I need some help everyone

[MrsJ Henry]

I'm hoping you all will help me.
I have a friend who is going to WDW the last weekend in April . They have just decided to go, have never been to WDW, do not know much about it,( mom, dad,son(teen), Daughter (almost teen))

They will be going Thursday-Sunday.Flying in but don't have times yet

What advice, tips etc.... would you give this family?
I want this to be enjoyable for them and they just don't have much time at all to plan. This was a last minute decision.
So.... can any of you help with tips to make this a fun few days for them?
They are going to try and stay at a value but do not have any ressies yet at all.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

I could really use help from families since it's just my husband and myself when we go. BUT.... I'm open to help from anyone. I don't think my friend is going to have time to get on these boards and they are not real planners. That's why I'm trying to help them. So any help and tips would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[bbowers]

They'll only be able to hit one or two parks (or maybe three if they stick to highlights, stay on-site, and spend all open park time at the parks). They really need to sit down and look at the rides and shows in each park and each make a list of their must-sees, and aim for those. For a first time trip, a weekend isn't going to give them the best time and they're only going to get an itty-bitty taste of what WDW is like.

 

[dan-tot]

The new Barumns guide is out. I saw it at barnes and noble book store in the travel section. It has Mickey and Minnie on it. I think they are standing in front of the castle. I think it is the offical or unoffical guide to disneyworld. I used this on my first family trip. It has all up to date information on the parks and it has a coupon page at the back of the book. I hope this helps.

Dan-tot

 

[Crazy Kanga]

I would buy them a copy of Passporter or the UG and hope that they read it.

Otherwise if they aren't planners they may have to find out the hard way that this is one trip you really need to plan for or risk waisting a lot of time which = $.
Stress to them how important it is to plan and give them one of these book, and hope for the best.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Crazy Konga: That is what I'm doing... hoping for the best for them.
you don't know how anxious this is making me since I'm such a planner
I've been printing things out for them etc... my husband has been laughing at me and wondering why this is driving me so crazy!! I just can't even imagine going on this trip without at least starting to plan 6 months ahead of time and doing LOTS of research.

 

[LSUDis]

The teens probably won't be too thrilled with AK (if they like thrill rides and action all of the time; plus, they'll want to tell their friends about the major rides that they rode), so I would tell them to plan half a day there.
Teens, if they are adventuresome, will probably want ToT, Star Tours, and R&R rollercoaster at MGM. Whether they will want to see any of the shows is iffy.
So, I would split a day b/w AK and MGM--maybe on a day that MGM has EMH.
The parents and kids will probably enjoy Epcot. I would schedule a whole day here and even try to stay for Illuminations, which would impress anyone regardless of age.
The teens would like Test Track, Spaceship Earth, Soarin' (if open), Mission Space, and Maelstrom.
I would plan for two days at MK, depending on how much the teens will let themselves go and have fun.
Splash Mt., Space Mt., Tomorrowland Spdwy., Haunted Mansion, and Philharmagic will appeal to them, but they would have fun on the "kiddy" rides if they are the types to not mind riding a ride perceived to be for kids.

So, 1/2 day AK & MGM
Full day at Epcot
Full day and any leftover time at MK.

Make PS arrangements NOW; make ressies NOW!

Hope this helps!

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Thanks. ( LSUDis.. as always.... always helpful )
Even if people just have tips that I have forgotten. I've been telling them as much as I can but I knew you all could help me fill in the blanks