We need some tips/ first timers

[KMomof5]

We will be traveling to Disney for the first time (I was there in 1981) with our 5 children. DS 14, DS 12, DS 6, DD 2, and DD 8 months. We would love tips on what to pack ie...clothes, snacks, toys. What weather to expect. How busy will the parks be over Thanksgiving week. And any other helpful information:tongue:
Thank You

[mm6mm6]

You're going to just love it!

I can't answer some of your questions but I'll throw out some tips I have garnered here and found on my own.

#1: Go slow. Take your time. Drink in all of the Disney magic. Look at the flowers and attention to detail. Look at the big picture! Enjoy!

#2: At MK, the barber shop is to the right of City Hall on Main Street. For just $12, it's the best hair cut my DD6 ever got! The streaks of pink, the pixie dust, and the photo we have is priceless! Plus kids who get Disney haircuts sometimes get picked to do fun things in the MK! If anyone needs a haircut, do it!

#3: If you're looking for a place to watch the MK fireworks, during the day follow the wire from the top of the castle that Tinkerbell flys on...to the Plaza restaurant area where she lands. There is a spot in the Plaza to watch the fireworks from that is not crowded, may provide chairs, and gives you a wonderful, unobstructed (no umbrellas, no palm trees) view of the castle and the fireworks!

#4: Fastpass! Get 'em! As an example, we got a Fastpass for The Tower of Terror right before we saw the Beauty and the Beast show. Perfect time, finished the show and went right on ToT!

#5: If you're staying on the property, make good use of Early Entry. Consider E-Ticket night too if it works for you.

#6: When you check in (on property again), go to guest relations to get printouts of all your priority seatings. It makes them easy to keep track of and helps speed along check in for the PS's.

#7: Bring more film than you think you'll need along with an extra camera battery. Get a disposable underwater camera (around $13 at your local stores) because the pictures are so much fun in the pools and the water parks. They usually come with a rubber band wrist holder so you can swim in the water and still keep the camera with you. Some of our favorite pics are from this camera! Consider some disposable cameras for the kids to bring with them so they can take their own pics too!

#8: Tell the kids that you'll go to Downtown Disney on the last day to buy souveniers. Tell them they can look at the stores every day in the parks to decide what they want (one or two items or whatever your plan is that you can afford). This kind of helps with the "I want this" syndrome. We told our DD6 to think about what she wanted. She decided on the My Disney Twin Doll. We stuck to the plan and bought it for her the last day at DD.

#9: Consider a journal to keep track of what you did. Save a copy of the park maps to help remember. Our one week stay was a whirlwind and after day five in 2002, we couldn't remember what we did on what days! In 2003, my DW kept a journal and it's fun to look back on.

#10: Look at #1 again!

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!::MickeyMo ::MinnieMo ::MinnieMo

[cinmell]

I always bring:

Wipes, lots and lots of wipes

If you don't have a cell phone with long distance, I would bring a calling card if you plan to call home at all, the resort charges are very expensive

Ziplocs-these are great to keep things dry and for spillable items you pack
I packed all of our outfits in oversized ziplocs. This was great b/c clothes fit much better in the suitcases and we could just pull out a back and the whole outfit was ready to go (shorts/shirts/underwear/socks and ribbons for my 2 year old)

Cough/cold medicine, Tylenol

Sunblock

Crayons and stickers for the little ones. Great way to keep them entertained in restaurants. Travel magna doodle and little cars also worked great too.

Disposable sippy cups that way you don't have to worry about losing them

Lots of film and batteries for the camera


Drink lots of water and take breaks for the little ones, don't push them to go to long because you will both end up miserable

I'm sure I forgot a few things but this is a good start. Enjoy your vacation!

