my trip, im confused. please HELP

[lucy_love_]

hello everyone

im new to this board, it was recomended it by a freind who has been to disney world before. im going to disney in september for the first time ever. i need lots and lots of advise. i was ok till i started reading up about things and now im just more confused.

ok i dont really know where to start. im staying in the animal kingdom lodge for two weeks starting 13th sep. is there anything i need to know about the hotel itself?

i have hopper tickets for the full duration. is there anything i need to know about them (i dont know much). can i go in more than one park everyday. do they give me access to all parks? do i need to pay for other things like shows? are ther any shows?

how do i get fastpass? is it free? what exactly is it? is it true there are hour waits in the queues for rides?

dining is a big one. i think i get free kids breakies with my hopper. correct me if im wrong please. can we eat anywhere on them? do i need to get priority seating for every breakfast we have? do i need to get priority seating for every meal we have? how busy are the restraunts in september? i have booked 4 meals up to now does that sound like enough? i have booked planet hollywood, crystal palace, boma for breaky and the wonderland tea party. what are these like and what would you recommend? please tell me?

i dont know where to start on a itinery? i dont even know how to make one? do i need one?

what do i need to take apart from clothes? anything special?

can anyone recommend the must see places in disney?

sheesh i know nothing.

these are just a fraction of the questions i can think of. im slighty over panicking.

the more i read the less i know if that makes sence. i have visited the disney site hundreds of times but it might as well be in dutch to me. maybe i have had too much information and my mind cant decifer it all.

any advice would be greatly appreciated. i feel im going to worry so much i spoil my own holiday. this holiday cost a fortune and i want it to be right. maybe thats why im so worried. it might be the only one we get to afford.

thanks in advance.

lucy

ps if anyone has anything to add that i havent asked please please please feel free.

pps sorry if this is in the wrong place.

 

[Jane and Ian]

Have sent you a PM, please get in touch for more help!

 

[lisagirlyUK]

If I were you, I would seriously consider buying Simon Veness book: A brits guide to Orlando and Disney world.

I bought this a few months ago as this will also be my first trip and the book is worth every penny - you will learn so much about Disney!!

HTH

lisagirly

 

[Claddagh]

Hi Lucy

Another vote for Simon's book. It is excellent. We called it our Bible when we went to Floriday for the first time. I doubt there will be anything you don't know once you have read it and it's all explained simply (which for me was a bonus I can tell you!!!) If you do buy the book, get it on Amazon, it's much cheaper!!

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

Hi Lucy

Don't panic!! Please don't panic, one of the first "mistakes" a lot of people make are thinking it all has to be done "commando style". I really do think some sort of itinerary (or a rough idea of a plan for each day) is a really good idea and this will be where Simon's book will help. September will be a great time to go crowd wise, so the commando style will definitely not be needed!

Get one of the Disney and Universal planning DVD/videos, they will give you a really good idea of the must see attractions in each park - and AKL for you. Look up the websites www.disney.com and www.universalstudios.com and check out their vacations, the links should be there. Don't forget Seaworld as well, it's a lovely park especially if you are interested in preservation of dolphins, manatees and whales. There are some really good rides there too!

For a starter with your itinerary (I prefer to call mine our holiday planner, sounds a little less intimidating to the rest of the family ), check out the back of Simon's book where he has listed all the parks and their busy, medium and quiet crowds by days. This will give you an idea of where best to go on each day.

One real big tip: Two weeks will NOT be enough time to do everything you think you want to do. So, sit down with the family and pick and choose the places you think you really want to spend most time and start from there.

Don't forget rest and shopping days in your plan, either. There is some serious shopping to be done over there and a day spent at the AKL or a water park will do everyone some good.

We have friends who are going for the first time in two weeks and they were really panicking too. They came around for dinner last week and we spent ages going through everything. I've done a little top tips from us to help them - if you are happy sending me a PM with your email address, I can send this over to you.

The Animal Kingdom Lodge is a fantastic place to stay. We were there a couple of years ago and are thinking about a couple of nights next year. It's a brilliant building, the pools is great (how old are the members of your party?) and Boma's breakfast is superb. Of course the best thing about AKL are the animals. We had a Savannah view room and no matter what time day or night we looked out of our balcony there were animals outside

Lastly, don't worry about this holiday, it will be magical

 

[KayleeUK]

Hello lucy_love_

Welcome to the Dis

Wow lots of questions, lets see if we can help I totally agree with buying The Brits Guide book - worth every penny.

Animal Kingdom Lodge - wow what a lovely resort for your first trip. Click HERE for info about AKL. There are pictures and even a video of the resort - which is wonderful.

If you have Hopper tickets - then they are just that - you can hop from one park to another whenever you want I beleive and I am not sure on this that your free kids breakfast for everyday is in the Food Court of your hotel only. When you are in the park you don't pay for any other show's. Have a look at this Theme Park information to see what shows you can see in the
park. If you wanted to attend dinner shows or Cirque then as these are outside of the park they are a seperate charge.

