A few questions from a Disney virgin!

[CelestriaSky]

We're leaving in 20 days for our first ever Disney vacation! I'm so excited! It will be me (32), 3yo ds, and my parents.

My question is - how important is it to really 'plan' this. Should I just kind of 'plan' what parks we are going to be at each day? Or should I get more specific? We have our ADR's made and I also know we want to be at Disney MGM on Friday to see the Wiggles, but that's about it as far as planning. I'm trying to put together some sort of itinerary and my mother is calling me Clark Griswold - LOL!

So I guess my question is for you guys that are experienced - how important is it to have a schedule or is it better to just 'go with the flow'. I do know *I* will be heading back to our hotel each afternoon from around 1:30 - 4:00 for ds's nap. We are staying at CSR for 6 nights, have 7 day park hopper passes and free dining if that helps!

Thanks!

 

[CowboyCO]

If you want to be a ride warrior and hit as many attractions as possible, it's good to have a plan. Otherwise, just go with the flow and have a Magical Vacation. Some of my favorite times at Disney happen with no plan, just strolling through the different areas soaking up the magic

 

[Linzybrooke]

If you want to be a ride warrior and hit as many attractions as possible, it's good to have a plan. Otherwise, just go with the flow and have a Magical Vacation. Some of my favorite times at Disney happen with no plan, just strolling through the different areas soaking up the magic

I second this, as long as you have your adr's in place just go and enjoy yourself. If there are things you MUST do then plan for them but the rest can be just as fun without the planning!

 

[mill4023]

Well, you're likely to get plenty of differing opinions here. My personal opinion is that doing some planning makes the trip a lot less stressful. Especially for someone who's never been there. Having a good touring plan for each park also makes it possible to avoid long waits in line.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Make those lifetime memories.

I think I would have an idea of what parks, what days/nights, for crowd purposes, always nice going to a less crowded park. If you have not, I suggest taking a look at Tour Guide Mike, banner at top. For a few bucks, invaluable advice. I use him just for the what park/what day advice. No need to do commando, you'll be back.

And welcome to the DIS.

 

[rer1972]

Done WDW with full, half, and no planning. I think half planning works best. You already have your ADR's, so you can plan around those. I would recommend knowing what parks you plan on attending each day before you go (you don't have to stick to the plan). Check out this site it has some info on bussiest times for each park http://www.touringplans.com/tp2/UG2_index.php?PageID=0. Then have a good idea of what rides you want to ride at each park. Get to those first. Once you finish the rides you want to ride you have time to see shows, hit other rides, or go back to the rides you already rode.
Check out this link on The DIS. It's for planning disney with kids http://www.wdwinfo.com/Just_for_kids/index.htm.
Good luck and don't forget to have fun while you're there!!!

 

[mill4023]

I just wanted to make the point that having a detailed touring plan does NOT mean going commando. For us, using TGM's touring plans allowed us to see all the attractions we wanted with very minimal waits in line. The fact that we spent less time waiting in line meant that we didn't have to rush and we had a lot more time to just relax and enjoy the parks.

 

[44disney]

Even if you decide not to have a plan, you should at least do these things to maximize your enjoyment by cutting down your time in line:
1. Arrive at the parks at least 20 minutes before opening. This will allow you to get through security before the parks open, so you can be ready to enter as soon as they open. That 1st hour at any of the parks will be your least crowded and you can get so much done. For example, by lunchtime the wait time for the Winnie the Pooh ride will be at least 1/2 hour, but you should be able to ride it with virtually no wait within the 1st hour of opening. This is a great time to do rerides, too.

2. Always have a fast pass. As soon as you use the one you currently have (or when the time that you can get another pass comes up), send one member of your party off with all of your tickets to get new fast passes.

3. Try to ride the headliner attractions earlier in the day because these will get longer lines later.

4. At the MK, check the map for the parade route. If you are not interested in watching it, make sure that you don't end up wanting to cross over the route while it's going on. It will be very difficult to move around that area when it's close to parade time.

5. Fantasyland is always crowded(except at opening)! Our strategy (we have a DS9 and a DD6, and have been going almost every year since DS was 2) is to go there right away and do what everyone wants to do, including rerides, and not come back later in the day. Two exceptions might be for Small World (relatively quick moving line even with a lot of people, plus a nice air-conditioned sitdown break for later in the day), and for Mickey's Philharmagic (same reasons).

 

[PrincessBrideJo]

When I was younger, my parents did the plan every minute of everyday. As a kid, I totally didn't mind this (maybe I just didn't notice). But as an adult, I go with no minute by minute plan. My advise is to make your ADR's (which you already did), pick the few rides you REALLY want to go on and go on those first, and just enjoy your time with your son. Make some memories!

 

[clonetothebone]

I agree with mill4023 100%. If you have a plan that means you will be done quicker and with less waiting and then can go relax by the pool or do some other fun stuff you weren't sure you would have time for.

At a minimum, check out Unofficial Guide and look at www.touringplans.com to see what days to go to which park and which attractions you should check out first.

If you understand how the rides work and which ones to check out first and just the layout of the parks this will help you when you are inside the park wondering what to do next.

The best advice I can give anyone is to arrive 20 minutes before the parks open. We did this at MK on a Saturday in June and had our touring plan for the entire day done by 11 am with the longest wait being 5 minutes for the 3rd time on Magic Carpets of Alladin.

 

[clonetothebone]

As an additional comment, I went in 2003 with no planning and having never been there and I was completly taken by suprise at how big WDW is. I thought MK would be across the street from Epcot and MGM would be just around the corner. I had no idea WDW was 47 square miles and there are miles between the parks.

We spent a lot of time looking at the map and trying to decide what to do next. We spent half a day in Frontierland just milling around because we had fastpasses for BTMRR and SM and though it would take too much time to go do something in Liberty Square or Adventureland.

My point is, be familiar with where everything is and how long it takes to ride your favorite attractions. Then you will know that if you have 30 minutes until Mickey's Philharmagic that you might be able to squeeze in a quick ride on It's a Small World.

Have fun...you will have a blast becaus I truly believe WDW is the "Happiest Place on Earth".

 

[krissyh]

I make my ADRs and let that determine which park(s) I'm going to on a given day. Then I determine my must-dos (I'm taking 3-5 things, not 20) and plan to head to those early in the day and grab fastpasses right away.

A couple of suggestions from someone who started going in '73:
1. I hope you have your ADRs. This is important (some will disagree) but if you have kids who need to eat when hungry and especially during free dining - make sure you have them. If you don't yet, get on that today (if you can't get dinners at your restaurants of choice - try the latest lunch ADR time, use your CS for a later breakfast and you'll be in good shape). It would be terrible to let all of that free TS go to waste. The late lunch also works well with weather the time of year you are going.

2. Grab a book (I like unofficial guide and passporter) to determine your must do ride/shows. Have a basic plan that allows you to get on those without super long lines (AM) and use the fastpass to your advantage.

3. Realize that you may not get to everything but with a first trip try to get to as much as possible. Plan at least one half day in the middle to get some rest. Do a park in the morning, go back to the hotel to rest then hit your dinner.

I do a one page chart that has each days ADR, time and confirmation #, I place morning, dinner, evening boxes and then I can fold this up and carry it since you will go into total sensory overload very quickly on your first trip.

You willhave an awesome time!

 

[reelmom]

When we took our sons for the first time, ages 2 & 3, we let them decide what to do, even if it meant riding the same ride over and over. We found it was better for them instead of dragging them to see everything. But I agree as to knowing a little about each park and what you want to do. We missed out on quite a bit of stuff, but that helped me to convince my husband that we needed to go back. Now that they are older and can ride more, we may have a different attack plan.

 

[mmmears]

I just wanted to make the point that having a detailed touring plan does NOT mean going commando. For us, using TGM's touring plans allowed us to see all the attractions we wanted with very minimal waits in line. The fact that we spent less time waiting in line meant that we didn't have to rush and we had a lot more time to just relax and enjoy the parks.

I really agree with this. The first time we took our daughter she was 2.5 years old. Having a plan helped me so much. We toured in the early morning with no lines, had time to go back to the hotel, eat lunch, swim, and nap. Then we had dinner and went out again in the evenings. Even with a BIG (5 hour) break in the day, we still had time to do and see what we really wanted to experience.

When we go to parks with friends, I'm afraid to plan it all out and have people laugh at me. The result is that the last time we were at Disneyland we went on barely any rides, spent lots of time walking and waiting in line, and missed out on some things we really wanted to see.

