My first post: and a few questions

[BugsandBeeatDisney]

At age 38 I have never been to Disney!!!!
Neither has my hubby!!!!

We leave the day after tomorrow to celebrate my son's 7 year old birthday, he joined our family 10 months ago and this is his first "celebrated" birthday.

We arrive the day before his birthday
We are staying at the Wilderness Cabins x7nights
I have character meals of Pooh, Chef Mickey, Alice and Wonderland
I have dinner at Boma and Moracco
On the night of my son's B-day we are doing the Christmas Parade till midnite

There are 6 of us in the family so that is all I can really pull off I think for dinners, lunches etc...
Family is boys age 6,4,2...little girl age 9 months

So with all of that I am wondering a few things?
I bolded my questions since I feel like I have so many.

How do I get these "flag family" event? Can I reserve that early or do you just ask on arrival and hope for the best?

I feel like my kiddos are troopers and can handle long days, walks etc...
so we want to start early
How do we know what parks open early these next 10 days????

I saw a mention of a good place to have a glass of wine and now can't remember the link or name of the place and wonder if it was artiste point??

I have seen people mention doing laundry there???? Is it send off or do you do it somewhere???

The chip and Dale cookout at the wilderness area- is that every night???
is the time known (I called today and they didn't know)????
can you take your own smore supplies, I saw they sell kits but then I thought I saw a reference here that you can take stuff????

And stupid question I am certain, but can you put a pillow in the double strollers and make them where kiddos could nap during the day, I don't mind carrying one to and from the stroller rental place but did wonder if it is even possible to set up a bed in those so kiddos can sleep???

I know that is a lot of questions and promise I have been on this board no less than 10 hours in a few days which has helped a ton, but also left me to have more questions...

Thanks in advance,
and any "special" thing that you can think of for me to do with kiddos, especially my birthday boy I would be forever grateful!!!!

I suspect Disney is going to knock MY socks off let alone my kiddos!!!

 

[Amapola]

I don't have kids and have never been to the Wilderness cabins, so I'm afraid but I wanted to welcome you and wish your DS a wonderful birthday!

check out www.allearsnet.com for the EMH (early entry) days.

 

[The Sweetness]

I am sure your fam will have a glorious time. The worst part will be that WDW is addictive (trust me) and you will NEVER, EVER quench the WDW thirst in you. So be prepared to spend the rest of your life planning another trip...

 

[willis37862]

I only have one answer but hope it helps. We just returned from all star movies and port orleans. I did laundry at all stars. They had a room with all the stuff you need to do laundry and you did it yourself. We left it washin/dryin and went to the hotel gift shop.
Oh yeah you have to pay for it, no freebies.

 

[jann1033]

go to the official disney site for hrs or i think the home page here has alink also. worse comes to worse ask at the desk at check in...i think it might say in the literature they give you at check in but i'm not positive. and hrs are subject to change so it never hurts to ask

some of the dvc villas have laundry in the villa. if not they have one at the resorts. the resort machines are not free, like a laundry mat type set up. again the front desk can tell you.

the chip and dale is a sing along then a movie with a campfire before hand. it's at fort wilderness. they should know the time. last time we went it was every night. you can buy marshmellows ect at the camp store that is pretty close to the campfire. or if you have your own just take them . it's outside and informal. it started after dark but the exact time might change.

if in doubt ask the cms. they are really nice and go out of their way to help

 

[helenk]

I can not answer all your questions but will answer the ones I can.
..
The flag family is for guests staying at the Wilderness Lodge, you indicate that you are staying in the cabins, which are in the Fort Wilderness Camp Ground.
...........
Here is a link to the EHM schedule, both early hours and late hours
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/earlyentry.htm
,,,,
Can't help you with the wine.
...........
There are laundry facilities at each of the resorts, I know that the deluxe resorts have where you can send it out but I'm not sure of the other resorts
Here is link for the FAQ regarding Ft Wilderness http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_fw.htm This will also answer your question about the campfire
....
Can't help you with the stroller question, my kids are 18 and 23...so its been a looong time since I've used a stroller
....
Hopefully this can get you started, enjoy your first trip to WDW.

 

[jcriket]

welcome to the boards. The cook out with chip and dale may be the campfire, they do sell smore kits around $4.00. comes in plastic bag with stuff for about 5 smores. They are pretty laid back at FW, so I'd say bring your own stuff. There's a list of movies playing there on the camping boards. If your talking about the cook out It may be to late to get an ADR but you could try, although it's seasonal and I'm not sure they're doing it.
There is laundry where you do it.
Make sure you tell them it's your son's BD at check-in, when you eat, and get him a BD badge at guest relations.
Have fun.

