Back from our first trip and thinking of the next!

[trirae]

We had a great time overall. We went 10/20-10/24. Since it was a family trip (my parents and my brother's family), there was a fair amount of tension about itinerary. For example, we ended up only spending a few hours at animal kingdom--did the Safari and Festival of the Lion King, and that was about it. My dd is still disappointed we didn't see the dinosaurs. Sigh. Spent too much time at MGM. After doing the shows, we split up, and dh, dd, and I didn't have anything to do. That was a disappointment. I am proud that the two things I planned (Cindy's breakfast and the MNSSHP) were the biggest hits! Thanks Disboards!

The crowds were heavy, which I'd anticipated from the boards, but generally, I didn't find it to be a major problem. The longest wait we had was to see Ariel at Toon Town Fair. That was about an hour. Perhaps, it was because Ariel's grotto was closed for renovation.

Now, we're thinking ahead. We MUST go back. The bug is there! So, it's looking like 2006. I'm a college professor, so I would like to go during my natural breaks, but also avoid massive crowds. Choices at this point are: Around Christmas (when I know it will be busy), the first 3 weeks in January, the third week in march (spring break, so I doubt I'll choose that one) and the last two weeks in May.

I'll be hanging out all over deciding where we want to stay as well!

 

[Big V]

Very nice photo's! Sounds like you had a great time! I think I would pick January.

 

[bajanswife]

I'm in the same boat, except that my next trip might not be till 2007! My recent October trip was with my girlfriends only; in 2007 I will have DH and 3 kids, plus hopefully my parents.

Glad you had a good time, and I can relate to the itinerary issues - I spent far too much time in the Epcot shops because that's what the others wanted to do. I would have preferred to catch more of the entertainment or see more of the countries, not the shops! Oh well. I will learn from that and make sure our itinerary includes my parents for stuff I know they'll love, but has us splitting up and going our own way some days too. That will work fine, as my parents will only want to do a little bit of Disney and probably a day at Seaworld, and we'll want to do a lot (plus Universal!).

MNSSHP was my idea, and it was also the highlight of our trip! Such a great time!

 

[AimeeM]

Id pick the 2nd or 3rd week in January to go back! Just try not to go over Martin Luther King weekend. It was really crowded then this year!! Its a great time to go to hit NO crowds!! Im not sure when you are staying, but as a teacher, you can usually get a pretty good deal the first half of January at the Swan & Dolphin!

 

[kilee]

Sounds like a great trip. Trips with large group tend to have some small tension issues. No matter how much we all love each other. The best way around that is really to communicate ahead of time and to break up everyday for awhile. This way everyone gets to do things they really want to.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I have done WDW with extended family and with just me, DW, DD, and DS. My preference by far is to go with immediate family only. We love all those other folks, but WDW works best for us when its just the four of us.

Sounds like a great trip you had; I join the others in recommending early January for your return visit.