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Deesandy
Member
08-12-2003
| Monday, January 31, 2005 - 10:09 am
We are planning to go to Walt Disney World in Florida next month. I have heard that there are well kept secrets there, such as special things you can do if you know about them...does anyone? Please 'fess up! 
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Brenda1966
Member
07-03-2002
| Monday, January 31, 2005 - 11:54 am
Oh man, do I LOVE Disney! Yes, there are tricks to the trade. Best thing I can do is direct you to some books and websites. Are you staying onsite? That can influence things like whether you can take advantage of "extra magic hour" or should avoid a park on those days (as it is only available to onsite-hotel guests). You're in luck that it is offseason and you shouldn't face large crowds. However, since it is off season the parks aren't open as late or as early and certain parades only occur on certain nights so you have to plan around that. You can find parade and show information at Disney's website. The book I recommend is The Unofficial Guide by Bob Sehlinger. I hope it's okay to post links. Here are the websites I liked: http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/ http://allearsnet.com/ http://www.mousesavers.com/timeismoney.html One neat thing that we did in November was to get to Magic Kingdom before the opening and see the "welcome" show. The characters come out and sing, etc. Then we went straight back to Fantasy land and walked on ride after ride. No wait! This was helpful because November was really busy due to all the hurricanes and people postponing their trips. Have FUN!
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Reader234
Member
08-13-2000
| Monday, January 31, 2005 - 12:21 pm
I love DIsney, I highly reccommend... http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1,Disboards} They have lots and lots of posters on resorts, on and off property, renting points for Disney Vacation Club (stay on sight but in 1 or 2 bedrooms) Post or PM me with any specific questions! The Disboards have tricks on getting Priority seating for Cinderella's Breakfast - as well as other character meals... Buffet Character meals, family style, do you want Pooh, Mickey, Princesses!! They have just changed their ticketing system, no more park hopper, length of stay tickets, now its Magic Your Way, or MYW, I'm thinking its still a way Disney is going to make money... Dining options, when we went thru the internet we bought vouchers, HUGE deal, no more, now you have a choice of adding on a $30 per person, per day dining option, which is a lot of food, it would be fine if you could do it for 2 or 3 days, but every day? You can find a "DDE" card which gives you 20%off total (the MYW DIning isnt all places to eat the DDE card is I believe!) My favorite memories of resteraunts is Princess Aurora Storybook Breakfast in Norway, Epcot. LeCellier sit down in Canada, and Ohana all you can eat buffet at the Polynesian - they entertain the kids by letting the kids do hula contest, and coconut races!! Like I said, I have lots of info, the Unofficial Guide to Disney is excellent, but its out of date now due to the January change to MYW, but the author of that posts on the disboard!! There is also a group of fans of "Tourguide Mike" its an internet site, but he'll help with a tour plan, but if you have small kids, I dont know if its viable... PM me, and I'll talk your ear off (if I havent already!!)
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Danzdol
Member
04-21-2001
| Monday, January 31, 2005 - 12:34 pm
Get the FASTPASS. Most rides have a ticket dispenser that scans your ticket and instead of waiting in line it gives you a specific time to come back at and you cut through the line and only wait like 10 minutes if that. Make reservations for character breakfasts now! If you are traveling with older kids, I suggest to stay at the Holiday Inn Family Suites Resort. http://www.hifamilysuites.com The rooms are catered to kids. You have separate suites for kids and adults. The hotel pool is AMAZING and great for an in between break. We would go to the park in the morning, lounge at the hotel and go back later on. Or what I will do next time, relax at the hotel in the morning and let the strong sun go away and head to the parks at like 2pm when it gets emptier. It's hard to hold the excitement that you are there and you want to go to the park right away but it's much more crowded in the morning. I was just there 2 weeks ago. The weather was beautiful!!!!! There is construction in front of the castle so you have to walk to the sides to get to the stage. If you are traveling with babies, make sure you check out the Baby Care Center where they have a bunch of high chairs, mini tables and chairs and about 6 changing stations. It's air conditioned , quiet and calm for much needed breaks for the little ones. If taking a stroller, purchase a clip on fan. Even though the weather is cooler down here now, the sun still gets the little ones bad. Of course, ponchos are good to have too since it can rain too! I did the Ohana's character breakfast and it was ok. I want to experience the rest so that I can really compare. I felt that the characters time was too limited with the kids. I STRONGLY suggest Sea World, it's awesome and so much to do for both kids and adults!Every show is magnificent! I guess once you have narrowed down your selections, let us know and we can guide you better.
