Calling all experts of WDW, need advice...

[Hermosa11]

I am an expert of Disneyland Park. I can do Disneyland with my eyes closed. I am stressing on my first visit with DH and DS to WDW in June. I will be staying in a timeshare type accomodations (2 bed/6 nights) and then will need to switch for 2 nights to Ramada. We will be utilizing a rental car. I have NO idea where to park for each park. Epcot ? How difficult will it be to simply visit Downtown Disney just for a "free" day? Any hints on which parks are the BEST to visit, maybe for second day? Ladies, any hints on either fannypack or little purse type back back? I want to eat at '50 cafe in MGM on a particular day, will I need to reserve 90 days ahead? (later this month)? I am just stressing. I NEVER would be stressing if I was going to visit Disneyland. I would be looking forward to it sooo much. I am stressing about the weather. I have a mini umbrella for myself. I would appreciate any stress relieving tips.Thank you all so much. I LOVE this site!!!!

 

[Kate-n-sam]

Hi Hermosa and welcome!
I too always stress (just a little ) when planning a trip to WDW and I've been 20+ times. There is so much to do.....My best advice is to relax and have fun. These boards and the main site here (WDWinfo.com) offer so much information, Also Deb's site allearsnet.com. Relax and read, it's fun and addictive to plan!

So for your questions.
Everywhere you drive on property has huge colorful signs directing you where you need to go. If you leave EPCOT for example, there will be signs directing you to all of the other parks and resorts and major roads. We find driving around WDW very easy. For EPCOT, MGM, and AK, you park at the park. For the MK you park at the Transportation and Ticket Center. From there you will ferry or monrail to the MK. You can also take the monorail to EPCOT from there. With your own car driving to DTD for a free day will be easy.

We always can easily spend 2 or even 3 days in the MK. You don't say how old DS is. Mine are little so we spend most of our time there. We like EPCOT and AK as well. We are not fans of MGM at all and have been like twice. Don't hate it or anything, we're just not show people and don't do thrill rides so unless we are at WDW for 7 or more days, we won't usually go there. Most people love it though and if your DS is a preteen or teen he'll probably love it.

I just made all of my PSs yesterday for April (35 days) and got everything I wanted. If you have your heart set on something go ahead and make it 90 days out, but I wouldn't stress if you do it at 30 days except for the biggies (Castle, Chef Mickey's, etc)

It will most likely rain on you in June, probably afternoon heavy downpours, then the sun will come out Have ponchos on hand. We usually don't bring umbrellas because it also gets windy when these storms kick up. If you have a stroller, plan on a rain cover of some kind.

Keep reading and asking questions and you'll be a WDW expert too! We love to help!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by Hermosa11
I will be staying in a timeshare type accomodations (2 bed/6 nights) and then will need to switch for 2 nights to Ramada.

We will be utilizing a rental car. I have NO idea where to park for each park. Epcot ?

How difficult will it be to simply visit Downtown Disney just for a "free" day?

Any hints on which parks are the BEST to visit, maybe for second day?

Ladies, any hints on either fannypack or little purse type back back?

I want to eat at '50 cafe in MGM on a particular day, will I need to reserve 90 days ahead? (later this month)?

I am just stressing. I NEVER would be stressing if I was going to visit Disneyland. I would be looking forward to it sooo much.

I am stressing about the weather. I have a mini umbrella for myself. I would appreciate any stress relieving tips.Thank you all so much. I LOVE this site!!!!

Hi Hermosa!

What timeshare are you staying at? We just stayed at High Point and rented a car for the first time. WOW. It was the best WDW trip I have ever had. You'll be glad you have your own car I bet! And our TS was much closer to WDW than I expected (about 15 minute drive to the parking lot!). Seriously, I will never NOT rent a car again

But on to your questions...

Each park has a parking lot. I found that by getting there early in the AM, around park opening time, we got decent parking spots, and only used the trams one day. Each lot has trams that take you up to the gate, but though the lots are huge, they are designed so that no one is terribly far away. The longest walk we had ever was maybe 5 minutes.

Parking is $7 a day and the parking pass is good at all 4 parks. So if you pay to park at MK and then move over to Epcot, you don't pay for parking again.

The whole parking system is pretty easy to get around, really. I was worried at first but it's really great (and, I think, better than relying on Disney busses).

