Anonymous wrote:Unless you dine out all the time at home, I highly recommend a plan where you eat at least some food in the hotel room. I found it hard to be spontaneous at Disney-- most restaurants were booked or had long lines during the usual meal times. We ordered from Garden Grocer and got enough to have breakfast in the room every day (bagels, yogurt, cereal, milk) and we brought lunch to the park (sandwiches, chips, grapes, water). It was so nice to decide when to eat and just find a spot to sit, as opposed to waiting in long lines. Because, you're waiting on long lines for every ride. And unless your kids are different from mine, lines are not fun.

That's the beauty of fast passes and making reservations. With planning lines can be very avoidable

Unless you dine out all the time at home, I highly recommend a plan where you eat at least some food in the hotel room. I found it hard to be spontaneous at Disney-- most restaurants were booked or had long lines during the usual meal times. We ordered from Garden Grocer and got enough to have breakfast in the room every day (bagels, yogurt, cereal, milk) and we brought lunch to the park (sandwiches, chips, grapes, water). It was so nice to decide when to eat and just find a spot to sit, as opposed to waiting in long lines. Because, you're waiting on long lines for every ride. And unless your kids are different from mine, lines are not fun.

We took our twins when they were 2.5 years old and they loved the experience. Now at 4, they still talk about going to "Mickey's House" and the fun they had.

We went at a low-peak time (early May) and for many things we didn't need the fast passes for. I put one in for the meet and greet with Mickey Mouse on Main Street and it was unexpectedly one of the highlights of our trip. When we got there the regular line was 75 minutes wait. We were in with Mickey 15 minutes after we arrived, thanks to the FP+. We got a number of cute family photos and the kids still love to see the photo (one of the photos is the screen background on my laptop which I take when we're traveling, so they see it when we travel) and it incites more talk about going to Mickey's house again.

As for naps, for the first time in my life, I paid the high prices to stay at the Contemporary Hotel and it was worth it, despite the various hassles. We would get to the Magic Kingdom for rope drop, play until about 11:30, have lunch, do one or two things extra and then between 1:30-3:00, we would head back to the hotel. Put the kids down for a two hour nap, head back to the parks and stay until they were falling asleep in the stroller. They loved getting to stay up late and see things they might not normally see (like the fireworks show over the park and the electric light parade). The nap was so important. The location was worth it because we could leave the park, go back, have a 2 hour nap, snack and be back in the park 4 hours from when we left. There is no way we would have been able to do anything less than 5.5 hours anywhere other than right on the monorail. So we got to maximize our park-time because we stayed on the monorail. Now that the kids are moving away from naps, we don't necessarily need to be right on the monorail, but it was so worth it to pay the upcharge back then.

Anonymous wrote:and this is why I am totally turned off from ever going near Disney. Who wants a "vacation" where you have to book meals 6 months in advance.

I actually enjoy the planning. It's fun reading about all the options and making choices.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:7:07, what do you do when you're taking a midday break? I've read in other Disney threads that some people feel it's too cool for pools over Spring Break. Is this your experience too?

Honestly, we always napped. The kids napped (even at 4 and 7), and the adults (my parents were also with us) just read on the balcony or by the pool, or watched tv, or also napped (I always napped). It probably depends on your kids, how old they are (sorry, I can't remember how old you said yours are), and what schedule they are used to. Mine are up at 6am, so we were there before rope drop each day. We usually ate lunch around noon, then went back to the room. We then headed back out around 4, rode some rides, ate dinner around 6, and kept going until the kids were tired. We were also there for 6 days each time so didn't feel the need to cram each day full. We ended up staying the entire day from rope drop to closing at Hollywood Studios on our most recent trip just because of how things worked out. My 4 year old was a mess by the end of the day, and then was still a mess when we headed out the next morning. It's tiring.

The first year we went, it was nearly the end of April, and it was really chilly the first couple of days, low 60s with a stiff breeze. We ended up buying sweatshirts. Our last couple days that trip the weather was in the 90s. Our most recent trip was beginning of April, it was low to mid 80s the whole week, and my kids swam on our arrival day and our "off" day.

Forgot to mention that my kids have always had pretty strict bedtimes around 7:30 or 8 so they thought it was really cool to be in the parks in the evenings at 9 or 10 and watch the shows, fireworks, the parade. Naps midday allowed them to do that without losing their minds because they were rested. Again, just depends on what your kids are used to and how adaptable they are.

