Hotels: Islands

Okay, I’ve been to Disney World recently, so I’ll see if I can help you out (along with this Disney World travel guide book I ironically just acquired yesterday…)

Weather-wise, there is rain year-round, but it’s only in short spurts, so it won’t be an all-day thing. Bring ponchos and umbrellas with you though, because it can happen all of a sudden. (that happened to me whilst we were in Pirates of The Caribbean! haha) The average temperature for December during the day is 70ish degrees, and the humidity is usually high, so prepare for that if you can. The nights can be chilly at an average of 50 degrees, so bring light jackets too if you’re not used to that.

Your itinerary looks pretty good. Although, I suggest keeping a lookout for the Disney Magic Hours. The pattern changes from week to week, but every night, a certain park opens an hour early, and another park stays open up to 3 hours after normal closing time. If you want more time in the park, you might want to keep that in mind! Also, if you want to be able to ride the popular rides, get fast-passes for those FIRST! Before you do anything else, go and get their fast-passes, because (especially for Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom), their passes can run out even before noon. (This almost happened to us…luckily my brother got them before they ran out) This cuts your wait-time from almost 2 hrs to about 15-20 mins. That’s extremely convienient, especially when you have kids.

As for your Saturday Dinner when you first arrive, I suggest the restaurant that is in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, named Boma- Flavors Of Africa…and don’t be scared of the place if you don’t like African food. I don’t like it that much either, but they have plenty of family-friendly food for you, and the desserts are awesome. They even have alcohol-filled ones, which I’m sure you adults would like! They’re good. You need reservations for the place, but it’s worth it.

A GREAT activity you can do with the kids after a long day at the park is a movie under the stars. It’s at the Grand Floridian, and you sit on a beach…here’s a link to a page that talks more about it…it’s the first section under “Grand Floridian Recreation”:

Oh, and just to warn you, most of the shops at Downtown Disney close around 11 ( I learned this the hard way haha), and it’s mostly nightclubs after that. And Disney Quest you need to pay to get into. It’s about $40 or so, so get your money’s worth if you really want to go!

A good restaurant with good food is in Epcot’s World Showcase, and it’s in Italy…Tutto Italia Ristorante. My brother took us there, and it’s just amazing. It’s high-scale, but there’s kids there all the time, so don’t worry about that! Here’s a link with more info for you:

Now, as for hotels…you may be tempted to go the cheaper route and go to one of the All-Star resorts or Pop Century, but I’m warning you. CROWDED, CROWDED, and MORE CROWDED! Especially since you’ll have 3 kids with you, it’s not the way to go. I’ve been there in the past…not fun. Now, on my recent trip I went to Port Orleans (French Quarter), and I’m telling you, it’s GORGEOUS! Plus, the hotel is theme like New Orleans, and the pool has a HUGE dragon slide and tons of colorful figures that just scream kid-friendly! haha It’s a moderate Hotel ranking in Disney’s rank, but I believe it’s the way to go if you want a good hotel for a good price. The scenery is beautiful, especially at night, and even though, depending on where your room is, you may have to walk a little ways to get to your room, it’s completely worth it. Plus there’s a pontoon (sp?) boat that takes you right to Downtown Disney and the other Port Orleans Hotel (Riverside). More info is here:

If you need any more help in planning, lemme know! My email is the same as my username, and it’s at yahoo,. I’ll be more than willing to help you make this Christmas gift extraordinary, because I’m in love with Disney World, and it should be amazing for everyone! Good luck!

Everyone has given good suggestions so far. Beware, you are going during the busiest time of the year!

But, you are planning the BEST Christmas present EVER! I would be SO excited! Your kids are so lucky and I hope they have a blast!

First off : BOOK YOUR RESORT! Port Orleans Riverside is available right now for the dates you want! Your price would be $3918.47 including your Disney Park passes (including park hopper & water park option).

- If you plan on eating a sit down meal every day, the Dining plan is great. You can have the basic one (1 snack, 1 quick service and 1 sit down meal per person, per day) The Deluxe plan allows you to have 3 sit downs and 2 snacks per day and you can also add Wine & Dine. Personally, the Basic one is good, especially with the ages of your kids!. Make sure to make Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRS) 90 days prior to arrival.

- The weather will be in the 70′s. Since your from up north, thats plenty warm to go swimming in. I’m from Canada, and it’s like -30 C here in the winter, 70 F is like a dream! Plus, all the Disney pools are heated. Typhoon Lagoon is closed for refurbishment but Blizzard Beach is open, and awesome. It might even give you a taste of home while in sunny Florida! It does cool down at night though, usually the 50′s so bring a light jacket or sweater.

- I love your itinerary! Your spacing everything out perfectly and your going back to a couple parks multiple times, allowing you to see more. Be open to adjusting your schedule though so your kids have a good time. As for dinner reservations on the first night, I would do Downtown Disney. Try out T-Rex (your kids will love the Dino’s) or the Rainforest cafe . The food isn’t “amazing” but its a great atmosphere. Planet Hollywood is also there and the food is decent.

