Can a newbie start planning Feb 08 trip now?

[snowyday]

Hi all,
Wow, what a ton of info here! DH and I have been talking about taking the kids (9, 7, 4) for years but have just now decided we are really going to do it. I've only been once, as an adult, so I am quite unfamiliar with the whole place.

I am very nervous about the planning and where to begin (other than with this board!). I would sit here and read these boards from morning til night if I could, but unfortunately that can't happen! The first thing I looked at was when we should go, and judging by the value season, anticipated crowds and our schedules, February or November would be when we want to go. I really don't want to wait a year, but could we pull it together for this Feb? It looks like most people plan several months in advance, so could a total newbie really plan a great trip that quickly? Until today I had never heard of the term ADR, and even though I know now what the acronym stands for, I don't really know what it means.

DH is so casual about the whole thing, thinking it's like planning to visit relatives out of state, and he thinks as long as we can book a flight and find somewhere to stay we are good, the rest will fall into place. And it's hard to convince him of the need for extreme planning when I don't really know what it is will be missing if I don't plan it now, I just know I need to plan it now so we won't miss it!!

So I am asking you gurus if you think someone who has no idea of what an ADR is could possible plan a worthwhile trip for February.

We would like to stay on property, if that helps anyone answer. The website I checked appeared to still have rooms available when we would go, hopefully it's true!

Thanks for any assistance.

Snowy

 

[Bob P]

Welcome to the DIS, Snowy!

If you can avoid President's Day week crowds will be much lighter the rest of the month.

And yes, not only CAN you plan your trip now, you SHOULD plan your trip now! People have been making Febraury ADRs for more than two months now, so some of the prime dining locations and times may already be booked.

By the way, and ADR is Disney-speak for a restaurant reservation...except it isn't really a reservation. It means that you will be given the first available table for a party your size when you check in at the restaurant. You will have prioity over walk-ups.

 

[Ontdisfan]

Welcome to the DIS !! We started planing our last trip in April for a Septemper trip I thought we were ahead of the game, then I found the DIS Now we are planning our next trip (and that is not till 2009 )

 

[I amErica]

Hey, I am new here too.
I am taking my DS (dear son) It took me awhile to figure out what all the accronyms are for.
I found a GREAT free travel agent who specializes in Disney vacations.
Smallworldvacations.com they do EVERYTHING for you. You let them know what you what, any ADR they book for ya, book hotel, park tickets, magic express you name it
Plus I would recommend the Pass Porter bokk. It walks you through everything.
Has great places to write reservation numbers, flight info, takes you through every ride, hotel.....

My son and I are going Feb7-12 staying at Pop. We are coming from North Dakota, so we can't wait. It will be FREEZING and snowy here so it will feel like a heat wave down there.

I am addicted to these message boards. I have learned SO MUCH from all the vets here. I haven't been to WDW since I was a little girl.
good luck with your planning

 

[Belle62442]

Welcome to DIS!!! Planning a trip for February shouldn't be too difficult, even for a newbie Just think, if there is a restaurant or an experience you miss out on this trip...you have a ready-made excuse for the next trip! And don't forget, this board can be a valuable tool...use it well!

 

[Pakey]

Welcome Snowy. I've been working on planning my Jan 08 and my Jan 09 at the same time. You will learn here that planning the trip is half the fun!!!!! And you are lucky because you discovered the disboards early; I had to take several dozen trips the hard way before finding this. Enjoy.

 

[TY31088]

Welcome to Disboards!
Hope you enjoy your trip.
Many more will follow.
Ty

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Whats taking you so long. I usually plan my trips about a year and a half in advance! then when I visit, I modify my next trip according to what we want on the next one!!

