How Do You Start Planning?

[beedee12]

My husband and I are going on our first trip to DW together this December for our 1st anniversary! I haven't been since I was 12 and he hasn't been since high school. So it's also both of our first trips as adults in charge of planning. I'm just starting to plan so I am looking for some advice.

Here's what we have so far:
8 nights at POFQ
8 days of park hopper tickets
Deluxe Dining Plan
Memory Maker

What should I start planning first? I know I can't make ADRs until 180 days out, but I want to start getting my plan together now. How do you decide where/when you are going to eat? And clearly we have a ton of table service credits to use, so do you have any recommendations for restaurants for 2 adults?

Also how many days do you recommend I do at each park?

I will take ANY other advice for 2 adults going to DW as well.

TIA!

 

[kmb584]

I start by comparing our dates to crowd calendars in order to choose what park we'll be spending each day at. We often hop and in that case the most recommended park is the one we spend the morning/afternoon in. By doing that I'm able to decide on what ADRs to make (either in that park or nearby resort) in order to avoid having to go from Epcot to DHS for lunch. We're big fans of pre-park opening breakfasts so if we do that, lunch is skipped in favor of a dinner ADR. If we're going the route of a light breakfast, I'll make a lunch ADR and we'll do QS or a snack for dinner. I also like to book during off-times. Having dinner at 5pm compared to 6:30pm can cut down on the time it takes for you to be seated, the same goes for a lunch ADR at 2pm compared to 12pm.

 

[disneycruising]

Great advice kmb584! We do the same things.

My DH enjoys the restaurants just as much as the parks. So I also look at the restaurant that are a must do! For us it is always Ohana's on the first night. Then plan around the park hours and dining.

We also eat at off times which makes it easier to get the ADRs that I want. We are from California. So I always book dinners at about 9pm which is normal dinner time for us.

 

[beedee12]

I start by comparing our dates to crowd calendars in order to choose what park we'll be spending each day at. We often hop and in that case the most recommended park is the one we spend the morning/afternoon in. By doing that I'm able to decide on what ADRs to make (either in that park or nearby resort) in order to avoid having to go from Epcot to DHS for lunch. We're big fans of pre-park opening breakfasts so if we do that, lunch is skipped in favor of a dinner ADR. If we're going the route of a light breakfast, I'll make a lunch ADR and we'll do QS or a snack for dinner. I also like to book during off-times. Having dinner at 5pm compared to 6:30pm can cut down on the time it takes for you to be seated, the same goes for a lunch ADR at 2pm compared to 12pm.

Thank you so much for all the advice! Which crowd calendars do you use? And do you also use them to determine where you will go in the evenings?

 

[kmb584]

Thank you so much for all the advice! Which crowd calendars do you use? And do you also use them to determine where you will go in the evenings?

I use the ones on EasyWDW. I don't typically use them for our evening park but if we're going to be there during a notoriously crowded time I will. In that scenario our 2nd park will be either the 2nd most recommended or the one predicted to be the least crowded of the not recommended. When we hop it's usually just for dinner and Wishes/Illuminations/F!.

 

[rwdavis2]

Thank you so much for all the advice! Which crowd calendars do you use? And do you also use them to determine where you will go in the evenings?

I would recommend the calendars at easywdw.com. Josh gives complete explanations why you should go to or avoid a specific park on a specific day.

We don't make any more plans than which park on which day, a couple of ADRs, and maybe a day off. IMHO a day off in the middle is required if you hit rope drop each day or stay until closing. Once you have the park down then you just hit the most popular rides first.

Since you have park hoppers you may want to save the fast passes for the park you hop to assuming you do rope drop at the first one.

Just a comment on the Deluxe Dining (and only my opinion). Do you really want to be tied down to that many table service ADRs? But considering you have 8 days it may not be too much of a cost in time. But it is A LOT OF FOOD. We did the regular plan last year and even that was a bit much every day. The only reason we did the plan was because we got it at a steep discount. Otherwise dining plans at full price are break-even at best.

 

[Cubicleprisoner]

I enjoy reading the menus on Allears.net and deciding on which new restaurant(s) to experience. I like to try at least one new restaurant on every trip.

