WDW: Stuff to bring/buy in advance

[gummibear]

Is there anything you brought with you that was a lifesaver, or anything you wish you'd brought with you?

We are going with my sister's family in July. It's DS & my first time. DH and sister's family are experienced visitors. They told me it rains a lot in the summer, yet gave me the weird look for wanting to buy a poncho. DH says he plans to run to the nearest cover every time it rains.

I got the same look about making reservations for character dining, and planning our trips to the parks based on crowd calendars. :confused: The week of July 4. Lights up bright red on that easywdw website's crowd calendar.

I'm having a bit of planner's anxiety. Family's not helping. So much go-with-the-flow-omg-this-vacation-is-going-to-be-one-long-line-after-another *tries to stop gnawing on blanket* I saw something about picking up an autograph book or WDW clothes/gear at the outlet nearby - why is that? Does everyone wear WDW clothes in the park? I was contemplating getting DS some new shoes just in case he wears through his current ones, just walking the park. We have the stroller but... is that strange? I don't want to go down there just to spend our vacation shopping for our vacation.

TIA for any help - it's also our first real family vacation. We're staying off-site at my sister's time-share, if that's relevant at all.

ETA: Technicality - those days aren't highlighted red on the calendar. They're just marked a '9' for overall crowd level, on a scale of 1-10. :banghead:

[BayGirl2]

Um, yeah, IME to minimize stress at Disney in the busy times (or any time if you don't enjoy waiting) you need to plan. Have they not been there or are they just the type who think it has to be painful?

There's a thread here with ideas of what to buy in advance that I'll bump up. Nothing in advance in a must, but its cheaper and easier to be prepared.

[gummibear]

Thanks BayGirl. Sorry I didn't see that thread.

They have all been there. DH went as a single adult; my sister has gone with her kids. They seem to talk like it's all going to be painless and smooth, which sets my alarm bells off. Cuz I know them. Haha.

Oh this is going to hurt.

[Cam&Clay]

There's a great thread that is a sticky on this forum.

Definitely plan. In July, it will make the difference between an okay trip and a great one!

[SnuggleBuggles]

We were Disney slackers at Disney;and this winter. Not a piece of Disney paraphernalia on us and no autograph books. But, 90+% of people were wearing something Disney there. Totally not a requirement, imo. We just aren;t souvenir people and don't spend the money on things like that. But, obviously I'm really in the minority. :) You will save money buying off site if you want to have it. We didn't get autographs; we did wait for a photo with Mickey though and I was cool with just the photo.

Good luck with the planning! Just be the loudest squeaky wheel and get your plan heard. I usually have to do that job in dh's family too. They are super mellow- even more than I am. So, I make the plan and they go with it. Or, I leave them behind and do my thing. ;) You can always take off with your reservations (though it could be too late for those) and touring plan and just meet up with them for dinner!

[egoldber]

For a 9 crowd level day, your best "plan" is to arrive at the parks when they first open. At the MK this can mean being at the parking lot a full hour before the opening time, because you have to take a monorail or boat to get to the actual park entrance from the parking lot. It's well worth it. The difference in crowd level at 9 am vs 11 am is astounding. And I have never been to a park on that high of a crowd level day.

I would read up on FastPasses and make them your friend. They will save you a ton of wait time.

I have never brought or used a rain poncho. We just bring our regular rain jackets which do pack up pretty small. Or we just get wet. :) There is a lot to do indoors at WDW.

Some people do sit downs every day. We don't and prefer it that way. We would rather eat counter service or snack when we are hungry vs. being tied down to a particular park or a set meal time. Sometimes one particular park is just too crowded, or we are done early, and so we leave and go somewhere else for the rest of the day. This gives you a lot more flexibility.

Will you have your own car? If so, consider splitting up from your family. We have gone with family many times and this is what we end up doing. Trying to stay all together all day long doesn't work when you have a lot of people with different touring styles and agendas. We would plan to all meet up for lunch or dinner but other than that we split up.

