your top 10 tips/hints/tricks for visiting wdw

[alicia1506]

Alicia - I appreciate what you say about doing DLR and then not doubling up when you get to WDW but I would encourage you to perhaps think about only being at DLR for 4 days and adding an extra day onto WDW. It is enormous, such a completely different "beast" than DLR.

It is obviously completely up to you Alicia, but it seems strange to give a full 5 days to DLR which you have experienced before and to allocate only 4-5 days to WDW which is all completely new to you and sooooo much bigger. Even just the time it takes to park hop, you have to allow at least 30 mins each time.

Then there is how tired the heat and humidity in Orlando will make you. It was so much more energy draining than DLR at the same time of year. You likely won't be able to pack as much into your day.

Just something to think about haha.

Okay rant over

i respect what you are saying, and it is something that i have been going back and forth on myself, over and over again. disneyland is our preferred park for now as we feel like we know our way around, it is a comfort thing. we also have one person in our group who hasn't been to disneyland before and really wants to spend some time there doing all the major attractions where it's close to our hotel, the parks are close by and everything is walking distance, so more time to spend in parks and less time travelling.

i was planning on skipping wdw originally, but my sis and carlo want to do both dlr and wdw on the same trip, but only want to do the wdw specific stuff there. they want no downtime (ie full on rest days or days off to see other locations).

i could totally shorten our time at dlr by a day and add that to wdw. and i have been considering doing just that. $$ is also a factor. we have to stay at AoA due to sleeping configurations, so that plus p/hopper 5 day tickets plus food & spending money works out more expensive than the same amount of time at dlr. but i feel that wdw has more to offer in the way of unique experiences...

what to do, what to do? lol @ myself. first world problems

I think four days is doable, more is always better but we had seven days but spent two of those at water parks and one outlet shopping which left us with one park per day. Alicia do you have five nights and four full days? If so go to the MK your first night for wishes - it will blow you away. I would make AK and HS morning parks and hop to either MK or EPcot these evenings because HS seems to be less of a night time park , unless you go to fantastic. The other two days for MK and Epcot will give you a good look at these parks.
Did that make any sense?

yes, it would be 5 nights and 4 full days (or 6 and 5 full days if i take ms shuttergirl's recommendations on board). we arrive the first night around 6pm, so plan on settling into the resort, getting dinner, maybe heading over to the contemporary for a view of the fireworks etc.

then 4 full in park days, hopping depending on crowds and stuff we want to see. i've checked and the food & wine festival doesn't start until later in the month, so hopefully we'll see some decorations (ie character topiaries etc) during our time there.

i really only feel that we'll need 1/2 days in HS and AK and will need extra time in MK and EPCOT, especially for world showcase.

your suggestion makes total sense

 

[Travel Mum]

I totally second Ms Shuttergirl's recommendation - take a day of DLR and add it to WDW. Yes, DLR is great but so much smaller than WDW plus will be much easier for you to get back to on another trip than all the way over to Orlando. WDW is huge and fantastic with so so many rides and experiences that are different to DLR - I think you would kick yourself if you only allowed 4 days there. Just my two cents

 

[miss.potatohead]

Oh and I wouldnt wait around to see the Lights Motor Action show at Hollywood Studios -it was unbearably hot - and the show was pretty much the same as the one they run at MovieWorld.

I was just about to say the same thing! I just watched a bit of the HS version on youtube and thought ... this looks oddly familiar...then switched over to watch the MovieWorld version and what would you know the sets are even close to being the same. Sorry this post has no relevance to the tips though!

All I'm going to say is read trip reports! They are my best friend. Even though my trip I'm planning right now is 50/50 as to whether it'll happen or not, I've gained so much insight into WDW just through reading reports from times similar to when I want to go, so you can gain an insight into what is good to do during certain times, what to skip etc.

 

[Franrose]

Agree with this - particularly the bolded bit!

I totally second Ms Shuttergirl's recommendation - take a day of DLR and add it to WDW. Yes, DLR is great but so much smaller than WDW plus will be much easier for you to get back to on another trip than all the way over to Orlando. WDW is huge and fantastic with so so many rides and experiences that are different to DLR - I think you would kick yourself if you only allowed 4 days there. Just my two cents

 

[PrincessInOz]

Alicia - Remember to have fun....during the planning and whilst you are there.

I think you've realised that there are quite a few of us on the ANZAC section of the boards that started out planning the "trip of a lifetime" to WDW. Most...all....after that first visit have planned a SECOND trip of a lifetime, usually within a year or two. And then a third, fourth etc.