We visted Downtown Disney (DTD) several times. They have a parking lot there, and its really more like a mall parking lot...no spot is bad, really. It is free to park at DTD but be aware there are no busses direct to parks from there. DTD is a nice place to go for a meal, shopping (WOW = shopping!) and if you have kids, they'll love Lego world ( We don't have kids...but I have a 31 year old boyfriend who is a Lego fan and he was amazed...I presume a small child would be even more so) .

Downtown Disney also has a west side, with more resteraunts, shopping and Disney Quest, an interactive indoor virtual reality theme park. It looks pretty cool but we didn't get to it this time.

DTD also has Pleasure Island (PI) which is a fun place for adults to sneak away at night (open till 2 am). If you have no kids traveling with you, or if you have older kids who can mind themselves for the night or go off on their own at Disney Quest (open till midnight on weekends) , I highly reccomend checking out PI. Kids can go into PI with their parents but most will agree it's not really a kid friendly place.
There are dance/music clubs there for everyone, from rap fans to jazz fans to country fans to oldies fans. There is also the comedy warehouse and the Adventurers Club (AC). When I go to PI I usually spent 5-6 hours in the AC. It's just unlike anything you've ever seen!

DTD is great because you really decide how much time you want to spend there. Its a nice break in the middle of a busy day, or a day split between a water park and DTD.

We did two full days at Magic Kingdom, went on everything at least twice. Use the fast pass system, it's free and it makes a big difference in planning wait times for rides.

We did 2.5 days at Epcot. We'd actually have loved to do more days at Epcot, but unfortunately already had purchased a pass to Universal, which we ended up not likeing at all.

I think Animal Kingdom can be done in a day (unless you want to see all the shows...I , personally could spend 2 days at AK myself. I love animals) and MGM can be done in a day.

I really think the best ones to visit two days though are MK and Epcot. The World Showcase alone takes almost a whole day. It's also a huge park (Epcot) and you'll do a lot of walking.

Do you have a camera? I just used a camera case to carry my stuff in. I don't like fanny packs because I just feel uncomfortable with stuff around my waist ( I don't even like belts!). I find that mini backpacks are ok, but annoying because you have to keep taking them off to reach for stuff in them. Shoulder bags are not fun at WDW. I would really suggest getting a camera case that is a little bigger than you need to keep your stuff in to carry.

Also, you can always rent a locker. They are $7 a day, but you get $2 back when you turn in the key. I rented a locker one day, but then decided that since all I really needed (medication, chapstick, etc.) fit in my camera case, I would leave the backpack in the car and just run out if I needed anything from it (I ended up not neeeding it).

Basic thing to keep in mind is that you'll want to travel as light as possible.

If you know what day you want to eat at the 50's Prime Time, call ahead 90 days. You might as well, you can always cancel it later if plans change. It's always good to have a Priority Seating (PS) to avoid waits and be sure you won't get turned away. If you have your heart set on a place, better safe than sorry. The Prime Time is a popular place.

I am not going again till December and I stress about it too. It's just teh way I get excited for my trips. I love planning and so I worry that my plans won't work out. They usually work out fine but remember to stay flexible...

Weather...ah...Orlando weather. It rains. A lot. But the rain USUALLY does not last long. It rained three days on my last trip and one day, it was 40 degrees out. So we changed our plans and found indoor stuff to do (DTD is great for this!). I reccomend having at least one day with nothing planned in case you need to switch out plans for a day. We did this and ended up using our extra day to go back to Epcot.

But there is not much you can do about the weather. We carried small umbrellas every day and were glad we had them. Most of the time, the rain is quick. They don't usually cancel stuff or shut rides down in the rain, so I say get an umbrella and a poncho and have fun. The great thing is, rain drives crowds away and you'll feel like you have the park to yourself.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[RCM]

If you look for a place inside thepark you will never have to use your car to park. The busses go all over.....parking is a little stressful.

