Disneyworld experts...

[ame]

So... if Delta isn't evil, these boards are such enablers.

We have a family tradition (that I conveniently invented) that when a child turns 10 they get to go on a special trip somewhere with mum and dad. Sadly, dad has been unable to get away from work at the times that the travel has been, so it's evolved into mum and child. I love the age of ten. they are big enough to deal with it all, but still so wide eyed. I love seeing the world through 10 year old's eyes. I have 4 kids, so the time alone with the kids is rare and precious.

So DD (child #4) has her birthday coming up next year. Her dream is Paris. But.. we're going on a family trip to Europe for 5 weeks next year in June/July (Paris, London, Barcelona and DCL 12 night Venice Med Cruise). Her birthday is in October so I want to go with her then. It's too close to our Europe trip and I really don't think there's enough *magic* to make a repeat trip special for a 10yo. So I've convinced her that she needs to go somewhere that she hasn't been before....

I've manipulated her into thinking that a Disney cruise in the Caribbean is a great idea. There's a west one which would have her at Castaway Cay on her actual birthday. Sounds great. But I'm not flying all that way for one 7 night cruise. With travel times etc.. I'm still limited to how long we can be there for and it would leave us 5 days in Orlando before needing to fly home.

She wants to go to Harry Potter World and Disneyworld. I want to go shopping (it is her trip, but the disclaimer is that mum always gets to go shopping) Do you think that we could make it worthwhile in that amount of time? Say 3 days at Disney?1 day HP, 1 day shop/relax.

So I had a quick look at the Disneyworld website and oh my goodness the whole set up is so different to DL and every other theme park I've been to.

How does it work with hotels? So we stay and get bus transfers to the individual theme parks? What if we stay off site. Drive and park I guess. It's all so overwhelming, so many variable factors. DL is so easy, hotels cost too much money, stay nearby and walk

And all the different parks!! What would be high on the priority list for a 10yo girl? What is worth a miss? I know it's all subjective, but I'm starting from scratch here and so overwhelmed by the amount of info out there.

Any advice or suggestions welcome

 

[Mum from oz]

Ok Disney Cruise = Awesome decision!!

WDW, WWOHP and shopping in 5 days will be crazy!

If you haven't been to WDW before there is sooooo much to do and not nearly enough time to see much of it. For starters there are 4 parks! 3 days is doable but is would be very rushed. Would you consider skipping WDW and just doing 2/3 days at US/IOA (WWOHP)? Plus 2/3 days of shopping? Maybe wait until you can take the whole family to experience WDW?

If you decide to do WDW I would look into touring plans to work out what you want to do/see in each park and how you will wrangle it. Staying onsite won't be a problem because Disney transportation is free and very efficient. Even though we stayed offsite we used the monorails, boats and trams. The obly thing we didn't use were the buses, but by all accounts they are just as fantastic. I'm sure there is more advice to be had and lots to consider so I'll lwave that up to the "experts"!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Ame - What does your child really want to do?

You can easily spend 10 days at WDW and still not do it all. Universal is probably worth 2 or 3 days by itself.

If her dream is Paris, how would she feel if after visiting Europe next year, she still really wants to see more of Paris? Or more of France/Europe?

 

[GrazingGoat1966]

Ame, if you just accept the fact that you are not going to see anywhere approaching everything at either Universal or DisneyWorld in such a short period of time, then you could spend 5 days having a "partial" blast!!

As has been posted before, you really need at least 2 days and probably 3 (if you're a Harry Potter fan) to do justice to Universal. Disney World is so enormous and jam packed with parks and attractions that a minimum of 10 days is required to do most of it. For what it's worth, if you decide to concentrate on Disney, then absolutely stay on-site. Any one of the All-Star resorts are relatively cheap (but still themed Dis style) and the access that you have to the transportation (which usually runs till after midnight) makes it well and truly worth your while. A couple of final quick points. Downtown Disney can give you a Disney shopping fix at any time of the day or night. Magic Kingdom is pretty much a knock off of the original Disneyland in Anaheim so it is one that you could afford to allocate the least amount of time to if you are short of hours and minutes (which you will be!). Definitely do Epcot which most people tend to agree has the greatest "range" of different attractions. Hollywood Studios probably has the smallest "range" of different attractions. And Animal Kingdom is a huge "zoo" that has a good range of attractions (eg Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari, Lion King).