Yes, WDW is large and you're unlikely to 'do it all'. More likely....you'll go back. Afterall, this is your second trip (that I know of) to the US, right? You'll go back again...like the rest of us.


In your place, I would make a list of your, and your fellow travellers, must-do Top 5 or 10 attractions at each park. That will at least give you a rough guide of how to attack the park and how to navigate your way around it.

In terms of your "pesky" vegetarian, I can only say that we managed to find lots of options for DH (who is a peskyvegetarian himself) to eat. Again, make a list of at least 2 or 3 of the QS places for each park that offer the pesce/vege option and check where they are located. I found that depending on where we were in the park at meal times, we would always be able to find something close'ish without having to traipse all over the other side of the park for meals.

Then have a look at the TS places and work out which ones are must do's. For those, book in ADRs. I normally check park hours and parade/show/firework times around my ADRs. Then I can pick which park on which day and factor in a TS meal accordingly.

And if you're there for F&W, most of the booths will offer a vegetarian option. In your place, I would plan to eat at Epcot more if you were there during F&W. So you might want to plan a couple of nights at Epcot, rather than a full day there.


The only other tip....it's nice to have a plan but don't be too fixed on it. I tend to plan like crazy before I leave and then just go with the flow when I'm there. Sometimes, I follow the plan to a "t"; other times, I just throw it out the window. You never really know how you'll feel when you get there, what the crowds are like, what the weather is doing and a whole host of other unknowns that might just provide you with other opportunities.


Enjoy!

 

[Franrose]

I think you've realised that there are quite a few of us on the ANZAC section of the boards that started out planning the "trip of a lifetime" to WDW. Most...all....after that first visit have planned a SECOND trip of a lifetime, usually within a year or two. And then a third, fourth etc.

This is us exactly. Our trip last September was supposed to be "it" - but you do it, and you realise it was just way too good to be your one and only. It's not just the holiday of a lifetime, it's the experience (of any kind) of a lifetime, honestly. Best time of life EVER.

 

[Franrose]

The only other tip....it's nice to have a plan but don't be too fixed on it. I tend to plan like crazy before I leave and then just go with the flow when I'm there. Sometimes, I follow the plan to a "t"; other times, I just throw it out the window. You never really know how you'll feel when you get there, what the crowds are like, what the weather is doing and a whole host of other unknowns that might just provide you with other opportunities.


Enjoy!

Yes to this too. I had planned to a 't', parts of it I stuck to, and parts I completely canned. It was GREAT to have that plan though and a fallback, and GREAT to be able to say "nope, not what I want now" and go for a different approach when it suited. We let our kids set the pace a lot of the time (in terms of get up and get to the parks time) and that really paid off.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

The only other tip....it's nice to have a plan but don't be too fixed on it. I tend to plan like crazy before I leave and then just go with the flow when I'm there. Sometimes, I follow the plan to a "t"; other times, I just throw it out the window. You never really know how you'll feel when you get there, what the crowds are like, what the weather is doing and a whole host of other unknowns that might just provide you with other opportunities.

This is fantastic advice. This is exactly what I do. Plan my butt off before because I love to plan and because I like to have options and information. And then if we decide to throw that plan out the window on the day, that's fine too. I just like to have a plan in case i need it.

You are so right about how you never know how you will feel on any given day.

And I second what you said about Alicia probably heading back to the US and perhaps DLR and/or WDW another time. It's an addiction .

 

[cola]

You know you will be back in Orlando for the Harry Potter expansion, so don't panic if you miss stuff, you WILL be back.
AK is more than a half day park, and I think ALL of it is unique compare to DL, so it means you have to see every thing. I don't know why, but I LOVE the themeing in Dinoland, there is so much detail in so much of it! It doesn't look like there is much there, you need to slow down and look at the small stuff. It's really cute. It's also a good section to end up in in the middle of the day when all the other sections have one of their major features taking their midday/afternoon naps. Don't expect to see much activity from the animals in the afternoon. I don't think it is a full day park, but it is definitely more than a half day. If you can do early early AK and get EMH for HS the same evening, you could cover both parks, but if AK is 9am open and HS is an 8pm finish, it may not be enough (getting from AK to HS takes time!!!!)


Is MNSSHP on when you are there? If so, DO IT!!!!! Yes, it is an extra ticket, but you need to do it!!!!! (It does start in September....)

It might sounds like 'down time' going and visiting the resorts, but there are quite a few things to see, the savannah at Annimal Kingdom Lodge, you may end up closer to the animals than at AK park (again feeding time helps) Boardwalk, Beach Cub, Yatch Club, it's worth visiting, Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club with it's Kitchen Sink is an experience, though I think it is only open during the day??? It's all walking distance from Epcot, so if you did do 2 days at Epcot, they could be lite-days allowing Boardwalk area exploration.

