First timers

[Disney2017]

Hi everyone. Just discovered this board and am addicted....so many useful tips!!!

We are basically first timers. Went as children when you basically picked a random motel in Kissimmee and rocked up at the Disney gates when you wanted to go. Pretty sure it was only Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

We are booked at AOA late January. We are coming for 7 nights. I got 7 day passes thinking we could always hang at the hotel for a few afternoons instead of having a full rest day, is that reasonable?

I am finding the planning threads a bit overwhelmingDo I really need a minute by minute plan for a first visit? I have no clue how to even start....we dont even know what any of the attractions are ha ha!

I have booked character meals and will book fast passes for things I think my kids will like (girls 6 and 4) when that window opens. The rest I guess we'll just wing! Do you think that's enough of a 'plan' for a first visit?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Klayfish]

First of all, I'd say the overall excitement of having a trip is going to be overwhelming as it is. So don't try to bite off more than you can chew.

I don't stay on property, so I can't help you with the meal planning part. We always stay off property and pack our own food.

Do you need to plan minute by minute? I absolutely would say no, you don't. You will definitely want a plan as to which park you will visit on which day, as your Fastpass (aka FP+) will revolve around that. With FP+, you can book 3 in advance per day, and they must be in the same park. Hence why you'll need to know which park you'll be in on which day. Beyond that, I see no reason to plan minute by minute. If you're doing a dining plan, you'll obviously need to make reservations, unless you want to do quick service restaurants...of which there are plenty. Sure, my wife and I have the advantage of knowing where we're going, but even still, we spend very little time planning. We were just there for a 17 day trip. Honestly, I think we spent less than 2 hours planning. About one hour sketching out a daily plan for which park to be in on which day, a few minutes each morning picking our FP+ once that window opened, and then maybe 30 minutes putting together a "wish list" of things our kids wanted to do. That's it.

Yes, it's quite reasonable to take a rest at the hotel or wherever. A lot of people, if not most, do that at some point. We do.

Really, if this is your first trip, my advice would be to get your schedule set as to which parks you'll be in on which day so you can do FP+, get your dining plan together, and from there just have fun. Look at the park maps online, then grab one when you get into the park. Ask questions if you want about particular attractions. We can help you with any questions about those. You'll be so wide eyed from everything, so just soak it all in. The point of going to WDW is to have fun, not stress over planning. Don't worry about trying to see everything...I promise you that you won't and can't. Just take the time to enjoy whatever you're doing.

As you get to the 90-60 day mark from your trip, I'd also recommend downloading the MyDisneyExperience (MDE) app on your smartphone. It has a ton of information on it. One thing that you'll like is that it shows wait times for most of the rides. Start browsing through that, so that you can get a feel for what rides you'll want to FP+ or ones you just don't need to. Again, all of us here can help you with figuring out which rides to FP+, depending on your taste in rides. Logically, to save your feet you'll want to try to hit rides close together, so you're not walking from end to end of each park. But again, being rookies, you won't be able to do an "advanced" plan like a lot of people here and know instinctively where to go and when. Just go with the flow and have a blast!

 

[yaya74]

Hi everyone. Just discovered this board and am addicted....so many useful tips!!!

I found Disboards 14 years ago and I am still on it...haha.

We are booked at AOA late January. We are coming for 7 nights. I got 7 day passes thinking we could always hang at the hotel for a few afternoons instead of having a full rest day, is that reasonable?

yes, do take daily breaks. your kids and yourself will definitely need it.

I am finding the planning threads a bit overwhelmingDo I really need a minute by minute plan for a first visit? I have no clue how to even start....we dont even know what any of the attractions are ha ha!
I have booked character meals and will book fast passes for things I think my kids will like (girls 6 and 4) when that window opens. The rest I guess we'll just wing! Do you think that's enough of a 'plan' for a first visit?

Thanks for your help!

do study all the attractions there is so you can plan your FP+ accordingly. There is a time on FP+. If you don't know when or where, it will be hard to plan for your FP+. You can also wing it. Whatever works for your family.

Happy planning!

 

[carolynwi]

I completely agree with everything Klayfish said... I've never understood planning every single move, I feel like it sucks the fun out of everything. The only thing I'm a stickler on is making sure I have 3 FP booked for each day and atleast one dining reservation each day.. Other than that I say wing it!! HAVE FUN!

