First Timer Inquiry

[Kimbysmom]

I've finally decided on the dates for our first Disney World vacation. I've been thinking about this for months now and putting money in savings, as I don't want to go into debt because of this trip. Anyway, I now know what we can realistically spend, and it lands us at ten full days of theme park fun. (Which I'm stoked about, BTW .)

My question is, if you had ten days at the parks, and it was your very frist time in the World ever, how many days would you spend at the Magic Kingdom? Keep in mind, that we'll be there when the majority of the Fantasyland expansion will be completed (minus the mine train), and it's a mom and an 8 year old daughter who want to see and do as much as possible.

I already have it planned out that we'll be in the Magic Kingdom on our first and last full days, but how many should we spend there in between?

In my mind, I'd like to spend two days at Epcot (at least) and one each in Animal Kingdom and DHS (unless dd really likes AK, which I could see happening). Plus, I figure we might want to explore our resort and DTD for a day too or maybe even some other resorts, who knows. I just can't figure out what would be the perfect amount of days to spend in the Magic Kingdom, because it's what we're both looking forward to the most. TIA for any replies .

 

[Cdn Gal]

I would also count on doing the water parks too, that's two days there as well. Are you doing universal or discovery cove? Or is this just a Disney vacation? Hope you have a wonderful time!

 

[Kimbysmom]

Thanks Cdn Gal! This trip is strictly Disney.

I would consider the water parks, but we're going in March. I don't really know if it'll be great water park weather. Plus the fact that my daughter is in swim class and an amazing swimmer, and I'd probably be more likely to drown there makes me not want to do the water parks as much.

 

[Diamondintheruff]

Congratulations on deciding (and saving up for) a trip to Disney! I wish you and your daughter a fantastic time.

Since you asked for opinions, I will give you mine. For my family we would probably split the 10 days into 3MK, 3EP, 2DS, 2AK. However, 10 days of park touring would be too much at once for my family. After 3 full days in a park they would sight of the "magic" of it all. We would need a lazy resort day. So make sure to build some rest time into your schedule too.

 

[3GIRLSMOM]

The water parks are great even in January when we usually go in fact more fun if is not that hot of a day (for me anyway!)
I would make sure that I had park hopper tickets for 10 days. If you find a park is too crowded you can just head over to another.
Hope you have a great and magical time!

 

[mtmbyck]

March is busy so expect crowds. Learn to use those fast passes! March can be super hot ( as it was last year)or cold and rainy as it was 2 years ago. I've been the last 7 March Breaks. We share with Texas but worse Floridians! Lots of Floridians vacation at Disney for Marchbreak!

10 days in parks would be a marathon. I'd need a vacation for my vacation! The waterparks are wonderfully themed and worth a visit if they are on your passes. then there are the resorts that you should try to visit. Each one is spectacular in theme and you don't have to be a guest to visit. An evening at Boardwalk to check out the evening entertainment and a lovely stroll, a walk on the beach at Polynesian, an outdoor movie atBeach Club, ice cream at Grand Floridian ....... This is great Disney down time.

Back to your original post. You can easily see and do MK in 2 days. Perhaps a 3rd can be used to hit a few favourites, shop and do shows or take in street entertainment. I find AK and HS 1 day parks but EPCOT warrants 2 days to really stroll the world showcase and see the boutiques. I agree with the previous post that you should get a hopper and go where the crowds are not.

Planning is half the fun and these boards will give you tons of tips and answer many of your questions. Happy planning.

 

[dvc deernut]

