Help with first visit to Disney World

[lap3]

Hi Everyone!
Newbie here! I was introduced to this discussion board from another board because they said you guys can help me out. If this topic has been covered of if I posted in the wrong forum, I apologize so please be kind! Anyways, my wife and I have decided to take a family(2 kids, 4 & 6 years old) vacation to Disney World next year, right around the end of June. As you know, this can be expensive so I've been trying to do as much research as possible. For you seasoned veterans, would you recommend going on a budget to for the first timer or go all out? My thinking is that since this is our first time and the next trip won't come around for a while, we should go all out, or at least open up the wallet a bit. We plan to go for 7 days and I'd like to stay at a moderate resort like the Coronado Springs. Any help you can offer would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
lap3

 

[NMAmy]

You came to the right place! You'll be able to pick up a lot of great hints just by reading the threads. You can enjoy yourself and still save money. Keep an eye open for codes to get a good rate on a resort. You might consider buying annual passes to get some good rates as well. (even one annual pass can get you the rates and discounts at restaurants, etc.)

I've never stayed at Coronado Springs so I'm not much help there. We've always stayed at the AllStars then last year (thanks to all the information on the boards) we stayed at the Dolphin and just loved it. You can get a great price especially if you're a gov't worker, nurse, or teacher (or work in admin).

I'm sure others will have some great info for you as well!

Welcome!

 

[cmonroe]

Welcome lap3!

My advice is to consider , not how much money to spend in general, but how much money to spend on what!

For example, myself and my family are not big swimming pool junkies (I know we're strange). We'll use the pools, but slides and attractions at the pools are not a high priority. We tend to dedicate more resources to character dinners and shows than we do to making sure we have 4 different pools at a resort.

We mostly use the hotel for sleeping, but views and proximity are important to us as well.

So I would profile my family find out what's important and start asking the Disers on these boards their advice on the specific threads.

Hope that helps.

 

[daannzzz]

Just and idea. Depending on when you can do another trip. If you can do a second trip in the next 3-4 years I would say do it with a budget. Plan most of the stuff you want to do and stay at the All Stars. While you are at WDW you will be able to see how it all works, flows and you can maybe do a bit of resort hopping and see what you would like for the next trip. The first trip always seems a bit more hectic as you familierize yourself with WDW. Each successive trip seems more relaxed. For us the more times we go the more time we spend at the resort and so appreciate a more elobaorate place to stay.
One other thing. Don't over research your trip. Don't look at to many pictures or descriptions of rides and attractions. I did way to much research on my first trip and we had no surprises, like walking into the lobby of the Grand Floridian or what was inside Spaceship Earth or any of the rides.
If you don't think you will get back to WDW for 6-10 years then I would go ahead and splurge some and stay at one of the moderates or even one of the lower end (relative term) deluxes.

 

[luvsTink]

Planning! I hope you find it as fun as I did for our first trip!

I think every family is different in regards to budget simply because we all have different desires and expectations. For example, with us we were only going to be staying 5 nights and I knew that we would spend little time at our resort, so we picked a value---the pop century, which turned out GREAT. Our kids, 4, 6, and 16 loved the theming and the overall nature of the resort. The pool, though not elaborate, was fine for a mid-day dip. What we focused on was food! We planned out (or should I say "I') planned our meals very carefully. Having clear ideas about restraunts and Priority seating at least once a day forced us to slow down a bit and enjoy each others company. We found those meal times to be great memories. The girls still talk about the dining experiences.

So, I think the best first steps is to spend sometime thinking about your family, their likes, dislikes, what scares them, what excites them, what calms them (because there will be a LOT of excitement.) Which types of show they might like, dining, etc...

Then you can start looking for what "fits". Another example...we had a 16 yr old to please as well. So one everning I took her to the Adventureres Club and she loved it! While we were there the younger ones and dad watched Disney TV and had yummy apple crisp from the food court and were happy as clams.

We also used two "guides": The unofficial guide (a must have in my opinion) and Tour Guide Mike. I liked Tour guide mike because I am a computer/internet junkie and found the format helpful, but still, I would have been lost without the unofficial guide

So, in a nutshell, we got the guides, read this site daily and then built a framework schedule around dining and major shows (spectro, fantasmic, wishes and illuminations) and created a workable plan from that.