 

[beedee12]

I would recommend the calendars at easywdw.com. Josh gives complete explanations why you should go to or avoid a specific park on a specific day.

We don't make any more plans than which park on which day, a couple of ADRs, and maybe a day off. IMHO a day off in the middle is required if you hit rope drop each day or stay until closing. Once you have the park down then you just hit the most popular rides first.

Since you have park hoppers you may want to save the fast passes for the park you hop to assuming you do rope drop at the first one.

Just a comment on the Deluxe Dining (and only my opinion). Do you really want to be tied down to that many table service ADRs? But considering you have 8 days it may not be too much of a cost in time. But it is A LOT OF FOOD. We did the regular plan last year and even that was a bit much every day. The only reason we did the plan was because we got it at a steep discount. Otherwise dining plans at full price are break-even at best.

Thank you for all your help! I'll definitely be using the easywdw calendars.

We spent a long time debating whether or not we wanted to do deluxe dining. Obviously, it's way more expensive than the regular plan. But as we were looking at which restaurants we wanted to go to, we noticed that a good handful of them were signature restaurants. We also typically would order appetizer(s) and dessert(s) with meals (even without a dining plan). This is our only trip to WDW before we have kids, so a HUGE part of this trip for us is getting to experience the awesome restaurants at WDW (since this will not really be a priority once we have kids). We are aware that there is a chance we may just break even or maybe even lose a little bit of money, but we really like that all-inclusive feel to a vacation as well.

 

[bastos]

Check out the restaurants and meals. Especially for something as adults - restaurants can make or break the day. MANY Disney folks are planners - read both good and bad reviews - and check out the menus. You don't have to be SO specific to pick your dinner, but do check out for cuisines that you might prefer. Nothing worse than ending up locked into a meal that you don't really want.

If you are a book person - check the Unofficial Guide and the Passporter. I am still a crazy fan of both of them.

I also like the Disney food Blog, too.

If you are a crazy planner, you can go even further and try out touringplans.com. I like it to get an idea - but like to manipulate as I go.

Just make certain to make reservations at the 180 day mark if you want to hit up Be Our Guest. Most of the other places (outside of the Christmas week) you can reserve after that day, but Be Our Guest dinner fills fast.

 

[glassslippergirl]

You have lots of great ideas here. Since this is your one adults-only visit, I'd like to recommend planning some special adult activities. Signature dining is, of course, one, and you can maximize your DDP by eating a one credit breakfast or early lunch and a two-credit dinner every day. This will also help you maximize your park time by taking two rather than three long TS meals per day. My recommendation for romance is California Grill. Make an ADR so that you can watch the MK fireworks during your meal.

Disney has a lot of great things to do out if the parks, too. Once you plan which days you want to go to which parks, try to incorporate some down time to do something romantic and grown-up like a Segway tour, renting a boat at DTD, or doing a ride-along at Richard Petty Experience. I can attest these are all super-cool, super-memorable, adult things that you won't be able to do for a while after kids. There's also carriage rides, renting a surry bike, Jellyrolls on the Boardwalk, even drinking around the world at Epcot. Have fun!

 

[tomgreen41]

I'd start with flights. Prices can vary significantly from day to day, so if you're price sensitive, that's a good place to start.

 

[katt789]

I usually start out by checking the park hours from the Disney website, any EMH that you might want to take part in. Then I cross reference those with the crowd calanders on easywdw and touringplans. I'll then pick what days I want at what parks.
For parks I'd recommend doing 2 days at Magic, and 1 at all the rest, and on the extra days, do split days, say 1 day half Epcot half DHS.

For TS meals I recommend:
-Yak & Yeti at Animal Kingdom
-50's Prime Time at DHS
-Via Napoli, Le Cellier, Chefs de France at Epcot
-Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge
-Crystal Palace breakfast at Magic Kingdom

I've always travelled with just adults, though we are adults in our 20's, minus the few times I've taken my Mom & a friend of hers, and we always have a blast, there are TONS of things to do for "kids of all ages".

