Not a ptr but a ptar (pre-trip anxiety report!!)

[MomofPrincessE]

I am FREAKING out!!! We have exactly a month before we leave for our very first WDW trip and I am so stressed out!!! I'm having major information overload! We've had our trip planned for a year and I just recently found DISboards. I have read and learned so much on the boards but the more info I take in, the more questions and concerns I have! I want to make the most of our trip and not worry too much if we miss something.

A little about us: Me (36), DH (38), DD (6). Ever since my daughter was born I've dreamed of taking her to Disney when she was "old enough to remember the trip, yet young enough to truly believe in all the Magic". Growing up my family wasn't financially able to ever take a trip to Disney so I feel extremely fortunate that I'm able to take my daughter. I'm too Blessed to be Stressed...oh but, somehow, STRESSED is exactly what I am right now!

I want things to be perfect but I'm questioning so much:
Did we make the right dinner reservations or could we have found something better?
Do we have enough park days, or should I add more?
What if we don't get to see everything we hope to see?
Is the heat going to make us too miserable to enjoy ourselves?
Are we budgeting enough for the week?

See! I am just one big ball of WORRY! This is Disney!! You aren't supposed to be stressed out, right?

Help calm my pre-trip nerves...whether it's with a tip, a suggestion, a pep talk, or a reprimand for being so anxious about going to the most Magical place on earth!

 

[MomofPrincessE]

This is how we've planned out our week so far:

Monday 22nd-Flight arrives at 10:30am in Orlando! We plan to check in and head to Epcot for the day!
Tuesday 23rd-Hollywood Studios
Wednesday (24th) is our "down" day to relax and enjoy the pool and other hotel ammenities. (I'm not too keen on this one. I don't want a "down" day...I want to be in a park!!!)
Thursday 25th-Animal Kingdom
Friday 26th-Magic Kingdom
Saturday 27th-another "down" day...Um, really not liking this idea anymore!
Sunday 28th flight out of Orlando at 6:30am

 

[mrssmith06]

Hey I'm here, I'm glad you decided to write a PTR...errr I mean a PTaR LOL.

*BREATHE* and relax... your going to have so much FUN!!!!

Ok, so where are you staying? If your staying at a Disney Resort, you can do Extra Magic Hours (EMH)... are you basing your park days on that at all? (are you avoiding EMH parks?)
EXAMPLE:
Mon Aug 22nd - Hollywood Studio's PM EMH, so they won't close until 1am! Animal Kingdom will have AM EMH, so they open an hour early at 8am.
Tues Aug 23rd - Epcot has PM EMH, closing at 12am. Magic Kingdom will have AM EMH, opening an hour early at 8am...

You can find all of this here (if you haven't already checked): http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/calendars/

I assume you know about Fast Passes? Do you know which rides are your "must do's" in each park?

Don't panic!!! Like I told you before, you can't see and do it all so don't try, but do go prepared with the vital information that will help you make the most of your trip.

If you want to add a park day or two instead of taking full "off days", you can easily do so at your resort or at a park. We did that when we arrived, we didn't plan to do a park on arrival day but got there and changed our mind so we added it right there at check in!

What dining reservations do you have?

 

[MomofPrincessE]

Hey I'm here, I'm glad you decided to write a PTR...errr I mean a PTaR LOL.

*BREATHE* and relax... your going to have so much FUN!!!!

Ok, so where are you staying? If your staying at a Disney Resort, you can do Extra Magic Hours (EMH)... are you basing your park days on that at all? (are you avoiding EMH parks?)
EXAMPLE:
Mon Aug 22nd - Hollywood Studio's PM EMH, so they won't close until 1am! Animal Kingdom will have AM EMH, so they open an hour early at 8am.
Tues Aug 23rd - Epcot has PM EMH, closing at 12am. Magic Kingdom will have AM EMH, opening an hour early at 8am...

I assume you know about Fast Passes? Do you know which rides are your "must do's" in each park?

Don't panic!!! Like I told you before, you can't see and do it all so don't try, but do go prepared with the vital information that will help you make the most of your trip.

If you want to add a park day or two instead of taking full "off days", you can easily do so at your resort or at a park. We did that when we arrived, we didn't plan to do a park on arrival day but got there and changed our mind so we added it right there at check in!

What dining reservations do you have?

Hey! Thanks for coming here! I had no intentions of writing anything but I got so overwhelmed that I just started typing and couldn't stop!!
I did know about the EMH's and I was planning doing them but I thought, will my DD be able to keep up? I don't want her to get so exhausted that she is miserable but I don't want her to miss out on anything either.

About the fast passes, I have read a little about them so I'm hoping we're able to get them for the rides we really want.

Our ADRs are:

Monday- Biergarten in Epcot
Tuesday- Sci-Fi Diner
Wednesday- Chef Mickey's
Thursday- Tusker House
Friday- CRT (Yay!!)

We have the DDP.

Again, thanks for coming here! You're awesome!

 

[mrssmith06]

Ok well, some people prefer to avoid the parks with EMH to avoid the bigger crowds.

The FPs were one of the things I was pretty confused about so that's why I asked. Know that most rides FPs will be gone by lunch time. They only give out so many. Toy Story Mania in Hollywood Studios is a big one, you want to get a FP for that right away. Maybe even grab a FP, ride TSM in the regular line if there is still a short or no wait and then you can come back later on to ride a second time with your FP. When your FP ticket prints out it will have a time on the bottom of it telling you when you can get your next FP (usually about 2 hours OR past your ride time for your current FP, which ever is sooner... I think).
In Magic Kingdom with a small child, you'll want to hit Fantasyland first!! If you plan to meet Rapunzel, that needs to be done very first thing!! Her line gets CRAZY long.. we missed out on meeting her because DD did not want to wait 2 hours... and neither did I!

I think you have some good choices, Are these breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

Monday- Biergarten in Epcot
Tuesday- Sci-Fi Diner
Wednesday- Chef Mickey's
Thursday- Tusker House
Friday- CRT (Yay!!)

And about the heat... Just pack some misting fans, maybe some hats and definitely some sunscreen...and drink plenty of water. Most of the rides have waiting area's either inside or it is covered/shaded if outside. That helps a lot! If it begins to get too miserable, take a break - maybe go swimming, and then come back in the evening when it's cooled off.

 

[MomofPrincessE]

All of our ADR's are late lunch/dinner reservations!

Thanks for the info on the FPs. I understand them much better now.

So glad you mentioned the misting fans! We actually purchased 2 to take with us! We also got some of the under-armour type clothing to wear. I found out about those on the boards!

We'll definitely have to go straight for the FPs in Epcot as soon as we get there. I'm just afraid we'll miss them since we don't land in Orlando until 10:30 and we'll have to check in and all that. Can you even see Epcot in a day? I plan on soaking up every minute!

 

[MomofPrincessE]

And just a little more info on our trip. We are actually going with my BIL / SIL and their 2 sons and my MIL. They, however, are all staying at AKL, while we'll be at ASMu. (Um, money is not a problem or concern for them) Regardless, my family will be just fine at ASMu. I am not complaining a bit!

My BIL is the only one that has been to Disney multiple times and he is the one that planned our trip. However, I have my concerns because he has "seen it all" and we haven't. He thought we should do Epcot on Monday and get it out of the way. My mentality is "I don't want to just get anything out of the way", I want to breathe it all in slowly!

 

[mrssmith06]

Epcot is a big park, so no you can't do it all in 1 day.
The day we did Epcot, we got there just after 9...went straight for FPs for Soarin' and our ride time was for after 12:15! BUT there was EMH that morning that we missed so there had been FPs distributing for an hour already.
It took us until after 1pm to do The Land and The Seas sections of Epcot (including lunch). I had planned to be at World Showcase when it opened at 11am, but as you can see -that didn't happen lol. We QUICKLY went through Canada to Germany and then had to leave by 4pm, so we missed the rest of the countries and ALL of Future World East !! Now I wish that we would have took more time in the countries, even if that meant we seen a few less. I know better now!!

It is possible you can grab a FP for Soarin or Test Track if you arrive before Noon... but your ride time might not be until later that night. I don't know how the crowds will be in mid/late August but hopefully not too bad and you'll be able to score the FPs you want.

Do not let your BIL rush you through anything. If that means splitting up and doing your own touring, then do it, that might be better for you. But his knowledge of where things are located could help you get to the next place quicker. That is one of the most irritating parts of being a newbie is being lost!!!

Looking at your reservations... you'll have 2 character meals... and I bet CRT will be a lot of fun!!!

 

[teekathepony]

Joining in!

(and adding my two cents! )

First, relax (yeah, yeah, I know, easier said than done!) I did three trips before I found the Dis and I had three fantastic trips. I don't regret a thing! Now that I'm here I've found lots of things that I missed before, but I'm doing them this trip.
I've never traveled with children (well, except in 1991 when I was one!) so I really can't help with that aspect of your plans.

"Did we make the right dinner reservations or could we have found something better?"
~You could ask yourself that no matter what you booked. My MIL went to the Flying Fish -- a very highly rated restaurant -- and hated it! I've been to some with lower rating and loved them! I'm sure what you have, you will love. The Biergarten is a favourite of mine. A lot of great food, and it's a buffet so you can try some new things here any there. The atmosphere in Sci-Fi is fantastic! I didn't like my meal last time, but they changed the menu since then and I hear it's a lot better. Chef Mickey's is a great place to meet the characters and a lot of fun, especially for kids. I LOVE Tusker House! It might be my new favourite. Great food there!


"What if we don't get to see everything we hope to see?"
~Then you have a fantstic reason to go back! In all seriousness, you have a nice length vacation going here. You'll get to see quite a bit. Everything? Heck no. I'm heading down for my 5th time and am planning to do things and see things I've never done or seen before. But you WILL see a lot. You'll see enough. And then you'll get the bug and go back again


"Is the heat going to make us too miserable to enjoy ourselves?"
~I doubt it. I'm from Nova Scotia. Our summer average temperature is about 25 degrees (~77f) so I was nervous about going in September. We had an average of about 95 for daytime highs (and up to 101) while we were there and I didn't mind it at all. Most of the waiting areas are either shaded with fans or air conditioned. All the shops have great a/c as well as the restaurants. Lots of places to cool off when it gets too hot.


I 100% agree with mrssmith06 -- Epcot is BIG and amazing and doesn't deserve to be rushed through. If you find yourself being rushed by your BIL, suggest to separate for a while and take your time.

 

[mimiloveswdw]

Your concerns are COMPLETELY understandable! Try not to worry, especially since your plans are really good ones ASMu is beautiful, from the pictures I've seen of it.

Also, yes as the previous poster said, it's impossible to see EPCOT in one day, much less a day that starts a few hours after rope drop. However, seeing as though you're going with a six-year-old girl, once she sees the castle, something tells me it's going to be tough getting her excited for a theme park that focuses on the environment and world cultures. Soarin' fastpasses don't go as fast as they used to, so you may be able to score some for a reasonable time.

If your daughter does fall in love with EPCOT, maybe you could go again for the afternoon on your Wednesday down day. Since your ADR is at Chef Mickey's, that works out well since both the Contemporary and EPCOT are on the monorail!

You've got some great ADRs! Sci-Fi Dine-In isn't that spectacular food-wise, but the atmosphere is GREAT! Also, CRT is, of course, a must. Congrats on getting that one! Chef Mickey's is so Disney and so fun!

There's one thing I have to say...your daughter, I believe, will be wanting to see the castle. The castle IS Disney to lots of little kids, and she may not even think she's in Disney World until she sees the castle. Also, MK is WAY too big for only one day. Just my advice, in no way do you have to follow it, but I would change one of the down days to another MK day. If you need relaxation, you can always take an afternoon pool/nap break! They're easy to manage and are TOTAL trip-savers!

I'll say this again: the plans are looking GREAT! If you haven't before, try to explain to your BIL that, even though he's seen everything, you guys haven't. BUT also keep in mind that there's no way you can see all of WDW in one trip. I've gone eight times and I still haven't done everything!

Try making a list of all the attractions/parades/shows/etc that you simply MUST do (like Soarin' or Toy Story Mania). Then make a list that you want to do, but don't need to (maybe like Turtle Talk with Crush). Then make a list of things that you'll only do if you have extra time (maybe the little movies in the World Showcase, or the Flights of Wonder show). I find that when I have everything mapped out in front of me, it doesn't seem too daunting and it seems very possible

 

[MomofPrincessE]

Joining in!

(and adding my two cents! )

I will take all the "cents" I can get at this point! Thank you so much for our post. Since this is our first trip, I've decided to forego the HP's and just focus on each park for a day! I'm even thinking about adding park days instead of having full down days!

However, seeing as though you're going with a six-year-old girl, once she sees the castle, something tells me it's going to be tough getting her excited for a theme park that focuses on the environment and world cultures.

If your daughter does fall in love with EPCOT, maybe you could go again for the afternoon on your Wednesday down day. Since your ADR is at Chef Mickey's, that works out well since both the Contemporary and EPCOT are on the monorail!

You've got some great ADRs! Sci-Fi Dine-In isn't that spectacular food-wise, but the atmosphere is GREAT! Also, CRT is, of course, a must. Congrats on getting that one! Chef Mickey's is so Disney and so fun!


I'll say this again: the plans are looking GREAT! If you haven't before, try to explain to your BIL that, even though he's seen everything, you guys haven't. BUT also keep in mind that there's no way you can see all of WDW in one trip. I've gone eight times and I still haven't done everything!

I think you're probably right about my daughter. I absolutely can not wait to see her face when she sees the castle for the first time! I'm happy to hear that we made some great ADRs too! I give props to my BIL for the CRT reservations. He was determined to get her that one!

Epcot is a big park, so no you can't do it all in 1 day.
The day we did Epcot, we got there just after 9...went straight for FPs for Soarin' and our ride time was for after 12:15! BUT there was EMH that morning that we missed so there had been FPs distributing for an hour already.
It took us until after 1pm to do The Land and The Seas sections of Epcot (including lunch). I had planned to be at World Showcase when it opened at 11am, but as you can see -that didn't happen lol. We QUICKLY went through Canada to Germany and then had to leave by 4pm, so we missed the rest of the countries and ALL of Future World East !! Now I wish that we would have took more time in the countries, even if that meant we seen a few less. I know better now!!

It is possible you can grab a FP for Soarin or Test Track if you arrive before Noon... but your ride time might not be until later that night. I don't know how the crowds will be in mid/late August but hopefully not too bad and you'll be able to score the FPs you want.

Do not let your BIL rush you through anything. If that means splitting up and doing your own touring, then do it, that might be better for you. But his knowledge of where things are located could help you get to the next place quicker. That is one of the most irritating parts of being a newbie is being lost!!!

Looking at your reservations... you'll have 2 character meals... and I bet CRT will be a lot of fun!!!

I'm going straight for the FP machines as soon as we get there. I'm really hoping we're able to get them!
I'm seriously thinking of turning our down days into extra park days. I want DD (and Mommy!)to have as much time in the Magic Kingdom as we can possibly stand!
Thank you all so much for sharing your thoughts, tips and info. I am taking it all in. I want to go armed with as much knowledge as possible. Trust me, I'm not going to let my BIL rush me through anything!!!