First Time to WDW

[SkyandMeadow'smommy]

Please give me all your tips and advice this is our first trip to
WDW we are leaving Sept 16 and I am stressing out on making a daily
sched. I have a 5 and 7 yr old both girls. Whats the best strat.....we are staying at All star movies, animal k is the closest should we go there first and try and knock it out (we arrive in Fl at 11:30am so there goes getting at the part by 8:30am like most of the suggestions) or do the Magic k *the most import one *
is it true the fastpasses are gone by NOON??? I'm new to the DIS boards.com and so far I've loving all the forums.

 

[imthatgirl]

i dont know how long you are staying but here is the crowd calender for that week. looksd like a great week to be there. i went last week and followed the calenders suggested parks and never waited in a line more than 15 minutes. the only one that you do need to egt to immediately is toy story mania, last week the fast passes were gone between 10-10:30 every day.
the parks in parenthesis are the parks they suggest to go to, and the other are the ones they suggest you avoid.

Tue, 16 Sep '08 4 (MK DS) EP AK MNSSHP
Wed, 17 Sep '08 4 (MK DS) AK
Thu, 18 Sep '08 5 (EP AK) MK
Fri, 19 Sep '08 4 (AK ) MK EP DS MNSSHP
Sat, 20 Sep '08 5 (MK EP) DS
Sun, 21 Sep '08 4 (AK) MK DS
Mon, 22 Sep '08 5 (EP) DS AK
Tue, 23 Sep '08 3 (MK DS) EP AK MNSSHP
Wed, 24 Sep '08 3 (MK DS) AK
Thu, 25 Sep '08 5 (EP AK) MK
Fri, 26 Sep '08 4 (AK) MK EP DS MNSSHP Epcot Food & Wine Festival Begins
Sat, 27 Sep '08 6 (MK) DS
Sun, 28 Sep '08 3 (AK) MK DS MNSSHP
Mon, 29 Sep '08 5 (EP DS) MK AK
Tue, 30 Sep '08 3 (MK DS) EP AK MNSSHP

 

[DisneyClown]

I've only been once to WDW last summer for my Honeymoon, but I did LOTS of homework on it before going, and was fortunate to have a Dis veteran to give me tips. One tip I found useful was to visit a park that was not offering the EMH that day, because they tend to be more crowded. AK closes earlier and is the only park that does not have Fireworks so I would visit that one either on the weekend when crowds are heavier(you'll need more time to get through) or if you feel you don't have an entire day to get through a park, because I feel that AK doesn't require as much time to get through than the others, although everyone has their own opinions. Me and my husband are taking my stepson next summer, and one tip we will be using is to get to parks at opening, be there until noon or one, go back to resort for a swim or nap, and then head back to park a few hours later for more rides or shows and fireworks. I'm told with children, you and they will need that midday break because you all will be refreshed and less cranky as the day go on and better able to enjoy.
Decide which rides you really want to experience and get FP for those early on, because they will run out or the time gets later and later, but not always. Most rides let you come back later than the time on the fast pass, so if the time slot has come and gone, chances are you will still be able to use it. I could go on and on, but I'm not writing a book-so I just mentioned a few that might save you some frustration and give you a little more time through your day. Hope your trip is a good one!!!

 

[SkyandMeadow'smommy]

cool, Thank you !!! We are staying for a week. Was the weather
good for you?
Thats the other thing with all the hurricanes, hopefully weather will be good for us while we are there.
Where you able to do all the things you wanted, thats the other thing I keep
hearing Is you can't see everything .Of course Magic K is my main one but we are going all of them w park hopper.i was hoping w crowds being down we could do almost everything lol

 

[SkyandMeadow'smommy]

thank you Disneyclown...no i appreciate ALL the advice you have. Thats awesome you had your honeymoon there!!

