New here

[amandahein3]

Where do I start! This is overwhelming! Lol

 

[sethschroeder]

WELCOME!

Why don't you let us know why your here?

Trip coming up?
Trying to decide on something?
Having something booked?

 

[Disneytam]

Take a deep breath! OK now WELCOME to the DIS You'll have to be a little more specific on what your looking for but if your doing your first trip where to stay (on or off site) and what your budget will be are good starting points. Time of year to go is a biggie as well but a lot of us don't have a lot of choices (job and school schedules). Most of all have fun!

 

[Aliceacc]

HI and welcome!!

OK, tell us a little about your trip.

When are you going? Who is going along-- what ages and genders of any kids?

Where are you in planning? Do you have a resort? Have you decided on the meal plan? Any particular table service restaurants you have in mind-- say, character meals for example?

Let us know how to help you.

 

[amandahein3]

Lol deep breath!

We are going in November with our sons, 5 and almost 2.

We are staying at yacht club cause we are doing with my work.

Any must do advice is greatly appreciated.

TIA!

 

[LisaTC]

Lol deep breath!

We are going in November with our sons, 5 and almost 2. **Depending on week, it won't be as busy as other times of the year and lovely weather.

We are staying at yacht club cause we are doing with my work. Great resort with great pool area. Nice proximity to Epcot and Hollywood Studios

Any must do advice is greatly appreciated. **************.net is good for advice for young ones as is EasyWDW

TIA!

The DIS is full of information, but you're right, it can be overwhelming. If you are working will you have time for much? How many days? Little ones like Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom, obviously. Hollywood studios, too. Less so for Epcot at that age, but there are still great things to see - Under the Seas - awesome. FastPass+ are attractions you select ahead of time to shorten your wait to specific attractions that are usually very popular. What do your kiddos like?

 

[amandahein3]

The DIS is full of information, but you're right, it can be overwhelming. If you are working will you have time for much? How many days? Little ones like Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom, obviously. Hollywood studios, too. Less so for Epcot at that age, but there are still great things to see - Under the Seas - awesome. FastPass+ are attractions you select ahead of time to shorten your wait to specific attractions that are usually very popular. What do your kiddos like?

They are coming up after I work so it will be 5 days of family time. I was thinking of only doing parks 3 days and having 2 down days at the resort. I was thinking of skipping Epcot since they are young.
Remi my oldest loves cars and really anything Disney. They both like Disney jr so want to so a character meal for them- Hollywood and Vine right?
Remi isn't a thrill seeker so don't know what rides would be good for him.

Was also planning on not doing a meal plan. Seems $$.
We don't really have a budget but mind Paying a little as we go so we aren't out a ton there. Also do they take Disney gift cards there?

 

[Aliceacc]

OK, great, that's a lot of information.

I'm not sure how the weather is in November, but if there's any chance of swimming, make sure you make time to do so... Stormalong Bay is fabulous!!!

As to park tickets, I would suggest getting park tickets for each day you're there. The difference in price between a 3 and a 5 day ticket isn't huge, and you'll be surprised at how much there is to do. If so, then you may want to reconsider skipping Epcot.

As far as the character meals go, some to take a look at:
- Chef Mickeys (at the Contemporary, easy to reach via monorail from the Magic Kingdom),

- Cape May (right in the Beach Club, which is the other end of the same building that the Yacht Club-- here's the info "Beach Club Breakfast Buffet: Join some favorite Disney Characters—including Beach Goofy and Friends—for a lively morning meal, as well as autographs and photos at this charming beach-themed café.


Yes, Disney gift cards are taken almost anywhere on Disney Property. We've been stockpiling them for about a year now for this summer's trip.

More odds and ends... Place an order withgardengrocer.com for park snacks and breakfast foods. It's a lot easier than buying that stuff in the parks.

Ooops, my daughter needs the computer for homework. Gotta run.

 

[larryz]

First rule -- Read the stickies -- lots of your questions will be answered there.

If you still have questions, see rule #2 -- ask questions.

You've already figured that one out, so the third rule is try to be nice.

 

[ajasmom]

First off Relax and enjoy the planning. Its also part of the fun.