 

[mikewdw]

hi,
don't feel lonely, i took my first trip at 28 (my honeymoon!) and have been hooked ever since. they are right. it is addictive. about the strollers, i think you could fit a small pillow in the stroller but they arent huge. there is probably a picture of the strollers somewhere on one of these sights. maybe try here or allearsnet.com. if only one is taking a nap probably fine, two i am not sure of. we used our own stroller with our little one. hope you have a great trip.
mikewdw

 

[southjerseymom]

We rented the double stroller our last trip. In MK and Epcot they are the hard plastic - I saw a lot of people who had blankets and cushion kinds of things to make the ride a little softer. I also saw lots and lots of kids zonked w/o any type of pillow etc. I think AK has the same kind of hard plastic strollers - but we've skipped there the last couple times. (check the allearsnet site for pictures and stroller FAQ's). The double strollers in MGM are the jogging type with fabric so they are a little more comfortable. You will love the boat ride to MK - helps start the magic on the way to the MK and relaxing on the way home. There is a lounge in the Wilderness Lodge (just a boat ride away!) that has some great Northwest wines by the glass and apps. You are going to have a GREAT time no matter what you do!!

 

[legalslave]

There's a bar at the Trail's End Restaurant (near Pioneer Hall) where you can get wine or any other beverage and enjoy it on the front porch (or inside if it's too cool for the porch). Otherwise, there are cocktail lounges in all of the resorts, and you can get wine in any of the parks except the Magic Kingdom. There is no alcohol sold in the MK at all. Also, you can buy wine by the bottle at the trading posts to enjoy in your cabin.

There are self laudries by the main pool in Fort Wilderness. Pack some ziplock bags with detergent and bring fabric softener sheets with you. It's really expensive to buy it.

Have a wonderful time. Don't try to "do it all" in one trip. You WILL be back.

 

[CindyVK]

First, Welcome to the boards! As you can see, there are a ton of knowlegable, friendly people who are more than willing to share their information! We're glad you're here! Next, Congratulations on your new son! What a wonderful way to spend his first birthday with you! Boy, you'll have a hard time topping this one! I just wanted to wish you a wonderful time! Disney is such a magical place!! My advice is make sure you take advantage of the FastPass system....saves a ton of time and can help avoid disappointments! Also, a little secret I discovered is that each park does a little opening "show" just before the parks opens. The one in front of the Magic Kingdom is adorable....a bunch of characters arrive on the train and wave to the crowd, there's singing and dancing and Mickey "talks" to the crowd. Gave me goosebumps! It would mean an early start one morning but what a great way to begin the day! Have a fabulous time!!

- Cindy VK

 

[edcrbnsoul]

The time of year you are going is a slow time so you should be able to get in quite a bit of park time but remember to have some down time it is easy to burn out even a seasoned veteran. As far as a glass of wine goes the only place you cant get alcohol is the Magic Kingdom and yes artist point at wilderness lodge is a nice place.

You can find some great info here
http://disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=24

 

[elan]

I just wanted to say welcome to the DIS and have a wonderful vacation.

 

[disneyaggie]

One thing to remember: while it is so easy to get caught up in the planning and iteneraries (been there, done that), I found the times I planned some events (like you have) while allowing myself some down time to really enjoy are my favorite times.

Once I had so much planned, I almost pooped out from "over doing it" just to get to my next thing on the schedule. Whew! The next time I went, I planned some activities/meals, but the rest of the time I really just took it all in and really appreciated it all more.

Sounds like you have done a marvelous job of planning -- your family will have an awesome time! Be sure to give us a report when you get back. I love hearing from those who just got back from their first trip. I wish you all a lot of pixie dust and happy memories!

And be prepared to come back to plan your next WDW vacation! It's addicting!

Welcome to the Dis Board!

 

[bjkj]

Wow! I am so excited for you. Fort Wilderness is great! It is such a nice break from the crowds, you'll love it!

Here are my two cents - maybe they've already been address, but here goes.

Be at the parks at opening. You'll get in most of the BIG rides before the crowds get there.

Although tempting, go to the parks without extra magic hours. The crowds are much better and you'll see and do more even without the extra hours.

Go back to the cabins in the afternoon, lay down, chill out, swim, take a break. Have your family keep a small journal and make a short journal entry every day. It's my best souvenier. You think you'll remember what you did and what you enjoyed most each day, but it's amazing the things you'll forget. The kids just wrote their entries in their autograph books.

