Steer me in the right direction please!

[Princess Bette]

Now that I have calmed down from actually booking our trip for December, what do I do next?! There is so much to plan and not having any Disney experience, I feel so overwhelmed. We will have 7 full days and 2 half days. I don't want to spend all day everyday at the parks...we want some down time at FW. I know we want to go to MVMCP, some parades...not sure what else - we want to go to some of the dining ops...but not sure which ones. We really want to explore FW and all it has to offer as well. Our trip is 11/30-12/8/12. Any ideas or suggestions? Where/how does one begin to plan such a special vacation?

 

[5stljayhawks]

Sounds like a first trip to the fort... Which loop have you requested?

Any Kids? Like to fish? Planning on getting a golf cart(check out kenny's)

Food, Cali Grill is good place - sched around fireworks then ask window seat. To go pizza from fW trails end is good, as well as fried chicken...

 

[2goofycampers]

We usually decide if we want to do extra magic hours or skip them. Then decide which parks which days. Then......

If you want to eat at table service restaurants you need to make your ADR's. You can do so 180 days from the date.


Check the menus... http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining.htm

I also like the wealth of info from these 3 sites....

http://www.wdwinfo.com/

http://allears.net/index.html

http://www.mousesavers.com/

Have fun planning, but, be careful not to over plan.

 

[Bearikens]

Things to do at the fort
They have canoe rental, watercraft rental, archery lessons, swimming (2 pools), hot tub, white sand beach, basketball hoops, horseback riding, petting zoo, relaxation (nice sitting in your campsite or cabin with your favorite beverage), sunbathing, hay ride, horse drawn carriage ride, nightly free movies, campfire sing-along, marshmellow roasts, nightly water pageant. My favorite is to walk, bicycle, or golf cart looping to see the campsite Christmas displays and the displays the resorts are putting up.
Dining (in the MK area without going into the parks): Ohana (Polynesian), Whispering Canyon (WL), California Grill (Contemporary), upscale dining (multiple locations at GF), Trails Inn. My DW and I like to have afternoon tea at GF. Oh, I hope the giant gingerbread house is up or at least being constructed in the lobby of the GF when you are there.

MK fireworks can also be seen from the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Contemporary, and FW Beach (music from the show is pipped in).

Hope this helps and I hope you have a wonderful time

 

[Bearikens]

Forgot to mention: Hoop De Doo (next to Trails End) and the Backyard BBQ (at the Fort) in the Dining category

Fishing in the canals, and the guided fishing excursions. Star gazing is also excellent if there is no moon.

Tip: mornings and nights that time of year can be chilly (especially taking the watercraft to/from the MK) while the days may be warm, so bring a jacket. Small flashlight is also a great item to use after dark to walk to/from the campsite or cabin as the campground can be pretty dark.

 

[Mcert01]

The first thing to do is ... relax. There are a ton of good resources to help you make the most of your trip. Along with the great advice you can find on this board, here are some good sites to check out:

(reposting from another thread)

http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jlspence/faq_fw.htm

http://allears.net/index.html

http://touringplans.com/

The first is a FAQ on FW. It has a ton of good info. The second is Deb Willis' site. It is a wonderful site for planning, right down to the menus at the restaurants.

The third is the most important. If this is your first trip to Disney World the thing you must understand is that it is not like any amusement park you have ever been to, or ever will again. DW is 45 square miles of pure entertainment with so many options and attractions that you could come back for years and have a different experience each time.

However, you are on the right track by creating a plan. I have seen too many people walking into the parks, grab a map, then start looking around confused as to where to start. If you end up as one of them it is pretty much guaranteed that you will not get as much out of the trip as you would like. Though I have to say, the time of year you have chosen will be one of the least crowded, which will be a big advantage.

The single best resource I have found is The Unofficial Guide by Bob Sehlinger and Len Testa. It will help you develop a road map and tour plans that will greatly enhance your visit. The book and the website will be immensely helpful in ensuring that you and your family have a great time.

A word of caution; don't assume you have a lot of time. For instance, if you have little ones and want to try come character meals, especially at Cinderella's Castle, you need to make reservations as soon as they are available, which is generally 6 months out.

Most of all, enjoy! Planning the trip is half the fun!

 

[Princess Bette]

Thanks to each of you for your great ideas and suggestions!! I'm so glad I have a lot time to decide the "must do's" and then we will just relax and enjoy FW!

 

[djblu883]

hello from another Alabama camper! We love the Fort and always spend down time enjoying it. I'm a huge planner and I actually do a spread sheet using a claendar for doing reservations for the dining plan. I also put in extra magic hours to help when I'm making those plans. I'd be glad to help you if you need some experienced help! Welcome to the Camping forum BTW!

 

[YellowXterra]

Don't plan just go with the flow! I have been doing it this way since 1998

 

[articfox676]

I guess you have figured out there are many things to do in FW plus the parks. So that means plan on coming back to camp. Be careful FW is addictive. We love it there and usually try to go 4 or 5 times a year. We are lucky to live in FL and do the AP. Can never have to much Mickey.
Enjoy!!

 

[Princess Bette]

hello from another Alabama camper! We love the Fort and always spend down time enjoying it. I'm a huge planner and I actually do a spread sheet using a claendar for doing reservations for the dining plan. I also put in extra magic hours to help when I'm making those plans. I'd be glad to help you if you need some experienced help! Welcome to the Camping forum BTW!

