Disney World Honeymoon

ohhmyclementine · January 2015

So for our honeymoon we decided to go to Disney. My fiancé loves disney and I've never been. We've been talking for awhile about going (before the wedding planning) so going for our honeymoon was just perfect. I am really excited. Any suggestions for things to do for a first timer?

flutteringinfl · January 2015

How much have you booked so far? Know where you're staying yet? Are you going right after your wedding?

ohhmyclementine · January 2015

We are planning to go right after the wedding and hvae nothing booked right now

[Deleted User] · January 2015

Get a meal plan package, it will save you a lot of money with the food. If you want to do a nicer dinner out one night, make reseverations as soon as you can. Not sure if you can book prior to going or if you have to wait until you get there though.

flutteringinfl · January 2015

Ok cool. So you'll be there for the start of Food and Wine at Epcot, which is fabulous and I would definitely recommend taking a day or two to enjoy it (but pace yourself. It almost did me in last year). Basically how it works is you go into Epcot with regular admission, and throughout the back half of the park (World Showcase), there will be kiosks with cocktails, beer, wine, and small plates/tapas of cuisine from different countries. There are something like 30 kiosks. It's a great way to try out some foods and beverages you might not otherwise have the opportunity to try, and the food especially is usually only a couple bucks for a plate.

I would recommend staying at an official Disney hotel if you can, especially if you're planning on spending the majority of your time at Disney. You'll get free transportation from the airport to your hotel and back, plus you can use Disney's transportation and save on car, gas, parking, etc. If there's a day you want to spend off property, you can rent a car just for that day to save yourself a ton of money. Disney makes it very easy to do that. They have a wide variety of hotels and they all have a certain theme. My favorite hotel is the Wilderness Lodge, which has a Pacific Northwest theme and includes a boat ride to the Magic Kingdom.

You'll definitely want to plan your Fastpasses out ahead of time. This will allow you to skip the lines for some of the more popular attractions. I'd also definitely recommend making your dining reservations at the sixth month mark, especially if you want to eat at the more popular restaurants like Be Our Guest (Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant in a replica of the Beast's castle) or Le Cellier (great steakhouse in the Canada pavilion at Epcot).

Start doing research on the restaurants you want to eat at (Disneyfoodblog.com has great unbiased reviews of most restaurants). That will really help you plan things out, because the food choices at Disney are awesome and varied but can be overwhelming if you go on vacation without having thought about it first.

If you're interested in staying at one of the nicer hotels, I'd also recommend looking into renting Disney Vacation Club points. I've done it several times and it's a great way to stay at some of the nicer hotels without paying full price.

delujm0 · January 2015

Great advice above...just wanted to add, get a Memory Maker ahead of time. I think it's $150, but it entitles you to digital downloads of every photo you have taken while you are there. It's awesome to not have to worry about getting pics of the two of you with your own camera, plus it includes special photos where the photographer adds in characters and also all of your ride photos as well. individual photo downloads are like $15/each, so this will more than pay for itself.

definitely stay on site. there are several value resorts if you're on a budget...it just makes life easier. airport transportation is included as well as transportation to all of the parks and downtown disney. and definitely get a park hoppr pass - then you don't have to plan out every single minute of every single day...you can pop in and out of whatever parks you want whenever you feel like it. a lot of the better sit down restaurants are in Epcot, so a hopper enables you to spend the day in another park and then just hop over to Epcot for dinner.