[Yzma and Kronk]

My tips with kids are:
#1 - Pipecleaners from the Dollar Store. Keeps the kids entertained in the car, in restaurants, in line, etc. Pull out a few and see what they can make.
#2 - Glow sticks or glow necklaces (the three pack of skinny ones with joiners) from the dollar store. They love them when waiting for Illuminations, fireworks, or Fantasmic and it saves you from the temptation of buying expensive Disney light up things.
#3 - Ziploc's - can't say enough about them. Carry a few extra in your backpack for those emergencies. I also pack the kids clothes in them. You can purchase the 21/2 gallon big ones - but sometimes you have to really look for them. One outfit (short/shirt/underwear/socks) per bag and then put the dirties back in the same bag. In the morning I just hand the bag to the kids and they dress themselves.
#4 - your own bendable plastic straws if you plan to go to AK. They don't provide them so as not to hurt any animals, and they do fill the drinks up to the top! Just put a few in a ziploc, and make sure you take them back with you when you are done eating.
#4b - Just thought of this - at AK make sure you purchase the AK Meal+ deal. It is a tremendous deal. Just look at the menu board and it will explain. You get meal and drink, plus coupons for ice cream/popcorn and another coupon for a bottled drink to use later in the day for $5.99.
#5 - Bring your own misting fan (Squeeze-breeze) in case it is hot. We have 3 from Walmart at home ($4.99) and didn't bring them at the beginning of October, so we had to buy a Disney one ($17.!!)
#6 - Quarters and pennies for pressed penny machines in a mini M&M's tube. Each pressed penny is .50 + 1 penny. It is a nice inexpensive souvenier DD8 loves collecting them. If you are going to do this, make sure you purchase a pressed penny book the first time. They are located either at the cash register or on top of the pressed penny machines. Press the penny, then immediately put in the book. The kids love admiring them!
#7 - plan a general itinerary, and book your PS's. Decide ahead of time where you think you might want to eat, and book the PS's. You can always cancel, but with a party your size and hungry kids, I'm sure they won't want to wait to eat.
What I do is take a clean sheet of paper, draw columns for each day, plug in where we might eat for meals, any sit down restaurants, then work in special events (Illuminations, Fantasmic, Parades) and what park(s) we will visit that day. Believe me, it is a real time saver!

[mom1in99]

Don't forget the sunscreen! Hats for your little ones, too. Mine kept taking them off, so I safety pinned elastic to the inside of the hat and the other end of the elastic to their shirt. This way when they pulled them off, the hats didn't get lost. Plan breaks in the middle of the day. I've not been at Thanksgiving time, but have heard any Holiday time can get busy. Eat at off-peak times. Definitely use the Fast pass. And even the baby swap. Food can get expensive, so share adult meals or order kids meals. They really aren't half bad (and they come with a drink for $3.50 + tax) Prepare autograph books for the kids, too. My 4 year old can't read, so I found pics of different characters and put them on paper for the character to sign, this way she knows who it is later. We used a lot of ziplocs too. Goldfish, fruit chew snacks, popcorn, crackers and pretzels. Nothing that melts.

Photograph your memories! We took our digital camara and laptop, and we took over 300 pics in July. We would never have taken so many without a digital camara. Bad pics just got deleted. And don't listen to anyone who says your younger kids are too young. Disney is for all ages. Have a great trip!

[Princess Chelley]

You guys give the best helpful information!!!

PC

[tinkerbela]

just bring every necessity you possibly need for yourself and your family. but, try not to bring too much because you'll be bringing home more luggage than what you brought with you. rob and i had to buy two more suitcases during our last trip because we bought a lot of mugs. we could've squeezed some of the souvenirs in our suitcases if we didn't bring unneccessary items.

our last trip was in june and for some reason, i brought with me some capri jeans to wear at night. i had no use for them at all! they only took up room in my suitcase. rob did the same thing. the weather channel website kept saying it was going to rain the entire time we were in wdw. so we packed rain clothing. we didn't get rained on throughout the trip so our extra clothes only took up space.

another helpful tip that i will try to use myself when we go next september is if you're going to buy a lot of things such as mugs or buying big items, ship them home!! or just try to ship any souvenir that will take some room in your suitcases period!! like i said before, rob and i had to buy two more carry on bags because we bought too many mugs. we could've shipped them home and saved $200.

those are the tips i can give right now. i will post more if i come up with some more helpful tips for you.

[mathboy]

I always bring extra shoes in case the ones I am wearing get wet. There is almost nothing worse than walking with wet shoes. You can sacrifice some clothes to do this. If you are staying onsite, it is easy to do laundry.

If you are staying onsite, you can get things you purchase sent to your room so that you don't have to carry them. If you are staying offsite, you can get purchases sent to the front of the park and you can pick them up when you leave the park for the day.

