few newbie questions and queries ...

[princessjodiebo]

i cannot believe that it will be 10 weeks on thursday til we are off !!!

although i did florida 15 years ago i class myself as a newbie having never visited a disney hotel before and i am beyond excited

we have planned our days out with miitary precision and i was just wondering a few things .........

our kids are 13 andn 9 - do you think it will be a good idea to head back for a rest each day - depending on fireworks emh's etc - i dont want to hit a wall on the 3rd or 4th day adn have everyone end up all cranky

also we are getting a transfer coach with virgin to and from orlando international - are they easy to find once we have got our cases ??

we plan on going to a mall at least once while we rae there - does anyone have any opinions on which one is best and also is it easy to get there on a bus from disney ??

am thinking of starting a trip report soon - it will really seem close then

 

[Goofyish]

I think a midday break is always a good idea, especially if you plan to return the parks in the evening. It's nice to relax by your resort pool and recharge the batteries

Not used the Virgin transfers before, but I seem to remember a Virgin rep hanging around the second baggage reclaim area (assuming you haven't took you cases with you from the first baggage claim), they will be able to direct you to the coaches
Alternatively, you could use Disney Magical Express to get to and from your resort - it's free if you are staying on-site.

If you haven't got a car then the most convenient way to get to a mall is by taxi or towncar - not the cheapest though.
I don't think there is a direct Lynx bus to a mall, so you would have to change buses. Coming back I would say a taxi or pre-booked towncar would be best if you have lots of shopping bags

 

[jtlover]

Definitely worth having time out from the parks during the day. We find the early EMH worth doing on the first few days of being there as you are up early anyway. We personally do not always do the evening emh as they get quite crowded

There are buses from downtown disney that go down the i drive, maybe also at transportation centre?

I really like prime outlets on i drive - but you could get the i trolley from one end to the other outlet very cheaply. Maybe get a taxi or bus to the premium outlet which is the closest to disney and then use the i drive to get to prime outlets as well

 

[fuse04]

A cab from disney to Premium will be about $20 or cheaper if you get a bus to DTD and get a cab from there. PRemium has a good slection of deisgner and standard labels and good discounts.

We build in days where we take it easy but have never taken a break during the day.Some like to aome not, wahtever best fits the family.

 

[Rohais]

Heya,

Its going to be my fourth trip with VH in September. VH make themselves known when your VA flight lands, so there should be plenty of reps around. I highly recommend taking your cases up the escaltor with you after the first baggage reclaim. You'll save sooo much time. We had two cases each x 4 = 8 cases + 4 bags of hand luggage so it was a little struggle but completely worth it....it chopped out so much hassle and saved so much time.

VH now have a 'stand' where you should go and queue to talk to a rep etc. They tell you what time your pickup with be on departure day and point you in the direction of the right bus to take you to your resort. The buses are just literally outside.

In short, don't worry about finding the right bus. There are usually loads of VH reps...and plenty of people heading in the same direction

 

[2Tiggies]

As Fuse4 says, you are looking at around $20 each way with tip from DTD to Premium Mall.

Regarding breaks from the parks it depends on the stamina of you and your kids. We have always done a lot of walking and I have had DD out from 7 am to 4 am the next morning a couple of times when MK closed at 3 am. She was 6 or 7 at the time and coped fine, but we had already accepted that the next day until early afternoon was going to be a non starter.

When you plan your days so precisely, be sure to build in some leeway for unexpected events/delays/moods. That way when things don't go to plan, you don't feel like you have failed. If it happens, and it probably will at some point or another, just pick up where you left off and carry on.

You will be absolutely fine. Most of all, remember that the perfect trip is not one where you get everything done exactly as you planned it, but one filled with happy memories of time together.

I learnt when the wheels come off to just stop and take time out. Don't fight it when someone is tired or in a bad mood and your plan says to get to Space Mountain in 5 minutes. Stop, get a drink, look for hidden Mickeys .... just enjoy being there.

You will develop your own coping strategies while you are there. And you will learn your own way to work 'go with the flow times' into your plans

Enjoy

 

[dixonsontour]

Nothing really to add, just to say have a great first trip.

Remember you can't do it all - take time to stop and think we really are here!

 

[oreodisney]

You can get the lynx bus 111 from the TTC to the Florida mall or the 50 goes to sea world & then change to the 8 for prime outlets now called premium outlet international drive, from here you can also get the bus to mall at millenia, buses are usually every 30 minutes. I managed to get everywhere using the buses & only once in 2 trips have needed a taxi & that was only due to the buses having finished for the night.

 

[VailaTigger]

DF's kids are about the same age, and we definitely needed time out each day in the parks. Not always heading back to the resort (only did this if the parks were really busy), we generally just sat for a while with a cold drink and a snack, watched the world go by, or did something slower paced and indoors out of the heat for a while. This was usually enough to recharge the batteries, although the youngest still did struggle to stay awake (and non-grumpy ) for the fireworks.

As has been said, it all depends on how energetic you are as a family normally, how early you get up, and how late you plan to stay out.

 

[Dizneemad]

WE have never taken time out in the day, but we do tend to plan every 3rd day as a rest day, ie water park or DTD and this works fine.
You can catch a bus to the shops as mentioned we generally get the 50 to Seaworld then the 8 to Premium outlet. Rather then mess about on the buses back we catch a cab to DTD around $15 then bus back to resort.

 

[princessjodiebo]

thanks guys
i have made sure that every 3rd or fourth day we have a chill day and the only thing really set in stone are the ADR'S

we have had a discussion as a family and each of us have agreed on 1 or 2 things that we definately want to do mainly the parades fireworks and the obvious big rides

as for the rest of it i think we will go with the flow
the last thing i want is to turn into some seargant major that my kids will end up despising and probably husband will too

just cant believe how quickly the time is going it only seems like yesterday that we had 100 days to go !!!

am hopefully having some hypnotherapy before i go to help the fear of flying so fingers crossed