Disney 2010 - Downtown Disney

Day 6: Downtown Disney and Flying Home

On our last day in Disney, we decided to venture over to Downtown Disney to see what it was all about. There were a few cool stores and restaurants, but I'm glad that we didn't give up park time to come here. Our main destination at Downtown Disney was T-Rex, a dinosaur restaurant recommended to us by our friends the Dawsons. It was definitely worth the trip over there, even just for lunch.

The entire inside of the restaurant was like a big dinosaur cave filled with all kinds of realistic dinosaurs and a meteor shower that happened every 15-20 minutes. We couldn't stop commenting about how much Brady's cousin, Carter, would have LOVED this restaurant.

We were seated in the "ice cave" that kept changing colors throughout our meal. It was right in the middle of the restaurant, so we could see everything!

Though the meals were a little expensive, they were comparable to eating in a restaurant in a Disney park. Brad had the most amazing ribs ever! ...and he enjoyed this dino-sized beer before heading off to the airport!

One other stop in Downtown Disney was DisneyQuest. Our travel agent convinced us to get the water park passes which also included passes to Disney Quest which is a building filled with virtual rides. It was fun, but definitely not worth paying extra for.

Before heading back to the airport, we were hell bent on using up all our dining plan. We hustled over to the food court at our resort and bought pizzas, snacks, and waters with the rest of our plan. Surprisingly, we succeeded and we made it back in time for the bus to the airport.
Disney travel tips:
1) October was a wonderful time to visit Disney, there were virtually NO lines or waiting and the weather was warm enough to visit the pools, but not unbearable during the day. I have also heard that the first two weeks of December and January/February are also not busy months, though it is much cooler and you may not be able to swim.

2) It was well worth staying in the resort and taking the Disney Express to and from the airport.

3) The Disney meal plan is a MUST. I would only get it however, if it is thrown in your package for free. I have heard a rumor that they are stopping the Disney dining plan in September of 2011.

4) If traveling with babies in strollers, spring for a resort that is accessible via the monorail. Getting on and off those buses with strollers just looks miserable. If your child is old enough, rent the strollers at the park instead of bringing your own. There is also a stroller rental service in Orlando (Orlando Stroller Rental). Though expensive, it seems worth the convenience.

5) Pin Trading - Pin trading throughout the parks was tons of fun. Some of the best advice we got from our travel agent was to go on eBay and buy a pack of pins before heading down there. I think that we paid around $20 for 20 pins. It doesn't matter which ones you get because you can trade them for ones that you do want from the "cast members" working in the parks. Each of the pins at the parks can run from $8 and up per pin, so this was a perfect way to get in on the action without spending a fortune. Beware of "fake" pins from China...they are clearly less quality and feel cheaper and lighter than the authorized Disney pins.

6) For some reason our travel agent talked us into getting the water park package. This would only be good if you are staying for a long time, have done all the parks, and have older children (late elementary school and above). Not worth it for younger kids. The pools at the resorts have slides and splash parks which are all that the elementary crowd really needs.

7) Park Hopper Pass - We added the park hopper pass on when we arrived. I liked the flexibility of being able to miss a fireworks show at one park and being able to go back the next night. I also didn't like the idea of my park for the day being dictated by where my sit down meal reservation was. Though I wouldn't plan on hopping too much, it is nice to have that flexibility.

8) Nothing beats the Magic Kingdom. Yes, all the Disney parks are amazing, but the Magic Kingdom has something special about it that no other park has. If you only have a day or two to spend at Disney, don't waste your time with all the other parks. Magic Kingdom is where it's at!

9) Talk to the people that work there, they have great tips that you won't find on the Internet or in guide books. Let them know your plans for the day and listen to their suggestions on what you should do. You don't always have to follow them, but I did learn that Peter Pan at Magic Kingdom often has a longer wait that Space Mountain! Also, Dumbo is the longest wait without a FastPass. Only people that are there that often would know information like this!