New here and need advice on where to start!

[mommy2hannahgrace]

We are planning a trip to WDW in October this year. Our only DD will have just turned 2 and we are traveling with my parents. It is very likely that I will be pregnant (maybe 3 or 4 months). We are not staying on the property--we will be staying about 10 mintures away in a vacation home. so where do I begin? What kind of tickets do I need? We want to go to disney for maybe 3 days. I want dd to be able to meet characters but dont want to go crazy on meals as she is a picky eater and we will waste a lot of food. Where do we go to meet the characters? I am not opposed to 1 meal a day with characters. Any other tips and advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Thats_for_Shore]

Wow, it's so hard to give advice because we need more info!!

3 days @ Disney = 3 day ticket. Unless you're going to be going back in the future, then it's cheaper to get a 10 day pass with no expiration. It might save you money on your next trip. You'd have to check out the price difference.

Are you planning on visiting more than one park a day? If so, you'll need the park hopper option.

You can meet the characters at certain restaurants. But that's not the only way to meet them. There are characters in different spots in all of the parks. When you go in to the park that day, there will be a schedule. This will let you know about parades/fireworks/light shows/character meet and greets, etc.

 

[Aliceacc]

HI! Welcome and best wishes with your plans.

I started a thread for other newbies; it may help you: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1715551

Also, here's a list of character dining:http://www.wdwinfo.com/Just_for_kids/character_dining.cfm

Chef Mickey's might be a good place to start; it's easily accessible from the Magic Kingdom via monorail (a ride in itself!), your daughter will see Mickey and the crew, there's a separate kiddie buffet, and if you go for dinner there's an ice cream sundae bar. It's also a buffet, so it's more easily budgeted than a typical sit-down dinner.

Take a look at the menus at www.allears.net to see what else is out there.

 

[Desnik]

Welcome to the DIS!!!
Since your DD is only 2 you do not need a park pass for her. She is free. Also if you do a character buffet she is free too!! That would be a great way for her to meet characters without waiting in long lines! At DHS(Disney Hollywood Studios, formally MGM) she can meet the Playhouse Disney characters like Little Einstein's, Handy Manny, JoJo. There is also a really cute Playhouse Disney show there. At Epcot there is a great character greeting area that is indoors and you get to take a picture with all the classic characters one right after the other!(Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, etc..) MK has the Judges tent in Toontown where you can meet all the classic characters and princesses too!

Make sure you plan enough time for transportation. Most off site rentals that say they are "10 minutes" away from Disney are usually referring to Disney Property, not a specific park. For example if you want to be at MK at park opening, leave yourself way more than 10 min. to get into the park. Once you are actually at the MK, you have to park, ride the tram to the TTC, then board either the monorail or ferry to get to the MK gates.

Try to make a general plan of which parks you want to do. We can easily spend 2 days in Epcot(which is my kids favorite, they are 10 and 5) and 2 days at the MK, followed by 1 day at DHS, and a half day at AK. I assume you will want to take it easy with a 2 year old and possibly one on the way so a good plan will help.

My best advice is to read these boards until your trip! You will find so much great information.

Oh, remember the more days on your pass, the less the price increase. I believe the difference in price for a 5 day hopper to a 6 day hopper is only $3!!

If you plan on 1 character meal a day then get on the phone and make those ressies now! May can get busy and a lot of people have already booked their meals 180 days in advance. I would head over to www.allearsnet.com and look at the menus and decide which meals you'd like to do, then call and make an ADR. Some great ones ar Crystal Palace at the MK for lunch(Pooh and friends), Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary resort(Mickey and friends).

Let me know if you have any other questions! I'd love to help. We have been going every year since my DD was 9 months old, now she is 10!!

 

[mommy2hannahgrace]

Wow thank you so much for all your information----this seems like a huge project to plan a vacation when you've never been! How does this park hopper thing work? We would like to go to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, somewhere to see little enisteins, possibly epcot and I know my hubby and dad will want to sneak off to universal one day will mom, dd and i shop. so any suggestions on the ticket thing would be great!

As far as characters we def want mickey and the gang, pooh and the gang, and the princesses. suggestions where to meet them?

 

[Aliceacc]

The park hoppers allow you to start your day in one park and end it in another.

