Help!!!!! I overloaded on info!!!

[RDM83]

I bought the Unofficial Guide to WDW and am some what OVERWHELMED!
I know I can count on my fellow DISers to help me through this one.

This will be my first trip with hubby and kids 6,3,18 mos..
We have decided to stay @ Ft. Wilderness Cabins from April 22nd-27th and we will have park hoppers, no dining plan.

To tell you the truth this is not sounding fun, but stressful with so much planning.. I find the tourng plans to sound as if you have to hustle rather than enjoy.
It probably is a phase and I will snap out of it but I need your INPUT...THNX!

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

Personally, I just don't understand the touring plans either. I'm sure they work for some people but they won't for how we tour. I couldn't imagine walking past something just because you've scheduled yourself to be doing something else.

First thing....relax. Admit to yourself that you WILL NOT see and do EVERYTHING.....and that's okay. WDW is not going anywhere.

Next...make a general plan. Decide what things are a must do, for your family. Understand the concept of fastpass and use it.

Basically, there is sooooo much to do! Don't worry about it. Most people who post on these boards about not having a good time are the people who build unrealistic expectations about being able to see and do everything on the first trip.....RELAX!! Enjoy!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I think the biggest misconception with Disney is that you have to do everything.

Your children are young. I would two have the older kids look at the book and pick one or two rides that are important. Pick out one or two shows you think are important. Take breaks. Find the play areas.

Make sure to keep everyone hydrated and fed. It's easy to lose track of time and not eat properly. Bottom line is if you don't over think it and over plan, you can really have a great time.

The first year we went it was for a family reunion. My kids were 7 and 5 at the time. We bowed back from the riguous schedule and took them on a few rides and let them meet the characters. They did really well when we did this. The days we followed along with the family (mostly older kids) it was really rough. It was information overload and too much for us.

So I guess what I am saying is that maybe you should use the book to find a few rides, scope out some nice places to rest/play, and then put it in a drawer. Sometimes the best layed plans are the ones you make while just walking around enjoying your vacation.

 

[mistymouse5001]

I bought the Unofficial Guide to WDW and am some what OVERWHELMED!
I know I can count on my fellow DISers to help me through this one.

This will be my first trip with hubby and kids 6,3,18 mos..
We have decided to stay @ Ft. Wilderness Cabins from April 22nd-27th and we will have park hoppers, no dining plan.

To tell you the truth this is not sounding fun, but stressful with so much planning.. I find the tourng plans to sound as if you have to hustle rather than enjoy.
It probably is a phase and I will snap out of it but I need your INPUT...THNX!

Just take a couple of notes. You have really young babies! You are going to love walking around and taking it all in and they are not going to be interested in every single thing there. We are planning just a few things that are must dos (Ohana and meeting at least one Power Ranger ) and leaving the rest up to fate. If you go with the mindset that you must do even half of what's there you will be overwhelmed. As a first time planner long time member I decided to chill on dinner reservations. Bought a counter service plan (it saves me $200) I'm taking some breakfast and snack foods (because they love it at home )I made to ressies for TS dinners because we would never arrive to 5 of them on time ! My babies are 2,3,and 6 . I know that they are not going to want to sit in a stroller all day or walk in the sun so 3 of our trip days are dedicated to pools and arcades ! Just remember it's your vacation Chill out and enjoy the pony ride !

By the way we had a trip back in 2008, I planned and talked so much that it sucked. It was a make a wish trip and my boy just wanted to go back to the pool...didn't ride anything and was scared of the fireworks lol! It was HIS idea to go!!!!!


JUST HAVE FUN

 

[RDM83]

Thanx so much! I feel a lot more relaxed already. I KNEW I COULD COUNT ON YOU GUYS!!!!!!!

I AM SOOOOO EXCITED AGAIN!!!!

 

[Rylee]

Hi,

You know your dates, you have your accommodations, and the type of tickets you'll be using. Good for you!

Next, I would -

• Check park hours for your vacation dates at the Disney site. If you don't plan on taking advantage of the Extra Magic Hours, (EMH) avoid that park on that day as it will be slightly more crowded.
  
• Check parade times, if interested.
  
