Booked for 2018 and lots of questions!

maleficent_man

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 21, 2002
Hi everyone - nice to be back here! Last visited WDW in 2009 with my wife for our incredible Disneymoon and now booked to return mid-June 2018 with our two kids (6 and 4) along. We're pretty regular visitors to Disneyland Paris so will be an education getting back into how WDW does things - but super exciting! :)

Naturally, a fair few questions!

We've booked with Holiday Genie to fly with Virgin, 14 day Disney tickets included with the usual bits and pieces including Quick Service dining for us all at Caribbean Beach Resort. Anyone got any views on Holiday Genie - all ok? Do we get our magic bands or anything else other than hotel voucher ahead of travel?

I'm aware that there is refurb work going on there and dining may be affected but I think all pools and so on will be ok? Anyone know what it's likely to be like next June?

Magical Express - we've never used before but it's included - I noticed on our ATOL confirmation, times for this 17:30 after a 15:45 arrival and 4pm for 19:40pm departure. How does this work - do we collect our bags and go to a desk? When we arrive at the resort do we collect our bags off the bus or do they get transferred to our rooms (by pixie dust...).

Tickets - we're not bothered about tickets starting on arrival day as we'll just settle in but would like them on our departure day but if starting on arrival would that be the 15th day and therefore not possible?

I'll have loads more questions but any help/advice would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!
 
I can't answer everything but magic bands are ordered through MDE and then picked up when you check into your hotel.

They're currently doing a LOT of refurb work and new areas - you could try and ask to be away from the construction though, which will be ongoing when you visit - food court will be back up and running though.

With ME - I'm suprised they gave you pick up times at all, but ignore them both for now - when you arrive you'll just head to the desk and they'll put you on the next bus to your resort, whatever time it is. On the way back, you receive a time for the bus in an envelope on your door the night before - it's usually 4 to 4.5 hours before flight time for international flights.

Tickets - they have historically worked on the 15th day if you've not been to a park at all on one of the 14 days - not sure if that's still the case. You probably won't want to visit a park on arrival day anyway - your kids will be far too tired and will probably be asleep from 5pm.

Happy planning!
 
Ive not got too much advice, just how exciting. Your little ones are going to love it, they're at a great age!

I've heard that tickets can work on your last day, at the minute we plan on going to the parks on our last day too but weather depending. We don't want it to be too hot. We usually go to Disney springs on our last day but we are using the Virgin check in at Disney springs so won't have our luggage to put all the goodies in.

Try and keep your hand luggage to a minimum. Last year we had 4 cases, 2 trunkies, stroller, car seat and 3 pieces of hand luggage and really struggled :scared:

The planning is one ( if not the best ) of the best bits :)
 
If you put the tags on your bags before you get to departing airport you will have your bags automatically in your room.
 


If you put the tags on your bags before you get to departing airport you will have your bags automatically in your room.
Brits don't get the tags for bags that would allow them to be checked right through to your room. We have to pick our cases up at MCO (even if we've done immigration earlier in the USA) and take them to the ME.

Mrs TT
 
Brits don't get the tags for bags that would allow them to be checked right through to your room. We have to pick our cases up at MCO (even if we've done immigration earlier in the USA) and take them to the ME.

Mrs TT

This. The perils of being a U.K. visitor :)
 
No idea about HG as always book direct, but ME is free for anyone booked in an onsite hotel. You collect your luggage in the terminal, then if possible take it with you on the "train" to transfer to the other terminal for the ME. You can, after clearing customs, leave your bags to be transferred for you, but you will have to wait and collect them all over again in the second terminal. (As others have said, no magic luggage labels for us Brits). Then follow the signs to the ME desk, give them your hotel reservation number and they will tell you which line to wait in. You just get on the next bus, with your luggage.

Your ticket should work on you departure day if you don't use it on arrival day - it should be for 14 days from first use.

Don't know about refurb work, but have enjoyed CBR in the past.
 


Thanks for the replies everyone! Can any also advise re regulations for car seats? We have two kids will be almost 7 and 5 when we go.
 
No car seats needed for ME or park buses from the resorts. The couple of times we have rented a car when son was younger we hired a seat as well as didn't want to drag our own along. Once he got to booster seat size we got a "bubblebum" which worked well.
 
Car seat regulations are a lot less stringent than they are in the U.K.- basically an infant must be restrained in their car seat (rear facing) a toddler (2-3) must be restrained in their car seat (5 point harness thing can be forward facing) and 4-5 must be in a booster seat. Post 5 years they do not need anything by law to travel in a car/vehicle. So with a 5 and 7 year old- neither will need a car seat or booster. However it's how you feel travelling with them and not having one. For me that depends on their height and weight- for example not being in a car seat or booster can position the seatbelt incorrectly on a child-the lap piece not being correctly against the hips and the body strap cutting into the neck or across their face (!) our dd is only 7 but is tall enough not to need a booster seat in the uk but we still have her in one for the positioning of the belt. US cars are also bigger than most UK ones so what works here may not work there (depending on what car you drive etc...)

Thanks for the replies everyone! Can any also advise re regulations for car seats? We have two kids will be almost 7 and 5 when we go.
 

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