*What To Do If "Showing Off"...

[CPer'sMom]

All the ideas have been great ~ there are just so many 'must-sees'.

A concern I have for you, though, is the fact that you'll be showing these people Disney in JULY! Now I know for some people the hot, humid weather isn't a big concern. But if all of you are coming from western Washington, it's going to be a huge factor. As a native Washingtonian (now living on the east coast) I know first hand just how that heat and humidity are going to drain you all during the day. Don't try to do too much .... you'll just wear your friends out and not be able to see all the Disney magic. Make sure you start out as early in the morning as possible & do the 'big' things. Take advantage of the late evening hours and spend time in the parks then, not in the heat of the afternoon. Have at least a couple of dinners at the resort restaurants ~~ show them AKL by having dinner at either Boma or Jiko. Dinner at California Grill would be another good choice.

Good luck with all your planning

 

[DisneyaHolic23]

For information, the group I will be bringing are all educators (teachers, counselors, librarians...), ages 30-58.

 

[Figment2]

Having taken first timers a few times, my first suggestion would be to buy them Birnbaum's book and let them highlight what they are interested in (it makes a good starting point).

My second suggestion is to not, I repeat, not try to keep this group together. It will be nigh on impossible and no one will have a good time. You might all stay in the same park but break out into smaller groups and meet up for lunch or dinner.

My must do's are breakfast or dinner at Boma's. If you are all adults, try the Segway tour (it's a blast). Plan breakfast or dinner at one of the monorail resorts so they ride the monorail. Take them to the Adventurers' Club in Pleasure Island. Plan a meal at one of the Boardwalk/Beach Club/Yacht Club restaurants. Plan to see Fantasmic, Illuminations and Wishes.

And I agree, don't commando but if part of the group wants to go back and sit by the pool, so be it. The others can carry on if they wish and everyone meet up later.

Cyn

 

[ldubberly]

1. Do Jellyrolls at Boardwalk-the bigger your group, the better (actually Boardwalk is a great place to go at night anyway, lots of entertainment, not a lot of people)

2. Stop and see Ray (he only works the weekdays) at the 4th floor bar(not sure of the name) in the Contemporary Resort and ask him to show you his bar tricks. He will amaze you.

3. rememberto see the 4th of July fireworks at the Grand Floridian if you are there. you avoid the crowds, can see the fireworks going off all around the lagoon, and its a great spot to have a cocktail or dessert.

4. Hoop De Doo is great with a large group of friends too.

 

[minijeanie]

without a doubt don't try to cram everything in..
seeing as they are all adults....where are you staying first off?

and my best suggestion is to book a lunch with "dining with an imagineer"
it is a wonderful lunch at the brown derby whereby you get to listen to a Disney imagineer who gives you hindsight in many aspects of the parks and the rides and how they came to be. A terrific way to start your misbelievers.

I also would suggest MK ...what else is more magical than that,. as their is 12 of you, it would be difficult to please all..would spend 1/2 day there then on to Epcot....

tour the countries, eat lunch in France...
hopefully you will be able to do soaring and TT

whatever you decide,,,make it simple.. with lots of ambience
they will be itching for more

 

[Sleeping Jedi Beauty]

I think it's a great idea to find out what things interest them. WDW is a great place to learn about other cultures and partake of their food without traveling halfway across the world to do so. As educators, it sounds like that could be a very interesting possibility for some of your party. I also wouldn't send them on rides that could be a problem if they have certain fears such as steep drops or something. In other words, know your audience. As for dining, be respectful of budgets. If the party has budgetary concerns, don't do a signature restaurant as there are plenty of TS that are very highly reviewed. I really think the most important part is to find something that they'll like to do. I would base any must sees around their interests. For example, my brother hates the Muppets. I don't think Muppet Vision would be good for him, even though it's a very popular and highly rated attraction. I think it is a good idea to split up for parts of the day since people have very different interests, and if possible, set up the last day of the trip as a personal day. People hit their favorites from the other days.

 

[luv2nascar]

I think the group I took in 2000 was just most impressed by the planning I put into it. They relied and loved that I knew what park we were going to, had a priority seating/ADR etc. So the meals went fine. Knew when the parades etc were. We really got a lot done without much complaining.