First Trip To Wdw - Help!!!

[jerseygirl17]

FIRST TRIP TO WDW - HELP!!!!!!

This is our first trip to WDW and I need help! We will be arriving March 4 at 12:30 and leaving March 8. My dh and dd (4 yrs old) are staying on site (yea) and thanks to all of your very helpful posts and replys I booked Cindys breakfast and Winnie the Pooh dinner. I had no idea about ps and ressies but this site is wonderful - I'm addicted to it. Heres a tentative itiniery - what do you all think?
Arrive WDW at 12:30 (we're staying at All Stars Movies) go to MK and experience the magic for the first time (can't wait!!!!!!!!!!) have ps for winnie the pooh at 5:30
Day 2 spend the day at AK I don't have any ps for restaurants -tusker house or rainforest cafe??
Day 3 MGM Studios - 50's prime time or sci-fi
Day 4 open
Day 5 Cindy's breakfast at 9:45. I thought about getting dd haircut but not sure of time.
I know my days are really open but I have no clue what I'm doing. Also, what are mousesavers? Thanks all for any replys

 

[vettechick99]

What...no EPCOT? **gasp**

I think you have a great schedule laid out. Not too much planned, but you have an idea where you want to be. The more you are on the boards, the more you will tweak your schedule and move stuff around. I'm not going til Oct and I've already changed it twice!

Something to remember: You have planned your days around early entry. Bear in mind its most advantagous only if you go early in the day and leave when it gets too crowded. I normally wouldn't suggest going to MK at lunchtime on an EE day, but it IS your first day at The Mouse, you HAVE to make MK your first stop!! It's practically a requirement! I'm doing it too..just be prepared for a crowded day.

If you have a park-hopper, I would hit EPCOT after your day at AK. I've never spent a full day at AK (but that doesn't mean your family won't), but if you go home to rest in the afternoon, you can make a couple rides, dinner and Illuminations (MUST SEE!!!!). Then if you liked EPCOT, you could go again after you do the rides on Sat at MGM or your open day.

Like many here, I don't do commando anymore...we've all been so much, a lot of us just 'go with the flow'. You'll see what's most enjoyable for your family. But great start so far! And congrats for finding us AND getting the Cindy's breakfast! Your DD will adore it!

P/S www.mousesavers.com is an amazing cost-saving website (tells discounts on rooms, tickets and more). Visit there often to make sure you are getting the most for your money!

 

[Duckfan]

Okay, the first time we took dd was when she was four so here is my one suggestion....

At MK, go to Tom Sawyers Island. There is room here to explore and run etc. My dd loved this, especially the barrel bridge!

Also good is the honey I shrunk the kids playground at MGM (if it is open).


We liked the themes at SCIFI better than Primetime. It is a lot of fun to sit in the car and watch the movies at Scifi.


Try to get a plan of the rides you most want to do. It will help you move from place to place easier.

My dd did burn out on walking so plan a few rests (I think we had a stroller a couple of days. Know the height requirements, so you can prepare your dd for possible non rides. My dd cryed a lot about not being able to ride splash because she was too short.

Hope this helps a little

 

[WDWisTheBest]

Jerseygirl17, no EPCOT on day 4? I would consider going there on that open day.

 

[tinkie]

Great job!

If it is warm enough you might consider Typhoon Lagoon on your open day. I tend to think that Epcot wouldn't be as fun for little ones as it is for older kids and adults. just me though

Have a wonderful time

 

[Rneighh]

The best advice I ever got was being told to not go to MK on the first day with little ones. They will expect all the parks to be like MK and you won't get to enjoy all that the parks have to offer.

The first time we did the World, my youngest was 3 1/2. We went to Epcot first, MGM second, and MK last. (AK was not open then). My kids still love Epcot and AK is a visual treat. Each park is so unique to itself, you should experience each park. But I would not go to MK first with a little one.

Renee

 

[laurabelle]

Originally posted by vettechick99
What...no EPCOT? **gasp**

IP/S www.mousesavers.com is an amazing cost-saving website (tells discounts on rooms, tickets and more). Visit there often to make sure you are getting the most for your money!

Epcot's my family's fav. and my kids are 7&10, been going to WDW since they were toddlers.

I wanted to add, on the mousesavers site there's a deal right now on Tourguide Mike. I'm planning my 6th trip (but first time during Easter) and I just joined up. Excellent planning info and you plug in the ages and interests of your party and it gives you sample itineraries. Tons of helpful hints. I highly recommend it, especially for your first time.

 

[pammy1027]

Our weekend timing was very close to yours, so I would suggest trying out MGM or Animal Kingdom on the first day. To me, they are both 1/2 -3/4 day parks. MK and Epcot are full days IMO. My first trip was just 2 weeks ago and I'm so glad we did Epcot- we almost didn't do it at all... I can't wait to go back now!

I agree with the other poster though that hitting MK may not be the best idea if you don't have time to enjoy the entire day there and the expectations might be to great for the other Parks, too.

Have a great time

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I also agree about not going to MK that first day. I would consider Epcot for that day because first of all you didn't have it on your list and also because since it is open later you could see a lot and stay for Illuminations.

Then you'd have a whole, non EE day that you could spend at MK. Also, like mentioned, if you do go to an EE park make sure you get there when it first opens and have a plan for the afternoon if it gets crowded (I've never been to MK before when it hasn't gotten crowded by early afternoon, even during the slow season).

