The Walt Disney World Rope-Drop

I always assume that the terms I use when discussing the Disney parks are known by all but was reminded this past weekend about a term that might not be widely know. The term is Rope-Drop. This refers to the ceremony that occurs in all parks at the beginning of the day. Each park’s ceremony might be a little different but they are all mainly the same idea. Before the park opens, you are allowed to go into the park to a certain point. In the Magic Kingdom; right at the tunnels under the Train Station. At Epcot; after you get past Innoventions to across from Mousegears. In the Disney Studios; near the Sunset Blvd intersection and in the Animal Kingdom; right at the bridge as you first view the Tree of Life. Only the Magic Kingdom and the Animal kingdom have real shows at the Rope Drop. Epcot and DHS really did not have a planned show as far as I can tell. The Disney Studios link is a link to a DisBoards post by Robo. This is a very detailed description of what to expect. Thanks Robo!
I have seen a couple of different versions of the MK show. Sometimes with the family of the day sometimes without. Sometimes with the train pulling up, sometimes not. Either way, right as the time for the park to open arrives you hear the music volume turn up and the Welcome song begins. One of the podcasts I listen to, Character Breakfast uses this song for their opening. The characters sing and dance with the family of the day and then they would open the park and then the Mad Dash would start. Look for more on that in another post. In the Animal Kingdom, as you are waiting for the ‘Rope-Drop’ an old and rickety Jungle truck drives in from the direction of Dino-land and has some of the Fab 5 on board. Mickey is missing but shows up later. They go through a nice script to welcome you to the park and then the Rope-Drop and the Mad Dash begins. Epcot was a little more relaxed in that I could not tell if there was a planned show. The Fab 5 come out dressed in shiny tuxedos and do a quick dance and then that rope-Drops and the Epcot Mad Dash begins. Similar at DHS. Although there were times where the Streetmasphere people do there shticks and then that Rope-Drops and the DHS Mad Dash Begins.
Here’s a couple of words about the Mad Dash I mention above. As soon as the rope drops people take off toward the attractions in what can best be described as a Mad Dash. Everyone is trying to get to those E ticket attractions that get crowded fast. Each park has two or three of these attractions. In DHS, most people make the Mad Dash to the Tower of Terror and the Rockin Roller Coaster. In Epcot, it’s Soarin, Test Track and Mission Space. This is a picture of the line for the Soarin' FASTPASS right after Rope Drop. Something to look forward to. In the Animal Kingdom it’s Everest and the Safari. The Magic Kingdom actually has two routes. The first for the kids is the mds-Dash to Fantasyland and Dumbo or Peter Pan. For the older crowd, the Mad-Dash is to the mountain of your choice. I would think Splash Mtn . and Big Thunder get the biggest share.

So your going to WDW: Park Parades

There are many different parades that you can see when you go to the Walt Disney World parks. Here is a summary by park of what they have to offer. Make sure you check for times on the dates you go. As far as how early to start getting a seat, rule of thumb is 45-60 minutes but that could change either way based on crowds.

Magic Kingdom: The MK’s main parade is the Dreams Come True parade and usually runs once per day and usually at 3:00 pm. This is the classic daytime parade that had all the characters in Glass Snow Globes until recently. It stars most of the classic Disney characters on all manner of floats and walking by. The parade starts at the gate between Adventureland and Fontierland right next to Splash Mountain. The parade then winds it’s way through Frontierland, Liberty Square and onto the Hub and Main Street. Everyone has their favorite place to watch this parade from. We have seen it from where it starts, from the Hub and from Main Street and from in front of the Magic Kingdom entrance next to the Town Square Exposition Hall. Can’t say any place was bad as long as your close to the front of the crowd.
The other parade at the Magic Kingdom is Spectromagic. This is the incredible lighted parade that runs at night. Until you see this parade, you cannot truly appreciate it. It is magical. The lights, music, the characters and to certain extent the promise of Fireworks right after make this an incredible parade. Not only the parade floats light up, but so do all of the characters riding on floats and walking. Spectromagic starts near the entrance of the MK and goes the opposite way the day parade goes. We have only seen this parade from Main Street and the Hub. Again if your toward the front, all seats are good.
There is a third Parade at the Magic Kingdom. That is the Holiday Parade. This is held on nights that the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is held and the last couple of days before and including Christmas. This parade, of course, ends with Santa.
There is also a Halloween Parade the is held for nights that the MNSSHP is held. This is of course a Halloween themed parade. I have seen video of it with the Grave Diggers from the Haunted Mansion and the dance they do in the parade is very cool. Did I mention that the Parade Grand Marshall is the Head-less Horse-man? He rides the parade rout sans head before the parade on a real horse.

