Question for people who have been to DL & DW

[Maggie7313]

I just dont see how its worth it. $500 for a weeks worth of food is just crazy to me. I dont even spend that in a month.
When we go to DL we only eat once or twice a day and small meals. We cant really eat when we are so busy or when its warm out. It makes us feel sick to eat and then walk a lot.

I think a lot of it depends on what you are used to. WDW does have very good restaurants and you can plan an entire trip around eating. But you certainly don't have to! DH and I are definitely foodies but we don't eat at a lot of table service restaurants at WDW. We prefer lots of snacks and small meals while there and save most of the fancy meals for the better, cheaper, quieter restaurants at home. I love kids but don't have any of my own. I don't know how to put this gently but it is just disconcerting to me when the small ones are running around at a $100 a person dinner. So we try to avoid that.

The dining plan does not work for us - we spend less money and get exactly what we want paying out of pocket. Opinions vary widely on this but if you know you won't eat a lot, the dining plan probably won't work for you. I would look through the restaurant listings, see if anything pops out at you, and maybe just make a few reservations (ADRs in WDW speak). Dinner at Boma is an absolute must for me and we really liked lunch at the new Be Our Guest (no reservations required but may involve a wait).

In spite of what you might hear, you will find things to eat regardless of whether you have an ADR. You just can't expect to eat in the Castle or at a few other places without an advance plan.

 

[seagodess]

I think a lot of it depends on what you are used to. WDW does have very good restaurants and you can plan an entire trip around eating. But you certainly don't have to! DH and I are definitely foodies but we don't eat at a lot of table service restaurants at WDW. We prefer lots of snacks and small meals while there and save most of the fancy meals for the better, cheaper, quieter restaurants at home. I love kids but don't have any of my own. I don't know how to put this gently but it is just disconcerting to me when the small ones are running around at a $100 a person dinner. So we try to avoid that.

The dining plan does not work for us - we spend less money and get exactly what we want paying out of pocket. Opinions vary widely on this but if you know you won't eat a lot, the dining plan probably won't work for you. I would look through the restaurant listings, see if anything pops out at you, and maybe just make a few reservations (ADRs in WDW speak). Dinner at Boma is an absolute must for me and we really liked lunch at the new Be Our Guest (no reservations required but may involve a wait).

In spite of what you might hear, you will find things to eat regardless of whether you have an ADR. You just can't expect to eat in the Castle or at a few other places without an advance plan.

Thank you. This is very helpful. The one place that caught my eye was Tiki BBQ (I think thats what its called?). We love BBQ. Also Rainforest Cafe is a must for us, even if only for the volcano. We skipped eating all day at DL one day just so we could have that for dinner .

 

[Diszona]

Do not get park hoppers. Focus on one park per day.

And forget about travel time scaring you. That is like WDW vets being scared about DLR being too small or the castle is too small. Forget all that.

Travel takes longer at WDW. So what do you do? Don't park hop. At least on a first trip. Be judicious in your hotel breaks. E.G., don't take them on a day you go to AK. And just ACCEPT the longer travel time and don't let it stress you. It is part of the price you pay to have access to something so much physically larger than DLR.

I agree with this 100%, particularly if it is your first time there. Doing 1 park per day will simplify things, plus there is so much to do around the resort during "non-park" time you won't feel like you are missing anything. Now some parks take less time, AK for example, but you could then combine that day with dinner at 'Ohana and take in the MK fireworks. The view is great and even if you can't get a dinner reservation during the show you can still view them from the Polynesian beach. Even beyond that, there are so many interesting things at just the hotels (i.e. spend an evening strolling the Boardwalk at the aptly named Boardwalk Inn and Villas). There is plenty to do around the resort so you don't really need to jump from park to park to keep your time occupied. Hope you have fun!

One other thing, I would recommend for someone who has never been before taking the ferry across the Seven Seas Lagoon when you go to the MK. I know it may seem like an inconvenient way to travel, but it is a really unique way of approaching the park and an experience that is different than Disneyland.

 

[bumbershoot]

I just dont see how its worth it. $500 for a weeks worth of food is just crazy to me. I dont even spend that in a month.
When we go to DL we only eat once or twice a day and small meals. We cant really eat when we are so busy or when its warm out. It makes us feel sick to eat and then walk a lot.

The quote you replied to was about *reservations*. If you're going to do a table service restaurant at WDW you really have to have an Advance Dining Reservation (ADR). Doesn't matter if you're on a plan or not. If you want to KNOW you'll be dining at a particular restaurant, you'll want to make what could also be called a reservation.