::MickeyMo

[bratdeb]

Be sure you pack for all different kinds of weather. It could be 80 or it could be 40 in the morning. We learned this the hard way! Spent a few hours in the laundry mat.:wave: Most of all don't rush. Kids still need their naps. Happy children not seeing everything are better than grumpy children who saw everything.:crazy:

[Chicago526]

Comfy shoes for everyone! All you do is walk and stand, walk and stand!

Ponchos for everyone, you can pick them up cheap before you go, as little as a dollar each. DW is the best when it rains, it clears out all the lines! So pull out your poncho and stay!

Laundry soap. With that many little ones you may need to do a load! You can always buy it there, but it's cheaper to bring your own.

Have a great time!

[Lisa AF]

When my DDs were younger they each had a tiny (VERY dim) flashlight with them. Many of the attractions are dark and this made them feel secure.

Copies of your tickets incase they are lost or destroyed.

[MELSMICE]

These are just a few things I have found very helpful during our Disney trips:

--A collapsible sweater hanger for the closet to put someone's clothes on. There is never enough drawer space & this works well.

--An over the door shoe holder. Hang it in the bathroom for all your toilettries, sunscreen, camera & film, etc. Keeps the bathroom sink clear of clutter & things don't get misplaced if they are returned to their pocket. A great tip I got right from these boards.

--MONEY & TIME SAVER: Get each child a fanny pack & water bottle holder. We make up little snack bags of dry cereal, cheez-its, pretzel bits, etc. On park days each child can pack their own fanny pack with their favorite snacks. This is one of the best tips I have ever gotten.

--Not sure where you're staying, but if you have a fridge (even if you have to rent one), freeze the water bottles at night. The ice will melt during the day & you'll have cold drinks all day long. If you don't have a fridge/freezer make sure you have a cooler to keep drinks & other perishables cold in.

--Eat some breakfasts in your room. Cereal, pop tarts, untoasted bagels. You should be able to get disposable plates, etc. from Mousekeeping.

--Are you driving or flying? If you are driving take a toaster oven with you for your room. This will help with breakfast & you can also make toasted cheese sandwiches or individual pizzas for a snack or lunch. You could probably pack one in your luggage if you are flying.

--If you're having a pool day & you do have a fridge or cooler make sandwiches for lunch & take them to the pool. If there is a food court at your resort you can use the condiments for your sandwiches.

--Bring a collapsible cooler with you for the pool & water parks.

--Because your children are a variety of ages you may want to split up at times to let the older ones do some of the attractions they enjoy while the younger ones are in Fantasyland or Mickey's Toontown Fair. Or have one parent take the younger ones back to the resort to nap while the other parents lets the older ones enjoy the parks.

Most of all, just enjoy the trip. There is a lot to see & do. It's next to impossible to see & do it all in one trip, so take the time to "smell the roses". Relax & enjoy & the whole family will have fun.

[grassy gal]

We went to Disney last February when our kids were 8, 6, and 2 1/2. The two oldest both ended up with ear infections the first day there so neither of them were feeling too good when we were in the parks (but they refused to lay around the hotel and recuperate, of course!)

We started our first day with a trip to Centre Care (the local version of Prompt Care or Urgent Care). We were staying at the All-Star Sports resort, and they had a free shuttle to come and pick us up, and then afterwards they took us to a local pharmacy to get the kids prescriptions filled, and then they dropped us off at the park of our choice!

We had an umbrella stroller for our youngest dd, but we went ahead and rented a double stroller for the other two. While it was a little short for our 8 y/o, both kids were still able to ride in there, and the 8 y/o even napped for a little while while her brother was out eating lunch with us. The only thing you want to do if you rent a stroller is to bring something along to help you to identify it amongst the throngs of identical strollers! We tied either a jacket or a rain coat around the handle. Even when the kids were feeling better, we still rented the double stroller because it made it so easy to keep track of where they were as we navigated our way through the crowds. But even if you decide to rent a stroller, I would still recommend a lightweight, foldable stroller for your youngest child. It is quite a walk from the busses or parking lots to the park entrances.

Another great thing that Disney offers that I feel are greatly under-used are the Baby Care Stations. They are wonderful-- clean and air-conditioned. They have changing tables, sinks, microwaves, rocking chairs, and even private nursing stations.

We accidently found that the Pirates of the Carribean ride is a great place to be if it rains, the queue is all under a roof and the ride is enclosed! And by all means make sure that you have rain coats or ponchos that are any color except yellow (Disney sells yellow ones)! Another good thing about the rental stroller was that when it rained, all we had to do was put a rain poncho over the front and the kids all stayed dry!