• Make Advance Dining Reservation (ADR) for any restaurant you want to experience. This is necessary even if you aren't using a Dining Plan. (Your kids would probably really enjoy a Character Meal.)
  
• Learn about Fast Passes and use them.
  
• Learn how the child swap works, if you and DH want to experience some of the bigger attractions.
  
• Make a must-see-and-do list of just a few attractions at each park. Try to hit these attractions early in the day.
  
• After you check off a few attractions from list... relax... discover the magic at your own pace! It's okay if you miss or skip some attractions... that's what the next trip if for!

Two other things -

You might want to read up on the attractions. I plan trips for first time friends all the time but never gave this a thought until my friends called from Magic Kingdom and said... "Do you think the kids would like ________ or should we take them on ______ ______?" Many attractions are located inside buildings. At other parks, my friends were used to standing there, watching a ride go around a few times, then asking the kids if they'd like to ride it. When they arrive at Disney, they had no idea which rides their kids might like.

Also, I've never stayed at Fort Wilderness, but I understand it is a large resort... read up on the easiest way to get around if you will not have your own car with you.

Have a great time!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I've been to Disney several times and even I find UG to be overwhelming!!!

Don't try to tackle it all at once. Break it down into sections, highlighting information that applies to your family. Then take a break for a day or so. I actually started with a Passporter for my first trip after a decade and then decided to buy UG for our trip this September.

I have a regular wire notebook that I have written the really important things on, like stuff I've found on here that pertains to my hotel, bussing system, restaurants we intend to make ADRs at, Magical Express, and I've started a list of all of the attractions I want to do, broken down by park.

I also keep a list of questions I have to ask here on the DIS so as I read, I don't forget!

Good luck, relax, and just like WDW, you can't do it all in a day, heck - you can't even do it all in a week! Break it down so it's more managable.

 

[crisi]

Yeah, I think the UG is really overwhelming for first time visitors. Get a Birnbaums. When you need MORE information than that contains, visit the UG. If the Birnbaums is too light, get a Passporter

I'd start with just marking your families interest in each attraction (A, B, C works well). Then list your A attractions (keep it down to maybe five per park - everything else needs to be a B or C) and start to understand how those work - are there fastpasses? Do you benefit from a first thing in the morning ride (Dumbo, get to Dumbo first - at rope drop.) Develop your "touring plan" around getting those things done.

Since you don't have the dining plan, take a look at how your days fill up with attractions, and make ADRs where you want to fill in. (I'd consider at least one character meal on your A Attraction List).

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

When we went for the first time, I just read a guide book kind of like what you got and got some input ideas from some folks. From there i just got an idea of the things we wanted to do. So, we had a "loose plan" or general idea of what was there and what we could / would do. One things that really helped was ordering the free maps from Disney.com. You select the stuff you are interested in and they highlight on your map and send it to you. I looked over the maps to get a really good idea of where everything was located before we left. I had no idea how BIG Disney was. This helped me know what to expect and a general idea of where to find things. I think this was very helpful. the second things I recommend it getting to the parks EARLY int eh day. You can get lots done before too many folks show up and it gets too crowded. Use your fast passes. You can get about 1one per person per hour. Have fun and relax...you will love the cabins...we did when we stayed there for our first visit in Jan . 2008.

 

[ebtbmom]

I don't know what your family's future travel budgets or plans are, but this is what helped me.

When we first went I was so rushed and hurried because I felt like this was our "Disney vacation". I loved it so much and didn't want to miss anything that I tried to cram in everything at every park into 1 week.

Once I got home and realized how much I had enjoyed the parks I made the decision that we would plan on visiting Disney periodically rather than just once. Once I knew I could come back I was able to slow down on other trips and really enjoy things and savor the atmosphere.

Of course, this only works if your family agrees to take multiple disney vacations.

 

[RDM83]

I don't know what your family's future travel budgets or plans are, but this is what helped me.

When we first went I was so rushed and hurried because I felt like this was our "Disney vacation". I loved it so much and didn't want to miss anything that I tried to cram in everything at every park into 1 week.

Once I got home and realized how much I had enjoyed the parks I made the decision that we would plan on visiting Disney periodically rather than just once. Once I knew I could come back I was able to slow down on other trips and really enjoy things and savor the atmosphere.

