Let's make a "Firsts-Timers" Master Tip Sheet!

[Eli's 1st trip]

I love this thread...I need to start a list of all the tips...still have a long time to go...so keep'em coming

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

There are lots of posts here and I haven't had time to read them all, so forgive me if it's been mentioned before.

1. If you plan on doing some laundry while you're there, pack some laundry soap and fabric softener sheets from home. For a family of 4, we did approx 4 washer and 4 dryer cycles during our 10 day visit. The soap and fabric softener sheets aren't cheap.

2. Extra pair of shoes/sneakers to alternate each day so your feet don't get sore. Moleskin as previously mentioned is a must in case of blisters - along with scissors to cut it.

3. Have your purchases shipped to your resort so you don't have to lug them around the park all day.

4. Rent a locker for your larger items. That way you can carry a smaller bag through the park. Pack your umbrella, poncho, extra water, etc in the locker.

5. Water tastes terrible in Florida (my opinion). We purchased BRITA water bottles with built-in filters and this saved us lots of $$ on water.

6. We packed breakfast items, granola bars, juice boxes from home and ate breakfast in our room each morning. We brought a collapsable cooler from home, packed it full of ice each night and put our juice and milk in the cooler and placed it in the tub. We bought milk from the food court and it was very reasonably priced.

7. Microwave popcorn (pack it from home) is a great snack in the evenings and the food courts have micowaves you can use


8. Plan your MUST SEE attractions before entering the park. FOR EXAMPLE: Last trip, my daughter and I ran to SOARIN on rope drop and got on right away. My wife took our 2 passes and went to MISSION SPACE for fastpasses and then used her and my son's pass for fastpasses to TEST TRACK. Neither my wife or son wanted to go on these rides anyways. When my daughter and I exited SOARIN, we were able to get on TEST TRACK and MISSION SPACE within 1.5 hours. That was 3 top rides within a 2 hour wait - not too bad !

9. Try to plan a morning or afternoon away from the parks. After 3-4 days of commando park visits the family gets worn out and cranky.

10. HAVE FUN.

 

[seadd67]

There are lots of posts here and I haven't had time to read them all, so forgive me if it's been mentioned before.

1. If you plan on doing some laundry while you're there, pack some laundry soap and fabric softener sheets from home. For a family of 4, we did approx 4 washer and 4 dryer cycles during our 10 day visit. The soap and fabric softener sheets aren't cheap.

2. Extra pair of shoes/sneakers to alternate each day so your feet don't get sore. Moleskin as previously mentioned is a must in case of blisters - along with scissors to cut it.

3. Have your purchases shipped to your resort so you don't have to lug them around the park all day.

4. Rent a locker for your larger items. That way you can carry a smaller bag through the park. Pack your umbrella, poncho, extra water, etc in the locker.

5. Water tastes terrible in Florida (my opinion). We purchased BRITA water bottles with built-in filters and this saved us lots of $$ on water.

6. We packed breakfast items, granola bars, juice boxes from home and ate breakfast in our room each morning. We brought a collapsable cooler from home, packed it full of ice each night and put our juice and milk in the cooler and placed it in the tub. We bought milk from the food court and it was very reasonably priced.

7. Microwave popcorn (pack it from home) is a great snack in the evenings and the food courts have micowaves you can use


8. Plan your MUST SEE attractions before entering the park. FOR EXAMPLE: Last trip, my daughter and I ran to SOARIN on rope drop and got on right away. My wife took our 2 passes and went to MISSION SPACE for fastpasses and then used her and my son's pass for fastpasses to TEST TRACK. Neither my wife or son wanted to go on these rides anyways. When my daughter and I exited SOARIN, we were able to get on TEST TRACK and MISSION SPACE within 1.5 hours. That was 3 top rides within a 2 hour wait - not too bad !

9. Try to plan a morning or afternoon away from the parks. After 3-4 days of commando park visits the family gets worn out and cranky.

10. HAVE FUN.

The Tip on hiting the ride right at rope drop ,you can take away the most popalr rides,and then the rest of time can be spent on the others. The lockers are another great Idea,we rent one every day some times two depending If we have one or two Backpacks,and we park hop so we just take our reciept and get the locker for free at the next park.

