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

 

[mmeb144]

Wow! Lots of questions! I would definitely do EPCOT with the 8 year old DD. Do the Kidcot stops at the World Showcase. My DD will be doing these when we go in October. She is 9. She is really looking forward to this. My DD also likes the SpaceShip Earth ride. Have you heard about the scavenger hunt they have with the kid's guide for EPCOT? I plan to work through this with my kids.

Marie

 

[CharlesandCamilla]

There are some questions you need to have the answer to before you can ask some of the others. How long can you go for? How do you feel about pulling an 8 yo out of school? What time are you arriving and leaving?(Basically, where are you coming from?) What kind of budget are you on?

The available rooms vary greatly in cost and amenities. Going in the off season usually requires a little more time to see everything in the parks because of reduced hours and the reduced frequency of shows. But there are less crowds, you can see more of Kissimee and the room rates are a better deal. The weather is also a little unpredictable in January and February.

Look at www.disneyworld.com to get an idea of the resorts available. Look at www.allearsnet.com to get an idea of the food (they have a number of menus) as well as get more info about rooms and the parks. Look at www.mousesavers.com to get an idea of prices, packages, and deals. Spend some time poking around all three of these.

To give you an idea, there are four of us in two rooms at the Wilderness Lodge for four nights on the Dream Maker plan with the Silver add on. We spent $3,400 on the room with Ultimate Park Hopper tickets and most of our meals taken care of and a few other extras (spa treatment and parasailing) thrown in.

 

[CharlesandCamilla]

Definitely do Epcot. Make a game out of it. Have her speak to CMs in each of the countries with any questions she might have about that particular country. Once my daughter realized that all those people were really from the country they were representing here on one year visas, she really got into it.

 

[LoriMistress]

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

I would spend at least two weeks, but that's just me. My dh and I went to WDW for a week and we didn't do everything that we wanted to do.

2. What is the best time of year to go?

We went in the first/second week of November and that was great! It was 70 degrees the entire time. There were no crowds except on Labor Day. I heard that going in May is a wonderful time too, because of the beautiful weather and it's not crowded at the parks.

3. What kind of tickets to purchase?

We got the upgraded tickets where you can get into all of the parks anytime (including DisneyQuest and the water parks.)

4. 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.

Hmm...this isn't nessisary a question. But we stayed at the All-Star Music Resort. We had a blast. We didn't use a rental car, we used the transportation that they offered and it was pretty good. Most of the time we were too tired to drive back to our hotel room.

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

We went to DisneyQuest, Magic Kingdom, Ecpot, MGM Studios, and Animal Kingdom. I think no matter what park you go to, everyone will enjoy. I would suggest looking at this sites or others, and talk with your family or whomever you're going with to find out what everyone wants to do.

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

I think it all depends won how much you want to spend. Food there is expensive but you do get a lot for your money. I would suggest bringing some bottled water, soda, and snacks with you on the trip so it will cut back spending money on food.

 

[Gamblers]

I would say she would enjoy Epcot. My 9 year old niece liked it. Test Track, the World Showcase, etc.

If you had your choice, how many days would you spend at WDW?
If I had my choice I would stay 2 weeks but realistically we got to stay for 1 week. School and work just don't think visiting WDW is a national holiday and require for us to stay for 2 weeks.

What is the best time of year to go?
I have been in the Summer(July) and it is crowded and HOT. I have been the 2nd week of March and it was great. Temperatures and crowds were not bad. Next trip is scheduled for December.

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.
If they have the option to get a refrigerator for your room I would do it to save some money. If arriving by plane stop by the grocery store to stock it. We found that when we got back from the parks that night we were pretty tired and really didn't feel like going out to grab something to eat. So we would have sandwich fixings in the fridge.

What parks to visit? What to see/do that everyone will enjoy? Must do's?
If the family is made up of daredevils - Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Tower of Terror, Rock n' Roller Coaster, etc.
If the family is timid about thrill rides - Shows! Indiana Jones Thrill Show, Fantasmic, (old stand bys) Jungle River Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Spaceship Earth, etc.

Where to eat and how much to budget for food each day?
How much do you want to spend??? If you can, you must do the breakfast at Cinderella's Castle.

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 stayed 1 week. Had stretch limos pick us up at the airport. Done breakfast at Cinderella's Castle, breakfast at Chef Mickey's, supper at Mickey's Backyard Barbeque. One Atlanta Braves spring training game(2 adults/ 2 kids). Stayed at the Port Orlean's Riverside. Airfare($1000 for 2 adults/2 kids). Tickets for park access. One day passes at Universal Island of Adventure. Souveniers(pins, autograph books, pictures, etc.). Food.
About $6000.