You can also add the Princess and Pirate Parade to this list also. Run on special nights, staring of course, the Princesses of Disney World and the great Captain Jack Sparrow.

Disney Hollywood Studios
The DHS parade is the Stars and Motor Cars parade. We have seen this parade a couple of times and it is a fun parade. Instead of floats, the characters all ride in cool customized cars. There are some characters that walk also. The Power Rangers were a big favorite of the little guys. There are many of the later movies characters. Mulan, Muppets, and Star Wars characters are backed by many other characters. This parade begins near the Star Tours Ride and winds it’s way toward the entrance of the park only to take a right before the entrance. There is a Holiday version of this parade. Basically they add a lot of tinsel and snow to the cars. There is a rumour that this parade will be getting changed out in 2008. Look for a Pixar character based parade.
Animal Kingdom
The AK parade is the Mickey's Jammin’ Jungle parade. This is a very African looking parade with all of your favorite, mostly animal, Disney characters. This is also the only parade that you can watch pass you twice without moving too far. If you stand next to the BBB stand and watch it coming from your left then cross the street and watch it as it finishes it’s circle around the park. There is a holiday version of this parade also. Mickey's Jingle Jungle parade, I think.

Epcot

There is no parade in Epcot anymore.

So Your Going to WDW: MGM Studios Must Sees

What I am trying to do in these next four “So your Going to WDW” articles is to try to give you an idea of some of the attractions that you should make plans to see if you’re a FIRST TIME VISITOR to the parks. I will rate them by MUST SEE attraction(MS), SECOND TIME to PARK attraction(STP), and HAVE NOT TRIED attraction(HNT).
MS is obvious, but I don’t want this to be a ride description article. If I say MS I mean it without giving too many details. STP is for rides that can wait until your second time to the park. It can also mean once you do all of the MS attractions and have time, hit the STP attractions. The HNT rating means I have not tried this attraction yet and cannot judge . Maybe bad on me and I am meaning to get to it. Or there is a reason to skip it. Although I hate to pass anything up I’ll mention why the HNT when I get to them. Any and all comments are welcome.

Think of the MGM Studios as a park of Streets. Each street has it's share of attractions, food, and shops.

Hollywood Blvd.
The MGM Studios entrance way is a lot like the Magic Kingdoms. Hollywood Blvd. leads you into the park. There are a lot of stores on either side of the street. Keep your eyes open for some of the street actors that you’ll find here. They are hilarious. At the end of the Boulevard is The Great Movie Ride, MS. This is a nice ride through the classic moments in movie history.

Sunset Blvd. leads the way to two of the best thrill rides in the park and maybe all of WDW. The Hollywood Tower of Terror, MS is one of the best themed attractions in Walt Disney World. Of course you’ve got the big drop, but there is so much more to this attraction. Every detail is cool, from walking up the front pathway to the lobby of the hotel, to the basement, to yelling your lungs out at the top.
The Rockin Roller Coaster, MS is an indoor, shoot you from stop to 60 mph in 7 seconds, looped, roller coaster. This is a very exciting ride and a special bonus if you’re an Aerosmith fan.
The other things on this street are the Entrance to Fantasmic, MS the huge Mickey Mouse Fights the Evil Characters, fireworks show. There is also the Beauty and the Beast Broadway show STP. The show is live and very good.

