Planning a First Time Trip

[Preacher Gravy]

Greetings! I am new to the site and had a few questions about planning a first time trip for me and my wife. . .
- Where is the best place to stay (moderately priced)
- What is the best time of year to go? (we cannot travel at Christmas, Summers, Spring Break, Thanksgiving)
- How many days should we plan on staying?
- Is the dining plan worth it?
- How far out can I reserve a room/meal/tour/etc.
- What can I do that would be different (my wife and I are both 26 and have no kids, so the sky is the limit!)

By looking around it seems as though this is the place for answers, any help is appreciated. . . .:lol:

 

[RiversideBunny]

It would really help you a lot if you get, now, a travel guide to Walt Disney World.
I like 'Passporter'. Others like 'The Unofficial Guide'.
Both are good.
They are available in book stores and on amazon.com

The 2008 versions should be out now.
Not only will they help you with your planning and answer your questions, they are fun to read.

Good luck.

 

[lilclerk]

To answer your Disney Visa question - the interest rates are pretty high, but if you trust yourself to pay it off every month, charge as much as you can to the card. I only use it for my car (gas, oil changes, etc.) and I've got a bunch of points saved to help pay for my next trip already. Cars are sooo dern expensive :lol:

But, I'd say at least 3 weeks before your trip, request a points card. You need at least 20 points to get a card. They'll send you a card - like a gift card - and each point is worth $1. You can use the points to pay for your room, tickets, or merchandise/food in the parks. Pretty cool =)

Also, if you want, you can switch resorts in mid-trip to save money. For instance, when you get there, stay a few nights at Pop Century, then switch to POFQ (I would absolutely love to stay there someday, it's beautiful.) Disney will move your bags while you're in the parks. It can be a bit of a pain, but you get the best of both worlds =)
Or, you could just stay at Pop and take a day of your trip to tour the other resorts. Have dinner at O'Hana at the Polynesian, then go out on the beach to watch Wishes across the lagoon.
Or have dinner at the Beach/Yacht Club, then walk over to Epcot to see IllumiNations, or spend some time on the Boardwalk.
There's so many options, I'm sure you two will have a wonderful time =).

On the dining plan - we used it this year for the first time, and I fell in love with it. We saved a ton of money and had some great meals. But when they announced the changes, I said I wouldn't use it anymore. It would be a better value for us if we just paid out of pocket for a few sit down meals. I'd suggest going through the menus with your wife (you can find them on this site and on http://www.allears.net) to figure out which restaurants you might want to try. Then figure out if the DDP will work out for you.

 

[lebeau]

-- Some responses said Dining plan might be free, how is this done?

Usually if you book your trip in the summer for Aug or Sep, they offer the dining plan for free. There's no guarantee they will do that next year, but it seems likely at this point. That doesn't really help you if you were planning to go before fall 08.

-- I think we are leaning towards the Port Orleans French Quarter and a full week, but because of cost we might go to POP. . whats the main difference?

The Value Resorts are kind of like a themed motel. It's somewhat bare-bones. There's fewer ammenities and no sit-down restaraunt. Just a food court. The moderate resorts will have more room, more ammenities, etc.

You will probably not be in your room very much. So I don't recommend over-spending on the room. Most people just sleep there and use the pool.

-- We currently have a Disney Visa (got it when we decided to go) how do the points work and what extra benefits can I expect?

You get 1 bonus point for every $100 you spend. Once you have enough points, you get them transferred to a card which you can use to buy Disney stuff. It's good at the parks or the Disney store. It has other uses, but I've never used any of them.

There are occassionally additional bonues. Discounts are listed at the Chase website. They usually aren't anything spectacular. Also, you can get a free picture with the characters at Epcot. I've never done it myself, but I've seen them and it is a nice souvenier.

-- I think we are going to try and do all the fireworks shows. . . and a nice dinner every night with them (whats the cost of the fireworks cruise). Where are some good places to eat?

I'm gonna let someone else help you out here. My wife is a light-weight and she never makes it to the fireworks.

