First Time Overwhelmed !

[soccermom5]

I am not trying to plan every min. but between ps and must do rides i'm lost!?! 5 children 11,9,7,7,5, please tell me what I can't miss I want to make sure my children have the full experience which shows are must do also
thanks so much for the help

 

[ILoveWDW2003]

I highly recommend a guidebook such as Passporter or the Unofficial Guide.

 

[tjkraz]

I agree--get a guidebook.

Other than that, it would help to know a little more information about your trip:

* Approximate dates
* Length of trip
* Type of tickets you have or intend to buy
* Where are you staying?
* How are you getting around (rental car, WDW transportation, etc.)?
* Anything else you intend to do in the area other than Disney?

 

[soccermom5]

we are going april 22- 29 staying at POR driving so we will have our own car
we will arrive fri afternoon so we were just thinking about hanging at the hotel and maybe taking the boat to DTD to eat but since we have the meal plan i was thinking about somewhere not in the parks that accepts it we have the10 day premium but want to use our days wisely in hopes of making two trips out of it one day we would like to do the waterpark which one im not sure and we aso are going to do universal

 

[DisFlan]

You've already gotten good suggestions, but the one important thing I'd add is DO NOT feel guilty if you can't do everything you'd like to. Doing everything would take a month! Trying to get even most of the "must see and dos" into a 6 or 7 day trip can be overtaxing. We always have things we didn't have time to do. We save them for the next trip.

What we do is pick out and pre-plan for a few key things we are most interested in, then plan from there as we see how our days are going. After all, it's a vacation, not a marathon. It's a beautiful place - take time to just inhale and enjoy your surroundings - and let the Pixie Dust find you. Have a Mickey bar under a shady tree in Fantasyland. Watch the street Buskers in England at Epcot. Wander through the street in Morocco. The "small" moments are some of the very best memories of our trips.

Have a great trip!

DisFlan

 

[tjkraz]

I agree with DisFlan...don't try to overdo it. It is VERY hard to prepare for your first trip, simply because you have no frame of reference for what you will experience.

A few general tips:

1. Familiarize yourself with the park hours and Extra Magic Hour days. Try to make a baseline itinerary that will outline which parks you will visit each day, whether you will use EHM (early or late), and the general hours you want to arrive and depart the park.

Don't worry about trying to schedule when you will hit each attraction. You'll never do a good job at that your first time out. If you feel that you need some sort of a guide, pick up a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and use their touring plans.

1a. We like to leave the last day or two of a long vacation unscheduled so that we have the freedom to decide during the trip which park(s) we need to hit again.

2. Don't be afraid to schedule a mid-day break during your stay--particularly with all of your kiddies. The younger ones may want to grab a nap while the older ones can always use the pool at your hotel.

3. Give some thought to buying the park hopping add-on for your passes. Going to a different park in the morning and afternoon gives everyone some variety.

4. If you're getting the Plus pack, definitely schedule at least a half-day at a water park. They really are stunning, and a lot of fun.

5. Also included in the Plus Pack is admission to Disney Quest at Downtown Disney. Your kids will love that. Might be a good idea for your arrival night--dinner at DD and then a few hours at DisneyQuest. Note that using one of the Plus options on your ticket does NOT count as one of the 10 park days.

6. Going along with the itinerary issue, try to schedule Priority Seating in advance to the best of your ability. If you surf over to www.allearsnet.com, you will find menus for ALL of the Disney restaurants. With a family that big, I suspect you'll save a lot of time planning your meals in advance rather than trying to make a good spur-of-the-moment selection. And, you'll definitely get faster seating with PS than as a walk-up group of 6+.

7. Finally, even with the itinerary and Priority Seating, don't be afraid to alter your plans if it fits your mood. Remember, it is a VACATION...don't forget to relax a little!!!

 

[WheresGoofy]

If you get a guide book, they have great suggestions on which days are least crowded at what parks. I usually plan our visits using that information. Have your kids look at the rides available at the parks online or in the guidebook and maybe make a list of the ones they don't want to miss. My dw and I make a list of must rides each time (a priority list) and a list of rides our DD can ride and then try to ride the low priority rides as we get time. Also, I bet they would love to attend a character meal. Our favorites are Chef Mickey's and Restarauntasaurus (AK...hard for me spell right now). If you have girls then maybe you want to consider the princess breakfasts at Norway in EPCOT or the so hard to get Cinderella's at the MK.

Have fun!

