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

[loves to dive]

We have taken new people twice, just one person with my son and I. My son and I have been going since the early 80s so we are very relaxed in our style. We basically don't plan so it was pretty easy. All we told them was even if they had been as a child, they would be surprised at how different it is going as an adult. We rode the rides we knew we would enjoy and if they didn't like them, we knew not to ride anything like it again. We don't book ADRs until day of so that was easy, we enjoy going to guest services and talking to a cast member and either asking what is available that night in x park or what is available anywhere at x time. The CMs would actually get into competitions seeing who could find something the fastest (we would go to the one in Epcot since that is normally our first park). We tried not to overwhelm them with too many TS restaurants, which is why doing it the day of. Now we just book them while walking around in the parks since it's a little later in the day and we know if we want to actually sit down and eat or not. We don't book FPs any earlier than a day in advance because again, we just never know what we are going to be in the mood for the next day. We always get PHs so that makes it easier to say, this park is a little too crowded, lets move on. Since they had no idea what they wanted to do, we relied on our knowledge of what we liked and what we knew about them to start with. We found going with the flow with them didn't overwhelm them, you can't miss what you've never had so they had no idea if they were missing the "must do" rides or ADRs. Both fell in love with the place and wanted to go back 6 months later.

 

[rwdavis2]

Good suggestions. I would agree that not overloading them with info right away is a good idea. Depending on what they already know, explain the 4 parks and Disney Springs. I would tell them that a WDW trip can be like an expedition to Mt. Everest. It requires some planning, money, and stamina. It's not a relax on the beach vacation. It's an adventure vacation.

Once they get an idea of the scope then find out how much they would enjoy standing in long lines. Then explain rope drop and fastpasses vs. sleeping in. But the more days you are there, the more days you can sleep in, especially when using FP+. We just spent 8 nights and did everything we'd planned on at least once.

 

[bumbershoot]

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

Same, and he still switches it up a week out.

We tried not to overwhelm them with too many TS restaurants, which is why doing it the day of.

As a former newbie I don't understand that. We gotta eat. The oldies (actually younger than us) we went with the first time and we keep on inviting back tend to bring food from home (semi locals) then go without food all day, and that is NOT something we can do or want to do. Table service meals are very important to us. Just one a day, but we like the opportunity to sit, to have air conditioning or warmth depending on the weather, to have some good food...

Having food served to us doesn't overwhelm us.

 

[Travis B]

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.

I might go one step further and include time for each party or couple alone into the schedule. A planned time apart could will give everyone a chance for alone time and remove any weirdness for your guests concerning how to go about asking for it, feeling guilty about wanting it, etc.

 

[loves to dive]

Same, and he still switches it up a week out.



As a former newbie I don't understand that. We gotta eat. The oldies (actually younger than us) we went with the first time and we keep on inviting back tend to bring food from home (semi locals) then go without food all day, and that is NOT something we can do or want to do. Table service meals are very important to us. Just one a day, but we like the opportunity to sit, to have air conditioning or warmth depending on the weather, to have some good food...

Having food served to us doesn't overwhelm us.

If you have to decide x amount of days out what you think maybe you might want to eat x days from now and have a set schedule where you have to eat at this time in this place on this day, it can get a bit much. Especially since the parks in and of themselves can be sensory overload. We do eat at TS almost every day, just decide the day of where we want to eat.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

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!)

Top 4 things to know/ask:

1. Budget: hotel, dining, hopping
2. Are they early birds or night owls? Flexible on sleep times?
3. Are they in shape? (Okay, you might have to guess a bit on that point....) but do they plan on 5 hour days, or are they gung ho to go for 18hours in the parks? Quick or slow meals?
4. Concerns about thrill rides?

Beyond that...you will have to help them to appreciate how big WDW is, and that it takes a long time to get around.

I strongly suggest that you minimize any rigidity. Mostly, don't make too many ADR's or plan extra tours and the like, unless there is something very specific they want to try, or they are very keen on having point-to-point directions.

I also always stress the importance of being flexible in more subtle ways. If they think they are going to want to swim, let them swim. If they hate buffets, don't book buffets. Listen to what they want: princesses, adult beverages/meals, quiet time over trying to have them tour WDW the way you tour WDW. I hope that makes sense.

Also encourage them to talk to multiple people if possible.

 

[JennyDrake]

I have taken at least a dozen first timers over the years!

Here is my best advice from the "Been there, done that" file.

Get everyone a Passporter or Unofficial Guide.

