First time DisneyWorld visitor, October 2016

[CaliMountainMan]

I have read countless posts on DisBoard and at this point, they are starting to blend in together so I thought I would just make myself my own post amongest the several thousand others

I planned a last minute vacation to DisneyWorld for Sunday, October 2nd 2016 through Wednesday, October 5th. I say last minute because I only planned it at the end of June which I am finding out is to late if you want to book at any of the "hard to get" reservations which allow you to book 180 days prior.

We are only going to be inside the Parks Monday through Wednesday at which time we are heading over to the Universal Park area. Frankly, I'll be honest, I have been a terrible father with most of my focus being on work and I just want to make the best of the few days we are there so my kids will remember it and I can hopefully be the Father they remember. Ok, no crying

Any tips/advice would be much appreciated.

Oh, we are staying inside the resort and I purchased three day park hoppers if that helps out.

Thank you

 

[kwdw]

If you really want this to be about family time - stay off the laptop/tablet/phone. They'll remember you as present - and that's probably the most important thing.

 

[wildfortink]

Did you book a dining plan for those days? You should be able to make some reservations, they may not be for the most popular restaurants but they should still have some available. As far as getting the most out of your trip I would make a list with your kids of the most important rides, shows, attractions, etc since you are limited on time. Hit the most important first then go back and fit the rest in. You should be able to get a lot done in those 3 days especially if you take advantage of fp+.

 

[Lavitz]

Don't worry. Few years ago we made our first trip and made the mistake of "only" planning 3-4 months out. We had to keep checking but got everything we wanted ADR and FP wise.

Sign up for Reservation Finder. They'll text you when an ADR you select is available. https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/reservation-finder

Also keep track of the ADR cancellation thread here. If people are cancelling you can coordinate with them to grab their cancelled ADR. http://disboards.com/threads/october-cancelled-adr-thread-read-1st-post.3501301/

Out of curiosity, what ADRs/days are you looking for?

 

[mdb78]

Agree with the tips above.

Don't give up on those dining reservations. Just keep checking since people change plans. We booked our October trip the middle of July. My kids are still young so at least one character breakfasts is a must, but of course they were all booked. I've been checking everyday since then and was able to snag 2.

 

[Klayfish]

I can't help you with the dining part, because we stay off property. But if this is your first trip my advice.... do the best you can to plan, but don't worry about it. Just enjoy. Use the FP+ system to get spots on the most popular rides (you should be able to book them now if you haven't done so already), then standby for the rest. Your kids will be so starry eyed from just seeing everything that they won't know or care if you have the best touring plan known to man. You won't have time to see everything, you're just going to scratch the surface of what WDW has to offer. So just have fun.

 

[Bete]

Try to take advantage of the extra magic hours which can get you into the park an hour early each day. You have to look at which park on which day is open early and schedule your park days accordingly. You will accomplish a lot more there doing that early extra hour.

Do something special like a dessert fireworks party. Do some meet and greets with them.

Do what the children want to do. Let them each take a turn and pick a ride. Definitely use fastpass plus and you can do that ahead of time.

 

[mjmgsssp]

We're here to help you plan your magical time with your family. We'll all be glad to help answer any questions you may have.

 

[chigirl]

If you're going 3 days but have park hoppers, I'd do Monday at Hollywood Studios in the morning, leave around 3, then go to Epcot. Tuesday rope drop at MK to get the most of the biggies in. I'd do Animal Kingdom wednesday early, then hop to another park....not knowing your kids ages or your interests, its hard to say. 3 days is short for WDW, but you still will have fun. Try to figure out your must-dos...is there a show you want to see? I've been to WDW almost every other year since 2005 and Ive never watched Illuminations (I get panicky at Epcot at night, too packed, too many "drinking around the world" revelers for my taste), some here never miss it. Fantasmic once was enough for me. My favorite trip was in 2009,which was our longest at 9 days, and we only had counter service meals, for some, a trip is not complete without sit down dinners. Your family might prefer thrill rides, some like seeing shows and characters. I can say the parade at Magic Kingdom is amazing, I wouldnt miss that. I hope you have a great trip! Your family will have a good time...be present, in the moment, and make great memories.

 

[mrzrich]

Monday Rope Drop Epcot and hop to HS for the Star Wars Fireworks.
Tuesday Magic Kingdom all day
Wednesday Rope Drop Animal Kingdom and hop to whichever of the other parks you wish you had more time at.

 

[dreiwhit]

The best advice I can give you is to not worry about the trip. Have a good time and not stress over everything in advance or when you are there.

At worst case if you can't get ADRs, go to QS restaurants. You can have good memories even at a QS restaurant! My son and I sharing a German meat at Somerfest in Epcot is one of the memories I will always cherish.

 

[luvgoing2disney]

Since it seems this is your first trip, I would suggest either eating meals at counter service only or maybe just one ADR. Even with reservations, the table service meals can take up a lot of your time, and with so many attractions and only three days to pack them in, you want to take advantage of every minutes you can.

As others have posted, I would make rope drop a priority. I don't think you mentioned the ages of your kids or their gender, but you might want to get them together to watch a few YouTube videos to see what they want to do most, and focus on those.

Print a map before you go so you can know where each attraction is and don't waste a lot of time criss-crossing around the parks.

You might want to have some breakfast type foods (pop tarts, breakfast bars, etc.) in your room so when you get to the parks, you are ready to hit the attractions.

Don't get too stressed out about the trip. Enjoy it and let the magic happen.

 

[mrzrich]

Editing my advice above about
Tuesday. There is a Halloweeen party at MK on Tuesday night, so unless you want to spring for party tickets, the park closes early.

Tuesday night you can hop back to DHS for Fantasmic or Epcot for Illuminations and to finish up anything you didn't do the day before.

Wednesday, after AK, hop to MK to catch night time festivities there

 

[PrincessMamma4]

The Mickey'a not so scary Halloween partyin Magic Kingdom is going on during the time that youll be there . We will be there the exact same time you will so I'be done all of my research. The party will be at MK on Sunday and Tuesday durine your stay. If you didn't already buy your park tickets don't buy one for 1 of the days instead buy the Halloween party tickets. The party is from 7pm-12am but you can enter the park at 4pm with this ticket. Only Halloween party ticket holders are permitted so the lines for the attractions are much shorter and the kids can come dressed in costumes. This is our 3rd year going during this time and it's awesome. I suggest you hang out at the pool during the day or downtown Disney and then take advantage of this party. The whole MK is transformed into Halloween with special effects, etc. You won't be disappointed!!!have a great time!!enjoy this time together...no matter what you do Disney will be a memorable vacation.

 

[DreamFlightCpt.]

Have a plan. If you've been there before, you kind of know the deal and how to hit certain attractions at certain times, but as a first time I'd suggest having a plan with enough wiggle room take advantage of Plan B should plan A experience some hiccups. Ask your kids what they want to try and do the most and go from there. Also, take breaks! Far too often many people feel like they can't stop and have to constantly go go go. Stop for a drink, get some food, just find a place to relax for a few minutes. Often when travelling with my family we would pick strategic rest stops that were also attractions to not only get out the sun but also accomplish seeing something else on our list. Shows Tiki Room, American adventure, Carousel of Progress, and other indoor shows that aren't normally packed are good places to take a load off and save energy. All the parks have at least one attraction like this.