So, for example, we'll start our first day at the Magic Kingdom. After lunch we'll head back to the Polynesian for a swim &/or nap. Then we're planning dinner at one of the wonderful Epcot restaurants.

I like the idea of the parkhoppers because of the flexibility. IF one park is crowded, we can hit the monorail and go to another. If we want to play in one park but dine in another, it's do-able.

For the princesses, you might consider the Princess Breakfast at the Akerhouse in Norway, in Epcot. (Lunch and dinner have princesses too, but the food is Norweigan-- I'm not sure how adventurous your kids are.)

And take a look at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom for Pooh and that crew.

Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary (easily reachable from the MK by monorail) will have Mickey and his entourage.

 

[Desnik]

Wow thank you so much for all your information----this seems like a huge project to plan a vacation when you've never been! How does this park hopper thing work? We would like to go to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, somewhere to see little enisteins, possibly epcot and I know my hubby and dad will want to sneak off to universal one day will mom, dd and i shop. so any suggestions on the ticket thing would be great!

As far as characters we def want mickey and the gang, pooh and the gang, and the princesses. suggestions where to meet them?

Like mentioned above the park hopping is a great option that allows you flexibility. We love to go to 2 different parks in one day. The hopping is an option you add on to your tickets. It will include admission to all 4 parks(MK, AK, DHS, and Epcot) for however many days you purchase and then you'll be able to hop to different parks on the same day. Our record is 3 parks in 1 day! A great thing to do on the day your DH and dad go over to Universal would be to spend the day shopping at DtD. There is a carousel and train ride for your DD and so many cool things to see like the people made out of legos near Lego land. Also the largest Disney store, great places to eat, the toy store, ice cream, just everything in one place. We love DtD!!

As far as the characters, you can find the princesses at their coordinating countries at Epcot. For example, Belle in France, Jasmine in Morocco, etc... You could also do a character meal in Norway at Epcot with the princesses. Keep in mind on such short notice you might not be able to get an ADR. Mickey and the gang can be found in the Judges Tent at Toontown in the MK, at Chef Mickey's for breakfast and dinner at the contemporary resort and there is also a great character meet and great at Epcot in Future World. You can find Pooh and Friends at the Crystal Palace at the MK and at the Playhouse Disney show at DHS(formally MGM).

Planning a trip for me is just as much fun as the actual trip even though I know it can get overwhelming! Just read these boards like crazy and visit www.allearsnet.com for all kinds of great info like menus and a great explanation on tickets with prices.
Have fun!!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I noticed from your first post that you only want to do 3 days "at disney". I don't know how many days you plan to be in Florida but if you are just going for 3 days, it will be VERY difficult to do all 4 parks. There isn't anything too exciting for a 2 year old at Epcot...it's a great park but if you have to skip one...I would skip that one. If you want to see the Little Einsteins, you'll have to go to DHS (used to be MGM). MK takes about 3 days for us to finish but that's because DD likes to ride things 2-3 times. You will have a hard time finishing it in October in 1 day but will get to see/do the highlights. If you are going to MK, I would definately suggest Crystal Palace for a meal...we really liked their food. AK can usually be done in a half-day.

If your dad wants to do Universal...that's a whole separate ticket...and will take a whole separate day. If I were you, I would sit down with your family and make a list of everyone's priorities (especially if you are in a time crunch) and go from there.

 

[Desnik]

That last paragraph of Tnkrbelle565's post was excellent advice and I would have to agree!

I do disagree with Epcot not being too exciting for your DD. It's my kids favorite park and they are 10 and 5 now but have been going to WDW since they were 8 months old!! There are great character opportunities, the Nemo ride, Turtle Talk with Crush, the Living Seas pavilion(we spend all day there!) Space Ship Earth, the Kidcot stations and so much more. It really is a beautiful park and I'm sure you and your parents will love it.

 

[Gillian]

If you're staying for a while but aren't doing a park every day, it can be fun to go to a resort for a character meal on the off days. As mentioned, Chef Mickey's has breakfast & dinner. There's also 'Ohana at the Polynesian (character breakfast) and the Cape May Buffet at the beach club (breakfast). The nice thing about those is that you don't use a park pass day.

You could also take your little one for breakfast and then take a boat from the Contemporary over to Fort Wilderness where they have a small playground and pony rides (I haven't done this in a while so I'm not sure of the times/cost).

Have fun planning!