Advice planning first WDW trip

Ryan Holt

New Member
We are planning on taking a 7 day cruise out of Port Canaveral and then spending 4 nights / 5 days at WDW (Nov 28 - Dec 9) afterwards. We have two boys age 3 & 4 and this is my families first cruise and first trip to Florida WDW (I went when I was 7 years old but first for everyone else).

A couple questions... since this is probably the only time we'll do this trip (maybe one more time in +10 years) is 4 nights / 5 days enough time at the parks or should we extend a bit? I feel like for our family this will be more than enough time for us, but I haven't been and most info on the internet suggests spending more time. We plan on spending two half days (first day and last day) and one full day at MK plus one night at the Mickey Christmas Party, then one day each at Animal Kingdom and Disney Hollywood. I plan on having park hopper passes in case we decide to change it up. We're not very excited about Epcot, just because the kids are so young and I remember even at 7 didn't find it all that exciting. Has anything changed? Does this seem like a reasonable time table overall? I am assuming after relaxing on a cruise for 7 days we should be able to hit the parks pretty hard and do as much as we want to without feeling rushed. I am even thinking this should be enough time to take a few breathers at the resort between parks and not feeling like we are missing out.

Resort hotel. We have pretty much decided on the Wilderness lodge for a resort, though I am having trouble deciding which room to book. We like the idea of a rustic wilderness lodge all done up for Christmas and the boatride to MK park. I tried to rent DVC points for a 1 br villa but those are all booked up. So options are a regular hotel room, a regular room on the club level and a 1 br villa at rack rate. The villa and club level rooms are about $150 more per night and each has pros and cons. I really need some advice here about what to do. I am leaning towards a 1 br villa.

The regular hotel rooms are not much bigger than the stateroom we are staying on for the cruise, so a 1 br unit would be excellent to stretch out in. Plus, having laundry in the room would be really nice after 7 full days at sea. How practical is the kitchen? Where is the nearest grocery? Our family would do very well with instant oatmeal, cereal, PB&J's in the room, we would save a lot of time / money waiting in line for food at the park. Our little ones like to eat right when they wake up and it can be nerve racking trying to get everyone up and at 'em quickly in the morning to go find someplace to eat. Will the hotel stock up on groceries if we give them a list before we check in? Taking a cab to the nearest A&P to buy food while on vacation doesn't sound appealing.

The club level seems good because of all the food provided on that level. Mini bar, cereal, cookies, etc. I am not sure if it is worth an additional $150 per night though. Especially since the rooms are still very small.

A regular hotel room isn't out of the question. I don't mind getting some room service in the morning, but it just seems like for the price a 1 br is the way to go.
 

Ryan Holt

New Member
Original Poster
Thanks for the input. I am not totally opposed to seeing Epcot... in fact, coming all the way from Alaska and most likely not doing this trip again for the foreseeable future, it almost seems like a shame to not take it all in. But suppose you only had 5 days, how would you break it up? Maybe bump DHS for Epcot?
 
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EmmieSue

Well-Known Member
A lot of people are going to tell you that Epcot is more than a one day park and you should check it out, but you know your family. Look at the attractions and such, but if it doesn't seem appealing to you and your kids it probably isn't. I could be wrong, but sometimes I feel like a lot of adults don't think about their kids when they go and spend a ton of time in Epcot. They like the park, so they go. I'm 21 and I hate Epcot apart from three rides. My young nieces aren't fond of it either and would rather spend the extra time in magic kingdom. It's a half day park if that for us. I would definitely not bump DHS for Epcot, but again, what are your kids into? Which would they enjoy more?

And don't let people tell you Animal kingdom is less than a day park, if you are into seeing shows and walking the trails and such as well as the rides like the safari and kali river and such. Animal kingdom closes earlier than the other parks as well, so there is plenty to fill up your time there if you want to see the shows. It very well could be less than a day for those who have been there before and know what they like.

