new here....

[jes22783]

Okay, so I am officially lost on this website. All I am wanting to do is plan a trip so we can go to the Dis and go to the beach. Those are the requirements. Please someone help!!

 

[safetymom]

Welcome to the DIS.

I suggest taking a look at the questions already posted or let us know more details. When are you looking to go? Are you looking for a value, moderate, deluxe resort at Disney?

If you want to go to the beach do you want to go on the Atlantic side or the Gulf side of Florida?

If you could provide us with more information many people will be able to help you.

 

[ChelleinNC]

Welcome to the Disboards!

There is a lot of information on the boards and it can be overwhelming at first, but don't worry you'll feel comfortable in no time

Some questions to get an idea of what you want:
What type of Disney vacation are you looking for? A package or book everything individually?

How many people will be traveling and what ages?

How much is money an issue? Are you looking for the cheapest way to go or a Deluxe vacation?

When do you want to go?

Do you want to plan this yourself or would you prefer a travel agent that specializes in Disney travel?

On the resort board, you'll learn about the different resorts. There are different "levels" of Disney resorts, Value, Moderate & Deluxe. There are also the Disney DVC properties (Disney's Timeshare) that are available to anyone.

On the restaurant board you'll learn about the different restaurants on property and the DDP (Disney Dining Plan).

Themeparks & Attractions board you can learn about the rides, height requirements, tickets.....

If you can come back and answer some of the questions above, I'll be glad to help point you in the right direction and answer more questions As will everyone else on these boards

 

[RachelsMommie]

I don't know what your budget is, but we found the 7-day Land & Sea package to be a great value for us.

We are arriving on a Sunday, staying through Thursday at the Polynesian (4 nights), then being transported to the port to board the Disney Wonder for a 3-night cruise. So we are getting time in the parks and getting time in Nassau and on Castaway Cay for beach-time.

=)
Kristi

 

[Aliceacc]

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

The beach part you can set up once you get the Disney part done!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Jess - a really good starting point is allearsnet.com It has tons of info to get you started. Also, the disney website itself is a great starting point ot find out about the World.

This chatboard is one of the best I've found to answer any buring questions you have or confusion you encounter.

But sometimes if you ask us, you may get as many different answers.

Probably your most important starting point is to think about when you want to go to WDW. The above page has info on Orlando weather.

Second is to consider your general budget.

Third, once you've begun to figure out what you can afford, look at what you'll get for waht you'll pay. You could stay at a top end resort suite for over $3000 a night, eat very well, and spend over $5000 on a two day trip (I could certainly find a way to spend that much if I was forced )- or you can stay for a week at a value resort with base tickets, and basic dining for about $1600 (not counting transportation to Orlando). And there are a thousand choices in between the two extremes!

When you start talking budget, this page (WDWinfo) has great info, and so does a page called mousesavers.

Once you get through that, decide how you want to get to the Orlando area - drive or fly. I suppose you could also walk, take atrain, or bus - but most people choose the first two. MCO is, in my opinion, a pretty nice airport.


Another consideration to make a long the way is wether to stay at a resort on Disney property or choose an offsite hotel. The three webpages above can help you determine which will be best for you. Either can be a good choice. I prefer onsite, but lot sof other experienced folks like staying offsite. Once you are onsite, you can use all Disney transportation. Offsite you'll need to drive back and forth. Onsite also gives you extra perks.

Once you know where, when, and how...then you can dissect the fun stuff. Basically, you'lll want to see all four Disney parks and you'll need at least a day to see each park. Six days is a good touring time. It will allow you so visit each park, and give you two days to go back to your favorites, use the pool at your resort, maybe shop at downtown Disney, or just sleep in.

You can also start to think about your dining choices. If you want to eat at all quickservice places, then you don't have to make any dining reservations, you'll have quite a few options to choose from (even Japanese and Moroccan food!), you'll eat meals quickly, and you'll eat on the lowest budget. But you'll be missing out on some fun dining choices, and though there are some healthy options in QS - most TS locations offer some higher quality ingredients.

