My family and I are goimg to WDW for the very first time in July. We are staying in a villa (so not on site). I have two daughters, who will be 7 (nearly 8) and 2.5 in July. We are going with my parents, brother and grandma. So far, we are looking at booking a two week pass to WDW for the family. We are also hoping to book the princess makeover experience for my eldest daughters birthday. Other than that, I do mot know where to start and would greatly appreciate any tips. Are there any 'must dos?' I dont think we can book a meal with the princesses as we are not staying at WDW, but is there something similar we could book for my daughters birthday?Thank you in advance.
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Advice for a WDW newbie...
- Thread starter OhBlondeOne
- Start date
Shouldigo12
Well-Known Member
You can definitely book a princess character meal, it'll just be a bit harder for you. To start, why don't you tell us everything you know so far about Disney World? There's kind of a lot information you need for planning a trip, and knowing what you know will help people fill in the blanks for what you need.
ETA: a character meal is simply a meal with Disney characters. You don't sit at a table and eat with them, but they do wall around the eating area, take pictures with diners, and interact with the kids (and adults too sometimes).
Thank you for your reply. In all honesty, I think an alien from Jupiter might know more about WDW than me right now. My dad had a health scare in the summer, as a result, he is wanting to do something spectacular with his grandkids to make some memories. So, in a complete whirlwind, we've booked for July. We want to buy the two week passes gor Disney, we want to also go to Universal Studios. As for what to do and when, I have no idea. We will be staying a 15 minute drive from Disney and hiring two cars. My toddler will be too little for rides, my 7 year old wants to go on everything. Im concerned about queuing for hours on end and wondering if there will be much for the toddler to do.
donnylambb
Well-Known Member
buy some disposable rain gear off amazon--little rain showers pop up all the time very affordable
get a big stroller you can rent at park for the week your there. even your oldest kids might get tired
my advice is don't get in a hurry your there for two weeks. we go every summer for 10 days. we get three fast passes per park per day and then grab another if available go back and relax by the pool.
get a big stroller you can rent at park for the week your there. even your oldest kids might get tired
my advice is don't get in a hurry your there for two weeks. we go every summer for 10 days. we get three fast passes per park per day and then grab another if available go back and relax by the pool.
Shouldigo12
Well-Known Member
Ok, so I'll be honest. July is a bad time to go. Summer is notoriusly pretty crowded, not to mention the heat. You can work around it, especially with the lovely people on here to help, but first word of advice- is there any other date you can go, or is this it?
Nope, July is it. My husband, my mum and I are teachers so we have to go during the Summer holidays. Thanks for the tip regarding waterproofs - we went to Mauritius this summer and is was fairly cold and very wet. We can work around it I think.
Shouldigo12
Well-Known Member
Well, not the end of the world. Like I said, there are workarounds. So next step- I would suggest looking up the rides and decoding which are must dos, which you would like to get to, and which you don't care to ride. Then the people her can help you make a touring plan that gives a good chance at riding the things you want.
Minnie Mum
Well-Known Member
I'm getting the feeling that you must be coming from the UK, since you can't buy 2 week passes in North America. It's not just going to be hot in the summer- it's going to be hellaciously humid as well. It can suck the life right out of you. Even though you are staying off site, the best advice I can give is to be in the parks at Rope Drop and leave for your villa at lunch time. Spend the heat of the afternoon in the pool and your air-conditioned villa and return to the parks in the evening.
Since you know little about the complexities of a WDW vacation, I'd start out by buying a good guidebook. The most comprehensive is the Unofficial Guide to WDW. There is also a companion website - Touring plans. Com. That website's crowd calendar and touring plans is very good.
As for making dining reservations at WDW - you can make them online for any day of your trip, providea that day is at least 180 days away or less. There are 2 restaurants with Princess character meals : Cinderella's Royal Table in MK, and Akershus in Epcot. There's actually 3 if you count 1900 Park Fare dinner at the Grand Floridian.
ETA: Your little one can absolutely go on some of the rides with you- the gentle ones that don't have height restrictions or warnings. And of course, most of the shows. But NOT It's Tough To Be a Bug- that will likely scare the bejeebers out of one so young.
