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

[DisneyaHolic23]

I am taking a group of twelve first-timers to Disney World this July. A couple of them have been heard saying things like, "Why does she go so often?" and "It's only a kids' park". I would like to show them the best of the best. I have four days... What are the MUST DO's, in your expert opinion??

 

[Tinky]

There are a lot of "must do's" for first timers and a lot of folks will have varied opinions. I just wanted to say this because I have experienced the same things you have.."Why do you go so often, wouldn't you rather go somewhere else?".... some people won't "get it". Either you get it or you don't, you enjoy it or you don't. You can go in with a great game plan but dont be disappointed if some in your group still don't have a great time, don't take it personally. Some folks expect to much, some overlook the little things, others will become confirmed disneyholics.

Sorry I can't offer any great tips or strategies but just make sure that YOU have a great time!
ENJOY!

 

[carolfoy]

I'm presuming they're all adults?
Get a really good meal booked, something like V&A's, see FOTLK, Fantasmic, LMA in mgm, book a segway tour, ummm this is difficult when you don't have a clue as to what they particularly like. Typhoon lagoon or BB? spaceship earth, eat your way around epcot, play golf, campfire at WL.
I'm just going by what I'd make sure my Dad would have to see if he ever decides to come withus... ummm, one mans dream, philharmagic, Big thunder, the TTA?????

 

[DisneyGeek2000]

I am taking a group of twelve first-timers to Disney World this July. A couple of them have been heard saying things like, "Why does she go so often?" and "It's only a kids' park". I would like to show them the best of the best. I have four days... What are the MUST DO's, in your expert opinion??

You need to be finding out THEIR MUST DO's, not ours.

Michael

 

[kimmikayb]

You need to be finding out THEIR MUST DO's, not ours.

Michael

But if they are first timers without knowing Disney or having it for a passion....they won't know what their "must dos" are.

I made sure my husband hit the big things on his first time (SM, ToT, RnR, etc) and threw in a lot of the magic...shows and parades. Fantasmic, Wishes and Illuminations for sure. I would also made sure you have meals at some of the better establishments. I think it's almost a requirement for newbies to ride IASW.

Just remember, some people still don't get it even after being to WDW. Plus 12 people is a lot of people to entertain. Different likes/dislikes.

 

[ldubberly]

What days in July? If you will be there for the 4th, take them over to the Grand Floridian to see the fireworks on the grassy ledge by the lake. You can stop in the snack room there and pick up some desserts to eat while you enjoy the wait.

I personally think it is more important to show newbies, especially the sceptical ones, the "other side" of Disney that most people miss. Most sceptics think that all there is at Disney is crowds and rides.

If there are kids on your trip, take them to Fort Wilderness to the night time campfire movie. My kids also love the Contemporary arcade. I personally love to sit out by the pool at Wilderness Lodge with a glass of wine, cheese and grapes (for sale in the snack shop too) while watching the gysers go off by the lake. Parasailing is a blast and unexpected on a Disney trip.

I could go on and on, my point is to show them the unexpected.

 

[DISDragonfly]

I just took a friend of mine for the first time, we just got back yesterday. The "must do's" IMO that I made sure we went to, were:

@ MGM:
ToT
RnR
Fantasmic

@ MK:
POTC
Haunted Mansion
All 3 Mountains
Stitch
Philharmagic

@ Epcot:
Mission Space
Spaceship Earth
Test Track
Soarin
Living Seas (Talk with Crush)
Illuminations (A BIG MUST)

@ AK:
Safari
Dinosaur
Tree of Life (Tough to be a Bug)
Kali River Rapids (usually last on the list, since I tend to get drenched)

Then we did DTD/PI every night...love:
Adventurer's Club (Kungaloosh!)
all the dance clubs

Special this trip: Cirque Du Soliel - La Nouba (This is amazing, and we did it the last night we were there...no one can stop talking about it)

Great spots for nice meals: (make sure you have priority seating)
Artist Point (WL)
Le Cellier (Canada - Epcot)
The Garden Grill (Epcot)
Crystal Palace (MK)
Rose and Crown (UK - Epcot)

There's so much more, but these are the highlights I made sure we did, everything else was just icing on the cake. My friend was a total Disney skeptic...now...totally hooked!

