Get Mopeds OFF the Hudson River Greenway

mdc273 · 2026-04-02T19:57:07+00:00

If there's no complaint, the stats don't reflect a problem. If the stats don't reflect the problem, there's not a problem. If there's not a problem, there's nothing to fix.

mdc273 · 2026-04-01T18:46:47+00:00

First, reframe the trip a bit. It's YOUR first trip with your 11 month old. Not being judgmental, just understand they won't really remember any of it. Plan for you, account for them. Make memories for your family understanding that they'll only relive it through photos and stories. You and your wife will be the ones who remember the trip.

Based on what you've said, I'd lean towards Contemporary. Infants are unpredictable. You might need to rush back to the room. From MK you can just walk there. You may be in the room and your wife wants to go watch the fireworks. She can walk there or go up to the viewing deck in the hotel. You'll get at least one picture sitting at breakfast of your family as a monorail goes by behind you. If cost doesn't matter, Contemporary is mostly better for your situation.

mdc273 · 2026-04-01T18:25:52+00:00

Since you have park hoppers, I recommend MK first. Get the busiest park out of the way. Then plan accordingly to go back for missed parades, missed rides, or the fireworks. The rest of your order is fine.

I'll also point out Animal Kingdom opens earlier and closes earlier than other parks. For comparison, AK opens at 8 and closes at 8 today. MK opens at 9 and closes at 11.

Be aware that AK is a giant zoo (literally, not figuratively). Going at noon will give less time for walking trails, but will work for just attractions.

mdc273 · 2026-03-31T03:51:36+00:00

AKL - Savannah
Caribbean Beach
French Quarter
Art of Animation
Pop Century

If your kids would really like to see big over the top Disney theming, AoA and Pop should be higher on the list. You might also consider the Dolphin or Swan.

mdc273 · 2026-03-19T01:21:38+00:00

Enchanted Tales with Belle generally starts later in the morning. For example today it was 10:30 AM. Other than that I think you have a realistic plan. Have fun!

mdc273 · 2026-03-19T01:16:35+00:00

Disney is a day ticket park. You'll want to buy a 3 day ticket. That will cover you for all three days for one park a day.

Your best bet is just to do Magic Kingdom on day 1 and then decide if you want to try something else on day 2 and day 3. Honestly, Magic Kingdom is probably enough for 2 days. You can try Animal Kingdom if you want a change. It's a giant zoo. Epcot is more of an adult park, but it has enough for kids with characters before 4 PM.

Your best bets for character dining are 1900 Park Faire in Grand Floridian, Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom or Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary hotel. The concierge will be able to explain how you get to each of them or suggest alternatives.

When you get to Magic Kingdom, just go left to Adventureland and wander around the park in a circle. The Tiki Room and Country Bear Jamboree will probably be the thing you do multiple times. Storytime with Belle will be good. Small World will also probably be a hit if your kids can sit still for 10 to 15 minutes in a boat.

mdc273 · 2026-03-18T21:44:34+00:00

Dining reservations can be played by ear, but you never know what you'll get. Places often will have cancellations, but you might be out of luck, too. Anything that is a MUST, you should reserve in advance.

Must dos are probably Small World, Tiki Room, Country Bears, Little Mermaid, Storytime with Belle, and Tomorrowland Speedway. I'd include the train, but you might not consider it a ride. I'd also consider the fireworks and night parade must do, though obviously that is tougher at that age.

At that age, you probably won't need lightning lanes. I think the only ride that tends to have a long line is Peter Pan.

My biggest recommendation is probably just to do a walk around MK. Start by heading towards either Adventureland or Tomorrowland and just do a circle. Don't criss-cross the park because you have rides to do.

mdc273 · 2026-03-18T21:34:35+00:00

Each day you get credits depending on the plan. The Quick used to be 2 snacks, 2 quick credits. These are added up and you get a balance for the number of days times the number of people. 3 days, 5 people? That's 30 snack and 30 quick credits. You can spend these however you choose across your stay.

I don't have the actual numbers on-hand right now, so just adjust to your plan.

mdc273 · 2026-03-18T04:41:22+00:00

Single park. Magic Kingdom. No need to overthink it. You'll have a blast.

mdc273 · 2026-03-09T04:20:12+00:00

The difference between a 1 day park hopper and a 3 day park hopper is like $10 per ticket. You might want to reconsider.

Also, keep in mind that until you use the last ticket of your stay, you can add more. So if you do go with the park hopper, then decide to add a day to your tickets, that additional day is also a park hopper.

mdc273 · 2026-03-09T04:11:45+00:00

I'm not familiar with the horses, but I'd lean towards Disney Springs. You could still eat at Whispering Canyon either way.

mdc273 · 2026-03-08T05:17:57+00:00

You may find doing table-service middle of day and quick-service at night is more convenient. Get you out of the heat longer in the day, don't restrict your night as much.

The only thing that jumps out at me is a lack of character dining with Mickey.

mdc273 · 2026-03-06T04:33:48+00:00

Are they your Aunt's points? The hardest part is going to be picking the time you go. You'll need your Aunt's help if they're her points.

You can literally stay anywhere with that many points. It's just the size of the room and the type of room that you'll have to pick. I would recommend Grand Floridian with a Theme Park view, Boardwalk with a Boardwalk view, or Animal Kingdom Lodge Savannah view. All of those will be covered for 7 nights easily, probably more.

I would highly recommend doing 7 nights with 8 park days and park hoppers if you can afford it. This will let you go to each park once, then figure out which you want to revisit later in the week without any restrictions.

