advice for a first visit- adults only, no children

[nurserenae]

Hi! I am planning my first trip to Disney world with my sister and had a few questions from the masses about travelling as adults with no children, I feel like (naturally) a lot of the info is regarding families travelling. We are in our mid 20's, on a tight budget. We are still big children at heart! We are planning on going somewhere within the first 2 weeks of January of 2013, when the crowds (and hopefully prices) will be at their lowest and my sister is on christmas break from college. We are planning on staying at one of the value hotels (haven't decided yet) and purchasing the park hopper option to allow for more freedom. A few specific questions I had:

Is January still a great time to go? I would love to go over the summer or even to see the Christmas lights but we just can't make it work! I am concerned that going at this time with lower crowds that we won't get the same experiences...do they still do parades, fireworks, all the shows, extra magic hours, etc?

We are having a little bit of a hard time planning on how long to stay...we were thinking 5 full days, travelling the evening before the trip and the morning after to allow for 5 full days at Disney...I would gladly stay for a week or two if possible but we are trying to not go completely broke. Is 5 days enough time to at least see the highlights and get a good experience of all the parks? (not including the water parks). Since it is just the two of us we can move a little quicker than those with children, and we can avoid some of the rides tailored towards small children. I don't think we can do more than 5 days, my sis was actually wanting to try to shave it down to 4 but I feel like that is way to short! We were also wanting to do one day at Universal studios (we are huge Harry Potter Fans!). Wanted to make sure I had enough time to enjoy ourselves, take breaks and make this an amazing first trip (though I already know I will be coming back)

I realize that a big cost that we haven't really thought about is food. My original thought was to plan on purchasing some groceries for snacks, breakfast and lunch and then treating ourselves to some simple dinners...and maybe 1 or 2 of little bit nicer dinners. Would you all recommend the quick service dining plan instead, and then supplement with some snacks? I don't want to go broke but also don't want to spend 5 days on protein bars!

Thanks for any advice/suggestions you have, I wanted to hash out a few big questions before they release the 2013 packages next week! Been waiting 26 years for my first trip to Disney!!!

 

[Goofy24/7]

I like going in January. Not as crowded and you still get the Disney experience. I believe the fireworks are everynight, but Electric Light Parade is scheduled. They do offer extended ours during the month of January and all the shows are preformed daily.

As for 5 days, I think you can do the Disney Parks and Universal in 5 day. Take advantage of the fast pass in Disney. Universal offers this also, but is an add on to your ticket price.

Do the Disney Dining plan. The basic plan, 1 quick service, 1 table service & 1 snack, is the plan my family purchases.

Also, you can view the parks schedules on wdwinfo.com and plan your visits with show/fireworks schedule or extended hours.

Hope this helped and have a "Magical" trip.

 

[moobar25]

You will love Disney as much as a little kid if not more! I've been going with my husband for the last few years and loved it - this past may was our first trip with our baby (3 mo).
First, I do believe there is a free dining discount starting in Oct into next year (my friend just booked and got it). I'm not sure what kind of plan you get at value resorts - never stayed there, but I think it is counter service. You can then upgrade to regular plan. This will help money wise. Look on allears.net for dining info: menus, table service, etc.
Second, what we do to maximize our time in Disney & minimize cost is book an early morning flight in and a late evening flight out. This way you pay for one less night's stay at the beginning and get most of the day at end. (Our last may trip & Sept trip our flights were/are 6:30am in and 7:55pm out)
Third, make sure and look at the extra magic hours for the parks to get the most out of each day. These can be found on main Disney site or allears as well. Allears also has the schedule of fireworks, parades and such.

Most of all enjoy- we loved our trips as singles. We love going with the baby but it is different.

 

[Metro West]

Welcome!

 

[nurserenae]

Thanks for the advice! I am thinking since there will be lower crowds and just the two of us we will do Disney in 4 and Universal in 1. We'll be sure to use the extra magic hours and fast passes. Sounds like we can at least hit the highlights and have a great first trip.
I had considered doing an early flight and arriving on one of our park days, but I have looked at flights coming from my area and there are no direct flights so even the earliest AM flight would get us in no earlier than 12:30, some more liek 2:00, not counting the time to travel to the hotel! Still can't decide how to manage that...maybe it'd be worth it to go ahead and arrive around that time and have 4.5 days at WDW? Only about $25 difference to buy a 5 day park pass. We may consider leaving on a late flight on our last day, that would save 1 night of hotel.
We will go ahead and do the basic dining plan and supplement with a few groceries, seems pretty simple
Also, I am told that Disney can help you arrange transportation to Universal if you ask for it...has anyone experienced this? I would like to not have to change hotels...
Thanks everyone! And if you have any other suggestions or advice I'd appreciate it!

 

[CinderellaMouse]

We are planning on staying at one of the value hotels (haven't decided yet) and purchasing the park hopper option to allow for more freedom. A few specific questions I had:

Since you are on a tight budget, I think you can live without hoppers. My family has always used them in the past, but this year we are going without, because we discovered that the majority of days we were only going to one park anyway, and hoppers are quite a bit more expensive than a basic ticket. You will find plenty to do in each park to fill your whole day, especially since you are first-timers.

Is January still a great time to go? I would love to go over the summer or even to see the Christmas lights but we just can't make it work! I am concerned that going at this time with lower crowds that we won't get the same experiences...do they still do parades, fireworks, all the shows, extra magic hours, etc?

ABSOLUTELY January is a great time to go! In fact it's one of my favorites. My last two trips were in college during the January part of my Christmas break. Lower crowds at WDW still means quite a bit of people, but you won't feel cramped on the walkways or be standing in hour-long lines. Also, you're pretty much guaranteed not to have hot weather. (In fact, bring a heavy jacket and be prepared to be chilly; I was there in Jan. 2011 with evening temps in the high 30s. But so much better, IMO, than sweating at 100+ in July.) One caveat: make sure you give the New Year crowd time to go home. I wouldn't get there before Jan. 3 at the earliest. Also find out when the Disney marathon is and avoid those dates as well.

There are always extra hours and always shows. MK fireworks and Epcot Illuminations are every night, MK 3pm parade is everyday. Only difference is you don't have to get a spot as early as you would in the summer season.

Is 5 days enough time to at least see the highlights and get a good experience of all the parks? (not including the water parks). Since it is just the two of us we can move a little quicker than those with children, and we can avoid some of the rides tailored towards small children. I don't think we can do more than 5 days, my sis was actually wanting to try to shave it down to 4 but I feel like that is way to short!

You can do the highlights and not feel too rushed in 5 days. (Just accept you can't do it all, and tell yourself you can always go back.) You could do it in 4, but I would do 5 because one more day is not a huge extra expense, and you have already paid to fly/drive. (Park tickets get cheaper as you add extra days, so it's maybe an extra $10, plus the room, but I assume you're splitting it so that's maybe $50 each at the most.) I would structure my 5 days like this: 2 days MK, 2 days Epcot, 1 day DHS. I personally would skip AK on a short first visit; it's a fun park but IMO has the least to do and is not a must-see. And if you decide to forgo hoppers, I think it's hard to fill a whole day there. (Of course there are many who disagree.)

I realize that a big cost that we haven't really thought about is food. My original thought was to plan on purchasing some groceries for snacks, breakfast and lunch and then treating ourselves to some simple dinners...and maybe 1 or 2 of little bit nicer dinners. Would you all recommend the quick service dining plan instead, and then supplement with some snacks? I don't want to go broke but also don't want to spend 5 days on protein bars!

You may be able to get a free dining plan in January - definitely worth doing some investigating! If you do, it will be a quick service since you are at a value resort (although for $100 each you can upgrade to the table service dining plan - may be worthwhile if you are the kind of people who like going to nice and different restaurants). If you don't get free dining, however, I wouldn't buy either dining plan. Since you are planning to be very budget-conscious with your food choices, I think you can eat for much less money than you would spend purchasing the plan.

I think you would be very right to do a couple nicer meals, even if you are paying out of pocket for your food. WDW has some great restaurants with great variety, so eating at cool places is definitely part of the fun of going there!

 

[CinderellaMouse]

I had considered doing an early flight and arriving on one of our park days, but I have looked at flights coming from my area and there are no direct flights so even the earliest AM flight would get us in no earlier than 12:30, some more liek 2:00, not counting the time to travel to the hotel! Still can't decide how to manage that...maybe it'd be worth it to go ahead and arrive around that time and have 4.5 days at WDW?

If these are pretty your only flight time options, definitely do the 12:30 if you want to do a park that day. Realize that even if you land on-time (never a given of course), it could easily be up to 3 hours before you're out of the airport, onto the Magical Express, checked in to your resort, out to a bus, and in a park. If you don't land until 2 that could be 5pm, which is a little late if you have paid for a ticket that day.

 

[Terkina]

I would not do any Table service dining on a 5 day stay. Table service takes a lot of valuable time from the parks. And you don't have to spend money on upgrading your free dining plan if you only do Counter Service (Quick Service).

 

[CinderellaMouse]

Table service takes a lot of valuable time from the parks.

I always forget this until I get there, but I think this is very true. Even with a reservation, you often have to wait to be seated, and meals at WDW can take awhile. (Tends to be quicker at "off" mealtimes and at lunch, but it still varies.) Probably longer than what you might imagine from just popping in to a restaurant at home. You can easily lose 2 hours to a table service meal. So you have to balance losing ride and exploration time against eating in nicer restaurants. Basically comes down to whether you'r much of a "foodie" or not.

Off-topic, but I see you're from Norway, Terkina. Of all of the travelling I've done, that's a strong contender for my favorite place - I spent two weeks in Oslo, Balestrand, and Bergen a couple summers ago and I loved every minute of it. You have a beautiful country!!!

 

[artemis908]

I think dining can be just as much part of the experience at Disney as the attractions/rides. I guess it depends on how much you enjoy eating out. Personally, I love to eat out and dining at Disney is such an unique experience. I am not a fast food type of person and that's sort of what you get at the majority of QS restaurants at Disney. So really it's up to you on how important the food is. As said before, you will probably be there for free dining anyway, but value resorts typically just get quick service.

Another tip I'd give you is look at a map of the resort you're staying at and make a request for a particular building if you'd like to be near lets say the food court or a pool. If you mention your request at check in or when you're making the reservation they may be able to fulfill it.

 

[Terkina]

Off-topic, but I see you're from Norway, Terkina. Of all of the travelling I've done, that's a strong contender for my favorite place - I spent two weeks in Oslo, Balestrand, and Bergen a couple summers ago and I loved every minute of it. You have a beautiful country!!!

It's great that you loved your stay in Norway. Hope you come back some day to see the Northern light during the winter. (Of course you have to travel much further north than you did when you visited Norway.)

 

[lovebeingmummy]

Hello and welcome

 

[Sally]

I have gone several times without the kids, as they are older now and can't go sometimes.
The first place I would start is to look at the WDW main site and find the park calendar for the week you are planning to be there. You can find the hours each park is open and even the parade, fireworks and some of the show times as well. That can help a bit with planning your days.
We don't get the park hopper. We follow the same plan each trip and it has worked well for us, removes the stress if its hot or crowded too. We go to one park a day, generally the one with Evening extra magic hours. We can leave the park mid-day (2pm or 3pm) and head back to the resort, we eat and relax before going back to that park until the end of evening magic hours. Animal Kingdom is a short park day due to the hours its open, so we stay all day there.
Also, if you book your package now, you only need to pay the deposit so you can apply any discounts that may be released up until the 45 day mark. Or at least that is what WDW Reservations told me..your mileage may vary.
Can't help much on the dining as we usually grab something fast for breakfast and eat at the resort quick service during our park breaks in the afternoon. We share meals, or get one combo meal and a single sandwich and split the side. Refillable cups are well worth the money for us.
Just have fun planning, and pick out the main things you really want to do, it really takes the stress off trying to do everything in one trip.

 

[disneychic2]

My DH and I go every year, just the two of us and it's a great park for adults! I wouldn't totally discount some of the rides "for kids" since they are actually pretty fun to do.