SET A BUDGET.

Schedule a couple of attractions or meal to do as a group each day as an option, THEN LET THEM CHOOSE THEIR OWN DAILY AGENDAS.

You will NOT get everyone on the same page at the same time for very much! BE OK WITH THAT!!!

You are going with ADULTS. Don't over plan for them. It is THEIR vacation too--as hard as it can be to stomach, if they want to ride Small World 20 times in a row then do nothing but eat ice cream--IT'S OK.

I like the idea of getting FP+ for everyone for headliners at one park each day.....

 

[elaine amj]

I am taking my brother and his family for their first family trip this August. Even better - its a 15 night trip!! (I didn't even have to twist their arms lol) We're all very excited and just had a planning phone call yesterday with a lot of time set aside to asking each other questions from our list.

I've been doing my level best not to overwhelm them so every once in a while I send them a message asking "Restaurant A or Restaurant B?" along with a short sentence description of each and a link to a detailed review. That's been going well. Last time I sent them info on 3 Disney Springs restaurants and said "pick 2 out of 3"

Some of my Qs:
- preferred mealtimes and how flexible they are to adjustments to this
- their daughter's wake, nap, and bed schedule (they do prefer to keep to this)
- together or apart? I had originally planned for 2 date nights apart per couple but my SIL has asked for us to enjoy our date nights together (they live in the UK so we rarely ever get to see them).
- how much downtime? My SIL asked for more quiet time (mostly for herself as she is an introvert who needs to recharge) so I am planning very flex stuff for the morning that she can opt out of as she wishes. I will plan most of her must-dos for the late afternoons/evenings
- Which rides are a no? (This helped a LOT as she immediately shut down Splash but said OK to BTMR and Soarin). I forgot to ask about spinny rides like Mission Space so will ask that on our next call.
- Favorite food. I asked her to rank ribs, steak, and seafood in order of preference lol
- What do you want out of the vacation other than bonding time? (she said she couldn't answer yet as she still hasn't done more than take a quick look at what Disney is about)
- Planning vs no planning (she likes to plan - but although we booked this in Oct, she still hasn't started looking at it. So I am planning on my own and then adjust as she gives me more details)
- How tall is your daughter?

Qs I haven't asked, but will:
- willingness to travel? How long do you have to stay somewhere to justify the travel time? (e.g. is 2-3 hours at a park "worth it"?)
- Breakfast: big or light?
- What rides/experiences that your daughter will do that you really want to be there for (since we are taking my niece on our own quite frequently to let my SIL sleep in/chill)

 

[KittyKitty]

I am taking my brother and his family for their first family trip this August. Even better - its a 15 night trip!! (I didn't even have to twist their arms lol) We're all very excited and just had a planning phone call yesterday with a lot of time set aside to asking each other questions from our list.

I've been doing my level best not to overwhelm them so every once in a while I send them a message asking "Restaurant A or Restaurant B?" along with a short sentence description of each and a link to a detailed review. That's been going well. Last time I sent them info on 3 Disney Springs restaurants and said "pick 2 out of 3"

Some of my Qs:
- preferred mealtimes and how flexible they are to adjustments to this
- their daughter's wake, nap, and bed schedule (they do prefer to keep to this)
- together or apart? I had originally planned for 2 date nights apart per couple but my SIL has asked for us to enjoy our date nights together (they live in the UK so we rarely ever get to see them).
- how much downtime? My SIL asked for more quiet time (mostly for herself as she is an introvert who needs to recharge) so I am planning very flex stuff for the morning that she can opt out of as she wishes. I will plan most of her must-dos for the late afternoons/evenings
- Which rides are a no? (This helped a LOT as she immediately shut down Splash but said OK to BTMR and Soarin). I forgot to ask about spinny rides like Mission Space so will ask that on our next call.
- Favorite food. I asked her to rank ribs, steak, and seafood in order of preference lol
- What do you want out of the vacation other than bonding time? (she said she couldn't answer yet as she still hasn't done more than take a quick look at what Disney is about)
- Planning vs no planning (she likes to plan - but although we booked this in Oct, she still hasn't started looking at it. So I am planning on my own and then adjust as she gives me more details)
- How tall is your daughter?

Qs I haven't asked, but will:
- willingness to travel? How long do you have to stay somewhere to justify the travel time? (e.g. is 2-3 hours at a park "worth it"?)
- Breakfast: big or light?
- What rides/experiences that your daughter will do that you really want to be there for (since we are taking my niece on our own quite frequently to let my SIL sleep in/chill)

Good approach, A or B questions. I'll buy them a WDW book they can look at. Unofficial guide would scare them! Ha!
Thanks.

