Looking to visit after a couple of decades...

Any suggestions on where to stay?

Doug

Oh my...something to make my heart beat faster, a Disney discussion.

I'll be happy to discuss this in this forum or by PM if you prefer.

To best advise you, who all is going and approximately when and which parks do you plan on visiting?

I would guess if you frequent this board you will be happiest in one of the Deluxe properties.

My fave is the Grand Floridian RPC (Royal Palm Club - concierge - main building). It is the flagship property and the best location with a great concierge staff and benefits. It is a Magic Kingdom property and on the monorail.

That being said, if you are going down for Food & Wine (festival), it is most convenient to stay at an Epcot property e.g. Yacht Club.

Regarding food, if you are at all picky about quality to value, look towards booking the Signature Dining places. And yes, you really do have to reserve in advance to ensure you get something approximating a day and time you want.

Clay and I went last year after more than a decade since our last visit and even longer since our last stay. We spent a week at Animal Kingdom Lodge and loved it. It was so cool to be able to peek out the curtains at any time and see animals. They very cooly put out food to attract different animals on some schedule and the animals rotate through center stage like some kind of subtle production. I am sure everyone has their favorite. This is the only Disney hotel we have stayed in and while the rooms were rather small, we loved our time there. Debbie

Hi Doug. Our favorite is the Boardwalk. It's much quieter than the Grand Floridian. There's a nice quiet pool in the back. You can still book a concierge room. You are within walking distance of several restaurants along the Boardwalk area. And you can easily walk or take a boat ride to two of the four theme parks, Epcot and the studios.

Disney touts the Grand Floridian as its best property but I really think it's the Boardwalk.

The Animal Kingdon Lodge is nice if you really want to see animals but it is an isolated property. It will take a while to get anyplace else.

I high recommend staying on the Disney property even though you can get better deals at other hotels. A good compromise are the Swan and Dolphin hotels which are in the Boardwalk area but are not owned by Disney. You can sometimes get better rates. Look at a site called mousesavers.com.

Good luck. You'll have a great time. Tom.

Thanks all!

We stayed at the Grand Floridian more years ago than I want to think about.. Loved it!
But for this trip, it appears to be more than we want to spend.
I do agree that we would prefer to stay at a Disney property. But there seem to be some pretty good deals at some good properties just outside.

Tom: I will look into the Boardwalk.

Doug

This is the great thing about Disney. There is something that is right for everyone.

Didn't know if you saw the current discounts:
http://bookwdw.reservations.disney....W_ChoicePage_FY10Q3Summer RoomGetDetails

I've also stayed at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes - very nice. The JW Marriott shares the property as well. Not yet tried but, the Four Seasons also has had some attractive pricing and is adjacent to Disney property.

One other thing to consider would be using Starwood miles at the Swan (Westin - queens or king) / Dolphin (Sheraton - doubles or king).
Even if you pay cash, they have some of the benefits of a Disney property at a much more friendly price point.

Best wishes for a great trip!

We were down twice last year. In May we stayed at the Polynesian Resort (largest regular rooms from among the Disney properties.) With it being on the monorail and having the volcano pool in addition to the quiet pool it was the perfect place to spend a week with our granddaughters, ages 7 & 9. I booked during their "pay for 4, get 3 free" deal.

We booked a "bounce-back" special to return for the first week in December in order to see all of the Christmas decorations and shows. Since that was just myself and DH we chose the Boardwalk Inn. We liked it for the same reasons Tom mentioned, though in December we had no interest in the pool.

I didn't think we would go again until our grandson was old enough for his trip but could not pass up the "monster code" we received that offered 40% off any Disney property room during certain weeks during the remainder of this year. Now we have another December trip planned for just the two of us staying in a safari view room at Animal Kingdom Lodge because Animal Kingdom is my favorite park and I've enjoyed meals at AKL.

For an absolute wealth of information go to www.disboards.com The forums there are extremely active. WARNING: They can become addictive!

Also, www.allears.net has an extensive listing of resort photos, restaurant menus etc.

Thanks Kathy!

It is a long weekend trip and since we plan to spend all 3 days at the parks (in Fri night: parks Sat, Sun & Mon with an evening flight Mon night), I can't see spending for some of the really top places. We'll never have time to enjoy what they offer.

But Boardwalk looked wonderful for a less harried trip.