Remember, you can't do it all, so don't worry if you miss some rides or attractions. Just do the best of the best.

Enjoy, relax, have fun! You are in for one of the most fun weeks you'll ever have!

If you haven't yet, check out the camping boards. They'll answer a lot of questions about Fort Wilderness.

Oh ya, a random fun thing we did. We bought the kids pedometers at the dollar store. They loved checking how many steps they walked each day. They recorded that in their journals as well. At animal kingdom, when we ran into Rafiki, he started reading my sons journal. He pointed out how many steps he walked to his CM helper. The CM said "wow 15,000 steps, that's a lot!" When my son started walking away, Rafiki started counting his steps with his fingers. It was so cute! Everyone in line got a big kick out of it!

Have fun!

 

[laura001]

Hi there and welcome! You seem to have done a great job as it is in planning your trip. You will love the Cabins in Fort Wilderness. It is a great place for your kids, there is a lot of room for them to run around and play and the swimming areas are great! I can't remember offhand which loop we were in when we stayed there, but we even had a basketball court close to our cabin. The laundry facilities were beside the pool which made it great, I could throw in a load of laundry and everyone could stay in the pool area and enjoy the pool whilst doing laundry! Now that is the way to live...lol!

I like others would suggest that you get to the parks early and hit the big attractions first and use the fastpass whenever you can. We usually pick one attraction to ride first thing and grab a fastpass for our next before we hit the first attraction. It usually works out great.

Once you have been to Disney you will be hooked and you will find yourself planning your next trip before you leave WDW this trip. Have a Super time!

 

[kikipug]

Be sure to go to guest relations at the front entrance of whatever park you're at on his birthday, and get a birthday button for your son on the day of his birthday... he'll get 'special' birthday greetings, surprises, and lots of extra fun all day. (Make sure that when you stand in line to buy ice cream, that he is with you, wearing his button... just a hint).

 

[WEDWDW]

WELCOME AND CONGRATULATIONS!I went to Walt Disney World in July,2003 for the first time since the 1970s not really thinking I would ever go back,or if I did,it wouldn't be for a long,long time.Well,my trip next month will be trip number SIX!WDW IS AMAZING!It is overwhelming on a first trip.Fort Wilderness is beautiful.There is an internal bus system that can take you to bus depots where you can board other buses to the parks,DTD,etc.You can ride a water taxi(boat) to Wilderness Lodge and Magic Kingdom.It is time-consuming using the WDW bus system,especially from Fort Wilderness,so some people bring a car or rent a car,but I never do.I love not having to drive anywhere and I have found the WDW transportation system to more than meet my expectations.You can meet and talk to people from all over the world on the buses.You are going during the BEST time of the year.The Christmas decorations are AWESOME!Do not miss Wishes,Spectromagic,IllumiNations and Fantasmic!.IllumiNations will have a special Holiday ending.Also,alot of the campers at Fort Wilderness will decorate their cabins and campsites for the holidays-the campground will be beautiful.As said before,go to Guest Relations in each park and ask for a Birthday button for your son.I also think it would be acceptable if he wanted to wear his button a day or two after his birthday.Well,there is no way to describe in words what you are about to see and experience.Please let us hear from you when you return.PREPARE TO BE AMAZED!

 

[tomerin]

first WELCOME to the DIS!!!!

the best place for info about WDW anywhere on the net.

you have done a great job planning your trip. so dont fret over it. my only advice for you is with all of your kiddies being under 8 you really cant do too much plannnig because you really are going to see your kids go into sensory overload!!! there is soooo much to see and do that you go great guns in the beginning and sometimes you may poop out fairly early. my kids are now teens and my wife and myself watch them to see how they are doing in the hot july sun, when we travel due to schedules. cranky kids can ruin the best laid plans of parents!! so as the day progresses maybe you could take an afternoon break or just make the kids part of the planning process.


let us know how it all worked out for you and have a great trip

 

[BugsandBeeatDisney]

Thank you so much for answering my questions and sending us off in style!!!
We are sooo excited. The boys (my 6 year old and 4 year old have only been in the country 10 months) are watching Disney movies now so they know who is who. And of course my 2 year old is just experiencing them for the first time to.

We leave tomorrow morning and I promise to update and let you all know how much we enjoyed!!!!

I really thank the advice to avoid the "magic hour" parks, for I thought to do them but I did keep thinking that everyone must want to go there and even if they got a late start if they were planned to go there they would stick with plan. So thank you for that advice for I did second guess our choices to go to those.

We can't wait!!!
Thank you again!!!!