First trip to WDW - what are the "must do" things?

[LHM2001]

I'm a bit overwhelmed with trying to plan our trip (late Jan/Early Feb) with our 3 boys ages 7, 9 and 11. there is so much and I can hardly wrap my head around it! Would love some advice for some great things to do/things we shouldn't miss. Thanks in advance for any help!!!

 

[LHM2001]

ps we are there for 8 days

 

[laceemouse]

With 8 days I would buy 8 days worth of tickets and do two days in each park. With that much time you don't really need to plan "must do" things. Especially the time of year you are going, it should not be very crowded. You should have plenty of time to see and do it all!

Are you staying onsite? Do you have the dining plan?

You need to plan which park/which day and go from there. If you plan to do sit down meals you need to book them now. Popular places can and do book up months in advance.

Get a good Disney guide book, the newer the better, and read it so you will know what you are looking at when you approach a ride or show.

You should also have time for a little down time to relax at the resort or go to Downtown Disney for dinner and shopping.

Are you using a travel agent?

 

[LHM2001]

thank you! yes, we're staying on resort - at the Polynesian (so excited!). We booked through small world vacations. I've heard Fantasmic is something we should definitely do. and the safari at animal kingdom. wondering what other things are good? we're doing the dining plan too (the regular dining plan - not quick service only). am trying to make reservations but it's so hard to know when we'll be wanting to eat. we'll be dealing with a 3 hour time change too

 

[laceemouse]

I work for a travel agency too, we help people every step of the way. For instance, you need a general idea of where you will be each day so the meals can be booked. What I do is find out likes and dislikes and book the meals for my clients. Then I send them menus to all of the places I booked and they can say ok or no thanks, then I can make changes.

Some people want to book their own meals and that is fine too. Go to www.allears.com and you can read reviews and menus.

Each park has dozens of rides and shows and parades and they all have a night time fireworks show with the exception of Animal Kingdom. We love all of the fireworks, Fantasmic is my favorite but I love Illuminations and Wishes too.

Do your kids like thrill rides? Each of the parks has a couple of roller coaster/simulator rides. Have you been to any other amusement parks? What did your kids like there? What are their favorite characters?? Do they like Star Wars? Toy Story? Indiana Jones??

You should get a good guide book like The Unofficial Guide and read each of the sections about the parks to get an overview of the rides and shows. You can also go to the Disney website and look at things to do in each park. In general, the things with fastpass are the most popular things and the things most people do NOT want to miss

When I book meals for people I ask if they would like any breakfast buffets, if they would like big meals at lunch, or if they prefer a big dinner. For most people I mix it up a little. I also give them a daily plan and park maps with their final paperwork.

Like I said, you have a long trip, you will have a great time!!

 

[stindall]

Ride wise these are my must-do attractions, but I love everything. (I realize the AK ones aren't all rides but it only has a few)

Magic Kingdom

• Splash Mountain
• Haunted Mansion
• Space Mountain
• It's a Small World
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority also known as The People Mover
• Carousel of Progress

Epcot

• Soarin'
• Living with the Land
• Test Track
• Maelstrom in Norway
• Spaceship Earth

Animal Kingdom

• Safari
• Expedition Everest
• All of the animal trails
• THE GIANT ANTEATER!

Hollywood Studios

• Tower of Terror
• Toy Story Midway Mania
• Star Tours

Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios is really great as is The Little Mermaid show and the Beauty and the Beast show. In Animal Kingdom the Lion King show and Nemo shows are both very fun. I've heard the bird show "Flights of Wonder" is good too. At Magic Kingdom you don't want to miss Wishes in the evening!

I recommend checking out Disney Tourist Blog, All Ears, and EasyWDW for a more in depth look at the rides and other attractions.

