overwhelmed WDW newbie seeking support

[jani3]

Practice at the 1pm time instead of the 7am time for the VQ. No need to get up that early! Have fun

Don’t you have to be in the HS park to try to join the 1pm BG?

 

[glocon]

Yes, but you can practice then instead of at 7am. Sorry, I thought you were talking about practicing not actually getting on the ride.

 

[jani3]

Yes, but you can practice then instead of at 7am. Sorry, I thought you were talking about practicing not actually getting on the ride.

I will try that. From what I’ve read, you had to have entered the park to even try for a BG at 1pm but I may have understood it wrong.

 

[mickey+minnie91]

Thank you for posting this, Im a fellow NorCal mom who LOVES to make trip plans but have never been to WDW but were going to go this years. Greusome is making is impossible for us

 

[Racergirl24]

So many NorCal folks here! I love it! I live in the Bay Area and until yesterday had an AP for Disneyland. (Refunded, sad day).
I echo the sentiment here....its NOT Disneyland. Its a completely different experience. You are going to love some things and hate others. Just roll with it.
A few things have already been mentioned but here's my 2 cents.. ..
1. ADRs: you might want to look at some of the restaurant menus and pick one. The counter service places are ok, but NOT like Disneyland. My family did both. We think Sci-Fi is an absolute must do. (This is the most difficult reservation to get, but there are ways).
2. Rethink the Animal Kingdom thing. Its a don't miss IMO. Its an amazing experience that is not like anything else. Epcot is more for foodies, if that's you then great. The rides are so-so. Only test track is worth it...but Radiator Springs Racers is 100% better. This will change when ratatouille and GOG open.
3. Rise..... I have never been higher than the 3rd group of the day. Having ridden it 15 times. You will be successful if you read the specific post found on this board. If you have specific questions, I would be happy to help. (I have a Samsung S10+, Verizon. Its processing speed is insane, I speed check both wifi and data and use whichever is faster).
4. Be more spontaneous. Less planning is better. I have had "a plan" in my head and have had to change it as stuff happens. I rope dropped to ride mine train. It was closed until the afternoon. We rope dropped for slinky, down for 2 hours. Just get to the park of the day and let the day happen as you go. Don't follow the crowd, go the other way and you do more. I am a planner too and I found that it only made me anxious to try to stick to a schedule. (Only exception Sci Fi reservation).
5. The gates open WAY before opening. Think 45 minutes to one hour prior. If you are rope dropping you need to take the first bus of the day or uber.
6. I like the magic bands. I found them very convenient vs fumbling through my wallet for my admission cards (AP).
7. Lastly, there is literally nothing that you can't find on this board. Its amazing and so are the people here.
I am going back in March, so looking forward to park hopping again!!!!!

 

[glocon]

Don’t you have to be in the HS park to try to join the 1pm BG?

I will try that. From what I’ve read, you had to have entered the park to even try for a BG at 1pm but I may have understood it wrong.

I practice with the 1pm boarding group with no problems. It’s just practice like at 7am.

 

[Accidental Disney Fan]

Step 1 - pay the $15 for a touringplans subscription
Step 2 - enter all the rides you want to do in the day planner and optimize your day

This will help you immensely even when in the parks. Yes it can be a little inaccurate but it really helps you get down the main things.

Step 3 - get DFB Food Guide ($20 I think and there sometimes discounts)
Step 4 - read through all the food options and make a list of different place (you can then look up reviews and video reviews of your finalists)

That is it for right now. Things like dining reservations, star wars, and rope drop can all change in the next couple months.

A big yes to these steps - touringplans and DFB are KEY!!!!! We always use Touringplans and with the exception of our 2020 pandemic trip, they were very accurate. But it will still be a valuable organization tool because the plans have the times of the parks built into your plan and it's very easy to navigate and update throughout your days at the parks. Start watching DFB youtubes....so helpful.

