First Trip Please Help

[[copher09]

We will be visiting Spring 2010 and this site offers so much information. I love it. I am on here everyday. Yet it can be a bit overwhelming. We will have kids 3,6,8,13. I want to accomodate everyone but can't decide what to do. We definitely want to do Disneyland, and Sea World. We will have 5 days allotted for parks. What are musts? I was thinking Disney would need two days? Yes/No what are your ideas? What restaurant would you recommend off site? The three year old doesn't do well with long waits. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[LovinRafiki]

OK, I will attempt to help a little bit. First, I would suggest looking at www.wdwinfo.com to really learn what Disney is all about. A couple corrections, and don't feel bad we have all been there. First of all, are you planning on going to California(Disneyland) or Florida(Disney World). There is a huge difference between the two. The main thing would be the size. Disney World in Florida is twice the size of Manhattan. There are 4 theme parks with in the Disney World property. For most, it takes a 1/2 day to a full day at each park to receive the full experience. I hope this helps a little bit. Keep looking at sites and this thread for more details and keep the questions coming!

 

[2luvmickey]

It can be overwhelming for the first time. There's so much to see and do, and LovinRafiki is right, where are you going? Disneyland in CA is so smaller, while WDW is sooo large, I've been there 8 times and I've still haven't seen it all!

Here are my tips:
1. Book ADR's We like to have our big sit-down meal around 1:30pm. By that time, the boys need a break (yep, even big kids get tired!). Plus, lunch is cheaper.
2. We always travel with a deck of cards and pull them out while waiting for our food to arrive.
3. After lunch, we fast pass one more ride and leave the parks for some R&R. We return around or just after dinner. We like to stay late to take in the fireworks and shows.
4. Use the information on the Disney website. You can read about the rides, even make up your own maps.

Keep the questions comin' Planning is half the fun! Remember, be flexible and don't try to see everything in one trip - it's not possible.

 

[[copher09]

Thanks for the replies. We will be visiting WDW (fl). I will check out the WDW info site. It is just a vast amount of info and i want to do the tshirts cuz the design teams are so creative. I want to do the letters to the kids and I want to do lots more. I want it to be perfect. LOL I want my kids to get along....I'm dreaming now! I don't want to miss anything. Maybe I should just wing it and enjoy the time together the first trip. Is that possible? I want to do a character meal, but they all sound fun. The 3 yr old loves Mickey, the 6 yr old loves Cars, the 8 yr old loves Tink and the 13 yr is just excited to be going. She is flexible as long as she gets to SHOP!

 

[Chelley00]

I suggest buying a guide book, especially Unofficial Guide to Disney. It has Seaworld info in the back too. It was a lifesaver for our first trip. It has everything you want to know about accomodations, parks with maps, dining reviews, descriptions of rides etc. I read it from cover to cover and back again in preparing for our trip

 

[3_disprincesses]

Our 1st trip to WDW was overwhelming...and I had coaching! Read the guidebooks - check the library so you can look over whats available and maybe only have to buy the one or two that you find the most helpful. The thing that helped me prepare the most was a great travel agent and friends who had been before and were more than willing to help inform me. Part of the fun of your trip is the planning! Good Luck and Have Lots of Fun!

 

[Alesia]

Keep in mind that you will not be able to see it all. We were there for 9 days last March and that was just enough time for us to the things that we really, really wanted to do. There were still plenty of things we would have loved to do, but we just didn't have time to fit them in.

Honestly, I think you'd have to stay for at least a month before you could do everything.

 

[Disnutty]

The more info you give to the DIS board, the more help you will get back. Can you tell us when in the Spring you will be visiting WDW or at least narrow it down to the week(s) that you think will be able to visit? Also form your prior posts you will have 4 kids and we assume your Husband so you will have a total of 6. Let us know if any friends or others will be with you. Are you planning to stay in Disney hotels or will you be staying off site? This is very important because if you stay at a Disney Hotel you can take advantage of the early morning openings and or late evening hours. If you stay off site then a different strategy must be put into play. Please give as much information that you can so you will be better prepared for your Disney experience.

 

[weezy26nm]

What I did for our first trip (there was 5 of us) was get everyone to pick 2 things from each park that they really wanted to see or do and we made a point of getting those done. Anything else was a bonus.

For restaurants off-site, we really like the Golden Corral. It is an all you can eat buffett, including dessert for around $10 (not sure what the child price was). If you have picky eaters there is ususally something for everyone. We also like Ci Ci's pizza, which was another all you can eat buffet (can you see a pattern here) pizza, salad and dessert. And I think it was less than $10 a person. We also had the breakfast buffet at Ponderosa. And supper at I-Hop (no buffet)

 

[dblr]

I would agree that more info will help us help you, as said before are you staying on or off site,also are you flying or driving there that can change some things. I am sure you will get plenty of help when you fill us in more.

 

[Laffrenier Family]

we'll be watching this thread closely as we are in a similar situation (first timers)

looking forward to the great insight...

 

[weezy26nm]

I believe I missed your leaving today. Have a fun and magical trip! Hope to hear all about it when you get back.

 

[weezy26nm]

Welcome home! Hope it was magical Can't wait to hear all about it and maybe see some pictures. Are you planning on doing a trip report?