If a 5 day trip isn't short to you, then go for it at WDW. No need to hop since it's all new to you. No need to do a waterpark, either. Base tickets are all that's needed. If you're thinking of getting a room-only reservation (as opposed to a package deal which will include tickets), you can buy tickets at various other ticket sellers, like the totally authorized undercovertourist.com. Can save a bit of money that way.

We like getting a rental car, personally. Going from place to place on our OWN schedule makes us happier. Though at Magic Kingdom it means parking in the lot then taking a boat or monorail over to the gates. (if you don't drive, and take a bus or boat or monorail *from your resort* then you are closer to the gates, no extra step involved)


HydroGuy, in case you didn't notice, has an essay about WDW for DLR vets. It's worth reading. And if you're planning on WDW, head on out to all the other forums here on the Dis, since most of them are about WDW!

 

[deanimal]

One thing to consider is that if you're on a tight budget, it's much easier to stay onsite at DW. The value hotels ate pretty basic, but you can stay onsite and enjoy all the perks for as little as $100 per night. And even the moderates are much cheaper than the onsite hotels at DL.

 

[Monica D]

We did three parks in two days with two kids (whew!), so I definitely think five days is enough. I took a girls only trip to DL a few years ago and was amazed at how quickly I got through the park without kids...an entirely different experience! Have fun!

 

[jodywgirl]

I have been to both. I prefer WDW since it is a more immersive experience. From the airport until you leave it is all disney. You do need to plan but this forum and other applications like touring plans can help you. March is a busy month when is your anniversary. You might be flexible with your dates to stay away from spring breaks. I would say 5 days is plenty. You won't see everything but should be able to hit the major highlights.

 

[DHSbutcher]

Did you mention you would be doing this trip during your son's spring break? I know you said march, but early march is ok, late march or whenever spring break starts is awful. DO NOT GO TO WDW THEN. This is the absolute busiest couple of weeks at WDW and it is a nightmare. If you are able to plan your trip in a slower season, it would make the 5 days much more tolerable.

 

[ktlm]

We absolutely love both places.

Without kids, you will be able to see most, if not all, of what you want to see in the parks in in 5 days(assuming you are doers and not sitters). Pre-DD, DH and I spent one day in each park and were perfectly happy with that. With DD, there is no way we could do it with one day in each park. Kids really slow you down (they sure are fun though).

An ADR means an advanced dining reservation. At WDW, you can make them 180 days out. They are all made online too, so you can get on the website and play around. Depending on when you go -and whether WDW has any "free dining" during that time, it might be hard to get into table service restaurants without ADRs at WDW. We've seen a lot of people turned away. You might want to make a couple ADRs, you can always cancel later if you change your mind. There is a website called Allears.net that has all the menus and prices. We never do the dining plan because we have done the math and it wouldn't save us any money based on our eating habits. There is no reason you can't pick and choose between table and counter service, and put a couple of table service meals in here and there. I agree with the PP that said some of the WDW dining is an experience. (We are big fans of Biergarten which has a german buffet and a Polka band that puts on a show while you eat. The tables seat 8, so often you are put with another party. We have met some really interesting people that way. If you don't want to interact you don't have to, you can also just sit across from each other and keep to yourselves).

Don't sell EPCOT short, it definitely isn't all about drinking. World Showcase is beautiful and there is a ton to see there. If you are at all interested in other countries, the films about China and France are gorgeous- many people walk right by those films. There are also some good performances by entertainers around the countries. The boat ride in Mexico is really cute. There is also a boat ride in Norway, unlike anything at DL. Future World has some pretty interesting stuff too. When we go to DL, EPCOT is really the only thing we completely miss. DD (7) has adored EPCOT since she was 2. It is a 2 day park for us with DD.

You can go to easywdw.com and see his predictions for crowd levels and which parks to go to on which days to avoid the biggest crowds. We have always found it really accurate. In addition to the calendar, he also gives detailed explanations of why he has made the predictions. Really the main thing with WDW if you aren't hopping is just to plan any ADRs you want. To do that, you have to pick the park you want to go to that day. Short of that, anything else you can just do while there. If you aren't hopping, you don't really have to worry about transport time that much. If you are breaking during the day, it might impact you, but other than that you might have to deal with some crowds at the busiest transport times of the day (park opening and closing), but other than that it is no big deal, and it can be nice not having to deal with a rental car or driving around.

That said, everything is currently in the process of changing at WDW, so nobody knows what things are going to be like in a few months right now. They are going to magic bands, where you can pick a certain number of fast passes in advance; change fast passes on your phone; and all sorts of other things. No one knows when (if?) paper fast passes will go completely away. No one knows exactly what the final version of that is going to be when they get it going (probably not even WDW as things seem to be changing as testing progresses). So, things are in a bit of flux right now.

