Your Planning advice to First Timers.

real mad hatter

real mad hatter

Well-Known Member
Good Morning Disneyaerians. Now I hope you think I didn't come down too hard on " Bravemouse " this morning.A 21 year old female from Canada,but she asked on the site " What is the DDP all about " ? I have gave her a article to read on today's Disney food blog.And of course her homework.But imagine your a Disney tutor and are taking your first class of first timers.How would you go about spreading the pixie dust of your knowledge? Where would you start,? And what is the most important things to teach them to make their Disney vacation a dream come true.?;)
 
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bubbles1812

bubbles1812

Well-Known Member
Get a book and also get the kids a book as well. I can still remember my dad giving my brothers and I a "Kids guide to Disney World." It was really exciting because we felt we were involved in the planning and it also allowed us even as children to identify stuff we'd like to do. It actually helped my parents in the park because we could identify some things we wanted to ride

Don't go with extended family. I know some people do but the more opinions there are, it seems the worse a trip often gets. At least the first time, just enjoy yourself with your spouse/partner and children (if you have them).

Budget. Disney is an expensive place and money is a great stressor. You don't want to be getting a bill at the end of the trip that is way more than you wanted to pay. Not every meal has to be a signature meal and you do not have to buy out the stores. That merchandise will most likely be there whenever you come back based on current trends ;)

Do some research (per the book or online) and have a general idea of what is in each park as well as its layout. Restaurants shopping everything like that is secondary. On that note... At least have some idea how Fastpass works and get advice from someone who has been to Disney before on how to use them properly (ie how not to waste them on attractions that don't need a Fastpass to begin with)

Check out Universal because Harry Potter is awesome! ;) Just kidding.... Kind of. I would actually encourage anyone going to Orlando for the first time to look at all the offerings there including Sea World, Discovery Cove, ect

And have fun! :)
 
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Mikester71

Mikester71

Well-Known Member
I know I am always in the minority on this one (chimed in on another similar discussion a couple of days ago on here), but we do very little planning when going to WDW and we've been fortunate enough to have 4 GREAT trips, going back to our very first one in 2005. Now I know you are specifically talking about sharing advice with first timers and all, but other than hearing about a buddy's annual family trips to WDW for a couple of years before our first trip, I knew nothing about WDW other than what I had seen on television and in his family pictures. And like I said...my family and I had an absolute BLAST on that first trip in March 2005! Sure, there are people who could argue that there were things we could have done better or we could have gotten more out of our vacation if we would have changed this or that around, but at the end of the day, all four of us had a 1st trip we will NEVER forget and came home with a lifetime of memories that no one can ever take away. And that is all that mattered to us. It is you and your family that will ultimately judge whether the trip was a success or not, not some stranger.

I just want people to know that you can have a successful trip to WDW without having to plan every last detail of your trip and that there is something to be said for having a little spontaneity in your life once in a while. Life is full of too many schedules and too many rules - too much stress. So when I'm on vacation, I want to wake up when I want to wake up and see where the day points me. It might be 90degrees out and I may want to spend the day at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach that day, or even just relaxing around the resort pool. Or I might want to wake up early and hit the ground running at Magic Kingdom; who knows?! Hey, for my family, all I know is it works!

For the record, I'm not discounting or disagreeing with anything anybody has said in this thread so far. Quite to the contrary. It is all REALLY good advice and there are some great tips on here for first timers, as well as seasoned vets. I've been coming on here since 2005/6 regularly and can say without a shadow of a doubt that pretty much all of my WDW knowledge is owed to this site. So it would definitely be something I would share with a first timer looking for information on anything WDW. That and JUST HAVE FUN!!! WDW isn't going anywhere. If you miss something or couldn't get everything in on that first trip, it's not the end of the world. Just start saving for that second trip and you can catch it then! :D
 
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Figgy1

Figgy1

Well-Known Member
Mikester71 said:
I know I am always in the minority on this one (chimed in on another similar discussion a couple of days ago on here), but we do very little planning when going to WDW and we've been fortunate enough to have 4 GREAT trips, going back to our very first one in 2005. Now I know you are specifically talking about sharing advice with first timers and all, but other than hearing about a buddy's annual family trips to WDW for a couple of years before our first trip, I knew nothing about WDW other than what I had seen on television and in his family pictures. And like I said...my family and I had an absolute BLAST on that first trip in March 2005! Sure, there are people who could argue that there were things we could have done better or we could have gotten more out of our vacation if we would have changed this or that around, but at the end of the day, all four of us had a 1st trip we will NEVER forget and came home with a lifetime of memories that no one can ever take away. And that is all that mattered to us. It is you and your family that will ultimately judge whether the trip was a success or not, not some stranger.

I just want people to know that you can have a successful trip to WDW without having to plan every last detail of your trip and that there is something to be said for having a little spontaneity in your life once in a while. Life is full of too many schedules and too many rules - too much stress. So when I'm on vacation, I want to wake up when I want to wake up and see where the day points me. It might be 90degrees out and I may want to spend the day at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach that day, or even just relaxing around the resort pool. Or I might want to wake up early and hit the ground running at Magic Kingdom; who knows?! Hey, for my family, all I know is it works!

For the record, I'm not discounting or disagreeing with anything anybody has said in this thread so far. Quite to the contrary. It is all REALLY good advice and there are some great tips on here for first timers, as well as seasoned vets. I've been coming on here since 2005/6 regularly and can say without a shadow of a doubt that pretty much all of my WDW knowledge is owed to this site. So it would definitely be something I would share with a first timer looking for information on anything WDW. That and JUST HAVE FUN!!! WDW isn't going anywhere. If you miss something or couldn't get everything in on that first trip, it's not the end of the world. Just start saving for that second trip and you can catch it then! :D
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Did you know there were 4 parks and were you traveling with children with severe allergies?
 
