My wife and I will be taking 2 small children to Walt Disney World in Florida in 2 weeks. I get to go as a bonus thru my work. We are staying at the Hilton. My question is what is the weather like down there in January? Any good ideas on what to see and do with twins that are 2 years old? I am kind of looking forward to it. A chance to get out of Iowa in January. Oh well, enought blabbing. Any responses are greatly appreciated. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mmaddog:
I stayed at the Grand Floridian while at a business meeting this past March. With that stay I can now say that I have stayed at every Disney hotel there.
To be honest...the GF is nice, but I like the Wilderness Lodge and the Animal Kingdom Lodge better.
mmaddog
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I have heard great things about both of those. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Deberg_1990:
Really? Thats interesting.....how about the Wilderness Lodge? ever stayed there?
The Polynesian has been going thru some updates, but it still has an outdated feel to me. The Lauau is still a great event though....we always go.
The Wilderness Lodge, to me, is the best. The lodge feel, the location and the setup make the ambience one that just draws you to it. And for some reason I find the Cast Members there more amiable and outgoing. All the Disney Resorts are nice...and everyone has helpful people, but for some reason the Wilderness Lodge just beats them hands-down.
The Whispering Canyon Cafe will kill you everytime you walk into the Lobby...the food always smells great tempts you into stopping before you head anywhere.
I could go on and on...but suffice to say, it's my choice without question.
(As a backup choice the wife and I also like the Boardwalk Inn..)
Originally Posted by Deberg_1990:
Maddog, how are the buses to the parks from the hotels? Pretty frequent?
Probably depends on the resort but when I stayed at Pop we only waited beyond 15 minutes once and they state buses arrive every 20 minutes. They were ahead of the game for us. [Reply]
Never EVER waste a Fastpass opportunity!!!! Get them early and often. If you plan it right, you will find yourself by a Fastpass ride almost as soon as your window opens up to obtain it. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Deberg_1990:
Maddog, how are the buses to the parks from the hotels? Pretty frequent?
Guru hit it right...the buses are very dependable. And sometimes you can get a really funny driver that makes even the longest ride seem short.
Are you flying down when you are going? If you are, then be sure to use the Disney My Way options. If you fly on the participating airlines, they send you tags to put on your luggage. Once you check your bag you never have to touch them again till you get to your room. Think that's not much...wait till you have a wife and a daughter who each have a bag that would bring even the strongest man to his knees.
One last thing....DO NOT...I repeat...DO NOT waste your hard earned money buying Birnbaum's book....newbies buy it and follow his every command. If you do all you will do is be in the lines and waiting like the rest of the sheep.
We need to have our own column about getting the most out of your Disney Trip here on Chiefs Planet. :-)
AGreed!!! I am still in information overload from my trip this year and from 2008. I've got so much info floating around in my head about the parks and how to beat the crowds that I don't think I will ever forget.:-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by mmaddog:
Guru hit it right...the buses are very dependable. And sometimes you can get a really funny driver that makes even the longest ride seem short.
Are you flying down when you are going? If you are, then be sure to use the Disney My Way options. If you fly on the participating airlines, they send you tags to put on your luggage. Once you check your bag you never have to touch them again till you get to your room. Think that's not much...wait till you have a wife and a daughter who each have a bag that would bring even the strongest man to his knees.
mmaddog
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Absolutely! I loved not having to get behind a wheel of a vehicle from the moment I parked at the airport until I got back. Disney Magical Express and the Disney Bus system are top notch.:-):-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by H5N1:
heh, I hesitated to even put that on there...
define 'wisely'... we used the crap out of them when we were down last time.
It amazes me how many people that go to Disney World still think you have to pay to use Fastpass. I ran into people that thought that on my last two trips. I just had to stifle my laugh and talk them through it. [Reply]
Originally Posted by H5N1:
heh, I hesitated to even put that on there...
define 'wisely'... we used the crap out of them when we were down last time.
Which is exactly what you want to do...but are you using the right? Remember each Park Pass can only have up to 4 Fast Passes at a time...so what if you have people who don't want to ride certain rides, and other members of the family who do? Example...
We have 4 members of our family....My son and I kill to ride Space Mountain so my wife and daughter get passes for it and then my son and I get passes for rides we don't care to ride but the girls do. Maximize the passes right and everyone can ride what they want the number of times they want. And you don't know how many times I actually have had people give me their Fast Passes because they end up not wanting to ride or have kids who are worn out.
My kids tired out early when at Hollywood Studios and chose not to ride Toy Story Mania one more time even with FPs in hand. We found another family of three as we were walking toward the front of the park and gave our FPs to them. Should have seen the smiles on those kids faces. [Reply]
