Oh no! Another first trip to WDW with the kids thread!

[Tallen234]

Hi All,

We are WDL warriors and have decided to book at trip to WDW in October. I've been there before kids, so I didn't really get the real experience, and to be honest, my wife had to remind me that we stayed at the Beach Club (I honestly forgot and can't remember much about it!). In any event, we have a 9 year old DD and a 11 year old DS. We are leaning toward staying at a deluxe resort (might as well live it up on our first family trip!). We are probably going to get a four day park hopper ticket. Although I want to book the trip quickly, I want to do my due diligence before committing to a location/plan. My initial thoughts were to stay at the GF and visit one park a day, with the option to hit other parks as need be (food, activities, etc.). Would GF be the best option from the deluxe group (it looks like it is the priciest....)? Any general, how to attack the trip tips? Even a recommendation for a good thread/website to help my planning would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Marionnette]

Hi All,

We are WDL warriors and have decided to book at trip to WDW in October. I've been there before kids, so I didn't really get the real experience, and to be honest, my wife had to remind me that we stayed at the Beach Club (I honestly forgot and can't remember much about it!). In any event, we have a 9 year old DD and a 11 year old DS. We are leaning toward staying at a deluxe resort (might as well live it up on our first family trip!). We are probably going to get a four day park hopper ticket. Although I want to book the trip quickly, I want to do my due diligence before committing to a location/plan. My initial thoughts were to stay at the GF and visit one park a day, with the option to hit other parks as need be (food, activities, etc.). Would GF be the best option from the deluxe group (it looks like it is the priciest....)? Any general, how to attack the trip tips? Even a recommendation for a good thread/website to help my planning would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

My initial thought is that you should check to see what resorts are available for your dates. While GF is awesome, I don't know what availability currently looks like for most resorts. That aline could make the decision on where to stay for you.

Secondly, I don't know if you're aware that you must now make a theme park reservation for your stay. You must already have tickets and then you choose which park you will visit first each day. You cannot hop to another park until after 2 PM and capacity limits may apply.

Thirdly, the 50th Anniversary celebration kicks off on October 1. You can expect large crowds during at least the first couple of weeks, although many are predicting that crowds will be heavy throughout the fall and Christmas season. There are no Fastpasses at this time. Everyone stands in line with only a few exceptions.

For planning your days, I highly recommend reading the Theme Parks and Attractions forum. You can learn a lot about new attractions, theme park reservations, changes due to COVID and how to get a boarding pass for Rise of the Resistance.

ETA: Direct link to the TPAS board
https://www.disboards.com/forums/theme-parks-attractions-and-strategies.2/

 

[Marthasor]

I agree with Marionnette. I would first see what is available for your dates and go from there. IMHO, all of the deluxe resorts are lovely for different reasons. I, personally, like to pick a resort that will best suit our park plans for any given trip. WDW is HUGE and I like to keep our transportation time down as much as possible. I would also advise picking a resort that has theming that appeals to your family. GF is gorgeous, IMHO, but that Victorian atmosphere isn't to everyone's taste. If you like the look of GF, go for it! I certainly think booking a deluxe in the MK area is a great choice for a first trip.

 

[Tallen234]

Thanks for the replies! I just found out that the other Deluxe resort open is Boardwalk Inn. It is significantly cheaper, but I know next to nothing about it!

Thanks also for the lack of fast passes....I need to look into that (and hope that they relax this by October). I really really hate lines!

 

[CarolynFH]

Thanks for the replies! I just found out that the other Deluxe resort open is Boardwalk Inn. It is significantly cheaper, but I know next to nothing about it!

Thanks also for the lack of fast passes....I need to look into that (and hope that they relax this by October). I really really hate lines!

A Thread for you: https://www.disboards.com/threads/disneys-boardwalk-inn-information-questions.3344344/

 

[Marthasor]

Thanks for the replies! I just found out that the other Deluxe resort open is Boardwalk Inn. It is significantly cheaper, but I know next to nothing about it!

Thanks also for the lack of fast passes....I need to look into that (and hope that they relax this by October). I really really hate lines!

Boardwalk Inn is great! Typically, very lively (in pre-covid times, they had jugglers and magicians on the Boardwalk in the evenings and surrey bike rentals). It has a early 20th century Atlantic City boardwalk theme. Nice pool with one of the best slides on property, IMHO. The real perk of Boardwalk is it is within walking distance to both EP and DHS plus you can take a boat to both parks and the Skyliner to DHS, making it super easy to get to two parks in very little time. You also have all of the other EP resort restaurants within walking distance of your resort (YC/BC, Swan/Dolphin), making it super easy to have a variety of dining options close by.

