First Timers Beware! (Tips for First Timers)

[Minnie0107]

We just returned from our first WDW Trip. Before the trip I read the boards and websites and tried to plan our trip accordingly. I was some what disappointed with the trip and did not really know why. Now that I have been on the trip I wanted to let others know some first timer tips.

Tip # 1 DO NOT READ THESE BOARDS. WDW is better if you just surprise your self. The people posting on these boards have been sooo many times that they can talk about every little thing that doesn’t even matter to you yet. Also, all of the info will overwhelm you and make you overly excited.
Tip # 2 It is OK to look at posts about hotels and restaurants. Every hotel is different and you want to find the one that will fit your family.
Tip # 3 Do not let postings on the boards affect your plans. A lot of people complained about things that worked well for us and some things people said were great we found not so great.
Tip # 4 The only pre planning you need to do is get a hotel and flight booked, and MAKE ADR’s (Advanced Dinning Reservations) I would make them at least 2 - 3 months in advance if you have restaurant preferences.

After you make reservations, no matter how excited you are, just try to forget about the trip and DO NOT talk on the boards everyday. Save that for when you get back. Some people may be fine with spending every day planning their first trip and then have a blast. We just wish some one had told us these things before we went. Hope this helps some one!

 

[mickaholic4077]

Sounds like you have good advice.

 

[jeni1072]

I agree!

 

[Fafolguy]

DO NOT talk on the boards everyday. Save that for when you get back. Some people may be fine with spending every day planning their first trip and then have a blast. We just wish some one had told us these things before we went. Hope this helps some one!

But the problem there is:
1) A person would have to read the boards to know NOT to read the boards, and
2)As you stated yourself, some enjoy planning every day.

My advice would be to plan as much as you want as long as you're enjoying the planning. If you're getting stressed out or confused about everything, stop the planning and prepare to relax and enjoy your vacation.

 

[kytiam]

I would agree with avoiding the posts that are overly negative or specific to one individual's bad experience. Many people are way more likely to complain than praise. And you're right--many people on these boards have been so many times they are looking at very different details that us rookies.
I would have to disagree, however, with "just get a hotel and flight booked... then just surprise yourself" I hadn't discovered these boards prior to my first trip 4 years ago, so we ended up in a yucky hotel, crummy transportation, and spent more time with our noses in a map trying to figure out how to find the rides we wanted than actually riding and missed so much scenery along the way. A little time in advance planning would have made things much easier. Maybe a guide book like passporter or something would be better than the boards. It's okay, though, because I've been back two times since then and going again in April!!

 

[lpbm4]

I agree minus the ADRs. I think that really was the worst! It kept us too planned throughout our days and didn't give us enough spontaneity throughout!

But my #1 advice--GET OFF THE DISBOARDS NOW!! I think they are more for those who have already experienced WDW and the like. It's better for you to experience it all yourself.

 

[dzneelvr]

The Boards should be taken as "free advice" and information to consider. I do agree that no one should make plans extensively because of others' opinions. However, that said, I found and continue to find these boards extremely helpful when I ask specific questions.

 

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

I agree that becoming obsessed with reading these boards could cause undue stress for first time visitors but if you can research the resorts ,restaurants and attractions and at the same time take everything with a grain of salt you will be better off than going into it blindly IMO.

For example. like the OP, if I hadn't researched hotels on Tripadvisor (that was before I knew about the DIS board) I would have also stayed in a fleabag. Instead I opted to stay onsite and loved it.... have never ventured off site since . But other readers should take their situation into consideration and just because we like to stay on site, it might not work for them.

I do notice too many people stressing way too much over what should be fun. So join our group here but don't stress over the little things, pick restaurants based on your preference and don't worry if you choose a value resort over a deluxe.... you're going to WDW.... it will be fun!!!!

 

[CleveRocks]

We just returned from our first WDW Trip. Before the trip I read the boards and websites and tried to plan our trip accordingly. I was some what disappointed with the trip and did not really know why. Now that I have been on the trip I wanted to let others know some first timer tips.

Tip # 1 DO NOT READ THESE BOARDS. WDW is better if you just surprise your self. The people posting on these boards have been sooo many times that they can talk about every little thing that doesn’t even matter to you yet. Also, all of the info will overwhelm you and make you overly excited.
Tip # 2 It is OK to look at posts about hotels and restaurants. Every hotel is different and you want to find the one that will fit your family.
Tip # 3 Do not let postings on the boards affect your plans. A lot of people complained about things that worked well for us and some things people said were great we found not so great.
Tip # 4 The only pre planning you need to do is get a hotel and flight booked, and MAKE ADR’s (Advanced Dinning Reservations) I would make them at least 2 - 3 months in advance if you have restaurant preferences.

After you make reservations, no matter how excited you are, just try to forget about the trip and DO NOT talk on the boards everyday. Save that for when you get back. Some people may be fine with spending every day planning their first trip and then have a blast. We just wish some one had told us these things before we went. Hope this helps some one!

Wow, I couldn't disagree more with #1 and #4. Different strokes for different folks.

Last year, I went to WDW for the first time in 12 years, and the first time with kids, so I was a born-again first-timer. I LOVED gathering all the information I could. I didn't make a single actual plan (except for Hoop Dee Doo Revue and one character dinner ADR), but all the info was invaluable. In any situation, at any time when I was in WDW, I knew what was possible, what was available, and how to do it in the most fun and efficient way. For example, if we want lunch in Animal Kingdom, I pretty much know the menus from each counter-service place, so I can generally plan to go to this area or that area before lunch based upon my knowledge of what's being served where and what my family is in the mood for that afternoon, WITHOUT making us walk inefficiently all the way across the park the get the food or attraction we want.

