A die hard Disneyland family goes to WDW for the first time! our first ever PTR

[poohnpigletCA]

We live in CA and hubby and I took many trips to Disneyland before the kids. Last year we all had AP's and went about 6 times. I know Disneyland like the back of my hand and I am very overwhelmed by Disney World. From our front door to Disneyland is 5 hours. It is a trip we know and love. I will be sying this several times throughout the planning so let me start now, "WDW is so much bigger"

Our very first trip to WDW will be October 8-17. We are hoping to do MNSSHP. I am getting ahead of myself let me introduce our group.

cast of characters:

Me~Mom SAH mom and crazy Disney planner.

DH~Kevin. He is turning 40 this year! He is the one who requested a trip to WDW for his Birthday. How could I tell him no.

DD 8~Sierra.

Her current favorite princess is Belle. She loves reading and swimming. She is so excited for the Food & Wine festival. No obviously not the wine part. The concept of food from different places is very intriguing to her.

DD 5~Olivia.

She loves Aurora! Olivia is a very funny little girl who can not wait to try splash Mountain for the first time. Without going into all of her medical history I will just say she gave us a scare at birth. Her first year we were told she was probably bind and would not walk or talk. Well for those familiar with all the abbreviation she had OT and PT and Speech and every other type of therapy you can imagine. She has some ongoing sensory integration needs and because of hypotonia she tires very easily.

And last but not least is Auntie Darla. She will not be going with us but she makes the girls all of their cute outfits. They have their own FairyGodmother!

Since Darla will not be thrilled about this picture I made it small.


Ready to start the crazy planning with me? Up next we pick a resort.

 

[poohnpigletCA]

Pick a resort any resort....

So let me start by saying at Disneyland you have your choice of 3 count them 1 2 3 Disney Resorts. The original Disneyland Hotel, the Grand Californian, or the Paradise Pier.

Our family loves the Paradise Pier the rooms are large, it is quite, and it is just a short walk through The Grand Californian to get to the parks.

Posing with Goofy in the lobby.

Enjoying the pool slide.

So where is a family to stay at WDW....

Let me say there are so many choices. After spending way to much time in the Resort section of the boards we narrowed it down to 2 choices.

The Wilderness Lodge (WL) or Port Orleans French Quarter (POFQ).

We were trying to find a smaller not to noisy resort that would also give Olivia (and the rest of us) a chance to decompress after all the stimulation of the parks.

We loved the theme at POFQ. It reminds us of New Orleans square at Disneyland. It is a smaller resort and the girls loved the pictures of the pool.

The WL looks very relaxing, everything is in one building. Since Olivia will require some naps the balcony would be an excellent place to read books while she sleeps.

We ended up picking......


The Wilderness Lodge


In the end the Queen size beds were a tie breaker. We stayed in a hotel a couple of weeks ago. These 2 small sweet girls...

Yes them. Aren't they so sweet. Anyway, apparently they can not share a bed. We spent about an hour listening to "she is breathing on me" "her foot touched me."

So it looks like the Queen size beds win.

 

[kiranic]

Nice start to your PTR. We will be going ourselves from October 7 to October 12. My DH, DD7 and I went to WDW last year for the first time. We stayed at WL. I really enjoyed the resort. It can be kind of loud in the lobby because Whispering Canyon Cafe is located there and it can get a little crazy. The pool and theming are awesome. We stayed in a bunk bed room.

This year we chose to stay at POFQ! I am an obsessive planner and this board has been so important as a planning tool! I look forward to hearing more of your plans!

 

[wdwgirl03]

How exciting, your first trip to WDW! It is VERY different from Disneyland but you are going to love it.

That's great you picked the WL...we're staying there in a couple weeks for the first time (only I've been to WDW 14 times!!). In a way it's kind of like the Grand Californian with the architecture and such.

Can't wait to hear more about your plans!

 

[poohnpigletCA]

Hi first reader.
So you stayed at the WL and now you are staying at POFQ. I would love to know why. Even though the room is booked I still am thinking maybe we should switch. The neurotic mind of the first time planner.

Nice start to your PTR. We will be going ourselves from October 7 to October 12. My DH, DD7 and I went to WDW last year for the first time. We stayed at WL. I really enjoyed the resort. It can be kind of loud in the lobby because Whispering Canyon Cafe is located there and it can get a little crazy. The pool and theming are awesome. We stayed in a bunk bed room.

This year we chose to stay at POFQ! I am an obsessive planner and this board has been so important as a planning tool! I look forward to hearing more of your plans!

How exciting, your first trip to WDW! It is VERY different from Disneyland but you are going to love it.

That's great you picked the WL...we're staying there in a couple weeks for the first time (only I've been to WDW 14 times!!). In a way it's kind of like the Grand Californian with the architecture and such.

Can't wait to hear more about your plans!

Funny you mention GC because that was one of the reasons I was on the fence. While the GC is beautiful everyone I know who has stayed there will not return.
The hallways are very dark the rooms and the rooms where small. However, it is also the most expensive of the 3 hotels and they are all in a 5 minute walk of each other.

