Anyone been to Disney?

jerol

We will be taking our first family trip next Spring- yay!    Just the 2 older kids so they will be 6 and 4.5.   I don't even know where to start.  

First- when should I officially begin planning?

We plan on staying at the resorts......is there one you like better?

How many days/nights would you recommend?

Which parks would you choose and how long should I plan for each one?  I want to skip Epcot.  Definitely do Magic Kingdom, obviously and maybe Animal Kingdom? 

Basically any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!  TIA!

June2007

jerol:

We will be taking our first family trip next Spring- yay!    Just the 2 older kids so they will be 6 and 4.5.   I don't even know where to start.  

First- when should I officially begin planning? Now! Check if you can make dining reservations asap, especially if you want to do a character meal or dine in the castle.

We plan on staying at the resorts......is there one you like better? I live locally so I have never stayed at one

How many days/nights would you recommend? You need at least a day a park- park hopping is a nightmare!

Which parks would you choose and how long should I plan for each one?  I want to skip Epcot.  Definitely do Magic Kingdom, obviously and maybe Animal Kingdom? Hollywood Studios is fun if your kids like shows. We just went there for the first time with the kids and DD#1 LOVED it (Beauty and Beast show, Little Mermaid Show, Disney Junior Show) but its not like a MUST do. Time would be better spent with young kids on a second day at Magic Kingdom.

Basically any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated! 

Are you set on not taking your youngest? Even my DD#2 loves Disney and has done great and we open and close the park! But I understand this depends on your LO's personality.

Bring snacks! The food they have is expensive and it's easier to grab a your own snack to munch while waiting in line for a ride/show.We found that packing at least one meal to eat in line (PB&J, pre-packed carrots and chips, bottled water) worked well too.

Try to plan to ride the rides in Fantasy Land (where all the great kiddie rides in MK are) at lunch time or first thing in the morning when lines are shortest. They are remodeling/adding to it so part of it (Toon Town) is closed off for construction so it's more congested in that area.

HTH! Have fun!

KKMMex

jerol:

We will be taking our first family trip next Spring- yay!    Just the 2 older kids so they will be 6 and 4.5.   I don't even know where to start.

 

I found these websites to be very helpful:

All Ears

 

Touring Plans

 

I found the Moms Panel section of the official Disney website to be very helpful also.

 

First- when should I officially begin planning?

I believe you can begin making dining reservations up to six months out.  You can actually do this online.

We plan on staying at the resorts......is there one you like better?

Since this is your first trip, I'd recommend a resort that's near the Magic Kingdom and/or on the monorail line. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge in a one-bedroom villa and loved it.  It has a ferry that runs back and forth to MK, which was very fun for our girls.  The Contemporary resort is the park closest to MK.  The Polynesian and Grand Floridian are other good options.

How many days/nights would you recommend?

We stayed five nights and had five days in the various parks.  My husband looked at me toward the end of our trip and said he wished we were staying longer!  It was an incredibly fun trip.  Your children are a great age for it.

Which parks would you choose and how long should I plan for each one?  I want to skip Epcot.  Definitely do Magic Kingdom, obviously and maybe Animal Kingdom? 

I would recommend at least 2 full days in the Magic Kingdom.  I was hesitant about Epcot too, but I actually enjoyed it more than Animal Kingdom!  Epcot has some really cool rides. You could easily spend 2 days at each of these parks.  We did both Epcot and Animal Kingdom, spending one day in each.  They were long exhausting days though!  Your kids might enjoy Hollywood Studios too.  We missed that park but definitely plan on hitting it on our next trip.

Basically any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!  TIA!

 

I recommend not missing Wishes, the fireworks display at MK or the nighttime electric light parade.  These are both "must sees" IMO.  We downloaded and followed touring plans for each park and it saved us a lot of time waiting in line.  You should master the Fast Pass system and use it strategically to your advantage.  It will be very helpful if you can do this.  It can seem overwhelming to plan a Disney trip because there's so much information out there.  Once you finally get to the parks and get your bearings though, it's much easier than it seems.  FYI - Magic Kingdom is a small park compared to Epcot and Animal Kingdom.  For me it was the easiest to navigate.  Good luck and happy planning!

