This thread is for the off-topic non-political discussion of the happiest place on earth, Disney World. Included are tips, tricks, travel strategies, anecdotes, whatever. I suppose discussing lamo Universal is ok as well.

No, there is a super expensive version of this that most people don’t realize. Disney packages them as “guided tours.” They’re like a thousand dollars a person a day or more, but when you hire/charter one of these from Disney, your “guide” takes you around and you don’t wait on any lines for anything. It’s a well kept secret but how the ultra-rich do Disney.

Fast pass+ is actually a great egalitarian system otherwise because everyone gets it. It’s not really a line skip, it’s a way to avoid waiting on lines and do other things (like shop and eat that generate Disney money) while virtually waiting on line. The thing about Fastpass+ that most people don’t realize is that you get unlimited per day, you just have to use your first 3 up to add more, and there are all kinds of tricks with the system. If you do it properly and are flexible about what you’re riding when, you basically never should wait on a long line at Disney. This is also why the guided tours version is such a stupid and colossal waste of money.

I have been to Disney World in the last year and can confirm. However, using FastPass+ to the max does require some study and tech savvy.

/s

I didn't get to go on the new Avatar ride tho bc the line was too long so maybe jman is wrong.

The key is the tap, grab, and modify strategy. It works but you have to be dedicated. 60 days out (if you’re staying on property) from the day of your first check in you grab whatever fast passes you can, at whatever times you can. Then the next couple days, religiously, every 5-15 minutes, all day every day from crack of dawn until you go to bed, you go on your phone and keep trying to modify. Bonus points for checking in the middle of the night when you get up to pee. Eventually you will get everything you want. The only possible two exceptions to that right now are Slinky Dog Dash in Hollywood and, as you mention, FOP in Animal Kingdom, if you’re going during a peak demand period (school holidays, etc.).

Part 2 of the strategy is once you’re there at the parks to also constantly be tapping, grabbing, and modifying. As soon as you swipe your FP’s at the first kiosk on your first ride, while your’e still literally in the queue, you should try to move your remaining fast passes up sooner (usually you can if you’ve ordered them right and done your tier 1’s at the beginning of the day). Then, once you’ve swiped your third fastpass, you again grab literally any fastpass in the park at any time, and then start modifying that down as well. So long as your flexible about what rides you’re going on, you won’t wait in lines.

Yes, I post on disboards almost as much as I post on 2+2... I have a daughter who loves Disney world.

The cost of Disney is astounding. About $1k per day for our family of 4, and that’s staying at middle tier hotels. Would it kill them to add some decent dining options?

Meh, I love discussing Disney World. It is always a fun topic of conversation. It’s really just a great place to take your kids if you can swing it and my favorite place to vacation.

It would probably be a lot fairer to take the money you spend riding Splash Mountain with your kids and use it for student loan debt relief or affordable housing. No one needs to go to Disney World. You are not taxed enough clearly.

I use it for legal defense for the kids in cages at the border, but I’m definitely open to suggestions.

You’re doing it wrong. I use https://magicalvacationstravel.com/mvt/. You need to go during the time period when they have “Agency Special Deals.” Basically they buy up rooms in bulk at a discount and then resell at a small profit. Our last trip I stayed at the Polynesian Labor Day week (when they have their best deals) for an average rate of $280 per night. They’ll also get you about 10 percent off on the park admission prices.

Also you need to not kill yourself on food. Amazon prime now will deliver groceries to the hotel, and bell services will store it in the refrigerator for you until you’re ready for them to bring it to your room, and I believe most hotel rooms have refrigerators as well. Since my wife and daughter and I would rather spend time in the parks or enjoying the resort amenities versus tons of sit down meals, we did a lot of pb&J sandwich lunches and dinners and the like, and usually did only one sit down meal per day plus maybe one quick serve. You can bring food and drink into the parks, so if you order all your groceries in advance and bring your food/drinks/snacks with you you’re cutting down on a lot of overhead. Another trick is that water is free in all the quick serve restaurants, they have regular size cups with lids you can grab to grab a cup of ice water to go. You do all that and you’re not paying anywhere near 1k per day.

