Newbie, fam of 3, going 8/16-20...tips?

[tlcslp]

HI! We're heading to visit the mouse in 2 weeks. Our son is 5 and it will be his first visit. We are staying @ AKL, have 5 day non-hoppers, and could NOT get the meal plan b/c we went thru Expedia

We will definitely take afternoon breaks for pool/rest, use a stroller, and pack breakfast items.

Any other ideas??? TIA!

ETA - what about at night? Summer nightastic is over when we go. Is there still fireworks at MK? Electrical parade?

 

[MHSweb79]

Welcome!

You've come to the right place! You can check out the park hours and parade/ fireworks schedules right now over on the Disney site. Make a plan for which park you would like to visit each day, according to that schedule and what you'd like to see. Make a note of which parks have Extra Magic Hours - for morning EMH a park will open an hour early. For evening EMH they stay open 3 hours late.

IF you can get your family up & running early, you can get so much done in that first hour of the day! However, if you don't plan to be there at opening, then choose the non-EMH park that day as the park really fills up around 11am- noon.

What I'm really telling you is a little planning can go a very long way in helping you avoid standing in long, long lines. Soarin' (Epcot) and Toy Story Midway Mania (Studios) should be your very first stops at those parks. Learn how to use Fast Passes and USE THEM. Keep in mind that you can use a FP anytime from when your window opens until park closing that day.

I also always recommend getting a good guidebook. Birnbaum's Disney for Kids is excellent for first-timers who don't want to get freaked out by the 800 page Unofficial Guide, which is also an excellent book.

 

[skiingfast]

Don't take the time to go back to AKL unless your son has to take a map and you can maintain his schedule. You will find this to be a challenge.

It will take a lot of time to do the mid day back and forth and unless he can stay up later, it won't be worth it.

Try to make rope drop, eat your breakfast while you wait for the bus or the park to open. Being there at those first couple hours will get you though a lot of the big rides, and be precious.

Use FP and remember you can get another when the window opens or two hours after you got the first. You can use it when the window opens but still use it anytime that day even though the window closed.

There will still be the shows, check the calender at www.disneyworld.com

Try to make a Fantasmic dining package ADR.

 

[rbdiaz]

The shows (e.g., Lion King, Beauty Beast, etc) are a great opportunity to rest a bit in mid day. They are also a nice change of pace from rushing to rides and thru lines.