1st time to Disney--help!

[PrincessJen]

We are going Aug. 12-19th; spur of the moment. I know nothing!!! I need someone to plan my whole vacation! LOL We are staying at the Contemporary. I have no idea what it's like, but it's booked, so at least I know that much! I read about all these PS, and I don't even know where to begin, or if we'll be able to get into anything seeing we are so late?? I've read some of the boards, but there's SO much it's overwhelming! HELP!

 

[kda]

Congratulations on booking a trip to Disney! There IS a lot to know, but everything doesn't have to be planned out in advance and you won't be able to see and do everything. That's why people keep going back!

Take some time and read the various boards and then ask specific questions as you have them --- ie, feedback on certain restaurants, is e-night worth it (it might be a lot cooler to do e night in mid-August, and less crowded than during the day), why do you like the CR? There's tons of info on the boards and most many of your questions have already been answered.

Invest in a guidebook, so you'll have something concrete to refer to and daydream over.

Don't stress. August is usually very hot and humid and it really helps to pace yourself, keep well hydrated, and take an afternoon break for the pool or a nap. It works better for me to truly enjoy the things I choose to do, rather than race around and get hot and sweaty and crabby.

All the Disney resorts have their own great features. You can walk from the CR to the MK in 7 minutes. The monorail is wonderful. Chef Mickey's is really fun. You have easy access to several other deluxe resorts, which are fun to visit and increases you near-by dining options. California Grill is a very special restaurant. The rooms are huge. Etc, etc, etc. Have a great trip!

PS. Don't be a slave to Priority Seatings. Go ahead and make some (maybe 1-2 a day and NOT for 2 buffets in a day), and try to be flexible with dates and times. The hot reservations are California Grill, Flying Fish, Cinderella's breakfast, so call for those ASAP if you're interested. Go with the flow. Reservations often open up a few days ahead, so keep trying once you get there.

 

[Harambe]

Go over to the restaurant board and read some of the reviews. Since you're going in summer, I would make a few PS's.

Try making a PS at MGM that has the Fantasmic package. This gives you a nice meal and reserved seating for Fantasmic - the fireworks show at MGM.

A book to suggest is Birnbaum's Walt Disney World without Kids. I have kids, but I like this book because its small and gives their top choices for restaurants and attractions.

Pick a few rides, shows, and restaurants. If you do more - great! But you won't be able to do everything so don't even try!

Have fun! Be sure to eat a Mickey Ice Cream Bar!

 

[MELSMICE]

PrincessJen - Welcome to the Dis. You will get a lot of information from these boards.

A few of my tips:

--Because it gets hot in August I would try to get to the parks at opening times - actually, at least 1/2 hour before. Do the parks for a few hours & go back to the hotel to swim. Then go back to a park later in the day when it is cooler. The CR is a very convenient resort to be able to do this, especially with MK, which you can walk to & EPCOT, which you can get to on the monorail.

--Make a few PS's for places you really think you'll want to eat but not too many that you are scheduled to do something every night.

--Make a list of things you think you really want to do & see.

--Just have fun. Relax & enjoy yourself. You won't be able to see & do it all so have fun doing what you can.

 

[motaei]

Hi! It's my first time to WDW too. I love these boards for information. You get lots of personal feedback on ideas & stuff. The people here helped me pick out my hotel - CSR. Now I am getting info on the parks & restaurants.

I also really like http://tourguidemike.com/. There are free things on the site plus for about $15, you can get access to a personal online planner. I have found it to be very usefull. The site is not 100% complete yet, but it's still got loads of info.

Another great website is http://wdwig.com/. It's also got loads of info.

Hope you have a great trip!!!!!

 

[Sunshine2U]

Hi Jen,

We'll be at the CR Aug 15-17. There are several E-Nights scheduled while you are there. Those are fun and you can read about them on The Dis under Theme Parks. I agree about scheduling the Fantasmic Dinner Package at MGM. This is a great time saver. We enjoyed Mama Melrose over Brown Derby. We don't make too many PS plans because we are not big eaters when we are at WDW - too much to do. It's much more fun to snack your way through. By all means - early to bed, early to rise. It's worth changing your lifestyle to get to the parks early. You will get more done in the first two hours than the rest of the day. I like the Unofficial Guide. Lots of fun planning opportunities. You have enough time at WDW that you do not need to plan every minute. We usually drive down from SC for 4-day weekends. Our first few trips were scheduled out for commando touring. We have made enough trips now we tend to slow down more. So think of this as your first of many trips. There will be plenty of times to come back and see what you missed, eat someplace new, stay at a different resort. Enjoy!

 

[swilphil]

You have plenty of time. I found out on June 1st that we were leaving June 29th. We hadn't even discussed a trip although we went 3 years ago when our oldest was 6 months old. I would recommend getting a couple of guide books. I agree that the Unofficial Guide is a good one. I also checked out a couple of other books at the public library. Try to get recent ones, if possible. Ask the hotel employees for help, too.

 

[tdrcDVC]

Most important on your first trip is to not be overwhelmed. We over did it when our children were young, and forced them to the parks when all they wanted was to go swimming.
Plan what you absolutely want to do and relax in between, if you love Disney you will be back to catch all the little things you miss on your very hurried first visit.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Welcome to the boards!!!!

I think CR is a wonderful cjoice for your 1st trip, you'll be right in the middle of all the action!

We stayed at the CR this past March here are some tips-

Our first night we didn't have any PS time booked but we walked up to Chef Mickey's and figured it couldn't hurt to ask. (We were a party of 8) They asked my DH if we were staying at the resort and said since we were they could sqeeze us in!

Get a refillable mug.

The Electrical water parade comes by every night at around 10pm, it's a great way to end your day. We use to go to the food court or gift shop and buy some beers and watch it at this picnic table by the North Garden Wing, so much fun!

Jump on the monrail and take it over to wander around the other MK monrail resorts, they're beautiful and fun to walk around. There's also a boat that runs right over to Wilderness Lodge, it's very pretty there.

Don't miss Spectra Magic at the MK, Illuminations at Epcot or Fantasmic at MGM, they're all wonderful night time shows!

Go with the attitude that since it's your first trip you may not get to see everything you'd like to and that's OK. This way you won't feel to rushed and won't be disappointed if you miss some things.

Definitely invest in a guidebook or Tour guide Mike. I think the Passporter and Tour guide mike are GREAT for 1st timers!

http://www.passporter.com

http://www.tourguidemike.com

Have a great trip and ask as many ?? as you can think of here, these boards and wonderful and full of helpful, great and very disney wise people!