First trip to Disney...Trip planning advice please....

[tecboy]

After reading the overwhelming amount of info on these forums, I decided to sign up. This is my first trip to Disney and will be travelling with my wife and two 11 year old girls. My trip will be from June 10-June 17. I already have decided to stay off property at the Windsor Palms as it is cheaper and has more advantages (bedrooms, kitchen,private pool) over staying onsite. I am leaning towards buying a 3 day hopper plus ticket as I would also like to possibly visit Universal and maybe Kennedy during my trip.. Any tips or advide as to what parks to visit on what days...should we spend more time in one park over another? I know 7 days is not alot of time to experience everything.. what is the best plan for food while at the parks..am I trying to plan too much for 7 days?

 

[mitros]

You will shortly be inundated with a lot of great information. The one thing that I would suggest is that you stay "on property". It is far better because of the proximity to everything, the transportation, and the benefits. Take my word for it,you will be happier you stayed in a Disney resort. You are going at a busy time of the year, so the closeness will be a plus. Oh, and by the way, with all there is to do at Disney, and it is your first trip, you might not find the time to go to the space center. Welcome to the boards!

 

[kilee]

I on the other hand really enjoy renting the private homes, with private pools. I think the amenities for the price can't be beat. I don't feel any of the magic is lost by not staying on site. I do have to agree that 3 days at Disney, a day at KSC and 1-2 at Universal just might be too much. First, a "full" day in the parks is very, very long. Try to arrive at opening. It will still be alittle cooler-- and the crowds don't tend to build for an hour or 2 after opening. You will get a lot done. Usually after 3 days in the parks, you really might need a down day. Where you can relax by the pool and not have to rush to get anywhere. There is just so much to see and do that you'll have to pick what is at the top of your list and go with just that. It can get very, very overwhelming. Just remember you can't see or do it all. That is why so many of us keep going back over and over again!!!! I personally am not in favor of park hopping on a first trip. I think you have more than enough to see and do, that you could easily fill up a whole day in one park. Others think different though. Just a few pointers. Don't forget to make a few PS's. Especially for that time of year. Also, don't forget to grab seating for the parades 30-45 minutes ahead of time. That was my biggest rookie mistake. Get the Disney planning video from Disney, it's free!! And research, go prepared!! Last Have fun!! This board is great and you'll find everything you need to know here!!

 

[mitros]

Another thought comes to mind. Try to get to the parks when the gates open. Then, around noon, when the parks start to get crowded, go back to your resort {this is where staying on property comes in handy} eat lunch, use the pool,and just relax. Then, go back to the park later in the day for late afternoon and evening goings on.

 

[XStAnt]

With two 11 y/o girls I'd strongly recommend more than 3 days at Disney. For a first trip I'd suggest at least 4 days--one for each park. Your kids will probably like MK and MGM the most. AK could probably be done in about 2/3 of the day. After that head back to one of the other parks for extra time. MK will probably take the longest since it is the "classic" Disney park with the most familiar attractions. Plan a little more time there.

On a first trip you will have to make decisions on what to see and not see. My personal recomendation for a first visit is to plan 4 days at Disney and 2 days at Universal (your girls are probably at a great age for some of the thrill rides at Universal). As much as I love KSC, it's probably too much for a first trip. I'd also probably skip the water parks this trip.

I also recommend getting to the parks early. If you want to see and do alot of attractions you may have to do a little commando touring. This means you may not be able to take advantage of an afternoon break and may need to stay late some nights. It's a tough call and you'll have to decide how much you want to try to see.

Get a guide book. I recommend the Unofficial Guide since they have good touring plans. Thay can help you squeeze the most out of your time.

Also, learn how to maximize use of Fastpass. June will be crowded and FP can really help.

As for food, all the parks have great restaurants. Epcot has the biggest and most variety. Definitely make a PS for lunch of dinner at a restaurant in Epcot. The moderate and deluxe resorts also have great restaurants. Check out www.wdwig.com to see menus from some restaurants.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[kaylajr]

First off WELCOME

careful though this place is addicting

everyone's opinion on how to best enjoy Disney is going to differ but we all agree on one thing Disney is the place to be.

i stay off site in a rental home for the reasons you put in your post Price Private Pool the Bedrooms and the kitchen

i DO NOT feel like we missed any magic that way
but never having stayed on site????? who knows

a 7 day trip is great if you go into it knowing you will NOT see everything (that's what 2nd 3rd and 4th trips are for)

we normallly do 4 days in disney and then either sea world or universal.

alot of people say AK will not take a full day
that depends on your family we take at least a day sometimes more and MGM is the one we are out of by 1:00.