I do recommend a bit more time, especially if you don't want to feel rushed, unless you have a shorter list of things you want to do. You won't be able to do everything still, but I would recommend a week in the parks. However if you stick to the five days, then I do feel like that is a good time table.

I don't know anything about wilderness lodge other than that I really want to stay there someday. xD But your best bet would probably be to order your groceries from a delivery place. I believe one is called garden grocer, but you can easily find info on them through google.

I hope you enjoy your trip! The most important thing is to do your research and see what you think is best for you and your family and even if you do add extra days, you aren't going to be able to do it all and trying will just make you miserable and disappoint you.
 
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sxeensweet

Love a little Disney every day!! ;)
I definately reccomend to anyone when asked allow at least a full 7 days in the parks minimum. We (just me and DH) do almost 2 weeks at a time and go almost every year and still never feels like enough.
So if your saying its your first trip and you probably won't come back for at least another 10 years if you do, 4 or 5 days is pushing it. Parks close earlier/have less hours open in the fall/winter as well so take that into account. We frequent that time of year as it's our fave time to go. You would feel rushed possibly etc. So me personally I would consider doing at least 7 days if you can afford to.
I also do highly reccomend MVMCP!! We love it and go every trip that falls when they have it. :)
 
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wdwfan4ver

Well-Known Member
A couple questions... since this is probably the only time we'll do this trip (maybe one more time in +10 years) is 4 nights / 5 days enough time at the parks or should we extend a bit? I feel like for our family this will be more than enough time for us, but I haven't been and most info on the internet suggests spending more time. We plan on spending two half days (first day and last day) and one full day at MK plus one night at the Mickey Christmas Party, then one day each at Animal Kingdom and Disney Hollywood. I plan on having park hopper passes in case we decide to change it up. We're not very excited about Epcot, just because the kids are so young and I remember even at 7 didn't find it all that exciting. Has anything changed? Does this seem like a reasonable time table overall? I am assuming after relaxing on a cruise for 7 days we should be able to hit the parks pretty hard and do as much as we want to without feeling rushed. I am even thinking this should be enough time to take a few breathers at the resort between parks and not feeling like we are missing out.
Epcot has changed in the 29 years you last went to WDW. I first went to Epcot in 91 and last went there last year. World Showcase has a lot more food options since I first went there. The Ride in Mexico got changed since you last went there with Donald being added.


World of Motion got replaced Test Track. Horizons got replaced by Mission: Space. Mission: Space isn't made for your kids since it is a Motion Simulator even in its less intense green version. Universe of Energy has changed some, but it still is long.

The living seas has changed to be the Seas with Nemo & Friends. The ride is geared for you kids and has Turtle talk also. Turtle Talk is geared for kids.

I do have some Christmas information in terms of Epcot that you could see during your visit since I went there in late November and Early December of 2010. Epcot has a Special Reflections of Earth at night that happens after the regular part of it ends. There is more information found at: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/holidays-around-the-world/

When I was at Epcot when they had their holiday stuff, they also had Christmas Merchandise in terms of decorations available to be bought in terms of World Showcase.
 
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wdwfan4ver

Well-Known Member
I think you need more than 4 or 5 days. Besides the parks, WDW has Christmas stuff in the Deluxe Hotels. The Stuff they had in the past is like the Swan and Dolphin have stuff like Santa made out of White Chocolate. The Grand Floridian has a Gingerbread house.

The moderate Hotels when I there for Christmas Decorations was hit or miss.
 
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Ryan Holt

New Member
Original Poster
A lot to think about here... Thank you all for the responses.

