First Visit to WDW going on Tuesday - HELP

[amanda40]

Hi all i am a lurker since we started thinking about Florida for a Family holiday - all booked and now we are ready to go!!

We fly out from Manchester on Tuesday for two weeks and are staying at the Hawthorn Suites in LBV

It is me , DH and ds1 (12) and DS2 (9). We have went for the Real deal passes and have car hire all sorted too. We have read up a lot , spoke to firend who have been and surfed a lot of info on the web, but still have not made definitive plans for our trip. We figure two weeks is a long time, but we know we will not see everything so dont want to stress about what we dont see and enjoy what we do IYSWIM - Are we mad?

Hoping the weather will be in the low 70 although anything higher will be a bonus, although gales here and driving rain - so anything above 60 will be great really!

I am really not sure what to expect but I know we will all love it

Can anyone give any tips, hints or advise - everything will be gratefully accepted. Also was thinking of going for photopass pretrip package $9 for DVD of photos - has anyone got this in the past and how have they found it?

Thanks all

 

[Elise79]

Welcome!

Firstly as you seem to realise you are not going to see everything I would go through each park and pick out your 'must dos'

Also try and get at the parks for opening as you will get a lot done in that first hour or so.

I would avoid any Disney park that has EMH as you are staying offsite.

Lastly we always do the pre-purchase of the photopass CD. Last time we didn't really stop at any of the photographers but still ended up with over 150 photos (before edits) mainly from the character meet and greets. This was a 9 day trip too!

Have fun!

 

[Pegasus928]

Hi there and to the Dis

You have already made one huge leap by accepting that you will not be able to do everything. A lot of people try to cram it all in and before they realise it the holiday is over and they haven't had time to step back and admire it for what it is.
My own suggestion would be to have a list (I know that you aren't planning on doing this - but hear me out ) of things that you feel that you must do as a family. You can get all sorts of ideas to help with this from this site, trip reports and reading back on other peoples questions. Speak to your family and get your kids to search for Disney/Universal attractions and rides on places like youtube - you will be amazed how many people have taken a video camera on a ride with them and posted it. They will then have a good idea as to what they want to do before they get there, rather than sitting down with a park map and trying to figure it out on the day.
Also try to take time out for a day. Just sitting around the pool for a couple of hours to relax (it is a holiday after all) and make sure you speak about it to your kids regularly. If you are sat down for dinner one night ask them what they have enjoyed so far. Taking the time to talk about it while you are there will help them to remember what a fantastic holiday it was
I am sure you have a great time whatever you do - so please come back and tell us all about it.

Kenny

 

[crabbie1]

Welcome to the madhouse (only joking). Wht can i say but enjoy every minute and remember to hv a couple of hours chill time. There is so much to see and do . Perhaps if you put a list of ur parks on we can all put a must do on. Just remember tht everyone has favorite things and whts good for one isnt for others but to be honest i dont think any of us disagree tht there are any bad things at disney. If you do the photopass then make sure you ask them to add a character on ur picture. The photographer will get u to pose ie cup your hands and look suprised then when you see the pics which you can view in the parks you will hv maybe tinkerbell in ur hands. You can ask for different characters as well. We didnt have the pass last time but will be this time. Hv a lovely holiday. Let us know how it went.

 

[Constant]

You will have a fantastic time. We always get the prepaid photopass it is the only way we get us all in the photo. We then stop everywhere and make it a mission to get as many as possible. You would be amazed at how many sometimes aren't great. Also search for some information about the magic photos which are great to get, lots of posts here somewhere for that.

Our top tip is get to the park as early as possible!! Even quiet times of year it is so much easier.

And have fun!

 

[Chilly]

best tip is get there early and use fastpass.

 

[amanda40]

Thanks all for your very quick replies!

We hope to visit all the Disney PArks, and Typhoon Laggon ( weather permitting of course..)

Also hope to Do Universal Studios, Island of Adventure and Seaworld. Not sure how many days we will need for each.