Another good example is that without the DIS I wouldn't have really understood how Fastpass works. I also wouldn't have realized some little things like avoiding the early-morning line at Spaceship Earth and wait to ride it when leaving Epcot in mid-afternoon when there would be no line at all. I also wouldn't have known the most efficient Disney Transport routes between destinations ahead of time (such as how to get from CBR to Fort Wilderness for Hoop). And I wouldn't have realized how the room charge works and how how very convenient it is. And I wouldn't have known how much a grocery delivery would help me and my budget and my sleepy-headed family. And I wouldn't have understood Disney's Magical Express enough to use it without making clueless mistakes. And so on ....

With #4, I personally disagree with making lots of ADRs, but that's just me, my wife and I hate being on a schedule during vacation, and we finds lots of nutritious and tasty counter-service food, as well as some non-nutritious but tasty junk!

I'm TRULY not saying this to be insulting AT ALL, so please don't take it as such, but I think that not everyone is as impressionable or as dependent as you are. Some of us are capable of gathering information without 100% relying on it or letting it run (or ruin) our vacation experiences.

So for someone with my personality, research on the DIS was the best thing that happened to our "first-timer" vacation. I came armed with all the info I could pack into my little brain, but I used all that info to INFORM my vacation but not to RUN my vacation.

 

[Mom2Em]

I am not a first timer but I was once...

I disagree about staying off the boards... I found the boards very informative!! As for the negative posts, I take them all with a grain of salt... what is unbearable for one is not necessarily for all..

 

[CleveRocks]

Just thought of another one! For my most recent trip last month, I wouldn't have known that people can sit in the front of the monorail with the conductor, and the special way to arrange for that. My kids are STILL talking about that and it was a month ago! It's a special memory for me, too, and I have the DIS to thank for that, 100%. NO WAY I knew about that until I started DISing.

... AND I wouldn't have known that the parks have stroller rentals (for our "first" trip last year). We really didn't want to bring our own, so knowing they had rentals really saved the day for us, also. And I went in knowing how the system worked, how much it cost, etc.

 

[bytheblood]

To each his own....different stroke for different folks...you know the sayings.

Your advice may be great for some people, (like yourself) but not all. I come here for information to make the most of my trips and if it were not for the advice and negative and positive feedback of many of the familiar names on here, I would not get the most from my trips.

 

[susieq76]

For me, the reading and planning everyday is almost as fun as the trip itself When I've had a really tough day- these boards and dreaming of my next WDW trip makes it all better. All the tips people have given me have just enhanced my trip so much. To each there own eh?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

If you're there for several days, my advice for first timers is that Park Hopper options are not necessary. Each theme park has enough to fill a first timer's entire day without having to visit a second or third theme park.

After five days, your Disney tickets only cost $2 extra per day and that's cheaper than paying $40-45 for the Park Hopper option. What I'm saying is if you're visiting for five days, buying a 10-day pass for $216 is cheaper than a five day plus hopper option. A first timer will likely not visit ten theme parks in five days.

Also, I do recommend ADRs. I had problems getting into some restaurants last week that interested me because I didn't make ADRs that day. If you're on the dining plan, be sure to familiarize yourself with Signature Dining that cost two table services. That caught me by surprise once. I only made two ADRs out of six nights there. Some days I was looking forward to eating at one or two particular restaurants, but ended up eating elsewhere and often at an unappealing time of day like 9:50 p.m.

 

[Lucy6]

edit post

 

[blessedby3]

I have been to Disney lots of times, but there is always something new to learn. I love these boards. They are a wealth of information for everyone- 1st timers to experienced pros!!

 

[Lucy6]

I'm TRULY not saying this to be insulting AT ALL, so please don't take it as such, but I think that not everyone is as impressionable or as dependent as you are. Some of us are capable of gathering information without 100% relying on it or letting it run (or ruin) our vacation experiences.

So for someone with my personality, research on the DIS was the best thing that happened to our "first-timer" vacation. I came armed with all the info I could pack into my little brain, but I used all that info to INFORM my vacation but not to RUN my vacation.

I totally agree with these statements, Cleverocks!! I found these boards about four months before our first trip to WDW in 2005, and now I am planning our third trip in Feb 2007. I love to do research on anything I am going to spend a lot of money on, and I saved a lot of money (not to mention time and frustration) because of the knowledge I gained from reading these boards. But I did understand that most of the info was people's opinion, and that we are all going to have different likes and dislikes. I will ALWAYS use these boards as part of my WDW planning.

 

[SnwflkCts]

I loved all the planning BEFORE and discussing all the wonderful times I had AFTER my 1st (and 2nd) trip to WDW. I couldn't disagree more with what the OP said ... but to each his own. Remember, this post is advice much like any other posting!

Just one odd thing ... if you don't look at the DIS Boards, how would you know to read this post about not looking at it????



Still hope the OP had fun at WDW in spite of the advice!

 

[dismom301930]

If you're there for several days, my advice for first timers is that Park Hopper options are not necessary. Each theme park has enough to fill a first timer's entire day without having to visit a second or third theme park.

After five days, your Disney tickets only cost $2 extra per day and that's cheaper than paying $40-45 for the Park Hopper option. What I'm saying is if you're visiting for five days, buying a 10-day pass for $216 is cheaper than a five day plus hopper option. A first timer will likely not visit ten theme parks in five days.

I didn't realize that you could go to more than one park per day with the basic (non-hopper) MYW tickets, even if you have extra days to use. Am I wrong?

 

[Mom2Em]

I didn't realize that you could go to more than one park per day with the basic (non-hopper) MYW tickets, even if you have extra days to use. Am I wrong?

That is a good question... It would be very beneficial to alot of people if it works that way... Has anyone done this?