The big issue for us is doing a cruise + WDW all at once. In my opinion, it is too far to travel to just do one or the other even though I just know from previous trips that after +10 days we will all likely be getting homesick and ready to leave, regardless of how much fun we are having. We are all excited about the cruise and very much looking forward to the 7 day trip. If I had to pick one over the other it would probably be the cruise just because I have never done one before and look forward to the Disney treatment on the ocean. Hence the 7 day cruise vs only 5 days at the park. Plus my better half isn't nearly as fascinated with the Disney parks as I am, in her eyes, it is all for the kids :)

Back to the park tho, my boys would happily spend dawn til dusk at MK for 5 days straight. They love disneyland with a passion and I am quite sure they would be content to just do that park only at WDW. However, they love the zoo and dinosaurs so should have a blast at AK and seem fascinated with Star Wars despite our best efforts to prevent them watching the movies so DHS should be fun. Epcot tho... All I remember was +2 hour lines and July humidity, then some silly animatronics that didn't really make much sense... it was brutal when I was a kid. It does look a lot more refreshed kid friendly these days though. Is the food worth it? The foreign cuisine looks interesting but I have never been terribly impressed with anything served at any theme park, at least the west coast ones anyway.

One more practical question, how is the walk-ability of WDW and how hard is it to park hop? I understand you don't walk between sites and use buses, boats and monorails for everything, I am reading about 20 min max bus waits, then how long are the bus rides and then lines to get into the park when they drop you off? We might do DHS in the AM one day and then leave to hit Epcot late morning or early afternoon. How does the walking at WDW in general compare to say staying at the Disneyland hotel and walking to the parks every morning. It is a good 15 minute walk in the morning to the front gate from Disneyland hotel to the park entrance and after doing it in the AM, doing it at lunch for nap time then back and forth again to the parks in the afternoon evening, plus touring the parks all day, I know my kids were totally spent at the end of the trip, even with strollers inside the park.
 
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Ryan Holt

New Member
Original Poster
And what about wilderness lodge? Anybody have experience there? Very much looking forward to the Christmas theme. I will google for grocery services, thanks for the tip. I am sure someone does that.
 
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sxeensweet

Love a little Disney every day!! ;)
And what about wilderness lodge? Anybody have experience there? Very much looking forward to the Christmas theme. I will google for grocery services, thanks for the tip. I am sure someone does that.
Wilderness Lodge as well as the rest of the Deluxe resorts are absolute beautifully decorated for Christmastime. They have a huge tree in the massive lobby when you walk in to WL. I love all the deluxe resorts at this time of year.
Also Garden Grocer is wonderful for delivering grocery items. We use them every trip and have had no issues at all.
Also about walking... There is a ton more walking throughout the 4 parks compared to Disneyland!!! Cannot stress that enough!!! You can easily walk 10+ miles a DAY in the parks. I have worn my tracker and average 12-15 miles in a full day at the parks. People say the rides will add steps but I don't ride many thrill type it high movement rides to affect it. Bottom line Lots of walking/standing. lol :)
 
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Ryan Holt

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Original Poster
Also about walking... There is a ton more walking throughout the 4 parks compared to Disneyland!!! Cannot stress that enough!!! You can easily walk 10+ miles a DAY in the parks. I have worn my tracker and average 12-15 miles in a full day at the parks. People say the rides will add steps but I don't ride many thrill type it high movement rides to affect it. Bottom line Lots of walking/standing. lol :)

Wow... thanks for the heads up. I know we were doing +10 miles per day at Disneyland but the only part that really felt tedious was back and forth through downtown Disney where there were surprisingly large crowds of meandering (I assume, locals) people building throughout the day and then of course the mob that was leaving the park at closing time. It seems like WDW parks are physically bigger and it seems like the transportation to and fro is fairly efficient.
 
