Freaked out Disney Newbie...what do I need to know?

[daisymommy]

Hi ladies, Would you believe we've never been to Disney with our kids before? I never wanted to do while pregnant or with an infant, so that was pretty much the last 10 years of my life :rotflmao:. So now we are seriously considering going in May (of this year)--is that possible or nuts? If it just wont work out our plan B is to go in October.

I am the queen of loving to research the heck out of everything. My nerdy type A self loves it. But for some reason, planning for Disney is TOO MUCH! Its overwhelming and makes me feel like a deer in the headlights. I just want to run kicking and screaming and make someone else do all the work. I've tried 3 different TA and they've been flaky, too long to get back to us, were charging more than the items in the package were worth...ugh. So not sure what to do about that.

So, is there a list for scardey cats like me? Broken down step by step, telling me what to do? Why does this have to be so hard for Petes sake? I just want to show up, buy a ticket and have fun darn it!

Thanks!

[SnuggleBuggles]

You could just go to Disneyland. I've been to both FL and CA and CA is much more "just show up". Yes, some planning and such help but it's a much smaller scale.
Rest assured, plenty of people go to DW, wing it and have fun too. Think through your priorities- how much do you really want to see and do? Do you need meals, reservations,...or will you be cool eating wherever you are when you get hungry and not worrying about seeing and doing a bunch?

[daisymommy]

Thanks :) Unfortunately, since we are in VA, Disneyland is on the other side of the country, a no-go for us. Whats cool is I was born and raised in CA and we always had season tickets!
I was under the impression that people had to uber plan in order to do DW?

[klwa]

Go to easywdw.com & research the dates you are thinking about. http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/05-may-2015-crowd-calendar/ for the specific crowd calendar. He's also got park by park descriptions of a good touring plan.

There are room only discounts for dates into June, so you should be able to research the May dates. (http://www.mousesavers.com/walt-disney-world-vacation-discounts-and-deals/disney-world-resort-hotel-discounts-codes/ ) and see how much it will be. The codes for October won't be out for a while. Honestly, if I hadn't been able to get the AAA discount, I would never have used a TA for Disney. Now that AAA doesn't get the perks it used to, I doubt I'll use them again!

If you're going in May, the only thing you're "behind" on is deciding where you're going to eat, since reservations open 180 days out. But, you should still have plenty to choose from, if you even want to do any sit downs.

ETA: go ahead & register for an account with Disney, since you'll need that no matter if you book yourself or a TA does it. That also gets you on their list to send out promo codes. It's not guaranteed, but it's a lot more likely than if they don't know you're interested! https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/rooms-discount/?CMP=KNC-WDW15-DOM_Q2Q3RO_BR_Gold|G|4151300.RR.AM.02.01.OF.Q2Q3RO&keyword_id=s6W0CkuV3_dc|walt%20disney%20world|4218 0927116|e|1540wwa14043

[daisymommy]

Thanks! Would you suggest picking out what days we want to go, then checking out airline tickets and securing those before buying the Disney tickets? That's what I'm thinking...

Then what's step #2? Setting up dining? Is the Dining Plan a good deal? I would like to set up a character meal(s) too.

Or is step 2 picking a hotel? [emoji12][emoji15]

Someone smart needs to set up a checklist!


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[Mikey0709]

I'm tagging along your post - - i'm in the same boat, another newbit, and appreciate any advice! I think we at least narrowed it down to Fall 2015, but also don't know where to start with hotels, airlines, etc.... It's OVERWHELMING!

[DualvansMommy]

Fret not! It looks daunting! But I was in your shoes this time last year! Started thinking about it in Jan with a look of going in early May or Oct. I preferred Oct, but family decided on May with in-laws as she was getting on in age.

First thing is decide whether you want to stay on site or off site? Look into disney website for room availability in the dates you want for May. Then research airline ticket fares then book a character meal or two. I found that's what worked best for me if I followed that order.

I really wanted the contempary hotel or grand Floridian Cuz of close proximity to MK. I had a near 3 year old who was still napping and an infant, but both wasn't available. So ended up staying at beach club resort which is further away from MK. So think about a hotel that suits your family needs...ie like to go back to hotel for a break halfway thru the day, or want to stay out at the parks all day completely? The answer will make it easier for you to choose which hotel to book at.

