We've set a date. . .January 23, 2009!!
We're all excited and now I'm overwhelmed!!
Yeah!! Being excited about your WDW vacation is a great place to start! The Resort is HUGE and you aren't alone where you feel overwhelmed. You have already received some great tips. I, too, will share some. The key to not feeling overwhelmed is to learn about WDW.
This is a good place to start.
What attractions are a must?
Assuming you will visit all four parks the following were my children's favorites at 3 years old:
Magic Kingdom~
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Mickey's PhilharMagic
Goofy's Barnstormer (a little fast some three year olds like this and some don't)
Donald's Boat
Peter Pan's Flight
Cinderella's Golden Carousel
it's a small world
Astro Orbiter
Monster's Inc.(wasn't avail. when my kids where 3 but I recommend it for your 3 year old)
Country Bear Jamboree
Enchanted Tiki Room
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Tomorrowland Transit Authority
Disney's Hollywood Studios~
Playhouse Disney Live on Stage
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Muppet Vision
Toy Story Mania (we haven't done this but I think you should!)
Beauty and the Beast Live
Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure playground
Epcot~
Future World side of Epcot:
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Turtle Talk with Crush
The tank exhibits inside The Seas
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Imageworks play area at the end of Journey into Imagination
The water-drop-jumping fountain outside the Imagination Pavilion
Soarin (must be 40' tall to ride)
The Circle of Life
Living With the Land
The play area at the exit to Mission Space
Hands-on exibits in Innoventions
The Fountain outside Innoventions that spouts water synchronized with music is a great place to take a break
World Showcase side of Epcot:
The Kidcot stations set up in each country (and some attractions in Future World) are fun. They use Sharpie markers so let your child know to keep them on the paper.
Mexico's Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
Norway's Maelstrom
Germany's model trains
America's Voices of Liberty
Check your Times Guide for the live entertainment and character appearances
Animal Kingdom~
Festival of the Lion King
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Finding Nemo
Maharaja Jungle Trek
The Boneyard play area
TriceraTop Spin
Pangani Forest Exploration Trail
Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends
Wildlife Express Train to Conservation Station
What special "secrets" do I need to know?
While there are lots of hidden treasures all over all of the parks and the resorts the best "secret" is to remember that WDW isn't going anywhere and you want you and your family to be able to relax and truly enjoy everything you are able to do. If you do that you are sure to have the best time! This is a tip to my best
secret you can do to really make your family's vacation.
How do I choose and plan meals/restaurants?
I plan which park we will visit on each day and then pick a restaurant that we want to visit that is somewhere near where we plan to be.
Allearsnet has great dining information that is broken down by Resort area and they include menus.
Which character meal should we do?
I have been to all of the character meals and my family and I have truly enjoyed each one. I think if we only got to pick one for a trip I would bring my family to Chef Mickey's because I am a Mickey girl.
Where can I find out about all the fireworks & shows to see?
The Unofficial Guide to WDW by Bob Sehlinger with Len Testa describes all of these shows in detail.
Are there some Disney books that are better than others?
I have dozens of books about the history of Disney and I have a dozen or so Travel Guides. If I could only pick one travel guide I would pick the Unofficial Guide as it provides the most information, and the authors have a great sense of humor. This really helps their 900 page Travel Guide become a page turner.
I have a million questions!!
Hakuna matata, this is a good thing! I still have questions.
Here are some
tips for saving money.
Here is a
general reference for all of the WDW resorts. You can see pictures of all of the different resorts' rooms at
Allearsnet.
How did you start? Could someone please send me some tips or help!!
You have already started. You have decided to take your family to the most magical place on earth. You are well on your way to having the best time ever! I know you will have a very magical vacation! Keep reading and posting your questions. You may find the Theme Parks and Strategies forum here very helpful to you as well!
Its OK, just take a deep breath. Go to the nearest store and Purchase a Pass Porter for 2008. It will give you the most important details in an organized fashion. Now decide how organized do you want to be, I figure pretty organized since you are posting on this site. Once you know when and where you will be staying, decide what is most important to you, meals, rides, shows, fireworks? Next make some notes or highlight what you want to do in the Pass Porter. Once you have your restaurants picked out you are a step ahead. Now go to the Disney website and Look on the Calendar for each park hours for next January--the times may not be posted until July. December is up now.
A great character meal my first time was Liberty Tree Tavern in MK. It has Minnie, Chip and Dale and Goofy or Pluto ( I know the difference, I just can't remember which one)
It is an intinmate setting, not quite as loud and you get a lot of time with the characters. The food is pretty good and most likely you will spend a lot of time at MK. I would branch out from there.