The Animation Courtyard has a couple of cool attractions. Playhouse Disney Live on Stage MS for 10 and under, is on your right. This is an ever evolving show that stars the characters of the Disney Channel’s morning shows.
Voyage of the Little Mermaid show, MS, is a very cool indoor mix of puppetry, animation and live action.
The Magic of Disney Animation tour STP, is a nice view of how cartoons are made. It was a lot more fun when you actually saw the artists working.

Mickey Ave. is where you can find the Back lot Tour, MS. This is a great attraction that tours around the outdoor sets of the Disney Studios. Also on Mickey Ave, you can find the Journey into Narnia, HNT and Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream HNT. Both of these HNT’s were to our detriment. We will be checking both of these attractions out on our next trip.

On the Streets of America, there is the Muppet Vision 3D, MS. One of the best attraction’s in the park. Make sure you check out the Pre-Show. It’s as worth seeing as the show. Lights Motors Action Extreme Stunt Show, hmmm, I gotta go STP here. It’s a cool show and the stunts are great. Bigggg time investment though. Between line and show 60 minutes or more. On last note for the Streets of America, during the Christmas Season, they are decorated with the Osborne Family Christmas Light show. This is a MS of the highest magnitude. In fact, here is a link to the video from last year. They had just added the light/music coordination.

Echo Lake is the final section of the park.. Here you’ll find Star Tours, MS. This is a nice vacation trip to the Moons of Endor. Say hi to R2D2 and C3P0 as you wait on line. Keep an eye out for the strolling Storm Troopers as you board the ride.
Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, MS. This is a very good live action show on the stunts used in the Indiana Jones movie. All seats are good. Look for the Well outside the ride entrance. (Pull the Rope)
The last attraction in Echo Lake is Sounds Dangerous with Drew Carey, STP. This is an attraction for the Ear. It’s a very fun time, but it does get pitch black for about half or more of the time.

The Disney MGM Studios, while having a smaller attraction list than the other parks, has a large amount of restaurants and stores. Have a great day and don't forget to check out Mickey's Sorcerers Hat.

So Your Going to WDW: Epcot Must Sees

What I am trying to do in these next four “So your Going to WDW” articles is to try to give you an idea of some of the attractions that you should make plans to see if you’re a FIRST TIME VISITOR to the parks. I will rate them by MUST SEE attraction(MS), SECOND TIME to PARK attraction(STP), and HAVE NOT TRIED attraction(HNT).
MS is obvious, but I don’t want this to be a ride description article. If I say MS I mean it without giving too many details. STP is for rides that can wait until your second time to the park. It can also mean once you do all of the MS attractions and have time, hit the STP attractions. The HNT rating means I have not tried this attraction yet and cannot judge . Maybe bad on me and I am meaning to get to it. Or there is a reason to skip it. Although I hate to pass anything up I’ll mention why the HNT when I get to them. Any and all comments are welcome.

You have to think of Epcot as really two parks. Future World and the World Showcase. We’ll start off with Future World attractions.

Park Entrance
Spaceship Earth: MS Spaceship Earth is the main landmark at Epcot. The Cinderella’s Castle if you will. We usually ride this on the way out of the park.
Innoventions East and West: STP This is a display of new and existing technologies. There are a lot of displays and this will take some time to go through.

Nemo and the Living Seas
The Seas with Nemo: MS This is a classic dark ride with a twist. Real fish are added to the animation to create very cool scenes. The Queue in this attraction is a treat.
Turtle Talk with Crush: MS This is a theatre type attraction where the kids sit on the floor in the front and talk to Crush…and Crush talks back. Amazing.
Living with the Seas Aquarium: STP The rest of this pavilion is a very complete aquarium. I would save this for after you’ve hit some of the better rides first. Nothing that you have not seen at the aquarium near your home.