As far character meals, I really wanted chef mickeys but with so close to May it was completely booked out. So I got the next best thing which was a character breakfast with Mickey and Donald Duck. October would give you lot more options in terms of hotel, type of room choices and character meals but it isn't a biggie in the big picture for us. We knew we wanted to go back to Disney again as just four of us when our boys were bit older, hence trying to get everything on our wish list wasn't a big deal for us last year.

Book a hotel based on your May dates.
Book airline tickets
Then book character meals
Good luck :)


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[egoldber]

Because of the Dining Plan and the new FastPass+ system, you do need to plan a lot more than you used to. I think easywdw is a good place to start.

Personally, I would prefer October. It's usually nice weather and not quite as crowded.

We never get the dining plan. We like to be a lot more spontaneous than the dining plan allows you to be. I hate being locked into a particular park because of where I picked to eat months earlier! Generally we pick 1 character meal and 1 other sit down meal and then do the rest quick service. If you will drive or have a rental car, then you can also have groceries, snacks, and offsite meals. All of which will be a lot cheaper and healthier than a week full of WDW meals!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Thanks :) Unfortunately, since we are in VA, Disneyland is on the other side of the country, a no-go for us. Whats cool is I was born and raised in CA and we always had season tickets!
I was under the impression that people had to uber plan in order to do DW?

IRL, I don't know anyone who plans like the folks on this board. :). And this board is just the tip of the iceberg. I'd probably pick a hotel, book one meal, make my fast pass reservations, maybe buy a touring plan and walk away. :). Have fun!!

[KrystalS]

I'm currently planning a trip for end of May. Not sure if you need to travel during summer break but I think the first 2 weeks of May are less crowded. I have to travel when school is out so we are going May 27-June 4. I picked those dates because airfare is way cheaper on Tues-Thurs. I booked my airfare first because I found really cheap tickets at Southwest. Next I booked my hotel. We are staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek. I really considered staying on site, but Bonnet Creek gets amazing reviews and for the price you get so much more room. I booked through WinPointVip.com, he gets great reviews from people on the Disney Boards. We got a 1 bedroom condo with a full kitchen for $100 a night, I figure even if we only eat 1 meal a day at the condo we will save a ton vs eating at the park.
I'm going to start looking at character dining this week. This isn't a huge priority for us, but if it is for you I would start looking soon. Once you get your hotel and airfare I would start researching crowd calendars to decide what days to visit which parks. Then you need to decide which rides you want to get fastpass for. If you stay onsite you can book 60 days in advance, 30 days for off site.
It is really daunting at first but once you get a few things checked off there is some relief! I love planning trips.

[westwoodmom04]

I'd do hotel first and then plane tickets. We like to go to sit down restaurants so bought a deluxe meal plan and made reservations for all dinners and some lunches six months out. If you plan to do mostly counter service places, however, I agree with Beth and others that the meal plan doesn't make sense, and you can get away with less advance planning. With a family of four kids, I would look renting something on VRBO or an all suite non-Disney hotel. Car rental are super cheap in Orlando and having the extra space would be really nice after a long day at the parks, plus it opens up a range of additional eating options. We stayed at Bay Lake Towers are last trip and found it easier to drive anything that wasn't on the Magic Kingdom monorail loop, Disney transportation can be really slow.

[123LuckyMom]

You can do it!!! If you're really nervous, use a travel agent. We've used Small World Vacations. It doesn't cost you anything. You certainly can do it yourself, though, and I probably will next time just because I feel more confident now. Last time was our first trip with kids. The hardest part, IMO, is deciding where to stay. With little ones in strollers, you can't do better, IMO than the Tahiti house at the Polynesian. It's steps away from the transportation and ticketing center, which is the transportation hub for Disney World. You can get everywhere quickly. It's very, pricy, though, so that may be a big factor and lead you to choose to stay somewhere else.

