First time back after 27 years. Q's for all.

[NCGriffins]

Hello everyone!

I apologize if this is the wrong forum, but I have some questions and they seem to span several forums. Please be kind.

The last time I was at Disney was in 1975, as a 5 year old. My wife and I are taking our two children, 8 and 4 for our first disney trip.

We will be staying From Saturday to Saturday, and have 6 Full Days with Ultimate Park Hopper passes the whole trip. We are staying in Coronado Springs resort. We are going in October, first full week, to be exact.

I have some questions that I've had trouble finding in the forums. I know the answers are there, but I cannot find them without digging for hours on end. Please be so kind as to reply with your opinions, thoughts, or other. We probably wont be back to disney for another 4-5 years, so we want to make the most of our trip while there. Thanks so much in advance!

1. What are the absolutes that we must do while there? excluding rides? I know the character breakfast is one......

2. What things should we make reservations for, and how far in advance?

3. What are you opinions on how long to spend at each park in days? Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, MGM.....

4. What should we plan on spending for a lunch for 2 adults and 2 kids, and for dinner for 2 adults and 2 kids? Nothing fancy, but in the park/resort?

5. What should we definately NOT forget to bring?

6. What type of weather can we expect in the first week of October?

And last but not least, any tips that you can provide to a family of four that wants to remember this vaction........

Thankfully yours,
The NC Griffins.....WDW Bound

 

[webmomom]

HI NCGriffins--Welcome to the Boards

I will try and give you as much info that I have and I am sure there will be other people out there that can answer the questions that I cannot. n You can usually get all of your questions answered here.

1. We have stayed at CS a couple of times and really enjoyed it. It is a fun resort. Try to schedule some time to spend there, especially the pool. One of the neatest IMHP on property.

2.Yes a character meal either breakfast of dinner. If you like water parks visit the ones on property. I always feel everything you must see.
Animal Kingdom, must see the Lion King Show, Tough to Be a Bug, tarzan Rocks, Flights of wonder, the Gorillas and the Lions and of course the Safarri ride. They also have here a game for the children where you go to different points in the park and see and hear and touch things and you get a little folder that gets stamped each time. Concervation Station a really neat place to take the kids, also. Another place is to go the the AK Lodge and walk around there. Lots of thing to see and do.
MGM. Tower of Terror, if you kids can handle it, Indian Jones, Bear in the Big Blue house ,very cute show. Muffetts, Return of the Jedi.
Epcot. Test Track,Mission Space, The figment ride,Ride inside the Big Silver Ball. You can buy a passport for each of the kids at the park and then walk around World showcase and get them stamped. Also as you are walking they have Kidcot stations and the kiids get a stick and a mask on the stick and at each land they can stop and decorate it With what ever each lands has. the kids love it. Lots of hands on things in the Invention buldings. Also out in the world showcase each country has performances outside each day several times a day. They are really neat to see. Must stay and see the Fireworks at night. Awesome
Magic Kingdom. In this park I would say try to go on everything,. All the kids love Buzzlightyear, Thunder Mtn, Splash Mtn
The parade is great and well as the shows at the front of the castle. Stay and see the Fireworks and just beofre the fireworks you can see Tinkerbell Fly from the Castle and then see the Kiss goodnight

Time for each park, really depends on each one indiviadual taste. we can spend two days in the Ak, where other people only spend a half a day. I would plan a day in each park, and then go back to the one you really want to spend more time in.

I really cannot answer the one about the moeny for food. We are DVC members, so we eat breakfast in the room and we don't really eat lunch, just munch a little and then splurge on dinner. Hopefully some one else who eats in the park can help you with this. I will tell yuou the drinks are about $2.00 each

Don't for get to bring good walking shoes. What I would tell people when I was in the travel business, buy shoes now and break them in. Everyone or almost everyone wears some kind of sneakers. You are going to be doing a lot of walking. I usually bring two or three pairs of shoes. One so I change off in case one pair gets wet. Most of the evenings I will change to a comforable pair of casual shoes, if we have not stayed in the park all day.

The weather shoudl be great. Bring a sweater in case the evenings get a little chilly, but besides that it should be great.

Just go and have fun. I have seen people so up tight because they have made schedules that are so rigid and they have forgotten they are on vacation and not running a race. Go Enjoy your kids have fun with them, remember they are only young once and you will never beable to capture this moment or moments with them again.

I hope this has help you a little, and I am sure other people from the boards will offer their opionions also..

 

[donna in Oz]

Welcome to the DIS !! You're certainly at the right place for answers to your questions. You're going to have a great time . . . there's just something extra-special about a first trip to WDW (I consider it a "first"; after all, it will barely resemble anything you remember as a 5-yr-old!!)

We don't travel with small children, so I'll leave those questions to those who do. I'll stick with questions 3 and 6.

With six full days, I'd definitely devote two full days to the Magic Kingdom, one day at the Animal Kingdom, and probably split the last three spending 1-1/2 days each at EPCOT and at the Studios. This will give you a leisurely touring schedule where you won't feel so pressured to fit everything into a single day. Make sure you know which days are EMH (Extra Magic Hour) so that you can take advantage of that. Also take advantage of FastPass at every opportunity!!