 

[xipotec]

Ride wise these are my must-do attractions, but I love everything. (I realize the AK ones aren't all rides but it only has a few)

Magic Kingdom

[*]Splash Mountain
[*]Space Mountain
[*]It's a Small World
[*]Pirates of the Caribbean
[*]Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
[*]Tomorrowland Transit Authority also known as The People Mover
[*]Carousel of Progress

Epcot

[*]Soarin'
[*]Living with the Land
[*]Test Track
[*]Maelstrom in Norway
[*]Spaceship Earth

Animal Kingdom

[*]Safari
[*]Expedition Everest
[*]All of the animal trails
[*]THE GIANT ANTEATER!

Hollywood Studios

[*]Tower of Terror
[*]Toy Story Midway Mania
[*]Star Tours


Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios is really great as is The Little Mermaid show and the Beauty and the Beast show. In Animal Kingdom the Lion King show and Nemo shows are both very fun. I've heard the bird show "Flights of Wonder" is good too. At Magic Kingdom you don't want to miss Wishes in the evening!

I recommend checking out Disney Tourist Blog, All Ears, and EasyWDW for a more in depth look at the rides and other attractions.

You forgot The Haunted Mansion at MK, best ride in the park!!!!!' IMO

I also would only plan a single day at AK and HS so long as you get there when it opens. MK n Epcot are maybe 3 day parks!!! Each park has more than 7 lands the visit.

 

[stindall]

You forgot The Haunted Mansion at MK, best ride in the park!!!!!' IMO

I also would only plan a single day at AK and HS so long as you get there when it opens. MK n Epcot are maybe 3 day parks!!! Each park has more than 7 lands the visit.

Ah I knew I was forgetting one! Yes Haunted Mansion is a must-do too! Also I would give Animal Kingdom a fair chance. It gets a bad wrap for some reason but it's a wonderful park!

 

[WedgieSock]

My daughter is a big wuss HA! so she won't go on any of thrill rides but that does not take away from our experience at all For our family the 'must-do' rides/attractions are:

MK:
Haunted Mansion - its the law
Pirates of the Caribbean - its a bylaw
Jungle Cruise
Peter Pan
Its A Small World - I love to hate this ride
Mickeys Philharmonic - wonderful
Carousel of Progress - nostalgic, screams Disney
People Mover

Epcot:
Spaceship Earth
The Land
Soarin
Maelstrom

DHS:
Muppet Vision 3d
Lights! Motors! Action! - you have boys, its THEIR show!
Toy Story Mania
Studio Backlot tour
Star Tours

AK:
Its tough to be a bug
Kilimanjaro Safari
Festival of the Lion King - not my cup of tea but daughter loves it

 

[MermaidMommy]

The ride suggestions, as you can see are very subjective. It really depends on your family and what they're interested in. My DD, for example, was about to revolt the last time I wanted to do Carousel of Progress. Also in MK, your boys would probably love Buzz Lightyear and possibly Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor (lots of silly humor). Stitch gets a bad rap (pretty deservedly), but my DD loves it so we have to do it every year. Peter Pan is a family favorite, but not for everyone. Likewise, we wouldn't miss Test Track or Mission Space at Epcot (but we could skip The Land every time and DD would be thrilled), as well as Rockin Rollercoaster at HS and Dinosaur at AK, but not everybody cares for those.

It does seem overwhelming, but you need to take a look at each park individually and see what rides you will or won't be going on and make a plan from there. "The Unofficial Guide to Disney World" is a great reference for anything Disney, as a PP mentioned. Also, "The Complete Walt Disney World" has pictures of each ride to help you get a visual. Also take a look at the websites mentioned.

I agree with PP that I would only budget 1 day each for HS and AK initially. Plan on doing at least 2 days at MK and EP each, and then decide which parks you want to go back to. Are you getting park-hoppers ? If not, you can't go to more than one park each day.

We like to plan one day or 1/2 of a day for downtime when we're there at least a week. Spending the morning or afternoon at Downtown Disney or at the resort, and then either a relaxing night at the parks or a resort for dinner can be a great way to rest up a little halfway through your trip.