Are you sure your DW will be okay with a surprise trip leaving DS behind? As much as I love WDW and enjoyed our time there pre-kid, I know I wouldn't be okay with DH surprising me with a trip there if it meant leaving DD at home.

 

[ktlm]

Did you mention you would be doing this trip during your son's spring break? I know you said march, but early march is ok, late march or whenever spring break starts is awful. DO NOT GO TO WDW THEN. This is the absolute busiest couple of weeks at WDW and it is a nightmare. If you are able to plan your trip in a slower season, it would make the 5 days much more tolerable.

I agree with this. I know at least MK closed to capacity for a few days during the main spring break week (or maybe weeks) this year. I had a friend who was there (her first trip with her son), and she basically said never again. DH and I have been during the week between Christmas and New Years (the worst week of the year) pre-kid, and we still managed to have a great time just being 2 adults-- but we had been to WDW as adults before. We won't do a week that busy with DD, and I think it would be really rough on a newbie too.

 

[TinkSassy]

If you do rent a car - consider valet parking at either the Contemporary or Polynesian resorts. Same price as the cattle lots and you walk right upstairs to the monorail.

I suggest dining at Boma at the Animal Kingdom resort if you get time - it is amazing.

 

[seagodess]

If a 5 day trip isn't short to you, then go for it at WDW. No need to hope since it's all new to you. No need to do a waterpark, either. Base tickets are all that's needed. If you're thinking of getting a room-only reservation (as opposed to a package deal which will include tickets), you can buy tickets at various other ticket sellers, like the totally authorized undercovertourist.com. Can save a bit of money that way.

Thank you. I am all about saving money where I can.

One thing to consider is that if you're on a tight budget, it's much easier to stay onsite at DW. The value hotels ate pretty basic, but you can stay onsite and enjoy all the perks for as little as $100 per night. And even the moderates are much cheaper than the onsite hotels at DL.

I noticed that. I will likely never stay onsite at DL due to cost's.

Did you mention you would be doing this trip during your son's spring break? I know you said march, but early march is ok, late march or whenever spring break starts is awful. DO NOT GO TO WDW THEN. This is the absolute busiest couple of weeks at WDW and it is a nightmare. If you are able to plan your trip in a slower season, it would make the 5 days much more tolerable.

Well now you made me sad . That is the ONLY time we would be able to go. DS has to go with family who live 3 hours away. So he would have to go during spring break so he wouldn't miss school.

Don't sell EPCOT short, it definitely isn't all about drinking. World Showcase is beautiful and there is a ton to see there. If you are at all interested in other countries, the films about China and France are gorgeous- many people walk right by those films. There are also some good performances by entertainers around the countries. The boat ride in Mexico is really cute. There is also a boat ride in Norway, unlike anything at DL. Future World has some pretty interesting stuff too. When we go to DL, EPCOT is really the only thing we completely miss. DD (7) has adored EPCOT since she was 2. It is a 2 day park for us with DD.

We dont have any intrest in any of that kind of stuff. We would be so bored watching films about countries.

That said, everything is currently in the process of changing at WDW, so nobody knows what things are going to be like in a few months right now. They are going to magic bands, where you can pick a certain number of fast passes in advance; change fast passes on your phone; and all sorts of other things. No one knows when (if?) paper fast passes will go completely away. No one knows exactly what the final version of that is going to be when they get it going (probably not even WDW as things seem to be changing as testing progresses). So, things are in a bit of flux right now.

I dont even know how fast passes work. We have never used them.

Are you sure your DW will be okay with a surprise trip leaving DS behind? As much as I love WDW and enjoyed our time there pre-kid, I know I wouldn't be okay with DH surprising me with a trip there if it meant leaving DD at home.

He would be fine with it. Neither of us want to take DS until he is older (10+). Plus we both enjoy disney very much and like having time to ourselves.

 

[DHSbutcher]

Well now you made me sad . That is the ONLY time we would be able to go. DS has to go with family who live 3 hours away. So he would have to go during spring break so he wouldn't miss school.

Oh no I dont mean to make you sad!! If your break is abnoramally early or late it might be tolderable, but if you do go, definitely head in with an attitude that it will be very tough to get anywhere, and the ride's will have awful wait times. Fastpasses, however they will be working then, not sure as it is still a ways away, will be your best friends. Although you have said you were not interested in table service restaurants, if visiting on very busy days, having a sit down meal actually guarantees you a table to eat at versus some counter service restaurants. This year the 2 weeks before Easter the magic kingdom reached capacity nearly every day. This is about 85 thousand people in the park at one time. Just last week the magic kingdom had attendance around 30k. That is a HUGE difference. Perhaps see if your son has any lengthy holidays or is out of school when most of the country is in school. This could really make your visit much better! Or even consider bringing him!

