Overwhelmed and confused

[clairabell29]

I am a long time Disneyland vet. My family DH 33 (turns 34 while we're there), DD 62, DS 4, DS 1, and myself DW (30) are going to DW for the first time I have the days from Nov 28-Dec 12 although we are only staying 9 nights and 8 days, waiting to see what's best to fly in and out. We are booked at the All Star Movies since my son worships Woody.

I wanted to know what is the best way to do the parks. I hear this is a very slow time of year. Do you have child swap passes? FPs? I hear you have to take a bus everywhere, how long does that take?

Is a dining plan a good idea and if so, which one? We are taking advantage of the military park hopper plus cheap tickets so we don't qualify for the free dining.

Are there certain shows that are not appropriate for young children in the parks. (A Bug's Life 4D scared them in Disneyland) Any recomendations on what to take them on? Is the Christmas Party worth the $$?

Sorry I have so many questions, just getting overwhelmed and I know you have to plan in advance to be able to do everything. This is probably a once in a life time trip for us.

We will be coming from WA so waterslides wouldn't be out of the question since it will feel warm to us, are they open that time of year? Are there things for couples to do since we are bring our own babysitter and this is also our 10 year anniversary trip? If this is too many questions tell me and I'll try to break it up. Thank you so very much!!!

 

[GraceLuvsWDW]

Clairabell29,

You and your family will have a great time at WDW! I just returned from DL and while I loved it, WDW is just in class of it's own.

The best way to do the parks is variable. Some swear by EMH mornings, some say avoid them altogether. Like you said, you are not going at a really crowded time so you have some flexibility. I am a big fan of always doing MK first. It is the most "magical" park imo and so it starts the trip off with a bag. There are subscription sites such as Unofficial Guide and Tour Guide Mike which will take a lot of the guesswork out of choosing the park and I will say I have used both and they make a tremendous difference in crowd levels. If you have hoppers and encounter crowds you have the freedom to go to another park if desired but ADR's will lock you into a park so it's best to make your decisions wisely 90 days before the trip.

The busses are not bad. At most you might wait 20 minutes for a bus to come and have a 15-30 minute ride to the park. The walk to the turnstiles from the bus stops is not too bad. The worst part will be that you may encounter crowded buses and this is not fun at all!!

ADR's are very important in WDW, far more important that DL. The food in WDW is far superior and far more vast and varied IMO. So study the retaurants find what you want and call at your 90 day mark.

To Dining Plan or Not to Dining Plan? That is the question. Well you'll get many different responses on this. I do the DDP about 50% of the time and while I enjoy the "prepayment mindset" I also feel the value is not as great as it once was. And to some degree, service also is compromised a little when you present yourself as having the plan. But either way, if you plan on eating at least 1 TS meal a day it might be something to consider.

Depending on the sensory sensitivities of your young children some rides will not be appropriate. Most of the shows are fun so you will just have to see how your children respond. Perhaps start them off with Mickey's Philharmagic, see how they do then work up to ITTBAB and HISTK.

I do believe the parties are worth the money if 1) there's no rain in the forecast and 2) you are desiring the extra time in the parks. Other than that, the parades and shows are not must do's (IMO) but the parties can provide less crowded touring times.

The couples things I would recommend would be dinner at Cali Grill or Narcooses. The kids clubs are great, my dd loves them.

Any other questions, feel free to ask!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I am a long time Disneyland vet. My family DH 33 (turns 34 while we're there), DD 62, DS 4, DS 1, and myself DW (30) are going to DW for the first time I have the days from Nov 28-Dec 12 although we are only staying 9 nights and 8 days, waiting to see what's best to fly in and out. We are booked at the All Star Movies since my son worships Woody.

I wanted to know what is the best way to do the parks. I hear this is a very slow time of year. Do you have child swap passes? FPs? I hear you have to take a bus everywhere, how long does that take?

Is a dining plan a good idea and if so, which one? We are taking advantage of the military park hopper plus cheap tickets so we don't qualify for the free dining.

Are there certain shows that are not appropriate for young children in the parks. (A Bug's Life 4D scared them in Disneyland) Any recomendations on what to take them on? Is the Christmas Party worth the $$?