 

[speeb]

I just booked my fastpasses for my first trip as a family leader. Like you, my wife and I had gone as children. Here's how it's gone for me:

I devoured all the information I could find, subscribed to multiple sites, went back and forth making plans on all of them. I thought Touring Plans (this will represent the plan-to-the-minute type) was awesome. But then I'm like... my kids and wife are not going to want me pushing them from thing to thing. And I don't want that stress either.

I've finally settled on using the information at easyWDW.com for my planning. Basically, attractions are broken down into three buckets: First hour, second hour, rest of the day. It allows you to have a plan so you don't stand around going, "What do you guys want to do next?" but still have some freedom and not worry so much about how much time you have allotted for walking from one place to the next. His plans have maps, attraction lists, fastpass recommendations... everything you're going to need. His site is also just super fun to read, it's really the only one I'll keep in my news feed after my trip.

So definitely have SOME sort of plan so that you can at least refer to it if you need it. But I wouldn't worry about it being super detailed.

 

[Disney2017]

Thank you all!!

Great tip to study a map to book attractions that are sort of in the same area!

We have the dining plan and I have already booked one table service each day so I guess that has determined which park we'll do each day! We have hoppers so technically could do different parks than where we are dining.

I will book the 3 fast passes each day for sure.

Thank you for easing my mind

It is a surprise trip and I am already dying of excitement ha ha!!

 

[Disfan5]

You sound just like me on our first trip! These boards helped make it so great our "one-time-trip" ended up repeating itself the very next year!
Your plans sound similar to ours as well. The disney world website will show you all of the rides, shows, restaurants, etc. in each park. I just made a list of everything we wanted to do in addition to our FP+. My best advice for a first-timer would be to look at a map of each park (and maybe even take a copy with you to the parks) and have an idea going in of where things are. That was my biggest "mistake" on our first trip, I had a list of everything we wanted to do but I had no idea where those things were!
And I definitely think not taking a full rest day is totally reasonable. We never did either, but did sleep in one day and then hang out at the pool for a few hours before heading into a park. That's what makes having 7 day tickets so nice, you can afford to take it a little easier without feeling like you are wasting your park time!

 

[Klayfish]

You'll hear mixed opinion on the park hoppers. We're devout hopper people, couldn't imagine doing WDW without it. It'll help take some stress out of having to have a perfect plan...if you're in a park and are either done with it or just find it's not what you want to do, you've got the freedom to go somewhere else.

You can look at a lot of the touring plan sites and such, but I wouldn't get too wrapped up in them. As a general rule of thumb, the parks are the least crowded during the first hour or so they are open and the last 2 hours before closing. You can fit a lot in during those times. The midday is most crowded. Each to their own, but I really am a big believer in having a lose plan, but leaving plenty of time to do what we call "freestyling"...a.k.a. "What do you want to do now?" It keeps some stress of having to be at a certain place at a certain time out, and just makes it more fun to do certain things on a whim.

 

[megster1123]

Here are my tips which are not really planning-related but still some of the best tips I got from my friends when we started our first big family trip.

• Manage your expectations - don't expect empty parks, walk-on rides, perfect weather, no wait ADRs, awesome SDFP availability, fast busses, etc.... You can easily set yourself up for failure and disappointment if you expect everything to be perfect. It's not going to be. If you set realistic expectations that leaves room for the little things and surprise pixie dust along the way to elevate your experience.
• Set the tone - as the planner you'll own the details of the trip and if/when things start to go sideways on you, don't let frustration or disappointment settle in. So it rained and ruined your plan for the afternoon? Just reset and keep a positive outlook and set the tone for the family. We find that when the "planner" stays positive it carries over to the rest of us.

The rest of the planing and WDW tips you'll start to gather for yourself with time by browsing the boards. I started out just reading threads - even if it wasn't relevant for our trip at that specific time I'd read them anyway so I would be in the know when I needed to. Good luck, you're going to have a great time

 

[Disney2017]

You'll hear mixed opinion on the park hoppers. We're devout hopper people, couldn't imagine doing WDW without it. It'll help take some stress out of having to have a perfect plan...if you're in a park and are either done with it or just find it's not what you want to do, you've got the freedom to go somewhere else.