 

[50sjayne]

Lol my husband is the same way. We aren't new to Disneyland but the last time we went they were still building CA adventures, in fact we stayed at the Aladdin-- which is not there anymore. There seems to be a lot that has changed and am looking forward to the changes. This all started for me when I went out and bought the Old Farmers almanac and knew we were in for a formiddably rainy winter (we live in Eugene Oregon) so I just started out knowing I was going to want to find sun somewhere. Well kicked around a few ideas ( I was leaning toward wine country lol) when husband decided son had to go with us because he didn't go on the last big vacation with us. Fair enough ;-) So I decided on Universal studios, planned that all out then husband decided at the last minute (before my first bidding attempt on Priceline) we should go to Disneyland. I was going for Universal because son is 16 and will be 17 and it do seem Disneyland is more for kids (daughter is 19) but didn't take anything to change my mind lol. We have been to Universal before and decided since The Simpsons ride wont be finished yet and son will be too young to go on any shows like 2 1/2 men- Ellen with us we'll wait. Anyways I'm getting excited. I got my updated unofficial guide to Disneyland (which someone gave us years ago and I'm hooked on) and got through all the hotel research, now here's to hoping the Siskyou pass will stay clear and or/ amazing airline bargains will magically appear (doubtful). This is an awesome board! And a much needed one I might add.

 

[Cowboysfan]

lol, newbie's must wait until jan '08 to plan for feb '08, otherwise you will seem like a pro before your trip.

nah, it's never too early to plan and it only too late to really start planning your trip if you are there now.

However, certain ADR's may be very difficult to get (i.e. CRT). If you plan to use the dining plan, then you would more than likely need ADR's for your table service meals, and any ADR's should be made soon. If you are not on the dining plan, and only want a few table service meals, then you should decide and make those soon. otherwise, eating on the fly (as quite a few people do) shouldn't be a problem.

Casual, as you describe your DH, is sometimes fun too. flight, hotel and tickets (aside from essentials) are the only items really required. Disney will provide transportation (DME and buses). Everything else, without ADR's is gravy.

My DW would prefer to tour the 'world' that way. she understands why we have ADR's, but hates them at the same time (she feels that even though we picked them and arranged the dates and times, that we are restricted). She would rather wake up and decide then which park to visit that day, but we usually have either a breakfast or early lunch planned.

Have a great trip.

 

[GoofyTraci]

Welcome to the DIS, Snowy!

If you can avoid President's Day week crowds will be much lighter the rest of the month.

And yes, not only CAN you plan your trip now, you SHOULD plan your trip now! People have been making Febraury ADRs for more than two months now, so some of the prime dining locations and times may already be booked.

By the way, and ADR is Disney-speak for a restaurant reservation...except it isn't really a reservation. It means that you will be given the first available table for a party your size when you check in at the restaurant. You will have prioity over walk-ups.

WHEN is president's day week?

 

[kimsuenew]

Hi! Yes, you absolutely plan it! We had never been there before and did not really know where to begin either. I started planning in May for our September (2007) trip. My hubby had no desire to plan... he went a long for the ride! I went to the main WDW website and learned what I could. I did not find these boards until about 3 weeks from the date we were leaving. I printed the dining brochure from the WDW website, planned what days at what parks, looked at participating WDW TS restaurants in the brochure, checked the WDW website for a description of each, and figured out which one to go to! After I had decided a first (and second choice) for each day, I called and got the ADR's! Make sure you write down your numbers for each place too! These boards (I am using them a lot to plan next trip) are awesome... people are so helpful and will answer questions for you! Use the search tool for anything you want to find out, it will pull up current and past threads and they are helpful! Also make sure to order Disney's free DVD and order the free park maps on their site... you can personalize what is to be hi-lighted on each. Most of all... have fun! Don't plan like crazy... it sort of all falls into place while you are there. Although we went to the parks, and ate at the TS I had ADR's for every day, almost everything else I had on my iteneray was not followed (eg instead of being at this section of the park at this time riding this ride... we were on opposite side because they loved another ride so much there that they rode it four times in a row). Be flexible! Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Raenstoirm]

For a first timer, pretty much pick a hotel, a park for each day and an ADR for each day (or multiple if you want 3 structured meals.) We usually only have one structured meal and eat as we feel hungry for most of the day, but that is up to you. You may want to nibble all day and never have a sit down meal. I recommend you have at least one character meal. The food is not always the best Disney can do (but still very good), but the experience more than makes up for it even with only adults in the party.
Since you don't know what rides you "have to do" you dont and probably should make any type of ride schedule, so you can go on anything you want more than once.

