1st timer my dream is finally coming true!!!

[Virgodess]

Hello,

My family and I are first timers to WDW. My husband and I are taking our daughter 13 and son 10 April 13th - April 20th. We have done a lot of planning and searching for best times to go, deals and what to see and how to maximize our time. I must say it is so overwhelming.

I am trying not to be stressed out about it, but it so much to think about and do. This is the ultimate vacation for us. We have never been and it has always been my dream to go to WDW and we are finally making it happen!!! But, I want it to be as magical as I always imagined it would be. Right now I am just worried about dining and trying to plan accordingly so that we can be able to ride at least the majority of all the attractions we are so excited about getting on. I almost don't want to stop to eat nor sleep!

We are so very excited, but I would like some smart tips on how to plan our days. I don't have dining reservations and basically was just gonna go with the flow and find a quick bite to eat or be hopeful we would be able get a decent reservation at one of the many restaurants??

Also, we thinking about going to Universal studios for a day. Does anyone know if Universal provides shuttle from their park to Disney or vice versa?

I thank you for any helpful information that you can provide.

 

[Metro West]

 

[Cherinva]

Welcome...you are going to have a great time in WDW.....just want to give you a few pieces of advise...first, relax....don't try to do everything...you won't be able to.
There is so much to see and do...try to pick out the things that most interest you and your family and go for that.

Next..use the Fastpass system..it will help manage your time.

As for meals, I would go for Quick Service, and maybe one sit down dinner...the sit down dinners take a good hour or so, not including the wait time to get seated.

Every so often, just take a quick break, sit down with a drink, or ice cream.....and look around...take notice....it's so beautiful

Have a wonderful vacation !!!!

 

[MHSweb79]

You are going during a school vacation week so be prepared for big crowds. This won't be a problem if you plan for it in advance.

1. Get to the parks EARLY. Before they open, in fact. If a park is having morning EMH hours (Extra Magic Hours - opens 1 hour earlier for people staying on-site) use them. You will get more done in the first couple of hours each day than 5-6 hours later that afternoon.

2. Understand and use FastPasses. Keep in mind that your FP is good any time after the window opens until the END OF PARK HOURS THAT DAY. You don't have to criss-cross the enormous parks just to make it before your FP "expires." It doesn't. Just don't try to use them the next day! If you don't believe me, as any CM at a FP attraction.

3. As for eating, don't expect to get any walk-up tables during a vacation week. If a particular sit-down restaurant is important to you, then get a reservation as soon as you can. Like now. Otherwise, don't sweat it- counter service meals are quite good and much much less expensive.

4. Universal & Disney do not offer any shuttle service. Why would they want to help their guests leave their own property? So you'll have to get a cab or find a bus if you're not renting a car. But honestly, you could spend two full weeks at WDW and not get everything done. I would skip Universal this trip and focus on Disney.

 

[Virgodess]

Thank you so very much for your advices and tips! I will most definitely take them all into consideration. I appreciate it very much. Can't wait to get to WDW!!

 

[t1c2u]

Have fun! It is a magical experience

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Hello,

My family and I are first timers to WDW. My husband and I are taking our daughter 13 and son 10 April 13th - April 20th. We have done a lot of planning and searching for best times to go, deals and what to see and how to maximize our time. I must say it is so overwhelming.

I am trying not to be stressed out about it, but it so much to think about and do. This is the ultimate vacation for us. We have never been and it has always been my dream to go to WDW and we are finally making it happen!!! But, I want it to be as magical as I always imagined it would be. Right now I am just worried about dining and trying to plan accordingly so that we can be able to ride at least the majority of all the attractions we are so excited about getting on. I almost don't want to stop to eat nor sleep!

We are so very excited, but I would like some smart tips on how to plan our days. I don't have dining reservations and basically was just gonna go with the flow and find a quick bite to eat or be hopeful we would be able get a decent reservation at one of the many restaurants??

Also, we thinking about going to Universal studios for a day. Does anyone know if Universal provides shuttle from their park to Disney or vice versa?

I thank you for any helpful information that you can provide.

I highly recommend buying The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World or joining their companion website, www.touringplans.com. We go to WDW yearly and I use their Best Days/Crowd Calendar to plan all of our park days.

Here are some touring tips for people who are new to WDW:


1. Make sure you have Advance Dining Reservations for any Sit Down/Table Service/Character Meals, as you you going at the height of Spring Break season and the parks will be very crowded. Most places will not be taking walk-ups.

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 Disney dining plan.

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 from fellow Diser Doconeill and it will give you an excellent overview of Fastpass.

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

 

[smitch425]

I am a firm believer in that the more you plan, the more fun you'll have! I have read that some people just "wing it", but I feel that cheats you out of a lot of experiences that you could've had if you only knew ahead of time that they are out there! Enjoy your planning!!!

 

[skier_pete]

Good advice so far, I would concur with getting to the parks at opening and using Fastpass. I have THREE keys rules to park touring, and those are my #1 and #2. The one thing I would add is if you aren't the type to drag yourself out of bed early every day, get there as early as you can. Most critical for opening in MK, followed by DHS.

(I am assuming here that you are staying on-property, but are NOT part of the Disney Dining Plan (by your comments of not wanting Table Service reservations). I don't know if you bought park hoppers or not, but this advice doesn't care one way or another.)

#3 which is just as important, is "have a plan, but be flexible". The biggest mistake people make going to Disney is to go having no plan. The 2nd biggest mistake people make is planning too much.

So, I would say that what you should do is rough out which parks you want to do which days. THEN, figure out what are the 4-6 things in each park that are MOST important to your family to see/do. (Buy a guide book if need be.) When you've figured that out, plan the start of your day around doing those things. After that, consider the rest of the days touring a bonus.

When the crowds get overwhelming (and going for Easter break they likely will) go back to your resort - even if it's 1 or 2 in the afternoon, and relax by the pool for a few hours and de-stress. Remember, you are on VACATION. You can always go back and fight the crowds more in the evening.

Previous poster mentioned good Counter service restaurants in AK and MK. Epcot has a couple real good ones. Sunshine Seasons in the land pavillion has great options, and several of the countries in WS have counter service options, but our favorite is Tangerine (sp?) Cafe at Morocco. DHS doesn't have any good food, but Backlot Express (by Star Wars/Indiana Jones) is fairly edible.

Finally, yes there is a way to get from Disney to Universal. Uni sells a pass that includes transportation from your Disney World hotel. It is shown in the link below - Click on "Ticket with Transfer" option for more details!
http://www.wdwinfo.com/universal/parkinfo/tickets.html
It also lets you get into BOTH universal parks...you truly can't do THAT in a day, so here it is also important to know what you want to see. If Harry Potter is important to your family, get there EARLY. From what I've read, they have a separate (free) ticket for getting into the Harry Potter area, and you have to be there early to get one. Because the are isn't that big, they limit the #s in there at any one time.

Hope that helps!


SkierPete

 

[dmmichelle]

Your first trip ever! Now that is exciting!

I would agree with the earlier poster to try not to overdo it. I would build in a bit of downtime mid-week for a resort / pool day. It is overwhelming once you arrive and experience the sheer size of the parks! So pick your favorites and focus on those.

Also, I would recommend the Touring Plans web site and their "crowd calendar". I think your dates would be there now. It's a great resource and tells you whick parks to visit which days (I used it on both of our previous trips and it was invaluable!)

I think you should plan for at least one character meal (for your kids ages I would suggest Garden Grill, Chef Mickey's or even Crystal Palace - who doesn't love Pooh!!) and at least one "table serve" meal. The Disney restaurants are wonderful with really elaborate theming. There are lots of great ones at Epcot (Biergarten, Chefs Frances, le Cellier)

Buy one of the Disney guide books (unofficial, passporter, etc...) they have great advice, tips, park and restaurant information, and some even have "planners" built right in.

Consider Disney Photopass. Especially with your first trip you will want lots of pictures and this way you will get lots with ALL of you in it! Our first trip we had 3 photos in total of all 4 of us next trip I pre-purchased the PP CD and we ended up with almost 150 pictures (before edits, borders, etc.) They also typically have the Photopass photographers at the character greetings which is nice since they have the best spot!

Wear comfortable (not NEW) sneakers and bring a backpack for snacks, water, first aid kit, sunscreen, camera, etc. Remember to stay hydrated. It will be HOT and I can't stress the importance of drinking lots and lots of fluid.

Above all have a WONDERFUL time with your family and savour every moment!

Happy planning!

 

[skier_pete]

I see a few people recommending Photopass CDs...while these are good - they are extremely expensive in my view (even pre-buy is I think $125). If you want to save that money, get the Photopass pictures, but THEN ask the Photographer to take the same picture again with YOUR camera. They will do this without complaint, and you'll get most of the same pictures (minus "magic shots") without spending anything extra.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I see a few people recommending Photopass CDs...while these are good - they are extremely expensive in my view (even pre-buy is I think $125). If you want to save that money, get the Photopass pictures, but THEN ask the Photographer to take the same picture again with YOUR camera. They will do this without complaint, and you'll get most of the same pictures (minus "magic shots") without spending anything extra.

The Photopass pre-buy is $99.00. I think it's worth it for the special boarders and other Disney editing features that you can't get anywhere else. Plus, I take thousands of pictures and am rarely in the pictures, so it's nice to have some photos with myself in them that are professionally taken.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Like a pp said I would definately just concenterate on WDW if it's your first trip. You will not be able to do it all but you will do even less if you try to do US too. WDW is overwhelming enough. And the most important tip I EVER got was to go back to your resort for an afternoon swim and then back to the parks later after dinner. This really revives you for evening activities. Have a truly magical vacation!

 

[skier_pete]

The Photopass pre-buy is $99.00. I think it's worth it for the special boarders and other Disney editing features that you can't get anywhere else. Plus, I take thousands of pictures and am rarely in the pictures, so it's nice to have some photos with myself in them that are professionally taken.

I'm not saying it's not worth it to some...but if you are on a tighter budget $100 for pictures you can get for free (yes, without the borders) is lot, and I am just suggesting alternatives to getting pictures that everyone is in.

 

[ChrystalUnicorn]

You are going to have the best time ever!! We had our first visit September 2010, and loved it so much we are going back again this September.

Everyone has given such great advice, I would suggest you buy Passporters Walt Disney World Guide book. There are places for you to journal about your trip, you can write down your plan each day and pockets to hold things like receipts etc.. and it has color maps of the parks. It is my fave guide. it makes a great keep sake to look back on after your trip. I also would recommend The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. it is packed with info about Disney world and has info on Universal also.

I know you will have a wonderful time!