Maybe you want to have some groceries?

On the other hand, Disney has some moderate eateries, and some very high end restaurants as well. Most have great atmosphere, but if you want finer dining, then you'll probably want to look at menus, and you'll have to call for reservations. Disney places take reservations at 180 days, and the most popular places fill up fast. At 90 days you'll still be able to get some very good choices most of the year, but as your dates draw closer your table service choices will become more limited (in terms of being able to get a reservation).

I suggest at MOST one TS location per day, and QS the rest of the day. Too many TS means you spend all your time trying to get to restaurants - and not enough time on attractions. WDW is a BIG place and it can take a whilet o get from one place to another.


You'll also want to picka park ticket. Probably for a first trip a base ticket is fine. Yuo may want consider park hopping, but you won't need the no expire option, and probablythe waterpark option is more than you need. There is more than enoughin the regular parks to keep a family occupied for more thana full day. If you spend a week in WDW, with just a base ticket, you'll see most ofthe four major parks, but even if you spent a month in WDW , you probably would get to see EVERYTHING WDW hs to offer. That's part of what makes it fun!

Once you ahve all that, be certain to read up about fastpass, and understand how those work before you go. DIS can answer all your questions about good fastpass strategies.

Last, don't stress. Dont try to do every possible thing there is to do at WDW. On your first trip, there will be plenty to see and do, and you'll have the means to see and do most of it. If there's one micstake I seetime and again here, it's first timers trying to fit every little thing in to their first trip. See the parades, see the fireworks, go on as many rides as you can...don't drive yourself crazy booking reservations for more than one meal a day, don't try to book special packages, don't try to see every detail of every nook of WDW.

 

[safetymom]

No need to go elsewhere when we have all the information on the DIS.

www.wdwinfo.com is a great place to start. A lot of time has been spent to provide the DIS with all the information needed to plan a vacation to WDW.

 

[EnnEss]

I tend to find the parent site of Disboards convoluted and disorganized tbh. Allears does a better job of straight up reviews and basic info, but the community here is obviously the main and best part .

 

[EltonJohn]

Welcome.

 

[safetymom]

I am sorry to hear you feel that way. A lot of time and effort goes into providing the information to everyone.

I have pasted one of the guidelines that everyone agrees to abide by when they join the DIS.

8. LINKS TO OTHER SITES: You are welcome to link to your website on our boards provided that a) you are not promoting a commercial service or for-profit venture, b) you don't post primarily to promote your site and c) that you place a prominent link back to the DIS on your website. Before posting a link to another site, we ask that you please first check to see if the same information is available on www.wdwinfo.com. We take great pride in our website. While we make the boards available for your enjoyment, our focus is Disney travel planning.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I'm sorry to raise any controversy. I usually don't post to threads like this, I guess I forgot that this is one of the reasons. I've never posted any links for personal gain. My only intent was to help a confused person get more info. It did not escape my attention whenI made the post that the op was posting on the DIS, and thus had already 'found' it - so maybe telling her that info was available here was essentially redundant.

I think the DIS provides great info and use it all the time, as I said in my post (albeit further down). I have often suggested that posters use the DISinfo website and also our sponsors. Countless times I've promoted the Swan for example, because I think it's a great place to stay!

However, whenever I see almost any information on the internet, I usually try to cross check it with at least one other source and often two. Luckily for me, a DISer in the past felt the same way and provided me with links to the two websites I listed in my post. Just yesterday there was a slew of April Fool's day joke postings here which contained false info. As good as DISers are, they often post incorrect or misleading information. (I have periodically found outdated info on the other two websites as well.)

Again, my intent was not to weaken the authority of the DIS, but to strengthen it. It is through my ability to compare the DIS to other reliable sources that I have come to truly appreciate the time, effort, and reliability the DISboards and DISinfo provide.

 

[safetymom]

Thank you for posting. I mentioned the guideline so that people would think to check our information before heading to another website.

It was not aimed at any one person.