Just booked our first trip to WDW

[tvguy]

To celebrate our 35th Anniversary in June DW and I will be making our first trip to Disneyworld. Yup, our kids are grown, so we'll spending our anniversary with thousands of other people's kids. Been to DL dozens of times so we know DL and CA like the back of our hands. This will be a new Disney adventure.
Here's what we have so far.
> Round trip air fare with 1 stop. There are absolutely no direct flights, and a limited number with just 1 stop.
> Magical Express from MCO and back.
> 5 nights at the Grand Floridian.
> 5 days Park Hopper tickets

At DL and CA we tend to be "Early Admission" to closing type of folks, with all meals in the parks.
Looks like lots of nice restaurant options for our anniversary dinner especially in the Grand Floridian, so at least one meal will not be in a park.
I have to admit the transportation options seem endless, but I won't be able to get from my room to a park in 3 minutes like were were able to do at the Grand California into CA. We will not have a car.
We have been through MCO, and used Magical Express for our Disney cruise.
I think, at the outset, MK and Epcot will be our main destinations, with AK and Hollywood studios less of interest. Although it is interesting how some of our favorites from DL and CA are scattered among the parks. We have no interest in Universal.

Any comments or tips?

 

[adisneyaunt]

My comment.....
Good for you!!!
And Congrats on the Anniversary!

Wishing you both a Magical Visit with Lots of Memory Making Moments and some Pixie Dust Sprinkled in!

 

[Rosanne]

That is awesome! I'd been to WDW a bunch of time before visiting DL in 2010. I really enjoyed comparing rides that had fraternal twins, so to speak. Congratulations on your anniversary as well. Great way to celebrate!

 

[hiroMYhero]

Congrats on your Anniversary and first WDW trip!

Here's a recent thread with HydroGuy joining in with tips;
http://www.disboards.com/threads/wdw-newbie.3574163/#post-57030026

 

[Storminion]

Eat breakfast at your resort. My FAVORITE place for breakfast is the Grand Floridian Cafe'.

WDW in June is crowded and hot. Bring plenty of sun screen and patience.

Congratulations on 35 years!!

 

[Jupiter&Wolfe]

Jut so you know, Animal Kingdom has a new night time show and will be opening a brand new section of the park at the end of May - right before your trip. I would suggest, if you're interested in seeing the new stuff, definitely plan for more time at AK. If yore not interested, I would just say plan that day to avoid the new area altogether and make sure you get FP + for what you do want to see. The crowds might be a little higher than usual with people wanting to see the new stuff.

My other tip is relax and don't try to see it all!!! What I love about Disneyland is how laid back and casual everything is. You can really go at your own pace and still see it all. WDW will make you believe you need to cram in as much as possible and if you haven't planned out every second of the day you will have a terrible time. But its not true! With 5 days you definitely won't see it all but you WILL see a lot and have a wonderful time in the process.

DO book ADRs for any restaurants you have your heart set on. It can be difficult to just walk up to the most popular restaurants. With the slightly less popular we have mostly had success with walk up or calling on the same day. Depends on what risk yore willing to take.

Happy anniversary btw! You picked a very elegant and romantic resort, and its almost as close to MK as you can get.

 

[Parker Clan]

You will absolutely love the Grand Floridian! We stayed there on our Honeymoon this past August and they treated us so well!

Also, in the summer in FL, people tend to do mid day breaks, from what I've read on the board. We always go in Aug so it's a must for us. I'm guessing June is hot too so you might want to consider taking a break back at the resort. You chose a great resort to do that! The pools are excellent & the lobby is so grand and relaxing... We just sat there sometimes for an hour just listening to the pianist or the Orchestra. It was nice to stop and smell the roses on our Honeymoon rather than our usual commando Park style

 

[WhispyPixie]

Happy Anniversary!! What an exciting time! You will have a wonderful time.

Grand Floridian is stunning! For a few other meal options around MK, you might consider Ohana @ the Poly (just a short monorail ride away) and Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge (boat ride away)

Make sure to hydrate, hydrate! Florida heat can be much different from the Pacific breeze in CA.

Book your fast passes and ADR's. You certainly don't have to over-plan your trip, but many rides and restaurants get filled up and ends up harder to gain access. Epcot covers a great deal of ground, so wear comfy shoes! Eating around the world is great fun as well! Hope you have an amazing trip!

 

[gap2368]

To celebrate our 35th Anniversary in June DW and I will be making our first trip to Disneyworld. Yup, our kids are grown, so we'll spending our anniversary with thousands of other people's kids. Been to DL dozens of times so we know DL and CA like the back of our hands. This will be a new Disney adventure.
Here's what we have so far.
> Round trip air fare with 1 stop. There are absolutely no direct flights, and a limited number with just 1 stop.
> Magical Express from MCO and back.
> 5 nights at the Grand Floridian.
> 5 days Park Hopper tickets

At DL and CA we tend to be "Early Admission" to closing type of folks, with all meals in the parks.
Looks like lots of nice restaurant options for our anniversary dinner especially in the Grand Floridian, so at least one meal will not be in a park.
I have to admit the transportation options seem endless, but I won't be able to get from my room to a park in 3 minutes like were were able to do at the Grand California into CA. We will not have a car.
We have been through MCO, and used Magical Express for our Disney cruise.
I think, at the outset, MK and Epcot will be our main destinations, with AK and Hollywood studios less of interest. Although it is interesting how some of our favorites from DL and CA are scattered among the parks. We have no interest in Universal.

