WDW Newbie Visiting in March - Overwhelmed!

[smsmommy]

I am beginning to get overwhelmed with our trip in March! We have never been to WDW - visited DL 50 times growing up in Southern California, but I have never been to WDW. Finally convinced my husband to take the kids to WDW - so we are going for 7 days in March - husband, myself, DD (age 11) and DS (age 8).

I have secured hotel reservations - staying at Boardwalk Inn club level and already purchase a 6 day hopper pass. Park reservations have been made and now I am starting to look at restaurant options and I am also contemplating G+. Seriously - all this is alot for a newbie! Questions and my thoughts :

1. Do ppl make table service reservations for both lunch and dinner?
2. What times are ideal times for lunch and dinner - do you just take what you get or strategize a time?
3. Is it best to make a dining reservation at your primary park for the day? Or is dinner fine at another park?
4. What the heck is rope drop!!
5. We have early entry from my understanding - should we ensure we make it for early entry every day?
6. For G+, we wake up at 7AM - select our rides, and then go? Can you make G+ reservations for early entry or are all of the rides on standby?
7. What's the best strategy to really just enjoy our time and not get overwhelmed? So far we are doing the following: MK (Day 1), HS (Day 2), Epcot (Day 3), AK (Day 4), MK (Day 5) and HS (Day 6). I figured we will not do early entry the last 3 days and leisurely make our way to the parks.
8. I feel pressured to make ADR's at these coveted restaurants (Space 220 for example and character breakfasts) but with a family with two vegetarians - I beginning to think its best to eat at places with more food options - please tell me I am right!

Thanks all for reading my panic attack in the form of thoughts and questions!

 

[g-dad66]

Rope drop simply means park opening time.

We took advantage of early entry at every park last month, and it was worth it to us. (But we generally don't do late nights, so we had no trouble getting up early.)

At 7am, you can book your first G+ Lightning Lane. The earliest return times will be after park opening, so during that half-hour Early Entry, everything is Standby. (Also note that MK early entry is only Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, and at AK the Safari is not open during Early Entry.)

You can purchase G+ prior to 7am; in fact, you can purchase it anytime from midnight on.

Can't help you with table restaurants, because we only do quick-service restaurants (means we don't have to make any reservations, and we don't have to worry about getting to a reservation on time).

 

[CynBeth]

I have family members with food allergies so usually do TS for lunch and dinner. We are at the parks all day so that is when we relax and recharge. We usually try to do an 11 or 11:30 lunch and a 4:30 or 5 dinner. Just to give you a heads up traveling between parks can take time. Since this is your first trip I would try to stay in 1 park and only park hop if needed to get either a regular Genie+ ride or one of the extra fee ones. Maybe on your AK day to get some more stuff in at Epcot. We went this past Thanksgiving and the only time we park hopped was for some rides such as ROTR that we could only get for an evening time and luckily on those few days had not scheduled dinner because it was easier to do CS. I would look over menus at the different TS and see what works out best for what you need. I don’t know if it has changed but the French Onion Soup at Be Our Guest at MK used to be vegetarian. I believe they offer one entree without meat.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I am beginning to get overwhelmed with our trip in March! We have never been to WDW - visited DL 50 times growing up in Southern California, but I have never been to WDW. Finally convinced my husband to take the kids to WDW - so we are going for 7 days in March - husband, myself, DD (age 11) and DS (age 8).

I have secured hotel reservations - staying at Boardwalk Inn club level and already purchase a 6 day hopper pass. Park reservations have been made and now I am starting to look at restaurant options and I am also contemplating G+. Seriously - all this is alot for a newbie! Questions and my thoughts :

1. Do ppl make table service reservations for both lunch and dinner?
2. What times are ideal times for lunch and dinner - do you just take what you get or strategize a time?
3. Is it best to make a dining reservation at your primary park for the day? Or is dinner fine at another park?
4. What the heck is rope drop!!
5. We have early entry from my understanding - should we ensure we make it for early entry every day?
6. For G+, we wake up at 7AM - select our rides, and then go? Can you make G+ reservations for early entry or are all of the rides on standby?
7. What's the best strategy to really just enjoy our time and not get overwhelmed? So far we are doing the following: MK (Day 1), HS (Day 2), Epcot (Day 3), AK (Day 4), MK (Day 5) and HS (Day 6). I figured we will not do early entry the last 3 days and leisurely make our way to the parks.
8. I feel pressured to make ADR's at these coveted restaurants (Space 220 for example and character breakfasts) but with a family with two vegetarians - I beginning to think its best to eat at places with more food options - please tell me I am right!

Thanks all for reading my panic attack in the form of thoughts and questions!