Once you have a general idea of which parks you want to go to, and on what day, then you should try and make reservations (called Advanced Dining Reservations or ADR's) for those days. You'll need to decide if you want to do any character dining. Basically you have princess-type dining, Pooh characters at MK, some Disney Jr. dining at HS, and a number of places with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, etc. Your sons might also like places like Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater at HS (like an old-fashioned drive-in and plays cheesy old sci-fi movies) or 50's Prime Time Diner (like an old 50's TV show where servers come tell you to eat your vegetables and get your hands off the table). O'hana has a fun family dinner at the Polynesian with games for the kids to participate in. T-Rex at Downtown Disney would be good if you have a dinosaur-lover in the family.

Other (free) activities your boys might enjoy:

Phineas and Ferb: Agent P's World Showcase Adventure (like a scavenger hunt through 7 of the 11 Epcot countries)

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (an interactive game at the MK)

Pirate's League (a pirate makeover) **Not free, though**

Sum of All Thrills at Epcot (design your own roller coaster and "ride" it in a ride simulator)

Nightly outdoor Disney movies at various resorts

 

[cannmom]

O.k. I will tell you what attractions our 12 yo DS loves. He was 8 on our first trip.

Epcot

*Mission Space - we do green less intense version - if you have thrill lovers that don't mind spinning do orange side
* Test Track
* Soaring
*Sum of all Thrills in Innoventions
*Agent P missions in World Showcase

Hollywood Studios

* Star Tours - an absolute must if you have Star Wars fans
*Rockin Roller Coaster
* Indiana Jones show
* Lights, Motor, Action show - it may be closed at that time. I heard they
were closing it.
* Tower of Terror - we actually don't do this one, but it's a great thrill ride
if you like big drops.
* Toy Story Midway Mania - Do first or get a fastpass right away
Potential long waits

Animal Kingdom

* Safari ride
* Expedition Everest - really cool and not that intense of a roller coaster
in my opinion in case you have anyone afraid of the coasters. Not a
kiddie coaster but great theme and a lot of fun
* Flights of Wonder show - funny - we skipped it for years and went last
year for the 1st time and loved it
*the animal viewing paths Pangani and Maharajah
* Dinosaur
* Kali River Rapids - be warned high potential to get extremely wet


Magic Kingdom

* Space Mountain
* Buzz Lightyear
* Monsters Inc Laugh Floor
* Pirates of the Carribbean
* Big Thunder mountain Railroad
* Jungle Cruise
*Haunted Mansion

I'm sure I have forgotten something. My best advice is get a guide book or go online to the disney site and let them look at attraction descriptions.

If you have 8 days you have plenty of time to see a lot. Don't stress and enjoy yourself.

Definitely start looking at menus and make some dining reservations you may not be able to get into places at the last minute.
Some of our son's favorite places are "Ohana, Le Cellier, and 50's PrimeTime
Cafe. The food at 50's has been a definite disappointment the last few times. The atmosphere and interaction can be great, but we decided not to go on our next visit because of the food quality. TRex at Downtown Disney is fun also especially if you have any dinosaur lovers.

Hope you have a great trip.

 

[KellyNY]

You will get a lot of info and all different, we all prefer different things. I suggest to explore some sites, Disney.com, Allearsnet.com, Mousesavers.com and of course Youtube. On those sites you can find all info you need about rides, shows and dining. Figure out what you want to do in each park and then you can start actually planing your day. There are few sites that can offer you crowds calendar, so you can see which park is preferred and which to avoid on each day, although I use another method. I try to do park which had evening extra hours the night before. While there are other contributing factors as well, this simple method never failed me. This is very important if you go during busy times, not so much if you go during slow times. The order of rides/shows also matter and if you do not find online sources for that, you can always return here and we can help you to plan particular rides order.

Few things to consider,
1.Weather, it may be pretty cold and even if it is pleasant, mornings and evenings are not warm.
2. Hours are shorter during your stay then lets say during the summer, so technically you have less park time, therefore I suggest not to have any midday breaks, stay there the whole day.
3. If your trip falls on relatively slow time, you can skip rope drop and arrive to the parks later, which will make it easier to stay till closing. Why not rope drop, because you may not need it and you do not want to miss night shows and midday break will take way too much time.
4. Do not get tickets for every day of your stay, you can always add days right there. You might want to just relax a day or two, esp. that you stay at Poly, the most beautiful resort on property imo, take advantage of it.
5. Spend few hours at DTD, maybe even have a diner there, your boys would love T-Rex cafe.
6. AK and DHS are basically half day parks or if hours will be really short, one day parks. However, MK and Epcot are parks you can never spend enough days at. One of my trips, I spend 6 days out of 10 at Epcot alone.
7. I suggest to do all the ADRs yourself and not with TA, because you may change your plans many times and it is good to be in control of things.
8. Check dining plan, depending on your style and needs you may save a bit.

OK, that is all I could think of right now,
Have fun planing!

 

[AndyFL]

You've already gotten some excellent suggestions so I'll just try to add without repeating.

As for books to read may I suggest this http://www.amazon.com/Fodors-Walt-D...8&sr=1-1&keywords=walt+disney+world+with+kids When we first started going to Disney I went nuts and bought book after book but found that this one was the one I got the most actual use out of.

As for rides, there is one in MK that I noticed wasn't mentioned but will be LOVED by boys the ages of yours and that is the Tomorrowland Speedway. It's one of those kinda cheesy race track attractions where you go very slow and choke on exhause fumes but I bet you anything that your kids will want to do it again and again. Don't let a long line bum you out too much, they tend to keep things moving so it's not as bad as it looks sometimes. In HS I would take time to let them see the Beauty and the Beast play...it's live, it's cute, it's not too long and it's memorable. They can also battle Darth Vader but be sure to sign them up early because the slots fill quickly. In Epcot I would be sure to pay attention to the various attractions/skits that take place back in the different countries. Take them to the Voices of Liberty, my kids look forward to it every trip. They can "enlist" in the Fife and Drum corps. There are several other countries where they have cute skits where your kids can be participants.

Find out all the height restrictions for rides...you don't want to hype a ride that you end up finding out your 7 yr old can't ride.

Be SURE to take them to the restroom before you find a spot to watch the parades or fireworks, otherwise you'll find that children's bladders have a perfect sync with the "in just 5 minutes..." announcement

Last but not least, don't kid youself into thinking you can leave one park and make it to another in just a few minutes...you can kill ALOT of time park hopping. Plan on it taking an hour from the time you exit one park and fully enter another one. Also don't underestimate how much your kids will enjoy simple things like riding the Ferry boats or riding the Monorail.

 

[bigfish32]

Just a piece of advice....don't be that parent that i see at 11 at night dragging their poor screaming kids around the parks. I have never done that with my 3 kids. We started going when we only had 2. We go every 2 years and now they are 11, 9 and 5. It's ok to spend half the day swimming at your pool. The Polynesian is our favorite!!! They are kids and they get tired! Sometimes all the planning in the world just doesn't work out. The bottom line is.....you are in Disney with your kids on vacation-enjoy!

 

[Colleen27]

This is my DD11's "first timer" list that she prepared for a trip we're planning to take her BFF on. We've been to WDW many times but her friend never has, and DD11 is taking the planning reins on this trip as far as setting the "must dos" and even choosing meals, so this is entirely the perspective of an 11yo who is familiar with nearly every ride, show, and attraction Disney has to offer.

