WDW first-timer!

[mocasey12]

Hi everyone! I have quickly become obsessed with Disboards since I found out we are going to WDW next Feb. My in-laws are renting a condo for the month outside of Orlando (Haines City) and we are flying down for a week (dates are completely flexible).

With all of the excitement that I am feeling, I can't help but get a bit overwhelmed. I am a planner by nature, so we when heard the news, I immediately began researching. My husband and I will be flying with our two boys (they will be 2 1/2 and 5 at the time) and are just looking for some good old-fashioned advise. We are in the mind-set that this may be our only Disney trip, so would like to experience a little bit of everything!

Some questions I have come across:
Is the memory maker worth the money?
Is it worth it to get Magic Bands for staying off resort?
Can we get the dining plan if we are not staying at a Disney resort?
Anyone stayed 30-45 min away from the parks? How did you plan your days?
The strollers you can rent at the parks look very uncomfortable. Anywhere else you can rent nice ones from?
Advise on matching shirts... any favorite DISigns you've come across? Thoughts on having kid's names on them...
I've seen LOTS of printables to put a binder together- I'd love to see your pics and hear what must be included!!
What else can I personalize for the kids? I've seen autograph books, anything else?
Which Character dining is a must?
General advise for a February trip?

Really- I just want to hear it all. I've been scanning through many, many threads and can't seem to keep my thoughts straight! I am so excited and can't wait to hear from you!!

Thank you all!

 

[hallen4]

My husband and I just came back from our first trip that included our 2 children in December. We both have gone to Disneyworld many times, but with the kids was a whole new experience. As far as stroller rentals go, we went with orlandostrollerrentals.com and got the City Mini Double, which was completely wonderful. We were staying offsite (rented a house), and they delivered it right to the front door in time for us to arrive there. We are planning on going again in January of 2016, and we are going to opt for the Memory Maker this time. Last time I found that fumbling with my phone or camera was tedious and I think the value will be worth it for all those character greetings. We did a character breakfast at Animal Kingdom at the Tusker House restaurant that was really cute (all the characters dressed in safari clothes), which included Mickey/Minnie/Donald/Daisy/Goofy. My daughter was only 1 1/2 so she was a little frightened, but my 3 year old son loved it. We did not get the dining plan since we felt it wouldn't be worth the overall cost and we like to eat on the fly anyway (but we did book a dinner at T-Rex ahead of time). As far as Magic Bands go, we didn't get them last time, but will definitely be getting them this time simply for the convenience of not fumbling around looking for the Disney cards every time I have a Fastpass ride (and my kids will love picking out the personalization for their bands) Other than that the only advice I have is to make sure you have a sweatshirt or something for everyone just in case. Not sure about February, but I know in December/January there are some cool nights and mornings and no one likes shivering children. The big thing that is in your favor is that you are at least planning ahead of time, don't know how many times you get to the park and the people there have no idea and no plan, and those people are the ones frustrated that they didn't have a good vacation. Hope your trip is as awesome as ours was!!

 

[mocasey12]

My husband and I just came back from our first trip that included our 2 children in December. We both have gone to Disneyworld many times, but with the kids was a whole new experience. As far as stroller rentals go, we went with orlandostrollerrentals.com and got the City Mini Double, which was completely wonderful. We were staying offsite (rented a house), and they delivered it right to the front door in time for us to arrive there. We are planning on going again in January of 2016, and we are going to opt for the Memory Maker this time. Last time I found that fumbling with my phone or camera was tedious and I think the value will be worth it for all those character greetings. We did a character breakfast at Animal Kingdom at the Tusker House restaurant that was really cute (all the characters dressed in safari clothes), which included Mickey/Minnie/Donald/Daisy/Goofy. My daughter was only 1 1/2 so she was a little frightened, but my 3 year old son loved it. We did not get the dining plan since we felt it wouldn't be worth the overall cost and we like to eat on the fly anyway (but we did book a dinner at T-Rex ahead of time). As far as Magic Bands go, we didn't get them last time, but will definitely be getting them this time simply for the convenience of not fumbling around looking for the Disney cards every time I have a Fastpass ride (and my kids will love picking out the personalization for their bands) Other than that the only advice I have is to make sure you have a sweatshirt or something for everyone just in case. Not sure about February, but I know in December/January there are some cool nights and mornings and no one likes shivering children. The big thing that is in your favor is that you are at least planning ahead of time, don't know how many times you get to the park and the people there have no idea and no plan, and those people are the ones frustrated that they didn't have a good vacation. Hope your trip is as awesome as ours was!!

