planning disney for the first time

[dimoe]

I have been reading threads on this board. I have learnt so much but have a few questions. I have decided I want to stay on site forsure. I want to do a disney character breakfast my daughter will love this !
The questions I have are what is the best time to go we thought maybe feb or april of next year? I also would like to know what resorts you reccommend? What is a fanclub card??? I read a thread that was mentioning this to contact someone but I forget who? Do you reccommend readin g the books on how to save money in disney or will this board be enough?That is all I can think of for now.
thanks Diane

 

[ceecee]

I got quite a bit of info from the books. My favorite is Birnbaums. Check out the library and to see what they have. Ours had a ton on WDW. You can get so much info from these boards as well, bt sometimes it's easier to read a book.

 

[momm2four]

I learned quite a bit from the Unofficial Guide to WDW, however this board prepared me for my first trip more than any book ever could.

Lori P.

 

[4greatboys]

Originally posted by dimoe
I have been reading threads on this board. I have learnt so much but have a few questions. I have decided I want to stay on site forsure. I want to do a disney character breakfast my daughter will love this !
The questions I have are what is the best time to go we thought maybe feb or april of next year?

Early Feb would be a good time crowd wise and money wise March and April are Peak season for spring breakers.

I also would like to know what resorts you reccommend?


As for resorts I would do little research on them--check out the resorts boards, We have stayed at serveral and really liked them all. It just depends on what your budget.

What is a fanclub card??? I read a thread that was mentioning this to contact someone but I forget who?

Fan Club card info is on the Universal board. They are cards people get from their employers--although a couple of people on the Universal board send out extras. Good for Discounts at Universal.

Do you reccommend readin g the books on how to save money in disney or will this board be enough?That is all I can think of for now.

Yes get a guidebook (or 3, lol). I read the Offical Guide and The Unoffical guide before my first trip. Now after having been several times I still enjoy the reading those books and also Passporter.
thanks Diane

I that helps you some

 

[mad4themouse]

Hi dimoe and welcome to the DISBoards!

I have to follow 4greatboys' recommendation of February...with the exception of President's Day weekend. Anytime that coincides with school breaks is going to be more crowded than usual.

As far as recommending resorts is concerned, it all depends on your tastes and expectations. There are some nice, inexpensive motels offsite that may very well meet your needs and budget. Then there are some very expensive rooms onsite that may appeal to you. If your heart is set on a Disney resort, there are value, moderate and deluxe varieties to choose from. The best strategy would be to decide on a maximum amount that you would be willing to spend on a room and then go from there.

The FAN Club card is only good at Universal Studios (Florida and Hollywood). There are great discounts on tickets, rooms and dining that go along with it. It's worth having in your wallet if you plan to spend a day or two at USF/IOA.

Although these boards are great, they are hard to take with you. I prefer The Unofficial Guide to WDW by Bob Sehlinger. I find Birnbaum's guide to be too sugar-coated and does not provide enough offsite info. I purchased the Passporter last year for my cruise and now I'm hooked on it too. You can always check out your local library for Disney guidebooks and then purchase whatever one appeals to your taste. One warning: check the publishing date before you buy. There are some guidebooks out there that are years old and very out of date with their info.

Have fun planning and stop back to ask more questions!

 

[elmosmom]

Planning a first trip can be almost as fun as actually going on the trip.
I enjoyed the Birnbaum guide and later The Unofficial Guide. Both seemed to bring Disney to life for us. I was able to learn things about the parks that I would have missed on my own. Like, I had a custom perfume made for me--"essence of susan" at a little shop at the MK. I also liked learning details about the attractions especially the rides we wanted to visit.
I collected travel brochures and we also found a nice MK book that we could look at--often. Now there is a travel video that shows the parks.
We stayed offsite twice to save money--onsite once to have the whole Disney experience---very nice.
This DIS board is wonderful, I found alot of very good information here--
Enjoying planning----

 

[DisneyBill]

Dimoe,
Again welcome to the DIS! If you haven't done so, go to www.disneyworld.com and order the vacation planning information. This will give you some additional insight, and foundation for asking questions that are important to you. Oh, check out www.mousesavers.com Just my two cents, stay onsite. Like the guy on the video says, its the whole disney experience 24/7! - Enjoy!