The Land
Living with the Land: STP This one was tough to judge. It might be a STP but I always ride it. It is a slow boat ride through green houses and gardens. Very interesting growing methods of plants and animals for food. Look for the Pumpkins. See any familiar shapes?
Soarin: MS, MS, MS This is one of the Best Rides in WDW all together. A hang Glider ride over the different parts of California.
The Circle of Life: STP This is a very good show of Pumba and Timon learning to be more ecologically friendly.

Wonders of Life
Closed – Which is a shame. But in the even it is open, Body Wars is a MS but it is a bumpy ride. Cranium Command is a MS. The Making of Me is an STP.

Universe of Energy: STP This was a MS but has dropped it's ranking because of all of the other good attractions now in Epcot. This could also be called the Ellen ride and while great, is an investment of about 40 minutes of time from pre-show through exiting out the door.

Mission Space: MS This is a very realistic rocket trip to Mars. I have only been on the original side. There is a less intense side where the ride motion is turned down a couple notches. Another cool queue.

Test Track: Another MS thrill ride. Great ride in that nothing is as bad as it looks and the speed track at the end is like riding in a convertible at 64.2 MPH.

Imagination Pavilion:
Honey I Shrank the Audience: MS A must see if you have never seen it. A little scary for the little ones. This is a 3d attraction.
Journey into Imagination with Figment: STP This used to be a MS but not anymore. Figment is the cool Purple Dragon.

World Showcase
I am going to change the way I do the ratings for the World Showcase. All of the lands are Must Sees(MS). What I’ll do is to list each country and give a quick description of what it has to offer. As an FYI, all have food and shopping. I will talk about the best of these as we have seen. And for the countries that have attractions I would give them a STP except for Canada’s Oh, Canada and Mexico’s GRan Fiesta Tour. They get an MS rating.

Mexico: One of my top three countries. From the look outside at the Mexican Temple to the cool night time appearance inside 24/7 it is an awesome pavilion. You will find Gran Fiesta Tour, a slow boat attraction in this pavilion along with a first class Mexican Sit Down Restaurant. There is a very good artist who makes small items out of glass. Very fun to watch. There is a Table and a Counter service Rest.

Norway: This pavilion has an indoor log flume like attraction called the Maelstrom that describes the land of Norway. This attraction is a log flume that is pretty nice. Watch out for the trolls. They are kind of scary for the little ones. Norway’s Akershus Rest. has Princess Character Dinning meals.

China: This pavilion has shopping and the best Chinese food I’ve ever had. There is a 360 degree movie theatre with a film about the land of China. You can see many samples of Chinese art. There is a group of Chinese Children acrobats that put on a wonderful show. China has both a Table and a Counter service Rest.

Germany: Oom-pa-pa, oom-pa-pa. We have not spent much time in Germany. There is a miniature Railroad set-up that has been there forever. There is a Table and a Counter service Rest.

America: The American Experience is located in this pavilion. It’s a really good animatronic attraction. A very patriotic history of America. The Voices of Liberty are singers that harmonize beautifully as they sing American songs from history. Across from the American Pavilion, is a stage where concerts are held along with the Candlelight Processional. There is a Counter
Service Rest.

Japan: Japan is a very beautiful pavilion. There is not a lot of entertainment. I have not seen her, but I heard that watching the Candy maker is a treat. There is a Table and a Counter service Rest.

Italy: This land has the essence of Italy. It is based on the City of Venice. There are fountains, statues, and many other forms of art. There is a Table Service and a bakery in this pavilion.

Morocco: One of the most exotic Pavilions. It was built by craftsman supplied by the King of Morocco. There are lots of places to explore here. There is a Table and a Counter service Rest.

France: France is a beautiful land at Epcot. Small lined streets and stores along side. A little bit of Paris in Florida. There is a movie attraction in this land along with some good places to eat. Look for the Artist's Bike and the box full of paintings. Many small places to get food and a top quality Table Service Restaurant.