W&J'sMommy

We were there in April.  I booked breakfast at Cinderella's Castle in Dec. (so 4 months out).  If your DD's like the princesses it is wonderful.  DD LOVED it.

We don;t stay at the resorts.

We did MK for 2 days, Hollywood Studios for 1.  HS was great for my kids, they are into Toy Story, Disney Jr and Princesses and that stuff was all there. 

jerol

Thanks for advice!  It is making me very excited.  Well....maybe we WILL do Epcot.  I just remember it being more towards adults- but I guess I am wrong!  Thanks.

flgator

First- when should I officially begin planning?

Now.  

 

We plan on staying at the resorts......is there one you like better?

We've stayed at all of the moderate and deluxe resorts except Key West and Saratoga.  It depends on your budget.  My favorites are Grand Floridian and the Boardwalk Inn.  For moderates, I like Port Orleans b/c it's smaller than the other moderates.  I like easy access to the parks and avoiding buses as much as possible.  Good sites for planning:

 

www.allearsnet.com

www.disboards.com

 

How many days/nights would you recommend?

It depends.  Our trips are never more than 5 or 6 nights, but we only live 2.5 hours away so we go more often.  

 

Which parks would you choose and how long should I plan for each one?  I want to skip Epcot.  Definitely do Magic Kingdom, obviously and maybe Animal Kingdom? 

 

My favorite is Epcot.  I like MK but don't like it all day long b/c there is not a lot of room and it can get crowded. Epcot is a good afternoon/evening park.  If do you AK, try to go in the morning or the rain b/c the animals are more active then.  They are not doing much in the afternoon.  I don't really like Hollywood Studios, but DS1 loves Little Einsteins show and Toy Story. 

 

Basically any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated! 
Go the parks early in the morning b/c it's least crowded.  You can come back to your room in the afternoon for a break.  You can't do everything so pick your must dos.  Take advantage of extra hours at the parks (you get this by staying on property).  Make all dining reservations early b/c you can always change them later.

Mash67

We took our son for his 4th birthday, to Magic Kingdom.  We live in FL so its only an Hr drive for us, so no hotel stays, but if you have AAA go through them for a discount.

Epcot is more for adults.  Animal Kingdom I LOVE but then again I really enjoy animals.  

Pack a lunch and juice for the kids or snacks so you aren't spending so much in the parks. 

 

If you go during the week its less busy! 

k8elee03

First- when should I officially begin planning? Now, as others have mentioned, character dining books out faarrr in advance.

We plan on staying at the resorts......is there one you like better? We really love the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We live in Tampa, but staying on property really makes it feel like we're a long way from home, esp. at AKL. You can get a savannah view room, come home after the parks, chill on your balcony with a glass of wine watching giraffes, etc. A lot of people don't like that it's far away, but I liked that. Felt more peaceful. It doesn't have the convenience of some resorts where you could walk or monorail to some parks, though. But it does have fantastic pools, and I highly recommend that you plan to spend at least one or maybe more afternoons at a pool rather than the park. You'll need that, trust me.

How many days/nights would you recommend? At least 3 days, 4 nights. Not less.

Which parks would you choose and how long should I plan for each one? I want to skip Epcot. Definitely do Magic Kingdom, obviously and maybe Animal Kingdom? While I love AKL, I'm not a huge fan of the park. Maybe it's because we have Busch Gardens here in Tampa, and BG is much, much bigger and the crowd is more manageable, so it's just a better experience?

I really like Epcot, and I humbly suggest you give it a little more consideration. Soarin' is - imho - the best ride in any park anywhere, ever. It's just awesome. You have to get a fastpass, though. The fireworks at Epcot are fantastic. Probably the best food around, too. There are a lot of lame things at Epcot, too, I suppose. While I generally would stay away from park hopping, you could get up early, go to Epcot, do the Akerhaus princess breakfast, send someone for fastpasses for Soarin, cruise through the World Showcase, head back to your hotel for a break, and then hit a different park for the evening. That would probably be enough time for Epcot. 

Basically any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated! TIA! Pick a must-do things, and I mean a FEW, like 2 total for each day. Do those, and everything on top of it is just gravy. There's just too much and the more you can simplify your experience, the more you'll enjoy it. Also, let the Disney photographers do their thing, and get the card for them to scan. You don't have to buy squat, but if you can if you want to, later, online. It's a nice option to have.