Also, with a little one, it's hard to figure things out when you are there. IMO it's much easier to have a list of things he would like and an approximate order you want to do them in. That way you wont miss out on anything important.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I think you are going for enough days to be able to go with the flow. You will have plenty of time to visit each park multiple times and get everything you want done. If you were going for four days or fewer for the first time I would suggest a more strict touring plan but really with 7 days you will have alot of time (and strolling WDW without a care in the world is the best way to take it all in!). As long as you have your ADR's I would say go with the flow!

 

[kittythepoohbear]

Hi CelestriaSky and welcome to the DIS! You have gotten some great advice here. My $.02 - every night after dinner or in the morning during breakfast, have everyone in your party look through the park map(s) of the park(s) that you will be visiting that day. Let everyone circle one or two attractions they cannot live without seeing, including your son. That way everyone gets involved in the planning as well as gets an overview of what to expect at the park. Traveling back to CSR everyday for a nap is a great idea. Just remember to add in travel time if you are relying on Disney buses. I have stayed at CSR and loved the resort and buses but it can take a while to travel back and forth so give yourself time if trying to make an ADR or evening fireworks. Enjoy your trip!

 

[mandy200587]

My best advice make ADR's, go to the park for a few hours, come back relax take a nap or just lay around the hotel then go back to the park at night. I wouldn't really set a day to do a certain park but here is some advice. When parks have early hours avoid those and go to one that has the extra hour that night. You will find out that it's not as crowded sometimes. Also if you do character breakfasts in the parks, schudele them before the parks open cause if you time it right you will be walking out of breakfast into park opening.

 

[mickeymousemom]

I think you should plan in the sense that you should really know as much as you can about WDW before you go. Know what to expect...being on here really helps..so do guide books you can buy at your local bookstore. If you've never been, you should understand that it's hard to fathom how big the WHOLE resort is until you're there. Many things you'll learn just by doing. I think the best thing is NOT to try to have a game plan every day. Take your time, don't try to see it ALL and really take in all the magical details that make WDW what it is. With a 3 yo, you're very likely to have a meltdown or two if you don't take it slow and give your little one a chance to rest(I have a 3yo DD myself). If you're staying onsite try to go back to your resort for a nap or rest in the afternoon. If you're not, don't try to be at park opening every day and stay til closing. It's too much, probably, for a 3yo...it would be for mine. You'll do fine. You'll fall in love. You'll be back.
Take in all the pixie dust and have a great time! OH....and don't forget to give us a trip report upon your return!



ETA: I DO highly recommend that you make ADR's if you want to do any table service restaurants. It's darn hard nowadays to get in some places. Once you're there, if you want to eat somewhere and you DON'T have and ADR, then go during a down time such as 11am or 3-4pm for lunch....or 3-4 pm for an early supper. You'll have an easier time getting in!

 

[thotfulspot]

There's already been a lot of great advice here! My only contribution is this: Whenever I'm asked what my favorite things to do are, I answer that my very favorite thing in the world is to plan a Disney trip. My second favorite is to be on a Disney trip. My point is that the planning can truly be at least half of the fun -- learning new and amazing details about attractions, working out a scheme to avoid crowds as much as possible, whetting your appetite to see Mickey ...

Having a plan doesn't mean rigidly setting out your day in 15-minute increments. It means doing your research in the relaxed comfort of your home instead of in the middle of Main Street USA with a spread-out park map, so that you have a good idea of what you want to see and where it is.

I'm so happy for you -- it's all in front of you now! Wonderful memories, fun, excitement, magic!!

(And my specific tip is: get to the Magic Kingdom good and early, head directly to Fantasyland, make a beeline to Dumbo and then go straight to Peter Pan. For some reason, those two rides build up astonishing lines as the day goes on.)

 

[CelestriaSky]

Wow!!! Thanks so much everyone!! I'm so glad I found this board!! I do have the "Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2006" and I'm getting some information on there as to what stuff we're going to do. ADR's are already made - and for pretty good times, I think - most of them are right around 6:00.

Soooooooooo, for the next 3 weeks I'm just going to keep looking through the book and try and get a framework of the must-do's and let everything else fall into place!! Thanks so much for all your help!