UK: Not sure where this would be in England, but the UK in Epcot looks like small cities street. There are many stores and things to do. No Attraction, but keep you eye out for the street performers. Very good Counter Service in the Yorkshire County Fish Shop. There is also a Table Service Restaurant.

Canada: This is another of my top three pavilions. This land shows off a number of the traits of Canada. Some of the Sky-line of Quebec and the mountains of the west are on display, along with a much smaller version of Victoria Gardens. There is a really good 360 degree movie and there is a First Class Table Seating restaurant. Keep your eyes open for the band Off Kilter, their really good.

So Your Going to WDW: Magic Kingdom Must See's

What I am trying to do in these next four “So your Going to WDW” articles is to try to give you an idea of some of the attractions that you should make plans to see if you’re a FIRST TIME VISITOR to the parks. I will rate them by MUST SEE attraction(MS), SECOND TIME to PARK attraction(STP), and HAVE NOT TRIED attraction(HNT).
MS is obvious, but I don’t want this to be a ride description article. If I say MS I won't go into too much detail. STP is for rides that can wait until your second time to the park. It can also mean once you do all of the MS attractions and have time, hit the STP attractions. The HNT rating means I have not tried this attraction yet and cannot judge . Maybe bad on me and I am meaning to get to it. Or there is a reason to skip it. Although I hate to pass anything up I’ll mention why the HNT when I get to them. Please keep in mind, this is just my opinion. If your passing something I ranked as STP and it looks like fun and there is no line, jump on it. Nothings in Stone.

Main Street
There is plenty of places to shop and eat on Main Street, but as far as a Must See or MS, The only thing I would bring up would be get there early for Parade seats if you want to sit on Main Street. 45 Minutes at least. Other than that I would leave extra time on your way out of the park and check out the stores and food shops on either side of the street. The food offered is from snacks to candy to fast food to Sit down Table Service. I’ll talk all about food and shopping on Main Street at another time in another post.

Adventureland
Jungle Cruise: MS This is a boat ride through the jungle of animatronic animals and funny live Skippers.
Tiki Room: MS This is a dark room attraction with plenty of anamatronic birds all around. Don’t forget to look at the plants and the wood carvings everywhere.
Swiss Family Robinson: STP The Swiss Family Robinson Tree house is nice to see especially if you remember the movie. The problem is the walk-thru is single file and can be slow at times.
Pirates of the Caribbean: MS This is a dark attraction. Pretty calm boat ride except for one spot. Plenty of action and pirates. Keep your eyes peeled for Capt. Jack Sparrow
Alladin’s Carpet Ride: STP If you know the Dumbo ride, substitute a carpet for the elephant. Also, watch out, one of the Camels watching has a very bad habit.

Frontierland
Country Bear Jamboree: MS Great Fun every time.
Big Thunder: MS It’s a ‘roller coaster’ but no big hills and lots of scenery.
Tom Sawyer Island: HNT Will soon though. Looks like fun but never had the time.
Splash Mountain: MS This is a classic indoor/outdoor 'Song of the South' Log Flume ride. You can getvery wet on this one, so be prepared.
WDW Railroad Train Station: MS We use the WDW RR everytime we go. It's an MS for two reasons. First, it's a quick way to get to the other side of the park. Second, the train themselves are very cool. With Walt Disney's love of trains, the park keeps these trains well maintained and authentic in all reagards.

