First Timer Questions and Tips

[Meghelaine88]

i was just there and it seems to play contentiously after dark. it is easy to watch as long as you can see the tree but there is a sound track that plays and the only place we could hear it was on our way out of the park.

The parks are huge!! we just returned from our 3rd trip and i think my family is starting to understand how to enjoy the parks. the first trip is a first trip, and will lead you to discover all the things you will want to do next time

Great! That'll make it much easier to see then! Thank you!

 

[Meghelaine88]

Make sure you get "First Time Buttons" Or is it First Visit? Anyhow, it is fun wearing them. I will be traveling soon with 5 people who have never been and that will be our very first request. Not sure if they will have them at our hotel (Pop Century). If not we will request them at the MK on our first day in the parks.

I didn't even know those existed. We'll definitely be sure to get them! We're visiting AK on my birthday, so I'm excited to get a birthday pin.

 

[Meghelaine88]

How early should we arrive for our dinner reservations. We're eating breakfast at Akershus, so I'm assuming they'd to bag check and everything before the breakfast, right?

 

[Cowboy Steve]

Hate to jump on the ride bandwagon... but... lol... do not confuse the rides at WDW with amusement park rides/thrill rides. While there are a few of those types sprinkled here and there, many are family rides that are all about the theming and are visually entertaining! Not sure what age the kiddos are, but some excellent family rides include:

MK
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- It's a Small World
- Under the Sea - Journey of The Little Mermaid
- Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (an interactive ride)
- Haunted Mansion
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover (great for a break)

EPCOT
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros (inside the Mexico pavilion)
- Living with the Land (inside The Land pavilion)
- Soarin' (inside The Land pavilion - 40" min height for children)
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Spaceship Earth
- Frozen Ever After (not open until 6/21 - Norway Pavilion)

HS
- Toy Story Midway Mania (an interactive ride)
- The Great Movie Ride

As far as shows go, there are some hidden gems out there, but it all comes down to what you like and the age of your children.

HAVE FUN!!

 

[Po'Rich]

1. Wear appropriate footwear and socks. Do NOT wear cotton socks…you will get blisters. I have had very good luck with Thorlo Experia's, as they offer cushioning on the bottom of the sock. I also like Bombas. That being said, also bring some Moleskin (pre-cut it at home with with scissors so you don't have to bring scissors with you) in case you do blister.

I want to second this advice! When we returned home, my wife took her shoes out back and burned them, they had hurt her feet so. She also had foot problems for several months until we bought her some fairly expensive walking shoes. You'll be walking a lot, so be good to your feet.

 

[BAChicagoGal]

Planning is necessary to a point. However, don't feel that you have to stick to your plan exclusively. Do the best that you can. Learn as much as you can before you leave. However, once you get there, feel free to just go with the flow. I always start each day with a handful of must do's and if I get those done first then the day has been a success. I might suggest that you consider purchasing Memory Maker. I didn't notice how long your trip is, but if you are into photos like I am, Memory Maker is a great product. I don't buy many souvenirs anymore, but I do come home with lots and lots of photographs. Especially if you are into characters, and are going to spend time in each of the 4 parks.

 

[BAChicagoGal]

I arrive just a few minutes early for my reservation. Actually they are not technically reservations. You get the next available table for the size of your party. You might be taken in shortly after arrival, but sometimes you could wait a bit, depending on guests finishing up before you.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

keep checking for ADR's! This is a great way to see a lot of characters in a short amount of time. Chef Mickey's is cute for Mickey, Minnie, ect. Ohana at the Poly has Mickey, Pluto, Stitch and Lilo (and amazing food), Crystal Palace has Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet!

how old your child? I really wouldn't give up on the rides. Your child will love them!

 

[thomas998]

We'll definitely be checking for reservations again. There was a breakfast we were going to try to go to with Stitch, but there weren't any times left so we just gave up. And we didn't even attempt to do any of the dinners because we were so late planning it all. We weren't aware that you should actually start planning in advance. It's already been decided that we're coming back in a few years when our daughter is older and we have more children. We'll definitely be planning in advance for that. Plus we plan on staying at a resort.

If you really want reservations to a particular restaurant you should never give up. Last couple of years our trips were kind of last minute deals, but by simply being persistent in checking the reservations on a daily and nightly basis we got all the ones that we wanted.

As someone said make use of character dining to eliminate some of your meet and greets.... That is really key because some of the meet and greets during a busy time will be insanely long.

The one thing I think you are making a mistake at is prepping your daughter for the meet and greets by fixing up special pages for the princesses... If you do that don't let her know that they are available, make sure you prep her with, "just in case we run into XXX" that way you wont have to deal with the disappointment of her not getting all the signatures.... Because the odds are unless you want to spend most of your vacation in line, she wont get all the meet and greets that she will expect.

Also do a google search for a site called kennythepirate, it has a list of characters and where they do meet and greets, that will come in handy if you are really wanting to focus on meet and greets because some of them have lots of places they show up while others will only show up at one place or only during a special event... it will save you from looking in vain for a character that may be exceedingly rare.

As for using an early morning breakfast to get early entry into the park... Yes we have done that with Be Our Guest, but doing it doesn't help with any meet and greet unless you want to go to the one you are looking for and be first in line when the park opens.... In other words you'll still be waiting only at the front of a line.... If you do get an early morning breakfast in the park you are better off using that opportunity for 1)photos without a huge crowd in your photo, about the only way you will ever get a good photo of your kid and castle without a huge crowd of unknown people in the background will be the early breakfast, and 2) to get a quick entry on the seven dwarves mine train.

Oh... One last thing measure your daughter to make sure of her height and then verify she is tall enough for the rides you want to do before you get there, when your son/daughter find out they are too short upon arrival it tends to result in lots of crying... if you know they aren't tall enough for a particular ride you can then not mention it and avoid that problem.

 

[BAChicagoGal]

I never promised my sons/grandson certain things when they were younger. That way, it cut way back on the chance of a meltdown because they were disappointed. There are going to be a lot of magical things that a child will find delight in. Sometimes, it's not what we think they will like. It may be the simplest thing, like eating the ears off of a Mickey Bar. Have your camera ready for the moment. Digital is great. Smartphones are great. If you don't buy Memory Maker, you can still give the Photopass Photographer your camera/smartphone to take your photo. They do a wonderful job capturing the moment/magic.

 

[Meghelaine88]

Our daughter will be about 17 months when we go. We realize this is young and she won't remember most of it. It's mostly a trip for us, but she does like the princess movies, so we got her the book to look back on. Also, kind of as a "tradition" because we plan on making Disney a place we go back to multiple times in the future.

She's already short for her age. At her one year appointment she was only 24 inches tall. I didn't think there were that many rides she could go on, but I found a website the other night that listed all the rides and whether there was a hight requirement. I didn't realize that there wasn't a hight requirement for so many of the rides, so we might actually end up doing some of them.

The only other thing is that she doesn't sit still. At all. That was my other reason for passing on them. I don't want it to be a battle with her the whole time, or interrupt anyone else's experience because she's screaming since we won't let her up.

As for as rides I think we're going to kind of see what there is when we're down there. Are there any that you guys think she would be fine on?

Also, we're constantly checking on reservations. We've got breakfast at Akershus and dinners at Tusker House, Garden Grill and 1900 Park Fare. We're really wanting something at the Crystal Palace. That's the one we keep checking obsessively.

 

[Matt_Black]

As for as rides I think we're going to kind of see what there is when we're down there. Are there any that you guys think she would be fine on?

MK
it's a small world
TTA People Mover

Epcot
Living with the Land
The Seas With Nemo

 

[Meghelaine88]

MK
it's a small world
TTA People Mover

Epcot
Living with the Land
The Seas With Nemo

We just used a Fastpass on The Seas. Living with the Land we're going to check times for when we're down there. If we can get in to see it then we're going to try. She'll definitely enjoy seeing all the different fish better. She loves aquariums.

 

[Scoppin]

Our daughter will be about 17 months when we go. We realize this is young and she won't remember most of it. It's mostly a trip for us, but she does like the princess movies, so we got her the book to look back on. Also, kind of as a "tradition" because we plan on making Disney a place we go back to multiple times in the future.

