I don't even know where to start - help!!

[ConfusedofCuracao]

I'm trying to plan a trip to Disney in October, but I've never been and I am getting completely confused trying to work out what I should book, what I shouldn't, and what is a realistic plan. Posters on another online forum I use pointed me in this direction, so I'm hoping that people can either answer my questions or point me towards the information. (I have tried to find it myself, to avoid being That Poster who wants everyone else to do the work for them - I'm just making myself more and more confused though!)

Anyway, we are a family of four - boy is 12 and loves roller coasters and water rides; girl is 8 and hates roller coasters and water rides but adores Disney characters (all of them)

We are flying into MIA on Oct 8 and leaving a week later, but plan to spend two days in Orlando doing Disney stuff and the rest of the week exploring Florida.

We live in the Caribbean so are used to the heat, and are also not overly bothered at having access to a swimming pool as we are lucky enough to have our own at home. This is likely to be our only trip to Disney for a long time, so want to get the essential "Disney experience" IYKWIM

So - my thinking is that we should just concentrate on the Magic Kingdom for both days rather than try to cram in another park?

And we should stay as close as possible to the MK - but I can't tell whether the benefits to staying in an actual Disney hotel outweigh the price of staying in a nearby AirBNB?

We should sign up for FP for the main attractions we want to do, but is there anything in particular we should pay extra for?

We aren't bothered about eating junk for two days, so is it easiest to just buy from concessions there rather than tie ourselves to a meal plan?

Sorry for the random questions - any help for this newbie very much appreciated

 

[Klayfish]

First, welcome!!

If you're only going to have 2 days at Disney, you'll barely be able to scratch the surface of what it has to offer. However, that doesn't mean I think you shouldn't bother, quite the contrary! Make the most of it.

Yes, MK should be your central focus, in my opinion. However, I would look at one of the other parks and see what each has and pick one. Maybe AK, as it has coasters, water rides, character greets and some cool Disney shows (Lion King is the best show on property).

I'm a dedicated fan of staying off site, as it works for our family. However, if you're only staying two days and your budget allows it, then yes, I'd suggest staying on property. If your budget allows, stay at one of the three hotels served by the MK monorail...Contemporary, Polynesian or Grand Floridian (most expensive). If not, there are plenty of other options.

If you want to do a character dining meal, you'll need a reservation (or so I understand, we pack our own food). If you don't care about that (you can see characters throughout the park for free), then plenty of quick service places for you to grab meals whenever you want.

 

[3gr8boys]

I am not experienced enough to help you with everything.....especially how to allocate only two days. I do have a couple of thoughts, though.

I would definitely stay on site. With your limited time at WDW, you will want to be able to reserve fast passes (FP+) 60 days out from your arrival for must do rides. Plus, you would be able to take advantage of any Extra Magic Hours (EMH) while you are there.

You don't need a dining plan to eat at counter service (CS or QS) or table service (TS) restaurants....you can pay like any other restaurant. If you decide there is a Table Service you do want to experience, you should consider getting a "reservation" (ADR).

 

[3gr8boys]

Another thought! I do think a character meal could be worthwhile. It is a fun very-disney experience for all ages....especially if you arrive prepared with questions to engage the characters. My kids (11 and 15 last trip) won't wait in line for characters, but they do enjoy character meals.

 

[Princess Steph]

I'm going to address the question about accommodations and say I think you will benefit from staying on disney property for both the onsite benefits and proximity to the parks. When staying at a Disney Hotel you get Extra Magic Hours which are extra hours in either the AM or PM for certain parks on a given day of the week. You also can book those fastpasses at 60 days from your arrival verses 30 days if you stay AirB&B. It can mean the difference of getting a fastpass for the big roller coasters or waiting in a long line. If you think you are going to do the 2 days at MK then you should try to stay at a monorail resort, but it is expensive. I have stayed at all the Moderates and Value resorts and I love my stay at every one. I think the bus system is fine but frustrating at times. If I could choose for you, stay at the Contemporary and walk to MK.

