New to WDW

[Mom of 3]

Hi! We are planning a trip to WDW for my daughter's 7th birthday. We have never been. We have hopper passes for the 4 parks. We have AAA parking pass. Our boys are preteen. One loves anything scary. The other is into science, learning, anything 3D. We will be at WDW on June 16-20. We have lunch planned for June 18, 3:00 at Epcot where they do the princess pictures and autographs. Has anyone done this? Advise or tips? We were disappointed that the breakfast with Cinderella at MK was all booked. We will probably spend most or all of the 18th (my dd bday) at Epcot. Having never been to disney, any advise, tips, help planning would be appreciated. My daughter definitely wants to see princesses. We are on a very limited budget. Thinking about pirate adventure maybe..
Thanks in advance

 

[PUSH]

For a first timer, I'd say do a lot of research. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is a great book, and people around here swear by it. Maybe you could stop at a local bookstore and pick up a copy and read it cover to cover.

 

[zurgandfriend]

The pLanning DVD may also be useful but I have to agree with the Unoffical Guide and I recommend the complete guide, there is also a companion guide with pictures that may be useful as well.

 

[Figgy1]

First welcome to the wdwmagic family! The most and I do mean most important thing is to be at the parks 45 minutes or more prior to opening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can not stress this enough!!!!!!!!!! You will get so much more done that way! Second get the Unofficial guide to Disney and read it. Third make a list of your must see attractions and do them first thing in the morning. Fourth you won't be able to see and do everything in one trip see 2nd and 3rd ideas. Fifth enjoy every minute of your first trip!

 

[CtDisneyGuy33]

Hi! We are planning a trip to WDW for my daughter's 7th birthday. We have never been. We have hopper passes for the 4 parks. We have AAA parking pass. Our boys are preteen. One loves anything scary. The other is into science, learning, anything 3D. We will be at WDW on June 16-20. We have lunch planned for June 18, 3:00 at Epcot where they do the princess pictures and autographs. Has anyone done this? Advise or tips? We were disappointed that the breakfast with Cinderella at MK was all booked. We will probably spend most or all of the 18th (my dd bday) at Epcot. Having never been to disney, any advise, tips, help planning would be appreciated. My daughter definitely wants to see princesses. We are on a very limited budget. Thinking about pirate adventure maybe..
Thanks in advance

Well, you are in the right place. I'd keep an eye in here and do research as suggested above. I'm still sort of new here and love to see all the advice thats freeely given in here. There are many people with great ideas..search the forums for sure.

Have a great time.

 

[fractal]

Do you mean the Princess Storybook lunch at the Akershus Hall?

If so, we did the dinner there. One thing you will get is Princesses. They did a good job of coming to each table and taking pictures and giving autographs. My daughter loved it (she was 6 at the time). I wasn't crazy about the food - if I had to do it over I would definitely opt for the lunch.

One thing my kids enjoyed at that age is getting "stamped" at each country. I think you buy a special passport type book and then each store in the countries give you a stamp if you go in and ask. The kids get to meet Cast Members from all over the world (literally) and they sign the book in their native language.

The "Agent P's World Showcase Adventure" should also be on your list of things to do at Epcot. Again, my kids loved the previous redition (Kim Possible). Also check out Club Cool for free soda samples from around the world.

Have a great trip!

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

Hi! We are planning a trip to WDW for my daughter's 7th birthday. We have never been. We have hopper passes for the 4 parks. We have AAA parking pass. Our boys are preteen. One loves anything scary. The other is into science, learning, anything 3D. We will be at WDW on June 16-20. We have lunch planned for June 18, 3:00 at Epcot where they do the princess pictures and autographs. Has anyone done this? Advise or tips? We were disappointed that the breakfast with Cinderella at MK was all booked. We will probably spend most or all of the 18th (my dd bday) at Epcot. Having never been to disney, any advise, tips, help planning would be appreciated. My daughter definitely wants to see princesses. We are on a very limited budget. Thinking about pirate adventure maybe..
Thanks in advance

Any of the character meals are great. Several of the princesses come to your table and give autographs at A in Norway. They take a picture of your daughter with a princess before you enter to eat. Then, the princesses come to your table and you can take your own pictures with each of them. They do a great job of getting cm's that look like the characters they are playing. You don't have to wait in line or stand in the heat. Your daughter will enjoy this a lot. They will bring the picture they take to your table before you leave.

