Planning First Trip-need advice

[Golfing Goofy]

Thanks for the websites! There is so much more to know about WDW than I ever thought.

I am so looking forward to this vacation, especially since we are currently being slammed with a winter storm....I think I will be doing some serious Disney research today much better than shoveling snow!

Thanks for all your great advice!

 

[GrammyJudy]

I would not spend the money for a monorail hotel as they are not the favs with preteens. Buy the Unofficial Guide to WDW( i bought mine from Amazon for under $20 and got it in in 2 days)I would suggest one of the values or CBR for the new pool. Park hopping takes up 2 hours but is worth it on some days. We have always done it but on our last trip the time wasted really bothered me but it is a sit down break on the bus. It just is such a long walk from the bus to the attractions. Do make dinner res. ahead or you will be eating just counter food.

 

[Golfing Goofy]

I just ordered the book. Thanks for that suggestion and all the other ones too!

Now I am off to the restaurants boards to start making the food plans. I can't believe all the places to eat! I am going to gain a ton of weight because I just LOVE to eat, especially when I don't have to clean up after the cooking

 

[JulieNMM]

Hi all. I've finally decided that this is the year to go to WDW. We are DL regulars and to be honest, WDW just scares me. Too many choices.

It will be me, DH, DS(11) and DS(9). I have a few questions, so maybe some of you experts could give me a bit of advice, please...

1. For the first time trip, is it better to stay at a hotel that is on the monorail line? Does the monorail go to all of the parks? It does not go to all the parks. I would stay somewhere central.

2. Is there a hotel that is the most "Disney"? They are all themed differently.

3. Can you even see the MK from the BWI? Nope, but I think you can see Epcot and MGM.

4. Is it a pain to go back to the hotel or to park hop? Do you generally just stay at one park each day? I think it's a pain to park hop. You could 2 parks a day if you went early to one, then back to the hotel to swim and rest, then spend the evening at another park.

I feel like I need to decide on the hotel first and then I can do the rest of the planning. Thank you so much for your help.

Hi, we live in Calif (San Jose) and go to DL a lot. We went to WDW in April 06 for the first time and are going back in June 08. We learned A LOT from that first trip and are learning from our mistakes!!! Here's what we are doing this time:

1. Renting 2 cars. We will be 8 people but the main reason is because last time we went (one car and it was me, DH, DS 6 and DD4) DH wanted to sleep in and then go to the parks and the kids and I wanted to go early to the parks then come back to the hotel to swim. We spent most of the trip at the hotel because by the time we got to the parks around 11, then ate lunch, the kids were hot and wanted to go back to the hotel to swim. Our hotel was in Downtown Disney because it was booked by DH's work (we went for a convention).

It took forever and a day to get anywhere and this was by rental car! WDW is HUGE! I would not take the Disney busses if my life depended on it! I get overheated and the waiting and crowdedness would kill me.

This trip we are doing a split stay: 3 days at the Contemporary on the monorail and 4 days at the Boardwalk Villas. This way we will be super close to the parks (walking distance to most). We are going in June and it will be heck of HOT, HUMID, and CROWDED so we want to be able to get back to the hotel to the pool ASAP instead of waiting an hour or more.

We ate at Chef Mickey's last time and my DS (who was 6 and is now 8) absolutely loved the Contemporary because the monorail runs through it and because it had a cool toy shop (kids!). Your kids will love the swimming area at the Epcot resorts.

Differences between DL and WDW: The humidity! I'm not used to it and it kills me.

The size. WDW is the size of Manhatten (or something like that) and it can take an hour to get from one side to another in a rental car. Imagine how long it will take on a bus? The Unofficial Guide has a chart in it about how long it takes to get from one place to another both by bus and by car.

The resorts. The WDW resorts are something to see in themselves. They have cool restaurants and theming so you might want to spend some time checking them out.

The dining. There is a dining plan at WDW. Regardless of if you book it, you still need to make advanced dining reservations for most restaurants. And the sooner the better. You can do it 180 days in advance.

Well that's all I have to say for now.

JULIE

 

[Golfing Goofy]

Hi Julie! I just started planning this on a whim yesterday (maybe the nonstop snow since Saturday had something to do with it ) and one thing I learned really quickly is that this place is going to be totally different than DL. It is nice to hear your perspective.

I am about 90% sure that we will stay at one of the boardwalk hotels, just not sure which one. (I think I should let the family in on at least one decision.) I like the idea of being more in the middle.

Was it humid in April too?

When you drove to the parks, how was parking? I guess I worry about getting to an early breakfast since I have a bunch of early, early risers. We always try to get the first seating for breakfast at DL, of course, it is all of 10minutes to walk from the hotel to anywhere - so that makes it easy.

 

[Disney Fool]

Not humid in April at all. You'll love the Boardwalk area. by the way, California Adventure is a lot like Disney Studios, it also has Tower of Terror (WDW is better!) and a hollywood feel to it. Epcot? Nope, nothing in Calif. compares to Epcot. Oh, and the pool in December? the WDW pools are heated. you just need to worry about running from the pool!!!! (and the locals will think you're nuts, but Disney fanatics won't. Have a ball.

 

[Golfing Goofy]

Thanks DisneyFool, I am so looking forward to ToT. I have heard that it is sooo much better at WDW. I love that ride. Also, I think going the first week of December will be so neat with all of the decorations. I hate to take the kids out of school, but that is the best time for DH to get time off.


Does anyone know if they always do the MVMCP on the same days (2007 was Tues, Thurs, Fri & Sun). Are the early Magic Hours always the same too?

 

[skipperkim]

Thanks DisneyFool, I am so looking forward to ToT. I have heard that it is sooo much better at WDW. I love that ride. Also, I think going the first week of December will be so neat with all of the decorations. I hate to take the kids out of school, but that is the best time for DH to get time off.


Does anyone know if they always do the MVMCP on the same days (2007 was Tues, Thurs, Fri & Sun). Are the early Magic Hours always the same too?

The tickets and schedule for MVCMP should be out in May sometime, but I'd count on them being about the same days. Make your ressies for your hotel ASAP. You can make ressies for your meals 180 days out and do so. If you like steak try Le Cellier. If you don't get a dinner time, try for lunch.

The kids will love the Christmas lights at DHS. Also, there is a sleigh ride at WL for $35 which I believe will also tour FW where you can see how camper decorate their places for Christmas. From what I understand is pretty elaborate. Maybe combine that with a dinner at Whispering Canyon. The kids will love it.

By all means don't go in the woods or water for golf balls.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Sorry I took so long. The MVMCP dates are announced on the wdw site. Look under seasonal things. Once the dates are up you can book the tickets. I had to do this over the phone with a cc and they sent plastic cc type tickets in the mail. But dont loose them I hear it is a pain to get them replaced. Have Fun!!

 

[JulieNMM]

Hi Julie! I just started planning this on a whim yesterday (maybe the nonstop snow since Saturday had something to do with it ) and one thing I learned really quickly is that this place is going to be totally different than DL. It is nice to hear your perspective.

I am about 90% sure that we will stay at one of the boardwalk hotels, just not sure which one. (I think I should let the family in on at least one decision.) I like the idea of being more in the middle.

Was it humid in April too?

When you drove to the parks, how was parking? I guess I worry about getting to an early breakfast since I have a bunch of early, early risers. We always try to get the first seating for breakfast at DL, of course, it is all of 10minutes to walk from the hotel to anywhere - so that makes it easy.

When we went in April 2006, they (the proverbial THEY!) assured me it would be crowded because of Spring Break, but the weather would be beautiful. Well, it was crowded, but they had a heat wave and with that heat wave came 100% humidity. We died. We would wake up and shower and be fresh, then go outside and before we could walk 10 ft, we were sopping wet with sweat. And it doesn't end at night, either. You know how in California even if it's 110 degrees during the day it still cools down at night and you always need a sweater? Well not in Florida!! We would go out at 10pm at night and expect it to be cooler but no. Still miserable. Can you tell I don't do well in the humidity?

[So why are we planning our trip for June????? Because we have 5 kids who will be going and we can't take them all out of school for 10 days.]

As for parking, we booked our park tickets through AAA and got a special AAA diamond pass. For the MK, once you park, you have to walk to a tram, then the tram takes you to the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC) then you take either a monorail or boat to the MK. But first you have to walk from the monorail/boat up a hill to get to the entrance. It seemed to take FOREVER to get inside MK. (Thus the reason for us staying at the Contemporary -- you can walk from there or ride the monorail.)

We had a breakfast reservation at Animal Kingdom before the park opened and that was great!!! They let us into the park and we had the whole place to ourselves as we wandered over to the restaurant. I would definitely recommend doing that (in any park) especially if you are early risers.

I've heard that going in December before the 20th is a great time to go because the crowds are tiny. You'll have a great time!

JULIE

 

[Pakey]

A couple of answers to some of your questions from a couple of posts ago.

The pools at WDW are heated. We always go in Dec or Jan and except for one trip, there has been at least one day each trip that was spent swimming or going to waterparks. The nice thing about staying at Beach Club/Yacht Club is that the pool is almost like a waterpark in itself. Your boys would love that pool. And Beaches and Cream.

When we stay at Beach Club, we rarely have to ride a bus anywhere so we have not needed a rental car, IMO. We walk to 2 of the 4 parks and we can take the monorail to MK. That only leaves AK that requires a bus ride. Sure, we enjoy walking more than the average person probably but I think the transportation from the Epcot resorts is central enough without renting a car. I'm sure others would disagree.

Regarding the golfing. My DH golfs there every trip. Yes, he has seen more than one alligator. I do believe that they groundskeepers do a sweep in the morning (just like they do of the waters) but that doesn't guarantee that they get them all. Trust me, I asked this very question before I went parasailing there two trips ago. You weren't getting me anywhere near water if I was going to be gator-lunch. Also, if you do have golf reservations, the cab rides to and from the golf courses is complimentary. Just check in with bell services and they will call a cab for you and give you a voucher so that you don't have to pay.

