Doing Disney World right the second time around!

[DisneyDude10]

You know those people who go to WDW and come home saying "I'm sure it would have been fun but we just kind of wondered around for a week" ? Well we have some friends who went with some different friends to WDW a few years ago and their trip was similar. They didn't get to enjoy the parks because their friends said "we've seen that" or "we don't do that" or "why would we do that". For instance they didn't watch the fireworks at MK or EPCOT, and they didn't see a single parade nor did they ride the monorail because their friends said it had to be paid for! Not to mention the fact that they stayed off property.

Well last night we helped them get their trip booked to go down with us July 3-8. They wil be staying at POP with us and will have the Deluxe dinning plan. Our goal is to try and show them how much fun WDW is. They want to enjoy it and will love all of the integral details and such but I was wondering what are the things that we MUST show them? I can remember going as an adult for the first time in 2010 and I did tons of homework before we went and we still didn't get to do everything we wanted to do.

So if you have or if you we're to be in our shoes, what things would you most definitely do?

 

[epcotisbest]

If I were in your shoes I would not go during one of the busiest and hottest times of the year.
"I'm sure it would have been fun but we just kind of stood in lines, and tried to avoid the crowds and heat."

 

[epcotisbest]

Of course, to each his own, as our idea of fun is different from yours I'm sure.

 

[DisneyDude10]

We went on the 4th last year and loved it and they said they wanted to go when we did. I asked them if the crowds and the heat would be too much but they said they wanted to be there for the fireworks on the 4th for sure. So all I can do is hope they are prepared for it. If not i will feed them to the wolves and enjoy my time in my happy place!!! LoL
You are right though in most cases I would not suggest for someone to go on the fourth.

 

[epcotisbest]

We went on the 4th last year and loved it and they said they wanted to go when we did. I asked them if the crowds and the heat would be too much but they said they wanted to be there for the fireworks on the 4th for sure. So all I can do is hope they are prepared for it. If not i will feed them to the wolves and enjoy my time in my happy place!!! LoL
You are right though in most cases I would not suggest for someone to go on the fourth.

I would agree, in most cases, but it sounds like they will be with experienced tour guides...and that has to be a good thing.

 

[donaldtoo]

We have been in July 4 times and don't have a problem with it. Then again, we are from Texas so are plenty used to the heat and humidididity.
As far as what to do...
We know what we want to do when we get there and try to get it all in, but ultimately, like most, never quite seem to...!
We went with some friends that hadn't been there in a long while this past July. We just made sure we got most of the "Biggies" in with a few of the little gems, Like One Mans Dream and CoP, thrown in for good measure...they, and we, had a BLAST...!!!

 

[Weather_Lady]

I'd recommend: 1-and-a-half days each at MK and Epcot, a half-day at Animal Kingdom, and one day at Hollywood Studios, plus a couple of half days to relax, laze around your resort, swim, or dine at other resorts. Arrive to the parks at rope drop if at all possible, get to the more popular attractions before the crowds build, have lunch, go back to the hotel for a nap, and return in the evening for dinner and a more leisurely re-exploration, using Fastpasses as wisely as possible (if they're still available).

Here are my entirely subjective choices for must-sees (and not-so-must-sees) for grownups. I've never done the Deluxe Dining Plan, although it sounds to me like it would take about 4 hours a day just to eat everything you're entitled to! If you find that you also have time for touring, I'd suggest:

At MK: If arriving mid-day, first walk your friends down Main Street (getting their photo in front of the castle) and check out the beautiful murals inside the castle. Cover every attraction in which anyone in your party is remotely interested (perhaps skipping Stitch, Astro Orbiter, Tomorrowland Speedway, and possibly The Barnstormer and/or Enchanted Tales w/Belle) the Electric Parade and Wishes. Take your friends to meet Mickey or the Princesses sometime when there's a short wait, even if they think they don't want to. ; ) Take the WDW Railroad at least once. If you have time, spend part of an afternoon escaping the crowds and exploring Tom Sawyer Island. Make sure your friends get to try a Dole Whip or Citrus swirl. Have them experience Big Thunder Mountain at least once after dark. Ride the monorail at least once.

At Epcot: Spaceship Earth, Soarin', Test Track, Mission:Space (the mild version), Living with the Land, Nemo, and take a relaxed stroll around World Showcase, stopping for the Maelstrom and American Experience, and sampling some of the international cuisine and/or beverages (e.g., the tequila bar in Mexico, wine bar in Italy, etc.). Optional: Fiesta boat ride, Turtle Talk, Imagination, Captain EO, Ellen's Energy Adventure... Stay for Illuminations if interested.

At Hollywood Studios: Toy Story, Great Movie Ride, Rockin' Rollercoaster, Star Tours, Tower of Terror, Muppets. Choose a couple of shows based on the interests of the group. Introduce your friends to the Citizens of Hollywood, should you happen to see them. Stay for Fantasmic if interested.

At Animal Kingdom: Dinosaur!, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest. Possibly It's Tough to Be a Bug. If desired, explore the animal trails and see one or two shows (Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo, or the bird show, the name of which eludes me at the moment). If you want to get soaked, Kali River Rapids.

I feel a little silly to be giving this sort of advice to a seasoned Disneyphile, but you did ask -- I'm sure your friends are going to be in great hands no matter what you decide to do!

 

[DisneyDude10]

Well this will be our fourth trip since 2010 so we are familiar with how things work, most of the time. LoL but this will only be or second trip with someone other than just the two of us and the first time was with my mother and brother so it's a little different than going with friends. I am a little nervous about it but I'm more excited than I am nervous. Like I said I'm not going to be dragged down I DW!

 

[Figgy1]

Have a fabulous time just remember to take breaks! I think everyone else has most everything covered! Make your ADRs NOW!

 

[BigRedDad]

Prepare them for the insane crowds, heat, humidity, long lines, and limited ADRs due to the crowds. I am not trying to rain on your parade, but know exactly what you are getting into ahead of time level sets expectations. Imagine their reaction when you walk by Peter Pan and it is a 2 hour wait. Then they say "the last trip was only 10 minutes".

Disney World is expensive. There are far more cost effective vacations. Going at the busiest and most expensive times of the year is going to sour many peoples thoughts on it.

 

[luv]

Prepare your friends for how unbelievably humid Orlando summers are, how hot it gets, that it is rainy season (frequently having hours of rain in the afternoons/evenings) and how very crowded the parks are that week. Most people underestimate weather in a sub-tropical/tropical climate and the toll it can take on their spirits. The heat, humidity and rain take them by surprise, amazingly enough.

Everyone should prepare to slow down and drink drink a lot of water. Have a good plan and pack a lot of patience.

Good luck!

 

[DisneyDude10]

I'd recommend: 1-and-a-half days each at MK and Epcot, a half-day at Animal Kingdom, and one day at Hollywood Studios, plus a couple of half days to relax, laze around your resort, swim, or dine at other resorts. Arrive to the parks at rope drop if at all possible, get to the more popular attractions before the crowds build, have lunch, go back to the hotel for a nap, and return in the evening for dinner and a more leisurely re-exploration, using Fastpasses as wisely as possible (if they're still available).

Here are my entirely subjective choices for must-sees (and not-so-must-sees) for grownups. I've never done the Deluxe Dining Plan, although it sounds to me like it would take about 4 hours a day just to eat everything you're entitled to! If you find that you also have time for touring, I'd suggest:

At MK: If arriving mid-day, first walk your friends down Main Street (getting their photo in front of the castle) and check out the beautiful murals inside the castle. Cover every attraction in which anyone in your party is remotely interested (perhaps skipping Stitch, Astro Orbiter, Tomorrowland Speedway, and possibly The Barnstormer and/or Enchanted Tales w/Belle) the Electric Parade and Wishes. Take your friends to meet Mickey or the Princesses sometime when there's a short wait, even if they think they don't want to. ; ) Take the WDW Railroad at least once. If you have time, spend part of an afternoon escaping the crowds and exploring Tom Sawyer Island. Make sure your friends get to try a Dole Whip or Citrus swirl. Have them experience Big Thunder Mountain at least once after dark. Ride the monorail at least once.

At Epcot: Spaceship Earth, Soarin', Test Track, Mission:Space (the mild version), Living with the Land, Nemo, and take a relaxed stroll around World Showcase, stopping for the Maelstrom and American Experience, and sampling some of the international cuisine and/or beverages (e.g., the tequila bar in Mexico, wine bar in Italy, etc.). Optional: Fiesta boat ride, Turtle Talk, Imagination, Captain EO, Ellen's Energy Adventure... Stay for Illuminations if interested.

At Hollywood Studios: Toy Story, Great Movie Ride, Rockin' Rollercoaster, Star Tours, Tower of Terror, Muppets. Choose a couple of shows based on the interests of the group. Introduce your friends to the Citizens of Hollywood, should you happen to see them. Stay for Fantasmic if interested.

