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

 

[GlennandAnn]

When we had only one child, we budgeted $100 per day for everything- food, snacks, drinks, souvenirs. It was more than enough money for us. I think your DD would enjoy Epcot- there is a lot for kids to do there, especially in FW. We usually go for 10 or 11 days. In this amount of time, you can see all you would like of the parks, and since we stay part of our vacation off site, we get to do other things. On site, 10 days might be a bit much in a hotel room. I think the best time of the year to go is right now (we leave Wednesday ). Most of the schools are not out yet for the year, so the parks are less crowded, and the weather is spectacular. I would not recommend July- we have made several July trips, and the weather is not great- it's pretty rainy. Also, July is a popular month for foreign tour groups. As far as hotels, I would recommend POR or CBR. Happy planning!!

Ann

 

[fireguy5620]

I have taken my family to WDW many times, we just actually finished up with the Cruise for 7 days and then went to WDW for three.

I think the 100.00 per day is adequate, budget more just in case.

If your going to be there that long, you should consider a park hopper pass or a length of stay pass. They are spendy but have many nice perks. Like jumping from park to park. For instance, spend a day at MK and don't worry about the fireworks or parade. Then go back on another day after you have already seen the park, get there at about 7 and spend time checking out main street Around 8 pick a spot for the parade, as long as it's a parade day of course, then watch the parade followed by the fireworks.

My girls went to Epcot when they were 7 and 8. They enjoyed it, only because of the passports that you can get and have filled out in each world. Other than that I think they would have been fairly bored.

They really like MGM, had a great time there on the RRC and TOT. Ate at the Sci-Fi Dine in Theater and just loved it.

We have stayed at AKL, POFQ, CSR. AKL is a place all of it's own, very nice and spectacular. I have been in most of the resorts. Out of the moderate resorts, I think CSR is best.

 

[phyllis1966]

Hi - planning a trip to WDW can be almost as much fun as being there, so I hope you enjoy this stage! Here are my 2 cents:

Your DD may enjoy Epcot - our DD is 5 and on this last trip, as before, she enjoyed herself both in FW and the WS. FW has lots of fun and informative attractions. My DD (and we, too!) enjoy Figment's Imagination attraction (can't remember the correct name ), Icestation Cool, where you can taste (for free!) Coca Cola sodas from around the world (the watermelon one is our fave), Ellen's Energy watchamacallit ( It's late and my mind is drawing blanks on all these names ) with the intro movie starring Ellen Degeneres and then the ride with dinosaurs (fun for us, but I saw some people napping!), and more! The WS was fun for DD because she loves all the gift shops with fun toys and musical instruments from around the world, and she also enjoyed the Kidcot stations in each pavilion, where she colored a mask and had different, colorful paper shapes attached to it by the CM's in each pavilion. In China they wrote her name on it in Chinese and stamped the year of the rabbit on it for the year she was born. She really had lots of fun doing this, as did many other children we saw.

As far as budgeting $100 per day for food and souvenirs, I'm not sure...I know that if you decide to enjoy a character breakfast, for example, it could be about $50 for the 3 of you (with tip), and there goes your budget, even if you skip lunch.

We stay 7 nights, and that's enough for all 4 parks and then some. Once we spent a day (half, really) in Seaworld, and it was still enough time. Even if you want to visit a waterpark for a day, too, I think that 7 or 8 days is still enough. We usually allot 2 days each for MK and Epcot, 1 each for AK and MGM, and then we go back to DD's choice, which is usually MK!

We like to go in November because it's cheaper, less crowded, and not 90 degrees every day. This past November it was 80-86 every day, cooling down to 60-65 most nights - perfect for us.

For us plain old Park Hoppers are OK, because we don't go to the waterparks yet (DD's not big on water for more than 1 hour at a time) or Disneyquest. If you think you'd like to do those things, than a Park Hopper Plus may be better, but if you need 8 days or more, I think you have to get the Ultimate Park Hopper.

We've only tried the deluxes so far, so an 8-day trip, w/o airfare, was about $4250, but we did a sit-down breakfast and dinner almost every day (we skip lunch and get a some popcorn or fruit midday) and those meals add up. Also, when it's hot (every day!) we drink lots of water, at $2.50/bottle - that's at least $10 a day for us.

As far as where to eat and what to see, you can get 100 different answers from 100 different people - it's so subjective. I found the Passporter guide books to be very informative, even giving ratings from a 9-year-old's point of view. My cousin is reading the copy I bought last year andshe's highlighting what sounds good to her, because it's too much to remember. She's finding it very helpful with planning her first trip to WDW.

I hope this helped you a little bit and I hope you and your family have a wonderful time on your trip to WDW!

 

[MELSMICE]

Planning is half the fun -

--Definitely stay on-site, like you mentioned.

--I would say you should stay for at least a week to ten days if you want a fun and relaxing vacation combined.

--Visit all the parks. Don't skip any of them. You get different opinions, but I believe there is something fun to do at all of them. This includes the water parks.

--I would budget at least $100/day for food. Some days you'll spend it, others you won't. Take a little extra for nice sit down dinners.

--Plan a few character meals. We enjoy breakfast the best.

--I would stay at a moderate if you can swing it in your budget. This will give you a little more space and these resorts are less busy than the values. Of course, a deluxe is the best, however!!!

--Make some PS's, but don't over do it. You don't want to be "tied" to your dinner plans every night.

--If you are willing to pull your DD out of school then I would say the best time is October or November. The weather is usually beautiful & the crowds aren't too bad. You can enjoy the pool at your resort & also the water parks.

Enjoy the planning!

 

[Grumpy92]

Welcome Beatriz. You will find wonderful info on these boards and everyone is so helpful.

Days - To fully visit everything and not do a marathon vacation 5-7days is a good number.

Best Time- Well the smallest crowds occur in Sept, Oct, the first few weeks of Dec and the last few weeks of Jan.

Tiks- If you plan to spend 8 days or more in the parks then the AP is the best deal. Otherwise I would suggest park hoppers. Whatever days you dont use are good on a future visit. Also they give you flexibility to take a resort day or head to another Orlando park.

What to see- I would suggest a couple books, Birnbaum, The Unofficial Guide to WDW or the Passporter. They are filled with info and the Passporter is a great organizer as well. You also might want to go to the WDW site and order the free vacation planning video/dvd. Then sit down with your family together and watch it. Have them then list the things that interest them.

Hotels- How much do you want to spend? We prefer the moderates or the deluxes like WL or AKL. Here is a site with the rates http://www.mousesavers.com/roomrates2004.html

Food - You might want to check out the menus at www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm. Alot of guest save $$ by having sit down lunches instead of dinners. The menu is pretty much the same but cheaper. Think about making Priority Seating 90 days in advance if you plan to dine at a character meal, dine at a popular restaurant or visiting during a holiday period.
Have your dd pick her fave character and let that lead you to whatever character dining location works best.

Finally when you are thinking about your scheduling, think flexibility. Leave time to sit in the parks and soak up the atmosphere or take midday breaks at your resort for lunch, a swim or a nap. Remember this is not a marathon but a Vacation.

Hope this helps and keep posting those questions. The members here are a great resouce.