Returning after ten years, and needing help!

Secondgradememories

Mouseketeer
Joined
Mar 15, 2005
Ten years ago my daughter and I made a plan to go to Disney for our birthday the year we turn 18 and 50. Our birthdays are a day apart, and I share mine with Mickey Mouse! It's finally here and we'll be going on our birthday weekend in November. The problem is I'm overwhelmed with planning when I am sure so much has changed, not to mention that my kids are now 21 and 18! Any tips for special things to do for our very special trip? We are staying just 4 days and are at our favorite from long ago, The Beach Club. Thanks!
 
I think you'll get more advice posting this on the Theme Park Attractions and Strategies board.

So I'm assuming you've made your hotel reservation.

Step 1: You need to make your dining plans. You can make ADRs 180 days out, which is fast approaching for Nov.

Consideration A: Consult a crowd calendar and make a plan for what parks you will visit on what days. Also decide if you will attend EMH or avoid that park.
Consideration B: If you haven't already, you will need to decide if you are getting PH. I'd recommend it because it's easy to do with a group of grown ups, it offers flexibility to spend as much time as you want in each park, and if you'll be there in early Nov, you can enjoy F&W booths more than once.
Consideration C: Generally, I'd recommend planning less time in DHS-- there's a lot of construction right now. Just hit the highlights and move on. Epcot will likely command more of your time if F&W us going on-- well worth it. MK and AK will likely take the most time-- MK because it has the most attractions, and AK because Pandora just opened and, as I undestand, is worth seeing.
Consideration D: If you're celebrating some big events, consider something special at least once. Not sure of your budget, but HDDR makes a big deal about birthdays, there's a Highway in the Sky Dine around that I'd absolutely love to try (well reviewed), there's dessert parties with reserved seating for almost every nighttime show, there's signature restaurants to fit every taste, etc. Look at some menus online and make your choices.

Step 2: You'll likely refine your plan over the next months, but the next big step is 60 days out when you make your FP reservations. There's many schools of thought, but I like to make mine starting around 10 as the crowds hit. You get 3 per day, and all must be for the same park. All parks except MK have a tie ring system where you get 1 top tier attraction FP, and two second tiers. Epcot's tiering system us the absolute worst. Familiarize yourself with the tiers and plan which attractions you want when. Typically, FEA, 7DMT, and the two Pandora attractions are the most coveted and hardest to get these days.
* Make sure you have the MDE app on your phone. You make FPs and ADRs there.
* FP selection opens at 7 AM EST. Be on your app or computer ready to start then.
* Once you've exhausted your three FPs, you can make more one at a time for any park on the MDE app. This depends on availability. I was there Veteran's Day weekend last Nov and Same day FPs were gone early in the day. I'd imagine the same is true Thanksgiving week. Other weeks in Nov, there's likely more availability.
* If you choose a FP that is late in the day, like for RoL at AK, then you won't be able to get SDFPs that day as you must first exhaust your initial 3 FPs.

Step 3: Then, it's time to refine your plan until you leave for WDW and enjoy your trip.
 
There are a lot of resources available but it can be time consuming. There are guide Books for WDW. The Unofficial Guide can be overwhelming with information. In the paperback form it is easy to go to the areas you are looking for. The last time I got it was hard to read as an ebook.

The Easy Guide to your Walt Disney Visit is another I like. This has the benefit of walking you through the steps you will take. If you want to get a feel for their view you can read their blogs for free.

http://www.easywdw.com/easy/

http://**************.net/
 
The biggest change about going to WDW in the last ten years is planning your trip on My Disney Experience. Experiencing WDW now relies a lot more heavily on reservations than it ever did before this app and FastPass+ were introduced. Make sure you reserve your dining and FPs as soon as you are able to. Explore every section of My Disney Experience, and familiarize yourself with your reservation dates.

Also, if you are going to WDW during one of the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party days (select nights Nov 9 - Dec 22), I would recommend buying the Christmas party tickets and going to the Magic Kingdom during that day. The biggest benefit to going to the Magic Kingdom on a Christmas party day is that attendance is much lower and the lines are WAY shorter during the Christmas party hours. My boyfriend and I go to WDW every December. We've seen the Christmas parade and projection show several times, but we always buy the Christmas Party tickets because the shorter lines are worth the extra ticket price.

Recommended FPs (according to my own experience):
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train* (MK)
Peter Pan's Flight* (MK)
Frozen Ever After* (Epcot)
Soarin' (Epcot)
Toy Story Midway Mania* (HS)
Rock n' Roller Coaster (HS)
Expedition Everest (AK)

The rides listed above typically have an average wait time of over an hour (easily over 1.5 hours, maybe over 2 hours+ for the ones with asterisks). Pandora is new at the Animal Kingdom, and though I haven't had any experience with this section of the park, I assume the attractions there will be popular. Definitely check out the FPs for those attractions.

When reserving dining or FPs, make sure there's enough time between reservations and FPs to get from one attraction/restaurant to the other. I try to avoid booking reservations/FPs one right after the other unless the attractions/restaurants are in the same section of the park. I usually try to space everything out with an hour of buffer in between reservations/FPs. This is based on my experience and knowledge that my boyfriend usually likes to sit down/snack/go to the restroom between attractions, and rushing from one to the other isn't realistic for us.

I hope you have a great trip! Happy (super early) Birthday to you and your daughter!
 


Oh my gosh thank you! Using your advice, I just made our adrs and our special somethings... the Savor the Savannah tour and illuminations cruise. Your advice calmed me down and gave me direction. So much is new! Thanks for helping me get started!
 
I think you'll get more advice posting this on the Theme Park Attractions and Strategies board.

So I'm assuming you've made your hotel reservation.

Step 1: You need to make your dining plans. You can make ADRs 180 days out, which is fast approaching for Nov.

Consideration A: Consult a crowd calendar and make a plan for what parks you will visit on what days. Also decide if you will attend EMH or avoid that park.
Consideration B: If you haven't already, you will need to decide if you are getting PH. I'd recommend it because it's easy to do with a group of grown ups, it offers flexibility to spend as much time as you want in each park, and if you'll be there in early Nov, you can enjoy F&W booths more than once.
Consideration C: Generally, I'd recommend planning less time in DHS-- there's a lot of construction right now. Just hit the highlights and move on. Epcot will likely command more of your time if F&W us going on-- well worth it. MK and AK will likely take the most time-- MK because it has the most attractions, and AK because Pandora just opened and, as I undestand, is worth seeing.
Consideration D: If you're celebrating some big events, consider something special at least once. Not sure of your budget, but HDDR makes a big deal about birthdays, there's a Highway in the Sky Dine around that I'd absolutely love to try (well reviewed), there's dessert parties with reserved seating for almost every nighttime show, there's signature restaurants to fit every taste, etc. Look at some menus online and make your choices.

Step 2: You'll likely refine your plan over the next months, but the next big step is 60 days out when you make your FP reservations. There's many schools of thought, but I like to make mine starting around 10 as the crowds hit. You get 3 per day, and all must be for the same park. All parks except MK have a tie ring system where you get 1 top tier attraction FP, and two second tiers. Epcot's tiering system us the absolute worst. Familiarize yourself with the tiers and plan which attractions you want when. Typically, FEA, 7DMT, and the two Pandora attractions are the most coveted and hardest to get these days.
* Make sure you have the MDE app on your phone. You make FPs and ADRs there.
* FP selection opens at 7 AM EST. Be on your app or computer ready to start then.
* Once you've exhausted your three FPs, you can make more one at a time for any park on the MDE app. This depends on availability. I was there Veteran's Day weekend last Nov and Same day FPs were gone early in the day. I'd imagine the same is true Thanksgiving week. Other weeks in Nov, there's likely more availability.
* If you choose a FP that is late in the day, like for RoL at AK, then you won't be able to get SDFPs that day as you must first exhaust your initial 3 FPs.

Step 3: Then, it's time to refine your plan until you leave for WDW and enjoy your trip.
Wow. I'm so grateful for the fast pass info. Back in the day we just got our slip and we're good to go! I'll start my research on the new rides and be ready at 7 am on my first day! The one request I have from the kids is to be on Thunder Mountain during Wishes, but the new show will have to do! We love seeing the fireworks from the ride! Thanks for your help!
 



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