Animal Kingdom:
Kilimanjaro Safari
Expedition Everest
Kali River Rapids
Dinosaur
Its Tough to be a Bug

Hollywood Studios:
Toy Story Mania
Tower of Terror
Star Tours
Rock N Roller Coaster
Great Movie Ride
Muppetvision
Fantasmic!

dining suggestions:
Sci-Fi Dine-In
50s Prime Time

Epcot:
Spaceship Earth
Test Track
Mission Space
Soarin'
Living With the Land
Journey Into Imagination
Turtle Talk
El Rio de Tiempo (Mexico)
Agent P Adventures

dining suggestions:
Teppan Edo
caramel shop in Germany
bakery in France

Magic Kingdom:
Jungle Cruise
Pirates of the Caribbean
Splash Mountain
Thunder Mountain
Haunted Mansion
Small World
Philharmagic
Tea cups
Winnie the Pooh
Dumbo
Little Mermaid
Enchanted Tales with Belle
Space Mountain
Astro Orbiter
Monsters Inc Laugh Floor

dining suggestions:
Cinderella's Royal Table
Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party

 

[LisaBi]

You forgot The Haunted Mansion at MK, best ride in the park!!!!!' IMO

I also would only plan a single day at AK and HS so long as you get there when it opens. MK n Epcot are maybe 3 day parks!!! Each park has more than 7 lands the visit.

If you are wanting to do the majority is the shows at HS, one day won't be enough. Find a times guide on-line to get an idea of what shows run at what times, then see if all the ones you want to do can be squeezed into a day. If you go at row drop, you might be able to do them all, but I'd think its unlikely. It's justn
That the scheduling seems to overlap, so it may not be possible to do them all.

 

[Goofy_Girl]

You could just take me with you and I could be your personal tour guide lol! J/K (kind of) XD My vote is for Festival of the Lion King show in AK if definitly a high energy fun show, Flights of Wonder is another excellent show in AK. We catch both every visit to Disney. Also Fantasmic is awesome too. Some advise since these shows can fill up is to get in line early if you want prime seating. Have fun on your first trip to Disney =]

 

[Oswald lover]

That`s a good question. As for rides, here are my top 5.
1. Rockin` Rollercoaster (If you like speed, not scary at all to ME) in Hollywood studios
2. Soarin` (MUST DO) in Epcot
3. Test Track (if you like speed) in Epcot
4. Tower of Terror (only drops, but i hate drops and its really fun) in Hollywood studios
5. Haunted Mansion (Not scary, really fun) in Magic Kingdom

For restaurants:
1. Kona (amazing food)
2. O`hana (amazing breakfast, i go on the very last day for breakfast)
3. Sci-fi drive in (REALLY COOL)
4. Be our guest (AMAZING)
5. Vianapoli (amazing food)

and last but not least, for the shows:
1. Disney`s PhilharMagic
2. Illuminations
3. Holiday Parade (Christmas)
4. Wishes
5. Fantasmic!

Hope this helped!

 

[xipotec]

My daughter is a big wuss HA! so she won't go on any of thrill rides but that does not take away from our experience at all For our family the 'must-do' rides/attractions are:

MK:
Haunted Mansion - its the law
Pirates of the Caribbean - its a bylaw
Jungle Cruise
Peter Pan
Its A Small World - I love to hate this ride
Mickeys Philharmonic - wonderful
Carousel of Progress - nostalgic, screams Disney
People Mover

Epcot:
Spaceship Earth
The Land
Soarin
Maelstrom

DHS:
Muppet Vision 3d
Lights! Motors! Action! - you have boys, its THEIR show!
Toy Story Mania
Studio Backlot tour
Star Tours

AK:
Its tough to be a bug
Kilimanjaro Safari
Festival of the Lion King - not my cup of tea but daughter loves it

Festival of the lion king closes for good Jan 6th ! If i have me dates right!

 

[stindall]

Festival of the lion king closes for good Jan 6th ! If i have me dates right!

are you absolutely sure? I thought they just hired new dancers?