Anonymous wrote:7:07, what do you do when you're taking a midday break? I've read in other Disney threads that some people feel it's too cool for pools over Spring Break. Is this your experience too?

Honestly, we always napped. The kids napped (even at 4 and 7), and the adults (my parents were also with us) just read on the balcony or by the pool, or watched tv, or also napped (I always napped). It probably depends on your kids, how old they are (sorry, I can't remember how old you said yours are), and what schedule they are used to. Mine are up at 6am, so we were there before rope drop each day. We usually ate lunch around noon, then went back to the room. We then headed back out around 4, rode some rides, ate dinner around 6, and kept going until the kids were tired. We were also there for 6 days each time so didn't feel the need to cram each day full. We ended up staying the entire day from rope drop to closing at Hollywood Studios on our most recent trip just because of how things worked out. My 4 year old was a mess by the end of the day, and then was still a mess when we headed out the next morning. It's tiring.

The first year we went, it was nearly the end of April, and it was really chilly the first couple of days, low 60s with a stiff breeze. We ended up buying sweatshirts. Our last couple days that trip the weather was in the 90s. Our most recent trip was beginning of April, it was low to mid 80s the whole week, and my kids swam on our arrival day and our "off" day.

Go to the library and get the Unofficial Guide for Kids.

Order groceries to be delivered through Garden Grocers. The hotel will hold your food for you in their fridge/freezer until you check in.

Try to get reservations at Be Our Guest restaurant.

The princess meal at the restaurant in Norway in Epcot is great.

The dining plan wasn't worth it for us because we have three little girls and they don't eat enough to justify the plan. Usually there is a discount for either a percentage off the hotel or the dining plan. We used the discount.

Tinkerbell is in Frontierland and that whole scene was a big hit with my girls.

The Phineas and Ferb scavenger hunt in Epcot is amazing.

7:07, what do you do when you're taking a midday break? I've read in other Disney threads that some people feel it's too cool for pools over Spring Break. Is this your experience too?

Anonymous wrote:Op here - thanks everyone! These tips are very helpful and I'm feeling like I have a direction to follow now. I'm really grateful. We are going during spring break (week after Easter), and I know it will be crowded so I'm definitely going to book and plan ahead. I can schedule meals in another week and a half or so and will do that. Three quick questions:

For fast pass, how will I know ahead of time which rides are worth it on this? Maybe asking a different way, are there anyway where you think, nah, it won't be as bad as others so don't waste your FP on that.

For meals, I am planning to make reservations basically every night - does that seem right? What about lunch or breakfast if we ARENT doing character breakfasts for those?

Third, we are staying in the villas. Is there a little convenience store where I can pick up milk, or do you know of a service where I can preorder some light groceries (milk and bread)?

Thanks!

On meals, we did one sit-down meal (with reservations) and one quick-service meal per day. Sometimes our reservations were lunch, sometimes dinner, and one breakfast. We generally ate breakfast in the room--cereal, fruit, etc. We didn't do the meal plan (kids were 2 and 5 and then 4 and 7). There was just way too much food (dessert with every meal plus various snacks). I knew we wouldn't eat that much food. That may change when my boys are teenagers.

We always go the week after Easter. It's really not bad if you plan. We also take a break midday. Touringplans.com (costs $12 for a year membership) will build your itinerary (first go to Dumbo, then to Small World, then to Peter Pan, etc) based on the exact day you will be in the park and their crowd predictions for that day. It will also tell you the most and least crowded parks on any particular day. It also lets you insert your meal reservations into your day--so you tell it that you're having brunch at the Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom at 10:30 and it moves everything around to include it. I always printed the itinerary for each day, and then also used the app on my phone. The app will adjust your touring plan based on day-of information (like this ride is closed or this line is short so go now).

Touringplans.com will also tell you what rides are worth getting a fast pass for and which aren't. It's from the same people who do the giant Unofficial Guide. While it's huge, it was really, really helpful to have it to plan our first trip to Disney. I liked having everything in one place rather than reading various posts throughout various websites.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here - thanks everyone! These tips are very helpful and I'm feeling like I have a direction to follow now. I'm really grateful. We are going during spring break (week after Easter), and I know it will be crowded so I'm definitely going to book and plan ahead. I can schedule meals in another week and a half or so and will do that. Three quick questions:

For fast pass, how will I know ahead of time which rides are worth it on this? Maybe asking a different way, are there anyway where you think, nah, it won't be as bad as others so don't waste your FP on that.