- for a list of Kid Friendly restaurants. Out of these, I would go to Crystal Palace , Cosmic Rays, Coral Reef, Restaurant Akershus (Norway @ Epcot, Character meal, served “family style”) , 50′s Prime Time Cafe, Tusker House, CHEF MICKEYS!! , ‘Ohana. As for quick service, everything is basically the same. My fav is Cosmic Ray’s @ the Magic Kingdom. Le Cellier is a great steakhouse in Canada pavillion at Epcot. They have a kids menu which has steak, click there fore more options. Mama Melrose is good too!

- Look for Hidden Mickey’s all around the park! . A hidden mickey is a mickey mouse silhouette! Check out that website. Whoever finds the most at the end of your trip could get a special treat (like Candy from a shop on Mainstreet USA @ the Magic Kingdom before you go!) Also, since it’s your first time you can go to the guest services at each park and get a “First Time Visitor” pin to put on your clothes! You don’t get anything special but the Cast Members often come up to your during the day asking how it is and stuff!

- Make some time to go for a swim at the hotel if the weather is nice! Disney pools are heated.

- Expect it to be busy. Very busy. Actually, the busiest time of the year. But, also expect to have a great time! If you use the fast pass system and don’t get too frustrated while going through the parks, don’t worry about it. You still have plenty of time to make your ADRS (you can make those 90 days before you arrive at Disney). If you can’t get certain restaurants, try for something else. Check out the menu’s on . It’s the best unofficial Disney site there is!

- Keep an eye out for Extra Magic Hours. What this means is that the parks will either be open an hour before the park opens to the general public, or After the park closes until between midnight and 2 AM usually. Go to those parks for the EMH’s and park hop to a different one earlier or later on.

Anyways I hope this helps! I love your idea of how your surprising your kids btw!

Thats a very nice way to surprise yor kids. They’ll love it! The weather isn’t bad at all. I suggest jackets for the nights though. I think the water parks may be closed. I’m not exactly sure though. I suggest either Port Orleans or Caribbean Beach.

As for restaurants, Chef Mickeys has always been one of my favorites. I definetly recomend that. Its at the Contemporary Resort. You can get there by monorail and you dont have to be staying there to go to there.

There is this one show called Fantasmic. They show it at Hollywood Studios on certain nights. Its a wonderful show as long as the kids are ok with fireworks and stuff like that.

Hope I helped, have a great time at Disney!

My whole answer did not show up on this page, but feel free to contact me if you have any questions. My email is

Ok I think I can give you some help. I am 14, and have been to disney world 18 times, most of the time in November, December, or January. I am going with my family for the next time from December 4-13. That sounds like a great surprise. It is a great way to do it. Saying this from a 14 year old’s perspective, I think it would be a great way to find out that I was going to disney world. I also have a brother that is turning 10 later this month, so there are two of us children in this house.

One of the restaurants that would be good for children of the age that you have would be at the Contemporary resort. It is called Chef Mickeys. Is a character meal with Goofy, Mickey, Donald, Minnie and other favorite original disney characters. If your kids like seeing fish, or like the Movie Finding Nemo, they might like the place called the coral reef. It is in Epcot and is part of the Sea’s with nemo and friends. It is around the back side of the attraction. There is a big window that your kids can watch the fish through while you eat. The food is really good there too. They also might like the Sci-Fi at the Disney Hollywood Studios. It is set up to look like a drive-in theater from the 1950′s. You eat in cars with tables and your kids will have a great time eating in an old fashion car. You really feel like your are at a drive-in. You could also go to Mama Melroses. It is an italian restaraunt where you can get pizza. It is not your normal pizza, it is that real stuff, freshly made. If you want some other pizza, head over to the Animal Kingdom to a place called pizzafari. You can get pizza there for a great lunch if you like pizza. If you like chinese food, go back to epoct and head into World Showcase, where you will find foods from all around the world. If you want something from china, it is there, and it is some of the best food you have ever eaten. There is also the French restaraunt. My family eats there everytime we go. The food is great, you will be stuffed, and you will have a good time. There is also an italian restaraunt over in Italy. Pasta to the Skys. That is not the name, just a saying. The name is TutoItalia. Go to Germany to have a good time too. Go there for a dinner of good food and dancing. In the Magic Kingdom, you might want ot check out some of the character places there, such as the Crystal Palace. Characters from Pooh, the bear, are there. Such as Tigger, Eyore, and Piglet. You might also like Tony’s Town Square. It is an Italian Restaraunt based on the world of Lady and the Tramp. It is not a character meal, but there is good food.

