Hello from Vancouver, WA! We just got back from our latest trip earlier this week. We flew the United red eye through LA on the way down, and came back through Denver, but we'll use the Alaska non-stop for our February trip.
In the late '80's and early '90's we were
Disneyland passholders, and went there many times, but in '91 we finally went to WDW. Being used to DL the first thing that will impress you is the size of WDW. In Anaheim you can pretty much walk everywhere -- from Downtown Disney to the hotels, to DCA and DL. Not so at WDW. It's huge! They have a transportation system that's amazing, however, but it takes some planning to get used to. For example, it's very easy to get from a resort to a park, or from a park to another park. But going from resort to resort is more complicated. So, say, if you have a reservation to eat a Boma (at Animal Kingdom Lodge), or at Ohana (at the Polynesian). You'll have to get from Wilderness Lodge to, say, the Magic Kingdom (which you can do via bus or boat), and then take a bus to AKL or the resort monorail to Poly. My advice: get yourself a transporation map, and allow plenty of time to get to a resort if you have reservations. Of course, if you're renting a car, that makes it easier, although be prepared to show your id to the guards at each resort you drive into.
If you're DL vets you know about fastpass. Even though early December isn't particularly crowded at the parks, you'll want to get fastpasses for some of the more popular rides at each park. Unlike at DL, the Winnie the Pooh ride at Magic Kingdom is pretty popular.
If you haven't already done it at DL, get yourself a Photopass and take advantage of all the photographers that are around. I've just been looking at the photos of our recent trip, and it's great.
As others have said: get on the phone to Disney Dining and make some reservations. At this point you can forget about Cinderella's Castle, but if you want a princess meal, you might be able to get into the one at Norway in Epcot. To add to what others have suggested: try Tokyo Dining at Japan in Epcot (they have the neatest monorail dishes for kids' meals), and check out the new Yak & Yeti at Animal Kingdom. One of our favorites is the Restaurant Marakkesh in Morocco -- some of the items sound scary but it's all good. Try the "Sultan's Sampler" at lunch. If you like ribs, our family's opinion is that the Flame Tree in AK has the best at WDW -- and that's a counter serve, so no reservations required. Our favorite bread is at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian, and their sticky wings appetizer is also a favorite. Le Cellier in Epcot has great steaks, but since that is usually so tough to get into, try the Concourse Steakhouse at the Contemporary. You can almost always get in there for lunch. A meal at Coral Reef in Epcot is always memorable. And, if you're in the right mood, try the 50's Prime Time at Disney-MGM studios. The food is pretty much comfort food (pot roast, fried chicken, pork chops), but the whole atmosphere is a hoot!
Best place to go to check out menus is allearsnet.com. Deb Wills keeps the most up-to-date menus for WDW that you'll find on the net, so definitely check that out, see what sounds good, and call WDW dining!
Also, check out the Mouse Manager program for keeping track of your plans. It'll allow you to print out all your plans day-to-day, as well as keep track of plane/car/resort reservations. It also has a module for
DVC owners who are staying on points. We just used it on our latest trip and it was great!
Most of all, though, don't stress -- you're there to have fun and make some great memories with your family!