I love all of this! I checked out the Tusker House- that looks fun I also read it may be easier to ADR to than some others... Thanks for taking the time to get all this info to me! I appreciate it!

 

[5stljayhawks]

Is the memory maker worth the money? Yes. order ahead and save $$

Is it worth it to get Magic Bands for staying off resort? Yes. only way for fast pass. Being offsite you may have limited availability

Can we get the dining plan if we are not staying at a Disney resort? I think so. But it eats up a lot of time you are planning all sit downs and ties you into rigid schedule for rest/parks. Go quick service.

Anyone stayed 30-45 min away from the parks? How did you plan your days? Yes Clearwater. Its one way there, park and then back home. Plan mid week day off from parks- Beach day or something. You are tied to normal park hours. They will be long, but be afaird to have your kids power nap at park, while you are get off your feet and relax.

The strollers you can rent at the parks look very uncomfortable. Anywhere else you can rent nice ones from? Think so, there are many stroller threads.

Advise on matching shirts... any favorite DISigns you've come across? Thoughts on having kid's names on them... Look at disney store. Names... not really unless they are fun disney one. (irons or local shirt shop can customize)

I've seen LOTS of printables to put a binder together- I'd love to see your pics and hear what must be included!!

What else can I personalize for the kids? I've seen autograph books, anything else? Just about anything. I have created a trading pin collection for each of the past 3-4 times we went. Kids gets 20-25 pins (from ebay, and a new lanyard) then I put them away until they are older..

Which Character dining is a must? Depends - on time you have and $ you want to spend. Crystal palace may be a good one. Lost of food selection and fun character interaction.

General advise for a February trip? Check weather, as it will range all over. Backpack with jackets are must for early morning or late evenings.

 

[Capang]

I don't think you can do the dining plan if you are offsite. Memory maker is totally worth it. As PP stated, order ahead of time. Popular character dining might include Chef Mickey (reviews here are very mixed), Crystal Palace, Hollywood and Vine to name a few. You may want to consider taking your own stroller or renting one from an outside company. Happy planning!!!

 

[mkla2015]

Is the memory maker worth the money?
- YES! If this is your first (and possibly only) trip- absolutely get MM! It's so nice to get the professional pics and have all family members in them.

Is it worth it to get Magic Bands for staying off resort?
-Yes, I would get them- just makes life easier.

Can we get the dining plan if we are not staying at a Disney resort?
-No

The strollers you can rent at the parks look very uncomfortable. Anywhere else you can rent nice ones from?
- there are lots of stroller rental places for very decent prices


Which Character dining is a must?
-Chef Mickey has the fab five, food is your typical buffet food- nothing special
- Tusker House has a great breakfast buffet
- Crystal Palace has Pooh and friends
-1900 PF has great character interaction with Cinderella and step sisters- even my 3yr old son enjoyed
-Ohana breakfast is my fav and has Lilo and Stitch in addition to Mickey and Pluto

General advise for a February trip?
- bring a jacket! And shorts! We were there the last few days of feb/early March this year and the weather was all over the place- high the first day was 50 but 3 days later in the 80s.

Just remember things will change- no matter how much you plan. Enjoy your trip and just take time to stop and take in all the Disney Magic!