Finally, I disagree with you about the dining. There are a ton of great restaurants throughout Disney, you just have to go to the right ones. Epcot alone has a ton of really great restaurants around the International gateway.

Edit: If you don’t mind the intense heat, they will get you an absolutely killer deal from about August 14th through Labor Day Week. If you can swing your kids missing the first four days of school (very kid dependent), Labor Day week is a great time to go, it’s one the least crowded weeks of the year. Otherwise the week before Labor Day (flying/driving back on Labor Day) is also great because the Florida kids are all already back in school by then.

Edit Edit: Also on the food bandwagon, one of the best times to go is when Epcot is doing the International food and wine festival from August through like January. You can just walk around the international gateway area and try different appetizer sized international food items from around the world at decent prices. They bring in actual chefs/cooks from around the world so the food tastes relatively authentic and is always interesting (It’s not usually Americanized International Food, it’s the legit stuff).

Their dining options have boatloads of sugar and salt. What other ingredients do you really need?

I’m going there with a toddler next month (she should be able to walk independently by then but i guess that’s not terribly significant). We were gonna take her to Epcot because she’s probably too small to enjoy any of the rides elsewhere and also my wife and i both just really like Epcot. Any thoughts or suggestions? Specifically good restaurants would be appreciated, we are kind of foodies and our little girl loves to eat.

I think you’re wrong about him/her not having a bunch of rides to enjoy in all the parks, there are a ton of rides in all the parks that toddlers can go on, especially in Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Does he/she like Frozen? The important thing with a toddler is not to wear them out. We always do a park in the morning, then leave and go back to the hotel for the hottest part of the day and nap, then go back to a park in the evening (sometimes different park with a hopper).

The itinerary you do is hugely dependent on how many days total you have in the parks, but if I were doing Epcot and only had 1 day with a toddler I’d do:

1. Princess Character Breafkast at Akershus in Norway in the World Pavilion (granted I have daughters). The food at character breakfasts is generally sub-par from the regular restaurants because you’re paying for the experience not the food, but I didn’t find that to be the case at Akershus, it’s partially family style and partially buffet, which makes it easy with a toddler. Halfway through the meal the princesses take your toddler on a princess parade. This was is probably our first or second favorite character breakfast (other being Tusker House in AK). I also think the food is good, in addition to the normal breakfast staples they have some unique allegedly Scandinavian fare on the buffet. A character breakfast here also gets you into the park ahead of normal opening time.

2. First fastpass frozen ever-after. This is right next to Akershus. The only caution here is there is a small drop at the very end of the ride that scared my then 2.5 year old daughter, but it’s really not that intense.

3. Hit the character meet & greet for Anna & Elsa which is also right next to Akershus. If you do this first thing in the morning there is rarely a long line. We actually had our Akershus reservation at like 9:30 AM, so we were able to hit the Anna & Elsa M&G at 9 AM before the breakfast and hit literally no line, we were the second ones there, then Akershus, then Frozen Ever After.

4. Start walking back to Future World and pass Mexico on your way back. Inside the Mexico Pyramid is the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring Three Caballeros. This is another ride that almost never has a line, a lot of people don’t know about it, you can’t even fastpass it. It is a very mellow boat ride with animations and Donald Duck. My then 2.5 year old really loved this one as well.

5. With your remaining two fast passes in Future World I’d grab Spaceship Earth, and then either Under the Sea with Nemo, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Turtle Talk with Crush, or the Pixar Short Film Festival. With those latter four it doesn’t matter as much because you can almost always get a day-of fastpass for them. You can also usually grab a day-of fastpass for the Mickey & Friends Character Greet. If your son/daughter is under 3 not only are they free in the parks, but it is actually easier to get fast passes because they don’t need them, only you and your wife do. A toddler will like all of those rides, none of them have any scary parts. Because of all this stuff, if I were planning a weeklong trip to Disney with a toddler, I’d want to do at least 2 days in Epcot (and 3 days in MK).