Epcot and MK take at least 1 day each to even scratch the surface

i suggest read the boards alot get a guide book
try to pick the things you most want to do

but BE FLEXIBLE just ecause something is not on your original itinerary doesn't mean skip it
if you all are interested it will be great

have a great time planning and that will make for a wonderful trip
any questions ask away...

 

[MELSMICE]

Welcome to The Boards. You'll get a lot of information & opinions here. Here's what I would recommend:

--I would stay on-site. The main reason being that you are going at a busy & hot time of year. I would want to be able to get back to my resort for an afternoon break when the sun is hot & it is very convenient to do that when you're on-site. It may take up to an hour to get back to your place if you're off-site. JMO though. You could always look into renting DVC points from an owner & still get a full kitchen in a 1BR unit, which sleeps 4. They also have 2BR units.

--Someone mentioned not doing a water park, but I would recommend doing at least 1. We also have two 11 year old girls & a 14 year old DD & they love the water parks. The time of year you are going will be the best time to enjoy a water park.

--7 days is honestly not a whole lot of time to spend in the Orlando area, so you won't see & do it all. Another vote for skipping the Space Center. Honestly, my suggestion would be 1 day in each Disney park, 1 water park day, 1 down day to swim & then hit Downtown Disney in the evening & then 1 day for a Universal Park.

--As far as eating, there are several great restaurants both inside WDW and off-site. Many off-site places take call ahead seating & WDW sit down restaurants take priority seating. I would suggest getting each person a fanny pack & water bottle holder to carry snacks & drinks into each park. Of course, you'll want some park snacks, but having snacks available to you can save time & money when park touring!

My main suggestion would be to enjoy yourself. Believe me, your kids will have a great time, but one of their main enjoyments may be just hanging at the pool for a few hours - especially if they enjoy swimming. It's okay to miss a few things & let the family regroup if people start getting crabby! Have a great time planning & a great trip when you get there!

 

[pjlla]

Wow, what a tough call to have to make. First off, in my humble opinion, there is no magic "lost" in staying offsite. I have done both a few times. While it is fun to stay on-site and there are a few perks, if you are concerned about space and budget, off-site is a great alternative. You generally get more space for the $$. And there is plenty of "magic" in not killing the budget over a hotel room you probably won't be in much!!!! Since you are planning to do more than just WDW you are probably renting a car anyhow. It will cost $7/day to park at the theme parks if you are staying off-site, just to let you know.

It will be difficult to decide which park to eliminate if you are only spending three days at WDW. I don't recommend park hopping as that takes away too much time. You are better off picking a park and sticking to it for the day, unless you are planning on leaving mid-day to rest anyhow. In that case the evening could be spent in a different park. Some people spend the mornings in either AK, MK, or MGM, and then hop over to Epcot for the evenings, as it is generally open later, than the other parks.

I understand your desire to fit it all in (KSC, Universal, WDW). It will be tough and tiring, but it can be done if you have the desire. I can't remember where it said you were from, but I know that flying from New England isn't cheap and we try to fit in as much as possible when we go. Other than the park hoppers, the airfare is generally the costliest part of our trip. Just keep in mind that Kennedy is at least an hour's drive from Orlando.

Just a quick warning also...... if you decide to stay on-site at WDW and you buy a package that includes the "Ultimate Park Hopper (UPH)", that is a length-of-stay pass to the WDW parks. It is a HUGE waste of money if you are not planning on going to the theme parks every day of your stay. If you do decide to stay on-site, get a room-only price and then buy your park hoppers separately.

Anyhow, that is enough of my "valued" opinion for now!! Have a good time with the planning as that is half the fun!!!!!.........p

 

[Grumpy92]

Everybody has their preferences about on site vs off site hotels and you will hear them here. You might want to go to the off site forum and see what others say about the resort.

Take into consideration that it will take you at least an hour from your hotel before you arrive at the gates of the park. Depending on time of year, & time of morning, earlier is better. Give yourself 2hrs for USF. I4 & 192 is packed with tourist & commuters from all over so give yourself plenty of time each morning.

I agree with the others you are packing too much into too little of time especially in summer when things are busy. I love KSC but that is a full day trip. It will take you about 2 hours to drive there and you will need the rest of the day to tour all the imazing stuff they have. The most common mistake first timers make is trying to do a marathon to get everything done. Get the free Video/DVD, go to your local bookstore and get one of the following books: Birnbaums Official Guide, The Passporter or The Unofficial Guide to WDW. Let your children tell you their top attractions and make those a priority and let the rest be what you do after your top ones are done. The midday break is an excellent suggestion, I say go early and take a nap/swim later. It is an excellent way to beat the heat and crowds.

You also said you were getting a 3 day hopper pass, which does not exist. Maybe this is something special thru Windsor or it could be be the 3 day 1park per day pass.

