Rookie mistakes

[Fargoman2]

We are headed to WDW in August with a family of 5, kids are 3, 9 and 12.

Having never been there before, I fear making some "rookie mistakes" that will prevent us from getting the maximum enjoyment.

What are some classic "rookie mistakes" to avoid? Trying to do too much? too little? etc.

[Desnik]

Dh and I laugh now about the rookie mistakes we made on our first trip together in '97, it was our honeymoon. First, it was JULY, that was our first mistake LOL:eek: It was unbearably HOT:mad: Another rookie mistake is goig early and doing one park from opening till closing!! This is just our opinion, but we have never done that again. It is much better for us to do EE in that park which is having it that day, then in the afternoon, take a break out of the park, for lunch at another resort, or go back to our resort to go lay by the pool or swim. Then go to a different park that night. This has worked out much better for us. Also, not having any PS for our meals and not learning about the different food options and restaurants. I don't know about you, but when DH and I are hungry, watch out!! We can get alittle nasty LOL!!!:rolleyes: Now we are very familiure with the restaurants and food and we make PS for at least one meal per day. That's all I can think of now, if I remember more I'll post them. Hope I can help you out alittle. Ask if you have any specific questions;) :bounce: :pinkbounc

[SandraC]

EXCELLENT POST!

ROOKIE MISTAKES ~ DO'S and DON'T

(1) DO use FASS PASS, I don't get the folks who don't use it.
(2) DO at least ONE character meal!
(3) DON'T let the "buggers" get to you. We aren't rookies anymore, but I was a bit overwhelmed sometimes when entering a park and there were thousands of people who didn't know where to go.
(4) DO know where you are going. LOL. Have a basic plan of what you want to do upon arrival at a park.
(5) Pack half the clothes and twice the money!
(6) SWIM SWIM SWIM
(7) SMILE SMILE SMILE
(8) DON'T Fret the things you missed, enjoy the things you've seen.
(9) Enjoy down time ~ although it's Disney and there are lots of things to do, you are still on vacation and should REST!
(10) PREPARE PREPARE PREPARE ~ but also be PREPARED to ABORT THE PLAN, ABORT THE PLAN, ABORT THE PLAN!

HAVE FUN!

[codfish]

My first and biggest mistake at WDW was staying at the MK late enough to watch Tinkerbell & the fireworks. Tink's flight and the fireworks were great but getting out of the MK with everyone else was a nightmare. If you stay at a Disney resort, your bus/boat/monorail will let you off and pick you up at the MK gates. If you are staying at a non-Disney hotel (and we had a free week at the Downtown Disney Hilton) then you have the inconvenience of parking near the TTC and either ferrying across, or monorailing around a lagoon in order to get to the MK. It's a not so subtle way that Disney makes their properties more attractive. It took us two hours to get back to our Downtown Disney hotel from the MK that night, never again. Either leave earlier, stay until they kick you out or try to get a good rate at any MK Disney resort (you can walk from the MK to the Contemporary). It's really only a problem at the end of the day when everyone leaves at once, otherwise the ferry ride is very enjoyable.

[merryweather's twin]

I have only one thing to add. Pack moleskin and something to cut it... Have a great trip!:p

[NCRedding]

I second the idea of the advance PS's. When we went in January of 2000, DH said "We don't need to have a plan for eating, we'll just show up--we'll get in" First night--1/2, a Saturday, and DH decides he wants LeCellier. Fat chance--guess who threw the biggest fit. We ended up eating somewhere on 192 and having a less than satifying meal--we were all cranky. I would not go without PS now. Also, realize that you can't do or see it all. Pick your top favorites; swim at the resort pool, sit on a bench and people watch.

[lodgelady]

You did not say if you were staying on or off site, but either way, the first time we went to the MK we drove thinking that that would allow us to leave in the middle of the day if we wanted....well, I wasn't prepared for the HUGE crowd pushing and shoving to get onto a monorail at the TTC for MK opening (the paddleboats couldn't run because of fog!) so it was a horrible way to start the day. We were staying onsite and could have taken the bus, but it was a non EE morning-so we thought it would be no problem. The moral: when staying onsite you can drive to the other parks, but ALWAYS take the bus to the MK! :earsgirl:

[TinkTink]

SandraC writes:
(5) Pack half the clothes and twice the money!

DITTO - You'll end up buying t-shirts and want to wear em, you won't want the jeans, you don't need the fancy stuff...

[Gillian]

look over the park maps before you go & get a feel for where everything is. you'll want to have some idea of what you want to see & when, even if you aren't doing commando touring!