 

[Sheriff]

Hey dimoe,
The schools around here have breaks in Feb & April. I've been both times. Here are some pros/cons

Feb
After mid Feb Disney goes into peak season. Crowds are still low but prices are high. We have also had problems with travel weather but the weather in FL is perfect.

Apr.
We are going in April this year because we had other commitments in Feb. We arrive Apr 18 which is the week after the week after Easter. This puts it in value season and rates are reasonable. However, I expect it to be HOTT! -- maybe even into the 80s! ;-) Actually it may even get hotter.

If I can get around the cost & the travel weather I prefer Feb.

 

[Minnie's Mate]

Again, welcome dimoe! And congratulations on planning your first trip to WDW. You will surely get hooked. You can't se it all and do it all in one trip (so don't try) so you will have to return again.

We have purchased the Unofficial Guide and used these boards, mousesavers.com, and the all ears net to plan our trips for the last four years or so.

We just returned from President's Week and it was cold. I live in the metro Atlanta area and we have cooler winters than Orlando by far but not as severe as many folks in other parts of the country. But winter in Florida can seem so much colder than the same temps in Atlanta. Maybe its being constantly exposed, maybe the higher humidity, maybe the wind, or maybe just the mental image of palm trees swaying in the 38 degree wind. The week before we left it was in the 70's and the week after we returned it was in the 70's, so from late January 'til mid-March the weather is just unpredictable. We usually go at Christmas and it can be cold then, but winter usually doesn't hit 'til January.

April can be quite warm and humid, but you will at least be able to enjoy your resort's pool. We usually go in April, too. My wife is a teacher so we hit all the school breaks.

We have stayed at the Polynesian (didn't like it), Yatch Club (great location, nice and understated, but huge if your room isn't near the elevators), Caribbean Beach Resort (nice, beautiful landscaping, spreadout, but we prefer the deluxe's) Swan, Dolphin-3 stays (great location for both and love the heavenly beds) The Swan is our second favorite WDW resort with 2 stays under our belts but our all time favorite is the Animal Kingdom Lodge! We love the architecture, the decor, the pool, the animals, the restaurants, the staff, the buses, even the smells (aroma of burning campfires). We will be staying there for our 4th time in June for our younger son's 4th birthday. We haven't stayed at the Wilderness Lodge but plan to. It looks like it would be a great resort.

Hope you have as much fun planning your first trip as we have planning all of ours and I know you will have a great time when you get there, check into your room, take a deep breath and say, "We're at Walt Disney World!".

 

[DemoBri1]

Hi Dimoe,

Congratulations on planning your first Disney trip!!! First things first...I would suggest getting a good Guide Book. I highly recommend the Passporter Guide to WDW 2004. It not only gives opinions on just about every resort and attraction from two confessed Disneyholics, but it also gives a child's rating on many of the attractions as well.

As far as a character breakfast goes I would highly recommend either Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary or Goofy's breakfast over at Cape May Cafe in the Beach Club resort.

As far as your resort goes, this will be more or less up to you as to how much you're willing to shell out, and where you envision spending your most time in the parks. If money is no object and the MK will be your main park, then certainly any of the monorail resorts, GF, CR, or Polynesian would suffice. I'd probably go Poly or CR, just for the fact that its a bit less expensive than GF. If you want to be centered in WDW then the Epcot Resort Area, which encompasses the BC, YC, and BWI is the place you want to be. You're in walking distance to both Epcot and MGM, and you can also take a short boat ride to both parks as well.

If you want to spend a little less on your room, then I'd suggest either of the Port Orleans resorts or Coronado Springs. For Value Resorts, Pop Century has to be the pick, since it's the newest.

Whatever you decide ENJOY!!

Brian

 

[emsmom]

familyfun.com has some great FREE information. the magazine is owned by disney. have fun planning!

 

[emsmom]

there is a disney princess breakfast at Norway in Epcot that your daughter would enjoy. i understand the kids can decorate their own princess crown out side in the waiting area for a fee ($25ish). my daughter and i are going to have a girls only day and do this. be sure to make reservations.