 

[monarchsfan16]

We always spend at least 2 days in Magic Kingdom. There's just so much to do there.
Parking at WDW in the parks is not a problem at all. It's usually easier to just park in the lot for the park you're spending the day at. If you're park hopping, park in the lot of the park you're finishing the day at. All the lots have trams, so walking in the lots is minimal (except of course down the row to find the car). Just make sure you write down somewhere where you parked the car, as in the section (usually a character name or something of that sort) and the row.
June will probably be hot and humid. And humid in Florida is totally different from in the rest of the country. As the other posters have said, expect a downpour sometime in the afternoon. They have fierce thunderstorms there. But they don't last more than 40 minutes typically, most of the time they're shorter than that. So bring ponchos (or buy the bright yellow Mickey ones there), and make sure to have three times as many pairs of socks as what you think you'll need. An extra pair of sneakers isn't a bad idea either. If you don't have extra shoes and your condo has a hair dryer (or you have your own) stick that down in the shoes. It helps to dry them out, even after a full day of pouring rain and park hopping.
I personally like to use a fanny pack. My mom swears by her purse that's the size of Mary Poppin's bag. It's really personal preference, with what you like to use, and how much stuff you HAVE to have with you. If you're carrying around ponchos you may want a backpack.
The shopping and eating at DTD is great. And it's not a hassle to get there.

 

[Gomez Gang]

I usually bring a backpack that has rain ponchos for all 5 of us (kids are 8, 6, & 5), camcorder in a zip-loc bag, 2 waterbottles, sunscreen, moleskin(for blisters), rolaids and hand sanitizer. The backpack we hang on the stroller or my hubby and I take turns carrying it. I also wear a fanny pack that holds my ids and family's park tickets, money, comb, an extra hair elastic and lip gloss. I have to say we like all of the parks equally. Try to spend at least 1/2 a day in each (if you have a park hopper). ALOT depends on your child's age and interests. Since DisneyLand is very similar to Magic Kingdom, maybe you should save that for last.
Definitely make Priority Seatings. That is the best time saver.
Have fun!

 

[Jockaroo]

I hope you will love Disney World. We had the chance to visit Disneyland last August and it was wonderful!

Parking: We often drive to the various parks since we would rather park than worry about the busses. Signage at Disney World is excellent. (Honestly better than Disneyland's.) Cast members will direct you to the parking lot and space. Trams will take you to the gate. (For MK you will tram to the Ticket and Transportation Center, then take the monorail or boat to the park--do one going in and the other going out. If you stay until park closing the monorail gets backed up. The boats can take a huge number of people so we think it is faster.)

Extra Days: For us, we make sure to get extra days at Epcot (our fav.) and Magic Kingdom, but all parks are worth seeing an extra time. You can't do it all in a day. As a Disneyland veteran, you may feel like you have "been there; done that" at MK--but with a weird Bizzaro world feel. Plan, but be prepared to go with the flow. Go back to your favorites based on the first visits once you have seen them all.

Weather: Well, Florida in the summer can be nasty. June temps will probably be in the 90s or higher. And it is very humid. We found Calif. weather to be wonderful last year, and heard locals complaining about how humid it was. Know it will be hot and be prepared. Drink lots of water. Wear sunscreen and a hat and sunglasses. Take a break mid-day if you are feeling tired. Florida heat can zap the fittest of people. Oh, and it is worth saying again...drink lots of water.

Fannypack?: I have somthing called a sling purse. It drapes around one shoulder and under the other arm, so I don't have to fool with a strap falling down my arm or the back ache I get from an overloaded fanny pack. Haven't seen these in my area for a while though.

Priority Seating (PS): If you really want to eat somewhere, make a PS. It will save you time. The earlier the better. At DL, I made mine for Blue Bayou and we were the first seated and got the water front table--very memorable for us!

Umbrella: Definately worth taking. I hate the ponchos. Feel like I'm wearing a Hefty bag. And in 90+ humidity, it isn't fun. I'd rather be drenched from the rain than my own body fluids.

Tips: comfortable shoes. You will be amazed how big everything is at WDW. You will walk until your blisters have blisters. I usually take 2 pairs of sneakers to wear alternate days at the parks and a pair of comfortable casual shoes for evenings away from the parks. Bring extra socks and foot proctection (moleskin is good.) Down Town Disney is very different from California's. It is very large and has more shops. Be aware that parking can be tight on Friday and Saturday nights. Also, take a ride on the Monorail and see the resorts. It is really cool going through the Contemporary.

I hope you enjoy the magic of our "world" as much as I did visiting your "land."

 

[thebets57]

I would agree with the above post that Mk is essentially the same as Disneyland. You will probably want to spend most of your time seeing all the rest of WDW that you can't experience at Disneyland - save MK for last and see how much time you want to spend elsewhere first. We've been to Disneyland many times, but WDW only once, so for our upcoming brief visit to WDW (3 full days), we're going to skip MK altogether for this reason. You're going to LOVE WDW!!!!!!!!!!!!