Please Give My Your First-Timer Must-Do's!

[GriswoldDisneyMom]

Hello all! As a first timer headed to DW in May with a big family group (two retired parents, three sisters (38, 35, and 27), one husband, two 17 year olds and two 10 year olds) what are some of your suggestions? Anything we should definitely skip or not miss? We'll be there 5 nights and 6 days, staying on property at Pop Century.

We are wondering about Character dining and meeting an animator. My daughter, the talented aspiring animator, is very interested in that. Oh, and if anyone knows how someone who is blind in one eye can still view the 3D productions, like where we can get some single-eye 3D glasses, that would be most helpful!!

Thanks!

 

[hayanyujah847]

Huge group!!! That will be fun~
Well, in Hollywood Studios, I would suggest going to Toy Story Mania first.... Fastpasses go for that first and the wait time can be 90 minutes or 2 hours. On my trip a couple of weeks ago I was talking to a lady who was sad because they missed out on it. And she has no idea what they are missing! It's a great ride! For the ages you are going with, Tower of Terror & Rock N Rollercoaster are also amazingly fun at DHS. Lunch time! More on this in a minute.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

You need to call to make advance reservations for dining with an imagineer, that is the closest you will get to dining with an animator (if you are lucky) and the packages fill up fast.

Charecter dining also can fill up fast depending on the venue. Our favorites are Crystal Palace for breakfast or dinner with Pooh and his friends in MK, Chef Mickeys for breakfast with Mickey and the gang, and Askerhus for breakfast with the princesses in Epcot. You can make dining reservations 180 days in advance. You can check out menus and prices on Allearsnet.com or here on the dis homepage at wdwinfo.com

With a group that age the must do's would be the main attractions in each park for thrills and many many more smaller attractions. A very very short list would consist of.
MK: The 3 Mountains plus classics like Small World, Pirates and Haunted Mansion
Epcot: Soarin, Test Track, Mission Space and exploring World Showcase taking in some live entertainment like the acrobats in China or Off Kilter in Canada
DHS: Toy Story Mania, Rock N Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror are the big draws. for the teenager if you are there after mid may Star Tours 2.0 will be open and thats a big draw for boys (you didn't list which the teens were).
AK: Expedtion Everest and Kilomanjaro Safari are the biggies and IMO the best show on property is found here at Festival of the Lion King

Also if you are going in May depending on the time Star Wars weekends may be taking place at DHS (late May), they bring in tons of crowds but special things like a parade, stars from the movies and charecters. If you are not big star wars fans its not worth fighting the crowds but if you have any fans with you it would be a big hit.


At DHS you daughter will wnat to go to the animation studio and do the class for drawing a charecter (I can't think of the proper name), it is popular but usually not a long wait and she would probably love it.

 

[Sunday]

I love first timers, because we were all there once.

#1 rule: Enjoy every moment. Take your time when you walk from place to place. Enjoy the details, listen to the music and how it changes as you walk from land to land, or in the resort.

#2: Schedule downtime. Always make time to browse the shops, to actually sit and eat a cinnamon bun, to watch a show, or to go for a hot tub.

#3: With a large group, don't believe that everyone is going to want to do everything the same, at the same time. Mentally, divide the group into their needs and personalities. If you have two who are morning people, and the rest who are not, prepare to meet up with them at the chosen park later. If most are thrill seekers, but you don't care for coasters, agree to meet up at a spot later, so that you can enjoy the abundant entertainment around you while they ride.

#4: Don't believe for one second that you are all going to pull up at the gate of the Magic Kingdom and that everyone will magically know what ride or attraction to see. Make a plan, have EVERYONE take a look, and have everyone weigh in. Then come to a consensus. Use Touring Plans, Tour Guide Mike, or whomever to choose what days are best for what parks, whether you are willing to do early or late hours, and what rides to do in what order. Research before, come to an agreement, and have everyone follow the plan. It is SO easy to just go go go, and at the end of the day you've been lining up much more than necessary.

#5: Don't think that you can do everything that DW has to offer, but hope you can! You'll have to prioritize. I've never seen Tom Sawyers Island at MK, and only now, on my 5th trip, will I make it there!

#6: Stay hydrated, eat little and often.

#7: Research some more. If you think you've got a GREAT plan, pass it by the experts here and you may be surprised! I found out that my careful park planning, based on Touring Plans, excluded us from seeing Fantasmic (because, no surprise, park attendance is lower on a non-Fantasmic night). DIS'er's proved to be an extremely valuable resource in poking holes in my "awesome" plan!

#8: Have fun, take more pictures than you think you'll need, and tell us all about it when you get home!

 

[DaisyMaisie]

Sorry you need two eyes to see 3 dimensionally. My brother lost an eye in childhood, he is in his 40's now and we have never found a way.

 

[supersuperwendy]

Make sure your daughter does the art of animation at DHS. My husband and daughter did it and the animator was so nice! She signed her drawing and gave it to my daughter! Priceless!

As a large group on a first visit just don't kill yourselves trying to see it all. Just make sure you see/experience the tops things on your list.

There's lots of character meals in WDW! Make your ADRs 180 days before your trip!

My good friend is blind in one eye and can't see the 3D things at WDW. She goes in with her family, but can't see the 3D.

 

[shelemm]

There are no MUST DOs. Every family will be different.

However I will point out a couple "stop and smell the roses" you may not be aware of:

The 10 year olds (and everyone else) should enjoy the small Fantasyland dark rides. I suggest getting to these early: Peter Pan, Whinnie the Pooh, Snow White. Start off small and work your way up from there.

Performances at AK of the Congolese limbo dancers, Tam Tam, at the Dawa Bar in Africa section of AK. Very impressive.

Streetmosphere characters in HS. They perform on the streets. They are very fun to watch and give you a feeling of old Hollywood.

Performances in World Showcase at Epcot. Some of these are real gems, so make sure you get an entertainment guide for showtimes and plan accordingly.

Epcot is the size of two theme parks. If you spend two days there, though, I think it's a mistake to divide the park as Future World and World Showcsae. Better to do left hand side of the park one day, right hand side of the park another day.

It's hard work keeping a group that size together at WDW. You'll probably have more fun if you don't feel that everyone must stick together the whole time.

 

[mkoerner]

How exciting!!
1. Don't be afraid to split your group up to a managable size. When you have a group that large of first timers, more time will be spent debating what to do. Meet at meal times or a handful of certain rides.
2. Take your time and enjoy being with your family. If you feel like you have to see it all and do it all, you'll be exhausted within a couple of days.
3. Make ADR for at least 1 character meal. I recommend Tusker House breakfast at Animal Kingdom.
4. Our family enjoys renting the surrey bikes at the Boardwalk.
5. Taking a midday break from the parks is a nice time to shop downtown, swim, check out other resorts, or just take a nap.
6. FASTPASS, FASTPASS, FASTPASS!! What a great invention. Just remember: Toy Story Mania and Soarin may require you to be at the parks when they open in order to get them, depending on the crowds.

Have fun!!!

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

Would highly recommend doing "rope drop"-we did it five days in a row and it was well worth it as you could do the more popular things while it was less crowded. And take advantage of the extra magic hours!

 

[xkwisit]

So excited for you! I remember my 1st visit 5 yrs ago! I was in awe! I had no idea what the hype was all about until I got there. I was so disappointed that I missed the 1st time experience on my kids because I was so awe struck myself.

This year we are returning for our 5th trip. I am so in love with Disney. We became DVC members 2 yrs ago. Best investment ever!

Anyway, my suggestion as said before. Take a ton of pics... give everyone a camera so you can all share with each other what you all see. Everyone experiences it differently. There is still so much that we haven't done or seen in the last 4 years we've been there.

Hopefully everyone in your party are thrill seekers. So a must must do at Disney Studios is Tower of Terror & Rock n Roller Coaster & Toy Story. Also the Stunt Show is really cool as well as Indiana Jones. See if you can participate in some of the street shows. Those are alot of fun.

At Magic Kingdom... Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise (funny), Thunder Railroad, Stitch's Great Escape, The Laugh Floor (funny), the parades....

Animal Kingdom... Yeti, Kilimajaro Safari, Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids (AWESOME), Nemo show is cool....

Epcot.... test track, mission space, spaceship earth, figment, soarin'

Hopefully everyone is willing to do character meets n greets~no one is ever too old for that! I went to the craft store & bought 4x6 scrapbook paper for autographs. I took pics of each person with the character & printed them & made them photo albums with their pic & corresponding autographs adjacent.

There are so many sites you can go to for ideas. Mouseforless.com, mousesavers.com, explorethemagic.com, tourguidemike.com, guidetothemagic.com

I feel your excitement & feeling of overwhelmness.

Jen

 

[Lynn57]

Have fun!

Make ADRs (Advanced Dinner Reservations).

Don't over plan. I always plan which park I am going to, but not which rides.

Use fast passes. These will save a lot of time!

Enjoy!

 

[AprilRenee]

I would suggest checking out Unofficial Guide to Disney World (you can even find it at the library) and using their Touring Plans (they have some on their website that are for families with teens and younger kids) Before my first trip, I was so excited that I read the whole dang thing, even the stuff that didn't apply to me...but it's FUN reading and doesn't feel like a chore. And you learn TONS of tricks and tips as well as learn about all the rides and what they each entail.

You could also check out Tour Guide Mike. I don't know much about his program as I use Unofficial Guide. But I think both really operate on the same kinds of ground rules. Get there early and have a plan of what to see in what order. It saves you time cause the crowds are small early in the day and you don't waste time trying to figure out what to do next. You just follow the plan.

My DH LOVED the plans when we went and we're using them again on our trip next week.

 

[The 4 "Quay"balleros]

Hello all! As a first timer headed to DW in May with a big family group (two retired parents, three sisters (38, 35, and 27), one husband, two 17 year olds and two 10 year olds) what are some of your suggestions? Anything we should definitely skip or not miss? We'll be there 5 nights and 6 days, staying on property at Pop Century.