FantasyLand
It’s a Small World: MS I list this as a must see attraction. However, if you ever get caught on this ride during a break-down of 5 minutes or more I could owe you a huge apology. Great for Kids. Plenty to see.
Peter Pans Flight: MS You fly in a ship over London and on to Never Never Land. Nuff Said. Really good detail all over.
Mickey's Philharmagic: MS This is an a great musical 3D adventure with the help of a lot of Disney Characters. Two points, it should be Donald's Philharmagic and look for the hidden Mickey whle waiting for the show to start.
Cinderella’s Carousel: STP Of course depending on the age of your Kids this can easily be an MS attraction. Standard Carousel. The white horse with the gold bow is Cinderella’s favorite mount.
Dumbo Ride: MS for 10 and under. STP for all others. We’ve all seen this on TV. Round and Round he goes. Usually a long wait after 11:00 am.
Snow White’s Scary Adventures MS. Although this could be a little scary for the younger kids.
Pooh's Playful Spot STP. This is a meet and greet play area for little kids.
Pooh Ride: MS. This is a very fun ride through the world of Winnie the Pooh.
The Mad Hatter’s Tea Cup ride: STP. If you like spinning rides, go for it. I have retired this ride from my ride list.

Toontown
Toontown is mainly a meet and greet for characters. Mickey's and Minnie's houses and a Donald Duck Boat play area.
The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farms Rollercoaster: MS for 10 and younger. For all others, too small.

Tomorrowland
Indy Speedway: STP. This has one of the slowest lines in the park. If there is already a line, forget about it for now and try later. It’s pretty much a kids ride.
Astro Orbiters: HNT. Not sure why not? Too many other things to do in tomorrowland I guess. It is on my MS list from now on.
Space Mountain: MS. Great queue displays going in and out. Rough roller coaster in the dark. Must ride every time I go to the parks though.
Carousel of Progress: MS. I say must see as a personal opinion. It is a dated attraction, true, but it is one of the best examples of an attraction that was designed by WD and was in the Worlds Fair of 1964. We’re talking history here.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority: MS. This is a slow ride through the attractions of Tomorrowland. You get a glimpse of all the rides except for Stitches escape. We saw Space Mountain lit up inside two trips ago.
Buzz LightYear: MS. A very family friendly ride. More than a dark attraction, it’s a space age shooting range. I bet I can score more than you. 999,990, beat that.
Stitches Escape: STP. This is a scary attraction. Not for small kids. I still smell the Chilli dog today.
Monster Inc., Laugh Floor:HNT. I will in November '07.

Liberty Square:
Haunted Mansion: MS Kinda scary but ok for some kids.
Liberty Square River Boat: HNT Never wanted to waste the time. As bad as that sounds, we will try with the next trip.

So Your Going to WDW: WDW Transportation

If you are staying off site, there are not many options for transportation. You will need to rent a car. Some hotels offer free transportation to the parks, but I would not put to much faith in this. Each hotel has it’s own policy, but most have one bus and it stops at each park once in the morning and once at night. If you have special plans or want to switch parks it could be tough to do. Also, you will need to get from the Airport to your hotel. Without a car, you can get a ride from one of the bus services, like Mears, or take a taxi.

