Planning our FIRST family trip!!!

[madcam]

First off......I love this board. I am learning so much about what and what not to do on our upcoming Disney World vacation. With 2 small kids I know I have to be realistic on my expectations (ie: pick and choose) on what all we will be able to see. So far we are going for 6 days and nights the last week of October/ first week of November, we are staying at the Wilderness Lodge and we are doing the dining plan. Any suggestions for someone who hasn't been to Disney since 1983 would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[disney_fan_fam]

Welcome! No advice here.


Just have fun!

 

[Sleeping~Beauty]

Hi and welcome! Do as much research as you can before you go. A lot has changed since 1983.

The top things I can think of:

1.Fastpass is your friend.

2. Make ADRs.

3. For little ones, use a stroller.

Do you have an idea about the rides in the parks? Or what dining choices there are?

 

[MARCIAKAZ]

Welcome, and YES this board is a fantastic source for information! I also suggest you go to www.allearsnet.com where you'll find lots of park and resort photos, great articles, and my favorite--menus for nearly all the restaurants.

 

[madcam]

Thanks for everyone's reply!!! Yes, I am constantly researching the rides, attractions, tips, restaurants etc. I am a total list maker and I have actually been planning this trip for about 2 years.....although not officially until just recently. I love this site and I also love allears. What a ton of great info y'all have for the Disney Clueless!!

So today I called and made my ADRs and I am happy to report that I got EVERYTHING I requested!!!! Yea!!!!

I was able to book CRT for breakfast (which I heard can be difficult) and then I was able to get both of my girls appointments at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in its new location in the castle. So we can eat breakfast and then go straight downstairs for their "day of beauty". How cool is that?!?!?!

I also was able to book breakfasts at Akershus and Playhouse Disney @ H&V. I made our dinner reservations at The Plaza, Crystal Palace, Boma and Le Cellier. I think I am going to call back and see if I can also get reservations at House of Blues for when we go to DTD. Unless y'all have better advice on where to eat. I thought these got pretty good reviews and are pretty convenient to our daily plans.

I bought my tickets for MNSSHP today as well. I got them for the night of October 30th. I know that there are good and bad reviews on this but I figure if it is just terrible we will leave. No biggie.......my 2 yr. old is a VERY loud, wild, wide-open kind of kid and we constantly have to leave places early because of her.

I do have another question......bring stroller or rent one?

 

['OhanaMama]

Bring a light umbrella stroller. Last time we used one of the Maclaren's strollers (I forget the name, but it was the cheap one) and it was fab! Light enough to fold up and carry on and off the busses easily. And it has a basket underneath for storage which is always a plus.

Have a great time!

 

[dizzy203]

With young ones just remember to take it easy and go slow. My DS had just turned 3 (he's now 13) when I took him the 1st time (and we've gone back 6 times since). I went with the attitude that.....1) I wasn't going to see everything, so I didn't try, if I didn't see it that year I'd see it another time... 2)when he was tired, I let him sleep...3) I didn't drag him on rides that would scare him...4) I didn't push him, I knew when he had had it and we took a break 5) I didn't go to the parks everyday, we would just hang around the pool and let him play some times. This made our vacation very enjoyable! I've watched some people walking around with screaming kids, which puts the parents in a bad mood and ruins the vacation. The parents think because they paid a lot for the vacation they were going to do everything but crying kids ruin it.
I brought his own stroller. It helps to have your own because you can use it in the airport (or you can check it in), in the parking lots of the parks and around the hotels. It also had more room for bags, a cooler (I bought one that folds up flat and I packed it in my suitcase) and sweatshirts.

Take it easy and enjoy every minute!