Anyone do Disney before or after your cruise?

[Citizen Jane]

You're awesome!! WOw, thank you for all the great information!!! This has been sooooooo helpful!!!

 

:oThanks. A couple of things I forgot before...

If you eat dinner at Epcot and have leftovers they will gladly package them for you to take home with you for snack the next day. I "think" all Yacht Club rooms have mini-fridges now, but you can always ask for one if it isn't there.

 

Even in April it can be hot during the middle of the day if you aren't used to it. We take a large, thin, cotton sarong (which I may have even bought years ago in Adventureland, LOL--shop across from the Robinson Family Tree House) and tie it to the handles of our stroller and stretch it across the front canopy. Then when it is really hot DD can keep the sun out of her eyes or even completely across her. It is had led to some nice quicky naps as we zoom around the park.

 

Likewise, if you end up needing a poncho because of rain, buy a large one and put it over the stroller tied on the same way...put the head opening in front as a window for your kid and snap it down on the sides. They will stay mainly dry and it is not nearly as sweaty/uncomfortable for them as actually wearing the poncho.

 

It is never a bad idea to have a change of clothes for your kid with you if they spontaneously decide to play in a water feature at someplace like the pooh playground or elsewhere.:rolleyes:

 

The Nemo show at Animal Kingdom is amazing--we saw it for first time when DD was the age of yours.

 

Depending on your DD's height she might not be able to ride many rides at Animal Kingdom. This site lists all the height requirements for the rides at Disney: http://www.orlandowelcomecenter.com/disney-height-requirements.htm

 

There is ONE mistake on the list, however. The height limitation for the speedway is for riding alone. You can ride with an adult at, I think 40 inches. DD is just dying to reach 44 inches so she can ride Space Mountain (she loves roller coasters--rode the Barnstormer once 7 times in a row (didn't have to get off for 5 of those) during extra magic hours). And yes, I was with her.:cool:

 

If you are in the Magic Kingdom when it is hot, duck into Its a Small World to cool down. Line is always fast and the ride is air-conditioned. This is also a good place to escape if your child is sensitive to the sound of fireworks and you happen to be there when they are going off (thank goodness my Mom thought of that one--we heard one shell go and my Mom said, quick, Small World).

 

The carousel is almost always a short line.

 

The line times at Dumbo really are accurate. It is a long-loading ride.

 

On the other hand, the line at Aladdin moves quite quickly. When I pointed out to DD it was basically the same ride as Dumbo but faster she was easy to distract from Dumbo. Of course, I also pointed out how much she HATES to wait in long lines, LOL.

 

The line at the teacups moves pretty quickly as does the line for the Barnstormer (though not as fast as the teacups).

 

The railroad is a fun way to get quickly from one part of the park to another (though, of course, it does not stop in Tomorrowland) if you have your own stroller.

 

If you have your own stroller, put stuff on it that would make it hard to blend in. I actually encountered a couple one night with an infant whose stroller had been stolen (with their diaper bag and all their formula in it). Of course, I also had my stroller picked up at the end of extra magic hours one night when we were the last ones on Winnie the Pooh. We had to go to the Police Station at the main gate (inside Town Hall) and give a list of the contents and they mailed them to us free of charge (they were in two bags). If you lose anything, make a report. They are REALLY good about finding things and mailing them back to you anywhere on the resort.

 

Kids love the playgrounds at the Studios and Animal Kingdom. The Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground at the Studios, however, is much shadier and adult friendly in terms of waiting while they play. You can't have beverages in there, but to the right of the playground as you exit (left as you enter, sort of around the corner) there is a large food hall/snack area. Continue past or through that to the other side and there is a little bar tucked back and away if you are tired from kids screaming on the playground. They will also make virgin frozen drinks for kids (or smoothies as I call them).

 

Liquor is sold in each of one of the resort hotel shops. You can buy it and take it back to your room to mix your own drinks. All parks have bars except for MK (actually, I haven't been to either water park so not sure there...we always went to River Country back when it was open because it was more laid back).

