New here...hesitant to go to Disney...advice?

[Hopeful8]

DH and I are both hesitant to go to Disney...we are both beach-vacationers and have always taken beach vacations. Having said that, we are thinking of doing Disney next year with our twins (will be 8 yrs then) to experience Disney with them. We are hesitant because we aren't really park people! We already know that we would prefer to stay off site to have more room, be able make our own meals (food allergies are an issue) and be on budget. Any advice for someone who is a little hesitant?! Thank you!
~Alissa

Eta: I should have specified Disney WORLD...

 

[leahlefler]

We were debating the same issue. We almost always do a beach vacation.. and will probably only do Disney once. We finally made the decision to just book it and we will be going in February of this coming year. We have done Disneyland in California in the past (we are originally from California and usually make a day-trip when visiting family). The kids loved it when we went (they were almost 5 and 6 at the time).

We are trying Disney World this time and are meeting my parents down there. We decided to stay on-site as our package deal made it almost the same cost as staying off-site. We still have a lot of things to determine (whether or not to get a rental car). There are experiences I know my boys will absolutely LOVE. We are pulling them out of school, as I did not want to go during President's Day weekend.

My boys will be 7 and 9 when we travel, and are tall enough to ride everything. My older boy LOVES space, so Mission Space will blow his mind (as will Space Mountain). My younger son loves animals and thrill rides. I figure we can do the beach again in 2016, but they are at the perfect age for Disney now, so we decided to just do it!

 

[lovetoscrap]

!

You will definitely find that Disney and the beach are 2 very different vacations! I would suggest that you take some time to check out our Disney for Families board, the Budget Board and of course our Theme Parks Board.

Disney does an amazing job of taking care of guests with food allergies in their restaurants so also check out our Restaurants board and disABILITIES for more information on that.

 

[Hopeful8]

Thank you, lovetoscrap! I will check out those sections...thanks for the welcome!

Leahlefler, glad I'm not alone in my hesitation! We are in Ontario so it's only a hop-skip-jump to Disney World.

 

[cramtoer]

My husband has food allergies and goes to Disney for a foodie vacation! No need to stay off-site based on allergy concerns, Disney is super accommodating.

 

[Hopeful8]

My husband has food allergies and goes to Disney for a foodie vacation! No need to stay off-site based on allergy concerns, Disney is super accommodating.

That is great to know....a friend recently returned from Disney and gave me the impression that they were not accommodating so I'm happy to read this!

 

[DexLabDeeDee]

That is great to know....a friend recently returned from Disney and gave me the impression that they were not accommodating so I'm happy to read this!

As with everything, you'll have people with different experiences and it depends on individual need - however, my experience and my travel partners' experiences have been 97% positive. We did have one issue with a chef not being very helpful but I would say that it was very much out of the norm.

Here is Disney's website for dietary needs: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/special-dietary-requests/

What has been really helpful for us is, if you are doing a table service meal, call to make your reservation and then let the CM taking your reservation know that you have dietary allergies/restrictions. You can also email Disney if you have something out of the usual allergies or if you are especially concerned. The email is in the website above.

As for beach vs Disney, it is definitely a different vacation. Educating yourself will help a lot. Also, do not feel that you have to go and do all the things that people say/recommend. If you want to take it easy, you should take it easy. Many people here have multiple trips under their belt and their methods can be advanced for the a first-time guest. If something doesn't work for you even though everyone says it's a must do, then don't do it. You'll be much happier in the long run. You can definitely do a relaxed Disney vacation as long as you manage expectations!

Good luck and I hope you have a WONDERFUL time!

 

[Donald - my hero]

My hubby and i, when combined, create quite the interesting jumble of things to avoid. We are both so excited about our upcoming trip because i know we can safely eat in soo many places with ease. I e-mailed WDW early on in teh process and all of my concerns flew out the window. They told me to contact them about a month out with a list of places we'll be eating to ensure that we can eat safely. Simple things like knowing hubby can have mashies made with soy-milk have him drooling!!

Oh and not being "theme park people", neither are we. There are few rides we actually ride on but just love the atmosphere EVERYWHERE! You mentioned like the beach .. if you're contemplating a moderate resort check out Caribbean Beach Resort. Just like the name suggests, there are beaches GALORE!!

Have fun planning a wonderful vacation

 

[maryandtyson]

Welcome!
First of all, try not to get overwhelmed. There is a ton of information and opinions out there. Pace yourself.

Your twins will most likely love WDW, IF you and your DH can enjoy it too. No kid enjoys an experience with grumpy parents! Check out the different resorts to see if there is one that suits your style, budget and needs. They are all quite different. If you still want to cook some meals, consider either a villa (renting DVC points) where you will have a kitchen or the Fort Wilderness cabins. At the cabins, you get a full kitchen and more space in a very relaxed setting.

DVC = Disney Vacation Club and you can get one thru Disney (expensive) or you can rent points.

Also, our DDs love love love the Disney water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach.

Lastly, if you haven't already, order the Disney vacation planning DVD.

Good luck! And come back with questions.

 

[eliza61]

Welcome to the boards OP.

So my tips.

1) know how you travel. while there is a ton of advice, the problem because if you try to "force" those tips to your travel style. for example, most people here advise getting to the parks at rope drop, and it is a good piece of advice IF your family likes getting up.
My family hates it and the year I forced my dh and kids up for rope drop our trip was a disaster.

2) take your time. Disney is expensive (especially park tickets) so some times that makes people try to "do it all". there is no way to "do it all".

3) pick up a good tour book. while I love the dis, I find I some times I like information without the opinions to "sway" me.

4) Now this is my one criticism of the mouse world and it depends on how much of a foodie you are.

I am not a fan of Disney restaurants, IMO they are ridiculously expensive, the food is very mediocre, seriously over hyped and I hate making reservations 6 months out. Unless you go to the signature restaurants it will be hard to get a TS meal that I would call great. I've been going to the world for 20 plus years and the restaurants have nose dived to the point where I rarely eat on site. I hate wasting time on a meal and then leaving feeling like themeal was just "meh"
So my suggestions would be to split it. If you want some really good meals, pick off site restaurants. then try a couple of character meals or quick service places.

LOL this is just my opinion, go back to rule 3

 

[missmun52]

A Disney vacation is very different from a beach vacation. If you like things to be very relaxed I would suggest going during one of the slower times of the year such as sept/October, end of jan into feb before presidents week, a week after thanksgiving week until the week before Christmas, and end of August( a little more crowded but not bad). I know with kids it may be difficult if your not willing to pull them out of school but it's a thought. Also staying at a disney resort is very convenient. They are very good with allergies, I had one with a dairy and egg allergy and it was handled very well by them. when we ate at Boma, a buffet, the chef even prepared a special meal just for him.

Also I would make sure to arrive at rope drop especially if you go at a busier time so you can maximize the amount of rides you can do while still being able to relax a good portion of the day. By doing this you can stay at the parks till around 1pm when it gets much more crowded then go back to the resort and hang out at the pool all day then maybe back to the parks for the night time shows if your up to it.


That's similar to how we tour with babies/toddlers because it's more relaxed for them and with our toddler we will be touring similar to that for our upcoming trip.