard at Disney! We dont leave and have made it from park open to park close with just a stroller nap.
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I already emailed and got a response. One thing I can say is that Dave's rental site responds way way faster to questions that the other DVC site. No studios except in Saratoga Springs and Animal Kingdom, and of course no guarantees of being close or connecting. And if the in-laws aren't connecting we are back to creeping around while the kids nap and go to bed early.
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@twodoghouse: Yes; we’ve done exactly that and it was totally doable for my LO. After her nap we went back to Magic Kingdom and she was totally refreshed to hit the park again – and excited to do so.
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@twodoghouse: We've done it where we go to the park in the morning, head back after lunch and then go to another location for dinner. I think that's totally reasonable. My son responds better when I preserve the nap, he never could handle a stroller nap.
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@T.H.O.U.: @yoursilverlining: Thank you both! I booked it. I don't know if my kids will even care, but I am super excited!
T.H.O.U. - I wish we could do that, but A and B haven't done the stroller nap thing in years! I know they will be extra tired out at Disney, but I don't want to count on it and then end up with terrors. Plus if we go back to the resort we can get freshened/dressed up. Win win!
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@twodoghouse: Yes and then you can also do a ride or two maybe after dinner while everyone else is still eating!
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@twodoghouse: Some part of the vacation has to be about you too; not just the kids!
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I stayed at Boardwalk and thought it was quite nice - not super over the top nice, but I usually travel pretty cheaply. Also, I think being within walking distance of Epcot is good because Epcot has the most interesting and yummy food options, so if you have park hopper you can come back from the main park you were at for the day and get dinner from Epcot. Plus the boardwalk has its own food options that aren't bad.
I went on a trip to Disney with my family (DH, DS 2 years) and my mom, a few weeks ago and I would highly advise getting as much space as you can if you go with the inlaws. We shared a suite for all of us at Buena Vista Suites (a nice for the price off site hotel,) and it was still pretty bad being that close with everyone. But my mom is really really bad about giving us space, so it might be better with your inlaws. -
@yoursilverlining: DH and I are doing a night in Epcot sans kids on our last night, so we will get at least that night too!
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We went this past December. When my then 2yo was getting thrashy, we put him in the stroller, gave him a melatonin pill and strolled him around a quiet area. He hasn't slept in the stroller since he was tiny otherwise. Leaving the parks would be too much of a hassle.
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Bump on this. I have a new question: I just realized it will be MILs birthday while we are there. What's a good restaurant recommendation (not toooo fancy, they aren't fancy people) for a senior's birthday? I know about Hoop de Doo Review and the Spirit of Aloha....any recommendations other than those two?
update on the DVC points rental--it's been a ride. First they said a 2 bedroom at boardwalk was available, and we finally decided to book it. Then they said someone else got it just minutes before we did and it was gone again. So then we started over with slightly different dates and then had to decide between Wilderness Lodge and Boardwalk again (Bay Lake Towers for that week was weirdly way more expensive because only "theme park" views were left. So after a lot of round-and-round we are trying again to get the Boardwalk 2 bedroom suite again, on different dates. Should hear back soon. Ugh. DVC points rentals are good for getting extra space, but also a lot of work.
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@tigger223: We are staying at Boardwalk and now I am super excited! I wanted to stay at a MK area resort, but after reading about Boardwalk, I think it's going to be super fun.
LO's favorite princess right now is Cinderella, so I feel like she would love to go inside Cinderella's castle. But also, she love Anna and Elsa...are they at Akershus?
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