I'll also just say that the counter service restaurants serve much more than junk food. Of course you can get a burger or hotdog, but I've had delicious salads, chicken, ribs and salmon. You can eat at the full service restaurants without purchasing the dining plan. Just make a reservation for the days you are there.

I hope this helps and that others can give you some advice too. good luck and have a great trip. Your kids are at great ages!

 

[maryj11]

I agree with klayfish. Do MK one day and take your pick on which park for the other day. The best roller coasters to me are Rock N Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios and Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom. Yes you should get Fastpasses. To do that you need to have park tickets. If you stay at a Disney resort you just add the tickets when you make your reservation. If you don't stay at a Disney resort then buy tickets. You need to go to the Disney web site and make an account. You may have to link your tickets in your My Disney Experience account on the website. Once you have tickets on there you can make fastpasses. I love staying onsite but it can be costly. We never stay without a discount. On the Disney website it will show special offers. Go there and you can check prices.
If your girl loves characters then definitely book one character meal.
Oh and you should download the My Disney Experience App because if you want a quick bite you can order your food from the app then just go pick it up. There are several quick services places at each park that you can order food from your phone. The app will show all the menus and have pictures of the food. The app also will have wait times for the rides and show your fastpass times that you already set up. You can also change your fastpasses or search for more from the app. It has maps of all the parks and opening closing times along with show times. I do have problems with app not working well and then I just go use the website. But the app is good for ordering food.

 

[greg9x]

Don't count on other people to tell you what you will like.... Peruse the Disney World website with your family and look at what is in each park and get an idea of what they want to do. Then get an idea of what you can fit in to 2 days reasonably. People here can help you with the finer details once you have an idea.. but you will get 1000 different ideas of what others would do, but what matters is what your family wants.
But you are up against a time constraint if you want to stay on property and make 60 day out fast pass reservations.

Personally, I think you can do more than just MK in 2 days.. maybe 1 day MK and 1/2 day each in 2 other parks. You will probably have too much to see/do without adding extras on, unless they help you get stuff done faster.

Take a few days to read around here and get acclimatized... then start asking questions.

 

[Klayfish]

Don't count on other people to tell you what you will like.... Peruse the Disney World website with your family and look at what is in each park and get an idea of what they want to do. Then get an idea of what you can fit in to 2 days reasonably.

I agree with picking what you want, but the challenge OP has is knowing what they can and can't fit in 2 days reasonably. If you've never been, it's hard to get a realistic concept of what you can and can't do, especially because it's hard to grasp the overwhelming size of WDW.

 

[VandVsmama]

I'm trying to plan a trip to Disney in October, but I've never been and I am getting completely confused trying to work out what I should book, what I shouldn't, and what is a realistic plan. Posters on another online forum I use pointed me in this direction, so I'm hoping that people can either answer my questions or point me towards the information.

Anyway, we are a family of four - boy is 12 and loves roller coasters and water rides; girl is 8 and hates roller coasters and water rides but adores Disney characters (all of them)

We are flying into MIA on Oct 8 and leaving a week later, but plan to spend two days in Orlando doing Disney stuff and the rest of the week exploring Florida.

So - my thinking is that we should just concentrate on the Magic Kingdom for both days rather than try to cram in another park?

And we should stay as close as possible to the MK - but I can't tell whether the benefits to staying in an actual Disney hotel outweigh the price of staying in a nearby AirBNB?

We should sign up for FP for the main attractions we want to do, but is there anything in particular we should pay extra for?

We aren't bothered about eating junk for two days, so is it easiest to just buy from concessions there rather than tie ourselves to a meal plan?

