Anyone got a Disney/Florida Holiday Planned Part 2

[Groovee]

Old Thread

There are plenty of quick and/or counter service type places in the parks, and obviously lots of places outside of the parks too.

You can also go direct to restaurants for the standby queue. However, sometimes it can be a long queue/wait. Last time we went we found it harder to get a seat in the "reservable" restaurants than before.

Is anyone around still?

Still counting down the days until September

I'm in full planning and booking mode now!

We are going in October - counting down already :)

we go in may. we went last year for the first time and stayed at all stars music. we loved it. have booked this year in the old key west with free dining. have booked a few character meals. can't bloody wait

252 sleeps here lucas have you been before? Where are you staying?

Not long to go pud have you booked everything you need?

We went March 2013 and loved it, was very busy because of Easter holidays tho. Hoping this year will be quieter.

Have got universal, discovery cove( with sea world and aquatica)
Esta done.

Need to buy tickets for Disney, HHN, MNSSHP and a night at universal!

we have booked all our tickets, flights and hotel. I booked before virgin changed the rules on seat reservations so I am still able to book seats without charge at 60 days to go. will also be able to do fast passes then. I am addicted to the dibb at the moment. I am driving the dds and oh mad with my overexcited planning

I frequent the Dibb too

We're hoping to book extra leg room seats so think you can't choose seats.

I'm stressing about shoes atm
Had really swollen feet last time and uncomfy shoes.

We went last March and are going again in August. I didn't want to go last year as I thought Disney would be boring and I bleedin' loved it. Chesty, as much as I hate to admit it, Crocs flip flops will be your friend. Like these, they don't look like Crocs, have no Crocs branding and are the most comfy shoe ever for walking round Disney trustme

Ha awks I've just been on the crocs website looking at those. But my head keeps going "but there crocs"

DM wore sketchers go walks but again not very pretty and I imagine them to be a bit sweaty.

Ps I also wasn't too excited the first time....I'm like a planning whirlwind this time

I'm going in August... can't wait! Haven't been since I was very young so I've been busy researching where to go and what to do!

Hi y'all!

I'm equally addicted to the Dibb!

We're going in August too and the last time I went was 25 years ago!

Those shoes would look utterly ridiculous on me awks but I'm also freaking out re footwear, how will my bunions cope,with the heat and marathon walking?

We're staying at a villa so DH is worrying about the driving at the mo. Just ordered a map from Mapman. Looks very clear and detailed.

Another here going in August!

We are going at Easter (yes we're are crazy stupid)

First time with DD - 5th birthday while we are there. DH and I haven't been since we were teens.

Staying in a villa as there will be 6 adults and 2 kids in total.
Have booked 4 day Disney park hopper +4 fun/water park visits, 3 days at universal, Legoland, Gatorland and Seaworld (yes, we are bad people ) and hoping for a couple of relaxed days by the villa pool/shopping etc. neither of the kids is Disney-mad so don't feel the need to cram everything in.

Very much looking forward to it - and will definitely check out Dibb website and those croc flip flops - the ankle strap looks like it might be quite right though cankles

*tight, not right.

We are vaguely thinking of going to Florida in mid-late April this year (travelling around a bit to see the Keys/everglades/beaches then ending with a week or so in Orlando). Am I being incredibly naive to think we can just book a week at an Orlando hotel a couple of months in advance and have a nice time at Disney? Everyone seems to be booking all of their food and rides way in advance, I don't have masses of time to do that and people seem to do it so far in advance that I guess we might be too late anyway. Can we have a nice holiday this way or will I be the poor relation waiting in huge queues and unable to get in the nice restaurants? If it helps it would be second half of April after the main Easter rush and the crowd calendars seem to have it as a reasonable time to go (crowd levels 5/6 on the days we're think of). Thanks!

We haven't booked yet because we can't go until August 2017 but am so looking forward to it

I have been a few times but my family haven't. Can't wait to see my daughters face (she'll be 7)

Tess from what I can gather on the Dibb, planning fast passes and some restaurant reservations is sensible because of the queues at the parks.

That said, there some itineraries which aren't too far off planning toilet breaks in advance so I guess it's getting a balance.

It's probably going to be a one-off for!our family so I'm trying to pack as much in as I can without all of us dying of exhaustion!

That's what I said in 2013 bacon

Thanks Bacon, it does seem very odd that unless you booked 6 months ago you might not get into a restaurant!

One other question, as everyone uses these online planners does that not reduce their usefulness? E.g. If the planner says that today is great for Epcot, doesn't that just guarantee a huge influx of people there and so reduce the usefulness?

It is the planning that puts me off TBH I'd rather wake up in the morning and ask people whether they'd rather a water park or rides rather than march them all off to the schedule.

I think it depends when you go as to how much planning you need. We went in Easter holidays and it was packed. So popular places like cinderellas table would have been impossible without an ADR.

We're going in September this year so will have a loose plan with some Must do ADRs booked but wing the others.

Well book fast passes for the really popular rides like TSM but hopefully the rest will be doable without.

We've just booked for July! Eeeeeep!!

This will be our 5th time (3rd year in a row!)

We said on our first trip in 2007 when our dds were 7 and 5 that it was "a once in a lifetime thing" that "we just had to do once" . . .

Ha!

Once you get the bug, that's it, there's no going back!

We didn't go to Disney at all last year though - we stayed at Universal and it was ALL about Potter for us! This year will be similar, but we will venture out to Disney for a few days I think!

I'm so glad I've found somewhere to share the excitement - my RL friends and relations are a bit fed up of hearing about my obsession now!!

Oops, forgot about this thread! :)

252 sleeps here lucas have you been before? Where are you staying?

262 sleeps for us now! I've been a few times before, yes. We always stay in a villa. What about you?

Let me share my shoe epiphany with you! I used to stress ridiculously about shoes for FL but then I found these babies and they are PERFECT. They're proper walking shoes but are as cute/girly as this sort of thing can be. They actually look nicer in RL and don't seem quite as chunky as they do here. They have seriously reduced my holiday stress by an incredible amount :)

Tess, you must book restaurants in advance if there is a particular one that you want to do (a few places sell out within seconds of the booking window being open!) but if you just want somewhere to eat then there's no need to book at all as there will always be somewhere that you can eat - there are tons of counter service places. With regards to booking rides in advance, I would definitely do this but it's not nearly as involved or time-consuming as it sounds. Once you have your tickets, set yourself up an account on My Disney Experience and it's really easy to just click on the rides you want to do. You can only choose 3 per day anyway and it honestly takes seconds. It means that you can walk straight on to any 3 rides of your choice so is really worth taking the time to do. You don't need to do it way in advance though (apart from one or two attractions). If you have a tablet/smart phone with you then you can even decide where you're going the night before and do it then. You can book them in the parks but doing it in advance saves time as there are always queues to use the FastPass machines.

Oh, to answer the question about the busy days causing an influx - no, that doesn't happen (I've often wondered about that!) Apparently most people never both to check what days are busy and they just go with the flow, so a few extra people going to a particular place because of recommendations isn't enough to influence the crowd levels.

Ha me too lobster I'm driving everyone up the wall

lucas they look good, less clumpy than other ones I've seen.
I'm wondering whether to try some Birkenstocks.

Tickets booked apart from HHN and MNSSHP, also still need to book night at universal.

The dollar rate is rubbish