<p>We were just in Disney two weeks ago , during the Epcot Food and wine Festival. We stayed at Saratoga Springs. It was our 2nd time there and we love it ! I wanted to get to the Beach Club , but they were booked solid for quite some time. I find the navigation of the entire system overwhelming , but I do think we got a lot out of our 4 day stay. We got to use our friend’s time share and were not allowed to get the food plan , but as it turned out, it was less expensive to eat on out own. Since we had a kitchen , and two picky 14 yr olds , we made sandwiches, brought our own snacks and just had drinks in the parks ( with the exception of our afternoon and evening visits to Epcot fest ) I prefer some of the other parks over Magic Kingdom , now that our kids our older.</p>
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Actually, it’s less than a 5 minute walk from the rear (parking lot) entrance of the Contemporary to Magic Kingdom. You just have to cross a small street, but there is a light. Very easy.</p>
<p>lje62, I was also at Saratoga Springs for Food & Wine! We enjoyed it as well.</p>
<p>ETA: mom2collegekids, I just looked at the map you posted - it’s VERY old! The resort listed on the map as “Dixie Landings” hasn’t been called that it years; it’s now Port Orleans French Quarter and the other is Port Orleans Riverside. The map also doesn’t show any walking paths.</p>
<p>I keep seeing mention of Saratoga Springs. Where and what is that?</p>
<p>I’ve got a lot of questions about the meal plan. Who best to talk to about that over at Disney? Should I call a particular restaurant with questions?</p>
<p>For instance, we’re looking at the second highest meal plan, because we’re not interested in dinner shows, but being a Food Channel fan, my husband wants to try as many of their chef’s restaurants as possible for dinner. If those aren’t included in the meal plan, it may be better to get a cheaper meal plan and pay for those a la carte.</p>
<p>I’ve looked at some of the menus for Todd English’s Bluezoo and Shula’s Steakhouse and the prices are high, so I’m finding it hard to believe that I’ll be able to swipe a card and eat what I want off their menu. If I can, that’s great, it will be worth it! But if I’m going to pay 100 or more a night for a nice dinner out, on top of a meal plan, I want to go for the cheapest meal plan! </p>
<p>And yes, I already know I need to make reservations six months ahead of time for restaurants, so I’ll be starting the research well in advance as to where we want to eat dinner every night!</p>
<p>I would second sarha’s suggestion of the Swan or Dolphin - deluxe hotels at a lower cost than the other deluxe hotels. And yes, they have special rates for nurses, govt. employees, and teachers (colleges included). When we stayed at the Swan, we used a town car service. It was about $120 (including tips) round trip. It also allowed us to do a grocery stop so we could stock up on things like breakfast foods, water, snacks, etc., which saved us some money.</p>
<p>We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter (POFQ) last year. We enjoyed it a lot. It was nice because you can take a boat to Downtown Disney. It is a smaller and quieter resort than the other moderates. However, I have to say when we were back in the Boardwalk area, I really missed being at the Swan.</p>
<p>This will give you info on the Disney Dining Plans:
[Disney</a> Dining Plans | Walt Disney World Resort](<a href=“http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/planning-guides/in-depth-advice/disney-dining-plan/]Disney”>http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/planning-guides/in-depth-advice/disney-dining-plan/)</p>
<p>You can find out a lot of info by googling.</p>
<p>^^^Thanks, sarha. I’ve been googling a lot and did come across this page. I’m going to check with the agent to see which exact plan she has me down for, and I’ll do further research on the restaurants to see if I’m covered or not. I think she’s got me down for a plan with one snack, but I’m sure I’ll need at least two drinks a day, so I may have to do some adjustments. Or maybe I’ll just buy a drink when we run out of snacks. Thanks again for all your help and patience with me.</p>
<p>Last time we stayed at the Contemporary was the fall of 2006, and we still can’t stop ourselves from saying, in a squeaky, Mickeyish sort of voice, “Here we are! … The thiiirrrrd flooooor.” every time we ride an elevator. Fair warning… :)</p>
<p>The issue i had many years ago with the value resorts such as Carribean Beach is the transportation by bus…It was miserable,long waits,sometimes no seats…did it once, never again…since you are no dragging alng kiddies, i still think an Epcot resort fits your needs the best…Easy access to Epcot and all the restaurants,free nightlife along the Boardwalk,and monorail access to MK, though a bit of a walk thru Epcot to get there…my suggestion is Yacht Club, concierge floor…for a bit extra money, you can have a concierge room where you can have alight breakfast,snacks all day,a light lunch, and enough cocktail type food where you can piece toegther a decent meal,or have appys before venturing to dinner . And alcohol,not a lot ,but enough for a pre dinner drink…saves some good money if you kow how to take full advantage</p>
<p>^^Caribbean Beach is actually in the moderate resort category and is also the largest resort in WDW at over 2000 rooms. Size is one reason we chose POFQ which is less than half the size of CB. We had no issues at all using the bus transportation. We always had a bus dedicated to FQ - never even stopped at Riverside. We never waited more than 10 minutes for the bus for our destination.</p>
