WHAT IF THIS WAS YOUR FIRST TRIP?

[2manypets]

I only have two advices:

Get and read a guide book, don't go to any Disney forums. They are so overwhelming to a first timer, too many differing (sometimes argumentative) opinions

My next advise is to download the MDE app. If nothing else they can play "dining roulette" and take any available ADR for that night. There's plenty of openings. Also a FP+ can be snagged at the last minute. As a first time vacationer to WDW no opinions of favorite rides have been formed yet except for what other people say are mandatory, so no reason to run straight to a certain ride.

I personally have no idea where or what I want to eat 6 months before I go so I don't make ADR's and I still am able to eat TS for lunch and dinner. If not there's always some very good CS places that have good, healthy food. Nobody's going starve at WDW.

I also don't want to have to set up which ride to be at a certain time. My family has gone to WDW over 10 times and we prefer to tour the parks in the relaxed way still. Yes FP+ has put a twist in our touring style, but we can still ride the rides maybe with a slightly longer wait time.

There's no reason to overwhelm a first timer and scare them off.

 

[wisblue]

I totally agree with starting with a guide book (like the new one about planning your first Disney visit) instead of anything on the Dis or any similar site.

I also agree that ADR's should be a secondary consideration, except for maybe a character meal if someone wants to do that, unless there is reason to think table service dining is one of the person's priorities.

 

[dpswift]

I totally agree with starting with a guide book (like the new one about planning your first Disney visit) instead of anything on the Dis or any similar site.

I also agree that ADR's should be a secondary consideration, except for maybe a character meal if someone wants to do that, unless there is reason to think table service dining is one of the person's priorities.

Very true. I would suggest making a few ADRs for places they want to eat and to get a Birnbaum guide look it over and take it with them. With 2 weeks they have time to visit the park get a feel for it and look over the book and the park guide in their room to make priorities for the next day in the park.

I would have them see if the WDW video is available at their library or even suggest that they buy it. For non planners the video is great. On my first trip with my kids I made ADRs, read Birnbaum, and watched WDW videos. It was the best trip.

They need a heads up to how busy it can be but everyone has their own way of traveling. I get dragged to the pool by my kids, others schedule whole afternoons at the pool. Some spend hours shopping others do not even look in the giftshops. On vacation do what you want.

 

[Daddee]

My plans for my upcoming trip with my dd14 consisted of the following.
I picked my dates based on school to let out. Checked the crowd calendar quickly to make sure it wouldn't be too bad. Booked 5 days. Mapped out which park each day. Made my adr since I was well inside 180 days. In 2 days I'll grab my fp+. Along the way I surprised her with the trip and got feedback of what she wanted. And I'm done. I think that is the least amount of planning possible. Granted I was there 6 years ago with her and went crazy planning. She was younger and it was needed to catch all the first time stuff. Between now and June I will keep an eye on stuff. Read here and blogs. And pack. Outside of that this trip is in the can. And honestly I'm a bit bored without the crazy planning. It is nice not to have a panic attack daily.

 

[DisneyFive]

Depending in their length of stay and age of kids, I might suggest a rough outline of how many days they will need in each park. Have them set a rough park schedule.

If they are planning on TS meals (many are very happy without) Let them know how booked up the restaurants can get. WDW does a decent job of explaining the TS locataions on their website. Point them there, but then provide them the Disney phone # to call for reservations (website is SUPER ANNOYINGLY buggy right now) I probably would also go so far as to list some of the more popular locations near/in each park.

I would inform them how FP+ works, and provide a list of the top 5 most popular (age appropriate) attractions in each park. Make sure they setup a Disney account, and let them choose which to FP+, and when.

That's about it I guess.

Dan

 

[P00H1010]

The good thing is they have 2 weeks to work with so there is no need IMO to stress themselves out with touring plans or anything like that. A lot of people get scared by all of the information out there at WDW so I would suggest some research but not tons.

They need to know about the basics:
* How WDW transportation works
* MDE and FP+
* How EMHs work

To make their lives easier they should:
* Look into what the attractions are (They need to understand that unlike a lot of theme parks that specialize in roller coasters a lot of WDW attractions are in buildings so you can't tell what it is just by walking by).
* And they should look at some menus to get a basic idea of food offerings (They need to understand that a lot of popular eateries require ADRs).

Other than that I think they should be good to go. I like more of a laid back vacation myself but when I went for the first time I certainly did research so I had a basic understanding and knowledge of where I was going. As long as they understand the basics I think a "wing it" first time vacation with 2 weeks sounds fine.

 

[soniam]

I would get a subscription to the Touring Plans site and download the Lines app. The site is more condensed than the Unofficial Guide but still gets the major points across. You can get accommodation info, menus, food reviews, attraction info, and the plans (standard or personalized).