Also do some research into character meals. You do need to make a resv in advance for these. Ask your daughters who their fave characters are and then find a meal that has them. The Princess breakfast is a big hit with girls, though yours may feel they are too old for that. The general rule of thumb for Dining PS is: if it is a school holiday period, a character meal or a popular restaurant you need to make a PS before you arrive. Popular restaurants include Cal Grill, WC, Ltt, Cindys, Le Cellier, Sci Fi, 50s PT or Ohanas.

A great way to save $$ is to eat a sit down lunch instead of dinner. It often is the same menu but cheaper, then do a counter service for dinner.

Check out http://allearsnet.com/ It is an informative site.

 

[pjlla]

I certainly don't mean to argue with the previous poster, since I don't know exactly what his experiences have been, but when we last stayed off-site, we never had longer than 15-20 minutes from parking lot to parking lot. We stayed at the Homewood Suites in Kissimmee. I'm sure that would be comparable to the length of time it would take by Disney bus from one of the value resorts to one of the parks.

Also, there IS a three day park hopper available, although I don't believe it can be purchased directly through Disney. There is another post on the Budget Board about this, but here is the information. Call Alamo at 800-560-2397. THe prices are $169.35 for adult tix and $135.27 for children. Hope this helps.......................P

 

[tecboy]

From what i read..the Windsor Palms is only 3 miles from Disney main gate and there is some sort of back route to take to avoid traffic...

Someone above mentioned checking the offsite forums...I didnt see any forum with that topic..

I cant see myself in a standard onsite hotel room for the four of us.. plus we can save money on meals with a kitchen. I know it is not as convient as staying onsite..but I dont see us leaving in the middle of the day.

How long is the travel time using Disney transportation between each of the parks?

Thanks for all the responses so far.. This Disney trip planning is so overwhelming for me...information overload.

Keep the advice/pointers coming

 

[pjlla]

Just keep in mind that "Disney Maingate" does not actually mean the gate into the park...... it means the "gateway" on to Disney-owned property. Depending on exactly where you are and where you're going, it could be several more miles to reach the actual parking lot for any given park and with regard to the MK, don't forget that once you are in the parking lot, you still have to ride the Monorail or Ferry to the actual ticket gate at the park. That said, I still, personally, have no problems with staying off-site.

I think the board regarding off-site is listed under the "Trip PLanning Forum" heading. I think it is called "Orlando area resorts and hotels" or something like that. ...................P

 

[Grumpy92]

Sorry "Orlando Hotels & Attractions" is the forum.

As for Transportation, I always recommend that guest allow an hour especially if they are trying to be somewhere at a specific time. Such as a PS.

I am sure the Windsor will work out fine for your family. You might want to think about exploring a few resorts while you are there, they are an experience unto themselves. Many suggest doing this when you are going to a resort restaurant. There are 18 Disney resorts on property, another DVC opening soon. That does not include the S/D or the DTD hotels They range in price, type of accommodations, location and theming.

A good example is FW. Most dont even know that there is a campground at WDW and you dont even need an RV to stay there. Their activities are endless, Campfire & Movie w/Chip & Dale, Hayrides, petting zoo, dinner show, horseback riding or biking just to name a few. It is a good example of some of the secret things beyond the park.

Take your planning step by step. After you get time to study the books, videos & boards sit down with your family and discuss what parks or special things you want to do and then go to tiks, ps and which parks on which days.

Dont forget when you return to do a trip report. We want to hear your experiences, both positive and negative.

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by tecboy
From what i read..the Windsor Palms is only 3 miles from Disney main gate and there is some sort of back route to take to avoid traffic...

I cant see myself in a standard onsite hotel room for the four of us.. plus we can save money on meals with a kitchen. I know it is not as convient as staying onsite..but I dont see us leaving in the middle of the day.

How long is the travel time using Disney transportation between each of the parks?

[/QUOTE/]
As a previous poster mentioned, this is to the main gate. It may take another 20-30 minutes to actually walk through the gates of the park you are going to!

Remember, there are other options than just a hotel room. There are the FW cabins, which have a full kitchen. There are DVC studios, which have a kitchenette & DVC 1BR & 2BR units. You rent points from a DVC owner, which is less expensive than paying rack rate. As far as leaving in the middle of the day, this is obviously up to you, however, we find that during the hot times of the year it is wise to take a mid-day break. Until you have experienced Disney, however, you don't know what to expect

This can vary depending on the time of day & whether or not you get to a bus stop right when the bus is arriving or right after the bus has left. I would ask on the transportation board. Chip N' Dale Express can probably answer this better

Have fun with the planning. You're in the right place.