 

[kiranic]

I would stay at WL again in a heart beat. Last trip my in-laws paid for our trip as a gift so we went Deluxe room and the DXDP (too much food for us). What I really loved about WL was the close proximity to the Magic Kingdom. You can get there by bus or water taxi. The water taxi was a cool way to go and we did that a couple of times.

This time is an unexpected trip so I am saving some money by staying at a moderate and booking FREE dining. I really like the theming of POFQ and thought our 8 year old would get a kick out of the pool especially. I have read good reviews about both places and am looking forward to trying out the new resort. POFQ also has a water taxi to Downtown Disney so I expect we will do that at least one time.

My husband grew up in California and went to DL many times growing up (but it has been quite a few years ago, it is bigger now) He fell in love with WDW. I honestly expected him to do it once and then never want to go again. He is almost as obsessed as I am and it was his idea to go again this soon!

I am looking forward to hearing more about your trip and the planning!

 

[Tanzanite]

Pick a resort any resort....

So let me start by saying at Disneyland you have your choice of 3 count them 1 2 3 Disney Resorts. The original Disneyland Hotel, the Grand Californian, or the Paradise Pier.

Our family loves the Paradise Pier the rooms are large, it is quite, and it is just a short walk through The Grand Californian to get to the parks.

Posing with Goofy in the lobby.

Enjoying the pool slide.

So where is a family to stay at WDW....

Let me say there are so many choices. After spending way to much time in the Resort section of the boards we narrowed it down to 2 choices.

The Wilderness Lodge (WL) or Port Orleans French Quarter (POFQ).

We were trying to find a smaller not to noisy resort that would also give Olivia (and the rest of us) a chance to decompress after all the stimulation of the parks.

We loved the theme at POFQ. It reminds us of New Orleans square at Disneyland. It is a smaller resort and the girls loved the pictures of the pool.

The WL looks very relaxing, everything is in one building. Since Olivia will require some naps the balcony would be an excellent place to read books while she sleeps.

We ended up picking......


The Wilderness Lodge


In the end the Queen size beds were a tie breaker. We stayed in a hotel a couple of weeks ago. These 2 small sweet girls...

Yes them. Aren't they so sweet. Anyway, apparently they can not share a bed. We spent about an hour listening to "she is breathing on me" "her foot touched me."

So it looks like the Queen size beds win.

Hi am looking forward to reading your trip report Cant wait to see all the loveley outfits your girls wear i have never seen such beautiful outfits as Fairy Godmother makes . Have a wonderful tripT

 

[poohnpigletCA]

Hi am looking forward to reading your trip report Cant wait to see all the loveley outfits your girls wear i have never seen such beautiful outfits as Fairy Godmother makes . Have a wonderful tripT

The hot Florida weather is throwing off her sewing some. I told her which parks on which days and she had sketched out cool cotton outfits. Me and hubby are debating about getting park hoppers or not. I do see how they are useful but he is not getting that their outfits would have to be changed for a different park.

 

[Gabes_mommy]

OP - your girls are darling! I think you are going to love WDW. My family lives a few hours away from WDW but we would love to go to DL someday so we are the opposite of your family.

I love POFQ - we have stayed there on our past 2 trips and it is so pretty and relaxing. I really want to stay at the WL someday too, so either is a great choice.

Can't wait to read more.

 

[VAN]

You are going to love the location of WL! We've stayed many times at Ft Wilderness and I have always wanted to stay at WL. We, of course, shared the same watercraft and proximity to MK. It was so great just getting on the boat to go back to the resort at the end of the day.

Talk about a perfect "Disney" way to arrive and depart the MK.

My sis and her family were diehard DL fans when they lived in California. They could not understand all the hoopla about WDW. They even went for a one-day thing and said ... oh we like DL MUCH better. I told them that they didn't even scratch the surface of the place!!! They just didn't understand.

Well now their oldest is all into WDW and so sis is going again and this time seeing it properly!!!

I always pity those that don't do the homework before hand. I've read about people that said "there weren't many rides at WDW" (they were referring to MK) ... because they didn't even know what rides existed or how to find the entrances of the rides!!! Yikes!!!

Sounds like you're doing your homework so should have no problems getting acclimated once you arrive. Don't hesitate to ask others about any questions you might have. I love to help those near me in line who might have a question about the nearest restroom, showtimes, etc.

Just plan on the fact that you will need to visit a second time just to see some of the things you will miss. You might get in all the rides, but, as a DL fan, you know there is so much more than the attractions.

Enjoy WL - it is LOVELY!

 

[minniecarousel]

hey - another Californian! (go Sharks!) DH & I love the Grand Californian, but haven't stayed at the Paradise Pier.

We'll be staying at Saratoga Springs & the Boardwalk when we go in Dec - to celebrate our older DS's 30th birthday. See - you can still go to Disney with grown kids!!

Good thing you're going non-Summertime. Being from the West Coast, we don't "get" humid weather.

Happy planning!