As far as other restaurants in Epcot, like i said earlier, there are a ton. If you like Mexican, one of the best meals I had recently at Disney World surprisingly was the Mexican Quick Serve Restaurant in Epcot. I’ve never been but have also heard that the Moroccan restaurant there (Marrakesh) is really good. If you like seafood, Coral Reef is also decent and the experience of eating basically underneath a giant aquarium is really cool. Le Cellier is a decent steakhouse but expensive. Finally, if you’re there during the International Wine and Food Festival, I’d take advantage of that. One of our favorite things to do was to walk around the lake at the world showcase at night and grab different tapas sized unique foods from around the world. Even when we’d spent the day in another park, my family would often like to end in Epcot walking around the World Showcase. It’s a nice walk. Bonus points if you can get your toddler to fall asleep in the stroller while you walk around the world showcase and try the different international pavilions.

I also wouldn’t count out going to Magic Kingdom with a toddler. In no particular order, these are the rides that we took my then 2.5 year old on, and she liked them all:

1. Voyage of the Little Mermaid (her favorite ride at Disney);
2. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (her other favorite ride);
3. Barnstormer (Kiddie roller coaster that lasts about 30 seconds, not worth it IMO);
4. Dumbo (Spinning ride, the queue area has an air-conditioned play area that is more fun than the ride itself);
5. Enchanted Tales with Belle (glorified Character Meet & Greet where the Belle tells the kids a story that the kids get to act out);
6. It’s a Small World (My duaghter’s other other favorite ride);
7. Jungle Cruise (Boat ride with corny jokes);
8. Mad Tea Party (basic teacups ride, I’d skip it);
9. Magic Carpets of Aladdin (basic spinning ride like Dumbo);
10. Winnie the Pooh (this has a nightmare sequence at the end that scared our 2.5 year old, I don’t recommend it);
11. Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor (Comedy show with Monsters);
12. Peter Pan’s Flight (Another toddler favorite);
13. Mickey’s Philharmagic (3D movie);
14. Pirates of the Caribbean (we thought this might scare our 2.5 year old at the time but she loved it, there is 1 small drop);
15.Tommorrowland Speedway (I think this has like a 32 inch height requirement);
16. People Mover (a hidden gem of the park, never a line, you can’t use fastpass for it, and a fun little ride);
17. Carousel of Progress (another ride that never has a line and can’t use fastpass for);
18. Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse (another no fastpass one that is fun to walk around in with a toddler);
I’m definitely leaving stuff out here, but there is a ton to do for a toddler. As far as restaurants in MK, don’t waste your money on Cinderella’s Royal Table, it’s a fortune, the character meet and greets are great but the food is not. Be Our Guest for Breakfast or Lunch (when it is a quick serve restaurant) is cool for the experience, but not worth the price for dinner IMO. Gaston’s Tavern is a good quick serve for lunch, usually not terribly crowded, I also really like the lobster roll at Columbia Harbour House, Pinocchio Village Hause is another decent quick serve with good variety. Liberty Tree Tavern is a decent full service one for dinner.


Animal Kingdom also has stuff for a toddler. Tusker house is tied for the top character breakfast in the parks with decent food and some unique African cuisine. When I went with a 2.5 year old she loved the Kilimanjaro Safaris, the N’avi River Journey, the Festival of the Lion King, and the rides in Dinoland.

Hollywood Studios is a half-day park for a toddler. If she/he likes frozen I’d do the frozen show, as well as Beauty and the Beast and the little mermaid shows, and you can do toy story mania.

At your child’s age I’d bet they’ll like all the princess character M&G’s of which there are a ton in all the parks (many of which can also be fast-passed). YMMV on the mickey & friends type character M&G’s. My daughter at 1.5 loved meeting princesses but was terrified of Mickey/Minnie/ etc.

Eater.com has all you need, plenty of articles available.

Much more useful than AOC ;-)

https://www.eater.com/maps/best-disn...restaurants-38

No kidding

Already thanked jman in PMs and if it was up to me I’d do a princess breakfast but my wife agrees with you on this.

