HELP! Our very first trip to WDW! Where do we go???

[amico418]

Hi everyone,

I am planning our first trip to WDW and have NO IDEA what park(s) to go to, where to stay, etc. We have a 2 year old daughter, so I'm assuming that we should go to Magic Kingdom. We are also interested in character breakfasts.

If any of you avid disney-goers can give me some insight on where to stay, what to do, etc. it would be much appreciated!

Thank you!!

 

[ryanshana]

Gosh people on here could write you a book about your question

first off

second off. For a short answer...I shouldn't be on here I need to be writing my final! Stupid addicting Dis! The most park time w/ a 2 yo would have to be Magic Kingdom. Lots to do....then depending on whether your child loved playhouse disney or animals it would be a toss up between Hollywood studios and Animal kingdom and finally Epcot not much for a 2 yo to do. Actually I think we are skipping epcot this year (I have a 3 and a 2 yo)

as to where to stay. It really depends on your financial situation. Grand Floridian, Contempory, and Polynesian are excellent for the close proximity to magic Kingdom but they are pricey. Mods and Values are just a short bus ride away and are more budgetable.

hope this helps....now back to my paper.

Feel free to Private message me w/ any questions....but I will not be able to get back to you till tomorrow....PMs, click on my name at the left and go to where it says send ryanshana a private message!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

Welcome!! You have come to the right place. The very first thing that I would advise you is to go today and get The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. This book is FULL of very good information and it's actually fun to read.

Your child is going to like Magic Kingdom the very best, however each park has something fun for children. This is where that book will really help you.

As far as where to stay, that's up to you and your wallet. We have stayed at the value resorts & CBR. We will be at Port Orleans Riverside this Oct for the first time. I have heard wonderful things about it so we are excited. The only one I am not crazy about is All Star Sports. The book will also help you with this too, and the people here are great too and full of advice.

The biggest thing about going to Disney the first time is to know as much as you can BEFORE you get there. Like being at the parks before it opens, taking advantage of Fastpass and to pace yourself. Plan afternoon breaks by the pool or let her take a nap. All of these things will make your time at Disney go a lot smoother.

If you have any questions, you can PM me, I will be happy to help.

 

[Artist]

I was in your shoes last year (I can't believe that it has been only a year and my Disney addiction has become so all-consuming!).
I recommend you shell out the $25 or so and sign up for TourGuideMike.
The Disboards have a lot of great info, too, but I found TGM to be an invaluable investment in my vacations.
Hope that helps!

 

[dzneelvr]

I'd keep it really simple and stay in the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. I don't know what time of year you are going, but I'll assume it will be pool weather, so don't underestimate the time your family can chill around the resort pool and have alot of fun that way. Both MK and AK have specific areas for smaller children, and let's face it, she's now going to remember much about the characters and maybe she'll be somewhat frightened of them, so don't over do the character meals and definitely not ones with villians. Possibility a breakfast at Chef Mickeys and one in the castle with the princesses. Chef Mickey's is a monorail ride from MK and the castle is right in MK. We love the All Stars and have stayed at them since they were built. The theming is fun for little ones, there is less walking, and the price is insanely low compared to other resort choices. Build in nap or downtime each day and then go back to the park for the evening parade, Wishes, or meal. AKs parade is an afternoon one, so you'll maybe hit that park a bit later and stay until it closes at 8. Bottom line, don't stress out about doing "everything" that first trip. If taken in small doses, WDW can be perfect. Too large a dose may turn you off it for a long time, which we don't want to happen

 

[h518may]

I went on my very first trip last Sept. with DS 5 and DD 2. My first thing is buy one of the guide books, the unofficial Guide is good but I think Passporter is easier to read and not as overwhelming.

As for character meals Chef Mickey is good if you want Mickey and friends, but we liked Crystal palace for Pooh and friends. And Crystal palace is in Magic Kingdom so you don't have to leave the park. My DD was afraid of the characters. So this year we are going to try some of the princesses and less of the characters that there faces are covered. DD would be fascinated with the characters across the room, but get within a few feet of her and she was having fits. Just something to keep in mind.

As for resort the guide books should be able to give you some ideas for prices and theming. We loved Wilderness Lodge, but there are so many to pick from with all budgets.

With my two children we did two days at MK, one and a half days at Epcot and one day at Hollywood Studios. We skipped Animal Kingdom because we needed a brake. If I only had DD I probable would have done AK instead of HS, DS wanted HS for the power Rangers.

Happy planning

 

[wdwmom0f3]

We took two of my children when they were two and they did fine. We did everything that we wanted and they would just nap in the stroller if they got sleepy before we took our break. We also used the parent swap on some of the rides and that was nice. A two year old at Disney is precious.

For character meals, we love Chef Mickeys and 1900 Park Fare. I have also heard that the Crystal Palace is fun too.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

Welcome to the DIS!!

There is so much information available on this site it's unbelievable. I'll admit I'm far from a seasoned veteran but do know a lot from these boards and my multiple trips to the World.

As far as places to stay, it all depends on your budget. For us and because we can now afford it, we are staying at Deluxe resorts that are in close proximity to the Magic Kingdom (MK). We have a 5 yr old son and so we spend most of our vacation between the resort and MK. Last time we stayed at Wilderness Lodge (WL) which is just s short boat ride to MK. This year we will be staying at the Poly for the even closer proximity to MK and so that we can watch Wishes from the beach instead of having to be inside the park with the massive crowds. But as a previous poster said, convenience costs more than say a moderate or a value resort. So you need to look at your budget and see what you can afford.

Some the best character breakfasts for a 2 yr old are probably Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace and O'Hana. Both Chef Mickey's and CP's are buffets. O'Hana is family style. The only one of those we haven't done is Crystal Palace but might try it on our trip this year.

I'm not a huge fan of Animal Kingdom (AK) and haven't stepped foot in the park since 2006. You'll probably have a stroller so it won't be an issue for you but it's a huge amount of walking. It's very hot inside the park as the vegetation doesn't allow much of a breeze and there isn't a whole lot of shade. That being said, everyone should do it at least once. DS didn't really care for AK just because there isn't a whole lot to do. There are a few shows and a few rides but it's mostly the animals.

We like Disney Hollywood Studios (DHS) but only spend about 1/2 a day or so in the park. Our likes it better as he's gotten older because he can ride ToT (Tower of Terror) now. But a lot of what's in DHS is shows and they're pretty entertaining.

Our 2nd favorite park is Epcot. There aren't a whole lot of rides in Epcot but there's still lots to see. And to eat your way through World Showcase...mmmm.

The 2 guide books we use religiously are the Passporter, mostly because it is geared towards families with kids and gives an inside scoop on the best things for kids. The Unofficial Guide is good but it has A LOT of info that at times can be overwhelming but even so it is awesome to have on hand because if I can't find it in the Passporter, I can find it in the Unofficial Guide.

Good luck planning your trip!!! You will have a blast. And just a fair warning, WDW is addicting and so is the DIS!!!

 

[Elmo888]

Here are some great sources to begin...

Book - The Unofficial Guide to WDW - info is great and also has touring plans like Tour Guide Mike. I'd buy the book, but with regard to touring plans, 6 of 1 or half a dozen of another. As long as you have a plan (esp. at more crowded times) you should be good to go.

Web sites - mousesavers.com and allears.net...great sites, lots of info.

Have a great trip!

 

[3babyws]

We are planning our first trip also and instead of going out and buyin books I went to my public library and checked out 3. The unofficial guide, fodors and one on disney with kids. I got alot of great info and was able to print touring plans for free with the use of the unnoficial guide. This save me sixty dollars on books!

 

[michael's mom]

We took DS down at 14 months and we did MK and AK (DHS at night of AK for Fantasmic). I know that AK can be hot...but, he LOVED the safari where he could see the animals and Festival of the Lion King was the Disney moment that I dreamed of witnessing with DS. I cried...along with my DDad.


I guess it depends on your child's likes. For us, AK was definitely more important that DHS, but MK is a must!!!


This year he will be almost 3 when we are there and we are doing AK for a day, MK for a day, and Epcot in the morning for the Nemo rides and then to DHS for the rest of the day. If we want to go back to a park later in the week we can because of the 4+3 deal (we put no expiration on them so we won't lose them).

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Welcome to DIS!

First, I recommend purchasing a guide book. Passporter is great for first-timers. (Unofficial Guide, though the ultimate resource, can be a bit overwhelming for first-timers.)

You're going to want to at least visit all four theme parks. Allow at least five days, preferably 7.

Where you stay, like everyone else has mentioned, depends on your budget. But I really recommend staying onsite. It's so much more convenient and gives you all sorts of perks such as extra park hours, free shuttle and bag service from Orlando International Airport, and free transportation. Not to mention, with a toddler, you'll probably want to go back to the room to relax. Once you do some research, you'll be able to narrow down your resort options.

Now for character dining, you're going to need advance dining reservations (ADRs), and you're going to want to make these ASAP (up to 90 days in advance). For a two year old, I'd recommend Crystal Palace (MK), 'Ohana (Poly), and Hollywood and Dine (DHS). Also consider making ADRs that aren't character dining.

For the parks, you're going to want to use Disney's FastPass system. At MK, you'll probably want to FP Peter Pan's Flight, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and the Jungle Cruise. At Epcot, Soarin'. Hollywood Studios - Toy Story Mania, Little Mermaid. Animal Kingdom - Kilamanjaro Safaris.

If you end up staying onsite, take advantage of Extra Magic Hours (EMHs). Early EMHs would probably be best for a toddler.

 

[TheLadyTremain]

In our last trip in 2007, my oldest was 16 months. We stayed at the Poly mostly for the monorail convenience. It was nice to wheel our stroller right onto the monorail from the hotel as well as the monorail at the TTC, which was across the street. We will either be staying at the Poly again on our next trip or in a villa (now that we have another child who is the lightest sleeper on earth!).

We spent a lot of time in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We only did half a day at AK and I believe we had two visits to DHS. MK had more attractions for my DD, but we enjoyed the slower pace of Epcot. And I actually liked Epcot for letting her walk/run on her own.

We really enjoyed our character breakfast at the Crystal Palace in MK and with Mary Poppins at the GF. My DD was a big Pooh fan.

 

[CookingMama]

Half price books and public librarys usually have disney guide books.
Our planning checklist goes-
*how much$$ we can spend on the trip
*when to go (time of year changes hotel rates & crowds, weather)
*Then we use theme park maps to decide what attractions we want to see and which parks are going to be on our list that helps to decide the next thing
* how long are we going to stay
* We look at the crowd calendar to decide what day to which parks
* then we choose where we want to eat each day at the theme parks or if we want to go to a different resort for a meal.
* then we look at that plan all laid out and decide where to stay. Whether we will be wanting to be near Epcot or MK or off site. Another factor is mobility, will you have a rental car, will you want to have your daughter nap or swim at the hotel during lunch?

You can print out maps to the park with your familys must sees on the WDW website, they will also send you a map of the whole resort.

Have fun planning!!

 

[amico418]

Oh my goodness. Thank you so much for your very helpful responses! I guess I have to do my homework, but I am excited to start planning! The good thing is, we just moved down to Florida and we live 2 hours from Disney. So, I'm sure I can feed my addiction at any time!!!

Thanks again!

Keep the posts coming!