Disney Vacations

SPEEDY MCCREADY

Agreed
The Lightening Lane is 100% PURE BULLSHIT! 

Indifference71

mace1229 said:

Poncier said:

$800 for a meal at Disneyland. Sounds about right these days Joe. 
Speedy will spend $800 on Dole Whips ad Mickey pretzels alone in April.

Enjoy the trip Speedy.

We're probably heading to the Anaheim House of Mouse in August coupling it with a visit to the new Super Nintendo World at Universal Hollywood that my son the Mario Kart freak has been anticipating for a few years now.

Sadly, this is why my kids will probably never know what Disneyland/world is like.
I grew up about 50 minutes from Disneyland ad we would go 1-2 times a year, so it makes me a little sad. But they've priced the average family out.
Obviously club33 is not going to be part of the plan. But last time we went it was  about 5 years ago and cost over $800 for 3 tickets (including 1 kid who was about 3 at the time), parking and food for the day. Lines were so long we barely got to do anything.
I don't blame them though, if I could charge that and sell out every day, I would too. 

Yep.  I've talked to some friends who have gone and it's just an absurd amount of money to take a family there.  Hard to envision a time when I'll be dropping at least 5-6K for a disneyworld trip.  Maybe in 4-5 years when I'm done paying childcare costs.

Poncier

Gern Blansten said:

Poncier said:

JOEJOEJOE said:

bootlegger10 said:

JOEJOEJOE said:

We got invited to Club 33 at Disneyland last weekend.  Very snazzy private club in New Orleans Square.

Walt took me for almost $800 when you figure-in park admission, the Club 33 meal, parking and snacks for the two of us.

I like the term "invited".  "You are invited to pay $800 to eat here.  You should be grateful."

, lightning passes, 

This is one thing that really grinds my gears (to quote the great philosopher Homer Simpson).
They now charge you for what used to be free, "fast passes". It was what finally made my wife see the light and come over to my side of the Disney greed argument.

yeah it's bullshit...I got screwed at Universal for that because when you buy online they dangle it in front of you because they "sell out quick" yet when we went we didn't really need them because it wasn't extremely busy. Too late to ask for refund then.

I won't pay extra and just take my chances.
One thing to do when it's possible (and I know it often isn't especially with kids) is to try and go at less busy times. Definitely avoid school vacations. We did Disneyworld a couple of years when my son was middle school age just after Christmas and the crowds were misery. NYE was ridiculous. Magic kingdom at full capacity and closed before noontime. After a couple of years of that I convinced the wife to try Disneyland in August instead (wasn't going to Orlando in August, no thank you). Have found that late August isn't too bad (weekdays at least) as many California school districts have started back already. Now that my kid is in college and doesn't start move back in until early September, we are going Aug 21-29 this year and hoping for decent crowd sizes, not doing any parks on the Saturday. Most important this year is Universal Hollywood as they have opened Super Nintendo World and my son is a Mario Kart freak, so he's been looking forward to that for a few years.
Speedy should have a good week, late April to mid-May is a decent time for Orlando crowd wise as is November (excluding Thanksgiving week) and early December.

Johnny Abruzzo

The place basically sold out for spring break. Still looking for ideas where to go. The Dollywood thing sounds cool and I've never been to that area of the country. Any suggestions about where to stay, etc?

markymark550

Johnny Abruzzo said:

The place basically sold out for spring break. Still looking for ideas where to go. The Dollywood thing sounds cool and I've never been to that area of the country. Any suggestions about where to stay, etc?

I've never been to Dollywood, but I have been to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg part of Tennessee. It is very touristy, so there are lots of hotels and rental houses. The last couple of times we used either Vrbo or AirBnB to rent a house. We would pick a place between the 2 towns and easily accessible to US Highway 321. Honestly though, I'm not a big fan of that area. Reminds me too much of Myrtle Beach, but in the mountains. The best things there are the Ole Smokey Distillery and finding places to go in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. If you want to take a trip to Tennessee, I would recommend Nashville or Memphis.