 

[lroger01]

I suggest you take a practice day first. Go to a local zoo, convention (home improvement show), tour a large museum, or best of all, a local amusement park.

Don't tell them this is about Disney. Get there at opening if at all possible. During that day, take mental notes of what everyone is like. How long are they able to "go"?, does someone insist on stopping for a drink every 30 minutes? Can you all agree on where to eat lunch? Does someone insist on taking photos of EVERYTHING? If characters (or character-like situations) are available, is there any natural interest? Then on the way home, talk about how like Disney the day was. Mention how nice it was early when no one was there. Get input on the walking and their needs for breaks. etc. Having a base experience to go by will help them fill out a survey easier. Going open to close might not sound as good when the memory of sore feet is fresh.

Then for the survey, I'd have them rank things in order of preference. You can divide the list by land and have them prioritize each element by choosing their top 4 "must do's", top 3-4 "would like to do", all they "can skip", and the fear/illness "no way Jose'!" Fill out the survey together if possible, with pictures and youtube videos available for questions. Even if you just do it for the Magic Kingdom, you should have enough feedback to know how to plan the other parks.

Lastly, have a "skip it" plan for when there. Let's say you come upon a street performance at Epcot, or everyone is browsing a store. If you want to keep watching/shopping, do nothing. If you can take it or leave it, cross one arm in front and hold your elbow. If you want to leave, cross both arms in front. This makes it easy to scan your group and know what everyone is thinking. It saves a ton of wasted time! Our rule is, if one person wants to watch, we all watch.

No matter what, have fun!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I find it is often the case that people don't do what they said they would. I've been in charge of a number of trips, and even people who KNOW WDW often don't do what they said they would. They think they are going to be awake for rope drop, but aren't. Sometimes they have more endurance than they anticipate, but usually it is the reverse. They also imagine WDW to be far more compact than it is. Everyone has a tendency to underestimate how much time they need/spend on boring stuff (getting ready, bathroom, transit) and overestimate fun stuff (ride durations).

the point- for your sake - is that YOU shouldn't get hung up on any of the plans you make. I think all WDW vets have seen this play out in the parks many times, where the 'planner' is increasingly frustrated because imagined excitement of family/child/spouse doesn't pan out the way they imagined. I find it works well to keep my expectations minimal. When things go well, it is great.

When things don't go as expected, your best prep is to be ready with alternatives as needed. Like if you miss a FP- know how to book an alternative vs. getting sad that they missed Space Mtn. If they have never been on SM, they REALLY won't care. They don't know what they don't know. They will enjoy Buzz just as much, because it is new to them.

Try NOT to get your cc on the hook where the ADR no-show fee is concerned!

Some of the best times came when we missed one thing- an unexpectedly managed to find something we didn't plan to do. Watching small children react to the littlest things- water fountains- can be great fun.

Compromise all around is key. As others have said, adults don't want to be told what to do all day. At WDW, it is easy to get caught up in the idea of going from planned point A to point B, to point C.


To be honest, this is why w now love Universal so much. With Express Pass, we just go from ride to ride at our pace. I'm kind of sorry to see them adding their version of fastpass. At WDw, you'll do better to meet up at certain times, or allow some do-what-you-want time.

Ah, one more preference category that bears asking about -alcohol consumption! some folks don't drink, others go with the idea that vacation=drinking quite a bit every afternoon. It is important to understand their expectations.

 

[elaine amj]

Another tip - I planned for friends once and I pushed them to come to my house one day to watch the WDW Planning Video. It was illuminating and I was able to see what each family member was interested in and not interested in. I had only been talking to the Dad at that point and I then added stuff back in the plans that he nixed because his wife/kids were interested in that he hadn't anticipated.

Wish I could do that with my brother but its hard when he's in another country. I ordered the WDW brochures for him and they look good - they have a list of rides and a short description - and you checkmark those you are interested in. I am asking him and his wife to go through it as I think it will be really useful info for me.

Trying SO hard not to overwhelm them!! I have explained the dining plan about 3 times over the past 6 months since we first started talking about the trip - and they didn't hear a word I said. FINALLY, my SIL asked me some questions about food on Sunday and I resent her the info. Hopefully she reads it this time

 

[bumbershoot]

If you have to decide x amount of days out what you think maybe you might want to eat x days from now and have a set schedule where you have to eat at this time in this place on this day, it can get a bit much. Especially since the parks in and of themselves can be sensory overload. We do eat at TS almost every day, just decide the day of where we want to eat.

