Disney Virgin need suggestions

[sunshine98]

yes, 38 years old and a Disney Virgin!...but I dont want to be one anymore. Want to team up with my sister and have a party of 5 to go to Orlando. Being the first time there, need help/suggestions on how to plan for this beast of a trip. Of course I know we cant do everything, I know the place is beyond huge (just like Vegas you cant do it all in one trip and Ive been there 4 times). And you cant do it all in 1 visit. Goal is spend 1 day in each park to explore and have FUN!

I received an email to get free dining of which I know will save some $$ and want to book a value resort.

so here comes some questions for you veterans:

1. Seen where you can get stroller rentals. Anyone know how much it would cost to rent per day? Or would it be cheaper to bring your own? As I know at times with all the walking, the kids might get tired.

2. What things are a MUST see for first timers? Such as the parades and fireworks?

3. Might do one day at seaworld? what is the best way to do this? As there are kids with us and they need a car seat is there a bus that can take you?

4. Want to save some money of course. If we can get a small kitchen are there any nearby places to shop for groceries, snacks?

and well any extra info would be appreciated

 

[nmb1dsnefan]

My must do's: Wishes, Fantasmic, Electric Parade, and of course signature rides! If u can bring your own stroller it will save you a ton of money. Renting by the day can get very pricey. There is a walmart nearby that u can pick up an umbrella stoller at for around $20. Garden grocier will deliver groceries to your hotel for you. Super great service and convenient! Shop online, tell them when you are checking in and your stuff will be waiting for you at the front desk. All frozen stuff is specially packed and is kept frozen! Unless your getting a suite though, you wont have a very big fridge (if one at all) and no place to cook except a microwave. Good luck!

 

[fourblessings]

You will have so much fun, I wish I could go for the first time again.

Rent a stroller from Orlando Strollers To Go www.disneyworldstrollers.com or Kingdom Strollers www.kingdomstrollers.com you will be glad you did.

You must see the fireworks at the magic kingdom

Never been a fan of seaworld, would spend that day at universal instead

There are a couple of grocery stores right off disney property.

Hope I helped

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

yes, 38 years old and a Disney Virgin!...but I dont want to be one anymore. Want to team up with my sister and have a party of 5 to go to Orlando. Being the first time there, need help/suggestions on how to plan for this beast of a trip. Of course I know we cant do everything, I know the place is beyond huge (just like Vegas you cant do it all in one trip and Ive been there 4 times). And you cant do it all in 1 visit. Goal is spend 1 day in each park to explore and have FUN!

I received an email to get free dining of which I know will save some $$ and want to book a value resort.

so here comes some questions for you veterans:

1. Seen where you can get stroller rentals. Anyone know how much it would cost to rent per day? Or would it be cheaper to bring your own? As I know at times with all the walking, the kids might get tired.

2. What things are a MUST see for first timers? Such as the parades and fireworks?

3. Might do one day at seaworld? what is the best way to do this? As there are kids with us and they need a car seat is there a bus that can take you?

4. Want to save some money of course. If we can get a small kitchen are there any nearby places to shop for groceries, snacks?

and well any extra info would be appreciated

to the DIS!

My first recommendation for you would be to get a guidebook to read. I personally like The Unofficial Guide to WDW, but it's pretty in-depth. You might try the Passporter or the Birnbaum Official Guide to WDW for more of an overview of the Disney Resort complex. Check your local library.

Second, if there is a group of 5 going, unless one of them is under 3, your group would require 2 rooms at a Value resort. All-Star Music does have a limited number of Family Suites available that sleep 6 and have a small kitchenette. Other options for a group of 5 include some rooms at the Moderate resort Port Orleans Riverside, Fort Wilderness Cabins (sleep 6) and most of the Deluxe Resorts sleep 5 (except Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge). Moderate and Deluxe resorts have fridges in the rooms; there is an extra fee for that at the Value resorts. If you really want some sort of kitchen facility, you're looking at a Disney Vacation Club villa and that is pricier.

If there are children of stroller age in the group (I'd say 5 or 6 and under), bring your own. They are available for rent from outside companies for a reasonable cost - this board often has reviews of the various companies. Strollers at Disney are pretty expensive - something like $15/day for a single (small) and $30-ish for a double. Plus, you wouldn't have those at the resort and sometimes you can do quite a bit of walking at your resort.

If you're flying in and taking advantage of Disney's Magical Express, you won't need carseats. I actually would recommend against going to Sea World, as there is so much to do at WDW, and the more days you spend at WDW, the less your per-day ticket cost is.

You can get a grocery delivery from wegoshop.com or gardengrocer.com for drinks/snacks to have in your room. I think that if you're on the dining plan, you probably won't need much - you could bring some light breakfast foods in your suitcase and get milk from the resort's food court or gift shop.

You have made a good first step by finding the DIS! It's chock-full of good information. Visit the Resorts Board to find threads on all the different resorts. The Restaurant Board is great to explain the dining plan and give reviews of different restaurants. The Theme Parks Attractions & Strategies Board will give you great information on parks and how to tour them and what is a must-see, plus there's a great "sticky" thread there on WDW Tickets and the options and rules for them.

Hope you and your family have a wonderful vacation!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I actually would recommend against going to Sea World, as there is so much to do at WDW, and the more days you spend at WDW, the less your per-day ticket cost is.

That one's a really tough call. My wife & I have both been to Sea World and Universal and love them both, but the kids have not. So, our plan was to do a combined Disney/Sea World/Universal vacation this year with the kids, but it just blew the budget out of the water. Ultimately, we decided on Disney only with a plan to return to Orlando in a few years to do a Sea World/Universal/Beach trip, skipping Disney. If I thought there was no chance we'd get back there though, I'd find a way to make Sea World happen.

