Newbie friend going next week - easy tips?

[itchin2go]

A friend is going next week, staying offsite. No MDE, no linked tickets, no ADRs, no FP+, and probably doesn't want to get bogged down in the minutiae.

My first advice was to look at recommended days on a crowd calendar.

Second advice was to find a CM with an ipad when they enter the park to assist them in booking FP+.

Lastly, I suggested they tour morning or evening (or both) to avoid both the heat of the day, and the major crowds.

Past that, are there any other easy tips I should give? I don't want to overwhelm.

I'm an uber-planner so it's hard .....

 

[cleophus12]

Is she sure she doesn't want to schedule a few FPs? It would only take a few minutes (maybe you could do it for her), and it would certainly get them off to a better start.

 

[DisneyWitch]

I would suggest to purchase a guide book of some kind - there are several out there that are kind of "cliff notes" with a lot of pictures. PassPorter comes to mind - you can get it online / Amazon or at a local bookstore. Heck - there are TONS of websites that will explain everything for free. Even looking at videos on youtube would help.

I believe that researching where you're going to go will ensure fewer headaches and a richer experience. If you know more-or-less what to expect, you can better prepare for challenging instances. And wouldn't it suck if she went and found out later that she missed something incredibly cool just because she didn't do any homework?

Often you hear people say "I was at Disney World, and it was ok, but nothing special." Those are the same people who walk into Magic Kingdom, grab a map, stop in the middle of main street and say "Well, what do you want to do?". /sigh They would have a much better time, IMO, if they knew what was available and what they would like, so they can skip the stuff their families wouldn't enjoy.

I'm not saying she has to be an OCD planner or anything - but have some idea of what WDW has to offer and set realistic expectations. And my best advice, even to us planners, is to plan - but be flexible. Pixie dust can show up at any time, and it's important to sometimes go with the flow!

 

[heartse]

take the resort monorail in the morning, instead of standing in the HUGE line for the express. Much easier!

Other than that, it is still completely doable to go to the parks without the FP+ scheduled (we just got back from a long weekend there... and while we had our scheduled FP+ for Splash, 7DMT, and PP in MK, the other rides we went on weren't too horrible of a wait). If she's not a planner, don't worry! Let her enjoy!

 

[itchin2go]

Is she sure she doesn't want to schedule a few FPs? It would only take a few minutes (maybe you could do it for her), and it would certainly get them off to a better start.

No tickets even ...

I'm starting from zero. I even thought I might need to tell them to buy multi-day tickets instead of just one day .... ground zero.

I thought about suggesting they go to DTD their arrival night so they can get their tickets situated before day 1 .... Then again, isn't DTD a mess right now?

 

[LaurenT]

wow! I would just wish her well and let her know that WDW is a lot easier to enjoy with some planning - especially at peak season.
She won't be able to do 7DMT, Soarin, Test Track, TSMM, RnRC or A&E without a very long wait.
I guess the best thing you could do is let her know about the single rider line and about getting to the parks before they open. If she wanders in at 11 am during summer season without even having a FP, she's going to be miserable.

 

[MeanestMomEver]

Is she taking ponchos?

 

[Grumpy92]

DTD is a mess right now with all the construction. Maybe have dinner over at the BW/YC/BC area and enjoy the BW entertainment in the evening or Cal Grill and watch the fireworks.
Warn them it is not a marathon but a vacation so take some time to enjoy the atmosphere.
Other Suggestions
* have a drink in EC and sit and people watch
* Spend an afternoon at the resort, pool time.
* Take the boat over to FW or WL, do the campfire and movie
* River Roost at POR with Bob Jackson, take the boat to DTD and back.

 

[serene56]

No tickets even ...

I'm starting from zero. I even thought I might need to tell them to buy multi-day tickets instead of just one day .... ground zero.

I thought about suggesting they go to DTD their arrival night so they can get their tickets situated before day 1 .... Then again, isn't DTD a mess right now?

Forget it-- and run in the other direction. Whatever you tell your friend now will go in one way and out the other. They are probably thinking its an amusement park and have no clue

 

[wareagle57]

I think sometimes we underestimate how HUGE of an advantage it is that we know where everything is. I would have her play around with and study the maps on Disney's websites. Find the things she wants to do and just get a general feel for the layout of the parks. It's hard to do without having ever been there, but at least knowing "ok splash mountain and big thunder are in the back far left and Space mountain is at the front right" can be helpful.

As others have said, try to convince them to book their FPs ahead of time. If they aren't going to want to bother with a 4th (which I don't think they should anyway), schedule them for the early evening. Encourage them to do rope drop and follow the cheat sheets on EWDW. Have them make a list of the things they want to do most, and help them plan a RD strategy for each park to get those things done.

 

[kay1864]

Second advice was to find a CM with an ipad when they enter the park to assist them in booking FP+.

Except that unless they read something (anything!) or listen to you...they have absolutely no idea which rides to get FPs for.

I would add "get there at RD", but honestly they sound like the typical Disney guest, who will sleep in, get breakfast down the street, go back to the hotel, get everybody ready, walk onto Main Street at 11:30...

and complain about how crowded it is at 2pm.

Not much else you can do that you haven't done already. You tried. Some people can't even be led to water, because it's "too much minutiae".

 

[nuzmom]

You probably already have said it, but make sure she understands that it will be extremely busy and crowded. Make sure she expects to not be able to get into restaurants and to have LONG waits for most rides. Oh, and that food prices are really high. To me, these are the complaints I hear the most from non-planners - their expectations aren't realistic.

Assuming she doesn't want to do ANY planning, I would suggest telling her the recommended parks/days:
22nd - HS
23rd - EP
24th - AK (2nd choice - MK or HS)
25th - MK
26th - EP (2nd choice - AK)
27th - HS (2nd choice - MK)
Other suggestions:

1. arrive 1 hour before park opening, get multi day tickets, and do one or two rides (at opening)
2. then go to a FP+ kiosk, ask for help, and try to get 3 FP+ for the evening
3. see a show or two, stroll around, do anything with air-conditioning, & eat
4. If/when they see something they'd like to try, but lines are too long - either wait in line or schedule FP+ for their return day (if they will be in the park again)
5. use FP+ that evening and enjoy all the evening sights

 

[disneyag]

Wow! I feel kinda badly for your friend, but I can see what will happen. She will return from her trip and tell you that she hates WDW and cannot understand why you like to visit! I agree with a PP, she probably thinks it's a typical amusement park. I think she will be most frustrated.

 

[MississippiMom]

First, let me advise that I am a planner. I like to spend hours and hours researching any vacation destination and obsessing over the right place to stay, the right activities to do, the right places to eat, etc. However, I am married to someone who really only has interest in knowing where we are staying. He would prefer that everything else just be selected as we go along, with the belief that "it will all work out." Imagine how crazy our upcoming July Disney World vacation is going to be. I can't buy tickets in advance, because I can't get my hubby to commit to the number of days we might be at a park. We will be purchasing tickets when we finally arrive in Orlando, and I will attempt to schedule our FP+ each night, as we work out our destination for the next day. I did go ahead and schedule some ADRs, but am fully aware that I may have to cancel or reschedule them.

We will still have fun. But our experience will not be as scheduled as most of the DISers would prefer.