Any tips for a DLR vet's first trip to WDW?

[Rubygoose]

Our family has done 4 trips to DLR, logging exactly 20 park days, and we upgraded our free Air Miles tickets to APs on our most recent trip, so we'll be going again before they expire in August 2015. We won a trip to Tampa, which includes airfare, 3 nights hotel in Tampa and 2 day passes to Busch gardens! We're going to see if we can postpone our flight home and spend an extra 4 nights to go to WDW. I booked the CBR and 4 day park passes already, but will cancel if they don't let us extend our trip at our own expense. It just seems like a really long way to go for just 3 nights!

Does anyone have any tips for DLR vets who will be coming to WDW for the first (and possibly only) time?

Here's a few details about us and our proposed trip: we'll be in WDW from Tues March 17th to Sat March 21st. there's 4 of us, DH, myself, DD7 and DS5. DD7 is a daredevil and DS5 is a ladies man. They both enjoy meeting characters and riding anything that they are tall enough to ride. (They're 49" and 44" tall.) I think I need to go into this trip with a "been there, done that" attitude, where we skip things that we have done at DLR and will be able to do in August. So, we won't bother with things like Soarin', Pirates, and meeting Anna and Elsa. We will only have 4 park days and will do MK, AK, Epcot, then Hollywood Studios in the morning, before driving back to Tampa in the afternoon. We might even scrap Hollywood Studios and do MK again, since we have a tradition of starting our trips with Peter Pan's flight and ending with Small World - and there isn't that much at Hollywood studios that appeals to us that we haven't done before.

I would love any suggestions from anyone who has experiences on both coasts who can offer some tips. Thanks!

 

[estherhead]

I wrote a blog on this awhile ago.

http://www.enchantingbeginnings.com/disney-world-tips-for-disneyland-vets/?fb_source=pubv1

My one change for you tho is it'll be easiest if you do rent a car from Tampa. It's easiest to drive.

Do follow my tip on the stroller, tho. I know for DLR vets it seems shocking to put 5 & 7 year olds in a stroller. But halfway around World Showcase at Epcot you literally will be saying my name lovingly. And if you DONT follow this advice you'll be carrying your 5 yr old wondering why you didn't listen.

Also, go ahead and do Little Mermaid. I know at DL it's kinda lame. But at MK the line immerses you and it's cool. And do ToT if you get a chance. It's awesome at WDW.

And do Beauty and the Beast. It's just as good as Aladdin.

 

[Robo]

WDW for DLR Veterans by HydroGuy
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16541636

 

[Angel Ariel]

WDW for DLR Veterans by HydroGuy
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16541636

I second reading HydroGuy's thread!

 

[mesaboy2]

HG's threads are top-notch, but I will caution this one's OP is fairly old and therefore does not include the beast that is known as FastPass+. Information on that can be found in the green link in my signature.

 

[Rubygoose]

I wrote a blog on this awhile ago.

http://www.enchantingbeginnings.com/disney-world-tips-for-disneyland-vets/?fb_source=pubv1

My one change for you tho is it'll be easiest if you do rent a car from Tampa. It's easiest to drive.

Do follow my tip on the stroller, tho. I know for DLR vets it seems shocking to put 5 & 7 year olds in a stroller. But halfway around World Showcase at Epcot you literally will be saying my name lovingly. And if you DONT follow this advice you'll be carrying your 5 yr old wondering why you didn't listen.

Also, go ahead and do Little Mermaid. I know at DL it's kinda lame. But at MK the line immerses you and it's cool. And do ToT if you get a chance. It's awesome at WDW.

And do Beauty and the Beast. It's just as good as Aladdin.

Thanks for the link to your article - this is exactly what I was looking for! The size comparisons of the parks really helps me visualize and compare. I wasn't thinking we would need a stroller, but we may end up getting one. We did 8 days in DLR in August and it was our first time without a stroller. By the second to last day, the kids were taking turns on DH's shoulders, but they held up pretty well throughout the trip, walking around the parks and back and forth from the Hojo and DLH (we did a split stay.) We minimized walking as much as we could, by not crisscrossing the parks too much, but by the end we park hopped a lot just to get ice cream from Ghirardelli's!

I laughed when I read the line "And you will miss Toontown" because I said to DH the other day "I am so excited to be going to a Disney Park that doesn't have Toontown!" On our second trip, DD (5 at the time) tripped over the dumbbell at Goofy's Gym and we had to take her to the Emergency room to get stitches on her chin! On the two trips since then, I get really bad anxiety when we're in Toontown, and usually don't work it into our plans until the kids complain and want to ride the Go-Coaster.

The hardest part about planning for WDW is figuring out if we should do the things we love at Disney, like Dumbo, Peter Pan, Small World and Toy Story, or skip them, knowing full well that we will do them in August. Another thing that's driving me nuts if knowing where we want to eat and what time we want to eat for three months from now - especially since we're from a different time zone.

We get a rental car from Tampa as part of the contest, so that's already taken care of. Dh doesn't like to drive when we're on vacation, and the two of us are notorious for getting lost, so we'll probably stick to the buses once we're there. I'm not sure how much time to factor in for driving from Tampa to WDW and back. We'll do Busch gardens on the Tuesday morning, then leave from there to WDW in the afternoon or early evening. Is the traffic going to be bad on a Tuesday? How about when we return to Tampa on the Saturday?

 

[Rubygoose]

WDW for DLR Veterans by HydroGuy
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16541636

Great! I know he has a thread for WDW vets coming to DLR but I didn't know he had one for the other way around.

 

[Rubygoose]

HG's threads are top-notch, but I will caution this one's OP is fairly old and therefore does not include the beast that is known as FastPass+. Information on that can be found in the green link in my signature.

Thanks, I noticed that Hydro Guy's thread is from 2007 (the year my daughter was born!) I've been trying to wrap my head around the whole FP+ and I think I"m starting to get a bit of an understanding of it, thanks to your thread. I'm actually looking forward to not having to carry around little pieces of paper in my pockets for this trip!

 

[summerw]

Thanks for the link to your article - this is exactly what I was looking for! The size comparisons of the parks really helps me visualize and compare. I wasn't thinking we would need a stroller, but we may end up getting one. We did 8 days in DLR in August and it was our first time without a stroller. By the second to last day, the kids were taking turns on DH's shoulders, but they held up pretty well throughout the trip, walking around the parks and back and forth from the Hojo and DLH (we did a split stay.) We minimized walking as much as we could, by not crisscrossing the parks too much, but by the end we park hopped a lot just to get ice cream from Ghirardelli's!

I laughed when I read the line "And you will miss Toontown" because I said to DH the other day "I am so excited to be going to a Disney Park that doesn't have Toontown!" On our second trip, DD (5 at the time) tripped over the dumbbell at Goofy's Gym and we had to take her to the Emergency room to get stitches on her chin! On the two trips since then, I get really bad anxiety when we're in Toontown, and usually don't work it into our plans until the kids complain and want to ride the Go-Coaster.

The hardest part about planning for WDW is figuring out if we should do the things we love at Disney, like Dumbo, Peter Pan, Small World and Toy Story, or skip them, knowing full well that we will do them in August. Another thing that's driving me nuts if knowing where we want to eat and what time we want to eat for three months from now - especially since we're from a different time zone.

We get a rental car from Tampa as part of the contest, so that's already taken care of. Dh doesn't like to drive when we're on vacation, and the two of us are notorious for getting lost, so we'll probably stick to the buses once we're there. I'm not sure how much time to factor in for driving from Tampa to WDW and back. We'll do Busch gardens on the Tuesday morning, then leave from there to WDW in the afternoon or early evening. Is the traffic going to be bad on a Tuesday? How about when we return to Tampa on the Saturday?

I'm a dlr vet who's been to dw once. YES do peter and small world as the differences are cute. The new dumbo is great with an air conditioned play ground while you wait. Toy story is the same exept the queue which you śkip unless you are willing to ride without fp. The dw a utopia is awful. Skippabłe. Definitely a stroller. I was constantly thinking in Epcot "all the walking in empty space is so weird." It's like taking the big thunder trail everywhere.
I did not miss toontown either. Be sure to do the hitsk playground and lma show if anyone likes cars and the Disney jr dance party during emh all at hs. I also loved the nemo and lion king shows at ak. HAVE A great trip

 

[sharonabe]

Just one bit of advice and it's for your 5 yr old ladies man. You must eat at 1900 Park Fare for dinner (it's in the Grand Floridian). The Stepsisters are there and will make a big to do if he plays along with them, and he might even get a kiss from Cinderella.

 

[Rubygoose]

Just one bit of advice and it's for your 5 yr old ladies man. You must eat at 1900 Park Fare for dinner (it's in the Grand Floridian). The Stepsisters are there and will make a big to do if he plays along with them, and he might even get a kiss from Cinderella.

I've booked this one already! So far he's been kissed by Belle (with lipstick marks on his cheek) and has kissed Tink on the lips once and on the hand another time. We've never seen any princes at DLR, so I'm excited for this one. We're also booked for dinner at Crystal Palace and an early breakfast at Tusker house. I was hemming and hawing about Chef Mickey's instead of 1900 Park Fare, but the price is better at 1900 and I like that it's all face characters.

 

[cattywampus]

We just did our first WDW trip in Nov as DLR vets. Overall, we thought the parks were equal but we gave the edge to DLR because there are more attractions per park and the detail seems a little better. Where WDW shines, is sheer size, number of uniquely themed resorts, outstanding table service restaurants, and lack of the outside world -- though I missed how carefully DL uses the berm -- MK doesn't feel as secluded in Florida.

We LOVED Grand Floridian!!! Narcoossees was awesome and we timed it our first night to see Electric Water Pageant while waiting for our table and then fireworks between dinner and dessert. Magical with great food and dessert. We hopped on boat to MK at the adjacent boat dock and did Extra Magic Hour. Between 11-1 am we got a ton done. In fact, we stayed on CA time the entire and skipped RD in favor of closing down the parks. We also did MVMCP 3 nights which was awesome and let us walk on just about everything.

Here are the attractions that are unique, better or different enough to warrant priority, in our opinion (3 adults and DS7) and in order of our favorite parks:

MK: 7DMT, Pooh, Peter Pan, Splash, BRMRR, Haunted, Philharmagic and Festival of Fantasy Parade. Both CRT and dinner at BOG were worth it!

For nostalgia: Country Bears,people Mover, Tom Sawyer Island (DS loved the fort), and Main St Electrical Parade.

Exactly the same or lesser: Space Mountain (awful compared to ours but we still rode a bunch), Buzz, Small World, Little Mermaid (ride exactly the same but que is better!), Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Dumbo, Raceway, Teacups, riverboat, Stitch (uniquely awful).

AK: in addition to being DLR vets
, we all grew up with the San Diego Zoo, so while the animal exhibits and safari are very well done, we are a tough audience. However, Festival of the Lion King, Flights of Wonder, overall theming (especially in Asia!), and Everest were spectacular. We rode EE five times and wish it and 7DMT would come to CA!). Flame Tree BBQ was a great CS restaurant. I swear I would visit one at home, if we had it.

Epcot: in all fairness, we got rained in all day. We knew to ride Test Track right away, and sure enough, soon afterwards it closed for the day. It was really fun but is the same ride vehicle as RS Racers and I prefer RSR. We did both Green and then Orange Mission Space which was fun but not spectacular. We also did Crush (same as DCA), Nemo (cute not spectacular), and Spaceship Earth (ok). We went to WS and loved dinner at LeCellier. When we came out it was pouring and we gave up but returned later in the week. I can see why regulars love WS with its heavily themed restaurants and shops but we found attractions seriously lacking.

HS: Other than the best Red Velvet cupcake I ever had in my life from Starring Roles, we were all very underwhelmed at this park and left around 4:30 pm, not even waiting for Osbourne Lights). Tower of Terror does have a cool difference from CA attraction, where elevator car actually moves along a track before drop sequence, but other than that it felt the same to me. RnR Roller Coaster was fun, but we all agreed Cal Screaming is better. Star Tours is exactly the same and the Great Movie Ride was horrible. The park really reminded me of DCA before the makeover with not nearly enough attractions or things to do. Not enough life to it. Unless you really want to see shows, I might consider skipping it and concentrating on other three. We used the other half of this day to to WS at Epcot.

These were just our opinions. YMMV. Hope that helps in some way.

 

[sheetz]

And do Beauty and the Beast. It's just as good as Aladdin.

Anybody expecting Beauty and the Beast to be as good as Aladdin is setting themselves up for disappointment. Aladdin is a far more elaborate production.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Our family has done 4 trips to DLR, logging exactly 20 park days, and we upgraded our free Air Miles tickets to APs on our most recent trip, so we'll be going again before they expire in August 2015. We won a trip to Tampa, which includes airfare, 3 nights hotel in Tampa and 2 day passes to Busch gardens! We're going to see if we can postpone our flight home and spend an extra 4 nights to go to WDW. I booked the CBR and 4 day park passes already, but will cancel if they don't let us extend our trip at our own expense. It just seems like a really long way to go for just 3 nights!

Does anyone have any tips for DLR vets who will be coming to WDW for the first (and possibly only) time?

Here's a few details about us and our proposed trip: we'll be in WDW from Tues March 17th to Sat March 21st. there's 4 of us, DH, myself, DD7 and DS5. DD7 is a daredevil and DS5 is a ladies man. They both enjoy meeting characters and riding anything that they are tall enough to ride. (They're 49" and 44" tall.) I think I need to go into this trip with a "been there, done that" attitude, where we skip things that we have done at DLR and will be able to do in August. So, we won't bother with things like Soarin', Pirates, and meeting Anna and Elsa. We will only have 4 park days and will do MK, AK, Epcot, then Hollywood Studios in the morning, before driving back to Tampa in the afternoon. We might even scrap Hollywood Studios and do MK again, since we have a tradition of starting our trips with Peter Pan's flight and ending with Small World - and there isn't that much at Hollywood studios that appeals to us that we haven't done before.

I would love any suggestions from anyone who has experiences on both coasts who can offer some tips. Thanks!

I've been to DLR several time and being on the east coast spend most my time at WDW. I love them both. My advice is do not go thinking you will find DLR at WDW. You will not. I've seen DLR visitors in Florida having a fit that it was not Disneyland and that it was fake. Disneland is like you have walked into a storybook. It is amazing, intimate, and something every step you take. DisneyWorld is just that a world. You can stay there two weeks and not see it all. The castle is huge and amazing. Go to Disney World with an open mind. In Florida one good thing is many cast member choose to work there and move to Florida to work there so in my opinion they can be more interesting and enjoy their work more.
Enjoy.

 

[figment_jii]

IMy advice is do not go thinking you will find DLR at WDW.

I agree with this statement. There are traces of DLR at WDW (or vice-a-versa depending your point of view), but they are two vastly different resorts.

I would take a look at HydroGuy's DLR Guide for WDW Vets because it help put things into a familiar frame of reference. Some of it won't matter, but some will be helpful. I think the most helpful section will probably be the one that list which rides are unique to MK.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1162599

It's important to note that reservations (dining) have already opened up for March, so you're slightly at a disadvantage for that. Also, the operating calendars for March are already published.
http://media.disneywebcontent.com/StaticFiles/ParkHours/WDWTravelAgent_march.pdf

Another point that comes up a lot is that WDW is a lot larger than DLR and it's something to keep in mind. Almost none of the parks are really within walking distance of each other; the closest are DHS and Epcot and they're over a mile apart. I still park hop at WDW, but usually only once or twice at most per day. At DLR, I bounce between DCA and DL several times per day. The distance is not a bad thing, it's just something you have to keep in mind when planning where you're going. The general rule of thumb is to allow about 45-minutes per leg of your trip when using Disney transportation.

I also feel like WDW has more structured character meet and greets than DLR does. Kenny the Pirate has a great site which lists when the various characters are scheduled to appear.
http://www.kennythepirate.com/

Finally, as mesaboy2 mentioned, you should check out his FP+ SuperThread. DLR doesn't have anything like FP+ and it really does change (to some degree) how one uses FPs. The biggest impact to me is that you really need to plan your headliner FP+s in advance because it's very unlikely that you can get day-of FP+s for the most popular rides (e.g., 7DMT, A&E, TSMM, etc.).