Newbee needs lots of help

[StLouisPaPa]

Wow. You repeat visiters really know your Disney. But, the TLA's (three letter acronyms) are driving me goofy (OK bad pun). First about me. I was last at WDW with my 16 year old daughter. In a few weeks, I will be taking her son to celebrate his 10th birthday. Yes, 14 years is way too long. We stayed at the Boardwalk back then and never had to take a bus. It was a wonderful visit. This time I have chosen the Carribean Beach Resort, so I'm a little concerned about busses and have several questions. For now, if someone could help me with EMH, ADR, and SWW. They seem important, but I can't infer their meaning. Knowing some definitions whould help me read all you entries. Thank you so much for the help.

[ThanxForNoticin]

You should click on the "Info Central" tab above - there is a TON of great information in there. The first link is for 'abbreviations' - that will answer most of your immediate questions. Hope you have a great trip!

[GrumpyFan]

First off, :welcome: to Intercot!

The abbreviations are dizzying sometimes.
You have to post 100 times before you can see the "magic decoder"... :secret:

Just Kidding! :funny: You can find it and lots more info on the Info Central page (http://intercot.com/infocentral/default.asp) (tab at top).

EMH - Extra Magic Hours - The park will open 1 hour before or stay open 3 hours after normal closing for Resort Guests only.
ADR - Advanced Dining Reservations - Call ahead dining up to 90 days.
SWW - Star Wars Weekends (I think)

All the abbreviations are here (http://intercot.com/infocentral/abbreviations/default.asp).

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. This is the friendliest Disney board on the Net.

[StLouisPaPa]

Thank you so much. I am reading the info now. OK, how important is it to make ADR's? Should I make several for the week? I would at least like to get to the Crystal Palace for Winnie the Pooh (my DD and I did that 14 years ago). Also, I have the park hopper, so do I just go anywhere anytime? Or do I have a designated starting place?

[g8rgirl29]

I would definitely make ADR's for any sit down meal you want, and right at 90 days from the first day of your stay!! Park hopper means you can hop from park to park. Say you want to go to the Magic Kingdom in the am and EPCOT in the afternoon and Disney Hollywood studios in the evening you can. Without park hopper you can only visit one park per day. Now that doesn't include the water parks or disney quest. You would need water parks and more for that. Have fun planning and have a great visit!!

[pokci]

The nice thing about the park hopper is that you can go to any park, any time during any given day. One time, just to see if we could do it, we went to all four parks in one day. At the last park we had to show ID, maybe because they didn't believe we could have possibly gotten to all of the parks, but we did.:number1:

On INTERCOT check out infocentral, as the previous posters have already suggested. Also, in any given discussion forum, you can search any topic and you will be directed to all posts on that topic. It's very useful.

When are you going?

[DlandMommy]

How fun:DSo much to plan :number1:Have fun:mickey:OHHH and welcome:thumbsup:

[playdead88]

:welcome:

you have come to the right place for great info on planning disney

i hope you have a great time planning and a wonderful vacation!

[mouseketeer mom]

Yes. The ADR's are very important these days. Decide where you'd like to dine, if there are any special table service meals, like the Crystal Palace you mentioned, and call Disney dining to set things up. You didn't mention when your trip was, but Disney dining can tell you exactly when you can make your reservations. EMH's are important to some with their planning, some of us, like myself, do not use EMH's, my family is not early risers, nor do my kids like to stay up very late, so they just don't work for us.
Keep your questions coming, us Intercotees love to help plan!

[StLouisPaPa]

You guys are great. OK, next question. We have booked a week beginning Feb 28th. I was thinking that I would be ahead of spring break. Should I move up a week? I am trying to avoid the crouds since I have Mom and Dad's permission to take my grandson out of school for a week. Thanks so much.

[DDuck66]

Usually the big Sping Break crowds do not start until you get into the middle of March. Also remember that Feb/Mar can be a funny weather time in Central Florida. I have worn t-shirts and shorts one day and the next you had to have jeans, sweatshirts, and overcoats. I bet you never thought planning a trip to WDW could be so much work!!! Welcome to the site!!!

[ThanxForNoticin]

In my opinion, the week of 2/28/09 should not be a bad time. You'll have a couple things to consider. First, it will be the beginning of some spring breaks, but as previously mentioned, most will be later in March. Second, that is the big ESPN weekend at Disney, but that also should not have a significant impact. Third, it's the beginning of spring training baseball, so people will be working their way to Disney's Wide World Of Sports for Braves' home games.

After all that rambling, i think you'll be fine with that week. It wouldn't be a bad thing to push back to 2/21, but I think you'll be just fine. A plus is the closer you get to March, the better your chances for warmer weather! Have a great time!

[StLouisPaPa]

Thanks everyone for the info. As everyone has mentioned, I was trying to keep it as late as possible without hitting Spring Break. I imagine that special events are happening all the time there so I did not even look into it. Now I'm getting a little concerned about not yet having ADR's. This was kind of a spur of the moment decision as my wife and I discussed his 10th birthday present. So, I need to get moving on that. Any suggestions. Nothing fancy. Just a typical picky ten year old. I'm thinking buffets and such. Also, should I make ADR's at different parks and then simply plan visiting that particular park that day. I am concerned about the busses. What happens if I am late?