Sorry I have so many questions, just getting overwhelmed and I know you have to plan in advance to be able to do everything. This is probably a once in a life time trip for us.

We will be coming from WA so waterslides wouldn't be out of the question since it will feel warm to us, are they open that time of year? Are there things for couples to do since we are bring our own babysitter and this is also our 10 year anniversary trip? If this is too many questions tell me and I'll try to break it up. Thank you so very much!!!

1. It is a slower time of year to visit, compared to summertime and peak holidays, but it is not "very slow," at least not in our experience and we have been during this time frame two times. I use www.touringplans.com for their best parks/best crowds calendar to play our park days and ADRs. I think the bus system at WDW is great. Most waits average about 10 minutes, occasionaly it may be longer, for instance at closing after one of the fireworks shows.

2. I feel like the dining plan is one of the best things Disney has come up with in a long time. We save about $200.00 vs. out-of-pocket by purchasing the basic DDP. It's easy to use and it's nice to have everything paid for up front. If feel like the Deluxe plan is way too much food and takes up way too much time, especially if this is your first visit to WDW.

3. If your kids didn't like It's Tough to Be a Bug, I wouldn't take them on Snow White at MK, Dinosaur at AK or Tower of Terror at DHS. They ought to be okay on pretty much everything else. I personally like the Christmas party, but they do seem to be selling more and more tickets for these "special" events and when we went last year MVMCP was very crowded. The fireworks and parade are great, though.

4. The water parks will be open, but the weather can be hit or miss. Last year is was about 80 degress the whole time we were there, but in 2005 when we were there in mid-December the temps were much colder with highs in the 60s during the day and low 40s at night.

5. One of the biggest tips would be to make sure you make your Advance Dining Reservations ASAP.

 

[ShannonMB]

I am a long time Disneyland vet. My family DH 33 (turns 34 while we're there), DD 62, DS 4, DS 1, and myself DW (30) are going to DW for the first time I have the days from Nov 28-Dec 12 although we are only staying 9 nights and 8 days, waiting to see what's best to fly in and out. We are booked at the All Star Movies since my son worships Woody. We have stayed there twice, and DD enjoyed it both times. The Toy Story section is up toward the front of the resort (the best location IMO, so make sure you have booked a "preferred room" if you hope to stay in that section. Then it will just be a matter of whether they have rooms there when you check in.

I wanted to know what is the best way to do the parks. I hear this is a very slow time of year. Do you have child swap passes? FPs? I hear you have to take a bus everywhere, how long does that take? IMO, you can't beat getting to the parks when they first open. You can literally walk on to most rides for that first hour, and you've got a good 2 hours before it really gets hopping. You can indeed do child-swap, and they have FP for the biggies. Between going early and utilizing FP on the bigger rides, you shouldn't encounter too many big lines at your time of year.

Is a dining plan a good idea and if so, which one? We are taking advantage of the military park hopper plus cheap tickets so we don't qualify for the free dining. We enjoy the standard dining plan (one table service, one counter service, and one snack per day). A big part of our WDW experience is trying all the different restaurants, and DD really loves the character meals. When you think it's just over $40 a day for adults, and $10 for kids, that will be your one table service meal per day right there! Then basically the counter service and snacks are an add-on. Lots of opinions on this, but I enjoy it and it wouldn't be the same trip to me without it (and I LOVE the pre-paid aspect of it, really!!!)

Are there certain shows that are not appropriate for young children in the parks. (A Bug's Life 4D scared them in Disneyland) Any recomendations on what to take them on? Is the Christmas Party worth the $$? That's a big question! Off hand, I would stay away from the Dinosaur ride at AK -- VERY intense. You can do a little research as to what shows are available, then ask individually or check them out on youtube. Kids are so different! We will be trying MVMCP for the first time this year, so I can't say if it's worth it or not yet. If you have young kiddies who need to be in bed early, it might not be. Then again, if they'll last awhile if they take a good nap beforehand and it's a once in a lifetime trip, you might want to go for it. I think if you decide not to do it, you'll still find PLENTY of Christmas cheer, and MORE than enough to do while you're there!!!!
Sorry I have so many questions, just getting overwhelmed and I know you have to plan in advance to be able to do everything. This is probably a once in a life time trip for us.