If you are staying on site, there are a couple of options. The first concern is getting from the airport to your hotel. If you are staying On-Site, then use the currently free Disney’s Magical Express service. This is a bus service that gets you to your hotel. Also included with the service is free luggage handling. What that means is that once you say goodbye to your luggage in your departure city, the next time you see it will be in your Disney hotel room. No waiting for the luggage to come off the plane in Orlando. Just find your way to the bus and relax. The same for the trip back to the airport. The only down-side is not knowing when you will get your bag. They say up to three hours and if you get in very late, maybe the next day. So if you have medications or plan on swimming you might need to pack a carry-on for the plane. Here is a link to MouseSavers.com where they discuss the pros and cons of the service. We used it and had no issues. All Good. It was amazing at how happy the bus ride from the airport was at the begining of the week. Wow was it depressing on the ride back.
Once you get to your hotel, there are three main types of transportation to get you to the parks and around WDW. The first are the buses. I found that the buses were pretty reliable. On our last trip of six days, I would say we waited for more than 10 minutes twice out of about 16 or so bus trips. Not bad. I would not rely on them for very early character breakfasts in the park though. Too risky. Maybe a taxi. Buses are great, usually clean and just recently have begun to give an information spiel as you ride. Similar to the Monorail announcements. For more specific information check out MousePlanet.com where they have pretty comprehensive schedules and routes for the buses. Look for the links toward the bottom of the page. Bus Tip: If you stay late at a park for the fireworks, expect the lines and waits for the buses and boats to be a extended. Although, we have met the most amazing people standing in line for the bus.
The second type of transportation are the boats. There are a couple different boats that you can use to get you places. The smaller transports which holds about 25 will take you from the Magic Kingdom hotels to the Magic Kingdom.
There is a second bigger type boat that will take you from the Magic Kingdom to Fort Wilderness and from the Epcot hotels to the World Showcase entrance of Epcot. The third boat is the huge ferry boats that take you from the Ticket and Transportation Center(T&TC) to the Magic Kingdom and back again. Now I've talked about Buses and Boats, what is left? The Monorail. The transporation system of tomorrow is a ride as much as it is a conveyance. The monorail circles Bay Lake and stops at the Polynesian Hotel, the Grand Floridian, the Magic Kingdom, the Contemporary and then the T&TC. That's the local route, there also is an express from the T&TC to the Magic Kingdom. When you park at the Magic Kingdom, you take the tram to the T&TC and then the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom. The Monorail route was also extended to Epcot. This is becoming out traditional first ride for each visit. We take the monorail to Epcot and then back. The track goes into Future World at Epcot. It's a nice tease if you do not have time to waste a ticket on your first day. Here is some good information on the Monorail including a track map. One last tip for the Monorail, make sure you ask to sit with the driver. It is a great experience that I would consider a must do.
So, as you see there are many of ways to get around the world. A couple of hints. You can ask any bus driver to find out where the bus you need is and when it will get to your bus stop. When we stayed at the Polynesian we found that the boat was the fastest way to the Magic Kingdom and we would walk to the T&TC to go to Epcot. We took buses to the other two parks and DownTown Disney. When we stayed at Fort Wilderness, we took the boat to the Magic Kingdom and then a Bus to any parks. You can put your faith in the Disney Transportation Network and remember that if you are at the parks when it is crowded all things slow down. So plan accordingly.

So Your Going to WDW: When to Go.

The question of when to go is often not up to us. Do to work and schedules we might only be able to go to Walt Disney World only at one time of the year. For those who have more of a choice, the WHEN becomes more of an issue. If you ask the WDW Resorts, the best time to go would be during their value seasons. There are three, 1/1 – 2/14 and 7/8 – 10/3 and 11/25 – 12/19. WDW needs to keep their rooms booked and they offer the best rates during these off season times. We have gone in each of these dates and there are pluses an minuses for each. We would go in September before the kids and when they were in pre-school. Now that they are older it’s the battle of should we take them out right after they have started school? Which is one reason why this is a good time to go. A lot of people say that same thing, which means less people in the parks. And one reason why not to go during this season, is the weather. Either the Summer heat or Hurricane season. Hurricanes can really hurt you if you are traveling, with cancelled flights and such. It is a different story if you make it to WDW before the storm hits. I have heard stories of people that were at WDW when a hurricane hit. Disney is well organized in these matters. You are asked to stay at your resort if the storm is bad enough that the parks are closed. They offer different things per property to keep you busy. Once the storm has cleared, unless it was a class 5, Disney has their parks cleaned and up and running within 24 hours. Only you can decide if it is worth the risk.
The second good time of the year to visit is from 11/25 – 12/19. This is the time between Thanksgiving and the week before Christmas. Everyone is tired of traveling for Thanksgiving and gearing up for Christmas, so they tend to stay away from the parks,. This is beginning to get a little more crowded each year, but on a scale of 1-10 where 10 is you can walk on peoples heads crowded, this part of the year is a 4-5. When we were there in early December, it was hit and miss. MK was jammed one day and empty the next. Or, Epcot was crowded all day but emptied out before Night Extra Magic hours . This is a special time of the year because you also get to enjoy WDW decorated for Christmas. (I’ll post about some of the Christmas things you can do later). The other good time to visit WDW is from Jan 2 thru Feb 14. You take your chances with the weather though. One time we went in early Jan. It was so windy and cold that we wore almost every item of clothes we brought layered to stay warm. Another time we bought bathing suits at a local store to go swimming. As for attendance, this time of year is very light. A good website to look for park attendance levels is TouringPlans.com. It is a pay site, but they have a sample chart to look at. I paid $6 for a membership last year and this site was very accurate in attendance predictions and touring plans. Another good planning site is ALLEARSNET.com.
So bottom line is that there are a number of good times to go to WDW. I have mentioned the low crowd times, but you can go based on events. Food and Wine festival or the Flower show both at Epcot are good times to go also. During Mickey's not So Scary Halloween Party and the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party are also fun. So happy planning and let me know if I can help with any questions.

