This is our first trip please all tips and suggestions needef!

[Rachael811]

This will be my sons first trip to WDW. He will be turning 8 when we are there. I want this to be just as special as when I went 20 years ago. We are staying at the All star movies in June. If you have any tips or suggestions I would love to know! Thanks

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

Keep reading on this site....there are far too many tips to post in 1 reply. Enjoy your trip.

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

The last 4 times we have gone to WDW has been in June. It will be HOT! Listen to your body, take breaks when necessary, lots of sunscreen, plan for a thunderstorm many days, drink lots of water, and SLOW DOWN!!

There is so much to see, and you can try to see too much because this is your first trip in such a long time. Have a plan, use FP, and then when something spontaneous happens, stop and enjoy it.

This is so exciting to be planning your first trip for your son.Enjoy that part too. Read everything you can get your hands on.

Since my number one piece of advise is always stay on site, and you've already done that, then I would say make it to as many rope drops as you can. You can get so much done in the first few hours. Then you can take a break at your hotel for some swim time.

Keep asking questions. You'll find all the answers here on the boards.

Have a great time.

 

[ZoZo]

As another poster stated, it's hard to put everything in one post! One of the smartest thing you can do before your first trip would be to buy a good guidebook and read it cover to cover. I really like the Unofficial Guide. It will give you lots of good basic info about important t stuff like Fastpass, dining reservations, etc. then use this chat board to find specific answers to questions (like "What's your favorite counter service restaurant at Magic Kingdom?"

Otherwise , my best tips include:

Learn how to use and maximize Fastpass.

Make at least a few dining reservations well before your arrival.

Even if you're not a morning person, try to arrive before "rope drop" (park opening). You can get an amazing amount done that way.

 

[4chickadees]

I also recommend a good guide book. My suggestion would be to check out several from your local library, decide the one you like the best, then buy your own copy. Make notes in it!!

Personally, I also like to get a schedule of the parades that may not be happening on every day. Cross check that with the early magic hours & get a general framework of our week. From there, I make our dining reservations. Although the sit-down meals can be wonderful (& a needed rest for your feet!) keep in mind that they will take a few hours out of your day.

Have a blast!

 

[Taytay17]

Okay first comment is totally right this cite has all the answered I recommend getting the hopper pass because when u have that u can travel from park to park making the day more magical! Second u need to take action with fast passes! They are the best and very attraction with a long waiting has it to offer. Your son will probely enjoy magic kingdom the most (as do most people) however the crowds there r redicilous and lacking sleep makes it worst. Most people say get up early and go but I say sleep in and don't be rushed!! If Ur staying in a Disney resort also take advantage of extra magic hours! This is when a certain park every day (check listings online at Disney.com) extra hours only for guests staying in a Disney owned resort. During this time the park is not crowded at all!!!!! Most of all have fun and enjoy

 

[DisGeebs]

Depending on how long you will be there.. try to take a "down" day to enjoy the resort and/or pools. Or perhaps take a trip to the other hotels, etc. Sometimes the crowds can get to you after a while, especially when it is hot.
Know that you won't be able to see and do everything... so make a list of the Top few things you "MUST DO" and use FP, etc to do them. Everything else is just the icing on the cake,

 

[Heluvsme]

Get there early at Rope Drop, you will get SO much done!! Enjoy lunch, then go back to your resort for a midday swim and rest in your room. Return to the parks late afternoon/early evening feeling rested and refreshed and stay as late as you like!

Sunscreen!!!


Take your own bottles of water and refill in the parks when necessary, it will save a lot of money!


Learn the FastPass system! On a very busy day last June (crowd level was 8-9) we went on everything and didn't ever wait longer than 10 minutes!! We utilized Extra Magic Hours, the FastPasses, and Tour Guide Mike & easywdw's tips!!! We've been numerous times over the years, but I always check crowd calendars!!

When my son was 8 yrs old, his favorite "souvenir" he got was a water mister/fan!! We filled it with ice cubes and water and he was a happy camper!! The following years we pre-purchased a mister/fan at WalMart for a fraction of the DW cost.

Sunglasses and a hat!!

To get the full experience try a variety of full service restaurants, not just for eating but for the experience!

Have fun!!!!

