Super Excited! First Disney Trip!

[minera]

This is our family's first Disney Trip! We would never have been able to take it, but I won the trip, and am super excited! It will be myself, my husband and our 8 year old daughter! Everything is booked so I figured now I would figure out what we would do while there.

Quick Itinerary:

Walt Disney World 4/18/11 - 4/23/11

Staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort
6 Day Magic Pass with water & more option
Dining Deluxe Plan

I find the planning to be a bit overwhelming. All this stuff I have been reading about ADR's, and scheduling everything. We like to go with the flow on vacations, but I am getting the feeling Disney is not exactly that sort of vacation. There are so many parks, and so many options not sure where to start.

Any 'must' do or 'must' see suggestions appreciated as I am finding myself wanted to do and see everything but I know that is impossible! We are definately going to try for ADR's to Cinderella's Royal Table for dinner, The Spirit of Aloha, and Fantisimo Pkg. (I think that is the name of it)! Husband also wants to try a round of golf sometime during the week.

 

[pkondz]

and congratulations! Take a deep breath and relax. Remember, Disney is supposed to be fun! My number one recommendation is go to your local book store and pick up a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Disney World. There you will find a wealth of info on all things Disney. Of course all the info you might need is lurking here on the Dis, but it's packaged up quite nicely in the UOG.

Must do's... hmmm... Well, everyone is different. For example, IASW (It's a Small World, list of abbreviations here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1660743 Those not listed are not too hard to decipher, just grab a park map here: http://www.wdwinfo.com/maps/index.htm) is loved by some, loathed by others. For what it's worth, here's a fairly likely list of must do's

MK
POC
SPLASH MTN
SPACE MTN
BTMMR
PP
HM

EPCOT
SE
TT
Soarin'
MS

AK
FOTLK
KS
KRR
EE
Dinosaur

DHS
ST
TSM
RNR
TOT

That should get you started. Good luck!

 

[Metro West]

 

[Disneydonnam]

Have an awesome time.

 

[westcoastsunshine]

HI,

I took my granddaughter to Cinderella`s table and it was
incredible. All of the Disney princesses were there and
tried to see every child. To be honest, I can`t remember
the food because there was so much happening even the
adults were having a good time.

I highly recommend this adventure but it fills up very
quickly so please make a reservation ASAP.

S.

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

Welcome to the DIS!!!!!!!

And congratulations on winning such an AWESOME prize!!!!!!

 

[Gitts2008]

This is our family's first Disney Trip! We would never have been able to take it, but I won the trip, and am super excited! It will be myself, my husband and our 8 year old daughter! Everything is booked so I figured now I would figure out what we would do while there.

Quick Itinerary:

Walt Disney World 4/18/11 - 4/23/11

Staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort
6 Day Magic Pass with water & more option
Dining Deluxe Plan

I find the planning to be a bit overwhelming. All this stuff I have been reading about ADR's, and scheduling everything. We like to go with the flow on vacations, but I am getting the feeling Disney is not exactly that sort of vacation. There are so many parks, and so many options not sure where to start.

Any 'must' do or 'must' see suggestions appreciated as I am finding myself wanted to do and see everything but I know that is impossible! We are definately going to try for ADR's to Cinderella's Royal Table for dinner, The Spirit of Aloha, and Fantisimo Pkg. (I think that is the name of it)! Husband also wants to try a round of golf sometime during the week.

WELCOME!

We will be at CBR the same time as you! My dd is 9 now and we first went when she was 7.

I have planned 3 WDW vacations and ohhh my, yes it can be very overwhelming, BUT once you know what you want to do and where you want to eat and how to get to those places, the rest is easy. We have never gone during a school vacation, but we are going during a vacation now and our plan is to avoid peak hours, use early morning extra hours and BREATH!

At CBR we like to stay at Martinique.

I will try to not overwhelm you by blabbing on and on.

Know your deadlines:
180 days to book BBB and Dinning ADR's: You can start on 10/19 to book for 4/18.

Are you driving/flying/renting a car??


ADR: We love the character meals. We did Chef Mickey for dinner and it was great, Akershus Lunch when dd had her BBB, Ohana for breakfast, Tokyo dinning for dinner, Crystal palace for dinner. The only ADR that we did not like was the Garden Grill b/c the area rotates and we had a bad experience. Arrive about 15 mins early for your ress. You can use the on line sys. Some people overbook and cancel when they make a def. decision. If you do this remember to cancel. Put the ADR phone number in your cell phone, on our last trip I was able to reschedule plans while my family went on rides. At CBR in theh dinning area Port Royal they have CM's who can assist you also with ADR's.

We never did the Cinderella or Fanstamic but I have heard that they are great.

I highly recommend:
- the hair braiding at CBR.
- the pool at CBR
- BBB
- MK
-Epcot
-The Earl of Sandwich in DTD
-Lego Area in DTD
-Using Fast pass (Familarize yourself with what rides you want and what time you can use the fast pass)
- Getting a Mickey hat at MK ( I do not remember the name of the shop, but it was right by Main ST.)
-Space Mountain at MK
- Test Track
- Visiting the countries in Epcot

We LOVED MK and Epcot. We did not like Hollywood Studios at all and AK was so so.

*Our dd was VERY sick on the first trip, so pack for the unexpected, a thermometer, meds....

- We ordered from garden grocer, some breakfast foods and some toiletries to save on packing space and to just have some snacks.
-We use Camleback bottles which do not spill and are easy to carry.

OK, I gave you more info., than you probably wanted. We have only been there 3x but please msg me if you have any questions about what I posted.

check out the CBR thread to learn more about your resort.

HAVE A GREAT TRIP!

 

[DreamLiveLoveDisney]

Congratulations! What an amazing thing to win!!