WE GO A FEW TIMES A YEAR, WE ARE DVC MEMBERS. WE TRY TO AVOID THE BUSY TIMES INCLUDING MARCH BREAK. BUT 2 YEARS AGO WE TOOK MY SON AND HIS KIDS FOR 10 DAYS AT MARCH BREAK. A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE THE BREAK AND THEN THE WHOLE WEEK. THE FIRST 3 DAYS WERE SLOW DAYS BUT AS SOON AS SATURDAY CAME IT WAS A MAD HOUSE. YOU DIDNT MENTION WHICH RESORT YOUR STAYING AT. ITS A GOOD THING YOUR STAYING 10 DAYS THAT WAY YOU CAN TAKE YOUR TIME TO SEE EVERYTHING AND WORK AROUND THE CROWDS. WHEN THEY HAVE EXTENDED HOURS IN THE EVENING USE THEM, ITS USUALLY LESS BUSY. SINCE ITS THE FIRST TIME, I THINK YOU SHOULD DO MK FIRST. THE ANTICIPATION OF GOING THRU THE TRAINSTATION AND THEN WALKING TO THE CENTER OF MAIN STREET TO GET YOUR FIRST LOOK AT THE CASTLE WILL ME MEMORABLE. GET THERE AT ROPE DROP. THAT WAY YOU WILL SEE THE OPENING SHOW AT THE GATE. YOU MUST AND I MEAN MUST SEE THE NIGHT PARADES AND FIREWORKS. IF YOU DONT WANT TO SAVE A SPOT TOO LONG FOR THE PARADE ON MAIN STREET YOU CAN GET A GOOD SPOT THRU FRONTIERLAND AND NEAR LIBRERTY SQUARE. BUT ONCE THE PARADE ENDS MAKE YOUR WAY OVER TO THE CIRCLE AREA WHERE WALTS STATUE IS DIRECTLY INFRONT OF THE CASTLE FOR THE FIREWORKS. DONT GET TOO CLOSE(like up front where the stage is) YOU WILL MISS A LOT OF THE FIREWORKS. THEY ARE SHOT OFF BEHIND THE PARK. YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING WITH AN 8 YEAR OLD? YOU MIGHT NOT NEED 2 FULL DAYS AT EPCOT. BUT BE THERE AT NIIGHT WHEN THEY DO ILLUMINATIONS!!!!!! THERE ARE SOME GREAT SPOTS TO WATCH FROM AND SOME SPOTS THAT ARENT AS GOOD. IF YOU WERE GOING TO DO 10 DAY HOPPER PASSES FIND OUT HOW MUCH THEY ARE AND THEN COMPARE PRICE TO ANNUAL PASS. WHEN WE GO AT LEAST 10 DAYS A YEAR WE GET ANNUAL PASS. THERE ARE A FEW PERKS WITH ANNUAL PASS. I COULD TYPE FOR HOURS IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE ASK, IM A DISNEY FANATIC AND ENJOY HELPING WITH MY OPINIONS.

 

[minnie mum]

I really want to commend how well you are saving and planning for this vacation. Sounds like you have already done a lot of researching and put a lot of thought into it.
Have you had a chance to look at touringplans.com and/or easywdw.com yet as far as crowd levels and best park/worst park days for your vacation dates? I would highly recommend that you do so- knowing which days have the lowest expected crowd levels for any given park can make a big difference when you are going during busy times like March break. It also makes it easy for planning your itinerary and making ADRs, and can also reduce or eliminate the need for park hopping.
Speaking of hopping (and also water parks). You don't need to add these onto your tickets before you get there. You can wait and add them at any time after you have used the ticket for the first time. Why pay for a hopper if you find you don't need it? Same with the water parks and more option. Why pay and then find out there's a cold snap and you don't want to go. Also, if you only want to go to a water park once, it is cheaper just to buy a single water park day ticket.
As to how many days at each park, I agree that one day each at AK and DHS and 2 days at Epcot should suffice. Add 3 days at MK. Leaves you with 3 unplanned days. Lots of people like one or 2 resort days where they just kick back at the pool/playground areas and take it easy. Maybe do a trip to DTD to shop. If you can do one of these every 3 park days, your body will really thank you. You'll need the rest!! Trust me. And if you can take a break in the middle of your longer park days (AK is usually a shorter day) it will make some of your park evenings much more enjoyable.
One last thing (I know this is really long): DH and I usually leave our last day totally unplanned. That way we can decide later in our stay how we want to spend that time. There may be one park that got missed due to an upset tummy or exhaustion. Or certain rides that we really want to go back to. Or maybe we want to just kick back at the pool. We don't plan to have a ticket for this day; we just add it on later in the week if we decide we want it.

 

[3pletprincesses]

we usually go 1 day at animal Kingdon, 1 day at HS and at least 2 days at Epcot and at least 2 days to MK. There's always something else to see at Epcot and MK while the other parks I find that 1 day is more them plenty each to see pretty much everything. That's waht we do with our trips when we travel with our 5 yo girls.

 

[Kimbysmom]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. They've all been very helpful.

We'll actually be spending the week before March Break and then a few days into the break in the World. I know enough to expect insane crowds during those last few days, but am hoping for some less intense crowds during the week prior.

I also know that ten days is a lot, and I was planning at least a day of downtime in the middle of our trip, but I like the idea of taking a couple of days away from the parks and just exploring the resorts and DTD.

Thanks again for all of your great advice.

 

[bankr63]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. They've all been very helpful.

We'll actually be spending the week before March Break and then a few days into the break in the World. I know enough to expect insane crowds during those last few days, but am hoping for some less intense crowds during the week prior.