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Grumpy
Member
02-08-2004
| Tuesday, February 01, 2005 - 2:57 pm
OOOOOOOHHHH!!!! I saw the name DISNEY and had to check it out . I've only been to DISNEYLAND a couple times, Id say about 30 years ago . But DISNEY is my 1st love. ( Can you tell by my user name? ) I hope you all have fun. Post photos if you can!
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Bastable
Member
07-09-2002
| Monday, February 07, 2005 - 11:31 am
AllEarsNet.com, mentioned above, is definitely the best of the helper sites. The New York Post wrote this excellent article recently, too, called "Doing Mickey Right." It even has a list of common mistakes. You can read it as it appeared on the page here: http://specialsections.nypost.com/news/nypost/travel/20041116/p46.asp and http://specialsections.nypost.com/news/nypost/travel/20041116/p47.asp My favorite part: Disney don'ts Avoid these 10 common mistakes and you won’t be left feeling goofy. 1. DON’T PATRONIZE “GOOD NEIGHBOR” HOTELS: Disney gives the stamp of approval to these outside outfits, but most are low quality. 2. DON’T GO LUXURY: Unless you’ve got your heart set on a certain Disney hotel, you can rent a house nearby for half the price. 3. DON’T IGNORE FASTPASS: These are free, given out at the rides, and save you time. 4. DON’T OVER-PURCHASE TICKETS: You’ll waste hundreds of dollars if you buy a ticket package that gets you more days than you’ll need or more access than you’ll use. 5. DON’T BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW: The time-tested plan: One park per day. 6. DON’T VISIT DURING PEAK SEASON: Holiday time Disney is a perky hell populated by howling toddler demons. 7. DON’T VISIT THE MAGIC KINGDOM ON A MONDAY: Incongruously, it’s the park’s busiest day of the week. 8. DON’T PUSH THE KIDS TOO HARD: Who cares if they miss the Teacup ride? The point of spending all that cash is to have fun so, if need be, go back to the hotel pool and recharge. 9. DON’T DRESS FOOLISHLY: It rains in short spurts there, plus you’ll be walking — a lot. Wear good, sturdy shoes or sneakers and dress in layers like you would when hiking. 10. DON’T BUY A REFILLABLE MUG: These $12 mugs, good at Disney hotels, can’t be filled inside the parks.
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Ginger1218
Member
08-31-2001
| Monday, February 07, 2005 - 12:12 pm
I would ask Goddessatlaw about this. She has some good tips LOL
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Yankee_in_ca
Member
08-01-2000
| Monday, February 07, 2005 - 12:12 pm
hahahahahahaha
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Maris
Member
03-28-2002
| Monday, February 07, 2005 - 12:19 pm
I agree Bastable. I have been a few times and the ultimate nightmare was when I went in February presidents week. It was miserable, 70 minute waits for everything. Another time I went when it was offseason and I walked right into every ride so I loved it.
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Brenda1966
Member
07-03-2002
| Tuesday, February 08, 2005 - 7:53 am
I agree with the tips above, except for the "one park one day" one. Especially in the off season, you may need to be at a park on a particular night to catch a night parade or night show. If it is "early entry" day, you may not want to be at that park in the morning. So, if you have a napping toddler it is real easy to switch parks after nap. Park hopping does take a bit of time but can be very beneficial.
