1st day jitters

[ready4mouse]

Hi! I never thought I'd be a "crazy mom" headed to Disney- but here I am and now I seem to be obsessed w/ getting it "right". We are surprising my 7-year old DS with a trip (he's apparently the only child in the WORLD that has never been ) We're not going to tell him until we get there
I am very uncertain about what to do our first day. Our flight lands at 11:00 - we're staying at POR (I hope he likes it!) I'm not sure if we should hit the MK right away (I don't want to waste a whole day) or go to AK which I see has extra magic hours that night... We got the park hopper plus so we could jump around...
This is ridiculous- I can't even sleep at night worrying that we'll never get to do it "all"...between MK, AK, MGM, EPCOT, BB, TL, and Disney Quest.... I'm already exhausted!
My husband and I haven't been to Disney since we were kids- over 20 years ago...Any suggestions would be VERY appreciated!

 

[JRawkSteady]

haha, you sound like me. First thing's first. Just relax. Thing about the fact that you're going to be spending time away from the hustle and bustle of home/work life. All responsibilites (besides your DS of course) are just out the door.

Then realize - there will always be time to do everything. Do the things that matter to you first. Don't forget: Wishes is always best after a full-day in Magic Kingdom. DisneyQuest can be fun, but remember, it takes up nearly a whole day...you might wanna think about holding out on that one.

Any questions: come to us!

 

[David R]

When I used to vacation in Orlando before moving here, I would always visit the MK first. Seeing the castle at the end of Main Street just set the mood for me. You can use that day to take a few pictures in front of the castle, etc and hit a couple attractions.

Your DS probably thinks of the castle whenever he hears "Disney World", if you take him to the AK first, I can already hear him asking "where's the castle?" while looking at the Tree of Life

But relax, have fun, I'm sure you will have a blast no matter what schedule you put together. It's Disney World after all!

 

[MissSixty]

Not sure how long you are going to be there, but maybe think about one water park (if at all) as opposed to both? Also, I would leave out Disney Quest, but its just my preference. Save time for shopping in Downtown Disney!

 

[DisneyGeek2000]

I can't even sleep at night worrying that we'll never get to do it "all"

Realize right now that you won't do it all in one trip, its impossible.

Get a guidebook or visit some websites and make a list of things you want to see in each park and prioritize them. Throw the bottom half of that list away. Make a plan to see the top half, and if you get to see some of the other things, great!

Some of the best magical memories comes from doing something unexpected or unplanned. A delicious hot dog from Casey's, a nice conversation with another guest on the bus, a great photo op or moment with a character.

Don't try and do both water parks - no need.

Skip DisneyQuest.

Relax.

Enjoy.

Stop and smell the roses..... you'll be back.

Michael

 

[la79al]

The one thing I can say is be prepared for very little reaction from your son. We told DD4 and DS8 on the way to the airport and we got 'oh okay' not because they didn't want to go but because they had no concept of what DW was. When we did get lost looking for our hotel however then they wanted to go "now!". Also consider what your son's likes are. Our DS is more into animals than anything else and would have just as much loved AK first. DD just started screaming as soon as she saw 'the ball'. Though I agree that MK is what kids seem to think when they think DW.

 

[nigel-bigel]

This is ridiculous- I can't even sleep at night worrying that we'll never get to do it "all"...between MK, AK, MGM, EPCOT, BB, TL, and Disney Quest.... I'm already exhausted!

You will not be able to do it all. I still haven't done it all, and I've been there six times!

I speak from experience, you are setting yourself up for some major stressing out! For some reason on my third trip I had planned every little detail and was determined to give my DDs the trip of a lifetime. I was so prepared and planned and organized! Then, we had been at the resort for exactly 60 minutes, and I was sitting in Beaches and Cream bawling my eyes out because there was a problem with an ADR I had arranged for long in advance. Now THAT is just whack.

Truth be told, I wasn't crying because of the ADR. The fact that I hadn't eaten all day was a major factor. But the real problem was that I had built this trip up in my mind to be some idyllic week of unending happiness for my family, and even with all of my research and planning, it was blemished before it even got started.

Thankfully, I have learned to relax. Make plans, but don't over-schedule or try to do too much. It's a vacation! And even if you don't see and do everything remember it's okay because...

A) You son has no idea what he is missing; He is simply overcome with wonder at being there.

B) It's a great reason to come back!

To help you unwind, you may even want to arrange for a little splurge just for you, Mom. How about booking a massage at the GF Spa while father and son ride the monorail and get some ice cream?

Have a wonderful, wonderful trip. Just "go with the flow" and you will have a terrific time!

 

[kimmikayb]

Hi! I never thought I'd be a "crazy mom" headed to Disney- but here I am and now I seem to be obsessed w/ getting it "right". We are surprising my 7-year old DS with a trip (he's apparently the only child in the WORLD that has never been ) We're not going to tell him until we get there
I am very uncertain about what to do our first day. Our flight lands at 11:00 - we're staying at POR (I hope he likes it!) I'm not sure if we should hit the MK right away (I don't want to waste a whole day) or go to AK which I see has extra magic hours that night... We got the park hopper plus so we could jump around...
This is ridiculous- I can't even sleep at night worrying that we'll never get to do it "all"...between MK, AK, MGM, EPCOT, BB, TL, and Disney Quest.... I'm already exhausted!
My husband and I haven't been to Disney since we were kids- over 20 years ago...Any suggestions would be VERY appreciated!

I was that crazy mom just a few weeks ago. Relax...what will happen, will. Michael had some great suggestions. So did everyone else. My kids had to see the castle first too, made it real for them. Follow the list and do your top 10 things and let the rest happen. I'd skip DQ too. One water park would be cool. It all depends on what is important to you, what you think your son will love. Crush is really cool at Epcot, but you will have a wait. Utilize fast pass...I'm still amazed at the people who don't. It will be magical, even if you can't get everything done this time. My husband kept telling me....just an excuse to go back, whenever we realized we missed something! He's a nut tho because all he wanted to do is sleep and I kept telling him "man we are at Disney, there is NO time to sleep!" LOL!

 

[daisax]

I agree -- pick one water park, and skip Disney Quest.

First thing you do is go to the hotel, check in, and head somewhere to eat (or grab a sandwich in the room if you bring it with you). Once you get to a park, it will be sheer cruelty to say "We're going to eat now!" (If you go to the foodcourt that might be fun for him to choose if he's not used to that kind of restaurant)

I actually think the Animal Kingdom to begin with is a good idea -- it's a smallish park, and you can do it in a half day. He's going to be thrilled to be there and that's as good a place as any to start.

I'd hesitate to start midday in the MK, because that will probably be his favorite park, and he's going to want to keep going, and going, and going... Also, frankly, the other parks may be a letdown to him after MK.

Epcot is also a good place to start with the smaller ones, before they discover MK and want to spend every moment there. There are characters and fun and PLENTY to excite a kid of that age.

As for you and your husband, I'd read the books and make "must do" lists, but otherwise, it's your first trip, and accepting that you won't see everything, start walking and go into the attractions and pace yourself. Take a break mid-day -- the rest you gain with a 3 hour break will result in your accomplishing more in your second foray later in the day. You may feel like pushing through, but that will lead to greater exhaustion the next day and less accomplished than you expected overall.

 

[clombardi]

I would also skip Disney Quest and just do Blizzard Beach instead of both water parks. Your 7 yr old will love the training camp area of BB.

Try to tell yourself that you just want to have fun and that doesn't mean that you have to see every park during this trip.

Try to take cues from your son. If he is tired, go back to the pool at POR and swim and relax. Don't feel guilty about it as if you are wasting time.

It truly makes for better memories when everyone is relaxed and enjoying themselves.

 

[Goofy Rulz]

My suggestion for the first day would be perhaps to schedule a character meal w/Chef Mickey so he can see all the characters up close & personal. Than head over to MK in the early evening, do a few rides and watch Spectromagic & Wishes fireworks. Then that would let your DS know "yes, we really are here" and get him all excited about coming back for a full day at the park. I agree w/the other post on Disney Quest. You may be wasting a lot of time on video games that could better be spent elsewhere. You'll be amazed by how much WDW has changed since your last time there. How exciting! Have a wonderful time.

 

[lovedvc]

Don't rush just sit back relax and enjoy the ride. Usually the first day there is not really that much time to go to a park and that would be the waste of a park day. By the time you get to your resort and check-in it will be around 1 o'clock or later and it may be time for lunch. The first day we always check out the resort and visit the pool. Later we hit Downtown Disney for the Rainforest Cafe (the food is okay, but the kids absolutely love it), the Disney Store, Lego Land and all the other great stores. The next morning we are ready to go. We get to MK early enough to see the opening show and then straight through the castle to Fantasyland for pooh, snow white and the carousel. Enjoy your trip and smell the roses.

 

[vital]

You sound exadtly like me! We are going for first time in June and I feel the same way. I'm going to sit down with DS (6) and find out what he'd cry over if we didn't do . Then I'm going to look at what I would like to do and just go with the flow for the rest. I've been reading a LOT and have pretty much figured out to make reservations well ahead of times for the popular character meals. We will have 1 half day and 5 whole days so I'm sure we can at least do what means the most to us .

 

[T-i-double-g-err]

Tip #1: Relax! Have Fun! Your on Vacation! There's All Around You!
Tip #2: See Tip #1
Tip #3: If you start feeling stressed and the need to be exactly where you planned each and every moment, (1) take a deep breath, (2) count to 10, (3) look for hidden mickeys and (4) while you're looking, live and remember tips #1 and #2.

Our last few trips we driven to WDW after visiting the great grandparents in Tampa and having breakfast with them. We don't usually get to WDW until around noon or so. We check into the hotel and grab a bite to eat, which puts at around 2 or so.

As a consequence, we usually do not hit a park the day of our arrival. We hit the pool at the hotel, and then we have an early ADR for a character meal outside the parks. We've done either Park Faire at GF or Chef Mickey's at CR. After our last trip in January, I think our family consensus is for CM. We then make it an early night to be sure everyone is bright and shiny for being at the park (usually MK the first day) when the gates open. With no lines within the first hour or so, we've been able to hit most of the rides in Fantasy Land, which up until the latest trip has been our kids biggest focus. With DD8.5 this trip (and DD6 wanting to ride with her big sis), we were actually a little more diverse in our wanderings.

I'd recommend at least one ADR a day. We usually shoot for a lunch (or late breakfast = lunch). With a family of 5, having at least one known meal location is a must. We usually do breakfast in the hotel room. Typically, we play dinner pretty much by ear, sometimes skipping it if we had some heavy snacking (e.g., hot dog at Liberty Square at 4 or so, etc.)

We also have a family tradition to end the trip with a character Breakfast outside the parks - 'Ohana. We start the trip and end the trip with a visit with .

 

[Leah and Emily's mom]

Disney World can be the most fun as long your family has a game plan- know what rides or attractions you want to do at each of the parks and keep a list so that you don't get to DW and become scattered brained. Enjoy- if you miss something you can always go back next year!

 

[vicb]

Ditto on skipping DQ and only doing one water park. Both are great.

Age 7 is a wonderful age for your first trip to WDW!

I was a wreck our first family trip to WDW. My kids were 3 and 6. I planned and planned, and guess what they liked the best?? MK, resort pool and monorail! We went to MK over and over and over. We rode the monorail over and over and over. And we swam every day. We never made it to MGM that first trip and we only did a half a day at Epcot. At first I was so upset but once I just accepted the trip for what it was, we had an amazing time. My DH who was reluctant to even go ended up loving it. We have been 3 times now, heading back for #4 in two weeks and there still are things we haven't done.

Best of luck!

 

[JRawkSteady]

Realize right now that you won't do it all in one trip, its impossible.

I just want to let you know, it's not impossible. SO many people say this, BUT I did it last February. The only thing we didn't do was Typhoon Lagoon, because A) I don't think it's that great of a water park, and B) It was closed for renovations anyway. As long as you go during the slowest time of year for at least 7 days, it's very doable.

Now, back to the subject at hand. DisneyQuest is basically just an arcade with video games a few virtual reality "rides" that don't feel very real at all. Believe me, although he'll have fun there, I'm 98% sure he'll have more fun doing something he can't really experience at home.

As you can tell, I definitely would suggest Blizzard Beach over Typhoon Lagoon. The theming is much more interesting and the rides are a lot more fun!

 

[ready4mouse]

Thank you all for your great advice (and support)...
I will keep chanting to myself "you are on vacation..." I'll let you know how it all worked out!

 

[Tinker74]

This sounds just like me
I have been planning this trip for a year now and Iam about to make my Adrs in 2 days.
I just can't stip thinking about it. Its like I've been brainwashed by the disney religion
Every time a read on here about a new childrens activity I just HAVE to do and try to sueeze it into my schedule, for DD6.
So far I want to book...Princess tea party...wonderland tea party...pirate cruise...family magic tour, as well as about 7 different character meals
And then I remember I actually have a Ds13 who is v mature and is happy for his little sis to get to do this, So I try to squeeze in a half day at disney quest for him, and a trip to Kennedy.(with dh).
AHHHHHH!!
I wonder if this trip is going to be OVER scheduled and I'll be constantly clock watching and racing to the next ADR.

 

[richard_andmel]

Some of the advice I'd give would depend greatly on how long you are going for. Also, what does your family like to do? Most kids love to swim, and I wouldn't automatically say to just skip a water park.

Mel