I also know that ten days is a lot, and I was planning at least a day of downtime in the middle of our trip, but I like the idea of taking a couple of days away from the parks and just exploring the resorts and DTD.

Thanks again for all of your great advice.

I would plan for crowds throughout. Ontario March break isn't the busiest time for Disney. Week before us is often Quebec (sometimes two weeks difference). In the US, school districts tend to set their own schedules, so it is highly variable. As a PP indicated there seems to be a good correlation between Florida and Texas breaks with Ontario, but that leaves a lot of other states/provinces to letting out on the other weeks in March and April.

If your stamina is there, you can fill your ten days. We go most years, and it is non-stop from the time we land to the time we board the plane home. But we do try to split between the big parks, the water parks, DisneyQuest and DTD, plus other excursions. Back to backing the big parks is exhausting even for the sturdiest kids. For adults Epcot is a 2 day park, but I find the kids get bored there (unless yours really likes "looking" rather than "doing"; mine don't). MK usually gets 2 visits during a stay. AK gets a day, and DHS seems to be an every other visit for us; but we need to fit in the Universal Parks too.

Just remember that everyone is on vacation; don't set everything in stone and be prepared to adapt. We are go-go-go but we constantly change up plans during the week to match the mood and desires of the whole party. There's nothing worse than seeing an energetic 8 year old dragging her whinging parents around the park by mid-afternoon (but sweetie, we've been on POTC 3 times already...)

 

[Kimbysmom]

Thanks bankr63. I think two days of Epcot will work perfectly for us, because one of the things my daughter is most excited about is looking at all the shops and eating all the good food in World Showcase. A typical kid, she is not .

We've only taken beach vacations up until this point, and I must admit, I was finding myself getting bored too easily lying around on the beach with a book in my hand.

When we visit my parents in Pennsylvania (my original home) every summer, those trips are always go-go-go, and we much prefer the fun we have doing and seeing things. That's why I think Disney's the perfect vacation destination for us (aside from the fact that we're both Disney buffs as well.)

 

[TheBig2na]

My advice would be to go with the flow to a certain extent. make sure you book any restaurants you want in advance, but plan some pool time/relaxation time. take a morning or afternoon off if you are too tired. We just went for 8 days hard and it was exhausting. Remember to enjoy yourselves, take it all in, and experience the magic while relaxing when you can or need to. its vacation after all.

 

[RadioMom]

Our first trip was for 10 days and I can tell you we were absolutely and completely exhausted. The second trip was for 9 days and again, absolutely and completely exhausted. The third trip, we smartened up and were only completely exhausted.
Here's the thing, you will never see everything, so don't even try. I know that sounds like Debbie Downer talking but the shear size of Disney and the amount of attractions there are makes it impossible. That being said, the amount of walking you will do is tremendous.
My VERY best advice and the advice that I give all of my friends going is to take a day off between park days. Seriously. Kick back at the pool, go to Downtown Disney, or even make one day just an evening at the parks. You need to give yourself time to recoup, otherwise by the 6th or 7th day, you are dragging your butts, especially when it's hot.
However, if you're determined to do 10 parks in 10 days, you'll could do at least 3 days at Epcot, 2 days at AK (so you can see all the shows and parades) and 1 day at Hollywood Studios. 2 days at MK too, if that's your little one's favourite and still have two days left over to pick and choose.
If it were my family, I'd do 2 days at Epcot, 1 day at AK, 1 day at HS and 2 days at MK. The other days would be pool/off days.
Good for you for saving up! It is a wonderful vacation and knowing you're not going into debt to do it makes it even more fantastic!

 

[Ken_Breadbox]

Our first trip was for 10 days and I can tell you we were absolutely and completely exhausted. The second trip was for 9 days and again, absolutely and completely exhausted. The third trip, we smartened up and were only completely exhausted.
Here's the thing, you will never see everything, so don't even try. I know that sounds like Debbie Downer talking but the shear size of Disney and the amount of attractions there are makes it impossible. That being said, the amount of walking you will do is tremendous.
My VERY best advice and the advice that I give all of my friends going is to take a day off between park days. Seriously. Kick back at the pool, go to Downtown Disney, or even make one day just an evening at the parks. You need to give yourself time to recoup, otherwise by the 6th or 7th day, you are dragging your butts, especially when it's hot.
However, if you're determined to do 10 parks in 10 days, you'll could do at least 3 days at Epcot, 2 days at AK (so you can see all the shows and parades) and 1 day at Hollywood Studios. 2 days at MK too, if that's your little one's favourite and still have two days left over to pick and choose.
If it were my family, I'd do 2 days at Epcot, 1 day at AK, 1 day at HS and 2 days at MK. The other days would be pool/off days.
Good for you for saving up! It is a wonderful vacation and knowing you're not going into debt to do it makes it even more fantastic!

