Don't Know Where To Start

[kamay]

Just booked for October for my son,dtr in law,grandson,spouse and myself. I don't want to be running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I want to get as much out of our trip as possible. Where do I start?

 

[lovetoscrap]

How fun!

Start by taking a deep breath! I would suggest that you take a look at www.wdwinfo.com and all the information we have there. There are Parks maps, ride descriptions, restaurant menus and more.

If you want to eat at any of the sit down restaurants you will need Advanced Dining Reservations and those can be made 180 days prior to your trip. You will want to figure that out. Take a look at all the Trip Planning Boards here and absorb the information, ask questions if you have any.

Look at the Calendar on disney.com when it is available for Oct (not sure if it is up yet or not) and see when the parades, fireworks and Extra Magic hours will be. Begin to think about what parks you want to go to on what days. If you really want some help planning you might think about subscribing to Tour Guide Mike. There is a link that will get you a discount at the top of the Theme parks page.

Also, in October Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party will be going on and you might think about if you want to buy tickets to take advantage of that. Information on it is on the wdwinfo site.

Phew! That looks like a lot! But you have time and the planning is part of the fun! Start reading and looking around and make some notes and remember that no matter what you will be in Disney with your family having a wonderful time!

 

[jimmiej]

Look here:

http://allearsnet.com/pl/planning.htm

If you like to read, get a copy of "The Unofficial Guide to Disney World" by Bob Sehlinger.

http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Gu...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201028121&sr=1-1

 

[DL55]

to the DIS
After reading all of the previously mentioned material you may still have questions. That is where the DIS can help. There are special forums covering different aspects of WDW ( restaurants, theme parks, hotels, transportation etc.) When you have a specific question post in the related forum, answers will be quicker there. And have fun.

 

[byoung]

Welcome to the DIS!!! You will love F&W at Epcot

 

[Jill in Chicago]

The most important thing is to know ahead of time is what appeals to you and your family. The Unofficial Guidebook (in my opinion) is the best resource. It talks about ever single ride/attraction in all of Disney.

The thing is, you can ask around, "What was your favorite?," or "What should we not miss," and get a million different answers. You know if your family will find something "boring," that someone else would find "classic," or you would find it "entertaining," and another family would say, "way too educational."

So, educate yourself. Yep, it takes time. The book is thick and you'll find yourself walking around with it. Highlight your favorite things. Use the suggested touring guides, and then CHANGE them to work for you and your family.

If family is interested poll them. Unfortunately many times family is not interested until they are ON the plane and then "Oh my gosh what do we get to see and do?" That's when you fill them in with your plans.

You have to have a plan. Plans can change. You do NOT want to spend any time standing and looking at a park map saying, "What should we do next?" You need to have a list of go here, then here, then here. Of course you can change at any time, but you need a place to start. You don't want to waste time standing still and contemplating. The time to do that is now, in your comfy easy chair.

Entering the parks at rope drop is extremely important for efficient touring. You will see so much and do so much in those first two hours your head will spin. Get them all up. It's important. Then start watching the crew. Are people getting crabby? Then it's time to sit down and take a break.

When our 14 year old announced at Animal Kingdom, "Have we seen everything we need to?" we knew it was time to sit down and have some nice cold drinks and a snack. Then we were refreshed and were able to finish up the day.

Some of your favorite moments will be at the pool sitting around with drinks while the kids play. Be ready for that.

You do NOT need a ton of character meals. A couple are more than enough. You do NOT need to go out for dinner every night. Dinner can be pizza some nights, or another fast food. Eat breakfast at your rental place. It saves money and time. Lunch is a glorious time to treat yourself to a fancy sit down meal. Everyone loves to get off their feet and rest in the air conditioning. It gives you energy.

Break up the shopping. Some love to shop. Others hate it. Let the shoppers shop, and let the others do whatever. Consider leaving the non-shoppers at the pool. Do not fill up "touring" time with shopping. Shopping is shopping, and can be done at any time. Touring is, well, seeing as much as you can at a comfortable pace for the group.

No matter what you do you cannot see it all. There is sooooo much to see and do and eat. You will all have an absolutely wonderful time. Be sure to pick up the park guides at every park. We had a delightful time with "Push" the talking garbage can at MK. Our 14 year old decided to seek him out.

The different "acts" in Epcot are delightful. The candy lady in Japan is soooo cool.

Try not to bog down your schedule with too many dinner reservations. Often at the end of a long day all you want is to relax in the pool, and not have to get all dressed up to "rush rush" off to dinner.

 

[shellybelly72]

Hello & welcome!

 

[M&N]

Welcome...You did know where to start! You started with the experts who love Disney! The advice already given will get you on your next step---reading! (I'm a librarian) There's a park attraction forum I found useful. If you come up with a question---just ask. Have fun planning.

 

[disney54us]

Hi and Welcome to the boards!! Many great suggestions. Remember you can't do it all, so breath and enjoy the planning. Look at some of those 'must see' attractions, and remember to enjoy Dis. You don't want it to become such a whirlwind that when you get back you realize you didn't take time to really enjoy what you saw. That's why you will have to go back, and that is the big secret plan , to keep you coming back!

 

[wilde_oscar]

ask questions... ask lots of questions. Read, goto the library and get guide books, sit at the book store and read guide books.

ya don't need to over plan, but ya do need a plan... must see stuff vs. would like to see stuff, there are 4 parks... all of them have a lot to offer. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Don't take any wooden nickels. Don't eat yellow snow. And feel free to ask even what you think are silly questions.

If ya can't find the answer in here, post to the theme parks board, Robo will know the answer.

 

[godmother923]

My suggestions are simple. Figure out a plan well ahead of time.. what attractions are your "must see's" if you can find out if there are any special events happening while you are visting. If there are unless you want to see that event you may want to avoid that park that day. Also make sure you know what the group wants to do.. If you have younger kids that love the characters you may want to look into some of the character meals. That being said, you need to plan and book those way a head of time because they book up really fast (180 from the day that you leave is the earliest to book). Also, if there are any shows that you want to see..

Remember, you will not be able to see everything.. Plan that you will more than likely have plans change while you are there. Also, make sure you give yourselves a break.. Either in the middle of the day or maybe every 2 days to not have any plans.. You don't realize how tiring it is..
Lastly, figure out where you want to stay and what your budget will be.. How many days tickets you will need, will you park hop, stay in the park, outside of the park, do you need to meal plan etc..

I have found that the better informed you are the easier it is to plan your trip. All the suggestions are great. There are so many resources out there. If you have the time, read as much as you can..
Lastly, remember that on most of these forums it is other travelors opinions. So, just because you may read something negative doesn't neccesarily mean that for everyone..
Hope you have a great trip!

 

[UrsulasShadow]

START:
The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World by Bob Sehlinger. It is important to have a game plan, and there are touring plans in the back of the book to get you started.

NEXT:
Go to the home page here, www.wdwinfo.com , and get park hours, and descriptions of everything there is to offer. You can also find ticket deals, hotel deals, and dining recommendations on this site, and the podcast, and these boards. THIS TAKES TIME and patience.

THEN:
Rough out a plan. Decide where you may be any particular day, and make dining plans accordingly. You don't have to make sit-down dining plans for every meal! But, if there's a restaurant you really need to try, make those reservations early...180 days out. You are coming up on your reservation window in April...don't miss this window if a restaurant experience is important to you (such as Cinderella's Royal Table, or any other popular restaurant or character meal).

Have FUN!!!!