Since you are on a shoestring budget, I would skip the dining plan unless you score the free dining. And if you do score free dining, stick to the QS. Yes, it's nice to do TS meals, but you want to make this trip as easy on the pocket book as possible and that's one way to keep it that way. Your time there will be so special, you won't miss TS eating.

What you need to do is sit down and figure out what your max budget really is. Then list all the expenses, such as airfare, resort, tickets, trip insurance (if you opt for that), meals (if no free dining) and spending money. You'll probably have to take a taxi to Universal since I don't think Disney is into driving you to their competitor. Then the cost of your Universal ticket and food there. Add it all up and see where you stand. You know you can take Disney's Magical Express from the airport to the resort and then back to the airport again, right? It's a free service for people who stay on property.

Also, make sure you don't go during MLK weekend, but your sister will probably back to school by then I guess. Stick around the DIS and read threads and ask questions. Planning is half the fun, so enjoy. I hope you and your sister have a magical time!

 

[moobar25]

For a first trip 4 days@Disney & 1@Universal is perfectly fine. You'll get to do 1 day at each park & enjoy the main things they offer. And trust me once you go you'll be hooked and come back again - that's what happened to me.
Some advice for the parks:
Universal: check the hours & get there ASAP in the am and head straigt for the main Harry Potter ride - this way you avoid the big lines which form very quick! Btw - best ride ever!!! Then you can circle around and enjoy other rides. Must do: HP duh, the river rapids (not sure what its called) is awesome.
AK: go during morning EMH and head straight for the safari - you'll see the most animals then. Also if you get there about 30min before RD there is an opening ceremony that is fun. Must dos: safari, expedition everest, cali river rapids, dinosaur the ride - sit on the right side of the jeep!!! The parade is supposed to be fun - we've never seen it b/c we usually do mornings only. If you get the park-hopper then go to Epcot for evening since AK closes early like 5pm.
MK: pick a day with evening EMH - most people with kids leave and it's like a ghost town some nights. Last time we went there were no lines - got to stay in the boat and ride the Splash Mtn a few times, same with Space Mtn. That said - go in the am and enjoy the atmosphere of the park - it truly is a magical place. Leave the popular rides for the evening EMH. If you get there for RD then take a break early afternoon - go back to resort to take a dip in pool & rechrge, then go back for evening. Must do: Splash Mtn, Space Mtn, Thunder Mtn RR, Haunted Mansion - left side queue is interactive, right side queue is not, Pirates Caribbean & Wishes. Haven't seen new fantasyland yet. Oh btw MK is a dry park - but still fun.
HS: our least favorite but still fun. Must do: RnR Coaster, Tower Terror, Star Tours (DH favorite), Toy Story. Fantasmic is a great option for fireworks. If you opt for the dinner package you skip the long wait line for a good seat. Best dinner/lunch for this: Brown derby is good food but may get pricey, I'd try the Cobb salad (great). Mama Melrose may be eatable now - since they got a new chef from Cape May Cafe. Hollywood & Vine - never been there. The dinner package can be used at lunch too.
Epcot: this is where we spend the most time drinking around the world in world showcase! There are good eats too. I would go country hopping at each place and get an appetizer and a drink - to try the most places for the least amount. There's also plenty of entertainment throughout. Must do rides in future world: Soarin, test track, Mission Space.

If you get free dining, there are a few places you should eat! And having TS is part of the experience - I don't see it as a waste of time.
AK: Tusker house has characters
MK: Crystal Palace has charachters & good food, Liberty Tree Tavern is great
HS: 50s Prime time -great food & nice atmosphere
Epcot: everything is good, my favorite is Germany Octoberfest -cheaper for lunch & same food as dinner -- it is very festive & feels a little like the real Octoberfest in Munich (that was out of this world!) Best place to eat & watch Illuminations - Rose&Crown England, get ADR for ~6.30 or 7.30pm and ask for outdoor seating. you may have to wait a bit but the view is incredible.

Most of all have fun!

My DH & I are big kids at heart & up until this year we've been like college students at disney.

 

[Terkina]

The only park offering a opening show before the park is opend is Magic Kingdom. There are no rope drop at Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Animal Kingdom will have a rope so you can't enter the park, but there is no show any more