Sorry for the random questions - any help for this newbie very much appreciated

With just 2 days, just stick to Magic Kingdom. My thoughts & advice in no particular order:

• if you stay on site, then you can make FP reservations 60 days beforehand. if you stay off site, it's 30 days beforehand.
• You can only make 3 FP+ reservations in advance.
• You cannot get a 4th or subsequent FP until you have used all 3 of your other FP. You can split up your FP so that 2 of you use the FP for roller coasters & Splash Mtn while the other 2 focus on stuff like character meet & greets.
• This article will explain all about the WDW FP system --> https://wdwprepschool.com/how-to-use-fastpass-at-disney-world/
• The fireworks are amazing, but if you don't want to devote 1.5-2 hr saving your fireworks viewing spot, you can pay $$$ extra for the Magic Kingdom fireworks dessert party. It's expensive, but I thought that it was worth it and money well spent since my husband hates having to camp out for stuff like that.
• Cheapest places to stay on site are the Value resorts. So if you're going to be at the parks all day without a midday break back at your hotel, then you might want to save your $$ and stay at 1 of those. There's everything from soup to nuts in terms of expensive vs not expensive places to stay. Sometimes, staying off site can actually end up to be more expensive than onsite, so just do your research.
• Since you'll have a rental car, it will cost you $22/day to park. If you stay at a hotel on site, they will charge you that $22 fee and that parking fee gets you into any of the parking lots anywhere on site. So in other words, you will not need to pay it again at the theme park.
• We used the Touring Plans website (there's also a smart phone app) in order to come up with a daily park itinerary so we could minimize the amount of time spent waiting in long lines.
• All of the WDW restaurant menus & prices are available on wdwinfo.com or on the All Ears . net website.
• If you're interested in a character meal but none of the MK in-park character meals seem all that great or interesting, consider doing a character meal on your check out day or on your arrival day and do a character meal at 1 of the resorts. OR schedule a character meal at the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian, or the Contemporary Resort. Schedule it midday and take the monorail from MK over there. Then monorail it back to MK after the character meal is over.
• Start listening to the Tuesday WDW podcasts on the DIs Unplugged. They're released on iTunes the following day, but they broadcast it live online on Tuesdays.
• Don't bother with a meal plan just for 2 days. You can still schedule a dining reservation without a meal plan. ADRs can be made up to 180 days ahead of time, so something popular like Be Our Guest or Cinderella's Royal Table will probably all be booked up already.
• If you have the time, consider having dinner maybe on arrival day at the Hoop Dee Doo at Fort Wilderness. It's a lot of fun and everybody should experience it once in their lifetime. Your kids will really enjoy it.

 

[maryj11]

With just 2 days, just stick to Magic Kingdom. My thoughts & advice in no particular order:

• if you stay on site, then you can make FP reservations 60 days beforehand. if you stay off site, it's 30 days beforehand.
• You can only make 3 FP+ reservations in advance.
• You cannot get a 4th or subsequent FP until you have used all 3 of your other FP. You can split up your FP so that 2 of you use the FP for roller coasters & Splash Mtn while the other 2 focus on stuff like character meet & greets.
• This article will explain all about the WDW FP system --> https://wdwprepschool.com/how-to-use-fastpass-at-disney-world/
• The fireworks are amazing, but if you don't want to devote 1.5-2 hr saving your fireworks viewing spot, you can pay $$$ extra for the Magic Kingdom fireworks dessert party. It's expensive, but I thought that it was worth it and money well spent since my husband hates having to camp out for stuff like that.
• Cheapest places to stay on site are the Value resorts. So if you're going to be at the parks all day without a midday break back at your hotel, then you might want to save your $$ and stay at 1 of those. There's everything from soup to nuts in terms of expensive vs not expensive places to stay. Sometimes, staying off site can actually end up to be more expensive than onsite, so just do your research.
• Since you'll have a rental car, it will cost you $22/day to park. If you stay at a hotel on site, they will charge you that $22 fee and that parking fee gets you into any of the parking lots anywhere on site. So in other words, you will not need to pay it again at the theme park.
• We used the Touring Plans website (there's also a smart phone app) in order to come up with a daily park itinerary so we could minimize the amount of time spent waiting in long lines.
• All of the WDW restaurant menus & prices are available on wdwinfo.com or on the All Ears . net website.
• If you're interested in a character meal but none of the MK in-park character meals seem all that great or interesting, consider doing a character meal on your check out day or on your arrival day and do a character meal at 1 of the resorts. OR schedule a character meal at the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian, or the Contemporary Resort. Schedule it midday and take the monorail from MK over there. Then monorail it back to MK after the character meal is over.
• Start listening to the Tuesday WDW podcasts on the DIs Unplugged. They're released on iTunes the following day, but they broadcast it live online on Tuesdays.
• Don't bother with a meal plan just for 2 days. You can still schedule a dining reservation without a meal plan. ADRs can be made up to 180 days ahead of time, so something popular like Be Our Guest or Cinderella's Royal Table will probably all be booked up already.
• If you have the time, consider having dinner maybe on arrival day at the Hoop Dee Doo at Fort Wilderness. It's a lot of fun and everybody should experience it once in their lifetime. Your kids will really enjoy it.

