First Timer....help me not miss anything!

[Reneed68]

We are going in October and will have 8 full days. I figured 2 days for AK, 2 for Epcot, 2 MK and 1 HS....we also have park hoppers. I know we won't see everything but I don't want to miss anything big. I bought the unofficial guide but already fireworks have changed and the new stuff opened at AK....so hit me with the shows/fireworks/rides etc that we shouldn't miss. It's myself, my mom and my 10 year old son. Thanks in advance!!

 

[jpeterson]

In October Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party will be going on. You may want to check that out. Note that it is a separate paid ticket that would need to be purchased.

 

[robinb]

That sounds like a GREAT first trip! Do you know where you will be staying?

 

[pitpat]

One bit of advice I have is if you split MK in half straight down the middle (Adventureland/Frontierland/Liberty Square + PP on one day Tomorrowland/Fantasyland on the other), you will have an easier time prioritizing FPs, less walking, and have more time to enjoy the areas.

For example, on AL/Frontierland day you could FP Splash, Big Thunder and Peter Pan and hit Jungle Cruise and Pirates at Rope Drop with no wait. You could then do Haunted Mansion or easily get it as a 4th FP. After lunch there are "anytime attractions" like Country Bears, Tiki Room, Tom Sawyer Island, Treehouse... that you can fit around the parade.

On your other day, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain and something else (Speedway?) would be your FPs, and if you start in Tomorrowland at RD with Space and Buzz, you could ride Space multiple times that day, which seems like something a 10 year old boy would want to do. That day would be even easier for you if he's not interested in princesses.

This approach would give you more time to wander and enjoy everything IMO.

 

[alliecat523]

Are there any thrill seekers in the group? That will help with rides.

 

[bbkangs]

You will have plenty of time to see just about everything you want in each park.

I would make sure not to miss the new world of Pandora in AK; going at night is supposed to be the best! Also make sure to see Festival of the Lion King at AK.
Make sure to see the afternoon parade at MK, ride all the mountains, and of course see the fireworks!
The closing fireworks at Epcot are good too. Make sure to ride Spaceship Earth (The Ball) Test Track, Soarin, Frozen
If you like Star Wars, HS has a very neat show with Fireworks at closing.

One thing that you might want to look into is dining. As far as dining, Be Our Guest restaurant in MK is a very coveted reservation to get. Since your vacation is in October, I would look at reservations ASAP. Also dining at 'Ohana at the Poly is something you don't want to miss.

 

[chs27]

Plan time to enjoy your resort. Eight days straight touring will exhaust your family.

 

[TravelDad]

One piece of advice that will help you see it all and exponentially increase your production. 1. GET TO THE PARK EARLY, get there 30 before rope drop and be some of the first people in the park. Use this strategy in conjunction with FP+ and rope drop some of the attractions with the longest lines, and use FP+ on the others that have the longest lines!

 

[Praying Colonel]

It sounds counterintuitive when your mission is not to miss anything, but make sure you give yourself down time. October is still warm/humid. That and the amount of walking you'll do will sap your energy. Although you understandably want to see/do as much as possible, you'll probably do better over the course of your stay and enjoy it more if you program in daily breaks.

 

[DoulaMel]

Is there somewhere that we can keep track of all the awesome suggestions here?

 

[Reneed68]

I already did my dining - just waiting for the rivers of light package to be released for October. I am planning on getting tickets for MNSSHP as soon as they go on sale. I figured we would do that on our non park day.
My son is a thrill seeker and I promised him I would suck it up for this trip and go on those crazy rides with him LOL
I love the idea of splitting MK in half - great idea!
I figured we would get to each of the parks for rope drop and stay as long as we can and then go back to the resort - we are staying at The Beach Club so I want to take advantage of the pool to relax. Also, I was going to avoid the parks as much as we can on Columbus day and hang out by the pool

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

Don't try to do everything. You have a nice amount of time to see and do a lot-but I would start off each day with a short list of things you for-sure want to get done. After that, anything beyond that is bonus. I don't typically recommend park hoppers for first timers since transportation can take up a lot of time, but since you're staying at Beach Club, it'd be easy for you to walk over to Epcot and spend some time there in evenings.