Doug

In that case, the Swan & the Dolphin often have very favorable rates and are right at Disney although they are not Disney properties. A Disney Moderate property that Disney fans seem to love is Port Orleans French Quarter. Several friends stay at Sheraton Vistana Villages near by. They do rent a vehicle at the airport.

We love the Wilderness lodge.

Hyatt has a nice property that we are looking at, as does the Waldorf (sp?) There are so many nice places to pick from that I can't see the urgency to book asap.

BUT...

to the more important question...

Since, it doth appear, that there are a number of Disney fans here and that it has been a number of (large number) years since we've been there...
And that we have 2 & 3/4 days to spend in the parks...

Which parks do you recommend? All Disney or Disney & Universal? And which?
2 days we can close the park down. On the 3rd, we will have to leave mid-afternoon to make the flight home.

As always, any & all suggestions/advice are welcomed from the LCT brain trust!

Doug

Doug, don't try to do both Disney and Universal in 2-3 days, pick one or the other. Disney has four separate parks plus two water parks and Downtown Disney--plenty to occupy your time. Universal has two separate parks and a central entertainment area. The nice thing about Universal is that if you stay in one of the on- property hotels, you get a VIP speed pass that lets you go to the front of the line on every ride. Worth it's weight in gold!!!!! Plus, the transportation from the hotel to the park area eliminates a whole lot of walking. Disney has a Fast Pass, but it's really only a reservation system plus you still end up waiting in a line.

Thanks, Peggy

(Wonder if I can pet the tigers?)

Doug

I have not been to Universal so I am naturally biased towards Disney. We're still not sure of the ages and interests of your party. If your focus is roller coasters, from what I hear you may prefer Universal. We are past the big coaster stage and enjoy all the rest that is Disney.

Soarin' in Epcot is my favorite attraction. Do it at park opening or get a Fast Pass. (Or do it like me - ride first thing, get FP, ride again when FP time begins.) Plenty to do in Epcot to make it a full day. Plus Epcot has some of the best places to eat in all of WDW. As mentioned earlier, you will need to book an ADR for any table service restaurant ASAP. (They take them up to 6 months in advance.) Disney Hollywood Studios has the fewest attractions we like enough to want to repeat. Only Toy Story Mania holds a big interest for us. Unfortunately, it is truly mania to even get into line for that one. TSM is going down for 12 days of maintenance in October. But Rockin Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror are high on other people's list, just not our cup of tea. I love Animal Kingdom for the animal trails, the safari ride, the shows and the parade (daily at 3:45 pm.) They close early - 5:00 pm. For coasters: Expedition Everest is in AK plus a dinosaur themed coaster. Magic Kingdom can be a whole day park. You might want to hop on the monorail for one of your meals at a monorail resort to expand your food choices.

Sorry, Doug -- no tiger petting at Universal or Disney :( . But you might be able to see some tigers at the Animal Kingdom park at Disney--can't remember if we saw any of them or not. My favorite parks at Disney are Epcot and Animal Kingdom, but for sheer convenience and lack of stress, we much prefer Universal over Disney. We've spent much time at both due to our annual "Camp Grandma". Thank goodness the kids are old enough now to prefer going on cruises.

To answer some questions:

It will be our 34th anniversary. We actually we at WDW for part of our honeymoon back before the internet was invented by Al Gore.

We will be without children. BUT I will be with the coaster loving kid that I married.

We love the Safari idea, but are concerned with the heat. (yup, after being in Africa we know that the critters do little in the noon day sun!)

We will have a car. But still playing around with the hotel possibles: do we want to collect points or use points? I so like a free room!

Thanks again for all the suggestions. Please feel free to keep them coming.

Doug

;) Our first 2 trips were also a long time ago before the internet was invented by Al Gore. The third trip was a few years after EPCOT opened and although we had a (single) computer I still did my planning via books. I relied heavily on the previously mentioned allears & disboards for both of last year's trips and again for this December.

I am guessing that you will be going sometime between now and the end of October if you are concerned about the heat. Mid May was not bad and naturally December was ideal for the animals (& people!) That tiger picture that I posted above was taken on December 6th around 3:00 pm.

You know your dates so with them in mind, check on www.allears.com to see if the coasters your DW would like to ride are scheduled for rehab. during your visit. Space Mountain was down for several weeks last year for a refurb. so that will probably be fine. The outdoor coasters will shut down if there are thunderstorms in the area but I'm sure that would be true for Universal also.