POFQ is hands down one of my favorite resorts! Take advantage of the boat rides over to Riverside, and Downtown Disney, you could easily take a day exploring along that, and spend some time in the pool at the hotel to relax.

I also advise to get park hoppers, honestly, with 8 days in the parks, you can hop and do a lot more, plus not feel tied down to the park you have reservations in!

 

[JRawkSteady]

I use the Touring Plans crowd calendars. The easyWDWs have steered me wrong in the past. I do like their explanations and sometimes I use them in tandem, but if there is any question, I stick with Touring Plans. And I've had zero problems. (especially since their optimizer is so helpful!!)

I always start with an empty book. I like physically writing everything down because it A) helps me think and B) puts everything in one place. Plus, I keep them until next trip, where I will start where I left off last time. This way, you can look back on all your old trips and what have changed etc, etc. I've been doing this since 1996 and I love the nostalgic factor behind it.

Have the greatest time ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[hooch11bear]

Everybody has given great advice already. I typically start planning the same way, check out park hours, take a look at easywdw and see what days are recommended and plan from there. We too like to eat quite a few sit-down meals. It's a chance to take a rest and enjoy some of the resorts too.

Since you are so close to Riverside, I would suggest taking the boat over there one evening to check out Yehaa Bob. He performs over there from Wednesday to Saturday starting at 8:30. You can have a few drinks and appetizers and enjoy the show. It's definitely a lot of fun!!

 

[ClioMuse]

Everyone here has given great advice already. I thought I'd chime in since we're in a very similar situation as you. My husband and I are taking our first trip to Disney in November (no kids). We're also staying 8 days and doing Deluxe Dining.

We were just going to do the regular dining, but upgraded to deluxe when we couldn't narrow down our signature choices. We're working through our ADRs right now. We can't make them until early May, but it's taken us a while to go through all the restaurants. I also recommend the Disney Food Blog, but that might depend on if your tastes line up with the author. I've also been reading the dining reports on this forum. They're a lot of fun to go through!

We have a rough plan so far, but I might post it here for people to tear apart (I mean that in the nicest way possible ). I'm currently planning on 2 days in MK, 2 days in Epcot, a resort day sometime in the middle, and 1 day each for HS and AK. That last day we'll use to hit things we missed or want to do again.

Of course, this all will probably change about 10 more times before we actually leave!

 

[Bullseye]

Beedee it's looks like your more than halfway there now!
Once park hours become available that's when we start planning park days and then ADRs. Right or wrong, I have never even seen a touring plan from any of the known sources. In fact, we usually plan around EMH's. The fact that you have hoppers you can always leave an EMH park for a less crowded park if you need to. Plus it's just you and the DH so you'll be footloose/fancy free!

I usually book my flights fairly early because I always obsess if I wait too long I won't get a decent flight time.

Dining
Crystal Palace (Breakfast, very pleasant)
Boma (wonderful breakfast or dinner)
O'hana (awesome Dinner feast)
Cape May (Awesome Seafood Dinner Buffet)
Les Chefs de France (Lunch or dinner)

 

[pugdog]

Depending on when in December you are going to be there you might not need to make ADR's for everyday. We were just there last December 4-18th and except for the most popular TS's we were able to get ADR's the day of most of the time and almost always the night before. The more popular places I would make the ADR's sooner but you really don't need to make them right at the 180 day mark. We had no issue while we were there making ADR's for every place we wanted to eat at. And since you like to eat at off times, like we do, it really is not an issue to get in. If you the MDE app don't pick the generic bfast,lunch, dinner as it will come back with no times available. Instead pick an actual time you like and it will come back with times around it.

 

[Mandak22]

We went for our Honeymoon, in September, so a low crowd month. We got up had breakfast at our hotel, then usually did a quick service for lunch. Since it was a low crowd we were able to walk on most rides with little to no wait, so we went back to swim, or relax. We did shower and go to dinner every night a little later than those with small kids. We didn't do character meals because we knew when we had kids we would do those a lot! Our favorite sit down meals are O'hanas, Boma, California Grill, one of the restaurants in France (I can't remember the name), Bongos. Really every sit down meal we've had we've liked, except for Cinderella's Castle, and Crystal Palace dinner.