I would also look at the MNSSHP schedule. I'd look into attending, but even if you don't, it does affect the MK's hours regardless, so you'll want to be careful to plan your days around that.

 

[Ryan2016]

One thing you would need to look into is the star Wars show at Hollywood and the Halloween party

If you have never done the Halloween party there is a special parade and fireworks and candy!

If like star wars you have to do this show. There is a package you can buy for a reserved seat but you don't need to although it can be very busy for the show

Also there is Epcot food and wine in October so there is a lot going on there but I don't think a 10 year would enjoy that

It is a good time to go to Disney!

 

[Klayfish]

Unless you really go nuts and spend 10 hours per day in the park, reality is that you're going to miss something "big" if this is your first trip to WDW. And like others here said, I definitely would not recommend trying that. WDW is huge. If you've never been, you can't really comprehend its' size and how much walking there is...even for an experienced veteran who knows how to get around, it's a lot of walking. Being new to the parks, it's almost unavoidable that you'll criss cross the parks at least once, simply because you're learning the layout of the land. Nothing wrong with that, it happens. Full rest days are up to you, only you can decide if you want to do that. I'm not a fan of them personally, but I totally understand why people do them. For us, a "rest day" is 3 or 4 hours in the park, then back to our rental to hang out and relax. But no harm at all in taking a day to hang out at the pool and chill...and take a nap...or three.

Best advice I can give is to "stop and smell the roses". Since you won't see "everything" anyway, take the time to enjoy what you do see. Use the online maps to see what is in each park. Ask questions here about specific rides, or use YouTube if you'd like. Figure out which ones you want to ride. Work them into your FP+ plans if they're popular rides (folks here can help you with that too). But I'd recommend having flexibility. If you plan to ride Rock n Roller Coaster (if you like thrill rides, I HIGHLY recommend it) and you want to stop and look around the gift shop or look around the shops you'll pass on your way too/from, then do it. Take the time to soak in the atmosphere and your surroundings. Don't have your plans so packed that you run right past all kinds of things you may have been interested to see (but didn't know existed) simply because you have a tight deadline to make.

Getting to the parks early is a good idea. I don't like doing "rope drop" where you show up 30-60 minutes before the park opens, but we'll show up right around opening time. You can get a lot done in that first hour the park is open. Alternatively, have a day where you sleep in as long as you want, have a relaxing breakfast and/or lunch and get to the parks later. The last hour the park is open is also a great time to get on rides, the lines go down significantly.

As for what rides are "must do". Uhhh...for me, it's pretty much all of them. Each park has some thrill rides, plus lots of other stuff. For a quick list of thrill rides, I'd say RnR, Space Mountain, Big Thunder, Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, Tower of Terror, Splash Mountain (not a "thrill" ride since it's on the water, but thrilling enough). I know I'm leaving some out, but that's just a off the top of my head list.

 

[Main Street Matilda]

Our first trip as a family (15 years ago now) was also in October and we stayed at the Yacht Club. I made sure I was armed with the Unofficial Guide, had made my dining reservations, etc., etc. I thought I was prepared but in retrospect, there were a few things that I just didn't "get" until we made subsequent trips.