I like Hoop Dee Doo also but I think that would be to time consuming and since their girl likes characters they may want to consider one character meal at a park or close to the parks.

 

[Disfan454]

I'm trying to plan a trip to Disney in October, but I've never been and I am getting completely confused trying to work out what I should book, what I shouldn't, and what is a realistic plan. Posters on another online forum I use pointed me in this direction, so I'm hoping that people can either answer my questions or point me towards the information. (I have tried to find it myself, to avoid being That Poster who wants everyone else to do the work for them - I'm just making myself more and more confused though!)

Anyway, we are a family of four - boy is 12 and loves roller coasters and water rides; girl is 8 and hates roller coasters and water rides but adores Disney characters (all of them)

We are flying into MIA on Oct 8 and leaving a week later, but plan to spend two days in Orlando doing Disney stuff and the rest of the week exploring Florida.

We live in the Caribbean so are used to the heat, and are also not overly bothered at having access to a swimming pool as we are lucky enough to have our own at home. This is likely to be our only trip to Disney for a long time, so want to get the essential "Disney experience" IYKWIM

So - my thinking is that we should just concentrate on the Magic Kingdom for both days rather than try to cram in another park?

And we should stay as close as possible to the MK - but I can't tell whether the benefits to staying in an actual Disney hotel outweigh the price of staying in a nearby AirBNB?

We should sign up for FP for the main attractions we want to do, but is there anything in particular we should pay extra for?

We aren't bothered about eating junk for two days, so is it easiest to just buy from concessions there rather than tie ourselves to a meal plan?

Sorry for the random questions - any help for this newbie very much appreciated

The only rides your son will most likely like at Magic Kingdom are Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and Sever Dwarfs Mine Train. It will not keep his interest for two days. I say split your trip between Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios (shame he will miss the yeti ride in animal kingdom though as it is the best coaster in the park). Hollywood studios has Aerosmith Rockin Rollercoaster which is awesome, star tours, Tower of Terror for him and the beauty and the beast musical, Olaf meet and greet, muppets 3D and the new toy story land for your daughter. Plus, if you haven't seen Fantasmic, it is amazing and the whole family will love it. Just my opinions.

 

[Mome Rath]

Don't worry about asking questions, members here enjoy answering them and trying to help! Welcome to the boards!

Ok, you have 2 options when it comes to your park plan; 2 MK days or 1 MK day and 1 other park. I really would not try to do 1/2 days since this is your very first trip. Whether or not you do 2 MK days or not really depends on your interests IMO and no one here can tell you what those are, but if you share more (do your kids focus only on those things you listed, or do they love history, or animals, or musicals, or fireworks, or parades, Star Wars, Toy Story etc...) we can help tell you which park would fit if you want to experience 2 parks. Also are you a "completer" or are you happy to do what you want but leave some things in a park undone. If you want to do a bunch in MK, then go there 2 days. If you want to hit headliners, and see more of WDW, I'd do 2 parks.

For the best Fastpasses and quicker transportation time you'd want on Disney property. For cheaper, you'd want off Disney property. On property there are still 3 "levels" of hotel; value, moderate, and deluxe. If you share what you like in a hotel, we can help narrow that down too.