[jwfla422]

I agree with checking out the maps. Have a little game plan on how you want to cover the park(s) for that day. I know many people go without any type of itenerary but it real helps to have an idea of what attractions you want to see the most and an idea of what you want to do that day. And, definitely take advantage of Fast Pass, (I would never stand in line again for an attraction that has FP).

If you are staying on property, I totally encourage you to just spend a few hours at a time in the parks, you can go back later. You are going to WDW during a very busy and very hot time, so you will need breaks from the parks. If you going for several days, spend one day doing fun things around the resort your staying at or just tour the resorts (that's fun). Swim at your hotel. Go to DD. Take a break from the parks (need I say it again).
Rent a boat or some bikes.

Have lunch or breakfast at a resort and check out the area. Make PS seating. I do for every meal everytime we go, if we can't make the time or the meal I'll just call and cancel or reschedule. In many cases you can make PS that morning for the same day.

A lot of these options do also depend whether or not you're staying on property. I could never imagine going to the world and staying off property anymore because many of our favorite things to do are at the resorts and the convenience is just that, convenient.

You definitely want to bring lots of sunscreen, rain ponchos and humor. Have fun!
http://www.marshantiques.com/clipart/dancecindy.gif
24 days and counting...

[rogers803]

Great Replies! :bounce: Bump :bounce:

[rbuzzotta]

My kids are similiar in ages to yours. Let the kids look over maps and decide what they want to see and do in the parks. This may mean splitting up for a few hours. My youngest can't do Splash Mt. and the bigger rides so I take her over to Winnie the pooh and It's a Small World. We plan a meeting somewhere in the middle at a certain time.

Also, make PS arrangements before you go. We usually do Chef Mickey's on arrival day to get us in the spirit of Disney. Great fun!!

Bring along mist bottles and buy some water bottles before you get to the parks. We go in July/August and go throught ALOT of water!!! At 2.75 a bottle in the park I would have to be a millionaire to keep my family hydrated!

If staying in the park, definitely take an afternoon break and head to the pools!!!!! It is hot in the parks.

Have a wonderful time! It's the happiest place on earth!!!!

[jjnb7709]

1. PS for character meals is easiest way to see them!

2. Use EE - you get more done in 2 hours than most
people do in a day!

3. Take breaks! Plan for and enjoy down time!

4. Unless this is a "once in a lifetime" trip, it's okay if
you don't do every thing!

[DisneyBound4Ever]

We have only gone once as a family, our biggest thing we learned was to take it easy and not try to do everything every day!!! It made for some cranky kids and therefore cranky parents at times!!

[DIZZYDISNEY]

Please help this first timmer! Where are the following restarants? crystal palace, hoop dee doo, contemporary Cheif Mickey. is cinderellas castle the same as the crystal palace? is the fantasma fireworks available in 8-25 to 8-28-01? thanks so much!!!!!!:confused:

[PooooohBear]

Not making and PS arrangements and not budgeting enough money.

[CindyAnn]

I think most of my advice would echo some that you've already received:

1) Use fastpass!
2) Make a PS for one meal per day so you know you'll be cool, full, and sitting down at least once every day.
3) Let everyone choose a few favourite things to do at each park, after you've read some good guidebooks.
4) Use the child swap if your youngest doesn't want to go on some of the "bigger" rides (One adult rides with the older kids while the other stays behind with the 3yo, and then the adults switch places. On many rides the older kids will get to ride twice, which is fun for them, too. You can do this even if you're holding a fastpass ticket for an attraction).
5) Use EE if you're staying on-site, and avoid the EE park like the plague if you're staying off-site.
6) If your 3 yo hates loud noises, consider taking ear plugs for shows or fireworks and bandaids to hide the electronic eye on the automatic flushing toilets. Without bandaids those toilets would have spoiled my 4yo DD's last vacation!
7) At least plan to the extent that you know what park you're doing on which day and which restaurant(s) you have a PS for. A plan of attack for which ride to go to in which order is helpful, too, but like Sandra says, you have to be willing to abort/re-think the mission if everyone is getting tired or cranky.
8) Bring or rent a stroller for your youngest, even if he/she doesn't normally use one at home. You'll be able to cover a lot more territory that way.
9) Take time to hit Blizzard Beach (my favourite for a family) or Typhoon Lagoon. Some kids like them better than any other attraction at Disney.
10) Make sure everyone is wearing sun-block, hats, and drinks lots of water in order to stay happy and healthy!

Most important of all - HAVE A BLAST!