Click here for info about Fass Pass and which rides this is available on.

Dining - we like to have one decent meal a day and plan accordingly with PS's. Others have no plans and take it as it comes it depends what your family are like.

Itinerary - Well again it depends on your family but we always have one. If you would like to see an example then let me know your email address and I will send it to you.

I hope that some of this helps you.

It would probably be better if you put each topic in a different post - this means that more people will look at it and offer advice for you.

 

[Goofyish]

We stayed in the AKL last August, but for only 3 nights and really loved it. The African/Asian theming is fantastic. The first time you walk into the lobby it takes your breath away!
If you haven't already got one, try and get a Savannah View upgrade. It's fantastic to sit on your balcony and watch the animals right under your room
Also, try Boma restaurant for breakfast and dinner - we loved it

Hopper tickets will give access to all 4 main parks, and you can come and go as you please (remember to get the hand stamps when you leave the parks).
Not sure about access to the water parks and free breakfasts though.
the shows in the parks are included in you ticket price

To get a FASTPASS just look for the FP machines next to the ride entrance, insert your tickets and you will get another ticket back with your return time. You can then come back during your return time and go into the FP ride entrance and get almost straight onto the ride
You can't get another FP until you return time comes up on your first FP. In September ride lines won't be too bad. With careful timing with the FPs and heading to the main rides early or during parades you shouldn't have to wait in line too much

dining is a big one. i think i get free kids breakies with my hopper. correct me if im wrong please. can we eat anywhere on them? do i need to get priority seating for every breakfast we have? do i need to get priority seating for every meal we have? how busy are the restraunts in september? i have booked 4 meals up to now does that sound like enough? i have booked planet hollywood, crystal palace, boma for breaky and the wonderland tea party. what are these like and what would you recommend? please tell me?

Not sure about the free breakfasts. September is pretty quiet, apart from the week around Labor day (6th September). If you want to eat at a specific restaurant or at a specific time I would make a PS reservation just to be on the safe side. But, you will find you may be able to just walk into all but the most popular restaruants and get a table. Especially if you eat outside of 'normal' meal times. We alway had an early lunch and found the counter service restaurants almost empty at about 11:30am - even in August.

I think you need to have a basic plan on which parks to visit on what days - try to avoid the parks with early entry. Make a list of things you really don't want to miss. Get Simon Veness's book - A Brits Guide to WDW - it has some good trip planning tips.
Even with a plan - prepare to be flexible

Unless you are eating out somewhere posh (Victoria and Alberts), then shorts and t-shirts does for almost everywhere. You may need a cardi or light jacket for the evening, especially with the freezing A/C in restaurants etc.

Make sure you don't miss Fantasmic at MGM, Illuminations at Epcot. Also, try and go out of the International Gateway entrance in Epcot and walk round to the Boardwalk.

Just keep asking your questions on the boards and you will get all the answer you will ever need

 

[lucy_love_]

thankyou for your replies and advice. i will get simons book on monday. i do feel a little better now especially knowing its not as busy then as this was my worst fear. i will pm some people if thats ok.

technical help. i havent got your pm though jane and ian. do i have to retrieve it from somewhere (silly question)? should it just pop up on my screen? sorry also how do i get a count down to my holiday.

once again thankyou all very much and thankyou for the warm welcome.

lucy

 

[vernon]

Hi Lucy, welcome to the DIS.

Rule 1) DON'T PANIC !!!!! . There is a lot of information to take in, but it should be part of the fun not something that is suffocating you.

Simon's book will be a big help to you in getting a decent idea of what you will want to do. Will you have a car? It's worth thinking about even if only for 3,4 or 5 days If you want to visit IOA, US, BG or SW and do some shopping it will make life MUCH easier. How old are your kids? I'll guess if you're going in Sept they are not of a school age? Do you have Ultimate Park Hopper (UPH) tickets (ie that are good for your whole 2 weeks or your stay? ) of a 5/6/7 day hopper plus pass? These give you 5/6/7 days in the main theme parks and you can jump between the parks on the days you choose to use them. For 2 weeks I think the UPH look an expensive option, particularly if you'd like to visit SW, IOA and Universal. If your children are too young to visit DQ and you'd only make one waterpark vist ( AKL has a great pool of it's own) a 5 day hopper plus or an annual pass might be cheaper for you (you never know you may come back next year ) . Here's a link to the different tickets available and their costs. http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/tickets.htm#plus .


September is a quieter time of year to go, this is because the school holidays are over, but also because weather wise it can be a little stormy at times. The usual pattern is for reasonable mornings and afternoon thunderstorms. Because of this it's not a bad idea to know which rides/shows are indoors and try to get the outdoor ones done when it's dry. Again it helps to know which parks offer the best entertainment on wet days. I wouldn't visit IOA or AK on a projected rainy day because it has few indoor attractions, IMHO MGM is probably the best option for a rainy day out of the main themeparks, although obviously DisneyQuest being 100% indoors is probably the best of all if your kids are of an age to enjoy that attraction (they may be too young).

