1st time to WDW

[skhermsmeyer]

Hi all! I haven't been to WDW since I was 6 and I'm looking for some tips! My husband has never been and we're planning on taking our son who will be 15 months in Dec. Do you have any suggestions for rooms, rides, etc? This seems like such a huge task and I don't want to miss anything, but don't want to overwhelm the little guy either. My mom is going to come with us, so she'll be some much needed help. Any tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[AUdisfan]

Hey and welcome to the Dis boards!

There is a lot to think about and a lot of decisions to make. If you are planning on going in Dec, and you don't have reservations yet, you definitely should get to work on that ASAP. Use this site and others like allearsnet.com and the official WDW site to help you figure out what kind of accommodations will fit your needs best. Think about what you want and how much you can spend. The DVC units with 1 or 2 bedrooms and a full kitchen have been wonderful for us as our family has grown. We also take grandparents on our trips and they are wonderful help.

As far as rides for your son, he will enjoy rides in MK like the carousel, Pooh, It's a Small World, Dumbo, etc. My son was 13 months on our last trip and he also went on rides like Pirates of the Caribbean with us. He rode almost everything we did with our 5 yr old daughter. Just be sure to plan a good bit of down time with him and the all important afternoon break. At his age, he doesn't need to experience everything. Just enjoy being together at the happiest place on Earth.

Once you make the big decisions like rooms, you will think of lots of other little questions that pop up. These boards are a great place to get lots of answers and recommendations. I hope you have lots of fun planning your trip and hopefully we can be of some help. I've been lots of times, but I'm always learning something new about WDW here. We are going in Dec also and we cant' wait to get there. Please let me know if I can be of any help. I don't know if I was much help here, but I'll be glad to try.

Happy planning!

 

[TinaLala]

Okay my biggest suggestion to you is take it slow. Enjoy every minute and let your mother enjoy some moments with your son. Go on every ride in all the parks then you can pick the ones you really liked and gone on them a second time later on in the trip.

I always suggest that people 'eat around the world' in Epcot, especially if you're with your mom, she'll love not just doing the kids things. Stop in every country and get something local from that country. It gives you a really good understanding of the country and their culture, plus it's kinda fun.

I would also recommend you start at MK in the Judge's tent to see the characters then you'll know what kind of child you have. Will he enjoy the characters or be scared. In the tent it's a nice calm controlled environment that they can spend some moments one on one with the characters then if you've booked character meals - and book character meals in advance - you'll know what to expect.

 

[skhermsmeyer]

Thanks for the tips!

We've officially booked our trip for Dec 15-20! We're so excited and I can hardly wait.

Any other advice is appreciated (and needed!).

 

[Singinglizzie]

I recommend you start by checking out a couple of Disney books at the library. You can get a sense of the park layouts, resorts, other tips, etc. If you haven't already booked your room this would be step #2. Decide if you want to stay off-site or on-site. Looks like you are planning 5 days, so to maximize your time, maybe staying on-site would work best - but its up to you. What is your budget? Are you going to try to do all 4 parks or will you skip one or two of them? It's hard (at least for me) to not go "commando" at the parks so try to take it easy, well it is a vacation, and recognize you can't see it all, and do it all and that is ok. As the previous poster suggested, if you want to eat at any of the table service restaurants, you should call and make advance dinner reservations (ADRs). If you have on the MYW base ticket that doesn't include the park hopper, then you can just pick restaurants based on the park you will visit each day. If you go to Allears.com or Mousesavers.com you can read about the Disney Dinning Plan and decide if you want that as an option or if you want to purchase meals separately. The DDP is only available if decide to stay on-site, is for every party member in your room and requires the Magic your way tickets. Don't buy your tickets separately if you want to add on the disney dinning plan. Go to the WDW website and check out the calendar for each day you will be there to help decide which parks offer what on your visiting days. You can read alot of threads on the DIS boards from posters requesting advice on where to eat and where to stay. Read these, as they may help you decide these questions for youself. I hope you have a wonderful trip. Here is a little dixie dust and you plan your trip. Enjoy and have fun with the planning.

 

[lisadr]

I am a big fan of 3 sites. Disboards of course, but you will get a lot of opinions and one person can LOVE something and the next will tell you to avoid it at all costs-so take everything with a grain of salt. The other 2 sites have a lot of free info in a very organized manner. They are:

www.mousesavers.com

www.allearsnet.com

There are tons of others out there, but I like these 2 because they seem very straightforward and organized.

Good luck and have a WONDERFUL vacation.

P.S. I will give one piece of personal advice. When I took my DD(5 at the time) for her 1st Disney trip-I kept reminding my DH not to expect too much out of her. I hoped she would run and hug every character and ride every ride-but I wanted us to be fully prepared and Ok with that not happening. If you don't have any expectations you won't be disappointed and what ever happens it will be OK. Have fun!!

 

[skhermsmeyer]

Everything is booked! We're even going to the MVMCP! I can't wait! Already dreaming about it at night!

 

[skhermsmeyer]

And checked out about 6 books from the library. Call me OCD.

 

[AUdisfan]

Six books sounds about right!

So, where are you staying? What are your plans?

You will love MVMCP, especially your first time.