And I havent even started on the water parks........

 

[ColinA]

So I had a quick look at the Disneyworld website and oh my goodness the whole set up is so different to DL and every other theme park I've been to.

How does it work with hotels? So we stay and get bus transfers to the individual theme parks? What if we stay off site. Drive and park I guess. It's all so overwhelming, so many variable factors. DL is so easy, hotels cost too much money, stay nearby and walk

Where do you start. WDW is huge.

If you are staying on-site the magic starts with Disney's Magical Express from the airport. Disney has free transport by bus, boats or monorail to the theme parks, DTD and water parks.

Staying off-site means car hire and parking at the theme parks $15.00/day

I could suggest go there for a minimum of ten days and plenty of reading before the trip!

 

[Andona]

Ame, your tradition sounds wonderful!

I disagree with people who say it's not worth going to WDW unless you can go for a week or more - so long as you go with the knowledge and acceptance that you won't see it all. Personally, I think even a day of WDW is better than no WDW at all!

You'll also need to realise that having had a taste of WDW you will definitely want to go back and see more some time with the whole family.

If you only have a few days for WDW then do lots of research ahead of time and pick just a couple of the parks . Or, alternatively, you could buy hoppers and aim to just see a few headliners or shows at each park.

We went in October, it's a great time as the crowds weren't to bad. With good planning and getting there at rope drop you can accomplish a lot in a limited amount of time!

Good luck
Andona

 

[ame]

Ok Disney Cruise = Awesome decision!!

WDW, WWOHP and shopping in 5 days will be crazy!

If you haven't been to WDW before there is sooooo much to do and not nearly enough time to see much of it. For starters there are 4 parks! 3 days is doable but is would be very rushed. Would you consider skipping WDW and just doing 2/3 days at US/IOA (WWOHP)? Plus 2/3 days of shopping? Maybe wait until you can take the whole family to experience WDW?

If you decide to do WDW I would look into touring plans to work out what you want to do/see in each park and how you will wrangle it. Staying onsite won't be a problem because Disney transportation is free and very efficient. Even though we stayed offsite we used the monorails, boats and trams. The obly thing we didn't use were the buses, but by all accounts they are just as fantastic. I'm sure there is more advice to be had and lots to consider so I'll lwave that up to the "experts"!

The idea I have is to just do a *highlights* tour. DD has been to Universal in LA and Singapore (I've been to Osaka as well). We've been to DL twice and my DD is Disney crazy. She has read most of Harry Potter and loves it, so she just wants to go to that part. So maybe the most *magical* parts of DW are what I need to find.

In 2009 we did our first whole family overseas adventure and went to LA, DL, San Diego, Grand Canyon and Vegas. It was our *once in a lifetime*. We had to scale back as we went as it was just too ambitious and on the way home I turned to my husband and said "This is just the beginning." So I don't do *once in a lifetime* anymore, just however much awesomeness I can squeeze in at that point!

Ame - What does your child really want to do?

You can easily spend 10 days at WDW and still not do it all. Universal is probably worth 2 or 3 days by itself.

If her dream is Paris, how would she feel if after visiting Europe next year, she still really wants to see more of Paris? Or more of France/Europe?

DD has flip flopped on this for a while. She has a *love affair* with Paris and all things Parisian. But it's the notion *of* Paris that she loves. When we're there she's going to see all that she wants to, I don't know that there's *more* there for her.

