Any suggestions/advice for future trip?

[erythialsea]

**potentially long** Hey everyone, I’m Rachel and this is my first post, and I was wondering if y’all could give me some suggestions or advice on planning an upcoming Disney trip? I came here because there seems to be lots of Disney-knowledgeable people here . So basically I suggested to my family that we go to WDW for my graduation present. We’ve only been once but I love Disney and I’ve been wanting to go back for years. I have a few bullet points I’ll elaborate on if I could get advice on it to tell my fam. I’m pretty open-minded so feel free to comment on any point!

• I suggested we go during Christmas break time of 2020 but I’m worried we will have less time to spend in the park because of the Christmas party which makes the park open for fewer hours unless you have a party ticket? Should we reconsider?
• There are 5 of us, 2 adults and 3 kids ((We’re all girls) me: 17, others: 12 & 14 almost 15) does that hinder hotel options financially pretty largely considering I don’t think we’d stay in one of the more expensive Hotels? Would a VR be our best option since there’s a lot of us and we want to stay for about 4-5 days? (i counted myself as a child because I am one but I’m almost of legal age in a few months)
• Park-wise i think everyone agrees on MK, Epcot, and AK. I kinda want to go to HS because of GE’s opening. Is Hollywood Studios worth going to if you don’t like riding rides?
• I love tangled, where are the best shops to get tangled stuff?
• Is Disney Springs more convenient to get food at then the other parks?
• Do you get free magicbands if you stay at a Disney hotel or do they cost extra?
• What are the best “relaxing” rides in MK and Epcot?
• What restaurants aren’t typically that crowded in MK, AK, and Epcot?
• My sister really wants to meet some of the princesses, how long is the line usually on holidays for the princess meeting place in MK?
• I heard they sell anime stuff somewhere? Maybe Disney Springs? I’m not sure where it was but I saw someone take pics of a Tom Nook plush from Animal Crossing in WDW.
• Last question, but what’s the best candy store in all of WDW?

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

• I suggested we go during Christmas break time of 2020 but I’m worried we will have less time to spend in the park because of the Christmas party which makes the park open for fewer hours unless you have a party ticket? Should we reconsider?

When is your Christmas break?
Parties usually end between December 18th and 22nd.
Park hours will be extended for true Christmas break from Xmas Eve to New Years Day.
But crowds are nuts and parks reach capacity so there's the catch to longer hours.

• There are 5 of us, 2 adults and 3 kids ((We’re all girls) me: 17, others: 12 & 14 almost 15) does that hinder hotel options financially pretty largely considering I don’t think we’d stay in one of the more expensive Hotels? Would a VR be our best option since there’s a lot of us and we want to stay for about 4-5 days? (i counted myself as a child because I am one but I’m almost of legal age in a few months)

You should be counting yourself as an adult since you'll have to pay extra at the resort with 3 adults.
There are a few options for resorts that are not too bad for pricing for a family of 5.
You could go with a moderate resort or you could go value either in a family suite at All Star Music or Art of Animation. Or what I'd do is go with 2 standard rooms at a value resort preferably at Pop Century or All Star Movies.

• Park-wise i think everyone agrees on MK, Epcot, and AK. I kinda want to go to HS because of GE’s opening. Is Hollywood Studios worth going to if you don’t like riding rides?

Personally I don't care much for AK.
I'd much rather go to HS.
Disney is not known for having too many thrill rides so all of the parks have plenty of attractions that are not thrill rides.

• I love tangled, where are the best shops to get tangled stuff?

You could go to the Tangled bathroom in MK.
You could also meet Rapunzel.
I've seen some Tangled themed merchandise but not a ton.

• Is Disney Springs more convenient to get food at then the other parks?

Disney Springs is not a park. Yes there's plenty of restaurants but its not convenient to leave the parks to eat at Disney Springs and then go back to the parks.
Much more convenient to just eat in the park you are in.

• Do you get free magicbands if you stay at a Disney hotel or do they cost extra?

Most of the solid color magic bands are complimentary with Disney resort stays and in the last couple months they started adding the option of certain designs for an upcharge of $10 each.

• What are the best “relaxing” rides in MK and Epcot?

There's lots of slow moving and fun rides at MK and Epcot.
I'll just list off a few.... Peter Pan's Flight, It's A Small World, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, TTA People Mover, Carousel Of Progress, Under The Sea, Spaceship Earth, Living With The Land, Journey Into Imagination With Figment, Frozen Ever After...

• What restaurants aren’t typically that crowded in MK, AK, and Epcot?

All of them are especially if you're going during Christmas break.

• My sister really wants to meet some of the princesses, how long is the line usually on holidays for the princess meeting place in MK?

Long. You can get a Fastpass though.

• I heard they sell anime stuff somewhere? Maybe Disney Springs? I’m not sure where it was but I saw someone take pics of a Tom Nook plush from Animal Crossing in WDW.

I'm guessing the Japan pavilion in the World Showcase in Epcot.

• Last question, but what’s the best candy store in all of WDW?

I'm not big on buying candy at Disney. To me its like why? There's plenty of candy out there instead I'd rather buy baked goods.
But I'd say Goofy's Candy Co in Disney Springs.

