California Girl goes to WDW....

[longboard55]

The best advice for WDW is slow down, its huge and can be overwhelming. Just kick back and have fun and do not try to do everything. We like the hopper option, do one park in the day, come home and refresh and go to epcot at night

 

[SteveMP]

Don't worry -- you'll be fine. I've only been to DW twice (only one of those times was as an adult) but as long as you keep your expectations about how much you can do reasonable, you'll be alright. It's just another park. If you only plan to go for a day, The Magic Kingdom will be more than . So enough. Hope you have a great time!

Agree here. So cal native been going to DL for decades. Went to WDW for first time last month. Like most things in life people seem to blow the planning out of proprtion. We pretty much rode everything we wanted to. At least my family did, i met up after conference so missed the mine car ride and test track(due to rain, had FPs ). We could have eaten at Be Our Guest when we checked early but 2 of us weren't hungry yet so we just ate QS. We actually preferred theQS as its more ride times. I can see why people that spend 3 or 4 hours at table services per day need to plan more. Sure if you like to have an OCD plan and HAVE to eat at specific table services then plan away. If you just like to enjoy yourself, go with expectations of crowds and lines like any sane person and a good attitude and you will have a blast. We sure did. Although we all kind of liked Universal a bit more.

 

[StageTek]

For my fellow DL/California peeps that have done DW...any advice?

I did my very first trip to WDW in 2007. Solo - 10 days. Raised in Santa Barbara with 2 trips a year to Disneyland until I was old enough to drive. Then 8 to 12 trips a year until I started working there at age 20. So I can claim to be a Disneyland veteran.

Clearly your time is limited because of the conference so most touring advice isn't applicable. You don't remember Carousel of Progress but it's a must see for DL folks. Same with Country Bears and the People Mover, so MK is a must even if it's half a day. You'll be fine missing most rides because the differences aren't that pronounced. 'though I always go on Little Mermaid because the line is SO much better than the one in DCA. If you can only get into one other park then it must be Epcot. Yes, Pandora is new and very nice but you could save that for a later trip.

 

[GenGen22]

Thank you for the heads up about ADRs. So far, I was able to book Be Our Guest one night (but very few times available) and I also did a fireworks dessert party one night. I think my mom may actually go with me on this trip! Are the fireworks dessert parties a good value? There are so many different options at WDW!

I didn't do the dessert party there but there is a lot more room in front of the castle to view the fireworks at WDW than there is DL. We were able to book BOG for breakfast but not dinner. We would like to go back to eat dinner there and take pics with the Beast as this is the only opportunity I know of to get pics with the Beast. Plus they have a good menu and everyone raves about this restaurant. Its absolutely beautiful inside. Make sure to try the grey stuff cupcake. The quality of the cupcake is so much better than DL cupcakes IMO. I'm positive the dessert at the dessert party must be as good if not better than the WOC dessert party. Since you will be in MK make sure to reserve your fp for the seven dwarfs mine train at 60 days before your check in date. The reservations open up at 7am EST.

 

[SteveMP]

I did my very first trip to WDW in 2007. Solo - 10 days. Raised in Santa Barbara with 2 trips a year to Disneyland until I was old enough to drive. Then 8 to 12 trips a year until I started working there at age 20. So I can claim to be a Disneyland veteran.

Clearly your time is limited because of the conference so most touring advice isn't applicable. You don't remember Carousel of Progress but it's a must see for DL folks. Same with Country Bears and the People Mover, so MK is a must even if it's half a day. You'll be fine missing most rides because the differences aren't that pronounced. 'though I always go on Little Mermaid because the line is SO much better than the one in DCA. If you can only get into one other park then it must be Epcot. Yes, Pandora is new and very nice but you could save that for a later trip.

Yeah when I went, the Country Bears gave me flashbacks of going there with my dad when it was still at DL. And the people mover reminded me of going for Jr High and High School field trips with my friends. Carousel of progress was really cool. I agreee, a lot of the rides are same or similar as DL, and better at DL for the most parts. What was with pirates at Mk, did they only budget for half the ride?

 

[HydroGuy]

The best advice for WDW is slow down, its huge and can be overwhelming. Just kick back and have fun and do not try to do everything. We like the hopper option, do one park in the day, come home and refresh and go to epcot at night

LOL, everyone is different. We NEVER park hop at WDW. Too much wasted time and too much disruption to FPs (though the new FP+ does make park hopping and getting FPs easier than before). Obviously it depends on personal preference.

OP, reading your other posts it looks like you will not have time for this anyways and will be squeezing in park visits around the conference schedule.

 

[GenGen22]

LOL, everyone is different. We NEVER park hop at WDW. Too much wasted time and too much disruption to FPs (though the new FP+ does make park hopping and getting FPs easier than before). Obviously it depends on personal preference.

OP, reading your other posts it looks like you will not have time for this anyways and will be squeezing in park visits around the conference schedule.