The golf courses there are very nice and hopefully you'll get a chance to try them out. It's the only way I can get DH to go to WDW so often.

I hope you have a great time.

 

[angelmav]

I know this was touched on before, but I wouldnt recommend park hopping for your first visit. There is SOOO much to see and do at each park that youll just be eating up time to do it. I would recommend taking a park break back at your resort though! Also, you might want to consider signing up for Tour Guide Mike, you learn an awful lot on that site and youll be able to put together a plan on how you want to tackle each park. Have a great time!

 

[clareita]

I don't think that anyone has pointed out an advantage of the Polynesian. You can use the hotel monorail stop and/or you can walk to the TTC, which has the Epcot monorail line. If you take the short walk to the TTC, it may be quicker to get to Epcot from the Poly than from the Epcot hotels.

 

[Golfing Goofy]

Wow! Thanks for all of these great ideas! This is really helping me make my plans. I couldn't have done this without you!

Pakey: I am so using that same "method" to get my DH to WDW. He will be basically golfing everyday, except arrival and departure day. He insists that we all golf with him at least one day, but I don't think golf can even tear me away from Mickey Actually, we will golf at least two times with him. I just hate to lug all those clubs with us. Such a pain.

angelmav: I will look into that. I ordered the unofficial guide and I am reading everything I can find on Dis, Allears, Mousesavers.

clareita: My husband is going to have a meeting at the Boardwalk during part of our vacation and since his meeting starts at 7:00am everyday, we figured it would be best to stay at one of the Boardwalk Resorts. I have been toying with making it a split stay, where we would spend only the meeting days at the boardwalk, but I think that I am just want to make it an easy vacation, with no packing/repacking and stay at one spot.

Thanks again everyone! I'll keep you posted with our plans.

 

[Pakey]

I also forgot to mention that you can rent clubs there for those of you who are only planning to golf one time. DH would never dream of renting clubs but it is an option. Also, make sure to check those clubs with bell services and not lug them back and forth to your room because depending on where you stay, it's a long walk. Since you will be going to bell services to get your cabs, you might as well pick up your clubs at the same time. I also believe that if you are golfing at Magnolia and Palms back to back, you can leave your clubs with the clubhouse there; it would save you at least hauling them one time in the cab.

 

[Golfing Goofy]

Pakey: yeah, my dh is the same regarding rented clubs...If I would allow it, they would be in our bedroom with us I like my clubs, but since I will only golf two times I might consider renting...it sure would make it easier.

Also, I will look at leaving the clubs at the courses. That would be really handy, since I want him to do a character breakfast with us one morning at the GF or MK. I figured he would take the clubs with him and find a locker? but, if he plays there the day before, then he can just leave them there.

Thanks for the information. If you think of any other suggestions, let me know. I gotta make this a great vacation for him so that he will want to return. I really appreciate it.

 

[TwingleMum]

Golfing Goofy~ We are WDW vets and just returned this year from our 1st trip to Mecca(Disneyland) we loved it. May I offer some suggestions?? I didn't see your length of stay but around 7 days is good. We always park hop ~ one park in the morning , back to resort for swim and to relax and different park in the evening. Staying on property is a must for such an imoprtant trip IMHO. You get EMH (1 hr extra in morning or 3 hrs later in the evening) only available to WDW resort guests. Great perk.

I would make this suggestion Grand Californian and Wilderness Lodge are similar so I'd skip it this time. Of the monorail resorts I'd recommend the POLY consistantly a huge favorite here esp their concierge. But my first suggestion would be the Beach Club. The pool is unbelievable. Its hard to get my kids to leave it and go to the parks sometimes. From the Beach Club its a 5 minute walk to EPCOT via the Worldshowcase side. We often walk to the WS in the evening to grab dessert at different countries and walk around. DHS (formerly MGM) is a short 5 min boat ride from the BC, you can also take the boat to EPCOT or the Boardwalk area if you want. The buses are only for BC,BCV or YC so all the other parks are highly accessible and have never been a problem. Also Beach Club is part of Disney Vacation Club you could rent a villa from a member not using it. But be warned it willspoil you a full kitchen, separate bedroom, 2 bathrooms (one w/ a huge jacuzzi tub and a shower like a car wash) We rent a 1 bedroom which can have 5 people in it. Oh and did I mention a full size washer and dryer right in your villa. Helps cut down on packing (more room for souvenirs ) There is a DVC rental board here just check it out ~ it may be cheaper than a traditional resort room.

If possible for something really different I'd stay at 2 resorts. 3 or 4 nights at each. The other resort to consider is Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is one of the most truly unique hotels around. We woke up to Giraffes outside our balcony everymoring and zebra and wildebeast. Incredible. The lodge is stunning and you can go to the firepit every night and listen to African stories told by cast members who live in Africa. Also a guide is available with nightvision googles to teach you about all the different animals at the lodge. We honeymooned for 6 weeks in Africa so this hotel is a sentimental favorite. And its like getting 2 vacations in one. Ofter what we do is pick a MK resort and an EpCOT resort to hop between. Disney will move you luggage so its super easy.

Have fun planning and let us know your decisions.