Our first ever trip plan - comments welcome!

[mommyof2boys1girl]

I will try to keep all this short - I am long winded....

I am planning our family's first trip to WDW for this fall, and though I have read several guidebooks cover to cover, done a ton of online and disboard research, I still feel a bit nervous about the details. Feel free to comment with any advice, criticisms, or "are you flipping insane???" comments!

Quick details - first trip, family of 5, ds 8, ds 7, dd 6. Have done DL 3 times in past, so FP system and general "disney-isms" not too strange, but never done parks the size of WDW before. Boys are thrill seekers, us girls more into charachters, scenery and tame rides.
Planned itinerary as follows:
Arrive Orlando by plane Sept 29. Head to US for 3 days, staying onsite. (won't comment further on this part of trip - wrong board, and all)
Transfer by cab from HRH to WDW Oct 2nd in late afternoon, check in to Art of Animation family suite (finally settled on this location - mainly budget, but also excited about a new hotel). Depending on what shape we are in, may take a tour up to Bay Lake to watch fireworks or Electric Water pageant.

@WDW: we will have 7 day parkhopper passes. Not planning to use dining plan at this time unless convinced otherwise. Probably try to return to hotel for midday breaks most days - we tend to pay for it later otherwise. We are early risers, but not great with late nights unless we rest. We won't have a car, but may or may not have a stroller (trying to convince dh it will be a good idea, and not just for parks, but busses, airport, etc...but we will see who wins that one)
day 1 - DHS
Day 2 - MK EMH AM
Day 3 - AK and MNSSHP tix for eve
Day 4 - waterpark or day off - kids choice (parents get vote too, I guess)
Day 5 - Epcot
Day 6 - Epcot
Day 7 - "2 best parks" day - kids choice.

I am currently developing detailed touring plans for each park, complete with where to eat, what to ride at what time, etc...

Also a couple of questions - I know we are touring in off season, so parades, fireworks, evening shows etc may be on a different schedule. I have downloaded the calender from the disneyworld site, and I am basing our touring on the times listed - should I be prepared for parades and fireworks to not be held on the dates listed, or do they usually adhere to what is on the calendar?
I also know we are there during Food and Wine, which is why we gave ourselves 2 days at Epcot - both to see and do as much as we can and to take the "must ride everything in one day" pressure off a bit, as I have heard it can be busy, especially on the Columbus day long weekend.
Also, regarding costumes for MNSSHP - my kids do a really cute Harry Potter troupe, and they want to wear them for a day at Universal - can we double those at WDW, or is it frowned upon to wear a "competitors" costume? Oldest Ds is Harry (thick, dark brown hair), middle Ds is Ron (red hair dye in his curly blonde hair) and dd makes a great frizzy haired blonde Hermione.

Any advice or comments are appreciated - now that DH has finally stopped dragging his heels and given me the go ahead to book, I'm now getting cold feet!

 

[GuardMusic]

Nice plan!

If you want a specific table service restaurant, booking a reservation online is nearly a must at WDW. I'd recommend you run, not walk, to your computer to do that now!

Are you planning full days at the park everyday? I cannot fathom that most of humanity could do that for 7 days in a row. WDW is FAR more spread out than DL. You will definitely need a stoller (yours or Disney). With your 3 little ones, you'll probably need your own just to get to and from the buses, etc. I predict that at least once during your trip (if not every day) all 3 of your kids will want in the stroller.

The WDW calendar is very stable, so feel secure in counting on it. We were there the same time in 2010. Weather was perfect. Crowds not bad, except for EPCOT for F&W in the evenings, especially weekends. I'd definitely recommend planning to do the front of EPCOT (Future World) one day and the back (World Showcase) another. The walk around the lake can be very tasking, but especially if it's crowded around
all the F&W kiosks.

Since you're morning people, taking advantage of open/rope drop would be very beneficial. You might also want to consider in a given park splitting up the boys from the girls based on your interests; that makes a dinner conversation quite entertaining.

With the number of days you will be there, you should consider doing the PhotoPass CD.

Let us know how else we can help!
Gayle

 

[NJBILL]

Try to relax and have fun. Make a seperate smaller list of things you "must see" and make sure you hit those. Best advice I can offer is do your best but don't try and do everything in one trip. Also, take the cues from your kids and rest/participate accordingly. You should have ample time to do the things you are planning. Good Luck.

 

[NLD]

Hi and congrats on your first trip. Looks like it will be a great one!

A couple thoughts right off the bat:

1. You're spending a LOT of money on parkhoppers--just to hop once. Instead of planning for a second day at Epcot, can't you just leave the two final days open to repeat the two best parks? One park per day? Or at least wait to add the hopping feature until you're there. If it turns out you don't need it, then you've saved $$.

2. Then if you need more time at Epcot because of Food and Wine... why not go there on the day you transfer from Universal? Especially if you're able to get to Disney property earlier in the day. (Is there a reason you're waiting till late afternoon?)

3. It's fine for the kids to wear Harry Potter costumes for MNSSHP.

4. The fireworks and night parades will adhere to the schedule posted... however that schedule could change a dozen times between now and your trip. So keep checking the calendar.

Have fun~!

 

[mommyof2boys1girl]

2. Then if you need more time at Epcot because of Food and Wine... why not go there on the day you transfer from Universal? Especially if you're able to get to Disney property earlier in the day. (Is there a reason you're waiting till late afternoon?)

Because we are touring Universal on the weekend (higher crowds, I would assume) and staying onsite, we were planning on returning to at least one favorite park, perhaps both, and using our FOtL passes to ride favorite rides again. I have been told that the passes are good until the parks close on the day we check out, so I thought we'd return, do things we may have missed due to long lines/crowds, then pack up and head to WDW in the late PM. My older boys tend to be "repeat offenders" - in that they want to ride the same ride over and over and over again. So if Dragon Challenge is a favorite, I can see us spending most of a day in the WWOHP (at least the boys - us girls may try something else), which leaves little time for the rest of the park. But that could, perhaps, be our backup plan - on Oct 2nd head to our favorite park at Universal for a few more rides, grab our stuff and head to WDW around noon, then, after a few hours settling in, head to Epcot for the evening....Thanks for the suggestion - I love having a "plan B"!

 

[mommyof2boys1girl]

Gayle,

Thanks for the suggestion on the photopass CD - I totally forgot about it. I loved using photopass during our DL trips - the only photos I think I have ever been in! I will have to refresh my memory on that one.

And no, we don't plan to do full days, but head back to the hotel for a nap and/or swim midafternoon and return to parks in the evening. We learned, to our everlasting regret on our last DL trip, that naps/afternoon breaks are NOT an age thing - ie your kids do not outgrow the need to take a park break. The staff at Ariel's Grotto can probably still recall the Quadruple Meltdown of 2010 - First DD, then Ds1, then Ds2, and finally poor Dh, because he couldn't handle any of it! It was not an experience any of us care to repeat!

I will count you as a vote for taking the stroller, then. Heck, maybe I can even push for the double stroller, though ds2 probably outweighs the limit by 20 lbs! And at almost 80 lbs, ds1 can't even have a piggy back ride anymore!

 

[ThumpersWorld]

We just got back from WDW. If your kids like Star Wars I highly recommend Jedi Training at DHS. My boys are 6 1/2 and 4 and it was a highlight. If you do want to do it, just make sure you arrive at the park slightly before it opens because you need to get them on a list and it fills up very quickly. There are threads here that go into detail on exactly what it is and what you need to do if you are interested.

 

[Edgehopper]

My three major pieces of advice:

1a. If you want any TS restaurants, make those ADRs as soon as possible! You're going during a low crowd period, but restaurants still get booked up. Particularly character meals.

1b. On that note, with your party and Food & Wine, consider the DDP, which is generally a very good deal for 5-9 year olds, especially when you can pile up those snack credits for F&W booths.

2. On day 4 in particular, whether it's a waterpark or day off day, consider going to DTD or Boardwalk/Fantasia Gardens for the afternoon/evening. It's easy to forget that exists on your first trip, and given the Harry Potter costumes and 7 and 9 year old boys, DisneyQuest and the Lego Store could be very good fits for your crew.