Have fun!

 

[pepe of ohio]

My advice, is to get them the planning DVD, let them peruse the material and see what catches their interest. Some parks appeal to different people and rides are tough because some people aren't used to wild rides, depends on ages of your guests and gender. Women love shopping, alot of shops in the parks and resorts. Men, its the beer stops. Kids, they like everything.

My only advice: don't drag them around from one thing to another commando style. Many stops, breaks, sitting on benches and just looking around at the buildings and landscapes. If staying on property, afternoon swim break, drinks around the pool, good also for late night too, to reflect on the day and interest in the next day. And depending on budget, not to many expensive dinners, some people base their vacations and destinations on cost and if you take them to all the expensive eateries, repeat customers to WDW they won't be.

 

[carolfoy]

What days in July? If you will be there for the 4th, take them over to the Grand Floridian to see the fireworks on the grassy ledge by the lake. You can stop in the snack room there and pick up some desserts to eat while you enjoy the wait.

I personally think it is more important to show newbies, especially the sceptical ones, the "other side" of Disney that most people miss. Most sceptics think that all there is at Disney is crowds and rides.

If there are kids on your trip, take them to Fort Wilderness to the night time campfire movie. My kids also love the Contemporary arcade. I personally love to sit out by the pool at Wilderness Lodge with a glass of wine, cheese and grapes (for sale in the snack shop too) while watching the gysers go off by the lake. Parasailing is a blast and unexpected on a Disney trip.

I could go on and on, my point is to show them the unexpected.

I totally agree with this post, when you look at all the planning vids, travel programmes etc they concentrate on the rides and parades, try and work out the 'adult' side, a lot of the recreation stuff, even things like the boardwalk surrey bike areas and the fort wilderness hay rides. they aren't things that are advertised a lot so most non-disney people don't even know you can do stuff like that

 

[DisneyGeek2000]

Trying to keep a group of 12 people together can be a real pain - we did a group of 14 in 2003 and it helped a lot to let different groups go off on their own.

What I meant by find out their must do's, not ours was that some of your people will like parades, some won't. Some will like fireworks, some won't. Some will like roller coasters or thrill rides, some won't. Some like using buses, some won't. Some may have motion sickness....etc. If you don't ask, and march them all over to Mission:Space or Space Mountain, you may have a problem.

Make a survey or questionaire - get them to fill it out. Pass out guidebooks, or printed pages from internet sites - get them to circle things they like or dont.

- and even after all of that work, surveys, guidebooks, planning meetings, videos - not everyone will be happy - and some will NEVER get the magic - don't take it personally.

Prepare them for the size and scope of WDW, the amount of walking, bus transportation - and in July - the HEAT and the crowds.

If you only can teach them one thing - teach them how to use FastPass.

Michael

 

[airtime]

I'm going to go a little against the grain here. My advice, FWIW, is to show them WDW exactly the way you like it. Show them "your Disney". Sure, you might want to do some things you don't prefer just to give them the chance to experience those things for themselves, but other than maybe that, show them what you like to do. Your enthusiasm is sure to be evident, and some will pick up on that. If they don't, maybe they're just [GASP] not Disney kind of people!


Tim, who is definitely a Disney kind of person!

 

[Tinkerbellmom33]

We just did this in Sept and in the same amount of time!! It was a little crazy trying to get everything in but we did the best we could. Other posters made great suggestions already, don't forget the grand gatherings either... Dessert for Illuminations, Wishes , Safari. We did the Wishes one and everyone loved it. We had adults and children so it worked for all of us.
No one had any preferences as to what to do and left me in charge of all ADR's etc. so I booked a little of everything...lunch in the castle, chef Mickey's breakfast, Fantasmic package at Brown Derby, the rest counter service in parks or hotel so no-one would complain about cost.
Good luck & Enjoy!

 

[BraveMom3]

In most cases, if you are a true Disney expert, you won't have to go out of your way to "WOW" them. I know that when my mom went with us this past Thanksgiving (she had been before, but not in several years), she could not stop raving about how well planned the trip was, how much she appreciated all the trouble I must have gone throught to have everything turn out so nice, and how great it was to be with someone who obviously knew what to do and when the best time was to do it. So if you do your 'usual' wonderful trip, your group will reap the benefits from it and be appreciative.

