planning forum?

[lmbcdb]

Is there a planning forum? One where I can get ideas for packing, planning which parks to go to, just getting ready for the trip in general?
Thanks!

 

[lovetoscrap]

Welcome to the DIS!

We have quite a bit of information here and it can seem overwhelming. The forums at the top of our main page are all our Trip Planning Forums. You will want to just look around and read threads and do some searches to find what you need.

I suggest you check out our Disney Tips board, the Theme Parks Attractions and Stratagies, and the Disney Dining board for some great planning help. And feel free to ask questions! That is what we are here for.

 

[Metro West]

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Also poke through the parent website (links at top of page) for all sorts of great info.

The basics are this:
Overall budget you have in mind.
How will you get there? plane, train, auto, bus
Which resort, onsite or offsite?
How long you want to stay - and how that changes budget.
Park tickets - you probaly only need the basic version for your first time
Getting a schedule of park hours
knowing when you plan to go - and how that changes budget and crowd levels (any time kids are out fo school is going to basically cost more and be more crowded, usually dramatic difference)
weather averages for when you want to go - summer is hot, winter/early spring is cool/cold/warm, summer/fall are rainy/hurrincaney/thunderstormy.
Where you want to eat - both in general sense of Quick serve vs. table serve and amore specific list of places you'd like to try out - IF you want any table serve places, you'll pretty much need reservations in advance.

Know in advance WDW is a big place with lots of choices. You probably won't be able to ride every attraction and see every show because there is so much going on all day and night. but being inthe heart of teh fun is part ofthe fun!
Tweaking your dates by a few days can often give substantial savings.

Another sight which gives organized answers to many of your overall questions is allearsnet.com.

My other universal advice is: try to get in shape by walking before you go, amke sure each person has at lesat two pairs of good walking shoes- and perferably at least one pair of shoes that can get wet for the water rides and rainy days(Flip flops or Crocs) They can also be very useful at teh pools. My preference is one pair of sneakers (socks) and one pair of high quality walking sandals (no socks). Your feet/legs are your most important asset at WDW! (after your wallet, that is! )

 

[lmbcdb]

Thanks everyone for the welcome and the ideas. We already know when we are going - the first week of January. I told my husband there was no way we were going to spend all this money to stand in line a lot - something I hate! So, we are taking the kids out of school and going when it's not busy!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Even if you go in January, you'll still find yourself standing in a lot of lines - they just won't be especially long. And even when we've gone over Easter vacation, we've mostly been able to avoid the longest lines. (though we are pretty experienced in how to do this, and are willing to skip some attractions altogther)
Be prepared there are lines for: food, the bathroom, attractions, getting in tothe parks, getting help with tickets, checking-in, etc....The line may only be two people long, but there will be lines!

The other downsides of January are cool to cold weather, lots of rides in rehab, and you really will probably miss out onthe water rides. Splash being one of the better rides in MK. So there are real downsides to going in January. Even if teh weather is fairly nice for you, it will proablay still be quite cold at night - meaning you'll want long pants at night and jackets, so you may well NEED to make a trip to your room to change each day. (I've been many times in FEb and now repfer warmer months, as you don't have to do this). Also, WDW is meant to be a largely outdoor activity. one ride, Test Track, involves a good portion of the ride being high speed outdoors. You CAN ride it in 40 degree weather, but you may not really want to if you've been outdoors most fo the day. Also, park hours are limited in January. When crowds are higher, Disney adds park hours, character greets, small activities - so that somewhat equalizes things a bit.

I'm not saying there aren't real pluses to going in January, I'm just letting you know the real trade-offs. The prices in January are about the lowest they are all year, but there are reasons why they are low then.

If you go very close to New Years (Not positive what you mean by first week of Jan - the first of the month, or the first full week)- you won't get lower prices (holiday pricing is the highest of all), but you will get the holiday decor. Teh crowds will diminsh quickly the further from New Years you get, but so will the spectacular holiday decor.

I'd also say during that time of year, the convenience of the deluxe resorts is a substantial bonus. Take a look at AKL, for example - the main pool is sheltered from wind by the main building. A few steps fromthe pool and you can be indoors; a few steps more and you are in your room. If the weather is cool for swimmig - being that close to the main building makes swimming much more feasible. Compared with the larger mods - where the pool is not near any buildings (no wind shelter) and may well be a fifteen minute walk to your room - all while walking next to a lake - where it is bound to be cool.

Many of teh deluxe resorts are also close to the parks - so if you need to change into jeans at night, or get a break from the cold - taking a trip back to your room is easy and fast. Particularly convenient are the Epcot deluxes (BC, BWK, YC) and the monorail resorts (CR, GF, Poly) WL is also not too bad from MK. AKL is very compact and close to AK, but not especially close to anythign else. You'll also appreciate the indoor corridors when the weather is cool. Moderate and Value rooms have outdoor corridoors. (Those are great in the spring months, almost my preference.)

Generally, I'm all for the value resorts and mods, but the assets of teh dluxes go beyond teh theming at those times of year - something that is difficult to appreciate if you haven't been to WDW before.

 

[Disn3y]

Welcome to the DIS!