Hey there, Hi there, Ho there! from SW Ontario!

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CdnSquirrel's picture
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Hey there, Hi there, Ho there! from SW Ontario!

Hey Hey! Long time Disney fan here, from Sarnia in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. I grew up with movies like the Rescuers (a childhood favourite!) and The Jungle Book, and recall watching The Mickey Mouse Club in reruns on TV. Of course Sunday night wouldn't be complete without The Wonderful World of Disney.

As a young boy, I had a friend whose family went to WDW every summer and he'd return with all sorts of cool stuff. He would rave about Space Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, and the 'hotel with the monorail in it'. I was super envious.

I grew up but Disney stuff always has held a special place in my heart. Some years ago while going through a rough time in my life I found a little pocket-sized plastic 'Sorcerer Mickey' figurine which I kept with me to remind myself there was still magic out there somewhere.

Over the years people have, from time to time, brought me back little souvenirs from WDW. My first genuine WDW souvenir was a Little Mermaid pen. Later someone gave me a pair of genuine MousekeEars which are currently kept safe in a box.

The year kept going by and now I'm in my 40s and my wife and I are in the midst of the early stages of planning a trip to WDW! She had been a few times as a child and tells me I will just love it. In fact everyone I talk to who has been says it will be an unforgettable experience.
mickey

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Welcome to ourDisney loving gang! So excited that you are going "home" to WDW. mickey

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JoAnn C's picture
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Welcome! Glad you joined us. When are you looking at going to WDW?

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finngirl's picture
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Hey neighbour! We live in London. Going to WDW as an adult is so much fun - you will have a great time. This is a great site for answering any questions you may have - so ask away. mickey

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Hello CdnSquirrel and welcome to WDWForGrownups! Glad to have you and congrats on planning your first trip to WDW. Yes, it will be an unforgettable trip for you, it is wonderful going as an adult. Wife and have been goes childless for about 15 years now and every trip is wonderful and full of different experiences. Grab a seat , sit down and let your Disney thoughts mingle with all of our wonderful members minds. You'll get some wonderful helpful hints here. Like the saying goes "There's always room for one more.................!"

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Welcome from a fellow Canadian - my DH and I live in Guelph. We are also in our 40's and love to go to WDW and have another trip booked for January. You will absolutely love it. My DH experienced it for the first time in 2010 and he can't wait to go back. It's great to go as a kid, but I think it's even better as an adult. So please tell us more about your trip....

CdnSquirrel's picture
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I have like a thousand questions. really.

We are planning on going during the fall of 2014, mid-october. Just the two of us. For a full week.

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CdnSquirrel wrote:
I have like a thousand questions. really.

We are planning on going during the fall of 2014, mid-october. Just the two of us. For a full week.

Don't be shy. Ask away.

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Our plan is to take things sloooow so we can relax and enjoy as much as we can without ending up with blistered feet and cranky moods. We've been reading all sorts of guide books, blogs and websites to educate ourselves.

My wife has slight mobility issues in that she cannot walk very far or for very long so we'll probably have to rent one of those scooter things. I walk everywhere so I'll be good for running to get fastpasses and the like.

We've yet to decide on a resort but we're leaning towards Pop Century (though if we could afford it we'd choose the Contemporary, mostly since I've always wanted to stay there). Our plan is to go late next year around Canadian Thanksgiving in October for at least five nights. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are the priorities, then Epcot. We want to have two character meals, breakfast at Chef Mickey's and lunch at Crystal Palace, so we can meet the Pooh Characters and the Mice.

Things we think are a 'must do' (not including attractions): Fantasmic, IllumiNations, Wishes, one of the 'behind the scenes' tours but we're not sure which yet, and the afternoon parade.

Attractions: all the classics, especially the teacups and dumbo! Neither my wife or I are particularly fond of roller coasters but I'm told Space Mountain is not to be missed.

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So excited for you!!!!!!! yay Have you gotten Birnbaum Official Guide to Disney?? I think its a great book and a lt of help! I get it each year we go! How long are you ping for? I don't know a lot about renting scooters, I know you can get them at the parks, but I think go fast. There is also outside companies that you can rent them, they will bring them to your resort and pick them up-not sure how much they cost. There are probably others who can answer that better.

I think you have a great must do list going! (one day when the kids are older enough I would like to do the MK behind the science tour) I think another great thing is the Electric Parade at MK! I am nor big on Space Mountain, but love Thunder Mountain!

Anyway, welcome , And I look forward to hearing how your plans evolve!

Jackie mickey

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Welcome!! You will love Disney as an adult!!

I suggest renting the scooter from an outside company. That way you'll definitely have it, and you'll have it to get from resort to park etc.

You'll get a lot of good info on this board. We all love helping people plan their trips and living vicariously through each other.

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CdnSquirrel's picture
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I've read a slightly outdated version of 'the unofficial guide...' a great book but not something I'd want to be lugging around the parks. My idea is to plan carefully so we'll be carrying as little as possible (I'm considering wearing something like a fishing vest to keep stuff in) in the parks. I've read all about ADRs and plan on using them carefully. I've also read about the split day plan which sounds ideal as I don't think I could stay on my feet for 10-12 hours anywhere; getting up early to arrive when the park opens, do a few attractions, sight see, shop, lunch then back to the resort to recharge for the evening sounds very smart indeed. Photopass sounds amazing too, I don't want to be lugging my heavy Nikon DSLR all over the place.

Having never been to Florida, how warm is it in the fall?

I am rather prone to allergy attacks from things like perfume. Will I need to take antihistamines to battle the smells on main street?