Tickets: Sign up for the Mousesaver newsletter so you can get the discount code for tickets thru Undercover tickets Personally I like getting the Park hopper tickets. This way you can start at one park hit the resort mid day for nap or pool time (helps prevent the kids from a melt down) disney is very stimulating and they may need a mid day break them back to another park in the afternoon/evening.

Gift Cards: I stock up on gift cards and either carry them with me for purchases or charge back to the room and stop by front desk everyother day to pay off charges with the gift cards.

FP+: you can preschedule park ride time for your important must rides. I usually go in AM at rope drop and schedule FP for the park I will be at in the afternoon. There will be longer lines as the day goes on.

November weather: I have gone early November during Jersey Week (school Break) and the weather for the most part was good as far as using the pools (they are heated). We have been the early part of December where it was warm but it also could be cold and in need of hat and gloves so you just need to watch the weather before you pack.

Dinning Plan: I have used the dinning plan 2 times once it was offered free and that worked well for us. The other time we paid for it but don't think we saved any money but it was convenient to have it prepaid. We recently have been just paying out of pocket. Here is a link for a site that has a price comparison of the dining plan costs. You select the places you intend to eat at and it evaluates dining plan cost vs average cost of a meal. http://seeyareelsoon.wix.com/seeyareelsoon#!calculator-download/c16yz

sorry I forgot information about the rides

Here is a site that also has good information and descriptions of the rides http://allears.net/tp/themeparks.htm

Have a great time

 

[karly05]

Hi and another welcome.

If your boys love Disney Jr, definitely do a breakfast at Hollywood & Vine. Doc McStuffins, Princess Sofia, Jake and my old amigo Handy Manny are there. I don't even have kids and I love Dis Jr and did this breakfast this year. The characters are cute and fun, breakfast food was good and plentiful, and every so often they'll play a Dis Jr song and the characters and CMs lead the kids in playing/dancing along. (When I was there, they did the "Roll up the map" song from Jake with all the gestures - drink your tea, swab the deck, Captain Hook, crocodile...)

I'm going to second the advice to get 5 days of park tickets. Yacht Club is a great location and Epcot and DHS are so close, even if you don't want to do an entire day in a park, it might be worth heading to Epcot or DHS for a couple of hours on a "down day" to eat and do an attraction or two.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I'd also say to get the 5 day tickets. On your down days you could still head into Epcot in the later afternoon. Your kids will like the Nemo ride and my son loves the aquarium area after the ride. It's also nice to just stroll around, get dinner, etc.. Might as well, your hotel is so close by and you can even take the boat from your hotel to the Epcot International Gateway entrance. It doesn't get any easier than that.

 

[glassslippergirl]

Other posters have given great advice. I'm going to echo the call for getting 5 days of park tickets. I would recommend planning one day in each park with a second day in MK. There's so much to do in MK, you really can't do the park justice in one day. Epcot is worth visiting, too, even if the adults will enjoy it a little more than the kids (lots for kids to do, too).

Don't worry about your one son not liking thrill rides. True thrill rides are limited at WDW. Most rides are designed so the entire family can enjoy them (that was, after all, Walt Disney's dream in building his theme parks). Check out PP's link to descriptions of rides and present some options to your boys before making FPs.

Holiday decorations will be going up around the time if your trip. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is a special event that will likely be offered sometime during your visit. If you really are serious about taking a rest day, you might consider buying 4 days of park tickets (one for each park) and passes to the party. Rest during the day, have a late lunch/ early dinner, then enter MK as early as 4:00. Non-party guests leave the park by 7, and the party behind with special character meets, a Christmas parade, snow on Main Street. It's an experience your kids will not forget. Here's some info: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/magic-kingdom/mickeys-very-merry-christmas-party/

My final suggestion is to get a Chase Disney Visa card. Cardholders get a special meet and greet in Epcot. Certain merchandise discounts are also available with the card.

 

[Micca]

Welcome to the Dis Amanda You've found a great spot for trip planning info. One thing to keep in mind: Most of this stuff looks worse on paper (or on your monitor) than it actually is.

Spend some time looking around here, make some notes, then tackle one issue at a time. Most of us here truly love planning and are more than willing to help.

Chances are good that this one won't be your only trip to WDW. You'll understand once you get back home