Our two boys love animation and not so keen on the super scary rides ( ) which suits DH and I, as we are fearties too! Our plan really was to go to each park , see as much as we could then do a sweep up of favorites the second week - do you think one day at each is enough? Been checking the q times for the last week or so at both parks and they all seem to be around the ten min apart from the most popular - Soaring etc which are 30 mins. We were also hopeing to maybe have the morning in the park then rest for an hour or so and go back later on? Is this feasible?

I suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis so really have to pace myself but kids understand this. May hire a wee electirc scooter if I find things getting too much for me. Got a link to a place on this forum too.

We would love to take kids to Kennedy but think that may be a bit ambitious given what else we want to do .

I would like to visit some of the malls and big stores too, but happy to fit that in between parks visits.

We are also not too bothered about eating every day in the park as heard it can be expensive - again your thought on that would be great!

Thanks all again and keep your great tips coming!

 

[crabbie1]

I would probably give KSC a miss unless your kids really love space etc.Up to you of course. Are you doing seaworld IOA/Universal at all? If you are just doing the disney parks and typhoon lagoon which should be open then you should have plenty of time to chill go shoping etc. Shopping malls like prime outlets orlando premium outlets are hot favoroites and you can join their websites to get discount vouchers.Dont for get the new UGG outlet and the yankee candle shopmy two favorites. It is more expensive to eat in the parks but as we do DDP I dont tend to take too much notice of the costs.I know some people do keep an eye so they can see how much the DDP has saved them(if its not free of course which most of us tend to grab when the deal comes out which does save a lot of money) so they will be able to give you a rough idea of how much your meals will cost for the 4 of you.We tend to buy 2 meals if we are paying OOP and share between the 3 of us or we buy kids meals as with the heat we dont always feel that hungry.
Soarin is a must so grab a fast pass as you will all love this-very relaxing.

 

[disneyholic family]

everything has already been said, but just to reiterate a few important points:

1. RELAX and don't worry about seeing everything....just try to enjoy yourselves....

2. when picking which disney park to do each day, try to avoid the park that has EMH hours on that day (so if MK has EMH morning or evening, try to avoid it that day).

3. get to the parks before opening

4. one more point - use fastpass. even if the standby wait is only 30 minutes, you might be able to do something else during that time...even just sit down and have some ice cream (my favorite thing to do )

 

[amanda40]

Ok will bear all your points in mind - there is so much to remember - I have a wee ntoebook so have been taking a lot of notes!!

We have the Orlando Flexi ticket too, from that we will be visiting the two universal parks and Seaworld - will probably give aquatica a miss and wet and wild unless others think otherwise.

I love Yankee Candles too so will definately pay a visit to that store - which mall is it in? A lot of friends have said to visit Florida Mall and I know there are outlets at LBV too - but TNH I will probably me happy in Walmart!!

Harry Potter Land is a big must in this house with two boys and the rest of Islands of Adventure.

Is it correct than you can park for free all day at the Downtown Disney Area then just travel to the theme parks from there?

 

[Chilly]

Is it correct than you can park for free all day at the Downtown Disney Area then just travel to the theme parks from there?

Yes and no. You can park for free, but buses don't always run direct to the parks and def not first thing in the morning so you'd have to change buses at a hotel. This adds a huge amount of time to your journay and is not worth it to save a few dollars really.

 

[ben1993]

Welcome, and Congrats! You are going to have an amazing holiday. It's good that you realize you won't be able to do everything, so don't try to overcrowd your 'schedule'. I think 2 weeks is enough time to do Disney, Universal and Sea World justice in regards to touring the parks, and have enough downtown/relaxing/shopping in between. Don't run from ride to ride trying to get every attraction done, take your time, utilize fast pass, and take in the atmosphere of the parks!

I would personally suggest, 2 days MK, 2 days Epcot, 1.5 days DHS, 1.5 days DAK, 1 day Typhoon Lagoon, 2 days park hopping at Universal and 1 day SeaWorld. That still gives you 2 full days for shopping or just relaxing by the pool if you want.

If you were to follow that pattern aswel, then I think it would be more economical for you to purchase the Universal Combo ticket for 14 days which is about £85pp and a 1 day SeaWorld ticket which is about £40 i think? Cheaper than a Flex ticket anyway.

