Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Animal kingdom closes early (5) and doesn't have as much as the other parks. I wouldn't make any particular plans around it - we went early for breakfast at the Rainforest Cafs, and then went in. It's a one-short-day stop. Hollywood Studios has a lot, especially for your older child.

Re: Animal Kingdom -- it used to be the case that it closed early, but they have recently introduced some more after hours entertainment, with many of their key attractions including Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest open late.

True, but the best time to see the animals is in the morning. It is a great park to do for a morning.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, PPs! This is really helpful. Like I wrote initially, it's hard to plan the details when you don't even have the big picture. We'll be looking to go the end of August (perhaps the week before Labor Day). We'd rather spend more money on a shorter trip with less commuting than a longer trip with hours spent in bus lines. I think. Maybe I'll feel differently when I start to price it out. I love the idea of staying at the animal lodge but looking at the map (and a comment from a PP), it looks like it might be a pain to come and go to MK. I'm currently thinking of the Contemporary with a suite or 2 rooms. (We all sleep poorly, so we can't all be in one studio room.) I don't care about the food so much, so I'm fine with the kids eating chicken fingers for three days. I'm a vegetarian but I usually can find something edible. I know the heat will be brutal, but I'm more anxious about waiting hours in lines for rides. I guess this is where fast passes come in. I will return with more questions when I start getting into the details. However, if you have more wisdom to share, please do! Thank you!

Hi OP. You seem to be super fixated on waiting for transportation. Don't. It isn't that bad! My child is younger than yours and can't sit still. We were JUST fine and hardly waited. Disney is REALLY good with transportation. Suite are hard to come by at Disney and when you get them they are pricey. You may want to look into some of the Villas at the various deluxe resorts or the suites at Art of Animation. If you are anxious about waiting for rides you need to book early and educate yourself on the new fast pass system. You can book three ahead of time at one park per day. After you use all three you can get more onsite to use later in the day. Another way you can avoid lines is get to the parks at rope drop (aka when they open) and take advantage of extra magic hours (when the parks are open early/late for resort guests only). Another way to beat the system is to book a character meal inside the park for breakfast before the park opens and go to a ride that normally has a long line first. That way you don't have to use your fast pass on it. For example, do breakfast in the Magic Kingdom at Be Our Guest then go straight to Winnie the Pooh and not get a fast pass for it. Another would be to go to breakfast at the Land Pavilion (Garden Grill I think) in Epcot then go right to Soarin'. If you plan, you will never wait on line.

1) crowd dates for the end of August

We did the week before Labor Day two years ago and it was great. Usually we do early August. The crowds really dwindle the later in August you can manage. The heat is bad, but if you go in knowing that you can find ways to manage it. Hint: At Disney there is ALWAYS someplace you can duck into to escape the heat!

2) which hotel properties allow me to come and go without waiting for transit

As others have said, there will be waits for any park transportation. Buses come every few minutes and if you don't get on the first one, you'll get on the second. There are waits for the boats and definitely for the monorails. But the idea of driving to the parks to avoid the waits is insane! To go to the Magic Kingdom, you park offsite and have to take a tram to the monorail or boat. That's TWO waits! Take others' advice and manage expectations about the free park transportation.

3) can we do MK in one day or do we need two? What about Animal Kingdom?

MK can be kind of overwhelming for a first visit, especially for kids. I'd suggest one MD day, one short AK day, and then check out Epcot or DHS. The latter 3 are all kind of nice for just strolling around at a slower pace.

For the option to walk to parks, as others have said, Contemporary is a 10 minute walk to MK. If you stay in the Garden wing, add another 10 min. But it's a nice perk.

The Epcot resorts are walkable to both Epcot and DHS. Alternatives are very relaxing boat rides. Unfortunately, they share buses to the other resorts so in return for the convenience for two parks, it's kind of an ordeal getting to the others.

If Animal Kingdom piques your interest, I'd suggest staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, where you can get your fill of watching animals without having to leave the resort. We have also found it the most relaxing and best laid out resort (and we've stayed at almost all of them). You can book a 1BR studio in Jambo House for a pretty decent rate through Disney Reservations.

