Last Minute First-timer

[colamom]

Hello All,

We just made camping ressies for 06/07-06/12 '09 yesterday. Not sure of our campsite status but I think we got a preferred, waiting on confirmation to come in. We will either be a party of 10 or 6(for sure). Never been to DW before but have been camping a few times. So here are some of my questions (please forgive if some are common repeats)?

I am planning on only 2 days in the the parks w/o hopper option, is this a big mistake? Would you add another day of parks or hopper or water park option?

Other days are for resting and exploring the campground. Since we will be 5 adults and 5 kids if everyone goes I think downtime is important. kids are 8,7,5.

We will be using 1 TT and 1 tent for sleeping, can we put another tent up for storage?

Are the refillable mugs the really big ones with handles to carry them?

 

[becky1960]

As far as parks go, this will be somewhat busy time of the year and hard to all of a park in one day. I think if this your first time it would be wise to get a Hopper and then you can see other parks in the evening. Most people like Mk but my wife favors Disney Studios and AK. We also like Epcot and we always do them all, as well as the campground

 

[Shan-man]

...and congratulations, you're going to FORT WILDERNESS!

Two park days sounds like a nice, leisurely stay to me. The only hard part would be deciding which two parks.

As for the two tents, you probably won't have a problem, but, the official rule (as I understand it) is that you can have one camping unit (RV) and one tent, and a tent-room/awning-tent/dining tent attached to or adjacent to the RV does not count toward your tent allowance. So, if your storage tent can pass as a dining tent then a second sleeping tent should be no problem. And two clearly sleeping tents may never raise a flag either, though fitting all that on a preferred site might be a challenge.

 

[des1954]

I'm not sure of the ounces on the mugs - either 12 or 16. Here's a picture of the recent mug....

 

[colamom]

Thanks for the suggestions so fast.

With the kids I think we should do MK and AK. (still undecied on the hopper issue)

Will the crowds be really awful or just awful?

Thanks for the picture of the mug, it helps me in deciding the budget for items like this.

I am afraid our second tent would just be another regular tent that we would just be using to put suitcases and extra stuff into.

 

[Skyw]

If you use your time wisely at the parks you should be good!!! I feel it is important to be at the park at Rope drop. Also have an idea of what rides you want to get on. A little research on this board goes a long way.You might consider splitting up. My 5 year old wasn't thrilled with some of the dark rides this year. Our solution was to have a snack when others were on the ride. And don't try to see everything. I just don't think it is possible and you will drive yourself nuts trying to do it.

My 5 year old liked DHS better then AK. There was more to do, including the jedi training, and stunt show!!! I love AK but it is so spread out. But it is really a family decision and how you want to spend your time.

We never spend enough time at the Fort. There is so much to do. And the pool is great. DS loved the pool as much as splash mountain. I think 2 days would be enough at the parks but maybe get the park hopper. You can hit some different places in the evening. AK usually closes by 5 or 7pm.

 

[Shan-man]

I would say pass on the park hopper. Trying to get to two parks in a day is too much unless you have been to them often and know your way around and only want to catch a few highlights. It takes a while to get oriented. I would probably stick to MK and DHS given your party. DHS is a much smaller park than Epcot and AK (and AK seems HOT even in December, I can't imagine it during the summer). I would also recommend a mid-day break. Maybe take the boat to the Boardwalk from DHS for a late lunch and some unwind time. Same thing for MK, take the boat back to FW, or WL, or Poly for some lunch as the heat is hitting it's peak. Then, when everybody is feeling a bit refreshed head back to the park around 4 and dodge all the parents toting kids out in full melt-down mode! And, if you do DHS the first day you can end your second day with Wishes fireworks for a nice takeaway memory of WDW.

 

[colamom]

Definitely planning on some breaks in the day. I know we will not even get to see a 10th of the any park in one day. We just want our kids to get to say they went to WDW and camping! If all in our party get to go we will have 3 boys (8,5,5) and 2 girls (8,7). We want them to have the most fun possible.

Shan-man do you mean navigating from one park to the next? If so I agree especially if we have 10 people to move around.

Any suggestions on prepping for this trip, I am already thinking about possible menus since we will eat almost all meals and the site. I may test some new crockpot recipes before we go, even with the heat a hot meal at the end of the day sounds good.

 

[TheGreatGonzo]

Remember - with the multi day tickets, once you get past the 3rd day it's only a few dollars per ticket for each additional day and the price difference between a one-park per day and a park hopper is $50 no matter how many days you have. I always get the Hoppers for the legnth of my stay. That way I can go into the parks even for a couple of hours on any day I want and it only cost me a few extra bucks. It leaves my options open.

 

[Shan-man]

Just getting a large group like yours to move from one part of the park to another is going to be a challenge (we need to go this way, but I need a bathroom, oh look at that shop, can we get a pretzel, I wanna ride that, where's a water fountain...), much less trying to get them all through one park in the morning, find your way to another, and then get through that one in the evening. There is more than enough in each park to fill a whole day (and then some), so there is no way I would pay and extra $50 per person so that we could hop to another park when you can't possibly have exhausted the first one. Save the other parks for another trip and try to make good memories on this trip, as opposed to rushed, melt-down filled memories! JMO.

But, if you really want to do a park hopper, I would suggest buying a 6 or more day, non-expiring park hopper and save the extra days for a future trip. This makes the park hopper fee more affordable since it is spread over more days. And, if you decided you wanted to do another day in the parks this trip, no problem, you'd already have the tickets and for a lot less than a single day ticket.

 

[des1954]

Just getting a large group like yours to move from one part of the park to another is going to be a challenge (we need to go this way, but I need a bathroom, oh look at that shop, can we get a pretzel, I wanna ride that, where's a water fountain...), much less trying to get them all through one park in the morning, find your way to another, and then get through that one in the evening. There is more than enough in each park to fill a whole day (and then some), so there is no way I would pay and extra $50 per person so that we could hop to another park when you can't possibly have exhausted the first one. Save the other parks for another trip and try to make good memories on this trip, as opposed to rushed, melt-down filled memories! JMO.

But, if you really want to do a park hopper, I would suggest buying a 6 or more day, non-expiring park hopper and save the extra days for a future trip. This makes the park hopper fee more affordable since it is spread over more days. And, if you decided you wanted to do another day in the parks this trip, no problem, you'd already have the tickets and for a lot less than a single day ticket.

I have to agree with Shanta on this one.

 

[Shan-man]

Double... oops.

 

[Skyw]

We moved 6 people thru the parks. It took way longer then I expected!!! Between snack breaks and potty breaks, we added some time. Plus there were things that not everyone wanted to go on. Take cell phones and don't be afraid to split up and meet later.

I managed to get everyone up and going each morning but it took patience. I felt that being there at rope drop was crucial.

 

[Puget Peach]

Remember that you don't always have to stick with everyone together. It may work best to start out the day together with an agreed upon attraction, then split up to do a few things in two or three groups, then meet back for lunch. It's much easier to navigate in smaller groups and you are guaranteed to have some lively mealtime conversations The same can work for your afternoon or evening. There will be plenty of memories of the entire group together at the campground and shows. Depending on the kids, each one can do their absolute "must do" one on one with their special adult of choice. Just make sure that all plans are well communicated and are best planned before the day (or the vacation) gets started. The biggest time waster in crowded parks is the "What do you want to do?"