 

If I think of anything else I will post again. I'm always glad to give up my Disney tips because some of them have made the difference between a yucky and great day for me. Over the years, live and learn...

[Yellowlily]

:oThanks. A couple of things I forgot before...

If you eat dinner at Epcot and have leftovers they will gladly package them for you to take home with you for snack the next day. I "think" all Yacht Club rooms have mini-fridges now, but you can always ask for one if it isn't there.

 

Even in April it can be hot during the middle of the day if you aren't used to it. We take a large, thin, cotton sarong (which I may have even bought years ago in Adventureland, LOL--shop across from the Robinson Family Tree House) and tie it to the handles of our stroller and stretch it across the front canopy. Then when it is really hot DD can keep the sun out of her eyes or even completely across her. It is had led to some nice quicky naps as we zoom around the park.

 

Likewise, if you end up needing a poncho because of rain, buy a large one and put it over the stroller tied on the same way...put the head opening in front as a window for your kid and snap it down on the sides. They will stay mainly dry and it is not nearly as sweaty/uncomfortable for them as actually wearing the poncho.

 

It is never a bad idea to have a change of clothes for your kid with you if they spontaneously decide to play in a water feature at someplace like the pooh playground or elsewhere.:rolleyes:

 

The Nemo show at Animal Kingdom is amazing--we saw it for first time when DD was the age of yours.

 

Depending on your DD's height she might not be able to ride many rides at Animal Kingdom. This site lists all the height requirements for the rides at Disney: http://www.orlandowelcomecenter.com/disney-height-requirements.htm

 

There is ONE mistake on the list, however. The height limitation for the speedway is for riding alone. You can ride with an adult at, I think 40 inches. DD is just dying to reach 44 inches so she can ride Space Mountain (she loves roller coasters--rode the Barnstormer once 7 times in a row (didn't have to get off for 5 of those) during extra magic hours). And yes, I was with her.:cool:

 

If you are in the Magic Kingdom when it is hot, duck into Its a Small World to cool down. Line is always fast and the ride is air-conditioned. This is also a good place to escape if your child is sensitive to the sound of fireworks and you happen to be there when they are going off (thank goodness my Mom thought of that one--we heard one shell go and my Mom said, quick, Small World).

 

The carousel is almost always a short line.

 

The line times at Dumbo really are accurate. It is a long-loading ride.

 

On the other hand, the line at Aladdin moves quite quickly. When I pointed out to DD it was basically the same ride as Dumbo but faster she was easy to distract from Dumbo. Of course, I also pointed out how much she HATES to wait in long lines, LOL.

 

The line at the teacups moves pretty quickly as does the line for the Barnstormer (though not as fast as the teacups).

 

The railroad is a fun way to get quickly from one part of the park to another (though, of course, it does not stop in Tomorrowland) if you have your own stroller.

 

If you have your own stroller, put stuff on it that would make it hard to blend in. I actually encountered a couple one night with an infant whose stroller had been stolen (with their diaper bag and all their formula in it). Of course, I also had my stroller picked up at the end of extra magic hours one night when we were the last ones on Winnie the Pooh. We had to go to the Police Station at the main gate (inside Town Hall) and give a list of the contents and they mailed them to us free of charge (they were in two bags). If you lose anything, make a report. They are REALLY good about finding things and mailing them back to you anywhere on the resort.

 

Kids love the playgrounds at the Studios and Animal Kingdom. The Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground at the Studios, however, is much shadier and adult friendly in terms of waiting while they play. You can't have beverages in there, but to the right of the playground as you exit (left as you enter, sort of around the corner) there is a large food hall/snack area. Continue past or through that to the other side and there is a little bar tucked back and away if you are tired from kids screaming on the playground. They will also make virgin frozen drinks for kids (or smoothies as I call them).

 

Liquor is sold in each of one of the resort hotel shops. You can buy it and take it back to your room to mix your own drinks. All parks have bars except for MK (actually, I haven't been to either water park so not sure there...we always went to River Country back when it was open because it was more laid back).

