Disney Help!!!

[roro]

HELLO EVERYONE,

Thank god for forums. I need help. I am going on a family vacation (7 days) to Disney world in july for the FIRST TIME, and I need some advice from all of you nice people. I am 23 and the youngest in the family is 16 (16, 17, 21, 23, 5?, and 5?). I would like to get some tips from you guys. Anything helps:
- parks/rides that are a must.
- dining that is very enjoyable
- saving tips.
- line-up tips.

anything will help. I am trying to prevent "i wished i knew" effect. you know what i mean.

Thank you and I hope you people enjoy all your vacations and your memorable times.

 

[Micca]

Roro welcome to the Dis You are smart to get some input before your trip because WDW is an awesome experience.
There are many varied answers to your questions, so may I suggest that you spend some time studying the Parks Strategies forum, the restaurants forum, and the budget forum? When I say "study" don't worry...it's really fun. Most everything at WDW is top quality, so you can't go too far wrong, but it sure helps to have a plan. Also, consider picking up a guidebook. My recommendation is the Unofficial Guide by Bob Sehlinger. There are many books on the subject at all the major bookstores and at Amazon.

 

[Jennie in TO]

The Unofficial Guide to Disney by Bob Sehlinger is absolutely excellent! Get it and read, read, read!

 

[Terk-1]

Welcome to the boards!!!! This is a great group of people and a super place to find answers to most of your questions. A great guid to get is the 2004 PassPorter. This is an awesome guide. Another good one is Birnbaum's Guide for Adults. Deb Wills website www.wdwig.com is really a great place to go to for tons of pictures of the resorts, a full index of menus, as well as park things, what not to forget to pack, etc.

Parks/rides that are a must:
Magic Kingdom:
Space & Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, Buzz Lightyear, Mickey's PhilharMagic (this is an amazing attraction), Peter Pan, & Pirates of the Caribbean. Another absolute must see at the Magic Kingdom is Wishes (fireworks show) & SpectroMagic. These are great. A wonderful place to view them both is on the second floor of the train station, by the railing in the center (so you are looking straight down Main Street). Make sure to get there early though, since this fills up fast. The afternoon parade is cute, but I would not wait a long time to see it. I'd give myself 2 days for this park (depending on the crowds).
EPCOT:
Test Track, Cranium Command, Spaceship Earth, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Living with the Land, Universe of Energy & World Showcase (don't bother doing the Mexico ride -- total waste of time). Make sure to take your time in World Showcase. There is so much to see and do there. A must here is Illuminations. This is an amazing show of water, lights, fireworks, music and fire. A fantastic place to view this is from the patio at the Rose & Crown at the England pavilion. Make sure to make a Priority Seating as soon as you can and if the show is at 9pm, make it for 7:30pm (8pm for a 9:30pm show). When you check in (do it early) make sure to request a patio table and let them know you are willing to wait a little while if you need to to get one. Trust me, you won't be sorry! Make sure to give yourselves at least 2-3 days in this park, since there is so much to see.
MGM:
Muppet Vision 3D, Little Mermaid, Indiana Jones, Backstage Pass, Rock n'Roller Coaster & Tower of Terror. A must here is Fantasmic. This is shown nightly. Make sure to get there at least one hour (if not a little earlier) prior to start time and get a seat in the center, so you have a straight on view of the mountain. Be aware that the closer you are to the bottom, the better chance you have of getting wet (especially if it gets windy). This park can be done in a day.
Animal Kingdom:
Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids, Kilamanjaro Safari, It's Tought to be a Bug & Legend of the Lion King Show. I've found that I can do this park in 1/2 to 3/4 of a day.

Dining that is very enjoyable:
Magic Kingdom:
Crystal Palace -- this is a great place to dine. This is buffet and has the pooh characters. The food is great and the prices are not that bad. I had both lunch and dinner there on my last trip. This is one of my must dines. A PS here would be strongly suggested.
Cinderella's Royal Table -- This is another must dine for me either for lunch or dinner. The food is excellent and so is the service. Make sure to request a table by the window. A PS here would be strongly suggested.