She's already short for her age. At her one year appointment she was only 24 inches tall. I didn't think there were that many rides she could go on, but I found a website the other night that listed all the rides and whether there was a hight requirement. I didn't realize that there wasn't a hight requirement for so many of the rides, so we might actually end up doing some of them.

The only other thing is that she doesn't sit still. At all. That was my other reason for passing on them. I don't want it to be a battle with her the whole time, or interrupt anyone else's experience because she's screaming since we won't let her up.

As for as rides I think we're going to kind of see what there is when we're down there. Are there any that you guys think she would be fine on?

Also, we're constantly checking on reservations. We've got breakfast at Akershus and dinners at Tusker House, Garden Grill and 1900 Park Fare. We're really wanting something at the Crystal Palace. That's the one we keep checking obsessively.

I am going for the first time with my two, 8 & 10, this September. There is a lot of research to do before hand in order to make the actually trip less stressful. We are also not much into 'thrill' rides so we won't be going on some of the rides which have some of the greater wait times. I won't worry about the opinions of others if they are being negative about it. Everyone is different and people need to realize they can not impose the opinions/feelings onto others.

There are a number of sites, including the official WDW site which can give you information on the different parks, rides and characters. I would look more into the character dinners. We are there for 7 days and have booked a number of different character dinners to get the best character experience. We have to eat at some time anyway. One word of advice, find out when the characters are at the meals. Some are only there for breakfast, such as Ohana and other breakfast and lunch, such as Tusker. I made that mistake in reserving a dinner at Tusker and finding out Donald was only there for breakfast and lunch. Luckily I was able to get a lunch. One your daughter may like, if she is into Disney Junior, is breakfast or lunch at Hollywood and Vine at Hollywood Studios.

Bottom line, you know your family and what they like. Make plans accordingly and enjoy your trip. Make some plans on things you want to do and be flexible with the rest. There are many princesses who make several appearances in different parks and dinners who you will have many opportunities to meet. But they may wear different costumes. Question is, does the costume matter or getting the single autograph enough. Then there are a few who only make one appearance and are these important to you.

 

[TiggerDad]

Our daughter will be about 17 months when we go.

We took our daughters when they were that young, and the important thing is to pay attention to them and give them breaks when they get tired. We did a lot of princess greetings, and found that some kids are afraid of some characters. If your daughter seems to enjoy them, keep doing them, but don't push her if she is afraid. Many kids react differently to characters that are clearly a person in an outfit versus an animal character with a big furry head obscuring their face.

For us, we would look at the times guide, or online schedule, and plan to be at the location 15-30 minutes or more early, so we were near the front of the line when the princess came out. As your princess gets older, you can bring her dressed as the same princess she is meeting, which always gets a big reaction and extra attention.

 

[JillC LI]

I didn't realize there was the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail or Maharajah Jungle Trek. We'll definitely be looking into those and to see what else there is.

At her one year appointment she was only 24 inches tall. I didn't think there were that many rides she could go on, but I found a website the other night that listed all the rides and whether there was a hight requirement. I didn't realize that there wasn't a hight requirement for so many of the rides, so we might actually end up doing some of them.

The only other thing is that she doesn't sit still. At all. That was my other reason for passing on them. I don't want it to be a battle with her the whole time, or interrupt anyone else's experience because she's screaming since we won't let her up.

As for as rides I think we're going to kind of see what there is when we're down there. Are there any that you guys think she would be fine on?

I definitely recommend that you pick up the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. It will tell you all the attractions so that you you don't miss things that might be really appealing to all of you, and it will also give you all the rides that have height requirements. You may be surprised how many attractions you can and will want to take advantage of. I think it would be a shame to pay for a trip to WDW just for the purpose of educating yourself while you are there about what you might want to do NEXT time. Educate yourself in advance so you can take advantage of some of the highlights THIS time too. If you still decide not to go on any rides, at least you will be making that decision from a position of knowledge, and that's fine.

Oh, and my other tip is, try a Dole Whip Float at the Magic Kingdom - they have almost a cult following (myself included)! LOL

 

[danyoung56]

I'm not sure if anyone else posted this general advice about touring. You'll want to get to each park about 30 minutes before they open (called Rope Drop), and enjoy the much smaller crowds and lower temps. You'd be amazed at the people that show up at noon to a park and freak out cuz there are huge crowds everywhere. Late morning or early afternoon, head back to your hotel for a swim and/or a nap, and enjoy your room's A/C during the hottest part of the day. Then head back into the parks and enjoy the evening festivities, including fireworks shows, till park closing. Even if your time is limited, DON'T try to tour from park open to park close, especially in the heat of the summer!