 

[englanddg]

Hi! We are planning a trip to WDW for my daughter's 7th birthday. We have never been. We have hopper passes for the 4 parks. We have AAA parking pass. Our boys are preteen. One loves anything scary. The other is into science, learning, anything 3D. We will be at WDW on June 16-20. We have lunch planned for June 18, 3:00 at Epcot where they do the princess pictures and autographs. Has anyone done this? Advise or tips? We were disappointed that the breakfast with Cinderella at MK was all booked. We will probably spend most or all of the 18th (my dd bday) at Epcot. Having never been to disney, any advise, tips, help planning would be appreciated. My daughter definitely wants to see princesses. We are on a very limited budget. Thinking about pirate adventure maybe..
Thanks in advance

I suspect you are talking about Akershus. I've done it three times. 3p means you'll get the lunch/dinner menu, which is ok. It's a Buffet / family style. The food is partially themed to Norway, which I enjoyed, but my daughter did not...though they do have enough variety that your kids won't have any trouble finding food they enjoy. The meatballs are particularly good.

Your host princess will most likely be Belle. When you arrive, you will be escorted to a side area where you will have your pictures taken with her. Inside the venue, the other princesses will come around to meet every table. The princesses vary, but you'll probably run into Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Snow White, Ariel, and Jasmine. Note though, they do rotate out the princesses, so you can't really predict which ones you'll meet.

Spending the DD bday at Epcot, at age 7, will work fine. Especially if she wants to meet princesses and characters! When you get to Epcot, stop by Guest Services (off to the left as you near Spaceship Earth...er...the Golf Ball). They can tell you when and where expected meet and greets are. Some Princesses / characters (and where) you can plan for are:

Futureworld
1) Character Spot, in Innovation West, off to the left (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and I THINK Pluto (can't remember if he's there or not))
2) Through Innovations West, in front of the Land (Chip and Dale)

World Showcase
3) Mulan (China Pavilion, near the big red gate)
4) Snow White (Germany Pavilion, off to the side as you walk from China, right before you get to the Pavilion proper)
5) Donald and Crew (Mexico Pavilion, after the Pyramid as you walk towards Norway)
6) Mary Poppins, Alice, (Between UK and France), Pooh, Tigger (UK Pavilion, in the back of the toy shop)
7) Jasmine and Alladin (in front of the Morroco Pavilion)
8) Belle and Beast (in front of the France Pavilion)

(Note, this list is from memory, and far from complete)

When you go to do World Showcase, be sure to sign up for Phineus and Ferb. Get a different phone for each kiddo...as there will be tussling if you don't! But, it's a lot of fun!

 

[lilclerk]

Regarding the Unofficial Guide, I love it, but it is HUGE and can be overwhelming for a first timer. You can also find it in libraries. My library has the book, plus they have it available as a Kindle book. I'd suggest looking in your library before you buy it.

Other suggestions, get to the parks early, preferably around opening time or earlier. You'll beat a lot of the crowds that way.
Take lots of pictures, and don't feel so rushed that you forget to enjoy the little things! That's what WDW is all about, it shouldn't be just rushing from ride to ride. For example, your son will probably love a lot of the things in Innoventions, and the post shows in Epcot if he's into science and technology. Those are things no one thinks about, but he'll probably get a kick out of them.

 

[englanddg]

A few ideas I've not seen mentioned...especially if you are on a budget.

1) Autographs. All the characters do Autographs when you meet them. Pick up a book from a local store and a special pen for this. You can buy them on the park, but it's cheaper (and I think more unique) if you put together one of your own. I've seen some very craft oriented versions on the parks and forums that look very nice! It's a very cheap (Autographs are free, so really, just the cost of pen and book) souvanier.

Other things I've not done, but seen others do, is bring a sharpie and ask characters to sign shirts, stuffed animals, or hats. The only one this doesn't work so well for is Buzz (in Hollywood Studios, across from Toy Story Mania), because he uses a stamp to "sign" things.

2) Bring a ziplock with quarters and pennies. Disney has littered the parks with Pressed Penny / Pressed Quarter machines all over the place. Pressed Pennies are 51 cents each (2 quarters plus 1 penny that is pressed). Pressed Quarters are 1.25 (4 quarters and 1 quarter that is pressed).

You can normally find them at the end of rides (ride specific), but they are also in the shops and sometimes just sitting on the side of the walkway. It's a lot of fun to try and find them all. My kid has a collection from each year.

I don't think the Quarter machines are that great a deal, but the Pennies sure are! They are like Pokemon. Gotta catch em all! Display / Collector books can be purchased in the parks, but I'd not recommend them. They are cheaply made, and the plastic pockets break easily.

3) Pin trading is a fun thing on the Parks. Cast Members have lanyards (or placards) that have pins on them that kids can trade with them at any time. My kid adores this. However, it can get VERY expensive. Try looking on Ebay for pin sets on sale. However, if you do purchase online...be wary of fakes.

Another idea is to get everyone a lanyard and have them choose out a few special pins of things that mean a lot to them. My kid and I have a lanyard for every trip that has favorite ride pins, special pins and hotel pins on it to commemorate the trip.

4) You're kids may be interested in doing the Jedi Academy at HS. They get to "learn the ways of the force" and even fight Darth Vader in person! If they are interested, be sure to show up EARLY (as in before park opening) to sign them up for this. The sign in area is located near the big dinosaur in a building just past American Idol, off to the right. Any Cast Member would be happy to direct you as to where, and they put a sandwich style sign out front. NOTE: ALL children being signed up for it MUST be present at sign-up! But, it's a ton of fun.

5) There are a few rides you are going to want to use Fast Passes for. Many of the larger rides have two lines. One is for "Fast Passes", the other is the normal line. I won't go into too much detail about them, unless you need further clarification. But, basically, Disney has littered the park with little machines that give you "tickets" with a return time. You MUST return to the ride during that time to use the pass. The window is generally 45 minutes to an hour, so it's not like you have to hit the exact minute, but don't try to use the pass before or after your window.

The rides you probably want to use a Fast Pass for are (of course there are other rides available, these are just the ones that I think have the worst queues and/or longest average waits):

MK
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Peter Pan (CAN'T stress this one more...the wait is long and HOT there)
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

EP
Sourin' (Send one of your older kids or your hubby to go grab these as soon as you get to the Park)
Test Track

HS
Toy Story Mania (Also, send one of your older kids or your hubby to go grab these as soon as you get to the Park)
Rockin' Roller Coaster (Hot and crowded queue)
Tower of Terror (Not as needed as it used to be, but if the wait is outside, the queue is hot)

AK
Everest (Send one of your older kids or hubby...yeah...you get the tip now)
Kilimanjaro Safari
Kali River
Dinosaur

6) This was mentioned by someone else earlier, but if you have a kid into science, etc...make time to see the exhibits at Innventions. When you first walk into Epcot, Innoventions are the two buildings on your right and left. They have other things as well (shops, eateries, meet and greets, etc)...but the exhibits are a lot of fun. Each exhibit has a corporate sponsor and allows kids all sorts of neat little things to do, including making their own video game with them in it, which then you can email to yourself so you always have a copy. Loads of fun.

That is all for now. Hope this helps!

 

[Mom of 3]

Thanks everyone for the great advice! I have ordered the Idiots Guide to Disney World 2013. Is it the same or do I have to get the other one? Yes, Akershus is the one I meant. I couldn't spell it. I'm glad to hear people have had good experiences there. Thank you for all the autograph tips! I have a kindle so I'm going to try to get the Unofficial Guide for it. Thanks!

 

[Mom of 3]

I do have the video that WDW sent me, but it was made a few years ago apparently, because it talks about renovations that won't be done until 2012. I made a list of the rides and shows we want to do from it, but I don't know what we are missing.

The passport idea sounds really fun. My kids will love that. Does anyone know if foreign money is available at Epcot?

 

[englanddg]

I do have the video that WDW sent me, but it was made a few years ago apparently, because it talks about renovations that won't be done until 2012. I made a list of the rides and shows we want to do from it, but I don't know what we are missing.

The passport idea sounds really fun. My kids will love that. Does anyone know if foreign money is available at Epcot?

They used to have a card that you could buy that had coins from each country...though now with the Euro (So, Germany, France and Italy pavilions all now have the same money), there's a lot less variety than there used to be. So, I'm not sure if they still sell it. You won't be able to exchange coins at the various pavilions...though some may have collectible items with coins there.

