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  1. Mike_Mac

    Those who've done MNSSHP, what did you do for dinner?

    Since you’re paying money for a hard ticket event with limited hours available, you’re correct to avoid a sit down meal in the park. That’ll just eat up valuable time, especially between 4pm and 7pm when restaurant lines will still have many people who aren’t attending the party. My family...
  2. Mike_Mac

    FOP at Rope Drop

    This is anecdotal, but we were lined up in the turnstile next to the AP line, and it was definitely shorter than the other lines. However, by 820 when they started letting people past the turnstiles, you couldn’t push your way through the crowds behind us to get into the AP line, which would...
  3. Mike_Mac

    FOP at Rope Drop

    Fastpass strategy has a lot to do with what you actually can get. We couldn't get a FOP Fastpass even tho we were at our computers by 7am 60 days out from our trip looking for one, but we did get a 920am NRJ, which drove our planning. So, we walked off FOP and hit NRJ with our Fastpass. If...
  4. Mike_Mac

    Hoop-Dee-Doo or Mickeys backyard BBQ

    We did Hoop Dee Doo with our six year old son two weeks ago, sitting near the stage. He absolutely loved the corny nature of the show and "dad humor". We did the 615 show, and he was entertained the entire time, as were two parents and a grandparent. If more of a chaotic, noisy, outdoor...
  5. Mike_Mac

    FOP at Rope Drop

    There is a razor thin margin for FOP rope drop between walking off the ride happy by 915am or being stuck in a 2+ hour line. Getting to the park at 830am will likely put you in the latter. We did it the week before Christmas without a Fastpass, following some advice we'd read for a typical 9am...
  6. Mike_Mac

    New Bus Stop Monitor Skins!

    Wilderness Lodge!
  7. Mike_Mac

    New Bus Stop Monitor Skins!

    Just getting back from WDW this week, and Wednesday the bus monitors at each stop changed their appearance from a simple white background and theme park logos to a more stylized version. This image was taken today before the buses started running. While the buses are running, you see how many...
  8. Mike_Mac

    DVC studio or moderate

    Not plugging any one DVC renting company out there over another, but at the DVCRentalStore, you do not have pay 100% upfront; just half once they find the points you're looking for. They also provide (for a small fee) a cancel-for-any-reason plan, which allows you to recapture a portion of your...
  9. Mike_Mac

    WOW! Wilderness Lodge is beautiful

    Any choirs singing in the evening? We heard a high school last year, and they were fantastic. We hope to hear some when we stay at WL in a week or so.
  10. Mike_Mac

    Is this totally crazy?

    Myrtle to WDW is another 510 miles of driving, which is 8 hours behind the wheel plus stops. That kind of driving tacked onto an otherwise already long trip just for two days at Disney may not be worth it. The road weariness from the extra driving, barely getting settled and rushing two days...
  11. Mike_Mac

    Time to rant...

    Let me engage my traffic engineer brain for a moment and think about multi-modal travel time from All-Star Music to the Crystal Palace for an ADR under three different scenarios to illustrate the need for reasonable planning. FYI, none of these involve waiting 40 minutes for a bus, which for...
  12. Mike_Mac

    Disney in 1-2 days...Can it be done? Help!

    I'm going to recommend the strolling method. Because you have young children (we have a six year old), rushing through any of the parks on a to-the-minute itinerary may lead to a spectacular meltdown. We don't even try to see every part of every park in a day, just so we are not rushed and...
  13. Mike_Mac

    Which is better? Christmas party vs a 1 day pass

    My family went to the third from last MVMCP last year, and it sold out the day before the party. It was a bit crowded between 4pm when we could first enter the park and 7pm when those without party wristbands were kicked out. But after 7pm, even with a sold-out party, we had so much elbow room...
  14. Mike_Mac

    Rope Drop Animal Kingdom Pandora Nov 2017

    That's incredibly helpful. My family has a NRJ Fastpass for the 9am hour in December, and we had considered doing a rope drop for FOP first. However, given some negative reports about poorly behaved guests pushing and shoving, I was considering abandoning the whole idea and heading to another...
  15. Mike_Mac

    December travel tips

    My family is doing a DVC rental this year the week before Christmas at Wilderness Lodge. Renting points was half the cost of a standard WL room for 6 days, even with a typical discount. Only negative is that points for renting are in such high demand, you really need to commit at the start of...
  16. Mike_Mac

    Advice needed on time frame

    For whatever reason, the University my wife and I work for has spring break typically the very first week of March, about one week before everyone else. We've did Walt Disney World Feb 29 thru Mar 6 in 2016, and it was just about the perfect combination of weather and crowds. Not hot, not...
  17. Mike_Mac

    Last xmas party on 12/22

    My family went to the third from last MVMCP last year, and it sold out the day before the party. It's a bit crowded between 4pm when you can first enter the park and 7pm when those without party wristbands get kicked out. But after 7pm, even with a sold-out party, you have so much elbow room...
  18. Mike_Mac

    Do I need a dining plan?

    We've been before several times with three adults and one child. We first got the dining plan, but even with two meals and a snack, it was way way too much food for us. Plus, if you get the dining plan, typically you are not eligible for a discount at the Disney Resorts. So, the past few...
  19. Mike_Mac

    Saving money at Disney? I'm not quite so sure...

    I once chatted with a friend who used to help write and edit travel books many years ago, just as the proliferation of website travel guides was exploding. Her observation was that many people who write these kind of articles haven't even been to the locations they're helping "guide" you with...
  20. Mike_Mac

    What is up with all these wrong discount rates?

    Boy, if those September/October rates are "real", I think I'd start a new tradition that doesn't involve a Disney resort, such as touring fall leaf colors in the Appalachia or the Rockies.
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