First Time Visitor to Park

[brown eyed girl]

What should I know? Planning a trip with hubby and 10 year old. I need to know everything. Recommended places to stay and eat. How long is bus ride from hotels to park...do all hotels have buses and / monorails hear them. Is there a better moderate priced hotel than the rest or are they all the same. Do I need to book now for a restaurant for dinner or will there really be a two hour wait? My daughter is 10 - should we not miss a character breakfast and which one is the best? What are the dining experiences not to be missed. What should I be logging in my tote bag...water bottles and are there water fountains that have clean, cold water available or do I have to pay? Will I need bug spray at night and are the parades not to be missed? I have so many questions and I know I am probably posting in the wrong place for some of my questions but I need all the help I can get. Thank you so much!

 

[DizBelle]

Whoa! Overwhelming, huh. I highly, highly recommend the Unoffocial Guide to Walt Disney World book. It has a wealth of information and I believe answers all of your questions and probably some you haven't thought of.

But, my personal recommendations for some of your questions:

1. IMO, staying on property is better than staying off property. All of the Disney hotels have buses/boats to everywhere else on property. The only hotels with monorail service are the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and the Contemporary. All are deluxe resorts on the Magic Kingdom Loop of the monorail. If you are on Disney property and want to get somewhere else on Disney property, Disney has a way to get you there.

2. I think that all hotels in the same class are similar in amenities. Look at what the hotels offer to help you decide which one you want. They have different pools and such that may affect your decision. The moderates are similar in amenities but vary in size.

3. I highly recommend the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue dinner show. It is great fun but you need to make your reservation now. You can make them up to 2 years in advance. The other meals that you will probably want to consider (with the 10 year old daughter) is either Cinderella's Round Table breakfast in the castle or the Princess Breakfast in the Norway Pavillion at Epcot. The princess characters are there and should be a thrill for your daughter if she's into the princess thing.

4. I personally wouldn't want to carry water bottles around. They're too heavy. There are plenty of water fountains.

5. I love to see any parade.

6. Not sure about bug spray. We've only gone during fall or winter months when it is not an issue.

Enjoy! Planning is half the fun....

 

[brown eyed girl]

We definitelywant to stay on the grounds...Should I be booking dinner reservations now...how do I know what I want to eat or when I want to eat 4 months in advance to a place I've never been. Is this something most people do? Any places or attractions that are not worth doing. How much are ponchos...does anyone know where I can buy one outside of Disney? Are the crowds really bad after the parades and where are the best places to watch the parades?

 

[ushkina]

Hi!
I have many of the same questions - some of the them have been answered on this board before - just do a search - for example , I found the following links about the best spots to watch the parade:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=496249&highlight="best+places+to+watch"
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=417640&highlight="best+places+to+watch"

This site has lots of info about restautant's menus:
www.allearsnet.com

Good luck with your trip planning!

 

[WilliamsMom]

I found the planning (and I'm a planner by nature) to be overwhelming. The Unofficial Guide is a must. I took the mini touring plans to the park and followed them. They worked wonderfully and we vacationed during President's week. I received a lot of good advice from these boards and compiled several pages of tips which I found to be useful. Drop me an email and you can have a copy. They aren't fancy but are chock full of tips from these boards. I'd say the top 3 must sees include:

Fantasmic at MGM, my absolute favorite
Spectromagic and Wishes (the light parade and special fireworks at MK.)
Festival of the Lion King at AK

Next would be "Honey I shrunk the Audience." and all of the 3D movies and Energy ride in Epcot. (Forget the name.)

Then of course are the classics like "It's a Small World" and the Haunted Mansion...

The part I disagree about it all the hype these boards go into about priority seating and the best restaurants. I made one priority seating at the Rainforest Cafe because I knew my son would love it. He announced when entering the restaurant, "This is the coolest place I've ever been to." That made my day. Now if I didn't have children and wanted to have a wonderful sit down fancy meal I might spend more time making priority seating or if I had a daughter with Princess fever. Otherwise don't stress out about it. For our family a character breakfast or the hoop de do just wasn't a must see. Everyone has different priorities.

Have a wonderful time and remember to take a pool break around 3-4pm. That was another GREAT piece of advice from these boards.

p.s. we stayed off site and LOVED it! I can't tell you how many people tried to tell me on-site was the only way to go. We loved our condo, loved having a rental car and saved $ eating breakfast and dinner off site.

 

[dan-tot]

I would also get the guide. It tells you alot about all the current rides and what to expect on them they also have some discount coupons which really helped us when I got the book. I wouldn't go to Crystal Palace Character Breakfast. To many kids and the characters seemed to be pulled from every direction. We have had a character dinner at the Liberty Inn which is great. Minnie, Chip and Dale, And Goofy are there. They spend alot of time with you.