Once you've decided on and booked your hotel and have booked your airline tickets, you can start working on character meals. We haven't done one with our kids. They've been kind of afraid of the characters and are much happier seeing them from afar. We did book a couple of sit down meals, and it was hard to get times we wanted for our large party, but I advocate persistence. Make the best reservation you can, even if it's not ideal, and check back again and again and again. Eventually something may open up in your desired time slot. Check even when you get to Disney. Often things open up at the last minute. We haven't done a dining plan, and we eat mostly counter service meals. I was surprised at how good the food was. My expectations were VERY low, but I was really pleasantly surprised that I was able to eat relatively healthy, tasty meals using counter service. You just have to know the right places to go.

A really wonderful book for Disney newbies is the Unofficial Guide to Disney World. Once you've read it, you'll be a Disney expert! We're going to Disney again next year, and I'm going to get an updated copy to try to figure out the fast pass plus system. I used their app, lines, extensively when we were there last, and we never waited for more than 20 minutes (and usually much less long) for any ride. It was fantastic!!!

[klwa]

Think about how YOU want to do things. Do you WANT to have a sit down meal every day or would you rather not? That's what makes the dining plan a good deal/not a good deal. We've always used it, BUT with DS being an adult the next time we go, I doubt we'll use it any more. It doesn't make as much sense.

If you decide on May, go ahead & get the reservation at the hotel & then start thinking about dining. You'll want to have a general idea of which park for which day before you worry too much about dining, so you can be in the right general area for your meals.

Character meals: do you want to do one every day or just one or two special ones?

[blueperidot]

Do not stress. We went Memorial Day last year, a very last minute trip, & managed to do almost everything we wanted. People seem to cancel and change reservations all the time so I ended up having reservations for the most popular places at great times just by diligently checking the week before. My strongest recommendation is to download the Lines app. It creates a touring plan for us that updates in real time. Even though we were there a hugely popular week, we barely stood in long lines.


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[bnme]

I would read the planning stuff like easywdw and disboards, but keep in mind you don't have to plan as intensely as they do. I haven't used the new FastPass+ yet, but once you have your dates make a plan of which main park to visit each day so you can plan your FP and meals (if nesc). I base the parks to visit on the crowd calendars and the hours/parade times of the nighttime events. I also use that plan as a guide, although I don't know how easy it is to change FP times. If you are going off season and have hoppers, all of this matters less. And don't get the dinning plan unless you really want to preplan everyday. If you can, go off season. It will make a huge difference in your ability to enjoy the parks. I love the 1st week of Dec and also late Sept/early Oct. I would avoid the summer if at all possible.

[egoldber]

With the new FP+ system, while most rides are generally available for fastpasses the day before and even early morning the day of, there are SIGNIFICANT exceptions:

1) Toy Story Mania @ Hollywood Studios: FPs are a must to ride this with a less then 1-2 hour wait and the FP+ slots can be gone at the 30 day mark.
2) Anna&Elsa meet and greet @ Magic Kingdom: these FP+ slots are often gone at 30 days out
3) 7 Dwarves Mine Train @ Magic Kongdom: FPs are a must to ride this with a less then 1-2 hour wait and the FP+ slots are often gone at 30 days out

I would also recommend getting a FP+ for Peter Pan at MK. It is a very slow loading ride and the wait times are routinely 60-90 minutes.

[MSWR0319]

I'd book meals right now if you know the dates you are considering. You can always cancel them if you decide not to go, but the window opened up at 180 days and the closer you get, the least likely you are to get times/places you want. I'd use the calendar at easywdw.com to figure out your park days so you know where to eat.

[AnnieW625]

IRL, I don't know anyone who plans like the folks on this board. :). And this board is just the tip of the iceberg. I'd probably pick a hotel, book one meal, make my fast pass reservations, maybe buy a touring plan and walk away. :). Have fun!!

This is us too. We haven't been to WDW, but my DH would be beside himself if we planned out every single meal, fast pass, parade time, and photo op if and when we do go. He would be soo pessimistic that it would turn into a Murphy's Law trip.

I would however spring for daily park hopper tickets just in case though.

We also probably wouldn't do the dining plan unless we got it free, but even then would just focus on quick service, a special character breakfast and a nice sit down meal on our last night because like Beth said there are better options.

