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crl
05-30-2010, 12:35 AM
We are thinking of taking ds, who will be seven, and dd, who will be seven months, to WDW over Thanksgiving. I've never been and know nothing about it. Where should I star my research? Is there a book?

Thanks,
Catherine

infomama
05-30-2010, 01:12 AM
Sure...lots of them but the best places are message boards like www.allears.net and www.disboards.com

Momof3Labs
05-30-2010, 06:54 AM
mousesavers.com is good, too. For books, I like the Unofficial Guide.

Keep in mind that T'giving weekend is VERY busy - any time the kids are out of school is high time at WDW. I'd pick the week before or the week after, if possible.

alien_host
05-30-2010, 09:53 AM
I also love the Unofficial Guide. http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Disney-World-Guides/dp/0470460261/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275227385&sr=1-1

I found disboards.com to be VERY overwhelming at first. Lots of information that seemed scattered at times. I got very bogged down with reading threads that probably weren't important for me at the time.

It was easier for me to ask on this board some questions as lots of mamas have done disney.

Once you narrow down if you want to stay on or off property it also will be easier.

Have fun and bring on the questions! :)

TwinFoxes
05-30-2010, 11:01 AM
I also love the Unofficial Guide. http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Disney-World-Guides/dp/0470460261/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275227385&sr=1-1

I found disboards.com to be VERY overwhelming at first. Lots of information that seemed scattered at times. I got very bogged down with reading threads that probably weren't important for me at the time.

It was easier for me to ask on this board some questions as lots of mamas have done disney.

Once you narrow down if you want to stay on or off property it also will be easier.

Have fun and bring on the questions! :)

ITA. I think disboards is good if you know what you're looking for, but it can turn into a real time sucking black hole! If I want "real" opinions, I like this forum. :)

The Disney website also has good info.

The best book in my mind is the Unofficial Guide. Do NOT get the Pauline Frommer guide to Disneyworld/Orlando. It's really strangely anti-Disney, it will turn you off from wanting to go. The Birnbaum Official guide has the opposite problem. It's good for descriptions, but there's not a negative word to be found because it's backed by Disney.

crl
05-30-2010, 11:12 AM
Thank you! I'll start with the Unofficial Guide then. I'm sure the timing isn't the best, but like everyone else there's only so much school I'm willing to have ds miss plus there's an odd family situation I'm trying to resolve by having thanksgiving at WDW.

Thank you all,
Catherine

crl
05-30-2010, 11:17 AM
Oh and I understand there's a military resort there? FIL is retired and I believe MIL has stayed there before. Assuming availability they can have us stay there as well as their guests. So that's a possibility. Otherwise, ds has food allergies and that's one of the reasons I'm interested in WDW. So I think we would want to stay on property.

Catherine

alien_host
05-30-2010, 11:25 AM
I just got back from WDW in May with a DD that is peanut/tree nut and egg allergic. We had a great time. I can fill you in on ANY information you might need on this subject. I did a lot of research.

What FA does your DC have?

Seriously, when you are ready for the info either ask here or PM me. FA were pretty easy at WDW and I'm very conservative in regards to the allergies (we don't eat out much at home).

I definitely recommend staying on property if you want to eat most of your meals at WDW for FA reasons. Disboards has a great section that FA folks post to....DisABILITIES....lots of good info.

Shades of Green is the military resort but I don't know much about it. You could do a search at disboards about that specifically if no one here has experienced it.

crl
05-30-2010, 11:32 AM
Thank you! I really appreciate it. DS is allergic to milk, strawberriers, apples and mango. Sigh. Milk is the hardest to work around of course but I've heard such good things about WDW that I'm hoping this will be one trip where I can relax about it.

Catherine

TwinFoxes
05-30-2010, 12:20 PM
Oh and I understand there's a military resort there?

The Unofficial Guide has info about Shades of Green. I don't remember seeing info about it in other guide books (but I may just not have noticed.)

crl
05-30-2010, 01:10 PM
The Unofficial Guide has info about Shades of Green. I don't remember seeing info about it in other guide books (but I may just not have noticed.)

Thank you! I went to the disboards and searched. I think we won't stay there as one of the big advantages for me would be eating at Disney properties. Since MWR runs Shades of Green it won't have the food advantage for me. Staying at SOG but eating every meal elsewhere seems stressful, especially with a seven month old.

Thanks for helping me figure that out. So I'm strongly leaning towards staying in a Disney property.

alien_host
05-30-2010, 01:57 PM
Thank you! I went to the disboards and searched. I think we won't stay there as one of the big advantages for me would be eating at Disney properties. Since MWR runs Shades of Green it won't have the food advantage for me. Staying at SOG but eating every meal elsewhere seems stressful, especially with a seven month old.

Thanks for helping me figure that out. So I'm strongly leaning towards staying in a Disney property.

I just checked my unofficial guide b/c I was curious. One of the cons was the lack of extensive on-site dining. But they do have a website www.shadesofgreen.org that you can check out.

The guide says you can walk to the Poly and the TTC (10-15 minutes) which is nice.

But I agree, having access to food at your resort is VERY helpful...especially with the baby, you or DH can take your older DC to get food at the food court or whatever if it is close by.

I'm not sure if you are considering the Dining Plan but I'm not 100% sure if you can get it if staying at SOG, worth finding out if the DDP is a consideration for you.

We ate a lot of meals at our resort restaurants. We would go to the parks, come back in the afternoon to swim, get showered for dinner and eat at the resort. I did like that convenience.

alien_host
05-30-2010, 02:21 PM
Thank you! I really appreciate it. DS is allergic to milk, strawberriers, apples and mango. Sigh. Milk is the hardest to work around of course but I've heard such good things about WDW that I'm hoping this will be one trip where I can relax about it.

Catherine

No problem, us FA mamas got to stick together! WDW is really very well versed on food allergies. They have a special diets department that is extremely helpful (so helpful that one chef called me at home before my trip to reassure me that he could provide a safe experience for DD).

E-mail them once you figure out where you are staying and where you are eating. E-mail is at the below link. When you make Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) make sure you note the allergies on the reservation. Special Diets has a packet they e-mail out with info. I asked for it a few months out and then again about 3 weeks before (in case anything changed).

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/special-dietary-requests/

Post #3 is great here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=595713 look for "Diets for allergies and other special needs: WDW Information" (alphabetical).

I figured I'd post this so you have it...but feel free to ask me anything. I did a lot of legwork up front and I was able to really enjoy the trip.

crl
05-30-2010, 07:24 PM
Thank you!

Catherine