I completely agree with Hydroguy. The parks are too far spread apart and the time wasted on an hour bus trip from one place to another is too much time to lose when your already restricted on time with it being a short trip. Sticking to one park is the best idea for this specific circumstance.

 

[SteveMP]

I completely agree with Hydroguy. The parks are too far spread apart and the time wasted on an hour bus trip from one place to another is too much time to lose when your already restricted on time with it being a short trip. Sticking to one park is the best idea for this specific circumstance.

We did the 4 day Magic tickets, wirked perfect and decent price. I also recommend Uber, just a few bucks and a fourth the time as the buses.

 

[isabellea]

I'm the opposite of you, a WDW vet (1 trip a year) and we're going to DLR for the first time in April. The only time I visited WDW in April, the weather was perfect so you might be able to use the fabulous pool at CSR. I stayed at CSR for 8 nights in 2015 and it's still my favourite WDW resort. The onsite Mexican restaurant Maya Grill was really good and we liked eating breakfast and lunch at the pool cantina (our room was in the Rancho section). For ADRs, the only restaurants I find difficult to book after 180 days are BOG (which you already got) and O'Hana. If you don't find an ADR for 1, try for 2.

I did the Tomorrowland Terrace dessert party when it was Wishes. If your reservation is to stay on the terrace during the fireworks, don't expect to see the light/laser show on the castle from there. The view is partially blocked and you see the castle at an angle. If you book with the reserved viewing spot in the Plaza Garden section, it's much better. If I ever do the dessert party again, that will be my choice.

Depending on how many park days you have, I would definitely do MK and AK (my two favourite parks) and EPCOT as a third. EPCOT has Flowers and Garden festival (with food and booze booths) in April if that interest you. DHS is okay BUT it's under heavy construction right now. I would go only if you're a big Star War fan for the fireworks and if you want to do Tower of Terror with the original theming. We never park hop as you loose a good hour, hour and a half to hop and each park has plenty of things to see and do to occupy us a full day.

If you want FP+ for Pandora Flight of Passage, you need to make this FP+ your absolute priority. That means being at your computer as soon as your 60 days + 10 window opens and book it as late in your trip as possible. I know a few people who were not able to book FOP FP+ at 60 days for the first 3 days of their trip. The other difficult FP+ would be Frozen and 7DMT but neither should be difficult to get at 60 days.

Planning WDW trips is one of my favourite hobby so don't hesitate to ask me any question you would have!

 

[GatorChris]

First off....you're so lucky!!!! WDW is awesome! And you get to stay at my favorite resort at WDW - Coronado! It's so beautiful there. The buses run very well, the pool is absolutely amazing, and the Pepper Market grill has all sorts of good food.

I would say that you don't need a park hopper as long as you have 4 different days to hit all 4 parks.

For dining, definitely start working on getting reservations there. Here's some of my faves at each park. MK - Liberty Tree Tavern (think Christmas dinner), Crystal Palace and Tony's Town Square. Epcot - Akershus for lunch (Norway), Le Cellier (Canada), Biergarten (Germany), Marekesh (Morocco). Hollywood Studios - nothing really worth talking about. AK - Tusker House and Yak&Yeti, but Flame Tree BBQ is my favorite (counter service). The resort hotels have good places, too. 1900 Park Faire (Grand Floridian), Chef Mickey's (think Chef Goofy's but better - at Contemporary), and Ohana's (Polynesian).

As for parks, you'll find MK to have a lot less offerings than DL, but the grandeur and sheer size of the castle and other architecture will have you spell-bound. Epcot is absolutely amazing! AK is a lot of fun and a good change of pace for theme parks. DHS is like DCA, but not as good (though they still have Tower of Terror). And every park has a nightime spectacular every single night! And no cancellations due to weather!!!!

Make sure you do plenty of walk training before your trip. Take time each day to walk a mile or two so that your legs and feet get used to the walking at the parks. They're much bigger there and you'll wear out if you don't train.

 

[taaren]

Thank you for the heads up about ADRs. So far, I was able to book Be Our Guest one night (but very few times available) and I also did a fireworks dessert party one night. I think my mom may actually go with me on this trip! Are the fireworks dessert parties a good value? There are so many different options at WDW!

One thing i would consider since you're a fireworks lover like me. A Wishes or Illuminations private cruise, we love so much, we now book every time we go (once every 3 years). Basically they take 10 people in a boat to watch the fireworks and pipe in the music so that its your own private viewing party on the lake. Many DISsers book it then sell the seats they aren't using on this thread, usually at cost so about $40/head: https://www.disboards.com/threads/illuminations-and-wishes-cruises-find-one-to-share.2069267/
Illuminations is my favorite but they are both great, especially for avoiding crowds. I think there are some pictures from our first Illuminations one buried in my Dec 2012 TR in my signature.