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sxeensweet

Love a little Disney every day!! ;)
Wow... thanks for the heads up. I know we were doing +10 miles per day at Disneyland but the only part that really felt tedious was back and forth through downtown Disney where there were surprisingly large crowds of meandering (I assume, locals) people building throughout the day and then of course the mob that was leaving the park at closing time. It seems like WDW parks are physically bigger and it seems like the transportation to and fro is fairly efficient.
Yes Disney transportation is wonderful. We always have a car but will use the monorail a lot when we can.
As for the walking most is not tedious either unless you need to get from way on one side of somewhere to the other quickly or something. Then it can be a little tedious. My feet no matter how comfortable my shoes are are aching terribly by the end of the day but I love WDW so I deal with it. lol :)
 
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popcenturylover

Well-Known Member
For a first trip I would recommend MK-2 days, Epcot-2 days, DHS & DAK each 1 day. There's alot to do in each park. Keep in mind you won't do everything. We've gone 4 times now as a family & still haven't done it all! Epcot can be very enjoyable for kids in fact our DD6 likes the kidcot funstops in all of the countries. On our recent trip earlier this month she learned how to say her name in Chinese & thought that was great! There's also the living Seas which is pretty neat, Test Track, & Soarin'. We like to eat our way around the WS by sharing drinks & snacks. Especially, if you go during the F&W or F&G Festivals.
 
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UnhealthilyObsessed

Well-Known Member
The only park there's no real way to make a whole day out of is DHS. Since it's right next to Epcot, I'd recommend taking a nice relaxing boat from DHS to Epcot once you're done.

Epcot is indeed different than you remember it; in some ways, it's way worse. But there's also a lot to love. Soarin and Spaceship Earth are pretty great, and Turtle Talk With Crush is a must for us every single time (and we don't even have kids!). It's worth it alone for IllumiNations and the snacking you can do at World Showcase (everything at the French bakery, school bread in Norway, and the margaritas at La Cava Del Tequila are the best snacks of all!). Even if it's not entirely your scene, there's some magic in there. And as I've said, you'll definitely have some free time when you're done at the Studios. I'm super on-board with making a full day out of Animal Kingdom, though.

Also, everyone should bring two pairs of comfy sneakers and alternate!
 
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Ryan Holt

New Member
Original Poster
Well... we're booked. We ended up sticking with the 7 day cruise then 5 days / 4 nights at WDW 1 br villa at Wilderness lodge on the back end. I weakly tried to lobby for a few more days at the park but the concession would have been trading down in our accommodations or looking at a shorter cruise and ultimately, neither seemed that appealing. Costs for this trip are at the upper end of what we want to spend as we're already at 12 days away from home which should be plenty. Maybe in a couple years we will do it again but reverse it. 8 Days at WDW and a 4 day cruise. We'll see.

There is a ton of great insight on this forum and different perspectives on breaking down the best ways to do a trip. Much appreciated and plenty of good information, keep it coming. I will really be working hard planning over the next 6 months to try and figure out the best way to spend our time (I love the fact that Disney allows you to do so much planning up front). Right now I am leaning toward the following but will likely move some stuff around.

A few basics. I know from previous trips and past trips to disneyland in particular, I feel like we've wasted too much time waiting in line for food / rides, so FP+ efficiency is a must. By splurging on a villa with a kitchen, this should ensure we can eat quickly in the AM and return to the room for a quick lunch / nap mid day without dealing with lines / finding a place to eat. I have no problem grabbing a quick dole whip or cinnamon bun, but I no plans of sitting down for restaurant food in any of the parks this time around, the food has always been expensive and just not very good IMHO.
Let me know what you guys think if this is do able or what you would do different:

12/5 - Disembark at 07:00 Port Canaveral, Check in 10:00 AM MK until close
12/6 - Epcot in the AM, Lunch / Pool afternoon MK Christmas party that evening / night (already booked)
12/7 - AK all day maybe Fantasmic at DHS that night?
12/8 - MK all day? Maybe child care that night so we can go out for dinner since the park closes early for the christmas party that night.
12/9 - Check out, we don't need to be at the airport until 5 PM so we can play this one by ear depending on how everyone feels. MK, Epcot, AK, DTD, DHS
 
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Ryan Holt

New Member
Original Poster
Like others have mentioned esieciaoly for 1st timers you should do atleast 6-7 days. 2 days possibly even 3 MK, 2 Epcot (you'll love it once there) 1 Ak, 1 HS,.

