***Hey, Hey! Come right in and plan, OFFICIAL OCTOBER 2017 thread!!!***

So for AK, it "should" be open until after dark when we go, it's supposed to be really nice now, and better by the time we go, so maybe keep that in mind.

If you want to do all those restaurants then totally do it! Maybe just have lunch by noon and then dinner closer to 7? :)
 
So for AK, it "should" be open until after dark when we go, it's supposed to be really nice now, and better by the time we go, so maybe keep that in mind.

If you want to do all those restaurants then totally do it! Maybe just have lunch by noon and then dinner closer to 7? :)
Yeah the new nighttime stuff will keep it open later, I'm sure. I'm staying flexible with everything, but like to have a plan, since I can change it almost to the last minute (day before on dining ressies).

I figure breakfast around 8am (excluding that one CRT day I'm at their mercy for that one). Lunch around noon/1. Dinner between 6-8 and snacks as needed (I'll have fruit snacks and other munchies in my bag)

I appreciate the interaction, having someone elses views and thoughts gives me more to think about :)
 
I think I have our eating plan pretty well decided, as well as which parks we want to go to when. Our trip is 10/09-10/20 with 8 day park hoppers (water parks all the exta stuff) and the dining plan (1qs, 1ts vesion). I am willing to go to a park, eat and go back to a different one. Anyone have any feedback or opinions as to how this looks? The last time I was at Disney I was nine, so where to eat wasn't my concern!
Just me (who can eat an entire cow alone) and my 6yr old son (who could eat willy wonka out of a factory).

10/09/17 11:00:00 PM- Get into hotel (we are stuck with a late flight).

10/10/17 MK
Breakfast- Ohanas
Lunch- Cosmic Rays
Dinner- BOG

10/11/17 AK
Breakfast- LOF
Lunch- Pizzafari
Dinner- Sanaa

10/12/17 W/P & MNSSHP
Breakfast- LOF
Lunch- Leaning Palms
Dinner- Tonys Twn sq (shortly after 4pm, eat then party)

10/13/17 HS
Breakfast- Starring Rolls
Lunch- Sci-Fi
Dinner- 50's

10/14/17 EP
Breakfast- LOF
Lunch and Dinner- Munch around the worlds (QS and food/wine fest)

10/15/17 MK/HS
Breakfast- CRT (as early as humanly possible, must. photography. empty. main street.)
Lunch- Bocados del Lago
Dinner- Pizza (In Room)

10/16/17 EP
Breakfast- Akerhaus
Lunch- QS
Dinner- Biergarden

10/17/17 DTD/Mini golf/MNSSHP (we're doing MNSSHP twice I think)
Breakfast- LOF
Lunch- Earl
Dinner- T-Rex

10/18/17 AK/(let the kid pick where he liked best)
Breakfast- LOF
Lunch- Rainforest Cafe
Dinner- QS

10/19/17 MK/EP
Breakfast- LOF
Lunch- Garden Grill
Dinner- WCC

10/20/17 02:00:00 PM Go to airport
Breakfast- LOF


My best advice would be to think about how much time you'll be spending eating that will take up park or other activity time. Are you going to take midday breaks, do rope drops and/or close down the parks, or a combo?

On days where you have two big meals back to back, are you going to be all that hungry? I read your comments, and I'm right there with you on whole cow consumption, LOL, but I'm not always as hungry at WDW, because there's just so much going on. I don't want to feel full when I'm out in the parks or Disney Springs. Speaking of Disney Springs, on the day you're doing Earl of Sandwich and TRex, are you going to go bowling or Disney Quest or are you just going to be hanging around and shopping? Or going to lunch, then mini golf, then back to DS? I ask mainly because I don't know if you have a rental car, plan to use Uber, or use Disney transportation. Just don't forget to factor travel time into your plans.

Now, ignoring ALLLLLLL the things I said and questions I asked, if those are the meals you want, do them! It's vacation, and you should get to do things your way, so you and your son have the best time possible!! It's awesome that you get to spend all that time there together.

I just always try to remind people to keep time in mind, especially if they haven't been to WDW in awhile :) It can sneak up on you, and you might be in the middle of something super fun, and realize you only have an hour to get somewhere, and then a bus doesn't show up on time, or a storm pops up and keeps the boat from running for awhile, and then you're rushing around and suddenly there's more stress and less fun.

You're open to being flexible, so you're already ahead of the game as far as I'm concerned!!

I also like the idea of starting each day at Landscape of Flavors, especially if your son likes routine. It's a good way to sit down together and lay out your plans each morning...when my oldest was that age, he always liked knowing what to expect throughout the day.
 


My best advice would be to think about how much time you'll be spending eating that will take up park or other activity time. Are you going to take midday breaks, do rope drops and/or close down the parks, or a combo?

On days where you have two big meals back to back, are you going to be all that hungry? I read your comments, and I'm right there with you on whole cow consumption, LOL, but I'm not always as hungry at WDW, because there's just so much going on. I don't want to feel full when I'm out in the parks or Disney Springs. Speaking of Disney Springs, on the day you're doing Earl of Sandwich and TRex, are you going to go bowling or Disney Quest or are you just going to be hanging around and shopping? Or going to lunch, then mini golf, then back to DS? I ask mainly because I don't know if you have a rental car, plan to use Uber, or use Disney transportation. Just don't forget to factor travel time into your plans.

Now, ignoring ALLLLLLL the things I said and questions I asked, if those are the meals you want, do them! It's vacation, and you should get to do things your way, so you and your son have the best time possible!! It's awesome that you get to spend all that time there together.

I just always try to remind people to keep time in mind, especially if they haven't been to WDW in awhile :) It can sneak up on you, and you might be in the middle of something super fun, and realize you only have an hour to get somewhere, and then a bus doesn't show up on time, or a storm pops up and keeps the boat from running for awhile, and then you're rushing around and suddenly there's more stress and less fun.

You're open to being flexible, so you're already ahead of the game as far as I'm concerned!!

I also like the idea of starting each day at Landscape of Flavors, especially if your son likes routine. It's a good way to sit down together and lay out your plans each morning...when my oldest was that age, he always liked knowing what to expect throughout the day.

We're gonna *try* and go from when we get up until we feel like leaving, using rides like People Mover to rest as needed. We're not real interested in opening or closing the parks, other than on one of the MNSSHP nights and the single pre-opening CRT. If we are functioning and want to we will, but it's not a must do.

Where we have back to back TS's one of them is more for entertainment/atmosphere (the experience) more than the food. Sci-fi is because my son loves cars (eating 'in' one has him all excited) and Garden Grill he loves Chip N Dale, so that was a must (I need to double check they're there for lunch). Chances are we'll eat lighter there, those will also be out of pocket rather than dining plan, so I don't 'waste' credits.

Our DS day I haven't planned much, I know we'll wander and shop (6yr old, lego store, that'll be an hour right there). I want to bring him to mini golf, but I haven't looked into getting there. We'll be using Disney Transportation for everything (unless I need a cab or Uber or something like that for mini golf then I might skip it).

My son has helped every step of the way, right down to picking our resort, we looked online and he LOVED the giant Cars characters (I wish I could have afforded a Cars suite for him, but maybe next time, if there is one). As things get finalized I'm gonna make him a page of what/when's so he can check what is happening and when.
 


This thread is so helpful already to boost my Disney spirits. I am a such a Disney fan like all of us :) We had to cancel our surprise WDW trip for this November and I was so devastated. So we decided to plan a new trip for next October and surprise the kids then. Since its so far away my husband and I snuck away to California for the weekend for an adult only day at Disneyland. It was the worst Disney experience ever. I now realize why so many people say they hate it and I end up defending our beloved Disney. Shoulder to shoulder people, being herded like cattle. A parade every hour that shut down all the streets. Ride lines almost 2 hours long just to get to the front of the line and have it breakdown. EVERY ride broke down at least twice for 1-2 hours each day. CMs so rude I literally saw one roll her eyes at a little girl when she was dissapointed she waited over an hour for Peter Pan just to be turned away. It was so bad I'm not even in the planning spirit. We've always always had a magical time at WDW so I'm going to focus in that :). My main question is has anyone been the first couple of weeks in Octover before to WDW? Do u recall how busy it's been in the past?
 
This thread is so helpful already to boost my Disney spirits. I am a such a Disney fan like all of us :) We had to cancel our surprise WDW trip for this November and I was so devastated. So we decided to plan a new trip for next October and surprise the kids then. Since its so far away my husband and I snuck away to California for the weekend for an adult only day at Disneyland. It was the worst Disney experience ever. I now realize why so many people say they hate it and I end up defending our beloved Disney. Shoulder to shoulder people, being herded like cattle. A parade every hour that shut down all the streets. Ride lines almost 2 hours long just to get to the front of the line and have it breakdown. EVERY ride broke down at least twice for 1-2 hours each day. CMs so rude I literally saw one roll her eyes at a little girl when she was dissapointed she waited over an hour for Peter Pan just to be turned away. It was so bad I'm not even in the planning spirit. We've always always had a magical time at WDW so I'm going to focus in that :). My main question is has anyone been the first couple of weeks in Octover before to WDW? Do u recall how busy it's been in the past?

I'm sorry you had to cancel your November trip, and I'm really sorry you had a negative experience at Disneyland! We were there for a week in June (while Grad Nights were going on), and while it wasn't the same as our visits to WDW, it wasn't as bad for us as you describe. Were you there during holiday taping, maybe? Just asking because of your comments on the parades. That might have been the reason behind the crowd flow and walkways being closed frequently.

Regarding the first of October, I recommend checking some past crowd reports on EasyWDW. He usually has monthly roundups of crowd levels going back a couple of years at least, and it should be pretty easy to find by searching his site. October has MNSSHP, Food and Wine, and fall breaks, so I'm planning to prepare for high crowds, and hope for the best. We frequently travel during busy times, so it doesn't worry me too much, but it does help me plan which days I visit certain parks. I picked our week based on lowest price at the Poly, and not on crowds...I don't think I even checked past crowds this time around!
Hopefully someone with experience with that timeframe will chime in to help you as well!

Good luck with your planning, and HOW FUN that you're surprising the kids!! How far in advance are you going to tell them?
 
This thread is so helpful already to boost my Disney spirits. I am a such a Disney fan like all of us :) We had to cancel our surprise WDW trip for this November and I was so devastated. So we decided to plan a new trip for next October and surprise the kids then. Since its so far away my husband and I snuck away to California for the weekend for an adult only day at Disneyland. It was the worst Disney experience ever. I now realize why so many people say they hate it and I end up defending our beloved Disney. Shoulder to shoulder people, being herded like cattle. A parade every hour that shut down all the streets. Ride lines almost 2 hours long just to get to the front of the line and have it breakdown. EVERY ride broke down at least twice for 1-2 hours each day. CMs so rude I literally saw one roll her eyes at a little girl when she was dissapointed she waited over an hour for Peter Pan just to be turned away. It was so bad I'm not even in the planning spirit. We've always always had a magical time at WDW so I'm going to focus in that :). My main question is has anyone been the first couple of weeks in Octover before to WDW? Do u recall how busy it's been in the past?

Hi!

So unfortunately the consensus has been that early to mid-October is pretty darn crowded now. I think the middle two weeks being the worst. Now of course you'll get the dramatic versions of people who will say they couldn't do anything, worse than spring break, yada yada yada and then the opposite who say oh we walked on everything, no waits! The truth lies somewhere in the middle. I do believe it is definitely more crowded than it ever used to be.

Now we are going end of October and beginning of November. Got some pretty good reports on those dates, crowds but totally manageable. Also we were there 10/21-10/30 of 2014 and found it to be great! Only big crowds were the obvious Saturday night at MK with no party and Food/Wine on the weekends.

If you can afford to, take a longer trip - 7 nights or so, can take the pressure off. We are staying 9 and that really eases my worries about crowds. Even if you can't stay a full week don't worry, good planning will be the key to enjoying yourself even if it is a bit tight in the parks! :tilt:
 
Sometimes when I get a chance to relax from life :D I sit (who's kidding, lay) on the couch and peruse youtube for videos of whatever vacation destination I'm going to next. So tonight I stumbled upon a series by David's Vacation Rentals that does a tour of most of the resorts at night.

It was really fun to watch because you don't see a lot of tours after dark and got me excited all over again! It also made me more positive that our choice to stay at the Polynesian was the right one, as it looked most "alive" at night, although now Animal Kingdom Lodge has moved up to next on my list....
 
Hi all,
Going sept 30-Oct 7 ,staying at OKW in grand villa (DVD member since 96)with my lovely wife and two teenage daughters and leaving my dog : ( at the disney dog kennel. I'm driving from ny with wife and dog , kids are flying . I'm bouncing off the walls as I received "incredible vacation booklet " with all important vacation dates. Looking fwrd to old and new at WDW and hearing all the great ideas in this thread
 
Hi all,
Going sept 30-Oct 7 ,staying at OKW in grand villa (DVD member since 96)with my lovely wife and two teenage daughters and leaving my dog : ( at the disney dog kennel. I'm driving from ny with wife and dog , kids are flying . I'm bouncing off the walls as I received "incredible vacation booklet " with all important vacation dates. Looking fwrd to old and new at WDW and hearing all the great ideas in this thread

Welcome!!! I've added you and your dog to the list! :p

This thread should probably get busier soon as more and more people book their trips. Feel free to share any ideas with us!
 
So starting to get a handle on our restaurant choices. We have a 9 night trip with table service dining, so 8 dinners! (or maybe a breakfast thrown in)

Now we've eaten a lot of places, so I've left off Via Napoli, most of the Epcot restaurants, etc. And we've stayed at Beach Club a few times, so we've eaten around there a lot also.

We are staying at Polynesian. Here goes:

Skipper Canteen (this will be out of pocket and our first night :) )
Art Smith's Homecoming
STK or Boathouse
California Grill or Citricos
Tiffins
Sanaa or Boma (did Jiko last time)
Chefs de france (non-negotiable, boyfriend wants to go there and I want the A la Flamme Alsacienne flabread - also out of pocket due to signature at California Grill)
La Hacienda De San Angel
Kona Cafe or The Wave for breakfast (out of pocket)

Thoughts????
 
So starting to get a handle on our restaurant choices. We have a 9 night trip with table service dining, so 8 dinners! (or maybe a breakfast thrown in)

Now we've eaten a lot of places, so I've left off Via Napoli, most of the Epcot restaurants, etc. And we've stayed at Beach Club a few times, so we've eaten around there a lot also.

We are staying at Polynesian. Here goes:

Skipper Canteen (this will be out of pocket and our first night :) )
Art Smith's Homecoming
STK or Boathouse
California Grill or Citricos
Tiffins
Sanaa or Boma (did Jiko last time)
Chefs de france (non-negotiable, boyfriend wants to go there and I want the A la Flamme Alsacienne flabread - also out of pocket due to signature at California Grill)
La Hacienda De San Angel
Kona Cafe or The Wave for breakfast (out of pocket)

Thoughts????

Ooh, I love to talk dining!

Skipper's - we are trying this for lunch for the first time on 12/20 and I'm really looking forward to it.

Homecoming - also doing this on 12/20, for dinner...it's my most anticipated meal!

STK/Boathouse - both of these are on my "want to do in the future" list

Cali Grill/Citricos - California Grill appeals to me the most out of the two

Tiffins - If I ever do a sit down meal at AK other than Tusker House, I'd give this a try! I plan to visit the Nomad lounge in May...not sure if I'll do Tiffins then or not.

Sanaa/Boma - We're doing Sanaa on 12/19, another that I'm really excited about. I've been wanting to eat here for a long time, but it never works out logistically. Happy we're making it a point to do it this time. I have a reservation for Boma in May. MIL and I are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, so I figured we had to do breakfast there at least once. Would love to try it for another meal as well.

Chefs de France - this is almost always on our list but I never book it! I don't know why, it just always ends up losing out to something else

La Hacienda - this isn't usually on my radar. I like San Angel Inn because of the atmosphere inside the pavilion. I have read reviews of La Hacienda, but I forget about it! I think it's because all of the restaurants in Mexico have names that are similar.

Kona/Wave - out of these two, I would pick The Wave. I've had Kona and it's ok, but everyone raves about The Wave. It has me convinced that I need to eat there!

Overall, I think this is a great list! My October trip is with my mom, her first visit, so we'll be doing a lot of "first timer" type places...CRT and Ohana for sure, and I'm still thinking about the rest. I think she'd enjoy Cali Grill. I'd like to try for a fireworks view with that one to give her the "wow!" We're staying at the Poly, too :-)
 
Citricos or cali grill have to do around 8 to 8:30 pm so you can watch the fireworks !
Boama is a Buffett one of the best in my opinion but it's your choice if u want to sit down and be served or not?
Kona yum tonga toast !! Now I have heard great reviews at wave and actually going this trip so you can't go wrong . Lhdsa - nice pick love the atmosphere , don't forget the food and wine festival , you will be noshing around the world might want to hold that table service for signature somewhere else
Wow sounds awesome !!!
 
Thanks guys!

I know we are there at food/wine, but I'll tell you, last trip we did not do a lot of sit downs and I really missed a nice relaxing dinner at the end of the day. So one of our EPCOT dinners will actually be on our Hollywood Studios day. Go to Studios, hop to Epcot for dinner, and then back to Studios for fireworks. But now that you said that....it might be a good idea to let go of that one to use credit for a signature...thanks for the idea!

We have a whole day planned for food/wine eating, no lunches or breakfast, then dinner late at Epcot. :) We will be doing Future World separately - a Thursday morning/early afternoon then MNSSHP that night.

We will be trying for an 8:15 or so reservation for either Cali Grill or Citricos! It's my sister's arrival day (she'll be coming early morning), so I thought it would be a good way for her to ease into the trip!
 
Whew, this is fun!

Okay (very) preliminary schedule:

Wed - arrive at Polynesian late morning (knock wood) - MK and Skipper Canteen evening. (out of pocket)
Thurs - Epcot Future World/Food/Wine morning/early afternoon, MNSSHP at night. No table service this day.
Fri - Animal Kingdom day/night. Tiffins for dinner (1 credit)
Sat - Hollywood Studios day, Homecoming for dinner, if feel like it, pop to MK late night just to soak up atmosphere. (1 credit)
Sun- Wave breakfast, wait for sister to arrive, Boathouse for dinner. (2 credits)
Mon - Epcot, early afternoon to close. Food/wine snacking, Chef De France late dinner (1 credit)
Tues - sleep in, Animal Kingdom afternoon/night - Boma or Sanaa dinner (1 credit)
Wed - MK day, Cali/Citricos dinner/MK late night (2 credits)
Thurs - HS morning/Epcot to eat at food/wine/HS at night for fireworks and finish off the trip!
Fri - go home early and pick up the cats who I will be missing badly! :)

So that's 8 credits used. Two out of pockets (Skipper Canteen dinner and Wave breakfast). I can always add in one more breakfast out of pocket if my sister wants, perhaps Thursday morning.

Now to wait for hours...AK is really the only wild card for us. I need to make estimates so we know what time to book dinners...but as long as we are there after dark for a while we are good, I actually may be one of the only people who doesn't care about Rivers of Light. Pandora, can't wait!
I actually really don't care much about shows/fireworks. :o
 
Whew, this is fun!

Okay (very) preliminary schedule:

Wed - arrive at Polynesian late morning (knock wood) - MK and Skipper Canteen evening. (out of pocket)
Thurs - Epcot Future World/Food/Wine morning/early afternoon, MNSSHP at night. No table service this day.
Fri - Animal Kingdom day/night. Tiffins for dinner (1 credit)
Sat - Hollywood Studios day, Homecoming for dinner, if feel like it, pop to MK late night just to soak up atmosphere. (1 credit)
Sun- Wave breakfast, wait for sister to arrive, Boathouse for dinner. (2 credits)
Mon - Epcot, early afternoon to close. Food/wine snacking, Chef De France late dinner (1 credit)
Tues - sleep in, Animal Kingdom afternoon/night - Boma or Sanaa dinner (1 credit)
Wed - MK day, Cali/Citricos dinner/MK late night (2 credits)
Thurs - HS morning/Epcot to eat at food/wine/HS at night for fireworks and finish off the trip!
Fri - go home early and pick up the cats who I will be missing badly! :)

So that's 8 credits used. Two out of pockets (Skipper Canteen dinner and Wave breakfast). I can always add in one more breakfast out of pocket if my sister wants, perhaps Thursday morning.

Now to wait for hours...AK is really the only wild card for us. I need to make estimates so we know what time to book dinners...but as long as we are there after dark for a while we are good, I actually may be one of the only people who doesn't care about Rivers of Light. Pandora, can't wait!
I actually really don't care much about shows/fireworks. :o

I don't have much time for a full comment right now, but I wanted to make sure to remind you to double check Tiffins...it's considered signature I believe, it might be two credits?? I could be wrong!
 
Ooohhhh, well then. I already have two signatures, so maybe we can then do Sanaa one night and Boma the other! Solves that problem! :p

And we can get a drink in the Nomad Lounge, so I can still get a feel for Tiffins.
 
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