I need some help planning

[Eeyoreloverforever]

First I will tell you that I live in Nova Scotia so please tell me if you post a time wether that is your time or my time.

Ok! We are going to Disney World October 18-29. The only thing we have booked is a time share with my in-laws from the 18-24, we will have to move on the 25-29. We want to stay in Andy's room at All Star Movies.

We will also be flying and want to rent a minivan from the airport for the length of our stay.

The ressies we want are Cinderalla's Royal Breakfast, The Princess Breakfast in Epcot, Alice's Tea Party at Grand Floridian, and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

My question is when should I book these various things and for what times and days. I am thinking the breakfast would be better for later in our trip since we will be closer to the park when staying on site.

What numbers do I call for the various things and what time do I start calling to get my requested seating time?

You all are so informative and helpfull and I can't say how much I have learned here and how much I appreciate your help.

It is also great to find others who are as crazy about Disney as my family. Everyone around here seems to think we are just CRAZY!!!

 

[jjohns]

There is no way this can be a short reply!! I'll break it up into parts.

October is a nice time of year to go - we were just there in Oct/02 and liked it a lot. Weather was real nice - plenty warm, not stifling, and great for swimming. May and October are our favourite times right now.

You don't say if you have kids or what age. I'll assume you do.

First, some links for more planning info...
- http://www.wdwig.com is full of very helpful info and advice.
- http://www.mousesavers.com is great to help save money (esp. on room and car rental).
- http://pscalculator.net is good to help you plan your PSs (which you will need for Cinderella, Princess Breakfast, and the Tea Party)

There are also some planning books that I can recommend...
- The Passporter (http://www.passporter.com) is a good planning book and diary in one. Small enough to take to the park with you if you like. Has a good rating system for restaurants and rides (including a 'kid' rating which is pretty good).
- Bob Sehlinger's Unofficial Guide to WDW. A fantastic read - we used this to plan out our first trip to WDW with kids (they were 4 and 6). It was a godsend! Its is written in a slightly irreverent tone and had some sample park touring plans which we found very helpful. Full of useful planning facts (like typically busy/light days, ride advice, etc).

There are plenty of others, but these two we've used.

I see you will be there for 10 days + the travel days. 7 or 8 days is generally considered the 'break-even' between a Park Hopper pass and the Annual Pass, so if you think you'll be going into the Disney parks on all/most days, consider the AP. An added benefit of the AP is that there are often some good room discounts available to AP holders. (On our October trip, we got AP rates at All-Stars of $79/night, I think... maybe $84). Only one member of the group needs an AP to get the AP rate. You will have to stay on top of when the AP rates are release (I think it was June for the October period last year), since the reduced-rate rooms will go fast. And, its a crap shoot - Disney may/may not have reduced rates... But that's what mousesavers.com is for! (There is a reduced rate AP if you are a Disney Club member, you can buy this at a local Disney Store or online)

Booking those meals... Different restaurants/parks have different advance booking rules - pscalculator.net will help with the details. The latest rules for yours are: Cinderella (60 days), Princess (120 days ??), Tea Party (120 days). These rules are subject to change, though...

A couple options for booking. If you are a member of the Disney Club, they have a 1-800 number to get into Disney Dining. Saves a ton of money in long distance! Otherwise, you dial direct, to Disney Dining, at 407-WDW-DINE
(407-939-3463).

Getting a reservation at Cinderella's breakfast is very, very hard. Read the advice here: http://pscalculator.net/psfaq.shtml#q101. This worked for us once! (All times will be Eastern)

MNSSHP tickets - You will be able to order these tickets online from Disney (www.disney.com) or by phone. Check their website regularly for details on which nights the party is scheduled. My advice is to go mid-week - stay away from the end of your trip since it will get busy for Halloween, and Fri/Sun nights are typically busier because of locals. We ordered our tickets online, they were mailed quickly - no hassles. (http://wdwig.com/mnssh.htm for more on last year's)

I could go on for hours and hours. Love going, love planning going!

Ask away...!!!

Jeff

 

[MaMudduck]

I started to post a reply earlier today & right in the middle of it, WAM my computer goes down! but Jeff your details are far more complete than I was going to give.
ELover- the number for PS is 407-wdw-dine, those links will give you lots of info. If you get first thing in the morning breakfast ressie, then you get into the park before everyone else. It is wonderful to walk around MK & Epcot in the quietnesss of the morning without crowds,but you need to leave extra time before you breakfast's you'll need to be at MK entrance GATES 45min. before Cindy's & 1hr @ Epcot gates- It is a VERY long walk from entrance to Norway in the Worldshowcase and you go thru 2 check points where you need to show your PS#. Leave extra time, unless you like running before breakfast-Been there,done that
All the rest Jeff stated!

Wendy