You can look at a lot of the touring plan sites and such, but I wouldn't get too wrapped up in them. As a general rule of thumb, the parks are the least crowded during the first hour or so they are open and the last 2 hours before closing. You can fit a lot in during those times. The midday is most crowded. Each to their own, but I really am a big believer in having a lose plan, but leaving plenty of time to do what we call "freestyling"...a.k.a. "What do you want to do now?" It keeps some stress of having to be at a certain place at a certain time out, and just makes it more fun to do certain things on a whim.

Yes, I have already read pros/cons of the hoppers. I think they are a good choice for us this trip since we aren't planning any official rest days. If we want to go back to another park later in the day just to check out a few things I won't feel like we've 'wasted' a park ticket.

I look forward to some freestyling ha ha! A loose plan of 3 fast passes and dining set for each day looks like it will work out fine!

Thanks for your help!

 

[Disfan5]

Yes, I have already read pros/cons of the hoppers. I think they are a good choice for us this trip since we aren't planning any official rest days. If we want to go back to another park later in the day just to check out a few things I won't feel like we've 'wasted' a park ticket.

I look forward to some freestyling ha ha! A loose plan of 3 fast passes and dining set for each day looks like it will work out fine!

Thanks for your help!

Agree about the hoppers! We got them our first trip and only used them on the last day to go around and do all of our favorite things again. Our second trip I did not get them and I missed doing that! Even if you only use them once or twice it is so worth it to have that freedom

 

[rwdavis2]

A couple of books: The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and a First Time book sold by easywdw.com. Easy WDW has a lot of great park touring info

 

[sharonabe]

You don't need a minute-by-minute plan, but having a loose order of how you want to tour is a good idea. Otherwise, you do the first attraction you see, and then stand around saying, "what do you want to do next?" That will make for a very long day. So, studying the maps and making a loose plan is the way we go.

 

[whiporee]

I'll warn you of this: the greatest source of stress for my family has been the ADRs and character meals. The've forced us into plans and parks we don't necessarily want to be at. So my suggestion for them would be to plan them early -- first thing of a day -- or late -- last thing of a day. Don't try to squeeze things in around them, because you almost always have to wait, the food is never fantastic and you've already paid. So I'd do my best to keep them to a minimum, and don't try to arrange days around character lunches, because that can make you crazy quick as you rush to get to a place and then have to wait 20 minutes once you get there, and all you can see is your other plans for the day getting messed up. i personally think the only really good character meal is Crystal Palace -- all the rest of the ones we've done (and we've done almost all) seem rushed and forced, and it's a pain to be managing kids eating and your eating while taking your own pictures and trying to create the moment. The lined-based character meets are usually a lot less rushed and friendlier, and worth a FP (especially with kids that young).

The other thing I'd suggest is do not expect anything extra. What I mean is plan your day around scheduled park hours, not that they've extended them in the past. Or booking a PPO breakfast thinking it will give you a head start on a ride line. My experience has been that WDW very very rarely reduces hours once they've posted them. They often extend, but almost never reduce. So if you plan for what they've said they are doing rather than what you hope they'll do (or won't do), you'll be a lot happier.

One more thing, because I like to spend other people's money: do the desert parties. With kids that young, you don't want to lose hours holding spots on curbs. The desert parties are considered a rip-off by a lot of people, but I think they give you security for a neat part of the WDW experience. And -- as bad as it sounds -- deserts for kids late at night are a good sugar boost that might help you make it all the way back to the resort.

Also, with kids that young, you might think about renting a car. The bus services are very nice, but late in the day (or early in the morning) the bus lines can be maddening. It might be worth it just to avoid them.

 

[Disney2017]

I'll warn you of this: the greatest source of stress for my family has been the ADRs and character meals. The've forced us into plans and parks we don't necessarily want to be at. So my suggestion for them would be to plan them early -- first thing of a day -- or late -- last thing of a day. Don't try to squeeze things in around them, because you almost always have to wait, the food is never fantastic and you've already paid. So I'd do my best to keep them to a minimum, and don't try to arrange days around character lunches, because that can make you crazy quick as you rush to get to a place and then have to wait 20 minutes once you get there, and all you can see is your other plans for the day getting messed up. i personally think the only really good character meal is Crystal Palace -- all the rest of the ones we've done (and we've done almost all) seem rushed and forced, and it's a pain to be managing kids eating and your eating while taking your own pictures and trying to create the moment. The lined-based character meets are usually a lot less rushed and friendlier, and worth a FP (especially with kids that young).