Is it true that Florida tap water is wretched? Do we need to buy bottled water? Do they sell it at the resorts? For a reasonable price?

Is the room service pizza good? How expensive is it?

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stars stars welcome stars stars Feel free to reach our for suggestion. We love Pop century, true it's not the Contemporary but you still have a fun themed disney resort with a fair amount of amenities. Still magical to us. Make sure you keep an eye out for specials specific to you as a Canadian or work with a disney specialized travel agent. There are traditionally a great deal of specials in the Fall. lots of people love space mountain but it is a roller coaster so be aware. We are not into coasters due to not enjoying the drop sensation so it's not on our list. If you really want a contemporary experience you might try having a reservation for a meal at the California grill at night during wishes or even spending the final night of your trip there.

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welcome ,
I really think most of your questions depend on what you are use to. To us it is still very warm in the fall in Florida. We are leaving in a week and it looks like the temps will be an average of 85 for the high and somewhere in the 60's for the low.

I will agree with what you have read about Florida water. YUK!!! I will not drink nor will I even brush my teeth with it. We are lucky enough to go pretty often now so I am getting a bit use to it but still will not drink it. When we first started going it bothered me so much that I could even taste it in their coffee and will in drinks in which they used ice. They do sell bottled water everyone on property. As far as is it expensive...again it depends. It is more expensive that going off property and buying it but is also a lot less than we pay for it at most venues around here.

Their in room pizza will also depend on what you are use to. We do not care for it at all but we are use to closer to the New York style with very thin crust. Theirs is more of a deep dish style and neither of us care for that. Now that I think about it though, it was a long time ago we ordered the room service pizza. Maybe someone here has had it since and can tell you more about it.

As far as your allergies go I would make sure you take your meds with you on the trip. I am not sure that Disney's smells will bother you but there will be lots of flowers and trees blooming and odds are you will run into several people in which you will smell their perfume before you see them.

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Welcome to the best WDW forum on the web. You're going to love it here, and you're definitely going to love Walt Disney World. It is so much fun going as an adult! There is so much to see and do and the best part is, there is something for everyone. If you're not into thrill rides, there are really great themed rides which are a lot of fun but not scary! Mid-October is my favorite time of the year to go. Its still warm but not sticky hot, and the nights are nice and cool. Its also the Food & Wine Festival in Epcot (my favorite event of the year)! You found a great group here...we love WDW and we love to answer questions and give feedback, so ask away! Oh and if you're going for a week and have always dreamed of staying at the Contemporary, why not start at Pop Century and then spend one night over at the Contemporary...then you'll get the best of both worlds!

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We got pizza at the Boardwalk Pizza pick up window in September when we were there and it was pretty good. I think it was around $20 for a large pizza. We buy the big bottles of Dasani water (~750ml) to keep in the room - it's way cheaper than buying the smaller bottles. We do buy the smaller ones in the parks and the price is still $2.50, which to me is reasonable based on where you are. As scrappy says, the weather is still very nice in the fall. You may just need a sweater/light jacket in the evening depending on when you go, but if you do go around Canadian Thanksgiving, I'm pretty sure it will still be quite warm.

For a tour, we really enjoyed the Keys to the Kingdom tour - it's about 5 hours and it's all in MK and lunch is included. I would highly recommend it.

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welcome just wanted to say hi! We love Canada....been up the East Coast and over to Vancouver....hoping to hit Ontario and Quebec next!

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The scooters you can rent at the parks are on a first come basis and it has to stay in the park. One of the more popular wheelchair rentals is called Walker Mobility and they will deliver it to the resort for you and pick it up. I believe they may also send out a rep to you if the scooter stops working.

VelcroPooh

Welcome from someone else that is in her forties and just now going to DW in a couple of weeks! I will tell you that although I haven't been yet, one of the things I am looking forward to is MNSSHP! If you are going around the same time next year, you should look into it.

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Canadian Thanksgiving is a great time to go. We went last year, arriving the day after Thanksgiving. The weather was great, and I think we needed a light jacket only once or twice at night. The crowds were very manageable too.

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cdnsquirrel, I would recommend Buena Vista rentals also for the scooter. That's where we rented ours from in July. Did it right over the phone and it was great. They have a booth right on the Boardwalk http://www.buenavistascooters.com. No hassle, no problem.

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Welcome!

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Hello cdnsquirrel and welcome I loved hearing that one of your favorite Disney movies is the Rescuers! That is definitely one of my favorites as well and I think of it as kind of a forgotten classic Wink

I'm so excited for you to be taking your first WDW trip next fall! As several others on this thread have already mentioned...you will LOVE it!! I think your idea of having a few split days is a very good option. Let us know where you are thinking for your ADRs!

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Welcome, cdnsquirrel! We're glad you're here!

Your first trip?? That's SO exciting!!

WDW for Grownups actually did a great article on Scooter rentals this summer that you may want to check out:
http://www.wdwforgrownups.com/articles/mobility-assistance-rentals-walt-disney-world-vacations

Best of luck in your planning. We're glad to have you around!

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Hi and welcome CdnSquirrel Smile

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I am a bit late to the party but welcome

I find it helpful and interesting to read other people's trip reports, especially the detailed ones as it gives me ideas of new things to do and different ways to structure the trip and also things that don't appeal to me so much, I know I can skip.

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CdnSquirrel's picture
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I've been reading all kinds of trip reports!

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Hi and welcome and congrats on planning your first trip! Mid October is a fantastic time to go! Low crowds, Epcot Food & Wine Festival, and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party! Plus it was perfect weather when we were there around that tine last year: warn but not overbearingly hot and no rain!