Johnny Abruzzo

markymark550 said:

Johnny Abruzzo said:

The place basically sold out for spring break. Still looking for ideas where to go. The Dollywood thing sounds cool and I've never been to that area of the country. Any suggestions about where to stay, etc?

I've never been to Dollywood, but I have been to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg part of Tennessee. It is very touristy, so there are lots of hotels and rental houses. The last couple of times we used either Vrbo or AirBnB to rent a house. We would pick a place between the 2 towns and easily accessible to US Highway 321. Honestly though, I'm not a big fan of that area. Reminds me too much of Myrtle Beach, but in the mountains. The best things there are the Ole Smokey Distillery and finding places to go in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. If you want to take a trip to Tennessee, I would recommend Nashville or Memphis.

I mean, we're talking about a family trip here - this is a Disney thread - so something "touristy" is kinda what we're looking for. Roller coasters and stuff.

Gern Blansten

It's a cool area to visit with kids. Great aquarium in Gatlinburg....also Ober Gatlinburg is fun to visit. 

Cabin rental is nice because you can generally get one with a hot tub and pool table, etc. Traffic between Gatlinburg and Sevierville is ridiculous so you either need to plan your drives to avoid it or stay in the middle of it so you don't have to drive. 

Visits to the Nat'l park, canoeing, Dollywood, all kinds of shit to do

markymark550

Johnny Abruzzo said:

markymark550 said:

Johnny Abruzzo said:

The place basically sold out for spring break. Still looking for ideas where to go. The Dollywood thing sounds cool and I've never been to that area of the country. Any suggestions about where to stay, etc?

I've never been to Dollywood, but I have been to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg part of Tennessee. It is very touristy, so there are lots of hotels and rental houses. The last couple of times we used either Vrbo or AirBnB to rent a house. We would pick a place between the 2 towns and easily accessible to US Highway 321. Honestly though, I'm not a big fan of that area. Reminds me too much of Myrtle Beach, but in the mountains. The best things there are the Ole Smokey Distillery and finding places to go in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. If you want to take a trip to Tennessee, I would recommend Nashville or Memphis.

I mean, we're talking about a family trip here - this is a Disney thread - so something "touristy" is kinda what we're looking for. Roller coasters and stuff.

Touristy isn't my problem with it. I said that to convey that there are plenty of options when it comes to lodging. I just lost interest with the other things around the area. Nashville and Memphis are touristy as well, I just prefer what those cities offer over Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

Johnny Abruzzo

Gern Blansten said:

It's a cool area to visit with kids. Great aquarium in Gatlinburg....also Ober Gatlinburg is fun to visit. 

Cabin rental is nice because you can generally get one with a hot tub and pool table, etc. Traffic between Gatlinburg and Sevierville is ridiculous so you either need to plan your drives to avoid it or stay in the middle of it so you don't have to drive. 

Visits to the Nat'l park, canoeing, Dollywood, all kinds of shit to do

Thanks!

josevolution

We purchased a Disney time share back in 01! We’ve gotten our money’s worth from it used it a lot when my kids were kids these days me & my wife just use it to exchange for other locations throughout the country/ world, we like going down to Orlando and spend long weekends at the beach villas drinking margaritas and enjoy the pool, maybe go into Epcot but really don’t do the other parks. 

mace1229

markymark550 said:

Johnny Abruzzo said:

markymark550 said:

Johnny Abruzzo said:

The place basically sold out for spring break. Still looking for ideas where to go. The Dollywood thing sounds cool and I've never been to that area of the country. Any suggestions about where to stay, etc?

I've never been to Dollywood, but I have been to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg part of Tennessee. It is very touristy, so there are lots of hotels and rental houses. The last couple of times we used either Vrbo or AirBnB to rent a house. We would pick a place between the 2 towns and easily accessible to US Highway 321. Honestly though, I'm not a big fan of that area. Reminds me too much of Myrtle Beach, but in the mountains. The best things there are the Ole Smokey Distillery and finding places to go in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. If you want to take a trip to Tennessee, I would recommend Nashville or Memphis.

