Tall Lady

You need prayers, you got 'em! Love to read about your love for those kids...and the doggie. :)

Ok, thank you all!

Seriously, a huge thanks for all the help. Are wait times (this will be on Friday, September 26) long for rides? We usually buy fast passes at other parks if those are available. However, I know there's not an option like that here.

Did you rent a premium chair (the one with the umbrella)?

Sorry if this is a post elsewhere. If so, just direct me there. However, we are headed back in September and want to add a day at a water park to our fun. We (my husband and I) will have an almost 9 y.o. daughter and (newly turned) 3-year-old son with us. Which water park do you recommend and why? My daughter LOVES water parks and will choose Splash Country over Dollywood any day.Thanks!

Another question with character meals: What is the tipping protocol for Cinderella's Royal Table? We are booked for breakfast on Sept 21. We've already prepaid but I wondered should I plan to bring $25 for a tip? Is that tacky? Or is that the way to do it? Any help is much appreciated. This is our first time eating there.

We faxed, put it on the reservation, and called and got our desired loop and spot. So something works....just don't know which one.

WOW! So much to be excited about this year. Thanks for all the updates. :jumpforjoy

My daughter picked-up the books last time we were there because she loved it so much. But, I agree, it might be time to go.

All great suggestions! We love Stone Mountain, but it really is a "all-you-can-see-in-one-day" type place. You can make two days out of it if you hike and make sure to ride the Ducks! The aquarium and Coke museum are a once every five years type places. And (IMO) you can't beat watching a Braves game with the family. :)

Yay for Dollywood! We are Gold Superpass owners. It's our Disney away from Disney (only a 3 hour drive)! Have a blast!

This is great!

Fantastic info! Thank you!

Gwen, do you think the cake at Tusker House will be overkill?

Oh yes, I'm aware. But we are two 6-foot-tall people with two hungry kids. I actually eat many small meals all day, so I think this set-up is better for me than a buffet of sorts. My husband and I plan to share, so we can try a lot. And even though we are mainly craft beer drinkers, we definitely want to try the different drinks offered at the booths.

Totally taboo question: however would anyone like to tell me what they have spent buying food/drinks during a day at Epcot for Food & Wine Festival? Or better yet, what a "friend" has spent? We plan to spend 1.5 days in Epcot during this time. Since it's our first time (& we'll have two kids with us), we just plan to hit all the "included with ticket" stuff...which pretty much means all the booths in the countries. We are not picky eaters and enjoy most adult beverages, so I'm trying to consider my budget. Any help with a realistic amount to spend is helpful. Thanks!

You also have to call and book it. To my knowledge, you can not do this online yet. Also, you need to keep all your reservation info. This stuff doesn't show-up online in any of your reservations. Again, this was as of December last year. We took my daughter to celebrate her birthday. She is 8. She had a blast. It really was worth it. However, we did bring our own dress. My mother-in-law handmade a Belle dress for her. A quick tip: bring cash to tip the Fairy-Godmother-in-training. I did not realize this and there was no option to tip through my credit card or magic band. I felt awful walking

Kelly, I thought about you as we are planning another trip for September this year. We are celebrating my son's third birthday this time. He will actually turn 3 on September 25, while we are there. We plan to celebrate at TRex in DD. However, the day before we plan to celebrate with lunch at the Tusker House as well. We failed to do the cake for my daughter last year. BUT since it's his birthday and he adores Mickey, I REALLY want to do the Mickey cake for him. Can I get that done at TRex? Or I should I just plan for the Tusker House, as I hear their desserts aren't the best...maybe just the

Newbie question: Are the concerts in the same location as the Christmas concerts at Epcot? And how does the concert series work? Get there so many minutes early?

We are definitely having a leisure day the next day. I'll check out your April post. I loved your stuff for our trip last December.

What are their typical hours right now? Are they daylight restricted?

The time frame definitely helps! I never know how long meals last.

A little off topic, but has anyone done a TREX birthday party? Any special items/requests? We are planning lunch or dinner there on my son's third birthday.

Talked to the hubs and forgot this is our long day, park hoping to Epcot till midnight. So, I think we are going to pick lunch instead. Now I'm torn between early versus late lunch. What's with the Yeti? I remember seeing behind the scenes stuff and thought it swatted at riders during the drop. But I haven't noticed that when we rode. Is that what you were referencing, Carol?

Ah....great point!