Dint stress about the planning. Its Disney. You will have a great time!

 

[Sweedee]

disboards and allearsnet.com are my two fav websites for planning a trip. We will also being going around the same time you are, and we have been planning for a couple of months now (too much discussion guarantees a grumpy hubby, and a declaration by him that Disney is of the DEVIL!). So, we generally begin our planning about 6 months in advance. I went often as a kid, and have been twice in the last two years, so I feel pretty confident with such a short time planning. That said...

1. First choose somewhere to stay. With having 3 kids, if you stay on site, you will have to get connecting rooms, a suite, or stay at one of the moderates or deluxes. You can also choose a villa, but that has always been a bank breaker for us. So, we have opted for 2 connecting rooms. This upcoming trip, we have opted for staying offsite as my inlaws will be with us, and we can't swing the price of a deluxe or mod, and still enjoy our trip to the fullest.

2. Decide if you want the Disney Dining Plan...you pre-pay for all your meals as part of the package (room and tickets) if you stay on-site. If you stay off-site, the DDP is a moot issue. If you do want the DDP, then you need to think about what restaurant you want to dine in...you need to think about this now even if you don't do the DDP, but want to have a place to sit when you are ready to eat. The ADR's are a must have regardless of where you are staying if you want to eat at a table service restaurant in any of the parks (and even at some DTD restaurants).

3. Now, (YOU...not your hubby or kids, you can talk to them later) decide if you want to see any Fireworks shows or parades. Find the times for those, and make a note of which days and parks are at which times. Then, make tentative plans as to which park on which days.

4. Make note of any ride rehabs during that time (I think only Splash Mountain at this time).

5. Now...put it all in front of you, and start from there. The one thing we have always done is to plan our park of choice the night before (even if our ADR's were in another park). We wrote down every ride that we wanted to do (noting everyone's top choice), and then we made a game plan according to that so we weren't wasting park time walking back and forth. We have done this EVERY trip, and we have, without fail, been able to carry out our agenda for the day. It also helps that I don't have little ones, mine are teenagers...and disney geeks to the core! It also helps if we stop a minute to find out when shows are...Beauty and the Beast; Lights, Motor, Action!; Lion King, etc. They don't show in succession like Mickey's Philharmagic, or Muppets 3-D.


This should get you started in your planning! As for what to bring, wear, carry, etc....that's another whole post! We have always brought very minimal things with us when we stayed on site because the gift stores at the resort carry just about anything you need, and if you need something they don't carry, there are drug stores and Walmart. We haven't done the cute family T-shirts (again, Grumpy plays into this at our house!), we don't buy Crocs, or carry a Baggalini. I don't want to play keep up with the Joneses just so I can go to DW (although, I am not knocking those that do!). I go to DW because it brings me joy! I go because our family truly enjoys being together there! It just makes us all happy!

Have fun with your planning!!

Also, keep in mind that you will not get to do everything you want to do, nor will you get to see everything you want to see. Something will be left out which will only guarantee that you get to come back again! Be sure to keep a good focus on family, not on "the must do's to make this the happiest trip ever", because you will surely lose sight of why you are there.

 

[disneyfan2]

WHEN is president's day week?

Presidents week is the 3rd week of Feb and crowds spill into the last week of Feb. Best bet is the 1st and 2nd week of Feb, we went 2nd week of Feb 2007 and it was great!!!

 

[hddanis]

If you email me at hddanis@msn.com I'd be more than happy to send you my interactive planning spreadsheet. It's got sheets for reservations, budget, dining, schedule, packing, closures, etc...It's very helpful!

Welcome to the DIS!

 

[Rylee]

Hi,

I don't post here very often, but I know a thing or two about Disney, and YES... you can still plan a great vacation for Feb.

I usually start with my dates, being a little flexible helps, and go back and forth between airline flight times and cost and hotel availability.