As for the food -- I'm LOL at the poster who says all the food is terrible -- you do realize there are hundreds of restaurants and quick service options on property?! There are certainly ho-hum burgers and microwaved mac and cheese at places, but for the most part the food is on par with your neighborhood Applebee's or better, with a few very unique and well-reviewed dining experiences.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, PPs! This is really helpful. Like I wrote initially, it's hard to plan the details when you don't even have the big picture. We'll be looking to go the end of August (perhaps the week before Labor Day). We'd rather spend more money on a shorter trip with less commuting than a longer trip with hours spent in bus lines. I think. Maybe I'll feel differently when I start to price it out. I love the idea of staying at the animal lodge but looking at the map (and a comment from a PP), it looks like it might be a pain to come and go to MK. I'm currently thinking of the Contemporary with a suite or 2 rooms. (We all sleep poorly, so we can't all be in one studio room.) I don't care about the food so much, so I'm fine with the kids eating chicken fingers for three days. I'm a vegetarian but I usually can find something edible. I know the heat will be brutal, but I'm more anxious about waiting hours in lines for rides. I guess this is where fast passes come in. I will return with more questions when I start getting into the details. However, if you have more wisdom to share, please do! Thank you!

You don't spend hours in bus lines if you stay in an on property hotel. Seriously, I wouldn't factor the inconvenience of Disney inter-park transportation into your planning. It is generally pretty convenient.

Op here. Thanks. Having never been, and hearing about endless lines, I don't know what is a minor inconvenience and what is a gigantic pain.

The value hotels sometimes run $100-140, Moderate a little more. We just stayed at the Caribbean and the hotel room was very nice (food not). Disney is so spread out, which was surprising to me the first time we rent. Last time we stayed at the French Quarter which was really run down (great as it was smaller and transportation easier) but I think its going through a renovation now. Riverside has ok food. French Quarter food made us sick. We only took the bus a few times and except at closing, there were not many lines. I usually took it if I wanted to go back earlier than everyone else. I agree not to plan around Disney Transportation as everything is spread out and everywhere has transportation.

If you are military you can get better discounts at a Disney Hotel vs. Shades of Green, but the military tickets are the best price.

Depending on when you go, lines are really long. We just got back and I was not expecting them to be as long as they were. September seems to be the best time to go.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least two days for MK and one for Animal Kingdom, those are our favorite. We usually rent a car for the convince. If you stay on property, you get free parking. Personally, I'd stay close but off property. The food at Disney is terrible so we'd often go offsite or to the McDonalds (and we are vegetarian, so it is that bad).

I'd actually 100% disagree. The food at Disney is very good. Also there are so many things you can't take advantage of if staying off property, including airport transportation so you don't need a car, being able to book reservations and fast passes early, getting to take advantage of extra magic hours and having purchases sent back to your hotel. Disney is actually GREAT with dietary challenges. They have a special menu at every location for all sorts of dietary restrictions.

+1

We have dietary restrictions in our family and have always been able to find good options for food. If you want to find fried food and burgers at Disney you can. If you want to find healthier or more varied options, they're available too.

You don't have a food allergy or picky kid then.

Actually I have both. I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but I'm clearly not the only one who raves about Disney accommodating dietary restrictions and in general having better food than most theme parks (albeit expensive).

OP - both of my SILs are also vegetarian and we've had good experiences finding things that they have enjoyed. In MK I'd recommend Columbia Harbor House as somewhere that usually has an interesting salad option, though they are available at most places. We also had a good meal recently at the Jungle Navigation Company Skipper Canteen.

The Liberty Square Market in MK also has fruits and veggies, pickles, corn on the cob and baked potatoes.