What I didn't touch on in my first post (as I thought it was getting rambly!) was the my DD has mild cerebral palsy. She can walk, but only short distances and gets very tired and intense pain if she overdoes it. She's getting a wheelchair in the next 6 months (we currently use giant jogger stroller) and will use this as her primary mobility device. TBH traveling solo with her to the USA is a lot more comfortable for me as I know that it will be *easy* and she sure does love Disney, hot weather, exciting rides, princesses and shopping.

Any one of the All-Star resorts are relatively cheap (but still themed Dis style) and the access that you have to the transportation (which usually runs till after midnight) makes it well and truly worth your while. A couple of final quick points. Downtown Disney can give you a Disney shopping fix at any time of the day or night. Magic Kingdom is pretty much a knock off of the original Disneyland in Anaheim so it is one that you could afford to allocate the least amount of time to if you are short of hours and minutes (which you will be!). Definitely do Epcot which most people tend to agree has the greatest "range" of different attractions. Hollywood Studios probably has the smallest "range" of different attractions. And Animal Kingdom is a huge "zoo" that has a good range of attractions (eg Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari, Lion King).

And I havent even started on the water parks........

So when I start, I'll search for accommodation at the All-Star resorts to see if it'll free up $ to spring for a balcony on the Fantasy

Sounds like Epcot is a must. And possibly Animal Kingdom. For some reason I thought it was just another animal park (and I've been to enough of those )

Where do you start. WDW is huge.

If you are staying on-site the magic starts with Disney's Magical Express from the airport. Disney has free transport by bus, boats or monorail to the theme parks, DTD and water parks.

Staying off-site means car hire and parking at the theme parks $15.00/day

I could suggest go there for a minimum of ten days and plenty of reading before the trip!

So the consensus seems to be that staying on site is the way to go. And that I have a lot of reading to do!!!

Ame, your tradition sounds wonderful!

I disagree with people who say it's not worth going to WDW unless you can go for a week or more - so long as you go with the knowledge and acceptance that you won't see it all. Personally, I think even a day of WDW is better than no WDW at all!

You'll also need to realise that having had a taste of WDW you will definitely want to go back and see more some time with the whole family.

We went in October, it's a great time as the crowds weren't to bad. With good planning and getting there at rope drop you can accomplish a lot in a limited amount of time!

Good luck
Andona

Thanks Andona. I do understand and accept that we won't be able to see everything. We've spent 6 days between DL/DCA in two visits and there is still so much we haven't seen. I think the fact that we've been on Space Mountain and Astroblasters more times than we can count doesn't help!! This is going to be a *best of* trip to make my baby girl's birthday special. We have tentative plans for a 5 week NY/DCL/Florida trip with the whole family at the end of 2014. My eldest DS will be 16 and just finished year 10 so I think that will be our last *magical* trip as a whole family so we're going to do it well. But as I said earlier in this post I don't do once in a lifetime any more as I have a severe travel addiction and if I love somewhere, I will be back.

Thanks for the feedback. It's given me somewhere to start. It's still overwhelming as I have to sort out all the wheelchair accessible stuff as well, but I know that it will work. Know I'm off to go shoe shopping with DD. She just got new AFOs and now needs new shoes *sigh*

 

[ColinA]

So when I start, I'll search for accommodation at the All-Star resorts to see if it'll free up $ to spring for a balcony on the Fantasy

I would suggest stay at Pop Century before All Stars. Same value prices as AS.

 

[shadowblue]

Ame - again, wonderful family tradition and I'm sure you'll love Disney Fantasy!

Most definitely you have time and it would be well worth your while to do a taster of WDW and have enough immersion in WWOHP. I'm not claiming to be a WDW 'expert' with one visit but I've done a bit of 'rapid experience touring' and can say it's infinitely better than no experience. (My craziest was London in 2 days - but as I was just there to see a band, which took up the whole day I arrived, really only one. But full, fantastic day).