 

[doodlebug]

Wow thanks for all these great tips... This will be our first time at The World too and it is so much bigger than our regular trip to Disneyland!!! We usually go until we drop there and have a blast.. With this vacation I am going to have to make us slow down and enjoy everything!! Stop and relax a bit more is what I am trying to build into the vacation since there is so much more outside the parks to explore like water parks, mini golf, water crafts and such!!

 

[princess lovers mom]

some suggestions

get a book and review all the rides and have your kids decide what the absolutly want to do and what the know they want to skip....

don't make too many PS's..sometimes they confuse the trip by making you feel like you have to be somewhere at a certain time and don't leave much room for flexability

look and the hours and parades and plan which park which day in advance...with plans to enjoy your hotel pool

DO NOT MISS...
SPectromagic parade, Wishes, Fantasmic,
Mickey Philharmagic, Lion King show, Beauty and the Beast show
a character meal?

 

[goofy4tink]

Some great ideas so far. My suggestion would be to get a few guide books. Maybe the UnOfficial Guide or PassPorter for yourself and the Birnbaum's DisneyWorld for Kids. Then have the kids read through theirs and make a list of the top things they each want to see/do. That is your must do list. Then, take it from there. There is no way you are going to come close to seeing/doing everything there is to do at WDW. We are planning our 7th trip and we still find things to do on each trip that we've never done before. So, relax and enjoy the planning.

As far as eating...what is your familys particular eating style? My dd and I can exist on counter type meals but dh really has to have one sit-down meal a day. So, we try to do a character sit-down meal several times during our trips. Then we fill in with other spots. Try to have one good meal a day. It's nice to take a break from the parks and sit-down and relax for a bit and have a good meal. It really makes the rest of the day go better.

Other than that, I think you'll be fine. We love POR. One of our favorites. Have a terrific time. And remember...stop and smell the roses!!!

 

[experiment626mom]

Make sure you let the kids help with the planning. We printed out menus and let the kids rate them so that we knew where to make ps for dinner. Also, Birnbaum has a book out called Disneyworld for kids by kids. It's a great book and gives them an idea of what to expect. It will also help with planning the "must dos"

Best of all, relax and enjoy. Don't plan every minute especially with that many kids. Sometimes going with the flow is the best plan of all.

 

[doodlebug]

Princess Lovers Mom you said not to make PS???? Can you usually get seating for character meals by just walking up and not having to wait very long... I really want to do several Character meals but don't want to have a set time to "have" to do them in!!! Can you make them and then cancel if they are not working into your schedule or is there a time limit for when you have to cancel them?????

 

[tjkraz]

Princess Lovers Mom you said not to make PS???? Can you usually get seating for character meals by just walking up and not having to wait very long... I really want to do several Character meals but don't want to have a set time to "have" to do them in!!!

Some are more popular than others. If you want to do either of the princess meals, Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace (any others folks?), then I would definitely try to get PS...particularly for a party your size.

Can you make them and then cancel if they are not working into your schedule or is there a time limit for when you have to cancel them?????

Priority Seating is not a reservation. All it does is guarantee that you will get a table before a guest that does NOT have Priority Seating. While it's considered bad form to make multiple PS' for the same day and meal, there is absolutely no obligation to show up for the PS. It would be considerate to call if you know well in advance that you won't make it--particularly for the harder to get meals. But again, no obligation.

I'll give you a hybrid of princess lovers mom's answer: Get one or two PS' per day (different meals) to use as your fallback position, but don't feel bound by the PS. If you have a PS for Le Cellier (Epcot) at 6pm, and find yourselves just getting off Mission Space at 5:50 wanting to just grab a quick meal, just blow-off the PS and do what you want.

BTW, my favorite meals to-date are the character breakfast at Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club resort and (fast food) Flame Tree BBQ at the Animal Kingdom. Check out the restaurants board here for other good suggestions.

 

[SnackyStacky]

My suggestion is to do all character breakfasts. You KNOW you're all going to need to eat breakfast! That way, chances are you won't feel like blowing off a priority seating.

Other than that, just follow the advice already given of getting a guidebook, and picking which park to do on which day.

From there, if there is any particular meal you HAVE to have, book a priority seating.

No matter what, I'm sure you're going to have a fantastic time!

 

[doodlebug]

So you will only get charged for not showing up for the ones that require a cc deposit??

So I can make PS for several different places on the same day for different times and if I don't show up it's okay? That's great to know because I really want to squeeze in some fun character meals and other sit down places (not going to do CRT) but if I am not running on time want to be able to change my mind and not worry about it!!