EPCOT:
Garden Grill -- This is a good place to dine and is served family-style.
Le Cellier (Canada) -- Again another one of my must dines. This is great for either lunch or dinner (although lunch is a little cheaper than dinner)
Rose & Crown (UK) -- A must dine for me, especially at dinner. Had dinner here my first night on my last trip and then again for dinner my last night there. A PS here would be strongly suggested.

MGM:
50's Primetime -- Another must dine, this is a fun place to dine and the food is very good. A PS here would be strongly suggested.

Animal Kingdom:
Tusker House -- this is a very tasty place to dine there.

Resorts:
Whispering Canyon Cafe (WL) -- this is a new must-dine for me. I had lunch here on my last trip and it was great. The food was hot & tasty and the service was great. A PS here would be strongly suggested.
California Grill (Cont.) -- another new must dine place. The food & service is excellent and so is the view. This is a definite must need a PS for. Make sure to request a table by the window.
O'Hana's (Polynesian) -- Great place to dine. Food is served family style, all you can eat.
Yachtsman Steakhouse (Yacht Club)
Spoodles (Boardwalk)
Beaches & Cream (Beach Club)

Got to run, but will post more soon!! Again, WELCOME!!!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Wecome to the DIS!!!


All 4 parks are great! Don't miss.....

At the Magic Kingdom:

Space Mountain
Thunder Moutain
Splash Mountain
Mickey's Philharmagic
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Haunted Mansion
Pirates of the Caribbean
Share a Dream Come True Parade
Spectromagic Parade
Wishes (fireworks)

Epcot:

Mission Space
Test Track
Spaceship Earth
Universe of Energy
World Showcase
Illuminations (fireworks)

MGM:

Tower of Terror
Rockin' Roller Coaster
Indiana Jones
Great Movie Ride
Backlot Tour
Star Tours
Stars in Motorcars parade
Fantasmic (night show)

Animal Kingdom:

Safari
Kali River Rapids
Dinosaur
Tough to be a Bug
Primeavel Whirl
Festival of the Lion King
Tarzan Rocks

Have a great trip!!! Buy a good WDW guide, order the vacation planning video, and read these boards!!!

 

[Jennifer Stork]

I saw a list of must do's and had to echo the Beaches and Cream grill. It is over at the Boardwalk resort and is very small. I learned about it from the disboard. The desserts are to die for. They are a bit pricey but if you get meal vouchers from someplace such as Hotwire it's a good deal. We will not miss this on any future trips. If you are arriving on a day that you will not be going to the parks - Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary is a good way to start the Disney magic. Characters and food! I don't know if kids are going but we buy a hat at downtown Disney and bring along a sharpie for autographs the kids love it.

 

[MELSMICE]

Welcome to the DIS. You've come to the right place for information on a WDW trip. (I sound like a commercial! )

Anyway, you've gotten a lot of answers about not-to-be-missed attractions.

On-site restaurants I would recommend:

Yachtsman Steakhouse for a great steak
Cape May Cafe for their Clam Bake
Big River Grille for a tasty lunch
Whispering Canyon for a lot of fun

Off-Site restaurants I recommend (if you have a car)

Orlando Ale House (extensive menu)
Pebbles in the Crossroads Plaza
Carrabba's (Italian)

Budget tips:

There are many ways to budget your money & still have a good time. A few things:

--Make sure each person takes a fanny pack w/ snacks & a water bottle into the parks.
--Bring a soft side cooler to take to the pool w/ drinks & other snacks in.

I think a great way to save money is to have accommodations with a kitchen. Even if you don't eat large meals in the room it's great for breakfast & even making sandwiches for lunch or a snack.

You have 6 in your party, therefore, I would seriously consider getting a cabin at Fort Wilderness or renting points from a DVC owner & getting a 2 bedroom DVC unit.

Cabins - sleeps 6, full kitchen, outdoor deck, separate bedroom that sleeps 4 (one queen/1 set of bunks) murphy bed in living area, only 1 bath

2BR DVC unit - can sleep up to 8, 2 separate bedrooms each with it's own bath, full kitchen with living area, outdoor patios or decks. Check over on the Rent/Trade Board & ask a lot of questions if you consider going this route. With the ages of the people in your party I would seriously consider the Boardwalk Villas or the Beach Club Villas.

Keep "surfing" these boards & you'll get great information.

Have fun planning. It's half the fun!