 

[dgaston]

I've just returned from a Christmas trip and the commute from any of the parks to Windsor Palms was very easy. On many trips it was only a 1/2 hour from leaving the park gates to pulling into the driveway. On very crowded nights like New Year's Eve it did take longer, but I often remarked that it was shorter than waiting for Disney transportation which often takes me close to an hour from leaving the park gates to returning to my room.

The back way involves using Sherbeth Road from 192. This brings you into the Animal Kingdom Lodge area, and then you just follow the signs to whatever WDW location you are headed for.

I would also second the notion of a water park. We try to use these as one of our "down" days. I would buy a 5 day hopper plus, because I'm sure you'll get hooked on WDW, and any unused days or options never expire. I could see you spending 4 days at WDW parks, one at a water park, and 2 at Universal. You will be exhausted when you get home! LOL

HTH

 

[Dan Murphy]

Welcome to the DIS, tecboy. Enjoy, it's fun.

And you will love it, make memories, magical ones.

I have not read the tips given here, so if already said, I repeat, LOL. Best tip I was given before my first trip was to give yourselves sufficient time to go from one place to another. If you are in MK and going to DtD, make sure you alot the ime, WDW is HUGE!!!!! Best tip I ever got I think, and still follow it today, 11 trips late.

Enjoy!!!!!

 

[jennymouse]

Welcome to the DIS! You've already gotten lots of good advice and I just want to second some and add a couple more. I also recommend on-site but I'm not familiar with the place you're staying. If dgaston says it's good and close then it should be okay.

We went last year at the time you're going and the afternoon rest/cooldown breaks are a must, plus it rained a lot and sometimes we got tired of slogging around. It's just really nice to make that quick trip to your room to regroup and on site is quicker. Disney does have some deals on rooms and I think your family would enjoy the Fort Wilderness Campground cabins too. Fun and conveniant. Check out www.mousesavers.com for tons of money saving advice.

I used to have relatives that lived in Orlando and used to stay with them. We would get tired and leave the parks always saying that we would go back that night, but we never did. The hassles of driving through the ungodly traffic all the way back there just seemed too much. So actually we weren't getting our moneys worth out of our passes. But that was just us.

Also, I would skip KSC this trip too. At the time of year you're going, you'll do well to get in WDW and Universal. If your girls arn't into rollercoaster thrill rides, I'd even skip Universal as that's what it mostly is...IMO. If they're into the big scary rides go for it.

Pick up the Unoffical Guide to Walt Disney World. It's a great book that will give you tons of information and touring plans. But, don't let it scare or overwhelm you. You've got plenty of time to plan. This is supposed to be fun!

Do check out Deb Wills website that someone else gave you, it has some stuff that this site doesn't have, but we've got stuff they don't. Both are great.

One thing that really helps is to study the maps of the parks before you go. That way you'll have a general idea of what attraction is in what park and the "land" that it's in. You're not wasting time getting lost. Which brings up another reason to stay onsite and use WDW transportation is you don't waste time getting lost!

I'll second getting to the parks before opening time. Most vacationers like to sleep in and arrive around 10am so you can really cover a lot of territory by arriving at park opening. By the time the hoards arrive, you've got the biggies done and just crusing along.

If you're not staying onsite then learn when the parks are open early to WDW resort guests and stay away from that park that day as it's twice as crowded.

Anyway, I'm getting too long winded here, but just buy the Unoffical Guide and it will tell you lots and ask questions here.

Another thing, if it gets too hot & crowded and the lines are too long and the girls are whining and you're getting frustrated....take a break and go to the room. You can't force fun.

 

[tecboy]

Where can I pick up a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Disney?

Thanks for all the advice so far...Keep it coming!

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by tecboy
Where can I pick up a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Disney?

Any book store - Media Play, Borders, Barnes & Noble or even on line at Amazon.com.

 

[HaleyB]

The first thing I want to say is that I love staying onsite. I think you really do miss out on a lot if you are off site, it is not the same at all. That said I would add that most of the 'value' of being onsite for our family is 1) Savings of time 2) We can split up easily 3) The biggest thing for us is the extra magic hour. We go on as many rides in that extra hour as we do the entire rest of the day, so it doubles the value of admission in my eyes. But only if you can get your family up and out the door pretty early, which is something only you know.
We have stayed off site twice (a very long time ago) and I think I might have used the kitchen one time. I was too wiped out to think about cooking.
On option is to split the trip, 4 days onsite, 3 off. That way you will know next time exactly what works best for your family. Trust me, there will be a next time!
Our first family trip to WDW we thought we would spend 'down' time in the pool or at some other attraction like KSC. After all we had a baby with us (14 months). Boy were we wrong. We ended up spending every minute we could in the parks. No one wanted to do anything else. Just so you know.
I also recomend the Unofficial Guide, and the touring plans are great.