disney lover but first trip

[morningglory316]

Hi, I am new to this site and think it is great. I have alot of questions but maybe I can get some important questions answered. We are going to Disney for my first time next March. I am very excited. I have been a fan of Disney for the last 44 years and I will spend my 45 in Disney. We are doing 4 days in disney and four night on the cruise. I wanted to know if it is better to rent a car or use their transportation. I want to do all four parks as well as disney quest. Is that possible? I have great stamina on vacation but my husband and friends dont have as much. They would like to find the time to relax at the pool. I will take any advice about howto plan this trip as I can. We are staying at the Carribean Beach resort.I have many question but I will start with that. Also what is a great place to celebrate my birthday.What restaraunt would u reccomend. Thank you!
P.s. how do u all get those great disney pictures on ur posts?

 

[grinningghost]

Wow! Welcome to the DIS

This is pretty exciting - you are going to have an amazing time at the World!

I think, as first timers, you might be best off to let Disney do the driving. The transportation system is so easy to use and very efficient. You can do all 4 parks and Disney Quest in 4 days, IF you go fast, and you do your research ahead of time.

Figure out exactly what your "must do" attractions are in each park and stick to that list. Use Fastpass whenever possible and try to tour in a smart way - do everything in each "land" before moving on to the next one.

Disney Quest is at Downtown Disney, which Disney buses can transport you to also. Plan on doing this when you have at least 2-3 hours so you can do the activities and maybe get some of the fabulous cheesecake there.

4 days is going to be tough - but it can be done. Just do your homework - and you can do it all right here.

 

[princess22]

Hi, and welcome to the boards also! I am so excited for your first trip! If you pace yourself you can get a lot done in the four days, but don't over do it! If your group needs a break, go back to the hotel and take one! The person above mentioned making a list of must-see's, this a great idea. you can start a wishlist on the disney website!

For your birthday, it depends on what you are looking for. Ohana's is a great rest. It is at the polynesian. It's one of my favorites! Great food and great atmosphere. If you are looking for something more magical, Cinderella's Royal Table is in the castle. Plan your dinner, so you are there for the fireworks!

Are you going on the Disney Cruise? If you are, don't bother renting the car. All of your tranportation can be taken care of. I think it is 100 for the bus to Port Canaveral, but it is worth it! If you are going on the Disney Cruise, check out the cruise forum on these message boards. You can find people going on your cruise and get your cruise questions answered!

I hope you have an awesome trip and an awesome birthday. When are you going?

 

[***tink386]

Welcome! I vote for using Disney Transportation too! We did WDW and the 7 Day Disney Cruise last March and we rented a car for the WDW part and that all worked out great. I had every thing planned great, we would leave WDW world early, turn in our rental car near the port and relax at the terminal while we were waiting to check in.
Well, the unfortunate thing happened and there was a terrible accident on the Interstate that goes to Port Canaveral. We sat in completeley dead stopped traffic for 2 hours!! We were eventually re-routed and had to take a 2 hour detour to get to the ship. The interesting thing was, the only vehicles they were letting through were the emergency vehicles and Disney Transportation. I was in a complete panic!!! I didn't even know if we were going to make it to the ship in time because of all of the traffic detours. I called Disney Cruise and they said they were aware of the accident and they knew a lot of people were caught in the traffic. We ended up boarding the ship 15 minutes before our scheduled departure. (They ended up holding the ship in port for another hour and a half for those who were stuck in traffic) but I was really panicked there for a while and kept thinking to myself "If we ever do this again, we will use Disney Transportation to get to the ship"!

 

[dreamscometrue47]

How exciting to be planning your first trip to WDW!!! Please, please, please do your research ahead of time so that you can have a wonderful trip!

I feel a little troubled by you trying to do 4 parks and Disney Quest in 4 days, unless you have a really good touring plan and are planning on only visiting your top rated attractions. Even then, it's very hard to do both Epcot and MK both in one day. But I guess if you have only certain things you want to experience, anything is possible! Also, I would definitely use Disney transportation....you are only doing Disney so this would be the least stressful and less expensive way to go!

Birthday restaurant? Have you thought of California Grille, 'Ohanas (a favorite of ours) or Kona's at the Polynesian, Liberty Tree Tavern (if you want something more casual with characters), Citricco's at the Grand Floridian? There are just so many choices.

Wish you luck and an early Happy Birthday!

 

[BTown]

Hey, welcome to the boards! It's awesome that you are finally coming to WDW, and from your plans, sounds like you are doing things right so far.

I wanted to know if it is better to rent a car or use their transportation.

I say, definatly use the Disney transportation. Renting a car will get you where you need to go faster, but using the Disney transportation is free, easy, and relaxing. After all, you are in vacation, let someone else do the driving for you. This is one of the biggest perks of staying at a Disney resort. No matter where you are or where you want to go, there will be a bus along in a matter of minutes to take you there with no worries.

I want to do all four parks as well as disney quest. Is that possible?

Sure, it's possible, but to do EVERYTHING will require great planning. Theoretically, Animal Kingdom and MGM studios can both be half-day adventures. Magic Kingdom and Epcot you will want to spend at least a full day in each. My advice to you is, buy a Disney World guide book, read it cover to cover. Pick out the attractions you absolutely must see, and plan around that. Use fast passes whenever possible, and budget time for things you may want to do more than once. Take advantage of Extra Magic Hours whenever possible. Also, you may want to look into Disney Quest a bit more. It's basically just a glorified arcade. I LOVE arcades and gaming, but have not been very impressed with Disney Quest. For the $40 a day admission, I'd make certain it was worth sacrificing time at another park for.

I have great stamina on vacation but my husband and friends dont have as much. They would like to find the time to relax at the pool.

Go, go, go! You only have 4 days in the park, so make good use of the time. You'll have plenty of time to rest and relax around the pool once you are on your cruise.

Also what is a great place to celebrate my birthday.What restaraunt would u reccomend

There are a number of wonderful resturants at Disney World. Once again, I suggest getting a guide book (Birnbaums or the Unofficial Guide) and looking through all the resturants and find one that best suits your tastes. Perhaps Le Cellier or Garden Grill.

All in all, this site is a wonderful starting ground for questions and info, please dont hesitate to ask anything.

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

I also vote for Disney transportation. We have not rented a car for our WDW visits in many years. Nice not having to touch a car the whole time you are down there. One bit of advice....schedule your meals near the theme park you will be visiting, or in the park itself. For example, if you are at the Magic Kingdom it's easy to monorail or boat over to the Poly, Contemporary, or Grand Floridan for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can also walk to the Contemporary from the MK entrance in about seven minutes. Don't plan on one theme park and a meal in another as this will take a lot of travelling time.
You have a lot to do in a short period of time. Don't try or think you will see and do everything as this is impossible. Keep reading these great boards for advice. Also go over to allearsnet.com, wdwinfo.com (Dis home) and mousesaver.com for loads of WDW info.
Happy planning!

 

[morningglory316]

I want to thank you all for your advice. I have been planning the things I want to see. But being this is my first time I dont know what to cut out. I will keep reading. I will take any advice I can get. I am still trying to learn how to use this site. I just cant wait till March. I did order the unofficail guide to disney. I hope that helps. Thanks, Fran

 

[princess mom of 4]

Another great thing to remember is that not getting to do "everything" is just a great reason to go again! have a great birthday trip, and don't forget to stop by Guest Services at the park entrance on your birthday to get your badge!

 

[cowtownmom]

What a great way to be spending your birthday! You are going to have the time of your life. Like all others have said, plan, plan, plan - BUT also allow yourself to be flexible! Don't get so stuck in your plans that you won't deviate from them if needed. If you were to leave anything out of your plans, I would leave out Disney Quest. You can do most of those games/activites at other places, but there is nothing else like the World!

Good luck with your planning and keep asking those questions!