Oh, and while your kids are allowed to wear Harry Potter costumes to MNSSHP, expect possible light teasing from cast members

 

[mommyof2boys1girl]

Thanks everyone for the advice! It has been mentioned by two separate people that I should begin making ADR's now! I am a planner, however, I'm having difficulty scheduling all our meals in advance. Most breakfasts will be in our hotel. Most lunches will probably be counter service in park before midday breaks, or at hotel before naps. We aren't a big "eat out" family, but we do enjoy a nice sit down meal every once in a while. If anyone has any reccommendations about where to eat, feel free to add those as well. I have made one ADR for Akershus on Oct 6th, for dd to have a Princess character meal - the only one we KNEW we had to do.

 

[mommyof2boys1girl]

My three major pieces of advice:



1b. On that note, with your party and Food & Wine, consider the DDP, which is generally a very good deal for 5-9 year olds, especially when you can pile up those snack credits for F&W booths.



Oh, and while your kids are allowed to wear Harry Potter costumes to MNSSHP, expect possible light teasing from cast members

So how would that work, exactly, with using DDP credits for F&W? Is it posted somewhere on the booth/restaurant how many credits a dish may cost? Or would I have to research this beforehand??

Teasing is ok - I'd just rather not pack 2 sets of costumes, and the kids have been adamant that they want to wear their HP costumes at Universal! The kids can always jinx those CM's who get too cheeky!

 

[Edgehopper]

So how would that work, exactly, with using DDP credits for F&W? Is it posted somewhere on the booth/restaurant how many credits a dish may cost? Or would I have to research this beforehand??

Teasing is ok - I'd just rather not pack 2 sets of costumes, and the kids have been adamant that they want to wear their HP costumes at Universal! The kids can always jinx those CM's who get too cheeky!

Many F&W booth food choices count as snack credits on DDP; I don't think any count as CS credits but I could be wrong (and it's always 1 credit if they can count as snacks; there's no such thing as a "2 snack credit item"). That's why the old CS DDP used to be really popular during F&W--because it had 2 snack credits per day per person. Unfortunately now only the deluxe DDP has 2 snack credits per day per person.

But the important thing here is that because snack credits don't differentiate between kid and adult, those F&W high quality snacks make for a great deal on a kid's price DDP. You'd have to research prices compared to how your family eats to see if it's worth it, but generally if your family eats in the style that fits with the DDP, it's most worth it at the kids price on the older end of the range.

 

[Missyrose]

Thanks everyone for the advice! It has been mentioned by two separate people that I should begin making ADR's now! I am a planner, however, I'm having difficulty scheduling all our meals in advance. Most breakfasts will be in our hotel. Most lunches will probably be counter service in park before midday breaks, or at hotel before naps. We aren't a big "eat out" family, but we do enjoy a nice sit down meal every once in a while. If anyone has any reccommendations about where to eat, feel free to add those as well. I have made one ADR for Akershus on Oct 6th, for dd to have a Princess character meal - the only one we KNEW we had to do.

Couple of suggestions. I know planning where you're going to eat this far in advance seems silly, but I'm going to Disney the same time as you and I made my ADRs back in April!

The good news is you're done half the work when it comes to making ADRs, you have your park days planned. I like your idea breakfasts at the resort (AoA looks like it's going to have an awesome food court! ). One thing I will mention, character meals tend to be cheaper at breakfast than for lunch or dinner, so you may want to think about adding a Crystal Palace breakfast (if you can get it) on your MK day (I ran a search and there is a 9:15 a.m. available for your last day).

For your transfer evening, I loved the idea of watching the fireworks from the Contemporary (I would watch from CR on the fourth floor, they have a big balcony that faces MK), what you could also do is take the monorail to the Poly before and have dinner at its CS restaurant Captain Cook's (and you have to try the Dole Whip for dessert!).

Your park plans look fine, although my only switch would be to swap one of your Epcot days (particularly the F&W day) with your current off day. The holiday weekend is going to be seriously crowded (like 8s and 9s on the crowd calendars crowded), so that Saturday might be the perfect off day for either waterparks/DTD or hanging at that awesome AoA pool!

Getting back to making ADRs, I'll put some suggestions by each day's plans. They'll be dinner suggestions (because that's what you said you wanted) but like I said before, you may want to think about possible breakfasts.