 

[tjkraz]

So I can make PS for several different places on the same day for different times and if I don't show up it's okay?

Functionally, yeah, I believe you can do that. The only thing that might limit you is if the Disney Dining CMs prohibit PS' from being scheduled at different locations for the same day and time.

I would try to limit the overlap as much as possible out of courtesy for others. Many of us won't do a sit-down meal without getting a PS, and there are a limited number issued for each block of time. Whenever you schedule multiple PS' for the same meal, you could be preventing another guest from getting the time they want.

But that's just my $.02.

Other than the meals that require a credit card deposit, there is no obligation to show up for the meal after obtaining a PS.

 

[soccermom5]

thanks everybody I just love this site everyone is always so helpfull . This site is making my trip so much eaiser

 

[RainbowCloak]

My 2 cents worth

1. Comfortable shoes.. a MUST.. buy some new ones the month before and break them in. Get some cushion insoles as well.. EPCOT really stands for Every Person Comes Out Tired..

2. Do get some Priority Seating times and schedule at least one character breakfast.. Since you have youngins going I would suggest one at Chef Mickey (for mickey n friends) and one at Cinderella's Castle (with Cindy).

3. The Sci-Fi Dine In @ the Studios is great for kids.. Eat and watch the big screen at the same time.

4. Don't be pressured to do everything in one day.. Do the Park Hopper, go to one park in the am.. take a break (either when the kids are tired or when the rain hits) and head to the hotel, go to a different park at night and see some fireworks.

5. I foresee a lot of time in Fantasyland for you. when there is a FastPass (like Winnie The Pooh) take it! The ride waits can get really long in Fantasy land.. One tip is to go to Fantasyland while a parade is going on.. hard to do if the kids want to see the parade.. but maybe catch the parade on a different day?

6. Remember that when you buy something, if you stay on property.. have it shipped home or to your hotel room.. No carrying any more than you have to mom!

7. HAVE FUN!

 

[Junebugwv]

I'm also a mom of 5 and preparation is the key! You are on the right track and I know you'll have a great trip. The one thing I continue to underestimate with our crew is the amount of time it takes to change parks. We like to do a lot in one day and will go from one park to a water park to DQ in one day. Since we go twice a year, we can do that. But since you are new, I would suggest staying in one park as long as it takes to see all you want. To me, that is the best use of time. Going back to your room may be a necessity in the summer when the heat and long park hours are a factor, but it is a time-consuming luxury when you are managing troop movements!

Since you will be driving, get a map of the property and become familiar with the lay-out of the world.

If you take the boat from POR to DTD, it can get full on Friday evenings. You may end up waiting...maybe someone can scout out the line and decide if it would save time driving.

We like the food court at POR and POFQ. Be sure to try the pool at POFQ, too.

 

[crazee4mickey]

We went on our first trip to WDW in December with 4 kids (18,15,8,6) and am so glad we prepared ahead of time!
I "overdid" it on buying the guide books-Birnbaum's, Unofficial, Passporter, Frommer's and others but they did help out greatly! Used the Unofficial the most as it had the best unbiased advice to give IMHO
I made up a sheet for each of the kids as to what they wanted to do the most in each park-we watched the WDW planning video and read Frommer's "Walt Disney World with Kids" to them so they had an idea of what to expect on rides.
We made sure that these were the rides/attractions we did first, anything after that was a bonus! I used a couple of the daily plans from the Unofficial guide and they worked out perfect as they are not minute by minute! (MGM and AK) We weren't stuck to any strict planning guide and went about at our own pace!
Before we went, I wanted us to "stick together" and do it all as a family but realized it isn't possible with the varying ages. Thankfully I came to my senses before we got there! We enjoyed it even if we weren't altogether, all of the time.
Occasionally, DH and I would split up, one would take younger kids to a ride while the other took older kids to rides they wanted to go on---the older kids went on all the rides once as they had never been but they needed to go off and enjoy things they wanted to see and do!
Sure we missed doing some things and didn't see all of the top rated shows but the kids got to do what they wanted to, they loved it and it gives us a reason to go back!
When we got home we were overwhelmed as there is no possible way you can do it all in one visit--the one thing guaranteed is we were glad to have prepared before going---I can't even imagine just going and "winging it"!
So top things I say are "must dos"----
1. Make a list of each family members favorites
2. Ask plenty of questions at DIS because you get the most amazing tips
3. ENJOY!! Don't rush, take your time and have fun!