 

[Daxiegirl]

. I sometimes feel like I've planned more for this than I did for my daughter's birth.

Ha ha. Very true! I planned our first trip in 2014 like a space shuttle mission. I seriously spent more time planning that trip than we did our wedding! It was worth it though. Most of the credit goes to all the helpful folks here. They have an amazing breadth of knowledge and are so helpful. I read these forums for MONTHS before our trip and it really paid off.

You are going to have a wonderful time and like others have stated...remember to enjoy and not stress out about the small stuff. Learn to let go. Have a plan but if you are losing your mind...slow down and take it easy. There's so much to take in just by taking a few minutes to look around and appreciate the scenery.

 

[graphite1326]

Planning is necessary to a point. However, don't feel that you have to stick to your plan exclusively. Do the best that you can. Learn as much as you can before you leave. However, once you get there, feel free to just go with the flow. I always start each day with a handful of must do's and if I get those done first then the day has been a success. I might suggest that you consider purchasing Memory Maker. I didn't notice how long your trip is, but if you are into photos like I am, Memory Maker is a great product. I don't buy many souvenirs anymore, but I do come home with lots and lots of photographs. Especially if you are into characters, and are going to spend time in each of the 4 parks.

I always have a plan typed up with each park with everything I want to do and with my fastpass times listed. I do this because no matter how many times I have been there sometimes I still get a little overwhelmed. However, like the poster says here it is important to be flexible. Here is my sample schedule for EPCOT: Arrive at rope drop and go directly to "Soarin". Then in the same building is "Living with the Land" a nice boat ride. Also there is "Circles of Life" that I may or may not do. Next door to The land building is the aquarium "The Seas with Nemo and Friends" sometimes I do this and sometimes I save it for later or another day. Usually my fastpass is ready for "Test Track" and I go there. (Note: we almost always catch the street performers who drum on trash cans on our way. Can't remember the name). Then onto "universe of Energy" (warning loud noises might frighten a 17 month old). Then if there is no line we do "Spaceship Earth". Then it's on to World Showcase where there is no lines for anything really and we just play it by ear. We like to see the films at Canada and China. Also the boat ride at Mexico. I always grab an entertainment schedule and try to catch some of the street performers as we go. We usually save the fireworks for another day and head to our resort when we have had enough. On the way out we almost always ride "Spaceship Earth" even if we rode it earlier, it's tradition. I know you said some of these you could not do but I thought this could give you an idea.

 

[jaklgreen]

We're hoping to meet most of (if not all) the princesses. We made an autograph book for my daughter and the princesses are the very first pages. We're using a fast pass for Ariels Grotto to make sure we meet her. Some other characters are Micky and Minnie, of course, and Stitch.

We've got kind of a general idea as to what we're going to do at each park. I'm going to take your advice and just go with the flow of things. I want to be able to take it all in and see everything too. Not be worried about rushing around to different attractions.

Right now our plan is to kind of do the characters/rides in the morning, then after lunch and a nap for my daughter, go back in the afternoon and just walk around. Maybe see if we can meet anyone or do anything else.

Thanks so much for the advice!

We have been taking our girls every year since they were 1 and 2 years old(they are now 14 & 15). I will tell you to take it slow, be aware of your child's mood, and make sure to keep on a similar schedule for her. I can not stress enough about feeding little ones a good meal. It truly affects their mood and stamina. We would either feed them off of our plate or get an adult meal for them to share. It gets really hot and over stimulating for little ones. Keep her hydrated and take mental breaks by letting her run a round a bit or splash in the splash areas. My girls were actually afraid of any "face" character like the princesses but did fine with the big stuffed ones like Mickey and Minnie. You will not see and do even close to everything on one trip. Do not underestimate Epcot, especially world showcase. My girls love the street performers in the countries. The swimming pool will be your daughter's best friend. LOL Have a great trip!