Need tips on a DW vacation

[donaldduck352]

My boss came to me and asked what is the best way to do Disney.
Now I've been to the world countless times.But he is going in the dark..
I know what to do when there,but he is in his mid50's and adopted two of his grandchildren..All they talk about is seeing Mickey and other characters..
His one is 3yrs old and the other is 6.So I'm sure they will have fun!!
So if anyone can help me help him.He has been so good to me so I want to return the favor..

 

[donaldduck352]

Also,I know your the pros here,keep it simple that way I can print out for him..Any codes for staying on-site,any new info at all..

He kept me in a job in the hard times and I want to return it!!

I know I can count on my fellow Dis'ers on this!!

 

[WDWAtLast]

I think more than a "touring plan", he needs general info. Explain about ADR's (they are NEEDED if he wants to eat with Mickey, other characters) make sure he knows how Disney transportation works (planning 1 hour for bus rides to ADR's) Explain how fast passes work - and that they are free!! Explain about park hoppers - and that he can wait and add them at the park, if he needs them. Let him know that getting there at rope drop will let them ride more rides with less waits. Even if he only makes RP at MK, that would still save lots of time!

Do not give him so much information that he is overwhelmed - just some general info to get started with. The Passporter or Unofficial Guide books would be great if he enjoys reading books about trips. As he reads more on his own, then you can answer more questions he may have.

 

[SilverL]

Recommend to him a few character meals, so that his grand kids can see some of the characters without waiting in line.

 

[Chellymouse]

I would suggest getting some general information from your boss. Do the children like rides or not? Do they like shows or not, stuff like that and make suggestions based on the children's likes and dislikes. As we all know, character dining cuts down on the time we spend chasing the characters around and getting pics with them, however, ADRs are needed if they are going to do that. Keep it to the basics and after the basics have been covered, move into how to use the FP, planning your days, EMH, ect.

 

[Hootch]

questions was about potential deals. When is he planning to go? Mousesavers.com has a history of deals offered and when they came out. Given where we are in the economy, Disney should at least meet these deals. They haven't been offering anything in the summer for non AP/Florida residents until this year for example. Sign him up for the planning CD. It's fairly short and may prompt more specific questions.

As far as ensuring the kids see characters, that's the easy part. I wholeheartedly agree with the PP that character meals are an easy way to get this done and Disney ensures that kids have a chance to see Mickey. I would also seriously consider Crystal Palace. My kids loved the Pooh characters at 3 and 6 years old and the food, breakfast and dinner, are good. It's best to do ADRs at 90 days out.

I don't know what budget he's looking at, but at that age the Magic kingdom will probably be a major attraction. The monorail resorts will cut your travel time by a lot. When my son was 3.5 years old and my wife was five pregnant, we stayed at the Contemporary and it worked great. Port Orleans French Quarter is a moderate resort and a little cheaper. Transportation times will be a little longer but the pool should work well for that age. My daughter really enjoyed the water slide when she was four. The pool is relatively small and easy to keep track of kids.

 

[donaldduck352]

Thank you all for the replys.I know if I tell him to much at onetime it can be overwhelming..

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

First thing I did was buy a Passporter. It'd been 10 years since my last visit and this was the best place for me personally to start. A lot of info compacted into readable, understandable, and most importantly, DIGESTABLE format. I could start and stop as needed, plus it was compact enough to take with us.

For ride height requirements: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/height.cfm

Ultimate Packing List: http://www.themouseforless.com/downloads/trip/UltimatePackingList.shtml

ADRs are a must. I didn't think they were necessary and didn't call early enough and missed the one character meal I wanted to do. We did have an alternative and it was very enjoyable, but I was really upset we missed out on Chef Mickey's as that's where my parents used to take me!

Be smart about his plans.

Take a stroller. (a double is $30+/day)

Don't expect to do it all.

We did our character greets at Camp Minnie-Mickey to avoid the lines at Toontown (we were there while Festival of the Lion King was running and waited 15 min to meet Mickey during Spring Break).

We also let the kids nap late so we could stay in the park late (during EMH). The parks were near deserted and we did another character greet, again, relatively short wait.

Pick 1-2 parades, don't do them all, it's a waste of time. Pick 1 fireworks show (if there's interest), otherwise, use that time to ride rides and avoid the crowds.

Don't forget the air conditioned attractions if the kids need a break. Sitting 15 minutes for Country Bear or walking through the Seas will offer a chance to sit down for a snack or just to rest when things get overwhelming.

Best of luck in returning the favor!

 

[MlWinans]

Absolutes:

ADRs: how to make them, when to make them, and how to get to them

Buses: Time frames ro each park depending on what resort he will be at.

Extra Magic Hours: With kids going at these time will help lower the crowds which is GREAT with kids, but he will need to know how find find the park with the extra hours and what time to leave his resort to benefit from them

No Brainers:

Tell him about Dis.boards and how it works. Show him some of the running threads that have great tips.

Tell him some of your secrets. A good one is if either grandchild is a little girl is for them to make sure they are the very first group to Cinderella castle one morning, go into the shop(inside the castle arch) and find the clock with a little door an keyhole on it. If they are the first to look in through the keyhole they may find a very cool surprise!!

 

[Ddennis37]

I started researching about 6 months out. I wasn't aware of sites like disboards, themeparkinsider or allears.net. I went directly to disneyworld.com to get a layout of the parks, waterparks, etc. Each night I got online so I could learn as much as possible. By the time we arrived at our resort, I almost felt like I'd been there before from all the research. I was SO glad that we took 11 days our first time out. We totally didn't feel overwhelmed because there's so much to see and do and we were able to have nice, calm fun.

Definitely research, pick up a book about the World from a local bookstore. The sooner the better.

 

[ty93850]

Go buy him a book like the Unoffical guide to Disney. Then point out some of the things in there that are must like the others have posted ADR's. The in and outs of staying on or off site. What comes with DDP. That not all resorts at WDW are the same. I would tell him about the Monorail resorts, The epcot resorts, The Mod resorts that they are all bus service to parks. Planning a WDW trip can be hard for first timers. Might suggest a TA like Dreams Unlimited or the like. That way he can just send the request to the TA and they will take care of everything. I did this year and was a real load shed.