Hi, I'll list my questions and thank you in advance to anyone who can answer!

1. Any idea how many times a day Beauty and the Beast Live is done at DHS? (We'll be there on a Sunday, if that makes a difference)?

2. Now that Fantasmic is only two nights per wekk rather than every night, is it packed? Are we likely to have decent seats with the dining package?

3. Where can I find characters from Ratatouille (Remy, especially) in DHS or MK?

4. Where can I find Pinocchio and Gepetto?

5. Can I find Ariel or Pocahontas anywhere at DHS or MK?

6. What is American Idol taking the place of, and if you aren't interested in auditioning how much time would you spend at the attraction? I can't really imagine how this AI experience will be. We will be there right after it opens - how long of a wait should we expect?

7. What's the Magic of Disney Animation, and are there characters to meet there?

8. We made priority seating reservations last August, do most people call when it gets closer to re-confirm?

9. In Fantasyland in MK there was a palce where you could meet Ariel. Is that gone, and replaced by the meeting Tinkerbell and Fairies area? What's that like, and is it still new enough that the lines are LONG?

10. Here's a packing question - two of us use hair mousse, and the container has too many ounces to be carry-on, but can something like that be in the checked luggage? Any suggestions?

11. We will be there President's Week, Sunday and Monday. I know it's considered peak time, but with the economy as it is does any one have an idea of how bad the crowds will be? I've only been to WDW in early/mid May and early/mid October.

12. I've heard there's some kind of water light pageant in the lake - any idea of the time and if it's every night of the week? How would I get further information about that?

13. The night we arrive we have PS at Chef Mickey's around 6:30. If the fireworks are at 9pm that night we might stay around the area to watch them without going to a park. Any good locations to watch them from?

14. Any suggestions for town cars companies we should use? We decided to splurge on one instead of doing the Magic Express.

Thanks a bunch for any info!!!

I'm in the midst of planning our family's trip to WDW, so I'm not even going to pretend to know most of the answers to your questions.

I strongly suggest studying the WDW website. There is a staggering amount of information there -- especially about entertainment and attractions. There's also a little bit of information about Characters & which ones you might see where.

As far as the hair mousse ... if it's an aerosol can (which I'm guessing it is), you are not allowed to pack it in your checked baggage. If it's a "normal" size container (i.e. too big to fit into a quart-size ziploc), you can't carry it on. I would recommend just buying a can of it when you get to Orlando, then just leaving the unused portion behind in the hotel room when you leave at the end of your trip. I've done that with aerosol hairspray in the past (though now I'm pretty much a pump girl :p ).

1. Any idea how many times a day Beauty and the Beast Live is done at DHS? (We'll be there on a Sunday, if that makes a difference)? I like to look at this website (http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/) for entertainment schedules. He only posts for the 'current' week, but it should give you an idea.

2. Now that Fantasmic is only two nights per wekk rather than every night, is it packed? Are we likely to have decent seats with the dining package? I honestly have no idea aobut how packed it is - but they aren't going to sell any more dining packages than they have seating for, and for the most part, the whole theater is pretty good seating - some better than others, but all the package seats are to the side anyway (not center front) so you should get fine seats if you plan to go that way.

3. Where can I find characters from Ratatouille (Remy, especially) in DHS or MK?

4. Where can I find Pinocchio and Gepetto?

5. Can I find Ariel or Pocahontas anywhere at DHS or MK?For characters, check in at guest services at the park, or you can also look at the entertainment website for additional info. I"ve seen Pocahontas at Epcot and AK, but I don't look for characters, so couldn't tell you if she is regularly at the Studios. Ariel has her dedicated area in the MK and a show (but no meet and greet associated) at the Studios. Don't know about Remy and I don't recall seeing Pinocchio or Gepetto much (if at all, outside of parades).

6. What is American Idol taking the place of, and if you aren't interested in auditioning how much time would you spend at the attraction? I can't really imagine how this AI experience will be. We will be there right after it opens - how long of a wait should we expect?I think it took the place of the Superstar Television - but not totally sure. It wasn't anything 'good' that had been going recently! I have NO idea how long it will take or how long you'll have to wait. Let us know when you get back!

7. What's the Magic of Disney Animation, and are there characters to meet there? It used to be actual working animation studios (until they closed it down. They have a wide range of things there, including character meet and greets.

8. We made priority seating reservations last August, do most people call when it gets closer to re-confirm? I don't usually, but if you're just a little nervous, go to the concierge desk at your resort and have them print all your ADRs for you, so you can double check.

