We are making our first trip to WDW in four days!!! We have three kids, (9,5,5). We are staying in PORS and are the the DDP deluxe. Have our reservations made for meals. Looking for your don't miss tips and secrets. We are expecting to have an amazing time, and these forums have been awesome! Just looking for some last minute things to add to the list!
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First trip..pass along must do's and secrets please
- Thread starter SoonerDan
- Start date
Mukta
Well-Known Member
For my first trip, I read the Unofficial Guide cover to cover, every tab on allearsnet and then I made sure I got to the parks at rope drop and tried every ride once.
You have small kids with you, so I think my tip for you will be to try and stick to a normal food and sleep schedule. Nothing makes a kid melt down faster than being hungry, hot or too tired.
You have small kids with you, so I think my tip for you will be to try and stick to a normal food and sleep schedule. Nothing makes a kid melt down faster than being hungry, hot or too tired.
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We are there the 8th-15th.
We are going
8th-arrive at noon- Epcot- dinner at Akershus with the Princesses for the twin girls
9th- MK
10th- HS
11th- Animal Kingdom
12- Epcot
13- MK- Cinderella Royal Table
14- Epcot
15- Downtown Disney- fly home
-we booked our parks based on who was offering the extra magic hours
We are going
8th-arrive at noon- Epcot- dinner at Akershus with the Princesses for the twin girls
9th- MK
10th- HS
11th- Animal Kingdom
12- Epcot
13- MK- Cinderella Royal Table
14- Epcot
15- Downtown Disney- fly home
-we booked our parks based on who was offering the extra magic hours
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8th- Epcot- Akershus for dinner
9th- MK- Crystal Palace for dinner
10th- HS- 50's prime time for dinner
11th- AK- Breakfast- tusker house
Lunch- Yak and Yeti
Dinner- Narcoosee's
12th- EP- Lunch- Coral Reef
dinner- Rose and Crown
13th- MK- Cinderlla's Castle- dinner
14th- EP- Teppan Edo- lunch
Via Napoli- dinner
Rest are going to be QS
9th- MK- Crystal Palace for dinner
10th- HS- 50's prime time for dinner
11th- AK- Breakfast- tusker house
Lunch- Yak and Yeti
Dinner- Narcoosee's
12th- EP- Lunch- Coral Reef
dinner- Rose and Crown
13th- MK- Cinderlla's Castle- dinner
14th- EP- Teppan Edo- lunch
Via Napoli- dinner
Rest are going to be QS
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firecatgirl
Active Member
Sorry i cant figure out some of these abbrvations. What is an adr?
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ratherbeinwdw
Well-Known Member
Wow. For a first timer, you did your homework. To get all those reservations is amazing. You must be very lucky, or you started early. The only one you missed that I think your kids would love is Sci Fi in HS. The foods not great, but the atmosphere is.
Make sure and do the early hours. That's the best time to be able to do Pooh and Peter Pan in MK without a long wait or a fastpass. For AK, do the Safari first. We walked straight on in June during early hours and came right out beside Tusker House for our breaksfast adr. By afternoon, the wait was very long. We got a fastpass that only had a 45 minute wait and were on the ride within 5 minutes after getting in the fastpass line. In Epcot, do Soarin first. Grab a fastpass right before you get in the standby line, and you'll probably be able to ride again within an hour or less. In HS, go to Toy Story Mania. Grab a fastpass and then get in the standby if it isn't long already. In June, by the time we got there and got a fastpass, the line was already long. Make sure and check to see who's performing in Epcot at the American Pavillion. We have seen some really great performances there. One of my favorites, which probably dates me, was Herman Hermits. They do have more contemporary acts also.
After hours get better the closer to closing, but morning hours are much less crowded. Even with afterhours, if you don't get a fastpass earlier in the day, you will have to wait a long time for Toy Story and Peter Pan. During afterhours in June, the wait for Toy Story was still 60 minutes 30 minutes before the park closed. I had heard people say they sometimes put inaccurate times, so I looked inside to make sure the line was that long, and it was.