T&B

 

[jerseygirl17]

WOW - THANX FOR ALL OF YOUR INPUT - AND I AM GOING TO FOLLOW ALL OF YOUR SUGGESTIONS - NOT GO TO MK THE FIRST DAY (I HAVE TO CHANGE MY RS FOR WINNIE THE POOH THAT NIGHT) AND WE WILL GO TO EITHER MGM OR EPCOT. I HAVE MIXED REVIEWS ABOUT EPCOT THAT IT'S NOT A PARK FOR KIDS BUT I REALLY WANT TO SEE IT AND DD WILL JUST HAVE TO BE PATIENT AND DEAL WITH IT ALL.
ONE MORE THING - HOW DO YOU GET THE COUNTDOWN FOR YOUR TRIP ON THE BOTTOM OF POSTS?
THANX AGAIN FOR BEING NICE AND REPLYING - I CAN'T WAIT TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Duckfan]

If you go to Epcot in the afternoon, go to the world showcase first, they have kid stations in the afternoons where your dd can work on little art projects with castmembers, this will make it more enjoyable for her.

 

[mikewdw]

like most others i reccommend going to epcot one day. look on these boards or get a guide book from the book store or library and read up on all of the attractions at epcot. that way you can see which attractions would be more interesting to your little one.
for her i recommend honey i shrunk the audience,(may be slightly scary but probably ok if you warn her)
living seas
food rock at land pavilion - cute show ( if it hasnt closed)
cant remember name but its another little animatronic show next to ellens universe about a boy and growing up. its cute and funny
hope this helps
mikewdw

 

[jimmytammy]

You have some great advice going here so I dont want to plug in too much. What I will tell you is DONT try to do it all in one trip. Its not possible. Yes you can go to all 4 parks but there is no way to see it all.

We have been 5 times and each trip has presented something new. Our first two trips were commando tours, gotta see and do it all!! We were shot by trips end.

Make it as relaxing as possible so your one will be begging to go back.

Oh yeah, one more thing, go ahead and start planning your next trip. ( You might even want to check into DVC if you become a serious Disneyaholic ) You will understand what I mean in time.

BTW we will be there the 7th-13th of Mar. If you have a laptop take it with you and if you need answers to questions while in the World it will be right here at your fingertips on the DIS.

 

[shortbun]

How about Donald's Breakfastausaurus at AK? We did it and
it was fun seeing that much of Donald and Daisy, they're not that
easy to find. The food isn't as good as Chef Mickey's though...
CM's is our fav character meal. You'll love Cindy's! Wanted to
say too that I remember finding AK difficult to maneuver our first time so it took longer than it does now that we're familiar with
the layout and that the character meet and greet lines are longer
than they appear there. When DS was four-he was very into getting autographs and we spent lots of time in all the parks for
that purpose. Our friends did that the last time we went, we got
so tired of standing in line with them (we already had all the character signatures we wanted) that we agreed to split up.
Check for closings at EPCOT due to renovations. I believe Food Rocks is no more and Cranium Command's whole bldg was going
to close for a while. Take a bathing suit/water socks for the fountains at EPCOT, kids we're with always want to get wet and
we end up buying new expensive dry clothes every time. lol
have fun!

 

[sdamico71]

My daughters are 13, 7, and 3 and my son is 10. We have only been to Epcot once (1/2 day) and did the icecream social. Kids loved the social, didn't like Epcot.
I, too, thought that it wasn't for kids and went into it with that in mind. What I have found through these boards, though, is that there are a lot of characters in Epcot that I haven't found elsewhere. For example, we have never had a picture with Beast, but I hear you can find in the France exhibit in Epcot. So you may want to decide which characters are a "must see" and determine if they can be found in Epcot. That will help you a lot!
I agree that I wouldn't do MK the first day.
MGM will probably be a full day for you with your 4 yo. She may want to do the same shows over and over. We typically spend the entire day here as my little ones love Playhouse Disney, Beauty and the Beast show, Little Mermaid show. My older ones love R&R coaster and ToT, but heaven forbid they miss the other shows! We tend to stick together and not split up. It works best that way for us.
Have an awesome trip! Disney is such a magical place, it brings the entire family closer.

 

[Rneighh]

I would recommend the "Unoffical Guide to Walt Disney World" You will find great descriptions of the attractions. Read it now again and again and take it with you on your trip.

Epcot has lots to offer for children -- no one has mentioned Ice Station Cool, Journey Into Imagination, The Mexico ride, and Maelstorm in Norway -- just to name a few.

Have Fun!!!

Renee

 

[goofy4tink]

I would be very tempted to do AK on the first day. We never spend the whole day there. You'll be a little pooped on a travel day and AK closes around 5ish. You won't be tempted to stay out too late! Then you could do Epcot for part of a day also. You will not be able to do as much Epcot as you might want since you do have a younger child. But, do some of it. You might want to do partial days in the parks. I would do MK first thing in the mornings tho. It gets crowded in there by lunch and never, I mean never, do MK on a Saturday afternoon!!! I would sit with a guide book and plan out your 'must do's'. That way you won't spend a huge amount of time in the parks trying to figure out exactly what to do. Have a ball. Keep in mind that WDW isn't going anywhere. Not doing it all the first time around is a great excuse to keep going back. Well, at least it's working for me!

 

[tzvdmd]

Relax and enjoy yourself. You wont see it all in one trip.
I personally enjoy looking at the landscaping, reading the windows on Main Street and looking for hidden Mickeys so I dont get stressed.
Have a great time no mater what you see or dont see.