We will be coming from WA so waterslides wouldn't be out of the question since it will feel warm to us, are they open that time of year? I believe at least one of them will be open (I could be wrong). We never have time for them, and your little ones might be too small to ride a lot of the big slides. Don't forget, AllStarMovies has a WONDERFUL pool that is heated if you decide not to bother with the water parks. Are there things for couples to do since we are bring our own babysitter and this is also our 10 year anniversary trip? If this is too many questions tell me and I'll try to break it up. Plenty of places for a romantic dinner for 2. Maybe one evening you and DH could tour the World Showcase together without the kids. Have a few adult beverages! Sounds romantic and fun to me!!! Thank you so very much!!!

Hope that helps a little!

 

[KellyNY]

I am a long time Disneyland vet. My family DH 33 (turns 34 while we're there), DD 62, DS 4, DS 1, and myself DW (30) are going to DW for the first time I have the days from Nov 28-Dec 12 although we are only staying 9 nights and 8 days, waiting to see what's best to fly in and out. We are booked at the All Star Movies since my son worships Woody.

I wanted to know what is the best way to do the parks. I hear this is a very slow time of year. Do you have child swap passes? FPs? I hear you have to take a bus everywhere, how long does that take?

Is a dining plan a good idea and if so, which one? We are taking advantage of the military park hopper plus cheap tickets so we don't qualify for the free dining.

Are there certain shows that are not appropriate for young children in the parks. (A Bug's Life 4D scared them in Disneyland) Any recomendations on what to take them on? Is the Christmas Party worth the $$?

Sorry I have so many questions, just getting overwhelmed and I know you have to plan in advance to be able to do everything. This is probably a once in a life time trip for us.

We will be coming from WA so waterslides wouldn't be out of the question since it will feel warm to us, are they open that time of year? Are there things for couples to do since we are bring our own babysitter and this is also our 10 year anniversary trip? If this is too many questions tell me and I'll try to break it up. Thank you so very much!!!

I would skip 3D bugs show at AK since it scared your kids at DL. I do not know if those shows are the same but WDW's version scares little kids a lot.

I would also skip HM as well.

The time you will go is slow, not sure if you even need Extra hours.

Bus system could be better but OK. You can rent a car, call a taxi but I do not think you really need it.

DP may be useful if you plan sit down meals every day. If you want lot of signature dining take DDP, because some dining takes 2 points.
If you plan maybe one or two sit down meals you can do it on your own as well. Honestly, since current DP does not include tips and appetizers, it lost all the value to me. There is a whole section here about DP, just read and see what people say.

For adult time I would suggest California Grill. You can watch fireworks at MK from there.

Also French restaurant at Epcot is very nice.

Spirit of Aloha is a Hawaiian show and diner, actually can be nice for the whole family, so is Ohana(all you can eat hawaiian style)

 

[danceintherain]

It seems that you will have plenty of time to do many of the things you want to do? Are you taking advantage of a room-only discount since you will not be able to do Free Dining?

First of all as a little FYI, the end of your trip will be affected by Pop Warner, which in short is cheerleading and football competitions. Apparently, this does not affect the parks much, except in the evening. The competitions are at the Wide World of Sports, but apparently they are allowed to go to the parks in the evenings. However, many of the competitors are staying at the All-Star Resorts, and Coronado Springs. Reports about the affect of this influx of teenagers varies. Some will say it is horrible, and they're kept up all night, others only notice the extra people near the pools and some even say that they didn't notice. I just thought I'd forewarn you of the possibility. The competitions begin December 7th and go until the 13th.

You will still have some time at the beginning of your trip that will be unaffected by this group, so my advice is take advantage of this time.

Child swap is available and so are Fastpasses, both are well worth taking advantage of, especially Fastpasses.