For meals, I am planning to make reservations basically every night - does that seem right? What about lunch or breakfast if we ARENT doing character breakfasts for those?

Third, we are staying in the villas. Is there a little convenience store where I can pick up milk, or do you know of a service where I can preorder some light groceries (milk and bread)?

Thanks!

I'm in the midst of planning myself, and felt really overwhelmed 2 weeks ago, but now after reading a bunch of stuff online, feel much more informed. There are websites where you can find average wait times for different rides that are really helpful for planning fast pass stuff. One thing to remember is that after you use your initial 3 fast passes-you can book another. But if you book one of your first 3 fast pass for something at night (parade, etc) or for late in the day you won't get more than those 3 for the day. Might still be worth it, but something to consider.

Also, some of the restaurants open for breakfast before the park opens. So if you have an 8 am reservation and the park opens at 9, you will be inside the park before opening time and can beat the crowds to some of the rides. If your kids are like mine, and up at the crack of dawn anyway, this could be useful! The "Be Our Guest" restaurant is a quick service restaurant that does reservations so that might be one to consider. It's not a character meal, but it's in the Beast's castle so good for princess obsessed little girls.

My family made an early reservation at the Animal Kingdom for a character breakfast before the park opened. That way we could get right to the safari when it opened. It's best in the AM.

Anonymous wrote:We loved the meal plan! Disboard was great with figuring out timing, reservations and the best places to eat. We went the year before and didn't have the meal plan and did not enjoy ourselves or the food nearly as much. Use the tips for where to go for the best snacks, too. There is absolutely no reason to have left over credits that you use on rice crispy treats!!

My family likes the rice crispy treats!! That's why we use the extra snack credits (we can't eat as much as the plan allows you to) to bring some home to have later.

Disney touring plans is a fantastic app. It has everything you need to know and is up to date.

Anonymous wrote:Op here - thanks everyone! These tips are very helpful and I'm feeling like I have a direction to follow now. I'm really grateful. We are going during spring break (week after Easter), and I know it will be crowded so I'm definitely going to book and plan ahead. I can schedule meals in another week and a half or so and will do that. Three quick questions:

For fast pass, how will I know ahead of time which rides are worth it on this? Maybe asking a different way, are there anyway where you think, nah, it won't be as bad as others so don't waste your FP on that.

For meals, I am planning to make reservations basically every night - does that seem right? What about lunch or breakfast if we ARENT doing character breakfasts for those?

Third, we are staying in the villas. Is there a little convenience store where I can pick up milk, or do you know of a service where I can preorder some light groceries (milk and bread)?

Thanks!

I'm in the midst of planning myself, and felt really overwhelmed 2 weeks ago, but now after reading a bunch of stuff online, feel much more informed. There are websites where you can find average wait times for different rides that are really helpful for planning fast pass stuff. One thing to remember is that after you use your initial 3 fast passes-you can book another. But if you book one of your first 3 fast pass for something at night (parade, etc) or for late in the day you won't get more than those 3 for the day. Might still be worth it, but something to consider.

Also, some of the restaurants open for breakfast before the park opens. So if you have an 8 am reservation and the park opens at 9, you will be inside the park before opening time and can beat the crowds to some of the rides. If your kids are like mine, and up at the crack of dawn anyway, this could be useful! The "Be Our Guest" restaurant is a quick service restaurant that does reservations so that might be one to consider. It's not a character meal, but it's in the Beast's castle so good for princess obsessed little girls.

We loved the meal plan! Disboard was great with figuring out timing, reservations and the best places to eat. We went the year before and didn't have the meal plan and did not enjoy ourselves or the food nearly as much. Use the tips for where to go for the best snacks, too. There is absolutely no reason to have left over credits that you use on rice crispy treats!!

Garden Grocer is great. But you will want to order ASAP because slots fill up quickly. I ordered 5 months ahead of our trip so the groceries would arrive at our desired time. (Don't worry; you can edit/add to the order up until a day or two prior to your arrival.)