 

[DisneyClown]

We were going to go in July but the Dis veteran I know was adamant that I would not get as much out of the trip because of heat and crowds so we got married in May and went then, because I wanted to thoroughly enjoy my Honeymoon. I don't have the experience of taking kids to the World yet so perhaps someone else is better suited to give you advice on that end of it, but at any rate, when the school season is going in Florida, it won't be as crowded, and we found that to be the case when going in May. Crowds were manageable, weather was excellent- it rained one evening for about an hour and one day it rained for about five minutes. I can't say what you will experience during hurricane season, but from what I have read about WDW in general, the rain isn't constant. You can visit some of the shops or shows while you are waiting for a break in the rain. If it isn't very crowded in the park that day, you might be able to get a Table Service meal without the reservation during that time.(It never hurts to ask) or you could do some resort hopping. Epcot has some activities in each Country for the kids to do(indoors).
As far as doing 'everything" you will probably miss a few things, but that is all the more reason for another trip, right!

 

[msbeattie1]

Were does one find the crowd calendar?

 

[aprild]

Were does one find the crowd calendar?

Ditto!

 

[DisneyClown]

On the main page of this site, you click on Planning, then click on Lighter Crowds(down the list) or you can also go to www.allearsnet.com(another great planning site) and click on Planning then click on Historic Attendance.

 

[robandkelly13]

What can you bring into the parks, any restictions like bottled water, food, etc...

 

[mintyamy]

My only suggestion would be...relax. Don't stress out over timing, you'll end up rushing and then wishing you hadn't. Don't try to follow all the timings and shedules of all the events and hours of different things, use them as a helpful recomendation. But do what you want when you want. It's your first trip, try to relax and go with the flow.

 

[imthatgirl]

i got that crowd calender off the unofficial guide web site. i just goggled disney world crowd calender and that came up.
but.. without a subscription you will only be able to see the current month. which is actually all you need.

 

[VWB]

Hi... We just returned from Disney and we were there for a week. We went on the Labor Day holiday. It rained the first day we were there and we were at Magic Kingdom. It would rain for a few minutes and stop. It did this the most of the day but the crowds did not seem too bad because of this. After Saturday we had WONDERFUL weather for the rest of the week. The crowds got better with each day. By the last two days of our trip we were walking on rides with only a 5 minute wait for each. It was WONDERFUL!!!!

The main advice I will give you is to be there when the parks open because the crowds do not pick up until about 2 hours after opening. You will be amazed what all rides you can ride before the crowds get there. Our kids are about the same ages of yours and we would get there at opening and usually leave around 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. We were able to do a whole park a day and do everything we wanted in each park. You will have to wait for the new Toy Story Mania but it is worth it. If I was you I would hit that ride as soon as the park opens get a fast pass and then wait in line to ride it. YOU WILL WANT TO RIDE IT TWICE.. It was ALOT OF FUN!!!

P.S. My kids wanted to do Magic Kingdom first. It is their favorite park.

If I can help in anyway just PM me. Have a GREAT TRIP!!!

Please give me all your tips and advice this is our first trip to
WDW we are leaving Sept 16 and I am stressing out on making a daily
sched. I have a 5 and 7 yr old both girls. Whats the best strat.....we are staying at All star movies, animal k is the closest should we go there first and try and knock it out (we arrive in Fl at 11:30am so there goes getting at the part by 8:30am like most of the suggestions) or do the Magic k *the most import one *
is it true the fastpasses are gone by NOON??? I'm new to the DIS boards.com and so far I've loving all the forums.

 

[AnitaDisneyVacation]

What can you bring into the parks, any restictions like bottled water, food, etc...

I don't know the official policy, but we have always brought in a few bottles of water (in plain sight to security) without any problem. We reuse the bottles, so they weren't even sealed.

We've also brought in small snacks for the kids - fruit snacks, raisins, granola bars (things that won't melt in the heat). These were packed in our backpack, and security has never given us any trouble.

 

[happymommy]

We used to always bring a little bag (backpack) with some snacks - that is good for young kids.

Used to bring bottled water, just a couple of bottles, but found that we prefer to just ask for a cup of ice water (free) wherever they sell fountain drinks.