Overwhelmed noobie says hello

[Jedi5]

Hi everyone.
Newb here trying to find my way around the many "helpful" Disney sites. I say "helpful" because while there are many great tips, you just get a brain over load and become confused.

That's where I am currently... in the state of confusion.

I'm trying to plan my first trip with my family to WDW. Myself, wife, and 2yr old son. Our trip will be in January, 17th-22nd. Our plan is to stay at the AKL
in a Savanna view room so my son can see the animals.

I'm still working on dinning, hopper passes, and attractions that are a must.

any suggestions?

 

[kaylajr]

First

Hello and welcome to the DIS
We are GLAD you found us

My name is Kayla and I am one of the Moderators here at the DIS
so feel free to ask away if I don't know the answer I know someone who most likely does

Congrats on your trip
WDW is the most magical place there is

Suggestions???

Read all you can here
ask TONS of questions

You can find out more about the AKL here

RESORT BOARD


about DINING options suggestions and Questions here

RESTAURANTS


A Great board to learn the ins and the outs of Attractions and what to do
is here

Theme Park Attractions and Strategies


and those are just places to start
don't want to overwhelm you the first day

Just jump in and explore the boards
there is something for everyone here

have a question ?? just ask all board have specific Moderators to help
and here at the DIS you will find most people are happy to help make
YOUR trip the trip of a lifetime with advice and suggestions

Once again WELCOME TO THE DIS

 

[Freddie Beach Shelly]

Just wanted to say WELCOME Jedi5. Don't be overwhelmed. Planning your trip shouldn't be too stressful. Take your time to read through these boards. They provide invaluable information. If it helps, start a file on the separate Disney parks and print any useful information that may be relevant to what you would like to do and see. Then as it gets closer to your trip, you can itemize what is important for you and your family.

Don't let it stress you out. If you're like most of us here in these boards, this won't be your one and only trip to the Happies Place on Earth, so whatever you don't see this time around, you can add it to your list for the next time.

Have fun! And be sure to ask questions on these boards...I can guarantee if you're asking questions, there are other new people to the boards that are wondering the same thing.

 

[jenins121681]

Welcome to the DIS!

There is a ton of info on here and it is easy to go into brain overload. I have a suggestion about passes for you....go with the ultimate park hopper with waterparks and more option that way you can have loads of flexibility and don't have to commit yourselves to one park per day .

 

[goaliewife]

to the Dis.

Don't feel too overwhelmed, we were all new to this at one time also. I am still fairly new, although my first trip back to the World since becoming a Dis member and a DVC member is down to 23 days now.

Read as much as you can. There are so many wonderful tips and trip reports from the great people here. Ask as many questions as you can. There is always someone here to answer.

Have fun with the planning. It will be worth it in the end. And then............


Enjoy your magical trip.

 

[Jill in Chicago]

One book I found extremely helpful was The Unofficial Guidebook to Disney. Don't let the size of the book overwhelm you though. (It is packed with facts.) One part that will really help you is in the back where the authors describe every single ride/attraction. By reading this ahead of time you will be able to know which rides/attractions will appeal to you and your family. They also have touring plans that suggest which ride to do first, second....

For me it is very important to know what is at each park, and to have a game plan about which attraction to do first, second... Otherwise you spend way too much time standing around looking at the map saying, "Now what should we do?" Or, you walk right by attractions your family would love, but since you don't know about them you don't go in. Or vice versa if you had read the description ahead of time you would know what to skip.

The parks are enormous. You truly cannot do it all. There is just too much to see and do. That's why we all keep coming back. We are going with our 13 year old and he is so excited. He hasn't been for 5years.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Hi everyone.
Newb here trying to find my way around the many "helpful" Disney sites. I say "helpful" because while there are many great tips, you just get a brain over load and become confused.

That's where I am currently... in the state of confusion.

I'm trying to plan my first trip with my family to WDW. Myself, wife, and 2yr old son. Our trip will be in January, 17th-22nd. Our plan is to stay at the AKL
in a Savanna view room so my son can see the animals.

I'm still working on dinning, hopper passes, and attractions that are a must.

any suggestions?

First thing to do is check the Crowd Calender in the Unoffical Guide and pick your park days according to which will be the least crowded (we live by the crowd calender and have found it to be very accurate). Then pick which restaurants you want to eat at in those parks on what days and call and make your ADRs. January will be low crowds, so you don't really need a formal touring plan for the parks. Hope this info helps.

 

[Jedi5]

When would be a good time to book our trip?
Right now I'm being quoted around $2300 for air/hotel.
If I wait, will the prices drop or is this a good deal?

Thanks

 

[M&N]

One thing I have been doing to organize my tips from here is cutting and pasting. I have the tips by parks, places to eat, and general. There's just so much to try and remember. Just remember, no matter what...you'll have a magical time!

 

[ZoZo]

Hi! My suggestion is to work at one piece of your planning at a time. Then you won't get so overwhelmed skipping around between subjects. As other posters have suggested, get the Unofficial Guide, which is a great resource book.

First up would be your hotel and airline reservations; research now and try to book soon, it's only four months till your trip! Go onto the Resorts board and research your hotel there (you say you plan to go to AKL, so do a search for that on the Resorts board to learn all you can). Look for resort discounts (mousesavers.com, the DIS boards). Do the same with your airline reservations; check out the Transportation board.

You might not want to bundle your air/hotel together; often you can get a good airfare separately. Price things separately (hotel alone; air alone) to see if bundling saves you money.

Once those pieces are in place, you can start researching your touring plans, tickets, restaurants, etc. Lots of great reviews and information on these boards and in the Unofficial Guide. Just do things piece by piece (with your actual travel arrangements first) and it will help you stay organized.

 

[klmall]

Welcome Jedi5 to the DIS!


I, too was overwhelmed at first but take it one step (or board at a time). It might help to write down some notes or copy and paste into a Word document what you want to remember and then sort it.

Definitely ask as many questions as you want! No question is too simple or stupid. The resort FAQs and ticket FAQs etc. are very, very helpful. Even experienced, old-timers like myself refer to them.

Eventually things will start to make sense!

Have fun planning!!!

 

[noahdove]

I agree with the rest of the replies. This is a great site for help in ALL areas And planning your trip shouldn't be stressed. I leave in 332 days and I am soooo excited I am taking my 8 year old great nephew and he is thrilled to know that he can go Enjoy every minute. I have been 5 times and I can't wait to go back
Blessings to you and your family

 

[byoung]

Welcome to the DIS!! Hoop de do is great.

 

[2n2]

can you help me trying to figure out this posting Me, husband and 4kids going to Disney next month. Are the parks decorated for halloween