WDW Vacation (Sept. 2 - 8, 2006)

[Joe21498]

My girlfriend and I will be going to WDW this year for the first time together. We are arriving at MCO at around 9:00 AM on Sept. 2, 2006. From there we will be staying at a value WDW resort, the Disney’s All Star Music. I chose this as the place to stay because from my experience with Disneyland you don’t spend too much time in the room and I hear these rooms are relatively nice compared to an average hotel room.

 

We also have 7 Day Magic Your Way Tickets with Park Hopper® and Magic Plus Pack Options which include the water parks and stuff. The entire package with a flight from Detroit, MI came in a little under 1,400.00 for both of us (700.00 each), which I was pleased with.

 

My question is where I start with a WDW vacation. I haven’t been to WDW since I was 5, so basically I haven’t been at all. I am an avid Roller Coaster Enthusiast and have been on over 200 different coasters. I know WDW isn’t exactly a coaster Mecca but I plan to ride all the coasters at the properties. We also plan to hit all the major thrill rides.

 

My girlfriend of over 8 years on the other hand likes the WDW atmosphere and I don’t know what is a must see and do on property. She loves the parades and the characters as well as shows that are a bit more adult oriented but still entertainingly funny for the younger crowds. For the most part this trip is for her to have a great time because last Christmas when I took her to Disneyland she had a blast.

 

I am looking to have some type of a plan for the trip. What parks to go to on certain days and so forth. Also I would like to have a medium to upscale dinner on one or two evenings at the park. Something probably in the $$$ (Three dollar sign range used on the website). What restaurants are must eat at locations, especially for Italian food as well as American food.

 

Please give me some insight into what to do with this week vacation so we can have a magical WDW vacation. We have already watched the DVD about WDW and it basically reinforced my ideas here, that we have no idea where even to start.

[Meteornotes]

I'm not good at telling people what park to do on what days, other than stay out of Magic Kingdom on a Saturday.

 

As for food, I HIGHLY recommend California Grill. You will have to wear business casual clothes and make a reservation now, but this is one of the best restaurants I've ever eaten in anywhere. You'll have a great view of the fireworks if you're up there at the right time. Yes, it's expensive, but it is totally worth it. If you like sushi, make sure you get some here.

 

For italian, I like both the italian place in Epcot (can't remember the name) and Mama Melroses at MGM.

 

Other places I've enjoyed would be the japanese place in Epcot, the brew pub place on the Boardwalk, and Blue Zoo which is in the Swan or Dolphin (can't remember which one at the moment). In general, I've found the food at WDW to be pretty good quality and reasonably priced.

 

Have fun!

 

dt

[resonancej]

Well, you've lucked out now that the kids are back in school, you won't have a problem getting around for the most part...as in thursday night I walked onto rock n rollercoaster. The other thing you have to watch is what parks are doing extra magic hours on what days because that can really drive the crowd up. I'm glad someone already posted on the food cuz that's not really my specialty, mine is more the attractions, although I have to say the Rose and Crown in England (world showcase, epcot) is quite tasty. Ok, here's your blow by blow:

 

Magic Kingdom:

Probably not much has changed here so hit up the big rides first before they get lines (space mountain, big thunder and splash). Big Thunder you usually don't have to fastpass, splash and space seem to get lines quickly, especially splash. Other highlights are haunted mansion (of course), the new pirates of the carribbean (ok, so it's not that new, just a few new animatronics), and the excellent 3D show in fantasyland, Philharmagic. You also have your classics like the jungle cruise and the enchanted tiki room, both of which I wouldn't call a priority but do it if there's no line. The new Stitch show is a waste of time, do Buzz Lightyear instead

 

Epcot:

First priority, Soarin. Doesn't matter what time of the year it is or what day it is, this thing always seems to have a line. Definitely fastpass it. Test track is fun if you've never done it but either single rider it or fastpass it, the line just isn't worth the usual wait. Then there's everyone's favorite death machine, Mission Space. To be honest, I've been there once when there was a wait, most of the time there's little to no wait. If the spinning doesn't bother you it's fun to do once, but more of a novelty after that. Innoventions is fun to poke around in, if for no other reason than to play with the gadgets there, and the only reason to do spaceship earth is to take a brake in the air conditioning for a bit.

As for the world showcase, you definitely want to take your time doing a tour of the whole thing. The pastry shop in France is a must, and if you get the chance see Reflections of China in the China pavillion. As a side note if you're a Beatles fan there's this really good cover band called the british invasion that plays behind the UK pavillion throughout the day.

 

MGM

Ah so much to do here, but of course you're going to want to do the first thing you lay your eyes on pulling into that parking lot, the ever charming Hollywood Tower Hotel. The good news is the standby line for ToT moves very quickly and is amazingly designed. You can do it pretty much anytime during the day. Rock n Rollercaster is the opposite, the standby line is horrible because it favors the fastpass line so much so definitely fastpass it. You won't be sorry The launch alone is worth the price of admission. Try to catch the three main shows if you can (indiana jones , lights motors action and the muppets) , and only do Star Tours and The Great Movie ride if there's little wait.

 

Animal Kingdom

Last but not least we have my favorite, the animal kingdom. Your very first visit should be that massive mountain you see from the parking lot, Expidition Everest. The line gets long and stays long and the fastpasses are typically gone by 12 or so but it's an absolute must. Many may not agree with me but another must in the animal kingdom is dinosaur. It's one of my favorites and the line typically isn't too bad and moves quickly. I highly reccomend the animal walkthroughs in both Asia and Africa and DO NOT miss the Kilmanjaro Safaris. There's always a line there too so you might want to fastpass that as well. See if you can catch Flights of Wonder (in Africa I believe), the bird show, it's a lot of fun. There's also a wild mouse near dinosaur called the primeval whirl if that's your thing. The bugs life show under the tree of life isn't that impressive and don't waste your time on Kali river rapids. As another guest put it, it's more like a lazy river than a rapids ride. It has one decent drop but even that doesn't save it.

 

I have put in what I can remember off the top of my head, I hope this helps you plan your trip out. I'm sure I've forgotten a few things so good luck and have fun.

[USRoadTripper]

My first suggestion would be to go to http://www.allearsnet.com and read as much as you possibly can. This is an absolutely exhaustive site detailing almost everything you'd need to know about planning and enjoying a Disney vacation. It includes descriptions of virtually every attraction, menus for virtually every restaurant, almost any info you could possibly want about every resort, as well as info about park hours and ride rehabs, where to meet characters, how to spend an adult evening out, where to find romantic spots, where to find the best shopping, and TONS TONS TONS more info. There is not a better Disney World planning site out there. Period.

 

Second I'd say to come back here and check out WDW TRs from the last year or so, so you can get a real feel for what people liked and what people chose to skip. You'll get a much more opinionated view of the parks from the TRs here than you will find on allearsnet. If you have any specific questions, you will find many people here who are willing to help you out, give recommendations, and answer any questions you have.

 

-Julie