Newly-wed, no kids, and no experience in planning a vacation

[DIGIt3k]

Hello all!

The hubby and I are planning a Disney-world trip near our anniversary (October 26th). Problem is, we have no idea where to begin. The general idea:

- Fly out of Charlotte NC to wherever Disney Cruise ship ports in FL
- 3 day cruise ship pass
- Port back in FL, have a 4 day Disney-world adventure (stay at a resort for easy access)
- Fly back to NC

Sounds easy enough.. right? Problem: I am all about lists and details, which the plan clearly lacks! Please help a lady out in planning our first trip!

 

[Needafix]

I can't help you with any part of the cruise, but I've never been on any vacation that requires more planning than a Disney vacation. I've quickly learned that anyone I've heard that doesn't enjoy Disney, didn't do the proper planning. That doesn't mean you can't relax and have a stressfree trip, it's just that there's so much to do, if you get there without a plan, you won't know where to begin.

This is the order I decide on things:

Resort - I'm a deluxe snob b/c I love the convenience of being close to a park. Lately BC or Dolphin seem to win out b/c I'm moving away from being kid oriented to adult oriented activities.

Restaurants - You will need to book many of the more popular ones 180 in advance. My fav is CA Grill during MK fireworks. Definitely 180 needed there.

Park/Parade/firework hours - They don't all happen every day, so you need to plan which are important to you and make sure you schedule them in.

I've always scoured these boards and bought books to help me get things going. These boards and the books will give you a ton of useful information.

Have a great time!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

From Charlotte you are in luck as that is a main hub for US Air and they have lots of daily flights to/from Orlando International Airport (MCO) which is the airport for both WDW and Port Canaveral.

If you are doing a Disney Cruise, you can set up for transportation from the airport to the boat and from the Port to WDW.

I would suggest getting either the Official Guide to WDW or the Unofficial Guide to WDW. Both of these tend to be updated yearly and they can give you an idea what to expect. These will assist you in making a decision of where you want to stay and where and how you want to eat.

Personally I would suggest that you do the Parks first and then the cruise for two major reasons. First is that flight times are a lot less critical to get to WDW (flight delays could cause you to miss the boat) and that is a way a first-time visit to WDW can be high-stress and the cruise will relax you afterwards.

And once you have an idea of what the parks are like (from the book) you can then ask meaningful questions on DisBoards.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I would definantely fly in two days before the cruise. You are planning a trip during huricane season and your chance of having a flight delay or cancelled could be high.

YOu can book transfers from your Disney hotel to the port which run $80 per person roundtrip.

If you plan to fly home after the cruise plan your flight for a day or two after the cruise - again because of possible weather delays.

Go to the drug store and buy ginger capsules - can find them in the vitamin section - and take them everyday of the cruise. IT will help combat motion sickness.

 

[DaveRH]

When my wife and I did our honeymoon there in 2008, we bought a bunch of disney guide books, they were inexpensive and really helped us plan our trip. Everything went perfectly and we both had an excellent time.

 

[ValDawg]

It's hard when you've never been before...there is just stuff you're going to have to learn by going. But I would definitely buy some guidebooks as the other posters have said, gather some information from them, these boards, and explore the Disney website (it's not that great, but they have some pictures, maps, etc.). Usually what I do is pick a resort first, then look at the park hours for all the days that you're going and plan a schedule of what park for what days, if you want a park hopper, estimate the times you're going to want to be in the parks, etc. Then you can plug in meals to different restaurants depending on your schedule and what parks you're in/resorts that are close. Hope this helps atleast a little bit! Happy planning!

 

[2010_Bride]

I agree with others when they suggest not to fly in the day of the cruise! The last flight I was on had an emergency medical situation and we had to make an unscheduled landing and were on the ground for close to two hours before we could take off again!

The books are great - but I really found these boards helpful. Make sure to bop around all the different sub-sections such as Resorts, Restaurants and the Theme Parks. If you have a specific question type key words into the search bars in each sub-section for information that has already been posted.

Good luck with your planning