We have spent time off and on site. Our first encounter was the A-Frame. This was great I never moved my car once. We used the bus and the monorail systems for transportation to everything. We have stayed off site and this is also good. We have had for the last 4 years Two bedroom suites with living room dining room and kitchen. Now you don't have to cook any meals but having the space is great. The suites are usually 5 to 10 minutes away from all attractions so it is no problem driving wise. You will have to rent a car but if you get one committed early enough you can usually get a great deal. Ask about discounts they will at least pay for your tourist tax. Get the book it will really help. Have fun

Dan-tot

 

[yoni]

Hey,
Those are some good questions, hope my answers can help.
1) If you want to stay on the ground i would suggest looking into the swan and dolphin hotel. They have boats that leave to MGM and Epcot and buses that leave to MK, AK, Downtown disney and the waterparks.The swan has character breakfasts every so often and those are lots of fun. Also crystal palace in always nice for parents and kids.
2) Two shows that you definatly want to see are fantasmic and spectromagic.
3)it can never hurt having a waterbottle on hand just incase the line you are waiting in doesn't have a waterfountain and there isen't much shade
if you want more info on rides and thing like that just post a brief message on what kind of thing you, your husband and daughter like and i would be glad to help

don't worry you still have time,
yoni

 

[Suzflee]

I too am a first timer, minus trips as a kid and in high school. I went to the public library and checked out everything they had. Took lots of notes and then found this board and made even more notes!!!! Everyone here is very helpful.

Thought my kids 7, 10 might not be "into" the characters so we took the cheap option and are doing the Ice Cream Social for $7 at Epcot where you meet Mickey, Chip and Dale and maybe more. Didn't want to spend a lot of time at a breakfast or dinner when we are going for the rides. We made a list of choices for one big meal and let the kids choose - 50's Diner - where we made a late lunch PS.

Just spend some time reading - another book I recommend is the Birnbaums' WDW for kids by kids. Mine used that to make their lists of "Must do's"

Good luck!

 

[DizBelle]

Originally posted by brown eyed girl
We definitelywant to stay on the grounds...Should I be booking dinner reservations now...how do I know what I want to eat or when I want to eat 4 months in advance to a place I've never been. Is this something most people do? Any places or attractions that are not worth doing. How much are ponchos...does anyone know where I can buy one outside of Disney? Are the crowds really bad after the parades and where are the best places to watch the parades?

Only for Hoop Dee Doo and the Luau can you make your reservation 2 years in advance. Every other restaurant is 60 days. Most of them have a varied enough menu to satisfy whatever you might want to eat at the time. For the dinner shows, call asap. The earlier you call, the better your seats.

 

[jcemom]

Priority seatings for most meals are available at 90 days out right now. I would also recommend the Unofficial Guide and/or TourguideMike.com for helpful info. These boards are indispensible for information, but it helps to know some background about everything first or it can be overwhelming.

We just took our first family trip to Disney last month and it was wonderful. The research and planning definitely helped. This site and allears.net (someone posted the link above) are terrific for checking out everything from resorts to rides to park hours.

It's hard to recommend things without knowing your budget and interests. Prices vary greatly from the Disney Value Resorts to the Deluxe Resorts and Home Away From Home. There is something for everyone, but you need to know how much you want to spend first!

My kids absolutely LOVED the character meals and I definitely feel they were worth the money and time spent, though we did have 10 days and went during a slow time of year, so we had time. I do prefer the lunches or dinners to breakfasts, though, but that's just my opinion, we're not big breakfast eaters and that's when lines are the shortest, unless you make an early PS.

We had one PS/sit-down meal each day and that worked well for us. The time to relax was welcome, but we are not the "run from ride to ride" or "commando" touring type, again, depends on your likes and dislikes.

No matter what, you'll have a great time, after all, it's Disney!

 

[ilikemike]

I'd have to agree with getting the Guide Book (plus reading these boards has been GREAT!!!)

Only one other small thing MY DD8 now (7 then) absolutely LOVED was Mickey's Backyard BBQ. It's only done on Tuesday and Thursday nights (I made MY reservation Tuesday Morning for the Thursday night show) It has long buffet tables with all you can eat Ribs, Chicken, Veggies, Salads, Dessert plus Pop, Milk, Tea, Beer & Wine etc. A couple of the characters come out to meet, greet and give autographs twice during the evening. We also got a Lasso Demonstration and we all got out and learned the Electric Slide with a couple of great instructors and we put it to use. It's a GREAT show for ages 1 to 100!! Of course all the Disney Employees gave their excellent service and friendliness that we've all come to love PLUS because of the casual way you are sat down for dinner, you get to meet lots of other Disney guests from all over and share experiences usually learning something new. It was a great way to meet new people, get new ideas AND wear out my DD so she went to sleep right away that night!!

