New and overwhelmed...

[SapphireMarie]

I am just starting to really research Disney. We are planning our first trip.
That said...I am feeling really overwhelmed. Disney is way bigger than I imagined and I feel lost. Did anyone else feel this way? I hope I can get everything sorted out and that my kids have a good time. I don't know where to go, what to do, how ANYTHING works, etc. But I'm learning...these forums are amazing!!
I will say one major disappointment is we are huge Pooh fans and there doesn't seem to be much in the way of Winnie the Pooh there.
Alas...reading, reading...

 

[boundfordisney]

I felt the same way as you when we were doing our trip back some years ago, the best advice I can give is to buy the unofficial guide to walt disney world. You will find every thing you need to plan in this book. Yes it can be overwelming at first but you already have a great first shot by being here on the disboards as there is soooo much info.Feel free to pm me if you like and I would love to help in any way I can with your planning. Remember half the fun is in the planning . just know you cant see everything in one shot so there is always another trip on the horizon!

 

[boundfordisney]

forgot to mention be sure to dine at the crystal palace in the magic kingdom as pooh and friends are the characters here. Dont worry no matter what you plan or dont plan there is no way that you and your kids wont have the most magical time of your lives! You couldnt possibly go wrong with a trip to disney!

 

[SapphireMarie]

Thanks so much! I did already buy the unofficial guide on ebay, waiting for it. Also got the dummies guide to Disney.

Thanks for the tip on the Pooh characters!!

 

[boundfordisney]

I wouldnt worry to much about pooh as he is there plus with so much else to see you really arent gonna notice if he isnt there as much as you think you would like him to be. how old are your kids? have you decieded on when to go and where to stay?

 

[boundfordisney]

I think you need 7 or something posts before you can pm someone so I will help you along with asking some questions if you dont mind

 

[SapphireMarie]

I wouldnt worry to much about pooh as he is there plus with so much else to see you really arent gonna notice if he isnt there as much as you think you would like him to be. how old are your kids? have you decieded on when to go and where to stay?

Kids are 13, 12, 10, 5 and 3.

No decisions yet...just starting our planning.

 

[SapphireMarie]

I think you need 7 or something posts before you can pm someone so I will help you along with asking some questions if you dont mind

Haha!! Thanks!!

 

[boundfordisney]

wow big family going! So you will want to perhaps wait for the free dining to come available as this will save you alot that is if you are planning on staying on site, if not staying onsite then my daughter has stayed at allstarr vacation homes twice and they loved it so can give you info there if needed. There is villas at disney you can book as well but they can be pricey or perhaps 2 rooms at a value resort, some resorts can sleep up to 5 in a room like the poly or yacht club just depends on your budget, one thing for sure yoy wont regret spending a dime on this trip as its worth every penny you will spend believe me I know and thats why I keep coming back so often!

 

[SapphireMarie]

wow big family going! So you will want to perhaps wait for the free dining to come available as this will save you alot that is if you are planning on staying on site, if not staying onsite then my daughter has stayed at allstarr vacation homes twice and they loved it so can give you info there if needed. There is villas at disney you can book as well but they can be pricey or perhaps 2 rooms at a value resort, some resorts can sleep up to 5 in a room like the poly or yacht club just depends on your budget, one thing for sure yoy wont regret spending a dime on this trip as its worth every penny you will spend believe me I know and thats why I keep coming back so often!

Want to stay on site for sure!

I was just reading about the Crystal Palace...looks very cool - thanks for the tip! The little ones will freak out if they don't see Pooh, lol. (And I love Piglet!!)

 

[boundfordisney]

You ve made a good choice by staying onsite! Disney makes it so easy to get around from picking you up at the airport to getting you to the theme parks! I always stay on site because of those very reasons!Where are you travelling from? As far as park hoppers go I wouldnt worry about adding those to your tickets not for a first time around.They may be a room only discount that could save you alot as well , Im waiting to see if one comes avail. for my next trip in August as Ive been looking at old key west a 2 bedroom villa. If not then we will stay at caribbean beach resort most likely as we have stayed there a few times and love it! Check out beaches and cream at the beach club for a lunch and get the kitchen sink your kids will love it! ice cream and the works!

 

[SapphireMarie]

Oh wow...they do airport pickups?! We're driving down but that's still pretty impressive/cool.

We're coming from NC.

 

[Nicole&Becker]

Hi there,

My husband and I took our honeymoon in Disney World. We didn't do much of any planning at all. We ate quick service stuff the whole time and stayed at a crappy cheap hotel off site. We had the time of our lives! So much so that we try to come back as often as we can. Now that has only happened one other time so far, but we do just a little more each time we go.

We now have three children. 7, 5 and 1 years old. We are going again this June for two weeks. Our first trip was only 3-4 days (I can't remember exactly). Our second trip was 9 days. We had a great time! My kids were 3.5 and 2 years old. They had a wonderful time. We did plan a little more that time with the help of the Dis Boards.

A couple of things I learned from our last trip...