The passport kits come with a passport, stickers, and a "Round the World" pin. They are stamped at "Kidcot" stations that can be found (some more easily than others) in each of the host countries. And yes, it's lots of fun. The Passport is made very well too.

 

[zurgandfriend]

The unofficial Guide will go over ride by ride in each park, ratings by differnt age groups, restrictions, motions sickness, if any, etc. Go to your local book story and check it out. It may also be in your local library but check the date of that version it may be dated e.g. 1993.

 

[Susan Savia]

Read all you can about the 4 parks. Be at rope drop, use the Fast Passes where you can and take lots of pictures!

 

[SAV]

If money is a concern, you should consider dropping the Park Hopper option. There is so much to do in each park that you may not even utilize it. Hopping also takes time and adds complexity and travel. While at Epcot, make sure to go to Club Cool and get your share of free coke products from around the world. Drinking the Beverly is a must.

 

[Figgy1]

If money is a concern, you should consider dropping the Park Hopper option. There is so much to do in each park that you may not even utilize it. Hopping also takes time and adds complexity and travel. While at Epcot, make sure to go to Club Cool and get your share of free coke products from around the world. Drinking the Beverly is a must.

^^^^^ THIS I haven't hopped since the eighties! Beverly is an um acquired taste @SAV was being funny!

 

[Mom of 3]

What is Beverly? Is it comparable to anything I'd know?
I bought the Unofficial Guide and have been reading it and taking notes. It seems Magic Kingdom has the most to offer so I plan to spend 2 days in that park. I have purchased lanyards and pins for trading. I'm not intirely sure of the practicality of fast passes. But I guess I'll learn that. Are the parks very crowded in the middle of June? Thank you all for the advice!

 

[jrab0616]

What is Beverly? Is it comparable to anything I'd know?
I bought the Unofficial Guide and have been reading it and taking notes. It seems Magic Kingdom has the most to offer so I plan to spend 2 days in that park. I have purchased lanyards and pins for trading. I'm not intirely sure of the practicality of fast passes. But I guess I'll learn that. Are the parks very crowded in the middle of June? Thank you all for the advice!

Beverly is...unlike anything else. It was made for the Italian market, but has been discontinued being sold. You can only getting at taste testings such as club cool or The World of Coca Cola in Atlanta.

Please don't be afraid of the fastpasses. Use them to your advantage. There will be some rides that will be nearly impossible to ride without one (Sorin' and Toy Story Mania especially) unless you want to wait 2+ hours in line (both of these had 3 hour waits when we were there a week and a half ago). They are really easy to use, and you can always ask a cast member for clarification. There is usually one at each of the fast pass distributions.

The parks are likely to be crowded because it's summertime, but not as crowded - or hot - as they will be in the later summer months. I think you'll be fine if you plan accordingly. Don't try to do everything in one trip - it's impossible! Stick to your list of must dos and enjoy it! Take time to enjoy the magic of Disney! Stop and smell the roses.

Just in case you don't know about it, they have photographers throughout the parks that will capture pictures for you. They give you a card called a photopass and you can look at all your pictures online (they'll take them with your camera or phone too). You can pre-purchase the CD before your trip for about $60 less than what it would cost to buy the same CD after you return. It's a little tricky to find on the website so try this link http://www.disneyphotopass.com/specialoffers/wdwppp.htm or google "preorder photopass cd". It's probably too late for you to preorder the photopass+ since you are within 14 days of your trip! We preordered the CD for our latest trip and it was sooo worth it! It was awesome and we came home with about 300 pictures for our 4 days!

I know you'll have a magical trip! Take the time to enjoy your family and the magic of Disney!

 

[Brandon Bowman]

Fastpasses are vital to your trip! You can also check out Mousesavers.com for some more planning tips and a million other things! Parkhopping is not a necessity since most of the parks take a full day to tour. The ONLY reason I believe in PH is to eat at a different resort than the one you visited that day but honestly not alot of people are going to go out of there way for that nor pay the extra buck.

A quick tip for HS make sure to grab fast passes for Toy Story Mania as soon as the rope drops. The line grows quickly and fastpasses on busy days can run out for the whole day before 11:00. TSM pretty much has the WORST loading out of any disney ride. Enjoy your vacation!!!!