• It seems like you understand that you can't do everything and although I thought that, too, I still tried to do as much as I could. That nearly ruined our vacation because we didn't take any time to enjoy - stop in the shops, buy a Dole Whip, sit and enjoy a cool drink. It was like we were checking off items on a to-do list and I had us running from attraction to attraction with military precision. We were exhausted as a result. You won't realize what you've missed if you've never seen it - so other than those attractions which fall into your "must do" list, don't worry about missing attractions. With any luck, there will be a next time.
• As others have said, plan a good amount of time at the resort. Go back to your resort (which is lovely), sit by the pool and enjoy. I really felt slighted our first trip that we didn't spend more time at the resort and we now always plan to spend a day or two at the resort with little on the agenda.
• In October, Food & Wine is still going on. My oldest two kids were young our first trip (2 and 4) and so I didn't think F&W was worth doing. It wasn't until 2 trips later that we actually spent time at F&W, taking the time to eat our way around the world, and I'm sorry I missed it in previous trips. You don't have to spend the whole day eating, but it is fun to try food from different countries. Even my middle son, who used to be a fussy eater, enjoyed trying different things.
• I didn't realize how much I'd enjoy the parades and shows. Although I wouldn't go so far as to say you must do each of them, if there are some that you don't want to miss, follow the advice on the boards and get a good viewing location. My "not to be missed" are Illuminations at Epcot, the afternoon parade at MK and "Wishes" fireworks at MK.
• Wear comfortable, broken-in footwear. A blister will put a kink in your touring plans - trust me. There a posts discussing footwear all over these boards.

Have fun!!!

 

[Hopefully]

I already did my dining - just waiting for the rivers of light package to be released for October. I am planning on getting tickets for MNSSHP as soon as they go on sale. I figured we would do that on our non park day.
My son is a thrill seeker and I promised him I would suck it up for this trip and go on those crazy rides with him LOL
I love the idea of splitting MK in half - great idea!
I figured we would get to each of the parks for rope drop and stay as long as we can and then go back to the resort - we are staying at The Beach Club so I want to take advantage of the pool to relax. Also, I was going to avoid the parks as much as we can on Columbus day and hang out by the pool

I disagree strongly with one element of your plan. I wouldn't plan on going early and staying until you are tired and then heading back to the BC for the pool. You will likely miss the amazing nighttime activities if you do it this way.
I would plan to be at the parks at rope drop and do a few of the headliners before they get crazy. Then I would schedule my 3 FP+ for about 10 - 12ish. I would have a quick QS lunch in the park and head back to the resort and pool by 1 or so. Plan to spend 4 or so hours resting, swimming, rejuvenating. Then head back to the parks about 5 - 6 for dinner and night time shows.
Good Luck

 

[Ensusieasm]

I disagree strongly with one element of your plan. I wouldn't plan on going early and staying until you are tired and then heading back to the BC for the pool. You will likely miss the amazing nighttime activities if you do it this way.
I would plan to be at the parks at rope drop and do a few of the headliners before they get crazy. Then I would schedule my 3 FP+ for about 10 - 12ish. I would have a quick QS lunch in the park and head back to the resort and pool by 1 or so. Plan to spend 4 or so hours resting, swimming, rejuvenating. Then head back to the parks about 5 - 6 for dinner and night time shows.
Good Luck

Yes to this idea of a long enough break. You have to factor in round trip transportation including waiting for buses, and time at the pool, along with at least a solid hour laying in bed with the drapes closed in a dark quiet resort room in order to really feel rested enough to go back to the park and enjoy night time shows and fireworks. 5 hours from the time you leave the park until the time you want to be walking back in is a good plan.

 

[GrumpyDudeByChoice]

If you do the Disney Dining Plan, you may have to split up your days. The reason I say that is HS and EPCOT seem to have the majority of the sit down restaurants (at least that we eat at).

 

[cmarsh31]

Express Bus. Especially with park hoppers, Food & Wine, and staying at Beach Club. Halloween party nights will screw up MK (definitely go once), on the others, start at MK in the morning, then use the bus to hop to Epcot and enjoy Food & Wine for the afternoon & evening, then walk back to Beach Club! Same with AK, one night for Rivers of Light, but on your 2nd day there, Express bus hop back to Epcot again - or to MK for the MNSSHP etc! We loved taking the bus to whatever park was open the latest and finishing there at night!

 

[Tk0021]

We went to MK for four full days on our first trip and still didn't do everything there, so good luck.