Personally, we love the Dining Plan. We have only tried the regular dining plan, and found it well worth the money. If your kids are picky, then you may decide that you don't want to prepay meals in advance when they may not eat anything off the menu. Many people say that the Deluxe Dining Plan is too much food, and takes too much time away from the parks.
The Quick Service Dining Plan seems to be a decent way to not have to eat a Table Service meal everyday. Basically, you have to look at your eating patterns. If you think you'll want to eat 3 solid meals a day, and snack in between, then the Deluxe Dining plan would be your choice.
If you'd rather plan 1 table service meal, a smaller meal, and a snack, then that would be the Regular Dining Plan.
If you think you'd rather just plan a couple Table Service meals for the whole trip, and use the Dining Plan for counter service and snacks, then the Quick Service Dining Plan would be the best choice.
We enjoyed the Dining Plan, because it kept us from having to worry about the cost of every meal. I did significant planning beforehand though. I picked all our restaurants and then determined what we would probably order beforehand. From those calculations I figured out that we definitely would get our money's worth. Overall, we ended up saving around $200. Also, it gave us the freedom to actually get snacks in the parks, which we probably would not have done, if we hadn't had the credits to burn. (of course the NEED to utilize credits is something others dislike about the dining plan)

The buses are difficult to predict. We have never had problems with them, but others have. Sometimes they can take a great deal of time, and other times there will be one waiting when you get to the bus stop. At times the buses are entirely packed, and at others you'll share one with just another family. The packed times tend to be at closing and around midday.

The best touring plan for us (we're 2-20 somethings) is to get up early and arrive around park opening (or Rope Drop) then we enjoy taking a break in the afternoon and returning to a park in the evening. The Magic Kingdom & Epcot are usually open the latest, and we enjoy wandering through them in the evenings if our morning park is closed relatively early. Since you have small children and a babysitter, you may find that doing the parks with your kids in the morning, and returning most evenings by yourself might be a decent option. Of course that's up to you. My sister brought her 1 year old with us in July, and he tended to nap in the stroller (they didn't take midday breaks) then they would leave before the parks closed at night.

Chances are the Animal Kingdom will close around 5pm most days you are there, which means you should plan at least 2 mornings to explore. Many people do not like the Animal Kingdom, and call it a half day park, but we love it, and have spent many happy hours there.

Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM) is another park that people write off as a half day park, but as you'll have the time I would spend at least a full day there. We have found that park to be the most congested, and the most difficult to complete. This is mostly due to the fact that it has many shows with limited show times that you may not know before you arrive. This makes it difficult to plan exactly what you're going to do in the day. Toy Story Mania is a must, and requires careful planning to accomplish. Even during slow season I believe the line will still be difficult, since it just opened last year and many people still haven't experienced it.

Since your kids are young, at least 2 full days at the Magic Kingdom will probably be necessary.
If you plan to meet characters and get autographs a good method would be to schedule character meals, instead of trying to wait in the lines to see them. Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Resort is a favorite for meeting Mickey & the Gang. It is just a short monorail ride from the Magic Kingdom. You would definitely need to make reservations early to secure it.
Another fun place to meet Mickey is at the Garden Grill at Epcot. Since it's in the park it's easier to get to then some of the less expensive places in the resorts. If you do the Dining Plan then a credit is a credit, so you don't have to worry as much about which place is less expensive.

I could go on and on about all the intricacies of planning. If you have any more questions just let us know. We love to help.

We might be planning a trip during your dates, but we have to wait for military orders before we can nail anything down.

 

[Disneyholic]

You may want to change your DD's age unless she's got Benjamin Button syndrome. You have her down as 62.(Or if you're old enough, Mork from Ork syndrome. His planet they started out old and got younger.)

 

[vcgirl925]

First things first! The key to a wonderful disney world vacation is research. So you've come to the right place!

I wanted to know what is the best way to do the parks. I hear this is a very slow time of year. Do you have child swap passes? FPs? I hear you have to take a bus everywhere, how long does that take?

That time of year is definitely not the busiest, but it isn't the slowest either. I'd say it's moderately busy. Now to your questions: Child swap - not all rides offer this. But most of the major ones do. You can always ask the CM working at the ride if they offer it and what the procedure is for that ride. Fast passes are a MUST! My best advice is if a rides line exceeds 20 minutes then grab a fastpass and go ride something else that doesn't have a FP. Then head back to your FP ride in the return line. If you aren't driving or renting a car then yes you would have to take disney transportation. STaying at ASM you'd be using the bus. I'd say it takes about 30 minutes to get from your hotel to your park once on the bus. But could be longer if you get a full bus and have to wait for the next one to come.

Is a dining plan a good idea and if so, which one? We are taking advantage of the military park hopper plus cheap tickets so we don't qualify for the free dining.

