New here and new to disney, Please help

[jpinky223]

Hello all, I am planning my first vacation to Disney in August of 2015. This will be my daughter's birthday gift(althogh her birthday is in Feb, I can't take vacation until August) I am renting a house with a friend and we are sharing the cost, but I will have to rent a car, buy food for the house and also while in the park. I am buying the plane tickets early though and I am planning on either 3 or 4 days tickets, no hopper pass this time. I don't know which parks to choose. My daughter doesn't like thrill rides, or heights so those rides are not priority for us. Please give me advice and ideas as to what parks to visit, how much to save or just general tips. Thank you
(if this is not posted in the right forum moderators please move to the right one)

 

[WDGPCFR]

Since this is your first trip try to do four days at the parks. Do 2 at MK and one each at EPCOT and AK. There is more than enough to do in all of the parks without doing thrill rides. Hollywood Studios has some good things to do but if you are pressed for time this is the one to cut out. This site has incredible amounts of information to help plan your vacation. Figure out your must do rides/events and restaurants before you go. Disney on the fly usually is stressful and causes a lot of wasted time. Have fun

 

[sharonabe]

Before you decide to cut out any of the parks, I would order the planning DVD from Disney (it's free) and take a look at all of them. There are lots of things for all ages in all the parks.

Depending on your reading and planning style, I also recommend getting a guide book. You will find lots of information here on the DIS and other websites, but sometimes, having that book in your hands (or on your reading device) is just easier to find what you really want to know. The Unofficial Guide has EVERYTHING and is very detailed. It's also about 300-400 pages long. So if that's too much, you might try Birnbaum's Guide. It's not as detailed, and I think it's a good starter guidebook. Your daughter might enjoy the Birnbaum Guide for Kids. Instead of buying them new, check out your local library to see if they have any old versions. That will help you decide if you want one of your own.

Once you have some information in you, you'll be able to come here and ask more specific questions that apply to your vacation.

Have fun!!

 

[GotLabradors]

I am going to assume your daughter knows about the trip. My kids have never been to Disney, so I ordered the custom maps from Disney and we sat down and looked at them together. Then we got on youtube and started watching videos of the rides. Now, they're obsessed with Haunted Mansion. It can be overwhelming, but since you've already picked dates and where you're staying, you're well on your way. Check out wdwprepschool online. She has some great planning resources. Good luck and welcome.

 

[sndral]

There's a lot to digest before a first time visit - but you are starting to plan early so you have lots of time. I also like to read guide books before I visit someplace new, so I think that's a good idea.
How old is your daughter and what Disney movies/characters does she like? Does the friend have children and how old are they? It'll help posters to know what to recommend if they know ages and interests. A WDW visit for a princess crazy youngster is different than a visit for an animal crazy preteen or a teen.
In addition to rides (most are not thrill rides) in the parks there are parades to watch, shows to see, and except for Animal Kingdom, firework shows most nights.

 

[Planogirl]

I would follow the advice you've already heard and also try to take in everything a little at a time for now. There's a huge amount of information to sort through and things keep changing at WDW. Check back here often and be prepared to tweak and change your plans as you see fit.

Mostly plan to have a great time! There's a variety of different ways to do that.

 

[Cyrano]

Hi jpinky223. Danny, Brian and Reid welcome you to the TPAS DIS board

We are a friendly and knowledgeable bunch here so please join in on any other thread or if you have a number of questions then just start a new thread

If you have not had a look yet the DIS posting guidelines can be found here.


So glad you have found us. So grab a cup of joe and let us help you with your planning. A WDW vacation can seem overwhelming but as others have said take time to think about and or/see what you and your daughter want to see most at Disney

 

[ArwenMarie]

I agree about two days at Magic Kingdom.

As for the the other three parks, if you are thinking of one to drop, I would look at the attractions at each park carefully and see which one is least interesting to you. Also, the weather will be really really hot in August…We find that Animal Kingdom is the least appealing park in the very hot weather and that would be the one we would drop in August if we had to drop one. (Even though Animal Kingdom is my favorite park in the cooler weather!)

Anyway, just my two cents! Good luck planning

 

[jpinky223]

There's a lot to digest before a first time visit - but you are starting to plan early so you have lots of time. I also like to read guide books before I visit someplace new, so I think that's a good idea.
How old is your daughter and what Disney movies/characters does she like? Does the friend have children and how old are they? It'll help posters to know what to recommend if they know ages and interests. A WDW visit for a princess crazy youngster is different than a visit for an animal crazy preteen or a teen.
In addition to rides (most are not thrill rides) in the parks there are parades to watch, shows to see, and except for Animal Kingdom, firework shows most nights.

She is 8 and she likes Ariel, Cinderella, Snow white . I'm also thinking of doing a character dinner because we did one at sesame place and we all enjoyed it. My friend has kids but they are older and gave been to Disney lots of times so they might not go. Maybe you can answer this if I do a character dinner and tell them it's my daughters birthday would do bring her a cupcake and sign for her?

 

[SnowBelleAlice]

August will be miserable, weather wise. Can you go earlier in the year, but still after February, or later, October- early/mid December?
Either way you're lucky you found this board, you'll be far ahead of those who visit without the knowledge gleaned here, have fun planning!

 

[PJ]

You mentioned she really likes Ariel so I wouldn't skip the Studios - Voyage of the Little Mermaid is a very cute show.

 

[Planogirl]

You mentioned she really likes Ariel so I wouldn't skip the Studios - Voyage of the Little Mermaid is a very cute show.

There is of course the Little Mermaid ride in MK too so she would have that covered.

Definitely do a character meal if you can. You might want to try for Cinderella's Royal Table in MK or Princess Storybook Dining in Epcot.

 

[jpinky223]

August will be miserable, weather wise. Can you go earlier in the year, but still after February, or later, October- early/mid December?
Either way you're lucky you found this board, you'll be far ahead of those who visit without the knowledge gleaned here, have fun planning!

In October there is no time off from school, and in December I'm sure it will be more expensive.