Okay, LOTS of suggestions needed

[Jillybee]

I'm planning our first family trip to WDW. After MUCH reading here and LOTS of searching, I've decided to split our time between the CBR and HRH. Now.... how much time at each place?

We were originally planning on going from 4/10 to 4/20, but a friend might possibly be giving us some free airline tickets that need to be used before the end of February. Should we get those tickets, we will traveling from 2/13 to 2/23. (I should find out about the tickets in the next day or two).

I have no clue in what order we should do things. I was thinking of the 6-day Hopper pass, 2 days at Universal and 1 day at SeaWorld. Now people are telling me that 6 days might be too much for the Hopper (boys are 14 and 11).

Should we venture out to SeaWorld while staying at CBR or HRH???

ARGHHHHH!! So much to think of and plan. I'm so afraid of screwing it up for my family. I'm almost ready to turn it all over to a travel agent. This will be our ONLY family trip there and I want it to be special for all.

Any more words of wisdom would be SO appreciated! Thanks in advance.

 

[Kermit]

Personally, I would stay inside of WDW the entire time, but I guess it depends on what your family likes best.

As long as your kids don't go with the attitude that WDW is for kids, they should really enjoy it. I was 14 on my first trip, and we stayed 2 weeks, and I had a blast. But your kids may feel differently, especially if they really want to ride thrill rides.

If you're concerned that you won't want to stay at WDW that long, buy a ticket for a shorter stay, and then upgrade to another ticket if necessary. You can't get your money refunded if you decide to stay as long, but you can always upgrade as long as you have at least one day left.

If it were me, I would probably stay at HRH first and do Universal. I've never been, but it seems like doing all those thrill rides would be a little more exhausting. Then I would move to CBR. I would buy a 5 day ticket (either regular hopper or hopper with plus options) and play it by ear. If you feel like going to Sea World, go. If not, stay at WDW. The commute time would probably be shorter from the other hotel, but you wouldn't have as much freedom to decide if you really wanted to go.

This is just my opinion. There are probably about as many opinions as there are people on these boards.

 

[PattiPB]

WDW is awesome---it's my favorite place on earth, and we leave in 8 days for a return trip I've planned for two years! That being said:

Do Universal LAST!!! With boys that age, once they get on the much more "mature" and "exciting" thrill rides at IOA (which I also LOVE) they will be bored with the more aesthetically-pleasing attractions at WDW. Yes, there are some very thrilling rides at WDW, but MOST of the attractions are designed to be aesthetically satisfying, as opposed to bone-jarring, gut-wrenching thrillers like most of UE.

I think they can relax and enjoy WDW and SW without constantly looking to be "thrilled" if they haven't been to IOA yet.

I don't offer many opinions on these boards, because we can only afford WDW once every two years, so I feel pretty strongly about this one! Whatever you do, it's going to be FABULOUS!!

Patti