I am a vegetarian and their veggie burger was pretty gross and dried out. They do have veggie choices but not picky veggie like my kids. The Liberty Square does have fruits but 1/3 went bad in the container we have. Compared to other theme parks it may be good, but given its Disney I expected much better. (Thankfully we learned from our last experience and rented a car to go out).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, PPs! This is really helpful. Like I wrote initially, it's hard to plan the details when you don't even have the big picture. We'll be looking to go the end of August (perhaps the week before Labor Day). We'd rather spend more money on a shorter trip with less commuting than a longer trip with hours spent in bus lines. I think. Maybe I'll feel differently when I start to price it out. I love the idea of staying at the animal lodge but looking at the map (and a comment from a PP), it looks like it might be a pain to come and go to MK. I'm currently thinking of the Contemporary with a suite or 2 rooms. (We all sleep poorly, so we can't all be in one studio room.) I don't care about the food so much, so I'm fine with the kids eating chicken fingers for three days. I'm a vegetarian but I usually can find something edible. I know the heat will be brutal, but I'm more anxious about waiting hours in lines for rides. I guess this is where fast passes come in. I will return with more questions when I start getting into the details. However, if you have more wisdom to share, please do! Thank you!

OP, just so you know, if you decide to go with 2 rooms, Disney will not guarantee that the two rooms will be connecting or even next to each other. You could very well end up with 2 rooms on different floors.

A 2 bedroom suite will cost over $2,000/night. That will include "club level" services.

The Bay Lake Towers are part of the Disney Vacation Club villas-basically Disney Time Shares. A 2 bedroom suite will include a full kitchen and washer/dryer, which is convenient. From what I heard, it can be hard to get a reservation for a 2 bedroom unit if you not a DVC owner. You can try through one of the points brokers, it may be easier (and cheaper) through them. However, you will not receive daily housekeeping.

PP here---I stand corrected (about difficulty getting a 2 bedroom if you are not a DVC member.) I just checked out the reservation site for late August and it looks like you can currently reserve a 2 bedroom villa with a lake view for only $999/night! Or theme park view for $1089/night. And because you'd be going directly through Disney, it WOULD include the daily housekeeping.

OP here. That is definitely out of the budget! Thanks for the info. A studio is too small, but a 2-bedroom, which sounds lovely, is too much. We'll have to look for one bedrooms or connecting rooms. PP above, thanks for the info on connecting rooms. Very important detail!

Same PP here.
For that same time frame a standard room in the "garden wing" of the Contemporary is $440/night--so X 2 would be $880/night, so the 2 bedroom DVC villa is actually a pretty good deal relatively, considering you're gaining the additional living space, full kitchen, washer and dryer, etc.

They do have 1 bedroom DVC villas as well--the bedroom has a King size bed and then there is a Queen-Size Sleeper Sofa and 1 Twin-Size Sleeper Chair in the living room--so if you're ok with your kids on the pull out sofas (or you and your spouse, I guess!) it might work for you. A "standard view" 1 bedroom villa is $669/night during that time frame.

The dates I used were August 21-27...just to get an idea....prices will vary based on the season.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, PPs! This is really helpful. Like I wrote initially, it's hard to plan the details when you don't even have the big picture. We'll be looking to go the end of August (perhaps the week before Labor Day). We'd rather spend more money on a shorter trip with less commuting than a longer trip with hours spent in bus lines. I think. Maybe I'll feel differently when I start to price it out. I love the idea of staying at the animal lodge but looking at the map (and a comment from a PP), it looks like it might be a pain to come and go to MK. I'm currently thinking of the Contemporary with a suite or 2 rooms. (We all sleep poorly, so we can't all be in one studio room.) I don't care about the food so much, so I'm fine with the kids eating chicken fingers for three days. I'm a vegetarian but I usually can find something edible. I know the heat will be brutal, but I'm more anxious about waiting hours in lines for rides. I guess this is where fast passes come in. I will return with more questions when I start getting into the details. However, if you have more wisdom to share, please do! Thank you!

You don't spend hours in bus lines if you stay in an on property hotel. Seriously, I wouldn't factor the inconvenience of Disney inter-park transportation into your planning. It is generally pretty convenient.