ETA: My kids love getting autographs. I used to make my own book ahead of time and be all fancy and scrapbooky about it. Now we just buy one in the park. They are everywhere and not really that expensive. Do bring your own Sharpie though.

We also don't really buy souvenirs. I tell the kids they can get 2 things, one small, one larger and that's it. They take a few days to think about it. Usually it's a pair of earring/necklace and a small stuffed animal/Mickey. For us, buying at the parks is part of the experience, but we don't spend more than $50 total. Well, except the one time it was freezing at night in October and older DD forgot her jacket on the bus, so she was cold at Fantasmic. I bought her a $50 sweatshirt jacket even though it about killed me. But she did wear that jacket for 3 years, so it wasn't a bad deal overall. :)

[TwinFoxes]

Poncho - they sell them pretty cheap in the parks. I only buy one if it's a bad storm that doesn't let up. Usually by the time you do an indoor attrition and come back out it's dry again. Or just wear a rain jacket you already had (that's what DDs did).

Maybe they are character dining people? Not everyone is, a lot of people just do quick-service. But if you want to do a character meal, you need to make ADRs. I mean you may get lucky and get a cancelation, but chances aren't that good. At that time of year, I'd think all of the parks would be a nine on the calendars. I agree with the others, get there at park opening. Even showing up 1/2 hour late can really effect your day.

We don't do autograph books, but probably will next time. Etsy has very cute ones. As for t-shirts, I think the longer your trip, the more likely you are to wear Disney clothes. You'll start out dressed normally, and over time realize you are covered in mice/princesses/ducks. :) I wouldn't bother to stop at an outlet. I like the t-shirts etc at the parks. I don't buy Disney tshirts to fit in, I buy them because I think they're cute. :)

I've never heard of anyone wearing through their shoes...but I guess it could happen!

Any chance your immediate family could have their own plan, and meet up with your other relatives later in the day?

ETA: In general I'm a go with the flow vacationer, but I think WDW is a special case. I don't plan so much for DL, but WDW you really need a game plan, at least a general one, or you'll end up being one of those people who complain that they spent the whole day in line and don't see how people would ever go back.

[crl]

Plan. WDW requires planning IMO. I just planned and then let the non-planning in-laws do whatever around our plans.

And definitely get there early. It makes a huge difference. We grabbed fast passes for one ride then got in line for another. That way we got on at least two "hot" rides a day without really long lines.

We really enjoyed the character meals so if you can get reservations for one of those, I would.

Ds loved his autograph book. I would buy one ahead, why spend your vacation doing that kind of thing? And bring a sharpie.

We didn't wear Disney shirts or anything. You can, but no need to.

Have fun!

Catherine

[hellokitty]

I'm on my phone so can't see sigs. How old are your children? My kids are thankfully not into autographs (so glad since it would be more lines to stand in), but they love pin trading. I don't know if that's something you guys would be into but it's way cheaper to buy a beginner set of pins online, than at the parks. I'll have to ask dh who we ordered from. No can't recall, but the guy was great and shipped quickly. We actually ordered twice from him and while he want the cheapest, we felt that the quality of the pins and the service were great.

If you are going during high crowds and want to do table service, you'll need adrs. I think that all disney veterans would agree. As for shoes, make sure that they are well broken into before you wear them at Disney or else his feet will not be happy. We bring one pr of sneakers and one pr of crocs for the pool or to change shoes mid-day. Since it will be super hot, I highly recommend hitting rope drop. After lunch, going back to the resort for a swim or rest seems to work out best for our family. It will be hot and the crowds will be high.

If you don't think that your family schedules or touring style will mesh, suggest mtg up in a neutral location (at a resort, in case ppl don't have park hoppers) for dinner, instead. That way you guys have some flexibility to so your own thing without being at the mercy of possibly annoying relatives.

