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Lincoln posted:snip I've worked a lot of service industry so I'm definitely totally set on the being nice bit. Thanks for letting me know it's worth trying. The club level stuff seems amazing but I'm not ready to throw that sort of dough around and that gives me hope 
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Feb 1, 2014 04:18
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Tigntink posted:...but I'm not ready to throw that sort of dough around... Yeah, me neither. After experiencing concierge level for free, I know I'd never be willing to pay for it. It's about an extra $150-$200/night, and the only meaningful thing we got out of (in my view anyway) was the food. The concierge desk struck me as kind of superfluous, because as far as I could tell, they didn't do anything you couldn't accomplish by picking up your hotel room phone and calling Guest Services, even at one of the value resorts.
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Feb 1, 2014 17:12
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Well, we meet up with the rest of the family around noon and it has not stopped reading except for a brief period and the park is packed. The rain is making the lines for the rides a nightmare too with everyone running for cover. Fun times. I'm standing just inside the entryway between Pinocchio Haus and Small World camping out from a downpour.
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Feb 2, 2014 00:37
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That sounds like a good time to hit up the less visited theatre attractions (Carousel of Progress, Hall of Presidents, Country Bear Jamboree, Enchanted Tiki Room, Philharmagic). Most of these even have covered waiting areas and don't dump into uncovered areas. Even if there's a long line or a long wait, the queues hold a lot of people. Or just ride the Peoplemover endlessly. Even with a crowd, they tend to let people stay on as much as desired.
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Feb 2, 2014 02:08
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When it rains I usually go straight to Carousel of Progress and take a nap.
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Feb 2, 2014 07:25
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Doronin posted:When it rains I usually go straight to Carousel of Progress and take a nap. It's a great big beautiful tomorrow....to sleep right though.
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Feb 2, 2014 16:40
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I am still reading through the OP, but I have some questions. I have been to WDW quite a few times, and I agree that monorail is a godsend. My family is in the planning stages of a trip around Easter. 4 adults, 2 children, aged 1 and 4. We are thinking of either the Polynesian, Contemporary or Wildness Lodge. I have not used the boat system for hotels, typically how convenient/fast is it? Apologies if this has been posted. My sister has a friend who books for WDW, these are some of the options she gave us. kri kri fucked around with this message at 06:07 on Feb 4, 2014 |
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Feb 3, 2014 20:22
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Any experience or info about Disneyland Paris? Heading there in 2 weeks (just for a day).
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Feb 3, 2014 22:17
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kri kri posted:I am still reading through the OP, but I have some questions. I have been to WDW quite a few times, and I agree that monorail is a godsend. Poly is in the beginning stages of a really brutal rehab and it looks like poo poo right now exterior. The lodge is really neat, I enjoy going there with the wife for lunch and dinner from time to time, it's very cozy. PO is nice in it's own right but you will be taking the bus over a farther distance. On the flip side it is a boat ride to the Disney marketplace so.
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Feb 3, 2014 22:30
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demonR6 posted:Poly is in the beginning stages of a really brutal rehab and it looks like poo poo right now exterior. The lodge is really neat, I enjoy going there with the wife for lunch and dinner from time to time, it's very cozy. PO is nice in it's own right but you will be taking the bus over a farther distance. On the flip side it is a boat ride to the Disney marketplace so. Exterior I can deal with, maybe I can stay at Contemporary. Anyone know how easy it is to take the boat from WL to MK? Strollers access will be required.
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Feb 3, 2014 23:01
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If it's anything like a few years ago, strollers need to be folded on the boats. There are some boats throughout WDW which will sometimes allow strollers to remain open (I don't know boat type names, but the ones with flat floors and rows of benches under a covering), but I think that even then, the cast members will require it to be folded if the boat is full. All transportation, as far as I know, allows strollers on if they're folded. Of course, if the stroller absolutely needs to stay open, say for a disability, this could be a case-by-case thing. One of the monorail resorts may be your best bet if it needs to stay open.
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Feb 4, 2014 00:09
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kri kri posted:Exterior I can deal with, maybe I can stay at Contemporary. You might (should) be allowed to take the boat on, but they aren't going to let the kid sit in the stroller due to safety reasons. They won't let you do it on most forms of transport afaik.
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Feb 4, 2014 00:12
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Pieces posted:Any experience or info about Disneyland Paris? I went there for 5 days in January. If you're only there for one day and want to see both parks (disneyland and the Studios) you'll have to be pretty organised! Do some research on which rides you want to do and see if you can use fast pass on them to be more efficient with your time and cut down on queuing. Definitely worth seeing Dreams in the evening if you like fireworks, and pirates of the Caribbean is great fun Here are a few good trip planning forums with helpful advice. Also if you have an iPhone there's an official disneyland paris app that tells you ride closures/maps /selecting itinerary. http://www.dlrpmagic.com/planning/ http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=156 Food and merchandise are expensive so bring enough cash to treat yourself (food outlets in both parks close by 4pm so you'll have to go to the Disney village to eat after then. Hope you enjoy yourselves This was one of the best things I bought there, wish I'd got another set! 
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Feb 4, 2014 00:43
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Lincoln`s Wax posted:Loved FQ. We just stayed there and while it's not the most heavily themed of the resorts, it's very charming. Honestly, my favorite part and probably what will keep me coming back is how small it is. The place is divided by small streets and gardens. Outside of our room and down a staircase and we're directly next to the lobby/food complex. Go one small garden over and there's the bus pad and parking. This is good info. Now I am debating staying there instead of Poly/Contemporary since its 2k less. Do you think we would have any problems with tired kids and getting them to the room ok?
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Feb 4, 2014 06:06
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Most people don't realize exactly how tiny FQ is: That's it. Something around 500 yards. Our room was on the corner of building 4, the third unit right next to the food court/lobby building and at night, it was just as quiet as the back of the facility. When we came back, it honestly took us maybe a minute to get from the lot, up the stairs and to our room. The elevator is just a bit longer because they're centrally located in the building blocks. 5's prime for closeness and river view if you're interested in that but the pool might make some noise until it closes (it was closed when we went- they had staff running golf carts over to the Riverside pools (it's so big they have 5 or 6 over there). FQ's pools are supposed to re-open at the end of this month. We're actually thinking about another trip in march. If it were me? Save the money and do FQ. Besides the monorail, the Contemporary doesn't feel very disney at all to me and if you're staying until parks for closing, I've heard the elevator lines can be pretty brutal. The rooms are very pretty, it's something I'd think about if I were going for a romantic trip with someone who wasn't super-into disney. Poly is beautiful and has one of the best resort views for the fireworks. Not worth 2k, to be honest. I think there's a ton of construction going on right now, so that would personally knock it off my list. If you're traveling with little kids, bring a media player with you if they have specific stuff that chills them out because at FQ and a lot of the other moderate resorts, they have a really handy input bar right next to the TV that has HDMI inputs.
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Feb 4, 2014 06:51
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I've been a FQ cheerleader this whole thread and I agree. I like almost all the Deluxe resorts, but if you think you can make better use of that 2 grand, FQ is a really cute and cozy joint. The bus rides aren't that much of an additional hassle, and that's a decent chunk of change. When I think about how I'm not really at the hotel very much while at WDW and that I could do a couple of my favorite and most expensive things at the parks for a single night's difference in the prices, the money-grubbing, cheap-rear end side of me that my parents programmed in kicks into high gear.
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Feb 4, 2014 07:15
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Pieces posted:Any experience or info about Disneyland Paris? I'm a Paris regular and was just there this weekend. Any specific questions? Depending on which day you visit I'd have different recommendations. Weekdays in this period will be absolutely dead: pretty much everything is a walk-on. Weekends will be slightly busier, but no more than 30 minutes for popular attractions. And yeah, don't miss Disney Dreams at closing time! (Although if you have the choice wait until at least the 12th since they're refurbishing some of the effects right now)
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Feb 4, 2014 10:26
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Zenithbliss posted:
If you need another set, PM me and I can get one for you. I just need to know where you bought it. ~d
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Feb 4, 2014 14:29
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Thanks for the info about PO FQ. I think I am going to go a couple days earlier to soak up some sun and just hang out before my sister comes on saturday. Is there a good "spa" hotel that is Disney? It doesn't need good access to the parks since I will just be relaxing those days. I am thinking of staying there wed-sat and then moving to PO sat-tues.
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Feb 4, 2014 18:00
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PkerUNO posted:I'm a Paris regular and was just there this weekend. Any specific questions? I'll be there on Feb 19th (a weekday) - we're doing 4 days in Paris, and one of those days I've got us training into Marne-La-Vallee and staying at a hotel in the Disneyland area. Should we opt for the 2-park, 1 day pass or just the 1 park, 1 day pass? Great to hear that lines will be minimal. Going to take a look over the DLRP site for information, but any tips or must-see/must-do's? We'll definitely stick around until the end for Disney Dreams.
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Feb 4, 2014 18:23
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If you're a fan of thrill rides, Walt Disney Studios has some great ones. If not, just go for the 1 Park pass at Disneyland. Here are my recommendations... Walt Disney Studios
In all honesty don't spend more than a few hours in the Studios - apart from the thrill rides there's not much here (yet...) and on the day you're visiting the main Disneyland Park will close at 20:00. Also Walt Disney Studio's theming sucks and Disneyland Park's is fantastic. Disneyland Park
Do not miss Disney Dreams at 20:00 in front of the castle - I find the best viewing position is near the back of central plaza. You don't want to be too far forward since you'll want to have a good view of all the fountains. With any luck one or two people with Light'Ears will also be in front of you. As for dining, I have never had anything less than a stellar experience at the Blue Lagoon inside Pirates of the Caribbean. It's a little pricey, but the food is great and so's the atmosphere. Like Zenithbliss said, it's good to have a plan of action FastPass-wise, and if you have data on your phone the smartphone app will give you waiting times once you're inside the park. There are also waiting time boards in both parks. Hope you have a great time and don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions!
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Feb 4, 2014 19:10
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kri kri posted:Thanks for the info about PO FQ. I think I am going to go a couple days earlier to soak up some sun and just hang out before my sister comes on saturday. Is there a good "spa" hotel that is Disney? It doesn't need good access to the parks since I will just be relaxing those days. I am thinking of staying there wed-sat and then moving to PO sat-tues. Yup, several of the hotels have spa services. I've never used any of them so I can't vouch for quality or price, but here's a list: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/spas/
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Feb 5, 2014 02:56
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Well, first time at Disney World was a definite success in the eyes of the children. The weather stunk, but what can you expect in January? We stayed at PO French Quarter and it was okay I suppose, but I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting being a first time Disney tourist. Here's my dilemma: We will definitely be going back (in a 2-3 year time frame), and it may be the last time we do so with the kids......should we dive into a more expensive hotel like the Polynesian which is on the monorail and has (supposed) extra amenities? We had dinner one night at Ohanas and dear God I don't know how much more smoked meat I could have eaten if I had 3 stomachs but it was awesome. Not sure what I'm asking other than this: If I only take the kids one more time, is it worth the convenience/$$$ of a monorail/Deluxe resort?
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Feb 5, 2014 03:48
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I am debating the exact thing myself, read up a bit to see my conversation with some users. At the moment, I am leaning toward staying at the PO FQ myself, but since I have been so many times to Disneyworld, in my mind its worth it to me to save the 2 grand the difference would be and use that somewhere else. The OP has a really good section on how big of a difference it can make, its just up to you if you think its worth it with your family and situation. kri kri fucked around with this message at 05:45 on Feb 5, 2014 |
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Feb 5, 2014 05:31
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Savage Bliss posted:Well, first time at Disney World was a definite success in the eyes of the children. The weather stunk, but what can you expect in January? We stayed at PO French Quarter and it was okay I suppose, but I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting being a first time Disney tourist. Here's my dilemma: We will definitely be going back (in a 2-3 year time frame), and it may be the last time we do so with the kids......should we dive into a more expensive hotel like the Polynesian which is on the monorail and has (supposed) extra amenities? We had dinner one night at Ohanas and dear God I don't know how much more smoked meat I could have eaten if I had 3 stomachs but it was awesome. Consider it again when you're closer to going because your preferences will change several times as your kids get older.
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Feb 5, 2014 05:36
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Savage Bliss posted:Not sure what I'm asking other than this: If I only take the kids one more time, is it worth the convenience/$$$ of a monorail/Deluxe resort? I've stayed at both and honestly have had a great trip regardless. Our first trip we stayed at Caribbean Beach, we liked it, decor was nice, restaurants were good, we had the Pirate themed room so our son loved it. But we spent 8-10 hours a day there tops (mainly to sleep), and were pretty far from the main pool. I had no issues with the buses and felt the ride times were OK. I've also stayed at the Contemporary and Saratoga Springs. Loved both of them, but again, we don't spend much time in our rooms. It's either at a park or at the pool. We really liked the ability to walk to MK from the Contempo, and to get on the monorail to go to Epcot or the other monorail resorts for a meal. Is it worth extra money for a monorail or deluxe resort? That depends on what you want out of it. We spend the majority of our time at Epcot and MK, so the monorail was awesome during that trip. In December I stayed at Saratoga (and will again in March) and riding the buses was not a big deal at all. Not having the monorail didn't make or break the trip for us.
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Feb 5, 2014 16:51
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So after all of my hemming and hawing, we have decided to stay at Wilderness Lodge after all for the entire time. We got a quote above PO obviously but under the 2 monorail hotels so we are pretty happy, plus the boat to MK sounds fun. Anyone how if the restaurants are any good?
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Feb 6, 2014 21:36
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Artist Point is one of the best restaurants at WDW for meat-eaters. They do pacific northwest food. Think salmon, crab, steak, and game meats. I had elk for the first time when I was there and it was delicious. It's also somewhat expensive and has a dress code. Totally worth it.