1. We make a few table service reservations but not a lot as they are very expensive. You will want to prepare a good sized budget if you book a lot of TS dining. A buffet TS can run you as much as $75/person! That adds up quickly!
2. We tend to choose 'off' times for eating and often choose TS kinda mid day 2:00 - 4:00 both to take advantage of a lower priced menu (when it applies) and also we find we just don't need that much food.
3. You can make them at various locations. Many resorts have great dining but it really does eat into your time. A dining reservation outside of your park can easily take 60-90 mins travel time each direction.
5. You will likely find you do more rope drops early on in your vacation and less later as you get more tired. Do what works for your family as opposed to 'we must rope drop every day'. Have fun and see what works for your family!
6. Many quick service dining locations have vegetarian options. Look at the menus on the Disney website before going and this should help you decide. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/dining/

Personally, if this is your first WDW vacation I would drop the park hopper option and only add it if you find when you're there that you want to park hop. We have 7 day passes and I dropped ours.

 

[ak517]

I think most of your questions have been answered, but I just want to add a few more bits of info. TS dining can take up to 90 minutes itself, which cuts into park time. Disney is very accommodating to different dietary needs. I am pescatarian but haven't had problems getting vegetarian options at most restaurants, including QS. At family style dining (typical of character meals) you can easily request more and less of certain foods based on dietary needs.

When planning out your advance dining reservation (ADR) strategy, put your highest priority first and book in that order as opposed to booking day 1 dining, day 2 dining, etc. Space 220 is very hard to get, as are many other restaurants (California Grill, Be Our Guest, Oga's Cantina [which is almost exclusively a bar with minimal food options]). Another option are lounges, such as Nomad Lounge in AK, that do not require reservations or advance mobile ordering but have stellar food and drink options because they are paired with an adjacent table service restaurant. At MK, one of my favorites is Skipper Canteen, and I can usually pretty easily find a reservation.

I wouldn't make a dining reservation just to make one. For instance, the QS at AK is really good and would just require mobile ordering in advance of your desired meal time. And to echo comments above, some of the best table service options are actually at resorts (Grand Floridian, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Riviera). I also wouldn't sleep on all of the great dining at Epcot which would be easy (albeit time consuming if you're a park commando) to get to a few times during your trip based on your accommodations, park hoppers, and tentative plan.

Also, if you don't utilize Disney buses and instead use a rental car or Uber/Lyft everywhere, you can shave off a lot of travel time if you need to get from resort to resort! I'm a huge proponent of Disney buses because of convenience, but sometimes you just need to save some time and call a car.

 

[smsmommy]

Thanks everyone...I feel a little better; I keep starting a the wait times on the Disney App and getting get overwhelmed. I should stop and remind myself that 6 days is enough time to have a wonderful time. I'll talk to the kids on what is most important to them. For my husband - its everything Star Wars =)

Thanks again! I'll make a list next week since our ADR date is coming up. Have an amazing rest of the year!

 

[mumumouse]

I was just chatting with a neighbor today, who will be going to WDW for the first time. So excited for her and having been so often myself, I had to bite my tongue and just say positive encouraging things; rather than critique her plans and put in my two cents.

So much has changed since I last visited pre-Covid. I had the old system down pat. It was an absolute breeze, with Magical Express & old Fastpass+.

My first criticism of my neighbor’s plan is that they are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It is the least expensive of the deluxe/or maybe that is Wilderness Lodge, but it is so far removed from things. She will be in a room where you can view the animals.

The first time we stayed on site, we were at Port Orleans Riverside. This was before some of the Values offered family suites & it was what fit our budget. Then we stayed at All Star Movies & honestly, I was an instant convert to the value resorts. You get the same great Disney service/the themes are so fun for young kids. And you save some money. You are still in the Disney bubble with its perks! We later stayed at Pop Century and it became our favorite. My logic is: if you are going to spend all your time in the parks (which was our case), the hotel is more just a place to rest your weary head in the evening. I am not one who uses the pools (sometimes still chilly in March) or goes back to the resort during the day. I get that Boardwalk is close proximity to Epcot, so that is a perk.

March was our absolute favorite time of year to visit and I love Epcot during Flower and Garden, so that is all a big bonus!!!!! We went during Texas Spring Break and despite the hoards (again, pre-Covid) were able to tour seamlessly with the old system. Not sure about Genie.

I asked the neighbor if they are visiting all the parks. She said Epcot is the only one they are not doing. Boo, boo and boo to that! This all in my head & me smiling and staying positive.

I was confused when the neighbor said they would get up at 7 day of, to make the Genie selections. What?? I thought surely she was misinformed. With FP+ we as resort guests would choose our passes 60 days out. I do not get up early while on my vacation. 8 o’clock if I was excited about seeing MK maybe. Our first FP would be 10ish and that might be pushing it. So good luck with Genie. I hope it allows for time adjustment/exchange in case you are running late.

I would advise ditching the park hopper if this is a first visit. Focus on each park and cover it fully. There is so much to cover, you can visit each park more than once. Park hopping totally eats into your time.

I was talking to the neighbor about water/groceries. She says she is doing instacart. This is a family with a 1 & 9 year old, so I can see maybe groceries helping save money, although I never went that route. I was trying to tell her about the free drinking water in the parks, but this may have changed with Covid.

I would not book lunch and dinner in the same day. You will end up feeling burdened not only by the time constraint, but weighed down by the food.