 

If I think of anything else I will post again. I'm always glad to give up my Disney tips because some of them have made the difference between a yucky and great day for me. Over the years, live and learn...

 

 

This is all wonderful and helpful. I'm really glad you mentioned the stroller thing because I was just thinking about all that. Last year, we went to WDW in May. My DH and I had purchased a Mia Moda Ciella stroller (if you are not familiar with them, they fold and collapse and fit into a bag that has a shoulder strap - they are basically comapct enough to fit as a carry on an airplane, makes it nice). So, anyway, he wrote our last name on the canopy (we have another one also) so no one would steal it. But...we ended up keeping it in our room and renting strollers in the park. It kind of worked out well. That way if our rental stroller got taken, we could always get a replacement. So, that being said (and this is a rather $$$ stroller, but nice that it is so compact), would you suggest we do the same as last time? It would be nice to have our stroller, but at the same time, I don't want to be stressing about it while we are all 3 on a ride or at an exhibit where we have to park our stroller. So, that's my dillema.

 

I think I have a game plan for WDW for now. Here's how it goes:

 

Day 1: Hollywood Studios, dinner somewhere in Downtown Disney

Day 2: Magic Kingdom, dinner reservations @ Yachtsman

Day 3: Bfast @ Cape May, day @ Epcot, dinner reser. @ Kouzinna's on Boardwalk

 

Basically, we are going to take a MUCH different approach than last year. Especially since we are going to be coming off a cruise (however, we are planning on this cruise to be a lot more relaxing than adventureous in the past), I'm hoping we will have relaxed and had a nice time. Also, last year we were in a small room in a value resort (it was fine, but we were really cramped, no fun esp. since DH was VERY ill nearly the whole time). So, I think we will be more comforatable in the Yacht Club. And....we way overdid the parks, which all my friends and family warned me NOT to do, it just happened. So, our approach with that is to set the alarm early, get up, bfast, and hit the parks as early as possible. I'm hopeful to come back in the afternoon, grab a bite to eat, then hit the pool for some r & r. In the evening, have a nice dinner and enjoy some of the sights (light show, fireworks) and chill. I'm hopeful that will be much better. Again, last year, we were on the deluxe dining plan (WAY too much food, imo) and spent half the time looking for the dining venue during lunch AND dinner. Took A LOT of the fun out of it all. On the other hand, we did get to do some great stuff too. I'm just hopeful with this new approach, things will go smoother and we will all be happier and enjoy ourselves more. Tell me what you think of that philosophy. Also, just on a side note, we are not the types of people that "try to get everything for your money". I know there are a lot of people out there like that, but we are not. We are more the type of take it in, relax ,breathe ...because if it go too fast, you could miss it! ;) That's the way we think. We are cruisers, so you can imagine we like to take our vacations at a relaxing pace. However, we did love Disney and obviously are excited to return. I just don't feel the need to do EVERYTHING in the world that I can cram into one day. I think you get the point. :)

 

Anyway.....one last thing I wanted to ask....the subject of transportation.

 

So, my thinking was that Yacht Club seem to be in a rather good location. Obviously no one wants to spend half of their vacation waiting on the bus, etc., etc. Since we are going to DHS, MK and Epcot (with a possible first evening in DTD), tell me about getting there if you could. I take it we have to take buses to DHS and DTD? About Epcot, is it really walking distance? Can we also get to Epcot, then take the monorail to MK? From our experience last year, taking the monorail was fun and A LOT faster than any bus we took. In fact, we had one episode with a driver who was so terrible, were were all wondering if he was under the influence. It wasn't fun. Anyway.....is the Boardwalk within walking distance also?? And on the a.m. that we have the character bfast at Cape May at the beach club, I'm assuming it will take us very little time to get there from our room at the YC??

 

If you have any suggestions on that as well, I would be grateful.

 

Sorry for the longwinded post, I just thought of all these things now that the plan is coming together.

