just dont know what to expect.

[paulie_walnuts]

hi its the first post so forgive me. just recieved confirmation this morning about the families first ever trip to disney next august.We are already excited even though it seems a lifetime away, as we just dont know what to expect.we shall be travelling with tcd staying at the caribbean beach resort on the disney (dining plan?) which when i read up about this it seemed good value maybe someone could confirm or deny this.I will be tavelling with the wife and kids 13,16 so any info and tips on where to go what to see and in what order would be greatly appreciated. many thanks looking forward to our first ever trip to florida.

 

[natalielongstaff]

welcome to the boards

i can reccomend getting a good guide book (the brits guide to orlando is fab )
read up on what rides/attractions interest your family and then plan accordingly from there

The DDP is great and you should book some character meals

www.allears.net is a good source of info on the dining plan

finally accept you will now be forever saving to go back...once is never enough

 

[mandymouse]

Hi there paulie

Welcome to the DIS, I'm going to pop your thread over to the UK Trip planning boards, where know you'll get lots of help

Mandy

p.s. We've booked the Free Disney Dining Plan at the Caribbean Beach Resort for the first time too

Have fun planning

 

[Morgstar]

Welcome to the boards!

Be prepared for a lot of responses! Everyone has their own ideas on what you need to see and do. If you have never been before then it is probably a great idea to get a guide book or look at as many post on these boards as you possibly can.

You may wish to do some things out side of WDW as well (shock, horror). Your kids would probably enjoy universal and if they are girls they may appriciate the shopping malls.

My biggest tip would be, dont expect to be able to do it all. Have a good idea of the things you definately want to see/do before you go and target them. You will inevitably get side tracked at certain points but at least you'll have a rough idea of what you will be doing. Im not a huge fan of the minute by minute plan but an 'outline' definately wont be a bad idea. Probably need to have dinner reservations if you plan on eating in the parks/ popular resort restuarants.

Have a great time.

 

[wicket2005]

Definitely include Sea World, Universal and Islands in your planning. The latter two are our favourite parks.

As you are going in August you will need to be at the parks before the opening time otherwise you will hit a lot of longer lines and not get as much done. First thing in the morning lines are either walk ons or with minimal waits. Once you have done everything you want to do, take time out back at the hotel and have a break, swim, nap, then if you want to go into a park for the evening. It is important to schedule some sort of rest break into your day because if you don't you will end up too tired and crabby.

 

[UKDEB]

Hi paulie and welcome .

When in August are you going? The US kids are mostly back in school by mid-month, so it gets noticably quieter after that (albeit that the 'free dining' of the last couple of years sees the last week busier than in previous years).

My advice is to hang around here and post questions as you think of them. You've got plenty of time to pick up tips and you've come to the right place . Believe me, by the time you go, you'll have answers to questions you didn't even know you had!

Do take time to stop and smell the roses and, as Morgstar says, don't try to do everything. You'll enjoy it far more if you focus on your "must-do's".

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

Hi Paulie,

to the boards!

As you are staying on site it might be well worth getting the Passporter Walt Disney World Guide - you can pick this up on Amazon. It has all the information on the disney resorts, hotels, restaurants, rides and more. We have found it invaluable and would highly recommend it for your first trip or infact any trip. It goes over each individual ride so the kids will be able to decide in advance which ones they wish to go on or avoid - as they are now teenagers

Be sure to stay on here you will pick up loads of tips and we all will answer any questions if we can

Tracey

 

[Jakey Rowling]

Welcome aboard.

First thing is you need to do is invest a fair bit of your time in researching the parks for rides, shows, dining etc that you think will suit your family.

Not everybody enjoys everything in Orlando.

Once you start looking into the finer details the more specific questions will flow and you'll get an answer for everything I suspect.
Be prepared for a few different views as indicated.

I'd ditto the recommendation for IOA and US for your kids age, possibly Busch Gardens as well.

A reasonably flexible plan is essential in my opinion so you can work out the best ticket deals for yourselves.

Assuming you are travelling for two weeks you need to accept that you can't do it all in one trip and prioritise

 

[whitfields]

hi and welcome,


i think the best way to approach the holiday is to do one thing that each member wants to do (variety) and then one big thing together ie, contemporary dinner or dolphin swim. just dont try and cram too much in and leave enough for another visit or two!!!

we are a couple in our late 30s with no kids so we find plenty to do its not just for the little ones.

we would definately recommend simon veness,s book


BRITS GUIDE TO ORLANDO a nice stocking filler for xmas, i think a new one for 2008 is due out soon? (correct simon).

most of all enjoy your time in disney whatever you decide to do

whitfields

 

[jen_uk]

You need to read the guidebooks and peoples posts on here and ask loads of questions! If you turn up with no plan or idea of what it will be like you won't get the most out of your holiday. I think the main thing is don't try to cram every park and attraction into one holiday as you will just get parked out, in August it is very hot and you need to take plenty of breaks and have rest days.

