First Family trip to Walt Disney

[rowellad]

I am very new to this site so please excuse the lack of acronyms. We are planning our first family trip to WDW this October and any and all suggestions would be great. I have been to WDW 8 times but my last visit was on 1997. My husband has only been once at that was in the 80's. Our boys are 8 and 14 so their interests vary. Looking of suggestions for shows, dining and attractions in the surrounding areas. None of us have ever been to AK or HW. Should we skip either of them? We will also be exploring both parks at Universal.
Also, any suggestions for off-site lodging would be appreciated.

 

[angelmom27]

We like AK and DHS. Now they aren't full day parks but we still go. Now we can make DHS a full day and fantasmic is my favorite show.

 

[rowellad]

We like AK and DHS. Now they aren't full day parks but we still go. Now we can make DHS a full day and fantasmic is my favorite show.

Thanks. We were looking at the Fantasimic dinner package. Have you ever taken advantage of that?

 

[Kristian]

We love HS. No, it isn't as big nor does it have the rides that say the MK has, but our family loves it. We can make a whole day out of both HS and AK, although AK is our least favorite park. Not saying that you shouldn't do AK, it just isn't our favorite, however with all of the shows at AK and what rides that there are, we have been there from opening until closing before. You should definitely give each park a try and if possible, set aside at least a full day for each because you never know what you are going to enjoy and what you aren't. One of my favorite shows is The Little Mermaid at HS, it's my dd's favorite also..so neat. We love Fantasmic as well. We always stay on site, so I really can't be of any help to you as far as lodging goes. Have a great trip and welcome to the board.

 

[mummabear]

I can recommend Radisson Lake Buena Vista, I would def try AK and HS maybe get park hoppers so you can move on if you dont like them

 

[TJDisneymama]

I wouldn't skip either of those as your boys are prime age for Dinosaur and Expedition Everest at AK (and i'm sure will enjoy the safari and River Rapids) and for Tower of Terror, RnR coaster, Star Tours and maybe the stunt and/or Indiana Jones shows at HS.

 

[SLamott1973]

Get to HS before the park opens, when it does head over to the studios and sign up for the jedi training academy. It fills up fast, you will have to have the boys with you when you sign up its free and they get to fight darth Vader.

 

[rowellad]

Thanks all! Looks like we will be visiting all the parks!

 

[charliesmom86]

We went May 2012 for our first trip and are hoping to go in October of this year as well. I would suggest finding a touring plan for each park online. I used Easy WDW and found that it helped us to do sooo much in the parks! I am really glad I did that because we hardly ever stood in line. Make good use of fastpasses and have lots of fun!

 

[Aliceacc]

One of the biggest changes between our 1990 trip and our 2008 trip: the need for ADRs.

When we went in 1990, we called in the afternoon and made dining reservations for that evening. Now we make them 180 days out. (Admittedly, we're a party of 5 and we go during the summer.)

As far as attractions, here's my 14 year old son's hitlist:
MK: Big Thunder, Pirates of the Carribean, Haunted Mansion, Buzz LIghtyear, Indy Speedway (he hates the big drop in Splash Mountain, and is so-so about Space Mountain.)

AK: Dinosaur, Cali River Rapids, Safari, Festival of the Lion King show

EPCOT: Soarin' (a must see!), Test Track, Mission: Space, Norway, Spaceship Earth

DHS: Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, Great Movie Ride, Stunt Show (he won't even consider Tower of Terror, though his sister loves it. He has issues with those big drops.)

Also, consider doing at least one character meal-- maybe Chef Mickey's.