Do you know where you want to stay? I always recommend staying on site at a Disney owned hotel. (I don't know what type of accomodations you are looking for, but for a party of 5, the value resorts won't be able to accommodate your family.)

Once you've decided where you'll stay, you'll need to decide if you want to book a package or book it separately. If you want to book the Disney Dining Plan, you'll have to book a package. (There's loads of info here about the DDP and plenty of opinions, too.)

When you secure your hotel, if booking a package, you'll need to decide on what type of tickets, one day passes or hoppers. (Personally, I don't think hopper passes are necessary if you aren't traveling at a super busy time and especially for a family's first visit, but you'll have to decide what's right for your family.) If you choose to visit 1 park per day, you'll need to schedule your dining reservations either in that park, at one of the resorts or at Downtown Disney. Even if you choose to stay off Disney property or don't want the DDP but want to have a table service meal, (not walk up counter service) you should make ADR or you may not get into the restaurant of your choice.)

Before making ADR, check the park calendars for operating hours and special event times. (Example.. if you are only visiting the Disney's MGM... now called Hollywood Studios, one day, you don't want to schedule your table service meal during the Fantasmic show and end up missing it!)

You don't have to make all your ADR at the same time, but if you know your family really wants to eat in a certain restaurant, make your ADR as soon as possible. It is most convenient to eat in the park you will be visiting or eat at a resort near that park, so you don't waste a lot of time traveling. We usually schedule 1 character breakfast and the rest for our evening meals. I don't schedule a lot of lunches, in case we want to be back at the hotel in the afternoon, taking a break or swimming.

I choose our restaurants for various reasons... the food, the atmosphere, the fun Disney experience and some of our favorites are... Chef Mickey's @ Contemporary Resort, (character meal) Coral Reef at Epcot, (food and atmosphere) Le Cellier at Epcot, (food) Si-Fi Dine-In at MGM, (atmosphere) etc.

Also, if you are interested in dinner shows, such as the Hoop-De-Doo Musical Revue or have daughter/s that want to go to the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique, you'll need to schedule these in advance, too.

Once you have your flight, hotel and dining reservations... relax! Some people like to have a touring plan, others like to walk around and discover the park at a relaxing pace. I would suggest at least reading about the attractions and deciding which ones "are not to be missed" for your family.

Have fun.

 

[PolynesianPixie]

Hi and

It sounds like you have already received some wonderful advice, I would like to add that you should go to the Disney World website, click on "my vacation" and go to make customized maps. These maps are of an excellant quality, and very helpful when you are trying to map out what you would like to do. They are also free! It takes 2-4 weeks to receive them, so you have plenty of time.

Also, as far as resorts go, choosing one can be the most fun! I usually ask people, if they were not going to WDW, where would they go? If it is Hawaii, then pick the Polynesian, a beach~then stay at the Yacht or Beach Club. Mexico~choose Coronado Springs....etc. etc. With a family of 5 your options are more limited. All of the Deluxe resorts will accomodate you. If deluxe isn't in your budget, then choose Port Orleans Riverside. It is just as gorgeous as any resort. However, if a deluxe IS in your future, having a 4 year old, an MK monorail resort(Poly, Grand Floridian, Contemporary) would be very convenient for rests or pool time.

Have a wonderful time! You do have time to plan! If Cinderella's Castle is a must for you, try everyday at 8am eastern time, that's when they enter the cancellations from the day before. If it is just Cinderella you are after, she can be seen at 1900 Park Fare at Grand Floridian, or you can go to the Princess dining at Akershus in Norway Pavillion. If it is just dining at the castle, a dinner reservation shouldn't be hard to obtain (no Cinderella).

Yey! You are on your way! If you have any more questions, please post again!

 

[snowyday]

Wow, what a helpful bunch you boardies are! I feel like I have a good starting point and wrote down all the tips for planning. I have just about convinced DH that a monorail resort would work out best for us, now I just need to book it before he changes his mind. Then I will get the ADRs and research the parks and maps so I have an idea where we might want to go.

Thanks to everyone for all the info you've put on this board. It's an invaluable planning tool.

Snowy
Go Red Sox!!