First Family trip to DISNEY!!!

[ah1126]

Thanks to a bigger tax refund than we expected, we are going to DISNEY WORLD!!! I am so excited!

I have been twice, once when I was 5 and again in 2000, but my husband and daughter have never been.

We are Florida residents, so we are doing the 4 days for $129 tickets and we got the discount for the room.

What are some of the things we have to do?

Where are the best budget places to eat?

Tips and Tricks?

 

[North of Mouse]

I would spend 1 day in each of the parks and hit them at rope drop, unless your daughter is in the 4-8 yr. range then maybe 2 days at MK and skip 1 other park. At EPCOT, get a fast pass for Soarin' as quick as possible, HS Toy Story Mania and the other parks vary with me. Those are my "must do's". As for budget places to eat at Disney - sorry, but there are none The closest you would come is to eat CS and some of those are fairly large meals - Flame Tree at AK has very good BBQ ribs IMO, Cosmic Rays at MK,or some places have good choices to split entrees. These are just a few ideas, sure others will come up with lots different ones. I gather that you don't have park hoppers, that's why I mentioned maybe 2 days at MK, but maybe i day of each would be better all round for newbies. Have a great time

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

That is wonderful! I'm super jealous. The barbecue plate at Cosmic Rays is enough to split. DH is a big eater and it's still enough for the two of us. Read the theme park board for lots of tips about saving money in the parks. The people on the DIS are true experts. Have a wonderful time!

 

[ah1126]

Thanks guys! We aren't planning on getting the hopper passes, they would add $25 each. I think we will be ok doing one park a day. My daughter is almost 2. We will pack breakfast to eat in the room, then plan on doing CS.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

Has your DD had her 1st haircut yet? When my DD was 26 months old we had her first haircut at the Harmony Barbershop on Main Street. Under $20, kids get Mickey Ears with "first haircut" on the back.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/05/harmony-barber-shop-at-walt-disney-world-resort/

 

[mjkacmom]

If you are going the week before Easter, just be prepared for large crowds. You might want to get a guidebook - we like Unofficial Guide.

 

[ah1126]

Has your DD had her 1st haircut yet? When my DD was 26 months old we had her first haircut at the Harmony Barbershop on Main Street. Under $20, kids get Mickey Ears with "first haircut" on the back.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/05/harmony-barber-shop-at-walt-disney-world-resort/

I wish she had enough hair for a hair cut!!! Thanks for the idea though!

 

[ah1126]

If you are going the week before Easter, just be prepared for large crowds. You might want to get a guidebook - we like Unofficial Guide.

Thanks! We will be there a month before Easter, so hopefully it won't be too crowded.

 

[disynut]

Sounds like you will have your car, you could go offsite for dinner before driving to a park? Cheaper dinner and you wouldn't have to wait on Disney transport at the end of the night

 

[disneychic2]

Don't forget to pick up a button for your DH and DD with 1st visit on it. You can get them at MK town hall and I think at all the other parks as well. Have a wonderful time!!

 

[ceecee]

Don't forget to pick up a button for your DH and DD with 1st visit on it. You can get them at MK town hall and I think at all the other parks as well. Have a wonderful time!!

I second getting a book...I liked the Birnbaum guide and they had one for kids that I liked even better!
HAVE FUN!!!

 

[Bonniec]

then plan on doing CS.

I've got passes and have done all CS over the past year. Only reacently have I started doing TS. So I will give you my tips on CS.

Pecos Bill at MK is nice if you are really hungry and like veggies. They have a taco salad which just comes with the shell and meat. You add in the toppings yourself. This is a great item to share because you fill it up yourself.

Colombia Harbour House is my favorite CS in the parks (it's at MK). The macaroni is filling for the kids. The food is decent for a CS. But the best part is going upstairs to eat. Even on busy days, it's fairly deserted upstairs. It's a great place to have a "time out" and unwind.

At Animal Kingdom, Flame Tree BBQ is nice for a CS but it's outside. So you will have to judge on how hot the day is.

At Downtown Disney, Earl of Sandwich is awesome for CS. The subs are only $6 and super yummy and filling. The place is always super busy though. But the line actually moves very fast.


In case you don't know, you can bring food into the parks.





Beyond this, we spend most of our times just snacking in the parks and not eating an actual meal. Most snacks are around $5 and Disney has some really yummy ones. Cupcakes are H-U-G-E. My 5 year old and I can only finish hald of one together. They are the best cupcakes I've ever had. Specifically the choc/peanut butter and red velvet cheesecake at Starring Rolls at DHS, and the Cotton Top Tamrin from Kusafiri in Animal Kingdom.

The egg rolls, turkey legs are very good. Yak n Yeti has fried rice for $4 (in animal kingdon). Stuffed pretzels are nice. Caseys corner has yummy corn dog nuggets with plastic cheese.


And all bakeries are your friend! They usually have huge sandwiches for around $6 and all the pastries are good.

Ice water from the vendors is free.


If you can afford it, and it's pricey, prepay for the Wishes Dessert Party. It's a dessert buffet with just desserts. They are okay, nothing great...but who doesn't love dessert? But it's very magical to be able to sit and watch the fireworks without people elbowing you. Plus, Tinkerbell flies right over your head. It's a pricey thing and wouldn't repeat it, but it's worth doing just once.

Get first visit pins for free from guest services.

 

[torinsmom]

We usually get kids meals at the CS places. They are plenty for us, especially since we are running all over to ride rides. You can also share some meals or order a la carte vs. getting a combo. Order free ice water at CS places and food carts and then add in flavor packs if you want some variety. We brought in snacks, which also helped.

 

[ah1126]

Thanks for the tips!

 

[lianne_0325]

You may want to consider the Annual Passes over the 4 day tickets. The Florida Resident Weekday Select pass is good during most days of the year but there are blackout periods. You will get a discount on some dining, stores, and it isn't that much more than the 4 day pass. It is something like $180 for adults and a bit less for kids. With your daughters' age I don't believe you need a ticket for her (under 3 is free I believe). With the annual pass you can do monthly payments. It is around $90 each for the deposit and then just under $9 a month.

 

[ah1126]

Thanks! I will look into the passes.

What are the best shows? How long are most of them?

 

[mrodgers]

My recommendations are the exact opposite of everyone elses.

Being at the park for rope drop was the worst mistake. If you go in the summer and it is hot, it is ridiculous. We were packed in the little area outside the MK gate for half an hour waiting for rope drop. It was already 95° and humid at 8:30 when we were there, shoulder to shoulder with sweat dripping off of everyone. The rest of the week, we caught the bus at Pop to time arrival about 10 minutes after rope drop. Walked right in, no crowds and stayed ahead of the later crowds until we left after eating lunch to head back to the pool. Longest line we stood in was about 45 minutes for Dumbo. By lunchtime heading out of the park, lines were 2+ hours long.

Meals, every sitdown meal we had was excellent. The counter service meals were very good and tasty, but I was wondering all week where this overabundance of food was that everyone talked about. We ate pretty much at all the places everyone always talks about sharing meals such as Cosmic Rays. Chicken and rib combo was definitely not something we could share. Delicious yes, the chicken was absolutely delicious, but very small (thy and leg) with not a whole lot of meat and the ribs were about 3 bones of 1 bite each.

 

[ah1126]

Thanks mrodgers. We are pretty big eaters.

Has anyone done the Campfire Sing-a-long at Ft. Wilderness?

 

[ah1126]

Is there much to do at the Hotels?

 

[mrodgers]

Is there much to do at the Hotels?

At Pop Century, there are a few really nice basic pools (3 or 4, can't remember.) They are just basic pool only, but our room was near the largest and the kids enjoyed it thoroughly. Because the coldest day we were there was 103°, we had plans set in place to eat lunch at whatever park, then head back to swim until dinner time.

After coming back from the parks late, the kids got a kick out of going swimming at 1 am as well. Pools were pretty busy with lots of kids at 1 am still.

There wasn't any pool activities in 2010 when we were there. We thought there would be, but there wasn't. I don't know about other resorts.

Looking at pictures of other resorts (and we saw one of the pools at the Grand Floridian when we were going for dinner) the more you pay for the resort, the better themed the pool is with more stuff like sliding boards and such.

Pop Century has a small arcade that we didn't do much in. It thunderstormed one day when we were back for our daily swim and they closed the pools, so the kids and I hung out in the arcade while Mom got a nap.

I would guess that the other value resorts are similar to Pop.