New... Excited... Confused...

[ty_n_cy]

Hi everybody... our first ever Disney World trip has kind of snuck up on us. It began as a "ha-ha" discussion... and then the DVD showed up... and then the website became a fixture on our PC... and now... we've booked our resort stay and we've got a TON of planning to do.

For now... I'll introduce ourselves, and then... based on how things appear to be set up, I'll begin our pre-trip report.

Myself... Chuck. I'm 30 years old and a life-long resident of Morris County, New Jersey.

My wife... Tiffany. She's 28 years old, and she was born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey. After some coaxing, I managed to get her to move out here to 'the country'... she's coming around, albeit... slowly.

Oldest child, only son... Tyler. He's 9 years old, and for awhile, was the ONLY child. As I said... he's nine. Don't know if I need to say much more.

Middle child, oldest daughter... Madison. She's 3 years old. She's the princess of the family. Blonde and blue... all sweet, except when she's not.

Youngest child, youngest daughter, probably the last... Brielle. She's 2 years old. Just turned two and she's got the attitude to prove it. Complete opposite of Madison with dark hair and eyes.

So, that's us. We're fun... we're young(ish) and we're excited, but as I posted in my title... oh-so confused.

There is a lot of planning to be done, and only a little under 2 months to do it in. That will be on the pre-trip report that I'll start shortly.

'Til then... thanks for reading.

[ToddyLu]

:cool1:Welcome to the Dis!! Let us know if we can help you. My husband and I do not have children but we have several nieces and nephews. Our next rip will be Oct.28-Nov.6. I might not can help on doing Disney with Kids but I am sure I can help in other areas. There are so many smart people here and they give great advice. Have a wonderful time!! I am 40 and DH is 44 and we are Disney addicts--the Dis is my crack!!:lmao:

[Metro West]

http://bestsmileys.com/welcome/17.gif

[nm0859]

:welcome:

Check out all the boards...You can get some really useful info....Anything from where to eart, stroller swaps, etc. Caution though cuz once you start on these you can not stop. ;) Some other good sites are allears.net and touringplans.com. Touringplans has itinerieries (sorry for the spellling) on them that I am finding useful for planning with my four year old. Good luck and happy hunting on the boards. :cloud9:

[Kelblum]

Have a great time! You will be hooked just like the rest of us!!

[JoanneNC]

:welcome::welcome::welcome:

Dh and I also grew up in Jersey - LBI/Ocean County here...

Planning is almost as much fun as the trip itself.

[MarkinNM]

:welcome:

to the boards!!!


Happy planning

[Aliceacc]

Hi and welcome from Long Island!

Some basics:
Are you staying on site or off?

if your'e on site, have you considered the meal plan? It would probably be a great deal for you: $40 per day for adults, $10 per day for kids ages 3-9 (your youngest would presumably pick off other people's plates.) For that you get a table service meal each day (that includes most of the character meals), a counter service meal, and a snack-- basically a day's food. You would be feeding your family for $100 per day-- at Disney that's good!

MEal plan or not, think about booking some character meals ASAP. Chef Mickey's is a good choice-- a buffet dinner with Mickey, Minnie and the crew going table to table giving autographs and posing for pictures. My kids (and the 2 of us as well) also enjoyed the Cinderella dinner at 1900 Park FAre and dinner at the Coral Reef in Epcot.

Invest in some autograph books for the kids. I got our at www.laughingplacestore.com for about $6 each last year, though you can probably find them at Michaels or any craft store.

I'm a big proponent of parkhopper passes. They allow you to switch parks when the weather or crowds make you question your first choice. They also make it easy to enjoy lots of the wonderful Epcot restaurants while still getting your fix of the other parks.

[Disneydonnam]

Welcome to the Disboards

[pepe of ohio]

The most perfect time to experience Disney, while the children are young and can get a grip on what it's all about. We're not dining plan people, too much money, time and scheduling. For a first trip I'd keep it all to a miniumin, too much to see, take in and understand. Get some books and brush up on the park layouts, same for resorts. Best of all, take it slow and easy, you'll never do it all, we got 42 trips and still going and experiencing. Pick a few choice things to do, one character meal and keep it simple. Our best times come from the noon break resort pool lunch, totally family time. you'll catch the bug and once bitten.........

[nm0859]

I totally agree with the afternnon break. Thats why I like the touring plans intenerary as it builds inthat break time with small children.

[shass150]

welcome to the boards!!

[mdetloff]

Welcome to the boards and have fun planning.:banana:

[ty_n_cy]

Thanks everybody! I've already used a lot of the suggestions I read from you and I've booked a few more dining experiences. I've begun my pre-trip report, and I'll post the link later when I've reached the 10 post minimum.

I appreciate everybody's input and look forward to hearing more.

Thanks for reading!

[sassysasha]

:welcome:

[DWFan4Life]

I just wanted to say welcome to DISboards and may you have a great time, have fun and enjoy in your upcoming trip. Looking forward in hearing more from you after you came back.

Have a nice and fun planning. :)

[MRNsMommy]

Welcome!
What are your dates? We'll be there at the end of May! I'll have to go and try to find your PTR! Have fun planning!

[ty_n_cy]

Welcome!
What are your dates? We'll be there at the end of May! I'll have to go and try to find your PTR! Have fun planning!

Hi! Thanks for the welcome! We'll be there from May 21st through May 28th.

Where are you staying, and what dates will you be there?

[MRNsMommy]

Our trips are pretty much during the same time. We'll be there the 23rd - 29th...staying at SSR. How about you?