9. In Fantasyland in MK there was a palce where you could meet Ariel. Is that gone, and replaced by the meeting Tinkerbell and Fairies area? What's that like, and is it still new enough that the lines are LONG?Pixies are in Toon Town at MK, I"m pretty sure Ariel hasn't moved.

10. Here's a packing question - two of us use hair mousse, and the container has too many ounces to be carry-on, but can something like that be in the checked luggage? Any suggestions?I've had mousse/mousselike products in my checked bag multiple times - no issues.

11. We will be there President's Week, Sunday and Monday. I know it's considered peak time, but with the economy as it is does any one have an idea of how bad the crowds will be? I've only been to WDW in early/mid May and early/mid October. sorry, my crystal ball is in the shop. It's really hard to say. The weekend is likely to be more crowded than otherwise, but you might not see a difference in the crowds.

12. I've heard there's some kind of water light pageant in the lake - any idea of the time and if it's every night of the week? How would I get further information about that? According to the entertainment page I linked to earlier, it's every night, about 10:30 (depending on the resort you're viewing it from).

13. The night we arrive we have PS at Chef Mickey's around 6:30. If the fireworks are at 9pm that night we might stay around the area to watch them without going to a park. Any good locations to watch them from? I think you could watch them from outside the hotel on the same level as Chef Mickey's (balcony sort of thing) but I don't know if that has been blocked by the new DVC construction or not. Poly beach is another option.

14. Any suggestions for town cars companies we should use? We decided to splurge on one instead of doing the Magic Express. Sorry, I've never used one. You might want to search in the transportation forum for that one, though.

As far as the hair mousse ... if it's an aerosol can (which I'm guessing it is), you are not allowed to pack it in your checked baggage.
Really? I've checked aerosols lots of times.

11. We will be there President's Week, Sunday and Monday. I know it's considered peak time, but with the economy as it is does any one have an idea of how bad the crowds will be? I've only been to WDW in early/mid May and early/mid October.


Been there for President's Day the last couple of years. There's a crossover crowd between the Daytona 500 (Sunday), families with school-age children taking advantage of February vacations, and crowds beginning to arrive for ESPN weekend (the following weekend), but I wouldn't come close to calling them "peak" crowds. With the economy in the condition it's in, it should be slightly lighter as well.

I just checked the TSA website (http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm) and it says the following are not allowed in checked bags:
Aerosol (any except for personal care or toiletries in limited quantities)

So you CAN bring personal care toiletries in aerosol cans.

4. We saw Pinocchio walking into MK and we saw Jiminy Cricket in AK

5. We saw Ariel in MK and at Akershus and Pocahontas at AK

10. I brought aerosol products with me in May, Lysol and Mousse

I like to look at this website for entertainment schedules. He only posts for the 'current' week, but it should give you an idea.

Drince - You are awesome! I'm guessing this is like the times guide, I can't pull it up from work and if it is, I am SUPER excited because I was trying to think if there was anywhere other than that park you could get the times guide so that I can park hop effectively on my 4 day trip in April.

I like to look at this website for entertainment schedules. He only posts for the 'current' week, but it should give you an idea.
Drince - You are awesome! I'm guessing this is like the times guide, I can't pull it up from work and if it is, I am SUPER excited because I was trying to think if there was anywhere other than that park you could get the times guide so that I can park hop effectively on my 4 day trip in April.

It's basically like the times guide, but has some items that aren't published on the public times guide. I THINK he uses the CM times guide equivalent as his source. Now April (depending on when compared to Easter) coudl be a bit different from the current (January) schedule, since they do tend to add things when it gets busier.

...
So you CAN bring personal care toiletries in aerosol cans.

Heh -- I think the signs I've seen at the airport just said "no aerosol cans," but failed to mention the personal care/toiletries exception. Either that, or it was in the fine print & I never looked that closely.

Thanks for the info -- that's good to know! :D

It's basically like the times guide, but has some items that aren't published on the public times guide. I THINK he uses the CM times guide equivalent as his source. Now April (depending on when compared to Easter) coudl be a bit different from the current (January) schedule, since they do tend to add things when it gets busier.

We are going after I THINK Spring Breaks should be over. We are arriving on the 21st, which is a Tuesday, does he post on Sun? Isn't that when the times guides change or Sat? You better believe that those last few days I'll be on there like a crazy person so I can see Wishes or Illuminations at least once AND get better seats for Spectromagic AND maybe see some shows:) OOOOOOHHHHHHH.....I CAN'T WAIT!!! Last year when I was trip planning someone had suggested APs and I thought what the heck would I do with those living in VA. This will be our second trip in 12 months, giving us 11 or 12 total WDW days, so depending on if I stay Disney crazy the following 12 months after this visit, I might have to break down and get APs:eek:

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