If you decide on WDW over Universal, I highly recommend that you register as a new member at www.disboards.com and you can ask just about any question and receive an answer, sometimes literally within minutes. They have over 267 thousand members. Because they are so huge, the site will log you off if you don't have activity every so many minutes (not sure of the exact time) so pick an easy & quick user ID and password.

Since you all have been so helpful, I wanted to let you know where we are ending up:

We have booked at the Hyatt Grand Cypress. Great rate including breakfast. Hate that resort fee, but we'll figure out how to maximize it (lol).

Then, today, while at Costco, I saw gift certificates being sold at $80 for $100 face value...good at most Hyatts.
Checked & it is good at the Grand Cypress. So back to Costco soon to save a few bucks more!

Doug

PS: Discover Card is starting a 5% rebate on Theme Park Tickets!

Hi Doug ~ Happy anniversary!! :app:

At the risk of restating the obvious......it is HOT at Disney in the summer. :ohmy:

You might want to take a cue from the animals and find a shady place for a noontime nap! Or maybe an airconditioned pub for a noontime cold drink <img border="0" alt="[beer]" title="" src="graemlins/beer.gif" />

Happy Anniversary Wishes from us too. Our actual anniversary is January 2 but we celebrated it a month early last year at Disney and with our anniversary buttons we received more well wishes and free perks at meals than we've ever received before.

Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom and Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom are great chances to cool off. Use Fast Pass for them. There are also misting stations - one is near Test Track in Epcot.

Costco wants to build a new store in our neighborhood - just 1.5 miles away. If all goes through, in another few years I'll finally have one near by.

Doug and Andi--have a great time at Disney and Happy Anniversary.

Very happy anniversary to you both! Get to the park early, rest in the heat of the day, and go back in the late afternoon. Stay hydrated!! Try to keep to a modified ROAR schedule! Have a great time-

Dear Andi and Doug...Disney is a much better choice where to celebrate your anniversary. A special dinner is at the Grand Floridean at Narcoosees. Rty and get a table near the window to see the fireworks in the Magic Kingdom.....BOOK NOW!!!
Great bar on level above the main lobby...think its the Mizner's bar. Anyway have a great time and come to Toronto when there is no G20 meeting or g.p. parade,though i know you hate to miss it. ;)

Thanks everyone!

Yes, Mitch: good advice from my fav MD..stay hydrated
Bonnie: we plan to bail during the noon day sun & enjoy the hotel. Back after the heat retreats a bit. BTW, we used Gary Leff for ROAR 3 bookings. What a nice and able guy! We did well with his help!
Kathy: where do we get those magic Anniversary buttons? (lol)
Peggy: wish you & Jerry could join us.
Ray & Pat: V&A's was our favorite restaurant at the Grand Floridian back when. We'll see this time. Don't thing we want to spend 2-3 hours at dinner this time. Still to be decided.
& while we may have missed the Toronto parade, trust me, our friends will be well represented in Disney's various parades.

Anyone near the Orlando area? Want to meet. Let me know via private mail & we'll compare dates.

Doug

PS: the Costco deal is good at our place!!!! BONUS!

Hey Doug....that's perfect...mellow out during the heat of the day. So glad your experience with Gary Leff was similar to mine. I just shake my head and am convinced that he performs magic! Speaking of which...have fun in the Magic Kingdom!! :app: :app:

Doug and Andi,
Been off to Las Vegas and Sunny SoCal for 10 days, sorry to have missed this discussion. Have a great time. Lynn

Thanks, y'all for all your help. Wish you were joining us.

We will have 2 full days and about a 3/4 day for parks.
I await the LCT brain trust to advise how we should do this.
We can arise early or go to bed late.

All suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance, Doug

Doug, I looked back at this thread and didn't see (though it could / probably) be there .... when are you going to be there? We are coming back to the states the end of July and I need to get down to see my Mom (near Orlando) soon after that so I am wondering if we can coordinate getting together......

Arlene:
So sorry, but the dates just don't work...
BUT we will do something else very soon now that you & Marc will be stateside!

Doug

Doug -

So Hyatt and you are still deciding on parks to visit? I scrolled quickly. The Animal Park is a must see and then I would do the Classic - The Magic Kingdom.

