So overwhelmed... where do I even begin??

[brooke.jax.gia]

Let me preface this by saying that I am 26 and have never been to Disney!

We would like to go March of 2012 over the Mardi Gras holiday (we are from Louisiana). My daughter will be 23 months and my son will be 3 months shy of turning 7.

Also, I'm not even sure if I am posting this in the right place, didn't see anywhere that was for planning only, so if the mods need to move this I won't be offended.

I've been lurking on here awhile and there is so much information... I'm on information overload!! LOL So, really my question to all of the experts out there, where do I even start??? Since we are wanting to go in 2012 should I even be thinking about any of this now? When is the best time to start planning for something that is almost 18 months out? I could seriously go on and on!

I would love any tips just to get me going in the right direction!

TIA

 

[brooke.jax.gia]

Wow, and then I just saw that I posted this in the restaurant section, sorry! I thought I was posting in the resort section... :/

 

[Nadjalu]

Hi and welcome! This is certainly the place to learn all there is about WDW.

Your post is in the wrong section, but the mods will move it. No biggie.
But let me start you off.

First thing I would do is read these forums daily...Theme Parks, Resorts and Restaurants (the forum you are in now).
Also the tips forum is good. You will need to learn alot to make the most of your vacation.

Next I will advise that the time you are choosing to go to WDW will be a busy one. So if you want to eat in the parks or resorts make sure your reservations are made 180 days from your arrival day.
You can learn about the restaurant from this site (under dining) and all ears, as well as the WDW site. Menus are online as well.

I can also recommend buying the Unofficial Guide to WDW. It is a wealth of knowledge.

I will let that sink in and I am sure others will chime in as well.

Again welcome and learn all you can!!

 

[brooke.jax.gia]

Aw man, I had always heard that it wasn't that busy of a time. Where could I find out the least busy times? We definately want to try to go when it's not as crowded so we can take our time & enjoy things since it will be all of ours first trip.

 

[PictureJumpr]

The PP gives good advice, here's a little more:

1. You've already decided when you want to go. That's the first part already done.

2. Where to sleep - on-site? Off-site? Of course most of the folks here (me included) will say 'on-site, every time,' we don't know your family that well... The easiest thing to do is going to be a package deal, which means on-site, so if that's your choice then all you need to do is decide which resort. I'd recommend using the 'Resorts' link at the top of the forum pages to check out the general information and photos of the resorts - I would advise against the Resorts forum just because there is a lot of specific information and editorial on there which would probably just confuse/stress you at this point.

3. Dining plan? If you're on a budget, or just like the idea of prepaying for your meals, this is the way to go in most cases. It'll take a lot of the stress off of you when planning meals as well - you don't have to consider menu prices or anything, just where you want to eat and (in the case of character meals) who you want to see at dinner.

4. Tickets? If you've gone with a package, this is a no-brainer. Just figure out how many days you need and set your package accordingly.

5. A fairly simple guidebook. I'm going to go against the grain and say don't hunt down the Unofficial Guide (several hundred pages) or any other large, comprehensive guide. Get the Official guide (maybe 100 pages) or maybe a Passporter (longer, but divided easily into sections you can skip - accomodations, when to go - and sections you need - parks, restaurants). Will these give you a Masters in Disneyworldology? Nope. Do you need that kind of information overload to have fun with your hubby and kids? Nope.

6. A mantra. I suggest 'no stress.. no stress..' or 'cheeseburger... cheeseburger' or 'vacations are fun...vacations are fun...' (The cheeseburger one comes from my friend stressing out over arranging dining for her family and her sister's family and all of their picky eaters... Don't worry, I told her over and over - there are always cheeseburgers available if they don't like their dinner.)
7. A commitment to read these (or any other) boards, your book(s), your written notes and plans... and then just stick to the basics and breahe. The most important part of a first visit to WDW is to remember to experience the magic. Everything else will fall into place or it won't, but your babies are only going to be reacting to first experiences once.

 

[brooke.jax.gia]

Thanks to the both of you! So, I'm calming down a bit, because we do have an idea of when we want to go, we do know that we want to stay on site, and I'm pretty confident that we will do a dining plan.

Do the character dinners come with the dining plan?

 

[PictureJumpr]

Yes. All of them are 1-TS (one table service credit) except for Cinderella's Royal Table (CRT - inside the castle), which is 2-TS.

 

[Laurin612]

You've gotten some really good advice so far. I have read quite a few Disney World guidebooks including the Unofficial Guide. I think that the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids by Bob Sehlinger, Liliane Opsomer and Len Testa would be a great choice for you:

http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Gu...2372/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286376793&sr=8-1

I think that this book would be especially good for you since your kids are so young. In addition to the wealth of information included in the regular Unofficial Guide, it has additional information added by another author/contributor (Liliane Opsomer) who has young children.

 

[KKDonaldFan]

I've been recently planning our trip for Jan 2011...so I feel your pain/anxiety.

I think the first step is to figure out where you are going to stay. Ultimately, I think this is based on your budget. Personally, I prefer the moderate resorts but each one comes with its advantages/disadvantages in terms of price and amenities.

Once that is done (and you know the length of your stay), my next step was to plan which park to visit on each day. Once you have that done, you can then start planning which restaurant in that park (or nearby resort) you want to make ADR's (advance dining reservations) for. Personally, I like the idea of the Dining plan as it makes it easier. During my time at WDW, I believe our dining plan is free....so it is an even better deal for us .

You can start booking your ADR's 180 days before your trip. Depending on the time of year (and hence crowds), the earlier you book the better. Some restaurants book up fast and early. Le Cellier, the steakhouse in Florida, always books up. I should know....I'm going in one of the slowest times of year....and it is STILL booked up for our entire trip. Don't worry too much about that...there are a LOT of places to eat. I haven't had any troubles with getting ADR's at the places I thought would be cool to go.

The DIS (along with other sites like allears.net) has more information than I think even Disney has on their site....and the info is easier to find too.

Most importantly.....just have fun with it.

 

[brooke.jax.gia]

Thanks again!

Here's something else I was thinking about. It it worth it upgrading to CL? I think they help you with the reservations... is it something that I can do on my own or should I get some help since it will be my first time?

 

[brooke.jax.gia]

And what generally works better... booking a flight thru the disney site or booking it on my own?

 

[PictureJumpr]

Thanks again!

Here's something else I was thinking about. It it worth it upgrading to CL? I think they help you with the reservations... is it something that I can do on my own or should I get some help since it will be my first time?

I have never considered CL 'worth' the expense. But then, I am of the opinion that any money spent at WDW should be spent on fun or dining, and not on an upgraded room where we don't ever spend much time beyond sleeping anyways.

And what generally works better... booking a flight thru the disney site or booking it on my own?

You can usually do better on your own. Disney does not discount airfare, so the price to add it to your package is going to be the same as the price you'd pay on your own - but if you book on your own then you can adjust, change, fly split (one airline in, another airline home) and usually end up with a cheaper fare.

 

[bdkane]

If you want to get take your daughter to Cinderallas Royal Table for breakfast - which I highly recommend - youve started at JUST the right time

Make sure you book it early

 

[bdkane]

Another thing I learned is try to ALWAYS make your reservations dining reservations or show reservations at the earliest you can - most you can always cancel but if you wait it out it may be gone

 

[Planogirl]

I suggest making a list when you decide which resort to pick. What theme(s) do you prefer? How much can you spend? Would you prefer to be closer to a certain park or does it matter? Will resort buses work for you or would you prefer monorail or will you have and use a car? And so on.

Then pick a few resorts that work best and start hunting for rates when the time comes.

 

[waynesgirl]

Let me preface this by saying that I am 26 and have never been to Disney!
We would like to go March of 2012 over the Mardi Gras holiday (we are from Louisiana). My daughter will be 23 months and my son will be 3 months shy of turning 7.
I would love any tips just to get me going in the right direction!

TIA

Though the package with Dining option seems like a good idea, sometimes it is not. You have children- are they picky eaters? Do you think with the excitement the older child would rather just eat a slice of pizza (after all, Disney is for fun and what is more fun than junkfood?), or will he want to take time out every day to sit down to dinner, lunch, and breakfast?

There is a great thread on Theme Park Strategies that offers up options like Garden Grocer.

My DS5 is not super picky but he doesn't tend to eat a lot at Disney due to the onslaught of so much stimulation, both mental and physical. The dining would be too expensive for us- we eat CS meals (sharing a salad with 1 of my daughters because they are so big, with 1 or 2 meals being sit-down (we have DD's 16 and 13 as well).

However, we do stay on site because it is nice to be picked up by Magical Express. We pack granola bars, pop tarts, powdered drinks for the bottled waters (you can refill these free at a fountain), and snack on the fruit, popcorn, and other stuff. So our food budget on small meals stays low for more expensive table service meals.

Vacation is for fun. If you stress and overplan (which I tend to do), you will find it being a chore and not fun at all. One day at a time is all you need!

 

[mcd2745]

The advice has been pretty solid so far. My 2 cents...since you are still a long way out from your trip, I would start with ordering the free planning DVD from Disney and getting the 2011 Official Guide from Birnbaum's. It is a quick, easy and colorful read that will supply you with the basics. Then, I would move on to the Unofficial Guide to WDW. It has a lot more detail and tips, but is a bit of a monster.

Choosing a resort is a very subjective and individual thing for each family, so hard to give advice there. Just go with whatever theming appeals to you the most (and fits your budget, of course). Being it's your first time, you'll probably not spend that much time at the resort - something to keep in mind.

You have almost a year before you would need to start make dining reservations (ADRs), so you have plenty of time to review menus and figure out what you would like to try. Try to stick with eating at the parks, particularly for your first visit to maximize park time, but as noted, those restaurants fill up the fastest. Obviously, you have to try to coordinate your ADRs with whatever park you plan to visit each day. This may be the toughest part for you - figuring out which day to go to which park. And don't let negative reviews discourage you too much. If a certain restaurant appeals to you, try it.


And of course...lots of time spent reading these forums.

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

welcome to the board.
Getting a good book is a start.
If you can afford since you were asking about staying at CL...I would recommend a monorail resort since you can take your young child for naps..it help us with our son first trip when he just turned 2.
Character meals are part of the dinning plan.
My son loves character meal so we book them as much as we can.
Booking ADR is a key (Try to make all your ADR the same time your children eat the meals...it was a good tip I got on the boards)

 

[ZoZo]

Welcome to the DIS! My recommendation for a true "newbie" is to buy a really good guidebook (my favorite is the Unofficial Guide to WDW). It can give you great basic information about touring plans, how to use the Fastpass system, etc.

Read it all the way through, and start making a list of questions. That's what I use these chat boards for - to answer specific questions (such as "What's your favorite quick service restaurant in Magic Kingdom?" BTW, my answer is Columbia Harbor House!). These chat boards can be overhwhelming, especially if you're new.

 

[dseth]

Welcome!! There are lots of people here that will give you great advice!
The unofficial guide will help you so take some time to digest it. Other good sites to check out are allearsnet dot com
I use that a fair amount and I have been to Disney numerous times. It is very comprehensive on information from hotels to restaurants and has menus and pictues galore. That will help you especially if you are trying to decide on a particular on-site hotel. Don't get overwhelmed, lots of people do! You will never cover it all in one trip!