I love T-town! I went to UA back in the early 80's and love to visit when I can. I haven't been since the tornado last year - hope you and your family were spared. Coming up on the one year anniversary - going to be emotional for a lot of folks. Thanks for the welcome! Your spread sheet sounds awesome! I was wanting to do something very similar but have no idea how to get started. We do not want to spend all our time at the parks, but there are some things we don't want to miss or forget to do! We are looking forward to down time at the Fort for exploring and site seeing! Do you have a program you use or a website or is it something you created? I would love to be able to use something where I can just plug in my dates, EMH, etc.

 

[Princess Bette]

I guess you have figured out there are many things to do in FW plus the parks. So that means plan on coming back to camp. Be careful FW is addictive. We love it there and usually try to go 4 or 5 times a year. We are lucky to live in FL and do the AP. Can never have to much Mickey.
Enjoy!!

You are so right! I'm afraid I will have to join a 12 step program soon, because we will love it and can't enough! Yes, I am a little jealous that you get to visit so often! We love camping and I know we will love FW!

 

[Princess Bette]

The first thing to do is ... relax. There are a ton of good resources to help you make the most of your trip. Along with the great advice you can find on this board, here are some good sites to check out:

(reposting from another thread)

http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jlspence/faq_fw.htm

http://allears.net/index.html

http://touringplans.com/

The first is a FAQ on FW. It has a ton of good info. The second is Deb Willis' site. It is a wonderful site for planning, right down to the menus at the restaurants.

The third is the most important. If this is your first trip to Disney World the thing you must understand is that it is not like any amusement park you have ever been to, or ever will again. DW is 45 square miles of pure entertainment with so many options and attractions that you could come back for years and have a different experience each time.

However, you are on the right track by creating a plan. I have seen too many people walking into the parks, grab a map, then start looking around confused as to where to start. If you end up as one of them it is pretty much guaranteed that you will not get as much out of the trip as you would like. Though I have to say, the time of year you have chosen will be one of the least crowded, which will be a big advantage.

The single best resource I have found is The Unofficial Guide by Bob Sehlinger and Len Testa. It will help you develop a road map and tour plans that will greatly enhance your visit. The book and the website will be immensely helpful in ensuring that you and your family have a great time.

A word of caution; don't assume you have a lot of time. For instance, if you have little ones and want to try come character meals, especially at Cinderella's Castle, you need to make reservations as soon as they are available, which is generally 6 months out.

Most of all, enjoy! Planning the trip is half the fun!

Mike - thanks for the great links! I'm looking forward to exploring them for great info on planning the trip. I don't want to have a strict schedule that doesn't allow for unplanned adventures, but at the same time, I want a plan so that we won't miss the things we for sure want to do/see! Make sense?! We probably won't do many character meals, if any. My DS will be 9 and doesn't have much interest in them. We have been on a couple of Disney cruises and the characters are all over the place on the ships. He didn't even get in any lines to see any on the 2nd one! But he did hug them if he saw them walking about. So, no need to waste $$ on those if he is not "into" them. But I will ask him once again so we can book if he changes his mind. I am working with a Disney travel agent whose children go to my son's school and she helped us decide on dates so that it would not be so crowded (we knew we wanted to go at Christmas though). She is full of info on everything, but I wanted to get advice from other FW campers as well! Can't have enough info, can we?!

 

[Princess Bette]

Things to do at the fort
They have canoe rental, watercraft rental, archery lessons, swimming (2 pools), hot tub, white sand beach, basketball hoops, horseback riding, petting zoo, relaxation (nice sitting in your campsite or cabin with your favorite beverage), sunbathing, hay ride, horse drawn carriage ride, nightly free movies, campfire sing-along, marshmellow roasts, nightly water pageant. My favorite is to walk, bicycle, or golf cart looping to see the campsite Christmas displays and the displays the resorts are putting up.
Dining (in the MK area without going into the parks): Ohana (Polynesian), Whispering Canyon (WL), California Grill (Contemporary), upscale dining (multiple locations at GF), Trails Inn. My DW and I like to have afternoon tea at GF. Oh, I hope the giant gingerbread house is up or at least being constructed in the lobby of the GF when you are there.

MK fireworks can also be seen from the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Contemporary, and FW Beach (music from the show is pipped in).

Hope this helps and I hope you have a wonderful time

Thank you for wonderful ideas!!! Putting several on my must do list!

 

[Princess Bette]

We usually decide if we want to do extra magic hours or skip them. Then decide which parks which days. Then......

If you want to eat at table service restaurants you need to make your ADR's. You can do so 180 days from the date.


Check the menus... http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining.htm

I also like the wealth of info from these 3 sites....

http://www.wdwinfo.com/

http://allears.net/index.html

http://www.mousesavers.com/

Have fun planning, but, be careful not to over plan.

Thank you for the great links - the will be a great help!

 

[Princess Bette]

Sounds like a first trip to the fort... Which loop have you requested?

Any Kids? Like to fish? Planning on getting a golf cart(check out kenny's)

Food, Cali Grill is good place - sched around fireworks then ask window seat. To go pizza from fW trails end is good, as well as fried chicken...

Yes, first trip! We requested loop 700. We have one son who will be 9 at the time of the trip. He does like to fish, but I was wondering what the fishing was like in early December? We will be bringing our own golf cart from home along with our Jeep. Good tip on the Cali Grill and fireworks! Thanks!

 

[Mcert01]

Makes perfect sense. The tour plans just give you the right sequence to see the attractions to limit wait times. You have to decide which attractions are important for you and your family, take lots of things into consideration during the course of the day and week, and make adjustments as you go.

What you will find is the tour plan will relieve stress and ensure that everyone gets to see what they want while avoiding long waits. Enjoy the ride. It's very fun!