What questions to ask newbies traveling with you.....

[KittyKitty]

I am traveling with 1st timers on my next trip, and they said for me to do all the planning. (I reacted like Sheldon did creating a contract!!) I have been 25 times or so now, and know there are many choices I would be happy with. I started thinking what questions could I ask. This will be a 6 day park trip. We will go to all the parks. All adults. Younger than me, so have the energy. Visit in Nov.

I was thinking of multiple choice questions, to not overwhelm them. Questions on resort, parks, type of food......

What questions would you ask them?

Thanks (This is so exciting to go with 1st timers!)

 

[Cinderella94]

Budget, first and foremost.

I would make ADRs - you can cancel remaining ones partway through the trip if they decide they don't want to spend so much time sitting down anymore.

 

[nooneshome]

Going with first timers helped rejuvenate me towards WDW. Three times we brought newbs - each a friend of DD. Basically I would ask them what their must dos are. The hard part is doing the things you generally don't do anymore. The fun part is you get to do the things you generally don't do anymore. The most important things to know is that ultimately you need to be the lead and keep the flow going. Have fun!!!

 

[EdmondD]

Do you have good, broken-in shoes and are you prepared to walk maybe 10 miles a day?
Are you prepared to be hit in the achilles with a scooter and/or stroller, sometimes at almost the same time?
Can you briefly try not to think about the opportunity cost and the amazing vacations you could take with the money you are spending here?
Would you rather be at the parks early and beat the crowds, or be there at close as the crowds thin out? Or both!?
How much priority do you put on meeting characters?
How much priority do you put on table-service meals?
Are you willing to eat generally unhealthy food for a week?
What's your tolerance for exposure to screaming children and questionable parenting?
Can you live with a broken yeti?
Are you willing to move to the end of the row and fill in all available space?

 

[amcnj]

If I were doing the planning, I would need to know if they want to go to the parks all day every day, or also want some pool or water park time say. And definitely their schedule preference so far as being there at rope drop versus later starts as well as their feelings on being there till park closing and what if any nighttime fireworks/shows they would like to see. Also maybe if they want to try for as many attractions as possible, or are they into say roller coasters more so going several times to those would be preferable than say Peter Pan or Pooh.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

1. What are your food allergies and dietary restrictions, if any?
2. Are you open to meeting characters or would you rather skip that?
3. What would make this vacation a "dream come true" for you?
4. Do you prefer certain types of themes over others - pirate, castle, jungle, frontier, agriculture, animals, nautical, etc.? (Then I would consider this when choosing resort, rides, restaurants, etc.)

I also encourage newbies to wear their most comfortable, broken-in shoes for prolonged walking (as @EdmondD said), to bring a hat, sunscreen, and mosquito repellent, and to make sure to drink plenty of water.

 

[KittyKitty]

Wow. Great questions!

 

[BadPinkTink]

lots of great suggestions, heres mine

1. are they go go go till they drop or do they like to take things at a slow pace
2. do they walk fast or slow
3. are they ok with standing in line for 40 + minutes at a time
4. do they like to stop for frequent snacks or do they just eat at meal times
5. do they have their main meal of the day before 2pm or after 6pm or between 3pm and 6pm
6. what is their breakfast style, full on leisurely breakfast or coffee on the go
7. are they early risers or late risers
8. do they like to chill in the evenings ie , leave the park at 6 or 7pm and go to a restaurant / bar for the evening
9. what is their shopping style, do they like to spend alot of time in the shops
10. do they like to take frequent stops to take photos and selfies, post updates on social media
11. do they like watching parades and shows
12. what is their budget for a) snacks b) drinks / soda c) light meals d) main meals e) merchandise and shopping
13. how adventurous are they with food, are they open to trying new dishes, styles types of food or do they just want the same food they eat at home, if so what type of food is that
14. will everyone be ok staying in a group and doing EVERYTHING as a group or will some members of the party want to separate and do their own thing
15. if some of the party will be separating, set ground rules, meeting places, times etc

 

[DaisyDuck001]

lots of great suggestions, heres mine
14. will everyone be ok staying in a group and doing EVERYTHING as a group or will some members of the party want to separate and do their own thing

I can comment on this because last year I organized a family reunion and we went through two parks with various ages of adults.

Without even asking this question, I would allow for the fact that there probably will be times when some members of the party want to split off and do something different for a while. And not all of these instances can be predicted in advance. I would just accept that it will happen, and take it in stride when it does. This is normal, and everyone will have a better time if you are easygoing about it.

 

[Karin1984]

Don't forget to ask about motion sickness.

 

[JZCubed]

I am traveling with 1st timers on my next trip, and they said for me to do all the planning. (I reacted like Sheldon did creating a contract!!) I have been 25 times or so now, and know there are many choices I would be happy with. I started thinking what questions could I ask. This will be a 6 day park trip. We will go to all the parks. All adults. Younger than me, so have the energy. Visit in Nov.

I was thinking of multiple choice questions, to not overwhelm them. Questions on resort, parks, type of food......

What questions would you ask them?

Thanks (This is so exciting to go with 1st timers!)

There are countless ways to Tour.

You may wish to have a conversation about how you Tour and then gather input how they think they might want to Tour.

Most basic - do you plan to be at Rope Drop?? How will this impact breakfast (some people have to have a big meal, others are fine with a granola-type bar).

Are they really into the nighttime shows? Accordingly, would this impact your dinner choices (since you might want the benefit of the dining packages for the particular show).

Maybe they want the full-blown Disney experience and want to meet some Characters too.

Maybe your budget includes some of those 'special' add-on experiences.

