Disney World afficionados

blueeyedrose86

We are planning to go to WDW next October and would like some input. DD will be 2, obvs. and there will be 4 adults. Right now the general idea is to get the 4 day park hopper ticket (we get an insanely good deal through the base) and then add a day or two and go to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. I wouldn't care about these two, but HARRY POTTER! What are the best things to do there for littles? I've read some articles, but am looking for personal experience. I love roller coasters, but I'm the only one, so I don't think I'll make everyone wait so I can ride them. Maybe a few. Seeing as we won't be spending all day long in lines, is 4 days too long? Can we feasibly spend a whole day at one park while sticking to toddler things? It's probably a silly question. I mean, I could just stare at all the Disney stuff for 4 days, but my companions, not so much lol. Could we cut it down to 3 days to save on hotel costs? Are the dining meal plans worth it?? Haaalp!

WhenInRome11

I don't have answers for you but I'll be following this thread because we are also planning a trip for next October.

CherryHolly

You can always find things to do. And when traveling with little ones it is nice to allot four days so you can take breaks to go back to the room and rest and nap. There is sooooooo much to do. I don't know much about the dining plan as we have passes and live locally so have never used it. But October is food and wine at Epcot which is one of the best times to go as they have more food out. They have special concerts and special events.

There is a ton to do at magic kingdom for the entire family. New fantasyland has rides for everyone to enjoy. Be our guest restaurant is an incredible experience with great food.

Utilize fastpass+ to save time. Stay on property and use Disney transportation.

Have fun!

CherryHolly

And I could give you an entire blog about what to do, bring, avoid, plan, etc. our LO has bee. About 50x alreay

mancila60

Yes 4 days is a great time. Most rides are toddler appropriate so you can find tons to do. Also there are shows through out the day and Hollywood Studios has shows like Little Mermaid and Nemo. I have heard people say the dining plan is worth it but I don't see that it is. You could cut it down to 3 days if you want but I would keep the 4th day to have a more relaxing day or to go to Downtown Disney. At Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios you will want to be there all day! At Epcot maybe not a whole day and Animal Kingdom it just depends on what all you do.

blueeyedrose86

CherryHolly said:

And I could give you an entire blog about what to do, bring, avoid, plan, etc. our LO has bee. About 50x alreay

@CherryHolly‌ I would read that blog lol.

Slap8out

I personally would stay onsite. They offer a bus service that get you to the parks. And when you stay onsite you get in earlier. We went out early then went back to the hotel for lunch and naps. Then went back out for supper and evening parades/ light shows.

Have fun and enjoy.

blueeyedrose86

Any things to avoid??

Fruitcove7

I found this helpful for eating down there. I was at Downtown Disney 2 weeks ago.

https://www.thriftyandthriving.com/save-money-when-dining-at-disney-we-had-2-people-6-meals-1-snack-for-less-than-30/

If you sign everyone up (with different emails) you'll get Patina giftcards for birthday. Stock up over the next year!

https://www.patinagroup.com/joinus.php

Forgot to add, that blog is referring to Disneyland, but the info is helpful and Patina has restaurants at Disney World.

bkeane619

Following. We are going in spring.

LetsGoToDisney

Step into my office.....

First, accommodations. Are you staying at the Shades of Green? If you have not booked accommodations, then as military personnel this is a great option for you and your family. It is on Disney property, it is reasonably priced and they have all the amenities you come to expect from Disney. You will also get the Extra Magic hours, Disney transportation and Fastpass + (you want this, you VIP you).

Second, you can easily spend and entire day doing toddler activities at any of the Disney parks. We took Lilli when she was just 5 months and have been there with children aged 2, 3 and 5. I recommend spending some time with the park maps to familiarize yourself with the attractions. The Disney website allows you to search attractions by child's age and/or height, this is a good start.

Third, naps and breaks. Bring a stroller or rent one, even if you have a strong and independent walker the stroller will be for carrying supplies and napping. The slow moving rides (Jungle Cruise, Liberty Square Riverboat) are quiet places for sneaking in a nap. These are the hop-on hop-off rides that you can stay on for an extended time and have a snack. The stage shows (Flights of Wonder at Animal Kingdom, Country Bear Jamboree) can be a good place to sneak in a sitting break without leaving the park. 

