Planning 1st Disney World vacation for Family..need advice.

[speja01]

Hi Everyone,

My family and I are very excited to be planning our first trip to WDW this coming Febuary. I'm feeling very overwhelmed with all the options and various things we could do while at Walt Disney World. I have a soon to be 6 year old daughter who is absolutely in love with everything pertaining to the disney princesses so we want to make sure we plan everything around interacting with the princesses which brings me to my first question. What theme park(s) can we find the princesses at...Magic Kingdom, Epcot? Second question...My wife seems pretty set on staying at a hotel along the monorail because she wants to try and limit the amount of walking our 6 year old and 3 year old will have to do. Which hotel would you recommend we stay at keeping in mind we want to be close to wherever the Disney princesses are? Any advice is welcome and appreciated!! Thanks!

 

[macnodos]

On the monorail loop, I would suggest the Polynesian for a few reasons. There is certainly more for kids to do and it is geared more for the young traveler. I've stayed at both and even my kids preferred the Poly to the GF. The GF does offer a Princess character meal which is very good. They also have have a Tea which features the Princesses.

The GF is very nice and I'm sure you would be very happy staying there but I still lean heavily towards the Poly for the sake of the kids. Be sure to look into the Tea and character dinner at GF.

I own DVC, so it typically is not a question but my entire family say the next time we go non DVC it be the Poly. GF would be a nice break with a significant other minus the younger ones.

The Princesses can be found mostly in Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Two dining suggestions
would be in the castle and Akershus (breakfast with princesses) in Epcot for Princesses. The Castle dining ADR usually fills up at the six month mark.

I never at all cared for the Contemporary but they do have some great dining. Good Luck and enjoy!

 

[sharadoc]

Read read read. Buy a Disney guidebook and read it all. Read the entire disneyworld.com, WDWinfo.com, allears.net, easywdw.com and **************.net. Look at the maps, best parks to visit, list of attractions and stores - everything. You need to be generally educated about what and where you are doing or you'll just be asking questions and picking up info piecemeal.

In general, you can find princesses at MK and Epcot Akershus dining in Norway plus around World Showcase.

Any monorail resort is good, although Contemporary has a walking path. It's a long walk but still doable.

 

[lnh'smom]

You can see princesses in both parks. Personally, I would recommend eating at Akershus in the Norway pavillion at Epcot. We have eaten there on 3 occasions and each time have seen Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Ariel, and Belle. Before you are seated, you get a picture taken with Belle (at least that's who it was on all 3 of our visits) and then as you are eating, the other 4 princesses make their way around to each table to sign autographs and take pictures. Much easier than standing in lines as far as we are concerned. We have seen Mulan and Jasmine in Epcot and Alice and Mary Poppins in both Epcot and MK. No advice on which hotel to stay at. With 4 kids we just can't afford a monorail hotel! It's value or POR for us. I have always wanted to stay at the Poly though.

 

[KatieKat]

Hi Everyone,

My family and I are very excited to be planning our first trip to WDW this coming Febuary. I'm feeling very overwhelmed with all the options and various things we could do while at Walt Disney World. I have a soon to be 6 year old daughter who is absolutely in love with everything pertaining to the disney princesses so we want to make sure we plan everything around interacting with the princesses which brings me to my first question. What theme park(s) can we find the princesses at...Magic Kingdom, Epcot? Second question...My wife seems pretty set on staying at a hotel along the monorail because she wants to try and limit the amount of walking our 6 year old and 3 year old will have to do. Which hotel would you recommend we stay at keeping in mind we want to be close to wherever the Disney princesses are? Any advice is welcome and appreciated!! Thanks!

Welcome to the DIS!

You could stay at one of the monorail resorts to be close to MK, but can i suggest staying at the Beach or Yacht Club? They are a little bit cheaper than any of the monorail deluxes. Also, you can usually get a 30% off room discount for those. They have a nice zero entry pool that will be nice for your little ones. It's a short walk away from Epcot, where you can have a princess meal at Askerhus. They also have Belle, Snow White, and Jasmine somewhere around the World Showcase for autographs. You also would be just a short boat ride away from HS, where Fantasmic is a cool light/water show which has pretty much all the characters involved. They also have two different attractions/show which have Ariel and Beauty and the Beast. These were my favorites as a little girl!

Or if you don't want do spend money on a deluxe resort, maybe consider the princess rooms at Port Orleans riverside? I forget what the exact name of that room category is called.

 

[twinboysmom]

I woukd recommend spending a lot of time on these boards, easywdw.com, and getting a good guidebook (I like unofficial guide). If you want to stay on the monorail I would choose the contemporary. It is the only resort you can walk to the magic kingdom from (maybe 7-10 minutes walk). Quicker than the monorail and easier with a stroller. Also, the monorail running through the resort is really neat for the littles. Another option for princess crazed girls is the royal rooms at port Orleans. Not a monorail resort but beautiful grounds. Just throwing it out there as an option.

 

[Kimberle]

Hi Everyone,

My family and I are very excited to be planning our first trip to WDW this coming Febuary. I'm feeling very overwhelmed with all the options and various things we could do while at Walt Disney World. I have a soon to be 6 year old daughter who is absolutely in love with everything pertaining to the disney princesses so we want to make sure we plan everything around interacting with the princesses which brings me to my first question. What theme park(s) can we find the princesses at...Magic Kingdom, Epcot? Second question...My wife seems pretty set on staying at a hotel along the monorail because she wants to try and limit the amount of walking our 6 year old and 3 year old will have to do. Which hotel would you recommend we stay at keeping in mind we want to be close to wherever the Disney princesses are? Any advice is welcome and appreciated!! Thanks!

Welcome to the Dis!

I don't think staying on the monorail will necessarily limit the amount of walking your dd's will do. I would bring a good stroller, either a double or a single (and have them change). I took a stroller until my dd was 6. It's also a good place to store your extra gear.

If you'll be spending most of your time at MK, CR is a "magical" resort. It is the only resort from which you can walk to the MK. Not having to wait for a bus, etc. after the fireworks is a BIG bonus. The only drawback for little ones is the pool is not zero entry. I think they now have a splash pad for little kids. (They did not my last stay several years ago.) The rooms are very expensive, but if you've the budget, a MK view from the tower offers a wonderful view of the fireworks from your room.

A more resonable cost wise choice is the WL. They have a boat that takes you to the MK. You can push your stroller on. They also offer bunk beds for your girls. It has a small boat that goes WL/CR/FW making it very easy to access activities such as Chef Mickeys, or the FW activities. Our last stay, we had a woods view and could see the fireworks through the trees. (obstructive view). WL has a traditional kiddie pool. It's the smallest deluxe and all under one roof.

Another of my fav resorts is the Beach Club. It's a five minute walk from the "back door" of Epcot. (There is also a boat if you don't want to walk.) You'll take the bus to the MK. It's pool (stormalong bay) is like a mini water park. It has a sandy beach (on the pool) making a wonderful place for little ones to play. Epcot has Illuminations (fireworks type show) every evening. You can't see them from the BC, but it's a easy walk from Epcot to your room after. BC has a very limited food court.

Lots of amazing choices. Check out the F&Q threads of each resort to see what apeals to you the most.

 

[GAN]

The book you need is The Unofficial Guide to WDW -even if you buy one cheap on eBay/Amazon. If you can swing the cost, I really think the Poly is where you want to stay -the convenience of the monorail with your children the ages they are can't be beat. True, Beach Club/Boardwalk are beautiful, close to Epcot(where quite a few princesses can be found), the Beach Club pool is awesome ....but, if it was me I'd be at the Poly near the Magic Kingdom. While the bus system is very good, it can be a hassle at times -especially with kids who are running out of gas.