Complete Rookie needs help!!! we leave 1n 18 days!!

[ohgoshicantwait]

I need all the help I can get. I have never been to WDW before. I am taking my 2 children on Oct 29!! they are 4 and 5 years old. I don't know what all the abbreviations on the board mean so please explain them in your responses. Like I said, I am a rookie. I have some question about what I have read off these boards.
1) where do I buy the bracelets and the charms for the charm bracelets?
2) best place for the photo albums and snow globes?
3)potato head parts? where do you get those
4) explain pick a pearl in japan?

staying at the pop century. dining plus plan. how much more should i plan to spend on food. shoudl i bring food? what kinds? how much? pack them or ship them? microwave in the rooms? what do i pack in the first aid bag. weather at the end of october- 1st of november? i am getting more nervous than I am excited every day. Tomorrow I am going shopping for some of what I think will be essentials for our trip. problem is i need you guys to tell me the essentials. i got the moleskin and blister pads covered. how much do i pack of what? 4 pair of shorts, or is it short weather in november.
basically.. i need all the help that you are willing to give. stuff that i didnt read in my unofficial guide. i want to know what a person must know before taking this task on.
I am rambling. we fly in on monday the 29th. spend time in downtown disney . tues we head for the parks. we will be park hopping from tues through sat. fly out sun am. .
you can email me directly at kypm911@aol.com
if you help get me through this.. mickey will send you a postcard or something cool. I am a divorced mother of 2 children. I do not know when or if I will ever have the money to bring the kids back again, so this has to be special... so far the hotel and dining and plane.. the basic are all paid for. how much cash should i expect to need for this trip? any ideas?

I need all the help I can get. Feel free to write or vent about anything disney. If you have a ton to write then great, email them to me.

 

[neonurse]

-Bracelet charms are in almost every gift shop so are the photo albums
-snow globes???not sure
-potatoe head part at downtown disney pack a box for $19 buy your own body before you go so that you won't waste space in the box.
- pick a pearl is in Epcot in Japan, you pick an oster and they open it and you get the pearl inside, they sell inexpensive setting (silver) for necklaces,rings,and earrings. They osters all are preseeded. They all have pearls. Pick the ugliest one. I am looking forward to doing this!!! I think is it around $14 for the pearl and extra to have it set. I read that you should get it drilled if not set because as it gets older it drys and will split if you want it drilled in years to come.
-I would bring cereal bars and stuff for the morning, oatmeal, fruit, kettle, juice boxes. I don't think the rooms at pop have microwaves????Not sure??
-pack shorts, pants, jackets and sweatshirts. You never know what the weather will be
-you can save alot of money if bring water bottles and ready to mix crystals koolaid, icetea to mix up in the room and bring with you to the parks
-first aid bag- anything and everything bandaids, ointment, tylenol, thermometer,antinausea (not sure of U.S. name brands),antihystamines,tums, hand sanitizer
-do you have a rental car??you could buy lots of snack and drink stuff at target or walmart...souveniers are cheaper there too!!!


Above all...relax. You and your kids will have the best vacation every...promise!!!!

 

[LaDolce]

First, you will have a great time no matter what, so relax! It sounds like you're off to a great start. A couple of things to consider:

1) Make sure you have great shoes that won't slow you down. Crocs or sneakers work best.
2) Pick up a few rain ponchos in the camping section of Wal-Mart. They're under $1 and will come in handy.
3) I always bring lots of sunscreen, Tylenol and cough medicine. Unfortunately, it's come in handy.
4) I agree on the breakfast stuff - eat it in your room to save time and $$$.
5) With kids so you, get to the parks early, but leave either right before or after lunch and head back to your hotel for a mid-day break. You'll be glad you did. This way the kids can nap (and you can, too!) and be ready to go for an evening in the parks.
6) Make sure you take in some shows between all the rides. They give all of you a good break and are wonderful.
7) Ease into the rides. We made the mistake of taking our daughter on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride early in her first trip and it scared her so much it ruined her for other rides. Think about doing Dumbo or another outdoor ride first and then pick an indoor ride like It's a Small World or Peter Pan to ease them in. It just might save your trip!
8) Consider doing all your souvenir-shopping at the end of the trip. This way your kids will know this beforehand and not ask for everything the minute they see it - and they'll really know what they want by the end of the week. By the way, I saw the Mr. Potato Head stuff at the gift shop in Mickey's Toontown (or whatever it's called now) last year when I was there.
9) Take plenty of pictures and be prepared for any type of weather. We've been there at this time before, and it's wonderful.