Have fun & enjoy your trip!
Lei

[MELSMICE]

grassy gal made me remember that you should bring over the counter medications for your children:

--Dimetapp
--Robitussin
--Tylenol
--Neosporin
--Band aids
--Benadryl
--Swimmer's ear drops

& anything else you use at home. We always have someone that needs to take some sort of medication while we are there.

[kitkatsmom]

I love all these tips.

The one about the shoe holder for all the bathroom junk is great! I will definately be bringing one of those.

I love these boards!!

[PaintedStuff]

<p><font size="3" face="Comic Sans MS" color="#6600CC">::yes::Make priority seating reservations as soon as possible!</font><font size="3"> </font>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#6600CC" size="3">If your cell phone service doesn't include free long distance, get some walkie talkies for the parks.</font>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#6600CC" size="3">Designate a spot in each park where you'll meet if you get separated.</font>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#6600CC" size="3">Allow for down-time during the early afternoon.&nbsp; Nothing worse than over-tired, cranky kids (or adults!):headache:</font>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#6600CC" size="3">Cokes are $2.50 each in the parks - so bring beverages with you!&nbsp; One of the joys of having a stroller is you can put a soft-sided cooler on the bottom. </font>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#6600CC" size="3">Grab spots early for the parades.&nbsp; The neat thing about a family your size is half can stake out a spot while the other half goes for ice-cream or scopes out the shops.:crowded: </font>
<p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#6600CC" size="3">Need to find your stroller in the sea of others parked outside attractions?&nbsp; Or make it easy for the kids to spot parents with the stroller? Bring some colored balloons and tie one or two small ones to a Mickey helium balloon.&nbsp; </font></p>:cool1:

[pjlla]

I will echo what I thought was one of the most important things.... JOURNAL YOUR TRIP!!! I did it sort of as a second thought during our 01/2002 trip... it was by far the best thing I could have done. Each evening after the kids were tucked in I took out a small stenopad and wrote down (in my own type of shorthand) what time we got up, where/what for bkfst, time we got to the park, what rides and how many times on each, where/what for lunch, parades, shows, etc.... kids moods (good and bad), kids reactions to different things (good and bad), what time we left the parks, where/what for dinner, time the kids got to bed, etc. And of course, anything special that happened during the day (my DS's "magic" kiss from Cinderella, and the day that we were the 5th car in the parking lot at MK). To help me remember during the day what we did, I made notes on our park map with the kids autograph pen. Like, if we started the day on the Dumbo ride, I put a #1 on that, then #2 and #3 on the carousel, and then #4 on Ariel in the grotto, and then #5 and #6 on the Indy cars (I would try to do a few at lunch, a few more during our afternoon break, etc). And I had to do the journaling each night, or else by the next day I would have no clue what we did the day before. Very shortly after we got home I typed out the full journal, adding whatever embellishments and details I remembered. It turned out to be 17 typed pages (of larg-ish type). It means as much, if not more than the 200+ pictures we took during that week. And it helped plan our upcoming trip also. Most of all, have a safe and happy trip. Tell Mickey I will see him soon.....:wave2:

[jann1033]

Originally posted by mathboy
I If you are staying onsite, you can get things you purchase sent to your room so that you don't have to carry them.
::MickeyMo

does any one know for sure if they still do this..for some reason every guide I have read lately just mentions the pick up at the gate on the way out. I loved doing this last trip so am hoping it still exists.

I am not sure this still applies either but it did last time we went.
if you bought something in a park you had to return it there..we had to return something at MK and they did let one of us run in just to take it back since we weren't going back to the parks to tour but to be on the safe side I might buy anything I wasn't sure of at dtd. or a resort so I could return it more easily.

also don't pick out something like the castle as the Meeting spot. too many people so pick out a less obvious place but something your kids will personally love and remember in a moment of panic ( like buzz for toy story fans, whatever) in case you get seperated. and put something with your resort name in your stuff just in case you lose track of something ( maybe on the kids too lol!)

[susy]

Where are you staying?

If at all possible, get to the parks way before opening , break at your hotel (for swmming and napping) and head back in the evening. That is my number one tip!