If I had young kids, my goal in any trip would be to maximize the number of pictures that the kids will want to destroy when they become teenagers.

A character breakfast sounds like a great opportunity for that.

This guy Disneys.

The full Walt Disney World itinerary ITT is AOC's new "greatest accomplishment yet".

As an adult without kids, I've found just going to a WDW resort, walking around and eating a meal to be one of the most enjoyable things. Grand Floridian has a quiet cafe that's great for breakfast, one of the newer Animal Kingdom hotels has a stellar restaurant (Sanaa or something).

Don't overlook Disneyland if you're closer to Cali. It's much smaller, but the 2 parks have many more rides than WDW's 4 - and they're better. Cali Pirates of the Caribbean is twice the length of Florida's. And Cali still has Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

Best character meal at WDW is breakfast at Crystal Palace in MK. The puffed French toast might be the best food on the property.

I actually haven’t been to that one yet. We’re going again in October and I plan to hit it this time. Have you been to tusker house and akershus? How would you rate it in food quality compared to those two? Also most overrated character meal at WDW IMO was O’Hana for breakfast, I just don’t get why people rave about that one.

I'm glad Mr. Toad's Wild Ride hasn't been phased out. It's a D-list Disney property and hopelessly outdated, but there's a kind of old-timey charm that I always liked.

Haven’t been to Akershus, I read about what they do for breakfast and my wife and I weren’t really enthusiastic about it. I would say that anyone with young girls should definitely give it a try over Royal Table.

Tusker House was fine when we tried it a few years ago, food was good but nothing super memorable. I’d recommend trying it for lunch or dinner when they bring out more African food, breakfast is mostly standard American fare. Definitely a better choice to see Mickey, Donald, etc. than Chef Mickey, though.

My wife is a HUGE Pooh fan, and so CP is a must-visit for us every time, but even if she wasn’t, I’d still consider going just to get into MK early. It’s not outrageously priced by Disney standards, the staff are super friendly and the buffet, despite not having a terribly large selection, is really good (I had the best omelet of my entire vacation by far during our visit last month).

Ok, we will definitely give it a shot. We’ve done royal table, thought the character experience and getting to eat in the castle was great but the food was not.

Jman is correct in that if you know how/where to look and are willing to put in the time, you can often get good (or at least better) deals than this. Most people don't know this, however, so they go in blindly and wind up with this kind of vacation expense.

But the craziest thing to me is that, apparently, the market will bear these prices! Local news told me one day around Christmas (may have been the day after?) that Magic Kingdom was literally full to capacity and they were turning people away at the gate. Seems like if anything their prices are too low. Sucks they're pricing the middle class out, though.

Also agree with Jman that there are good restaurants on property if you know where to look. A couple I know stayed at the Beach Club last summer and I met them down there for dinner, we ate at some fantastic restaurant right inside the hotel that was first class (but pricey). I can't speak for Epcot though, in all these years I still have not been. Universal is just a better time and better value all around imho.

Magic Kingdom hitting capacity on Christmas isn't actually that uncommon, it is the busiest day of the year for them. You have to be ****ing nuts to go to Disney Christmas Week. That said, they use a tiered closing system, with 6 tiers, Phase A, Phase B, and the Phases 1-4 where they turn away varying classes of people (people staying on resort versus off resort, people with day passes versus people with multi day passes, etc.), and they did not hit a Phase 4 closing this year (where the park is literally turning everyone away), nor have they hit that in recent memory (the last time was 2009 I believe). Also, it is never the case that all 4 parks close, or at least it has never happenned, so it would just mean someone would have to alter their plans from MK that day to Epcot or HS or AK. Disney also recently moved to a date-based pricing system that may help alleviate this, where you're going to pay a LOT more to go during a high demand week like Christmas or Easter versus a low demand week like Late August-Late September.

I think the difference between people who like HS/Epcot/AK versus those who like MK is based on the ages of your children. If you've got toddler-aged children, MK and Epcot have just the most to do for your kids hands down. With older kids HS and AK probably start to look more attractive.