 

[Bauta]

this thread is so helpful! now hopefully with this i won't forget things, haha!

 

[pixie-princess]

Hi. im new to the disboards! i've been to wdw 5 times. im getting married in may and we will be having our honeymoon at wdw Im so excited!! but hes never been soo any ideas for first time guys??
also my DM..as crazy as she is..is disboards CRAZY..lol
she said the ziplock bags worked great! im a little nerves planing a wedding and a wdw trip at the ame time. any ideas would be great.

 

[seadd67]

this thread is so helpful! now hopefully with this i won't forget things, haha!

Now we need to start a borad on "how to not forget borad"

 

[emy82196]

Thank you! These tips are all great. We will be taking our first trip to Disney World with four kids and you have all really helped me out.

 

[Cinderellabride]

subscribing even though I've been many many times. Good advice. I'll post mine after I have a chance to read the whole thing so I don't repeat.

 

[anetnmike]

excellent info! I've been to WDW many many times and am going back in 35 days but can always use great tips! thanx!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

This is edited from a post to another thread on a touring schedule with a five year old...

1. Before a family goes to WDW, it's hard to understand the idea of letting WDW happen to you rather than trying to make it happen for you. Don't try to schedule the magic. That's a mistake I often see here on the DIS. Allow your child (and your own inner child) time to discover the things he wants to see. Keep your plan soft, except for a few ADR's.

2. Also, there are gift shops everywhere and WDW is the super-expert-master of marketing. Please don't expect your five year old to be able to outsmart a legion of adults with masters degrees in marketing and gift shop design. Please allow you child to get a few stuffed animals alsong the way, if they are asking for something. I'm not saying to break the bank, but all too often I hear parents telling very young children to wait before they buy. You know your kids best, and some do need guidance to avoid wanting everything they see....but for many kids early gratification will lead to satisfaction. They often don't understand the idea of 'coming back later' for an item. Often a small item in each place, or one itme early in the day, is a better strategy then one big item at the end of the day.



3. Don't be afraid to stop and smell the roses. the best of WDw is hiddenin the tiny details - not the headliners. If you miss a ride or show because your child is having fun in the water fountain, or waits in line to see a character - so what? I Give him a park map and let him pick the next attraction some of the time.

4. When we are giving advice on the DIS, we have no idea how physically fit you are. Some folks can make good progress across the park, others will find the walking difficult. Anyone can get ill or have an injury. Once went with MIL who is a very active runner...she had hip pain and had to go very slowly the whole time. Who could have predicted it? WDW is a lot of excercise. It makes snese to get in shape before you go to get the most out of it. Go for 30 minute walks every day for several weeks before you go. I've been with marathon runners who were wiped out by WDW (?maybe in part because they were used to running over walking/standing on concrete??)


5. Contrary to popular myth, you don't HAVE to ride the safari ride first thing in am to get a good show. True, animals are eating then, but some of my best safaris were late in the day. You do have to hit it before it closes forthe day, so look for hte sign when you enter the park or get over the ride which tells you what time it wil be closing for the day.

6. (Always bring at least two pairs of walking shoes to WDW! You never know about tropical rain, and your shoes could get soaked!) It's even better if you have room to bring a third pair - see below.

7. In regards to Kali River Rapids and other water trides. You might get soaked. It is no fun walking around dripping wet. Do NOT wear sneakers on Kali. If you will have a stroller, then it's a good idea to bring bottled water and a spare set of shoes - like water proof flip flops or Crocs just for Kali. ( I don't suggest either for all day walking. These kinds of shoes are also good for the pool, if you have room in luggage for this third pair of shoes.) They will not let you ride Kali barefoot. At LEAST, remove your socks (and any extra clothing, cameras) before Kali. If your sneakers do get soaked, it will take three or more days to dry them in Florida humidity. If it is cold, we may opt to skip Kali. I'm not THAT worried about getting wet, but it just isn't worhtthe aggravation. Also avoid demin or white t-shirts on Kali.

Having said all that, part of the fun of riding Kali IS getting wet. Try not to be a water whimp. No matter how popular plastic ponchos are at WDW, they still look goofy. not !


