Where Do I Begin??????

[Emily & Sarah's Mom]

I just booked a WDW trip for my husband, 9 year old daughter, and 4 year old daughter for 6/10/06-6/17/06. We last visited in October 2000 and know that there have been some changes. I'm not certain how to divide up the parks over our visit and would greatly appreciate any advice from all of the WDW experts on the boards.

Thank you!!!!

 

[Robo]

Begin by reading this:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=992964

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I would begin by purchasing a guidebook like the Unofficial Guide or Passporter. Both will give you an idea of any changes that have taken place since 2000. Plus, the Unofficial Guide will provide sample itimeraries.

 

[disneyfan61]

Do you have hopper tickets?? We always do the EMH in the morning & get the big rides out of the way. Then we usually go back to the hotel for a break then
a different park in the p.m. Also are you staying onsight? You want to check the WDW schedule for spectromagic & other parades you may want to see & try to
plan around them also. Are you doing the dining plan? You can book your ADR's
180 days in advance so start checking that schedule!!!

 

[mommystieg]

I would begin by purchasing a guidebook like the Unofficial Guide or Passporter.

ITA

 

[The Sweetness]

Lucky lucky you, to be planning such a fun trip, and have ample time to plan. The scary thing is, I think that dining reservations (ADR's) can now be made 180 days ahead So, if you think about which park you'll be in on which day, as well as what resorts you may want to visit (for Ohannas, 1900 park faire etc...) then you can start making those ADRs really soon. Then, take your time carefully planning, but not over planning, how you and your fam will best tour the parks. I dont think 1 plan is perfect for absolutely everyone <IMHO> Be sure to know what each person is most excited about, so that you for sure wont miss it, and may even be able to see/ do it twice for a double treat! Have a great time going planning

 

[slp87]

Decide if you want to do Early Magic Mornings or Evenings. You can already find the park hours and EE days here on the website. Next, I would plan what parks on each day and start filling in from there. I use an excel spreadsheet to fill in what we're doing and where we're eating each day.

 

[eblack0409]

I would get the Park Hopper option, that way if you see a park you like you can go back....you'll get to see as many parks per day as you want!

 

[Emily & Sarah's Mom]

We have the Park Hopper Option and hope to take advantage of morning magic hours. The evening magic hours will likely be too late for my girls. We do want to see the parades and evening shows. I want to make dining reservations asap, but I can't decide which parks on which days.

 

[HollyJoy]

Well, I certainly know how overwhelming a trip to WDW can be! There's so much to do, and so little time to do it all. First of all, a piece of advice that TOTALLY saved me.. came from these boards. Don't try to do it all.. you can't. Not worth stressing yourself out over. Two years ago I started planning our first family trip to WDW and I didn't know where to start. Once we got the dates, resort and tickets all worked out, then I could turn my focus on the individual days. You can find a wealth of information on these boards, as well as at allears.net (http://allearsnet.com/index.html) AWESOME SIGHT~ Has just about every bit of info you would need. First, I would find out if there are any special events happening during your stay. This may alter your choices of which days to visit the park. Also, if you are wanting to do dining that require reservations, that may also affect which days you are in certain parks. Check the Magic hours if they are a factor. I always create myself an Excel Spreadsheet with all my info. Makes it easy to keep up with.

Good luck!

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I'm always surprised when DISers refer people to other websites for info when this site has so much if you bother to look.

For park schedules, including fireworks and parade times, check here:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/hours.htm#hm-parkhours-quicklink

For menus, check here:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningmain.cfm#disneydining

Rehabs and closings here:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/rehab.htm

Height requirements here:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/height.htm

Maps of the properies (resorts and parks) here:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/maps/index.htm

Current discounts:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/discounts/discounts-current.htm

Bus schedules:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/transportation/bus_schedules.htm

And there's a ton more! I happen to love Deb Wills' site but I find that there's just as much here on wdwinfo.com as there is on allearsnet.com.

For the OP:
I would try to do the MK on the first day with young children. Since you have the hopping option, you might want to consider switching to another park later in the day if the MK begins to get too crowded for your taste. EPCOT is a good second park of the day for young families since HISTA and JII are never very crowded. And it's easy to get to from the MK - just two monorail rides away!

For the days after that, you might want to check the park schedules for EMH days/nights and plan accordingly. Keep in mind that a park's EMH days tend to be more crowded than other days. And the days following a park's EMH night tend to be less crowded than average. Have fun planning!