First Trip - In Over My Head

[tj's mommy]

So - this is my first post and I'm so overwhelmed already!

Can anyone break me into this slowly?? LOL

My babysitter is doing an internship at WSW Aug-Jan. She's invited us to come down and we are going to go in October. She apparently can get us pretty good deals on hotel and park tickets.

No one in my family has EVER been....

DS will just have turned 3...

Where do I even start????

Help!!!!

 

[GoofyFairie]

I suggest getting a travel book for Disney. I found the Disney with Kids to be extremely helpful. It has info about resorts, parks, rides and how your kids may react to them, food. You will vast amounts of info and support on the dis. You can get good info on mousesavers and allears. Have a magical time!

 

[Goofy4]

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index has a "first timers" guide as well as a "free vacation planning DVD" offer.

 

[stopher1]

WELCOME!!

The sources that the pp's mentioned are all very good. Additionally, spend some time on the official WDW site http://www.disneyworld.com. There's a wealth of information to be found there. Be sure to check out the Mom's Panel pages where all kinds people get their questions answered (there's usually a link to it on almost any page you read through). And of course there's just tons of info to found here on the DIS...

Good luck in your planning! It'll be fun...

 

[NJBILL]

The first thing you need to do is relax and not be stressed about your trip.

Do some research as previously suggested. get pricing on airfare (IF FLYING) as well as tickets and room reservations. GAther your information and start a book or folder to keep it in for reference. The more organized you are the better. Get all of your quotes in order and then book your trip. We always buy trip insurance, but that is a personal choice.

Read..Read..ANd Read some more..

Just take the process in a logical order and things will fall into place...

 

[Rylee]

So - this is my first post and I'm so overwhelmed already!

Can anyone break me into this slowly?? LOL

My babysitter is doing an internship at WSW Aug-Jan. She's invited us to come down and we are going to go in October. She apparently can get us pretty good deals on hotel and park tickets.

No one in my family has EVER been....

DS will just have turned 3...

Where do I even start????

Help!!!!

Hi

If you will be flying, start looking around at airfare. Travel sites, such as expedia, are a good place to start to get an idea of pricing, but always check directly with the airline itself before booking. Booking directly with the airline is most often best, too.

Disney has their own transportation system, there is no need for a car rental, although some prefer to have one.

I'm not sure what your friend will be able to get for you, but to get an idea...

Resorts -
Disney offers several categories... values, moderates, deluxe, etc. Their pricing is broken into seasons, Disney seasons. Visit the official WDW site, take a look at the allears site, or click on resorts, higher up on this page to view resort choices. Many have themes... find what appeals to your family.

Tickets -
Magic Your Way base tickets allow you to visit one park per day. The "hopper" options allows you to visit more than one park per day. The "Water Park and more" option, adds admissions to the Water Parks, Pleasure Island, etc. The price per day, becomes cheaper as you buy more days.

Dining -
Disney offers a Dining Plan (DP). The basic plan includes 1 snack, 1 Counter Service meal (CS), and 1 Table Service meal (TS), for each person in your party, and for each night of your stay. Adult cost is about $38, and children (3-9) are $10, times (X) the number of nights you stay.

Some families love the Dining Plan, others do not. (We do... I have always schedule 1 table service meal per day. It's a nice break from the parks, heat, crowds and the restaurants are fun!)

Check out menus, prices and restaurants at the allears site.

Dining Plan, or not, if you want to experience and dine at some of the Table Service restaurants, you need to schedule Advance Dining Reservations (ADR). You can make reservations 180 days in advance. (Your son would probably enjoy a character meal.)

Parks -
Also, start looking at the parks, what each offers and what might be "must-do-and-see" attractions for your family.

Enjoy your planning and remember to discover the magic at your own pace.

 

[KJ Luvs Pluto]

Welcome! This is a great place to get info! Everyone here is so helpful so any question you can think to ask - there will be someone here who has the answer. And there is no such thing as a stupid question. Although I had a professor in college who used to say that and then when you asked a question he would say "Well, that's a stupid question" But then he would answer it. But, to get back to the topic at hand, having an idea about what are must-see/do attractions and even knowing what the layout of each park is before you go so you don't walk through the turnstiles then stop, take out your map and then try to decide what you are going to do that day. Time is money at WDW and you don't want to waste any of it. That being said, you also want to stop and smell the roses (sometimes literally) and soak up the atmosphere around you. You have taken the smart step of coming here and asking for help - that will go a long way in being prepared before you even get there. Planning can be overwhelming but it also can be fun.

 

[drcandon]

The best thing I can say is lurk on these boards and doing a bit of reading...Remember, everyone has an opinion and sometimes they are just that -opinions - what is right for someone is not for others. If you belong to AAA/CAA, go and ask for the Disney trained TA. In Canada/Ontario selected TA's have attended a Disney sponsored course on everything Disney, so that might be a good place to start. Again remember not all TA's are trained alike - it is not shameful to ask them for their references ie have they ever been to Disney???

The first time we went to Disney was well over 20 years ago and it was much simpler - Disney has grown immensely in complexity.

