Please help me plan my first trip

[lovemykids74]

First off, let me confess that this is my first post after "listening" to all of you fabulous people's advice. Also, I apologize for no abbreviations, I don't know them.
My husband and our two children (boy7, girl4) will make our first trip Sept. 20-26th to Walt Disney World. We will be staying at the Carribean Beach Resort and currently have 6 days at the parks (no water parks) with the free dining. What I know for sure is that we want to do character dining, see as many princesses as possible (Aukerhous ? with Belle), and do something Star Wars related for my son.

Here are some of my biggest problems. Do I make a plan for what park we will be at each day (and how do you decided this?)and then seek dinner reservations for those parks on that day or do I make my dinner reservations and then plan to be at that park that day? (currently haven't purchased park hopper as I thought I would do it when needed, if needed)

Should I down grade to 5 days of parks since plane doesn't land until noon on the 20th?

What are the DO NOT MISS things at each park for my kids age level?

I have read at least three of the "travel guide books" but I simply have so many questions. Let's leave it at these three for now. Anyone want to put together an itinerary for me? Just kidding!

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[Siouxstone]

You are certainly in the right place for questions.

As to what park on what day, I have a general idea before I call for my ADRs. But, if there is a special hard to get breakfast or something, I plan that park on whatever day I manage to score the ADRs (reservations.) We don't park hop very much anymore as I can always come up with a plan and save the money for other things.

As for keeping the day you arrive, some kids just don't really "get" that they are there until you get them in a park. Unless we arrive after about 8 pm, we always try to hit something before bed.

For your time of year and ages, I would highly recommend MNSSHP- Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Sure it costs more (this is what we usually sacrifice hopping for) but it is just so much fun. And, you can use one of your park days at a different park in the morning, then your MNSSHP tickets to get into the party.

Have a great time planning!

 

[ashleyd725@hotmail.c]

First off, let me confess that this is my first post after "listening" to all of you fabulous people's advice. Also, I apologize for no abbreviations, I don't know them.
My husband and our two children (boy7, girl4) will make our first trip Sept. 20-26th to Walt Disney World. We will be staying at the Carribean Beach Resort and currently have 6 days at the parks (no water parks) with the free dining. What I know for sure is that we want to do character dining, see as many princesses as possible (Aukerhous ? with Belle), and do something Star Wars related for my son.

Here are some of my biggest problems. Do I make a plan for what park we will be at each day (and how do you decided this?)and then seek dinner reservations for those parks on that day or do I make my dinner reservations and then plan to be at that park that day? (currently haven't purchased park hopper as I thought I would do it when needed, if needed)

Should I down grade to 5 days of parks since plane doesn't land until noon on the 20th?

What are the DO NOT MISS things at each park for my kids age level?

I have read at least three of the "travel guide books" but I simply have so many questions. Let's leave it at these three for now. Anyone want to put together an itinerary for me? Just kidding!

Thank you so much for your help!

Ok I am going to try and help!
As soon as you get into the 90 day window to make reservations, do so. Go to http://www.waltdisneyboards.com/wdw-dining/4725-disney-resort-dining-guide.html and have a plan of what restaurants you want, because the reservations go quick and then plan your park days around your reservations.
You will only save $12 total for all four of you by switching from a 6 day pass to a 5 day pass, so keep the six days and you can enjoy an evening at one of the parks the day you arrive.
I would say that you could probably skip the hoppers, with kids that young you do not want to cram too much into one day. This also saves you $200 by not doing the hopper option.
A few things that you should not miss:
Animal Kingdom: The Safari ride is a must. (get a fastpass as soon as you get there)
The Bug 3D show is awesome, there are some points of total darkness though in case anyone is afraid of the dark.
Hollywood Studios: TOY STORY MANIA. I cannot stress that enough, We love this ride, this is another ride where you need to get a fastpass as soon as they open because they go quick and then you get stuck with a 120 wait.
Also your 4 YO would probably have a good time in the Honey I shrunk the Kids playground a nice little break from the park and surprisingly shady!
The Tower of Terror is great, but I dont think your 4YO would enjoy it. The Indiana Jones show is really fun to watch!
Magic Kingdom: Well it is just magical in itself, but splash mountain is great. Pirates of the Caribbean is a good one. Try and catch the illuminations parade it is great! The Buzz Lightyear ride is a fun one, and the Monsters INC laugh floor is fun. Hmm dont forget the classics like Dumbo, teacups, its a small world.
Epcot: In my opinion the least "fun" for the little ones, sorry to any major fans of Epcot.
The Innovations are fun and interesting. Soarin' and Test Track are great.
The Nemo ride is really cute. Also try and go to the character meet and greet, you are inside and there is a lengthy line usually, but you get to meet all the main classic characters, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald.

Also are you familiar with Photopass? I would def. preorder a CD it is $99, but here is a code from the Budget Board,9VISARD15, and it will give you 15% off so it will be about $84, but there are Photographers all over the place just waiting to snap your picture and when you preorder the CD you save $25, you also get the copyright so you can take the CD and print anywhere...

Well that is just a few of the tips I have, Is there anything else you still would like to know?
Are you driving? Let me know and then I can give a few more pointers to save money while you are down there!

 

[Aliceacc]

Hi and welcome!!!

You're going to have a GREAT time!!!!!! Last year was our first trip in 19 years, so I can sympathize with the overwhelming amount of information out there!

First and foremost: know that you're not going to be able to see it all and do it all, and that's OK. Whatever you miss will still be there next time.

Second, the best advice anyone can give you is to get to the parks EARLY-- as in 10 minutes before they open. (that's called Rope Drop.) You'll do more that first hour or so than the rest of the day.

Here are some of my biggest problems. Do I make a plan for what park we will be at each day (and how do you decided this?)and then seek dinner reservations for those parks on that day or do I make my dinner reservations and then plan to be at that park that day? (currently haven't purchased park hopper as I thought I would do it when needed, if needed) What I do is make up a list of the restaurants I want to see, and try to match that with the suggestions found at www.touringplans.com If you choose to subscribe, it's something like $9, and well worth it for the crowd calendars alone. I'm a big believer in parkhoppers, particularly when you're on the meal plan; I love the flexibility it provides.

Should I down grade to 5 days of parks since plane doesn't land until noon on the 20th? I wouldn't. The extra day costs something like $20 or so-- and you may very well get to one of the parks for a while. We did last year; we spent a few hours in the Magic Kingdom.

What are the DO NOT MISS things at each park for my kids age level?

I have read at least three of the "travel guide books" but I simply have so many questions. Let's leave it at these three for now. Anyone want to put together an itinerary for me? Just kidding!

Thank you so much for your help!

My dining suggestions would include:
Chef Mickey's--with Mickey, Minnie and the crew
1900 Park Fare dinner with Cinderella & the step sisters-- hysterical!!
The Coral Reef-- the entire wall is an aquarium and I loved the food!
LeCellier if you can get in and you like steak.

This year we're also trying Yak & Yetti in Animal Kingdom, Science Fiction Diner in Hollywood Studios ( my son can't wait!), Kona Cafe in the Polynesian and I forget what else.


As to the shows: be sure you plan to see the fireworks shows at both the Magic Kingdom (Wishes) and at Epcot (Innovations.) The show at Hollywood Studios is called Fantasmic, and it's incredible, but was too intense for both of my daughters last year.

 

[sharonabe]

Your first trip...how exciting!! A couple years ago, my boys were your kids' age and here are some of the things they enjoyed:

Epcot World Showcase: the train garden at Germany, the performers at Japan and China, the boat ride at Mexico
Epcot Future World: Test Track, Soarin', and the boat ride in the Land pavillion that shows how food is grown (I know my kids like some educational stuff)
MK: everything, but since they are boys, they really like the Indy cars they can drive and Goofy's barnstormer and Thunder Mtn railroad
Studios: All of the different shows would be great for your kids, but we didn't do Tower of Terror or the roller coaster because it was just too scary looking for them
Animal Kingdom: the safari, Lion King show, Nemo show, the train over to the "petting zoo"

One of the things we did before the trip was to go online together to disney's site and look at the pictures of the attractions with the boys. That way I had an idea of what they really wanted to do.