Since you know little about the complexities of a WDW vacation, I'd start out by buying a good guidebook. The most comprehensive is the Unofficial Guide to WDW. There is also a companion website - Touring plans. Com. That website's crowd calendar and touring plans is very good.
As for making dining reservations at WDW - you can make them online for any day of your trip, providea that day is at least 180 days away or less. There are 2 restaurants with Princess character meals : Cinderella's Royal Table in MK, and Akershus in Epcot. There's actually 3 if you count 1900 Park Fare dinner at the Grand Floridian.
ETA: Your little one can absolutely go on some of the rides with you- the gentle ones that don't have height restrictions or warnings. And of course, most of the shows. But NOT It's Tough To Be a Bug- that will likely scare the bejeebers out of one so young.
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justintheharris
Well-Known Member
So first know your options in regards to fastpass which you can book 60 days in advance if you are staying at a Disney resort. If you want a fastpass for Flight of Passage, you need to book it 60 days in advance as those fastpasses go insanely fast. You may also want to do some research as to which rides you actually need a fastpass for. Some rides have an option for fastpass but never have a line so booking a fastpass would be a waste of time. Know the ride that you are booking a fastpass for. Even if your 8 year old wants to ride everything, make sure she is okay doing a ride like Rock N Rollercoaster before reserving a fastpass for it. Second, do not skip Flight of Passage. Under any circumstances, do not skip that ride. I promise, even if the line is 3 hours long, it will be worth it. I have never heard any person say that the attraction is not worth the wait. So even if you do not manage to obtain a fastpass for it, be brave and get in that standby line.
justintheharris
Well-Known Member
Going during the summer is not terrible given that you understand that it WILL rain almost every day around 5 pm. Just have an umbrella or ponchos handy. This will give you a massive advantage as you will be mobile and ready to keep moving when the rain strikes instead of running for cover or back to the resort like the vast majority of other people. Also, plan your attractions with consideration to the rain. Some popular rides close for lightning which accompanies almost every rain storm in Orlando so be sure to do those rides that will be closing for weather in the morning (Test Track, Slinky Dog Dash, Expedition Everest, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train etc.) In regards to the crowds, just have your three fastpasses reserved 60 days in advance. If you want recommendations for fastpasses, you can PM me.
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eliza61nyc
Well-Known Member
1) go to the trip planning forum, you will get great advice and see questions that you didn't even know you didn't know.
2) Be flexible. one thing I see with newbies especially when they go in a busy time is this need to "run" from attraction to attraction in fear of not getting some thing done. accept the fact that in the heat and humidity, going slower especially during the heat of the day is a NECESSITY. get your three fast passes and get there at rope drop. after that "cool out". my family return to our resort and hit the pool until the evening. if you can do that it's a great way to not get frazzled.
3) get a guide book. let the girls see what attractions they think they would really like.
Since you have a wide variety of ages my must dos are the tamer rides. Haunted mansion, POTC, buzz light year. these are the rides that the family can do together.
lastly, it's going to be crowded and hot. lol translation by the end of the night guest might be a little shall we say "frazzled and rude". again this is another reason why slow is my way to go. at the end of the night everyone is going to be leaving the park "en masse". hang back, let the " march of the wilderbeast" as I like to call it go by. check out the shops or just sit on a bench and watch the folks push strollers at top speed. ( lol that is my favorite) to be the first on the monorail.
Enjoy. Disney is a fabulous destination.
2) Be flexible. one thing I see with newbies especially when they go in a busy time is this need to "run" from attraction to attraction in fear of not getting some thing done. accept the fact that in the heat and humidity, going slower especially during the heat of the day is a NECESSITY. get your three fast passes and get there at rope drop. after that "cool out". my family return to our resort and hit the pool until the evening. if you can do that it's a great way to not get frazzled.
3) get a guide book. let the girls see what attractions they think they would really like.