Bring the meds!!!! I also pack my humidfier, as it is great for blocking out noise! Also, bring a few of each kind of med in a small ziploc in yuor fanny pack to the parks. Tylenol in your oom does no good when your little one is tugging on her ear in the MK. This happened to us! Bring the little chewable kinds.

You will need a double stroller for the 6 and 2 yo. Tie a bright colored bandana to it and to your 8mo stroller.

Don't try to stick together. Get the motorola talkabouts.
Set up a place to meet when it's time to leave.

Make sure your kids know your cell #. On the little ones, I would tape it on them with masking tape.

Thanksgiving week will be very crowded. The early part of the week should be fine. Get MK out fo the way ASAP. Maybe skip the parks on Turkey day or go to Epcot that day. I would avoid MK on the Thur-Sat.

The weather is very iffy at that time of year.

See you there!!!!!

[KMomof5]

I want to Thank everyone for taking your time with all these great tips. We are getting so excited!:Pinkbounc

We're staying offsite at the Vistana Resort. (First night at the Sheraton Safari then 7 at Vistana)

I still need to make my PS's I hope it's not too late. Any suggestions on eating with the characters and the best places to eat at each park before I call?

I so appreciate learning from all of your wonderful WDW experiences.


Thanks again:hyper:

[Rippington'sFan]

Great tips! We are also planning to go to Disney World in March. I have a few questions myself since it will be our first time as a family.
1. How do you get the best package deal with Air, Hotel,rental
car,park hopper/fastpass tickets etc...? Do most of you use a
travel agent or would it be possible to book everything
myself. I'm just trying to figure out the BEST way to plan the
trip.
2. How many days would we need to see the Majority of
Attractions? If you had 3 or 4 days set aside for Disney
what should our priorities be as far as Attractions to see
1st,2nd,etc... I know the MK for sure. Our kids are 8 and 5.
3. Are the Park Hopper/Fast Pass tickets highly recommended?

4. What about staying inside the park vs. outside the park?
Is it really worth it and advantageous to stay inside the
park?

I may have more questions but that's all I can think of for now.
Thanks in advance for any information you can share.;)

[Tigger Fans!]

Here's a link to a GREAT packing list!
http://members.cox.net/krisborden/ultimate.html

I'd recommend staying onsite. Then take advantage of all the perks of being a resort guest (early entry, free parking and transportation, etc.,). We like to get to the parks early, then go back to our room in the afternoon for a quick nap. Then we stay at the parks until closing!

A guide book like "Birnbaum's Official Guide to Walt Disney World" is a good idea. ....and the DISboards are a great source of information!

[pjlla]

Originally posted by Rippington'sFan
Great tips! We are also planning to go to Disney World in March. I have a few questions myself since it will be our first time as a family.
1. How do you get the best package deal with Air, Hotel,rental
car,park hopper/fastpass tickets etc...? Do most of you use a
travel agent or would it be possible to book everything
myself. I'm just trying to figure out the BEST way to plan the
trip.
2. How many days would we need to see the Majority of
Attractions? If you had 3 or 4 days set aside for Disney
what should our priorities be as far as Attractions to see
1st,2nd,etc... I know the MK for sure. Our kids are 8 and 5.
3. Are the Park Hopper/Fast Pass tickets highly recommended?

4. What about staying inside the park vs. outside the park?
Is it really worth it and advantageous to stay inside the
park?

I may have more questions but that's all I can think of for now.
Thanks in advance for any information you can share.;)

First of all, I think you have some confusion about the Park Hoppers and Fast Pass.... one really has nothing to do with the other.... Park Hopper Tix (and Park Hopper Plus tix and Ultimate Park Hoppers) all are the type of ticket media that WDW uses for their theme park admission. There is plenty to find out about all those when making decisions about your trip.

HOWEVER, the Fast Pass is an in-park system that WDW uses to help alleviate some of the time you will spend waiting in line for various popular rides. Fast Pass is available to every guest in the parks, no matter what type of ticket you used to get into the park. Here is a GREAT website to go to to read all about what the Fast Pass is and how to use it.... it may sound confusing, but you will figure it out easily once you get there.... http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/fastpass.htm

My first piece of advice though, is to GET A BOOK.... Start with the "official" Birnbaum WDW guide and then get at least one additional "unofficial" guide... there are many good ones out there! And get the 2004.... don't be cheap and buy an old one at a used book store. Things change too fast at Disney for that to be much good. Once you have these books, read them COVER TO COVER... you will be amazed at what you will learn, reading sections that you didn't think you needed or didn't apply to you. Have your highlighter and post-it notes ready for sections you may want to refer to again. I currently have 7 different 2003/2004 guide books on my shelf and I re-read at least part of one almost every day (but I love to read also).