I am envious!!! I would love to be planning a WDW trip right now, but I should complain because our cruise will be here before you know it!

Anne

 

[cruise-o-matic]

Since you are going during the summer, you'll be wanting to take a break from the mid-day heat in the parks. I would suggest staying at a resort near the Magic Kingdom (since that is probably the favorite park of 4 & 6 year olds), like the Polynesian or Wilderness Lodge.

Both of these are Deluxe resorts though, but I found that in the summer, you tend to spend more time at your resort and not just a place to crash in the evenings.

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

Welcome!

Try looking for money saving ideas at mousesaver.com.
Also, loads of great WDW info on allearsnet.com.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[lap3]

This is great! You guys and gals are giving me a lot of useful tips! It is much appreciated and thanks for the warm welcomes! BTW, here's a bit more info about our trip: My kids are really excited about going to WDW. For us, we want to do it all. Being this is our first trip, we plan to cram as much activities as possible...without killing ourselves! But, we also like enjoying the amentities of what a hotel has to offer. So, that's why I chose the Coronado Springs. My kids love swimming so a nice pool would make the trip more enjoyable. wdwgoofeeee mentioned mousesavers.com and that's a great website! It has a lot of useful information as well. I plan on buying that Birnbaum's guide to WDW. Is this recommended? One thing we want to do there which we've done a few times in nearby Disneyland is the Character dining. The kids love it. BTW, I forgot to mention that one of the reasons we're going is for my daughter's birthday. So, yes, we do plan on having a birthday party at the Character dining in one of the hotels, if available. Seriously, I can see where planning this trip can be exhausting and fun. I've got so many more questions to ask but I really don't want to bombard you with them now. If you have any other suggestions, please keep them coming! As Mickey would say, "I'm all ears!"(I know, that was too Goofy!). Sorry, that was my futile attempt at humor...

 

[GeekChic]

Welcome to Dis!

Okay, first timer! I will try not to bombard you with too much info! You've gotten some GREAT suggestions so far; esp. the part about not over researching! Leave yourself some surprises, esp. about the attractions. More fun that way!

Now, that being said; i completely agree about deciding what your family is most interested in then going from there!

What are the ages of your children? You say you're considering moderate, depending on how many children you have that may be a better choice than Value but I would caution you not to count on a kid being willing to sleep on the "trundle" beds they offer at some mods like Port Orleans: my dd who was six at the time said it was the most miserable nights sleep she's ever had. We ended up switching hotels for a bigger room with more beds (we had 3 adults 1 child).

As far as planning your daughter's birthday; I don't know how they handle b-days at the Princess dining experiences (Cinderella's Royal Table, Princess Storybook breakfast) but if Mickey and Minnie are what she's after, Chef mickey does a wonderful job with it! My dd turned four there, they brought her a cupcake with sprinkles, told everyone in the section of the restaurant that it was her b-day, and mickey and minnie and all the characters spent a LOT of extra time with her. Cherished memories.

When you book your Priority Seating arrangements, be sure to tell the cast member that it's her birthday; and remind them again when you check in at the podium when you arrive at the restaurant. If you're in the parks i've heard you can get an It's my birthday!" sticker for her to wear (at town hall in the MK, not sure about the other parks).

I might recommend that you could do better budget wise (and i know a lot of people will debate this, but this is just my opinion) if you don't book a package. It might be better for you to do so if you really don't want to have to worry about anything and have your travel agent book it all, but I like to piece my trips together myself, that way I know exactly what I'm getting LOL.

Don't let the planning overwhelm you...think of it this way. There is more to do than you can ever do in one trip. So don't try to do it all the first time. Pick, based on ages of your kids/interests where to go and what to do this trip, and then be sure not to overschedule too many sit down reservations, etc, so that you have time to explore and relax!

The All Stars have HUGE pools. Port Orleans Riverside has a great pool too (even though we didn't like the resort overall (just personal preference stuff, nothing 'wrong') we DID love the pool.