 

[DimpledDevil18]

To answer just a few of your questions:

Where to stay?- I agree that your best bet would be a Moderate (I believe some rooms fit 5) but it may be tight, especially with 4 women lol. The value resorts family suites are an option, but I'm not a fan of the theming at the Art of Animation family suites. It's cute for young kids, but would probably be a little much for anyone over 12. When my family goes to Disney we usually stay at a Value and get two standard rooms. The rooms have connecting doors and we are usually between 4-6 people when we go. Your patents can stay in one room and you and your sisters can stay in another or take turns sleeping in your parents room.

Disney Springs- Disney Springs is a little bit out of the way just to leave and grab food. There are plenty of good options for food in every park. I wouldn't go out of my way just to eat at Disney Springs unless there was a particular restaurant you really wanted to try.

Where to buy anime things?- The Mitsukoshi Dept Store in the Japan pavilion sells a ton of Japanese pop culture items including anime and video game character merchandise and different types of Japanese candy. It's a rather large store with tons of cool stuff that you can buy, so if that is your cup of tea you will definitely want to check it out.

As far as many of your other questions it is hard to answer when their are so many options as far as rides, parks, and food. My suggestion to you is too get a guide book and do your research. My two top favs are Birnbaum's (easy to reference and full color) and The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (HUGE book, but literally contains everything you want to know and more). Read through some posts and past trip reports on this forum and check out some park vlogs on youtube. You can from there decide what kinds of attractions are your must dos and which ones you could pass up. You can also get an idea of where you would like to eat based on you and your family's personal tastes.

Hope this helped a little!

 

[Gaston's gal]

Queen of the WDW Screne answered your questions quite thoroughly. I will tell you that if you love "Tangled," you will want to schedule a Bon Voyage breakfast at the Boardwalk's Trattoria al Forno. You can meet Ariel & Prince Eric, but you will also meet Rapunzel & Flynn Rider there. Also, the food is amazing! Have fun!!!

 

[ToInfinity]

Welcome to the forums! I’m pretty new here too, but definitely not new to taking trips to Disney. Like some have suggested, I definitely recommend getting a guide book (like Birnbaum) to help you in your planning. I also recommend watching videos on YouTube! There are many vloggers who focus on Disney, but some of my favorites are TheTimTracker and Disney Food Blog. They will be very helpful to you, and watching the videos will get you super pumped for your trip. Now on to your bullet points...

• I suggested we go during Christmas break time of 2020 but I’m worried we will have less time to spend in the park because of the Christmas party which makes the park open for fewer hours unless you have a party ticket? Should we reconsider?

We went last year from December 27-Jan 1. One big thing. CROWDED. VERY. CROWDED. honestly, the decorations are beautiful but for somebody who hasn’t been to Disney much, I wouldn’t recommend going then if you can help it because the crowds can really put a damper on things. If possible, February is a great time to go. We have also had a lot of luck going early in June. This year, we are headed there over Thanksgiving.

• There are 5 of us, 2 adults and 3 kids ((We’re all girls) me: 17, others: 12 & 14 almost 15) does that hinder hotel options financially pretty largely considering I don’t think we’d stay in one of the more expensive Hotels? Would a VR be our best option since there’s a lot of us and we want to stay for about 4-5 days? (i counted myself as a child because I am one but I’m almost of legal age in a few months)

My family is very similar to yours. We typically either do two standard rooms at a value resort, or a family suite at Art of Animation. Either option will give you two bathrooms and plenty of sleeping options. I highly recommend staying on Disney property if you can! The “bubble” is magical.

• Park-wise i think everyone agrees on MK, Epcot, and AK. I kinda want to go to HS because of GE’s opening. Is Hollywood Studios worth going to if you don’t like riding rides?

There are a ton of things to do at each park. Disney was designed for families, so there are plenty of calm rides, shows, parades, etc. at every park. They are all unique and awesome in different ways. I would recommend going to all 4 if possible, with 2 days in Magic Kingdom if your time allows.

• I love tangled, where are the best shops to get tangled stuff?

Not sure about this one! I love tangled too though and have ordered shirts and ears off of Etsy in the past before trips.

• Is Disney Springs more convenient to get food at then the other parks?

It is definitely more convenient to eat in the park you are in. There are an abundance of options in every park, from snacks to counter service (fast food) to sit down meals.

• Do you get free magicbands if you stay at a Disney hotel or do they cost extra?

MagicBands are included in your hotel stay. There is an upcharge if you don’t want a solid color band.

• What are the best “relaxing” rides in MK and Epcot?

Most all of the rides are relaxing and fun! There really aren’t any “rough” or “wild” rides, aside from maybe Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain in MK, but those are still both super fun!

• What restaurants aren’t typically that crowded in MK, AK, and Epcot?

At Christmas time, they will all be crowded. But for sit down meals you can book up to 180 days in advance.

• My sister really wants to meet some of the princesses, how long is the line usually on holidays for the princess meeting place in MK?

Very long. Fast passes are available, but I might recommend doing a character meal with princesses instead.

I hope this answers some of your questions!!