7. Unless you are going on ITtbaB, you can't really get up close to ToL. You can look at it froma distance, but not up close. Don't fret though, there are plenty of mini-attractions at AK to use up time. Characters, animals, people watching, bongo drums, Devine, etc. Your active five year old will love the bongo drums in Africa! Don't forget to take time for pictures, too.

8. As far as getting a fp and predicting (now) the time window it will be valid, that's nearly impossible to predict. The timing can vary widely based on crowd levels that day and how many decide to get fp's for that attraction.



9. As I said, my best advice is to NOT make a set schedule. It's fine that you want to get some ideas in your head about your strategy, just don't get stuck on anything in particular. You never know, for example, if a ride will be down on a given day. It has happened to EE before that it goes down for an hour or so. Kali won't operate during thunder, for example.

10. Tell yourself, there's always next time. Except for those folks who really know they can't afford a next time, or those who live really far away....if you are having fun, start thinking about a 'next time' while you are there. WDW is really best experienced over several (many) visits! once you allow there will be a next time, it's much easier to relax and not stress about missing something.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I just read about almond milk. Many places also sell Parmalat ultrapasturized milk in individual serving boxes and quart (liter?) size boxes. (Some times it's hard to find though) It doen't need a fridge until it's been opened. It's an option when traveling.

 

[PrincessTigerLily]

mickeyluv'r, great sage advice! We have brought almond milk a couple of times, and it has worked great. The vanilla flavor blends nicely with any cereal. Once open, we kept it packed in ice in the ice bucket to keep it cold.

 

[PrincessTigerLily]

mickeyluv'r, great sage advice! We have brought almond milk a couple of times, and it has worked great. The vanilla flavor blends nicely with any cereal. Once open, we kept it packed in ice in the ice bucket to keep it cold.

 

[hidmickey:myantidrug]

I read somewhere about watching Wishes from the roof of the Contemporary - can anyone confirm or deny this possibility? I thought I knew a great deal but I had no idea any guest could get up to the roof. At any rate, possible or not, my tip is to watch the fireworks every night, regardless of whether you're in the parks or not. The beaches of GF and Poly are favorites of my family.

 

[daneese]

Wow- so much great info- TY. I am just trying to take it all in without getting overwhelmed.

 

[BiancaBernard&Penny]

I just read about almond milk. Many places also sell Parmalat ultrapasturized milk in individual serving boxes and quart (liter?) size boxes. (Some times it's hard to find though) It doen't need a fridge until it's been opened. It's an option when traveling.

I was just thinking about the milk... We took Horizon Organic milk boxes and another brand camping with us... it was great. They sell them in health food stores and the natural section of the grocery store. Plain and chocolate. At the health food store, I found strawberry yogurt smoothies in juice boxes, too. Great for the picky toddler.

 

[Harvestmooner]

I read somewhere about watching Wishes from the roof of the Contemporary - can anyone confirm or deny this possibility? I thought I knew a great deal but I had no idea any guest could get up to the roof. At any rate, possible or not, my tip is to watch the fireworks every night, regardless of whether you're in the parks or not. The beaches of GF and Poly are favorites of my family.

I have only heard of being able to do this if you are at the restaurant on the roof-California Grill?

 

[mickeyfan0805]

I have only heard of being able to do this if you are at the restaurant on the roof-California Grill?

There's also a lot of talk about this as an option at a special lounge at the top of the Bay Lake Towers (which is on the Contemporary Campus). Perhaps this is what is being thought of. I've not heard of such a thing at the contemporary itself - but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

 

[hematite153]

There's a patio of some sort on the 4th floor of the Contemporary that anyone can go out on to watch Wishes.

 

[TheWog]

I read somewhere about watching Wishes from the roof of the Contemporary - can anyone confirm or deny this possibility? I thought I knew a great deal but I had no idea any guest could get up to the roof. At any rate, possible or not, my tip is to watch the fireworks every night, regardless of whether you're in the parks or not. The beaches of GF and Poly are favorites of my family.

We watched fireworks from the roof of the Contemporary Resort, but we were also having dinner at the California Grille. We went outside on the rooftop to watch. T hey had the music as well.