[Cameo]

Hey Fargoman -

I'm from Bismarck. Plane tickets are killer aren't they?

Our biggest mistake as newbies was:
We went to the park that had EE even though we stayed off site and weren't eligible to get in early. If you don't go to Early Entry, make sure to attend a park that is not an EE park for that day.

With kids - take plenty of time to stop and smell the roses - literally and figuratively. My little one liked the monorail and water fountains the best.

Have a plan. Someone else said it best - plan, plan, plan and then be ready to change it at a moment's notice.

Also, don't forget to stay well hydrated. Being from up north, we don't always love the Florida heat and humidity (although it's better than hail somedays!). Make sure the kids (and adults) drink lots of water.

Hope you have the best time!

[babslittleones]

:bounce:

[cleo]

Don't underestimate the size of the place. Not just the parks, but the whole place! Plan for longer than you think you might need to get from one park to another, your resort to a park, the back of the park to the front, etc.

Not underestimating the size helps a lot when you're getting to a PS or planning your mid-day break.

And make sure you have fun! ;)

[kim]

Just remember that this is vacation. Take it slow. Take breaks and get cooled
off. Some of the shows are indoors (Little Mermaid, Hall of Presidents etc), in a cool dark theatre. That is very relaxing for my family. Buy mister fans at home (5.00) before you
go (parks-15.00).

Just remember to take your time. That can't be said enough. Have a great
time.

kim - going to the briar patch in only 25 more days!!!!

[hobogary]

Crystal Palace is to your right at the end of main street, NOT the same as Cindys castle. Hoop dee doo is in Ft Wilderness camp ground (boat from MK or Contemp, bus from everywhere else) Chef Mickeys is in the Contemp.

[DIZZYDISNEY]

Originally posted by DIZZYDISNEY
Please help this first timmer! Where are the following restarants? crystal palace, hoop dee doo, contemporary Cheif Mickey. is cinderellas castle the same as the crystal palace? is the fantasma fireworks available in 8-25 to 8-28-01? thanks so much!!!!!!:confused:

[DIZZYDISNEY]

thanks everyone for your help. do i need bug repellent?
is it ok at the caribbean beach resort? what is the earliest that the park buses run?
still dizzydisney:) :confused: :)

[RumpleMom]

WDW in July- August- My mistakes:

1) Packing pantyhose
2) Bringing jewelry to wear
3) Packing a pair of long pants in case there is a cool evening-ha!
4) Not bringing enough shoes and socks to be able to change into dry ones in the middle of the day,every day. Sneakers do not dry over night.
5) Not bringing a hat
6) Not bringing nongreasy sunscreen, also non-stinging for little ones' eyes
7) Thinking I would wear make-up. It just rolls off.
8) I knew the parks were big and knew we had to take transportation from park to park, but didn't truly understand the enormity of WDW. Thankfully we had the little ones walking with us at our local park several months prior to our trip. We all needed to build up stamina. This also broke in our tennis shoes, which you can't buy too soon because little feet grow so fast, but must be gotten used to.

[CatOne]

Cameo and kim gave great advice!! TAKE YOUR TIME. Notice the small things and enjoy them!! We went in May for the first time and rushed so much we hardly felt like we were even there!! We are going back in Dec. with a slightly different frame of mind. DO NOT pack a bunch of dress clothes unless you are going to V&A. We were actually quite over dressed for many of the places we visited for dinner. And have fun, no matter what. Sometimes people go to WDW thinking with all that magic nothing could possibly go wrong and if it does they take it very hard. IF something turns out to be a little less than perfect, oh well. There is always next time:-)


Happy Day
CatOne:bounce: :bounce:

[The Mystery Machine]

Our Rookie Mistakes

Cast includes, me, DH, DD's 4 & 10.

#1) Not getting up at 5-6am, the first day to take advantage of EE. Granted we were coming from HRH but we lost valuable MORNING park time when it isn't so HOT!

#2) Plan on only EE, if you can.

#3) Make breakfast/lunch/dinner PS's at MK BEFORE you leave. MK is packed and while they got us in at Liberty Tree for lunch, I could have made that PS for Cinderellas Castle for lunch before I left.

#4) I did buy the mister fans before I left, I would not have survived without them.

#5) Bring your stroller with a cooler full of ice and bottled water! If you buy a bottle of water in 10-15mins it is warm, even with the bottle huggie I had. We would buy water, drink, toss back into cooler, and it was always ice cold! That helped alot.

#6) Get out of the parks after lunch or we would leave park, grab fast food, then go back to room and rest/swim.