So, ask away with your questions, and we'll try to help! I hope your first trip to WDW will be truly magical for your whole family!

geek

 

[lap3]

Thanks, geek! Great tips. I can see how you and others suggest that I don't over-research our trip. However, being an engineer, I'm not one that's open to leave out any details. Basically, I want the trip to go as smoothly as possible without any glitches, know what I mean? Anyways, I went to mousesavers.com and planned a mock vacation where I compare pricing between a complete package vs. piecing it together. Granted, this was done for a trip this year so I realize that rates will change for next year. The pricing came out to what you have said. Piecing it together was actually cheaper than a comparable package. On the other hand, a package would make it easier to plan and less of a headache. BTW, do you think rates would be cheaper by going through someone like a travel agent or AAA?

 

[OffToDis]

with your childrens age I would stay at the All Star Movies
the theming suits their age and they will have a lot of fun
at that resort seeing the giant buzz light year the gianat dalmations etc best place for your family and a great place to stay

 

[DisneyMomx7]

If possible with the ages of your children I would suggest a monorail resort. Also, you might look into buying an AP if AP codes come out. I wouldn't buy a package unless they came out with another 7/4 package like last year.

As for birthdays - they are very special at WDW. We just returned from dd's 7th birthday and it was great. The hotel sent balloons, candy and autographed pictures of the characters to the room for the kids. One of the nicest places for a birthday was the Sci-FI for lunch they made a big fuss, singing Happy Birthday and gave her a free birthday Sunday. Take the time to read the guidebooks, read the boards and plan, plan. It definitely makes it easier especially in the hot weather. I know, we go in July or August and have three kids the oldest just turned seven. Definitely take the afternoon swim/nap break. You'll appreciate it.

 

[lap3]

Thanks, OffToDis! My son loves Buzz Lightyear so this hotel will probably work out for us. A few of you mentioned All Star Movies but, to be honest, I haven't looked into it. Juding from the response, I should at least consider it. Thanks again!

 

[ajksmom]

You've gotten some great tips already, ones I can put to use for our future trips also. I got this great piece of advice before our 1st visit and I'll share it with you and the others.
- Decide what you are comfortable spending on a vacation.
- Come up w/ a good estimate of what your "fixed" expenses will be(airfare or gas/trans. costs,rental or shuttle costs, film and other supplies,costs of laundry, pet sitter, etc.)
- What you are left with is what your "fun" will cost (room, food, shopping, tickets) Figure out how best to spend this-nice room, short stay, value room - long stay, mod. room - lots of sit down dining.
We've never "overspent" this way. And I've never been disappointed planning 7 nights here, 7 day PHP, eating at such and such, and found that it was too much money.

Kristy

 

[Mortlives]

If you're planning on staying at a moderate, and the pool is the major consideration, our favourite pool among the moderates we've stayed at is CBR. It has the nicest hot tub, and waterfall, and the fort theme is really well done. However, CS is the one moderate we haven't done. But all the moderates we've stayed at have had their own plusses and minuses. Our overall favourite so far is POR. As far as All Stars go, I don't think they have slides and I know they don't have hot tubs, so you need to decide if you want those things.

For myself, I'd say open the wallet a bit. Don't rack up huge amounts of debt, but if you want to do something, and you can afford it, do it.

Remember to try dinner at some of the deluxe resorts. 'Ohana is great, as long as you eat meat and/or seafood. And it's fun for the kids. We also really liked Boma, but you might not get that much out of it if your kids are not adventurous.

I didn't see it mentioned, but get your DD a birthday button from Guest Services at whatever theme park you do that day. Also, keep in mind that the resort won't necessarily do something for your DD's birthday. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, so it's better not to build up expectations in case nothing happens. But do mention the birthday when making resort reservations and restaurant PSs. It never hurts.

Have a great time,
Mort.

 

[lap3]

All of you have given me some great ideas, saving tips, and advice I didn't even know about(ie, birthday button for my daughter). We still have a ways to go until our trip. But I just want to be thorough as possible when it comes to the planning portion of it. One other thing I wanted to ask you guys: Do you find yourself travelling or driving very much during your stay. Our plan is to pretty much stay at the WDW area. So, we would use the transportation provided by the hotel. However, I don't know if we plan to visit other areas that would require us to drive there. Again, sorry with all of the questions!