I was going to suggest priceline for a hotel - but it seems like you are booked.

I LOVE DISNEY WORLD!

If you have not yet decided on which of the parks to visit you might want to check 2 sites to learn the park hours and expected crowds for the dates that you will be there. http://www.wdwinfo.com/ is the home page of the disboards where you can find park hours etc. http://www.touringplans.com/tp2/UG2_index.php?PageID=0 gives advise regarding crowds. The next 30 days is free; for a full 365 day calendar you have to pay a fee to join.

When a park has Extra Magic Hours for guests staying on Disney property that particular park normally ends up being the busiest park for that day. That becomes most noticible towards noon.

Although Animal Kingdom is my favorite park you should be warned that on hot days it will normally be hottest in AK - by about 5 to 10 degrees. If it is not too hot when you visit remember that they do close earlier than any other park.

When we go without kids in December we only go to Magic Kingdom for the parades, Spectromagic, decorations & fireworks. We've done the rides enough times with kids to have our fill of them. But MK does have 3 coasters. Since you'll be w/o children you can head straight to Space Mountain (skipping the mad rush of strollers to Dumbo), then cross the park to Big Thunder Mountain RR & Splash Mountain. Grab a fast pass for Splash M to go again later when you'll need it to cool off.

After you choose your parks based on the calendar info. start working on a touring plan if you will be there during a crowded time.

Many people feel that Illuminations, shown nightly in EPCOT, is the best fireworks show.

Fantasmic, the show with fireworks at DHS, is only shown on select nights now. Check the schedule if you want to include a day at DHS. And then check the disboards for advise on how to get seating for that one. If there are thunder storms in the area the show will be cancelled and only the preloaded fireworks will be set off for a few minutes. The fireworks at MK & EPCOT go off every night regardless of weather but Tinkerbelle flies (MK) only when conditions are right.

I knew that LCT was the place to find the brain trust! Thanks again for all this detailed help.

Been a long time since we've been to WDW. The animal park didn't exist the last time we were there. So, clearly that is a must. I agree that that will be one park that we will be there when they open the gates. It will be another year before we go back to Africa, so this fix will have to hold us.
The Magic Kingdom will also be a required stop, if for no other reason than for the kid I married to go on Space Mountain. It will also be a great time to retell the story of how my mother-in-law got stuck in the middle of 'It's a Small World". The boats may have stopped, but the song never did!
The only remaining question is for the third park! Epcot or MGM? Each is such fun in its own way. What do you all recommend? If you had to pick one or the other (which we will have to do)...which?

And while I'm asking the studio audience... due to the flight schedule coming home.... we will be able to spend 2 full days at the parks and about a 3/4 day at a third. Given that the animal park gets a full day treatment..... which park would you pick for the short day. (note: it might not really be all that short if we just stayed there rather than going back to the hotel mid-day.)

Fireworks are a must! Kathy: what is DHS?

Thanks again, Doug

DHS is what you are referring to as MGM. DHS stands for Disney Hollywood Studios.

Remember that Animal Kingdom normally closes at 5:00 pm. But you could go to a nice restaurant outside of Disney after leaving since you'll have your car. Alternatively, you could try for a dinner reservation at one of the Disney resorts or at Downtown Disney after AK park closing.

I'd pick EPCOT over DHS because I love Soarin' (in the Land Pavillion) but there are no real roller coasters in EPCOT. However, Andi might be satisfied to get thrills at Test Track and Mission Space. Motion sickness warning: so many people got sick on the original Mission Space that they now have 2 versions of it. I also like the diversity of attractions in EPCOT.

Without a thought it is Epcot....Great times there...The Coral Reef Restaurant is one of our favorite in Epcot.....Lunch in Paris, a pint or two(gin & tonic) in the Rose and Crown(Britain)and don't forget those "Beaver Tails" in front of Canada.
Can you tell I love it there.
Question: what two items are not for sale in WDW?

No chewing gum anywhere in WDW. No alcohol in MK but I'm thinking that you have in mind two items not for sale anywhere throughout WDW.

And I agree with Pat & Ray, lots of great eating choices in EPCOT and no good food choices in DHS.

Way to go, most people automatically say cigarettes but forget gum.
However, hardly anyone smokes anymore anyway.
Gum removal from the WDW costs hundreds of thousands every year.
Do you know the difference between a gum chewing girl and a cud chewing cow?