 

[alicia1506]

How many days do you plan to be at WDW?

was thinking 4, now probably a solid 5. we land in anaheim on sept 4 and have to be in orlando to board the dream for our dcl cruise on 15th. one day in between is set aside for flying lax - mco & checking into resort/exploring the resort etc. the other 10 full days are to be apportioned between DLR and WDW in an amount to be determined

I was just about to say the same thing! I just watched a bit of the HS version on youtube and thought ... this looks oddly familiar...then switched over to watch the MovieWorld version and what would you know the sets are even close to being the same. Sorry this post has no relevance to the tips though!

All I'm going to say is read trip reports! They are my best friend. Even though my trip I'm planning right now is 50/50 as to whether it'll happen or not, I've gained so much insight into WDW just through reading reports from times similar to when I want to go, so you can gain an insight into what is good to do during certain times, what to skip etc.

so totally agree with you here - have been reading TRs for a while now and hence all the questions and concerns -- so many TRs read 'we then left the resort (Pop) and went to the Boardwalk for our breakfast ADR, then hopped on a bus for our EMH in AK' -- from what i'm reading this sounds so simple, quick and easy, but in reality i fear that this would be a 2 hr + journey to get from pop to boardwalk, check in for ADR, eat breakfast, get to a bus/whatever transpo then get to AK in time for EMH... so confusing as no one really gives details

Alicia - Remember to have fun....during the planning and whilst you are there.

I think you've realised that there are quite a few of us on the ANZAC section of the boards that started out planning the "trip of a lifetime" to WDW. Most...all....after that first visit have planned a SECOND trip of a lifetime, usually within a year or two. And then a third, fourth etc.

Yes, WDW is large and you're unlikely to 'do it all'. More likely....you'll go back. Afterall, this is your second trip (that I know of) to the US, right? You'll go back again...like the rest of us.


In your place, I would make a list of your, and your fellow travellers, must-do Top 5 or 10 attractions at each park. That will at least give you a rough guide of how to attack the park and how to navigate your way around it.

In terms of your "pesky" vegetarian, I can only say that we managed to find lots of options for DH (who is a peskyvegetarian himself) to eat. Again, make a list of at least 2 or 3 of the QS places for each park that offer the pesce/vege option and check where they are located. I found that depending on where we were in the park at meal times, we would always be able to find something close'ish without having to traipse all over the other side of the park for meals.

Then have a look at the TS places and work out which ones are must do's. For those, book in ADRs. I normally check park hours and parade/show/firework times around my ADRs. Then I can pick which park on which day and factor in a TS meal accordingly.

And if you're there for F&W, most of the booths will offer a vegetarian option. In your place, I would plan to eat at Epcot more if you were there during F&W. So you might want to plan a couple of nights at Epcot, rather than a full day there.


The only other tip....it's nice to have a plan but don't be too fixed on it. I tend to plan like crazy before I leave and then just go with the flow when I'm there. Sometimes, I follow the plan to a "t"; other times, I just throw it out the window. You never really know how you'll feel when you get there, what the crowds are like, what the weather is doing and a whole host of other unknowns that might just provide you with other opportunities.


Enjoy!

awesome tips. i already have a list of CS and TS venues for each park. I was thinking of doing at least one TS per day, but thinking we might limit to one TS every 2 days.

F&W will not be on when we are there ( ) but we are definitely going to MNSSHP - it just seems like such a great experience and we definitely don't want to miss it. i also planned out our previous trip like crazy and then had a big fat spanner thrown in the works when a: my knee and foot swelled up like melons and i could barely walk for the first day and b: i got horridly sick for 2 full days (out of 3) and didn't leave the room at all in NYC and barely got to see anything

i intend to plan the hell out of this trip, but then be totally willing to throw it out the window if necessary and the members of the group are having a good time going with the flow. i am a big fan of plans cause even if you want to throw it out the window, it's always good to have a plan b or c just in case something goes awry.

i will make a list of our top attractions etc. thanks for the tips for the pesky vegetarian... very helpful to know someone else had a positive experience in the parks with this kind of dietary restriction

This is us exactly. Our trip last September was supposed to be "it" - but you do it, and you realise it was just way too good to be your one and only. It's not just the holiday of a lifetime, it's the experience (of any kind) of a lifetime, honestly. Best time of life EVER.

lol. at the end of our trip last year, we were planning a 2012 and a 2013 trip. our 2012 trip got canned, but we are definitely doing a 2013 and 2014 trip at least!!! we just hadn't seen the point of WDW before, but after doing a lot of research (TRs, guidebooks, the interwebs, the DIS etc) i can see why so many people love it as a true vacation destination, whereas DLR is more of a 'theme park' per se.