And i tend to disagree about the meal plan...i've always priced it out for me and it's never worth it (though i think it would be worth it on a family vacation including children - when i go with all adults it never seems to make sense). i like to have a big breakfast, snack throughout the day, and then have a sit down dinner somewhere. and i like to eat whatever i want whenever i want to (the meal plans are somewhat restrictive). a few times when i've gotten back i've calculated my meal costs and it's never ever as much as the meal plan would have been. So really think about that before adding it on.

flutteringinfl · January 2015

delujm0 said:

Great advice above...just wanted to add, get a Memory Maker ahead of time. I think it's $150, but it entitles you to digital downloads of every photo you have taken while you are there. It's awesome to not have to worry about getting pics of the two of you with your own camera, plus it includes special photos where the photographer adds in characters and also all of your ride photos as well. individual photo downloads are like $15/each, so this will more than pay for itself.

definitely stay on site. there are several value resorts if you're on a budget...it just makes life easier. airport transportation is included as well as transportation to all of the parks and downtown disney. and definitely get a park hoppr pass - then you don't have to plan out every single minute of every single day...you can pop in and out of whatever parks you want whenever you feel like it. a lot of the better sit down restaurants are in Epcot, so a hopper enables you to spend the day in another park and then just hop over to Epcot for dinner.

And i tend to disagree about the meal plan...i've always priced it out for me and it's never worth it (though i think it would be worth it on a family vacation including children - when i go with all adults it never seems to make sense). i like to have a big breakfast, snack throughout the day, and then have a sit down dinner somewhere. and i like to eat whatever i want whenever i want to (the meal plans are somewhat restrictive). a few times when i've gotten back i've calculated my meal costs and it's never ever as much as the meal plan would have been. So really think about that before adding it on.

Definitely agree. Don't get the meal plan unless you're willing to price it out. I can see it being convenient for large families who don't want to worry about it, but for just two people I don't see it being a good value. But you should still definitely plan out your meals and decide where you want to eat several months in advance. A lot of people who don't find themselves with nowhere to eat on their vacation, which can definitely put a damper on things

If you give us an idea of your tastes, we can recommend some restaurants. ETA: Another thing about the meal plan that I don't like is how restricted you are. You can't use it at every restaurant and only certain foods are covered by the meal plan. It also includes a dessert with EVERY SINGLE MEAL, which can sound awesome, but if you're like me and you don't consider dessert an every meal thing, it'll probably feel like too much after awhile.

Also, the Memory Maker idea is great. I second it. I've never actually gotten it because I usually go only one weekend a month, if that, but for a longer, special trip I think it would be worth it. We had a four day trip recently and we ended up buying three downloads, so that was $45. Still not as much as Memory Maker, but I shudder to think of how much we'd regret it if we didn't get it for a longer trip.

ohhmyclementine · January 2015

We would definitely like to stay in one of the Disney resorts. My fiance grew up going to one every year. And also I figure my first time should be the full experience especially since I've never been.

The beauty and beast place sounds amazing (not going to lie that's my favorite Disney princess). MY fiance is not a picky eater at all he'll eat anything. I on the other hand am lol. I don't eat seafood (the occasional calamari or clam strip but it basically has to be deep fried and I'll pick it off his plate I'll never order it myself). I'm open to suggestions to places to try though.

So what are the fastpasses? I've seen them online but know nothing about them.

flutteringinfl · January 2015

Fastpasses are basically tickets that allow you to skip the line and either have a short wait or no wait. They are included in the cost of your ticket. Basically, once you buy your ticket and you're 60 days or less out from your vacation date, you can go onto the website, link the tickets to your account, and select which rides you want Fastpasses for on which days. You get three per day, and some parks let you choose any three attractions, and some have a tiered system where you choose one "headliner" and two smaller attractions. You choose the three you want, and the three times you want (your window is an hour long), and then you just report to the ride at your designated time. You'll have a bracelet which will serve as your park ticket, room key, and your Fastpass, so you just tap it to a little stand and it'll let you onto the Fastpass line.

I definitely would suggest booking your Fastpasses before you leave rather than waiting until you get there. Once you use your three for the day, you can get more in the park at one of the kiosks, so try to arrange them all for the morning if you can.

A lot of people don't like the idea of planning their vacation trip so minutely, but it honestly only takes a couple minutes and saves you a ton of stress and time later.

ohhmyclementine · January 2015

So basically the fastpass is like a one stop shop for what i need to basically get around the park? I know you mentioned i can do 3 rides and that I can put more on, is there a limit for more? does it cost an additional fee to ahve more? Sorry I have so much questions.

flutteringinfl · January 2015

Basically, it's like a dinner reservation, only instead of reserving a table, you're reserving a spot in a shorter line. Make sense? So you have a Fastpass for Soarin at 12 pm. Between 12 and 1 pm, you can go to Soarin, walk up to the Fastpass line, touch your band to the pole, it lights up green, you go on. If you don't have a Fastpass, you go in the regular standby line. You still get to ride, you just have to wait. (and I should add you can only use the FP once. So you go to Soarin at 12 and when you get off it still isn't 1, you can't go on the FP line again for that hour)

There isn't a limit for more, but I believe after your first three you can only add one at a time. So say you had FP's for Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and the Haunted Mansion. You use them all, find a FP kiosk, and add one more. Once you've used that one, you can add another. I've actually never used my "surplus" FP's so I'm not sure if you can add one at a time or three. It doesn't cost a fee to add more, but you're limited to what's available. So as you can imagine, the more popular rides will likely have no availability. But it's all free and there's no penalty if you have to miss a FP window (though it is courteous to go online and cancel any you know you won't use, even if it's the day of, so other people can use them).

delujm0 · January 2015

ohhmyclementine said:

We would definitely like to stay in one of the Disney resorts. My fiance grew up going to one every year. And also I figure my first time should be the full experience especially since I've never been.

The beauty and beast place sounds amazing (not going to lie that's my favorite Disney princess). MY fiance is not a picky eater at all he'll eat anything. I on the other hand am lol. I don't eat seafood (the occasional calamari or clam strip but it basically has to be deep fried and I'll pick it off his plate I'll never order it myself). I'm open to suggestions to places to try though.

So what are the fastpasses? I've seen them online but know nothing about them.

If you want to have dinner at Be Our Guest, you need to CALL the reservtion line, and you need to do it on the first day the reservations are open for your trip (180 days in advance). that thing fills up IMMEDIATELY. I went a few weeks after it opened because i jumped in and snagged an early reservation, and it was pretty cool, but that was years ago and i haven't been able to get a dinner reservation there since, even though i've tried 3-4 times.

Check out the dining section of Allears.net - they have menus for every single restaurant on site. So you can browse those and decide where you want to have dinner, and then reserve whatever sounds good. California Grill at the top of the Contemporary Resort is really tasty (and has a great view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks) and the steakhouse in Epcot's Canada pavillion is also quite popular. i haven't been impressed with the fancier Italian restaurant at Epcot, but i love the pizza place, Via Napoli, and it's a great stop for lunch. though if you're there for the food and wine festival, you might want to stick to that a few nights...it's all tasting portions and it's super fun.

For fastpasses you can get 3 per day (all have to be at the same park) in advance. Once you use them all you can add one at a time. i'm not certain you can do that on the app...i think you have to do it at a kiosk in the park once you get through your first 3. The hardest rides to get on are Soarin in Epcot, Toy Story Midway Mania at MGM, and the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom - so get those as far in advance as possible.

dolewhipper · January 2015

delujm0 said:

ohhmyclementine said:

We would definitely like to stay in one of the Disney resorts. My fiance grew up going to one every year. And also I figure my first time should be the full experience especially since I've never been.

The beauty and beast place sounds amazing (not going to lie that's my favorite Disney princess). MY fiance is not a picky eater at all he'll eat anything. I on the other hand am lol. I don't eat seafood (the occasional calamari or clam strip but it basically has to be deep fried and I'll pick it off his plate I'll never order it myself). I'm open to suggestions to places to try though.

So what are the fastpasses? I've seen them online but know nothing about them.

If you want to have dinner at Be Our Guest, you need to CALL the reservtion line, and you need to do it on the first day the reservations are open for your trip (180 days in advance). that thing fills up IMMEDIATELY. I went a few weeks after it opened because i jumped in and snagged an early reservation, and it was pretty cool, but that was years ago and i haven't been able to get a dinner reservation there since, even though i've tried 3-4 times.

Check out the dining section of Allears.net - they have menus for every single restaurant on site. So you can browse those and decide where you want to have dinner, and then reserve whatever sounds good. California Grill at the top of the Contemporary Resort is really tasty (and has a great view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks) and the steakhouse in Epcot's Canada pavillion is also quite popular. i haven't been impressed with the fancier Italian restaurant at Epcot, but i love the pizza place, Via Napoli, and it's a great stop for lunch. though if you're there for the food and wine festival, you might want to stick to that a few nights...it's all tasting portions and it's super fun.

For fastpasses you can get 3 per day (all have to be at the same park) in advance. Once you use them all you can add one at a time. i'm not certain you can do that on the app...i think you have to do it at a kiosk in the park once you get through your first 3. The hardest rides to get on are Soarin in Epcot, Toy Story Midway Mania at MGM Hollywood Studios, and the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom - so get those as far in advance as possible.

Fixed that for you

Everyone has given great advise so far, and I'm in the club of not suggesting the meal plans.

I highly, HIGHLY suggest looking at the extra fun things at the Food and Wine Festival. They will have celebrity chefs doing demonstrations for as little as $15. However, they fill up IN MINUTES once the reservations are open. They also do wine, beer and liquor tastings with demonstrations. Last year I went to a Four Roses Bourbon, and a 4 type whiskey tasting (bourbon, scotch, irish, canadian). For $15, it was awesome.

I'm on the fence about staying onsite. I LOVE Mickey, but sometimes I want to get away from the screaming children. There are a few upscale hotels on the actual property of Disney that are great (but I'm biased) and you don't have Mickey and the kids going down your throat.

If you do decide to stay on site, I'll give my .02 and say that the Club Level at the Wilderness Lodge is my favorite. It's a deluxe resort but not as popular, it has a great steakhouse on property and a lot of things to do on property shared with Fort Wilderness that don't include the parks (bike trails, horseback riding, fire pits at night to make smores). The Club level includes breakfast buffet, beer and wine and some liquors at night (unlimited), and lots of other little things. I also really love the Animal Kingdom Lodge, though I haven't actually stayed there.

Now is the time to start reading everything you can about Disney. It's gigantic so you want to make sure you do what you want. I also suggest renting a car so you can get off property if you would like. There's so much more to Orlando than Mickey

ETA: Get the Hopper Option. You'll be so glad you did.

delujm0 · January 2015

@dolewhipper i love your SN and also it will ALWAYS be MGM to me. ;-)

dolewhipper · January 2015

delujm0 said:

@dolewhipper i love your SN and also it will ALWAYS be MGM to me. ;-)

& it will be MGM to me as well! I just don't want to confuse the poor girl. Rumor has it they will actually be changing the name in the next couple of years. Way to confuse everyone, Disney!

flutteringinfl · January 2015

dolewhipper said:

delujm0 said:

@dolewhipper i love your SN and also it will ALWAYS be MGM to me. ;-)

& it will be MGM to me as well! I just don't want to confuse the poor girl. Rumor has it they will actually be changing the name in the next couple of years. Way to confuse everyone, Disney!

I can't really type out the groaning sound I'm making, but it's a pretty big one.

But yes, CL is an excellent suggestion! I would definitely look to see if it's within your budget. I stayed WL club level once and it's great! All the nicer Disney hotels have some kind of CL.

ohhmyclementine · January 2015

lol ok so what is the club level thing? I was looking online and saw that and wasn't sure what it meant. My fiancé wants to stay at the beach or yacht club and i think the yacht club with the wheel beds is a little much for me lol but i was adamant next year i get to pick the hotel lol.

dolewhipper · January 2015

ohhmyclementine said:

lol ok so what is the club level thing? I was looking online and saw that and wasn't sure what it meant. My fiancé wants to stay at the beach or yacht club and i think the yacht club with the wheel beds is a little much for me lol but i was adamant next year i get to pick the hotel lol.

Club level is a type of upgraded room. The room itself isn't different than any other in the hotel, but they have access to either a special floor with different amenities or in the case of the Grand Floridian, a whole building dedicated. If you're "club level" your room key is programmed to be able to access this floor/building. Each deluxe hotel has a different club level and what it includes.

Here is some information (I can't comment on how accurate it is since this is not from a Disney website) http://www.themouseforless.com/tripplanning/resorts/wdw/conciergeservices.shtml

flutteringinfl · January 2015

ohhmyclementine said:

lol ok so what is the club level thing? I was looking online and saw that and wasn't sure what it meant. My fiancé wants to stay at the beach or yacht club and i think the yacht club with the wheel beds is a little much for me lol but i was adamant next year i get to pick the hotel lol.

Both are great choices. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, but just keep in mind the pros and cons of each. Yacht Club and Beach Club have access to what I hear is the best pool on property, and they have walking access to Epcot, which is especially great since you'll be going during Food and Wine.

But if you want easier access to the Magic Kingdom over Epcot or Hollywood Studios, you might look at Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Contemporary, or Wilderness Lodge.

kinney0515 · January 2015

www.disboards.com forums are the most amazing resource to help you. I cannot stress how important it is to have a tentative plan per day. Does that sound sucky in a sense on vacation? Yes. But it really isn't! It makes your line waits SO much faster and the day so much more peaceful actually. if you're there during Food and Wine- I wouldn't do a meal plan- but just make sure you put x amount of money aside (perhaps on like a visa gift card) for meals so that it FEELS all inclusive even if it isn't

That's what we're doing for our mini-moon to Disney after the wedding vs. a meal plan. Usually I do a meal plan- but it's my FH's first time to Disney and my millionth- and I know we'll want to soak up the parks since we'll only be there for 3 days- so less time in restaurants.

ps. If you're a bit picky- I think you'd like doing Be Our Guest (Belle's castle restaurant) better for lunch. Much cheaper, menu is more simple, and the experience is just as nice as quick service vs. a sit down meal IMO. You still get to be in the castle in all the special rooms.

kinney0515 · January 2015

I love the MK area resorts most too btw- but if you're planning on taking advantage of Food & Wine Festival a lot at Epcot- I think the Yacht or Beach club would be perfect. Best pool on the whole disney property!

I always am tempted to stay there- but I'm from Connecticut- and it feels a bit too much like home to me- so I always opt for something a bit different than New Englandy. I'm a Poly girl

delujm0 · January 2015

ohhmyclementine said:

lol ok so what is the club level thing? I was looking online and saw that and wasn't sure what it meant. My fiancé wants to stay at the beach or yacht club and i think the yacht club with the wheel beds is a little much for me lol but i was adamant next year i get to pick the hotel lol.

Yacht & beach club is a perfect location for going to the food and wine festival (as is Boardwalk) - but because of that, they can sell out early, so make sure you are booking well in advance. If you don't mind a longer walk, there is actually a walkway by Boardwalk that goes to Hollywood Studios if you don't feel like waiting on the bus (i hate the busses and avoid them whenever i can). The walk is probably about a mile.

I generally like to stay at ether Boardwalk or Yacht & Beach Club so i can walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, or stay at one of the Magic Kingdom resorts that is on the monorail line (my time share "home resort" is Bay Lake at teh Contemporary) so that you can get to Magic Kingdom and Epcot fairly quickly by walking/monorail. The busses are fine...they can just take a while.

dolewhipper · January 2015

delujm0 said:

ohhmyclementine said:

lol ok so what is the club level thing? I was looking online and saw that and wasn't sure what it meant. My fiancé wants to stay at the beach or yacht club and i think the yacht club with the wheel beds is a little much for me lol but i was adamant next year i get to pick the hotel lol.

Yacht & beach club is a perfect location for going to the food and wine festival (as is Boardwalk) - but because of that, they can sell out early, so make sure you are booking well in advance. If you don't mind a longer walk, there is actually a walkway by Boardwalk that goes to Hollywood Studios if you don't feel like waiting on the bus (i hate the busses and avoid them whenever i can). The walk is probably about a mile.

I generally like to stay at ether Boardwalk or Yacht & Beach Club so i can walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, or stay at one of the Magic Kingdom resorts that is on the monorail line (my time share "home resort" is Bay Lake at teh Contemporary) so that you can get to Magic Kingdom and Epcot fairly quickly by walking/monorail. The busses are fine...they can just take a while.

This is why I take my car (unless its food and wine). Free parking in their lots if you're a guest and its always faster than taking the bus.

ohhmyclementine · January 2015

We are traveling from NYC. So what is the best mode of getting around this place? Clearly its huge.

dolewhipper · January 2015

ohhmyclementine said:

We are traveling from NYC. So what is the best mode of getting around this place? Clearly its huge.

Depending on how long you are coming, I would still suggest renting a car. It's free to park if you stay at a WDW resort and free to park in the theme parks in case you're getting fed up with the buses. I absolutely hate the Magical Express (takes forever to get to your hotel and forever to get your luggage) which is the complimentary transport to and from the Orlando Int'l Airport provided by Disney, and a cab would easily be around $50-$80.

Having your own vehicle also allows you to explore more of Orlando (airboats anyone?), and more access to food/restaurants in the area. We are not like NYC; our public transportation is a joke and our city is very spread out. If you want a real Orlando feel I would suggest having an evening in Winter Park (which is about 30-40 minutes from WDW, and a $60-$70 cab ride).

delujm0 · January 2015

I second the above - the Magical Express is a nightmare. If i'm only going for a long weekend, i'll suck it up and deal with it, but for a longer trip i'd suggest renting a car. the car rentals at Orlando airport are right outside of the terminal and super easy to navigate, and the GPS on your phone can get you anywhere. We rented a car a couple of years ago for a week in November and drove everywhere except the food and wine festival (because wine) and it was a lot less stressful than dealing with the bus. also, the parks were empty enough that we could park really close and not worry about having to take trams from the parking lots into the parks - we just walked. The busses do drop you right at the park entrance, which is nice.

Since you are coming from NYC, i realize it is possible that perhaps you and your FI do not have drivers licenses. if that is the case, really the bus system that disney has going on is pretty simple as long as your stay on property. you take the Magical Express to and from the airport and there are busses servicing each resort that take you to all 4 theme parks, the water parks, and Downtown Disney. You can get everywhere on property without a car. i'm just impatient, so i find a car to be easier especially if you stay at a resort that requires busses EVERYWHERE. as i mentioned above, if you stay at Boardwalk or Beach Club (where you can walk into Epcot and walk to Hollywood Studios) or Contemporary, Grand Floridian, or Polynesian near the Magic Kingdom (where you can take the monorail to Magic Kingdom an Epcot) you at least reduce the amount of time that you need to deal with the busses.

flutteringinfl · January 2015

One thing about cars I'll mention. Although it's usually quicker to take your own transportation from the hotels to the parks than it is to use Disney's method, it's usually quicker to use Disney's transportation to Magic Kingdom, even if you have to take a bus. That's because Magic Kingdom's parking lot is actually about a mile from the park itself and is separated by a lake, so after you park you still have to take a monorail or ferry to the entrance, whereas Disney's transportation, be it monorail, boat, or bus, will take you right to the entrance. But for everything else, a car is usually quicker.

Another pro car point is if you're staying at one hotel and want to eat at another. This is pretty common because pretty much all the hotels have at least one or two excellent restaurant options. Disney provides transportation between all hotels to all theme parks, but not from one hotel to the other, with some exceptions. So for the most part, if you want to go from one hotel to the other and you don't have a car or want to pay for a taxi, you have to take Disney's transportation to a theme park, then use that theme park as kind of a transfer station. So if you think you'll be spending time at a hotel other than your own, it's very convenient to have a car.

dolewhipper · January 2015

flutteringinfl said:

One thing about cars I'll mention. Although it's usually quicker to take your own transportation from the hotels to the parks than it is to use Disney's method, it's usually quicker to use Disney's transportation to Magic Kingdom, even if you have to take a bus. That's because Magic Kingdom's parking lot is actually about a mile from the park itself and is separated by a lake, so after you park you still have to take a monorail or ferry to the entrance, whereas Disney's transportation, be it monorail, boat, or bus, will take you right to the entrance. But for everything else, a car is usually quicker.

Another pro car point is if you're staying at one hotel and want to eat at another. This is pretty common because pretty much all the hotels have at least one or two excellent restaurant options. Disney provides transportation between all hotels to all theme parks, but not from one hotel to the other, with some exceptions. So for the most part, if you want to go from one hotel to the other and you don't have a car or want to pay for a taxi, you have to take Disney's transportation to a theme park, then use that theme park as kind of a transfer station. So if you think you'll be spending time at a hotel other than your own, it's very convenient to have a car.

Cal me elitist, but I would much rather drive to MK parking lot, walk to the ticket and transportation center, and take the monorail to the park (sometimes using the resort monorail if there's a long line for direct) than Disney buses. It's going to take on average 30 minutes, maybe longer if you're staying at a resort with multiple stops like Coronado, Caribbean, Ft. Wilderness, or the Value resorts. And then good luck finding a spot to sit after that.

I have eaten breakfast at Animal Kingdom lodge than took the bus to the park. It would have saved us 20 minutes just hoping in the car and driving there, even with paring and walking to the front of the park. If it is a very busy day at MK, I will eat at the Wave in the Contemporary and walk to MK. That is by far the quickest way in and out of MK.

After a long day I would still walk to my car in the lot than stand packed on a bus with smelly, grumpy people after watching bus loads of people get carried away for my turn to board the bus. Car all the way.

delujm0 · January 2015

I'm also in th car camp if it's in your budget...but you CAN actually get from resort to resort via bus if you really need to. You just have to connect at Downtown Disney. Busses (or boats) run from between every resort and Downtown Disney, and they run fairly late into the night since DD is open late for the bar crowd. So again...car all the way if you can do it, but if OP can't afford the added expense of car rental, or doesn't have a drivers license because she lives in Manhattan (which is fairly common for people who were born and raised in the city), the busses will work in a pinch.

I usually stay at the Contemporary and walk to the MK...but depending on how far from the MK you are staying, it can absolutely be preferable to drive yourself to the TTC and take a ferry or monorail to the MK than it is to take a resort bus. Especially if you're staying really far away, like over by Animal Kingdom. The busses only run every 20 minutes...if you juuuuuust miss one, or the fir one that comes through your resort is full when it gets to your stop, you would save a ton of time by just jumping in your car and going. But if you hit the bus just right the bus might be faster. it's a toss up really. the car removes the threat of waiting though.

ohhmyclementine · January 2015

We are planning to stay at the Beach Club (from what I'm gathering from what he wants). We both drive lol. We actually live in the Bronx. But it's good to know about the transportation because obviously being in NYC we are spoiled by the public transportation although we rarely use it lol. Even when we go into manhattan for a day we drive there lol. So from what I'm gathering renting a car is our best option.

Next concern, the weather lol. Obviously being in NY october to me means cold and jackets (depending on the year it really can be warm too). What's the weather like down there? Can we go swimming?

delujm0 · January 2015

@ohmyclementine weather in October is impossible to predict. When i was there in early November two years ago, we had beautiful 70 degree days and 55-65 degree nights. When i was there this past October, the high didn't even get into the 60's the whole time. Orlando is super unpredictable that time of year.

A friend who was with me this October when it was super chilly was actually back there a couple of weekends ago and spent several hours by the pool...sometimes it's a lot warmer in January than it is in October, and sometimes it isn't. If you're going for a full week you will hopefully see at least one day where it's warm enough to lay by the pool. When i go there in the fall or winter, i usually bring a bathing suit just in case, but i don't count on being able to lay by the pool. Then i'm plesantly surprised when i do get a decent pool day. :-)

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