We are heading down to Disney with our two kids 6 and 3 for the first time for all of us. What do we need to know? What is the best what it the worst? Tips. Help. We are staying at Port Orleans Riverside for a week. Any advice would be great. Thank you.:sohappy:
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Heading to Disney for the First Time October 2010
- Thread starter Going2Disney
- Start date
WDWmazprty
Well-Known Member
Do you have the dining plan? park hoppers?
Of course I have done research I was looking for recommendations from individuals who have been to Disney and wished to provided useful comments.
We have dinner plans booked and are very pleased with what we have. We did not take Hopper passes as we have never been before and figuired we would spend the entire day at the park.
Mukta
Well-Known Member
Congratulations on your first trip! I know very few people who only go once, so I welcome you to our favorite addiction
Since you have children, I would recommend a few tips. Don't think you will see everything on your first trip. Have a few things that each person wants to see and focus on that.
Get to the park 30 minutes before opening, take an afternoon break back at the hotel if necessary, and go back in the evening. (I take my break from 1-4)
When are you going?
Have a basic plan each day. Look at a map ahead of time and have a general idea of which attractions you would like to see and which ones aren't feasible due to interest or height restrictions.
Take lots of pictures. Your first trip is a memorable thing.
Keep well hydrated. Try walking around your block at night as a family. You want to be able to walk a mile without getting winded.
Let us know if you have any specific questions!
CoffeeJedi
Active Member
As a first timer, plan your travel routes and park-days to coincide with park hours and your dinner plans. Remember to leave plenty of time to get to your restaurant.
Here's the October schedule:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/hours/oct10.cfm?requesttimeout=1000
Are you eating at any places in any resorts or just the parks? Make sure you understand how the transportation system works, you don't want to hop on the monorail when you need to take a bus!
Here's the October schedule:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/hours/oct10.cfm?requesttimeout=1000
Are you eating at any places in any resorts or just the parks? Make sure you understand how the transportation system works, you don't want to hop on the monorail when you need to take a bus!
WDWmazprty
Well-Known Member
Chrononymous
Well-Known Member
Well...you don't really need park hoppers anyway...unless you like to go go go all day (exiting one park when it closes and heading to the next one!)
I always recommend that for adults traveling without kids.
Plus...you have a week! That's actually a good chunk of time to see most things you want to. Take you time. Sure it's good to plan some things out (like getting to your dinner reservations on time!) but it's also good to be flexible.
All those super park plans that you see for doing everything in a day? Doesn't often work in real life...and not usually with little ones who haven't been there before.
The place gets pretty darn overwhelming. Even for grown-ups! And especially the first time.
There is positively a sensory overload. And if you don't take time out to just relax,(you)or run around and blow off steam(kids) you can definitely experience the meltdown of all meltdowns.
I also recomend that you take some time out to visit your resort pool. PO Riverside has one of the most relaxing pools on the planet. Rocking chairs and giant trees!
I always recommend that for adults traveling without kids.
Plus...you have a week! That's actually a good chunk of time to see most things you want to. Take you time. Sure it's good to plan some things out (like getting to your dinner reservations on time!) but it's also good to be flexible.
All those super park plans that you see for doing everything in a day? Doesn't often work in real life...and not usually with little ones who haven't been there before.
The place gets pretty darn overwhelming. Even for grown-ups! And especially the first time.
There is positively a sensory overload. And if you don't take time out to just relax,(you)or run around and blow off steam(kids) you can definitely experience the meltdown of all meltdowns.
I also recomend that you take some time out to visit your resort pool. PO Riverside has one of the most relaxing pools on the planet. Rocking chairs and giant trees!
Disney4Eva
Member
I would seriously re-think that. Take it a little bit at a time. Get there early morning, head back to the hotel mid-day for a rest, then go back to the park in the late afternoon/early evening. You'll all feel much better that way.
And keep doing research!
Lots of first-timers miss out on some great things at the parks. Parade times, park closing times, attraction descriptions, what rides are good for what age group, how Fastpass works, what each park has to offer.....things like that.
JillC LI
Well-Known Member
Aw, our first trip was when our kids were 7 and 5. It was also my first trip in nearly 30 years. We all fell in love with the place and are addicted now. Although many people recommend taking a break from the parks during the day with little ones, only you can say if that will be helpful to you. We did not then - and have never since - left the parks mid-day. We do, however, plan our touring schedules to include sitting in between running around (i.e., meals, shows like Mickey's Philharmagic, parades viewed from seated locations, or other attractions where you can be seated). Try to make wise use of FastPasses. And the one thing I tell all first-timers is try a Dole Whip in Adventureland! Enjoy! :wave:
DisneyWeather!
New Member
All of the Advice is awesome - I would agree with it all. The ages of your kids are nearly perfect - the Magic will surely be there! One thing that helped us out was to hit up the carousel and Dumbo (tea cups too) first thing, after getting to the Magic Kingdom before it opens. Many smaller kids LOVE those rides but the lines get real long and don't move when the ride is moving. Ride 'em a few times first thing, get them out of the kids system for a while then hit the other rides whose lines are constantly moving like Peter Pan, Small World, etc. As a previous post said, have a strategy when using the fast passes. They don't have to be used by the time stated. We would collect them in the morning while going on the rides with shorter lines, then use 3 or 4 Fastpasses in a row when the lines were long for those rides before we headed out to take our mid-day break back at the Riverside pool -like one of the other posters said. (now my strategies paid off for our last trip around the 4th of July, your October trip should be much less crowded and a strategy may not be necessary - Good Luck and Good Trip!
disney dharling
Active Member
I like to plan a day of downtime around the middle of the week. Go to downtown Disney & hit the outlet stores, or just lounge around the pool and enjoy the resort, let everyone relax. It also works well to swap out that day if the weather is uncooperative on another.
Most importantly take the time to enjoy it. Plan your days but be flexible too. It's an amazing experience, but that's why we are all here.
Most importantly take the time to enjoy it. Plan your days but be flexible too. It's an amazing experience, but that's why we are all here.