I''m going to.....

[gingerBcookie]

DISNEYWORLD!!!

So residency is working me to the ground...but i''m still loving what i''m doing so it''s ok.

although it was rough when i got my first paycheck and calculating out the hours i worked...it came out to be $3 an hour. yes ladies and gents....THREE. LOL.....things have gotten better..i''m more efficient now so calculating things, i almost make it to mnimum wage

.

BUT...that''s not the point of this thread. My first week of my two weeks worth of vaction this year is coming up. At first we weren''t going to go anywhere, just stay home, catch up on sleep, housework, eradns, etc... but then as we got to talking, we realized in the not too distant future we wanted to think about starting a family. however, there are tons of things we want to do before then, including travel, and my work schedule really limits our oppurtunities do them. Neither of us ever vacationed as children either, both our families were too poor to afford the time or money for leisure... sooo, with only one week left to plan and only seven days open to vacay...we decided our first choice italy was out of the question. There was vegas, san fran, the carolinas, new york. but none seemed to get us excited RIGHT now...so we thought, what''s easy, fun, doable in a short amount of time? something that was relativle localized and easy...i.e. vaction handed to you on a platter...no muss no fuss. Disney!!!

SO now, I need to do some super fast research. We''re staying in Port Orleans - French Quarters. We need to know whats a must-see/do/go vs should see/do/go vs don''t bother. Advice?

 

[monarch64]

Hey Gingerb! I''m so glad your wedding turned out well...I followed your threads, etc. Now that you''re back and about to embark on a wonderful vacation, I must say I''m happy for you that you can finally let loose and enjoy some quality time with your Mr. GingerB!!!!

Have you thought about calling your/a travel agent to see what they recommend as far as New Orleans? My hairdresser (she''s 24) is actually moving there with her FI, whose family is all from there, in a few months. She knows next to nothing about N.O., and unfortunately I have had to find a new gal and haven''t gotten to ask my old one anything about the current state of N.O. Hopefully (and I''m sure they will)others will chime in. Have you tried posting in ol'' BWW, or LIW?

Again, I would recommend asking your travel agent. Good luck! I know I would still love to go to N.O., no matter what the circumstances...such history, the music, the people, et al.

 

[gailrmv]

hi Ginger!
So.... are they working you way over the 80 hour limit? Or does your internship pay a lot less than regular residency? some quick math says that they MUST be by a lot! Either way that sucks!
OK, and this may be a stupid question but isn''t disney in Orlando and the french quarter in New Orleans?
Enjoy your vacation wherever you decide to go!
Gail

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 8/24/2006 8:04:41 AM
Author: gailrmv


OK, and this may be a stupid question but isn''t disney in Orlando and the french quarter in New Orleans?



Gail

it''s been a while since I''ve been to disney world. but i''m pretty sure Disney has their very own French Quarter.

Ginger, we''re going to disney in dec. if you guys are into rides definitely go to Universal, that''s where all the big rollercoasters are and it''s a blast. I also love Epcot which is usually included in some sort of ticket package. I''m sure others with recent experiences will chime in. I''m so looking forward to our trip and I think you guys will have a blast

 

[Mannequin]

Sounds like a well-deserved break, gingerB! I haven''t been to Disney in years, so I''ll have to get the scoop from you and the other PSers on what''s new to see and do there. Hope your trip goes well!

 

[SarFarSuperstar]

How exciting! I''m actually going to DisneyWorld on my honeymoon and we''re staying at Port Orleans French Quarter, so I''d love to hear how it was once you''re back. As far as Disney-stuff goes, some fun things are: character breakfasts (mostly for kids but still fun), MGM restaurants (there''s one that is a 50s style place and they pretend that you are kids at a dinner table and make you eat all your veggies!), Tower of Terror, etc. So many fun things- definitely should be an awesome vacation- have a great time!