The other thing I'd suggest is do not expect anything extra. What I mean is plan your day around scheduled park hours, not that they've extended them in the past. Or booking a PPO breakfast thinking it will give you a head start on a ride line. My experience has been that WDW very very rarely reduces hours once they've posted them. They often extend, but almost never reduce. So if you plan for what they've said they are doing rather than what you hope they'll do (or won't do), you'll be a lot happier.

One more thing, because I like to spend other people's money: do the desert parties. With kids that young, you don't want to lose hours holding spots on curbs. The desert parties are considered a rip-off by a lot of people, but I think they give you security for a neat part of the WDW experience. And -- as bad as it sounds -- deserts for kids late at night are a good sugar boost that might help you make it all the way back to the resort.

Also, with kids that young, you might think about renting a car. The bus services are very nice, but late in the day (or early in the morning) the bus lines can be maddening. It might be worth it just to avoid them.

Thank you. Great tips!! My travel agent also advised me against mid day ADR so while I have booked a lot of character meals they are all start or end of day bookings. I think that will work well for us. I also expect character meals to take a long time but think that will be OK for my family.

Will look into the dessert parties!

Thanks for the tip about busses! We will not be renting a car but I have included the cost of a few taxis into my budget for exactly the reasons you said!

 

[ArmyVet80]

I would say that you are on the right track. The first trip my DW and I went on (our Disneymoon) together the TA we used didn't let us know about ADR's. We were lucky to get some TS meals and we were on the DlxDP. It was almost wasted but our concierge at POFQ got us into some reasonable eateries (Biergarten x2, Chefs de France, etc..)

If you already have a few meals picked out and can make the ADR's or have made ADR's then you are already doing well.

With the 60 day window for FP's you are likely to get some good ones. If you don't happen to get one that you want keep looking because their is a possibility something could open up.

Other than that make sure you see things at your pace. Since it is your first trip don't plan on seeing everything in 7 days and don't be disappointed if you don't see everything.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

Welcome @Disney2017

You definitely don't have to plan a minute-to-minute. You mentioned you've made some ADRs, but not FPs yet. I would recommend looking at Park Maps (I prefer Kenny the Pirate's maps) to decide which rides and characters are important to you. It helps to do this so that when you make FPs, you aren't crisscrossing all over the parks and tiring out the kids' little legs!

 

[lynzi2004]

We had our first trip with our kids in April (DD4, DS2). It was also a surprise trip and since they were so young they had no idea where we were until we were driving under the WDW sign! Even then it took them a few minutes, they kept shouting "Mickey!", "Minnie!", etc as we passed the character boards. We were heading to breakfast at Chef Mickey's first thing that morning and the look on my daughters face when she spotted the castle in the distance is something that I will cherish forever!


My biggest suggestion (other than FP and dining) is to download park maps!! Have an idea where each ride is in the park and try to finish one land before going to another. For example, if one DD really wants to ride Little Mermaid and the other wants to do Splash Mtn, have some idea of a plan on how your going to accomplish that in the day. Let them know that you will get to everything they want to do, it just may not be in "their" order! It will save you a lot of walking, criss-crossing the park all day can be tiring and stressful!

 

[DreamFlightCpt.]

First of all, congrats! There is so much more to see and do since you've first been that it will feel like the first time. I would suggest a plan, but don't feel like you need to be married to it. Ask your girls what they want to see and do, and go from there. Getting FP+ times will help in some sort of organization of a park day. But again, don't feel like you have to plan everything for the minute. Also, breaks do come in handy. If you're starting to get burnt, step away from the hustle for an hour or so. Hotel hopping is a favorite topic for this on the boards, especially on an MK day, which can get extremely busy.

In the end, just do what's right for you and you'll have a blast!

 

[Klayfish]

You don't need a minute-by-minute plan, but having a loose order of how you want to tour is a good idea. Otherwise, you do the first attraction you see, and then stand around saying, "what do you want to do next?" That will make for a very long day. So, studying the maps and making a loose plan is the way we go.

I have mixed feelings on that. Like I said, you need to plan what park you'll be in so you can plan your FP+, and you also will get tired if you walk completely end to end in the parks all day. At the same time, there's a fun element of just exploring, especially as a newbie, and saying "What do you want to do next?". Heck, if we wanted to, when we walk into the main entrance at MK, we could spend an hour in the shops on Main Street before we even get to a single ride.