need help planning - 2012

[dabecs]

I have been lurking on Disboards for about a year while we thought about our first WDW trip. We have decided to go late 2012.

Now where to start?

Baqckground - we will be taking our two girls (princess and tinkerbell mad) who will be 5 and 6 at the time. My parents are also thinking of coming with us. We want to stay at WDW for about 12/14 nights, 10 days in the parks and would also like to do Kennedy Space Centre. We also plan on 4/6 nights in NY before we head down to WDW and after reading another thread on here we are thinking of breaking up the flight home by stopping for a few nights in Hawaii.

Now onto the decisions -

We want to stay at a moderate (love the look of deluxe but not the price!), was thinking maybe POFQ? I like the smaller size of the resort but happy to hear recommendations..

Which month? September? October or November? Each one has so many pros and cons!

Should we use a TA like Dreams Unlimited? I love the idea of booking early and then applying any discounts that come up and also love not having to make ADRs myself.

I know it's a long way away but one of the best bits about Disboards is all the like minded planners

Thanks for you help!

Ellen

 

[DVCAustralia]

It is NEVER too early to begin thinking and planning, particularly with WDW.
Your timeframes look good, just keep in mind that going back via Hawaii may add significantly to the airfare, although of course this could change by 2012. You could HAVE to break the flight at DL.
It would be worth looking at renting DVC points in comparison to moderates (I have posted a separate post dealing with this or you can e-mail me). As moderates are popular on this board I will leave the details of the choices available to others that have direct knowledge.
In regard to the time of year, do not forget hurricane season as even without an actual hurricane the weather can be very hot and humid with regular showers (check some of the trip reports on this board). Of the three months mentioned I would recommend November, probably the two weeks before Thanksgiving with New York the week before this so you can avoid the bump in cost and crowds but hopefully get the Christmas decorations.
Again with TAs I will leave this to those who have direct knowledge since booking off-site and now DVC does not require this option.

Whatever you end up choosing you will have a GREAT time.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Congratulations on your planning and glad you're no longer lurking!

I've stayed at POR and CSR moderates and both were nice. CSR was the convention resort and I thought it lacked a little bit of Disney feel as a consequence. I preferred POR. POFQ is right next to POR and we did see a little bit of the theming from the bus and the boat to DTD when we rode them. I liked the look of it.

POFQ has recently and is still going through renovations. Don't know if they have been completed but there were some early pictures somewhere of the new rooms. POR will be undergoing reno's as well this year; so both should be fairly updated when you go in 2012.

Despite the size of both CSR and POR, we didn't feel that the size was overwhelming. Both have great food courts; and that may be something you might want to compare if you decide to go with POFQ.

I've been to WDW in May, June and in October. I liked May because it was timed with the Flower and Garden show at Epcot. But October was a stand-out because there was the Food and Wine festival at Epcot and also Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at MK. I really enjoyed experiencing both events.
If the special events are something that you would like to experience, then I'd recommend that you plan your trip around them. Just remember - special events usually also mean special crowds; although the crowds weren't too bad in late October.

Using an American TA to help plan/book your WDW holiday is a great idea. I've booked my first and my third trip by myself and used an American TA for the second. It just depends on what you prefer to do.

Have fun with the research and planning!

 

[dabecs]

Thanks!

I haven't looked into DVC but will now...

November has been our main choice so far, September's free dining (if they have it) would be a bonus but the humidity would not! I think seeing Christmas at the world wouls be really amazing What date do the decorations go up?

Now which resort?

I love planning

 

[Toy Story]

Hi dabecs,
We chose POR for the simple reason DD12, gets freaked out by masks, and the dining room at PORFW has masks in the dining room.

The make your own pasta and pizza at POR was good, especially on the first night we arrived and there was a huge thunder storm. We would have liked to try the beignets at PORFQ, but did not get there, oh well next time.

We requested, and stayed in the Mansions, it was really picturesque.

 

[queenie82]

I'm just going to sell Christmas...
The decorations go up in November.
The Christmas party dates in 2010 were as follows
November: 8, 11, 12, 16, 18, 19, 28, 30,
December: 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 19

They won't be exactly the same but the decorations have to be up for the parties...so the decorations were up by the 8th Nov 2010.

just sayin...

 

[dabecs]

The beignet are a plus for POFQ! As is having POR so close - you can get the benefits of two resorts.

I think I'm sold on Christmas! I am a Christmassy person so it would be amazing to see everything, and the Christmas party would be a really nice addition to the trip.

Maybe we should try to arrive very start of November/end of October so we could see the magic happen

Thanks everyone who has taken the time to reply - this is such a friendly forum.

Ellen.

 

[queenie82]

Halloween is on in October...so they have to strip all of that after the 31st before Christmas can go up.
I'd try to be there until about 20th Nov...I wouldn't push it having October as well. IF your focus is Christmas. Unless you can stay that long.
The Parties are at the Magic Kingdom.
I've done some cursory searching to see when the Resort decorations get 'completed' as it might be a bit different.

Just don't want to mislead you in saying the WHOLE of WDW is done by 2nd week of Nov

Some links that might be of interest -

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...s-magic-kingdom-park-decorated-for-christmas/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/12/the-top-5-merriest-sights-at-walt-disney-world/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/12/one-sweet-holiday-season/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...edible-carousel-at-disneys-beach-club-resort/

 

[dabecs]

good point, I'm not very interested in H'ween so will have to work on dates...

 

[Jade+3]

We went the last 2 weeks in October, which was great. Weather was fantastic and the humidity was manageable. Loved all the Halloween decorations. Next year we are going September but that is more to do with school holidays. I have been to Disneyland at Christmas which was beautiful. If I had my pick of times it would definitely be during the Christmas season.

