ew to DIS, taking 1st timers in April, advice?

[peytonsmomie]

Hi everyone! I was a Disney kid, and went 4 times when I was young. After 8 years of dreaming about being a Disney mom, I'm finally planning our 1st trip with my dh and kids. dd will be 8, almost 9, when we go, and ds will be 6. DH has never been there, and isn't a big "vacation" kind of guy (good luck getting him to wear matching shirts, I'll be lucky to get the guy on the rides!).

We're taking the trip in honor of my graduation from law school, and his graduation/licensing from massage therapy school.

My question, beyond being grateful for all of y'all threads of advice, is what specific things can I do, on a budget, to make the trip really special?

 

[Aliceacc]

Hi and welcome!!! And congrats to both of you on your respective graduations!

For starters, your AAA card can get you a 10-20% discount off your accomodations.

For smaller stuff, look here:http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1437421

 

[DWGal210]

First of all, congrats on your graduations - that is awesome!!!

One thing I would suggest is calling and getting dinner reservations at one of the great restaurants - I really love O'Hana and Boma and think both would be great for a celebration. They are also both good for adults and kids - both will enjoy! When you call for your ADRs (Advanced Dinner Reservations), talk to the cast member and let them know it's a special celebration. A lot of times you can do things like order a special cake or dessert to be delivered to your table. I'm not sure of the cost of this, but that's a lot of fun.

The other suggestion I have is to let the cast members know that you're there celebration special events and it's a first-timers trip. They have all sorts of fun buttons that you can wear on your shirt, attach to your bag, etc. (If you're not at a Disney hotel, I know you can also get them at Main Street at Magic Kingdom.) I am 99% sure they are free and they are fun!

Those are the 2 I can think of off the top of my head, but please PM me if you have more questions or would like more suggestions. I love to help!

Have a great trip!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Hi everyone! I was a Disney kid, and went 4 times when I was young. After 8 years of dreaming about being a Disney mom, I'm finally planning our 1st trip with my dh and kids. dd will be 8, almost 9, when we go, and ds will be 6. DH has never been there, and isn't a big "vacation" kind of guy (good luck getting him to wear matching shirts, I'll be lucky to get the guy on the rides!).

We're taking the trip in honor of my graduation from law school, and his graduation/licensing from massage therapy school.

My question, beyond being grateful for all of y'all threads of advice, is what specific things can I do, on a budget, to make the trip really special?

I'd say get the Basic Dining plan. It's only about $38.00 per adult per day and only $10.00 per child per day (it includes all character meals and pretty much every other restaurant in Disney World). The Dining Plan saves us a lot of money - there is just no way I could feed my kids a table sevice (character meal), a quick service meal and a snack a day in WDW for $10 bucks.

 

[a1tinkfans]

CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU BOTH!



My hint: Try to enjoy WHATEVER it is you get to do and don't fret about the things you did NOT get to do/see. There's SO MUCH!!!
Have a WONDERFUL time!

 

[peytonsmomie]

This advice is awesome! Thanks y'all!

I really am bummed that we can't do the dining plan. It's probably my only regret of the vacation. We're stayng at Shades of Green, which is on property, but isn't technically a Disney resort, so EMH are a go, but DDP isn't. So sad.

Everything else has gone directly into my planning notebook, to be executed when my 180 reservation date arrives!

Thanks so, so much!

 

[happymommy]

Shades of Green is great - we stayed there once.

You can buy your tickets there (you already know that) for a discount.

I agree - don't worry if you don't think you'll do everything. You won't. We've been lots of times, and each time we try to do something special that we haven't done before. On new years eve, we booked (through the concierge at AKL) an illuminations cruise. That was fun!

You could send a box of special little surprises for your family ahead of time. I used to do that - little Disney stuff, candies, etc. The dollar store even had cool stuff, but your kids are getting a little older so I don't know what they like. The pins are cool, but they add up fast, so I don't really suggest starting on that route!

My DS won't do any fast rides, so we'd split up a bit to do what we wanted, DH and he would do one thing and DD and I would do the other, then meet up.

You don't HAVE to eat dinners at all the sit down places that are expensive. Lunches are fun, cheaper, and still special. We did lunch at the Living Seas (I even enjoyed a glass of wine) and that was fun. Now that we can afford to spend more, we still remember fondly the first time DH and I went on a shoestring budget (stayed offsite, never ate much at the parks, but still had so much fun!).

The counter service places at Epcot for meals are so neat! My DH also liked having a beer in Great Britain, there are so many yummy things in Epcot! That is our favorite park.

Really take your time and relax - if you try too hard you'll wear yourselves out. Go for a ride on the monorail (walk to the Poly). Also, it's fun to go to other resorts and walk around, have a drink or a snack. AKL is out of the way, but Boma is good for dinner. You are close to the Poly also - I didn't like much about Contemporary for food. A drink in the lobby bar at the GF is a treat!