first trip to disney

[KandL]

Hi I'm new to all this. We are planning our first disney trip this Christmas (December 23/07 - January 4/08) do you have any advice,tips, etc.? Thanks

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

Welcome to the Disboards!!

Lots of great help and advice here!

I've heard the resorts are beautiful around Christmas - be prepared for the crowds though as the week you are going is one of Disney's buisiest!

 

[F4disneyfan]

Hi I'm new to all this. We are planning our first disney trip this Christmas (December 23/07 - January 4/08) do you have any advice,tips, etc.? Thanks

The best thing I would reccomend is to take a day and travel around to all the resorts as Disney does them up bigtime for the holiday season. We love to spend an entire day just travelling from resort to resort and looking at all the decorations and the huge gingerbread houses they make to put in the resorts. We usually start with the monorail resorts then end at CR and hop on the boat to WL. From there we head to DTD and hit BC and BW etc.

 

[SherylR]

Hi I'm new to all this. We are planning our first disney trip this Christmas (December 23/07 - January 4/08) do you have any advice,tips, etc.? Thanks

These boards are just invaluable! I am planning my family's first trip for September and I have saved SO much money and effort and it's been a lot of fun just getting all the information! First thing, learn all the acronyms or you'll be lost!

Definitely check out the Budget Board, Dining to know where the best place is to eat, the Planning section is great for tips. And when you choose your resort, use the Resort section.
There are other great sites to use as well for saving codes and stuff, but this one has the most down to earth, been there done that advice by far!!!
Check your Private Messages!

 

[F4disneyfan]

You should also look at www.mousesavers.com that site is invaluable.

 

[drag n' fly]

I have read on the board that most people down east fly Southwest out of Buffalo as it is cheaper.

 

[iluveeyore]

Welcome to the DIS! We're going around the same time - Dec. 16 - 27th. We usually go in August or October, but we're going with friends and their children this year, and we all thought Christmas would be perfect. We went for Christmas in '99 before we were DVC owners, and without having the DIS boards I know we missed a lot, but it was still amazing. One word of caution - do not go to Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day. We thought this was the day they taped the Christmas parade (duh!) and the kids sat on a bench for three hours, ate a turkey leg, and then we spent two hours shuffling to the exit - didn't even go on a ride! Now we know better! Where are u staying?
We fly out of Buffalo - very cheap for a family of five compared to Toronto, and so much easier to get there.
Any questions, let me know. These boards are invaluable - I'm on them every day even though we don't go for a while. I learn something new every day!

 

[KandL]

These boards are just invaluable! I am planning my family's first trip for September and I have saved SO much money and effort and it's been a lot of fun just getting all the information! First thing, learn all the acronyms or you'll be lost!

Definitely check out the Budget Board, Dining to know where the best place is to eat, the Planning section is great for tips. And when you choose your resort, use the Resort section.
There are other great sites to use as well for saving codes and stuff, but this one has the most down to earth, been there done that advice by far!!!
Check your Private Messages!

Hi SherylR
Thanks for all the great info. Got your pm. Thanks again

 

[SherylR]

Just think of your planning as a part time job!! lol
If you go to Allears.com sign up for their newsletter. I find it really informative and has great tips from WDW visitors.
I have kept a little notebook of all the information I *might* need and it's handy to flip back through. Some I've deleted but most I've kept.
And since you are going at Christmas DEFINITELY make dining reservations if you are interested in sit down meals, character meals and/or are on the dining plan. Save yourself a lot of headaches that way!
And remember, the planning is half the fun!!!

 

[trivial]

Because you're going at the busiest time of the year:

1. Brace yourself for insane crowds and waiting times.
2. Start saving up; it's gonna be pricey.
3. Book as early as possible.

One of the best tips I've received from these boards is to rent DVC (Disney Vacation Club) points. You can stay in a beautiful DVC room for the price of a room in a moderate resort (or for less).

 

[dangler]

Hi I'm new to all this. We are planning our first disney trip this Christmas (December 23/07 - January 4/08) do you have any advice,tips, etc.? Thanks

Welcome to the Dis!

Tourguide Mike would be my best suggestion for you, the info is so worth the money.

You will find tons of great info and tips here on the boards as well! Happy planning

 

[Pokemom]

Christmas is one of the best times of the year to go to WDW and, unfortunately, one of the busiest. You should be prepared to hit the Parks early. Try to go to the Parks that have Early Entry when they first open and then head to a different Park or back to your hotel in the afternoon when the crowds get heavy. Also, make sure to use Fastpasses as much as possible. Try to collect as many Fastpasses as you can in the morning and then use them later in the day when crowds are heaviest. As others have said, make your ADR's right at your 180 day mark as reservations will be hard to get at this time of year. Most importantly, relax, go with the flow, soak up the atmosphere, and have a great Christmas.

 

[MECH8T7]

I've been recommending the book The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World to all my friends who are first-timers. It gives a good overview of the ins and outs of WDW. It also has lots of tips and suggestions on to tour the parks during the busy times and with small children. Some people on these boards seem to avoid the Unofficial Guide because they believe it is too critical of WDW or paints a less than perfect picture of a typical WDW vacation. Our first family trip was during a week before Easter weekend -- WDW's second busiest time, with the busiest being the week between Christmas and New Years --and I loved this book because it really helped me to manage my expectations and taught me the importance of having a gameplan for touring the parks and dining during the busy weeks at WDW.

These boards have lots of very valuable information but I would still suggest that you start your planning by buying a book like the Unofficial Guide or going to a website like allearsnet.com that has a little more structure to the way the information is presented rather than wading through each of the discussion threads in the various forum on the DISboards.

In any event, have a great time planning your trip. It will all be worth it in the end.

 

[striker3636]

Advance planning is a must for Christmas. We were there the week before and it was much busier than expected. Make sure you book your ADRs as soon as you can. Check out all the special events and make sure you pay attention to park hours etc. Not everything is on every day. Plan your vacation around your must see attractions, events, and ADRs and fit the rest in from there. Definitely see Osborne Lights and Fantasmic at MGM, the Christmas Party at MK (costly but so worth it, even just once as Holiday Wishes is THE BEST), Candlelight Processional etc at Epcot, tree lighting ceremonies, Christmas parades, and on and on. Keep researching on the DIS to learn more about the most popular things to see and the special things at Christmas. Definitely build in some time to check out the decorations at the parks and the resorts. We booked ADRS at a few resort restaurants so that we could do this. Disney magic is extra special during the holidays - as tempting as it will be to cram everything in, remember that you can't see it all. Take the time to SEE what is around you, and not rush to specific attractions. We have been 3 times in the last 2 years and there is still stuff we have not seen yet - all the more reason to head back again. WDW is so much more than 4 "theme parks" - SIGH, I want to go back....