 

[xlsm]

The one thing I disagree with others on is the buying of Magic Bands when staying offsite. They are NOT your only option for Fast Passes. That is incorrect. If you are staying offsite, you will use your plastic card tickets for FPs. But, that is just how it works right now. By the time February rolls around it could be totally different.

We do not stay offsite, so I won't be of any help with that, and others have given you some good starting points. Just be aware that the Princess Half Marathon takes place at the end of February, if that's something you'd either like to experience or avoid.

Oh, and a big fat YES on Memory Maker. It's one of my favorite things. We get literally hundreds of pictures over the course of the week. Last August we had close to 600 I think.

Have fun planning and try not to let yourself get overwhelmed (easier said than done, I know!!)

 

[mocasey12]

I love all the words of Disney wisdom! Sounds like we'll definitely get the memory make and possibly the magic bands. I've looked through all the restaurants and my mouth is watering already! Looking forward to hearing more great advise as the planning kicks up here! Thanks everyone, so happy I found this site!!

Melissa

 

[5stljayhawks]

There is also the sit down in epcot that is nemo ride. The surf rest? there is a huge aquarium that the rest. faces, its pretty cool. Also very dark inside.

 

[EPCOTgrl1]

Is the memory maker worth the money?
If you like to have the pictures I think it will be worth it. I have never done it but when the baby gets older I will most likely do it. Get it in advance so you save a little money.

Is it worth it to get Magic Bands for staying off resort?
I have no idea. I have only stayed onsite so we have them already. Sorry I cannot help with this

Can we get the dining plan if we are not staying at a Disney resort?
I am going to give you the same advice that I give everyone. When you figure out where you want to eat price it out and see if it is worth it. I am guessing if you are staying off site you will have breakfast at the condo each day. The bigger question is are you planning to go back to the condo for dinner? Do you plan on packing lunches to take to the park? If so then no the dining plan is not worth it, but if you are going to be eating most of your meals are on property then it might be worth it for your family.

Anyone stayed 30-45 min away from the parks? How did you plan your days?
Again it depends on what your plan is. I would go to the park at open and stay as late as you and your family can. Remember to plan some down rides in the middle of the day so the kids can take a break. Because you are going in February it won't be as hot so hopefully the kids will do better on that front.

The strollers you can rent at the parks look very uncomfortable. Anywhere else you can rent nice ones from?
There are many different places to rent strollers. I am unsure of what they are but that question has been answered over and over on this board.

Advise on matching shirts... any favorite DISigns you've come across? Thoughts on having kid's names on them...
I've seen LOTS of printables to put a binder together- I'd love to see your pics and hear what must be included!!
What else can I personalize for the kids? I've seen autograph books, anything else?
I am not a big fan of names of kids on shirts. I have said this before and I will say it again Disney isn't the safe bubble that people think it is. I personally don't want to give strangers more of an opportunity to confront my children and know their names so the kids feel safe with them. I like the idea of autograph books, I have seen some very nice scrapbook ones.

Which Character dining is a must?
If the boys like Winnie the Poop I would say the crystal palace. If they like Mickey I would say Chef Mickeys.

General advise for a February trip?
It is a nice time of year to go down. There isn't much swimming in pools at that time thought. I would also say bring layers for everyone. It can be chilly in the morning/evening but nice during the day. It normally isn't to crowed until Valentines day so I would say the earlier in the month the better. I have been able to walk onto rides at that time or wait less then 30 minutes for some of the more popular rides. You will have a great time. Just don't try and do it all this trip. Take your time and relax a little.

 

[mjkacmom]

I recommend the Unofficial Guide - so much great information, and a great starting point. You can't get the dining plan if you are staying offsite.

 

[Jarmo]

I'd go for the Magic Bands. At $13 each, it's a cheap way to get a lot of convenience.

 

[ebonyeyes]

You can find lots of cute matching t-shirts on etsy.

 

[mocasey12]

You guys! You have given me lots of great info! I really appreciate it I'll be busy over the next few months planning, so I may be asking more specific questions soon!