We only had 11 nights Stateside, 3 of which were on board the Dream (a taster in itself). I'd also recommend staying on-site WDW, to take advantage of the transport and it gives you a feel for the scale of the thing. For convenience (and Disney) that includes DCL transfers to Port Canaveral and of course DME from the airport. Also have a look at the 'moderate' resorts - for the small number of days it won't kick-up the cost too much and they have beautiful surrounds, more upscale food-halls and pools and maybe less crush, easier transport. For the two of you, Mears shuttle to Universal would be $30-40 return and takes about half an hour, depending on other pick-ups (or a cab is about $35 each way).

Now, (I'm told) WWOHP was the main reason we went to Florida. We initially tried to do it/IOA/US in one day from rope-drop to close but ended up going back for a second - by the end of which we'd done nearly all of both parks. You could well do the highlights in one. Definitely go into IOA and straight to WWOHP on arrival. It is incredible.

At WDW, I'd agree Epcot is unique and a must see, probably going around World Showcase first then see what you want to do with the rest. MK, as mentioned is closest to DL but Tomorrowland generally seemed different (more futuristic?) An option would be to whip over on the monorail late in Epcot day and get just inside the main entrance for the fireworks. You'd need park-hopper for that (this was the only occasion we used park-hopper, otherwise for a 4+ day stay, I wouldn't bother).

AK is different from anything and worth a visit. I'd suggest the safari tour and Expedition Everest (from the top of which you get a great view over some of the extent of WDW) and some shows. Other than that, I won't suggest any specific rides or attractions as I don't know what your tastes are or if your DD's CP would affect what you'll do.

So, that's just 3 days! The rest is up to you. We managed to do DHS on disembarkation day, freeing up another day (we were off the ship, checked into POFQ, on the bus and in the park by 11a.m.)

Enjoy!

 

[PrincessInOz]

DD has flip flopped on this for a while. She has a *love affair* with Paris and all things Parisian. But it's the notion *of* Paris that she loves. When we're there she's going to see all that she wants to, I don't know that there's *more* there for her.

What I didn't touch on in my first post (as I thought it was getting rambly!) was the my DD has mild cerebral palsy. She can walk, but only short distances and gets very tired and intense pain if she overdoes it. She's getting a wheelchair in the next 6 months (we currently use giant jogger stroller) and will use this as her primary mobility device. TBH traveling solo with her to the USA is a lot more comfortable for me as I know that it will be *easy* and she sure does love Disney, hot weather, exciting rides, princesses and shopping.

Thanks for sharing the information.

Yes...I can see why you would go with the WDW option. It will be easier for you and her. And there is the France pavillion at Epcot. Whilst not quite Paris, it will help with mood setting.

I would second the Pop suggestion, if you are looking at the Value resort. The bus to/from Pop only services Pop; so you won't need to worry about additional trips to other resorts.
The foodcourt at Pop is meant to be sensational.

I don't know if the new Art of Animation will be the same or how it will work from a $ perspective. But it might be worth considering that as the alternative as well.

And I have been to WDW for a 3 day stay. I managed to cover Epcot, MK and DHS in that 3 days. Any time at Disney is definitely worth it...but then I'm a Disney tragic.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Love your tradition and would totally love to be able to do one on one trips with the children. Sounds wonderful.

I was going to be one of those ones that was going to chime in with a "if you can't go for at least a week, don't bother" comments .

Then I read about your daughter's physical challenges and now I am even more concerned with how tired you will both get trying to fit so much in.

Shopping alone is a good part of a day.

Harry Potter and Universal is a day.

If that leaves you with 3 days for WDW you would have to probably skip 1-2 parks to see "the highlights" and not fall into a sobbing heap.

Is there any way to add 1 more day? This would at least mean you could have 1 day per park and perhaps if energy levels were still ok you could go back to MK or Epcot on a couple of those evenings.

The weather and humidity in Orlando is stifling, even in October which is when I visited with my family. It saps your energy and you truly cannot do as much as you think in a day. The afternoons are especially tough going.

Whatever your plans, everyone here on the DIS will support you 100% of the way and help anyway we all can.

I want to also recommend POP if you are going with a value. We really enjoyed it, the buses were amazing, food court was nice and overall we thought it was great.

 

[alicia1506]

we were at wwohp in nov 2011 and are going back next year for a refresher.

wwohp is a magical place. is it huge? no. it is awesomely themed and you'll want to keep going back and back? yes. my sis is a huge harry potter fan and we spent 4 full days in wwohp. the guys in our party went off and did the rest of u/s and ioa. we kinda walked through those places on our way to wwohp... we loved the immersion in the whole experience. the windows of the shops, the shops themselves, the theming, the butterbeer --omg, the butterbeer is to die for!! (and non-alcoholic). if your dd is a fan, this will be a huge highlight and a memory not to be missed. there are some rides here, including several coasters (flight of the hippogriff - tame, and dueling dragons - regular coaster) there is the ollivander's wand shop experience (where one person in each group allowed in gets to be picked to 'try' for a wand -- they can purchase said wand afterwards if they choose) -- i would highly recommend doing this first thing in the morning as a. the lines are very long and b. the weather is hot and muggy.

the forbidden journey is a ride that is part simulator, part coaster but without rails -- it is very hard to describe as it's a unique ride. if you or your dd don't feel comfortable with the ride, know that you can walk into the castle (and keep your bags with you, you don't have to put them in a locker, so just walk up to the castle and ignore the huge lines as they are for lockers/riders) and you can do a castle walkthrough where you get to see different classrooms, dumbledore's office etc. the theming here is also fabulous, and i highly recommend a camera that is good in low light

the frog choir come out to sing roughly every hour and a half, and each time they do perform different songs (outside the flight of the hippogriff area). it's worth riding flight of the hippogriff as you get to see the ford anglia in the bushes and hagrid's hut just from the line up to the ride area.

the triwizard rally is a photo op whereby durmstrang and beauxbatons students perform a sort of dance/pose/routine in the same area that frog choir performed and you can take photos of these characters.

owl post is a store where you can buy stationary, seals, wands and best of all - postcards that you can have postmarked as coming from hogsmeade, so if your dd is a fan, this is one stop i recommend. you buy the postcards in the store, walk out the front entrance back into 'diagon alley' and then just to the right is a little witch/wizard at a podium who can postmark your postcard for you.

butterbeer comes in 2 versions -regular and frozen. different people describe butterbeer as tasting differently -- for us it was like a butterscotch/caramel mixture with melted icecream foam on top. the regular version is soda/soft drink with the white foam on top. the frozen version is like a slurpee/slushie/ice based smoothie (or for us grown ups, like a milk based daquiri consistency) but totally non alcoholic with the melted icecream foam-y bit on top. you can buy in a regular disposable cup or in a reusable butterbeer plastic mug. you can also buy adult drinks inside the hogs head bar attached to three broomsticks. in here, you can buy regular drinks and alcoholic drinks and you can ask for your alcohol to be served in (or just buy as a souvenir) a hogs head tavern souvenir mug. this mug is bigger than the butterbeer mugs (but not by a lot) and is differently themed. they will not sell these to children as they serve alcohol in them, but if you want one for your child, you might just have to purchase some alcohol.

there are stacks of souvenirs, especially in the way of t-shirts etc that cannot be found online or cheaper at other locations -- i have looked, trust me!!! - and some prices can be exhorbitant, but the theming is truly marvellous. our stuffed fluffy (who actually snores) and chinese red fireball dragons only cost around the $14.95 price range. a wand will run anywhere from $20 - $35 and keychains etc can be anywhere from $4-$6 depending on style. there are wwohp pins but they're not the same as disney pins -- they have large individual pins the kind you would wear as a brooch or on a jacket or a small 'set' similar to disney pin size which are all the houses & the hogwarts logo.

i hope you have a great time

 

[Minniemum]

Ame, what a fantastic tradition!

I also think Pop is your best option from the Value range. For ease of getting around, you might also want to take a look at the most compact of all the WDW resorts, POFQ.

The last two years we have benefited from a Guest Assistance Card, GAC, as DS has Asperger's Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. We only found out about the card on our second last Disney day 2 years ago. The card proved a welcome relief and a much more enjoyable and less stressful way to visit the parks. Without access to the GAC, we would not be backing up for our third year in a row to WDW.

The GAC allows the card holder, and a party up to five, to access rides either via a holding room, fast pass line or separate entrance. Whilst we could use this for every ride, we use it as the exception not the rule. First we try and get a FP and we only resort to the card if the wait is over 30 - 45 mins. We figure DS didn't get issued a GAC for real life so he's got to learn about queues and waiting. At least he's learning about long waits at the happiest place on earth

Unfortunately, you're unable to obtain a GAC in advance, as you must visit Guest Relations at any park in person to discuss your circumstances.

Universal have a similar card which works a little differently. For example at WWOHP the forbidden journey had a wait of 100 minute so they gave us a card with the time marked 100 minutes from the time we arrived. We then happily went on other rides returning in 100 minutes for about a 5 minute wait. It's similar to a fast pass I suppose.

Happy planning!

 

[skier_pete]

Sorry, had to jump in for a few comments...I'm not from Australia, but from the USA and a big-time Disney vet.

I would say there would be no problem with doing as you plan. There is no problem with doing WDW for only 3 days as long as you manage expectations. The only other negative that on a per diem basis, the tickets are very expensive for 3 days or less, but become much cheaper when adding days beyong three. For example, a 4th day at WDW will only be $8 more per person, whereas the one day at Universal will be $100 more per person.

However, If her big desire at Universal is simply Harry Potter, I would spend a single day there. In fact, if you want to save yourself the trouble of transportation, they sell day tickets to Universal that include the transfer from a Disney resort. Tickets can be found here: http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/universal/tickets.htm

Along with the Disney Cruise and the Disney stay the remaining, you could get away without even needing a car hire, and simply use the Disney Cruise line bussing along with Magical Express for all your transportation. Some people love having a car on Disney property, but not me, I like letting Disney do all the driving. As all the transportation is VERY accomidating if your DD needs a wheelchair to get around.

I agree with other posters if you wish to save money and stay at a value then Pop Century is a good way to go. We have stayed there twice and thought it was great. The new Art of Animation resort is across the lake from it, so it may start to share buses with that resort. The AoA resort is mostly suites, but there will be a wing (Little Mermaid theme) that has value rooms similar to Pop, so if it is open by the time you go (LM wing opens Sept 15th) this might be an option to be in a brand new hotel.

I can't really tell you the best way to tour. We love Animal Kingdom because it is so different from the other parks, but a lot of people don't like it as much (and it is definitely NOT_A_ZOO!) Each park is very different in feel and theme. MK is most likely DL in california (which I have not yet been to) but I do not think that is a good enough reason to miss it completely. I would advise to get a guidebook that outlines all the attractions and highlight the 15-20 you and DD most want to see. Use that as a guide as to which parks to spend the most time in. (If 10 of them are in MK - then plan to spend a full day there.)

I have to run, but would be happy to answer any other US-centric or WDW questions I can help with. (Though don't ask DCL questions - never been on one.)

SP

 

[cola]

Sounds like a great tradition

I've got to say Paris and wheelchairs are not the easiest combination. I was looking for wheelchair accessible things for the day I was moving from hotel in Paris to hotel in Disneyland Paris, because it's makes moving a suitcase better, and it was difficult! I managed to guess which station to change at and get an escalator. I'd do a LOT of research beforehand on accessibility. I went on one tour and one of the guys doing it was in a wheelchair, his wife said it had been hell and they thought they were well prepared. Disneyland Paris isn't even that accessible either. (After my experience in Paris, I looked at the park with a different set of eyes)



Disney in US, great Universal great
Do remember October can be wet (afternoon tropical storms), even hurricanes, but October is Mikey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!!!!
Check height restrictions on any rides beforehand, no point getting too excited about Forbidden Journey if she isn't tall enough.