Any comments or tips?

congrats on your 35 anniversary
about getting from places with in the park like form your hotel to the park yes it is farther I would give 45 minute to an hour ( but with the GF maybe 30 minutes for MK and 45 minute for EPCOT )

here is how I would do the parks

2 days at MK

2 days at EPCT

and then a half day at each AK/ HS

since you are park opened to park close I would do you AK/HS when one has EMH at night this way you can get the most out of your days.

in June the parks can be opened very late 12 1 am some times.

if there are ride that have the same name I have heard they can be very different so still go on them.

book your FP staring 60 days before you get to Disney this helps a lot

 

[Barnabas T Bullion]

I think you have a good start and grasp on things so far. Only comment I can add is congratulations on 35 years of marriage and wish you the very best trip!

 

[xlsm]

Happy early anniversary!

For me personally, I would definitely make time to see Animal Kingdom. It's the best themed park in my opinion. It's stunning. It's also the most different from the west coast parks (I guess that's obvious, lol!!), so if I were a DLR vet coming to WDW for the first time, I'd think it would be a priority.

Otherwise, your resort location is wonderful, and you'll have easy access to everything. Be prepared for the sheer size of Walt Disney World, and HAVE FUN!!

 

[Micca]

Citricos at GF is our favorite restaurant on property. Highly recommend dinner there.

 

[Mainemama]

What fun! I think you should plan to visit each park. Like others have said, focus mostly on Epcot and MK, but definitely at least walk into HS and AK. As much as I love MK, as a CA native, it is the other 3 parks that really stand out for someone who can access DLR at "home." I personally would do AK and HS in the morning, and plan on extra evenings in world showcase at Epcot, but I am more of a rides/food girl than an evening show girl. You cab split it up however you like with your hoppers. Definitely explore restaurants out of park. Other than Epcot, I think they are typically more relaxing and often better food quality at resorts. Summertime lunches at a resort are a great way to cool off and escape crowds. You will have easy access to many great choices right at GFC. Try something at the Poly en route to Epcot, try a meal on the Boardwalk between Epcot and Hollywood Studios, the possibilities go on and on! You probably know this, but do make ADRs ahead of time. Though for a party of 2, I would just book 1 meal a day, and then be spontaneous with booking more the day of if you decide to have another sit down. Have a great trip!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Subbing. It'll be fun to "see" WDW through your eyes!

To celebrate our 35th Anniversary in June DW and I will be making our first trip to Disneyworld. Yup, our kids are grown, so we'll spending our anniversary with thousands of other people's kids. Been to DL dozens of times so we know DL and CA like the back of our hands. This will be a new Disney adventure.
Here's what we have so far.
> Round trip air fare with 1 stop. There are absolutely no direct flights, and a limited number with just 1 stop.
> Magical Express from MCO and back.
> 5 nights at the Grand Floridian.
> 5 days Park Hopper tickets

At DL and CA we tend to be "Early Admission" to closing type of folks, with all meals in the parks.
Looks like lots of nice restaurant options for our anniversary dinner especially in the Grand Floridian, so at least one meal will not be in a park.
I have to admit the transportation options seem endless, but I won't be able to get from my room to a park in 3 minutes like were were able to do at the Grand California into CA. We will not have a car.
We have been through MCO, and used Magical Express for our Disney cruise.
I think, at the outset, MK and Epcot will be our main destinations, with AK and Hollywood studios less of interest. Although it is interesting how some of our favorites from DL and CA are scattered among the parks. We have no interest in Universal.

Any comments or tips?

You will love transportation to MK from the GF! Take the monorail there, one stop down, and going home, take the boat, it's also the first stop. We were back in our room in about ten minutes or less. Loved that. It's also just a very nice resort. Your wife (? and you) might enjoy the afternoon tea there. I never got to do it, but it's on my list for next time.

ETA Also, in thinking about this, if you need a little afternoon or evening break while you're at Epcot, walk out through the International Gateway and head over to the Boardwalk area. I'll never forget the first time we did that and didn't realize there was like a whole other world over there! If you're hot or tired, hop on one of the Friendship boats and enjoy the ride and scenery. You could get off at any of the stops and go in to look around the Epcot resorts. The Yacht Club is really nice; they all are. I also think a trip to AKL is worthwhile. It's just so beautiful there, with an outdoor fire pit and rocking chairs, night vision goggles to see the animals, etc. Take a cab if you go.