You're staying at a great hotel with a wonderful pool area, do put in some time to enjoy the facilities there.

Making an itinerary is a good idea (particularly for a first trip), most people I know that use one don't stick to it rigidly but use it as a guide to make sure that everything that's important gets covered. There's no problem in switching a waterpark day with MGM if it's chucking it down with rain, but by replacing the waterpark later in your itinerary you're less likely to end up with one day left of your holiday and 4 things that the kids want to do.

If you give us a better idea of the make up and wants of your group it will be easier to suggest ideas.

 

[KayleeUK]

Hi Lucy

Your Private Message link is on the home page - click Here and then click on Private Messages.

Also on the home page at the top click on UserCp, then edit options you can click on yes and no for things like receiving an email when you have a PM or a pop up box

For your countdown follow the instructions Here

 

[Night-train]

Could I recommend www.allearsnet.com for some fabulous resort slide shows as well as fact sheets and reader reviews. Everything else Disney is equally well catered for too. Just came across this one last night and it's a gem of a site for first-timers! Not that you won't find good information here too, of course!!

 

[lucy_love_]

hi everyone



vernon
i will get simons book. we also have a car booked. my children are 9 and 5 im taking them out of school for the hol. i do have UPH tickets for the whole two weeks but i was of the understanding that if i say use 10 out of 14 days then i can used the other 4 anytime as they have no time limit. is this true? i hope this has answered your questions. thankyou for your advise



also thankyou to everyone who has taken time to reply to me. i will take all the advise and hope it keeps coming. also i have been following the links you have put there for me.

love

lucy

 

[sharon78]

Hi Lucy welcome to the Dis

I know how you feeling it's our 1st time as well,so i can't offer any advice really,just to say when you start planning what you want to do on what day it does all start comming together,the boards are great,as your already finding out.

It does take over your life,you'll find that every spare moment you have you'll be logging on or picking up Simon's book

it's all soooooo exciting

HAPPY PLANNING

 

[Bexx]

There's been some excellent advice here and I won't confuse you with anymore, except to say consider buying the Birmbaums Official Guide to Walt Disney World, (as well as the Brit's Guide), if you can. It covers everything specifically at WDW and might help you get the hang of the place. Both guides make a good read for the flight over!!!

Just relax and take it very easy for the first day or so - the main thing is to enjoy your holiday and, I promise, it will soon all make sense!!! . There's no need to panic about a Disney holiday - you'll love it!

 

[Night-train]

Not absolutely certain but I think UPH tickets are only valid for the length of your stay. It's only the Park Hopper Plus tickets which have no expiry date on unused days. Maybe someone else out there could confirm this, both for Lucy and myself.

 

[lucy_love_]

hi

i got this link from the official disney site. it says there that the ultimate park hopper expires when your stay is up.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/common/helpFAQ?id=HelpFAQTicketsPage

thats the link. i hope it works its the first link i have ever posted. lol

lucy

 

[vernon]

With Kids of 5 and 9 I would definately look at Busch Gardens as a possibility. I think you'll find they are maybe a little young/small for IOA. I think it likely that you'll make a return visit when they are a little older. I would concentrate this trip on Disney ( as you've already paid for all the tickets) and make a couple of off site visits to SeaWorld and BG. To keep the kids from being too bored on any shoppings days you could combine a half a day at SW with half a day shopping at Belz on I-drive, I always find the kids are a little more agreeable if they've had some entertainment first. Both SW and BG have excellent kids areas with rope climbs, swings, bouncey castles etc that I'm certain both your children will enjoy ( it also gives the parents a chance for a well earned rest and drinks break ) . Again as you have DQ as an option on your tickets I would make the effort to visit here, there are enough things for both ages to amuse them for half a day ( if it's chucking it down) and you can use that as a sop for taking them shopping at Down Town Disney. I would suggest that you visit the outlet Disney stores at Belz before going to DTD though because you'll be able to find a lot of clothes and toys at the outlet store for 30-60% of what you pay at DTD.

 

[lucy_love_]

hello again

what is DQ and where is it? is it not at the disney world park?

let me know

love

lucy

 

[Firestorm]

Ah! DQ is Disneyquest which is next to the Cirque du Soleil in Downtown Disney near the Virgin megastore and cinema's.Its a glorified amusement arcade,very noisy with some unique things to do and great for kids.If you have a rainy couple of hours or in the evening whilst wandering along the shops there,then pop in.
Both the books mentioned are excellent.My best advice is to plan ahead.

When I first went to WDW in '93 and stayed at the Contemporary Resort for 14 nights we didn't have a hire car and only left Disney twice,once to Universal and the other day was spent at Seaworld.There's so much to see and do that you cannot do it all in two weeks as already mentioned.