You can make dining reservations at 90 days in advance to your trip. I highly suggest this as it will make sure you have a table. It will be very very busy at this time of year because of families from all over the world coming to see the christmas stuff along with the new years fireworks. It will be packed down there. But there are a few ways to beat the crowds. I normally go around Thanksgiving, so I have seen some of the worst crowds. Because you are staying on disney property, you get the extra benifit of Extra Magic Hours. This is extra time in the parks. Each day, one of the parks will be open for an extra hour in the morning, or up to an extra 3 hours at night. The magic kingdom will be by far most crowded, so I highly suggest using extra magic hours at night there. The park is normally open until 11 there, and with the extra 3 hours that means until 2 in the morning. The lines are not nearly as long between 1 and 2 in the morning. This might be kind of late for your kids, but if you want to use this tip, this might be a good idea to make it work. Sleep an extra hour in the morning and then eat a late breakfast. Then stick around your resort, go swimming, work on any homework that your kids may have, watch some TV. Then eat an early lunch at your resort. Then have the whole family take a nap. Then head over to the magic kingdom, where it is might be open until 2. (it is not always open until two, so check extra magic hours as soon as they come out. This could not be for a while yet because the hours for November are not out yet.

Since I have never stayed at Port Orleans or Carribbean Beach I will have to say that Pop Century would be best. Port Orleans is more of an original hotel style, so if you want something different, I would go with Carribean Beach or Pop Century. Carribean Beach I have been to, I have just never stayed there. I have to tell you though, I have always wanted to stay there. You really feel like you are in the Carribbean. Pop Century is the most price choice. There are a lot of cool effects. Such as there is a big Mickey Mouse Phone that makes you feel so small. It is a really cool effect. This resort is not as expensive, so there will be more people there, making it harder to book. I would book your stay at the resort as soon as possible, because of all the crowds at the time you are going, it will be harder to get a room as time goes on. Like I said I am going in Early December and it was quite hard to get a room for my family then.

As for waterparks, you won’t really know when and if you will be able to go until you are on your trip. I would make plans for a few days to possibly go a water park. If you like a good time with the family, you might like to go to one of the two mini golf courses. I suggest the WinterSummerland golf course which is right next to Blizzard Beach. For water parks I suggest going to Typhoon Lagoon like you said, I know my brother and I like that one a lot better. There is something for everyone there. As for the weather it can change a lot in the Fall and winter Months. Make sure you have jackets and long shirts and pants for everyone. But bring along a pair of shorts and a few t-shirts. There is normally not a lot of rain in these months, so you won’t need ponchos or umbrellas. Sweatshirts are the best and you will probably be wearing one all the time, so bring a few.

To make your trip special, you might want to get each of your kids a pair of mickey ears. I got one one of the first times I went to Disney and I still have it. It is special because it helps me remember some of my first trips. Try to talk with your kids on the way to Disney World and see what kinds of things that they might like doing. Try to please everyone with something that they like doing. If you want to go to the magic kingdom in the morning I suggest doing it when extra magic hours are not there at all that day, not in the morning or in the evening. You might have more luck with less crowds in the middle of your trip. Right between Chirstmas and New Years. If it does rain, even better if it is a thunderstorm, in the morning, head over to the Magic Kingdom. Rain sometimes wards of crowds. Go right away in the morning at 9. As soon as Tom Saywer’s Island opens up head on to the island and start looking for paint brushes. Yes I said paint brushes. If you find one give it to the cast member back at the dock for your prize. Your whole family will get Fastpasses that will work on any ride in the Magic Kingdom.

I should probably tell you about fastpasses. Fastpasses are little tickets that will get you in a line for feature rides that will get you on that ride faster. It is not for all rides, but the most popular ones. It is free with park admission, so you don’t have to pay for anything. Check your park map to see which rides have fastpasses. It works by you walking up to a fastpass machine outside the ride of your choice. There, you put your park ticket into the machine and get your fastpasses. You will get only one fastpass per ticket per hour, so plan ahead. You fastpass will have a time on it which tells you when to come back to the ride. An Example would be coming back between 2:30 and 3:30. When the time on the fastpass comes you head back to the ride and go to the fastpass line. A cast Member will be there and will check to make sure that your fastpass is at the right time. Then you will go through the line and get onto the line much faster that if you waited in the stand-by line. If you go to the park in the morning, make sure you pick a ride that you want to get a fastpass for on the way there. There are only so many fastpasses a day, so they will run out fast. As soon as you get there, go to that ride and get a fastpass right away. It is probably a good idea to stick around your hotel room that first day because it will be very busy at the parks since it is the day after chirstmas. Another good tip for getting around the crowds is to go on some of the more popular rides while there is a parade going on. You might want to see the parade, but the lines are much shorter because everyone is watching. This is also a tip that will work with the nightly fire works. Good rides to go on while the fireworks are going on at the magic kingdom is the TTA. It is a ride in tomorrowland. You will not see all of the fireworks, but you will se some of them. Another good ride would be Splash Mountain. There is a really good view of the first works up at the top. You will not see the whole thing there also, but the lines are a lot shorter as this is a popular ride. There is also a party called Mickey’s very Merry Christmas Party which is at the magic kingdom. It is on select nights and you need a ticket to get into it. It should still be going on while you are there. But you will have to check for tickets right away, as they might already be sold out. At this party there are special fireworks a special parade with Santa in it. Some of the rides are open and running. And the park is open for extra time in the night. There are also special shows. Characters are in Christmas gear and there are Chirstmas Cookies and hot chocolate to go around. It is a really great