 

[dhardawa]

1. Seen where you can get stroller rentals. Anyone know how much it would cost to rent per day? Or would it be cheaper to bring your own? As I know at times with all the walking, the kids might get tired. If you have small kids and think you'll need a stroller, definitely bring your own. The stroller rentals through the parks are highway robbery. There are places outside the parks that rent too, but why pay when you can bring your own?

2. What things are a MUST see for first timers? Such as the parades and fireworks? I think this depends a lot on the ages/genders of your kids. If you have younger kids, I'd recommend some character dining. The lines to meet the characters are often 30+ minutes and you don't want to spend your whole trip waiting in line for characters. Definitely be there for the fireworks at Magic Kingdom.

3. Might do one day at seaworld? what is the best way to do this? As there are kids with us and they need a car seat is there a bus that can take you? I don't know of a bus. We did this a few years ago and I wasn't overly impressed. It was expensive and not all that great. We haven't been back and I don't miss it at all.

4. Want to save some money of course. If we can get a small kitchen are there any nearby places to shop for groceries, snacks? If you're getting the dining plan, you'll have loads of food. Figure lunch, dinner, and a snack are covered and you can always use the snack to cover breakfast. If you think you'll need extra food, pack some granola bars, oatmeal, etc. in your bag. I wouldn't dream of bothering with a kitchen and cooking when on the dining plan.

 

[mjkacmom]

Since you are going during free dining, make sure to make your ADR's ahead of time. Many book popular ones 180 days out.

 

[sunshine98]

Thank you for the welcome and info....much appreciated.

Bought the book and began reading it

I know this is a stupid question, but want to make sure lol Say after we get our park tickets for entry into the park....do those tickets cover the rides or are they an extra cost?

Know for sure to bring stroller and buy a few Mickey things at walmart so to try and save some on impulse buying for the kids. Just trying to save the big kids (adults) from buying is the problem

And on the refillable mugs? are the areas avaliable alot around the park? cause if refills are free, we want to make the most of it

 

[amym2]

Thank you for the welcome and info....much appreciated.

Bought the book and began reading it

I know this is a stupid question, but want to make sure lol Say after we get our park tickets for entry into the park....do those tickets cover the rides or are they an extra cost?

Know for sure to bring stroller and buy a few Mickey things at walmart so to try and save some on impulse buying for the kids. Just trying to save the big kids (adults) from buying is the problem

And on the refillable mugs? are the areas avaliable alot around the park? cause if refills are free, we want to make the most of it

Yes, the tickets cover all rides, shows, etc.

What are the ages of the kids? That would help us give some advice about what not to miss and how to plan.

The refillable mugs are only for the resort not the parks. You can use your snack credits for drinks in the parks. Or a cup of ice water is always free. We bring those little powder drink packets to add to the free ice water.

Hope that helps!

 

[sunshine98]

Everything helps!! We might go to walmart or anything near by to get some bottled water so we have that (and nice tip on the powdered flavoring!)

Kids will be 4 and 6 years old

 

[amym2]

Okay, with 4 and 6 year olds I would definitely not miss the fireworks at the MK. The other nighttime shows, Fantasmic at DHS and Illuminations at EP are great, but our kids enjoy them more now that they are a little older (10 and 8). Our favorite parade is the one at AK, but the MK parades are great also.

I wouldn't try to do Sea World. Disney has SO MUCH and you will need some downtime and time at the resort to enjoy the amenities. How many days are you planning to spend? What time of year?

As far as meals, if you get the free dining obviously that will help. If you stay at a value resort, you will only get free quick service (counter service meal), so you might consider paying to upgrade to the DDP (one counter service and one table service per day), especially if you want to do any character meals. We took bowls and a box of cereal and some granola bars with us and bought milk (value suites will have a fridge) for breakfasts to save money and time. We didn't feel that we needed to use a grocery service since we had the DDP, but that is an option as others have mentioned.

 

[sunshine98]

wanted to make sure..

"Yes, the tickets cover all rides, shows, etc. " does this include the fireworks/parade shows? Someone else in the family was trying to look up things and said there was an extra fee to see these things in addtion to the fee one already paid for park entrance.

speaking of fees, trying out best to stay away from unneccssary ones. We are going to buy some cheaper mickey mouse stuff for them to wear from home, pack a few mickey stuffed things. We do want to buy some souvineers of course, but nothing crazy.

Say when you are in the parks: the fee is covered for the rides and shows (making sure on the firework displays as well)...but take it covers everything? Minus the DDP we are getting, only expected things I would think would be something to drink or snack on in addition throughout the day? or are there any thing else that might have a fee that I dont know about?

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

1. Seen where you can get stroller rentals. Anyone know how much it would cost to rent per day? Or would it be cheaper to bring your own? As I know at times with all the walking, the kids might get tired.I would bring a stroller you know they are comfortable in.

2. What things are a MUST see for first timers? Such as the parades and fireworks? I would think Fantasmic and Main street electrical Parade.

3. Might do one day at seaworld? what is the best way to do this? As there are kids with us and they need a car seat is there a bus that can take you?Call mears. Though remember you can't use a car seat on Magical Express.

4. Want to save some money of course. If we can get a small kitchen are there any nearby places to shop for groceries, snacks?Most people order from Garden grocer. If you are renting a car there is a local Walmart near by that people use too.

and well any extra info would be appreciated[/QUOTE]
There is so much here so ask and you'll get some very helpful information.