As for food, since this is your first time and you are there for only 2 days, I would not do the dining plan. Since your daughter loves characters I would do 1 character meal. As you decide parks, if you have questions about good restaurants just ask (or browse the restaurants forum). There are also plenty of Quick Service (counter service) restaurants, and snacks in the parks.

In October you would also have the possibility of doing the Halloween party at MK.

Now, if you want my sheer opinion; stay on property, no dining plan, do 1 day MK, and 1 day either Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, do 1 character dining (can be on a non-park day if you have time). The Disney bubble is one reason I love Disney, and you need those early FPs to really make good use of your time, so that's why I vote on property. Your kids' ages is why I think 1 MK day and 1 day elsewhere. Take in at least one fireworks show.

It can feel really overwhelming, but it'll be ok! Hope you have a fabulous trip, and keep asking us questions!

 

[greg9x]

I agree with picking what you want, but the challenge OP has is knowing what they can and can't fit in 2 days reasonably. If you've never been, it's hard to get a realistic concept of what you can and can't do, especially because it's hard to grasp the overwhelming size of WDW.

True, but then the OP could at least say "We think these 20 attractions look interesting." Then people would have an idea of how to get the best chances of doing what they want, and what they won't be able to fit in.
If they follow someones recommendation to do 2 days at MK, but then get there and hear about FoP being one of the best rides or the kids want to see Star Wars fireworks they could be in for a big let down.
It's overwhelming, but the OP needs to get their feet wet instead of just asking others to tell them what to do. Not sure how that would work for anyone considering the varied interest/taste.

 

[Disfan454]

p

The only rides your son will most likely like at Magic Kingdom are Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and Sever Dwarfs Mine Train. It will not keep his interest for two days. I say split your trip between Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios (shame he will miss the yeti ride in animal kingdom though as it is the best coaster in the park). Hollywood studios has Aerosmith Rockin Rollercoaster which is awesome, star tours, Tower of Terror for him and the beauty and the beast musical, Olaf meet and greet, muppets 3D and the new toy story land for your daughter. Plus, if you haven't seen Fantasmic, it is amazing and the whole family will love it. Just my opinions.

I forgot about "The First Time in Forever" Frozen show at HS which is pretty funny and at the end, they make it snow indoors. Definitely recommend it for your daughter. But it does have some laughs for the whole family.

 

[VandVsmama]

What I learned 2 weeks ago re: on site WDW Transportation:
You might find this helpful since it's your first visit. We, too, rented a car. If you drive to Magic Kingdom, the process to get to the main gate goes something like this:

- drive to MK parking lot
- make a note of which lot & which row you are in
- get on the parking lot tram to the TTC (Transportation & Ticketing Center)
- choose ferry boat or monorail
- get on ferry boat or monorail
- if you pick monorail, get on the monorail to MK, not to the resorts
- exit ferry boat or monorail
- walk to security tables/tents.
- open all of your bags to be searched
- walk to the main gate to scan your Magic Band or ticket

We stayed at ASMusic and it took ~ 20 min to drive to the MK parking lot. Then it took probably up to 30 min extra to actually get to MK from there, to get through security, and actually be IN the park.

If you take a WDW bus to MK...
The bus will drop you off right at MK near the security screening area, so no need to get on a ferry boat or monorail. But if you want to be at the park for rope drop, you need to get on the bus EARLY!

They let people into MK 1 hour before the regular park opening.
So if the park opening time is 9:00 am, they will start letting people in through the main entrance at 8:00 am. This means that if you're going to drive, leave your resort by ~ 7:15 am.

At Animal Kingdom park, they also often let people in before regular park opening.
So let's say you can't get Flight of Passage FP but your family desperately wants to ride it. Regular park opening is 9:00 am. The parking lot for AK is MUCH closer to the main entrance than at AK, so all you do is get on a parking lot tram and they let you off right at the main entrance. Be at the AK main entrance at 7:30 am. Anywhere from 45 min to 20 min beforehand, they will open the gates and everyone will walk with purpose to Pandora and to Flight of Passage. If you are "late" and don't get to the main entrance until 9:00 am, then the line will already be something like 2 hours long...in which case, you should keep checking all day for FP for FOP just in case you luck out but then have a backup plan to get in line for FOP a few min before park closing time so you can still ride it.

