First time to WDW !HELP! Very long

[JessGWisc]

So many years ago, I promised my younger sister that when she got old enough I would make good on my father's promise to take her to Disneyworld.
Now that she's turning 16, she has remembered my promise of long ago and holding it.

First let me say, that I never went to Disneyland for the first time until after highschool, and fell in love. I will now be taking my third trip in 2 years this November, but cannot wait to go to WDW. I feel very comfortable with DL, as no matter where you stay, you can always Walk to the parks. Since there are only 2 parks, you can easily do absolutely everything you desire in 2 to 3 days. From my understanding, this just is not possible at WDW, and I have many questions about the differences to expect?

I want to take her in March or April, preferably during her Spring Break which is Easter week. Disneyland during this time would be torture, being flooded with locals. Should one expect the same type of crowd at WDW? If so, what types of crowds should one expect in the last two weeks of April?

Are there ANY hotels within walking distance to the park that are not disney properties? If not, has anyone stayed at the Disney all-star properties? We would love to go Disney, but seeing as we are only sleeping there, won't be springing for the Grand Floridian or anything like that.

Most importantly, do the Monorails interconnect all of the parks? We will not be getting a rental car, so this would be a HUGE plus

And finally, the Dining Plan at DL is horrible, but I've heard wonderful things about the one at WDW. To those of you have done it, is it worth the money? We are going for 6 nights, but is there anyway to downgrade to a 3 day dining plan? In case we do not use all of the vouchers

 

[May Queen]

The all stars are great if ur just looking for a place to sleep at night. All of the hotels have bus transportation to and from all of the parks. Only Epcot and the Magic Kingdom have monorail service and only the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Contemporary have monorail service.

 

[verticalchaos]

So many years ago, I promised my younger sister that when she got old enough I would make good on my father's promise to take her to Disneyworld.
Now that she's turning 16, she has remembered my promise of long ago and holding it.

First let me say, that I never went to Disneyland for the first time until after highschool, and fell in love. I will now be taking my third trip in 2 years this November, but cannot wait to go to WDW. I feel very comfortable with DL, as no matter where you stay, you can always Walk to the parks. Since there are only 2 parks, you can easily do absolutely everything you desire in 2 to 3 days. From my understanding, this just is not possible at WDW, and I have many questions about the differences to expect?

I want to take her in March or April, preferably during her Spring Break which is Easter week. Disneyland during this time would be torture, being flooded with locals. Should one expect the same type of crowd at WDW? If so, what types of crowds should one expect in the last two weeks of April?

Are there ANY hotels within walking distance to the park that are not disney properties? If not, has anyone stayed at the Disney all-star properties? We would love to go Disney, but seeing as we are only sleeping there, won't be springing for the Grand Floridian or anything like that.

Most importantly, do the Monorails interconnect all of the parks? We will not be getting a rental car, so this would be a HUGE plus

And finally, the Dining Plan at DL is horrible, but I've heard wonderful things about the one at WDW. To those of you have done it, is it worth the money? We are going for 6 nights, but is there anyway to downgrade to a 3 day dining plan? In case we do not use all of the vouchers

I've been the week after Easter before and yes, it's crowded, but you just go with the flow. From the time rolling spring break starts in February, there's not really a down time for a while.

After a Christmas visit when I was as sick as I've ever been in my life, we decided we will NOT be staying off-property again. Too big of a hassle.

Monorails do not connect any of the parks directly ~ you have to transfer at the Ticket and Transportation Center to go between the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. The best way to get around is the bus system. Yes, some people don't like them, but we've never had a problem with them. In fact, on a solo trip one time, I'd left my ID or something I needed for Dolphins in Depth in my room. The driver actually radioed to his base what was going on, then took me back to CSR and waited for me to dash back to my room and get it. He was AWESOME!!! I love the bus system.

And I can't comment on the dining plan ~ we tend to make a few ADRs through my sister and leave the rest to chance. No dining plan for us.

 

[Zip-a-dee-dude-da]

Frankly you could only pick one time worse that easter week to go and that would be thanksgiving week. Forget about walking anywhere it is huge sprawled out over several miles .......NOTHING LIKE DISNEYLAND. I suggest going earlier in late Feb or later at the end of Aug or sept. It will be hot but much of the activity is indoors (xcept animal kingdom).

You will love the all stars the rooms are small but adequate and you cant beat the value.

For a first time i would strongly suggest not going Easter week!!!

 

[Zip-a-dee-dude-da]

oh yeah ave fun youll love it

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Since there are only 2 parks, you can easily do absolutely everything you desire in 2 to 3 days. From my understanding, this just is not possible at WDW, and I have many questions about the differences to expect?

I want to take her in March or April, preferably during her Spring Break which is Easter week. Disneyland during this time would be torture, being flooded with locals. Should one expect the same type of crowd at WDW? If so, what types of crowds should one expect in the last two weeks of April?

Are there ANY hotels within walking distance to the park that are not disney properties? If not, has anyone stayed at the Disney all-star properties? We would love to go Disney, but seeing as we are only sleeping there, won't be springing for the Grand Floridian or anything like that.

Most importantly, do the Monorails interconnect all of the parks? We will not be getting a rental car, so this would be a HUGE plus

And finally, the Dining Plan at DL is horrible, but I've heard wonderful things about the one at WDW. To those of you have done it, is it worth the money? We are going for 6 nights, but is there anyway to downgrade to a 3 day dining plan? In case we do not use all of the vouchers

I'm sure this will be a wonderful bonding experience for you and your sister. Planning will make all the difference, so pick up a copy of The Unofficial Guide to WDW, and/or The Passporter and read them thoroughly. That may help you begin to understand the scope and breadth of the Walt Disney World experience. You could stay for a month and not see and do everything so you need to figure out what you really want to see and do, and make those priority. If you really need to go during your sister's Spring Break, this will be especially important because the parks will be VERY busy.

Keeping in mind that Disney World encompasses 43 square miles (twice the size of Manhattan), no there are not going to be any hotels within walking distance of any park. There are "good neighbor" hotels that run shuttles, but at that time of year, you really want to be on-site. The All-Star resorts and Pop Century resort are "value" lodgings and will probably be your best bet. If you stay on-site, you can take advantage of Disney's Magical Express, which is free transportation from the airport to your hotel and back. Then, you use the Disney transportation system, which includes buses, boats and the monorail. Staying at a Value resort, you'll depend on the buses. There are buses to all the parks at regular intervals all day long.

The Dining Plan is fine if you use it to the fullest. You MUST purchase it for the entire length of your stay, and your credits expire at midnight on the day you check out. So, no you can't only buy 3 days' worth of it and save some credits for use later in the week. It costs about $38/day for adults and in 2008 you'll have to pay gratuity for your sit-down meals. Truthfully, I would recommend that you stick mostly with counter-service meals. Eating at table-service restaurants is time-consuming and you'd have to be sure to make reservations. If I were going to be on a trip with my sister, I'm sure we'd rather eat quickly and tour more!

Keep watching this board, and the Codes & Rates board to see if any discount codes are released for your target travel dates. They can save you quite a bit of money. And when you are looking at ticket options, the "base tickets" are one park per day, ONLY. You cannot use "two days" off your ticket to go to 2 parks. You have to add "park-hopper" to go to more than one park on the same day. You can also add the Water Parks Fun & More option and go to the water parks or Disney Quest.

Have a great time planning your trip! Do keep reading this board, the Theme Parks board and buy a guidebook ASAP. You'll be a lot more prepared and have a better time!