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Tuesday, February 08, 2005 - 3:24 pm
We went during Spring Break. I hear the best time to go is Late September or October. Post summer but pre holiday. Also a great time to go is tuesday through thursday. Park attendence is lower because of three day weekends, etc. Fast Passes were great. We grabbed them, then went and grabbed a soda or something and by the time we were done in that line it was time to get on the ride, also, it beats standing in line when you could be sitting on a bench or huggin Mickey. But do wear great shoes. Check the weather reports. I suggest not bringing a heavy coat, but a sweatshirt and maybe some stretchy gloves you could stick in your pocket and slip on if your hands get cold. Bring some Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer. You don't realize how many railings you touch, change that gets counted back to you, gondola car handles, etc. It's a hotbed of germs. Bring the purell, don't get sick.
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Colordeagua
Member
10-25-2003
| Friday, February 11, 2005 - 7:02 am
I'v been to Disney World twice. Both times in the earlier part of November. Nothing like your first time there. First trip -- weather was beautiful. Sunny and dry. Unusually warm for that time of year. A few years later (again in early November), weather was chilly with rain. 'Bout time to go again.
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Karuuna
Member
08-31-2000
| Friday, February 11, 2005 - 9:06 am
A pricey option, but one of my favorites - call guest services and arrange a private guide for a few hours. It will run you about $100/hour, but you will see more of the park in those hours than you can in two days on your own. Plus if you're geeky like me, you'll learn all kinds of history about the park, and Disney philosophy.
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Friday, February 11, 2005 - 9:09 am
Karuna, when you do that, do you still have to stand in the long lines?
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Karuuna
Member
08-31-2000
| Friday, February 11, 2005 - 10:17 am
Annie, yes and no. They aren't allowed to take you to the front of the lines. But they do two things that help. First, living at the park they know the best time to ride any particular ride to be in the shortest line possible. Second, normally you can only have one fast pass at a time, and you have to use it before you can get another one. Our guide would go and get fast passes for us for the rides we were interested in while we were riding or in line for another ride. And apparently he had a fast pass card that would allow him to get more than one at a time. So we rode the non-fast pass rides at the timing he suggested; and then when the park was more crowded, we used our pile of fast passes. He also made meal reservations for us at the hardest to get into restaurants. In my case it was especially helpful since my son is rather timid, and there many rides he was afraid to go on previously. But the guide related well since when he was a kid he wasn't terribly brave either; so he could tell my DS exactly what to expect on each ride which helped DS overcome his anxiety. He was really very very good, with adults and children! We had our guide for 5 hours (9-2), and rode 14 rides. He was also very good at entertaining my son during the short times we did wait. We never had to wait more than 15 minutes for anything, and we were there in August, one of their busier seasons. He then dropped us for a late lunch at the Blue Bayou; and we shopped our way home. 
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Egbok
Member
07-13-2000
| Friday, February 11, 2005 - 9:51 pm
Kar, thanks for the tip! You know that 2005 is Disneyland's 50th Anniversary year, right? They have been doing lots of renovations for over a year now! The official start of the anniversary events begins in May 2005. As many times as I've been to Disneyland, I've never taken a guided tour or private tour and reading your posts makes me realize that this is the year to do so! ...and did you enjoy eating lunch at the Blue Bayou?? Thanks for sharing!
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Angelsluv
Member
07-20-2001
| Monday, February 14, 2005 - 12:50 am
Disney is the best! One thing we did during our stays was that we arranged for a private cruise for Illuminations and Tapestry Of Nations. They place the boat near the bridge for the parade and it's cool because the performers wave at you and stuff. Then for Illuminations the boat is parked just under the bridge for the full effect. You can feel the heat of the fire on your skin you are so close. This makes you feel like a VIP. http://www.wdwinfo.com/recreation/fireworks.htm Also, don't miss Fantasmic and Cirque du Soleil if you can stretch it. I've seen on new commercials that if you fly into DW from Orlando airport that they have a shuttle now. That's excellent! Save's on renting a car.
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Karuuna
Member
08-31-2000
| Monday, February 14, 2005 - 9:18 am
Eggie, it was fun, and the food was very good, but pricey. But it was one of those splurge vacations all around. We had seats right by the water. The only thing I didn't like was that it was very dark, and even with my glasses on, my poor old eyes couldn't read the menu. I had to have my son read it to me! 
