first time going to DW!

[wyldflower]

ok, we have had a bad year. My sister died 9months ago, leaving a 7 yr old daughter. We all lived together, and my husband and I have a 10yr old son. It has been rough and so my husband and I really want to give the kids something to be happy about, so we have pulled all our money and are going to take the kids to Disney World for Easter break. I know that is a busy time, but it was the only time we could do it. We are on a very tight budget, but hey, so what, we will be in Disney! Shelby (the 7yr old) LOVES princesses. Any advice on must see things? Are suvenieers very expensive? How hard is it for kids to collect "autographs"? We are gonna get the 4day park pass, but the kids really wanna see Universal because of the Nickelodean stuff. Is it worth it? Oh, and my son, 10, LOVES who wants to be a millionaire...Is that still there? What is the weather like end of March/first week April? Sorry for so many silly questions....Mary

 

[Princess Wannabe]

Wow...how wonderful are you, taking in your neice like that??! That is awesome! And it's wonderful that you're taking them to WDW!

As far as princesses, I have a 5-year old, who has a virtual 'shrine' to the princesses in her bedroom. We are taking her to WDW in April (shhhh...it's a surprise!).

This is what we have planned:
Dinner @ 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian - a character dinner that normally has Cinderella, Prince Charming, the mice, and the Fairy Godmother.

Breakfast @ Akershus in the Norway Pavilion - this is a Princess character meal that normally has Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, & Mary Poppins. Link: Princess Storybook Breakfast

Breakfast at the Cinderella Castle in MK - This is a TOUGH rezzie to get, but it is supposed to be worth it...!

Wonderland Tea Party - the Grand Floridian offers this, where the kids dine with Alice, the Mad Hatter, and others. Link: Wonderland Tea Party

My Disney Princess & Me Party - kinda' pricey, but supposedly well worth it, from what I've read.... Link: My Disney Perfectly Princess Party

For your neice's birthday, you can have a princess call her. Link: Princess Phone Call

As far as souviners, I buy alot of mine ahead of time at the Disney Store, Target, Walmart, and the Dollar Store. They are 'secretly' packed away and will make their appearance during the trip. This saves me a lot of $$$.

As far as collecting autographs, it's easiest to book character meals, where you get a meal, interaction, AND an autograph. If that isn't for you, you can pick up daily schedules at each park to see where the characters will be, and you can then stand in line to get an autograph & photo.

As far as Universal Studios, the Nickelodeon Studios are at the original Universal, which has SOME neat stuff; keep in mind that their rides & attractions are usually 'edgier' than WDW.

Yes, the Millionaire Show is still at MGM. He could even make it to the Hot Seat!

Weather should be good at that time of year...!

No problem asking questions - that's what we're all here for! To help each other get the best possible trip in the world AT the world!

 

[kkana]

I need to track this thread for my little princess.

 

[all4fun]

Hi, wow, that is so great of you to take in your niece and I am so sorry about the loss of your sis. I hope you all have a wonderful trip - it sounds like it's due.

You can go to www.allearsnet.com Character Meet and Greet info page for tips on finding the characters. Also, if you go to "Attraction Info" on the left side of the page and click on each theme park name, then on the next page click on "characters" under "At a glance" on the left side of the page, it will give you a list of where all the characters are most often found at each park. I thought this might help you.

As far as souvineers go, if you have a car and you want to take the time, there are three stores offsite I would recommend. They are outlet stores for Disney where they clear out merchandise that they are no longer selling in the parks. You can get great deals there. For instance a baseball hat at WDW normally goes for about $19 but we got one for our niece on our last trip for $4.99 (said "Walt Disney World" on the back, and "Princess" on the front). You can also get clothes, household items, pins, keychains ($3) etc. there for much less than in the parks. This is actual WDW merchandise, not knock-offs. In case you are interested here is a link to a page that has information on how to get there: Character Warehouse & Character Premier My favorite one is at the Premium Outlet mall. I think that one is the closest to WDW as well.

Oh yes, and the weather that time of year is usually really nice. Here are the Monthly averages from Weather.com.

hth!
Cheryl

 

[mommystieg]

I believe there is a Princess meet and greet in the Judges' Tent at Toontown Fair. Character meals are probably the best way to get autographs. There are reasonable souvenirs--postcards are very inexpensive and WDW has some really awesome ones. My girls liked to do the pressed pennies. Here is a link for more details: http://allearsnet.com/btp/penny.htm.
For princess-lovers, the Share A Dream Come True parade is a must. We also think that Wishes, Illuminations and Fantasmic are not to be missed. We have done both the Princess Storybook Breakfast and 1900 Park Fare as well as Cinderella's Royal Table--great opportunities to meet the princesses but as the other poster said, ressies for Cindy's are very difficult to get. Ask lots of questions--everyone here LOVES to help!!

 

[Dchef]

I hope that you have a great trip--you can't go wrong Your at disney!

We got back in Feb from 10day and if you can do it I would highly recommend Breakfast in the Castle over Norway! It was so magical and the princesses that were there were Cindy, Belle, Aurora, Wendy, Snow White. My daughter was in heaven!! And believe it or not, the food was actually very good. Plus, going up into the castle was a long time childhood dream of mine as well. The breakfast for 4 is 60 dollars 2 adults and 2 children.

We didn't find it was hard at all to get autographs, but then again it was Jan/Feb. But either way the characters are everywhere!

Have a magical time!

 

[mrsgus06]

For our breakfast in the castle in Norway (Akurshus) we had Belle, Jasmine, Mary Poppins, Snow White and Mulan. It was a surprise birthday for my 8 yo. The staff produced a birthday card and a cookie she could paint. On one side of the card everyone that works there signed it and on the other, all the princesses signed it. This is my child that lost her biological mother at the age of 4 and I thought she was going to be eternally sad, hardly ever smiled. Boy, she was grinning from ear to ear that morning! I am sorry for the loss of your sister, hoping your trip will go great! What are the dates that you will be going?

 

[wyldflower]

well, we are going in 3 weeks! March 25- April 2nd. It is the only time we could get away. How do you get reservations for the Castle in Norway?

 

[Figment1964]

well, we are going in 3 weeks! March 25- April 2nd. It is the only time we could get away. How do you get reservations for the Castle in Norway?

You call 1-407-WDW-DINE and ask to make a Priority Seating (PS) request. They'll ask you for where, when and how many guests. A PS isn't a reservation, per se, but it assures you the next available table according to your PS time.

Hope it helps!