This is fantastic advice. This is exactly what I do. Plan my butt off before because I love to plan and because I like to have options and information. And then if we decide to throw that plan out the window on the day, that's fine too. I just like to have a plan in case i need it.

You are so right about how you never know how you will feel on any given day.

And I second what you said about Alicia probably heading back to the US and perhaps DLR and/or WDW another time. It's an addiction .

lol. yes. i am addicted to plans, colour coding and all things disney now. i have to stop myself so many times from placing huge orders for stuff we don't even need just cause it has 'disney' labelled on it. lol. we will at least be doing a 2013 trip and a 2014 trip. after that, who knows?

You know you will be back in Orlando for the Harry Potter expansion, so don't panic if you miss stuff, you WILL be back.
AK is more than a half day park, and I think ALL of it is unique compare to DL, so it means you have to see every thing. I don't know why, but I LOVE the themeing in Dinoland, there is so much detail in so much of it! It doesn't look like there is much there, you need to slow down and look at the small stuff. It's really cute. It's also a good section to end up in in the middle of the day when all the other sections have one of their major features taking their midday/afternoon naps. Don't expect to see much activity from the animals in the afternoon. I don't think it is a full day park, but it is definitely more than a half day. If you can do early early AK and get EMH for HS the same evening, you could cover both parks, but if AK is 9am open and HS is an 8pm finish, it may not be enough (getting from AK to HS takes time!!!!)


Is MNSSHP on when you are there? If so, DO IT!!!!! Yes, it is an extra ticket, but you need to do it!!!!! (It does start in September....)

It might sounds like 'down time' going and visiting the resorts, but there are quite a few things to see, the savannah at Annimal Kingdom Lodge, you may end up closer to the animals than at AK park (again feeding time helps) Boardwalk, Beach Cub, Yatch Club, it's worth visiting, Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club with it's Kitchen Sink is an experience, though I think it is only open during the day??? It's all walking distance from Epcot, so if you did do 2 days at Epcot, they could be lite-days allowing Boardwalk area exploration.

lol. yes. we will be back for the harry potter expansion, and there is no way we are going to orlando and not seeing either WDW or DLR along the way, probably both...

i've heard about this infamous kitchen sink at Beaches & Cream and my partner and sis have every plan on demolishing it together. they may enlist the help of his brother... maybe. too bad i can't enjoy it, but i will enjoy taking photos of the experience

thanks for the tips re parks and best way to split the visits... very helpful.

yes, we are definitely doing MNSSHP

 

[ColinA]

to get from pop to boardwalk, check in for ADR, eat breakfast, get to a bus/whatever transpo then get to AK in time for EMH... so confusing as no one really gives details

To get from POP to the Boardwalk, catch the bus to DHS and then walk around to the Boardwalk. Including waiting time for the bus and the walking time allow 30-50 mins.

Catching the boat will take forever. The boat from DHS to the Boardwalk will stop at Swan/Dolphin first, the Yacht/Beach Club and then Boardwalk.

Buses do not go resort to resort, only resort to theme park or DTD.

 

[ColinA]

was thinking 4, now probably a solid 5. we land in anaheim on sept 4 and have to be in orlando to board the dream for our dcl cruise on 15th. one day in between is set aside for flying lax - mco & checking into resort/exploring the resort etc. the other 10 full days are to be apportioned between DLR and WDW in an amount to be determined

IMO 4-5 days will hardly scratch the surface, If you spend the 4-5 days in the parks you will not have much time to see the resorts and themes. I could go to WDW and not even go to the parks!

 

[BecBennett]

I'm currently immersed in the whole qs & cs menu review thing. one of our party is a piscetarian (vegetarian who will eat fish, but no shellfish, seafood or eggs) so trying to find several 'options' within each park that will serve both us regular eaters and our fussy eater are proving ... interesting, and time consuming. i go to bed dreaming of food menus

If you ask in the dining section, I think there's an email address where if you let them know what ADR's you have, and what the requirements are they'll make sure there's a note on your reservation, and quite often the chef will even come to your table to discuss options.

I also agree with the extra day at WDW instead of DLR.

Park hopping, and especially resort hopping is time consuming. Thinking back on our trip it feels like we spent more time on transport then in the parks. We were late to so many ADR's - even allowing all the time that they suggested, and ended up catching taxis to a lot of places to make sure we got there on time.