Since you have a wide variety of ages my must dos are the tamer rides. Haunted mansion, POTC, buzz light year. these are the rides that the family can do together.
lastly, it's going to be crowded and hot. lol translation by the end of the night guest might be a little shall we say "frazzled and rude". again this is another reason why slow is my way to go. at the end of the night everyone is going to be leaving the park "en masse". hang back, let the " march of the wilderbeast" as I like to call it go by. check out the shops or just sit on a bench and watch the folks push strollers at top speed. ( lol that is my favorite) to be the first on the monorail.
Enjoy. Disney is a fabulous destination.
sophie_the_pooh
Well-Known Member
Another vote for The Unofficial Guide to WDW and Touringplans.com! You'll learn everything you need to know, and you can create personnalized touring plans. Also, reading this forum everyday until your trip will help you and keep you in the "Disney zone"!
Tony the Tigger
Well-Known Member
In two weeks, you can do everything three times each. Go at a nice, relaxing pace and take it all in.
I agree with the guidebook idea. You’ll have all this time to read the summary of every attraction, restaurant, etc., and it gets you all the more excited.
But you won’t have to pick which attractions you like best; as I said, in two weeks, do it all and go back to your favorites.
One of the best times to get hard-to-get dining reservations and fast passes is when you are right there at the last minute, so don’t worry if you don’t get to book everything in advance. Notable exception: Flight of Passage.
Definitely be flexible and have realistic expectations. Don’t make it feel like work.
I agree with the guidebook idea. You’ll have all this time to read the summary of every attraction, restaurant, etc., and it gets you all the more excited.
But you won’t have to pick which attractions you like best; as I said, in two weeks, do it all and go back to your favorites.
One of the best times to get hard-to-get dining reservations and fast passes is when you are right there at the last minute, so don’t worry if you don’t get to book everything in advance. Notable exception: Flight of Passage.
Definitely be flexible and have realistic expectations. Don’t make it feel like work.
I will be the first to say it than, I will not wait more than forty five minutes for any ride. If you can't get a FP+ for FoP or Slinky Dog for that matter, try to do rope drop or get in line five minutes before close. September 2017, the year FoP opened, we waited around thirty five minutes when we got in line right before close. We also were successful in December of 2017 and September of 2018. We have not needed to do this with Slinky Dog yet but may try it this December.
zurgandfriend
Well-Known Member
I have to agree with the others the Unofficial guide and the planning videos are the best way to learn about WDW. I also agree to take your time and enjoy.
eliza61nyc
Well-Known Member
I also like allears.net. there has been a lot of discussion on the food and snack prices in the park. Allears gives up to date menus. You'll get a good ballpark figure on food cost.
Shouldigo12
Well-Known Member
To add something else- with two weeks at the park, I would highly suggest having at least one, possibly two days where you just hang out at your resort. Park touring, even if you take things slow (which is another good piece of advice) can be tiring after a few days, especially with young ones.
HoneyBee1991
Active Member
For the Disney Princess meal, if you don't get a reservation around the 180 day mark don't panic or be upset. Usually about 1-4 weeks before your trip reservations will start to open up. I'm 19 days to our trip and just snagged a late night reservation for 1900 Park Fare.
You might want to do park hopper. Crowd calendars can only predict so much. If the park you are at is super crowded you might want to switch on the fly.
I know with kids you might not want to wake up early or stay up late. But Florida in July is HOT, especially in the middle of the day. Do rope drop and be in the parks in the morning, take the kids back to the hotel for naps and pool time during the day and go back to the parks when the sun goes down.
If you can't leave the parks or your kids can't handle a change in sleeping routines don't over book yourself during the day. Book at least one long air conditioned attraction fastpass per day. Use the park maps to find the baby center in each park and utilize them. Bring or rent a stroller that will accommodate your older daughter if she can still fit. It will help avoid an overheated, tired meltdown.
DisneyDids
Member
If you are British, I would highly recommend reading the Brit Guide to Orlando and WDW. Even though we’ve been to WDW multiple times, we still buy a new one each time to help with the planning process. Oh, and again, if you are British, the summer rain storms probably won’t bother you that much. Many’s the time that we’ve seen the parks empty when it rains only to spot the British donning a poncho and pushing on through. After all, it may be wet but it’s still warm!