[klwa]

*hugs* When we went with DH's family, they all gave me the same looks you're getting. We stayed a few days after they left & DH admitted later how much easier things went on the days I had things planned out. He really couldn't believe the difference.

Use the crowd calendars, regardless of what the family says. And if you have a special meal you want, get a reservation NOW. They'll think you were crazy whether you do or not, and probably assume that things went smoothly without the need for advance planning, while you'll know that you made things go as smooth as possible. And, when you get to the parks, be willing to (somewhat) go with the flow. Do what you feel like "must" be done first & then just be.

As for pre-shopping, I do so I don't have to worry about buying things as soon as I get there. I pick up an autograph book from Ebay (I prefer the notecard sized spiral bound ones I can keep in a ziplock bag so they don't get wet & they keep their pens with them, like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Disney-Mickey-Mouse-on-Red-Spiral-Autograph-Book-/181130134680?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a2c328498 ), and if you would like your kid to dress to "match" the park, just look at Target, Walmart, Kmart or the Disney Store before you go. I've gotten great deals at Kmart in the past & just used those shirts for their regular wardrobe on/before/after the trips. Oh, and for ponchos, pick up a couple of the pocket sized ones at Target/Walmart/Kmart/the dollar store before you leave. And one for the stroller. :)

You know your family best. (Talking about you, DH, & DS.) Think about how you three work best & do THAT.

[Seitvonzu]

my mother in law bought ponchos-- they were necessary one day and we put them on before going on splash mountain (it was january and too cold that day to walk around wet) we mostly put them on because DH & i rode kali river rapids at AK the first day we arrived and got SOAKED -- and it was unpleasant ;)

that being said, ponchos at disney are cheap and if anything happens (ripping/whatever) -- you can get a new one free. so i wouldn't prepack those unless you are somewhere and think to pick them up.

we pre-bought some toys/etc for the airplane/hotel, but honestly- we stayed at AKL and barely got to enjoy the resort b/c we spent most of our time touring. we did let DD get a souvenir each day (approximately) and she pretty much always chose one of those "polly pocket" type princess sets. a couple mornings she would get really grumpy because we needed to GO and she just wanted to play with her dolls- there was never time at WDW!

my DD needed a new swimsuit- so i got her a little mermaid one. i also packed her clothes based on "outfits" and sorta matched them up to the park we were going to be at-- in particular the first magic kingdom day she had a red w/white polkadot dress and black leggings and black/red mickey ears -- we called it her "minnie" outfit. she had a "french" eiffel towerish outfit that she wore on our epcot day. another MK day she wore clothes from the "its a small world" line at nordstrom. hollywood studios day was more generic-- but again EARS. 3rd MK day was our bibbidy boppidy bootique day so she was little cinderella :) nothing was "disneywear" really...but i did try to make the outfits themey to add to the fun :) i looked for some disney pjs but didn't find any i liked at the time. DH & i just wore normal clothes :)

[gummibear]

Everyone, I really appreciate all the great feedback!

Re: splitting up, I'm laughing at the comments here, because I can't blame this on DH - we're going with my family, not his, haha. And it was my idea to ask my sister to go together, not DH's. We originally asked her to go during the off-season winter time. So maybe I asked for all this… but DS adores his cousins and will be very happy doing absolutely anything, as long as he's with them, and I'm a bit of a sucker for that. The flip side of that is, he *really really* hates saying goodbye. *really* It can get a little rough.

DH and I were planning to leave the parks for DS' nap time on all the days except July 4. Not sure how reasonable that is, with the crowd levels. But maybe we can plan to do the separate thing earlier in the day and meet up later. If DS doesn't see them in the morning, he'll be alright. If he figures out where their room is, we'll be in trouble. We will have our car but no park hoppers.