<p>However, I do agree with you about the Epcot area, but would caution about splurging for concierge. I have read reviews lately that claim the offerings have been minimal, with not much variety during a guest’s stay. It seems people have been disappointed and have seen a drop off in the concierge level of service.</p>
<p>Good to know that about concierge scaling back…haven’t been there in few years, but it was well worth it last time…Our 3 kids could have a good breakfast,take some fruit and snacks to parks,afternoon snacks, early evening cocktails (for adults)… Will reevaluate this for next time…thanks</p>
<p>We really like POFQ, but since the OP is from the NO area, it may not be a desirable location. We love taking the boats from POFQ to Downtown Disney & Pleasure Island and the buses to the parks don’t take long. But, maybe if the OP is not actually going to spending that much time at the less-pricey hotel (because they’ll be in the parks all day those days) then staying at POFQ would be ok. </p>
<p>Since people tend to tire as the trip goes on, I’m wondering if it would be better for the OP to start out at the lesser expensive hotel and then change to the Contemporary on the last 2-3 nights. If they’re more tired at that point, they may enjoy actually being in that hotel more. </p>
<p>Others can correct me if I’m wrong, but during the high season, MK has the latest hours, Disney Hollywood is open late when it has Fantasmic (a must see), Epcot closes about 9:30ish, and AK closes the earliest. However, during the rest of the time, do all the parks close early? Much will depend on when the OP is going. Personally, we don’t like going when the parks close early…too much money for little time in parks.</p>
<p>Wow, this Disney trip is starting to get more complicated than the college athletic conferences realignments!</p>
<p>A successful week-long WDW trip takes a lot of planning. When we went with my bro and his family, the two families put a lot of time into planning each day so that we’d get the most “bang for the buck”. My bro’s family wasn’t likely going to get to go to WDW again, so they wanted to make sure they saw EVERYTHING…and we did! </p>
<p>It’s not unusual to see people with computer printouts of their self-made schedules at WDW. </p>
<p>Montegut…you also need to learn about the Fast Pass system. You can always use your Fast Pass after it has “expired”, so don’t worry about that. </p>
<p>And you have to be sure to go on Soarin’…don’t miss that. I took my 83 year old mom on it and she loved it. </p>
<p>And, be sure to check the times for the various shows, you don’t want to miss Beauty and the Beast. Don’t know if Aladdin is playing at WDW, but at Disneyland in Calif, it’s very good.</p>
<p>A few places we like to eat at Disney World:</p>
<p>Epcot: Bistro de Paris. It is upstairs from Chefs de France, and is even better. It may not be in the Disney dining plan, though.</p>
<p>Hollywood Studios: Mama Melrose’s, Italian food, good and not so expensive; also The Brown Derby, modeled after the one in LA, excellent steaks</p>
<p>Magic Kingdom: The Crystal Palace (buffet with Winnie the Pooh characters). If Cinderella’s Royal Table in the castle appeals to you, it is a good one-time experience–more for location, location, location than for the food–and it’s one where you really need reservations 180 days out. Tony’s on the Town Square is good, but was closed when we were last there. Liberty Tavern is better than you might expect.</p>
<p>Animal Kingdom: We have eaten at Rainforest Cafe, which was popular with everyone. Yak and Yeti is supposed to be good, but we have never been there.</p>
<p>At Animal Kingdom Lodge: Boma (a buffet), Jiko, Sanaa; the interior decor at Jiko is beautiful, and the wall changes colors to simulate sunset on the savannah.</p>
<p>At Wilderness Lodge: I recommend Whispering Canyon. You can take a boat from Magic Kingdom to reach it, see the geyser, and if possible, have M. T. Wallet (the original one) as your server. This is a sort-of-wild hamburger-type restaurant, with some meals served family style.</p>
<p>At Grand Floridian: Narcoosee’s was great–on the water, great view of fireworks afterward. Victoria and Albert is very expensive, but if the price doesn’t make you think “completely impossible” right away, then it’s worth it, especially on a once-in-30-years basis. </p>
<p>Counter service throughout the parks is really quite good, in my opinion. I couldn’t see eating both lunch and dinner in a restaurant.</p>
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<p>My girls still take great pleasure in reciting the Spanish version of the message on the monorail whenever we talk about our trips to Disney. The first time we went when they were all very young was when they learned it.</p>
<p>Re: eating! For a very special occasion meal and one that you’ll remember forever, try Victoria and Albert’s at the Grand Floridian.</p>
<p>I can personally vouch for the Polynesian and the Boardwalk. Both wonderful! Everything was so clean and cozy. Both convenient to transportation and everywhere we wanted to go. My daughter got married on the boardwalk at Disney last year and we had the reception at the Boardwalk resort. The food and service were incredible!</p>
<p>Montegut…do you have a target budget in mind? </p>
<p>From the WDW site, it looks like the pkg prices for the “moderate priced” hotels for a week is about $2300 including tix and meal plan (is a bonus offer for booking early) for two people. </p>