At Animal Kingdom: Dinosaur!, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest. Possibly It's Tough to Be a Bug. If desired, explore the animal trails and see one or two shows (Festival of the Lion King, Finding Nemo, or the bird show, the name of which eludes me at the moment). If you want to get soaked, Kali River Rapids.

I feel a little silly to be giving this sort of advice to a seasoned Disneyphile, but you did ask -- I'm sure your friends are going to be in great hands no matter what you decide to do!

I appreciate the advice very much! MK was pretty spot on with what I thought. We LOVE TSI even though they don't hide the paintbrushes anymore. We had found two in 2010 and one in 2011 so we were very upset last year when they told us it was no more. Never the less we enjoyed the serenity of TSI.

Of course we will do our best to get in the top attractions at EPCOT but I was really looking forward to drinking around the world and I'm not sure how much they will participate in that journey. LOL BTW any drink recommendations? I was thinking American Adventure for sure but as for the rest of World Showcase I think we will just be strolling and ill be indulging. Future World is more up their alley I think as it is mine too so pretty much anything there is to do in Future World we will be trying to get on. Including SSE more than a couple of times!

I feel like HS will be pretty easy as will AK. We will be pushing for rope drop each day and we will undoubtably head to the room for some R&R each afternoon. The parks are totally different at night so we have to do them each in the evening as well right?
I love that you specifically said the monorail! We will be hopping on the resort loop to go watch the fireworks from the Poly on the 3rd. Where I will finally get to down a Lapu Lapu. Or multiple.

 

[DisneyDude10]

Have a fabulous time just remember to take breaks! I think everyone else has most everything covered! Make your ADRs NOW!

ADRS will be taken care of no later than tomorrow. I posted a thread in the dinning forums. I think all we will have to do is add the friends to our ressies or maybe try to reschedule for a party of four. That was my very first concern once they booked, because I was booking as early as I could on our 180 day mark!

 

[real mad hatter]

You know those people who go to WDW and come home saying "I'm sure it would have been fun but we just kind of wondered around for a week" ? Well we have some friends who went with some different friends to WDW a few years ago and their trip was similar. They didn't get to enjoy the parks because their friends said "we've seen that" or "we don't do that" or "why would we do that". For instance they didn't watch the fireworks at MK or EPCOT, and they didn't see a single parade nor did they ride the monorail because their friends said it had to be paid for! Not to mention the fact that they stayed off property.

Well last night we helped them get their trip booked to go down with us July 3-8. They wil be staying at POP with us and will have the Deluxe dinning plan. Our goal is to try and show them how much fun WDW is. They want to enjoy it and will love all of the integral details and such but I was wondering what are the things that we MUST show them? I can remember going as an adult for the first time in 2010 and I did tons of homework before we went and we still didn't get to do everything we wanted to do.

So if you have or if you we're to be in our shoes, what things would you most definitely do?

. See my thread in General Discussion under " Independance Day " July 4th Rocks!

 

[DisneyDude10]

. See my thread in General Discussion under " Independance Day " July 4th Rocks!

I already hit it hatter!! I'm getting the same feed back on the heat and crowds here too! LoL it is definitely a big concern but I can deal with it for a Independence Day celebration!

 

[jlsHouston]

Ah I haven't signed in for awhile but I was lurking and caught this thread and just had to put in my 2 cents. I think 4th of July is a great time to visit WDW. Our first trip to the world was 4th of July 2011 for 4d/3n at POP on the deluxe dining plan. We only did MK and character dining. Never even let the kids jump in the pool and we had to walk right by it every day since we were in the 50's bldg on the end..
It was a magical visit since it was the first of course and we dealt with the heat by using the EMH to do the park at night basically, and then we would sleep from 3 am til 9 am then get up and have character breakfast then go back and sleep til the afternoon ...That was the 4 day cycle and it worked perfect. Others do the mornings at the park, hit the pool by noon and then return the parks in the evening and manage to get to bed before midnite so they can be somewhat fresh in the morning.
I would definitely include character dining and fireworks in the must do's. To me that is a BIG part of the experience.
Hope all of you have a wonderful time!

 

[Stellajack]

You know those people who go to WDW and come home saying "I'm sure it would have been fun but we just kind of wondered around for a week" ? Well we have some friends who went with some different friends to WDW a few years ago and their trip was similar. They didn't get to enjoy the parks because their friends said "we've seen that" or "we don't do that" or "why would we do that". For instance they didn't watch the fireworks at MK or EPCOT, and they didn't see a single parade nor did they ride the monorail because their friends said it had to be paid for! Not to mention the fact that they stayed off property. . .