So Your Going to WDW: The Disney Dining Plan, Is it for you?

The Disney Dining Plan (DDP) option that Walt Disney World offers with their Magic Your Way package is a great value. It's a shame that it is left up to you to learn how to use the plan to the best value. It took us about a full day to get a handle on how to use the plan. But, before I go any further, yes the plan is worth it. Worth it big time. The cost of an adult is $39 day and it is $11 per kid per day. What this gets you is a Table Service(Sit Down) Meal, a Quick(Counter)Service, and a snack a day. Trust me this is a ton of food. And to give you an example of out of pocket expense for a day in the world, here you go. Lunch in the Magic Kingdom at one of my favorites, Cosmic Ray's. With a QS meal you get a main, a dessert and a non-alcoholic beverage. $13.99 for the Rib Chicken Combo Meal(comes with mashed potato and veggie), $2.49 for the brownie and $2.39 for the drink. That's $18.87 plus tax. For dinner we made it over to Epcot for our Le Cellier meal. For a TS meal you get an Appy, an Entree, Dessert and a non-Alcoholic drink. $9.99 for the Wasabi Shrimp Cocktail, $26.99 for the Scopa Special(NY Strip), $5.99 for the Creme Brulee and one drink for $2.99. Total of $45.96 + $9.00 tip = $54.96. Tip is included with plan. Total for the day is $73.83 and I did not use my snack yet. Yes, well worth it indeed.

Even though I show above how well you make out with the DDP, there are some draw backs. First, as I mention above you get a ton of food. So much in fact that we changed our ordering habits a couple days into our trip. We are two adults and two kids. If we ordered four TS meals we had so much food that we were not going to finish it. Small issue but something to think about. Another issue we had was that kids nine and younger have to order off of the Kids Menu and in some restaurants it is very limited. Pecos Bill's has only Sloppy Joe or Cold, I mean Chilled Chicken. Columbia House has either Macaroni and Cheese or Grilled Chicken. Most are pretty good. One other kinda drawback was time spent in TS meals. Of our 6 TS meals, 2 went to the Hoop-Dee-Do, One for Ohana Dinner, One for Ohana Bkfst, one for Le Cellier and one for 50's Prime Time Diner. Most were good but Le Cellier and 50's Prime Time made us feel like Time Hostages. (WARNING: Severe Analosity Ahead) Our ADR for Le Cellier was at 4:45. We stopped what we were doing at Test Track at 4:10 to begin the walk to Canada. Arrived at 4:40 and checked in. Waited 15-20 minutes to be seated. We sat and Dinner took about another hour and a half. So total dinner time was 4:10 to 6:45. A big investment in time. Same thing happened at the 50's Prime Time.

The Disney Dining Plan is a great option. Keep in mind what kind of trip you are taking though. If you want a spur of the moment Commando trip than the DDP might not be for you. If you have some time and you don't mind planning around your dinning, than I highly recommend the plan. For more information, try this link: Disney Dining Plan.