First Timer Questions and Tips

[Meghelaine88]

So my husband, daughter and I will be visiting the Disney parks in about two and a half weeks and we've been kind of confused about a few things. Sorry if there are questions that have already been asked. I tried searching through different threads, but some of them had 200+ pages. Anyway, here goes.

1) We're visiting Animal Kingdom and one of the things I was looking really forward to seeing was Rivers of Light, but when we went to use a fast pass on it we couldn't find it anywhere. My husband tried Googling it, but all he can find about it is that it was supposed to start sometime in April. We can't find anything else about it. Does anyone know what's going on with it, or if it's even going to happen? We're saving a fast pass for it just in case they add it, but I have a sinking feeling it's not going to happen. We saw a video of it on YouTube and I loved it.

2) We read online that if you make breakfast reservations to one of the restaurants in the parks then you can walk around the park before they open. Someone said this is how they managed to meet Anna and Elsa without having to wait in line forever. We made breakfast reservations to Akershus hoping to use the same method as they did, and possibly meet some princesses as possible during the breakfast. (I want to meet as many characters as possible, but we only have one day at each of the parks and I'm afraid we'll spend most of the time in character lines.) Well my husband just read that you can't actually walk around the parks before they open, so that plan wouldn't work. Does anyone know which happens to be true?

3) Are there any good tips or tricks you'd give first timers? We've Googled and read I don't know how many pins trying to prepare for this, but I still feel like there's a ton we need to learn before we go.

Also, is it supposed to feel like this huge, life altering deal to go to Disney, or am I blowing it out of proportion. I sometimes feel like I've planned more for this than I did for my daughter's birth.

Thanks for all the help and advice!

 

[Matt_Black]

1) Rivers of Light has not officially debuted yet.
2) Yes, BUT many areas will be roped off and not open yet. That includes meet & greets. So, you're husband is right on that one.
3) The best advice I can give is BE FLEXIBLE. Have a rough outline of what you'd like to do rather than a strict itinerary.

Now, regarding characters, who are you most hoping to meet? Having a game plan can help you organize yourself.

 

[Meghelaine88]

Also, can someone tell me how often the Tree of Life comes to life at Animal Kingdom? If we can't see the Rivers of Light this is something else I'd like to see instead.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

1.) Rivers of Light is delayed and Jungle Book:Alive with Magic is a temporary replacement show that will be going when you are down there. Rivers of Light is still expect to be at Animal Kingdom at some point, but no one knows when at this point.
2.) I have no idea since I'm not a meet and greet person.
3.) Don't rush because you are not going to see everything no matter how you try. I agree with Matt_Black on be flexible. From my times at WDW, I experienced attractions stop during a ride, delay before, or attractions that are just down despite not supposed be under refurbishment. There is no way to do a strict itinerary based on what I mentioned.

 

[Meghelaine88]

1) Rivers of Light has not officially debuted yet.
2) Yes, BUT many areas will be roped off and not open yet. That includes meet & greets. So, you're husband is right on that one.
3) The best advice I can give is BE FLEXIBLE. Have a rough outline of what you'd like to do rather than a strict itinerary.

Now, regarding characters, who are you most hoping to meet? Having a game plan can help you organize yourself.

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!

 

[Meghelaine88]

1.) Rivers of Light is delayed and Jungle Book:Alive with Magic is a temporary replacement show that will be going when you are down there. Rivers of Light is still expect to be at Animal Kingdom at some point, but no one knows when at this point.
2.) I have no idea since I'm not a meet and greet person.
3.) Don't rush because you are not going to see everything no matter how you try. I agree with Matt_Black on be flexible. From my times at WDW, I experienced attractions stop during a ride, delay before, or attractions that are just down despite not supposed be under refurbishment. There is no way to do a strict itinerary based on what I mentioned.

Luckily the only attraction/ride we're going on is the Kilimanjaro Safari. We're not big on rides in general, so I'm glad we won't have to wait in those lines.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Man, I wish I could go for the first time again.

Just have a great time...you already seem to be overthinking it. Biggest thing to remember is its going to be warm and crowded when you're there. Pace yourself and don't miss night time activities bc you burned yourself out during the day.

To meet the max amount of characters, I'd recommend doing several character dining experiences. You might be late in making reservations, but keep checking, particularly 1-2 days before and stuff always opens up.

Chef mickeys
Crystal Palace (better than Chef Mickeys for me)
1900 Park Fare
Garden Grill
Cinderellas royal table
Tucker House
Ohana

There are others and character dining is the best way to meet characters and spend some time interacting with them.

Use your fast passes and watch indoor shows like Hall of Presidents and American Adventure for breaks.

Be respectful of others and don't take flash pictures on rides or use your phone during shows.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Luckily the only attraction/ride we're going on is the Kilimanjaro Safari. We're not big on rides in general, so I'm glad we won't have to wait in those lines.

That's going to be a mistake in my opinion. If you've never been to Disney, you're not able to discern how great attractions can really be.