 

If you have any food opinions on our dining choices, I'd like to hear those too (are on regular dining plan now), doing Cape May character bfast, Yachtsman for dinner and Kouzinna's (sp?) for dinner - we are Foodnetwork fans and love Cat Cora, so I thought it would be fun. For DTD, we really loved Wolfgang Pucks and Earl of Sandwich! YUM!! Last year, our fav meal was Citrico's. Thought about doing it again, but it's always fun to try something new.

[Yellowlily]

I also forgot to add that I agree with you about the Nemo show at AK. I took my DD there last year and was AMAZED! Very neat!

[Citizen Jane]

This is all wonderful and helpful. I'm really glad you mentioned the stroller thing because I was just thinking about all that. Last year, we went to WDW in May. My DH and I had purchased a Mia Moda Ciella stroller (if you are not familiar with them, they fold and collapse and fit into a bag that has a shoulder strap - they are basically comapct enough to fit as a carry on an airplane, makes it nice). So, anyway, he wrote our last name on the canopy (we have another one also) so no one would steal it. But...we ended up keeping it in our room and renting strollers in the park. It kind of worked out well. That way if our rental stroller got taken, we could always get a replacement. So, that being said (and this is a rather $$$ stroller, but nice that it is so compact), would you suggest we do the same as last time? It would be nice to have our stroller, but at the same time, I don't want to be stressing about it while we are all 3 on a ride or at an exhibit where we have to park our stroller. So, that's my dillema.

 

I think I have a game plan for WDW for now. Here's how it goes:

 

Day 1: Hollywood Studios, dinner somewhere in Downtown Disney

Day 2: Magic Kingdom, dinner reservations @ Yachtsman

Day 3: Bfast @ Cape May, day @ Epcot, dinner reser. @ Kouzinna's on Boardwalk

 

Basically, we are going to take a MUCH different approach than last year. Especially since we are going to be coming off a cruise (however, we are planning on this cruise to be a lot more relaxing than adventureous in the past), I'm hoping we will have relaxed and had a nice time. Also, last year we were in a small room in a value resort (it was fine, but we were really cramped, no fun esp. since DH was VERY ill nearly the whole time). So, I think we will be more comforatable in the Yacht Club. And....we way overdid the parks, which all my friends and family warned me NOT to do, it just happened. So, our approach with that is to set the alarm early, get up, bfast, and hit the parks as early as possible. I'm hopeful to come back in the afternoon, grab a bite to eat, then hit the pool for some r & r. In the evening, have a nice dinner and enjoy some of the sights (light show, fireworks) and chill. I'm hopeful that will be much better. Again, last year, we were on the deluxe dining plan (WAY too much food, imo) and spent half the time looking for the dining venue during lunch AND dinner. Took A LOT of the fun out of it all. On the other hand, we did get to do some great stuff too. I'm just hopeful with this new approach, things will go smoother and we will all be happier and enjoy ourselves more. Tell me what you think of that philosophy. Also, just on a side note, we are not the types of people that "try to get everything for your money". I know there are a lot of people out there like that, but we are not. We are more the type of take it in, relax ,breathe ...because if it go too fast, you could miss it! ;) That's the way we think. We are cruisers, so you can imagine we like to take our vacations at a relaxing pace. However, we did love Disney and obviously are excited to return. I just don't feel the need to do EVERYTHING in the world that I can cram into one day. I think you get the point. :)

 

Anyway.....one last thing I wanted to ask....the subject of transportation.

 

So, my thinking was that Yacht Club seem to be in a rather good location. Obviously no one wants to spend half of their vacation waiting on the bus, etc., etc. Since we are going to DHS, MK and Epcot (with a possible first evening in DTD), tell me about getting there if you could. I take it we have to take buses to DHS and DTD? About Epcot, is it really walking distance? Can we also get to Epcot, then take the monorail to MK? From our experience last year, taking the monorail was fun and A LOT faster than any bus we took. In fact, we had one episode with a driver who was so terrible, were were all wondering if he was under the influence. It wasn't fun. Anyway.....is the Boardwalk within walking distance also?? And on the a.m. that we have the character bfast at Cape May at the beach club, I'm assuming it will take us very little time to get there from our room at the YC??