I think that if you have the time, inclination, and knowledge of the web enough to book the trip yourself, you will probably save money over booking a package. You may want to elicit the help of a Travel Agent, however, if you don't have a lot of time to be on-line checking and rechecking prices, or if you are confused or afraid of booking stuff online yourself. DON'T automatically assume that packages are cheapest.... they usually will include a feature or two that you don't need/want. Anyhow... I will answer more of your questions later.... gotta go get a kid at school!!:wave2:

[jann1033]

My thoughts on #4..if you can at all afford it, stay on site..

there are nice even luxurious hotels off site for the same price as on site but to me there is a big difference beyond cost. our first trip we stayed off site and not only was it cheaper, it was a big pain and not nearly as fun. it's a trek back to the car with tired kids, you have to deal with traffic and imo just not as much fun!. we like to putz around the resort after park closing and offsite just doesn't feel the same. some of the Orlando areas are very cheezy (imo)

you do not get the same total disney experience ( an intangible thing) off site imo. this sounds really sappy but you can kind of escape from the "real world" for a while at wdw and you can not do that ( again imo) off site since you have to keep dealing with the real world. basically your big decision onsite is what time does the bus come... not "are we lost?" , "look out for that crazy driver" , all the pressures of being in a new /unfamiliar place. even though some complain about disney trans. we never move our car once we are there and love that!

it just feels different..nothing like a totally emotional, unsubstantiated answer!

while disney may be taking your bucks fast and furiously , I have never felt the cms were since the service is 98% of the time impecible....i never feel ripped off( except a little if we get a stinko meal that we paid a ton for) even though you spend spend spend,

so from a *practical* stand point it probably is worth staying off site but to me it just can not compare to on site which is ,for lack of a better word,"magical"
( i really need to figure out their secret so I can use it for our own business at home lol!)

[pjlla]

Okay, I'm back from the school run.... hmmm, the on-site versus off-site debate... always a touchy one. While I would love to stay on-site every time I go to WDW, we have found for our preference and budget, off-site is the way to go, at least for now. For example, on our upcoming trip in January with an "almost" 6 yr old and 8 1/2 yr old, we wanted a suite in order to be able to put the kids to bed and not have to sit quietly in the dark waiting for them to go to sleep. We had a suite two years ago and it worked out great! Plus my husband is a bit of a night owl, so he wasn't forced to go to bed at 8:30 pm with the kids. In order to get a suite on-site at WDW it was going to exceed our budget... even two ajoining rooms at All-Stars was going to be a bit of a stretch for us ($130+ and up!). We will be using an "all-suite" hotel that we have stayed at previously and enjoyed (for $59/night with free american bkfst!!). While I thought we might stay onsite at a Value or Moderate WDW resort this time, the $$ was talking too loud! And we were renting a car anyhow to go to a few other non-WDW things, so the on-site shuttles weren't that appealing to us. My kids aren't old enough to stay awake for the E-ticket nights, and it is a stretch for us to get to the parks for regular opening every day, never mind making the Early Entry hour! We might get to one or two if we were lucky. So those two "benefits" of being on-site weren't enough to tip the scales for us. YES, I understand all the "magic" of staying on-site, having done it in the past. Love the Mickey soaps and things like that... but just not enough to pay so much extra for it. As for the traffic debate, we stayed in Kissimmee in Jan 2002 and had little/no traffic every single day ( we were at the parks by or before 9am every day). Made it from our hotel parking lot to the theme park parking lot or TTC within 15 minutes EVERY DAY. Of course, if we find the traffic to be much worse this time around, it will probably be our last time off site. In conclusion, if you want to be fully immersed in the WDW "magic" and you feel you will take full advantage of the major benefits of on-site visits (i.e. Early Entry, E-ticket nights, and resort transportation) then by all means STAY ON SITE... but if your wallet is doing the talking and you find a better deal off-site, then don't hesitate to do that. I have figured out that with what we saved on the hotel room, it more than paid for the rental car, which we wouldn't stay off-site without (I personally wouldn't relay on the off-site hotels WDW transportation.. spotty at best from what I have heard). Anyhow, those are just my opinions. But as you can see, there are a lot of factors to weigh in on when making your plans to visit the Mouse. Keep reading these boards and posting questions.... you will find the Disboard folks are VERY generous with their information and with sharing their knowledge. Have a great time.....:wave:

[funhouse8]

I have a good tip as a Mom of four kids pack one suitcase with food. Snacks, drinks, bread, breakfast cereal, etc. This will save you time and money then when it's empty you have a great place to bring home the souveniers. I also don't agree with the buying all of the souveniers on the last day. If they want a hat or something disney themed to wear buy it early on in the trip so they can wear it. Once it's home it will just collects dust. Did you know you can ask for ice water from and vendor at the park and they will give this to you for free. Eat your character meals at breakfast or lunch, they are cheaper. And they have an character ice cream social in Epcot for about $7.00.
Dress your kids in the same color or very bright colors so you have no trouble picking them out.
Last trip we had to stay off site, I was so upset and worried but we had a wonderful time. I avoided the Early entry parks for that day and never had a problem. I agree with renting a car. It was much easier!
This trip we will be camping in the campground in our pop-up. $34.00 a night after 1/1. $75.00 before. The campsites are very reasonable (For when your kids get older.) Don't think I would want to camp in Disney with babies.:wave2:

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by Rippington'sFan
Great tips! We are also planning to go to Disney World in March. I have a few questions myself since it will be our first time as a family.

Here are my answers to your questions:

1. How do you get the best package deal with Air, Hotel,rental
car,park hopper/fastpass tickets etc...? Do most of you use a
travel agent or would it be possible to book everything
myself. I'm just trying to figure out the BEST way to plan the
trip.

2. How many days would we need to see the Majority of
Attractions? If you had 3 or 4 days set aside for Disney
what should our priorities be as far as Attractions to see
1st,2nd,etc... I know the MK for sure. Our kids are 8 and 5.

3. Are the Park Hopper/Fast Pass tickets highly recommended?

4. What about staying inside the park vs. outside the park?
Is it really worth it and advantageous to stay inside the
park?

I may have more questions but that's all I can think of for now.
Thanks in advance for any information you can share.;)


1. If you have the time, book everything yourself. My sister is a travel agent & she said you really will save money if you do it yourself. Just watch for specials. Of course, if you don't have the time, or inclination, then a package may be the way to go, however, if your budget conscience, do it ala carte!

2. Honestly, you would need no less than a week, more like 10 days to see everything Disney has to offer. Then again, that probably wouldn't even be enough!! If you only have 3 or 4 days for Disney you just have to decide what is most important to you. Everyone has their favorite parks for different reasons. Obviously, you need to do MK, then you just need to make some decisions as to what you think your family would like.

3. As a previous poster stated, these are 2 totally different things. A fastpass is something you get for attractions inside the parks using your park ticket & yes, these are highly recommended, especially if the park is busy. A Park Hopper means you can hop from park to park on the same day. If you plan on doing this, then I would recommend a park hopper as opposed to day passes. There is a difference between a Park Hopper, Park Hopper w/ pluses & an Ultimate Park Hopper. I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) you can get a 4-day hopper which would let you hop at just the 4 major theme parks. Park Hopper pluses let you hop to the 4 major parks and the pluses will get you into the water parks. The # of times you can go to a water park, depends on how many "pluses" are on your pass!! An Ultimate Park Hopper lets you hop to any theme park, water park, Disney Quest, Pleasure Island any time during the length of your stay. IMO you really have to use these a lot to get your money's worth. These will expire on the last day of your stay, however, if you bought a 5-day park hopper plus pass & only used 3 days the other 2 days are good forever. They NEVER expire!!

4. This topic is always debated, however, I feel that staying on property gives your vacation a totally different feel. There is nothing wrong with staying off-site, we have done it a few times, but there is absoultely nothing like staying on-site. You are immersed in the magic every minute. It is a true WDW vacation. You will pay extra, but IMO it is worth every penny.

Anyway, good luck with your planning. These boards are definitely the place to gather information & get tips. My family had been going to WDW for years before I found these boards. Since finding them I have saved money on my vacations which has allowed to take a few more. Have fun. :crazy: