Newbie who needs A LOT of HELP!
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| Mon, 10-22-2007 - 2:13pm |
I am so happy to have found this board through my Dec. '06 Snowflake board. Anyhow, we are planning a trip to Disney the first week of May. My husband actually has a conference at the Swan, so we will be staying there 3 nights. However, we want to extend out stay and do more things. Our daughter will be 16 months, so we will have to take lots of breaks during the day so that we won't have a cranky one.
We were thinking of looking into another resort onsite for the rest of our stay as we've heard the Swan in very expensive. We were thinking Animal Kingdom. Does that sound like a good thing to do or should we just pay the $$ to stay the whole time there?
Also, is there a page with lots of info. I looked through many discussions, but they are much farther into the process. I am looking for where to find deals on hotel, tickets, etc. I am also thinking we are going to want to do a meal plan. Where's the best place for all this info. Where can I also learn about all the other things about Disney--like the things that are great to do, that many people don't know just from the Disney site. We want to do a character breakfast/lunch/ and/or dinner. I saw something about cinderall roundtable and would like to know what that's all about.
As you can see I have a lot of questions. I was hoping there is a page on here that lists FAQ or something. TIA for all your help!

Pages
We had some links at the top of the board, but I forgot to look and see if they're still there before hitting reply - but here are two of the best
www.allearsnet.com
www.mousesavers.com
there are others but they have message boards and we can't link to them becuase it's against iVillage TOS.
The Swan is a deluxe hotel - so is
Like Sonya said, AKL is also a deluxe resort.
As for the character meal, I'd recommend the Crystal Palace restaurant in the Magic Kingdom. Beautiful location, good food, Pooh and friends AND a relatively reasonable price! CRT (Cinderella's Royal Table) is definitely a higher wow factor, but it does take more money and effort to book (because of the competitive reservation system). Just my not so humble opinion!
With a 16 month old in tow, I think you're wise to be planning lots of breaks. I would advice mid-day breaks back in the resort, and in-park "breaks" midmorning, to reduce the stimulation level, kwim? I can give you more ideas about these if you'd like!
As far as which resort, will you have a rental car or depend on Disney transportation for going to and from the parks? That would be the key piece of info before you decide on a resort, again IMHO :) Also, once you have the transportation piece, I would research your stroller options.
I think you're off to a great start, would love to hear more!
Thanks for all of your great information so far! My husband and I went to Disney before we were married and stayed at AKL that's why we were thinking there again, we loved it. We will not have a car (unless we need to get one-suggestions?). I will be bringing out stroller that collapses easily and is fairly light.
I believe we did the Crystal Palace breakfast when we were there before. Winnie the pooh and the gang were there-I think that was the Crystal Palace. We would like to do that and others. CRT seems like a nice highlight--I am a stay at home mom so I can be right on the phone at 180 days--whatever it take for my princess. What a BBB for an 16 month old? I want the trip to be very special to her, but know she will not remember much so I don't want to go too overboard.
I am not sure what to do about tickets. I am thinking we would really only want to go to MK and AK. Can you get individual or do you need a hopper. Is a hopper much better, worth the price?
I would love to hear about suggestions for breaks in the parks. Also, for your opinion on resorts.
Can you recommend a good book that you've used in your planning? Thanks again!
OK - first of all no idea what "wonderful weeks are", so can't help you there, sorry.
Books on the other hand, I think I must have read them all! Heehee. It depends on what you're looking for: For just a basic run-down of attractions in each land and park, the Passporter's pretty good. (It also has the BEST maps, hands down!) A THICK tome with a thorough critique of the whole Disney enterprise AND everything you ever wanted to know about the parks (and perhaps more!) the Unofficial Guide. For the Disney-endorsed version with "magical" descriptions of attractions, resorts, etc: Birnbaum's. And there's more, but these came to mind first...
For resort suggestions without a car: since you're considering deluxe resorts anyway, and with a child her age, and thinking most of your time will be spent at MK, I would think you should go for one of the resorts on the monorail. Most people I know of love the Polynesian - though first hand I wouldn't know, I frankly come more from a budget mindframe ;)
As for not going too overboard - I don't know but if I were 16 months old I would think getting "prettied up" at the BBB would not be my favorite thing to experience, but what do I know? Anyone else out there with more thoughts on this? Even the character meals, come to think of, could be a no-no for your baby, since she might get scared by them (although she on the other hand may love it, who knows?) One thing I noticed is that if you're going to stay onsite, for the CRT it's not 180 days but 190, that you should call ahead! Since you mentioned "she won't remember" I also wanted to mention Photopass (in addition to taking your own pictures).
In terms of tickets, I'm of the "no hoppers necessary" school, although you'll find many on either camp, for different reasons. I would look into this more though, particularly if after doing some research you decide you DO want to visit the other two parks.
In-park breaks: In Frontierland/Liberty Square in the MK, I'd recommend Tom Sawyer's Island just for a break from the crowds, and Hall of Presidents for a good 20 minutes of sit-down in the dark (for nursing or napping - especially if you sit towards the back of the theater)...I'm sure I'll think of more later. In the AK, some of the paths on Discovery Island in particular, among the lovely vegetation, seem far away from the activity and therefore soothing. The Baby Care centers are also supposed to be great, (although I don't have first-hand experience with them). Most of all, taking your own stroller (as opposed to renting park ones) I would think is the best call for a child the age of yours, so she can conk out comfortably as needed during any of it...and last but not least I would advocate for TAKING YOUR TIME with your touring (going at a slower pace than you might want to) so she can take it all in without getting overwhelmed, making frequent stops to just enjoy the scenery and have a drink or a snack, etc...no commando touring for you! :) The exception to that would be the general timing of things: I would definitely try to make it to the parks early, since that way you'll get a lot more done without waiting in as many lines, and that will free your time for longer breaks in the resort in the middle of the day. Make sense?
Thanks a bunch! I especially like all your tips for breaks in the park.
In terms of the books, I've been to Disney 5 times (once within the last 3 years), so I feel comfortable with the rides. I am not looking for a book to discuss/rate the rides. I am looking for something that will give me inside tips. Like, dinning options (I never heard of CRT), parades, must-sees, etc. The things the daily map doesn't tell you. It sounds like the "unoffical" guide what be more of what I would be looking for, though I heard many great things about the Passporter.
Thanks again! I need to decide on my resort now--do I want a Deluxe hotel when I know a moderate or value is just fine! Do most of you book packages right through the online site or call or use a travel agent?
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