Even though the park will officially be closed, you will still be able to ride it as long as you are in the queue before park closing. This is true of any ride at any of the parks.

Most important lesson I learned about transportation: it takes a lot longer to get around WDW than you think! Plan accordingly. If you are only going to be there for 2 park days, then those are not the days to sleep in. You can rest later in your trip!

 

[gumbo1009]

Perhaps you could plan on 1 day at MK (which your daughter will love), then ask your son what he thinks about Animal Kingdom vs Hollywood Studios.

If he likes "real" coasters, then I (personally) don't know that the HS Rock-n-Roller Coaster will seem all that impressive to him -- I like this coaster, but I think it's a bit tame. While the Everest coaster in AK is actually more like a run-away-train than a true coaster, it's quite unique, impressive, and pretty darn exciting - and it's very different than any other coaster your son will have been on before.

MAKE SURE you get fastpasses (if you decide to stay on site, be sure to get them at 7am ET, 60 days prior to your stay - and if you don't get what you wanted on that first go, just keep trying - there's a great DIS thread about fastpasses that walks you thru the process).

I agree with others to stay on-site. Also, you may want to investigate select add-ons - for example, there is a "dessert party" at Magic Kingdom that has a special, reserved area for people to watch the evening fireworks. Apparently the dessert is not to everyone's liking, but the view of the castle "projections" and fireworks is great.

I know it feels overwhelming - it is - but you certainly came to the right place to ask for help!!! The hard part will be sifting thru all of the advice - because we all will have different opinions...

Good luck!

 

[VandVsmama]

By the way, by doing even a smidge of planning and research ahead of time, you are already ahead of the game compared to many other WDW park goers who just show up and then are surprised when the lines for rides are 60 minutes long by 11:00 am.

If your kids are into rides, Animal Kingdom is not a ride-centric park. There are some rides, but there are other things to experience and enjoy, too. It's very unique.

With only 2 days, you obviously won't have time to do everything. MK alone has over 30 different attractions. We spent 3 days there and didn't do everything at that park.

Park hopper tickets will be more expensive than 1 park per day tickets. AK, HS, and MK all have good options in terms of shows. Those are helpful when your family gets the mid-afternoon crankies and everybody needs some time to sit down and rest. Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor is really hilarious and the wait is often only 20 minutes.

MK has FP available for a princess meet & greet which will get you in to see 4 princesses. When we did it, it was Tiana, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Elena.

If you spent 1 day at MK and, let's say, 1 day at AK, then you could do a character meal at Tusker House at AK. There are no princesses at that character meal, but I've read that the character interaction at that character meal is pretty good...much better than the reviews that Cinderella's Royal Table tends to get (i.e., just enough time to sign an autograph, take a picture, and then move on to the next table).

Theme park hours are posted 6 months ahead of time, so you can look at the hours right now for October on WDW's website. Plan on NOT going to MK on a Halloween party night because without a Halloween party ticket, you will need to leave that park by 6:00 pm.

 

[maryj11]

Now, if you want my sheer opinion; stay on property, no dining plan, do 1 day MK, and 1 day either Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, do 1 character dining (can be on a non-park day if you have time). The Disney bubble is one reason I love Disney, and you need those early FPs to really make good use of your time, so that's why I vote on property. Your kids' ages is why I think 1 MK day and 1 day elsewhere. Take in at least one fireworks show

This is the exact plan I would recommend!

 

[StacyStrong]

One thing I want to mention that I'm not sure was brought up yet.

October is during party season. Depending on the day you go to MK, there might be a party going on and the park will close early without a separate ticket. If you're there on a party day, I would consider getting party tickets. It'll extend your time in the park, lower ride waits, and lots of fun. With that said, you'll be really tired if you do two full park days plus the MNSSHP party. However, with two days, I really think it's worth the exhaustion lol

 

[10CJ]

I would consider doing two and a half days if you can. Party evening, one full day at MK and a other day at another park.