 

[brown eyed girl]

The more you answer my questions the more I realize how little I know. We will defintely be staying in a moderate hotel on the grounds, don't care much for buffet meals and definitely like to eat a real dinner served by waiters. We are not looking to cut costs and will have no problem spending a lot on dinners. When you say book ahead for the dinner shows...what dinner shows...where are they? And what are the top or nicest places for dinners...and what are the cleanest, prettiest places for the character's breakfasts. Is the the one in Cinderella's court the favorite and why? Which moderate priced hotel has the prettiest pool and the park hoppers - do they include blizzard beach and the like or is that an upgraded pass? What is the first thing that I should do on the first day I arrive if I arrive around lunch time and where do I get the Unofficial Guide Book - at a book store or at this site. Thanks so much.

 

[jcemom]

You'll get lots of opinions on the resorts and restaurants. You may want to read some threads and reports on those boards.

When you say book ahead for the dinner shows...what dinner shows...where are they?

The Hoop De Doo is at Fort Wilderness, the Polynesian Luau is at the Polynesian Resort, and Mickey's BBQ is at Fort Wilderness also. Hoop De Doo and the Luau can be reserved up to two years in advance, Mickey's BBQ is 7 days, I think. "Regular" restaurants are 90 days, with a few exceptions. You might want to look at all the Menus Here to see what looks good to you.

what are the cleanest, prettiest places for the character's breakfasts

Again, opinions vary. There are also character lunches and dinners, which I happen to prefer. You can read a description of all of them Here . I think you should choose the one(s) with characters that interest you and/or menus you like. Our favorite was Garden Grill in Epcot. I don't know so much that Cindy's is the favorite, but it is small, it has Cinderella, it's in the castle, therefore it's pretty hard to get. You need to call exactly 90 days out from the first day of your trip at a few minutes before 7am EST (keep hitting redial if you don't get through), and if you don't get it for that day, try again the next day!

Which moderate priced hotel has the prettiest pool

Opinions will vary. There are photos: POFQ , POR , CSR , and CBR here. Take a look and see what you think.

park hoppers - do they include blizzard beach and the like or is that an upgraded pass?

Park Hoppers are for the four main parks only, Park Hopper Plus passes include admission to the water parks also.

where do I get the Unofficial Guide Book

You can find it at your local bookstore or from an internet bookstore, like Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

What is the first thing that I should do on the first day I arrive if I arrive around lunch time

Wow, lots of choices there. It depends on whether you want to go into a park or not. If so, I'd choose Epcot. Otherwise, Downtown Disney is a good choice. This would be a good evening for a dinner show also.

 

[XStAnt]

Brown Eyed Girl,

I know things are overwhelming right now. Take a deep breath and relax. Things will come into focus as you start to research/plan your trip.

Like others said, get one or two of the guide books. They provide a lot of general info.

Also, check out these three websites:

www.wdwinfo.com (this site), which provides lots of info in addition to these boards.

www.wdwig.com which provides lots of general info on Disney. Everything from specifics on each resort to phone numbers to call. It has photos of all resorts and menus of many restaurants.

www.mousesavers.com which is loaded with info on discounts for your trip. everything from potential resort discounts, ticket discounts, rental car discounts, etc.

Read through these sites and a guide book first as they will provide many of your answers. Posting on this board "what is the best restaurant" will get you 100 different responses because everyone has their favorites. Check out the info on the restaurants in the website/guidebooks and then ask some specific questions here.

Read about the different character meals and pick which one appeals to you. They are all great for various reasons. The same goes for the resorts--they all have great pluses and some minuses. Then, a more specific question about a particular meal or resort will get you a more direct and helpful answer.

Please don't think I'm being rude. People on these boards want to help (and I'm often amazed at the info they can provide). We only want to let you get the most out of these boards.

By the way, Cinderella's castle does have the character meal with Cinderella, but it's very difficult to book. Park Hopper (PH) passes only include the 4 major parks and not BB, TL, or PI. Park Hopper Pluses (PHP) include a certain number of admissions to BB, TL, and/or PI (but not DQ). Ultimate Park Hoppers (UPH), also referred to as length of stay passes, include unlimited admission to everything for the length of your stay. There are other distinctions between them, but this post is too long already.

Good luck with your planning and please ask more questions.

 

[brown eyed girl]

Thank you all so very much! It has helped a lot and I will ask more questions once I absorb what you all have already told me - thanks so much!

 

[lentesta]

Hi brown eyed girl,

The Unofficial Guide is available at bookstores everywhere. It's the best selling independent guide to Walt Disney World. I work for the Guide, so if you have any questions on the book, feel free to drop me a line.

Thanks very much to everyone who recommended the Guide. We should have an announcement on some new features for the next edition soon.

Sincerely,

Len