Planning First Trip to Disney and I'm freaking out!!!

[Crafty Princess]

Ok I am CLUELESS on where to start and need some help!! It's our first trip to Disney and I have some questions! We have a $3000 budget but can go over if we need to. We are going in Summer 2011 for 1 week so next summer break when the kids are out of school. I wanted to go when it was the cheapest but I dont think we will be able to because my step son goes to a different school so we won't know if their winter, fall and spring breaks will be the same time.

*What are some things I need to know that are important
*What tickets are best? We will just do 1 place per day I think.
*What is disney dining plan all about? Should I do it?
*Where is the best place to stay in my price range? I would like to stay as close as possible.
*What are some must see events? I have 2 little girls (who will be 5 and almost 7 then) who LOVE the princesses and toy story. My step son will be 12 then so he doesnt really care about the characters. He thinks he's too big!! So what is some things they would like?
*We want to see the parade for sure (that I know lol)

I just need to know everything so if this is too much to ask please just point me to a good place to read about it. I tried using the search button but got overwhelmed! I'm just really scared and have no idea where to start.

Thanks so much!!

 

[eliza61]

Hey Crafty,
Actually you've started planning by coming on these boards. Some of my tips.

1) take every thing here with a grain of salt. As many people you find who say they love le Cellier, you will find just as many who think it's hugely overrated.
2) I would start by narrowing down a travel date. Once you get a few dates available you can lock down price ranges.
3) while you're doing that, look up resorts. See which ones appeal to you. Resorts are divided up into sections values (least expensive) moderates, deluxes (most expensive). You have to determine which features are really important to you and which you could live without. For example, I have 2 boys and a very tall husband. all 3 are over 6 ft tall. teh value resorts don't work for us, even with the value price. We would commit homicide if all of us had to stay in those tiny rooms for 7 days but for some people a room is just some place to lay their head, a deluxe would be a waste of money for them.
4) look at allearsnet and mousesavers.com. I love allears.net because the owner Deb, has great pictures of the resorts and they have a rate and review section where you can read travellers feedback.

Mousesavers generally will list all the deals going on around disney.

Once you get that down you can start zooming in on particulars. DDP vs. out of pocket. We have a ddp forum, look at the top of that and you will get a pretty good explanation of the DDP. Crunch the numbers for yourself to see if it works for you (we tried it once and didn't like it for various reasons).

Last but not least. buy a good guide book. let your kids pick a ride that they really want to do.
Now this is probably my only piece of disappointing advice: Don't think you WILL BE ABLE TO "DO Every thing". Disney is huge, trying to run from top to bottom in some vain attempt to get it all in will only lead to frustration, tiredness and crankiness.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

OK calm down for sure- you are in the right place!!!

You can ask any question you need to know here on the Dis- but there are different boards for different questions. Tips on saving money will be best answered here.

You need to start with some basic info. I would try mousesavers.com and allears.net to just hunker down and read and look at resort pictures.

Some good guide books include The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disneyworld and the Passporter.

Good luck it will be great!

 

[hanutedmansionmomma]

Ok I am CLUELESS on where to start and need some help!! It's our first trip to Disney and I have some questions! We have a $3000 budget but can go over if we need to. We are going in Summer 2011 for 1 week so next summer break when the kids are out of school. I wanted to go when it was the cheapest but I dont think we will be able to because my step son goes to a different school so we won't know if their winter, fall and spring breaks will be the same time.

*What are some things I need to know that are important
you won't see everything in one trip - don't try! and...they have stores in Florida too, don't stress too much about packing - I see a lot of threads about that and always chuckle
*What tickets are best? We will just do 1 place per day I think.
don't bother with park hoppers if it's your first time. you can't possibly see everything anyway, stay in one park per day - we choose the one that has evening extra magic hours so we can go back in the pm. this will save you $50 a tix
*What is disney dining plan all about? Should I do it?
we are eaters and have gone during holiday pricing and enjoy table service, so we love the plan. If you intend to make reservations at table service once/day and your family eats, it may be worth it. It's convenient, no stress, and attached to your key to the world card (gets you into the parks too). No digging out extra credit cards, no conversations about what the kids should/shouldn't order because of price.
*Where is the best place to stay in my price range? I would like to stay as close as possible.
close to what? there are resorts close to each park...good advice to get a book and look at maps, get on mousesavers and allears sites too. Coronado Springs has 2 queens beds and is in the moderate category, so we like that. Values are further away from parks, but don't forget there's a transportation system (bus) to take you anywhere!
*What are some must see events? I have 2 little girls (who will be 5 and almost 7 then) who LOVE the princesses and toy story. My step son will be 12 then so he doesnt really care about the characters. He thinks he's too big!! So what is some things they would like?
We like to go to Magic Kingdom first. Must see the castle on the first day you're there! It's funny, characters are not the biggest thing in wdw. They come out at scheduled times and you stand in line to see them. My DS12 never complained about any of that when we were there. He stood in line with me for a picture with Pooh! He will love it - so magical! Find a table service meal with characters (princesses) for the girls.
*We want to see the parade for sure (that I know lol)
there are parades all of the time in each park! pick up an info sheet as you enter the park, it will tell you about the day's events
I just need to know everything so if this is too much to ask please just point me to a good place to read about it. I tried using the search button but got overwhelmed! I'm just really scared and have no idea where to start.

Thanks so much!!

Have fun researching on the boards! I had fun answering your questions I'm sure you will hear lots of different opinions, but most important is to relax and enjoy! You will have a great time!!

 

[Crafty Princess]

Thank you so much!! This helps so far. I have a question about the disney gift cards. I didnt know where to post all of this so sorry if its in the wrong spot! lol but it says that you can use them at participating or various locations throughout disney world so how do I know if I will be able to use them how I want to. I want to use them for tickets, food and lodging. I thought this would be a great way of saving throught the year instead of trying to save cash only to end up spending it on something else!

 

[Cjmuma]

Get a Parkhopper ticket - they are priceless, don't plan every second - take time to enjoy your trip. Make sure you get to the Extra magic hours in the evening - they are usually not as crowded. Ask lots of questions and we will answer ya - you will probably get more info than you ever wanted!

 

[Cjmuma]

you are absolutely right about the disney gift cards. They are able to be used on anything, and it is the easiest way to save for a trip

 

[Disneycrazymom]

The gift cards are good at all the counter service and sit down restaurants. You can use them to pay off your room and tickets also. But don't put too much on them as they are only good at Disney and Disney stores and if you end up with money left over you cannot get it refunded. One way some of us use to save is a separate vacation savings account. That way the money is there but it is harder to use for other things. If you buy gift cards and your trip must be canceled you would still have the gift cards and not have access to that money for an emergency.

Summer discounts are usually announced between Nov and Feb. Watch here and mousesavers for the codes. This summer I got 25% off a value room. They don't always offer discounts but the last 2 summers there has been something.

You can go to the official web site and order a Planning DVD. It is fun to watch and free and also gives Disney your information. Sometimes people get special pin codes for good discounts when they have that info! Not always but its free to sign up for the DVD.

How many are in your family? Will you fly or drive? how long a trip will you do? Tickets are less per day the longer you pay for. If you are only planning on Disney (not Universal or Seaworld) you will get a better deal on your tickets after about day 4.

The Dis is a great place to learn all the ends and outs. I also like a guide book and has used Tour Guide Mike.

 

[Crafty Princess]

We are going for 7 days but we are driving because Im too scared to fly. Its a 12 hour drive. I want to get tickets for all 7 days because it was only like $3 more per ticket so why not!

 

[torinsmom]

They will probably have Open Enrollment for the Youth Education Series program next June and July. If so, you can sign the kids up to go to a fun class for a few hours and save about 1/2 off your park tickets.

Here is a link to the thread. It is long, but you don't have to read it all. We used this program and 7 day parkhoppers for DS and I were $167 each.

Since its your first time, you would probably want to stay onsite, but that will require staying at a moderate resort or a family suite at AS Music, since you have 5 people in the room. Two of your kids are young enough to be Disney kids, so the dining plan might be worth it if you plan on doing table service meals. Your youngest two will definitely enjoy a few character meals, and you might be surprised at your 12 yo. I have pics of my son with the characters at Chef Mickey's when he was 12 and he looks so happy, LOL. Of course, you could skip the DDP and just do some character meals and pay out of pocket.