(Oct 2)day 1 - DHS -- 50s Prime Time Cafe or Sci-Fi Dine-In (Both have fun atmosphere, I personally like 50sPTC's food a bit better, but they're both good).

(Oct 3) Day 2 - MK EMH AM -- You have a couple of options for meals here. You can choose to eat at one of the monorail resorts before you come back to the park after your afternoon break. Some choices include Kona (Poly), Grand Floridian Cafe (GF). Or if you want to eat at the park, you could try for an ADR at Crystal Palace, The Plaza or Liberty Tree Tavern.

(Oct 4) Day 3 - AK and MNSSHP tix for eve -- I would plan for lunch at Rainforest Cafe at AK and then get back to the resort to rest up for a big night.

(Oct 5) Day 4 - Originally "waterpark or day off - kids choice (parents get vote too, I guess)" switched to Epcot day -- I would graze the F&W booths for lunch and move your Akershus ADR to this day (there were several open times between 5 and 7 on this day).

(Oct 6) Originally "Day 5 - Epcot" switched to Off day -- I would plan for either dinner at a resort restaurant or at DTD for this day. Some fun resort restaurants could be Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge (really fun resort to check out with the kids) or Cape May Clambake at Beach Club (If you hang out after dinner in the Epcot resort area, you can watch some of the high Illuminations fireworks from the bridge to Boardwalk).

(Oct 7) Day 6 - Epcot -- Pick a restaurant in WS for dinner. Via Napoli, Rose and Crown or Le Chefs de France are some favorites.

(Oct 8) Day 7 - "2 best parks" day - kids choice. -- Like I said up top, I would try for a Crystal Palace breakfast this day or maybe 1900 Park Fare at Grand Floridian or 'Ohana character breakfast at the Poly.

Okay, I've thrown a lot of info at you, let me know if you have any questions!

 

[Smokeyspawn]

In the past, WDW has offered free dining through the end of September. So if you were to switch your plans and do Disney first, you could take advantage of that.

 

[JerseyJanice]

In the past, WDW has offered free dining through the end of September. So if you were to switch your plans and do Disney first, you could take advantage of that.

According to the Resorts Discount board, there's a PIN code out right now that will most likely be released to the General Public soon. Here's a link discussing it:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2930454

I'm pretty certain I got this FD offer Emailed to me BTW.

Your dates are included, and I'd go for it if I were you.

Definitely kill the park-hopping option now. I'm not even seeing where you need it since MNSSHP is a separate admission anyway.

Honestly, park-hopping kills a lot of time, and if you did find yourself wanting to do it, you can add it while you're there. If you pay for it upfront, odds are great you'll use it only once or twice. Not worth the $$$.

ETA: Most (if not all) food samples at the booths in the Food & Wine Festival cost one snack credit. With 5 people in your room, you'll get 5 snack credits per night whether you get regular DDP or quick service. That adds up to quite a few credits! I'd make a rule to pay cash for any sample under $2 and use snack credits on everything else. You can get some good stuff at the F&W, e.g., lobster roll, steak on a skewer, scallops, stuffed cabbage, etc. I've been twice now where we grazed all day on F&W samples instead of having lunch and dinner. Fun, fun, fun!

 

[DisneyFive]

A few questions and comments:

1) Are the 1st and 7th days partial days? If so, when do you expect to arrive the first day, and leave the last day?

2) Personally, we've been to Epcot during F&W and it was nice, but it certainly wouldn't make us spend two whole days there. Not at all. With the age of your boys and daughter, unless day 1 is a full day, I think HS has a LOT more to offer than Epcot. The shows at HS are great for your daurghter too (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and The Muppets, and Fantasmic). Personally, I would plan 1, MAYBE 1 1/2 days at Epcot max.

You didn't mention it, but are you getting any sort of resort or package discount at all? You may be there during free dining depending on the upcoming public offer, so you may as well do it! either that or get a room discount. Also, as an FYI, you might be able to upgrade to a moderate level resort like Port Orleans Riverside for less cost since their rooms in the Alligator Bayou fit five and are newly refurbished as of this year. (This will be especially true if you get free dining, since with moderate resorts you get the regular dining plan for free versus the quick service plan with a value resort like Art of Animation) You would need to pay to upgrade to the regular dining plan if you stay at AoA.

Not sure the price of park hoppers is worth it with the plan you have, with full days at parks except for the last.

Dan

 

[pwdebbie]

Since you have 7-day PH tickets, I would use them to full advantage. Hit morning EMH as much as possible, but AK in particular. The reason I suggest EMH at AK is so that when it gets hot (and AK gets hotter than any other park, I got my one and only "Disney rash" at AK on a cool day while wearing jeans, that sun literally bounces off the blacktop and scorches the backs of your legs) you can hop to another park, one that does NOT have EMH that night.

You might want to just take a break each day and use the pool in the afternoon instead of planning a whole day for that. (You didn't say you had the Waterpark and More tickets, so a waterpark day would not work.) I would find a "day off" to be frustrating, and I don't even have kids to deal with. I can't imagine telling kids that the parks that are just a quick bus ride away will have to wait until another day. Besides, then you won't be using one of the days on your 7-day ticket. Don't waste the day. You bought it, make sure you use it.

Avoid Epcot on the weekend. We will NEVER subject ourselves to that again. You have impressionable children with you, and you do not want them seeing some of the behavior that goes on there. Plus the crowds are just wicked.

Earlier today I priced out a package for the same dates you'll be there. That's when we took our first trip (2007), my birthday is the first week of October. We had a good time and went back 18 months later for the Flower and Garden Festival (which I personally liked a lot more). But it was a good time of the year to go in terms of weather and crowds. And dh mentioned yesterday that he'd like to go for my birthday again this year AND keep our plans for our anniversary next year. Now who am I to argue with that????

 

[sazzlynn]

According to the Resorts Discount board, there's a PIN code out right now that will most likely be released to the General Public soon. Here's a link discussing it:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2930454

I'm pretty certain I got this FD offer Emailed to me BTW.

Your dates are included, and I'd go for it if I were you.

Definitely kill the park-hopping option now. I'm not even seeing where you need it since MNSSHP is a separate admission anyway.

Honestly, park-hopping kills a lot of time, and if you did find yourself wanting to do it, you can add it while you're there. If you pay for it upfront, odds are great you'll use it only once or twice. Not worth the $$$.

ETA: Most (if not all) food samples at the booths in the Food & Wine Festival cost one snack credit. With 5 people in your room, you'll get 5 snack credits per night whether you get regular DDP or quick service. That adds up to quite a few credits! I'd make a rule to pay cash for any sample under $2 and use snack credits on everything else. You can get some good stuff at the F&W, e.g., lobster roll, steak on a skewer, scallops, stuffed cabbage, etc. I've been twice now where we grazed all day on F&W samples instead of having lunch and dinner. Fun, fun, fun!

ditto * a million on the park hoppers b/c it doesn't look like you'll need them based on your plan and even if you do, wait until you are there to purchase (there is no cost difference).

As for the F&W festival, are your kids big into eating new foods and the like? I'm just wondering how much they'll enjoy it if they are looking for thrill rides or characters so take that into account when planning your days needed at Epcot?

As for dinning, Disney has offered free dining and more than likely will be offering it again for your dates. The pin out right not (not public yet but likely will be made public soon) includes your hotel so check that against your current hotel discount to see if it saves you any $$$. I know this is super elementary but I think of it like this (hotel cost at rack rates - hotel cost w/ your discount = the cost of food for your stay at Disney). I'd book the restaurants now just in case, and then when FD comes out you can change your package to include it.

Another posted mentioned changing hotels to get the get the free regular dinning plan instead of the quick service dinning plan you'd get at AoA, and I just wanted to second this idea if you aren't dead set on the AoA and want to do a TS meal each day. Here are some numbers to help you decide if it's worth it for your family, if you get the free quick service plan, the 2012 upgrade cost per day is $16.55 for adults and $3.03 for kids ($42.19 per day for your family).

Your trip sounds awesome, and I hope your family has a great time!

 

[mommyof2boys1girl]

so we should lose the parkhopper option - guess that makes sense. I'm still to ingrained with the DL ease of hopping - have to remember that WDW is not the same. Saving money....this is good....hubs will love you all!!

