So confused..

[curls8]

Hi all I am new here and my family and I will be going to Orlando, Florida for the Christmas/New years time (there will be nine of us; 9month old, 3 year old, 18year old, four 'young adults(25-35)' and my parents). Two want to see disney but we don't plan to make our trip just about disney. I am trying to understand disney and all there parks. It is also only 2 of them that care about disney the rest is just tagging along. We plan to only go 1-2 days and was wondering how we can get the most out of it. I was thinking Magic Kindom and Animal Kingdom would be the best bets. Then Universal Studios.

Also are those craiglist Disney Tickets good?

 

[Mrs D]

Hi all I am new here and my family and I will be going to Orlando, Florida for the Christmas/New years time (there will be nine of us; 9month old, 3 year old, 18year old, four 'young adults(25-35)' and my parents). Two want to see disney but we don't plan to make our trip just about disney. I am trying to understand disney and all there parks. It is also only 2 of them that care about disney the rest is just tagging along. We plan to only go 1-2 days and was wondering how we can get the most out of it. I was thinking Magic Kindom and Animal Kingdom would be the best bets. Then Universal Studios.

Also are those craiglist Disney Tickets good?

When most people think "Walt Disney World" they are thinking about the Magic Kingdom. That is where Cinderella's Castle is, Space Mountain (indoor roller coaster type ride), It's A Small World and other classic Disney attractions. I find the Magic Kindgom to be the most Magical of the parks. That would be a great bet for one day. The other parks to choose from are Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. They are all very cool for their own reasons. Perhaps familiarize yourself with the attractions/shows in each park to decide which one you'd choose for another day. Here's a link to this boards main website.
I think Animal Kingdom would be a great second choice. It is so well themed you really do feel like you're traveling on another continent and not Florida. Animal Kingdom is part theme park, part zoo, part broadway theater shows.

Some great attractions not to be missed are: Kilamanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo the Musical. There is much more to see and do here, but start with these and come back again to ask more questions.

Have fun!

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Do not buy tickets from Craigslist or Ebay. Disney tickets are nontransferable (cannot be used by more than one person) and you have no idea until you get there whether they are valid or not. When you present a ticket at the turnstile, your index finger gets scanned (not for a fingerprint, but a number is associated with patterns in the fingertip) and if you buy a partially-used ticket, your scan will not match the prior user. Or, you might get there, insert a ticket and find out all the days were used.

There are reputable re-sellers like Undercover Tourist and Maple Leaf Tickets, but they are not going to have good deals on 2-day tickets. You might as well wait until you arrive at WDW to buy them.

Definitely see Magic Kingdom - maybe even spend both days there. I'd probably do Epcot as a 2nd favorite because it's just a great park. Magic Kingdom has the most for the little ones in your party to do. My kids are not that into shows, so we tend to like the parks with more to ride. Our favorites at Epcot are Spaceship Earth, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Imagination, Living with the Land, boat rides in Mexico and Norway. Our oldest loves Test Track and we all love Soarin' and the 3-yr-old may be able to ride those if he/she is over 40" tall.

Do be aware that the week between Christmas and New Years is the MOST crowded week at WDW the entire year. It very well may take you 2 days to see all of Magic Kingdom.

Have a great trip!

 

[happymommy]

I've been so many times, and once during the time frame of Christmas through New Years.

I would NEVER recommend that time for someone's first visit! The crowds are huge, the parks fill to capacity and are then "closed" in phases. We enjoyed it, as we only spent a couple of hours at the parks early then enjoyed our resort. I felt so bad for folks that were there for the first time.

Also, if I were going to do a Disney park that time of the year, I really would urge you to stay onsite, at a Disney resort. Since we did, I have no idea of traffic, but am sure it was very very heavy.

If that time is your only option, then you definitely need to do some serious planning. Here is a great place to start! Also, get some good books if you can, on planning, but I don't recommend the "official" guide book, as it doesn't give the best advice in my opinion. Just be prepared so you can enjoy at least some highlights.

Also, I agree, do NOT buy tickets from craigslist, ebay, or anything like that.

 

[jtopp]

Having stayed onsite that week, it is in fact crowded. But consider, everyone else visiting disney on the most crowded week of the year and staying offsite is on the roads also. Add to this the local population who also have time off work, and you find that no matter what you do, the traffic will be an issue. Last year, I made the mistake of ordering a pizza from a locaal well known pizza chain. The normally 15 minute round trip turned into a 2 hour marathon of traffic jams once i left the disney property, and made it so i will not visit that week again. Thus, you may find it hard to see all you wish that particular week. Good luck!