However, that being said a few basic quidelines can be said..first and formost is get a general budget and try to stick to it..I have never seen any other vacation grow in dollar amount like a Disney one, even if you get the park hopper - dining plan - pay for the air ( if you have to fly) - use Disney transportation..money at Disney always seems to sneak away on you.

I echo the comments of other posters, pick a resort that fits your budget and gives you the most flexibility for what you want to do..

For example if you only have two or three days at WDW and are only going to hit MK and Epcot and can swing the cost then staying at the Poly or the Contemporary that mght be the best choice - no driving - convenient and regular transport ( monorails) and good food choices whithin reach. And garden view rooms can be obtained in value seaon at resonable rates ( notice I said resonable - nothing Disney is cheap).

If you add any other parks, especially DTD, then other resorts should be considered.

It might be worth your while - especially in a busy season to rent a cheapo car for transportation.

One thing I would recommend ( again this is my opinion) is if you plan on doing all the parks, including water parks and DTD is to stay on property. Do not stay off property - even at some of the hotels near DTD. The benefits of being immersed in the whole experience is worth the extra couple of bucks. Also Disney transport is vastly superior to anything offered from nearby hotels.

Also plan your days in advance...and then add 2 or 3 extra hours. I know all these wonderful books say there is a plan for hitting this and that attraction and then running at rope drop to this etc etc..Sure, that does work and yep you can maxmize the number of attractions visited per day..etc etc..then after you are done running a seven day marathon - you need a vaction from the vacation. Most of the really old hats at Disney tell you to relax and take each day as a learning fun experience. Sure take a look at the various Disney maps and see where Pirates is as compared to Its a Small world, but remember running through Disney parks is just plain hazardous to your health. Someone always loves to trip you. And dragging kids away from Its A Small world is like pulling out molars without anethestia - can be done but is painful. I have personally witnessed women and men actually break down and cry when the "book" says that visit this then run for that, instead their child wants to go on a ride a second time, with the naturally ensuing mess that happens.

So read and be aware and plan but be very very flexible- WDW is huge and unlike any other vacation you have been on.

 

[themudd4]

Welcome to the DIS.
Disney planning can be overwhelming for everyone. I have been several times and still get that way.
While Yes I would suggest a guide book...maybe several of them...lol, I also think that for a first timer buying a package deal would be the best option.
Go to the offical disney world web site, look at all the packages...select the hotel that is in your price range that you like best, then decide if you want to pre pay for your meals or not, then decide how many days you plan to visit the parks.
If you have AAA then I would call AAA and ask for the WDW TA in their office. This will save you a lil money over rack rates.
If your Babysitter can get you better rates then ask her to help you book your trip and order your tickets since likely she will be the one who has to do this anyway.
The main thing you need to remember is that it is supposed to be a VACATION. So sit back and enjoy all the fun Disney can be...even the planning!

 

[seabee]

WELCOME! I have to say, planning our trip is one of my favorite things. It gets the excitment up for when we go. My biggest piece of advice to you(and it took me a while to get there) is don't try and get it all in on this visit. You won't, and you will stress yourself out trying, as well as miss some not so important/noticable things along the way. Your son is 3, so FantasyLand will probably be very important to him. Believe me, you can still get a memorable and fulfilling trip to all the parks at a slow pace. Definately make your dining reservations in advance. I suggest Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's(good for your son's age). If you do the dining plan and want more character meals allearsnet.com has a nice breakdown of who is where. Oh at 3 he probably watches Playhouse Disney. Hollywood & Vine at HS has JoJo and Goliath, Handy Manny and the Little Einstiens. They also have a decent choice of kid friendly foods. I believe the characters are there for breakfast and lunch only.

I suggest that you take a look at the disney website and check out each park and attractions. That way you can make sure you hit the ones that you feel would be most important. Don't stress the other stuff. And the best thing you can do is ask questions on the boards and read. And just like everyone else said, it is a vacation so have fun! That is what is important! We are going in October too, we love it then. Have a great trip!!!

 

[PAcpl]

First of all Welcome to Dis!

Im surprised nobody has mentioned tourguidemike.com yet. You can find a wealth of info on his site and it is broken down in a way that makes it VERY easy for a beginner to follow. I joined TGM for our first trip and it was a huge help. Much like you I had no idea what to expect in WDW, but that site really helped to break it down. There are charts that suggest what park to do each day that you are there depending on the season. He is also a forum sponsor.

HTH and enjoy your trip,

Brian

 

[Goofy4]

I just noticed this video at msnbc.com: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23244801#23244801

Might be the same piece already available elsewhere.

 

[DB&KS]

I just watched the MSNBC video even though I am not a first timer but it was really fun to see. Since I still have many months until my trip to Disney it was a good pick me up.

 

[ilovediznee2]

The best advice you can take is to plan. Just don't over-plan. A friend of mine had her vacation planned down to how many minutes she thought she'd be in line, how long the rides were, how long it would take to get from ride to ride... Needless to say, it didn't work for her, and she was stressed out about it. Have an idea of what you want to do, but as everyone has said, be flexible about it. Don't stress if you don't see everything, because you won't. Just think of that as a reason to go back!!