1st Trip To WDW...Where do i start?

[Mophia'sMom]

We will be taking our first trip to Disney. I went over 20 yrs. ago, but my DH, and my DDs have never been. My daughters are 13 & 2. We are going 1/3-1/11, and are going to stay at POP.
The trip is going to have a couple families, ours, my sis & her fiance, my cousin, his wife and their 2 children. The hotel is booked, we are purchasing AP b/c we are going back 12/09. What next? Any tips are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[tinkerbell3747]

Okay here's what you do...

I am not sure if you have made your reservations yet but if you call the disney reservation line, you could book a grand gathering, this simply means that although each family has there own individual reservations, all reservations will be linked together with a Grand Gathering number, when you do this the resort does their best to keep all the rroms together and there are also special tours offered only for Grand Gathering Guest, the disney cast member at reservations will go through these with you if/when you book.

Afterwards, i would recommend that you sign up with tourguidemike.com he will help you with everything else. But if you opt not to that is also fine just start thinking about whats important to everyone ( must see's) then decide if you will spend all your time together or if you will spend some time apart.

Then Start thinking about what dinning reservations you really want and on what days, make your ADR (advanced dining resrvations) ASAP you can always change them later if you move things around in your daily itenerary.

After that your pretty much set.....so

1. Decide if a Grand Gathering would work for your group ( must be at least 8 people)
2. Book the Grand Gathering ( you will need addresses and phone numbers for everyone at time of booking so have that available, 1 person can book everyone, or you can have them set it up with your reservation only then pass on the grand gathering number to other memebers in your party so they can add themseleves. Dont forget to decide what ticket options you want.
3. Figure out what is important to everyone in your group and how much time you will be spending together. Sketch your itenerary
4. ADRS

I know it seems like alot but the staff at Disney makes it so easy. You'll be fine and have a good time. feel free to PM me and Email if you need anything

 

[dspads]

I think a guide book is a good place to start - I like Birenbaums (sp?) or the unofficial guide. You can get a good overview and then come to the DIS for more details!

 

[Aliceacc]

This is our first trip since 1990.

Here's what I've learned since I've started planning: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1715551

 

[lighttech]

You are already starting off right by being here. I got 90% of my trip information from these boards. Make sure you branch out and visit all the forums, not just families.

I also really liked... ok, sorry, having a mommy brain moment... I can't remember the website all of a sudden... I'll have to come back to that.

The Birnbaums guides are great, but I find they are better for you park planning then your trip planning if that makes sense.

Think about any ADRs you want soon (Advanced Dining Reservations) some of the hotter restaurants fill up early, and you can book ressies I think 6 months in advance of your trip. I know it seems like way early to decide where you want to eat, and some folks would much rather play it casual, but if there any fancy restaurants or special character meals you would like to do, I highly recommend it.

Oh, the other website... allearsnet.com... geez, I do lose it sometimes!

If you are planning a large family trip, I'd suggest figuring out how much time you want to spend all together, and how much time you want to leave for casual meet ups, and how much time should be for each family to spend alone. There's no way everyone is going to want to do the same thing all the time. There are a ton of threads around about people going with large groups.. check around for them, there's some great tips.

Other than that, sit back, buckle up and enjoy the ride! Have a great trip!

 

[estherhead]

Where to start:

How much money is everyone planning on spending?

Then choose a resort, visit the resort page here & post all of your requirements & people will point you in the right direction, in your budget (spend 1/4 to a 1/3? of your budget on rooms.)

Then decide: Will you all spend the days together? Or will you just meet up for meals? Or meet only at the resort pool once a day? You all know just how compatable you are. Spend only the amount of time together that will foster happiness, not arguments.

Then pick food. Go to the Dining Plan forum to see if the amount of food you will all eat is worth buying the dining plan.

Finally, plan out your park days. Realistically, will you all get to the parks early? Are you willing to get up at 6 a.m. to get to the morning extra hours available to resort guests. Or do you all prefer to sleep in late & enjoy the extra hours available in the evenings? Then choose your tickets & ticket options.

Honestly, at this point, deciding how much you all can afford & where to stay is the most important part. You have plenty of time to come back & work out the rest of the details. Book your packages & you can always change all the other details. Disney is very accomodating that way.