Since you have a car, you could also easily stay in a townhouse or house offsite. It would be cheaper overall, but you would have to drive to the parks. I prefer offsite, but many people don't like having to drive. It's a personal decision. I like having more space, ability to do laundry and all that.

Marsha

 

[benolathe]

There is so much info to absorb. I highly recommend getting the Unofficial Guide to WDW to help plan your trip. It has lots and lots of great info.

Also, just a couple of things that I thought of reading through your list. All school districts should have their schedules set for next school year by now. If the school district has a website, you should be able to find the school year calendar there. Our district has a link to a nice PDF for printing on one sheet of paper.

Also when researching hotels, be aware that you may need two rooms or a suite for the 5 of you. I believe that the majority of hotel rooms on Disney property only accomodate 4 people.

 

[southern_redhead]

Hi! I am new to the boards and planning a first time trip as well. I just wanted to let you know that I am also planning with a stepson and I can relate to trying to work around multiple schedules (he is in our school system so he has the same calendar but he is in high school and plays football so they practice ALL SUMMER LONG...they only get so many days they can miss so we'll have to see how this works out.)

We are also looking at lodging. I want to stay on site. We have six people so that is a min of two rooms at most of their hotels. Or we could do the Family Suite at All-Star Music. Still kicking these around. As for a 12 year old being "too old", I think he will be suprised. My SS will be 15 and he may truly feel too old to allow himself to enjoy "the magic", my oldest DS will be 12 and I think he will be wow-ed. He may not admit it in front of his older brother but I fully expect his socks to be knocked off!

Good luck. I've spent a lot of time just lurking and I've picked up a ton of advice I would have never thought to ask for. My #1 recommendation if you are thinking of doing the DDP or DxDDP is to go over to the trip report board and lurk. I love reading other peoples reviews of the eating places and most have pictures so you can get a feel of what it is like. Not to mention it's just fun to read. We haven't told our kids yet and don't plan to until we leave, my youngest DS has no concept of time and almost a full year of "are we going to Disney yet?" would probably sent me to the looney bin!

 

[tinksgilrs251520]

if you have a party of five look at all star music they have the family suite that will work for you too

 

[SunnieRN]

Our first WDW trip was a spur of the moment trip, with NO pre planning. We used to live in CA and had been to disneyland umpteen times, thought it wouldn't be that different. Well, we survived, and flourished actually. That was in 2008 and we loved it so much, we began our DVC journey.

You have gotten tons of great advice already!! As far as lodging, if onsite, I would plan on a family suite at all star music, 2 bathrooms and a sep. bedroom for you and your DH, or a single room at Port Orleans Riverside, with a trundle bed.

I think PO would actually be cheaper, despite the fact that it is a moderate. They both have a small frig, but, the family suite has like a very small efficiency kitchette area. It also has the 2 bathrooms and more room!

If you decide to get an off site lodging, which can be VERY cheap, than buy 1 annual pass for 1 adult, in place of the 7 day ticket as it will allow you to park for free at the parks and give you discounts on some food and merchandise!

The first time you visit is a little overwhelming, to say the least. I wouldn't worry about park hoppers, Disney Quest or water parks as there will be SO much you want to see and do at each park.

If you go in the summer and are not used to the humidity, it can be physically draining. Make sure to get to the parks EARLY, getting as much as possible done prior to the hot afternoon hours. Collect fast passes for use later in the day when it is crowded. It is really refreashing to take a break in the afternoon to swim and relax a bit, heading back later in the evening.

Talk to each member of the family and let them pick 1 to 2 attractions that are must see for each park. This way even though you may not accomplish everything, you will all have a chance to do your do not miss choices!!

As far as food is concerned, if you are on site, it is a money saver to get the dining plan (in most circumstances). My grandsons are 2 and 4, *yes my younger grandsons first trip was at under a year old, driving from TX). We find that the Quick Service dining plan is best for us and then we usually add it one to three out of pocket meals during our stay. The only issue may be the childrens meals as they tend to be small and not a lot of choices. Usually my grandsons share with the adults and we end up trading in their meal credits on the last day for three snack credits for each meal credit (which is actually a stupendous value with childrens meal credits). You can do this at the resort CS location.

If you stay off site, that afternoon break can be used to also eat outside the parks at a huge financial savings over disney table service locations!

Either way, I wish you a fantastic vacation, full of wonderful adventures and memories!!