What will it be for trip #3? (August 5-14, 2012) - Page 18 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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This is our DHS day. No EMHs and we hope to arrive before the 9am open. I have not seen either of the 2 big shows so hope to fit them in this trip. None of us have done ToT or RnRC so we hope to experience them (although Delaney is still too small for RnRC and Hannah refuses to go upside down…so we may need to use a child swap for both DH and I to try this one….and…I will not be heartbroken if we miss ToT again…) DS did the jedi training last trip and he has moved on from his Star Wars obsession, so this is not something we need to worry about this trip.
Last trip, we were kicked out of the “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” play area after about 10 minutes, not realizing it was not open for EMH. The kids want to have LOTS of time to explore here this year. The other thing we felt bad about missing out on last time was the opportunity to meet any of the Pixar characters. The lines always exceeded an hour and we just cannot wait that long. What is the best way to meet these characters with more manageable lines?
We have a dinner ADR at Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano at 4:45 p.m. This is the Fantasmic package. We only saw Fantasmic on our first trip, and it was only with this special seating. We have NEVER been able to stay at a park from open to close (well…we tried on a first trip…but that was the bad trip…this just does not work for us….).
Again when thinking about the timing of this ADR, it seems to cut into the day. You may wonder why I have picked such early meal times…if you recall the lessons learned from the last trip…Hannah does better at restaurants when they do not start out super-crowded at the start of our meal. She seems to be able to tolerate crowds building around her better than she can going right into crowds. She also does better when she can sit against a wall. I found that the “early” dinners or unusual times provided more opportunity for us to get a table along a wall. A better meal for Hannah is a better meal for all of us!
Anyway, I think we would either need to fit in an afternoon break back at our resort or we will not be likely to make it to Fantasmic…Since we will now have a car…will it be easier to take an afternoon break not having to mess with WDW transportation?
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On our last trip with the F! Dining Pkg, we stayed from opening 'til early afternoon and then went back to the resort to rest, returning right in time for our ADR (which was right around 5:00pm, I think.)
If you figure you've had a couple of hours to chill at the resort, and then a relaxing dinner, you should all be well-rested for the remainder of the evening.
We generally try and schedule dinner before 6:00pm to beat the worst of the crowds, and I'm not sure if it's because Mama Melrose has the F! Dining, or if it's always this way, but they were totally slammed and backed-up before we even got there.
That said, we loved the place (we had a huge booth against a wall) and with an ADR at 4:45, you should be even better crowd-wise. Just some thoughts...
I think the time works well, I definitely think you could enjoy a lot if you make rope drop and then enjoy an afternoon break before heading back for dinner. The only other option would be maybe see if there is an earlier lunch reservation with the package, this way enjoy DHS, have a midday lunch and then breaktime with a return to DHS before Fantasmic.
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When we went to DQ in 2010, I was the one who was overwhelmed with the noise. The rest of the family was fine, but I couldn't take the constant noise from all the video games and all the other games and activities that were going on. I think the earlier in the day you visit the lower the crowds should be, but the noise may still be a bit loud. I may have been ok if I had worn some earplugs, but I was ready to go long before my DH and kids were.
On our last trip with the F! Dining Pkg, we stayed from opening 'til early afternoon and then went back to the resort to rest, returning right in time for our ADR (which was right around 5:00pm, I think.)
If you figure you've had a couple of hours to chill at the resort, and then a relaxing dinner, you should all be well-rested for the remainder of the evening.
We generally try and schedule dinner before 6:00pm to beat the worst of the crowds, and I'm not sure if it's because Mama Melrose has the F! Dining, or if it's always this way, but they were totally slammed and backed-up before we even got there.
That said, we loved the place (we had a huge booth against a wall) and with an ADR at 4:45, you should be even better crowd-wise. Just some thoughts...
Thanks for saring your experience. I picked the time with crowds in mind...but not an afternoon break. We will need to be mindful of how to manage those ndueling needs....
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcc0313
I think the time works well, I definitely think you could enjoy a lot if you make rope drop and then enjoy an afternoon break before heading back for dinner. The only other option would be maybe see if there is an earlier lunch reservation with the package, this way enjoy DHS, have a midday lunch and then breaktime with a return to DHS before Fantasmic.
Thanks....I may look into an earlier package...
Quote:
Originally Posted by OneLittleSpark
I think that both suggestions above are great! I think it would be easier to get back and forth with a car.
I am trying MM for the first time this year!
It will be our first at MM as well. I am hoping a car makes it quicker....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
Great plans for Friday!
Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
I like your plans for this day! We really like Mama Melrose's, especially with the Fantasmic Package, which we are doing again this year.
I will read all about it....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dianneq
When we went to DQ in 2010, I was the one who was overwhelmed with the noise. The rest of the family was fine, but I couldn't take the constant noise from all the video games and all the other games and activities that were going on. I think the earlier in the day you visit the lower the crowds should be, but the noise may still be a bit loud. I may have been ok if I had worn some earplugs, but I was ready to go long before my DH and kids were.
My DD does fine in arcades. I almost think it is SOOOO noisy that it all becomes like background or white noise blocking out stimuli. I understand where you are coming from, however...I often get headaches at places like that from the flashing lights and noise. But ibuprofen usually helps to manage my issues
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMB733
Great plans for DHS!! Hope you'll be able to ride ToT and RnRC!!
This is the night that DH and I plan to “officially” celebrate our 15th anniversary (Thursday, August 9). We have dinner reservations at Narcoose’s at 7:30.
This is another first for us—for the restaurant and the date night! We will have the kids at the Neverland club at the Poly. I made the Neverland reservation long after I set my ADRs. I did not realize that in order to include dinner, kids need to get to the kids’ club by 6:30. With the amount of $ we will be spending to have our kids here for a few hours---we WILL get them there in time to eat! I was disappointed to learn that they do no prorate the time at all. If the kids are there 3 hours and 10 minutes….you will be charged for 4 hours. Ouch! I guess if we do not make it in 3 hours...we will drag dinner out a bit longer!
At the time I made the Kids club ressie, I asked about an earlier ADR at Narcoose’ s and there was nothing to be had. I just now checked and was able to get one at 7:10…That should give us just a bit more wiggle room…
Question about parking…Would we be able to park at the Poly since our kids will be at the kids club there? Or will we need to park at GF where our ADR is?
Not sure what will be in store for us the rest of the day. I plan this to be another day where we can rest and have flexibility to do what we want. We may hit a water park or DQ in the morning….
I will not gbe around the boards much in the next week or so. In addition to the usual end of school year chaos...wea re planning our annual garage sale for this week. EEEK!
Wish me luck in selling all my treasures to be able to stuff the disney fund!
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