We did the dining plan last trip in november and loved it. We are doing it again next month when we go again. It is very worth it to us. I like the one that offers 1 TS and 1 CS plus snack. That gives you more option as to where youc an go.

Are there certain shows that are not appropriate for young children in the parks. (A Bug's Life 4D scared them in Disneyland) Any recomendations on what to take them on? Is the Christmas Party worth the $$?

All depends on the child. My kids enjoy all the shows and they are 3 and 5. They all have an element of scare in them though.

Sorry I have so many questions, just getting overwhelmed and I know you have to plan in advance to be able to do everything. This is probably a once in a life time trip for us.

Definitely need to plan in advance for dining. If you call less than your 90 day mark you'll have a difficult time finding restaurants that you wanted.

We will be coming from WA so waterslides wouldn't be out of the question since it will feel warm to us, are they open that time of year? Are there things for couples to do since we are bring our own babysitter and this is also our 10 year anniversary trip? If this is too many questions tell me and I'll try to break it up. Thank you so very much!!!

I'm pretty sure that they only keep one water park open during that time of year. You could get nice weather but we went in november last year and had record lows. It was literally in the 40's and waterparks were out of the question.

 

[OB1]

If your kids were uncomfortable on Tough to be a Bug

then these may be too much for them

AK Dinosaur - Expedition Everest
EPCOT - Mission Space - Test Track???
DHS - Great Movie Ride (Alien scene), Tower of Terror (probably did at DL)
MK - you should know the rides here. Stitches Great Escape can be spooky and is not at DL. Dark and locked into your seat - but now Stitch instead of an Alien.

 

[MHSweb79]

I strongly recommend getting a guide book. Reading just one book will make a big difference in your confidence and stress levels!
Good ones are Birnbaum's Disney for Kids (and the regular one) and also the Unofficial Guide to Disney. Check your local library for recent issues. Don't worry if they're a year or two out of date, but ones from 2005 or before may be pretty outdated.
A little knowledge and a bit of planning can make a HUGE difference in how well your vacation goes. Have fun!

 

[bobbiwoz]

You may want to change your DD's age unless she's got Benjamin Button syndrome. You have her down as 62.(Or if you're old enough, Mork from Ork syndrome. His planet they starte out old and got younger.)

I'm pretty sure that's DDad!

 

[Disneyholic]

I'm pretty sure that's DDad!

Oops. Sorry, I think of daughter when I see DD.

 

[aviva5675]

I agree-- get the Unofficial Guide book== its very long but easy to read bits at a time, and really goes into depth about everything. I also recommend Tour Guide Mike's site--its a bit hard to navigate but once you figure it out its great for figuring out which parks to go to on which days and sample touring plans are very helpful.

I would use some of those options and decide what parks you will do on which days-- then plan your ADRs from there. As someone mentioned=they are very important at WDW. We use the dining plan but you have to see if it would make sense for your family. Go to the Allearsnet site (.com) and in their dining section are complete menus with prices for every restaurant on down to the lowliest fry stand. You can roughly calculate what your family might order and see if DPlan makes sense for you.

Pop Warner shouldnt be too much problem for you-though loud in your hotel? I havent experienced them at the Pops, so, cant speak much to it. The parks shouldnt be much more crowded due to them running around.

I would proooobbably avoid EM hours- but maybe with little kids and being able to go to MK early and get alot of the Fantasyland rides out of the way might be beneficial.

You have alot of time before the trip but your 90 day dining ADR window will be soon ( we go Nov 17 and it opened up last Wednesday) so if nothing else maybe figure out your park schedule and some of the lunch or character breakfast ADRs so you can get on that right away.

Have fun!

 

[Dawnie]

You have gotten a lot of good advice so far...so much so that you are probably even more overwhelmed and confused! I just wanted to add a couple things.

The weather. We are from WA to and have been there a couple time at that time of year. The weather can be crazy! Be prepared for anything. In one week we went to the waterpark (one IS open) AND a couple days later scraped ice off the window of our rental van!! If going to the waterpark is important to you, have a couple days that you can be flexible with. Check the forcast right before you go and then plan your day.