 

[bficht]

I was just writing up my first PTR when I saw yours. I am in the same boat as you. Although are children are older, we are DL experts and have never been to WDW. I'm so used to knowing everything (about DLR), now I don't have that feeling. We are from Oregon and it's a long trip to WDW, but we can get to DL in one long drive. Anyway, hope you have fun!

 

[poohnpigletCA]

We have ADR's.

First I must vent. Disneyland has a very obscure dinning plan that saves you no money, most CM's do not know exist, and they never give it away for free. So getting an ADR (or actually a priority seating) in Disneyland is no problem. Sure you will need to call in advance for The Blue Bayou (the restaurant in the Pirate's of the Caribbean.) There is no crazy set your alarm clock the day you hit 90 days out rush.


My second ADR problem was making sure that it was not to loud or overstimulating of an environment for Olivia. While providing the character interaction that both girls love.

So this is what I got:

10/9 Cinderella's Royal table 4:00 followed by MNSSHP
10/10 AK no ADR's
10/11 Mama Melrose 12:05
10/12 Rose & Crown 5:45-this was hubby's pck
10/13 1900 Park Fare at 5:00 yes Darla is making the girls Anastasia & Drizella costumes.
10/14 Whispering Canyon 5:00
10/15 The princess one in Epcot that starts with an A at 8:20
10/16Crystal Palace 11:30
10/17 Ohana at 9:20

So how did I do??

 

[Tanzanite]

That sounds like a great set of ressies the stepsisters are great be warned they are loud though but lots of fun. Its nice having park hoppers so you can switch parks any time but a lot more money.

 

[poohnpigletCA]

My ADR's are driving me crazy pat 2
I do not have our fight booked yet, yes I know I should. I am checking for a good rate but no such luck yet. So all of the current cheaper flights leaving MCO on 10/17 leave at 10:00am or earlier. This does not work with my 9:30 Ohana ADR. I can take a later flight but for our family of 4 it is an additional $500. Now don't get me wrong Oana sound good but $500. good. I tried to move it to a different day but there was nothing available.

 

[kiranic]

Your ADRs sound great!

If you are interested in another character breakfast then Tusker House in AK is a great experience. We went there last year!

CRT is great...did that last year on DDs birthday
Loved Mama Melrose last year
We enjoyed Whispering Canyon last year (it is loud though)

Sounds like your princesses are going to have some great character interactions.

Don't forget that Food and Wine Festival is going on at Epcot while you are there!!!
We are looking forward to our first time at F and WF too!

 

[poohnpigletCA]

Your ADRs sound great!

If you are interested in another character breakfast then Tusker House in AK is a great experience. We went there last year!

CRT is great...did that last year on DDs birthday
Loved Mama Melrose last year
We enjoyed Whispering Canyon last year (it is loud though)

Sounds like your princesses are going to have some great character interactions.

Don't forget that Food and Wine Festival is going on at Epcot while you are there!!!
We are looking forward to our first time at F and WF too!

Oh maybe I will do Tuskar House on 10/10 at AK. We have no ADR's that day. Then I can cancel Ohana on 10/17 and still make a flight.

 

[minniecarousel]

Getting the least expensive flights are tough. We don't want to have to leave the house before dawn, nor do we want to get into Orlando at 10 or 11 PM. We can leave out of any of 3 airports (San Fran, Oakland, San Jose) Hey - we should check Sacto too!

We won't be planning anything for our travels days. It's not worth the pressure of trying to get places. We need a little spontanaity (sp?). I think coming from Disneyland, we're used to only making one or two ressies (BB or Napa Rose). All this planning to eat at WDW is daunting, but necessary (I don't know how people go there w/o any ressies!)

 

[poohnpigletCA]

Getting the least expensive flights are tough. We don't want to have to leave the house before dawn, nor do we want to get into Orlando at 10 or 11 PM. We can leave out of any of 3 airports (San Fran, Oakland, San Jose) Hey - we should check Sacto too!

We won't be planning anything for our travels days. It's not worth the pressure of trying to get places. We need a little spontanaity (sp?). I think coming from Disneyland, we're used to only making one or two ressies (BB or Napa Rose). All this planning to eat at WDW is daunting, but necessary (I don't know how people go there w/o any ressies!)

I have been checking San Jose, Oakland, San Fran, Fresno & Sacramento. Sacramento would be preferred but it looks like San Jose will be the cheapest. i find a flight for $198. round trip then I realize that there are 3 layovers for 3 hours each. I did not plan anything for the day we arrive and I should not have planned anything for our departure day. With the kids I am not sure how the time change will work with them.
We have never done Napa Rose. This waking up at 4:00 am to make ADR's was a new experience.

 

[kiranic]

Hope your airline tickets work out for you. I was panicing about our flights too. I ended up having to leave on our departure day at 8:30 in the morning which means leaving the resort about 6am but that was the sacrifice I made for round trip tickets for $172 each. I was hoping to leave in the afternoon but that shot the cost up to about $250 so it wasn't worth it.

I am sure it was difficult to get up at 4am to make your ADRs but by looking at what you got it sounds like it was worth it. CRT was an awesome experience for my DD last year. (DH and I enjoyed it too!)