#7) Remember that even if you "plan" the shows you want to see, showtimes are limited, so it would be very tricky to get them all in.

[ckay87]

Just back from a 7-night stay. Was our first trip in 15 years! Anyway, I considered myself pretty well-informed thanks mostly to this board and a couple of books. Keep in mind that we have 2 young boys, 5 and 8. Two mistakes stand out in my mind:

1. We had been having so darn much fun at MGM that at mid-day my DH and I said to each other, "I don't think we need a break today, do you?" You can guess the outcome, though we managed to save the day with a nice dinner at Hollywood & Vine prior to Fantasmic.

2. I refused to go by any of the "touring plans" you will hear about in books such as the "Unofficial Guide." I still refuse to have someone else dictate my course through the theme parks. However, we spent way too much time studying guide maps, deciding what to do next, where things were, and how to proceed. On our last day, our 2nd day at Magic Kingdom, I sat at the table in our room early in the morning and poured over the guidemap and determined our exact course of action. With pencil and paper I drew up our own "touring plan" based upon what we still wanted to do and the physical locations of those attractions. We had the most productive, enjoyable day of the whole week.

Example:
-Go to Adventureland, get FP for Jungle Cruise
-Ride Pirates of Carribbean
-Ride Jungle Cruise
-Get FP for Big Thunder Mountain
-See Tiki Birds (my kids loved this, can you believe it?)
-Ride BTM

and so on, and so on. It was an itinerary, but loose and personalized. Even a prolonged thunderstorm and the subsequent closing of Jungle Cruise didn't throw us off.

So my suggestion would to be to somehow get a hold of park maps prior to going and, at the very least, know where things are, what you most want to see and when, and which of those attractions have fastpass.

Have fun!

[DISNEYFAMILY#1]

Don't try and do and see too much each day. Get to the parks at least a half an hour prior to opening and leave by noon or so. Enjoy the resort pool, rest and perhaps visit another park at night. Decide which rides the kids definitely want to do and get a fast pass for that ride as soon as you get into the park. Make PS ressies right away if you haven't already. Have an itinerary of what park you want to visit on which day. I've found that it helps to be organized when planning a disney vacation.
Be prepared for hot hot hot and hotter weather with daily afternoon showers. Sounds like a lot of work and details! LOL, but it's so worth it! Hope this helped and didn't scare you!!

[DIZZYDISNEY]

thanks soooo much to everyone who shared theretips and advice!!!!! i feel much better about the trip. i know ill have more ?s. cant think of them now!!! thanks again.:p :p :wave:

[King Triton]

Here's a tip for rookies. You must see Fantasmic - the best Disney show ever. Be sure to get the Fantasmic dinner package at MGM Studios. They'll give you a special pass to avoid waiting in line. Without it, you'll have to get there two hours before the show. Also, do not miss SpectroMagic night parade - it is simply awesome!! Have fun!!

King Triton

[DisneyFix]

I recommend getting Birnbaum's WDW For Kids By Kids and letting your kids read through it. It even shows them how to plan 'their' vacation and make lists for each park of the top 10 things they want to see/do. I like it more than I expected to for our soon-to-be 8 year old, and she feels like she's more involved in the planning now.

[2boys'mom]

Myself, dh, and ds 2yo and 5yo ds went in April 01.

1. Do not make dinner reservations across the world from where you are located. It is too hard to get there unless you drive or take a cab. Cabs are cheap, but they are hard to find. Keep a number handy. Example:WL to Flying Fish--an insane trip, took almost an hour. Took 10 minutes to return from Boardwalk with a cab.

2. Did not get a sitter for naptime on a couple of days. DH got to do RnR Rollercoaster at MGM and other things at Epcot while I sat on the balcony at WL wishing I could do something. It would have been worth it to me. The kids slept 2or 3 hours each afternoon.

3. Beware too many ps's. Felt like we had to go to them even if we would have saved time and money by not doing sit-down. However, I was glad that I had the ps's as shen I tried to change the times, there wasn't much available.

What we did that worked.

1.Did get a sitter for e-night. Very worth it. Felt good about the sitter after taking her with us to dinner at the hotel and talking to her before leaving the kids with her.

2.Plan a schedule but be flexible. We ended up only going to MGM for Fantasmic because needed more time for MK. It took us 4 days to do MK because the kids would only last about 4-5 hours then need a nap. Early entry is great at MK. We got the most done on those days.