"A gum chewing girl and a cud chewing cow,
there is a difference I will allow.
The difference is, I have it now,
the intelligent look on the face of the cow."

Saaaaawy, but this ditty makes me laugh.

Doug, last time I was planning a trip there, (late 80's?) I bought a book called "The Unofficial Guide to Disney World" They still print it, but the online link is http://www.touringplans.com/tp2/UG2_index.php?PageID=0

Others more familiar with the parks can tell you if it is a good one, but I found it very helpful for finding more "Adult" dining spots, as well as all sorts of crowd avoidance strategies.

Yes, the "Uniofficial Guide" is the best book out there. They go to press in August every year so the current book (2010) is up to date as of August 2009. Their webside does have pages of updates available for those persons who have purchased the book.

Doug & Andi,

When Clay and I spent a week at AKL last September it was the first time we had spent time at WDW since before AK was opened as well. I made great use of the WDW website before we went especially to book restaurant reservations. That pretty much decided our itineraries for each day. If you want to sit down to eat and not use counter service restaurants, you pretty much must have reservations and even then, you usually have to wait to be seated. All that said, below is a copy of the roughed out itinerary I created for us at the WDW website.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/
You have to log in there and create a profile etc and then you can create an itinerary and you can make reservations. Although we booked our entire trip through that website, I assume you can book restaurant reservations there without all the rest (though that is just a guess on part!) Anyway, being able to create a loose itinerary on the same website also gave me a good place to keep all the reservation confirmation numbers in one place. Though you can request the website to email them all to you as well. Good luck and have fun, Debbie


September 5-11, 2009
Saturday, September 5
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Park
2:10pm The Tree of Life
5:30pm The Tree of Life
1:05pm Sanaa at AKL Kidani Village - LUNCH
6:10pm Boma - Flavors of Africa - DINNER

Sunday, September 6
Magic Kingdom® Park
7:30am Extra Magic Hours-Morning
Resorts
7:30am AKL to Contemporary's The Wave
9:00am Contemporary's The Wave - BREAKFAST
10:00am from Contemporary Resort to MK
10:05am Walt Disney World® Railroad
9:30am Splash Mountain®
1:20pm Liberty Tree Tavern - LUNCH
2:20pm "it's a small world"
6:25pm Tony's Town Square - DINNER
10:00pm Wishesâ„¢ Nighttime Spectacular
9:00pm "SpectroMagic" Parade

Monday, September 7
Resorts
7:30am Boma - Flavors of Africa - BREAKFAST
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Park
7:30am The Tree of Life
8:00am Kilimanjaro Safaris®
12:00pm The Oasis Exhibits
12:05pm EXIT
Disney's Hollywood Studiosâ„¢
1:30pm Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater - LUNCH
8:05pm 50's Prime Time Café - DINNER
10:00pm EXIT

Tuesday, September 8
Resorts
8:00am Grand Floridian Cafe at Grand Floridian Resort - BREAKFAST
7:00am AKL to Grand Floridian Cafe at GF Resort
8:55am Grand Floridan to Epcot
Epcot®
1:00pm Coral Reef Restaurant - LUNCH
9:00pm IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
9:00am Spaceship Earth Pavilion
6:30pm Les Chefs de France - DINNER
9:30pm EXIT

Wednesday, September 9
Resorts
7:55am Boma - Flavors of Africa - BREAKFAST
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Park
1:00pm Yak & Yeti Restaurant - LUNCH
8:05pm EXIT
6:00pm Festival of the Lion King
7:15pm Yak & Yeti Restaurant - DINNER

Thursday, September 10
Resorts
6:45am AKL to Polynesian Resort's Kona Cafe
7:50am Kona Cafe - BREAKFAST
9:00am Other
Epcot®
5:30pm United Kingdom Pavilion
12:00pm Teppan Edo - LUNCH
5:25pm EXIT to Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studiosâ„¢
6:40pm Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano - DINNER
8:30pm Fantasmic! - OR
10:00pm Fantasmic!
9:30pm EXIT

Friday, September 11
7:00am The Mara at AKL - BREAKFAST NO RES.
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Park
9:10am transportation
Disney's Hollywood Studiosâ„¢
9:05am OR Animal Kingdom
Downtown Disney® Area
2:00pm Planet Hollywood® - LUNCH
Recreation Locations
3:15pm Miniature Golf