New- tell me something I must know

[Mother2two]

Happy weekend everyone!
I am going to Disney World for the first time. It will be me, my husband, my young adult son and daughter. They have all been at some point in their life, but I have never been. We are planning to go around the beginning of December.
Tell me something I need to know when booking everything. Ie.. traveling, resorts, food, places to visit

Thank you so much! I look forward to reading your posts.

Christina

 

[disneydreamer1980]

There’s a whole lot to know. You’ll want to do a lot of research before going. Thus is a great place for that.

Book your restaurant reservations 60 days out from arrival, budget more than you think you’ll need (look at food prices online beforehand to get an idea of what you’ll need), if you want to stay deluxe without the huge price tag look into renting DVC points.

Magic kingdom has more attractions to the other parks, so I’d plan on spending a little more time there than at the other parks.

Early December they’ll have all their Xmas stuff going on. There are Xmas parties at MK a few times a week that force MK to close early to regular guests. These are good days to visit MK crowd wise, just make sure you have another evening there to see the fireworks. The parties are pretty expensive but they’re fun. Epcot has a Xmas festival going on, with lots of Xmas food and things from around the world. There’s a candlelight processional nightly there, which is like a reading of the Xmas story by a celebrity. You can buy a dinner package for a seat or wait in a long line.

Resort guests get into all the parks 30 min early each day and deluxe guests get 2 hours twice a week after close in two of the parks, where only deluxe guests are allowed and there are very low waits,

There’s a way to skip most of the ride lines and wait in the “lightning lane” queue. It’s called Lightning lane multi pass, it costs money but saves time. You’ll want to look into that to see if it’s something for you.

There is a dining plan you can prepay for, but it’s for convenience not saving money.

 

[MICKIMINI]

Start stashing Disney gift cards. Save your receipts. Some people use them like a "budget" for daily spending.

Keep a box or bin where you can toss things you come across between now and then that might be handy. Today I picked up a small hand sanitizer with a scent I like and some small plastic travel bottles to fill with my shampoo etc. The tiny toothpaste from the dentist along with the tiny floss go in the box. You get the idea!

Pick up tee shirts from a brand that you like on clearance. I buy Land's End. I then order iron on's appropriate for the trip from Etsy. Make sure you have really good socks. I buy wool Bombas. Two pair per park day is best.

Bring laundry pods and dryer sheets. Take a pool break and do laundry at the same time. Plan to enter a park after dark on this day. It is a gorgeous experience - especially MK!

Read Allears.net menus and make note of where your family may like to eat. Prices can vary widely. Many QS meals can be split. Snacks are a big part of the experience. Better to eat lite every few hours to keep your energy up.

Eat breakfast or at least a snack before you leave in the morning. If you are coffee drinkers and can pick up bottled coffee to bring into the park with you (I like DD), it is a real time saver in the morning for that pick me up as EVERY line takes forever it seems. We also bring in a couple waters. Those strategies alone save about $150/day for 4 people.

Time is your most precious commodity. Use it wisely, but stop and smell the roses. Take in the architecture, flora and fauna and take a break to people watch.

I could go on, but others will have plenty of ideas. Enjoy!

 

[Djm_in_buffalo]

Spend a few bucks and get Birnbaum’s Disney guide. That way you don’t have to be glued to your phone or computer to read up on all the nuances associated with WDW.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I would recommend reading this thread and the corresponding links. It was created for those new to Disney or returning after a time away.