I mean, we're talking about a family trip here - this is a Disney thread - so something "touristy" is kinda what we're looking for. Roller coasters and stuff.

Touristy isn't my problem with it. I said that to convey that there are plenty of options when it comes to lodging. I just lost interest with the other things around the area. Nashville and Memphis are touristy as well, I just prefer what those cities offer over Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

Also probably depends who you are with. Just my wife and I for the weekend I'd probably have more fun in nashville. If we're bringing our 2 small kids, I'd prefer PF/Gatlinburg.

Gern Blansten

mace1229 said:

markymark550 said:

Johnny Abruzzo said:

markymark550 said:

Johnny Abruzzo said:

The place basically sold out for spring break. Still looking for ideas where to go. The Dollywood thing sounds cool and I've never been to that area of the country. Any suggestions about where to stay, etc?

I've never been to Dollywood, but I have been to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg part of Tennessee. It is very touristy, so there are lots of hotels and rental houses. The last couple of times we used either Vrbo or AirBnB to rent a house. We would pick a place between the 2 towns and easily accessible to US Highway 321. Honestly though, I'm not a big fan of that area. Reminds me too much of Myrtle Beach, but in the mountains. The best things there are the Ole Smokey Distillery and finding places to go in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. If you want to take a trip to Tennessee, I would recommend Nashville or Memphis.

I mean, we're talking about a family trip here - this is a Disney thread - so something "touristy" is kinda what we're looking for. Roller coasters and stuff.

Touristy isn't my problem with it. I said that to convey that there are plenty of options when it comes to lodging. I just lost interest with the other things around the area. Nashville and Memphis are touristy as well, I just prefer what those cities offer over Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

Also probably depends who you are with. Just my wife and I for the weekend I'd probably have more fun in nashville. If we're bringing our 2 small kids, I'd prefer PF/Gatlinburg.

yeah Nashville doesn't hit me as a great family vacation spot....G'burg is fun. Touristy yes but kids love it

mfc2006

mmmm....dole whip.

LeafsJaysCubsRaptorsFan

Can’t wait to upgrade my pixie pass to a higher level lol

SPEEDY MCCREADY

3 more weeks until I am in The House of the Mouse. 

josevolution

SPEEDY MCCREADY said:

3 more weeks until I am in The House of the Mouse. 

Enjoy it! It’s better without kids 😂😂 me & wife totally enjoy it by ourselves we did plenty of Disney with kids too it was a lot of fun I must admit 

Poncier

SPEEDY MCCREADY said:

3 more weeks until I am in The House of the Mouse. 

Sweet. Say hi to the 6 foot rat for me.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

Poncier said:

SPEEDY MCCREADY said:

3 more weeks until I am in The House of the Mouse. 

Sweet. Say hi to the 6 foot rat for me.

We are hitting up the Ohana restaurant for the 1st time. My wife is THRILLED about that. 
Guess she also booked the Star Wars Bar in Hollywood Studios. That should be interesting. 
Other than those 2 it's the usual menu for us. We do the rest of our dinners in Epcot and spend a ton of money on delicious food. 
Japan pavilion
Mexico
France

Poncier

Japan and Mexico are 2 of our staples at Epcot.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

Poncier said:

Japan and Mexico are 2 of our staples at Epcot.

Yes sir
Have gone to both those restaurants, every trip, for over 25 years. 

markymark550

I really enjoyed Ohana the last time I was there. Granted, that was 10 years ago so it might have changed. It was served family style and I remember our table getting noodles, teriyaki beef, and maybe some kind of pork dish. Maybe another entree too, but I can't remember. I could have eaten my weight in those noodles. Also, the bread pudding for dessert was fantastic as well. Hope you enjoy it!

SPEEDY MCCREADY

Poncier said:

Japan and Mexico are 2 of our staples at Epcot.