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Reader234
Member
08-13-2000
| Monday, February 14, 2005 - 10:21 am
I love that - thanks for sharing. I went searching the all ears net... (it may not be what Kar described but there is a WDW phone number!!) I would like to take the Magic Kingdom tour someday!! here's a link...
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Twiggyish
Member
08-14-2000
| Friday, February 25, 2005 - 11:17 am
WE love going to Disney. I've been many times over the years. I think all of the tips above are good. We have fun finding Hidden Mickeys. That's a hoot. (Mickey ears are hidden in lots of places) My only advice for Epcot is to do the "ball" last or on your way out. Everyone gets stopped in a long line at the ball in the beginning. Make all dinner reservations early, too. Love LOVE Love the Mexican restaurant in Epcot. The food is wonderful..but expensive. It's a great treat. We try to sit on the water to watch the volcano. Mission Space is for those who NEVER get seasick. My daughter loved it, but hubby and I were not well afterwards. It's G-force and very dizzying. At Magic kingdom go counter clockwise to the crowds.In other words, head right instead of left in the beginning. It's a different traffic pattern. JUST have fun and enjoy the magic!
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Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Friday, February 25, 2005 - 11:20 am
Can I talk you out of it, Dee?
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Friday, February 25, 2005 - 11:22 am
Lolol Gal!!
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Whowhere
Member
07-16-2004
| Monday, February 28, 2005 - 10:44 am
Here's a bunch of hints and trivial info about Disney. I compiled this on our last trip. Being born in St. Pete, FL and raised there, I've been more times than I can count. I hope you enjoy this info as much as I did compiling it! Disney Facts and Secrets When you get off of the Maelstrom ride at the Norway pavilion in EPCOT, you are escorted into a theater to watch a movie. Just before you walk in, there is a talking bench to the right of the theater doors. In the Haunted Mansion there is a hidden Donald Duck. There is a red velvet chair in front of the long hallway with the floating candelabras. Look closely at the Chair, and you can make out Donald Duck's face. President Clinton is the only president to wear a Mickey Mouse Tie, in the Hall Of Presidents. The haunted mansion is actually a hidden Mickey in itself. When you are first escorted into the mansion, you are in Mickey's "face". There are actually two rooms you can go into from there, making the wait faster. These are Mickey's "ears". The water fountain behind Cinderella's Castle (next to Tinkerbelle’s Treasures) Has Cinderella in it holding a bird. If you stand directly in front of Cinderella and curtsey to her, you will see the crown behind her painted onto the wall go onto her head. This secret is on the "Once Upon A time" training tour that all Magic Kingdom Cast Members go through. If you are in the car in the Haunted Mansion, almost at the very end of the ride, where you pass the couple, one is an opera singer woman with a Viking had and long braided hair, behind her is a hidden Mickey. Supposedly not many people have found this one. At the Magic Kingdom, on the Haunted Mansion, when you're passing through the part where the ghosts are all dancing around a long rectangular table, there are plates set up on the table to form the shape of Mickey's face. I was waiting line for the haunted mansion and noticed a new addition to the cemetery. The tombstone at the far right is a women with her eyes closed. If you watch closely she opens them and looks around about every five minutes. It was very entertaining to hear the women in front of me telling her husband he was crazy after he saw this. Watch closely!!!!!! Head straight through the Innovations East, and head towards Horizons, you will spot a set of restrooms to the left. You will see a couple of water fountains that there that talk. Talking garbage can near cosmic rays. It rolls around tommorowland and talks with guests who are near it. (Look for the cast member (disguised as a guest) close by who has a microphone and remote control). Talking, walking Palm tree at the entrance to Animal Kingdom...actually he rolls, but he is hysterical makes all these comments to people going in and out and yes if you look around you can see the cast member with the remote and microphone Covering 47 square miles, Walt Disney World Resort is about the size of San Francisco or two Manhattan islands. Of