Advice for 1st timer

[julznjess]

Other than a day trip to Epcot, I have never been to WDW. I am planning a family vacation for next year - 2 30-somethings and a 4 yr old. My dd is a water baby so the pools have to be great! We are not as rich as midas but willing to spend a couple of years vacation savings. We usually vacation mid-September, but have been warned of hurricane season. I appreciate any advice on best time to go to guarantee decent weather and low crowds. Best resort for us?? Is 4 days on-site enough? Thanks for the help!


Julz

 

[Grumpy92]

Four days is good if you do not plan on visiting all four parks. But since your child enjoys water you may want to visit one of the great water parks. We love Blizzard Beach.
September is not bad weather wise, but after labor Day weekend the crowds thin out drastically. So Sept & Oct are very good times to visit, also the rates are value season. Check out mousesavers.com for discounts.
As for guarantees on weather in Fla there is no such thing. But if you wait a few minutes it is likely to change. The avg temps are usually in the 80s. Dont plan around the possiblility of a hurricane either. Just go!

As for resort pools. I think you find most say that the pool at YC/BC is the best. Here are some great Pics: http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/g_sab.htm
You also might want to consider WL as the pool is pretty good, yet is a deluxe resort with lower rates. The water begins in the lobby and runs down a stream to the pool.
If you are interested in a moderate I would suggest POFQ or CSR both have wonderfully whimsical pools.

There are some great resort pictures on this site that might help you.
http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_hot.htm

 

[safetymom]

If you buy park hopper tickets then I say check out all the parks. Pick the rides you want to experience the most at each park. That way you will feel like you saw it all but you can always come back and see the rest of the park.

There is lots of information on the resorts along with pictures right here on www.wdwinfo.com

I would suggest staying at a moderate resort unless you really want to blow the budget. The moderates are great and you can use the extra money for character breakfasts or meals.

 

[Grendel]

I'll had one more thing to the above comments. If your DD loves a good pool then consider the Beach Club. By far the best pool system on property. We can spend hours there...and Im not even a pool person!! They even have a sandbar in one of the shallower pools!! Defintely a water baby must!

 

[disneyatl]

October is a great time to visit so I'm sure September is nice too. We've experienced low crowds in October and wonderful weather. I wouldn't worry about hurricane season since you are inland. Another point to note, is the parks close earlier in the off season. Our first visit to WDW we were quite surprised by the Magic Kingdom closing at 8pm. Buy the park hopper tickets (4 day minimum) and hop around all four parks. Like the previous poster also said, you may want to purchase the park hopper plus so you can visit the water park as well. We too love Blizzard Beach. Just to give you an idea, my daughter was not quite 3 when we first visited and she loved it. Another piece of advise I would give is to purchase your hotel and tickets separately. Do not buy a package unless Disney is running a special deal. Tickets you purchase in a package are good only during the length of your stay. If you purchase tickets separately, they never expire.

 

[susy]

SAB is the Best pool on property. You can walk into Epcot from the yacht and beach club and take a boat to MGM. AKl and WL are also great for kids. WL has so much to do and a boat to MK. It is my pick for best overall resort for the $$$. There is also a boat to the Contemporary. You could do Chef Mickey's your first night. The Poly is also a good choice for a first timer.

 

[yecats]

IMO as you have only been to Epcot once in the past, I would tell you to buy a 5 or 6 day park pass for your next vacation. This will allow you to spend a full day in each park (and believe me each one takes at least a day to enjoy) and then an extra day or two to just enjoy your favorite things. This also allows you extra time in the parks just in case you cut your other days short to go back to the resort and enjoy it as well.

As for the resorts well there are so many options. I would tell you to make at least a weeks stay if you can afford it. You may also want to switch hotels mid stay. There are 4 levels of Disney resorts: value, moderate, deluxe and home away from home. You may want to stay in a value or moderate for the first 3 or 4 nights and hit the parks hard on those days and come back and spend a brief amount of time in the pool at your hotel. Then you spend the last 3 or 4 nights at a deluxe and spend more time relaxing at the parks than running the parks. If you decide to move to a different resort midweek, your resort will move your luggage to the next hotel for you. Bonus in moving is that you get to enjoy two completely different resorts, however, downside is that you have to move midtrip. Believe it or not tons of people do this.

As for the best time to go, it is basically anytime that the kids are back in school and its not too hot in FL. Basically Oct. to mid February (peak season begins in mid February and that is when prices are at their highest).

Your going to get so many different options. As for nice pools, I love the moderate resort of Port Orleans Riverside, pool is nice with large slide and a play area that looks like fort. The grounds are peaceful and beautifully manicured. Believe it or not you'll enjoy the small walks even after a day trekking through a park. CS also has a great pool area and is also nicely manicured. As for Deluxes, I do love WL (and wish I could afford to stay there more often). Many others will tell you that SAB at YC/BC is the best and I have toured the property and seen the pool area but can not afford to stay until I win a lottery. The pool area is beautiful and really does seem to be a lot of fun.

There can be plenty of fun in planning a trip so enjoy and don't become overwelmed. Take each area and just make a decision and stick to it.

 

[missydisney]

My recommendation for a first time would be to look at your budget. Since you are two adults and a child a room at a Value Resort should give you pleanty of room. The All Star Movies is really good for kids with sections like Toy Story, Dalmations, Mighty Ducks, Fantasia, A Mickey Pool, and a Mighty Ducks Pool the theming is great. And It a Value. I would allow about a week, no less than 5 days to enjoy the parks and Blizzard Beach. The wave pool at Typhoon is too strong for a little one. If you are not interested in Disney Quest I would by park hopper pluses. The plus will give you admission to a water park. And if you happen to not use all the days they will be good for your next trip. I recommended the All Stars to a friend last August and her 4 yr old decided to spend a whole day in the pool. No parks. They wasted a day of tickets they had payed for. Down time is good. The best part is to enjoy planning and have fun.

 

[orvilleair]

Depends on your goals. We stayed for (4) nights this year for the first time this year, and we decided to see the parks as much as possible. I haven't been to Epcot, AK or MGM. We had DD2 and DD5 with us, and we are in our mid 30s. We had a good time, but we didn't see everything. We spent an afternoon at the hotel swimming. It was a great trip and it only made us want to go back again. If spending most of your time at the parks and Blizzard Beach is what you want to do, then look into the value resorts.
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Scott