<p>And it looks like the Contempory for a week is about $5600 with tix and meal plan for two (it looks like meal plan is a bonus offer). </p>
<p>So, there’s a huge difference between staying at a moderate hotel and a deluxe hotel. There would be substantial savings if you only stay at the Contemporary for a couple of days and then stay at a moderate hotel for the rest.</p>
<p>On days that you’ll be spending all day in a park, there’s no reason to be paying the big bucks.</p>
<p>Epcot: Bistro de Paris.</p>
<p>I agree.</p>
<p>Also like Marrakesh and Yakitori House. When in The Land, we’ve enjoyed Garden Grill which is a rotating restaurant. </p>
<p>If you go to the website, each dining venue indicates whether it accepts the meal plan. And menus are available online as well.<br>
Marrakesh: [Restaurant</a> Marrakesh | Epcot Dining & Restaurants | Walt Disney World Resort](<a href=“http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/restaurant-marrakesh/]Restaurant”>http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/restaurant-marrakesh/)</p>
<p>Found this on mouseplanet</p>
<p>"The rigorous planning method: You plan out every moment of the day from morning to night. Some people think that this is the only way to visit WDW. This method is a surefire way to maximize the time spent in the parks for those who visits only every several years.</p>
<p>The Rigorous Planning Approach</p>
<p>The most visible proponent of rigorous planning for each day of a WDW trip is Bob Sehlinger’s [Critiques</a> of Published Guidebooks](<a href=“MousePlanet Park Guide - Walt Disney World - Walt Disney World”>MousePlanet Park Guide - Walt Disney World - Walt Disney World) . …Sehlinger and his staff have nailed the strategy to a science. *The book also features (in fact, this book is “known” for this) a series of park “touring plans” that can help organize the day for any park commando. If you want TONS of detail about planning a trip to Florida, this book has it nailed. *</p>
<p>I’ll also point out that [Critiques</a> of Published Guidebooks](<a href=“MousePlanet Park Guide - Walt Disney World - Walt Disney World”>MousePlanet Park Guide - Walt Disney World - Walt Disney World) has recently added touring plans, probably due to the high praise that Sehlinger’s readers have given the Unofficial Guide.</p>
<p>Finally, MousePlanet’s Mike Scopa has developed some daily touring plans for the major theme parks for his [Scoping</a> the Parks, with Mike Scopa](<a href=“http://www.mouseplanet.com/mike/]Scoping”>http://www.mouseplanet.com/mike/) column. In my opinion, Mike does a fantastic job of providing a good framework, without going over the top like a Disney commando."</p>
<p>Having been to Disney more times then i care to count(not recently however),our family is like an assasin team…We know where to be at what time,how to maximize the rides,when to leave,and when to go back…Brought some family friends with us on one trip,and they were needing a vacation after going there with us!!! Key thing is to leave early afternoon, and enjoy the hotel and its amenties,then head back as crowds disperse…make dinner reservations well in advance of trip…for us, Animal Kingdom was less then a full day,in very early , and left early afternoon…getting there is a time killer</p>
<p>QuantMech mentioned Cinderella’s Table at the Castle, and it brought back such a nice memory. When my daughter was about 6 and my son 8, our family spent several days at WDW. Cinderella was posing for pictures with kids in the entrance as we were waiting in line for dinner in the Castle. My daughter had stars in her eyes, and looked at Cinderella as if an angel had come to earth. Unfortunately we were called before it was her turn.</p>
<p>Afterward, however, we were seated for dinner and my D just radiated sadness. She couldn’t eat, and said she didn’t want to order anything, but just sat there with her eyes down. The waitress was very kind, and asked her what was wrong. My D told her she was so sad because she didn’t get a chance to speak to Cinderella. The waitress left, then returned a few minutes later and whispered to her to hold her hand and go with her to the kitchen because Cinderella was a friend of hers, and Cinderella wanted to speak to my daughter alone, so long as she kept it a secret because it was kind of against the rules. So off my daughter went, and came back about 10 minutes later, her eyes glowing and an absolutely transfiguring smile on her face. But she never ever told me what happened, because “it’s a secret”, just between her and “the person in the kitchen”. What an unforgettably kind thing for those two young women to have done.</p>
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<p>I hope my daughter is that kind when she is Cinderella! (She genuinely, truly wants to be a Disney Princess.)</p>
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<p>I have always been the person who made my dinner reservations as soon as I could, had the counter service menus printed and had chosen favorites, etc. Last Februrary, we went to a cheer competition at WDW and had no advance notice of our schedule and no control over our schedule. The trip was short, so we thought that counter service would be fine anyway. What I wasn’t prepared for was how early almost all of the counter service restaurants closed. After 6 pm, the choice was burgers or chicken strips at place A, or burgers or chicken strips at place B. I could not believe that we were walking around the Magic Kingdom having a very difficult time finding a place to eat…I thought they ALWAYS wanted our money.</p>
<p>I don’t know what “season” October is, but watch for early closings.</p>