My to-do list this week includes working out a tentative park schedule and making the character dining reservations. There seem to be quite a few slots still available at the restaurants. I'm leaning towards breakfast at 'Ohana, since going there won't require admission in a particular park on a particular day. And DS likes Stitch. I tried to discuss scheduling the park visits with my sister with no luck. She's dead-set on deciding a few days before, based on the weather. She's one of the lucky ones that have gotten into the Crystal Palace when others canceled.

I'll have to work this out a little more though, if we need to be at the parks at the opening. All the days that week are level 9 crowds.

Re: ponchos - DS has a rain jacket but I don't. I saw one at Costco for $15-20 (adult size) last week and wasn't sure if that was a good price or not. Based on all the comments here, I think I'll just pick it up in the park.

@hellokitty - DS is 4 years old. I'd never heard of pin trading - I just wiki'd it - what a neat idea. He might like that more than autographs actually.

Thanks again everyone!

[mjs64]

my mother in law bought ponchos-- they were necessary one day and we put them on before going on splash mountain (it was january and too cold that day to walk around wet) we mostly put them on because DH & i rode kali river rapids at AK the first day we arrived and got SOAKED -- and it was unpleasant ;)

that being said, ponchos at disney are cheap and if anything happens (ripping/whatever) -- you can get a new one free. so i wouldn't prepack those unless you are somewhere and think to pick them up.

we pre-bought some toys/etc for the airplane/hotel, but honestly- we stayed at AKL and barely got to enjoy the resort b/c we spent most of our time touring. we did let DD get a souvenir each day (approximately) and she pretty much always chose one of those "polly pocket" type princess sets. a couple mornings she would get really grumpy because we needed to GO and she just wanted to play with her dolls- there was never time at WDW!

my DD needed a new swimsuit- so i got her a little mermaid one. i also packed her clothes based on "outfits" and sorta matched them up to the park we were going to be at-- in particular the first magic kingdom day she had a red w/white polkadot dress and black leggings and black/red mickey ears -- we called it her "minnie" outfit. she had a "french" eiffel towerish outfit that she wore on our epcot day. another MK day she wore clothes from the "its a small world" line at nordstrom. hollywood studios day was more generic-- but again EARS. 3rd MK day was our bibbidy boppidy bootique day so she was little cinderella :) nothing was "disneywear" really...but i did try to make the outfits themey to add to the fun :) i looked for some disney pjs but didn't find any i liked at the time. DH & i just wore normal clothes :)

OT, but seitvonzu: your DD's outfits are the cutest thing I've ever heard of! How creative!

[gummibear]

Tried to post yesterday but something was up with the forum.

Ditto on the cute outfits! Stuff like that makes me wish I had a little girl. I get baby fever every Easter. Gorgeous colorful dresses everywhere... the boys' stuff pales in comparison.

We got 5-day mouse your way tickets (thank you mousesavers & UT - Orbitz had the same deal and with ebates it would have been cheaper, but we didn't like the no refund policy on the Orbitz). We're driving down on Saturday and we'll have 6 days in the area. So we have an extra day to (a) rest/run errands/? (b) do a water park or other less-intensive activity or (c) upgrade our Disney passes for an extra day.

We debated doing Disney parks for 5 days and Universal Islands of Adventure for 1 day with my sister, but decided against it. Looking at photos and descriptions online, Universal seems less suitable for 4-year-old DS, plus it's not as cost-effective as our other options. We do plan to squeeze in Despicable Me 2 at the Universal theater though, since it opens that week. We love the minions, and DS adores Agnes.