We learned to choose a couple of nice breakfasts (buffet/which might not be happening now) and maybe a couple of lunches. Maybe 3-4 total per 6 or seven day visit.

Your kids are at great ages where they can go go go! Take advantage of that. It was nice to eat in Beast’s castle for lunch and refuel & be out of the sun.

I miss it all so much, but not sure I will like it as much with all the changes. We would visit every March for years and years.

Focus on good shoes (tennis shoes with good support) and socks. Sun protection and staying hydrated. Comfortable loose clothing.

Do not carry a ton into the parks/backpacks, etc. I’ve seen people with their kitchen sinks on their backs.

Their are places in the parks to recharge your cell phones. Try and group your attractions in clusters, so that you cover as much as you can in any given area/to avoid zig zagging all over. The parks are huge. Animal Kingdom is deceptively the largest.

Utilize your Disney app to help orient where you are at and what is nearby & has short waits.

Good luck! Enjoy!

 

[szahner]

We have stayed club level before (different resort than you have booked), and we really took advantage of the breakfast and evening desserts/drinks. Make sure you take that into account when making ADRs. We ended up making less reservations because we had the lounge amenities. Enjoy your trip!

 

[mumumouse]

Meant to say, skip Disney Springs. That was another thing my neighbor was doing. I would not do that as a newbie. Focus on the parks.

Not sure how Covid has affected food service, but in the past we were satisfied with quick service restaurants. The food quality and healthy options were impressive and there was something for everyone.

You might check the cancellation policies on ADRs. I guess better to book and have the option, than risk not having availability closer to trip. Although in the past you could often find last minute reservations.

Sorry, I am pretty out of the loop with all the changes and recent updates.

I just would not get bogged down with too many dining reservations, unless that is the way to go due to less places being open.

 

[mumumouse]

I just paid attention to the fact that you are new to WDW, but have been to DL lots!

It will be a whole new world

DL & MK have many of the same/but different attractions. Some are better at DL. Small World, Pirates….come to mind.

My daughter went nuts over Toontown at DL. I hear that is being redone.

Of course the big difference is that you have the four parks and that will involve time getting to and from. We used the buses Disney provides. We were totally carless though.

I was mind blown when we visited DL years ago and stayed at the Best Western on Harbor Drive (I think that was the name), immediately across the street from the entrance. That was so cool after all the traveling we did between parks at WDW.

I love both DL & WDW. Similar, yet so different. And of course DL is the GOAT.

 

[smsmommy]

I just paid attention to the fact that you are new to WDW, but have been to DL lots!

It will be a whole new world

DL & MK have many of the same/but different attractions. Some are better at DL. Small World, Pirates….come to mind.

My daughter went nuts over Toontown at DL. I hear that is being redone.

Of course the big difference is that you have the four parks and that will involve time getting to and from. We used the buses Disney provides. We were totally carless though.

I was mind blown when we visited DL years ago and stayed at the Best Western on Harbor Drive (I think that was the name), immediately across the street from the entrance. That was so cool after all the traveling we did between parks at WDW.

I love both DL & WDW. Similar, yet so different. And of course DL is the GOAT.

Thanks so much! I feel better. I grew up going to DL; I know that park like the back of my hand, but to be fair - I haven't gone in at least 5 years - I am sure things have changed. Yes - I believe there is a Best Western on Harbor! =)

Spoke to my husband about the hopper, he said to just keep it - I guess since Epcot and Hollywood Studios is walkable to Boardwalk, if we need to, we can end the evening at any of those two and head on back. Or we can come back to the hotel mid day, relax and then go back out for a few hours.

We have stayed club level before (different resort than you have booked), and we really took advantage of the breakfast and evening desserts/drinks. Make sure you take that into account when making ADRs. We ended up making less reservations because we had the lounge amenities. Enjoy your trip!

Yes - I think the lounge will be helpful! Iove club floors bc the access to the lounge just makes it stress free for me (it reminds me of my old consulting life back a long long time ago before children were in my life -lol). Good point on taking that into account with my ADRs.

 

[docindigo76]

To speak to #8 on your list (as I am vegetarian too), of the restaurants we dined at, Topolino's brunch (Riviera Resort), Via Napoli (EP), La Creperie de Paris (EP), and Tusker House (AK) were my favorites. Did the apple waffles at Topolino's with a fruit plate. It's easy to get vegetarian pizza to order at Via Napoli--I'll note the menu on Disney's website is *not* complete, as there are some veggies to choose from to customize your pie; the creperie has options too and you can order a la carte. For example, there I ordered a salad and fruit crepe for a light dinner--and the price was nice, in Disney dollars . The chef at Tusker was particularly accommodating and brought out samples of things for me to ensure I'd be happy with the meal. The chickpea curry there was good to me (even with the Impossible protein crumbles, but they can customize one without that if you like).

If you find yourselves at the Contemporary, Contempo Cafe's grilled tofu bowl is pretty good too. Had that several nights when we retired from the parks early.

Enjoy, and good luck planning!