 

[battymum]

I don't know what tr you were reading, I don't think anyone would make a breakfast ADR and then try and make EMH at another park - actually it would be impossible as I don't think anywhere would start breakfast before eight.
Make an 8:00am ADR at somewhere like tusker house or Cinderella royal table and you will be inside the park before everyone else!

 

[alicia1506]

To get from POP to the Boardwalk, catch the bus to DHS and then walk around to the Boardwalk. Including waiting time for the bus and the walking time allow 30-50 mins.

Catching the boat will take forever. The boat from DHS to the Boardwalk will stop at Swan/Dolphin first, the Yacht/Beach Club and then Boardwalk.

Buses do not go resort to resort, only resort to theme park or DTD.

thanks for this clarification, but i am comfortable with the transportation options at wdw -- i was just commenting that this seemed a very roundabout and unnecessary kind of travel option -- my preferred style is straight from resort to park, then park to different resort at a later stage, if necessary

IMO 4-5 days will hardly scratch the surface, If you spend the 4-5 days in the parks you will not have much time to see the resorts and themes. I could go to WDW and not even go to the parks!

i do appreciate the size of wdw and that we are not going to do everything. we have no hope or desire to do everything. we also understand that those that love wdw will say that we must do more time there, but our work and budget only allow for a certain amount of time. we do not intend to thoroughly explore all the resorts or all the options in park. we will also have some time at dlr first to do all the attractions that we wish to do, so that we will not have to worry about riding these at wdw -- by doing this, we fully anticipate that we will be able to get a feel for the wdw parks by doing 1 day in each park with a spare day to go back and repeat a park and focus on each attraction that is unique to wdw only... that's the plan anyway

If you ask in the dining section, I think there's an email address where if you let them know what ADR's you have, and what the requirements are they'll make sure there's a note on your reservation, and quite often the chef will even come to your table to discuss options.

I also agree with the extra day at WDW instead of DLR.

Park hopping, and especially resort hopping is time consuming. Thinking back on our trip it feels like we spent more time on transport then in the parks. We were late to so many ADR's - even allowing all the time that they suggested, and ended up catching taxis to a lot of places to make sure we got there on time.

lol. thanks for the tips re the dining section - i will check it out.

i honestly don't want too many ADRs to ensure that we don't have to worry about being in a certain place at a certain time.. maybe 1 or 2 for the duration, but certainly not more than 1 a day -- i mean, that is going to be what suits us and our style anyway

I don't know what tr you were reading, I don't think anyone would make a breakfast ADR and then try and make EMH at another park - actually it would be impossible as I don't think anywhere would start breakfast before eight.
Make an 8:00am ADR at somewhere like tusker house or Cinderella royal table and you will be inside the park before everyone else!

... maybe i misread i'm still relatively new to all these locations etc.

making a b/fast ADR for before park opening seems genius. i don't know why i didn't think of that? ... now i'm off to review the character breakfast options

 

[Travel Mum]

Alicia, we did both an 8am Tusker House breakfast at AK and an 8.05am Crystal Palace breakfast at MK for the first time as there is no rush to get on a ride like you have to do if you enter at rope drop. You can enter and then take time to absorb the amazing feeling it is to be there followed by leisurely walking through the park to your breakfast venue. Sure it's an early morning but it is such a relaxing way to start a theme park day.....

 

[alicia1506]

Alicia, we did both an 8am Tusker House breakfast at AK and an 8.05am Crystal Palace breakfast at MK for the first time as there is no rush to get on a ride like you have to do if you enter at rope drop. You can enter and then take time to absorb the amazing feeling it is to be there followed by leisurely walking through the park to your breakfast venue. Sure it's an early morning but it is such a relaxing way to start a theme park day.....

awesome will definitely have to do these then we won't be jetlagged as we start out in la/disneyland, and then fly over to orlando several days later, so early mornings should not be a problem, especially with a character buffet and early entry to the parks. plus, for me, the idea of getting a few photos of the parks with no one else around (or fewer people around) is a golden opportunity

 

[cola]

There is a 3hr time difference between LA and Orlando - IMHO that makes it even more difficult for an early start than going Australia-Orlando, which is so far out it makes it really confusing but you sort of push through, wake up at odd times and sometimes start really early and finish early; 3 hours is just painful, 8am in Orlando is 5am LA time, it won't feel like anything other than much much much too early for the first couple of days.
The reverse direction is great, Florida to California, you find that getting an early start is soooooooo easy!