WDW trip info, please!

[bizybea]

Hi everyone!
I've never been to WDW and may be planning on going next year, woohoo!! But I need your help! I have sooo many questions, I'm really, really new to this. It would be 2 adults, one child, girl, 8 years old. We want to see as much of Disney as possible, but want to keep it interesting for 8 yr old DD. (For instance, would she enjoy Epcot, or should we skip it?)

If you had your choice, how many days would you spend at WDW?

What is the best time of year to go?

What kind of tickets to purchase?

We want to stay onsite, with transportation to and from the parks it doesn't need to be ultra fancy, since we'd mostly just be there to sleep and rest.

What parks to visit? What to see/do that everyone will enjoy? Must do's?

And, finally, (for now ) :

Where to eat and how much to budget for food each day?

Can you give me an idea of how much a trip like this would cost? (Just lodging, WDW, souveniers, and food for X many days?) We would find airfare on our own. I know this is a lot of questions, thanks for helping me out! Since this is the first time for me and my DD I want it to be a memorable and magical trip, so if you know of any extras that would make it possible, please mention! Thanks again!

Beatriz

 

[Dan Murphy]

Originally posted by bizybea
......If you had your choice, how many days would you spend at WDW?

What is the best time of year to go?

What kind of tickets to purchase?

We want to stay onsite, with transportation to and from the parks it doesn't need to be ultra fancy, since we'd mostly just be there to sleep and rest.

What parks to visit? What to see/do that everyone will enjoy? Must do's?

And, finally, (for now ) :

Where to eat and how much to budget for food each day?

Can you give me an idea of how much a trip like this would cost? (Just lodging, WDW, souveniers, and food for X many days?) We would find airfare on our own. I know this is a lot of questions, thanks for helping me out! Since this is the first time for me and my DD I want it to be a memorable and magical trip, so if you know of any extras that would make it possible, please mention! Thanks again!

Beatriz

Yikes, that is a lot. I might suggest taking each of these questions, besides asking here on the CB (which is fine) and also ask them on the various boards, Resort, Restaurant, Theme Park, Budget, and so on.

Offhand, and not in any detail, my choice now, 10 days, early December, AP's, a value or moderate, all four parks, plus maybe a water park (weather permitting that time of year) and Disney Quest. Eating and bugeting is so very subjective.

You will have a wonderful time planning and being there, making memories. But try and do what I suggested, Beatriz, and ask these various questions also on the respective boards, you will get a lot of ideas, I am sure. And if you don't (weekends are slow), don't be afraid to bump your question or repost again, maybe asking a slighty different way.

Make sure that besides here, you also check Deb's site, www.allearsnet.com and Mary's, www.mousesavers.com , both loaded with wonderful planning info, as is www.wdwinfo.com here.

(edited a link that did not work)

 

[Jasminesmommy]

The cheap place to stay are value resorts. Which are All starts or Pop Century. I Stay at All Star movies and theres 4 of us. We get the Dream maker Ultimate park hopper for the amount of days there its good from check in till midnight of xheck out and it gives you admission to all parks, water parks, Disney quest. Food it all depends on wht you want to eat if you want quick or sit down. We stayed in sept for 6 days and for food and souviners we spent $1000 had 5 sit down nice meals. You will need to do to the resturant board for that. I perfer Sept cause its still nice weather and not busy at all. Transporataion is free when staying onsite they have buses to the parks in front of hotels.

 

[Micca]

Bizybea please take Dan's advice and spend some time researching your questions on the boards. I guarantee you'll get answers to any questions you have, but it would help to narrow the field a bit.

To get the ball rolling, stay as long as you can. One week is a good start, anything beyond that is gravy(so to speak). Also you don't want to miss any of the major WDW parks, so you don't want to miss Epcot.

Regarding the accomodations, all of the official WDW resorts include transportation on property (not to/from the airport). If you are using your room strictly for utilitarian purposes (sleep/shower/etc) then the budget hotels like Pop Century or All Stars are for you.

