Advice for first time in a long time trip

[MickeyNola]

Looking for advice for an upcoming trip, my wife and I were frequent Disney World visitors when we were kids but this is our first trip in about 15 years since I was a college student. We driving down from the Carolinas and will be staying for a week (Sat to Sat.) in late April at Wilderness Lodge. We're also on the standard Disney dining plan.

We're planners, so we've made our ADRs and Fastpass selections, and since this will likely be the first of many trips for our family, we're taking this trip at a slower pace than some others who might try and pack more into their trip. We're going to take a mid day break back at the hotel for our daughter to take a nap each day and going to take a resort day out of the parks to visit have breakfast at Boma and visit Animal Kingdom Lodge and take advantage of the pool at the resort.

So my question is for those planners out there, what else should we be thinking about? Any recommendations or must-do's for a first trip as a family? Our girl is a toddler, so our plans are princess and Disney Jr centric, and we're going to save the big "experiences" like Bibbity Bobbity or Cinderella's Royal Table for future trips.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Toddlers are unpredictable so my advice would be to stay flexible! Your daughter may love characters, or she may be terrified. You might need to adjust your plans depending on how she reacts. Same thing with mid day breaks....it's great to plan on doing that but maybe you'll learn that she doesn't need the break or has a hard time falling asleep. Just be ready to change your plans on the fly if needed. Have a great trip!

 

[MickeyNola]

Thanks! We're excited, hope crowds aren't too bad, and that she adjusts to sleeping in the hotel room without too much of a fight.

 

[ChristineOH]

Sounds like you have a pretty good plan. Have a great time!

 

[sharonabe]

my wife and I were frequent Disney World visitors when we were kids but this is our first trip in about 15 years since I was a college student.

Take a look at the maps in the sticky at the top of this forum just to get yourselves comfortable again with the layout of the land. I would also have a loose plan of attractions, shows, characters I want to do/see each morning and evening around your FP+ and ADRs so you can save your feet some walking from backtracking.

 

[CinderellaElla]

Double check that you will be allowed to use the pool at animal kingdom, since you are staying at wilderness lodge. I know in general, guests are not allowed to use the pool at a resort that they are not staying at, and there are even some restrictions for DVC members Other than that, your plan seems great!

 

[Mome Rath]

Your plans sound great so far! Hope you guys have a great return trip!

 

[MickeyNola]

Double check that you will be allowed to use the pool at animal kingdom, since you are staying at wilderness lodge. I know in general, guests are not allowed to use the pool at a resort that they are not staying at, and there are even some restrictions for DVC members Other than that, your plan seems great!

Good point, I should have been clearer. We’re going to do Boma, check out AKL, then back to Wilderness Lodge for pool/ lunch/nap, then most likely Disney Springs for dinner. Should be a relaxing day!

 

[shbarrett]

We are going next month with a 3 year old and a 6 year old. We're renting a stroller to hopefully avoid carrying them everywhere. I also purchased a small battery operated/rechargeable fan to put on the stroller if the girls are getting too hot. Another good tip I received is to take some glow sticks with you for any dark rides. It can be a little light for the child and shouldn't bother anyone else. We're also planning to go on Haunted Mansion. I'm not sure exactly how that will go, but I'm planning to make a game out of it and have the girls count how many friendly ghosts they see. Good luck!

 

[IceQueen182]

Your plan sounds great to me! On trips with DS2, we've learned to be flexible and to work with his schedule. Down time is key. He's a napper at home, but I've struggled to get him to nap at WDW. He still needed a midday break at the hotel, though, and we had to scrap some of our later evening plans since he was worn out by the end of the day. We had planned to go to HS one evening, and it was clear he was just not going to make it so we went to 1900 Park Fare instead (since it turned out he LOVED princesses!) and watched an outdoor movie at the Poly. We rent a stroller from Kingdom Strollers, use the monorail when we can so we don't have to deal with folding it up, and rope drop since morning is the golden time for my kids. I would also think about spending time at places where you can let your toddler just play- my kids love the Boneyard at AK, the little playground underneath Splash Mountain, and could spent hours at the train set in Germany in Epcot. Have fun!!

 

[Disneymom1126]

You've probably already thought of this, but pack your own snacks each day. We always take in our own snacks (packets of gummies, dried fruit, pretzels, whatever her favorites are). You'll have the dining plan so you can also get snacks in the park with that (we like to use ours for popsicles when it's hot), but it's nice to have little things available when you're waiting in line, etc. Also, in April, I'd suggest making sure you have a rain cover for your stroller. There can be pop-up showers, especially in the afternoons and being able to cover the stroller is really helpful! No one wants to sit in a wet stroller lol.

 

[CarolynFH]

You've probably already thought of this, but pack your own snacks each day. We always take in our own snacks (packets of gummies, dried fruit, pretzels, whatever her favorites are). You'll have the dining plan so you can also get snacks in the park with that (we like to use ours for popsicles when it's hot), but it's nice to have little things available when you're waiting in line, etc. Also, in April, I'd suggest making sure you have a rain cover for your stroller. There can be pop-up showers, especially in the afternoons and being able to cover the stroller is really helpful! No one wants to sit in a wet stroller lol.

I just wanted to add re snacks in stroller: the WDW squirrels are experts at getting into bags & other containers that have been opened & not securely closed. I don’t think they can open a zipper, but I’ve seen them unfold or untwist things and they can gnaw into thin plastic bags. So be careful leaving partially eaten snacks in the stroller while you’re enjoying attractions!