 

[Timandalicia]

Hello; we booked a trip to WDW for the coming Easter weekend. There are four of us, two of them teenagers (13 & 15 yrs old). Assuming that all goes as planned (which given the craziness that was 2020 I no longer take for granted), we’ll be staying at the All Star Movies resort. Our package includes three day single park tickets. We also got a Universal park-to-park single ticket. I made park reservations for three days: Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Magic Kingdom (the choice of parks was a majority decision, and I and my suggestion to somehow fit Animal Kingdom in there was outvoted). Fourth day is dedicated to the two Wizarding World of Harry Potter parks at Universal.

We have tons of DL experience but are WDW newbies. I’m a big planner, and coming up with intricate touring plans has always been one of my most fun activities in preparing for our DL trips. Disboards’ CA section has been an amazing resource for me throughout more of a decade of yearly DL trips.

I started reading my way through the Disboards WDW section and an finding myself utterly overwhelmed with the mountain of information I am finding (a good problem to have, of course, but also a challenge, because I’m struggling to figure out where to start). Please find my information/planning outline (and questions that came up for me--I'll number any question in case any of you is able and willing to answer specific ones) below. The order is not indicative of priority but due to how things popped into my head. If you feel so inclined, I would very much appreciate feedback and/or hints about what I’m missing. Anything that I could possibly ask is probably already covered somewhere here, so I do welcome links to existing threads. This is bound to turn into a lengthy post, so I apologize in advance for violating this board section’s unofficial “talk less, read more” policy.

(1.) I figure a big part of my preparation will consist in listing what attractions are open and (with my kids) which of the open ones are our must-dos. I have some understanding of which of the attractions differ from those in DL, and those will of course be very high on our list of priorities. One great resource here will probably be people's (post-COVID closure reopening) trip reports. I of course also vow to, after our trip, write a detailed trip report myself to help future Dis-ers with their planning. I am planning to, between now and our trip, log wait times for our must-do rides to explore those rides' queues' lulls and peaks (keeping in mind that differences in park capacity limits between now and then may cause shifts). Question #1: Any absolute musts that you can think of (or can you think of--and link--any Disboard's threads that talk about this)?

(2.) Since All Star Movies is still closed right now, I will monitor their status and will, once they reopen (current plan is March 22, I believe) to find out about COVID-related policies and people's experiences. I've already looked at the existing All Star Movies threat to get a first, general idea. Question #2: Anything that I should know and that I may not easily stumble across in my research?

(3.) I will use both WDW's official website's counter service menus and this board to come up with a few rough ideas as to which eateries may be a good fit for us. We are a "come early and tour hard" kind of family and usually don't do sit-down dining, so I don't have to worry about ADR. I will temper my expectations as to the quality of counter service, since I have heard that Disneyland may be doing a better job on that end, but will be open to be pleasantly surprised. I am determined to, on our Epcot day, try all the things! Question #3: What are your don't miss (especially for people who haven't been to WDW before and who probably won't go again after any time soon) counter service foods?

(4.) Since we are passionate rope droppers and I have heard that the officially posted opening hours seems to be guidelines rather than set in stone rules and that parks often open earlier, I am definitely trying to get more information about pre-posted time openings of the three parks we are planning to visit (HS, Epcot, MK). Question #4: Do you have any advice or experiences (or threads you can link about this)?

(5.) We've never done Rise of the Resistance. I'm already practicing (a bit hard to practice the early drawing for boarding passes, since I'm on the West coast, but I'm determined) with the app and have read most of the post-COVID parts of the thread on that topic. Questions #5 a) & b): Any advice or secrets that I may miss in my reading the thread? Have the policy changes to two drops instead of one and off site access through the app changed the recommendations as to how to get boarding passes?

(6.) Since we won't rent a car, I will research transportation between the airport and the hotel, the hotel and the parks, and the hotel and Universal. We booked through "Get Away Today," and their "WDW concierge" service is supposed to help us arrange transportation from the airport to the hotel (I'm particularly concerned about COVID-related capacity restrictions and about being aware of any reservation system that might be in place for the complimentary Disney bus). I looked at shuttle service to Universal, but the "Get Away Today" dude, with whom I talked on the phone, recommended getting a cab instead. I'm not a big fan of Uber. Question #6: Should I get over my Uber-phobia, and do you have any other tips about this (or is there a thread about this that you could link)?

(7.) From what I have read, Magic Bands are not absolutely necessary, as long as we're willing to make use of the app. However, I would love to get a discounted Magic Band for myself only; as a souvenir and to just get the full WDW experience. However, when I access the "discounted Magic Bands for ticket holders" link through the app, I don't get the option to only purchase one of the $5 bands. It seems to be an all (one magic band for each person in our party) or none kind of deal. I was planning to visit our local Disney store today to see if they can help. Question #7: Any advice?

Question #8: What am I forgetting?

Nothing. I think you’ve got it covered.
Seriously though. You could spend a ton more time, but what’s enough? So have fun obsessing, but once it starts stressing you out, then go with what you’ve got.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

One thing I have been doing a lot of is going on Youtube and watching a bunch of the Disney Vlogs. There are some really good ones that give you some great info including the Dis.

 

[NorthernCalMom]

And now I feel really behind on my planning since I have nothing written down yet nor do I have a folder like you. I also need to practice joining the RR virtual queue but waking up before 4am is rough.

Let's help each other by sharing information and ideas! No judgment, just support!!! ❤ Disboards has been one of my most important resources, if not THE most important one, for any Disney-trip we ever took (usually Dland). There are so many possible pitfalls, and to have other people who've been there and done that and are willing to share their experiences is invaluable to me. So, I'm always happy when I get a chance to return the favor here by letting others know what did and did not work for us.

 

[NorthernCalMom]

Look what came in the mail yesterday!!!

 

[NorthernCalMom]

Practice at the 1pm time instead of the 7am time for the VQ. No need to get up that early! Have fun

I may or may not have set my alarm for 3:55am just once... to see how my boarding pass practice mojo would be at that time (given that I read that the early drop's passes go even faster than the midday ones). I'm not planning on making that a habit, though.

As to waking up early... when we get ready for our Disneyland trips, I always wake the kids up extra early the week leading up to the trip to get everybody's schedule adjusted. Can you tell we're rope droppers? I will suggest the same thing to them this time around. If they get used to waking up at 5 in CA (and going to bed early), then FL's 7 or 8am, depending on park hours, ought to be a breeze--right now it sounds as if MK will be the only one to open at 9 while we're there. I'm a crazy early bird anyhow, so for me that's not a big deal at all. This way, by waking them up at a (for them) crazy early time and getting them to sleep early for just that week before our trip, we may be able to minimize jet lag fatigue. Given that it's a fairly short trip, I'd hate for them to spend the first half of it in a tired daze. Both kids tend to be enthusiastic enough about Disney to agree to my messing with their sleep schedules (in the actual mornings, when I try to throw them out of bed, it can of course be an entirely different story--though the words "Let's do it for Disney!" have worked magic in the past...).

 

[NorthernCalMom]

I will try that. From what I’ve read, you had to have entered the park to even try for a BG at 1pm but I may have understood it wrong.

Yes, that's true. However, you can still practice getting a BG (if you are in CA either at 4am--ouch!--for the 7am drop or at 10am for the 1pm drop). You simply won't get all the way, because at some point you'll hit an error message ("Not all members of your party seem to have a park reservation" at 4 and "Not all members of your party seem to be in the park" at 10). You then know that, had you done that on the actual day you would have gotten in (otherwise you get a "all boarding passes have been distributed" message instead). I figure by practicing frequently, I help myself remember where the different "join" buttons are (the whole process has three different steps) and I also increase the nimbleness of my trigger finger (nice side effect of such a nimble trigger finger could potentially be higher performance on that last "give it all" part of Toy Story Midway Mania once in the park... ).

 

[jani3]

Let's help each other by sharing information and ideas! No judgment, just support!!! ❤ Disboards has been one of my most important resources, if not THE most important one, for any Disney-trip we ever took (usually Dland). There are so many possible pitfalls, and to have other people who've been there and done that and are willing to share their experiences is invaluable to me. So, I'm always happy when I get a chance to return the favor here by letting others know what did and did not work for us.

When are you going? Did you decide on getting any ADRs?

 

[crystal1313]

Hi! We are from NorCal too! We went on our first trip to WDW last month and just booked again June! I agree about trying not to compare to DL. It’s fun to explore and also kinda weird not know exactly where you are going. Lol. But that’s part of the fun!

Can you possibly add AK? That was our absolute favorite park! We are spending two days there in June! It’s gorgeous

I would also consider trying for dining at sci-fi dine in. So fun!

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[NorthernCalMom]

When are you going? Did you decide on getting any ADRs?

We’ll arrive in the afternoon of Monday, March 29, and we’ll be leaving on April 3. Four park days, one of them Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter. . Given that we will be in the parks at the end of March, the 60-day deadline for booking ADRs is approaching rapidly. So far most of us lean towards focusing on trying plenty of snacks during the day (and then maybe a good size dinner outside after park close), but I may still make a few reservations, just in case, since folks here pointed out to me that canceling them is pretty easy. We’re definitely not looking for anything super fancy, but the thought of sitting down and taking a break in the middle of the day is kind of appealing. The part I don’t like about it would be to have to commit a specific window of time and thus give up some of our flexibility (though I like planning, all my plans usually have lots of wiggle room, and a reservation would restrict that a bit).

 

[NorthernCalMom]

Question about ADRs: How does the deadline (180 days in the past, I believe, but 60 days now) work? Does it mean that (A) by midnight of day that is 60 days before our park visit all reservation slots for the day become available or (B) slots are released throughout the day, so that 11am slots become available 60 days earlier at 11am, noon slots 60 days earlier at noon, etc.?

Oh, also, general table service question: I'm trying to watch calories, so I love to share a dish with my husband rather than order one for both of us. Is that frowned upon or would that, with or without extra plate charge, be ok?

 

[Twitterpaited]

If you are staying at All-Star the entire time, you can take the Magical Express both ways.

For touring plans, have you looked into Touring Plans? It was so helpful when I planned a family trip in 2019. I am going soon, but I will just use their Lines app and won’t be making a touring plan because I want to be more spontaneous since it is a solo trip. I am not sure if Touring Plans is as accurate right now and if waits are as predictable right now. It might be worth checking out.

 

[wiggy500]

Question about ADRs: How does the deadline (180 days in the past, I believe, but 60 days now) work? Does it mean that (A) by midnight of day that is 60 days before our park visit all reservation slots for the day become available or (B) slots are released throughout the day, so that 11am slots become available 60 days earlier at 11am, noon slots 60 days earlier at noon, etc.?

Oh, also, general table service question: I'm trying to watch calories, so I love to share a dish with my husband rather than order one for both of us. Is that frowned upon or would that, with or without extra plate charge, be ok?

Well, booking a reservation 180 days of time has never really matched my level of organization, but I imagine a day is released all at once as that is how Fastpasses work. One thing you could do is check on what is available 60 days from now.

I really can't imagine there being an issue with sharing a plate, unless you are eating at something like a buffet where you'd obviously need to pay for both people.

I have been enjoying following this thread. I hope you have a great trip.

 

[disneygirlsng]

Question about ADRs: How does the deadline (180 days in the past, I believe, but 60 days now) work? Does it mean that (A) by midnight of day that is 60 days before our park visit all reservation slots for the day become available or (B) slots are released throughout the day, so that 11am slots become available 60 days earlier at 11am, noon slots 60 days earlier at noon, etc.?

Oh, also, general table service question: I'm trying to watch calories, so I love to share a dish with my husband rather than order one for both of us. Is that frowned upon or would that, with or without extra plate charge, be ok?

Reservations open at 6AM ET 60 days out. If you are staying onsite, you can book every day of your trip 60 days out from your check in day.

Sharing is perfectly acceptable.