[alilprincessmom99]

Take a look at the info central tab and take a look at the restaurants that are at each park and elsewhere. Decide where you would like to eat, and then take a look at the hours for each of the parks. Decide which park you would like to visit on which days, and then pick which restaurant you will be eating at while at that park. Personally, I think that is the easiest way to do it. I hope that all made sense!

[StLouisPaPa]

I am so glad the I stubbled onto this site. You all are the best! I am seeing a few bits about fast passes. Is this something that you buy that gets you to the front of the line? Do you have to be a celebrity?

[handmaidenofprincesses]

:welcome:

I think the best way to decide on places to eat would be to click on the InfoCentral tab, scroll down to dining, and look at menus. :eat: They may not be entirely up to date, but they will give you a good idea of what is available at each restaurant and how much you can expect to spend.

Are you on the Disney Dining Plan? If not, I would suggest looking into it. (There is also information on this located on InfoCentral) It can save you a lot of money on food and in my experience make dining out at Disney much less stressful.

I would also reccommend doing at least one character meal. My favorite is the Garden Grill, which is located at the Land Pavillion in Epcot. The food is served family style, all-you-care-to-eat, and is absolutely delicious. Throughout dinner, your table is visited my Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale. I was there last Friday night and had a wonderful time.

Does your grandson have any particular interests? For example, if he likes science fiction, you might try the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at Disney's Hollywood Studios or Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in the Magic Kingdom (this is a counter service restaurant). If he likes sports, Casey's Corner on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom is sports themed. (this is also a counter service)

Good luck and have a great time!

[g8rgirl29]

Anyone can use fast pass!! Here is the Info Central link that should explain it all :mickey: http://intercot.com/themeparks/tickets/fastpass/default.asp

[BMan62]

I am so glad the I stubbled onto this site. You all are the best! I am seeing a few bits about fast passes. Is this something that you buy that gets you to the front of the line? Do you have to be a celebrity?

Fastpasses are a freebie for anyone holding a park pass. You put your park pass into a machine at certain rides and/or attractions and it spits out a slip with a one hour time window for you to return for the ride/attraction. It gets you into a much shorter line. While you are waiting for your Fastpass time, you can go do another show/ride/etc. You can normally only hold one Fastpass per park pass at a time, but if the parks are really busy, you may have a notation on the Fastpass that will tell you when you can get another Fastpass.

NOTE: This is really only necessary for the busy times/rides/attractions. Toy Story Midway Mania (TSMM) is one that is best to have a Fastpass for.

[handmaidenofprincesses]

NOTE: This is really only necessary for the busy times/rides/attractions. Toy Story Midway Mania (TSMM) is one that is best to have a Fastpass for.

Soarin' at Epcot is also a must-have fastpass, the wait times without one can be ridiculously long.

[Iluvpooh]

Test Track is another must have a FP attraction! The waits can be up to 2hours even when the park is not busy.
I think you picked a great week. If you push it back you may have to deal with President's Day crowds.
We will be there Feb. 6th-15th. I know the crowds will get steadly heavier as the weekend gets closer.
I agree that INTERCOT is a great site, but I do suggest buying a good WDW guidebook. I love the "unofficial guide to WDW" and "Birnbaum's" is very good for pics and first timers.

[laprana]

:welcome: to Intercot! Planning a WDW trip is so much fun, but it can also be a little overwhelming sometimes, so you've come to the right place! There's always someone here to help with all your questions!

I agree with everyone else who said to get those ADRs made, especially with your trip coming up so soon! If you call Disney Dining and find that a lot of the restaurants are booked up already, it might be a good idea to ask what they have available and go from there. There are a few restaurants where it's really tough to get an ADR at the last minute, especially Le Cellier in Epcot, Cinderella's Royal Table in Magic Kingdom, Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary, and 'Ohana at the Polynesian. Good luck and keep those questions coming! :thumbsup:

[Tink#64]

:welcome: You've come to the right place for all your WDW planning & questions! You're doing great just by finding this site for all your info! I didn't find it until I was planning our 4th trip! I learn new things on here all the time! :rocks:

I agree with all previous posters, make your adr's as soon as possible! Being this close to your trip, could have some challenges there, but this being a lower crowd time, you'll probably get in most anywhere you want, just maybe not at any given time. Our 1st trip I wanted to take DS' to Chef Mickey's & couldn't get in any time during our entire trip and that was close to the 90 day mark!

I always plan an itenerary 1st of which parks which day, then I look at the dining options for that park & choose where we'd like to eat & then call for the adr's. I have DS's 11 & 13 & their fav's our Sci Fi at DHS, & Whispering Canyon Cafe at The Wilderness Lodge. We do alot of counter service meals & their favs are Cosmic Rays, Electric Umbrella & Cantina de San Angel. They do not take adr's for counter service.

My best advice to anyone planning a WDW trip, is to have a basic plan, even if it's not a strict schedule, but have an idea of what you want to do each day & arrive at park opening! It's amazing how many people sleep in because it's their vacation, and many others are having character breakfasts & the park crowds are so much smaller in the early AM! You can do amazing things before lunch with the shorter lines! Then you can & should take a break in the afternoon, whether you return to resort for swim, nap or just some downtime, or if you just take a ride on the monorail. It's very refreshing to get away from the hustle & bustle for awhile & relax so you're ready for the evening events! Happy planning & glad you're here! Hope you make many magical memories! :tink: