As I'm Counting Down, What Should I Be Doing & When?

[love2driveinct]

Anyone have a guide for what needs to be done and when?

I still have a ton to learn -- and I know between this board and my travel guide I will eventually learn -- but I'm afraid that I might miss something important in the meantime!

I still have a little over 8 months before our trip, but I understand that reservations for character breakfasts and other things need to be done ahead of time? At the six month mark? What about regular reservations? And the BBB? Illuminations cruises? Other things??

See? I have a lot of questions, and I don't want to drive everyone crazy when I know if I keep reading I'll find them. But I didn't know if anyone had a "schedule" that they used when planning their trip, they they would be willing to share.

Thanks!

 

[Disney_Angel]

Start charting any ADRs you need to make....(Dining reservations)...you can make then as early as SIX months ahead and if you plan on any sit down meals at Dsney you will need reservations. Think about what you relaistically want to do and see.

You should be making a list of toiletries and first aide supplies.
Everytime you go grocery shopping pick up a few things here and there....
then when trip time arrives you will not be spending and vacation money of these things......

Save quarters from your change to take with you to wash clothes.....you will need them unless you have a DVC. Consider you will need to dry your bathing suits after the pool or the water parks. (They never dry if you hang them on the line in the shower.)

Start a trip container....an old laundry basket or plastic bin.....put things you will only need for the trip in there the next few months.....this saves alot of time when packing for DIsney.....(or any trip for that matter)

And ofcourse read the any topic on the Disboards that interests you!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Anyone have a guide for what needs to be done and when?

I still have a ton to learn -- and I know between this board and my travel guide I will eventually learn -- but I'm afraid that I might miss something important in the meantime!

I still have a little over 8 months before our trip, but I understand that reservations for character breakfasts and other things need to be done ahead of time? At the six month mark? What about regular reservations? And the BBB? Illuminations cruises? Other things??

See? I have a lot of questions, and I don't want to drive everyone crazy when I know if I keep reading I'll find them. But I didn't know if anyone had a "schedule" that they used when planning their trip, they they would be willing to share.

Thanks!

I know that planning a WDW vacation can be overwhelming but these boards will help you immensely.

First of all, you do need to go ahead and start deciding where you want to eat. Advance Dining Reservations can be made 180 days before your arrival. Some of the post popular restaurants book up very quickly. All table service restaurants (character meals or not) require ADRs. Counter service restaurants are all "walk up" therefore ADRs are not required or taken.

Have you looked at the menus yet? If not, I would suggest you head over to www.allearsnet.com. Click on Dining and then scroll down to Menus. You will see a list of each and every Disney restaurant.

Since it is your first WDW trip, you may want to choose restaurants that are located in the theme park for the day. For example, if you are in the Magic Kingdom, you would make your ADR within the Magic Kingdom. Traveling to and from the theme parks and resorts take a bit of time and knowledge.

Once you have decided on your restaurants, right down what date you want to dine them and an approximate time. When you call 407-WDW-DINE, they will ask for your reservation number, the date you are looking for and the restaurant you want to dine in. They will give you the closest time to the time you requested. They will then give you a confirmation number. If you have your chart in front of you, it will be easy to write it down and move on to the next ADR.

Relative to the counter service restaurants, I would look at the menus to see what fits your group best. We never say that we are DEFINITELY eating at (insert name) but rather know which restaurants have food that we like. That way, no matter what part of the park we are in, we will be able to find somewhere to eat without having to cross way over the park.

I have never made reservations for the BBB or the Illuminations cruise, so I can't comment on those but I am sure somebody will chime in here.

Eight months may seem like a long time ahead of time to start planning but it's really not. Like the previous poster said, you can start picking up little things right now.

I have a Going To Walt Disney World box and it is never empty (we go to WDW every year). There are lots of things that you will need on the trip that can be bought now......mesh laundry bag, cheap throw away ponchos, small first aid kit, etc.

If you want a complete packing and supply list, just let me know and I'll be glad to post it.

Hope this helps you out.

