New and feeling overwhelmed!

[Aliceacc]

Yeah, Parkhoppers are well worth the money for us.

Our first trip, we went to Animal Kingdom on a sunny morning. We road Kali River Rapids, and each of us got soaked. No big deal-- it was Florida in July. Then the sky turned dark, the temp dropped, and it started to pour. And pour. And pour.

We soldiered on for about half an hour, wet and cold and miserable. Then common sense took over, we left AK, went back to the resort and changed, and had a lovely afternoon at Epcot. (We returned to AK for half a day later in the week.)

Another example: last summer we had a Fastpass for Frozen After After, one of the hottest new rides in Epcot (though, as it turns out, not one of my personal favorites.) We waited in line and were literally next in line when the ride broke down. Because we were so close, we were given a Fastpass to use when we wanted. A few days later, we went to Epcot at Rope Drop (translation: at park opening), rode that one ride, and took the boat to Hollywood Studios for the rest of the day. In fact, my son chose to sleep in and skip Frozen, we texted him when we were getting on to the boat, and met him at the Boardwalk boat dock so he could join us.

Personally I love the flexibility that Parkhoppers add to our trip. For us, they're well worth the money.

But the more time you spend on here, the more info you'll gain. It can absolutely get overwhelming.

Most of it is minor. I would think the biggies, the ones that everyone should consider, are:
1. Resort. You're done here.
2. Meal plan or not. You're done here.
3. Parkhoppers or not. You're working on this.
4. ADRs, especially if you're on the meal plan. You're working on this.
5. Fastpasses... we can get to that. You make them at the 60 day mark (I think-- could some other vet please verify???) so you have time to do this once dining is done.

In my opinion, once you have that stuff down, you're good to go. Those basic decisions will lay the groundwork for a trip that will be all you're hoping for.

 

[mrsjclarke]

Thank you! now i need to buy me some park hoppers, did you say you buy them when you are on holiday on the door?

 

[Aliceacc]

I'm not sure... why not contact wherever you bought your park tickets and look into upgrading there?

I know you CAN get the upgrade on site. But if you know you want them, why not prepay?

 

[mrsjclarke]

ok i will give Virgin Holidays a call.

 

[Aliceacc]

Any luck?

 

[Corbie]

We're going in October for our first time, too. This is something you are probably aware of, but I had not done enough reading and wasn't. The MNSSHP (Not So Scary Halloween Party) is a separate ticket. If you purchase a MK ticket for the day of a party and want to attend MNSSHP, you will need to purchase a separate party ticket. I've heard it's not very scary (MK caters to families, after all). Everyone dresses up and tricks or treats. We opted not to buy the additional ticket because we hadn't budgeted it in. Had I done my research, we might have done it differently.

You can get into the park at 4PM (Party starts at 7PM) for rides, etc. But I know how expensive these trips can be, and thought I'd mention it if you didn't know.

You'll have a great time!

 

[MrsIncredible725]

It's SO worth it. And it sounds like you're starting to get a good handle on things. Good luck!

 

[RHMH]

Dis-Friend --- To Disney

 

[gardenrooms]

We love eating with the princesses in the castle, too. Coming from CA, this is special (so special, in fact, that DS proposed to DDIL there) as we can't do that in DL. We always do lunch there. And for a special dinner we go to the Brown Derby in HS. A little pricey but the service is amazing for a theme park. And yes transportation via Mears makes it easy to get to Universal. The valets can arrange your pick-up. As I recall, it was pricey but with the 5 of us it was about the same to arrange a private car through them which we did so we could control our timing.

 

[BigGoof81]

I'm new to all of this as well, and also going in October.
Our first trip was last year in November, so we bought the extra ticket and experienced the Mickey's Christmas Party.
Not only was it well worth it for the extra hours, shorter lines, less crowded, etc....but the theming was AMAZING.
Disney spares nothing when it comes to detail, and we can't wait to experience it all during Halloween.

But like other have said, once the main important things are ironed out (resort, park tickets, fast passes, dining, etc.) it's all just go with the flow. Don't stress out. It's advice we were given last year on our first trip.
If something doesn't go according to plan, roll with it. Who cares. You're in DISNEYWORLD!!!
There's something equally as fun right around the corner!

 

[Aliceacc]

Probably the BEST advice I've ever gotten on a WDW trip:


Don't give any one ADR, ride, attraction, plan the power to "make" your vacation. Keep the big picture in mind. Your entire family is only as happy as the least happy person.

On last year's trip, we had tickets to the new evening show at AK (it was a temporary one, before Rivers of Light was operational. I forget what they called it.) We spent the day at AK, and went back to the resort to swim and relax a while, planning to go back that night.
The weather got iffy, we were tired, and all of a sudden, the walk to Epcot seemed a whole lot more appealing than the schlep to AK.

So we skipped the show. I'm sure it would have been lovely, and the weather did hold up. But at that moment, an evening in Epcot was the move that kept us all happier.

So, yes, make plans. But be willing to sacrifice any of those plans that will add to the overall experience.

 

[mustinjourney]

OP -- if you are going in October 2017 and April 2018 -- you need to go ahead and buy an annual pass. Do the math -- it will most likely save you money. Plus you get the photopass downloads included (without an AP, you'll pay something like $180 for the option to get your ride/park photos).

The AP also gives food discounts at various places. It'll also give you a good excuse to go again next september right before the AP runs out.

Side note -- if you're at a resort and you're having dinner at another resort -- plan on it taking an hour to get there via Disney transportation. Except for the monorail lines (or walking between the epcot resorts), there are no direct transportations for going resort to resort. You have to take a bus from your home resort to a park and then take a bus to the other resort.

Our first trip -- we stayed a few nights at port orleans riverside and had dinner at 1900 park fare (Grand Floridian). It took over an hour to get there. Waited on the bus for over 20 minutes and then the monorail at magic kingdom brokedown for about 20 minutes. You might consider calling a couple of Ubers (I believe Uber in Orlando has the option to get a car seat). Cost would be around $5-$10 per car to go pretty much anywhere on property.