As for weather, October can be fickle but it's our favorite time to go, anyway. In 1999 (I think), we were at the world from October 1st to the 10th; it rained 8 out of 10 days. The following year, we were there at the same time and never saw a drop of rain. The temperatures are great, though; warm enough to enjoy the pool but not horribly hot.

If you haven't already gotten a guidebook, I'd highly recommend you do so now. Being armed with advance information can make all the difference in the world. Sehlinger's Unofficial Guide is especially good, and Birnbaum's is also a good choice. Keep in mind that if you don't do your "homework" before you go, folks who did will have an advantage over you.

 

[missypie]

Figure out how Fast Pass works...it's not hard. I'm sure there are some old posts that list which rides have Fast Pass, etc.

Put some thought into what character meal you want and when you make your PS (reservations)... you don't want to necessarily have PS at one park on a day you are visiting another park. I've also heard that if you're on site and relying on Disney transportation, it can be hard to get from one resort to another, so that may influence where your character meal is. If you want breakfast at Cinderella's castle, there is a huge thread devoted to that. Also, think about what time of day you all will want to eat a big meal. Lots of adults like to choose breakfast, because then they can skip lunch. But my kids don't work that way.

Have a great time!

 

[Jackie H.]

Check out www.wdwig.com for menus and prices. That will help with the estimated cost of meals. But! Keep in mind that servings can be shared - especially with kids the age of yours! The staff at any WDW won't mind bringing extra plates to share meals.

Outside of the rides, I would highly recommend the Hoop Dee Doo Revue. Kids the age of yours usually love it. We all loved Cirque Du Soleil, as well. My kids were older (11 & 8), but it is a great show.

Here is a big clue to crowds (and therefore how much planning is required): how much is WDW charging for resorts and what are the hours the parks are open? If this is a slow time, you won't have to plan in so much detail. You make ressie for character meals, but otherwise you should be fine. If it is a busier time, ressies may be required for all sit-down meals. (I really doubt early October is a busy time, but I've never acutally been then so I can't say for sure. You can find out on these boards.)

For kids the age of yours, here's my number one biggest tip: don't overdo it! You've got a nice long trip planned. Take it easy and don't over tire them. When my kids were that young, we always went back to the room mid-day for a break - nap and or swim. Then after the break, we went to a different park. That kind of breaks it up.

Here's another good tip I got on these boards: don't go to Magic Kingdom first! Once they see that castle they may not want to go anywhere else! Don't get me wrong, they will enjoy all the other parks....MK is just so VERY WONDERFUL to kids.

Check out the DIS Board for Families also. Lots of good tips there.

 

[Eeyore's Girl]

I can't agree more about a good guide book. The Unofficial Guide to WDW is a good one. Beware, though. If you've never been, the book can seem kinda cynical. However, it is a great reference tool. Again, being prepared will make a big difference in getting you familiar with the parks and attractions. Visit these forums as often as possible for great tips.

As a family of 4, we usually budget $100 per day. This is for all meals and snacks. We usually do not spend that much, but it is budgeted anyway. We may purchase a small souvenir in the parks, but most of the time we visit the outlets for that.

We bring snacks with us. Nothing big. Juice boxes for the girls, a Brita Sports Bottle to fill at the water fountains, Goldfish crackers, maybe some nonmelting candy. DD10 has requested pepperoni slices for our trip next month. You can throw all this in the bottom of the stroller. This helps to keep down the spending.

You'll all be so excited to get there! Although it will be difficult, slow down in the parks. Notice all the attention to detail that you will find in the attractions, landscaping, restaurants, etc. It is truly amazing. When you take the time to admire all that's around you, you will realize WDW parks are so very pretty just to look at.

I'm usually too excited to skip a day in the parks. However, if you're going to be there a full week, you will get exhausted unless you take some time for relaxation. If possible, take afternoon breaks (this is another one I don't like to do), don't stay out too late in the evenings, and take a break on a park bench from time to time. This is a good time for some ice cream and people watching. I like to check out the different Disney apparel families wear in the parks.

Bring band aids just in case your tootsies have a hard time adjusting to their new schedule!

My favorite character meal is at the Garden Grill at The Land in Epcot. Way cool surroundings, lots of attention from the characters and the food is wonderful. Don't miss the boat ride below the restaurant. It isn't thrilling, but I found it interesting.

See the adventure through the eyes of your children and you will feel the magic as much as they will!

 

[K and K's Mommy]

I think one of the best tips is to bring some breakfast items for your room. We only ate out for breakfast twice. The rest of the time the kids munched on breakfast while we got ready. This was a big time saver for us. I would suggest a character breakfast based on your kids' favorite characters. If they like Pooh and friends, I highly recommend Crystal Palace. Another plus for it, we had an 8:15 PS so we got into Magic Kingdom early. It is fun to walk down Main Street without a crowd.

Because of Fast Pass we never waited more than ten minutes! It is the best.

I would try to do one meal in World Showcase.

Decide if you want to get up early for early entry. For us, it worked better to avoid the park with ee. We just can't seem to get there before 9:00.

We really enjoyed all three night shows so try to fit those into your schedule. Fantasmic was my DS 4 favorite but he was prepared for the big dragon and Disney villains.

Have a wonderful time!!