We are wondering about Character dining and meeting an animator. My daughter, the talented aspiring animator, is very interested in that. Oh, and if anyone knows how someone who is blind in one eye can still view the 3D productions, like where we can get some single-eye 3D glasses, that would be most helpful!!

Thanks!

Wow with a group that size, my suggestion is to go to Petals(POP's Pool Bar) and get yourself a Lava Lamp or two!

 

[JPGonzales]

Get family pics all together at the start of the day. Have each member of the family carry their own card. If your family splits up, you can all add your pics together at the at the end of the day. Tell every member to get their picture taken every chance they get. We found there aren't typically a line and they always have a photographer with characters, so you can enjoy your moment with the characters instead of trying to get pictures. And remember it's free to get the pictures taken. The photographer will also use your camera if you ask. Once you get home you can add borders and signatures which is a lot of fun for the younger kids. Also, after riding Test Track be ready with you card, they will add the picture to your photopass.

The photopass at the water parks are the best. We had a photographer following my kids around and taking pictures as they came off slides. The pictures were so much better then our water proof cameras.

We found that buying the photopass cd after our trip was well worth the money.

Have a great time!! It's such a magical place and the others are right, after 5 trips we still haven't seen or experienced everything.

 

[stardebby]

The weather in Florida can be very hot in May. Try to enjoy the pools at Pop Century when you need at break from the parks. Also at MK stop and have a Dole Whip it yummy soft serve pineapple ice cream.

 

[Disney Yooper]

My best advice is not to try to do too much. My husband does not like crowds so I figured the first time I went to Disney would be my last. I tried to do & see everything. It was not as magical as it could have been. As it turns out, my husband loves Disney so we have been back at least a dozen times since then. I would say that is really my only regret from any of our trips.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

We went in 2008 with a big family group, it was fun. Will you all be sticking together ALL the time? We got together each night for dinner and the rest of the night, but left our days unplanned. That worked well for us...... then everyone could do their own thing... the teenagers hopped parks to ride the "big" rides, grandmom and grandpop hung out with the little ones, and so on....

First time.... hmmmnnnn....

Do at least 1 character meal....

Magic Kingdom -- do the roller coasters, Wishes fireworks, and the classic rides - like tea cups and it's a small world. Ride the train! Mickey's Philharmagic 3D/4D... do it!

Epcot - Do Test Track and Soarin. Check out Turtle Talk with Crush... it's for little kids, but still fun. Walk around the world.... get off the path and go IN the countries, check it out. See Donald Duck in Mexico, don't miss the small Vikings exhibit in Norway (easy to miss), have a beer in Germany, listen to the Fife and Drum Corps in America, and check out MoRockin in Morocco at night.

Animal Kingdom -- Kilmanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest, and make sure you go to Pangani Forest and see the gorillas, and Maharaja Jungle Trek to see the bats. Tough to be a Bug 3D is a must do. If it's warm, Kali River Rapids (bring bathing suit, change of clothes). We get wet every time and ride it 3 times in a row. The Jammin Jungle Parade is very different. And do NOT miss the Lion King Show. And while there, please have lunch at Yak and Yeti, our favorite restaurant in all of Disney World.

Hollywood Studios -- Go on a Fantasmic night, that's a cool show... also Animation Studios, Toy Story Mania (must get there at park opening to get fast pass and ride), and we really like the Muppets 3D Vision especially since we grew up with the Muppets.... Lights Motors Action is the best action show... but the outdoor Beauty and the Beast is a great production. Tower of Terror! And if you don't like big rides, do it anyway, it's awesome and I reward myself with a Tshirt each year..... The Tower of Terror Gift Shop Tshirts are the best. And while you're there... have lunch or dinner at 50s Prime time.

Well there you go.....

 

[onelugnut]

wow, already got some great suggestions.

ditto on Fastpasses, parades, fireworks, ropedrops

if its hot, the pool (and the kids love the refillable slushies at pop)

dont under estimate the animal kingdom, yes its a zoo, but the best one ever!

must do at least one character meal, if i only had one, Chef Mickey

use the monorail, even though you are at pop, use the monorail as much as you can, its a ride in it self.

walk the world at epcot at least one night!
(must fast pass and do Soarin)

and for you the drawing class is great, we never miss it,
it is unbelievable how good you will draw.
the animator is great.

 

[Disneylovingmom]

My best advice is to get to the parks at opening time. You can get more done in the first two or three hours than you can any time of day. By 11:00 or 12:00 the parks seem to get their most crowded. A lot of times we go back to the resort and go for a swim during the afternoon, then go back out about 5:00 or so.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

My best advice is to get to the parks at opening time. You can get more done in the first two or three hours than you can any time of day. By 11:00 or 12:00 the parks seem to get their most crowded. A lot of times we go back to the resort and go for a swim during the afternoon, then go back out about 5:00 or so.

Best Advice Ever!!!! Disney World is one place I don't mind waking up early!