Might be overwhelming to some. Not to all. Food is important and we have solid likes and dislikes, so it's really not an issue for us.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

(I reacted like Sheldon did creating a contract!!)

Love love love the BBT reference!
Cracked me up!

 

[Elsaalltheway]

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!)

OMG this is me. Luckily I only have two others traveling with me.

 

[Elsaalltheway]

Another tip - I planned for friends once and I pushed them to come to my house one day to watch the WDW Planning Video. It was illuminating and I was able to see what each family member was interested in and not interested in. I had only been talking to the Dad at that point and I then added stuff back in the plans that he nixed because his wife/kids were interested in that he hadn't anticipated.

Wish I could do that with my brother but its hard when he's in another country. I ordered the WDW brochures for him and they look good - they have a list of rides and a short description - and you checkmark those you are interested in. I am asking him and his wife to go through it as I think it will be really useful info for me.

Trying SO hard not to overwhelm them!! I have explained the dining plan about 3 times over the past 6 months since we first started talking about the trip - and they didn't hear a word I said. FINALLY, my SIL asked me some questions about food on Sunday and I resent her the info. Hopefully she reads it this time

I have two newbies going with me. We have weekly Friday night pow wows over a meal. One has started to prepare and the other, not so much. One has been watching vids non stop to get ideas.

I have told each of them to pick three must do rides, and one must eat place. We are on the quick service meal plan so if their must do meal is on that then fine but if not I've told them to budget for an out of pocket meal. I've also told them to prepare to walk an average of 14 miles a day. I try and field all questions they have. We started out with seven days and only five in park to give them two days to have breaks but we have since moved up to nine days with seven in the parks. I have informed them that the Fast Passes will be done by one so they can do what they want after that if they want to break away from the group. I will only have to schedule three meals so we will be pretty loose with most of the trip. I want them to have fun and not feel so on a schedule so I think this is working well. We have also set up a Disney Vacation account so we have everything paid for a month in advance.

 

[KittyKitty]

I have two newbies going with me. We have weekly Friday night pow wows over a meal. One has started to prepare and the other, not so much. One has been watching vids non stop to get ideas.

I have told each of them to pick three must do rides, and one must eat place. We are on the quick service meal plan so if their must do meal is on that then fine but if not I've told them to budget for an out of pocket meal. I've also told them to prepare to walk an average of 14 miles a day. I try and field all questions they have. We started out with seven days and only five in park to give them two days to have breaks but we have since moved up to nine days with seven in the parks. I have informed them that the Fast Passes will be done by one so they can do what they want after that if they want to break away from the group. I will only have to schedule three meals so we will be pretty loose with most of the trip. I want them to have fun and not feel so on a schedule so I think this is working well. We have also set up a Disney Vacation account so we have everything paid for a month in advance.

OMG this is me. Luckily I only have two others traveling with me.

There is 4 of us going. Not big group, thank heavens!

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

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?

I have been shocked the number of times the 10+ miles of walking fails. It is always the healthiest most *athletic* guests that can't do it.

I also agree with the internal clock. We are NOT early risers but was can close down a park and still dance to the room!

Food @ Disney is expensive - (tell the cheap seats to button up the criticism unless they are NYC or San Francisco) - I live in one of the most expensive food cities and the restaurants at WDW are expensive and not awesome for the cost. Everyone needs to be on the same page before one is given a bill > $100 for breakfast with the characters.

My internal assessment includes: Can they adjust quickly? Sometimes a freak tour group or weather mishap mandates a schedule change. Yes, we must walk right past the most exciting delightful enticing thing on earth or lose the entire day but we'll get back there, I promise.

Smokers are a "no" too.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

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

LOVE, love, love the last question. But may I add? D - Would you stand in the middle of the road demanding traffic be stopped?

If yes, please stay home.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

Good suggestions. I would agree that not overloading them with info right away is a good idea. Depending on what they already know, explain the 4 parks and Disney Springs. I would tell them that a WDW trip can be like an expedition to Mt. Everest. It requires some planning, money, and stamina. It's not a relax on the beach vacation. It's an adventure vacation.

or just book a hotel room at a beach. You'd be crazy to pay the D$ to sit at the hotel pool all day.