Hello from another newb!

[Jared88]

I just wanted to say hello to everyone. I am looking forward to reading through some of the threads on here to try and make our Disney trip better. My Wife and I are bringing our 5 year old son to Disney April 1-8 for the first time and were not really sure where to bring him. We are going to bring him to Magic Kingdom for sure. I would like to find some kid of food savings cards that we can buy to save some money. Thanks in advance for all the warm Welcome's and any Help you might give me.

 

[JohnnyB2]

Hi Welcome to the DISboards
Have a great trip!

 

[Metro West]

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I just wanted to say hello to everyone. I am looking forward to reading through some of the threads on here to try and make our Disney trip better. My Wife and I are bringing our 5 year old son to Disney April 1-8 for the first time and were not really sure where to bring him. We are going to bring him to Magic Kingdom for sure. I would like to find some kid of food savings cards that we can buy to save some money. Thanks in advance for all the warm Welcome's and any Help you might give me.

Are you going this April? Are you staying on-site? How many days are on your tickets? Do you have Park Hoppers? I usually highly recommend the Disney Dining Plan, but with your trip just a few weeks away, you will probably have a hard time getting any Advance Dining Reservations if you are on the Basic Plan. There is a Quick Service Dining Plan option that may work for your family, as it only offers WDW Fast Food options.

Here are some touring tips for people who are new to WDW:


1. Make sure you have Advance Dining Reservations for any Sit Down/Table Service/Character Meals, as you you going at the height of Spring Break season and the parks will be very crowded.

2. Get to the parks at opening. You really can get a lot done in the morning because so many other people sleep in.

3. Eat lunch around 11:00 or 11:30 a.m. before the fast food places get busy. Then when while everyone else is eating lunch, you will have lower crowds.

4. I buy a ton of the two for a dollar ponchos at the dollar store and keep them in the backpack. That way you can throw them a way after use and not worry about keeping up with a wet bulky poncho the rest of the day. Bring throw away ponchos to wear on Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom, if not you WILL get soaked.

5. Other things I put in the backpack each morning are Tylenol/Motrin, small first aid kit, camera with extra batteries, small hand towel, hand sanitizer, wipes and a bottle of water.

6. Most single service items under $4.00 are considered a snack credit on the Disney dining plan.

7. At Magic Kingdom always head to Fantasyland first, if you are not doing Fantasyland on a particular day then head to Splash Mountain first, then Big Thunder Mountain; at Epcot always ride Soarin' first and get a Fastpass for later after you get off of the ride; at Disney Hollywood Studios always ride Toy Story Mania first, then head over to Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror; and at Animal Kingdom ride Expedition Everest First then head to the Safari.

8. Favorite fast food restaurants at MK are Pecos Bills and Cosmic Rays; favorite fast food at Animal Kingdom is Flame Tree Grill and Pizzafari. If you are there while it very hot, go to Pizzafari.

9. If there are two lines going into an attraction, always take the line that goes to the left.

10. My best tip would have to be USE THE FASTPASS SYSTEM. Our rule of thumb is if the wait is 25 minutes or less, we wait in line. If the wait is 30 minutes or more, use a Fastpass. It is not highly publicized, but your Fastpass does not expire until the end of the day. You can never use it before the return time stamp on the pass, but you can always use it after. We try to collect Fastpasses during the early part of the day and then use them later in the afternoon when the parks become more crowded.

Click on this link from fellow Diser Doconeill and it will give you an excellent overview of Fastpass. It is from Doconeil over on the Disboards and super helpful:

http://www.oinc.net/disney/fastpass.php

If you still don't understand, just let me know your specific questions.

11. I like the Photopass. You can pre-buy it before your trip for $99.00. When you enter the parks you will see the staff photographers, they will take your pictures and give you a Photopass and you can use that for the rest of your trip. Each time you see a photographer have them take your picture and they will scan your picture. Then when you get home you can pull up the pictures, with the code they email you after purchase, and pick the photos you want on a CD. They will then mail you the CD and the copyrights to the CD and you can take them to Walmart or Walgreens or wherever and get them developed. They also have a lot of cool software that you can use to edit your photos before you have them put on the CD.

My favorite Disney planning sites are:

www.disboards.com
www.allearsnet.com
www.wdwinfo.com
www.intercot.com

 

[Disneydonnam]

Welcome to the Disboards.

 

[WDW 2011]

Princess Tiffany,
Great info! Thanks for sharing. I'm so excited to take my girls (11 & 10) to WDW for the first time in September!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Princess Tiffany,
Great info! Thanks for sharing. I'm so excited to take my girls (11 & 10) to WDW for the first time in September!

You're welcome! September is hot, and their is a risk of hurricanes, but the lower crowds and free dining are what make it worth going. The fall free dining code should be out soon.

 

[Jared88]

PrincessTiffany

Thanks for the help. We are going this April and we have not bought any passes yet. So far I have found the best deal at our local AAA store. Our trip was kind of a last minute thing that we just booked 2 weeks ago. We are staying at the wyndham bonnet creek. I am going to try and make some Dining Reservation but its not a big deal to us if we eat on site. We "plan" on eating at our Hotel as much as possible since we have a full Kitchen and we are going to go shopping to get food to save some $$.

 

[pepe of ohio]

PrincessTiffany

Thanks for the help. We are going this April and we have not bought any passes yet. So far I have found the best deal at our local AAA store. Our trip was kind of a last minute thing that we just booked 2 weeks ago. We are staying at the wyndham bonnet creek. I am going to try and make some Dining Reservation but its not a big deal to us if we eat on site. We "plan" on eating at our Hotel as much as possible since we have a full Kitchen and we are going to go shopping to get food to save some $$.

Yep, best deal is to eat at your resort......we're not advocators of the Disney dining....not a money saver for us and hate schedules....TS restaurants in WDW are medicore at best and over rated....plus time consuming.....any money you can save on tickets is money earned....AAA is as good as any.

I highly recommend Chef Mickets for a character breakfast....food is decent and all the great characters are there to get introduced to your child in one swoop.....

 

[PrincessTiffany]

PrincessTiffany

Thanks for the help. We are going this April and we have not bought any passes yet. So far I have found the best deal at our local AAA store. Our trip was kind of a last minute thing that we just booked 2 weeks ago. We are staying at the wyndham bonnet creek. I am going to try and make some Dining Reservation but its not a big deal to us if we eat on site. We "plan" on eating at our Hotel as much as possible since we have a full Kitchen and we are going to go shopping to get food to save some $$.

We love the Disney Dining Plan, it's a big money saver for us, but we always do at least one character meal/sit down meal every day. It nice to have a scheduled break during the day, especially when traveling with children, plus it's nice to be able to see the poplular characters while you dine instead of having to wait in line the parks. But, with you planning a very last minute trip and planning on eat at your condo, it would not be a good value for your family - well, and the fact that you have to be staying on-site to purchase the Disney Dining Plan.

Hope ya'll have a magical vacation!

 

[disneychic2]

Have a magical time on your trip. Lots of good info here on the boards, but you have to take into consideration your family's particular desires and your pocketbook to make everything work. Good luck!

 

[Mrs. Sojourner]

5 is a great age to go. Hope you and your family have a wonderful time!

 

[Jared88]

So we booked a Character Breakfast at 1900 park fare for Monday morning at 10:15. I tried to do one at Chef Mickeys but there was nothing open.

I will know for next time to book early. It might be sooner than I think my Wife's Aunt is moving to Florida (Port Saint Lucie) so we will be able to go there and stay for free and just have to pay for flights and park tickets.