Tips for a fun vacation needed

[Torjohnson]

I am a disneyland guy(west coast) and have booked a nine day summer visit(before July 4) to wdw for my wife and eight year old and I. I know it is crowded(I"m a school teacher...I"m the reason it"s crowded). We are staying at the Pop. I am not concerned about seeing everything. I try not to buy into the "oh, we have to see it all" mentality...but have been freaked out by the whole guidebook "run, run, run attitude". I see it all as gravy.We have 7 day park hoppers, water park options, dining, the whole nine yards...so give me some reassurance and some tips...How do you do stuff and still have fun. It"s supposed to be fun, right?
Excited but nervous.

 

[wdwguide]

I am a disneyland guy(west coast) and have booked a nine day summer visit(before July 4) to wdw for my wife and eight year old and I. I know it is crowded(I"m a school teacher...I"m the reason it"s crowded). We are staying at the Pop. I am not concerned about seeing everything. I try not to buy into the "oh, we have to see it all" mentality...but have been freaked out by the whole guidebook "run, run, run attitude". I see it all as gravy.We have 7 day park hoppers, water park options, dining, the whole nine yards...so give me some reassurance and some tips...How do you do stuff and still have fun. It"s supposed to be fun, right?
Excited but nervous.

With nine days at your disposal, there is little need for commando-style touring. You should have a general idea of crowd patterns in the parks to avoid the major bottlenecks (a good guidebook will help you with that). Tour briskly for the first hour or two in the morning, then slow down and use FastPass whenever appropriate, and you'll be fine. It'll probably be hotter than hell and even more humid though, so come prepared!

 

[ScottNBecky]

We are teachers as well and have to go during Christmas, Easter, and the summer. The summer is the least crowded of the 3 times to go. heres our advice:

#1-get up EARLY and into the parks at opening. Before you go use these boards and figure out what rides/shows you MUST see. Then you can hit the others later on. We always factor in MK for 2 days if not 3 if we stay for about 10 total days. But for sure 2 days. First go go right and through Fantasyland and the next day go left and then end up in Fantasyland.

#2-USE FASTPASS!!!!! Get their passes and when they go to the restroom, or stop for a drink or something, take their passes and walk to a ride and get fastpasses. Then continue to do rides, but go back later on to the fastpass ride. Do that method all day long and you never really have to wait in too long lines. We always try to plan out FP's and get one before we eat lunch, then by th etime the FP's are ready to be used we havnet wasted any time b/c we were eating lunch.

 

[traviesojmt]

My family is definitely not the "go, go, go" type. We always take advantage of the early entry parks. I think that we ride more in the first couple of hours than we do the rest of the day. Our family always takes a break after lunch. We go back to the hotel and swim or rest for an hour or so. Then we feel refreshed and ready to go again later in the afternoon. I think that it is important to have a plan of where you would like to go each day. This will also help with any ADRs that you want to make. BUT, do not become a slave to the plan. Don't feel like you have to stick to it. If everyone is tired one day, turn in early. If the heat of the day has everyone dragging, go back to the hotel and swim. We LOVE Disneyworld. It is always fun for us. I agree that you should take advantage of the fastpasses. Don't forget, Disney has other fun things for families to do too. My DS8 likes to play miniature golf at least once on every visit. Just plan what is best for your family.

 

[mhingher]

9 days- you're lucky! Anyway, don't stress yourself over the crowds. You'll be in the happiest place on earth after all!

WDW is MUCH different than DL-- and MUCH bigger! You don't necessairly have to run all over the place. I di suggest that you do some reasearch on the parks, to get an idea of what attractions you want to see. Definitely take advantage of Fast Pass! And since you're staying on WDW property, you might want to look into EMH as well.

One more thing-- I have been to WDW the last week in June and it is HOT! Be prepared to drink lots of water, and don't be nervous about taking breaks during the day. What we try to do is either spend the early AM or afternoon either by the pool at the resort or DTD. THere's plenty to do besides go to the parks.

And above everything-- relax and have fun... it's a VACATION! No stressing

Melissa

 

[Tam1067]

Everyone else has given accurate advice. As a DL veteran myself, on our first trip to WDW, I was surprised at how much planning you do need if you want to do it well. I had a bit of an "issue" with my mom when she met us at WDW because she, a Californian who goes to DL about once a year, didn't understand why I wanted to talk to her about restaurants three months before we were going.

Read the guidebooks, yes. Use FASTPASS, which I'm sure you're already familiar with. Get there early. But again, the latter two are things good DL visitors do anyway. If you plan the mornings well, you can see many major rides by noon and then relax in the afternoon.

Our plan for our July visit is this: get to the park in the morning, do the UG touring plan for the major attractions we want to see, return to our hotel at about noon or 1:00, and then hang at the pool until our ADR for dinner, wherever that is. So it's not go-go-go the whole time, but we're pretty organized. Then the evenings are when we can hang out, watch the street performances, etc.

And a final note: be prepared for humidity unlike anything you've ever experienced. Florida is so wet and sticky that you will not be able to last in the parks as long as you can last at DL, even in the heat there. You need to be mentally and physically prepared for that reality; otherwise, it'll knock you out on the first day.