ha, right on. Just bustin balls. Its a fuckin nightmare though in August. 4 days is enough dude cuz anything more than that you risk heat stroke.
Dining Epcot Signature Dining World Showcase i have made reservations for the coral reef 3 times and have yet to sit down and eat there. Le Cellier Steakhouse-Canada Les Chefs de France-France Restaurant Marrakesh- Moracco Nine Dragons Restaurant-China Teppan Edo-Japan quick service La Cantina De San Angel - mexico Lotus Blossom Café-China Sommerfest-Germany (bratwurst hot pretzels and Spaten) not a fan of italy. been there when i was little and when greenmachice and koz where stalking me.hated it both times desert in norway and the crepes in france rule
We got food poisoning at the coral reef so I have bad memories. I'm not a fan of the Canadian Steakhouse though I like the pretzel bread.
the hotels around the monorail are best for time saving in travel grand floridian polynesian contemporary the have direct route to the magic kingdom 1 transfer on the monorail at the ticket and transportation center and then you are at Epcot. the boardwalk and beach & yacht club are one of my favorites.walking distance to epcot and hollywood studios. stay away from the resorts with inner bus services.you have to take a bus to the front of the resorts and then hop on a bus to the parks.this is ok in the morning but when you get back at night from walking you want to just get off the bus and walk to your room not wait for another bus to get to your room. these hotels are fort wilderness Caribbean beach resort coronado springs
Last time the wife and I took the kids to Disney World we promised each other that we would not go back until we had to take the grandkids. If they ever come, and we have the misfortune to still be alive when they are old enough to demand their DW trip. Jus sayin...
We have passes to Disney World's older, less expansive cousin. Obviously can't compete with Disney World in size and the number of attractions, but there's something to be said for the original. My daughter has grown up going there once a week, or at least she did until her brother was born.
Yeah we had that same deal when we lived in SD, for my nephews- Sometimes we would just go eat at Goofy's kitchen and leave. Now they live in Mass and the kids go into Disney withdrawal when they see a commercial.
It's usually the Pizza Port, Taste Pilots, or Tortilla Jo's for us. I have to agree with DBJ that the Disney Blu Rays are phenomenal, too. They do 1080p right.
I'm a native Long Islander, but I spent much of my early childhood living about an hour from Orlando. There is no place as awesome as Disney World when you're a child. My family would go at least twice a year. My wife and I are actually planning to go to FL at some point this year...maybe take my niece and nephews there. I really appreciate all the restaurant recommendations! I've always wanted to go to Epcot during Oktoberfest...I heard they have beer specials from around the world? That reminds me of the last time my wife and I went to Epcot, about 5 years ago with family. At about 5:30 we're all hungry so we figure we'd just stop at a restaurant for dinner....ummmm no. Like fools we're stopping in France w/no reservation, then japan, then Italy...all booked since the early morning. Finally we find that Morocco has tables, so we were like "what the hell, we're eating Moroccan". It was actually a phenomenal meal, and we got a belly-dance show to boot! (It was indeed the Moroccan restaurant listed by 17a) Sidenote: as someone already mentioned, ESPN The Weekend is supposed to be absolutely awesome. I've never been, but a friend just went to the most recent one, and he said it was the coolest time he's ever had.
I and my family are disneyphiles, as well. I think what some people who see it as only a "kids' vacation" don't realize is that there are a ton of elements inherent to WDW that are really geared towards adults. One example is the attention to detail. When I'm at the Tower of Terror ride, every detail makes you feel as though you're in a decaying hotel from the 1930's. In the British pavilion of Epcot, every detail makes you feel as though you are in England. In the Grand Floridian hotel, every detail makes you feel as though you're in a Victorian-era floridian resort. These include furniture, costumes, light fixtures, the elevator, the landscaping, and so much more. I also believe many of the dining options appeal to adults. My favorite is California Grill in the Contemporary. Very elegant gourmet California cuisine food that a kid wouldn't appreciate.
I'm a huge Disney fan as well. My wife and I went frequently to old Disney, but I haven't been to new Disney since I was a senior in high school. My wife has never been. Comparatively, Disney World is simply massive. 2 days at Disney-lite and it starts to get old. I remember 4 days for Disney/Epcot used to be the minimum, but enough to see most of the stuff. I cannot even imagine how much has been added over the past 20 years...
I forgot about the California Grill, you have the best view in Disney from up there. We had dinner and watched the fireworks from the Cal Grill. I recommend that as well.
The number one piece of advice I can give you is: HAVE A PLAN! If you think you can roll out of bed around 10:00AM, head to any park and start getting on rides, you will be frustrated and disappointed. However, there are plenty of resources to help you out. Before you go booking hotels and such, pick up The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2010. It will be the best $13 you ever spend. There is no better resource to help you with general park planning. They also have some decent touring plans. For more advanced park touring planning you can use Tour Guide Mike. It is a pay website (something like $25). The number 1 reason I recommend this site is that it tells you which parks to go to for every day of the year to avoid crowds. I've found it to be VERY helpful. The site also has detailed touring plans, which are helpful but are sometimes dated. I will caution though that the site is poorly organized and hard to navigate. Other good sites to look at are: mousesavers DIS Discussion Forum allears.net As to some of your specific questions: - For a first trip, I'd recommend 5 days (2 at Magic Kingdom for your age kids); 6 if you want to take a day off. - Unless you have found a terrific deal on your own, I would recommend using a travel agent that ONLY does Disney Vacations. They will be able to get you the best deal possible. PM me if you want a good recommendation. - For a first trip I would plan to stay on Disney property. We really like the Wilderness Lodge. For less money, the Coronado Springs is pretty nice. - I haven't done the Disney meal plan, but did do a comparable plan at Atlantis. Unless everyone in your family are very big eaters, I don't think the meal plan is cost effective. - Meal reservations are open 180 days in advance. Your travel agent should be able to handle them if you know where you want to go and on what days. Whatever you do, don't miss the following rides/shows/attractions: - Toy Story Mania - Splash Mountain - The Haunted Mansion - Fantasmic! - Mickey's Philharmagic - Spectromagic Parade - Wishes (fireworks at MK) - Expedition Everest (your kids are probably too young....but don't miss out) Some other thoughts: - If you have girls, be sure to see EVERY Princess/Fairy with a Disney Autograph Book - Rent/buy the movies and music CDs (you can get most from the library) - Massive amounts of sunscreen and water - Get to the parks BEFORE they open (you can do more in the first 90 minutes than you can do in the rest of the day) Good luck! DBJ
also don't miss out on the Monster's Inc laugh club and the Stitch ride right next to one another. Both are great, especially if your kids really enjoyed those movies. Best invention in the history of the theme park is the Fast Pass! If you learn how to use it, you can shave hours off wait time for those major rides, like the roller coasters and what not. You just go up to the machine it prints you a fast pass, and it tells you what time you are set to ride the rides, just return about ten minutes before your assigned time, and lines drop down to less than 5 minutes. Plus you can collect passes for multiple rides at once and just run around and ride all the rides in the world. I don't understand why so many people stand in line instead of rolling with the fast passes... Have a great trip!
there is also a parent swap pass. one parent goes on with as many people while the other parent stays outside with a child that is too small to ride.once the people finish riding the ride the parent swaps with the waiting parent and he uses his swap pass to go to the front of the line with 2 other riders. http://www.magically-speaking.com/07/issue009.shtml