Okay, a few tips because I can't help myself:

For Fantasmic, there is a dinner package(http://www.allears.net/din/fantdin1.htm). It's not necessary to book the dinner package to see Fantasmic, but I hear it is convenient.

At Epcot, I hear that outdoor seating at the Rose and Crown is ideal.

At the Magic Kingdom, I believe I have heard that California Grill is a great place to eat and watch the show.

-- What are EMH and how exactly do they work?

http://www.allears.net/tp/emhour.htm

-- Anything else I should know??

Tons. Others have recommended buying a travel guide. I'd recommend buying one or getting one from the library. The Official Guide has lots of good pictures. I recommend it to first timers. However, the Unofficial Guide has more helpful information. Ideally, I'd flip through the official guide and then read the Unofficial Guide.

Supplement all that with on-line research and questions asked here.

 

[Preacher Gravy]

I got online this afternoon to book the hotel for next October, Port Orleans riverside is $50 a night cheaper than French Quarter. Anyone know why this is?

 

[Nemo14]

I got online this afternoon to book the hotel for next October, Port Orleans riverside is $50 a night cheaper than French Quarter. Anyone know why this is?

No, but go for it!!!!!

 

[H20Babie]

Could be one was showing standard and the other preferred?

 

[coltow]

-- Some responses said Dining plan might be free, how is this done?
This is/was a special offer, just keep checking here in the spring to see if it's offered again.
-- I think we are leaning towards the Port Orleans French Quarter and a full week, but because of cost we might go to POP. . whats the main difference?
PO will be quieter. Pop's rooms wil be smaller. If you plan to just sleep at the resort than go for Pop. If you want to relax a bit I'd go for PO.
-- I think we are going to try and do all the fireworks shows. . . and a nice dinner every night with them (whats the cost of the fireworks cruise).check disney site
Where are some good places to eat?
My favorites are Liberty Tree Tavern & Crystal Palace at MK, LeCellier & Rose and Crown at EP. No place really does it for me at MGM or AK. You can also try hitting some restaurants at resorts some of them are top notch.
-- What are EMH and how exactly do they work?
Resort guests get extra time in the parks
-- Anything else I should know??
Plan things ahead so you are not disappointed by missing things you absolutely want to do. Make sure to have fun. To me, planning is half the fun.

 

[lilclerk]

If you want to have some fun, try to get meals at the 50s Prime Time Cafe or the Sci Fi Dine In, both in DHS. 50s Prime Time has great food (well, I loved the pot roast and fried chicken) and it's a great atmosphere. Sci Fi has a great atmosphere and so-so food. If you want to try it, go for lunch, get a burger and shake, and enjoy some silly sci-fi movie clips.
I'm probably in the minority, but those were my favorites of my last trip.

 

[lebeau]

If you want to have some fun, try to get meals at the 50s Prime Time Cafe or the Sci Fi Dine In, both in DHS. 50s Prime Time has great food (well, I loved the pot roast and fried chicken) and it's a great atmosphere. Sci Fi has a great atmosphere and so-so food. If you want to try it, go for lunch, get a burger and shake, and enjoy some silly sci-fi movie clips.
I'm probably in the minority, but those were my favorites of my last trip.

The 50s Prime Time is a must every time we go. The pot roast is heavenly, and I'm not usually a fan of pot roast.

Sci Fi is just plain neat. You need to make priority seating reservations to make sure you can get a car. We went once for dessert. I'd recommend that over having a full meal there.

 

[krazyfordisney]

We've stayed at Pop Century and Riverside:
Riverside was a day hike to get to any of the central areas or to the bus stop. The bus always made a couple of stops before it got to its final destination. The rooms are a decent size though.

Pop Century has only been half built so it's a shorter walk to get the central areas or bus stop. Also...the bus is always direct to its location, it doesn't stop at any other resort.

