WHere do I start? ?

[sweetpea23]

My fiancee and I want to plan a winter trip (Nov or Dec) to DW. I have no clue where to begin our planning!!! Any tips I could get would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks in advance!

Jaime

 

[oboeman]

I recoment going to the WDW website...disneyworld.com and order the planing video. Plus the website will be able to search what is avaliable for when you want to come. If you can i recomend staying at a disney resort so you can take advantage of all they offer. Not only will you have transportation to all areas on WDW property but you can use the Magical Express and they can pick you up from Orlando Int. Airport if you fly. Going in mid nov to mid dec is a great time. If you have the Mickey's very merry christmas party (MVMCP) at the magic kingdom. It is soo awesome plus if you go on a monday or tuesday night the locals dont come and the lines for all atractions are little to no wait. Plus any questions what so ever feel free to call (407) 939-6244 and they will be more than happy to point you in the right direction! Good luck and have the most wonderful time of your life!

 

[PearlElpis]

Mid Nov-Mid Dec is a great time. I was just there during the 2nd week of Dec. The weather was great. There was almost no lines in any of the rides, and we still can enjoy the Christmas decorations.

My preference is to avoid the Thanksgiving week and anything after Mid-Dec. There are just too many people in the parks during those weeks.

Other than that, I guess you have to think about the length of the trip and the budget. Knowing those two would really helps deciding where to go, where to stay, what to do, etc.

Good luck!

 

[PirateGirl]

The first thing is def to decide where you want to stay: Disney Hotel, Regular Hotel/Motel or house. All have their own advantages & disadvantages. As you are presumably a young couple without kids I would say a Disney Hotel would be your best bet as once you have kids they become less affordable! The ones I personally prefer are: Polynesian Resort & Animal Kingdom Lodge.

 

[kimis]

My fiancee and I want to plan a winter trip (Nov or Dec) to DW. I have no clue where to begin our planning!!! Any tips I could get would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks in advance!

Jaime

Plan! Plan! You can do this by reading all the disney books you can get your hands on. Checking out the websites. Talking to people who have been there. Talk to a couple of different travel agents. We always use AAA because of the discount and they always have people on hand who know disney. Set a date and go with it. Enjoy!
P.S.-When I say Plan I don't mean for every minute of the day. YOu have to be a little flexible. You want an idea on how many days, what park on what day, what park has extra hours, what dining you want. Which by the way I highly recommend the dining plan. Go and have fun making all kinds of memoiries.

 

[CleveRocks]

First, figure out how many days you will be in the Orlando area.

Next, decide what you will do with your time. Will you spend it all on Disney property, or do you want to see the greater Orlando area? (I'm one who is content to remain in the Disney cocoon -- I have nothing against the good people of central Florida, but I imagine they're just like me except that I own more sweaters and they know more about really big bugs)

Decide the above first, 'cause it can let you know if you think you'll need a rental car or not. If you're pretty much gonna stay within the WDW property, then there's no pressing need for a car. That can mean more money to have fun with!

Speaking of money, decide how much you want to spend on your room. Disney classifies three levels of resorts by price and amenities. Value resorts are the least expensive, have the smallest rooms, have the fewest amenities; they can average maybe $80 or $100 per night. Moderate resorts have slightly larger rooms and a few more amenities; they can average about $140-$170 per night. Deluxe resorts ... well, you get the general picture; they can average about $220-$600 or more per night. One extra amenity of all the deluxe resorts (except Animal Kingdom Lodge) is that they offer additional transportation options to the parks (over and above Disney Transport buses). Some are on the monorail, some are walking distance from a park, and some have boat transportation (and one of them, Contemporary, has all 3!)

Even if you stay at a WDW resort, if you have the time and money I strongly suggest you plan a day or two when you WON'T go to any of the theme parks, just so your BODY can rest and your mind can relax and you can just enjoy taking it easy on vacation.

If you are staying at a WDW resort and not renting a car, you can get a free bus ride between the airport and your resort, round trip. It's called DIsney's Magical Express; it also includes automatic luggage delivery to the inside of your room, which means you get to totally skip baggage claim. If you want private service and want to pamper yourself and pay for it, you can get an outside company to pick you up and drive you in a large sedan or SUV (but then you won't get the automatic luggage delivery).

Lots to think about. As you develop more questions, post them!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Well, as everyone else said, you have to first choose where you want to stay. I always recommend staying on property, because all of the advantages outweigh the disadvantages (I haven't found any disadvantages yet). I would recommend getting several guide books, personally my favorite was the Passporter Guide to Walt Disney World, they also have a great website, and weekly newsletter. Also check out Mousesavers.com and Allearsnet.com. Allearsnet.com has some great photos of the resorts and their rooms.

My family and I stayed at the Pop Century on our first trip in June 2005 and it really worked out best for us, because it was a great value. I would not recommend staying at Ft. Wilderness cabins on a first trip, because of the bus system, it was a nightmare for us (that is where we stayed on our second trip, never staying there again). We really did enjoy the fort and loved the cabin, but it just isn't for us. It was nice at Pop, because we walked out of our room and were right at the bus stop.

Then you have Extra Magic Hours, the DDP, and if you make ADR's, you can make them 180 days before your trip. These are options that made my decision much easier.

I also used a AAA TA to book our second trip and I won't do that again. She didn't know anything about WDW and you can get the discount yourself through 1-407-W-Disney.

Good Luck and if you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.

PrincessSuzanne

 

[bopper]

Start with your budget. That will determine alot.
Can you afford to stay on property? Probably you can, at least at one of the value resorts. Have a little more? Consider a moderate.
Once in a lifetime trip? Go for a deluxe!

THen you have to consider how much time you have. I would hope you would have a week...then you can do each park once, and then some other things.

What kind of things do you and your fiance like to do? Swim? Hang out? Play golf?

A wonderful resource is:
http://www.allearsnet.com/

 

[ZoZo]

I would start by getting the Unofficial Guide to WDW (UG) - it's a very comprehensive guide for a beginner. It can help you decide what month to go, where to stay, and what to do when you get there.

Some important things:

1) I'd recommend that you stay at a WDW resort. Definitely worth it. Helps you experience the magic and is soooo convenient. I have stayed at WDW five times and always stay at one of the WDW hotels.

2) If you want to eat at some of the nicer table-service restaurants at the parks, make your dining reservations way ahead of time. (The UG tells you how to do this - you can make your reservations about 90 days in advance, I think. If you wait until you get there, you might not be able to get reservations at all). Check the UG and the "Restaurants" forum on this web site for restaurant recommendations.

3) Use the Fastpass system, which helps minimize your wait on the most popular rides. (Again, see the UG for details.)

4) Check the many different discussion forums on this web site for recommendations on which hotel to stay at (whether budget, moderate, deluxe, etc.).

Good luck and have fun!

 

[mtmbyck]

For a first time - go full-out Disney! Stay on property (resorts to meet any budget), do the magical express shuttle from the airport, get the Magic Your Way passes WITH DINING (amazing value).... and then get on your computer and start exploring. Want to dine with Princesses - go for it! Want to golf, shop or rent a boat...it's all there. I took my husband on our honeymoon for his first time (my 10th) and he was overwhelmed! The trip of a lifetime. Now that we have kids, it's a little different but just as magical!