First Family Trip Planners Thread for WDW Newbies!

[HalloweenNut]

I'm with you on not being the pack horse. That said I will be the one with the backpack and camera bag.

Here's the backpack we picked up for the trip. It was a bit expensive but we do a fair bit of hiking and camping so it we'll get lots of use out of it later as well. I liked it as it has a mesh back and frame that keeps the pack away from your back and allows airflow so you don't get so hot and sweaty with it on. It also has a built-in rain cover that will come in handy on the wetter rides. It's super-comfortable - I think it's going to work out great.

http://www.deuter.com/en_US/backpack-details.php?category=119&artnr=34201&title=Futura%2022

 

[mjallemand]

So does $200 cash sound good? We are not cash people, we debit card everything, so much so that I have trouble guesstimating how much cash to have on hand for things like this. If we charge the rest to the room on our credit card and have $200 cash, should we be good? Or more?

Which reminds me, I need to call the credit card company in a couple more weeks so we don't end up with 1 of those pesky holds on our account because we're suddenly spending so much $ far from home!

Why not buy a gift card or two? I'm actually thinking of buying a $150 gift card or so to help for budgeting...once that's gone, that's it for my souvenir spending.

 

[WishnDreamer]

What will you take to the parks with you each day?

You may not have chosen your bag yet or know everything you want in it, but what do you think you have planned to take to the parks each day?

As of now my plan is a change purse for our kttw cards, tickets from undercover tourist (I don't think we'll have them added onto the kttw), little bit of cash, kid's gift card.

Phone which has our touring plan, ADR confirmation #s, etc

my mom's camcorder which is small. My mom will be carrying her camera & sharing pictures. I am not a picture taking person except my cell phone which turns out better. Hers are better than mine.

2 water bottles

1 of the kids Guide to the Magic books-my daughter's. I think carrying 1 will be enough. DS has 1 too but I don't think he is going to be as interested and can probably just do his on breaks back at the room.

2 juice boxes probably along with 1 extra snack for the kids

kleenexes, bandaids, Tylenol, ponchos, glo bracelets & necklaces for the evening stuff

I figure we will end up with lanyards & autograph pens, sunglasses & hats in there from time to time...we usually do with the latter...

Am I missing anything?

 

[andieb0602]

What will you take to the parks with you each day?

These questions are really helping me get organized!

For bags DH might carry a backpack and I'll have a small messenger style bag that DH used as a diaper bag. I've been lusting after the baggallinis but I can't justify buying one since I have something that will work already. Now if I can find another decent carry-on suitcase that is another matter entirely!

We'll have the following:

2 single strollers (both with rain covers) - we figure it's easier to navigatge with two singles vs. a double and if we want to split up we can
KTTW, etc on a lanyard
My very dog-eared, marked-up copy of the Unofficial Guide to WDW with Kids
moleskin
blister band-aids
regular band-aids
change of clothes for DD and DS
small swimmer's towel
motrin (adult and child)
bonine (for me )
misting fan? - I'm really not sure about even buying one of these
6 or so bottles of water (I have issues with water fountains and don't want to have to wait in line at a CS restaurant for a cup of water)
ponchos for DH and I
small umbrella
kids' special pillowcases for autographs & fabric markers
tupperware container w/ snacks inside (I read it's good to have one so if you don't want your dessert on the DDP you can save it for later and it keeps the squirrels out)
several empty gallon bags
hand sanitizer (it stays attached to the stroller all the time)
camera w/ extra batteries & possible extra data card
the kitchen sink

We'll be going back to the resort everyday so I'll put our glow stuff in when we head back for the evening. It *does* look like DH will need that backpack!

As for touring plans - how do you get them on your phone? Are you using a website? I've been writing down everything and putting it in a binder but it will be too big to take to the parks every day. I'm thinking of doing smaller "daily" index cards so I can remember what we want to do and where we want to eat.

 

[salann]

I use the Lines app from touringplans.com I'm trying to go streamline so my husband doesn't realize how totally insane I have gone with touring plans! it's all handy in my iphone..EMH, ADR info...all in the phone...lord help me if I lose this thing!

 

[WishnDreamer]

These questions are really helping me get organized!


We'll have the following:

tupperware container w/ snacks inside (I read it's good to have one so if you don't want your dessert on the DDP you can save it for later and it keeps the squirrels out)

As for touring plans - how do you get them on your phone? Are you using a website? I've been writing down everything and putting it in a binder but it will be too big to take to the parks every day. I'm thinking of doing smaller "daily" index cards so I can remember what we want to do and where we want to eat.

Glad the questions are helping. My secret ulterior motive is to help myself too.

I miss the days of strollers. I remember the 1st outlet mall excursion after my youngest was out of 1 my mom & I looked at each other like what do we do with all these packages?! They are convenient for hauling stuff and corraling kids.

Thanks for the tip about tupperware. Hadn't thought of that & think I'll do that to.

Also forgot we will be carrying around mini m&m tubes with pennies for pressing.

I have an app called "Color Note" on my android phone. I put all our touring plans on there. I made 1 checklist note for each day and then listed what to do in what order along with adr confirmation numbers. It made it easy to edit because you can edit & move things up & down the list. I absolutely love it. I also did a master list of all our confirmation numbers.

 

[WishnDreamer]

I use the Lines app from touringplans.com I'm trying to go streamline so my husband doesn't realize how totally insane I have gone with touring plans! it's all handy in my iphone..EMH, ADR info...all in the phone...lord help me if I lose this thing!

My husband already thinks I've gone nuts. He said the other day I hope you don't have every minute planned out. What do you think I've been doing for 6 months? Studying Disney for my health? I finally told him look, ee can follow these plans & never wait in line longer than 20 minutes if that or we can spend all this $ and "go with the flow" like you want and stand in hot lines for longer and not do as much. It's up to you.

He just looked at me but I think he's coming around. I think after the first day he'll be convinced!

 

[WishnDreamer]

Are you planning on purchasing any Photopass product for your trip? How do you plan to document your trip afterwards?

I prepurchased the Photopass cd right before the price went up. I did not buy the photobook. I plan to make a book on shutterfly. I have used them before and really liked them.

Anyone thinking about the new Photopass plus product where you can get many of the ride & character meal photos included too?

 

[HalloweenNut]

Are you planning on purchasing any Photopass product for your trip? How do you plan to document your trip afterwards?

I prepurchased the Photopass cd right before the price went up. I did not buy the photobook. I plan to make a book on shutterfly. I have used them before and really liked them.

Anyone thinking about the new Photopass plus product where you can get many of the ride & character meal photos included too?

I also got the Photpass CD on pre-order before the price increase. I got a discount on Groupon for Photobook Canada which I've used before and like so I'll be doing our Disney book with them. I'm following the discussions on Photopass+ but unless they add the Pirate's League to the list it's not worth the extra cost for us.

 

[nene0182]

Are you planning on purchasing any Photopass product for your trip? How do you plan to document your trip afterwards?

I got in on a photopass share on FB. I'll probably end up ordering a Shutterfly book.

 

[WishnDreamer]

What counter service restaurants do you think you may eat at?

Some people go with the flow and eat where they are with this one and some people who use touring plans plan this out too. Do you know what counter service restaurants your family is interested in eating at while you are at Walt Disney World?

I have mine pretty planned out for a few reasons. One was I did do touring plans so I tried to plan based on where we would be in the park so we wouldn't be zigzagging around to eat. Two, we are on a dining plan and some counter services are a good value while others are not so great to get your money's worth when you are on the dining plan. Finally, AGAIN, my family can be picky eaters so while Flame Tree BBQ was a number one pick at AK for dining plan value and reviews, I'm thinking we will skip it because I don't think we would like it. That kind of thing. So my list looks like this but is more flexible than ADRs of course and can be subject to change if necessary.

Arrival Day-grab lunch at Mara before heading to MK
Day 1- no counter service planned
Day 2 - lunch at Mara if we break from HS, if not probably Backlot Studios
Day 3 - dinner at Liberty Inn @ Epcot World Showcase
Day 4 - lunch at Downtown Disney, probably Puck Express Marketplace, looks yummy! If mom & I get lucky and DH takes kids to mini golf, we may have dinner at DD too, maybe Earl of Sandwich. Otherwise we will all eat at Mara.
Day 5 - Lunch at Pecos Bill's
Day 6- possible breakfast at Mara, lunch Restaurantasaurus
Day 7 - Cosmic Ray's
Day 8 - Don't know, we have 10:30 Chef Mickey's but flight doesn't leave til 4:30 so we may need something light or maybe just a snack...but we don't get in til 9 so we should probably eat again...hmmm...

 

[WishnDreamer]

If you are considering Touring Plans, follow the link at mousesavers to get the best discount 20% which brings it a little under $10.00.
I downloaded the app yesterday just to take a look at it without a subscription. One very nice thing even without a subscription, they have the best menu feature I have seen. It seems to have every restaurant on property, including snack places, and tells you whether it's table or quick service on dining plan and whether it accepts dining plan for snack credit or not by item which is really nice instead of going thru long lists on the internet to see what's included. Also has the menus and prices. Very nice.

So I bit the bullet and found the mousesavers discount and paid the $9.56 to see what it was all about. I didn't really like the plans it made me but you can rearrange things (however if you rearrange things it doesn't rearrange the times) and there are 2 things I like about it.

One-it makes map showing you the order of where you are going. Very helpful.

Two-when you look at your plans on your phone app you can click them off as done or remove things or add things as you go.

Not bad for less than $10.00.

 

[WishnDreamer]

The Easter Bunny gave my kids The Guide to the Magic for Kids this morning and as expected my daughter just loves it. Can't get enough of it. 26 more days. We can't wait. So excited! But it feels like it will never get here. Why do the days seem like they are going slower & slower?

 

[WishnDreamer]

I just happened across this thread on here somehow earlier today & wanted to share it with everyone. I thought others could use it too. It has 8x10 printable maps of the parks:

Printable maps

 

[KarenOR]

Hi! I'm Karen and just joined.
I'm planning on hitting up WDW next March 2013 as a side trip from a family event in NC. We live in Oregon and neither of my kids have been to Disney or cross country for that matter. We aren't going to stay long, maybe 4 nights, so we won't do everything (obviously). I've probably been there about 7 times in my life, but not since 1993ish.
My kids will be 4 and 10.
I'm feeling overwhelmed because I'm a big bargain shopper and the prices are nuts. I don't even know where to start on a resort , etc.
I was thinking since it's only 4 days, it would be easier to be onsite and not rent a car. I've always had a car there, but I think that's just one less thing to worry about with the kids.
Where's a good place to start??

Thanks!!

 

[andieb0602]

Where's a good place to start??

Welcome Karen! Unfortunately I don't think the rates for 2013 will be released until August so you have a little while until you can start to get a definate price but you can look at the prices for this year and get a rough estimate. I think allears.net has pricing information for the past couple of years.

I think that you're the only one that can really determine what's going to work best for your family and budget but I can at least tell you how I figured out what I was willing to pay for our vacation. I started out at a bargain basement price - towing our pop-up camper, staying at Ft. Wilderness and cooking all our meals. I then realized I wouldn't want to cook so we looked at staying offsite and eating offsite as well. With 2 small kids, though, we decided the convenience factor of staying on site was worth the extra cost. Our original plans were for Pop with the quick service dining plan. We then upgraded to a moderate resort (for the queen beds) and upgraded the dining plan as well when we discovered that the upgrade wouldn't cost much more than pay for 2 sit down meals OOP.

I can honestly say I ran different scenarios thorough the reservations portion of the website a ridiculous amount of times.

I *highly* recommend the Unofficial Guide to WDW with Kids. It was my first step when I started planning our trip. The first section of the book discusses the pros and cons of staying onsite vs. off and really helped me in making our decision. Ultimately, for us, the convenience won out over the money. It was a big deal because I'm also a bargain shopper!

 

[andieb0602]

Ok...let me catch up on some questions here!

I went ahead and bought the Photopass cd before the price went up. I also went ahead and purchased the photo book so I don't have to worry about uploading the photos to a different website. My netbook doesn't have a cd drive so I would have to work off of DH's computer. It's much easier for me to pay a little more and not have to argue with him about using it since the only time I would be able to concentrate on making the book would be when he's at home.

I jumped and subscribed to touringplans today. I like it. I'm working on the personalized plans and the one problem I have is that it's showing I'll only have a wait time of 3 minutes for the Tangled Meet and Greet! I'm going to use it as a basic way of keeping track of what we want to do. I think I remember reading somewhere that the plans work best if you optimize them around a week out so I'll refresh them when it gets a little closer to the time to go. I agree that the app is fantastic!!! I love the menus, too. I have the Unofficial Guide and think it will be much easier to use the app then flip through the book. I also used the mousesavers code and I think it was a $10 well spent.

 

[andieb0602]

Here's what we have planned for a CS meals:

5/19 - none planned
5/20 - lunch at Sunshine Seasons @ Epcot
5/21 - lunch at Cosmic Ray's @ MK
5/22 - lunch at Starring Rolls Cafe @ DHS
5/23 - lunch at either Flame Tree BBQ or Yak & Yeti CS (not sure which will work with the touring plan) @ AK
5/24 - none planned due to late breakfast (10:20 am) at Chef Mickey's and 5:40 dinner at 1900 Park Fare
5/25 - dinner where? We have 1:10 ADRs at Biergarten so I'm not sure what we'll want or if we'll really be that hungry
5/26 - breakfast buffet at Pepper Market @ CSR before we head home

ETA: I have to say that the reviews at easywdw were a great source for figuring out where we are going to eat.

 

[Kapsali]

1.Who are you going to Disney with? When are you going and how did you choose your dates?

My husband, 4-year old boy/girl twins, my mother-in-law, father-in-law, my own parents, and I are taking our first family vacation together AND our first Disney trip. We are going May 10th through the 17th and chose our dates from a window available on my in-laws time share at the Marriott Grande Vista.

2. Has anyone made ADR's yet? Did you get what you wanted? What did you pick?

We are having breakfast at Chef Mickeys the morning of our first day. We are also having dinner at the Norway Pavilion in Epcot. We thought the 2 would cover our bases with both kids.

3. What resort or hotel are you staying at? How did you decide on it & what are you most looking forward to there?
If you have not yet chosen, are you looking at offsite or on? What are your choices narrowed down to, if any?

We are staying at the Marriott Grande Vista because this was "free" since my in-laws offered their timeshare for the family vacation.

5. Are you keeping your trip a surprise?

Yes we are. My DD woke up every morning during the month of December and thought it was Christmas even though we went through the countdown every night before bed. She would be in tears each morning as we told her that it wasn't Christmas yet. We are tooooo nervous that telling them ahead of time would be a repeat nightmare of the Christmas experience.

6. How will you get to Walt Disney World and how do you plan to get around once you're there?

We will fly to WDW and will be renting a minivan after that.

8. Do you have any little extras planned for your trip? Bippity Boppity? Pirates? etc?

Not yet but we are really excited about the Potato Head boxes! LOL

Are you celebrating anything special while you are at Disney World?

Mother's Day.

 

[WishnDreamer]

Is there a snack you've heard about that you are really excited to try?

I have quite a list (especially being on the dining plan ) but the #1 thing is Zebra Domes and since I am staying at AKL I will have "easy access" to them so I hope I don't eat too many!

Here's a pic: