Officially Scared Of Disney

[WDWfirstimer]

I am planning my first trip to Disneyworld. Aside from loving Disney movies and that sort of thing I;m confused about the resort.

So far what i've learned I'm starting to panic! I don't know WHY i thought it was a splendid idea to book the week of July 4th (not the weekend! the 4th is our last day). Is it true that they will close the parks often on the 4th from meeting capacity?! Even when I just bought a high priced ticket?!! Everyone says to get there early but with the heat am i really going to survive 12hours in the park to make it to the 9pm fireworks?

Second - wasn't aware people book their dining option months and months in advance. I've made two reservations but I not really sure how to plan this out. Quick service table service - what are the best options?

Third - I have seen many post and warn not to go in July as the heat is unbearable. I am officially having an anxiety attack about my trip. How should i combat this besides the obvious sunscreen, hats and water? I'm just picture passing out and getting sick from heat exhaustion or not being able to get in at all.

We are visiting three parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios. The lady on the phone said Hollywood Studios had great fireworks for the 4th so I was planning on doing that. Where can you cool down in these parks? Are there places to do that? I am not staying on resort as it was way to expensive so I wont have access to the resort pools. What are the best places to relax and calm down out of the heat?

Honestly I don't mind the crowds its more the heat and how much prep work has to go into a vacation. Trying to prepare! Trip is in a month.

 

[vicki_c]

Since it's your first time, if you can change your dates to a less crowded time (and I would pick less hot time as well), I would do that. That would also give you more time to learn soemthings about the parks, fast passes, make dining reservations, and most likely save some money (since it's more expensive when you are going, hotel wise, than other times of the year).

 

[WDWfirstimer]

Unfortunately flying in so reservations must stick or lose out on the flight expenses.

I know about Fast Pass +, Rope Drop, and made two dining reservations, but I just feel super confused about the whole thing. Was hoping someone would tell me its not a big deal and i'm overreacting lol or give out good first timer tips. I've been searching the boards some but wanted some direct feedback if possible?

Basically: Quick service food - are those options a good one. I dont really want to spend $100 a day on food in the parks. I understand you can bring in snacks and water in backpacks but I mean how much snacks can you bring?

July 4th - Do the parks really reach capacity? I'm doing HS on the 4th so I was hoping everyone would try to go to Epcot or Magic Kingdom and HS would be a little less crowded. I know get it in early is the best option but i'm just thinking 12hrs straight heat in July? Is that doable?

Heat - main concern. I realize its hot but it didn't seem that big of a deal until I started reading about it. How do you combat this? July is supposed to be the busiest time of the year so it has to be worth it still to go if its the busiest time. Is the heat awful trip ruining?

Dining - What places should you eat at in Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and HS. We are only doing a day at each no park hopper. I know Be Our Guest is completely booked. We do not have small children it is me and hubby first time! So character meet and greets aren't that huge of a deal but would still be cool to get a picture.

 

[rndmr2]

First of all Welcome to the Dis!!

Don't panic, lots of people go in the summer and still have a great time. There are lots of places to cool down. Many of the rides/attractions are indoors in the A/C. There are quite a few shows too. Many of the lines/queues are inside too or at least in shade. Disney is really good about that, they know it's hot and a lot of the lines that are outside are at least partially shaded and even have misters and fans. there are even usually Cast members (what they call the employees there) spraying people that want to be sprayed with personal mister fans. There are play fountains where the kids can play in MK and Epcot, maybe Hollywood Studios too, not sure about that one. You can cool down in the shops, too.

The best way to combat the heat is to stay Hydrated! You can bring your own bottled water, you can buy bottled water there and they will give you a free cup if ice or ice water at the Counter/quick service restaurants if you ask.

The one that usually closes for capacity is Magic Kingdom. The other parks might, but probably not as early as MK does. They do have Fireworks at the MK leading up to the 4th, too, so you might be able to see them the night before.

There is lots of info here on the DISBoards, if you look above on the dark blue bar are the various categories, you will find menus and descriptions under the "Dining" tab. The Restaurants Board is a great place to start to check out the restaurants. There are so many places, you will still be able to get ADR's (Disney's version of a reservation) at some great places.

Another place to check out is ALLEARS.net. They have menus of all of the restaurants, too. Also pics of the rides, even pics of a lot of the ride vehicles.

 

[Dreamport]

I can't help much but hopefully this will ease some of your concerns.

Regarding ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations/booking dining months in advance), there was a "Live" thread several DISboarders participated in operated by one lady and her friends where we posted daily during our vacations pictures of the various foods we were eating all around Disney World. The third installment (don't let that scare you) is here (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3174497) and on the third post it begins the links to the reviews, for when you're ready to look at where to eat. (I should point out the Food boards here have TONS of similar threads, but this was the best place I know of for where to go for a long list all in one place.)

Many rides and shows are indoors which can help with the heat since you won't be out in the sun. I'm sure someone else will come along soon with more advice, especially on handling the crowds and heat. If it's possible, maybe look into moving your vacation to another time of year? Late February is a favorite of my family. Whatever happens, I hope you're able to ditch the fear and have a wonderful time. Start picking at the seemingly overwhelming mountain one pebble at a time and you'll do just fine.

 

[SoarinSC]

I've never been in July as an adult, but it was VERY hot this past May and that was with low humidity. Magic Kingdom (MK) was way more crowded than the crowd calendars predicted. I think the Frozen Anna and Elsa meet is a huge part of that and probably the new Festival of Fantasy Parade. Now you have Seven Dwarves Mine Train opening up.


Again, have no real experience with July, but do yourself a favor and get there a good hour at least before opening aka rope-drop. We got to MK 40 minutes before rope-drop and the post-ticket-scan-wait-area was packed about 5 minutes later. On a Tuesday.

Not trying to make your anxieties worse, but with all the new things at MK I can only imagine the crowds being larger than normal...at MK at least.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

I have not used one myself but have read numerous threads about people brining coming towels. I think Frogg Toggs is one of the brands. Make sure tonstay hydrated.....you should be able tonask for ice watet at quick service spots - not the carts though as they don't have fountains.I do believe MK has the special fireworks on July 3rd and 4th. You can see these from outside the park too so I guess if it got too much you could leave during the day and watch them.outside if you wanted.

 

[nonnydd]

I agree that if you can move the trip, do so. If that week is the only one, just go with the mindset that it is your vacation, you will enjoy it. Take time for simple things instead of getting caught up in doing all headliner rides... because you won't, at least on the weekend of the 4th.

Some tips: Keep learning from the DIS, and other sites like Passporter, Easy WDW, etc. or get guidebooks in a bookstore. The heat is manageable if you plan to be in restaurants or "dark rides" or air conditioned shows from 12-3, and hydrate all the time. Walk on the shady side or through A/C cooled shops in MK... amazing how many people don't do that. Get a gel-filled coolband to wrap around your neck.

Some not-as-popular restaurants: Marrakesh in EP, resort restaurants... you can walk to the Boardwalk/Beach/Yacht restaurants from EP, or the Wave at the Contemporary from MK... all about 20 min from the gates, if driving is a hassle. Eat at counter service places, too, but not 12-2 or 6-8pm. Most have A/C. Eat early! Bring water and snacks, that is not a problem.

Get your tickets linked to mydisneyexperience and get fastpass+ reservations and some dining reservations soon. Offsite can do FP+ from what I'm reading. You might want to do EP for the 4th, because it has a big capacity, tons of restaurants and lots of dark, cool rides and the spectacular Illuminations fireworks every night.

#1 Don't let people freak you out about eating in the "best" restaurant or going on one super ride that has a 2 hour wait. Some of my best memories are of just watching street performers or listening to a passing band in the parks, literally stopping to smell the rose garden, not doing headliner things. Just enjoy. You are a Disney fan. Can you enjoy other Disney movies without seeing Frozen? It is the same.

You may like it enough that you find a way to go back. Enjoy.

 

[WDWfirstimer]

I booked dining reservations on July 3rd for MK. I can always cancel but I was looking at park hours the 3rd is when magic kingdom opens an hour early for onsite resort people (im offsite) should i try to switch dining reservations and do MK on the 2nd so i can get to rope drop with everyone else? Or will it not really matter?

Would love a picture with Elsa and Anna lol but like I said character meets aren't top priority. Question about that - do you have to set a time to meet them or can you get a picture of them when they are walking around? Will there be long lines with everyone?

 

[nonnydd]

Some more specifics:
MK long, cool dark attractions: Mickey's Philharmagic, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribean, Monster's Inc Laughfloor, and the never busy but nostalgic Country Bears, Hall of Presidents and Carousel of Progress. Stitch's Escape is a waste! Ray's Cosmic Café counterservice is large, sit near him for corny animatronic jokes.
EP: Ellen's Energy Adventure (awesome midday), all the movies in the countries, Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land. Lots of A/C shopping. All the counter service is excellent except Electric Umbrella.
HS: Not much long and dark; short rides or outdoor covered shows. Indy is cool enough but the Lights! Motor! stadium can be superhot. Counterservice near Star Tours is indoor, not busy early.
AK: I know you are not going here, but if you switch plans, the Nemo show is cool and large, get a FP+ for Kali Rapids to drench off, the Kilimanjaro safari is excellent, Pizzafari counterservice always has seating capacity.

I envy you going with just hubby, no strollers, diaper bags. Have a blast!

 

[vicki_c]

Anna and Elsa don't walk around for photos. You can book a FP to see them at a particular time. You can also wait in line but last I read lines to see them were still in the 4 hour range,

 

[SoarinSC]

I've never been in July as an adult, but it was VERY hot this past May and that was with low humidity. Magic Kingdom (MK) was way more crowded than the crowd calendars predicted. I think the Frozen Anna and Elsa meet is a huge part of that and probably the new Festival of Fantasy Parade. Now you have Seven Dwarves Mine Train opening up.


Again, have no real experience with July, but do yourself a favor and get there a good hour at least before opening aka rope-drop. We got to MK 40 minutes before rope-drop and the post-ticket-scan-wait-area was packed about 5 minutes later. On a Tuesday.

Not trying to make your anxieties worse, but with all the new things at MK I can only imagine the crowds being larger than normal...at MK at least.

BUT all that being said you can still have a great time as long you manage your expectations. Go in realizing doing everything is probably next to impossible in one day. Have the mindset of this being your first dip in the pool and that you'll be back again. Don't stress about doing and seeing it all. Just go with flow of the day. There is real magic at Disney if you let it happen instead of forcing the experience. Just do what you can, take plenty of breaks, stay hydrated...if you forget a hat, plenty of places sell them. But just relax and soak in the magic doing what you can when you can. Welcome to the DIS family and the Disney-Lover family at large!

 

[practicallyperfect77]

I booked dining reservations on July 3rd for MK. I can always cancel but I was looking at park hours the 3rd is when magic kingdom opens an hour early for onsite resort people (im offsite) should i try to switch dining reservations and do MK on the 2nd so i can get to rope drop with everyone else? Or will it not really matter?

Would love a picture with Elsa and Anna lol but like I said character meets aren't top priority. Question about that - do you have to set a time to meet them or can you get a picture of them when they are walking around? Will there be long lines with everyone?

I typically agree with Josh's (easywdw) logic that the park with extra hours will be the most crowded. I personally would give up a ressie on the 3rd if that is an MK EMH day. Others may not but I do my best to stay away from the EMH park....especially since you are off site and can't enjoy EMH.

 

[It's A Happy Day]

I can't help with the crowds as we typically go off season. DH & I went for the 1st time on our honeymoon and I was a Disney virgin as far as knowing what park, what day, when is the best time to go, what discounts are available, etc. So keeping that in mind, you will be overwhelmed with everything to see/do but you will have a blast. At least you have a month to read up on stuff and see what you might want to skip, what you must see/do. The main thing I tell people planning their 1st trip is plan plan plan but once you get there, go with the flow. There is no point in ruining a trip because things don't go exactly how you thought it would.

Quick Service - I relate to a value meal at McDonalds. Drink, entrée, side item, dessert - could be a burger, fries, milkshake, and a brownie for example. Our honeymoon this is how we ate because we were trying to save $$$ as we were in the process of buying a house as well. I would say if you could afford it, look at the table service menus and do 1 table service meal - maybe even a character meal where you could get a couple pictures with key characters w/o lining up with the kiddos looking to get autographs and such. Just a more low key character interaction IMO. We ate at Liberty Tree Tavern on our honeymoon - the only sit down meal and now we have to eat there every return trip - it's just one of those memories. Also some of the counter/quick service places have a toppings bar - Cosmic Rays in MK is one of those. You order your meal - say a burger and then go to the toppings bar where they have lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sautéed mushrooms, etc. to "top" your burger with. Great way to "stretch" that meal into a little more by loading up on the veggies. You can always do a search on the DIS here with keywords like "best counter service" You only need ADR's for the sit down/table service meals. Counter service you walk in.

Magic Kingdom - we like Liberty Tree Tavern - American fair, our family likes the dinner (all you can eat served family style turkey, roast beef, and ham) We also love Crystal Palace - it's a buffet and has the pooh characters.

Hollywood Studios - check out Hollywood & Vines Fantasmic Dinner package - buffet meal but you also get priority seating for Fantasmic instead of having to wait in line for an hour or more to get. LOVE Fantasmic - show with fireworks.

Epcot - love this park as do our kids. We find this park more relaxing as a lot of it is soaking in the different countries, roaming through the shops, vs. hitting the rides. There are only a couple of major rides here. We seem to do more counter service here than sit downs - England has great fish & chips at counter service!

Check out Allears.net or the WDW website and look at all the menus. You can rule out restaurants but also see where you can get the biggest bang for your buck. Some counter service meals are HUGE and you could split 1 meal vs. buying two - I know a couple places had a chicken AND ribs meal that my kids always split. Desserts we always threw in our backpack/bag to snack on later.

Refillable water bottle! While the cannot fill the actual bottle for health dept reasons, they will give you ice water at any place that has filtered water on tap for FREE!!! Stay hydrated and take breaks - that is the only way to beat the heat. If your getting hot and overheated, duck into a show or inside ride - MK - Mickey's Philhamonic 3d show, Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress, Pirates are all great rides or shows that have AC and are cool. Also your inside for a little bit so you have a chance to catch a breath and really cool off. Epcot - wander the shops, go into the Land, for a bit of refreshing AC. Don't be afraid to just find a spot of shade and chill out for a bit if your overwhelmed. People watching is a great past time! Also pack a washcloth with some ice in it in a ziplock bag - if your feeling heated, use the cloth to wipe the back of your neck, wash your face to get some relief. 12 hours is along time but the key is to pace yourself. Being offsite is a disadvantage to some because many would say hit the parks early, leave late morning/early afternoon and return around 4-5 for the "next shift" You just have to figure out how to "leave" the park w/o actually leaving. You can exit the park - get your hand stamped and ride the ferry or monorail for awhile, the riverboat IN MK you can get on and take a ride. There are definitely some low key spots/rides to just chill. Yes you can bring in snacks (although I believe it is posted you can't, they never said anything to me about it), I would limit how much you bring in as you are going to have to carry that around for 12+ hours and it does get heavy. I try for lighter (weight) snacks - popcorn, those PB cracker sandwiches in a package of 6, individual packages of trail mix, doritos kinds of things. I do try more for protein based snacks as I feel they help fuel the body vs. junky snacks. Instead of buying a meal - check out the snack options - some of them are a great mini meal if your not real hungry which the heat tends to do to me.... HUGE cupcakes! We <3 the character shaped pretzels that they sell by the bag and would last you a couple days. You don't have to carry it into the park but when your hungry you could purchase a bag of pretzels and munch on those with free ice water... really as expensive as the whoel individual snack foods.

ETA: pack for your trip some ponchos. We like to grab them from the $1 store vs. buying the heavy duty ones. Typically you get a quick rainstorm daily in FL. Having the cheap ponchos we would wear them for the storm and then just toss them when it stopped. I didn't feel guilty tossing a cheap one and we didn't have to carry around wet plastic after the daily release was over.

 

[Dreamport]

Question about that - do you have to set a time to meet them or can you get a picture of them when they are walking around? Will there be long lines with everyone?

You have a set time if you're going to FP+ (FastPass) the Meet and Greet which lasts for an hour after your start time (ex: 9:15-10:15am) in which case you must be to the start of the FP+ line within that time. Stand By lines can start as soon as guests are able and last until (usually) near park closing unless otherwise stated and may close access early if enough people are interested (such as if the line already has 3 hours worth of guests 3.5 hours before park closing). Some characters are not along the beaten path, such as the princesses at Princess FairyTale Hall or Mickey at Town Square Theater, but there are some you can see out and about (Chip and Dale are my favorites there!). So, the answer to catching a picture of them walking around is "yes and no". You can always watch a parade to see characters, too. A good source to check out if you DO decide you want to take time to meet some characters is Kenny the Pirate.

Basically: Quick service food - are those options a good one. I dont really want to spend $100 a day on food in the parks. I understand you can bring in snacks and water in backpacks but I mean how much snacks can you bring?

Dining - What places should you eat at in Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and HS. We are only doing a day at each no park hopper. I know Be Our Guest is completely booked. We do not have small children it is me and hubby first time! So character meet and greets aren't that huge of a deal but would still be cool to get a picture.

Where to eat at each park is all up to taste. My family usually sticks to the QS (Quick Service) places and saves TS (Table/Sit Down Service) for special occasions. If you use resources like the Food Boards here, wdwinfo.com or allears.net then you can see what menus you and your husband like. Magic Kingdom has Pecos Bill's (burgers, steak?, chicken), Columbia Harbour House (fish, shrimp), Pinocchio's Village Haus (flatbread pizza, pasta?) and Cosmic Ray's (burgers, chicken, salads) for QS places. EPCOT has food from all over the world thanks to the World Showcase so you're bound to find something good whether with a TS ADR or a simple QS. The Patisserie in the back of France is one of my favorite places to stop for dessert (they also carry sandwiches) and my sister really likes the sushi from the QS place in Japan. We're not adventurous enough to attempt food at Morocco but it always smells good!

 

[nonnydd]

On EMH mornings, MK will get packed by around 11am; if you are there early and do popular rides first and have FP+ set up for after that time you might be fine, it is a Thursday, not weekend. I think the 5th, 6th would be worse.

Anna and Elsa will be inside the Princess Fairytale pavilion with a long line. Hordes are trying to sprint there at Rope Drop, I would not spend time on it, FP+ is probably gone.

Keep thinking how fun an afternoon Dole Whip in Adventureland will be, just looking around at the lush foliage and hearing the background music... checking out the (very dark and cool) Tiki Room or the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse arm-in-arm with your sweetheart. Don't go for hours staring at the back of someone's head in the A&E line.

 

[ZoZo]

There are lots of strategies for staying cool!

• Wear lightweight, moisture-wicking clothing whenever possible. Target carries Champion brand clothes in their workout clothing area, and REI has lots of options in moisture-wicking items.
• Drink lots of water - much more than you would at home. It's easy to get dehydrated.
• Use misting fans - you can buy them at WDW or get them somewhere like Walmart.
• Arrive at the parks well before "rope drop" (i.e. when the parks open). I'd aim for an arrival time of 45 to 60 minutes before they open. It's much cooler in the morning, plus the lines are shorter earlier in the day.
• Try getting Frogg Toggs brand "chilly pads" - you wet them with water and wear them around your neck to stay cool.

• Bring some sort of wet wipes to refresh your skin if you get hot and sweaty. You can buy travel-size packs of Kleenex brand "Splash and Go" wipes at Target; they're very refreshing.
• Spend time in air-conditioned attractions. restaurants and shops throughout the day.
• Wear a visor or a lightweight hat to keep the sun off of your face, and use lots of sunscreen.

OP, you don't say anything about Fastpass - be sure to use it as much as you can to skip long lines. You can reserve your FPs 30 to 60 days in advance, depending on if you're staying at a WDW resort or offsite. You can sign up for three FPs per day to start, then once you use the first three, you can get more. Check out the many FP threads on how to use them.

Unless you can get a FP for Anna and Elsa (and they're very hard to get!), the lines are several hours long even first thing in the morning.

 

[Sevey13]

Pardon me if I missed it, but how many days are you going to be there?

I ask because you don't mention Animal Kingdom in your list of parks you are going to visit. If you are going for four or more days, I cannot recommend enough hitting up AK for at least a morning. Head over, take the first Safari you can, wander around Asia and Africa for a few hours, grab a delicious (and VERY big...so big you can split it and save quite a bit of money) lunch at Flame Tree BBQ. See the animals in some incredible habitats. I know this doesn't really address any of your concerns, but I just thought I would throw this in there. Since AK closes so early, too, there's no reason why you can't do some time in that park, head back to the room for a few to recombobulate, and then go back in to another park (though staying off-site may rule that out, depending on where you are).

The number one tip I would have is to plan what you can and then not stress when you show up if things don't fall into place the way you expected. There is so much to see and do and so many alternatives if your original plan doesn't work out that there is no reason to stress too much. You're at Disney World, after all!

Oh, and make sure you catch Philharmagic!

 

[WDWfirstimer]

Pardon me if I missed it, but how many days are you going to be there?

I will be in Orlando for 6 days however the day i arrive and leave i will not be at parks so its really four days, three spent at Disney and one spent at Universal for Harry Potter World which is also shaping up to be a nightmare with the premiere of Diagon Alley. I cant not go it would be devastating if I didn't lol but I'm just ugh I'm anticipating crowds worse than ever.

 

[wench]

My biggest tip is to bring an extra pair of shoes. First timers really underestimate exactly how much walking & standing you will do at WDW. Your feet will just get more & more sore each day & your mood along with them. My last trip I had a great pair of walking shoes that I would start out each day in. About half way through the day, when my feet started to ache, I would switch to flip flops. (Reef makes really comfy quilted flip flops that are my absolute favorite.) I continued this each day & OMG the difference from past trips was incredible. I no longer wanted to cry every morning at the thought of having to step out of bed onto aching feet.

If you or your husband are prone to motion sickness, be sure to bring some Dramamine along. I recommend the less Drowsy formula. Take one in the morning about a half hour before you start doing rides & it should keep the nausea at bay. Then another in the afternoon to last through the night.

Since you will be there at such a hot time, if your doing an outdoor show pay close attention to where you sit. Is always tempting to go straight to the front rows, but also look for fans. For example, at the Indiana Jones Stunt Show there are large pendant fans that hang down. You definitely want to be under one for the most comfortable experience.

I agree about avoiding the EMH parks. Even though I always stay on property, I try to avoid them. They will just make that park more crowded & you since you can't take advantage of them anyway, it's just not worth the extra wait times.

Over the next month, try listening to some WDW podcasts. A good one for 1st timers is WDW Prep To Go. You could also try WDW 4 Families. Even though they focus on family tips, a lot will come in handy for a trip without kids too.

Last but not least, just try to relax & breathe. It'll be ok. A lot of us here on the boards are the ultimate Disney fans that have to plan & discuss every conceivable aspect of every trip. I'm sure this can be intimidating to a 1st timer, especially if you feel like you're starting your planning too late. It may be hot & sweaty & busy, but it will still be magical. You might not get all the "have to get" ADR's, but there are still plenty of good places to eat. There is a good chance you'll be back somewhere down the line & everything you learn this time around will make that future trip even better.