I would definitely look at staying off site at a time share (you don't have to be an owner to stay there....we have rented Marriott a few times w/o being an owner) like Hilton, Marriott, or Wyndham Bonnet Creek because with a large family of 4 kids it will be nice to have relaxing time, a washer and it will be nice to cook your own meals for a fraction of the cost and having the same amenities that you would have if you stayed on property and booked through Disney (although free dining plan for 6 might pay for itself if you are okay with a basic accommodation and not wanting a moderate, deluxe, or a villa). If you do want to stay on property, but want a villa then check out one of the DVC property rental sites.

Can you tell I really want to go to WDW?:) Good luck planning.

[ahisma]

We're getting ready to go for the first time, so this isn't really experienced advice:)

I looked at the crowd calendars, picked a time, found plane tickets for that time that fit in our budget, checked the Disney rates, then booked the plane, followed by the resort. We did get the dining plan (I wanted the ease of it), and are doing a fair amount of character meals. I'll be there solo with two boys who won't go back mid-day to nap, so I wanted a sit down meal each day to relax a bit.

I had some help from a Disney planner who is also a friend, LMK if you want her contact info. She's been there often with her family and knows the ropes well. (ETA: She sent me an email with great fast-pass info tailored to my kids' ages...it helped a lot.)

[kjmollypup]

You can do this!!

Again, not the voice of experience here...but here's my story. I've been wanting to go for a couple of years but, like you, I didn't want to go with really small kids. So now that they will be 6 and 4 when we go, I'm feeling a little more confident. We go in August and I can't wait!

I've been reading The Unofficial Guide to WDW in little bits here and there. Great info there, and their accompanying website, touringplans.com has great info as well. I also like easywdw and the DIS forums. Any question you could possibly have can be answered when you search on there! You definitely want to check anything twice before you think it's fact, though.

I agree that you need to decide when you want to go, first and foremost. Looking at the crowd calendars on the two sites above, touringplans and easywdw, will give you an idea of how busy it is between the two times you want to go. October would give you more time to plan, and greater control over your dining reservations. Would that make you more comfortable? Only you can decide!

I had originally planned to stay off property to save money. But I stumbled onto information on a travel agency with great deals in August (Magical Vacations Travel) and I'm staying at the Polynesian Village Resort for more than half off. With the little ones, I'm so relieved to be staying at a monorail resort where it will be easier to get back and forth. And my agent has been excellent about handling all of my questions, she would even handle my dining reservations (and FastPass+, I think) if I wanted her to, but I'm such a control freak I'm not handing that over, lol. All at no extra cost, because apparently they get their cut from Disney, I hear. Actually, I'm saving quite a bit. My agent's name is Michele, if you want to contact her and see what she can do for you. I didn't want to use an agency originally and now I have no idea what was holding me back.

Good luck with everything!

[brittone2]

We planned on short notice last year. I think we booked in October for an early Feb trip. We were fortunate to snag reservations for nearly everything we were interested in, so it can definitely be done. I just had to check back a few times a week, and as we tweaked our schedule more, I would cancel and rebook. It didn't need to be that complicated, but I just tweaked it and tweaked it as the weeks went by. I just did a quick crash course here, used a few books (Unofficial Guide), read the Disboards and Easy WDW once I got my feet under me, and managed myself up to speed on things like FP+, etc. and it worked out great. Really :) We did the dining plan but only because it was during a stay, play, dine promotion, which made it more attractive. Things were changing a lot in the time from when we booked to our trip, so the time out to book things like FPs, dessert party, etc. was changing frequently. Reading kept me on top of that.

We stayed at POR because it works well for families of 5. If we go back, I'd consider off site, but when we looked, it wasn't *that* much of a savings overall, so we stayed onsite. I can see the appeal of getting a house at a place like Windsor Hills and building in a down day to hang at the pool, etc though.

I'd focus on figuring out where you want to stay (offsite, or onsite) and refining your dates (look at crowd calendars, etc. if you are flexible). Find out what kind of discounts might be offered when you would go (no guarantee, but they often follow a pattern year to year) because that might inform your decision a bit.

You'll have a great time!