Advice for first timers

[TraceyTalbot]

Everyone on here is so helpfully and they lots of people planning there first trips to disney (like me) on here too. So though this be a good tread to start for people who been to disney lots what's the one bit of advice your would give to a first timer.

 

[flortlebap]

Rope drop!!

To me that's the sole most important thing to maximise time at the parks. Getting to the parks 30 minutes before opening on busy days makes a real difference.

Of course FP+ has arguably affected the validity of the above statement, but I won't go into that until it's tried and tested

 

[dixonsontour]

You can't do everything

Too many first timers get caught up in buying too many tickets - decide as a family what parks you must see and buy accordingly. We often do a 14 day trip just disney.

Am I allowed a second tip?

Get to the parks before opening. You will get lots more done in the first couple of hours. Then you can have a swim in the afternoon when it is crowded and hot.

Remember to factor in time to get to the park - parking, getting to entrance and through bag check.

 

[dixonsontour]

If you want to do character meals or special restaurants like be our guest do make a reservation 6 months in advance. It does seem daft but the best times and dates do book up quickly for the most popular places.

 

[Skywise]

Do dining reservations for everything. There is nothing more frustrating then going through the almost always crowded quick service lines (if you eat at the usual hours)) to find food then find a table. This requires a little more planning but you immediately end the discussions of "where are we going to eat now?" and your planning becomes "We're eating over there at 6 - what do you want to ride in the meantime?"

I started off just planning out breakfast and dinner but ended up doing lunch as well as the time grew closer. I was afraid my trip was going to come off as "anal" but the family actually liked that eating was "uneventful".

(Others in my family had been to DW before but hadn't realized all the food options or things you could do - usually hitting the same quick service restaurant they usually hit from the first time. So they were pleasantly surprised at all the options I had come up with that they didn't know existed. Same with the rides - They had NEVER ridden Small World... Knew it was there, but never actually noticed it when walking around.)

 

[Skywise]

Oh yeah - one other thing I never realized -

The Main Street Electrical Parade and the Castle Projection show are usually run TWICE each night - Once before the fireworks show and once after. It's much easier to get better viewing positions for the parade/show on the 2nd viewing!

 

[scoobydooby]

Get up early and do rope drop but also allow yourself rest mornings. There are afternoon attractions at all the parks that can be done with minimal queuing.

Use Touring Plans . com

Set a budget based on realistic research and stick to it.

Don't try and do too much.

Don't shout at your kids for not been grateful enough for this expensive holiday when you overdo it with them and they melt down. They didn't book. They have no real concept of money in this way. Anyway. You made them do too much...... (I don't mean you personally I mean anyone). My pet peeve is seeing parents howling at kids in the parks.

Enjoy your hotel down time.

Have fun

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Early bird catches the worm as they say.

Get in the parks early as its easier to get ahead and leave early.

Take shoes that are already worn in.

and remember this is not a holiday for starting the diet or watching what you are eating. Food and portions are really something else in USA!

 

[thebadger]

I'm a first timer but the help on here has been different class.

If your on a DDP prepare prepare prepare!!

Look at restaurants, check menus, how many credits does it use, what parks are you visiting so you can tie these in with your choice of park or resort dining.

I have created an excel spreadsheet that has worked wonders for us, made our planning and our ADR's a breeze (also with advice from here) i could fire up a copy for viewing / copying if anyone wants?

One final thing is, I know I won't see everything and we are going for 14 days. Make the most of it as you and your family deserve it!

oh.s p.s - touring plans is a must!!!!

 

[TraceyTalbot]

Not staying on site, got 21 day pass for disney we in Orlando for 28days want see other parks to. It's just me and husband

I know we won't see everything means we can go back agian lol

Started making dinner booking

Doing rope drop the first day we there

 

[scoobydooby]

To be fair. If you're there 28 days you can do a great deal more than for a two week holiday but you may also get park fatigue!!!!! I'm jealous. Sounds heaven. As you have 28 days I would also visit Universal, Sea World, Discovery Cove and Aquatica. Aquatica is actually our favourite water park. I would also spend the last two days doing nothing but recover and relax so you don't get ill when you get home due to overdoing it.

 

[TraceyTalbot]

Yes we got tickets for all other parks in Orlando plus planning few rest days by hotel pool.

 

[BudgieMama]

Following, as I'm a first timer! Great tips so far

 

[OldSchoolReasons]

As a first timer all this advice is invaluable. Finally got 3 weeks to go but I still remember the stunned realisation about ADRs - "I have to book them how far in advance!?"

Definitely utilising rope drop!

 

[pickers1982]

As the two of you I assume your out of busy times. My recommendations would be to try and relax. You are there for ample time and if parks are quieter don't rush. I would plan adrs however if you can.

 

[MrRomance]

My key pieces of advice....

1. Relax. Don't expect to do everything, just make sure you enjoy what you do and don't get bogged down with trying to fit everything in.

2. Do your planning before you leave not when you get there. You have a short period of time and you can't get that time back. Don't waste it trying to plan when you're there. Have a plan before you leave so you can spend your time there doing what you want to do.

3. Kids are kids. Dragging them around when they are dog tired and grumpy doesn't help anyone. If you don't expect your 5 year old to be up at 11pm at home, don't make them do it on your trip.

 

[Cinderella2006]

We factor in rest days every three days of our trip, when I say rest it normally means pool day or shopping. Go at your own pace, 28 days is amazing and you can fit it all in without running yourself into the ground, I am very jealous.

For newbies who have kids we normally only stay up for one/two sets of fireworks, mine are 6 and 9 and don't normally stay up past 9pm at home. Make use of the air conditioned shops and as others have pointed out make a few adrs, it really adds to the experience x

 

[weebabes]

Make sure the kids eat something before you hit the parks in the morning. It's really easy for them to get sunstroke and dehydrated.
Take blister plasters in your rucksack.
Go at the kids pace. You'll never do and see everything so enjoy what you do!

 

[Azza1987]

We went for the first time last year, and are returning again this year!

ADR's are a definite must! We missed out last year on a few, that were so popular!

Try to utlise EMH in the morning and late evening, we stayed at DHS when it was EMH until midnight after closing at 10pm, pretty much everything was a walk on! TSM/TOT/RnR were done mutliple times, it was great running around when it was so quiet! Same with MK when we got there for 8am EMH, we'd done the big main ones (Big Thunder, Space Mountain and Splash Mountain and Peter Pan's flight by 9am!) We did run around the park though so much easier as just us '2' no kids!

Pace yourself! If your at the parks early, take the afternoon off to relax. We crammed so much in our first 3/4 days we crashed & needed a day to relax and sleep!

Get your desserts to go! With the DDP we didn't neccesarily need a cake after every lunch/dinner so we got ours to go and DBF put it in his rucksack, it was great for later on in the day when a little peckish or we put it in the fridge for the next morning! Cake for breakfast!

Try to meet the characters at the restaurants, the queues for some characters were well over 90 minutes when we were there!

 

[Sam1]

Don't try to fit too much in is the main one! You'll feel rushed and miss out on so much if you're rushing around from one place to the other.

We went for the first time last year and planned to do the two Universal parks and the four main Disney parks in fifteen days. We never made it to Animal Kingdom in the end. My three year old decided she was scared of all animals and insects, so we decided to give it a miss half way through the holiday. To be honest it was a blessing in disguise because it freed up a bit of extra time - we were struggling with the balance of fitting just those parks in without it feeling rushed.

This year, Animal Kingdom is planned for our first full day. I'm preparing the said three year old by taking her to see as many animals as possible beforehand.

Making a rough plan is essentially if it's your first time, if only to see how much you need to fit in before you go so you can be more realistic when you get there. I'm sure people who don't plan will enjoy it, but planning means you'll get so much more out of it and you don't have to waste time having conversations about where you're going and what you're going to eat etc.