• Bring extra pacifiers if any of your children use them. They do sell them at Disney, but only one kind.
• Plan breaks during the hottest part of the day such as a sit down meal or going back to the hotel for a nap or a swim.
• Take it slow, and don't try to see everything in your trip. It will just stress you out! Just take things at your own pace and remember WDW will be there to see things you miss another time.
• Remember that things will likely never go exactly as planned. So try your best to be flexible.
• Get a locker during the day to keep your bag with a change of clothes so you don't have to carry it with you.
• Take a lot of pictures, and write in a journal each night so you don't forget details when you get home.

You guys will have a fantastic time no matter what you do. We will be staying at the Fort Wilderness Cabins for our trip in June. We are excited. We plan to have groceries delivered from Garden Grocer so we can eat breakfast in the cabin. The cabins have a full kitchen. So it should work well for us. They fit 6 people. It has all the same perks as a normal hotel but you get more space.

Hugs!

 

[Lumiere Lover]

There are a couple of very important tips-Take a break each day. Since you are staying onsite, you can take a bus back to your room and rest or hit the pool for an hour or two. This will make a big difference in a happy family come time for the fireworks/closing shows.

Also, the PP mentioned a journal each day, and that is a wonderful idea. When we first took our kids in 2002, we made them do a journal, but I didn't. I know do journals leading up to the trip, during the trip, then a little bit after. It will be a nice free souvenir to read when you get home.

The unofficial guide is a very real perspective on WDW, it is not sugar coated. I know the book is very long, but please read it. I have read it twice already for our trip in December, and that will be my 10th trip.

Enjoy, have fun, and remember-you can't do everything on one trip. Pick your most important places/rides, and enjoy yourselves.

 

[SapphireMarie]

Hi there,

My husband and I took our honeymoon in Disney World. We didn't do much of any planning at all. We ate quick service stuff the whole time and stayed at a crappy cheap hotel off site. We had the time of our lives! So much so that we try to come back as often as we can. Now that has only happened one other time so far, but we do just a little more each time we go.

We now have three children. 7, 5 and 1 years old. We are going again this June for two weeks. Our first trip was only 3-4 days (I can't remember exactly). Our second trip was 9 days. We had a great time! My kids were 3.5 and 2 years old. They had a wonderful time. We did plan a little more that time with the help of the Dis Boards.

A couple of things I learned from our last trip...

• Bring extra pacifiers if any of your children use them. They do sell them at Disney, but only one kind.
• Plan breaks during the hottest part of the day such as a sit down meal or going back to the hotel for a nap or a swim.
• Take it slow, and don't try to see everything in your trip. It will just stress you out! Just take things at your own pace and remember WDW will be there to see things you miss another time.
• Remember that things will likely never go exactly as planned. So try your best to be flexible.
• Get a locker during the day to keep your bag with a change of clothes so you don't have to carry it with you.
• Take a lot of pictures, and write in a journal each night so you don't forget details when you get home.

You guys will have a fantastic time no matter what you do. We will be staying at the Fort Wilderness Cabins for our trip in June. We are excited. We plan to have groceries delivered from Garden Grocer so we can eat breakfast in the cabin. The cabins have a full kitchen. So it should work well for us. They fit 6 people. It has all the same perks as a normal hotel but you get more space.

Hugs!

Ohh! Would love to hear what you think of the FW cabins, or anyone else for that matter who's stayed there, that is where we were thinking we'd end up. So funny you mentioned it!

Thanks for the tips!!

 

[SapphireMarie]

There are a couple of very important tips-Take a break each day. Since you are staying onsite, you can take a bus back to your room and rest or hit the pool for an hour or two. This will make a big difference in a happy family come time for the fireworks/closing shows.

Also, the PP mentioned a journal each day, and that is a wonderful idea. When we first took our kids in 2002, we made them do a journal, but I didn't. I know do journals leading up to the trip, during the trip, then a little bit after. It will be a nice free souvenir to read when you get home.

The unofficial guide is a very real perspective on WDW, it is not sugar coated. I know the book is very long, but please read it. I have read it twice already for our trip in December, and that will be my 10th trip.

Enjoy, have fun, and remember-you can't do everything on one trip. Pick your most important places/rides, and enjoy yourselves.

Thank you! In 2002 we drove by Disney on our way to Sarasota and swore we'd "go soon!" I guess our "soon" took on new meaning...but we're doing it now, lol!

Really looking fwd. to getting my hands on that book!!

Any recommendations for length of stay? Like is there a "minimum" to have a fairly decent trip? We are thinking 5-7 days.

 

[SapphireMarie]

Oh....so reservations even with the free meals? Wow. I have a lot to learn. I def. want to dine with Pooh.

 

[brettcw23]

Get the Birnbaum unofficial guide.
Read lots of posts here.
Check out the Moms panel on the Disney site
Post any questions here. There's tons of folks with experience to help!

 

[Nicole&Becker]

Yes, totally. When we get back I will tell you all about it. I will certainly take lots of pics of the actual cabin too because I know for me, the pics they have on the site are not so great. Let me know if there is anything specific you would like pics of or info about and I will look out for those things while we are there. Always love to help.

 

[SapphireMarie]

Yes, totally. When we get back I will tell you all about it. I will certainly take lots of pics of the actual cabin too because I know for me, the pics they have on the site are not so great. Let me know if there is anything specific you would like pics of or info about and I will look out for those things while we are there. Always love to help.

Thanks, that would be great!!