 

[mickeymom629]

We took two families who had never been this past July. Definitely find out their budget and whether they are thrill seekers or not. My family of 6 already splits up in a park (I'm a whimp), so we split up with the large group, which is a must anyway. We took cell phones and tried to meet up for some attractions.

We only did one sit down meal at H & V for the FDP, which worked out nicely. I would have planned more, including a character meal, but they were on tight budgets.

It rained a lot, so our afternoon breaks didn't have much pool time, unfortunately for the kids. It was very hot!

I used Tourguide Mike and he had great hints and ideas about touring with people who had never been. His advice was perfect. We did do commando, but we saw so much and everyone had a great time. Definitely have them try to know what they want to see. One mother wanted two of her children to do AK on a different day than I had planned, though we all went back together on a following day. Unfortunately she missed out on World Showcase with the rest of us. But it worked well for all. There's no way to see everything in one trip.

 

[WillCAD]

Trying to keep a group of 12 people together can be a real pain - we did a group of 14 in 2003 and it helped a lot to let different groups go off on their own.

What I meant by find out their must do's, not ours was that some of your people will like parades, some won't. Some will like fireworks, some won't. Some will like roller coasters or thrill rides, some won't. Some like using buses, some won't. Some may have motion sickness....etc. If you don't ask, and march them all over to Mission:Space or Space Mountain, you may have a problem.

Make a survey or questionaire - get them to fill it out. Pass out guidebooks, or printed pages from internet sites - get them to circle things they like or dont.

- and even after all of that work, surveys, guidebooks, planning meetings, videos - not everyone will be happy - and some will NEVER get the magic - don't take it personally.

Prepare them for the size and scope of WDW, the amount of walking, bus transportation - and in July - the HEAT and the crowds.

If you only can teach them one thing - teach them how to use FastPass.

Michael

Yeah, that!

I would sign each of them up for a planning DVD as Pepe of Ohio suggested:
https://secure.disney.go.com/wdw/myVacation/vpk?id=VPKPage

And then I would go over the park maps with them all so they get a good general overview of how big WDW really is:
http://willcad.org/disney_maps.html

DisneyGeek2000's idea of a questionaire is perfect; that way you can match up those in the group with similar likes and dislikes so that when the group breaks up everybody will have a touring buddy who will enjoy the same stuff.

 

[mma]

I would NEVER take anyone to Disney for the first time in July. If you can go during a slower time they will have a once in a lifetime experience versus just a great experience.

 

[DisneyaHolic23]

Thank you so much for all your ideas!! I can't believe the time many of you took to give such well-thought answers! Thank you!

We don't have a choice of the time of year - we are teachers, attending our national conference in Orlando this coming summer. Woo Hoo!

I will pursue many of your suggestions, and plan to look into a Grand Gathering!

Thanks again - anyone else???

 

[Wendy1953]

why not get one of the guide books (Birnbaums, Frommers, passporter) and have a get together to plan your trip.....it all depends on everyone's ideal ride, food, shows, etc.......they'll be impressed no matter what, and I personally would let them make some of the decisions....with a party that big though make sure you have ADR's for TS restaurants! Have a Magical trip!

 

[Belle's Castle]

I would recommend a backstage tour. The Backstage Safari is amazing and I think you have to be at least 16 years old. So no little ones.

 

[Golliwobbler]

strange as it seems, if they are unimaginative sticks-in-the-mud, I always talk about Epcot, as it appeals to people who think parks and amusements, fantasy and magic, are just below them and immature somehow. Epoct has the outside theater (like Chinese acrobats), shopping and food, as well as some great rides and attractions, to draw them in and then they get captured and want more, and suddenly their noses are not so up in the air and they are discovering their creativity and their brain is using parts that haven't been used in years and a couple of hours later they are chasing Pluto down the street screaming for his autograph in their new WDW autograph books with Mickey Ears on their heads and their pin trading lanyards banging against their Pal Mickeys and wondering how long until their next trip!