I need expert Help!!! Please!!!!!

[darrius1st]

I am a married father of five going on my first Disney vacation. My kids are 13,11,7,6 and 1. After reading everything on this board I see now that I just can't go with out a plan. I need to know if there is anyone out there that can help. Is there any service or website with up to date information on the planning and strategies to make the trip easier for my family. I would be greatful for any help I can get.



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[loser1824]

I would totally get a Passporter book. It has info on getting there, hotels, dining, dining plans, all the parks, all the rides, etc. It is a really good tool to have and it is portable so you can carry it around if you need it. I give it a !

You can buy the book here http://www.passporterstore.com/store/2009.aspx or check your local Barnes & Nobles or Borders.


Happy Planning!

 

[moparop]

If you are looking for specific plans, most people look to one of three resources: RideMax, touring plans, or tour guide Mike. Each of them present their information in their own way and have pluses and minuses. I've never looked into RideMax, but from what I understand this site does not tell you which days are best to be at each park. But, you can put in a list of attractions and it will tell you a time by time order to ride attractions.

Touring plans and Tourguide Mike will tell you which days are best to be at each park and people subscribe to either will tell you that following the best park lists were spot on and cut down on all waits. They also each will give you plans to follow to be most efficient with your time in the parks (but not a time by time schedule). I am a TourGuide Mike user and what I like about it is that it gives me the tools to make a schedule that best meets my family needs. We are not big thrill riders and have two preschoolers. We have been twice in a year and rarely waited in lines. My parents, who have always gone without plans, were shocked at how easy my schedule was.

Just google any of those three names and you can see which fits your needs best.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I like to use Tourguide Mike to figure out which are the best parks to visit on certain days. If you look at the top of this board, you will find a link that will help you save $3 on the membership.

I've also used Ridemax and found it helpful. And you can't go wrong with the Unofficial guide either.

 

[darrius1st]

Thank You for the Help

 

[vicb]

I haven't used any of those services but just wanted to say with a family your size you should definitely use one of them to help you maximize your value and quality of time spent.

Also you should seriously think of splitting up some times so the older ones and younger ones can do more of what they like. My DH and I used to do that and we only have 2 kids but one loved thrill rides and the other didn't so splitting up worked well at times.

Good luck and I really hope your family enjoys WDW!!

 

[JuneBugFL]

Where will you be staying and for how long?

It looks like you're just inside the 90 day window for making dining reservations. You can check out menus and restaurant lists here at the DIS: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/disneydining.cfm or at AllEars: http://allears.net/menu/menus.htm

You can call Disney Dining at 1-407-wdw-dine ((407) 939-3463 )

I just ordered the PassPorter and I'm going on my like bazillionth trip next month! So that is definitely good advice.

If you are staying on property you can go to Extra Magic Hours and take advantage of either early opening at the parks or a later closing that is only available to guests staying on Disney property. You can check out the hours for those through June 2009 as well as what attractions are open at All Ears: http://allears.net/tp/emhour.htm or look at Park hours and EMH at the Disney World website here: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/calendars/?hdndateDesc=Sunday%2C+June+21%2C+2009+-+Wednesday%2C+July+01%2C+2009&asmbly_endDate=20090701&asmbly_startDate=20090621

Definitely check out the other boards here on the DIS if you have any specific questions and especially check out the board for traveling with families!

Hope you end up having a great time and if going by your ticker is right..I'll be there the same time!

 

[disneychic]

These boards are an excellent way for you to gather information. Check out your local library as they usually have WDW tour books such as Fodors, etc. Because you have a large family, I don't know that I'd pay a service to give you a tour plan. I'd save that money. Put together some info that you find here, start a binder. Watch the specials that are on the travel chanel -- you can find out what Disney related tv shows that are going to be aired by going to the bartlett-sloan website --not sure if I'm allowed to post link, just do a google search and type in "disney related tv for the week" it will be the first website that comes back after the search. After you've gathered some information, put a working itinerary together and post it on the DIS boards and ask people for their opinions. You will get great feedback! Good luck and have a great WDW vacation!

 

[Atchley]

These boards are great for information. If you have a specific question, just ask. Somebody is bound to know. I am so happy that you discovered that you needed a plan before you got there. Now you have time to research and plan. I would have your wife help you in your research. Maybe even the 13 and 11 year old too. My kids love to tell me information that I don't know.

As PP has stated, you can now make your dining reservations. If you haven't looked into the Disney Dining Plan, you might look into it. It is a great way to already have your meals paid for in advance. That way while you are there all you have to worry about is the tip. In our experience (and it may not be everyones) we have found the DDP to be a great saver. We like to eat at least one Table Service meal a day so the DDP really saves us money and hassle. Our first trip we paid out of pocket for our meals. Take what you think you will spend on meals and double it and you'll have almost what you will spend. The is even a quick service dining plan now too.