We leave in 2 days.
Go take a look at my weather forecast for next week in Orlando. 

UGH!!!!!!!!!!

Poncier

SPEEDY MCCREADY said:

Poncier said:

Japan and Mexico are 2 of our staples at Epcot.

We leave in 2 days.
Go take a look at my weather forecast for next week in Orlando. 

UGH!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my.
I have Orlando as one of the saved cities in my weather app on my phone.
At least Thursday looks dry.
But often when it lists rain in Florida it's not a full day of it, so hopefully that's what you're dealing with, maybe afternoon thundershower rolls through for an hour and rest of day is OK.
Fingers crossed for you.

Get_Right

Disney World in the rain is still better than working in the sun.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

Poncier said:

SPEEDY MCCREADY said:

Poncier said:

Japan and Mexico are 2 of our staples at Epcot.

We leave in 2 days.
Go take a look at my weather forecast for next week in Orlando. 

UGH!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my.
I have Orlando as one of the saved cities in my weather app on my phone.
At least Thursday looks dry.
But often when it lists rain in Florida it's not a full day of it, so hopefully that's what you're dealing with, maybe afternoon thundershower rolls through for an hour and rest of day is OK.
Fingers crossed for you.

Yeah, As a 30 year veteran of Disney weather, I am well aware of the afternoon rain shower in Orlando. But this looks a little different. FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!!!!
When the weather forecast "Changed" last week, I wanted to fucking throw up. And actually I think my bride did throw up. Hahahahaha

JeBurkhardt

SPEEDY MCCREADY said:

Poncier said:

SPEEDY MCCREADY said:

Poncier said:

Japan and Mexico are 2 of our staples at Epcot.

We leave in 2 days.
Go take a look at my weather forecast for next week in Orlando. 

UGH!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my.
I have Orlando as one of the saved cities in my weather app on my phone.
At least Thursday looks dry.
But often when it lists rain in Florida it's not a full day of it, so hopefully that's what you're dealing with, maybe afternoon thundershower rolls through for an hour and rest of day is OK.
Fingers crossed for you.

Yeah, As a 30 year veteran of Disney weather, I am well aware of the afternoon rain shower in Orlando. But this looks a little different. FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!!!!
When the weather forecast "Changed" last week, I wanted to fucking throw up. And actually I think my bride did throw up. Hahahahaha

Back in 1995 we took our 2 little kids to Disneyland. it rained most of the day for at least 2 of the 4 days we were there. A lot of wet clothes and a bit of a hassle, but we still had fun.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

JeBurkhardt said:

SPEEDY MCCREADY said:

Poncier said:

SPEEDY MCCREADY said:

Poncier said:

Japan and Mexico are 2 of our staples at Epcot.

We leave in 2 days.
Go take a look at my weather forecast for next week in Orlando. 

UGH!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my.
I have Orlando as one of the saved cities in my weather app on my phone.
At least Thursday looks dry.
But often when it lists rain in Florida it's not a full day of it, so hopefully that's what you're dealing with, maybe afternoon thundershower rolls through for an hour and rest of day is OK.
Fingers crossed for you.

Yeah, As a 30 year veteran of Disney weather, I am well aware of the afternoon rain shower in Orlando. But this looks a little different. FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!!!!
When the weather forecast "Changed" last week, I wanted to fucking throw up. And actually I think my bride did throw up. Hahahahaha

Back in 1995 we took our 2 little kids to Disneyland. it rained most of the day for at least 2 of the 4 days we were there. A lot of wet clothes and a bit of a hassle, but we still had fun.

Oh yeah, Ive done Disney in the rain a few times over the years, and yes you just get your pancho and make the best of it.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

I wish I was in Disney, sitting in the France Pavillion, having coffee and sharing a chocolate eclair with my mom.
I wish a lot of things. 

SPEEDY MCCREADY

So, for the 1st time since 2020. Disney has announced the return of the free dining plan. 
My wife and I jumped on it, and booked a trip for September. 

Poncier

Nice.
Dole whips all around.