We are staying at Caribbean Beach Resort. The kids selected it for the pool. There seem to be some complaints about the bus service, but we will be hiring a car.

We are using Dreams Unlimited.

 

[dabecs]

Thanks Jade, I think I have made my first decision...

NOVEMBER!

Have to think about exact dates still...

And I am really leaning towards booking through Dreams Unlimited after reading of positive experiences on the Aus section.

Now to pick a resort

I also liked the look of Carribean but I did hear the buses could be a problem (we won't be hiring a car) and the pool isn't such an issue because we will be going in a cooler month..

 

[PrincessInOz]

Resort...and then food!

Dream Unlimited is owned by the same guy who set up the DisBoard; so you'll see loads of ads on the DisBoards. There are alternatives to them...but from what I can see, DU runs a good operation and seems to be customer focussed.

 

[dabecs]

mmm food!

Well on that front I know the following are certainties...

CRT
Akershus
1900 Park Fare dinner (sensing the princess theme!)
Chef Mickeys
Sci Fi diner
50s prime time cafe
Tusker House

We love good food but I am more interested in an experience while in WDW rather than fine cuisine - so characters all the way

I'm always open to food suggestions - especially counter and snack ideas

Would also like opinions on the dining plan..

Thanks again everyone!

 

[Jade+3]

I have the same definates on my ADR list too!

I also have:
Hoop De Doo Revue or Mickeys Backyard BBQ (HDDR is looking most likely)
Garden Grill
Hollywood and Vine (DS is an Oso fan)
Crystal Palace
Teppen Edo
Ohana

My maybe's are:
Biergarten
Cape May breakfast
Via Napoli
Liberty Tree
Rose and Crown

We have 13 credits with free dining, plus will pay for a couple.

My kids will also be 6 and 5, plus we also have a 2 year old.

I am only doing the dining plan as it is free. If we were not going during free dining, I doubt we would have purchased it, especially as we will have a car.

 

[shaz105]

Hi

I am also planning a trip 2012 I am thinking of going around Halloween my kids ask us last time we went if we went again can we go when it's Halloween.

I am getting all the information I can and hopefully this time we will be able to take more spending money with us this time.

 

[dabecs]

Shaz - it will be lovely to have someone to plan with

What time of the year did you go last time and where did you stay?

I have been reading some trip reports today - so much fun to read.

 

[PrincessInOz]

For counter services, my preferences are as follows:

Magic Kingdom - Columbia Harbour, Cosmic Rays, El Pirata y el Perico (if opened).
Epcot - Sunshine Seasons, Tangerine Cafe, Yorkshire Fish and Chips, Yakitori House.
AK - Yak and Yeti, Pizzafari, Flame Tree BBQ
HS - Pizza Planet, Starring Rolls.
DD - WPE, Earl of Sandwich.


For snacks:

Magic Kingdom - Main Street Bakery, Dole Whip Float
Epcot - anything from the Boulangerie in France and anything from the Kuche Karamel shop in Germany. I also like the slushies - alcoholic or not at Epcot.
DHS - Any Starring Rolls cupcakes
DAK - I normally get a Mickey icecream at DAK or a fruit snack from Harambe's; so I'm not sure what the local specialty is
DTD - Goofy's Kitchen, Ghiradelli

 

[shaz105]

Hi dabecs

We went last year in August we went to Disneyland and WDW.

In Anaheim we stayed at Howard Johnson

In Orlando we stayed at Animal Kingdom

If you are going to Florida I suggest you get the A dining Plan

 

[queenie82]

For counter services, my preferences are as follows:

Magic Kingdom - Columbia Harbour, Cosmic Rays, El Pirata y el Perico (if opened).
Epcot - Sunshine Seasons, Tangerine Cafe, Yorkshire Fish and Chips, Yakitori House.
AK - Yak and Yeti, Pizzafari, Flame Tree BBQ
HS - Pizza Planet, Starring Rolls.
DD - WPE, Earl of Sandwich.


For snacks:

Magic Kingdom - Main Street Bakery, Dole Whip Float
Epcot - anything from the Boulangerie in France and anything from the Kuche Karamel shop in Germany. I also like the slushies - alcoholic or not at Epcot.
DHS - Any Starring Rolls cupcakes
DAK - I normally get a Mickey icecream at DAK or a fruit snack from Harambe's; so I'm not sure what the local specialty is
DTD - Goofy's Kitchen, Ghiradelli

Sunshine Seasons desserts are snacks...and I think that their Strawberry Shortcake is superior to anything at the German or French shops.

At DHS I found Fairfax Fare very good.
http://allears.net/menu/menu_ffare.htm
Ribs were as good as pretty much anywhere else. With the exception to Flame Tree which was a bit better

 

[dabecs]

Thanks for everyone who has replied

I have had a look at a few menus, and considering the number of character dining experiences we want to have I think the DDP will be the best value. Although paying for the DDP and then paying tips on top is something I will have to wrap my head around!

We are not huge eaters (but do love something sweet) so most days if I book an ADR table service for breakfast or dinner and we use our quick service credit for the other meal we would probably be happy using the snack credit as 'lunch'. Some of the listed snacks sound quite substantial and many of the character dining is buffet style so we can fill up then

I have spent tonight researching accomodation and I just keep coming back to POFQ. I love the small size, the foodcourt menu has food we would all eat and the bus service/boat to DTD sounds good. And I just love the look of the place! I think it would be nice if they updated it to have some Princess and the Frog theming though. I would like to stay in building 5 for it's proximity to the foodcourt, pool and bus transfers.

So more decisions have been made