Yeah, ultimately it is a series of compromises (like everything) and a full week at WDW just isn't in the cards this time around.
 
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Tuvalu

Premium Member
A few things to consider:

Returning to WL villas for a "quick lunch" will take much longer than standing in line and eating at a quick serve restaurant in the park. While WL is closest to the MK, waiting for the bus or boat to take you back to WL, and then the ride itself, could easily take 45 minutes once you exit the MK. It could be an hour from the other parks.

If cost is a concern, you would be better off packing sandwiches to carry with you into the parks.

If lunch is part of your afternoon pool break, great, but know that December weather can be fickle...one year we went the highs were in the upper 30s! Definitely not pool weather. As @sxeensweet mentioned, the parks close earlier during your dates and you may not want to give up valuable park time going back to your resort.

The WL is beautiful at Christmas and the lobby most impressive; but the villas are located in a separate building which will not have quite the "wow" factor in decor. Just a head's up.

If you are using DME transport back to the airport and your flight is at 5 pm, you will be picked up from WL at 2 pm, meaning you will need to leave whatever park you visit by 1 pm.

Sounds like you have a great trip planned!!
 
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Ryan Holt

New Member
Original Poster
A few things to consider:

Returning to WL villas for a "quick lunch" will take much longer than standing in line and eating at a quick serve restaurant in the park. While WL is closest to the MK, waiting for the bus or boat to take you back to WL, and then the ride itself, could easily take 45 minutes once you exit the MK. It could be an hour from the other parks.

If cost is a concern, you would be better off packing sandwiches to carry with you into the parks.

If lunch is part of your afternoon pool break, great, but know that December weather can be fickle...one year we went the highs were in the upper 30s! Definitely not pool weather. As @sxeensweet mentioned, the parks close earlier during your dates and you may not want to give up valuable park time going back to your resort.

The WL is beautiful at Christmas and the lobby most impressive; but the villas are located in a separate building which will not have quite the "wow" factor in decor. Just a head's up.

If you are using DME transport back to the airport and your flight is at 5 pm, you will be picked up from WL at 2 pm, meaning you will need to leave whatever park you visit by 1 pm.

Sounds like you have a great trip planned!!

I understand the transport will take 45 mins to an hour back and forth to the hotel. Probably no way around that. Hopefully we can try and time it out as best we can as to when the next bus will be arriving to minimize sitting. But I agree, headed back and forth is still time consuming and would be better spent hanging in the parks. It will really depend on how much stamina the kids have. My 3 year old tends to have a come-apart if he doesn't get at least an hour snooze. The 4 year old is mostly off naps but after a day or two of running hard, he'll likely need one in the afternoon at least once. I figure myself or my wife can go back to the room with the little guy for a nap and the other can stay with the older boy for some of the +44" tall rides (he is pretty tall for his age). We'll see, they both might do just fine all day at the park by December.

Also with the pool situation, I hope they have most of it out of their system after 7 days on the cruise, and as you mentioned, any temps much below 60°F will probably not make the pool very appealing anyway. Although, we're used to the cold and they do have a hot tub. People look at you like your crazy, while they 'bundle up' with sweaters and jackets while we've been the only ones in the pool on vacation before. It is sort of nice having the whole thing to yourself.

Our flight doesn't actually depart until 7 PM, so I figured 4 PM at the very latest for leaving. This should still give us the better part of a day at the parks.
 
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Cosmic Commando

Well-Known Member
It sounds like I'm late to the party here, but is it possible to do WDW before the cruise? I haven't done a cruise, but I've heard multiple people say that the right order to do it is WDW and then cruise. You'll be running ragged around the theme parks all day, and the cruise is more about relaxation. It sounds like a nicer way to end the trip.
 
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