Hello!
So just returned from a magical 6 days in WDW, followed by a three day cruise on the Dream!! Thought I would post some thoughts here and potentially help another newbie out.
Our cast of characters included:
Me(harbin), ultimate planner for this trip
My mom, DS#1 (7), DS #2 (2.5).
In this breakdown I will include what I read hear on the Dis prior to our departure as part of my planning. Some of the advice I received was spot on.... While other bits didn't ring true for us at all.
Weather
Yes it was hot!!! Yes it rained everyday for about an hour. There were days when I felt as though I was melting, and yet it still wouldn't be enough to make me say I would never go again in the summer. If it got too bad we just waited somewhere with air conditioning or watched a show. We made sure to stay hydrated and it worked out ok.
Crowds/Waits:
I expected a huge crowd and lots of waiting. This simply was not the case. The longest we waited for anything was Everest, and that was 40 minutes. We used a touring plan (easywdw) mainly, and Fastpass as much as possible. We were there for early ADR's and therefore rope drop on most days ( although one MK day we didn't arrive until noon). I did not find it bad at all. We rode everything we wanted and most things more than once. We rode Toy Story Mania five times!!!
The mid day break advice:
In theory a mid day break seems like a good idea. No way it would have worked for us. We stayed at Art of Animation. In order to take a two hour mid day break we would need to allow for approximately two hours of transport time, plus the two hour break... Would have just meant losing four hours of touring time. Just not realistic for us. My two year old slept in the stroller everyday, often in an air conditioned area while mom and I took turns sitting with him people watching, and napping ourselves. In the future I would likely rent a car, and plan more days to allow for shorter transport time and shorter touring days. We loved AOA stayed in Nemo suite... It was absolutely fantastic. Great space and the pool was great! Again, I think more touring days next time so that we can enjoy the resort a bit more. I definitely will be staying there each visit until kids are older and don't care for Nemo or Cars anymore.
Dining Plan:
So I booked the Deluxe Dining plan long before I found this site. I read here that most people found it to be too much food. I thought.... "No way, three meals and two snacks per day sounds perfect" ummm yeah, way too much food! I found we were eating when not hungry just because "we had to". Also ended up canceling several breakfast ADR's as we just didn't want to get up that early. Again, could have been better solved with less transportation time or longer visit to be able to adjust schedule to allow for later mornings, earlier nights or both. Next time will definitely have the regular dining plan. I will give a brief review of our dining experiences in the dining forum.
Taking young children:
So youngest DS is 2.5. He wasn't tall enough to go on several rides...but to see the magic through his eyes was something I will cherish. He loved the charecters which is not something I thought he would like, since he was terrified of the ones at our local amusement park just 7 months ago. Meeting all of his heroes was so precious to watch, and he had such a great time! We will be going every year most likely, but I will never forget him at this age... Just awesome.
Soo...
In summary:
1) Summer, can be a perfectly fine time to go
2) Will have a rental car next time.
3) Regular dining plan and fewer ADR's next visit, especially in the morning.
4) Longer visit to allow for slower days and more resort time.
5) AOA was great!!!
6) Seeing The world through your two year old's eyes... Just priceless
So just returned from a magical 6 days in WDW, followed by a three day cruise on the Dream!! Thought I would post some thoughts here and potentially help another newbie out.
Our cast of characters included:
Me(harbin), ultimate planner for this trip
My mom, DS#1 (7), DS #2 (2.5).
In this breakdown I will include what I read hear on the Dis prior to our departure as part of my planning. Some of the advice I received was spot on.... While other bits didn't ring true for us at all.
Weather
Yes it was hot!!! Yes it rained everyday for about an hour. There were days when I felt as though I was melting, and yet it still wouldn't be enough to make me say I would never go again in the summer. If it got too bad we just waited somewhere with air conditioning or watched a show. We made sure to stay hydrated and it worked out ok.
Crowds/Waits:
I expected a huge crowd and lots of waiting. This simply was not the case. The longest we waited for anything was Everest, and that was 40 minutes. We used a touring plan (easywdw) mainly, and Fastpass as much as possible. We were there for early ADR's and therefore rope drop on most days ( although one MK day we didn't arrive until noon). I did not find it bad at all. We rode everything we wanted and most things more than once. We rode Toy Story Mania five times!!!
The mid day break advice:
In theory a mid day break seems like a good idea. No way it would have worked for us. We stayed at Art of Animation. In order to take a two hour mid day break we would need to allow for approximately two hours of transport time, plus the two hour break... Would have just meant losing four hours of touring time. Just not realistic for us. My two year old slept in the stroller everyday, often in an air conditioned area while mom and I took turns sitting with him people watching, and napping ourselves. In the future I would likely rent a car, and plan more days to allow for shorter transport time and shorter touring days. We loved AOA stayed in Nemo suite... It was absolutely fantastic. Great space and the pool was great! Again, I think more touring days next time so that we can enjoy the resort a bit more. I definitely will be staying there each visit until kids are older and don't care for Nemo or Cars anymore.
Dining Plan:
So I booked the Deluxe Dining plan long before I found this site. I read here that most people found it to be too much food. I thought.... "No way, three meals and two snacks per day sounds perfect" ummm yeah, way too much food! I found we were eating when not hungry just because "we had to". Also ended up canceling several breakfast ADR's as we just didn't want to get up that early. Again, could have been better solved with less transportation time or longer visit to be able to adjust schedule to allow for later mornings, earlier nights or both. Next time will definitely have the regular dining plan. I will give a brief review of our dining experiences in the dining forum.
Taking young children:
So youngest DS is 2.5. He wasn't tall enough to go on several rides...but to see the magic through his eyes was something I will cherish. He loved the charecters which is not something I thought he would like, since he was terrified of the ones at our local amusement park just 7 months ago. Meeting all of his heroes was so precious to watch, and he had such a great time! We will be going every year most likely, but I will never forget him at this age... Just awesome.
Soo...
In summary:
1) Summer, can be a perfectly fine time to go
2) Will have a rental car next time.
3) Regular dining plan and fewer ADR's next visit, especially in the morning.
4) Longer visit to allow for slower days and more resort time.
5) AOA was great!!!
6) Seeing The world through your two year old's eyes... Just priceless
So did you find easywdw to be helpful / accurate? I love Josh's blog but have no experience on how accurate his crowd calendars are. 
