[Question] Disney World L&S Package... what's not to miss?

[biscuits]

Hey, if this is in the wrong spot, let me know. Sorry.

BUT!

I'm about to go on a Disney World Land and Sea package from July 5th to July 12th. We're spending 4 days on land at the parks and 3 days at sea. My question is, in the very scarce 4 days we have on land, I want to pack as many must-sees in as possible. My family and I have only been to WDW once before, and a lot of it was a haze (we're from the West Coast, so a lot of that time was spent jet-lagged and trying to get used to the time zone). It's just 3 of us, and my sister is the youngest of our party at 19. What should we not miss? We're planning to spend one day at each park, so if you had only one day at each park, what would you guys do?

Also, if anyone who's been on a Disney Cruise (as short as this one may be) can offer any insight as to what to check out there as well, I'd be very appreciative.

Thank you very much!

[TDLFAN]

Re: Disney World L&S Package... what's not to miss?

DO everything on the ship. The restaurants are top notch and so are the crew onboard. I highly recommend a dinner at the ship's most elegant restaurant Palo's. We had a great dinner and their wine selection was top notch, with service that was impeccably executed. My favorite spot on the ship was the cookie and beverage station.. unlimited refills!!! Do catch the shows in the Walt Disney theater... they were pretty good Disney shows that put the fare we have at WDW to bloody shame. Since your are not traveling with kids, avoid all the kiddy zones and just enjoy the adult areas of the ship.. especially a visit to the spa...have a facial, whatever, just pamper yourself rotten.

As for the land portion.. m'eh. If you are a regular at DL, what I would suggest you do is to try and see what they do not offer you at DLR in Anaheim. Animal Kingdom is a very nice experience, and EPCOT will entertain you as well since adults can appreciate it much better. The Studios park is a give or take, and probably where the "If we have it at Disneyland, then avoid it here!" rule applies the most. Same for MK. Most similar offerings are better in CA (better POTC, fantasmic! etc etc) so try and concentrate on doing things they do not have in the west coast.. Don't waste your time going to Downtown Disney. Again.. "if we have it in CA..."

Hope you have a great vacation and I know you will anyways. The cruise portion of it will make it the best vacation at Disney ever... but that's just based on my experience.

[goofystitch]

Re: Disney World L&S Package... what's not to miss?

I'm assuming the "land" portion of your trip comes first. I would highly recommend planning your trip around which park has the morning or evening extra magic hours, something that only Disney Resort guests are allowed to partake in. Most days of the week, one park is designated to open an hour early and a different park will stay open up to 3 hours later. Depending on if you are morning or night people, you will want to pick one and maximize your time.

Each park has their key attractions, some of which are different enough here that you should experience them, even if you have done them so much at Disneyland that you are sick of them by now.

Magic Kingdom: The attractions here that aren't at Disneyland that are worth doing (key words) are Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club, Carousel of Progress, Mickey's Phillarmagic, Hall of Presidents and Country Bear Jamboree. The other ones, such as Stitch's Great Escape and The Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management are pretty shippable, but if you have free time and want to go on something with no wait, they will be waiting for you. There are some rides that are different enough, if not better here at Disney World, so I recommend you don't skip Snow White's Scary Adventures (it actually has a happy ending here), It's a Small World (without Disney characters), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain. As far as entertainment goes, the street party is better at Disneyland, but the 3:00 parade, Celebrate a Dream Come True is fun if you are interested, and if you've never seen it, Spectromagic is Disney World's answer to the Disneyland Electrical Parade and it is very different. And be sure to catch Wishes. While it does share some of the music with Disneyland's Remember Dreams Come True, the rest of it is different and worth seeing.

Epcot: Basically the whole park is exclusive to Disney World, with the exception of Soarin', Honey I shrunk the Audience, and Turtle Talk, all of which I suggest skipping since the only differences are the queues. The must-do's would be Spaceship Earth, Test Track, Mission: Space, Ellen's Energy Adventure, Journey Into Imagination, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, and all of World Showcase. Be sure to catch Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, perhaps the most adult oriented fireworks display found at any Disney park.