It sounds like you want to try some fun restaurants, so I highly recommend the Dining Plan. There are so many dining experiences to choose from but below are a few of our favorites:
-Boma's in Animal Kingdom Lodge - unusual dining choices, not your typical fare
-Cinderella's Royal Table - it's just fun to eat in the castle
-Norway's Akerhaus (sp?) - also unusual dining choices, not your typical fare
-Germany - Music and entertainment is fun, especially if your a "joiner". Comfort food too.
-50's Prime Time Cafe - comfort food, and the waiters/waitresses can be a real blast!

Dining choices I've heard are very good, but haven't experienced:
-Hoop De Doo Review
-Ohana's at the Polysian Resort (we have reservations there for our next trip)
Make reseverations 180 days in advance, don't wait till you get there.

PLAN,PLAN,PLAN - Don't go for "spur of the moment". Plan where you want to visit. Check the disney site for those rides that are Fast Pass and those are not. The newer the ride, the more popular it tends to be. Plan for time to sit too so you don't wear yourself out.

Use Fast Pass!!!! When we went in April, the longest ride we waited in was 15 minutes (most were less), but general waits for some rides were an hour or more. I cannot place a value on loosing hours every day waiting in lines when you don't need to.

The Unofficial Guide has great suggestions for planning your days, reviews, comments from readers, etc. Also gives crowd forcasts so that you can plan the best days to visit each park.

Lastly....our favorite ride:

Soaring - hands down one of the best rides ever!! But get to the park early to get your Fast Pass. Not a thrill ride, but it was an awesome experience.

If you like roller coasters, then try them all.

Wear broken in walking shoes.

One final tip: at the end of the day after the final show whether it be the fireworks, Illuminations or Fantasmic, do NOT get up and walk out with the rest of the crowd. Stay where you are for about 15 minutes and then enjoy a quite, leisurely walk out of the park. Getting out of the park is insane and very overwhelming when thousands of people are trying to get out. Its a pleasant experience if you wait just a few minutes!

Have a wonderful trip!!!!

K

 

[krazyfordisney]

We've stayed at Pop Century and Riverside:
Riverside was a day hike to get to any of the central areas or to the bus stop. The bus always made a couple of stops before it got to its final destination. The rooms are a decent size though.

Pop Century has only been half built so it's a shorter walk to get the central areas or bus stop. Also...the bus is always direct to its location, it doesn't stop at any other resort.

It sounds like you want to try some fun restaurants, so I highly recommend the Dining Plan. There are so many dining experiences to choose from but below are a few of our favorites:
-Boma's in Animal Kingdom Lodge - unusual dining choices, not your typical fare
-Cinderella's Royal Table - it's just fun to eat in the castle
-Norway's Akerhaus (sp?) - also unusual dining choices, not your typical fare
-Germany - Music and entertainment is fun, especially if your a "joiner". Comfort food too.
-50's Prime Time Cafe - comfort food, and the waiters/waitresses can be a real blast!

Dining choices I've heard are very good, but haven't experienced:
-Hoop De Doo Review
-Ohana's at the Polysian Resort (we have reservations there for our next trip)
Make reseverations 180 days in advance, don't wait till you get there.

PLAN,PLAN,PLAN - Don't go for "spur of the moment". Plan where you want to visit. Check the disney site for those rides that are Fast Pass and those are not. The newer the ride, the more popular it tends to be. Plan for time to sit too so you don't wear yourself out.

Use Fast Pass!!!! When we went in April, the longest ride we waited in was 15 minutes (most were less), but general waits for some rides were an hour or more. I cannot place a value on loosing hours every day waiting in lines when you don't need to.

The Unofficial Guide has great suggestions for planning your days, reviews, comments from readers, etc. Also gives crowd forcasts so that you can plan the best days to visit each park.

Lastly....our favorite ride:

Soaring - hands down one of the best rides ever!! But get to the park early to get your Fast Pass. Not a thrill ride, but it was an awesome experience.

If you like roller coasters, then try them all.

Wear broken in walking shoes.

One final tip: at the end of the day after the final show whether it be the fireworks, Illuminations or Fantasmic, do NOT get up and walk out with the rest of the crowd. Stay where you are for about 15 minutes and then enjoy a quite, leisurely walk out of the park. Getting out of the park is insane and very overwhelming when thousands of people are trying to get out. Its a pleasant experience if you wait just a few minutes!