 

[GeekChic]

Thanks, geek! Great tips. I can see how you and others suggest that I don't over-research our trip. However, being an engineer, I'm not one that's open to leave out any details. Basically, I want the trip to go as smoothly as possible without any glitches, know what I mean? Anyways, I went to mousesavers.com and planned a mock vacation where I compare pricing between a complete package vs. piecing it together. Granted, this was done for a trip this year so I realize that rates will change for next year. The pricing came out to what you have said. Piecing it together was actually cheaper than a comparable package. On the other hand, a package would make it easier to plan and less of a headache. BTW, do you think rates would be cheaper by going through someone like a travel agent or AAA?

i'm married to an engineer so I understand attention to detail! He knows i'm a disney pro with 44 trips under my belt in 33 years and I've booked complete trips three days in advance of leaving in as little as 45 minutes beginning to end! So he is okay with letting me plan LOL.

If you truly do not want to hassle so much with the planning, you likely should use a travel agent. But if you prefer hands on like I do and seeing to every detail, then you can do it yourself!

Here's a couple more tips I just thought of:

Type up a page (or write it down) with what you're looking for in a resort. Killer pools? Ease of transportation? Varied Dining? Or is the hotel mostly a place to shower and sleep before hitting the parks? How many people do you have to fit in the room, do you want only one room (if 5 people or less total).

You should know that all Disney Value/Moderate resorts utilize bus transportation to get around. Unless you stay in a Monorail hotel, you need to figure some travel time in when you're talking about resort dining reservations.

For example: If you're staying at a Value or Moderate and have a dinner ressie for dd's b-day at say, Chef Mickey...you have to take the bus to the MK and then the Monorail to the Contemporary. Be sure when you plan the times of your priority seatings that you figure in bus travel time from the resort to your destination! (if you have a car that's not so much an issue.)

I have not stayed at the All Star Movies, was going to for our next trip but DH is hooked on monorail hotels like I am LOL. But I have stayed in the other 2 Stars. I have heard that Movies has a MUCH more Disney feel to it because of the building theming and all, but it is also usually the most crowded for the same reason.

Another thing you want to check into: If there are any WDW special events happening while you are going to be there. When is your trip? Depending if there are sporting event groups (like the pop warner folks) staying at the All Stars that week, you may want to choose another hotel (sorry, pop people, no offense intended!).

You also may want to make note of nights when certain parks may close early for special events (like the Halloween/Christmas parties in the MK, which you have to buy extra admission for).

Consider the following: (I sound like Bill Nye the Science Guy LOL)

When you're choosing passes, think about which places you are truly likely to visit; if you're not planning on going to the water parks/disneyquest/world of sports on this visit, to get an Ultimate Park Hopper would be a waste of money for your family (they usually want to include those with the packages). So talk to a travel agent about that and/or get out the ol' calculator and think about where you really want to visit during your stay: You may be better off with a regular Hopper ticket. My family never gets ultimates because we just wouldn't use all the stuff that comes with them.

When I say 'don't over-plan,' I definitely do not mean not to have all your travel/accomodations details specified and worked out! I just mean, don't plan so many restaurant ressies and things that you don't allow time for spontaneous things to happen. WDW is like nowhere else on earth, and being on too tight a schedule can cause you to worry and miss out on fun things that just happen when you're taking in the sights.

About room rates: AAA can get you a 15% discount if there is availability when you're traveling (that depends, are you going during Value, Regular, or Holiday season?) sometimes they come out with discount codes that are valid for everyone, like one recently that is enabling us to take a quickly planned trip to WDW this year after all Those discounts are much deeper, but the thing is you can't plan on them ages in advance. Usually, if there is availability at the resort for the code you want to use, they will let you switch your ressies after you've booked. With a package, the travel agent would have to look into that.

I don't know how it works with packages, if once you've paid you can't switch to a different deal if a better one comes out, maybe someone who reads this thread and has done that can answer to that? I do know that there are a couple specific companies that specialize in WDW vacations (i think one advertises here, one does on another Disney related message board). If you want to let someone else do the planning, a travel agent may be the way to go. Just be sure to get someone who really knows WDW well since you're a first-timer

You didn't mention, are you planning to fly? Drive? Cause there are issues of ground trans. for your family to/from the resort as well if you're not driving that you need to plan for, and we can help you out with ideas there too. But it's really not that bad. A basic bare bones outline for how I plan a trip is this:

1. Plane Tickets
2. Hotel Room
3. Ground Trans
4. Park Tickets
5. Priority Seating reservations for character dining, sit down restaurants/Luau, etc.
6. any special needs (in my case, wheelchair rental)
7. planning envelopes for tipping housekeeping, ground trans. drivers, and bellmen.

If you haven't already gotten the WDW vacation planning materials they can send you, ring them up and get those on the way! Also, keep your eyes on the travel channel if you have cable because they always have great shows about WDW.

Hope i'm not overwhelming you! I think the biggest decision is if you want to let a travel agent handle it all. If you do, then all you have to do is have your dates, pick a hotel (or narrow it down based on your family's preferences) and then get out your wallet LOL

have fun planning!!!
geek

edited to add: you post about driving around...if you're going to stay on WDW property the whole trip and stay in a WDW resort, there isn't anything on the property that you cannot get to via Disney transportation. It may take more than one form of trans to get you there (ie: bus to Park, Bus/monorail/boat to hotel). But if you're thinking of visiting other theme parks like Universal...you likely want to think about having a car.

We never go off disney property so I can't help you much there LOL. We're happy to stay put

 

[Mortlives]

You'll get varied responses on this one. For ourselves, we enjoy being Prisoners of Disney, and have never taken anything but Disney transportation while on property. We don't travel to other places while at Disney.

I think, especially if this is your first trip, that 7 days might be enough to see a reasonable amount of WDW, but you probably won't have enough time, or inclination to do other things. At least we never have, which is why I'm planning a separate trip to see Universal.

One thing I would recommend is take at least one day in the middle, and take it really easy. Relax at your resort around the pool, maybe do a little DTD, maybe visit a different resort you might want to stay in next time, but don't theme park, just rest.

Kungaloosh!
Mort.

 

[CBCit]

You might want to think about getting a Disney Visa.They offer hotel discounts,sometimes ahead of when offered to the general public. You have plenty of time to accumulate dream dollar rewards to use on your vacation.If you apply from the Disney website they start u off with $25 Dream Dollars. These reward dollars are good for hotel,restaurants,souvenirs,etc.

 

[lap3]

Originally posted by GeekChic
i'm married to an engineer so I understand attention to detail! He knows i'm a disney pro with 44 trips under my belt in 33 years and I've booked complete trips three days in advance of leaving in as little as 45 minutes beginning to end! So he is okay with letting me plan LOL.

If you truly do not want to hassle so much with the planning, you likely should use a travel agent. But if you prefer hands on like I do and seeing to every detail, then you can do it yourself!

Here's a couple more tips I just thought of:

Type up a page (or write it down) with what you're looking for in a resort. Killer pools? Ease of transportation? Varied Dining? Or is the hotel mostly a place to shower and sleep before hitting the parks? How many people do you have to fit in the room, do you want only one room (if 5 people or less total).

You should know that all Disney Value/Moderate resorts utilize bus transportation to get around. Unless you stay in a Monorail hotel, you need to figure some travel time in when you're talking about resort dining reservations.

For example: If you're staying at a Value or Moderate and have a dinner ressie for dd's b-day at say, Chef Mickey...you have to take the bus to the MK and then the Monorail to the Contemporary. Be sure when you plan the times of your priority seatings that you figure in bus travel time from the resort to your destination! (if you have a car that's not so much an issue.)

I have not stayed at the All Star Movies, was going to for our next trip but DH is hooked on monorail hotels like I am LOL. But I have stayed in the other 2 Stars. I have heard that Movies has a MUCH more Disney feel to it because of the building theming and all, but it is also usually the most crowded for the same reason.

Another thing you want to check into: If there are any WDW special events happening while you are going to be there. When is your trip? Depending if there are sporting event groups (like the pop warner folks) staying at the All Stars that week, you may want to choose another hotel (sorry, pop people, no offense intended!).

You also may want to make note of nights when certain parks may close early for special events (like the Halloween/Christmas parties in the MK, which you have to buy extra admission for).

Consider the following: (I sound like Bill Nye the Science Guy LOL)

When you're choosing passes, think about which places you are truly likely to visit; if you're not planning on going to the water parks/disneyquest/world of sports on this visit, to get an Ultimate Park Hopper would be a waste of money for your family (they usually want to include those with the packages). So talk to a travel agent about that and/or get out the ol' calculator and think about where you really want to visit during your stay: You may be better off with a regular Hopper ticket. My family never gets ultimates because we just wouldn't use all the stuff that comes with them.

When I say 'don't over-plan,' I definitely do not mean not to have all your travel/accomodations details specified and worked out! I just mean, don't plan so many restaurant ressies and things that you don't allow time for spontaneous things to happen. WDW is like nowhere else on earth, and being on too tight a schedule can cause you to worry and miss out on fun things that just happen when you're taking in the sights.

About room rates: AAA can get you a 15% discount if there is availability when you're traveling (that depends, are you going during Value, Regular, or Holiday season?) sometimes they come out with discount codes that are valid for everyone, like one recently that is enabling us to take a quickly planned trip to WDW this year after all Those discounts are much deeper, but the thing is you can't plan on them ages in advance. Usually, if there is availability at the resort for the code you want to use, they will let you switch your ressies after you've booked. With a package, the travel agent would have to look into that.

I don't know how it works with packages, if once you've paid you can't switch to a different deal if a better one comes out, maybe someone who reads this thread and has done that can answer to that? I do know that there are a couple specific companies that specialize in WDW vacations (i think one advertises here, one does on another Disney related message board). If you want to let someone else do the planning, a travel agent may be the way to go. Just be sure to get someone who really knows WDW well since you're a first-timer

You didn't mention, are you planning to fly? Drive? Cause there are issues of ground trans. for your family to/from the resort as well if you're not driving that you need to plan for, and we can help you out with ideas there too. But it's really not that bad. A basic bare bones outline for how I plan a trip is this:

1. Plane Tickets
2. Hotel Room
3. Ground Trans
4. Park Tickets
5. Priority Seating reservations for character dining, sit down restaurants/Luau, etc.
6. any special needs (in my case, wheelchair rental)
7. planning envelopes for tipping housekeeping, ground trans. drivers, and bellmen.

If you haven't already gotten the WDW vacation planning materials they can send you, ring them up and get those on the way! Also, keep your eyes on the travel channel if you have cable because they always have great shows about WDW.

Hope i'm not overwhelming you! I think the biggest decision is if you want to let a travel agent handle it all. If you do, then all you have to do is have your dates, pick a hotel (or narrow it down based on your family's preferences) and then get out your wallet LOL

have fun planning!!!
geek

edited to add: you post about driving around...if you're going to stay on WDW property the whole trip and stay in a WDW resort, there isn't anything on the property that you cannot get to via Disney transportation. It may take more than one form of trans to get you there (ie: bus to Park, Bus/monorail/boat to hotel). But if you're thinking of visiting other theme parks like Universal...you likely want to think about having a car.

We never go off disney property so I can't help you much there LOL. We're happy to stay put

We're flying out of Los Angeles so the only mode of transportation we need to worry about would be from MCO to WDW. I checked on mousesavers.com and they recommend a company recommending a van to and from the airport. Mortlives gave a great tip. Since this is our first trip, we want to see and do everything. After a while, this can be tiring so I can see taking a break during the week would be a welcome. That being said, if we purchased the UPH pass, would this be a waste of money? We'll be there for 7 days but I know at least one of those days will be used for a relax day. On the other hand, we do want to visit the other parks as well. Also, thanks CBCit for the tip about the Disney Visa. My family is not big into credit cards but I can see where this is one that would be used to our advantage.
Sorry, I'm jumping around here. Geek, the type of hotel we enjoy is something that offers very pleasant amentities, pools, etc... For these reasons, this is why I considered the Moderate resorts, more specifically, the Coronado Springs. You and others mentioned Chef Mickey. I'm assuming this is some type of Disney Character dining experience, correct? If so, I'll look into this for my DD birthday.
Our trip is scheduled for around the end of June. I know it's a ways away but, as I mentioned, I like to plan ahead without any dissappointing surprises. Plus, with all of the information that is available, it can be overwhelming and useful!
BTW, I can't believe that you made 44 trips in 33 years! Wow! You are a veteran. If it's ok with you, when more questions pop up, I'm going to pick your brain! Again, thanks everyone for the very useful tips and please keep them coming!