Disney's Hollywood Studios: Quite a few attractions here are found in Diseyland and those are Star Tours, Playhouse Disney Live, Muppet Vision 3-D, Toy Story Mania, and Tower of Terror. However, you must ride Tower of Terror because it is different enough that it will catch you off guard, plus it drops a random number of times and in different sequences, so its never the same ride twice. If you are lucky enough to get a fastpass or feel like waiting in a long line, the queue for Toy Story Mania is pretty amazing, but the ride itself is almost identical. The must rides (and sees) here would be Rock N' Rollercoaster, The American Idol Experience, The Great Movie Ride, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and Lights, Motors, Action: Extremem Stunt Show, and Indiana Jones: Epic Stunt Spectacular. The rest of the shows and attractions are fun, but not a big deal if you miss. The parade here is Pixar Block Party Bash, which you may have seen before at Disney's California Adventure. They sent the whole thing over here, so if you feel like seeing it again, check a time's guide and park map for the parade route. Fantasmic only operates on select nights. If you can see it without too much hassle, the stage is pretty neat and its nice to get to sit during it, but the better show is found at Disneyland, so its not the end of the world if you miss it.

Animal Kingdom: Except for It's Tough to Be a Bug, everything here will be new to you. The only attraction that I would say you shouldn't do would be Kali River Rapids, only for the fact that it isn't well themed and is otherwise Grizzly River Run (and who wants to walk around with wet shoes all day?). The two big thrill rides are Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. Kilimanjaro Safaris is great, but try to get there early when the animals are most active. If you go later in the day, be prepared to see a lot of sleeping lumps in the grass. There are three shows, two of which you must do. They are Festival of the Lion King, the most popular show in Disney World, and Finding Nemo: The Musical. The park is beautiful with lots of walking trails, so be sure to save some time for exploring and seeing animals. And if you are interested in parades, Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade is very lively and is unique in that many of the cars are eco friendly and some are even propelled by human movement.

Be sure to spend a some time at Downtown Disney, which is much bigger than at Disneyland and has some pretty unique shopping and dining experiences, as well as Characters in Flight, the new balloon that takes you 400 feet in the air for a panaramic view of all of Disney World.

As for the Disney Wonder, the biggest mistake I made on my first cruise was not paying attention to the Navigator. It tells you everything that is going on, including showtimes and tours. They are delivered to your stateroom every morning. When you first get to your stateroom, check the navigator for a tour of the ship. This is free and is the best way to familiarize yourself with where everything is. My first cruise was the 4-day and it took me that long to remember where everything was and then I had to get off. This tour is also a great way to meet a member of the cruise staff, who will be leading it. You will end up seeing them a lot, especially if you go to lots of games, clubs, or deck parties. Try to attend all of the Deck Parties, in particular Adventures Away, the send off party where you get to watch the other cruise ships get jealous of the great time you are having, and Pirates in the Caribbean, where you will see fireworks at sea. All of the restaurants are great, but if you can get a reservation at Palo, then you must do it. It costs a little bit more per person and you are expected to tip your server since you won't see them again, but it is exquisite. If you don't have a reservation yet, do it as soon as you get on board. If you ask a crew member, they will tell you where to sign up. If you can choose which restaurant to skip dinner at, skip Parrot Cay, which is the least amazing of the three on the ship. Try not to miss Animator's Pallette and Triton's. I'm assuing your ship will stop at Nassau and Castaway Cay. If you aren't digging Nassau after an hour or so, get back on the ship. I didn't like it and had more fun on board, plus the pools were virtually empty at that time. But most importantly, relax. A cruise is a great way to unwind after the sometimes hectic schedule that guests put themselves through at Disney World.

[biscuits]

Re: Disney World L&S Package... what's not to miss?

Wow! Thank you guys so much for the advice! I'm going to bookmark this page on my phone or print it out or something just to keep all the info handy.

Awesome work! I really do appreciate it.

Probably my biggest concern is getting enough time to do it all... 4 parks in 4 days, then 3 days on a ship is gonna be really hectic. And we're from the West Coast, so getting used to East Coast time is going to be a journey in itself. But I'm sure I'm not gonna miss a thing, thanks to you guys.

[seenoevil]

Re: Disney World L&S Package... what's not to miss?

Hey! One of the guys I work with is going at the same time! Am I jealous? You betcha! lol Have fun!