RE: the fastpass issue & getting a second one.

I was shocked to see the time on the FP so far away. Our intent was to get several of them to see the more popular rides. I asked a cast member if having to wait so long was a mistake and he said no. The next FP time was more than 2 1/2 hours later, IIRC.

It worked out for the best. It was so cold that night that many people stayed for the first running of Spectro, saw the fireworks and abandoned the park.

Those of us who were prepared for the colder weather and stayed until closing were rewarded with being able to walk on to any ride with no wait.

Our new strategy - see the more popular rides as late as possible while the parades & fireworks are going on. We go so often that missing either of them isn't a big deal.

We hadn't seen any version of Osborne. The last time we were there at christmas was about 10 years ago, and the parks were far far different at that time. The decorations were amazing at all parks. We, quite honestly, were very disappointed at the decorations, or lack thereof. We went home & looked at pictures from that trip and can't believe how much Disney has cut out. All areas of the parks used to have decorations. Now only the "main" streets have them. Also, that "arbor-like thing" at Epcot that changes to the music is awful. We were there last month when they were putting it up and were looking forward to seeing it all lit up. What a disapointment.

I guess they put them all on the streets of America. It was quite overwhelming in incredibly crowded, even right after they were turned on.

Still, it was a nice time to go for the weekend. I had wanted to stop by at mousefest but never had the chance.

Mary

OK, I just talked to the former gate CM person. As of 3 years ago, you could use your WDW admission media to gain entrance in DL. However, it wasn't valid the other way around. Plus, this is not considered a routine admission, so like you, others have to talk to a gate lead/manager and they have to verify the validity of the pass. That may very well become a moot issue after the Magic Your Way program kicks in, but we'll see.

BTW, my friend was wondering (out of curiosity) why you chose to use your WDW park hopper for DL instead of getting your son to pick up discounted passes for you guys.

No, it's not because he's an employee...we've done it a few times -- here's info from mousesavers.com: (http://www.mousesavers.com/dltickets.html)

"Interesting, unpublished fact: you can use leftover days on a Walt Disney World Hopper pass at Disneyland or DCA! This is probably because Disney World Hopper passes cost much more per day than Disneyland passes, so Disney is actually coming out way ahead on the deal. Present the WDW Hopper at the gate on arrival -- they will take it somewhere, deduct a day from it, and give you a one-day pass. This information was confirmed as of April 2004.

Disneyland passes are NOT accepted at Walt Disney World, and Annual Passes are only good at the park where they were purchased (WDW Annual Passes are NOT good at Disneyland, and vice versa)."

Oh, I'm glad we aren't the only ones who noticed this!

If it at all matters, we both agreed that Disneyland does a far better job at decorating for the holidays. :D

Well, it probably wasn't the prudent financial choice, but since my son is living in CA now, we don't go to WDW anymore. We have quite a few "leftover" days, and we really only wanted to watch him push the green button, so we went in for "free" and didn't feel like we needed to stay all day and get our money's worth.

Park hopper plus or wait for next years tickets?
 

I just joined flyertalk today and can't believe how helpful the info has been. We are booked at the Swan for 5days/nights in April for our first trip to WDW. We are going with friends who are going on a package that includes ultimate park hoper tix. I was going to buy the 5day park hopper plus but because of this forum will now buy the 7 day park hopper plus and use the extra days at Disneyland back home.
Based on what I read on mousesaver.com it seems that the current pricing is better (since I can use my extra days back home) than the new pricing. Any thoughts?

Also I noticed the park hopper plus does not include DisneyQuest but it is included with our friends UPH. I have two girls 7 and 4 is this a must do?

thanks

My kids always enjoyed Disneyquest, but they were a little older. My (now 18 year old) son LOVED the part where he was able to design his own roller coaster and then they run the program on a simulator so you get to "try it." We would drop them off there and then have a peaceful adult dinner, so I've never been in. Hope someone can add some more info for you. Have a great time, and when you are in Disneyland, say hi to my son Tom, who works at Peter Pan, Casey Jr's train, or Dumbo!!

No opinion on tickets, yet, but as to DisneyQuest:

It is probably a good standby for a rainy day. There are many activities in the building. Some are obviously geared to older kids, teens, and adults (the design-your-own roller coaster being one example). There are several group video simulations which my 5 year old (at the time) nephew really enjoyed (being on a pirate ship and shooting at other pirate ships, rafting down the Amazon, etc.). There are many, many video games. There are also a lot of carnaval/county fair/arcade type games. And there a number of other type games. So it depends on the type of activities your girls like. Other than the sophisitication of some of the games and simulations, this is not especially Disney-equese. There are also no windows; much of it has limited lighting for effect. Unless the weather was bad, I would not shortcut MK, Epcot, AK, or a waterpark to take kids that age to DQ.

A few thoughts about the Swan: (1) you are within easy walking distance (or boat ride) to the back entrance to Epcot. That makes it easy to go see the laser show or otherwise pop into the park for a quick visit or meal even if you're not in that park all day. (2) Other than the resorts on the Boardwalk, you may find it a long and frustrating process to get to other Disney resorts using Disney transportation, several of which are worth visiting (Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian, maybe Animal Kingdom lodge). Either drive yourself or visit those directly from the MK (AKL in the case of AK); they make a nice rest stop for a meal or break. (3) Getting to the Epcot monorail was also a hassle in my prior visits: (a) go into the back entrance of Epcot and walk through the park or (b) take the boat to MGM and then take a bus to (the front of) Epcot.

Thanks for the help
 

Thanks for the advice about Disneyquest. I think we will give it a shot. I am sure this board will help us plan a great trip to WDW.

IMHO, the hype about DisneyQuest is lost. Having my father work at Disney, I find DisneyQuest not as exciting and entertaining as any of the other attractions. I like the Water Parks the best during the summer and there is always some type of event at one of the theme parks. I definitely find DisneyQuest lacking for anyone who are in their teens. Maybe it is just me.

Yep, it's just you. What does your father working for Disney have to do with it? Anyway, DisneyQuest is an absolutely amazing place; I call it the "theme park in a box". Anyone who grew up on video games or who appreciates virtual experiences will lose track of time in this place.

And my advice is to go there on days when the weather is BEAUTIFUL outside, because everyone else will be at the parks. If it's rainy, go to the parks because everyone's afraid of getting wet and DisneyQuest will be crowded.

disney quest
 

Iceman - I couldnt agree more!!! Gwen

Good advice overall on this thread, but I definately disagree with two things posted:
A- That the Liberty Tree Tavern is the best choice in the Magic Kingdom--Absolutely not true. The food barely rises to mediocre and is served "family style"-- group portions on the table of two meats, two veggies, one starch and rolls. That is it! The Crystal Palace is VASTLY better- offering better quality food and a wide selection of items. Our family always books a late lunch at the Crystal Palace for the best service and more time with the characters (the lunch rush is over and the place empties out, leaving you with Winnie, Tigger, piglet and sometimes Minnie Mouse).
B--That there is no longer a "season". It is definately MUCH slower in the first two weeks of December and virtually all of January. Post spring break to mid May was fine when we were there as well. You could not pay me to go during the Christmas break or the summer months.

One caveat to this... Prepare to be cold if you decide on early Dec or Jan. We were there the second week of Dec 04 and it was COLD. So cold I wish I had gloves. I was so happy I brough my winter coat. I believe it dropped to the upper 40s at night.

Yes, it's not crowded, but some people would rather have a few crowds than cold weather.

I've found that early Nov and early May to be almost perfect - weather and crowd wise.

Ahhh - for the good ole days when we could go to disney world in Oct, Nov, April & May and not have any crowds at all ^^.