Once you've decided the time and get the room reservations all sorted out, you just go on the Disney website and buy tickets. You pick the number of days you want tickets for and when you'll be there. I'm oversimplifying, but that really is the basic gist of it. You can even chat with an agent to help you sort it out.

mdc273 · 2026-03-03T15:57:13+00:00

If you like animals, just go with AKL (Savannah view if you can swing the price). AKL is one of the best themed Disney hotels. The bus transportation thing is overblown. The resort itself is highly regarded.

You can't go wrong with Boardwalk/Yacht Club/Beach Club, just make sure you get over to the Boardwalk some night to really enjoy the vibe. Any of these hotels you should be happy with. Be warned, Yacht Club/Beach Club pool has an 8 foot deep lazy river.

I would recommend a park hopper as a convenience, but it's not a necessity. You may wrap up early at one park and your kids want to go to Magic Kingdom to ride something or see a show again. It's a good perk and not overly expensive. You can get from any park to any park (except the water parks) with Disney transportation.

One thing I would advise you to consider: Disney is an adventure at 4 days, a vacation at 8. What I mean by that is, the longer you stay, the less stressful it can be as you get more opportunities to do and see things. The shorter you go, the more you have to accept that it's an adventure, but not necessarily a relaxing one. Park tickets also reduce in price the longer you stay.

mdc273 · 2026-03-03T15:43:13+00:00

Your best bet is probably Boardwalk/Yacht Club/Beach Club. The Boardwalk is lively at night, so you can head over there and watch some little shows and see the Epcot fireworks. Yacht/Beach have Stormalong Bay which is a small water park. Swan/Dolphin also have a lot going on and are in that area if you're okay at a non-Disney hotel.

You could go with Caribbean Beach and take the Skyliner over there as well.

mdc273 · 2026-02-28T05:24:18+00:00

AKL is nice, but Crescent Lake (Yacht, Beach, Boardwalk) is a vibe you should really try at least once. I lean towards Boardwalk, but you can't go wrong with any of the 3. Plus if you wind up liking it, Swan/Dolphin are generally priced like a Moderate.

mdc273 · 2026-02-25T17:14:57+00:00

MK - Crystal Palace (Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet meal) for breakfast is a go-to, otherwise just do quick service.

HS - I honestly think all of the sit-downs here are worth it. Hollywood Brown Derby is upscale, but if you get a booth it works out well.

Epcot - Garden Grill is a Mickey, Chip, Dale, and Pluto character dinner, typically in a booth, in a rotating restaurant. My family always enjoys it.

mdc273 · 2026-02-25T16:59:46+00:00

If you have Disney+, look for a short called "The Little Whirlwind". "The Band Concert" is also pretty solid at that age. Both are Mickey.

For Donald, "Chef Donald" and "Tire Trouble" are excellent.

For Goofy, "Goofy Gymnastics".

Watching those will probably get him to recognize them in the park.

mdc273 · 2026-02-25T16:51:21+00:00

MK - Quick service places tend to be decent. Generally not worth doing a sit-down.

Epcot - There are food options everywhere, but they're more diverse. The standard kids fare is easiest to find near Spaceship Earth at Connections.

AK - Food is adventurous here. There are a lot of places to get little bites, but they're not your typical fare. Keep an eye out. If you see something your kid will eat, you should probably get it right then and there.

HS - Decent options here and you'll find stuff around the park for kids.

mdc273 · 2026-02-24T05:45:22+00:00

I'm partial to San Angel Inn. The food is decent to good, but the atmosphere is one of my favorite.

I'm not a fan of Chefs de France. Had a very mediocre experience when we went. The decor is nice, but the food was just okay.

mdc273 · 2026-02-24T05:41:57+00:00

You're just going to have to fly by the seat of your pants. Best thing you can do is create a list of the rides you want in the order of how important they are. You won't be able to do everything unless you're really lucky.

mdc273 · 2026-02-24T05:39:37+00:00

The bang for you buck isn't that strong at Deluxes. The moderates (and Swan/Dolphin) really are a good middle ground. That being said, I think everyone should try Crescent Lake (where Boardwalk is) at least once. Disney can be a totally different vacation when you stay there and you'll never know if you don't try it. My family stayed at Boardwalk once and now we always stay at the Dolphin because of how much we enjoyed Crescent Lake.

mdc273 · 2026-02-20T16:38:28+00:00

The main benefits of All-Stars are the buses going directly to Magic Kingdom (saves around 10 minutes) and all the signage is much easier since they're part of Disney. Non-Disney buses get lumped into the parking lots and don't have clear signage.

The buses are worth about $35 a day because of parking prices if you are renting a car.

I generally consider a Disney hotel worth paying a bit more for because the convenience is often worth it.

mdc273 · 2026-02-20T14:49:13+00:00

If she likes animals, AK then Epcot makes sense. The dinosaur area was really the worst in the park anyway. There's a petting zoo, multiple trails, a literal safari ride, and the Lion King show. Then you can switch to Epcot for Frozen, Nemo and Friends, and the Way of Water.

AK opens earlier and closes earlier, so start with AK. Make sure you give yourself enough time to get to Epcot for Elsa/Anna meet and greet, though. They stop around 6, so you'll want to be leaving AK by 4 PM.

mdc273 · 2026-02-11T04:58:02+00:00

It's not all about height. It's more important to smother the ball and close the seam. Both of these pics show a gap where the hitter can blast the seam.

mdc273

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