 

[becd]

And forgot to add, I totally agree with Tinksassy that unlike DL, at WDW dining reservations are a definite must. We usually plan our WDW around them.

All I was referring to was making a reservation, not buying a dining plan. Frankly I have never bought one as it does not make sense for me. However, some of my family members have Celiac's and Disney does a great job with gluten free - they love the fact that they can have things like pasta, which is rarely an option at other restaurants. But, even in the slow season it can be hard to just walk up and get a table in any restaurant if you are hungry so we try to plan ahead.

 

[Drfate102]

If you are going in March, then the Flower & Garden Festival will be going on at EPCOT. I am not a flower and garden person and it is still neat. There are the bands and last year they started the food booths. And as always, the butterfly tent is beyond awesome. WDW is worTh the trip, at least once.

 

[WTFetus]

We dont drink at all. I looked at epcot online and asked friend's who have gone. From what I am reading and hearing, epcot is not really a park we will spend much time in. There are only a handful of items we will want to see there. I'm really looking forward to AK. Have been for years. HS also looks REALLY cool.

There are a ton of rides in Epcot too, and rides in the various countries.
Out of the 4 parks there, I'd say HS is the least special, and I usually spend the least amount of time there.

 

[mom2rtk]

Do not get park hoppers. Focus on one park per day.

And forget about travel time scaring you. That is like WDW vets being scared about DLR being too small or the castle is too small. Forget all that.

I think the biggest mistake many make on their first trip is scheduling too many things all over WDW so needing to invest too much time in travel between locations.

I totally agree with one park per day. With limited time, that makes the most of each day. I know the OP said they are not foodies, but neither are we. But we love to try different restaurants at WDW. Just be sure to schedule those in the parks you will be in already so you can incorporate it into your day instead of needing extra time to get there.

Every now and then I ask to see the schedule of a friend heading to WDW. I'm going to stop that. It's scary how crazy some of those schedules are, with ADRs in different parks and resorts all over WDW in a given day. I really do see how some people could end up wasting a lot of time on travel.

OP.... one park per day. Dine in or near the park you are in. And definitely take the time to do one or two "extras". Do a fireworks cruise the day you visit the Magic Kingdom (so you're close already). Tour the monorail resorts. Go fishing on Bay Lake. Take a wagon ride at Ft. Wilderness. Watch Wishes from the beach at the Poly.

You can't do it all. But pick and choose a couple extras and you will love it.

 

[bumbershoot]

We dont have any intrest in any of that kind of stuff. We would be so bored watching films about countries.

I thought so too, until a massive storm was blowing in and we ducked inside of the China pavilion. Went in and saw the China movie. It's on a 360 degree screen, and you stand. It was AMAZING. My husband, who has been to China before and missed it, was tearing up. I even thought about the long flight.

Next trip we're going to have to stay for the Norway film after Maelstrom and go to see the France one. Because we LOVED the one about Canada in the same way, and Canada's way more accessible to us!

 

[HydroGuy]

I thought so too, until a massive storm was blowing in and we ducked inside of the China pavilion. Went in and saw the China movie. It's on a 360 degree screen, and you stand. It was AMAZING. My husband, who has been to China before and missed it, was tearing up. I even thought about the long flight.

Next trip we're going to have to stay for the Norway film after Maelstrom and go to see the France one. Because we LOVED the one about Canada in the same way, and Canada's way more accessible to us!

I agree. I think the OP is just limiting themselves too much and will thereby limit their WDW experience. The shows in Epcot are worth seeing. Heck, everything in Epcot is worth seeing. One really needs two days there.

OP, there is a lot of live entertainment at Epcot too. Don't just rush past it all. Stop and take it in. The acrobats in China pavilion. Sergio on Italy pavilion. Off-Kilter (yeah). British Revolution (meh - kind of worth it). Plus lots more.

 

[seagodess]

Thank you everyone for all of the information. It is very overwhelming. After reading that spring break is one of the busiest times of the year, I am now rethinking it. We do not like large crowds, especailly DH. We are used to DL, which is not very busy in march from our experiance. I looked into a Disney Cruise, but those are nowhere near us so thats out of the question. I am also looking into other places we could possibly go.

Again, thanks for all the help.