Above all, enjoy!!!!!

 

[LaDolce]

Another thing - check out the everything under $5 store in Downtown Disney. It's a great place to take the kids shopping.

 

[Alesia]

I think you can get Mr. Potato Head at Everything Pop.

The very best advice I can give is to slow down and pay attention to everyone's needs (including your own.) Since WDW is so huge, you will probably want to just keep going until you drop. As soon as someone seems hungry or tired, get something to eat or take a break. Don't wait until it becomes a total meltdown.

 

[kimsuenew]

We bought our MPH at Downtown Disney and in Magic Kingdom. I also seen a smaller display in MGM. They are sooooo much fun! Enjoy your trip!

 

[MousekaMaddi]

Do u have reservations for dining? (called ADR=advanced dining reservations) these are a must, pm me Ill be glad to help u with these, the planning is the fun part for me!!! We will be at POP Nov 11-18, we just miss u.

My best tip is dont take kids to a character meal right away, let them get use to the HUGE CHARACTERS FROM AFAR first, or u will scare them terribly.Up close chara coming to your table are scary BIG!

 

[MousekaMaddi]

start walking RIGHT NOW==========
U will be doing alot of walking and stroller pushing so if u start walking now your legs and feeet will be much happier

Whe renting your stroller at Disney rent it for how ever many days u will visit parks, its cheaper than doing it one day at a time. tell the cast member(CM=cast member)that u wanna rent for 4 days, or 6 days..save a bit $.

 

[jennobrn01]

All the suggestions here are great. My suggestion would be to purchase Passporter WDW It's a great organizer/planner. The maps in it are better than the maps you get at WDW. It is an easy read that will quickly prepare you for WDW. Have fun!

 

[murcor]

7) Ease into the rides. We made the mistake of taking our daughter on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride early in her first trip and it scared her so much it ruined her for other rides. Think about doing Dumbo or another outdoor ride first and then pick an indoor ride like It's a Small World or Peter Pan to ease them in. It just might save your trip!

Above all, enjoy!!!!!

dont do Snow Whites Scary Adventure first either!

same thing happened to us, scared for life! :scarred1:

 

[Jack&Ryan'smom]

Oh I hope you do have ADR's planned! If not get on the phone quick!
You could ship a box to your resort ahead of time...that's what I did...it was waiting for me...I packed snacks & breakfast items. It worked out GREAT!!

Get the kids autograph books before you get to the parks...at that age I'm sure they will want to follow along with the other kids in wanting all the characters autographs!

Bring lots of pennies & Quarters for the pressed penny machines. This was my boys favorite thing to collect while there. They also sell the pressed penny books to collect them in.

You will need at least 2 days for Magic Kingdom with kids that age to see everything.

Will you be there for a MNSSHP(Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party)? It's a ticket only event...the kids would probably love it!!

Relax and don't try to do it all! We were there 2 weeks ago and the 1st day there I pushed the kids too much! Let them go at their own pace! Also plan on lots of resort time! My boys favorite thing was the pool!!! Have a great trip!

 

[Lyndye]

If you have the Unofficial Guide to Disney by Bob Sehlinger use the touring plans. This is a must if it is busy, which is a wait time of 20 minutes or more. The plans will cut your wait time in line alot. We use them everytime we go. If your wait times are less than 20 minutes or you are walking right onto the rides you don't have to follow them. They have specific tours for children and are a great help. The best selection of snowglobes is at MGM on the street that Tower of Terror is on. I can't remember the name of the store, but it is easy to find. Also The big shop at Epcot in Future World has a great selection also. I think it is called Mouse Gear.
Be sure to pack rain ponchos for you and both of the kids and one for the stroller. Rain showers pop up some times and just last a little while and always go to the parks any way when it rains. Less crowds during rain.
Pack a pair of shorts for everyday and some pants. You never know what the weather will be like. Also bring a jacket the evenings and mornings can be chilly.
I always bring granola bars or small boxes of cereal. I pack them in my suitcase and take them out of the big box they are packed in. You can buy milk at the food court in pint sized bottles. Pop doesn't have refrigerators, unless you want to rent one. Which is kind of expensive for ten dollars a day.
If you buy a snowglobe you will need to ship it home. It doesn't cost that much and they will pack it at the shop or you can do it at the concierge desk at your hotel. You can't take them in your carry on and I wouldn't want it to get broken in my suitcase.
Do not wear crocs. I have heard a lot of people are getting blisters on the tops of their feet and that can ruin a trip if your feet hurt.
I hope you have a great trip. I know you will have fun and don't rush around take it easy and enjoy the sights also. There is lots to see and do.
We leave for Disney World Oct. 17. Can't wait. Pop is a great place to stay we have stayed there twice. Have a great trip and I hope I have helped you and don't miss Mickey at Toontown.

 

[ohgoshicantwait]

Thanks for all the great ideas!! I have learned a lot from the boards as well as those that emailed me. Here's what I got so far, let me know if i am missing anything.
we HAVE tickets to the NSCHP on halloween night
appointment at the boutique for my princess
ADR for every night that we are there- winging the rest of the meals
we did reserve a refrigerator for our room
already have 2 rolls of quarters and a roll of pennies for the penny machine



how soon before the trip should I mail the food?
How much cash vs travelers checks vs check card ?
should I try to find a waterproof bag to carry around the park
are the strollers big enough for a 4 and 5 year old?

I'm sure I will think of more questions but this is all i got right now.
anyone going to be down there the week of halloween? Maybe we can do lunch or something.

 

[neverland mom]

First and foremost have a great trip. We went down in April and stayed at the POP with our 5 year old. The POP does not have microwaves in the room but have them in the food court to use. If you have the Dining Plan you can get some breakfast items in the food court (cereal, doughnuts) with a snack credit. We bought the refillable mugs and brought kool aid single pack they were a life saver at the parks. I agree with ease into the rides slowly mine was timid of the rides the first day and was doing Splash Mountain the day we left. I packed a carry on with chips, crackers etc. for snacks in the room and used the empty suitcase for souviners on the way home.

Hope these help.

 

[duffy]

Relax as much as you can, and be flexible! That's the best tip. Be ready to spend lots of time that your kids love. If they really want to ride Dumbo 6 times in a row, what the heck, just do it! They'll be so happy.

I would not bring cash or traveler's checks. These days, I use a debit or credit card for almost all my purchases.

The strollers Disney supplies are big enough for both kids to squeeze in, I think? You will be walking a lot, and they will get tired! Last time we went, my daughter turned 5 on the trip and we rented the stroller, despite her thinking "they're for babies". (we called it a "cart", and then she didn't mind resting in it!)

I wouldn't worry about buying a waterproof bag, I'd just bring a plastic bag to stuff your stuff in if you need to. If it rains, it's usually over quickly.

Never mailed myself food, so I can't help you there.

Have you checked out the "PoP" thread on the resorts board? There may be a microwave swap thread.

 

[ggeorgiagirl]

Like someone else said...GO TO WALMART AND GET ONE OF THOSE TINY PONCHOS FOR EACH OF YOU! They are in the Hunting/Sporting goods dept! You probably will not need them...but JUST IN CASE! The past 10 or so trips...I have needed them 3 times!

 

[toyota631]

We had the Disney Dinnig Plan had Plenty of food. You will not need alot of snacks.

 

[MMgranny]

We'll be at Pop November 14-18!