The day off or waterpark day (depending on weather and temperment of children) was scheduled for Saturday, Oct 6th, which is the saturday of the Columbus Day long weekend. I estimated that this would perhaps be the busiest park day, which is why we made it a "day off", but is this logic sound, or will the Sunday or Monday be busier? If we had to choose a day to break, which should it be? The kids won't mind taking off time, especially since we plan to hit DTD for a shopping trip and then just veg at the pool.

Our first day and last day are full days of touring (minus afternoon breaks, of course) - I have found trying to cram things into a half day as well as settling into/packing up from hotel rooms don't go well for our family - we usually refer to our arrival and departure days as travel days, and don't include touring parks during them.

Regarding hotel choice, here's where I get confused. I assume a PIN is for some kind of discount? (sorry - showing my ignorance here....)Is anyone eligible to use these? Are they limited to use with packages?

Originally, we liked the AoA for the space - all of us crammed into a 2 queen bed room for 10 days will have a gladiator-like fight ensuing with probably only one male and one female survivor, and chances are it won't be me and dh!! We liked the separate room aspect - I am pretty high maintenance that way. We also intend to order groceries and thus provide most of our breakfasts and snacks ourselves - save $$ and time in parks. I honestly never even looked at Port Orleans, since I didn't know they slept 5.

Also, free dining? I assume that is a DDP added to your package? We aren't big table service diners - I think in all our 3 trips to DL, we only dined table service 4 times, and those were character meals. Since my boys are 'too cool' for character meals now, the only one we need concern ourselves with is dd, who lives to see princesses, hence the ADR at Akershus. So I guess a CS dining plan would be better for us - should probably check things out for that. Previously, we were just thinking of doing a room only rate and skipping the dining plan - guess I should head back to the website and price out the difference. My previous opinion about the DP was that it might be more hassle for us than anything, but hey, if it's free, that could be a different story. It depends which is cheaper - room only rate with pay as you go dining, or package with free dining....guess I have some homework to do!

Thanks everyone for all the advice - makes me feel lots better that I have expert brains to pick!!

 

[disneynutsss]

Also, free dining? I assume that is a DDP added to your package? We aren't big table service diners - I think in all our 3 trips to DL, we only dined table service 4 times, and those were character meals. Since my boys are 'too cool' for character meals now, the only one we need concern ourselves with is dd, who lives to see princesses, hence the ADR at Akershus. So I guess a CS dining plan would be better for us - should probably check things out for that. Previously, we were just thinking of doing a room only rate and skipping the dining plan - guess I should head back to the website and price out the difference. My previous opinion about the DP was that it might be more hassle for us than anything, but hey, if it's free, that could be a different story. It depends which is cheaper - room only rate with pay as you go dining, or package with free dining....guess I have some homework to do!

Thanks everyone for all the advice - makes me feel lots better that I have expert brains to pick!!

ok, the PINs are being emailed/mailed to people - there is no rhyme or reason as to how to get one. they will most likely have a free dining offer to the general public (for your dates) coming out soon (not guaranteed tho).. with the free dining offer you usually get free QuickServiceDiningPlan (QSDP) when you stay at a Value Resort (1 Snack and 2 Counter Service Meals per day per person per night), If you stay 5 days and 4 nights then you get 4 Snack and 8 Counter Service per person... and RegularDiningPlan when you stay at a Moderate resort (1 Snack, 1 Counter Service and 1 Table service per person per night).

 

[JerseyJanice]

To get Free Dining, you have to pay rack rate for your room and buy at least 2 days of MYW tickets for each person in your party. If you were going to do that anyway, it's a no-brainer to switch to FD.

If you don't think you'll want to eat a bunch of table service meals, stay with AoA and don't pay for an upgrade to the Regular dining plan. You can pay cash for the princess meal and not be bothered with a bunch of table service meals.

Frankly, I think AoA is a great choice. I personally love staying in a brand spanking new hotel. We've stayed at Pop three times and thought it was wonderful. Last time, they had just renovated the room, and I loved knowing how new everything was. It just felt so clean!

With the free quick service plan, everyone in your party will get a refillable mug plus 2 counter service meals and 1 snack credit per night. Those snack credits can be well spent at the F&W Festival, which BTW is fantastic.

Wishing you and your family a magical trip.