Busses. Yes, you can take the busses everywhere...except hotel to hotel. The reason I bring this up, is if you want to spend an adult night out at one of the more upscale resort restaraunts (CA Grill, Jiko, Victoria & Alberts) ...take a cab! The cab will cost around $15 each way and will take minutes to get to most places. The bus is free, but you have to take it to one of the parks or Downtown Disney, and then transfer to the resort bus you want. The same for the way home. It can be 45-60 minutes each way!

Have fun!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

You have gotten a lot of good advice so far...so much so that you are probably even more overwhelmed and confused! I just wanted to add a couple things.

The weather. We are from WA to and have been there a couple time at that time of year. The weather can be crazy! Be prepared for anything. In one week we went to the waterpark (one IS open) AND a couple days later scraped ice off the window of our rental van!! If going to the waterpark is important to you, have a couple days that you can be flexible with. Check the forcast right before you go and then plan your day.

Busses. Yes, you can take the busses everywhere...except hotel to hotel. The reason I bring this up, is if you want to spend an adult night out at one of the more upscale resort restaraunts (CA Grill, Jiko, Victoria & Alberts) ...take a cab! The cab will cost around $15 each way and will take minutes to get to most places. The bus is free, but you have to take it to one of the parks or Downtown Disney, and then transfer to the resort bus you want. The same for the way home. It can be 45-60 minutes each way!

Have fun!

Sorry! Thought I was responding to another thread from a new person going in September! Please ignore.

 

[Nancy for Disney]

My one advise is that if you do DDP since you will be there for almost two weeks is to go ahead and plan 1 signature dining experience. My family found that it was still too much food because we still ended up sharing meals or sometimes my kids just wanted a snack for lunch. We ended up with several CS meals leftover. Since you and DH will be celebrating an anniversary I would pick a night and go out for a nice meal and leave the kids with DD62.

Also, I don't know if anyone mentioned this yet as I hadn't read through all the posts. Will you even be able to get DDP with the military ticket offer? I know you have to do the magic your way package to get DDP. Someone also asked if you were taking advantage of the room only offer. If you do then you definately can't get the DDP. That's one of the problems with Disney. They have so many different ways of doing things it is hard to figure it all out. Although I kind of treat it like puzzle and enjoy figuring out what is best for me.

We will be there the same time as you. Have a fun trip.

 

[KittyKitty]

You may already know this, but I think you can request railings for the bed for the little ones.

Don't try to do everything, it can't be done! Your pool will be fun enough for your kids, so don't worry about a water park on this trip.

Have a wonderful time!

 

[danceintherain]

Also, I don't know if anyone mentioned this yet as I hadn't read through all the posts. Will you even be able to get DDP with the military ticket offer? I know you have to do the magic your way package to get DDP. Someone also asked if you were taking advantage of the room only offer. If you do then you definately can't get the DDP. That's one of the problems with Disney. They have so many different ways of doing things it is hard to figure it all out. Although I kind of treat it like puzzle and enjoy figuring out what is best for me.

We will be there the same time as you. Have a fun trip.

If they book with a military discount, then the Dining Plan can be added. I'm not sure if the military discount is valid at Value resorts though.
If they book with a general public room-only discount, then they probably will be unable to add the Dining Plan. I suppose it may be a question they should ask when booking, because AP room-only discounts now allow the addition of the Dining Plan, I haven't read anything about adding the Dining Plan to a general public room-only discount.

 

[geenerbell]

You are going during extended free dining which could save you a bundle. At the values you can upgrade to the Basic Plan. I would call and see if you are eligible.

 

[mousemom11]

If you have spent any time over on the DL Boards here, then you are familiar with HydroGuy and his great DL tips. He has also written an article called An Introduction to WDW for DL Veterans. I highly recommend that you read this. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16541636

Our family are also DL vets and this is the first thing I read to start preparing for our WDW trip. The other 2 things I recommend is Tour Guide Mike (click on the ad at the top of this board to save $3) and the Unofficial Guide to WDW (best written and funniest guide book I have ever read). These will give you the information that you need to be the people who come home from WDW and say that it was a fabulous vacation, the parks weren't all that crowded, and that you were able to do what you wanted to do. Rather than being those who come back and complain how crowded it was, the fastpasses were all gone, and the lines were 2 hours long!