So if you have or if you we're to be in our shoes, what things would you most definitely do?[/quote]


We took a trip several years ago with some whom we knew would probably never get to experience Disneyworld but just this one time; so, we planned for them to experience as much as possible. We did every EMH a.m. and p.m., and all the classic attractions, parades, and night fireworks. I would do the same again.

Our goal was that they would certainly see what we considered "classic Disney". What would I leave off today?
AI Experience in DHS; Stitch's Great Adventure, Tomorrowland Speedway in MK (if there are no children OR allow the adults to decide on this); Kali River Rapids in AK; can't think of others at the moment, but I'm sure others have addt'l recommendations of what to do/not do.

 

[DisneyDude10]

Ah I haven't signed in for awhile but I was lurking and caught this thread and just had to put in my 2 cents. I think 4th of July is a great time to visit WDW. Our first trip to the world was 4th of July 2011 for 4d/3n at POP on the deluxe dining plan. We only did MK and character dining. Never even let the kids jump in the pool and we had to walk right by it every day since we were in the 50's bldg on the end..
It was a magical visit since it was the first of course and we dealt with the heat by using the EMH to do the park at night basically, and then we would sleep from 3 am til 9 am then get up and have character breakfast then go back and sleep til the afternoon ...That was the 4 day cycle and it worked perfect. Others do the mornings at the park, hit the pool by noon and then return the parks in the evening and manage to get to bed before midnite so they can be somewhat fresh in the morning.
I would definitely include character dining and fireworks in the must do's. To me that is a BIG part of the experience.
Hope all of you have a wonderful time!

Any specific character meal? Me and my gf have done a lot of them. Just curious which ones you would recommend. There will be no kiddos but I like to throw in some time with the characters myself, and I just realized after looking over our ADR's that we have no character meals this trip!

 

[jlsHouston]

Any specific character meal? Me and my gf have done a lot of them. Just curious which ones you would recommend. There will be no kiddos but I like to throw in some time with the characters myself, and I just realized after looking over our ADR's that we have no character meals this trip!

OMG... my favorite breakfast is at Cape May...It is probably my most favorite character dining event too, I prefer it over Chef Mickey... If you are on the regular dining plan and don't want to waste points at Cinderella's table but want to see some princesses then it would be a toss up between 1900 Park Fare for dinner or Akerhaus over at Epcot. I kind of thought the lunch and dinner menu kind of had lousy food at the latter but the salad/cold cut bar is fabulous there and just about every princess comes appears there and you get a "free pic" with Belle. The dinner buffet at 1900 Park Fare is very good and the wicked stepmom and sisters are hilarious. Crystal Palace for breakfast is a great way to get into the park kind of before the crowds if you are early morning people and we love winnie the pooh and piglet and tigger... I guess the only character dining we always end up less enthused upon is the Ohana breakfast. Kids love it but my daughter and I are like why did we book this. We think the people who work Ohana's need to be canned.

 

[Weather_Lady]

OMG... my favorite breakfast is at Cape May...It is probably my most favorite character dining event too, I prefer it over Chef Mickey... If you are on the regular dining plan and don't want to waste points at Cinderella's table but want to see some princesses then it would be a toss up between 1900 Park Fare for dinner or Akerhaus over at Epcot. I kind of thought the lunch and dinner menu kind of had lousy food at the latter but the salad/cold cut bar is fabulous there and just about every princess comes appears there and you get a "free pic" with Belle. The dinner buffet at 1900 Park Fare is very good and the wicked stepmom and sisters are hilarious. Crystal Palace for breakfast is a great way to get into the park kind of before the crowds if you are early morning people and we love winnie the pooh and piglet and tigger... I guess the only character dining we always end up less enthused upon is the Ohana breakfast. Kids love it but my daughter and I are like why did we book this. We think the people who work Ohana's need to be canned.

Ditto! If you want to include some character dining in a place which is not too loud and has decent food, I'd recommend Akershus or Crystal Palace, and say SKIP 'Ohana! We did the 'Ohana character breakfast on our trip and were completely unenthused. The character interaction was ridiculously rushed (Stitch literally ran up, patted my kids' heads, and sprinted away before I could even raise my camera from my lap for a photo), and although the food was good, the portions were scanty and it was difficult to get our server's attention to ask for seconds of anything. "All you care to eat" turned into "all you care to wait half an hour for a refill of." If I had it to do again, we'd have gone to Kona Cafe for breakfast instead!