You really can't go wrong with either GF or BWI. GF is THE signature resort of WDW and has a much "grander" feeling (hence the name). It's also quite magical to be able to see Cinderella Castle and the monorail pass by from the GF. GF feels a little more upscale than BWI, IMHO, but you can't go wrong with either resort. Just depends on the theming you like best and which parks you want to be closest to.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I mean...if you're going to do it big you can't get better than the Grand Floridian.

 

[CynBeth]

Is there a way you can add more days? I would try to do 2 days at each park if you can.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

What are your plans? Currently 4 days at the parks but how many days will you actually be staying at the resort? On short trips with our DD's at that age, we spent the whole day at the parks and did not spend much time at the resort and found that paying more $$$ for a resort was a waste, especially since we do not take midday breaks. I will say that GF is our families favorite deluxe resort, we also really like BW and AKL

 

[Tallen234]

We just added an extra day, so we will be onsite for 5 days. We will get a park hopper to allow us to jump around if need be. I'm still doing research to see how much time we will "need" at each park. When we go to DL, we stay at the Grand Californian and liked the quick access to CA. We could take a pool break, or (back in the day) a nap break and then run back into the park. So, right now the plan is one day per park plus a fifth day for "whatever" - go back to a park, hit to pool, explore.......

 

[kylenne]

We just added an extra day, so we will be onsite for 5 days. We will get a park hopper to allow us to jump around if need be. I'm still doing research to see how much time we will "need" at each park. When we go to DL, we stay at the Grand Californian and liked the quick access to CA. We could take a pool break, or (back in the day) a nap break and then run back into the park. So, right now the plan is one day per park plus a fifth day for "whatever" - go back to a park, hit to pool, explore.......

First thing you sincerely need to keep in mind is WDW is massive compared to DLR. I say this because DLR vets tend to go in making assumptions and get sucker punched by the scale. Hopping is an entirely different beast in FL because the parks are not remotely close to each like the CA parks, only Epcot and HS and that’s not like crossing the street the way DL to DCA hopping is. You’re looking at a 25 minute or so walk at minimum or getting on boat or Skyliner transportation between those two. Anywhere else, hopping will involve buses. As of right now, you can only hop after 2pm but that may change in the fall like so much else.

This is also why we always advise folk to keep in mind what parks you plan to be in most often when choosing a resort. You won’t be able to have proximity to everywhere.

 

[CarolynFH]

Another thing that surprised us in going the other way, from WDW to DL, is how much closer together the DL rides are than the WDW, particularly in MK Fantasyland. Not only do you need to think about how long you’ll wait in line, you need to consider how long it will take to walk from one attraction to the other when planning your day.

 

[Tallen234]

Hi, yep, our friends warned us about the size! we’ve decided to stay at the BWI, so at least that is relatively close to Epcot and HS. Not having fast passes may cramp our style a bit because I hate standing in line and our kids are so used to working the fast passes.

i know there are probably other threads on this, but with the capacity restrictions, how bad are the wait times in comparison with normal times?

QUOTE="kylenne, post: 62972586, member: 588389"]
First thing you sincerely need to keep in mind is WDW is massive compared to DLR. I say this because DLR vets tend to go in making assumptions and get sucker punched by the scale. Hopping is an entirely different beast in FL because the parks are not remotely close to each like the CA parks, only Epcot and HS and that’s not like crossing the street the way DL to DCA hopping is. You’re looking at a 25 minute or so walk at minimum or getting on boat or Skyliner transportation between those two. Anywhere else, hopping will involve buses. As of right now, you can only hop after 2pm but that may change in the fall like so much else.

This is also why we always advise folk to keep in mind what parks you plan to be in most often when choosing a resort. You won’t be able to have proximity to everywhere.
[/QUOTE]
Thank you

 

[Eastern]

We just added an extra day, so we will be onsite for 5 days. We will get a park hopper to allow us to jump around if need be. I'm still doing research to see how much time we will "need" at each park. When we go to DL, we stay at the Grand Californian and liked the quick access to CA. We could take a pool break, or (back in the day) a nap break and then run back into the park. So, right now the plan is one day per park plus a fifth day for "whatever" - go back to a park, hit to pool, explore.......

You can add the hopper feature later at Guest Services; it's the same price whether you use it 1 day or all days. Since it is your first time there I would see how much energy you have for hopping.

When my kids were younger we only did one park per day. It is a lot of walking. When we go to Disney we average 5-10 miles per day, with the most walking being in Epcot/World Showcase.

 

[Belle83]

I see you are staying at BoardWalk and think that’s an awesome choice , especially for that time of year. Have fun!

i would not buy the park hopper option. If you get to WDW and do decide to park hop, you can pay to do that and add on to your ticket there.