You are going to be spending a great deal of money and spending a great deal of time with some folks, a questionnaire is merely the beginning.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would ask them:

1) What are the top 3 things things you want to see or do in WDW? (you may get varying answers, but it's a good way to start on a touring plan to incorporate all the different things people want to do)

2) What is your budget?

3) What amenities are important to you when staying at a resort?

4) Name your three favorite foods?

 

[cmph]

I'm laughing, b/c I practically make DH fill out a survey still!

Lots of good ideas above!

I did the same sort of thing a couple years ago for a trip with extended family, but I already knew their food preferences, and we were on the dining plan so I knew we'd want one TS / day. So I didn't have to ask some of the general questions you'll need to. If you already know how many days you'll be there, you might want to break it down to having them rank the importance of rides vs shows/parades vs ambience/shopping/drinking, so you can first figure out how many days in each park. DH and I did MK for just one day on an anniversary trip (strategically planned long day, got everything we wanted in) b/c we wanted to take multiple days to really look through everything in the World Showcase - not a thing that was possible with our kids. That would be a terrible idea if everyone is thinking they want to go on ride after ride, even for adults, but maybe they want to drink around the world in Epcot! Also, I made up a spreadsheet of all the fast pass-eligible rides and had each person (or parent in one case) check mark if they wanted to do that ride and if it was a high priority. That helped to lay out how many days we'd be at each park, too, tells you how adventurous everyone is with rides, and will be useful later when it's time to schedule FP.

 

[Lothlórien]

I am traveling with 1st timers on my next trip, and they said for me to do all the planning. (I reacted like Sheldon did creating a contract!!) I have been 25 times or so now, and know there are many choices I would be happy with. I started thinking what questions could I ask. This will be a 6 day park trip. We will go to all the parks. All adults. Younger than me, so have the energy. Visit in Nov.

I was thinking of multiple choice questions, to not overwhelm them. Questions on resort, parks, type of food......

What questions would you ask them?

Thanks (This is so exciting to go with 1st timers!)

I don't know who/what Sheldon is, so I am not sure if you are happy or offended to do all the work.

I think I would keep it simple. Maybe you could invite them over one afternoon for pizza, whip out a planning video or perhaps plug your laptop into your TV if you have HDMI capabilities and show them some of the basic information about resorts, talk about the prices and then ask some basic questions from there.

• Do you want to meet characters?
• What kind of meals do you prefer to eat (table. quick, budget, how many times a day)
• Do you like thrill rides?
• Anybody afraid of heights or suffer from motion sickness?

Then, I would ask them, based upon everything they saw and what you discussed if they have questions and what they want from the trip.
I might even be a good idea to suggest some time for you to split up or let them have a day or two to themselves to explore and go at their pace and soak in Disney in their own way.

One piece of advice you did not ask for, but I will offer as we have been with both first-timers and Disney veterans... chill out!! Sometimes the excitement and knowledge of a Disney veteran can be overwhelming to a first-timer. It can come across either as a know-it-all or just information overload. When you are planning and on your trip, let them ask you where the best xxxxx is or the best place to buy/try xxxxxx. Do not try to feed them with too much history or try to point out everything. Give them a map, let them look at it and if they have questions, let them lead on what they want to know.

 

[izzylovesmickey]

I don't know who/what Sheldon is, so I am not sure if you are happy or offended to do all the work.

I believe OP is referencing The Big Bang Theory's character Sheldon who LOVES to create a contract so therefore OP is thrilled to be asked to help.

 

[KittyKitty]

Sheldon is a character on TV show Big Bang. He's a genius geek, so am I (geek part), and is childlike excited playing with trains and creating contracts. I am thrilled at doing the planning.

My friends have pretty much never been to a Theme Park, so the parameters are wide open. I had them prioritize DVC resorts, National Park, Modern, Water park. Didn't want to get too detailed.

Thanks for all the great questions. Disney is going to blow them away!!!

 

[disnut8]

From my daughter-in-law's first trip, I would ask very simply - do you realize how big Disney World is and with the exception of The Studios and Epcot (which is twenty minutes), you cannot walk between parks? THAT was my daughter-in-law's huge realization on her first trip. She just thought Disney World was like Cedar Point and the parks would be right next to each other so she didn't feel the need to learn about transportation. Once there, she quickly adjusted and even organized the last day of four parks in one day using only Disney transportation. She said that was an eye opener for her.

 

[Lothlórien]

Thanks, Izzy. I do not watch that show, so I was totally clueless. Glad to know she is happy about it.

 

[KittyKitty]

Thanks, Izzy. I do not watch that show, so I was totally clueless. Glad to know she is happy about it.

Verrry Happy!

 

[LSUfan4444]

I am traveling with 1st timers on my next trip, and they said for me to do all the planning. (I reacted like Sheldon did creating a contract!!) I have been 25 times or so now, and know there are many choices I would be happy with. I started thinking what questions could I ask. This will be a 6 day park trip. We will go to all the parks. All adults. Younger than me, so have the energy. Visit in Nov.

I was thinking of multiple choice questions, to not overwhelm them. Questions on resort, parks, type of food......

What questions would you ask them?

Thanks (This is so exciting to go with 1st timers!)

How many hour of sleep do you like?
How many hour of sleep do you need?
Walk or ride?
Morning or night?
Quality or quantity?
Outback or Applebees?
Does the monorail at MCO to baggage claim go "too fast"?
Favorite country in Europe?
If your car broke down 8 miles from the closest exit on the interstate would you
A - die
B - Walk as far as I needed
C - Call AAA and play on my iPhone till they got there