Completely in over my head!

[ChicagoMommy2Two]

I have never been to WDW and after years and years.... and years of longing to go we have finally decided that we will do it! Now I have no idea where to start!

We want to go in September and stay 7 days and our kids will be 4 and 2. I thought at first it would be simple to plan, but I am completely in over my head. After reading and reading on here I am still lost it feels. HELP

Since this is my (and my kiddos) first trip I want it to be great and something that is going to feel like a vacation. But I don't want to spend a fourtune either. Where do I start?

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[dreamin in pa]

Planning your first trip can be overwhelming but you have come to right the place. Since you already know when you want to go, the first thing to decide is where you want to stay. Disney's has many different classes of hotels from the values (cheapest) to the deluxe (expensive). Check out the resorts board. They have all kinds of info on every Disney resort there. If you decide not to stay on property, there is also a board for just Orlando hotels that will give lots of info and reviews on what other places are out there.

Just take a deep breath and do step at a time. Things will fall into place and we're alll glad to help you out along the way.

 

[Cee]

Perhaps go to the Rent/Trade DVC board and look into renting points to get
a bigger place that has a kitchenette(studio) or full kitchen. Since your kids
are so small, you could easily get away with a studio comfortably. This allows
something bigger that is still affordable. There is a thread that explains the
whole process. See what you think and don't worry....you will go and have a
BLAST! Enjoy!

 

[carri5317]

You also want to make your reservations as soon as you decide, I'm pretty sure Sept. is when the do free dining, if they are doing that this year. They won't announce it till closer to Sept. But you will want to have your reservations and your ADR's in place. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. You can make your ADR's at 180 days out. And this is the BEST place for information. Start making notes... It will be way too much info to try to remember. Have a great trip and remember to plan some relaxing time.

 

[LubsPoohBear]

remeber when u get there have fun and take ur time theres no way u will see it all so injoy what u get to see and take lots of pics.

 

[goofyboyzmom]

My first advice (especially since this is your first trip) stay on-property. We believe that that is what made our frist trip the most special. Everything was new and the cast members help you and treat you like gold! You get extra benefits such as EMH's and sending your purchases back to your room so you don't have to drag them around all day, and being close enough to take the little ones back for a break during the day. We always rent a car, but staying on-site you can take advantage of the free busses.

See what you can see and do what you can do without exhausting yourself, because you will probably being going back . We exhausted ourselves our first trip because we "had to see and do everything TWICE because we were never going to go back" hahahaha. We have learned since then.

Chef Mickey's is a great character meal for breakfast (never had it for dinner). LOTS of time with each character for each child and pretty good breakfast food.

As soon as you make your reservations, make your ADR's or you will end up eating a lot of counter service burgers and the like.

Have fun!

 

[Prose]

DH, DD (age 8) and I took our first trip this year, so I know exactly how you feel! There are tons of practical tips on this site and everyone here is so nice, don't feel silly about asking anything. Also, there are some great guidebooks out there - the Unofficial Guide is one that I used a lot. If you can, check out the DIS Unplugged podcast, too!

I would offer some general tips on how to not get too overwhelmed...
- Keep in mind that your family is diferent from everyone else in the world (and in the "World"). It is easy to read someone's experience here and dismiss a restaurant or attraction. But you may find that something they didn't like is something you love -- some people did not like Mama Melrose, but my DH raved about his meal there, some people aren't in love with AK, but my DD is an animal nut and adored it! On the other hand, you may not enjoy coasters, or parades, or shows. Make your vacation YOUR vacation (but stay open to new experiences, too ).

- Be sure to schedule in down time. When our DD turned to us at 2pm in front of Cinderella's castle and said "can we go take a nap?", we knew it was time for a break. If you are staying onsite (which I totally recommend), go back to your room, relax, cool down, take a swim, and come back later refreshed.

- There are lots of small ways to save $$. There is a Walmart not too far from WDW where we found a huge selection of Disney shirts at much cheaper prices than in the parks, along with water spray fans that go for a fortune in WDW. Make your own autograph books with construction paper and stickers (Target often has them in the dollar section)print pictures of the characters off the internet and make a book, or get a Disney coloring book and use it as an autograph book. Bring along refillable water bottles.

- If you live in a city that have flights from there to Orlando on Southwest, download the Ding! alert that lives on your computer and check it often -- Southwest can sometimes have amazing fares, but they come and go like the wind.

Have a super time planning - half the fun is watching your kids get excited about the trip !

 

[ChicagoMommy2Two]

Thank you so much!

I am sure I will have a ton of questions!

 

[pfalcioni]

We did our first trip last year - loved it so much we're going back in 2 weeks!

The best thing I did was sign up for Tour Guide Mike www.tourguidemike.com

Wait until you'll have an hour of uninterruped computer time, then sit down with a cup of coffee and relax! Start at the first page of Tourguidemike, and follow his lead.

Yes, there's tons of information, and lots of choices to make, but just take it a step at a time and don't worry!

Don't rush to make any reservations or pay for anything before you go through all your choices. I've seen many people rush to make hotel reservations, then realize two months later after more study that they'd be happier elsewhere.

I always get a spiral binder (or small spiral notebook) and just start a page for each 'section' of the trip (travel, hotel, parks, etc). This way I can have all the info in one place, and it's not just a bunch of links on my 'favorites' in the computer.

I absolutely agree that staying on site is usually the best choice for the first time.

Relax - enjoy the planning stages - explore the options - have fun - you're going to Disneyworld!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

You also want to make your reservations as soon as you decide, I'm pretty sure Sept. is when the do free dining, if they are doing that this year. They won't announce it till closer to Sept. But you will want to have your reservations and your ADR's in place. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. You can make your ADR's at 180 days out. And this is the BEST place for information. Start making notes... It will be way too much info to try to remember. Have a great trip and remember to plan some relaxing time.

Since 2005, Disney has been offereing Free Dining during the last part of August until the end of September, give or take a few days. It has already been offered to UK visitors for this September and to those of us who were there at WDW during Free Dining this past September for the dates of August 30 - September 27 2008. Someone on the Dining board has already posted (according to their relative who is a Disney employee) that the offer will come out about April 5. The first three days will only be open to Disney Visa holders and then open to the general public, just like last year. And I'd bet good money that the poster was correct. Free Dining has been a brilliant plan on the part of Disney to fill the crowds during what was previously their slowest season, and hurrican season to boot. And then having the bounceback for free food while the free diners are there in the parks, on their Disney high, well I would call that sure marketing genius. We were there for Free Dining last year, and yes we did have fun, but we went for low crowds and there was definetly NOT low crowds during the week of Sept. 14 - 22 and you also need to remember that it is still VERY VERY hot at WDW in Septemer. My full face of make-up would be melted off by 10:30 a.m.