Fourth, basic comfort. There are very few forbidden items at Disney. You can bring snacks, drinks, first aid and changes of clothes. Plan to rent a locker if you do not have a huge "trunk" in your stroller. Save some money by bringing your favorite snacks and a collapsible water skin to refill. For me, it isn't Disney without a giant turkey leg, but the portions are huge and if you are not in the mood for a $9 snack or are already 20 minutes in line for Thunder Mountain Railroad then you will appreciate the Nature Valley Bar in your pocket. You can have whole cooler if you want (put it in the locker). Basic first aid is a must. In a group of 6 at least one person is going to get a blister and Band aids will be hard to find and outrageous in price. There are lots of wet rides and sometimes you cannot avoid sitting in a puddle (hello swamp-ass). It would be wise, but not strictly required, that you bring a change of clothes for everyone. 

Five, meals and reservations. I am neither for or against the meal plans. For some people they make it simple, but for us they are more than we will use. We like to have dinner in Downtown Disney or at our family's home rather than at the park. The better restaurants and character experiences take reservations and they book up in advance, so plan these early. If you want to eat at Cinderella's Royal Table, book it ASAP.

Six, costumes and events. Disney encourages dress up for kids everyday, this is double around Halloween. October is Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. It is a separate ticketed event and has attractions (trick or treating with characters, Villains parade, Scary stories at the Haunted Mansion), but so worth it. They have a smaller admission cap, so no lines and you can do the whole magic kingdom in a few hours.

Bonus round Universal and IoA. I am more of a Disney enthusiast, but I have some points for Universal. These parks are more geared toward teens. Diagon Alley, Seuss, Shrek, Despicable Me and Marvel is where you live at Universal with a small child in October. You can have an amazing time there, but be aware that Universal brings the monsters to life for their Halloween celebrations (they call it Halloween Horror Nights). Freddy, Michael, Jason and the whole Army of Darkness will be in full character and walking around all day, avoid them and avoid the night terrors. 

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blueeyedrose86

I totally meant to tag you @LetsGoToDisney‌ lol. I'll check out Shades of Green!

All this advice make me want to go right meow!

CherryHolly

And free ice water. Always ask for a large ice water at the beverage stations that seve fountain drinks. It's filtered and they give it out. We also bring drops or powders to flavor it and put in our water bottles.

finnybooboo

We LOVE the meal plans and have always gotten them (my first trip to Disney was in 2007 when they first came out) and feel it definitely has saved us money. We went to restaurants we probably wouldn't have gone to without the meal plan because of the price. We've never gone with kids though, so it will be interesting to see if we feel the same once we take the little one. It really is a lot of food, so if your family isn't big eaters, then maybe pass on it.

The last time we went to Disney with two other couples, we decided to go to Universal for a day to see Harry Potter. I honestly would have rather stayed at Disney, though at least I can say we went. In my opinion, the experience is definitely second rate to Disney, and I wasn't all THAT impressed with HP - though of course, this was before they expanded it.

Another thing I would say about going to Universal is that if you stay on Disney property and don't have a rental car, they make it pretty difficult to get to US. We ended up having to take a van over to the Disney rental car place and then rented a large van to take us all to US and back. It was a bit of a headache, and we had the extra cost of the rental van.

I can't wait to plan my next Disney trip! I think I should start doing it now..... :-)

LetsGoToDisney

blueeyedrose86 said:

I totally meant to tag you @LetsGoToDisney‌ lol. I'll check out Shades of Green! All this advice make me want to go right meow!

Writing that post made me pull out my calendar to count the weeks until our next trip (9 to go). This will be my first time to the HP expansion!

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blueeyedrose86

The WW of HP is the reason for this trip lol. I want to go soooo badly and figured why not go big and do WDW, too?? I went to the HP studio tour when we visited Londond and I asked my husband to just leave me there. I was never going home lol

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