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Bparso87

Bparso87

Well-Known Member
I started to go to Disney 3 years ago and the first time I felt I was so prepared. This web site hearing from other Disney folks helped out a lot. There is a lot of great websites use them read read read. The better prepare the better off you are. I have been there and still have not done everything in the world pick what you and your family will like the best.
 
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disneygirl76

disneygirl76

Carey Poppins - Nanny and Disney Enthusiest
real mad hatter said:
Good Morning Disneyaerians. Now I hope you think I didn't come down too hard on " Bravemouse " this morning.A 21 year old female from Canada,but she asked on the site " What is the DDP all about " ? I have gave her a article to read on today's Disney food blog.And of course her homework.But imagine your a Disney tutor and are taking your first class of first timers.How would you go about spreading the pixie dust of your knowledge? Where would you start,? And what is the most important things to teach them to make their Disney vacation a dream come true.?;)
Click to expand...

I always tell them that it is a lot of info, but don't be scared and overwhelmed, and we will take it in steps. We first tackle the who, what, where, when and why. After that, I feel like they have their feet wet, and they are confident to go on to the more nitty gritty of planning and learning about Disney. The next thing - to listen to me. I am not a dictator but I have been around the block on this a few times before so please, listen. For example, the family I nanny for did not follow the plan and went first thing to Buzz Light Year. They have a 2 and 4 year old. And the 2 year still will come up to me and say, I cried on Buzz. Yep - flipped out! He was so scared to be in the dark, with the noises. It was all too much. I explained baby steps for his rides, as he had never ever been on any kind of ride before. Not even as much as a snow hill ( being it has snowed around here in two years!) So the scariest thing he ever went on was a double slide at the park. He refused to go on any other rides with out complete hysterics. So although they may not like it, I tell them to please, listen. :)
 
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disneycouple07

disneycouple07

Well-Known Member
I would explain to them, no matter how long you stay in WDW, it is impossible to do everything!

Buying the Unofficial Guide would be first. Watching the WDW planning DVD. Briefly explain the 4 parks, water parks, resorts, dining and recreation. Let them research allears.net, mousesavers.com and touringplans.com. Discuss how important booking early is and after they pick dates/resort, we would draft an itinerary and dining reservations. Finally, create an account with WDWMAGIC!

I think planning a trip, especially to WDW can be overwhelming but if you put the time & effort into researching, you can get the most out of the vacation.
 
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Mikester71

Mikester71

Well-Known Member
figmentfan423 said:
Did you know there were 4 parks and were you traveling with children with severe allergies?
Click to expand...

Yes to the first, no to the second.

Like I said, nothing wrong with planning. Have nothing against it, myself. Just wanted people to know that there are some (okay, at the least, me) that can still have successful trips without having to plan every last detail of their trip. I totally understand if you have someone with a disability or allergy and want to make sure they are going to be taken care of. Heck, my mother-in-law came along with us on 3 of the 4 trips and she can barely walk due to horrible arthritis. But we still managed to make sure she was comfortable throughout our whole trip, and did so on the fly and after our arrival.
 
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Mikester71

Mikester71

Well-Known Member
In response to what Trotsky posted earlier, we are not the ADR type and yet have still managed to eat more than just hot dogs while down there. Actually, we have only made 1 ADR in four trips (37 total days spent at WDW between 4 trips) and it was probably the biggest hassle and worst meal we had on all of our trips. People don't realize that there actually ARE some people who don't have to have a big meal at a big restaurant every single night. Heck, if I look at those 37 days down there, I'd say we probably ate dinner in the Pop Century cafeteria at least 25 or more of those days and were perfectly content doing so. And it had nothing to do with money or bad planning. We all chose to eat there and loved doing so! We also went off-property a few times and had very nice meals there too.

Different strokes for different folks! :)
 
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HouCuseChickie

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
I think the "perfect" answer to this question all depends on what kind of first timer is asking. Figgy pointed out the allergy aspect and it brings up a good point- every person/family is going to have their own specific needs...some more urgent than others. As a parent who carries 2 EpiPens per child, Benadryl & Zyrtec (allergist preferred) b/c we'll be dialing 911 if one child ingests nuts or the other gets an insect bite/sting- you don't usually just play it by ear anywhere- especially when traveling.

In general, I also think you'd give different advice to a group of 20 somethings vs. a family of 4 with 2 children. And one family may be prime for different advice than another. Case in point, I have one friend who wants things planned out as much as possible- so she's going to get the unabridged version of "Chickie's Guide to the World" :D whereas another friend who is super go with the flow got a few key points/tips that could come in handy "should" they choose to add some structure to their days (i.e. ADRs, fastpasses, onsite perks, beating the crowds, etc.). So, ultimately- the key is to know your audience and structure your advice based on that.
 
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wdwstateofmind

wdwstateofmind

Well-Known Member
HouCuseChickie said:
Benadryl & Zyrtec (allergist preferred)
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I really hope you're not giving people with allergies benadryl...any allergist would scream at you for this and you can cause some serious problems using benadryl to fight allerigies the antihist actually causes more problems then it solves and will eventually have a terrible inverse effect (I know this cause I'm allergic to everything in the State of NJ, have been to numerous allergists, and lets face it, benadryl doesn't do anything for allergies except put you to sleep to begin with and who wants to sleep the day away at WDW)...
 
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