Options options... it's good to have options! I'm working on our park visits schedule (and a plan B, and a plan C), and I am loving the touring plans in the cheat sheets on easyWDW. :heartbeat:

[megs4413]

I'm late to this, but we went last June and this is what I bought/brought:

-ponchos; i found disney themed ones at walmart. I'm relatively certain they were less than $10 a piece. DD had a tinkerbell and DS had a Cars one. Walmart had adult sizes as well and mine was Minnie. DH refused to buy one ahead of time, so he got one at the park and it was more expensive, but necessary. we do NOT stop touring because of rain. it makes lines shorter anyway! My kids had an absolute blast getting soaked as we ran around Epcot.
-autograph books. these were provided to us for free by our booking agent. I cannot recommend using a booking agent highly enough.
-misting fans and small fans for all of us. i cannot stress this enough. the heat can be really serious. the fans in park are so expensive. I got misting fans from amazon in multiple sizes. Two large ones and then 4 small ones. I also packed extra batteries.

my kids wore custom outfits most days and I did try to match them to the park we were going to that day. it was very fun. i posted in another thread the names of the etsy shops I worked with.

[gummibear]

I'm late to this, but we went last June and this is what I bought/brought:

Never too late! :)

Well, it's a bit late for us to use a travel agent, since we already have our tickets and accommodations. But it sounds great for a trip planned many months in advance. I read about one on mousesavers that will price adjust if a better deal comes along. Maybe we'll try that one day - I'd really like to stay at a Disney resort one day.

But never too late to post! Fans sound like a good idea. I don't think I have it in me to come up with special outfit ideas... although my friend has an absolutely adorable minion t-shirt for her son. I'd like to find that shirt for my boy.

[SnuggleBuggles]

But never too late to post! Fans sound like a good idea. I don't think I have it in me to come up with special outfit ideas... although my friend has an absolutely adorable minion t-shirt for her son. I'd like to find that shirt for my boy.

Minion is Dreamworks "Megamind" or "Despicable Me", right? Not Disney. :)

[gummibear]

Minion is Dreamworks "Megamind" or "Despicable Me", right? Not Disney. :)
Yes - both actually. I was thinking of the Despicable Me yellow guys. Not Disney. Universal. I was thinking T-shirt just for the movie opening. =D

[gummibear]

I'm back! To post an update, after a ton of research.

We are arriving and leaving on Saturdays, so I planned for us to tour WDW Sun-Thurs, leaving Fri open. I used easywdw's crowd calendar to work out which day we would ideally visit each park, with a few alternate options. We have 5-day passes so we will hit MK twice and the other parks once.

I then spent way too much time researching and thinking about all of the character dining options. But I finally noticed that our week's touring plan all involved visiting MK on one particular day, so I went ahead and made a lunch ADR at the Crystal Palace that day. We're not big breakfast eaters and I'd rather use the morning time to tour, and then use lunch to take a break and really enjoy the meal / experience. I might look at making a few more ADRs, just because it's busy season and it might be nice to sit down to eat now and then, but I really only had my heart set on making sure we had at least one character dining experience. So I'm satisfied.

I called my sister to tell her all of this, and she seemed relieved actually. If I'm lucky, the weather will cooperate and they'll go with our plan's flow. :bighand:

And, in case anyone is interested, I went back to mousesavers and found a packing list here (http://www.mousesavers.com/walt-disney-world-vacation-discounts-and-deals/time-is-money-at-walt-disney-world/). I'm using touringplans & easywdw to make tentative daily touring plans, and we'll be bringing the Lines app with us.

Very excited, and ready to start counting down the days. :yay:

[megs4413]

Never too late! :)

Well, it's a bit late for us to use a travel agent, since we already have our tickets and accommodations. But it sounds great for a trip planned many months in advance. I read about one on mousesavers that will price adjust if a better deal comes along. Maybe we'll try that one day - I'd really like to stay at a Disney resort one day.

But never too late to post! Fans sound like a good idea. I don't think I have it in me to come up with special outfit ideas... although my friend has an absolutely adorable minion t-shirt for her son. I'd like to find that shirt for my boy.


Actually, for future reference, the agents just transfer your reservation to under them. I did this last time and it was no hassle for me and saved me money. I won't book without an agent again....they work for you and get paid by Disney! It's a sweet deal!

Your plans sound great. Let us know if you want ADR recommendations. In busy season, having an ADR in the park is so nice. A great way to break up the day. I hope you have a wonderful time!!!