Tower of Terror
Everest
Splash Mountain
Haunted Mansion
Pirates
Space Mountain
Spaceship Earth

These are just some of the best attractions ever made and would be a travesty if you missed them.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Luckily the only attraction/ride we're going on is the Kilimanjaro Safari. We're not big on rides in general, so I'm glad we won't have to wait in those lines.

Just because I mention those things happen, it doesn't mean that happens on every ride or every time you get on it.

Not doing any rides except for Kilimanjaro Safari is mistake like Chef Mickey mentioned.

 

[Meghelaine88]

Man, I wish I could go for the first time again.

Just have a great time...you already seem to be overthinking it. Biggest thing to remember is its going to be warm and crowded when you're there. Pace yourself and don't miss night time activities bc you burned yourself out during the day.

To meet the max amount of characters, I'd recommend doing several character dining experiences. You might be late in making reservations, but keep checking, particularly 1-2 days before and stuff always opens up.

Chef mickeys
Crystal Palace (better than Chef Mickeys for me)
1900 Park Fare
Garden Grill
Cinderellas royal table
Tucker House
Ohana

There are others and character dining is the best way to meet characters and spend some time interacting with them.

Use your fast passes and watch indoor shows like Hall of Presidents and American Adventure for breaks.

Be respectful of others and don't take flash pictures on rides or use your phone during shows.

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.

 

[Meghelaine88]

Just because I mention those things happen, it doesn't mean that happens on every ride or every time you get on it.

Not doing any rides except for Kilimanjaro Safari is mistake like Chef Mickey mentioned.

It may be a mistake, but we're honestly not that into rides. We'd rather use the time we'd wait in line to walk around and see different things. We're planning on coming back in a few years when our daughter is older. If she wants to, we'll go on the rides then.

Thank you for your advice, though.

 

[Matt_Black]

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.

Okay, in that case...

1) Download the My Disney Experience App and check the wait times for the characters you want to meet a couple of times before you actually leave (this will be found under "Entertainment", not "Characters"). This will give you an rough approximation, but only for the characters that have that feature, i.e. the ones with the Fastpass option.
2) Stitch generally isn't too long a wait, at least in my experience.
3) Some of the Princesses (and Minnie and Stitch) sometimes show up at the "CharacterPalooza" over in DHS. For more details, check out this site.

 

[Chef Mickey]

It may be a mistake, but we're honestly not that into rides. We'd rather use the time we'd wait in line to walk around and see different things. We're planning on coming back in a few years when our daughter is older. If she wants to, we'll go on the rides then.

Thank you for your advice, though.

Yeah, I don't get your logic at all...go to WDW and not ride many rides. Makes no sense. Luckily there is a lot to do, but alas, you're making a mistake.

 

[Matt_Black]

Yeah, I don't get your logic at all...go to WDW and not ride many rides. Makes no sense. Luckily there is a lot to do, but alas, you're making a mistake.

My mom likes going to WDW and she doesn't ride many rides. People should vacation how they want to vacation. It's their money, after all.

 

[BiffyClyro]

Check the weather each day for what time storms are and plan to eat/ leave and come back st those times. Bring an empty water bottle to fill up in the park.

 

[MaryJaneP]

We hope you pack plenty of patience. If you are visiting WDW for the first time, not riding many rides, and hoping to focus primarily on meet and greets, it could be an EXTREMELY trying trip. In addition to the previous mentions of flexibility, we would add disappointment as you may not be able to see all the characters you desire, particularly if you are expecting to do one park per day. Sorry to sound like Debbie downer, but even guests that have visited multiple times know that you are unlikely to do most of what is on your wish list. If you can, enjoy the entire atmosphere, don't stare down at your phone/ipad, and be happy with what you accomplish. We do hope you have a great time and being educated ahead of time helps knowing what your alternatives are.

 

[Matt_Black]

And keep checking to see if those character meal reservations open up. Great way to meet a bunch of characters at once. Here's a good summary from the Disney Food Blog about what your options are.

 

[21stamps]

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!

I don't know how many character meals you are planning, but we did a ton of them over 9 nights. The main reason was so we would not have to wait in line or waste a FP on a meet and greet. Kiddo's autograph book is completely full . We are bringing large ornaments on our upcoming trips for characters to sign. (I didn't come up with this idea- my TA did it for her family and I love the idea!)

The only downside to that many character meals was that I felt like dining dictated our days.

 

[Chef Mickey]

My mom likes going to WDW and she doesn't ride many rides. People should vacation how they want to vacation. It's their money, after all.

But she's never been and is asking for advice...

 

[Matt_Black]

But she's never been and is asking for advice...

And then she clarified what sort of advice she was looking for, and you criticized her. It's like if I asked for food recommendations. You suggest something with mushrooms. I reply, "Oh, thank you, but I should have mentioned that mushrooms cause me to have severe stomach cramps." And then you say, "Well, you're simply not eating them right!"