Any Advice?...

[kellyg403]

We are first timers to WDW. We are going Dec 16-23. 6 kids 2 adults, youngest is 9. We have done the planning, made the reservations for dining and now waiting. However, I am finding that I am trying to cram to much stuff into 7 short days. At first it seemed like we would have 2 free days to do with what we want. Now, I look and think to myself..what about the crowds! I just am not factoring in that someone besides my family will be there too! So I am asking you guys to give me an idea (other than the rides like TOT, Test Track etc.) of the must do's that would appeal to the older kids. What shows would you not miss, what country in Epcot, what resort Christmas decorations. I have done all the planning and NOW my DF says I am stressing for nothing as there will always be a next time. I guess also my question would be what are a few things that we CAN miss and not feel disappointed.

TIA
Kelly

 

[KristiKelly]

We have 3 kids DS8, DD5 & DD3 months. I'll tell you the rides that my kids really like:

Magic Kingdom - well all of the rides there will be a must for each of your ages, something for everybody. 5 & 8 y/o love Bigh Thunder R/R, Splash Mtn., Space Mtn(5 y/o couldn't do this one), Buzz Lightyear, Haunted Mansion, Pirates. I would plan at least 2 days here, maybe 3.

MGM - 8 y/o loves Rock N'ROller Coaster, will do Tower of Terror but not his fav., we all ride The Great Movie Ride and see the 3D Muppet, Indiana Jones Show & the new Stunt Show. There are lots of shows there that younger ones might enjoy. DD5 likes The Little Mermaid show, there is also a Playhouse Disney show that my kids liked until they outgrew it. We spend at least 1 day sometimes 2 here. The shows can take up alot of time so you could easily spend 2 days here. Also, there are lots of characters here.

AK - Kilamanjari Safari. AK we find is about a 1/2 day park.

EPC - Can easily be a 2 day park, we spent almost a full day just doing the front 1/2, The World Showcase takes several hours as well. Let your kids do the Kidscot masks while visiting each country.

There is so much to do and you will leave after 7 days and say, "oh we never did this or that" all the more reason for another trip.

 

[HeatherC]

My advice would be to get to the parks EARLY!!! Be there when they open the gates and you will be able to see a lot more in half the time you would if you come later.

Also...since there are 4 parks, I would say that with the exception of EPCOT all of them can be done in one day each. So if you kind of have that in mind, you would still have two days to "hang out" and enjoy your resort.

I'm also not sure that I would park hop on your first trip. The reason being that you will spend a significant amount of time traveling between parks and won't be really sure what's the quickest way to get from point A to point B.

I would also research which parks to see on which day. This can make a huge difference in touring times. For example, if everyone is at AK on Tuesday and you go to EPCOT, you will see more in less time. Then you can go to AK the next day.

If there are rides you want to go on that offer fastpass, have someone in your group get all the fast passes while you are seeing something else. That way you don't have to wait in as many lines. It's so great to breeze right to the front of the line with fastpass. You feel like a VIP! As an example, we would get a fastpass for a ride, go have a nice lunch and then hop on the ride right afterwards.

Another piece of advice would be to "go left". Everyone follows the crowd mentality of going right when forming lines. This can save a lot of time over the course of a day.

If you have any special restaurants you want to visit, I would definitely make a reservation ahead of time. It saves a ton of time and the last thing you want to do when you have hungry kids with you is wait in line just to sit down at a restaurant.

Disney is wonderful, but it can be stimulus overload - especially for kids. Since it is vacation, make sure to plan some "down time". That way you come back relaxed and can plan another trip!!!!

Have a wonderful vacation!
HeatherC

 

[KristiKelly]

Kellyg403, Where in NC are you? We're in Burlington.

HeatherC has alot of good advice. I do think that Park Hopping is a personal preference and it also depends alot on where you are staying. We stayed @ Boardwalk Villas on our last trip which is only a few minutes walk to EPCOT, we would go to other parks during the day and then EPCOT a few nights. A couple of years ago, we stayed at Beach Club Villas (also within walking distance to EPCOT). One evening, after a day at the parks, DH & DS walked over to EPCOT just to ride Mission Space and then left.

Have you been to www.allearsnet.com ? There is tons of info, you can find the info there regarding which days are the busiest for which resorts.

Most parks can be done in one day but with our kids, we go to MK several times. They like to ride the same things over & over. I say that the parks can be done in 1 day but that really depends on what time of the year you're planning on going. We just went 2 weeks ago and never waited more than 10 minutes or so in any lines. We have been the end of April once and waited for an hour to ride Peter Pan. There were a few long waits on our last trip but we used Fastpass.

I don't know if you've bought any books but I really lilke The Passporter, lots of info. Websites www.allearsnet.com, www.mousesavers.com and of course the DIS.

 

[kellyg403]

We are in Jacksonville..over by coast!

Hopefully, DF is right and I am stressing over nothing...we can plan another trip...

Kelly