Have a great time planning and researching. You'll find that it is almost as fun as the trip itself.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

As a previous poster mentioned there are 3 main resources that most of us use, some like me use all three, and more.

1.Touring plans dot com and the Unofficial Guide. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is an amazing reference, it will give you the ins and outs of WDW. You will feel like an expert after reading, it's a fantastic book. Purchasing the book will give you access to the touring plans web site and access to it's crowd calender, which will tell you the crowd rating and a park recomendation for a particular day. However it is a large book and will take some time to get through.

2. Tour Guide Mike. A website and discussion forum for planning a WDW vacation. Mike has the best what park on what day advice available. He also gives great insight and strategies for touring. His advice is centered around what most people do, so that you can do the opposite. His site is huge and sometimes it can be difficult to find information on a particular subject.

3. Ridemax. Ridemax takes what took WDW vets years to figure out and puts it at your fingertips. It is a program where you plug in what day you'd like to visit a particular park, then check off the attractions you'd like to do, and it will spit out a touring plans complete with detailed intructions on how to implement it as efficently as possible. As mentioned previously it will not give you which park on what day advice or give you any information regarding other aspects of WDW.

Other honorable mentions go to:
Deb Will's site Allears dot net
Passporter
The Complete Walt Disney World

I haven't bought a Birnbaums in years, waste of money IMHO.

And of course the DIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been to Disney quite a few times and I learn something new here everyday. The DIS infomation site is also an excellent resource.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

The Unofficial Guide is the best Disney reference I've come across. I highly recommend it.

AllEarsNet is also amazing and free. Sign up for the weekly newsletter so you'll be up-to-date on attraction closings/rehabs and events.

And if you want to save money, MouseSavers is great. It's especially helpful if you plan to stay off-site (they offer exclusive deals in their newsletter).

Have a wonderful time at WDW!

 

[Aliceacc]

Let's talk basics:

a) Where are you staying? On site or off?

b) If you're onsite, are you getting the meal plan? It would cost you $40 per day for anyone over 10, and $10 per day for anyone 3-9. (Your youngest would presumably eat off the plates of everyone else.) That includes 1 table service meal, 1 counter service meal, and one snack per day per person. For my family of 5, it's a great deal, and I LOVE the variety of restaurants available. I also love that our meals are pre-paid. And the fact that it strongly encourages us to enjoy a sit down dinner each night.

c) Think about hitting the bookstore and picking up one of the guidebooks. (I love the Unofficial Guide to WDW, although it contains a LOT of info!!!) Assign your oldest child the job of going through the rides and attractions, and making up a "must see" list for each person in the family. (Sorry, I teach HS... giving homework comes naturally to me ) Once you have an idea of what you want to see, it will be easier to organize your priorities.

d) Learn how fastpass works. Knowing how to use fastpass can significantly improve your trip!

 

[disneydiva0729]

I never plan a Disney trip without consulting the Unofficial Guide... and he has an u.g. for disney w kids .... best of luck

 

[darrius1st]

Again Thank everyone for your help. I purchased the Unoffical guide and i have been on the site. Planning Has Begun!!!!

 

[mdrob214]

Again Thank everyone for your help. I purchased the Unoffical guide and i have been on the site. Planning Has Begun!!!!

Enjoy! I love th UG. I also use tourguidemike.com He's a sponsor of this board and if you decide to join, click the link at the top of the page and get $3 off. My theory is we spend thousands on a trip, $20 to help me plan which park/which day is worth it!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Again Thank everyone for your help. I purchased the Unoffical guide and i have been on the site. Planning Has Begun!!!!

We are a family of 6, with four kids. Here are some of my tips:

We always get two connecting rooms at either All-Star Moview or Pop. We have plenty of room and it is the Cheapest way for a large family to say on-site. We always get the Basic Disney Dining plan - it's 1 Table Service/sit down meal, 1 Counter Service/fast food meal, and 1 Snack per person per day. It is only $10.00 per day for kids under 10, and there is just no way I could afford to feed my family at all of those great disney restaurants without the DDP.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

We are a family of 6, with four kids. Here are some of my tips:

We always get two connecting rooms at either All-Star Moview or Pop. We have plenty of room and it is the Cheapest way for a large family to say on-site. We always get the Basic Disney Dining plan - it's 1 Table Service/sit down meal, 1 Counter Service/fast food meal, and 1 Snack per person per day. It is only $10.00 per day for kids under 10, and there is just no way I could afford to feed my family at all of those great disney restaurants without the DDP.

Also, the Free Dining promo came out yesterday for vacations booked between August 16 and October 3. Free Dining is THE BEST discount our family of 6 can get. The free dining discount saves us about $1,600.00. We are going to WDW for 8 nights with two connecting rooms at All-Star Movies with 8 day Hopper tickets and the Basic Dining Plan for about $3,000.00.