 

[love2driveinct]

Thank you both for the information. And mickeystoontown, yes, if you wanted to post that packing list, that would be great! You could also PM it to me if you want. Thanks!

I am concerned that since we are flying, we won't be able to bring as much as we would like in terms of "being prepared", but I guess we'll just do our best. We are also cruising afterward, so I think we need to make room in our luggage for some pirate costumes! lol

I think the thing I need to decide first is what our "game plan" is in terms of how we're going to use our time there. We have arrival day, plus 4 full days to play with. Not a lot of time, so we need to use it wisely. We are planning on Park Hopper passes for flexibility. Keeping in mind this is our kids' first trip (10, 7, 3yo), I'm thinking:

Arrival day: MK
First full day: Epcot
Second full day: AK
Third full day: DHS plus more MK if we are done early
Fourth full day: MK

What do you think? I want my kids to see the MK & castle right away -- I don't think it's fair to torture them after all these years. But I also want them to leave WDW on a high note, so I thought it would be a good way to begin and end our time there.

Of course all of this could change depending on when the MNSSHP's are scheduled. (Which we won't know until the six month mark probably?) And the EMH's -- they don't come out until the official calendar is out at six months? I thought people were on the phone right at 7am EST making ADR's, but if you're waiting for the official calendar to come up online, how do you do that? Do you just make reservations anyway and change them later if you need to?

Sorry for all the questions... Like I said, I have so much to learn.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Sorry it took a couple of days to reply but I have been really busy. Below is my supply list. Of course, the clothing would be adjusted for the time of year you are traveling so I didn't post it. We always travel in June so it's really hot and humid.

As far as when to go to which park, we ALWAYS go to the Magic Kingdom on our last day. We want to end the vacation with a big bang.

You will definitely need a full day to see Epcot (if not a day and a half), a day to see Animal Kingdom, a day at Hollywood Studios and a day (if not two) to see the Magic Kingdom.

One thing you need to keep in mind is the fact that park hopping takes up a good bit of your time. Especially if this is your first time and you don't really know the ins and out of the transportation system.

You might want to stick to one park per day with the exception of your Animal Kingdom day. The Animal Kingdom usually closes earlier than any of the other parks so that might be a good day to go back and revisit things you missed at another park.

As far as ADR's are concerned, I try to make my dinner reservations for whatever park we are in that particular day. It's just easier for us and our kids aren't even small any more. With you having three children, this might be easier on you too.

If I were you, I would go ahead and check out all the menus and decide on where you want to eat. I would also go ahead and decide which park we want to be in on what date. When your six month mark comes up, call Disney Dining and make your ADRs. You really need to do this as soon as possible since the most popular restaurants book early.

If, for some reason, you decide to change up your plans, you can call Disney Dining and see about making changes. Do not tell them to cancel your prior ADR until you see what else is available. Once they cancel your ADR, it's back in their system and up for grabs.

Let me know if you have any other questions, I will be more than happy to try and answer them.


Supply list:

Bathroom area:

Toothpaste
Q-tips
Brush
Comb
Suntain lotion
Air Freshener
Hair dryer
nail clippers
nail file
scissors
shampoo
conditioner
soap
lotion
mesh laundry bag
hangers

Kitchen:

garbage bags
ziplock bags
tylenol
pepto-bismal
sinus medication
band aids
antibiotic cream
clothes detergent

Car:
water
tool box
flashlight
towel
ice chest
small garbage bags
kids' packs
maps
snack box
oil
fix a flat
blankets
pillows
toilet paper


General:
camera
film/memory card
camcorder
camcorder tapes
camcorder battery charger
batteries
clock
water bottle
fanny packs
beach towels
backpack
travel info.
guidebooks
room confirmation
ponchos
phone and charger
phone card
fan

 

[love2driveinct]

Thanks so much for all the great information, I really do appreciate it.

I am definitely going to follow your advice as far as booking ADR's in the park we anticipate being in, and not planning on a lot of park hopping. We have only 4 or 4 1/2 days there, so I don't really want to waste any time unnecessarily. I am thinking that we should still buy the park hopper tickets, though, so that we have some flexibility just in case.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Glad to help!