Best times to go depend on your goals. It makes a difference if water parks are a critical part of your plan. Generally, the lowest crowds are in January and September up to Christmas excluding holidays. But that doesn't mean there aren't other great times to go

 

[dzneelvr]

We started going when our DD was 6 and DS was 8. Believe it or not, neither one now remembers much from that first trip...... (so go figure)

Here's what we did and it was a wonderful beginning to a regular annual vacation:

1. stayed at the All Stars. Back then there was no Movies--we stay there now. A cheap price for Disney magic and it allows you to freely spend in all other apects of the trip. We HATE to skimp!!

2. Get either APs or Park Hoppers. The PHP's proved too much for us--we don't spend that much time at a water park because of the resort pool.

3. Make PSs (priority seatings) for as many meals as you can. It cuts down on last-minute chaos and luck and allows you to set your Park location for the day.

4. Treat the first trip as a beginning....not an end. You will never do and see all there is and you won't know what interests your family until you get there.

5. Finally--relax, enjoy, and just soak up the memories you will make. The first time you walk through Main Street in MK is something! Don't sweat the small stuff. Now that our kids are teenagers, they love it even more!

WDW ON JUNE 24

 

[monarchsfan16]

My first trip was when I was 3. The first time I did EPCOT I was 7, and my sister was 3. There is plenty to do in ALL the WDW parks, including EPCOT, even at the age of 8. So don't skip it.
We usually spend 1 day in each of the parks except the Magic Kingdom. We spend 2 days there, because there is soo much to do, and it's one of our favorites. We may start spending extra time in Animal Kingdom too, because there's so much to see there. We usually go down to Orlando for a week. Friday to Friday or something like that. But we only spend about 5 days in the park, because we like to take a day off midweek (use it to explore the other resorts, go to the water parks, shop in Downtown Disney, etc). You will be exhausted half way through the week. Don't try to see all of Disney in one trip. We've gone back numerous times and still haven't seen close to everything. Definitely check all of the boards here, there's so much great advice everywhere. Even though I've been to WDW several times, I'm still learning new stuff everyday here on the boards.

 

[bizybea]

Thanks, I will post this on other boards, too.

Ok, now for some clarification...what are AP's, Disney Quest, and Ultimate Park Hoppers?

And what's the difference between the All Stars and the All Stars Movies?

Thanks to all again!

 

[Jasminesmommy]

AP- AnnualPass

Disney quest is a big arcade I gues is the best word for it

All stars is the name of the resort there is All star Movies All Star Music All Star Sports and each has bigger then life Icons of there name.

Park Hoppers give you access to the different parks and allows you to hop to different parks during the day with out having to pay admission to the new park you visit.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Don't forget, when asking the questions on the other boards, ask the part of your many parted question here that is repective to that board you are posting on. The total list is fine here, but on the other boards, ask only that part for that board. Just an FYI.

 

[pjlla]

One thing you didn't mention was your budget. I'm not trying to be nosy, but are you going to be on a tight budget (scrimping and saving to make the trip) or is this going to be a big, blow-out, budget-buster (once in a lifetime kind of thing)? The value resorts are just fine, but if you have a bit more $$ in the budget, try a moderate resort. You may appreciate the bit of extra space in the morning when you all are trying to get ready to go.

Decide your budget before you decide anything else! Otherwise you have too many options open. If you know that your budget can only handle a value resort, then that is all you will look at. If you may be able to handle a moderate, then you have more options available.

Look around here over at the Budget Board. Lots of people post what they spend at WDW. It will give you a better idea of what to expect. And get a clear understanding of what kinds of ticket media is available. There is a variety and it helps to know what kind will be best for your visit.

I suggest you get a couple of books (I recommend Birnbaums Official Guide and "The Unofficial Guide to WDW") and read then THOROUGHLY!! THey are LOADED with good information. Another book that many people recommend is the Passporter.

And feel free to post as many questions as you have here at the Dis. There are many different "Boards" for different specifics about WDW... check them all out!.......................P