 

If you have any suggestions on that as well, I would be grateful.

 

Sorry for the longwinded post, I just thought of all these things now that the plan is coming together.

 

If you have any food opinions on our dining choices, I'd like to hear those too (are on regular dining plan now), doing Cape May character bfast, Yachtsman for dinner and Kouzinna's (sp?) for dinner - we are Foodnetwork fans and love Cat Cora, so I thought it would be fun. For DTD, we really loved Wolfgang Pucks and Earl of Sandwich! YUM!! Last year, our fav meal was Citrico's. Thought about doing it again, but it's always fun to try something new.

 

 

Strollers: If you aren't going to be in the parks really late at night or if DD is not a morning person (i.e. where you think DD is going to want to be carried because of fatigue or sleepiness) then I would definitely do rentals again. We have taken our MacLaren in the parks and never had a problem, but the amount of storage in those strollers in the parks is super nice. I have often taken a towel or baby blanket to make them more comfortable for DD, but she also uses one of our backpacks to lean on in there (like I said, we get the double).

 

Plan: Sounds like a pretty good plan. I'm actually even more laid back. Laid back is particularly great at Epcot during the garden show!!! I don't get up early for the parks but rather hit them around mid day when the people who are planning to go home for naps with little kids are getting pooped out, LOL. We tend to do the parks mid day and then in the evenings (or even late at night if there are extra magic hours--I am a bad, bad parent which resulted in my daughter being at the park at 2:00 a.m. :eek:, albeit after a 4 hour nap during the afternoon, playing ring-around-the-rosie with Pluto, Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy all by herself). Whatever the plan, be flexible. If it rains, think about hitting a park where there is more ability to be under cover (Epcot, for instance, is not as good for that as MK in my opinion and Animal Kingdom downright stinks. Studios are ok). Take note of which parks have extra magic hours in the morning as they tend to be the most crowded for the rest of the day or at least until mid-afternoon. Also know that at extra magic hours at the MK you should head anywhere other than Fantasyland first thing because that is where all the people with small children will be. Personally I can never haul myself or DD out of bed that early as neither of us is a morning person and it isn't worth the frustration or aggravation!

 

Food: If you aren't set on going to Downtown Disney for dinner the first night, you could even think about doing dinner at the Studios or one of the restaurants at Epcot if you get the Park Hopper. I think they have packages for dinner and the show afterward (though I've never done that). We did the character brunch there once (I think it was Little Einsteins?) and that was fun. I have not eaten at any of the other restaurants. When I'm that close to Epcot I tend to pop in and out of there for dinner...know that Florida has a Cork and Carry law. If you do not finish your wine they are supposed to cork it and allow you to carry it with you. Can be very handy.

 

Transport:

No need for bus to studios, you can take a boat directly from outside the Yacht Club. VERY handy. See the site below for the Yacht Club travel facts.

The Yacht and Beach Club are really one giant complex. It is large, but not nearly as large as it looks on maps. There is an ice cream parlor next to the game room so beware...Cape May is perhaps 5-10 minutes from your room depending upon room location and elevator wait times!

Epcot REALLY IS within walking distance and it is a pleasant little walk.

If you like taking the monorail, then get the Park Hopper and walk from one end of Epcot to the other on the day you go to the MK. It really is a nice walk with the flowers. Otherwise. You can always do a loop on the monorail with DD. Another option is to do the character brunch at the Polynesian by taking the bus to the MK and then hopping on the monorail to the Polynesian. That's the one we usually go to (Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch), of course we usually--though not always--stay at either the Polynesian or GF.

 

I've never walked over to the Boardwalk, but I totally consider it within walking distance. I "think" you can take a boat across from the Yacht/Beach club as well.

 

This map shows you the relationship of those two areas:

 

http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/eramap.html

 

This site has a good estimate of the walking times and transportation tips specifically for the Yacht Club:

 

http://allears.net/acc/faq_yc.htm

 

Happy to help, now I have to run teach class....:eek: