Hi there
I am new to this site and have found some really good 'nuggets' of information that others have shared.
We have had our holiday booked to POR for a year now and we are in the last 6 months of countdown so starting to get excited and want to plan.
Realistically - how much can we plan in advance? We have booked our holiday from the UK with a travel agent and booked our eating plan and character meal but was wondering if others have little tips that will help.
I also want to ask if anyone has stayed in the rooms for 5 people....my husband and I are going with our 5 year old twins and the mother in law. Whilst at the time of booking a 5 person room was a good idea - can anyone give us an idea of whether space might be an issue. She also doesn't sleep particularly well at night (although hoping busy days will tire her out!!!) and not sure if her reading in the night/playing on her tablet might bother the rest of us!
Another question regarding the room - i understand that the bathrooms are behind a curtain - are they 'sound proof' in as much as doing a No 2 and others being able to hear!!! (if you know what i mean?). From experience - is it worth contacting the hotel (on the main email address and asking if there is a chance of changing rooms to have 2 rooms?).
I have also read on your very informative forum about the magic bands, when can this be activated - looked into (i know there is still time to go but i am getting v. excited - more so than the twins!!!)
Like i say i have picked up lots from this site and hoping in 7 months time i too can add my experiences to share with others...193 days and 1 hour to go!!!!!
Thanks
Claire
In need of some advice/guidance [Moved from Trip Reports]
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Re: In need of some advice/guidance
Lots to answer there, much of it rather beyond the remit of this site I suspect, but I'll have a go. You could also try asking on the excellent UK Disney planning site The DIBB (http://www.thedibb.co.uk), they are a friendly bunch and you'll find lots of good advice there. Tell 'em Andre sent you. 
Five to a room is doable, and you will be in the Alligator Bayou section. One of you will be on the fold-down 63" bed which comes out from the wall, while the other four will be sharing two queen-size beds, so you need to work out if that will be an issue for you. You could ask about an extra room when you get there (or even pre-book one directly with the resort) but it could be expensive for a fortnight's stay... up in the £1,500 region anyway. One option to consider would be to get a cheap blow-up air mattress for one of the kids which could go on the floor, to give your mother-in-law a bed of her own (the resort can provide sheets & pillows). The bathroom is not a problem, the vanity area with twin sinks is separated from the main bedroom by a privacy curtain, but the actual bath and toilet are in a completely separate room with a regular door, don't worry.
You can plan as much or as little as you want, but I would say you will get more out of your trip with plenty of advanced research and planning. Until you've been to WDW, you really have no idea of the scale of things - never mind all the other non-Disney stuff you'll want to do such as shopping, Universal, Sea World, etc. Will you have a hire car by the way, as that can help when travelling off-site.
You mention a character meal? You won't have booked that yet as the booking window only opens 180 days out from the first day of your stay (unless your travel agent books those as part of a package deal for you). It can be done online via the Disney website and the My Disney Experience pages (http://www.mydisneyexperience.com) for which you should definitely create an account for each person now, and attach your hotel reservation information for the lead traveller's account. That will allow you access to the longer booking window (extended from the start of your stay) rather than the plain "180 days before meal" window that non-Disney hotel guests get. Once you have created all your accounts and got your hotel reservation linked to them (and given the lead traveller permission to make bookings on their behalf) you can go ahead and customise your Magic Bands now if you like.
Are you on any of the Disney meal plans? If you are on the one which includes one table-service meal per day, I would suggest you make some decisions about where you want to eat well in advance - it'd be a shame to have all these 'free' meals, but not be able to get a table at any of the better restaurants. This is especially true of character meals and some of the most popular locations such as Be Our Guest in the Magic Kingdom and Le Cellier in Epcot (the latter needs two credits per person by the way). Those can sell out of the popular dining times very close to the 180-day mark. Don't miss out on what you could have for free just because everyone else got there first!
The same goes for the new FastPass+ system for ride reservations. These can be made up to 60 days out, and I suspect that as the system becomes more widely used by day-guests too, the more popular rides (e.g. Soarin' in Epcot and Toy Story Mania in Disney's Hollywood Studios) will start to experience the same issues of getting booked out in advance.
While none of the above is essential - you will always find somewhere to eat, and always be able to get on rides by waiting in line (albeit for well over an hour in some cases) - it is much better to plan to eat where you want, and avoid the worst of the lines if you can.
Andre
Five to a room is doable, and you will be in the Alligator Bayou section. One of you will be on the fold-down 63" bed which comes out from the wall, while the other four will be sharing two queen-size beds, so you need to work out if that will be an issue for you. You could ask about an extra room when you get there (or even pre-book one directly with the resort) but it could be expensive for a fortnight's stay... up in the £1,500 region anyway. One option to consider would be to get a cheap blow-up air mattress for one of the kids which could go on the floor, to give your mother-in-law a bed of her own (the resort can provide sheets & pillows). The bathroom is not a problem, the vanity area with twin sinks is separated from the main bedroom by a privacy curtain, but the actual bath and toilet are in a completely separate room with a regular door, don't worry.
You can plan as much or as little as you want, but I would say you will get more out of your trip with plenty of advanced research and planning. Until you've been to WDW, you really have no idea of the scale of things - never mind all the other non-Disney stuff you'll want to do such as shopping, Universal, Sea World, etc. Will you have a hire car by the way, as that can help when travelling off-site.
You mention a character meal? You won't have booked that yet as the booking window only opens 180 days out from the first day of your stay (unless your travel agent books those as part of a package deal for you). It can be done online via the Disney website and the My Disney Experience pages (http://www.mydisneyexperience.com) for which you should definitely create an account for each person now, and attach your hotel reservation information for the lead traveller's account. That will allow you access to the longer booking window (extended from the start of your stay) rather than the plain "180 days before meal" window that non-Disney hotel guests get. Once you have created all your accounts and got your hotel reservation linked to them (and given the lead traveller permission to make bookings on their behalf) you can go ahead and customise your Magic Bands now if you like.
Are you on any of the Disney meal plans? If you are on the one which includes one table-service meal per day, I would suggest you make some decisions about where you want to eat well in advance - it'd be a shame to have all these 'free' meals, but not be able to get a table at any of the better restaurants. This is especially true of character meals and some of the most popular locations such as Be Our Guest in the Magic Kingdom and Le Cellier in Epcot (the latter needs two credits per person by the way). Those can sell out of the popular dining times very close to the 180-day mark. Don't miss out on what you could have for free just because everyone else got there first!
The same goes for the new FastPass+ system for ride reservations. These can be made up to 60 days out, and I suspect that as the system becomes more widely used by day-guests too, the more popular rides (e.g. Soarin' in Epcot and Toy Story Mania in Disney's Hollywood Studios) will start to experience the same issues of getting booked out in advance.
While none of the above is essential - you will always find somewhere to eat, and always be able to get on rides by waiting in line (albeit for well over an hour in some cases) - it is much better to plan to eat where you want, and avoid the worst of the lines if you can.
Andre
- The Unofficial Visitor's Guide to the Port Orleans Resorts in Orlando, Florida -
-
MardiGroggy
- Posts: 290
- Joined: August 11th, 2013, 10:30 am
- Location: North Florida
Re: In need of some advice/guidance
First of all, Claire, welcome to Andre's excellent Port Orleans site. I don't know him personally, but I do believe this is the best place on the 'net to get info about Port Orleans (and often other Disney things as well). It looks to me like everything he said so far is spot on, so I won't repeat any of it. But I will offer a few other thoughts that may or may not be of any help. I didn't see where you mentioned how long you are staying (Andre referred to a fortnight, but I don't know if that is actually what you are planning) and it is sometimes helpful to know how much time you have to enjoy your visit.
Regarding the rooms: the vanity area can indeed be separated with a privacy curtain, but that area (with two sinks and a clothes rack) is not very big and it can get a bit tight in there for some folks. Also, you have to go through that area to get to the tub and toilet room (even smaller), so having the curtain drawn can be more of a hindrance than a help when multiple people are trying to get ready at one time, particularly adults. Check out the room layout info elsewhere on this site to get an idea of what I mean.
If your MIL is inclined to read in the middle of the night, I would strongly suggest that she use her tablet, Kindle, or whatever, as opposed to good ol' fashioned books. The lights in the rooms are such that there really isn't any way to have one on that won't light up the entire room, even though they do have a light fixture over each bed and one over the table area. An individual book light might work, but only you know how sensitive a sleeper you or your kids are, especially in unfamiliar surroundings. By the way, since you mentioned it, the area with the toilet has a single CFL type light and, although good for being "green," they are not very good for sitting on the throne and reading. Especially for aging eyes. That would actually be the only area that a person could sit and read with a light on without lighting the rest of the room. Probably not very comfortable anyway....but I digress.
Andre's suggestion about an air mattress sounds good. There are some decent quality, self-inflating (with a built in air pump) that are quite handy and comfortable. Otherwise, with 5 people somebody will be sleeping alone on the pull down bed and I doubt it will be "Mom." Frankly, if your budget allows, two rooms may make everyone more comfortable, but I know that is a substantial increase in cost. One more thing about room noises, either from other rooms or "self generated." It is, after all, a hotel. You can expect some noise from outside your own room, whether from people walking by outside, or toilets flushing in nearby rooms, or footfalls from upstairs. It just depends on how sensitive you are to that sort of thing. I've stayed in a lot of different places over my lifetime and as far as I'm concerned Disney has done a remarkable job of keeping down the noise. But soundproof they are not, so don't expect that. Upper floors have less noise from foot traffic and passing folks outside, but AB buildings don't have elevators (or should I say "lifts"), so they are walk-up access. Also, we can thank green tech for low flush toilets, but they also make a lot more noise. There is no way of ignoring someone flushing the loo, even if they don't know if it was a 1 or a 2.
Regarding your other planning, don't overlook the "down" times that are not at the parks. There are a lot of cool things to do at Port Orleans itself and other Disney areas that are worth exploring. It all depends on your time and interests. If your MIL wants some time to herself, or if she will babysit the twins for a while, there are things to keep the "big kids" busy as well. Think on that while you are planning your stay. Otherwise, unless you have other questions (don't be shy if you do), Andre's advice, as always is excellent.
Enjoy!!!
Regarding the rooms: the vanity area can indeed be separated with a privacy curtain, but that area (with two sinks and a clothes rack) is not very big and it can get a bit tight in there for some folks. Also, you have to go through that area to get to the tub and toilet room (even smaller), so having the curtain drawn can be more of a hindrance than a help when multiple people are trying to get ready at one time, particularly adults. Check out the room layout info elsewhere on this site to get an idea of what I mean.
If your MIL is inclined to read in the middle of the night, I would strongly suggest that she use her tablet, Kindle, or whatever, as opposed to good ol' fashioned books. The lights in the rooms are such that there really isn't any way to have one on that won't light up the entire room, even though they do have a light fixture over each bed and one over the table area. An individual book light might work, but only you know how sensitive a sleeper you or your kids are, especially in unfamiliar surroundings. By the way, since you mentioned it, the area with the toilet has a single CFL type light and, although good for being "green," they are not very good for sitting on the throne and reading. Especially for aging eyes. That would actually be the only area that a person could sit and read with a light on without lighting the rest of the room. Probably not very comfortable anyway....but I digress.
Andre's suggestion about an air mattress sounds good. There are some decent quality, self-inflating (with a built in air pump) that are quite handy and comfortable. Otherwise, with 5 people somebody will be sleeping alone on the pull down bed and I doubt it will be "Mom." Frankly, if your budget allows, two rooms may make everyone more comfortable, but I know that is a substantial increase in cost. One more thing about room noises, either from other rooms or "self generated." It is, after all, a hotel. You can expect some noise from outside your own room, whether from people walking by outside, or toilets flushing in nearby rooms, or footfalls from upstairs. It just depends on how sensitive you are to that sort of thing. I've stayed in a lot of different places over my lifetime and as far as I'm concerned Disney has done a remarkable job of keeping down the noise. But soundproof they are not, so don't expect that. Upper floors have less noise from foot traffic and passing folks outside, but AB buildings don't have elevators (or should I say "lifts"), so they are walk-up access. Also, we can thank green tech for low flush toilets, but they also make a lot more noise. There is no way of ignoring someone flushing the loo, even if they don't know if it was a 1 or a 2.
Regarding your other planning, don't overlook the "down" times that are not at the parks. There are a lot of cool things to do at Port Orleans itself and other Disney areas that are worth exploring. It all depends on your time and interests. If your MIL wants some time to herself, or if she will babysit the twins for a while, there are things to keep the "big kids" busy as well. Think on that while you are planning your stay. Otherwise, unless you have other questions (don't be shy if you do), Andre's advice, as always is excellent.
Enjoy!!!
MardiGroggy
Aka: Steve
"Laissez les bons temps rouler!"
Aka: Steve
"Laissez les bons temps rouler!"
Re: In need of some advice/guidance
Also, the bathroom has a motion-sensitive extractor fan (no, not THAT kind of motion!) so sitting on the toilet reading at night will trigger the fan every so often, which would be fairly audible in the bedroom area too. Kindle/etc is definitely the way to read at night.swd wrote:By the way, since you mentioned it, the area with the toilet has a single CFL type light and, although good for being "green," they are not very good for sitting on the throne and reading. Especially for aging eyes.
I also agree about NOT fully planning for every single day. If you are there for two weeks (as we Brits tend to be) try to leave at least one in every four days as a relaxing day. The pace of the theme parks is very hectic, and a little down time is very welcome. You can just hang around the resort, go shopping in Downtown Disney, take a ride on the monorail and stop off at some of the other resorts, and later maybe explore a park in the evening with no expectation of doing any rides and just get a bite to eat and re-watch your favourite fireworks show.
Andre
- The Unofficial Visitor's Guide to the Port Orleans Resorts in Orlando, Florida -