 

[disneyholic family]

Ok will bear all your points in mind - there is so much to remember - I have a wee ntoebook so have been taking a lot of notes!!

We have the Orlando Flexi ticket too, from that we will be visiting the two universal parks and Seaworld - will probably give aquatica a miss and wet and wild unless others think otherwise.

I love Yankee Candles too so will definately pay a visit to that store - which mall is it in? A lot of friends have said to visit Florida Mall and I know there are outlets at LBV too - but TNH I will probably me happy in Walmart!!

Harry Potter Land is a big must in this house with two boys and the rest of Islands of Adventure.

Is it correct than you can park for free all day at the Downtown Disney Area then just travel to the theme parks from there?

Yes and no. You can park for free, but buses don't always run direct to the parks and def not first thing in the morning so you'd have to change buses at a hotel. This adds a huge amount of time to your journay and is not worth it to save a few dollars really.

i agree! trying to save a few dollars will add at least an hour in each direction travel time - that is completely ridiculous. And that's the best case scenario - more likely it will take much longer than that.

so pay the parking and save time and heartache...

 

[amanda40]

i agree! trying to save a few dollars will add at least an hour in each direction travel time - that is completely ridiculous. And that's the best case scenario - more likely it will take much longer than that.

so pay the parking and save time and heartache...

Thanks Beth, and disneyholic - wasnt sure of how far it is from park to park and if that was an option or not - so will difinaltey park and pay at Disney - we are likely to maybe go out of park for a while and ocme back so that would take too much time so Thanks

There is just so much to take in

Starting to panic that i should have got better organised sooner

But I ma sure it will all work out and we will have internet access so can get you guys advise even when away!!!

Any tips on tipping?

 

[disneyholic family]

Thanks Beth, and disneyholic - wasnt sure of how far it is from park to park and if that was an option or not - so will difinaltey park and pay at Disney - we are likely to maybe go out of park for a while and ocme back so that would take too much time so Thanks

There is just so much to take in

Starting to panic that i should have got better organised sooner

But I ma sure it will all work out and we will have internet access so can get you guys advise even when away!!!

Any tips on tipping?

you only pay once a day at the disney parks - so hold onto your parking ticket...once you've paid once that day, you can come and go as much as you want - but you'll need to show the parking ticket when you come back in (the same day - you pay once each day)..

 

[amanda40]

Well we made it - and it is fantastic!! Used a lot of the tips I picked up on the boards so thanks to all!!

The weather so far has been a mixed bag - Arrived Tuesday and it was warm enough for kids to swim in outdoor pool ( althouth being Scottisdh we are hardy souls.. a lot of locals wearing winter coats!! )

Spent all day Wednesday at the Magic Kingdom, started off chilly but we all hard shorts and tshirts on and were fine. Were there for the rope drop - got the ferry boat across! Stayed there all day , had lunch in cafe in Tomorrow land - was fine. DOne all the rides and some twice with very little queing and used fp where we needed to. Got about 40 photos taken with photo pass and they look good. Thursday was cold and rainy so spent it at the malls. Friday was Hollywood STudios all day, but windy but still shorts on - seen all the shows, and most of the charcter meets, again used fp for toy story although was only a five min wait, so rode it then came back for fp visit.

Today we wre at Typoon Laggon for it opeing - warm but a bit windy and it closed at 5 - very quiet so straight on the flumes the kids wanted to with no waiting. We parked at the Polynesian then got the monorail over to park for the electrical parade and the park was sooo busy that I am glad it was not our first visit!! Watched that and then got out!! Think tomorrow will be Aniaml Kingdom, then over to Universal on Monday.

 

[Pegasus928]

Glad to hear you got there OK and are having a good time

Feel free to pop on anytime and let us know how you are getting on - it's always a nice distraction from the cold and grey weather here when someone sends a little sunshine our way

 

[2Tiggies]

Sounds like you are having a great time - as you should! Don't be surprised if you catch yourself sitting on the flight back home planning the next one Hoping to hear all about it when you get back!

althouth being Scottisdh we are hardy souls.. a lot of locals wearing winter coats!!

Erm, speak for yourself - I go with the locals with the coat thing