Op here. Thanks. Having never been, and hearing about endless lines, I don't know what is a minor inconvenience and what is a gigantic pain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, PPs! This is really helpful. Like I wrote initially, it's hard to plan the details when you don't even have the big picture. We'll be looking to go the end of August (perhaps the week before Labor Day). We'd rather spend more money on a shorter trip with less commuting than a longer trip with hours spent in bus lines. I think. Maybe I'll feel differently when I start to price it out. I love the idea of staying at the animal lodge but looking at the map (and a comment from a PP), it looks like it might be a pain to come and go to MK. I'm currently thinking of the Contemporary with a suite or 2 rooms. (We all sleep poorly, so we can't all be in one studio room.) I don't care about the food so much, so I'm fine with the kids eating chicken fingers for three days. I'm a vegetarian but I usually can find something edible. I know the heat will be brutal, but I'm more anxious about waiting hours in lines for rides. I guess this is where fast passes come in. I will return with more questions when I start getting into the details. However, if you have more wisdom to share, please do! Thank you!

OP, just so you know, if you decide to go with 2 rooms, Disney will not guarantee that the two rooms will be connecting or even next to each other. You could very well end up with 2 rooms on different floors.

A 2 bedroom suite will cost over $2,000/night. That will include "club level" services.

The Bay Lake Towers are part of the Disney Vacation Club villas-basically Disney Time Shares. A 2 bedroom suite will include a full kitchen and washer/dryer, which is convenient. From what I heard, it can be hard to get a reservation for a 2 bedroom unit if you not a DVC owner. You can try through one of the points brokers, it may be easier (and cheaper) through them. However, you will not receive daily housekeeping.

PP here---I stand corrected (about difficulty getting a 2 bedroom if you are not a DVC member.) I just checked out the reservation site for late August and it looks like you can currently reserve a 2 bedroom villa with a lake view for only $999/night! Or theme park view for $1089/night. And because you'd be going directly through Disney, it WOULD include the daily housekeeping.

OP here. That is definitely out of the budget! Thanks for the info. A studio is too small, but a 2-bedroom, which sounds lovely, is too much. We'll have to look for one bedrooms or connecting rooms. PP above, thanks for the info on connecting rooms. Very important detail!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, PPs! This is really helpful. Like I wrote initially, it's hard to plan the details when you don't even have the big picture. We'll be looking to go the end of August (perhaps the week before Labor Day). We'd rather spend more money on a shorter trip with less commuting than a longer trip with hours spent in bus lines. I think. Maybe I'll feel differently when I start to price it out. I love the idea of staying at the animal lodge but looking at the map (and a comment from a PP), it looks like it might be a pain to come and go to MK. I'm currently thinking of the Contemporary with a suite or 2 rooms. (We all sleep poorly, so we can't all be in one studio room.) I don't care about the food so much, so I'm fine with the kids eating chicken fingers for three days. I'm a vegetarian but I usually can find something edible. I know the heat will be brutal, but I'm more anxious about waiting hours in lines for rides. I guess this is where fast passes come in. I will return with more questions when I start getting into the details. However, if you have more wisdom to share, please do! Thank you!

OP, just so you know, if you decide to go with 2 rooms, Disney will not guarantee that the two rooms will be connecting or even next to each other. You could very well end up with 2 rooms on different floors.

A 2 bedroom suite will cost over $2,000/night. That will include "club level" services.

The Bay Lake Towers are part of the Disney Vacation Club villas-basically Disney Time Shares. A 2 bedroom suite will include a full kitchen and washer/dryer, which is convenient. From what I heard, it can be hard to get a reservation for a 2 bedroom unit if you not a DVC owner. You can try through one of the points brokers, it may be easier (and cheaper) through them. However, you will not receive daily housekeeping.

PP here---I stand corrected (about difficulty getting a 2 bedroom if you are not a DVC member.) I just checked out the reservation site for late August and it looks like you can currently reserve a 2 bedroom villa with a lake view for only $999/night! Or theme park view for $1089/night. And because you'd be going directly through Disney, it WOULD include the daily housekeeping.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, PPs! This is really helpful. Like I wrote initially, it's hard to plan the details when you don't even have the big picture. We'll be looking to go the end of August (perhaps the week before Labor Day). We'd rather spend more money on a shorter trip with less commuting than a longer trip with hours spent in bus lines. I think. Maybe I'll feel differently when I start to price it out. I love the idea of staying at the animal lodge but looking at the map (and a comment from a PP), it looks like it might be a pain to come and go to MK. I'm currently thinking of the Contemporary with a suite or 2 rooms. (We all sleep poorly, so we can't all be in one studio room.) I don't care about the food so much, so I'm fine with the kids eating chicken fingers for three days. I'm a vegetarian but I usually can find something edible. I know the heat will be brutal, but I'm more anxious about waiting hours in lines for rides. I guess this is where fast passes come in. I will return with more questions when I start getting into the details. However, if you have more wisdom to share, please do! Thank you!

OP, just so you know, if you decide to go with 2 rooms, Disney will not guarantee that the two rooms will be connecting or even next to each other. You could very well end up with 2 rooms on different floors.

A 2 bedroom suite will cost over $2,000/night. That will include "club level" services.

The Bay Lake Towers are part of the Disney Vacation Club villas-basically Disney Time Shares. A 2 bedroom suite will include a full kitchen and washer/dryer, which is convenient. From what I heard, it can be hard to get a reservation for a 2 bedroom unit if you not a DVC owner. You can try through one of the points brokers, it may be easier (and cheaper) through them. However, you will not receive daily housekeeping.

Take kids out of school for a few days between Thanksgiving and Xmas. The staff stays on but the crowds disappear. No lines, no waiting. Bliss. It's worth it a couple x's during their childhood for this special family experience.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, PPs! This is really helpful. Like I wrote initially, it's hard to plan the details when you don't even have the big picture. We'll be looking to go the end of August (perhaps the week before Labor Day). We'd rather spend more money on a shorter trip with less commuting than a longer trip with hours spent in bus lines. I think. Maybe I'll feel differently when I start to price it out. I love the idea of staying at the animal lodge but looking at the map (and a comment from a PP), it looks like it might be a pain to come and go to MK. I'm currently thinking of the Contemporary with a suite or 2 rooms. (We all sleep poorly, so we can't all be in one studio room.) I don't care about the food so much, so I'm fine with the kids eating chicken fingers for three days. I'm a vegetarian but I usually can find something edible. I know the heat will be brutal, but I'm more anxious about waiting hours in lines for rides. I guess this is where fast passes come in. I will return with more questions when I start getting into the details. However, if you have more wisdom to share, please do! Thank you!

You don't spend hours in bus lines if you stay in an on property hotel. Seriously, I wouldn't factor the inconvenience of Disney inter-park transportation into your planning. It is generally pretty convenient.

To any posters looking for information on Disney's restaurants and menus, I recommend this site:

http://allears.net/dining/menu

They have listings for each restaurant at Disney parks and resorts, including menus. This gives you a good idea of the variety of food and prices at different locations so that you can plan according to any dietary preferences or restrictions.

oops - I forgot to add that in AK there's a little stand on the path from Africa to Asia that specializes in vegetarian food including samosas, falafel, hummus, edamame, etc

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least two days for MK and one for Animal Kingdom, those are our favorite. We usually rent a car for the convince. If you stay on property, you get free parking. Personally, I'd stay close but off property. The food at Disney is terrible so we'd often go offsite or to the McDonalds (and we are vegetarian, so it is that bad).

I'd actually 100% disagree. The food at Disney is very good. Also there are so many things you can't take advantage of if staying off property, including airport transportation so you don't need a car, being able to book reservations and fast passes early, getting to take advantage of extra magic hours and having purchases sent back to your hotel. Disney is actually GREAT with dietary challenges. They have a special menu at every location for all sorts of dietary restrictions.

+1

We have dietary restrictions in our family and have always been able to find good options for food. If you want to find fried food and burgers at Disney you can. If you want to find healthier or more varied options, they're available too.

You don't have a food allergy or picky kid then.

Actually I have both. I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but I'm clearly not the only one who raves about Disney accommodating dietary restrictions and in general having better food than most theme parks (albeit expensive).

OP - both of my SILs are also vegetarian and we've had good experiences finding things that they have enjoyed. In MK I'd recommend Columbia Harbor House as somewhere that usually has an interesting salad option, though they are available at most places. We also had a good meal recently at the Jungle Navigation Company Skipper Canteen.

The Liberty Square Market in MK also has fruits and veggies, pickles, corn on the cob and baked potatoes.