First Time at Disney!

[Hansen53925]

My entire family is going to Disney in the beginning of Feb. My parents, all 6 of us kids and our spouses (ranging in ages 30 - 12) and even the 2 grandkids (age 2 & 6). My younger brother (now 12) went through a terrible battle with an infectious disease about 5 years ago, so this trip is to celebrate his recovery! We are so excited! Anyone have any tips, suggestions, etc. for a first-timer! We are staying at All-Star Music resort.

Thanks,
Andrea

 

[Irene]

Hi, :wave: Just relax take your time and enjoy as much as you can see. Do one park a day. And while your on line look at the differant restaurants for your enjoyment. Each has very differant feels to them. You can also try the dinner shows the are really well done. And don't forget to get your fun hats to walk around the parks with. And take as many pictures you can. You will have a great time. Have fun. :lol:

 

[Hansen53925]

Thanks, Irene! Much appreciated. And any more suggestions would be greatly appreciated as well!

30 days and couting!

 

[slappy magoo]

My entire family is going to Disney in the beginning of Feb. My parents, all 6 of us kids and our spouses (ranging in ages 30 - 12) and even the 2 grandkids (age 2 & 6).

Wow...there are members of your family with 12 year old spouses? :lol:

Just kidding. I hope you and your family have an extraordinary time. How are you getting there? Flying to MCO and taking a shuttle bus? Or taking cars or renting vans?

It;s probably too late to recommend this now since you're going next month, but even one person in your family getting an Annual Pass will save you some money on (I think) up to 3 rooms.

 

[tommyboy12099]

Nothing better than going to Disney with the family. Im glad everyone is healthy. Have a great time.

 

[bhg469]

the only suggestion i have to get the biggest suitcase you can find, stop in buffalo pick me up and put me in this suitcase. I can add to any family's fun.

 

[meatloafsfan]

You may want to look into booking a Character Meal while you are at WDW. It is a great group activity.

I don't know what kind of tickets you have but if they include any "pluses" keep in mind that DisneyQuest is open late usually 11pm (which is great when the parks close early) and that only Blizzard Beach Water Park will be open (it opens at 10am every day) Typhoon Lagoon will be underrefurbishment.

My biggest tip is to get up early every morning and try to be one of the first to whatever park you are going to. The first few hours are the most valuable because they are the least crowded and rides are usually a straight walk on.

Since you have a couple of little ones, make sure to use the baby swap whenever possible (or necessary). And either bring a stroller or rent one (you'll need it, even for the 6 yr old).

Don't try to please every person, every moment of everyday - take turns deciding what to do, where to eat, etc. - And remember that eveyone needs a little "alone" time now and again - too much togetherness can be a bad thing! :lol:

Most of all - have fun!

 

[GenerationX]

I'll give you the two suggestions I give to all first-timers:
1. Buy The Unofficial Guide to WDW by Bob Sehlinger. There is no better resource in print to help you plan your trip.
2. Over-plan, under-schedule. In other words, research the entertainment options available, find out what everyone in your group wants to do, then leave plenty of time to hit the "Must See" attractions.

And a bonus suggestion due to your group size:
1. Plan on splitting up while in the parks, but get back together over lunch or dinner. I'm sure you can find restaurants that everyone will like, and you can make Priority Seating reservations ahead of time (1-407-WDW-DINE) for your group.

Have fun! :wave:

 

[Mom's the word]

The plan to split up a bit, suggested by Generation X, will save your sanity. We had a party of 14 and tried for one morning to all do the same thing - everyone had to go to the bathroom, stop for a drink or a snack or to take a picture at different times! Grandparents did well on their own with other adults at times, other times they took some of the kids for a bit and did just what the kids wanted to do, giving the parents a welcome break. When we split up we always made definite arrangements for a time and place to meet for meals/snacks/breaks or whatever.

A couple of things we did that made the vacation. We booked a character breakfast at Chef Mickey's - this was a fantastic photo op for everyone and the food was really great. They take a family pic for you to buy if you want, which is a nice option. We also made specific plans on what not to miss - Spectromagic and Wishes fireworks at Magic Kingdom, Illuminations at Epcot, Fantasmic at the Studios. We booked 2 meals together at fun restaurants - 50's Prime Time Cafe at Disney MGM studios and the Biergarten in Germany at Epcot. The Biergarten was better since we sat close together and everyone enjoyed the buffet! We booked there for dinner as it included a show by a German band and everyone enjoyed dancing and singing along to the music.

Other than that I would just say wear your most comfortable shoes, pace yourselves and have a wonderful time!!

 

[cj2me]

ENJOY!!!! I'm so excited for your family, what a great way to celebrate good times ahead after such a trying time. Goto http://www.allearsnet.com, it's a great website to assist with your planning. It has all the restaurants and there menus along with prices. Photos of all the resorts and parks. HAVE FUN!! Hope this trip is one of many to come! :sohappy:

 

[DiPSU224]

I always suggest to people that they take a little time and go back to their resorts and take cat naps. It's easy enough to hop on the bus since you're staying on resort property. We always go back to the room around 3 or so, take a cat nap and then are refreshed and and ready for dinner and the parks in the evening. Have a blast!