First WDW Trip July 2-9 HELP!!!!

[ChipNDale]

OK we are making our first tip to WDW on July 2-9, we have a 9 and 11 year olds. We are driving 20hrs from NY to FL leaving on the first. I want to know what to expect when i get down to WDW. We will be staying on site at ASMo and were going to use the Disney Buses. What are the Park Hours and What parks have EMH and what is that? Where should we EAT since we have the dining plan? This will also be my Early Birthday party 23 in Aug. YEAH!!!! So what do i need to do to make it extra special. What rides should we do and in what order? What parks when, we do have hoping and 7 day tickets. Any other hints tips tricks HELP I am Freaking Out!!!! ONLY 22Days to GO!!
Thank you all you will reply and HELP!
-ChipNDale/Bryan

 

[dphie28]

ChipNDale,

First of all I can tell you are very excited. We, too, are checking in to ASMo on July 2 and staying until the 9th (how weird). This is our first family trip, so I don't have much advice for you as to what to do first,etc. I can say that www.wdwinfo.com and allearsnet.com are great resources for park info.

This is the link to all of the park hours for July: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/July05.cfm EMH are when the parks open early or stay open 3 hrs later for resort guests only. There are selected rides open during that time and the theory is that it is less crowded and you have more opportunity to do things that you otherwise might not get to during the normal park hours.

You can find a lot of info on where to dine here on the Dis. Allearsnet has menus for all of the restaurants in WDW.

Sorry I am not much help. Maybe we will bump into one another in the lobby!

 

[milmore104]

First Happy Early B-day to you!
Second take a deep breath
You can find the park our on the offical Disney website it will also tell you which parks have the EMH (Early Morning Hours one park opens a hour before the rest for people staying onsite there or they could be open up to 3 hours after the park closes)
Take your time and enjoy yourself. Seeing you have the dining plan do a lot of character meals!

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

If you are on the dining plan, right now go to http://www.allearsnet.com/din/dining.htm and look at the menus and then call to make reservations. You are going at a very busy time of the year and you MUST plan ahead if you are going to eat at the better restaurants. Be flexible with your times...you'll do better if you try to make ressies either early or late.

 

[elastigirlfan]

Hi. Let's see...I would recommend some character meals - don't know if you have boys or girls. We like Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary. If you have any Winnie the Pooh fans you could do Crystal Palace in MK. For rides...are your kids daredevils or more on the cautious side? I would definelty recommend seeing the nighttime parade at MK called Spectromagic and WISHES which is the nighttime fireworks display.

You're gonna have a great time!

 

[ChipNDale]

Thank you all so far for this great info.

Mabey I might even run into a few of you their.
BTW ASMo has internet right? Humm I should look into that

The help with the hours and EMH was great.
So that page on wdwinfo with the green and Orange house means that it opens one hour early so it opens at 8:00 am not 9:00 am and Late house means they close at 1:00AM not 10:00PM all of course only for certian rides. Now the night time need bands are their only a limited number of bands or will every one who is a resort guest that wants one get one?

Since it is a busy time of year I have got PS at the following:

Mama Melrose @MGM Mabey Switching to Sci-Fi Dine In
Chip/Dale Harvest Dinner @Epcot
The Plaza @ Magic Kingdom Trying to Switch to Liberty Tree Traven
Les Chefs De France @Epcot
Tony's Townsquare @Magic Kingdom
Hollywood & Vine @MGM
LeCellier Steakhouse @Epcot 1 TS Credit Right?

Are they good I just picked them randomly out of a list?

Are the Disney Resort Buses Good. And do we still get to ride the Monorail or will that be a side trip and how early to the busses start to run. And when will the ALL-Star Movie Breakfast place open.

WOW the more i think the more i think that i am leaving today, one day at a time and soon we will be to disney.

Thank you all.
-ChipNDale

 

[ChipNDale]

We Have a Girl 9 and a Boy 11, They are very very veyr adventrous. And said they want to do every thing from TOT to Space Mountain to Test Track and Splash Mountain and More.

Is their a good ride guid and how to best chose the order of rides to minimize wait time during this peak season>

Thank you all
-ChipNDale

 

[mickeymom629]

I would advise not having more than one reservation for a restaurant per day. My kids don't like stopping for a long sit down meal. Crystal Palace in MK has a great buffet with Pooh characters and it's our favorite place there, but the Liberty Tree is good, too. Hollywood & Vine has a great buffet, not much theme-wise. I would recommend Sci Fi or 50's Prime Time to switch to from Mama Melrose, because your kids would enjoy the theming more, I think. If you are taking the kids, I would not choose the French restaurant. The Coral Reef has a great aquarium wall, but kids portions are small and seafood is the main theme. Mexico has great ambiance, but the food is not Mexican food like American's think, so some people are disappointed.
Japan has a fun restaurant where the chefs cook right in front of you, giving you a show.

I'm sure many people can offer great opinions here, but my kids prefer the fast food places mostly. (they are now 11, 13, 15 and 17 and we've been going for years to WDW). The family does like to have one restaurant meal planned every one or two days, just for a little relaxation and a decent meal.
Have fun!

 

[ChipNDale]

Japan humm what one cooks for you as a show and is it on the dining plan that might just be better then the french one.

We are haveing one sitdown dinner every night with counter breakfast at ASMo and then in the park at on of the many dining plan counter service and a snak too.

Thank you for your help.
-ChipNDale

 

[mill4023]

As far as when to go on which rides, the best general advice I can give you is to be at each park 30 minutes before it opens. Then do the big popular rides first. Then use FastPasses as much as possible when the crowds start building.

For more specifice advice, I suggest subscribing to TourGuideMike, buying the Unofficial Guide to WDW, or both.

 

[PamNC]

We'll be there 7/2 - 7/9, at the Beach Club. Congrats to you - going to Disney for the first time is soooo special. What to expect? A MAGICAL VACATION. You'll be in heaven.

You have a lot of questions, understandably so. I think you need to do some research and print out some stuff off the internet. Check the official site for the EMH's. Did you order a planning DVD? It's probably too late to get it before your trip. Buy the Birnbaum guide. It's a great guide for first-timers.

What rides in what order is a tough one - I would simply advise you to arrive early and hit the headliners first. At MK, hit Splash Mountain and Big Thunder early on. And/or take advantage of the EMH's. At Epcot - hit Mission Space, Test Track and Soaring early on. Use the fastpass system...I can't stress that enough. At MGM, Tower of Terror and RnR are crowded...get there early and/or use fastpass or EMH. AT AK, hit the safair and dinosaur. Same thing..same 3 ways to beat the lines: 1) do the headliners first thing, 2) use fastpass, 3) take advantage of EMH. You can also enjoy the singles lines on attractions like Test Track and RnR. There are all kinds of little tricks.

Take afternoon breaks - say if you're at MK. Take in the rides/attractions in the a.m. and in the afternoon have a lunch somewhere nice and cool, and then see the shows like Hall of Presidents or Mickey's Philharmagic. Avoid MK on July 4th - it'll be insane. Pick another park...we're doing Epcot.

Have a great time - maybe we'll rub elbows. I promise not to step on you or anything...

PamNC