 

[belle]

i have never stayed at port orleans but if i remember right, it is located in the downtown disney area, where there are more adult things to do. the cirque venue is located in dd so you might want to see what''s showing. i would *highly* recommend getting a guidebook. there are several good non-disney offiliated books that have travel tips and how to make the best of your days. it is well worth it to pick up at least one but i would recommend a few. also check out the disney message board www.disboards.com

when are you going?

 

[ammayernyc]

I stayed at the Port Orleans when I was there for New Year''s last year. Hotel is okay. Rooms are nothing spectacular, but we booked late and was over the major holiday season. There is a shuttle bus to all the Disney Parks which is nice.

We loved Disney. My fiance is not such a rollercoaster fan so we didn''t go to Magic Kingdom so much, but we made great use of the other three (major) parks -- Animal Kingdom, Epcot and MGM Studios.

Disney is a fun place to visit -- make sure you do the Fast Pass though!

 

[sevens one]

Hey good for you!

I would also recommend the books that Belle mentioned.
They were a great benefit to me when we went in 99-2000''

The books even advice you how to tour the parks. They have "adult only" sections too. (not xxx rated; ofcourse) just fun
things to do without kids.
If you''re into it, I found touring the different resort hotels to be fun too.

Have a blast.

 

[MelissaSue]

YAY! Disney is something you absolutely HAVE to do at least once before having kids.. We went for out honeymoon- Stayed at the same hotel as you are.. How many days are you going? We did EVERYTHING.. didn''t stop moving once.. We got the park hopper passes plus the "fun visits" or whatever so we could go to as many parks as we wanted per day plus it included admission to the water parks..

I think everyone has different opinions.. but we LOVED Epcot.. spent like three half days there.. So much fun

I was not a huge fan of Animal Kingdom. I might skip it if I went back..

We only spent about a half day in Magic Kingdom.. I think you HAVE to go there.. and there are definitley things worth doing there.. but we didnt'' find it too exciting.. much more kid oriented..

I like MGM a lot..and parts of it seemed very romantic to me. we spent our last night of our trip there.. And i was very sad to leave (Even though I could hardly walk at that point because my feet hurt soo bad!)

Downtown disney is fun.. oh.. and you can take a boat there from the hotel .. (the boat takes a lot longer to actually get there than a bus though.. )

Oh.. and at the hotel.. for breakfast.. you must must must get the french toast and/or banana stuffed french toast from the sit down restaurant there.. (there is like a food court and a sit down).. that is required.. Seriously the best breakfast food I''ve ever had in my LIFE.

 

[bookworm21]

Ohhhhh....DIsneyworld!!! I''m a MAJOR Disney fan (after diamonds, of course), but haven''t been there in over 7 years. From what I remember though, Epcot wasn''t all that great while I was there. They had the Test Track, which is a pretty fun ride; you''re basically the crash test dummy in the car. Animal Kingdom was quite fun; make sure you do the Kiliminjaro Safari and the Dinosaur ride (don''t remember the exact name.)

Magic Kingdom is a definite must, that''s where most of the pixie dust and magic is felt, in my opinion. (Forgive me for being a Disney dork, please.)

There are forums devoted to Disney resorts, believe it or not. I can give you the forum name; if this isn''t allowed, moderators, please feel free to remove it. The forum I frequent before I take trips to Disneyland is Micechat.com. It has great info from annual passholders, with tips on how to maximize your time there.

While you''re there, make good use of the Fast Passes available at most of the major rides. They save you so much time because you don''t have to stand in long lines for the majority of the day. Make sure you read as much as you can on the Fast Passes, because many people are confused as to how exactly the system works. If you can take advantage of Extra Magic hours (which is when certain parks are open only to resort guests, I believe), do it. It''ll be a lot less crowded, because admission is denied to everyone who isn''t a guest at the hotels. And research the prices. An annual pass might be cheaper than a 7-day all-parkhopper pass, believe it or not, but I haven''t looked at the prices for a while.

Have fun and let us know how the trip goes!! I''m trying to convince my sister to go with me next year.

 

[bookworm21]

Oh, and one more thing: make sure you wear your ring there (if you feel safe, of course). I wore my asscher RHR to Disneyland a couple of weeks ago, as well as my bracelet from Tiffany. I had so much fun on the dark rides, because I was looking at my jewelry to see which stones had faint, medium and strong flourescence. Turns out one of my baguettes had major flourescence. Oh, and it will also keep you occupied while standing in line in sunlight.

By the way, you may want to bring ponchos, or a lightweight, waterproof jacket, as the weather is rather unpredictable there. Thundershowers are common, and you don''t want to be running around loooking for a store that sells the Mickey ponchos for $6 each, especially when everyone else there will be doing the same. (You''ll be in line with a crowd of wet, steamy people getting cranky while waiting to pay.)

 

[eks6426]

I love Disneyworld too. I''ve been there over 10 times in the last 15 years. (previous inlaws used to live nearby). The Port Orleans hotel is one of their mid-range hotels. The rooms aren''t especially interesting, but I love the attention to detail on the outside. Look for the "mickey''s" in the wrought iron railings. I liked using the bus system. It''s so much easier than staying outside the park system and having to park and ride trams. MelissaSue is right about the French Toast

You must go to Magic Kingdom. It''s crazy filled with kids but still a must see. Make sure you see the light parade at night. Definitely use the FastPass system!

Epcot--It seems people either love it or hate it. Epcot really isn''t about rides...it''s more about looking at things. I especially like the World Showcase part. The boat rides at Norway and Mexico are fun and give you some relief from walking around. There are tons of great places to eat in Epcot. I highly recommend you research and make reservations NOW. Usually by staying in a Disney hotel you can make reservations before you even arrive. My favorites are Morroco (because it''s different), Mexico (good ambiance) and the main restaurant in France (not upstairs...the one on ground level). You can cancel if you change your mind, but at least you have some options. If you''re looking for cheap lunch fare, try the food court at the land. It has much healtier and more interesting options than most of the fast food places. I like the boat ride at the Land too because I''m a dork and I think the science of how they grow the food for all of Disney is cool. Make sure to see the night show around the lagoon.

Animal Kingdom--I''m with MelissaSue on this one. I didn''t love it. Not sure I''d go back. The Bug''s Life 3D and the Dinosaur rides were my favorite.

MGM--A lot of people like this one. I''m not sure why, but I don''t like it as much. It does have a romantic feel to it at night. Maybe I''m not enough of a movie buff. It always seems like there is less to do here than the other parks.

Waterparks--I really like Typhoon Lagoon for the atmosphere but Blizzard Beach has faster, better slides. It depends on what you want to do.

Downtown Disney--lots here. Go to Pleasure Island late.

Boardwalk--Lots of new restaurants and things to see here too. This is sometimes a good bet for dinner too.

I really enjoyed visiting some of the other hotels while I was there too. Yacht & Beach club has an awesome pool system. One pool is a swirly pool...there is current and you can just float around. Another pool has a sand bottom with small geyser jets....Just really different. Brunch at Chef Mickey''s at the Contemporary is good and it''s fun to ride the monorail to MK.

I agree on getting the books. It''ll help you a lot.

Don''t forget to go back to your hotel and lay by the pool a bit so you don''t get done with vacation and feel even more exhausted from all the running!

 

[jcrow]

i'm a little late to this thread but...

i LOVE disney!! i went there every year if not twice a year growning up. it's the only place i ever wanted to go (when i was little i mean).

epcot- LOVE it! it's so interesting and educational. have to do the ride in the ball. i was always fascinated with that ride! have to go to the parts of the world section. make sure you see the night show too.

magic kingdom- a must see too. it's a bit young but you'll enjoy it.

MGM- ok. i'd go there again, but it's not my favorite.

animal kingdom- we didn't like it. at all. i know some people do, but we didn't care for it.

typhoon lagoon & blizzard beach- went once. don't think i'd make it priority to go there again. not bad, i'd just rather spend my time at the other parks.

oh and bring comfy shoes!!

what time of the year are you going?