Welcome to the Dis!

 

[Tinks1984]

Welcome!

As most people have mentioned above, you have plenty time for planning for your holiday. I found these boards shortly after we booked our holiday this past January and I've been on them most days since

I've picked up LOADS of tips and ideas what I'd never heard of before, which will hopefully help us out when we arrive. I'd advise that if you find a thread on these boards that you wish to 'monitor' (so you can keep coming back to see any further up-dates), then subscribe to the thread, because they easily go missing in a single day, that's how busy these boards get!

Getting back to your holiday, it all depends how long you're going for, where you're all staying and what your individual family is into. If you all enjoy the thrills of rollercoasters, then make sure to include a couple of days down at Universal, on the other hand, if you're all animal lovers, then make sure to add SeaWorld to you're trip also. (Don't forget also, by the time you arrive, SeaWorld will also have it's new waterpark, Aquatica open, so you may wish to check this out for half a day too!)

Your children are at a good age to enjoy everything, they'll be tall enough to ride, and yet still young enough to enjoy the 'magic' of the characters etc. I'd make sure you watch out for you're 180 day to go mark (I know it's a long way off yet, but it'll soon arrive!) because you'll then have the chance to try to make reservations in some of WDW's restaurants, including character breakfasts and lunches. You'll pick more information up about this as you read different threads on what is on offer and you can then work out what will suit you're tastes.

Hope that helps for now, by all means send a PM to me if you need any further information on the lead up to your trip, and if I can help in anyway then I will!

Welcome to the DIS...enjoy!

 

[paulie_walnuts]

Thanks for all your help, reading all these forums is starting to build a great picture of disney. i will be going on the 21st aug till 4th sept.

 

[carolfoy]

read the trip reports!!! (not mine though or you'll wonder why Vancouver is in Florida )
honestly. you'll read first hand experiences, some from novices, some from experts, it'll give you really good ideas of what you may and may not enjoy, also give you ideas about stuff you didn't even think about.
You can probably find some posted by people with kids yours' ages and that'll give an insight as to what those children did and didn't enjoy.

have a great time planning, and as Debs says keep reading and posting

 

[JohnnySharp2]

If you are going in August then the last 2 weeks is better.
However, as Deb says the 'Disney Dining Plan' has kind of affected the crowd levels a bit and made it more difficult to predict how busy they will be, especially Magic Kingdom.
So while the US schools will have returned I wouldn't say with any accuracy that the parks will be 'very' quiet.

You have loads of good advice already, having been the last 2 years in August I can only agree that visiting the parks at cooler and quieter times of the day is a must (in my opinion).
Aim to arrive at opening times - you then get the opportunity to take a break and can then decide on the option of returning in the evening or not.

With the summer heat, it's also vital to take things at a leisurely pace, whilst I also think the likes of Universal Studios and Sea World are equally as exciting as the Disney parks I would advise you not to try and cram too much into the 2 weeks.

The special offers SW and US frequently have on mean you can easily visit these by purchasing just 1 or 2 day tickets.

 

[paulie_walnuts]

ive just ordered the 2008 unofficial guide to disney it looked a good publication, i wonder does anyone else have it and is it worth the read?

 

[angel659]

Hiya

Congrats on your first holiday. Its amazing.

I recommend a site called tourguidemike. Main reason is yes you can get a lot of tips from this site. There are strategies on how to get around the park. Especially being your first time I wouldnt want you coming home saying it was too hot, too crowded and didnt do much. Tour guide Mike. It does work. I have found the tips to be a saviour.

 

[disneyholic family]

ive just ordered the 2008 unofficial guide to disney it looked a good publication, i wonder does anyone else have it and is it worth the read?

yes it's an excellent guide - i have the 2007 edition (and several earlier ones as well)...it's quite long and packed with information..

i also recommend getting "The Brit's Guide to Walt Disney World" (or maybe it's actually called the brit's guide to Orlando)...it's also excellent and has lots of information that some other guides don't have...

 

[CoralCayTownhome]

i also recommend getting "The Brit's Guide to Walt Disney World" (or maybe it's actually called the brit's guide to Orlando)...it's also excellent and has lots of information that some other guides don't have...

Totally agree - the Brits guide is fabulous

 

[Tinks1984]

Another thumbs up for 'The Brit's Guide'...very good and clear information and plenty 'tips' along the read...I've got the 2007 guide, but I expect the 2008 guide to be just as good, if not better