One more tip...one way we relaxed was by taking Disney transportation that we didn't "need" to take. We rode the monorail around from MK to Epcot one day just to do it. We took the boats from Epcot over to the Studios. They enjoyed this almost as much as some of the rides in the parks, and it was some good down time for them.

Have fun!!!

 

[dsnymomof4]

Congrats on your first trip! Your kids are at great ages to enjoy all of the Disney magic. In deciding which parks to go to on which days, I like to look at the schedule of park hours here on wdwinfo, and see when are the EMH (extra magic hours). I agree with getting to the parks early - you can definitely get a lot done in that first hour or so. But with morning EMH - even more so, especially at MK. Head right to fantasyland - there are many rides there your kids will enjoy that you will have to wait a long time for if you don't do them first thing in the morning (especially Dumbo!). So, then when you have a general idea of which parks you might go to, then look at the menus on allears and decide where you want to eat, and can plan them around your park schedule (remembering that at the time of your trip, it pays to be flexible). It helps if you have the park hopper option - that way you could go to any park you want and not worry about where your dinner reservations are, but you can also get by without them.
As far as dining recommendations, my DDs loved breakfast at the castle when they were your DD's age. They also loved 1900 Park Faire for breakfast and dinner. Crystal Palace and Cape May Cafe have really good character breakfasts as well. Sci-Fi would be perfect for your son - we always go there for lunch. We also like Chef Mickeys for characters. You definitly want to call at 7:00am 90 days out for your reservations - they fill up quickly!
I also agree with not trying to do everything on this trip - hopefully you will be back real soon and can do things you missed. Just remember to have fun!

 

[lovemykids74]

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions. Just knowing that you guys are out there to help with my questions is reassuring. Thanks again!

 

[PA Princess]

Your first trip - how exciting!!!!!!! This is sure the place to come with questions, and I am certain you will get great advice.

Agree with the others - no need for hoppers, stay with 6 day passes since the savings is miniscule, and plan dining first and park plans will flow from those reservations.

My advice is to build in down time for your family. Disney World is packed with things to do and experience, and in one trip you will never do it all. Pick some highlights, throw in a few unplanned moments, and it will be a great trip, but plan downtime.

Some take a whole day break from the parks, but we find instead that we prefer partial day breaks...a morning to sleep in, an early evening, and afternoon swim at the pool. September is hot, so keep that in mind as you plan.

We love the resort you are staying at and the new pool only makes it even better! We have stayed at most of the deluxe hotels, but there is something about CBR's theming that we just love! Plan some time to play on the beaches (digging in the sand, playgrounds, hammocks on the beach, etc).

Oh, and you can view fireworks from Epcot in certain areas of the resort (Martinque). One night after baths and pajamas for the kids, we ended the night snuggled in a hammock watching the fireworks - it was a perfect end to the day

Happy planning!

 

[micheluvscorgis]

Just wanted to say that I'm loving this post.

We're taking our first family trip to WDW this November. Our boys are three and one right now, but they will have just turned two and four at the time of our trip. Actually, we're going for the four year old's birthday. Anyway, thanks for posting this.


-Michele

 

[micheleq]

Yeah! December was our first trip with our daughters and it was wonderful. You are going to have an amazing time DH (dear husband) and I stayed at CBR in 2001 and had a nice stay.

I just wanted to agree with dsnymomof4 -- look on www.wdwinfo.com and print out the schedule with park hours for your trip before you call to make your ADRs. That way you can get an idea of what days you'd like to have your reservations.

We had a 10:55 ADR for Chef Mickey's on an EMH morning at the MK. It was great! We got to the MK and did everything in Fantastyland and a few favorites in Tomorrowland, got on the monorail and then had brunch with Mickey & pals.

And I'd keep the 6 day pass -- we went to EPCOT on our arrival day just so my girls could see Nemo.

Enjoy your planning!