 

[TypeADisneyDude]

Character meals are amazing to include on your trip! If your child has favorites, I'd recommend seeing if they appear in any of the character meals. It's one of the easiest ways to get some quality character time in without having to wait in lines at the parks.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

This will be my sons first trip to WDW. He will be turning 8 when we are there. I want this to be just as special as when I went 20 years ago. We are staying at the All star movies in June. If you have any tips or suggestions I would love to know! Thanks

I never recommend the hopper ticket option to people who are new to touring Disney, you don't need it. I would recommend 5 to 6 park days for a first visit - 2 days MK, 2 days Epcot, 1 day Ak and 1 day DHS. If you are staying on-site, you don't really need your car, the Disney transporation is good, especially with it being your first time and not being familiar with Disney property.

Pick up a copy of The Unoffical Guide to Walt Disney World and check out their companion website, www.touringplans.com. I use their crowd/best days calendar to plan all our park days and then once I know which park we will be in on which days I can make my Advance Dining Reservations around those parks or in resorts close to those parks. I highly recommend the Basic Disney Dining Plan if your party is going to eat at least one sit down/table service/character meal per day. ADRs open up 180 days before your check-in date.

These are tips I give to anyone new to touring WDW:

1. Make sure you have Advance Dining Reservations as a lot of table service restaurants do not take walk-ups or busy crowd seasons or during free dining promos. A number of the character meals and popular restauratants will already be booked up or have limited availability.

2. Get to the parks at opening. You really can get a lot done in the morning because so many other people sleep in.

3. Eat lunch around 11:00 or 11:30 a.m. before the fast food places get busy. Then when while everyone else is eating lunch, you will have lower crowds.

4. I buy a ton of the two for a dollar ponchos at the dollar store and keep them in the backpack. That way you can throw them a way after use and not worry about keeping up with a wet bulky poncho the rest of the day. Bring throw away ponchos to wear on Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom, if not you WILL get soaked.

5. Other things I put in the backpack each morning are Tylenol/Motrin, small first aid kit, camera with extra batteries, small hand towel, hand sanitizer, wipes and a bottle of water.

6. Most single service items under $4.00 are considered a snack credit on the dining plan. A Turkey Leg is NOT a snack credit.

7. At Magic Kingdom always head to Fantasyland first, if you are not doing Fantasyland on a particular day then head to Splash Mountain first, then Big Thunder Mountain; at Epcot always ride Soarin' first and get a Fastpass for later after you get off of the ride; at Disney Hollywood Studios always ride Toy Story Mania first, then head over to Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror; and at Animal Kingdom ride Expedition Everest First then head to the Safari.

8. Favorite fast food restaurants at MK are Pecos Bills and Cosmic Rays; favorite fast food at Animal Kingdom is Flame Tree Grill and Pizzafari. If you are there while it very hot, go to Pizzafari.

9. If there are two lines going into an attraction, always take the line that goes to the left.

10. My best tip would have to be USE THE FASTPASS SYSTEM. Our rule of thumb is if the wait is 25 minutes or less, we wait in line. If the wait is 30 minutes or more, use a Fastpass. It is not highly publicized, but your Fastpass does not expire until the end of the day. You can never use it before the return time stamp on the pass, but you can always use it after. We try to collect Fastpasses during the early part of the day and then use them later in the afternoon when the parks become more crowded.

Click on this link and it will give you an excellent overview of Fastpass. It is from Doconeil here on the Disboards and super helpful:

http://www.oinc.net/disney/fastpass.php

If you still don't understand, just let me know your specific questions.

11. I like the Photopass. You can pre-buy it before your trip for $99.00. When you enter the parks you will see the staff photographers, they will take your pictures and give you a Photopass and you can use that for the rest of your trip. Each time you see a photographer have them take your picture and they will scan your picture. Then when you get home you can pull up the pictures, with the code they email you after purchase, and pick the photos you want on a CD. They will then mail you the CD and the copyrights to the CD and you can take them to Walmart or Walgreens or wherever and get them developed. They also have a lot of cool software that you can use to edit your photos before you have them put on the CD.

My favorite Disney planning sites are:

www.disboards.com
www.allearsnet.com
www.wdwinfo.com
www.intercot.com

 

[54WDW]

Some of my favorite tips for newbies would be.

1. Just like everyone else says, be prepared for the heat and humidity. It can be brutal, especially to little ones. Take those afternoon breaks and cool off. Free ice water can be gotten in every restaurant, if you ask for it at the counter.

2. I agree with the other posters about buying rain ponchos, but I wouldn't use the cheap throw away ones, they cling and drive me insane. The Mickey ponchos are $7-8 and are a heavy grade of plastic that become a great, inexpensive take home souvenior. We use ours in our motorhome, for camping trips and love the WDW reminder, when that big smilling Mickey goes down the path. =]

3. A stormy day could be the best day of your whole trip, don't leave the park unless, you have no choice. We were in one year, the park was pretty full, amazingly hot and humid, and during a tropical storm. After 5 minutes of rain, we were soaked, decided that we couldn't get any wetter if we stayed, then if we left. So, we bought ponchos and proceeded anyway. Well, within an hour or so, the park had emptied by atleast 50% and it cooled off to a cloudy, comfortable temperature. We dried out and had the best day out of 2 weeks. So stick it out if you can!

4. Like the others, remind yourself that you can't see it all, and to try will drive you and everyone in your party crazy. Remember, you will return and there will be another time to catch what you have missed. Try to stay as relaxed as you can, you will enjoy your vacation more.

5. Get there as early as you can. Not only are the crowds down, but so are the temps (this is crucial to your family's enjoyment). We have a rule, we can sleep at home! lol Everyone, goes to bed at a decent hour and gets up at the crack of dawn at Disney. "You wanna sleep in? Go camping!" That's our rule. lol

6. I have a wait time app for my smart phone. You can get one from UndercoverTourist.com, that in a moment you can see if it is a good time for a ride that you don't have a FP for.

7. I sometimes get park hoppers, but only when I'm staying on property, because using Disney transportation is so convient for switching parks. Also, I would get it if I had a lot of dinner reservations in Epcot. But, most parks are really good for a whole day. With the exception of AK, but you could just plan to eat dinner at Ohana's or one of the other resorts. So, park hoppers aren't really necessary. Unless, you have a very active family that loves to go, go, go!

My family loves going to visit Mickey and I hope that your family has a great time on your first visit.

 

[Disneyislove86]

I agree with everyone's tips! Try not to overplan though. See what is on your "Top things to do" list first and then just take everything in stride and enjoy your vacation!

 

[AshleeH]

For our first family trip, I bought the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World - it was invaluable. I was also on AllEars and WDWInfo nonstop.

And I agree with previous posters - you can't possibly do everything in one trip (or two!) so don't try. That is just a recipe for disaster. Do some research and find out the things that you absolutely must do and then everything else after that will just be a bonus .

 

[Frikadela]

Agree with everyone especially about checking crowd levels.... Do not under any circumstances attempt MAgic Kingdom if its 9 or 10 if you value your sanity. My first time at MK was during some holiday (I'm a Brit I have no idea what holiday it was) and we lasted all of 30 minutes. Never seen so many strollers in my life....

 

[noahdove]

How exciting for your sonLike others, take a good break in the day, you will need it. I carry a hand towel from the room, get it wet and attach it to my backpack strap, this helps cool us off and it can be easily wet in all of the parks. I also, take crystal light to put in a bottle of water, I first mix it with CS ice, it's free and they will give you as much as you need Read read on here and ask as many questions as you need to, don't think any question is dumb, as it's not...if you make ressies, be sure to keep them on file cards by day and keep those ressie numbers on them. You won't be sorry as this info may be of great help on your trip. I also program the dining number in my phone, should I be late I can give them a quick call to tell them that you are running late. Take pictures each morning before you leave so if he wanders off, also a picture of your KTTW for each of you in case of loss..Most of all, take your time and create wonderful memories

 

[bopper]

First of all, if you are 8, just going to Disney is magical. He won't know about all the stuff he didn't get to see. He just knows there are all these cool rides.

How to make sure he gets the best experience?

1) Stay well physically. Make sure he is hydrated and sunscreened/hatted.

2) Stay rested. Make sure you don't do to many parks in a row...either take days off in between or go back and rest during the day.

3) Get there early. In order to minimize waiting in lines, get there when the park opens and use the Fast Pass system.

4) Is there anything he likes? Any particular characters he likes? Maybe he likes cars. Make sure to do Autopia and let him drive. Maybe you think it is too long of a line but he will think it is awesome to drive. Or figure out his favorite character and find out where they tend to show up and make sure to stop by.

5) Don't forget the pool. When my kids were little, we would leave for the parks and they would say "lets go swimming!" and we would say but it is time to go to the parks. And when we came home we would go to sleep. Factor in some pool time early on.