Excellent advice.
When we went, it was only six days, but DW has some mobility issues and extreme sensitivity to heat. I'd naively imagined we could just power through those days, with one down day in the middle. Didn't work that way. We ended up hitting each park at rope drop, staying for a few hours, and then heading back to Old Key West for a swim and siesta. Then back to the parks for supper and evening. And your daughter's not likely to feel this way--I know it's kind of a sacrilege--but for us, OKW was probably our favourite part of the whole Disney experience.
Your daughter's bound to be full of energy...but Disney can sap that, believe it or not. The only unhappy kids I saw were clearly exhausted. There's a reason people joke that EPCOT stands for Every Person Comes Out Tired.

I agree that there's not a hope in heck you can see everything. You need to get yourself a good guide and prioritize your Must-Do's in Stacey-speak (and you'll know what this is if you're staying on-site!) Use those FastPasses. Planning your days is--trust me--almost as much fun as living them!

 

[mtmbyck]

Some things for your checklist.......

Based on your dates, you may be able to manage half of your stay on a free dining plan so when you book with Disney inquire about splitting your stay to accommodate this!

At 180 days out be ready to book your meals - as first timers you will love the character dining and perhaps the luau at Polynesian, or a fireworks dinner at California Grille.

Get yourself a book on Disney - while the Internet is great, I like highlighting pages and tabbing things to go back to.

Make sure you find out the Extra Magic Hours for all parks during your stay and take advantage. NO SLEEPING in on a park morning! That is honestly the biggest tip because parks go from 0-10000 between 8am and 11am.

If you have friends going this year, have them bring you home maps of the parks to get your bearings so you know which direction to head in for your favorites first thing.

Tell us which resort you are staying at so we can give you tips on transportation.

Closer to your travel date start asking about helpful packing tips ( baggies for leftover snacks, glow sticks from dollarama, an autograph book from Walmart, etc........)

That's all I can think of right now. Nice to put my mind on Dinsey as I look outside to tons of snow.

 

[Northstar]

I'd say to visit each park at least once before you decide whether you want to devote a 3rd day to MK.

The way I'd deal with a 10-day first-time trip in a crowded time is to have the mornings planned out really well... be at the turnstiles before they open, head directly for the attractions you definitely want to see and know will be crowded, get Fastpasses early, run like crazy for a few hours. Then regroup and plan the afternoon, around the time you're hungry for lunch... find someplace to sit down, assess the crowds, assess whether you're tired, assess what Fastpass return times are on the things you want to do, talk about what attractions you'd like to return to and what ones you haven't yet hit. A lot of times you might find you'd like to get out of the parks for a few hours, then return late afternoon or evening when you're refreshed. Other times you'll find that you want to go back and do something again, instead of continuing on to hit more rides.

The key thing about planning is that you have to build flexibility and spontaneity in, and not end up slaves to a plan made months before.

Another option to keep in mind is the Family Magic Tour at MK. Oh, and bike rentals at Port Orleans or Fort Wilderness... that's another good option if you want an active break from the theme parks.

 

[Kimbysmom]

You guys are awesome. You've given me lots to think about while I plan our trip. Good thing I have over a year to figure it all out.

I have no intention of planning every single second of every single day. All I want to pre-plan are what parks we'll be visiting on certain days (mostly going by EMHs) and what restaurants we'll be eating at. My daughter wants to do a lot of character dining, but I want to throw in some of my own places too. (I really want to try Via Napoli.)

As far as guide books go, what are some of the best ones to buy? I'd like to have one to read beforehand to give me even more info to chew on before our trip.

Thanks again, everyone. You've all been very helpful.

 

[minnie mum]

The best guide book I've ever found, and one I have bought several times over the years is 'The Unofficial Guide to WDW'. But fair warning: Do not attempt to take this book into the parks with you. To do so is likely to result in severe back pain or a hernia. Just pulling your leg- but it is a very thick book. TONs of info on just about every aspect of visiting WDW and maximizing your dollar and your time.

I think it's a great resource for every newbie, and a handy source for refreshing the memory for Dis vets.

 

[mtmbyck]

I have always used the Birnbaum book. It is published yearly so always up to date. Found in the travel section at any bookstore. It's about 14 dollars I think (haven't used it in a few years). It's a fun read.