Just booked our first WDW trip! Now what???

[andrews1]

DH and I (no kids) are going to spend our 10th anniversary at WDW! I'm so excited, I booked ASMu last night. But now what? We got it on free dining, so I am looking to start booking dinner reservations, deciding where we'll be what days, etc. What do I really need to know?

Can I request a certain building at ASMu - is one better than another?

Do I need to know anything about traveling from the resort to the parks? Any tips or tricks? We won't have a car.

How do the extra magic hours effect how busy the parks are all day? I would want to be at those parks that day, right? Do I want to plan to be at that park all day, or just early or late, depending on if it's morning or evening extra hours?

I'm just feeling a tiny bit overwhelmed, there's so much info!

TIA for any suggestions!

 

[ihearttink]

Congratulations!

My advice is pick up a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. They cover it all! What rooms are the best, best days to go to which park, etc.

 

[ms_mckenna]

I would recommend joing www.tourguidemike.com and checking out his best days calendar.

 

[mello]

DH and I spent our 20th anniversary without the kids at WDW last year and had a great time! We missed them of course, but even so, we want to do it again lol.

As far as what to do, EMH, dining and all that - well it can be overwhelming. Just know you wouldn't be able to do everything even if you stayed a month, so pick some must-do's, then relax and enjoy your time together!

We found that the EMH parks were pretty crowded during regular hours so I'd say try to avoid them, unless you go for morning EMH and then hop to another park, or do another park most of the day and hop to an evening EMH park a couple hours before closing to get your wristband. The EMH's themselves are pretty worthwhile, it's just the rest of the day that isn't.

We got so much valuable info and help here when we were planning our first trip - these folks know everything there is to know! Just keep hanging around the Dis and you can't go wrong.

 

[luna99]

yay! I love that it's your first time!! I love going to WDW with people who have never been before because then you get to re-live the excitement and everything is so new and fresh to them! congrats! you're going to have an excellent time!

definitely start making your dining reservations now if there are certain restaurants you want to eat at for sure... personally I LOVE eating at epcot and all the different countries! And don't forget that there are AMAZING restaurants at the resorts as well.. just because you aren't staying there doesn't mean you can't go eat there!

as for the buses.. the only thing I can think of telling you is that sometimes you won't have to wait much at all and othertimes you may have to wait. When are you going? Obviously if you stay in a park until it closes you'll have a longer wait going back to your resort than if you leave the park a bit early and beat the crowds. Usually I've never had a problem with waiting longer than say 5 - 10 minutes for a bus to pick me up, no matter which resort I stayed at.

as for the extended park hours.. I've never really scheduled my trip around those.. I can see how they would totally be useful though.... I think what the other poster mentioned about going to the park for early morning hours and then leaving to another park later in the day is probably a good idea.

the biggest tip is probably just to relax and enjoy every moment! If you get so wrapped up in planning and having to be somewhere at a certain time sometimes that can spoil the fun or at least it ends up making you feel rushed and the time FLYS by! I find if you relax and are fully in the moment everyday... your vacation will be much more enjoyable!

have a great time!!

 

[karebear1]

OH BOY!!! A first timer!! You are gonna have such a great experience!!

My suggestion would be to determine which parks on what day you are going to and then concentrate on your dining plans FIRST and get it done asap. You are going at a time when it will be tough to get ADR's where you want them. Make sure you have 2 or 3 alternative's to where you want to dine each day and call and make those ressie's! The quicker you do this the better. Then you can enjoy and savor all the other details as they come!

You are so lucky!! Have a great time!

 

[wdwpixie]

You don't mention how long you're staying, but don't get yourself too overwhelmed trying to do everything if you're not there for an extended period of time. I did that our first trip (w/kids) and just had a meltdown!!

Allow yourself time to rest either by retiring early or taking a break during the day, particularly if the weather is hot. Take some time if you can to visit some of the other resorts and have a look around. The monorail is a great way to check out some of the Deluxes.

Make your dinner reservations now. My son and I loved L'Originale Alfredo di Roma, but I think I read it's closed right now? We also enjoy the atmosphere at Rose and Crown and LeCellier (for steaks). These are Epcot restaurants and as someone pointed out earlier, there are some terrific locations in that park to have great meals and memories!!

Oh, and don't forget to have some Tonga Toast for breakfast one morning at the Poly!! Yum!! They also had a fun luau-type dinner...not sure if they still do!!

Another great site for information is wdwig. Menus, hours, closed attractions, special events, etc., are usually posted there.

Have a wonderful time!!

 

[duckfan78]

you are going to have an awesome time. i would just get some books and read up. also read post on these boards, there is tons of info.

I'd mention to go see the Hoop De Doo Review one night..its really awesome.

 

[andrews1]

Thanks for all the info so far. We're going Sept 3 - 10, 7 nights.

Someone mentioned getting a wristband for EMH...I guess I just assumed your KTTK covered that, but no? What's the procedure? You need to be there before regular closing hours?

 

[duckfan78]

when they have the extra magic hours, they set up workers to check room card keys and then give you a wrist band. if you get there after the hours start, they just check you as you walk in

 

[J and R's mom]

How exciting! Congratulations on 10yrs (and spending it in WDW)!

Definitely get a guide book. The Unofficial Guide (UG) is my favorite. It doesn't leave anything out. And trust me, do what it says to do and you'll have a wonderful trip.

I've read that the Passporter is also good--and evidently comes with pages on which you can plan your days.

I've also read that Tourguide Mike's website (should be a link at the top of the page somewhere...he sponsors this site) is very helpful as well.

http://www.allearsnet.com/This is a great site that has pictures of all resorts and links to restaurant menus.

As far as the EMH wristbands go, you can get them if you are at the park when they start passing them out, or you can get them at the gate as you enter the park (you don't have to be there before the park closes to the rest of the public).

Have a great trip!

 

[andrews1]

How about this one...Can I request a certain building at the resort - is one better than another in some way? I know all the rooms will have been redone by then (I think) but is there a benefit to a certain building? You all seem to know a lot about that, and I saw in one thread someone mentioning choosing your building, but I think it was for a different resort. Is this possible/beneficial at all?

Thanks for the advice on the guidebooks.

 

[disneypalgal]

Hi there,

I just got my Passporter in the mail It's a great little book!

I too am booked at the ASmu (Sept 19-26). I called today to check on my reservation as I could not access it online and I also requested a room in the Jazz building (which I heard is a good one - closer to the amenities and the one newly renovated). The Agent didn't even blink and put my request in. The passporter (and most sites) say to confirm your special requests about 3 days from your visit

Have a great time!

Paula

 

[andrews1]

Thanks!!

 

[LBelle]

All the tips have been mentioned except one that I use the most!!!

The toll free # for Disney!!!! Invaluable!!!

1-800-828-0228

You can make ALL you reservations on this # without getting into a cold sweat about a possible 1 hour long-distance call. I use it all the time!!!