I was a planner like you my first time. I had practically memorized the maps and had read several guides many times. I checked the refurbs and park hours all the time. I talked to friends who had been annual passholders for a long time. They told me all kinds of shortcuts in the parks.
I know you'll love it and no matter how much you've read about it, there will be nothing like stepping into each park the first time. Each park is unique and has a totally different feel.
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rob0519
Well-Known Member
Looks like a great schedule and wonderful dining choices.
- Definitely use the fastpass system when possible.
- On one of your MK days try to plan some time to explore the monorail resorts (Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian). The lobbies and shops in each are definitely worth a look for first timers.
- Try both the monorail and the ferry going to or coming from MK if you have time. They are both very different experiences.
- Don't try to do everything. You will burn yourself out. There is just too much to see and do.
- Have fun and enjoy. You only get a first trip once.
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Monty
Brilliant...and Canadian
- In the Parks
- No
Pace yourselves! Keep an eye on the 5-year-olds, you don't want them getting tired and burnt out. Take breaks and make sure everybody hydrates a lot.
A week at WDW seems like a long time, but you simply won't be able to do it all, don't even try. Prioritise what rides you want to treat as must-do's and check the height restrictions so you can steer clear of rides the kids can't ride. Last advice: try to book some "adult" time for yourselves, either use an in-room babysitting service or one of the kids' clubs and spend an hour or two on your own.
A week at WDW seems like a long time, but you simply won't be able to do it all, don't even try. Prioritise what rides you want to treat as must-do's and check the height restrictions so you can steer clear of rides the kids can't ride. Last advice: try to book some "adult" time for yourselves, either use an in-room babysitting service or one of the kids' clubs and spend an hour or two on your own.
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stichrules
Active Member
The one piece of advice I can give is plan to take a break everyday at the resort for an hour or 2. We take our grandkids done every year and we spend 1 to 2 hours a day in the afternoon at the resort pool. The kids love it and trust me as everyone has said you will never see and do everything in 1 trip so do not even try. If the kids get some time to play and cool off it will make your day and nights go much easier.
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BCVTalsJam
Active Member
I would hit up Mexico in Epcot and the restruant there San Angel Inn. Definately go on Malesteom in Norway...and go to liberty tree in Mk for dinner one bight
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DisneyGirl3820
Well-Known Member
I think the other posters covered some good points here. My advice with the kids would be do some pin trading or have them do the Duffy bear tour around Epcot. Those activities keep your kids engaged while your at the park because Epcot can get tedious with little ones...esp. in the World Showcase. I would also use the boat transports there instead of walking too much with the 5 year olds. You shouldn't have any problems with crowds at this time of year but still remember FastPasses for your main rides. Try to pace yourselves with MK and Animal Kingdom. Get maps now online and have an idea of which parks you want to do each day and what attractions you plan on seeing. It's always good to have some idea ahead of time so you're not completely overwhelmed when you get there. Hope you have a great time!
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UPbeekeeper
Well-Known Member
My best advice is to set a serious souvenir/spending money budget and stick to it. Things are so expensive & kids (& adults too) tend to want EVERYTHING they see. Everything is so tempting and it's easy to overspend on things you don't really need. When my kids were younger, I let them know exactly how much spending money they had, and reminded them that when it was gone, that was it. We always go by the rule that we don't do any impulse buying at WDW. If we like something, we write down where we saw it, and can always go back to get it at the end of the day or next day. Very rarely do we ever go back to that original spot to get that thing that 2 hours ago we felt we couldn't live without. The things you do go back for are the things that turn out being very special and meaningful.
Yeah, I know...try telling all this to a couple 5 year olds.
Your older child will probably be able to deal with this concept much better though.
Hope your family has a wonderful trip and it is the first of many more in the future!
Yeah, I know...try telling all this to a couple 5 year olds.
Your older child will probably be able to deal with this concept much better though.Hope your family has a wonderful trip and it is the first of many more in the future!
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