Have a wonderful trip!!!!

K

 

[Vernonpush]

PLAN,PLAN,PLAN - Don't go for "spur of the moment". Plan where you want to visit. Check the disney site for those rides that are Fast Pass and those are not. The newer the ride, the more popular it tends to be. Plan for time to sit too so you don't wear yourself out.

Planning is fine, but don't over-plan. If you are trying to keep to a minute by minute schedule, then NO ONE will have fun. Always plan on being spontaneous somewhere during your day (that's half of the fun). And if you have kids, then be flexible with your plans. I have heard so many parents saying to their children who are tired/over stimulated/etc. : "Behave and stop crying, we didn't this much money for you to cry!"
Get an idea of what each person would like to do and kind of do a touring plan, but be open to change.
Some of the best times at WDW happen when you least expect them. And if you are rushing to your next appointed stop, you will miss them.

 

[Figment Liteyr]

-- What are EMH and how exactly do they work?

A quick note about EMH that actually comes from the Unofficial Guide. I didn't see anyone post it and apoligize if this has been discussed before.

Each park has specific days of the week where they offer extra magic hours. Typically, resort guests will flock to the park that's offering extra magic hours, leaving the other parks relatively empty (by disney standards). We find it's best to stay away from the EMH park as it can get very crowded, and even with the extra time you can't do as much as you can on a non-EMH day.

 

[mickey&me]

Another word about planning...

The best way we've found is this:

1. Read a guide book & have each person choose his or her top 10 can't-miss attractions.

2. Check for overlap & do those attractions first.

3. Have each person to prioritize his or her list, and take turns doing the attractions in order of priority (one from each party member, then start over).

4. Don't be so bound by your "plan" that you miss something fun or exciting that you didn't know about beforehand.

Contrary to what many people believe, you can overplan your vacation and spoil the whole thing.

 

[KaliSplash]

You are going to have a great time!

A couple of philosophical things to understand.

1. You will not see and do everything there is to see and do. Unless you staying well in excess of two weeks. (water parks, minature golf, shopping, shows, activities at the resort, boating, etc.) WDW is designed to be overwhelming so you will want to return.

2. You should take a break in the middle of the day. This is not as important in the fall as it is during summer/holidays, but it's still a good idea. After lunch, go back to room, get off your feet and return to a park after at least a two hour break. Getting in the pool is an acceptable alternative! This may feel like you are not getting your maximum value for what is a fairly expensive vacation. But the break is worth it and helps avoid the "Only two more things in Fantasyland and then we can go to Tomorrowland" mentality.

3. The disadvantage to going in October is the shorter hours for the parks. But with the EMH, there will be a park somewhere that's open relatively late and Epcot is always open until 9 p.m.

4. As to guidebooks, the Official guide gives you a quick synopsis of everything that is available. Virtually all of it is positive. It's a Disney publication. The Unofficial Guide is monsterously larger and contains considerablely more useful information. However, the editors seems to feel the need to say something negative about everything and I do mean everything there. For me, it gives the tone of, well, if you MUST go to WDW, be forewarned about this and this and this and this. If you have the time to read both books (and you've got a year), you will be well-armed.)

5. Planning is important but don't hesitate to deviate from the plan when you see something unexpected and interesting. And you will.

6. You need an absolute minimum of 5 full days for the parks. This does NOT include the day of your arrival or the day of your departure. Five FULL days in the parks. The longer after 5, the better.

7. You're going to have a great time!

 

[Preacher Gravy]

It's Official, We're Booked!