Disney planning can be so overwhelming, but also fun and exciting. Here are my suggestions:

Figure out which days you'll be visiting each park.
From there, make your ADR's. Be sure to check times for parades & fireworks, as these vary, and you don't want your meals to coincide with these.

As another poster had said, you should definitely buy the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2011. It is FABULOUS!!
Also, touringplans.com is a great site. If you buy the book, you get a discount on the subscription to the site. I think I paid $6 for the year. This will give you all of the park, parade, and fireworks times, great information, and also has wonderful touring plans.

Finally, spend a lot of time on these boards. I have learned SO much here, and everyone has so many great tips.

 

[ajjoplin]

Congratulations on your fantastic win, and....WELCOME!!! It's great to have you on the DIS! I am currently planning my third Disney trip and the second I have had to plan myself. Planning Disn trips can be overwhelming, because you want to do everything but you know you can't. But I also think it is a huge part of the fun of Disney!

My first suggestion is be careful not to go commando! Don't schedule all the fun out of WDW. You can have a plan and still go with the flow. Everyone has their own personal favorites, but here are some of my must-sees:

Magic Kingdom: Peter Pan, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tiki Room, Haunted Mansion, Fireworks @ the Castle, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain

Epcot: Soarin', Space Experience, Test Track

Hollywood Studios: Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones Show, Rockin' Roller Coaster

Hope this help--enjoy your planning!!!

 

[minera]

WELCOME!

We will be at CBR the same time as you! My dd is 9 now and we first went when she was 7.

I have planned 3 WDW vacations and ohhh my, yes it can be very overwhelming, BUT once you know what you want to do and where you want to eat and how to get to those places, the rest is easy. We have never gone during a school vacation, but we are going during a vacation now and our plan is to avoid peak hours, use early morning extra hours and BREATH!

At CBR we like to stay at Martinique.

I will try to not overwhelm you by blabbing on and on.

Know your deadlines:
180 days to book BBB and Dinning ADR's: You can start on 10/19 to book for 4/18.

Are you driving/flying/renting a car??


ADR: We love the character meals. We did Chef Mickey for dinner and it was great, Akershus Lunch when dd had her BBB, Ohana for breakfast, Tokyo dinning for dinner, Crystal palace for dinner. The only ADR that we did not like was the Garden Grill b/c the area rotates and we had a bad experience. Arrive about 15 mins early for your ress. You can use the on line sys. Some people overbook and cancel when they make a def. decision. If you do this remember to cancel. Put the ADR phone number in your cell phone, on our last trip I was able to reschedule plans while my family went on rides. At CBR in theh dinning area Port Royal they have CM's who can assist you also with ADR's.

We never did the Cinderella or Fanstamic but I have heard that they are great.

I highly recommend:
- the hair braiding at CBR.
- the pool at CBR
- BBB
- MK
-Epcot
-The Earl of Sandwich in DTD
-Lego Area in DTD
-Using Fast pass (Familarize yourself with what rides you want and what time you can use the fast pass)
- Getting a Mickey hat at MK ( I do not remember the name of the shop, but it was right by Main ST.)
-Space Mountain at MK
- Test Track
- Visiting the countries in Epcot

We LOVED MK and Epcot. We did not like Hollywood Studios at all and AK was so so.

*Our dd was VERY sick on the first trip, so pack for the unexpected, a thermometer, meds....

- We ordered from garden grocer, some breakfast foods and some toiletries to save on packing space and to just have some snacks.
-We use Camleback bottles which do not spill and are easy to carry.

OK, I gave you more info., than you probably wanted. We have only been there 3x but please msg me if you have any questions about what I posted.

check out the CBR thread to learn more about your resort.

HAVE A GREAT TRIP!

Thank you and everyone else for the great tips! We are flying to Florida. We actually have a wedding to attend the weekend before about 2 hours from Disney so we will land in Tampa on Friday, stay the weekend for the Wedding then rent a car to go over to disney. Debating on keeping the car for the entire week at Disney as I have read of some good and bad experiences with the public transportation there.

Also I am from a small town and like having my own transportation to get around and go when I want to. Any thoughts on driving a car around Disney? They say parking is free for resort guests so that isn't an issue.

I have finally got an outline of our trip done with which ADR's we want for each day. I need to have that at least planned out by Wednesday morning. Is it Tuesday or Wednesday that ADR's open because I did a tool online and they said 180 days from April 18th is Wednesday the 20th.

 

[Minnie J]

and Congrats on winning a awesome prize!!! Have fun in planning!!

 

[Disneyfreak616]

have fun.

 

[Gitts2008]

. I need to have that at least planned out by Wednesday morning. Is it Tuesday or Wednesday that ADR's open because I did a tool online and they said 180 days from April 18th is Wednesday the 20th.

Oh I am so sorry....I was so excited about your trip, I told you my ADR start date....YES 10/20 is correct

 

[minera]

Oh I am so sorry....I was so excited about your trip, I told you my ADR start date....YES 10/20 is correct

No worries, just wanted to make sure I knew which day I needed to be up and ready to book my ressies!

 

[pkondz]

Also I am from a small town and like having my own transportation to get around and go when I want to. Any thoughts on driving a car around Disney? They say parking is free for resort guests so that isn't an issue.

No, there's no issue with using your own car. Yes parking is free for resort guests. If you are planning on arriving early at the parks and it's a MK day then use Disney Transportation. Generally for Magic Kingdom it's faster. Reason being that if you use your own car you will. 1. Possibly wait in line to get into the parking lot. 2. Possibly wait for a tram to take you to the TTC (Transportation and Ticket Center) 3. Take the monorail from the TTC to MK. Disney transportation will take you directly from your resort to MK.