Of course, this only works if your family agrees to take multiple disney vacations.

OH my husband doesn't know it yet, but we WILL be traveling to disney periodically!!!!

 

[Perditamarie]

I think you got some good advice! also consider:

* schedule as much pool time as park time....kiddos love the pool!

* if you don't have a rental car, consider ordering groceries for your cabin -- we have used gardengrocer.com and they are convenient.

* if you don't have a rental car, consider renting the golfcart at the Fort to make getting around easier....I have read that the transport/logistics there can be difficult.

* Definately do Dumbo first - they will see it and love it and want to ride it!!! Do Fantasyland first at MK, then the rest is gravy!

* Use the UG in chunks...research TS or QS restaurants, research ride info, research resort info...and before you know it your depth of knowledge of WDW allows you to navigate the parks like a pro.

* your 3 yo and 18 month old may be scared of costumed characters.

* definately bring snacks/drinks in the park....it will save time, money and meltdowns.

Best of all, enjoy planning!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

OH my husband doesn't know it yet, but we WILL be traveling to disney periodically!!!!

Don't worry, if he is anything like my DH, he'll fight you to the death for the first trip, then becomes just as big a junkie as you the second he walks into the park for the first time.

I fought for 3 years to get our trip and he was ready to book bounceback on the second day of our trip! I was [begrudingly] willing to wait until the kids were a few years older to go back, but DH saw pics from MNSSHP 2009 and he said "book it". I didn't fight him on it.

Just keep a list of things that aren't clear to you as you read your book. DISsers will give you a more concise response than UG.

 

[Dixiemom]

Tinker"n"Fun had great suggestions. Take your queue from the kids and remember they will get tired. I am a big planner and it is hard for me to go with the flow sometimes but that is really the only way I have found to enjoy WDW. You want their memories and your to be fun ones not rushed/frustrated ones. I made a list of attractions we really want to do and another list of those that we won't die if we miss but if we can squeeze them that's fine........Just being there together is the best part and nothing can beat the look of absolute wonder on those little faces Enjoy!

 

[moparop]

One of the things I did to help when planning with my young crew was get on youtube. Lots of attractions have been taped on youtube. You can watch the rides on your own and then with your children to get a guage of what they like and what will be too overwhelming. I did go in every day with a touring plan because I knew they had 4ish hours before they started to lose it. I didn't want to spend those 4 hours waiting in line if I could at all help it.
I basically used the info from youtube and the books to rank the rides in order of most important to least important for my fam in terms of lines and interest. We worked on that list til we were hungry or ready for naps. HTH!

 

[tzolkin]

We do not use the dining plan or use any sort of touring plan because we like to have flexibility with three kids.

I make a chart with park hours/EMHs/evening shows and we usually plan part of each day and then leave room to let the kids decide what we will do for the other part. For example, we'll plan to do rope drop at MK on Tues and then the kids might want to see Illuminations at Epcot that night. (Park hoppers are worth the freedom they allow us and we hop at least once each day-- we always go to a different park in the evening after our nap, but my kids also like to ride the monorail between MK and Epcot.)

We do AM EMH almost every day of our trip. We go at a very fast pace when we get to the park (our two little ones ride in their strollers). We are usually able to see all of our top attractions and are ready to head back to the resort for a nap by the time the crowds/lines start forming (around 11:00). Since we get up early and rush around the park for a few hours in the morning, we all are usually tired enough to take a long nap. We head to another park around 5 and take a much more relaxing pace for the evening.

Before our trip, each person picks their top two "must see" attractions in each park. I select these as the favorites for the free customized maps offered on the Disney website. We don't carry the maps around in the parks, but look them over in the room before heading out or the night before. You will not be able to do everything this trip, but if you make sure to do each person's one or two "must see" attractions everyone should feel that their interests were heard.


I loved having as much information as possible before our trip. All the details helped me feel prepared and less stressed when we got there. It was much easier to relax and go with the flow than I had anticipated.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

We will be staying at the cabins too this April. It is our second time. They have a full kitchen so I don't do a dinning plan. We bring food with us and we go back for lunch and dinner almost every day. It gives us a break and nap time mostly for mom and dad.
I don't over plan we sort of go with the flow. Since you are staying on property we check out when magic hours are. I do plan bibbity bobbity boutique for dd so that day we know we want to go to magic kingdom but outside of that I really try not to over plan.
I do recomend planning a movie night at the campgrounds. We did last year and the kids loved it. Chip and Dale show up you roast marshmallows we can't wait to do it again.