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Feb 6, 2014 22:01
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Nathilus posted:Artist Point is one of the best restaurants at WDW for meat-eaters. They do pacific northwest food. Think salmon, crab, steak, and game meats. I had elk for the first time when I was there and it was delicious. It's also somewhat expensive and has a dress code. Totally worth it. +5 on that.. my wife booked AP for my birthday dinner later this month. Birthday dinners are only second to the wedding anniversary dinner for what it's worth.
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Feb 6, 2014 22:07
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And Whispering Canyon is a quiet, cozy little family-style restaurant.
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Feb 6, 2014 22:09
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Those both sound great. Any other cool stuff to do around WL?
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Feb 6, 2014 22:13
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kri kri posted:Those both sound great. Any other cool stuff to do around WL? The great big giant lobby is cozy as all hell to just sit back and chill.
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Feb 6, 2014 23:05
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demonR6 posted:The great big giant lobby is cozy as all hell to just sit back and chill. Last time I was there they had a tour of all the art in the lobby, which is just amazing to explore on your own. We also rented a surrey bike and explored the trail that takes you down to the Tri-Circle-D Ranch and Fort Wilderness. And we loved just riding the boat around.
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Feb 7, 2014 03:47
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEIKB_pAmh4 This video makes me irrationally angry, because they digitally put the Ice Cream parlor where the Emporium goes for some loving reason. Gettin' mad about ads in this thread. In other news, I just got offered a phone interview for the College Program, so looks like I might be spending six months in Orlando.
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Feb 8, 2014 20:17
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TheBigBudgetSequel posted:Gettin' mad about ads in this thread. Eh? Ads?? TheBigBudgetSequel posted:In other news, I just got offered a phone interview for the College Program, so looks like I might be spending six months in Orlando. Nice! Do you have any idea when or is that not known until things are finalized? TBBS here is my two cents on this since we frequent the park. There is a ton of digital fuckery going on so I will throw this out there. I added a pic of the real MK Main Street for reference, the Ice Cream Parlor and almost the entire left side of the street almost to the very end is in the correct place. The right side from the back to about the orange line is correct. What they did do is the last two facades on the right side are digital add ons. The removed the train station and dropped in Cinderalla's Castle in it's place. Also they added balloons and other nonsense to remove all the trees as well. Hell it may all be digital.. 
demonR6 fucked around with this message at 22:42 on Feb 8, 2014 |
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Feb 8, 2014 22:15
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After what seemed like an eternity, finally managed to get dinner reservations for Be Our Guest for the wife's birthday. Has anyone eaten there? Any recommendations?
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Feb 9, 2014 20:55
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I've heard the grey stuff is delicious but if you don't believe me I heard these dudes know what's up:  In all seriousness I've heard nothing but good about everything there for dinner except for the salmon, but I'd suggest looking at a menu shortly before you go (you should be able to find one online) and then looking for newer reviews. The folks I've heard good things from are easily impressed when it comes to disney food.
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Feb 9, 2014 21:46
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Doronin posted:After what seemed like an eternity, finally managed to get dinner reservations for Be Our Guest for the wife's birthday. Was just there and had the Thyme-scented Pork Rack Chop with Au Gratin Macaroni. It was phenomenal.
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Feb 9, 2014 22:21
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Get a glass of champagne, just for the novelty of alcohol served in the Magic Kingdom. You really can't go wrong with any of the desserts. The French Onion soup is quite tasty. Otherwise, I've only had the one entree (Thyme-scented Pork Rack Chop), which was really good. My wife got something that I thought was pretty forgettable, but unfortunately, I don't remember what it was to tell you. All of that said, I really love getting lunch there now. The quality is still way up there, but the cost is much lower.
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Feb 9, 2014 23:12
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Fluffy Bunnies posted:I've heard the grey stuff is delicious but if you don't believe me I heard these dudes know what's up: haha, nice. I forgot that the menus are usually online. I'll give it a look. Although I still wonder how in the hell Mrs. Potts could be in her 60s or so, and have a 10 year old son. But I digress. Savage Bliss posted:Was just there and had the Thyme-scented Pork Rack Chop with Au Gratin Macaroni. It was phenomenal. Duly noted. That sounds outstanding. HPanda posted:Get a glass of champagne, just for the novelty of alcohol served in the Magic Kingdom. I had no idea they served champagne, so that's a must. I've always wanted to drink in Magic Kingdom. Thanks for all the insight! We're driving over for the day in a month, but I'm looking forward to eating there.
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Feb 10, 2014 04:28
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