After reading through everything and the great advice we saw here we booked this evening. October 6th - 12th, 2008:sohappy: in the parks and arriving the morning of the 5th, leaving the 13th!!! We opted for Coronado Springs (my wife thought it looked pretty) We went without the dining plan as we both don't eat a ton and have decided we will only do 1 or two 'big' meals. I saw that there were shorter hours, but figure it being light during that time will more than make up for it. I guess its time to start asking questions about how things in the park work . . . . Thanks again!:ROFLOL::ROFLOL::sohappy::sohappy::lol::lol:

 

[WickedQueen22]

I never imagined I would get so many great responses so fast. . . .Right now my wife and I are leaning heavily towards October based on what we have read so far. I hate to do this, but have a few more questions. . . . every time I get one answered it brings up 5 more :shrug:and I want to make sure that we maximize our trip.
-- Some responses said Dining plan might be free, how is this done?
-- I think we are leaning towards the Port Orleans French Quarter and a full week, but because of cost we might go to POP. . whats the main difference?
-- We currently have a Disney Visa (got it when we decided to go) how do the points work and what extra benefits can I expect?
-- I think we are going to try and do all the fireworks shows. . . and a nice dinner every night with them (whats the cost of the fireworks cruise). Where are some good places to eat?
-- What are EMH and how exactly do they work?
-- Anything else I should know??

I am definately glad I came across this board. Thanks again!:sohappy:

My first trip was as a couple. No children but I felt like a child! Definitly do the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party. There are great fireworks and it just a wonderful atmosphere about a night party with the characters all dressed up. I really loved it. Hope you do too. The Port Orleans offers romantic carriage rides around the grounds also. Nice way to cuddle up and relax. The boat ride to Downtown Disney was our favorite also. We never even made it to Pleasure Island because we were always too tired. Good Luck planning!!! Read as many books as you want and read as many boards as you can. There is never too much information. Make sure if you do the dining plan you make a reservation for the same park you will be in each day. It is a nice way to take a break and refuel. Dont miss Casey's Corner in Magic Kingdom. Great hot dogs to eat while watching the parades!!!

I believe you can use the points for purchases at Disney. call the member services number!

 

[krazyfordisney]

I agree in regards to over planning! Although I stated to Plan, Plan, Plan; you don't want to do a minute by minute plan. Enjoy the experience, but plan out what you want to see and what is most important. As someone else said, prioritize the most important things you want to do.

For example: If we had waited and gotten to Soaring in the late afternoon, Fast Passes would have been gone and we would have had to wait an hour and half to ride. But, getting there earlier in the day allowed us to get get our Fast Pass, go play for few hours elsewhere, and come back to wait in line for only 10 minutes to ride.

Have fun and enjoy!!! You'll have an outstanding time!

 

[Preacher Gravy]

Coronado Springs

So what can you tell me about Coronado Springs? It looks like it is only accesible by bus. . . .Is this right? Any advice would be great!

 

[lebeau]

So what can you tell me about Coronado Springs? It looks like it is only accesible by bus. . . .Is this right? Any advice would be great!

I just posted this on a thread dedicated to Corando Springs, but it's applicable here too:

The place is massive. Huge! There are golf carts for you to hitch a ride, but they aren't always there when you need them. When we stayed, we were all the way on the other side of the complex from the lobby and restaraunts, so we had a lot of very long walks.

Buses are the only form of transportation provided. Fortunately, there are a lot of bus stops, so you're never very far from them. We never had a wait of more than 20 minutes during our stay. And frequently it was 5-10 minutes.

The Pepper Market is pricey, but very cool. Some people apparently find it a little confusing. When you enter, they will give you a card for each member of your party. You can go around to all the different stations and place orders for whatever you want. When you place an order, they stamp your card like a passport. After your meal, you take your cards to the register and they ring you up. Gratuity is included in the prices (which is part of why it is pricey.)

My one gripe is that there is not much in the way of cheap, counter-service food. There is a bar at the pool that serves food, but the hours aren't great. And we had a bit of a bad experience with a bartender when we tried to order food without realizing that food service was closed. No big deal really, but the guy treated my wife like an idiot when the sign was somewhat misleading. Not what I expect from Disney.

The grounds are beautiful. The pool and the playground are really neat. My wife enjoyed napping in hammocks on the man-made sand beaches. And to offset the bad experience with the bartender, we had a really magical experience with most of the Corando Springs staff. One guy in particular got our trip off to a great start by giving my daughter an unexpected gift when we arrived.

You'll love it. Just be prepared to walk!