 

[RDM83]

We do not use the dining plan or use any sort of touring plan because we like to have flexibility with three kids.

I make a chart with park hours/EMHs/evening shows and we usually plan part of each day and then leave room to let the kids decide what we will do for the other part. For example, we'll plan to do rope drop at MK on Tues and then the kids might want to see Illuminations at Epcot that night. (Park hoppers are worth the freedom they allow us and we hop at least once each day-- we always go to a different park in the evening after our nap, but my kids also like to ride the monorail between MK and Epcot.)

We do AM EMH almost every day of our trip. We go at a very fast pace when we get to the park (our two little ones ride in their strollers). We are usually able to see all of our top attractions and are ready to head back to the resort for a nap by the time the crowds/lines start forming (around 11:00). Since we get up early and rush around the park for a few hours in the morning, we all are usually tired enough to take a long nap. We head to another park around 5 and take a much more relaxing pace for the evening.

Before our trip, each person picks their top two "must see" attractions in each park. I select these as the favorites for the free customized maps offered on the Disney website. We don't carry the maps around in the parks, but look them over in the room before heading out or the night before. You will not be able to do everything this trip, but if you make sure to do each person's one or two "must see" attractions everyone should feel that their interests were heard.


I loved having as much information as possible before our trip. All the details helped me feel prepared and less stressed when we got there. It was much easier to relax and go with the flow than I had anticipated.

Sounds great! I am glad to hear that AM EMH do work for some families!!

 

[RDM83]

We will be staying at the cabins too this April. It is our second time. They have a full kitchen so I don't do a dinning plan. We bring food with us and we go back for lunch and dinner almost every day. It gives us a break and nap time mostly for mom and dad.
I don't over plan we sort of go with the flow. Since you are staying on property we check out when magic hours are. I do plan bibbity bobbity boutique for dd so that day we know we want to go to magic kingdom but outside of that I really try not to over plan.
I do recomend planning a movie night at the campgrounds. We did last year and the kids loved it. Chip and Dale show up you roast marshmallows we can't wait to do it again.

OMG! Now i definitely fell like my plan is doable!! I also planned on having a good amount of meals at the cabin, maybe even make room for a COOK OUT one day!!!!

Was it difficult to eat a lot back at the cabins?

 

[RDM83]

Hi,

You know your dates, you have your accommodations, and the type of tickets you'll be using. Good for you!

Next, I would -

• Check park hours for your vacation dates at the Disney site. If you don't plan on taking advantage of the Extra Magic Hours, (EMH) avoid that park on that day as it will be slightly more crowded.
  
• Check parade times, if interested.
  
• Make Advance Dining Reservation (ADR) for any restaurant you want to experience. This is necessary even if you aren't using a Dining Plan. (Your kids would probably really enjoy a Character Meal.)
  
• Learn about Fast Passes and use them.
  
• Learn how the child swap works, if you and DH want to experience some of the bigger attractions.
  
• Make a must-see-and-do list of just a few attractions at each park. Try to hit these attractions early in the day.
  
• After you check off a few attractions from list... relax... discover the magic at your own pace! It's okay if you miss or skip some attractions... that's what the next trip if for!

Two other things -

You might want to read up on the attractions. I plan trips for first time friends all the time but never gave this a thought until my friends called from Magic Kingdom and said... "Do you think the kids would like ________ or should we take them on ______ ______?" Many attractions are located inside buildings. At other parks, my friends were used to standing there, watching a ride go around a few times, then asking the kids if they'd like to ride it. When they arrive at Disney, they had no idea which rides their kids might like.

Also, I've never stayed at Fort Wilderness, but I understand it is a large resort... read up on the easiest way to get around if you will not have your own car with you.

Have a great time!

Oy yes, I definitely read carefully about the different ride descriptons and fright potentials, THEY SEEM TO HELP A LOT!!!