the more than 30,000 acres, less than one-fourth has been developed, with another quarter designated as a wilderness preserve. If you were to wash and dry one load of laundry every day for 44 years, you'd clean as much as the folks at the Walt Disney World Laundry do in a single day. The cast members there launder an average of 240,000 pounds each day. In addition, between 30,000 and 32,000 garments are dry-cleaned daily. Walt Disney World Lost and Found is one busy place. Every day and average of 100 pairs of sunglasses is turned in at the Magic Kingdom alone. There have been enough "shades" submitted each year in the Vacation Kingdom to outfit every resident of Sun City, Arizona; Sun City, California; and Sun City, Florida. Since 1971, an estimated 1.5 million pairs of glasses have found their way into the "lost" bin. According to long-time lost and found staffers, the most unusual items turned in have been a glass eye and a potty trainer. Both, incidentally, were claimed (but not by the same person). Spaceship Earth, the visual and thematic centerpiece of Epcot, weighs 16 million pounds -- more than three times that of a Space Shuttle fully fueled and ready for launch. The outer "skin" of Spaceship Earth is made up of 11,324 aluminum and plastic-alloy triangles. Also, did you know that rainwater never falls off the sphere? It's absorbed into the ball and funneled away. The DNA Tower at the entrance to Epcot Wonders of Life pavilion is 5.5 billion times actual size -- just the right size for a human 6 million miles tall. Stormalong Bay, Disney's Beach Club Resort swimming area, holds 750,000 gallons of water, making it the largest sand-bottom pool in the world. From the air, Walt Disney World Resort boasts a number of "heady" sights. For instance, the unique "Mouse Trap" on the 6th hole at the Magnolia Golf Course that looks like a famous corporate symbol. Over at the Bonnet Creek Golf Club, Mickey's profile greets golfers on the large practice green. The famous mouse is the model for the courtyard and area in front of the Chinese Theater at the Disney-MGM Studios. All Disney stores cash registers automatically ring up park tickets as Non-taxable transactions. The sale prices of park tickets are EXACTLY equal to (WDW signed price +6%), thus yielding a price equal to what you'd pay at the park gate. The National Geodetic Survey has a first order GPS station on the Disney property stamped as station "RATWORLD". The names of 2 of the approach procedures that all aircraft follow into their arrival at Orlando International Airport are named GOOFY TWO and MINNIE TWO. Disney World employs more people on one site than any other company in the US. During peek times it ranges between 55,000-60,000 which is about half of the Disney employees worldwide. That's how many people it takes to create the magic here at the Vacation Kingdom. Not surprisingly, Walt Disney World Resort is the largest single-site employer in the United States. The monorail system could be one of the most expensive rides in Walt Disney World. The price per mile of track exceeds 5 million dollars, that's just for the track. The monorail tracks cost 1 million dollars a mile (for double track). When Disney bought the monorail trains 11 or so years ago, they cost 11 million each, they have 7 of these monorails. I don't think this is any big secret, but did you know that Space and Big Thunder Mountain only move at 26 mph? Pretty slow for a roller coaster. The Monorail was the fastest ride in Disney until Test Track was installed in Epcot.. The monorail's top speed is 55 mph, however they cruise at 40 mph. There are 12 monorail trains at Walt Disney World which start circulating around at 5 am. The monorail trains also switch tracks occasionally. The track that spans from the TTC to Epcot Center is at an average altitude of 21 feet. Kodak estimates that approximately 4 percent of all the amateur photographs taken in the United States are snapped at Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland. Cinderella's castle is not made of stone... it is entirely made of fiberglass!
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Deesandy
Member
08-12-2003
| Monday, February 28, 2005 - 5:08 pm
Goddess, what the heck happened to you there? Here is a photo of my daughter and her dream coming true:

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Deesandy
Member
08-12-2003
| Tuesday, March 01, 2005 - 7:56 pm
Wow Whowhere, I wish I had read your tips sooner! I am printing them for future reference. Are you still in St. Pete? We are in St. Aug. 
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