3. Ds put his foot down. We have to use the pool every day. He loved the water slide and it was great fun.

4. Took time to enjoy the natural wildlife at WL. A vacation in itself.

[susy]

Some people don't like the" Unofficial Guide to WDW 2001", but I grew up in Florida and have been to Disney a million times and it does paint a very realistic picture of what to expect. After reading these boards and the book, I came up with my own touring plan for 2 days at MK with my son (first time for him). Lo and behold-it matched their touring plans exactly!!! They know what they are talking about. Buy the book! It is the perfect compliment to these boards! I got it at Barnes and Noble. Also , go to Deb's unofficial WDW site to look at rest. menus and make those PS's!!!!

[diana's mommie]

Go to Deb's web site is a great idea to decided how much you want to spend at Disney. I have it used to see if the DM was worth it for me and my Dh and it was. At one restaurant it will end up costing us 100 pp if we didn't have this package. Also go with the flow.:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[DIZZYDISNEY]

thanks for all the good advice and help posted here!!! it realy helps me to make planes for our familys first trip in aug. i will probably have more? but am sure i can find help here. thanks a lot!!!!!:p :D :wave:

[Coll0610]

Have everyone choose one or two things they really, really want to do, and then make sure you do them.

[BrerMom]

There were only one or two rides that my middle child wasn't tall enough to ride. He knew he couldn't ride them before we went and we had explained how the "baby swap" worked. I underestimated how disappointed he would really be while he was waiting. My solution was to let him buy a pin to trade whenever he had to wait. Since his sister got to ride the ride (he didn't) and he got to trade pins (she didn't), it kind of evened out.

I also underestimated the number of jars of baby food our baby would consume. We ended up making a trip to Wal-Mart. He ate twice as many jars at the World than at home!

One of the best things we did was stay on-site and we stayed eight days for our first trip. It was a financial stretch for us, but so nice to be able to go at a leisurely pace.

[BigWaveDave]

To throw $0.02 more in...

A critically important thing is to know your group and their limitations. For example, my family are not early risers, so the often-repeated suggestion to "get to the park before it opens" would result in screaming and mutiny in our room ;) .

Some people need a break in the afternoon. My kids (3 and 8 when we started going a few years ago) never napped in the afternoon, they would just keep going (no whining or anything; amazing!) until they hit the wall and passed out around 10 or 11pm. This is what "worked" for us. The key thing is to know your group, and don't be in denial about what your limitations are.

For us, it's better to go later, and stay later at night. This better fits with our natural "body clocks." Yeah, it's more crowded but we usually go during less-crowded times of the year anyway.

The biggest rookie mistake people make is to try to force the trip into some preconceived notion of what's there. If you've never been there, you can't really imagine what it's like. So, you've gotta be ready to adapt, or you'll spend the whole trip "fighting" the place.

Another thing we don't do is stress over spending $3.... When you're spending thousands and thousands of dollars on a vacation, it seems silly to get all worked up over spending $15 or $20 in a day on cold drinks or snacks. Yeah, maybe you could save $10 or $15 by buying the stuff at Publix and smuggling it in. But, that's what you do the rest of the year; you're on vacation; relax!

Have fun!

[catwho]

I'm a planner (dh says "overplanner") but we still ended up having a few oopses.

1. Not know about Baby Swap!

2. Forgetting a hat for MOM! (Kids had them and dh had planned to by a safari hat)

3. Not taking enough water the first day.

4. Not staying for the fireworks the first time.

5. Not having a copy of WDW with Kids!!! (A must!!!!)

As for staying late for the fireworks, the key is to find a nice fairly empty spot (we found that the outside eating terrace at Plaza Pavillion. Good view. Peak times it may not be available as they seat Package Guests there. We found it a great place. Then instead of trying to beat the crowds to transit, "mosey" around, pick up some fresh baked goodies for breakfast on Mainstreet and leisurely enjoy the nightlife at WDW. The CM's will gently herd you towards the exits, but we've never had anyone give us any trouble. There is not hurry to get to transit from MK because the people movers run for another hour and a half after official closing time for those that took the monorail over to Epcot.

Oh, Park at MK and take the monorail over to Epcot even if you don't plan on going into MK. You don't have to deal with parking hassles (as most of the MK parking lot will be empty by the time Epcot closes) and the ride over is beautiful. You get a small feeling for how vast the property is. Also, since fewer people do this first thing in the morning, there is a better chance that you can sit in the front of the monorail and if you have a good driver (we did) he will fill you in with all the "inside scoop" That is our favorite way to get to Epcot.

I would suggest if you are staying off-site to drive your own car (or rental) rather than take the "free" hotel bus. If you end up needing a break, you can't always guarantee that your resort's bus will be available when you need it.

:earsgirl: