Disney for first time.
 

Going to Disney for first time at with family of five. boy 13 girls 11 and 8. Going prime time staying seven nights at Contemp. How should we handle the parks going to spend 2 days in each of the major four Epcot, MGM, Wilderness and Magic...... HElp Its a week away and starting to feel panicky.thanks to the experts who answer.

First step, relax. Your kids will have a great time, regardless of what you decide to do. Second, there is no perfect or right way to do Disney and it is impossible to see everything. Remember the goal is to have a good time, not win a prize for seeing the most stuff. Next step is to go to library or book store and get one or 2 of the million Disney books out there - everyone has their favorite. I like Disney with Kids. Then, let your kids spend some time with the books - if they "own" some of the decision-making the trip will be even better. We have made several trips and, while we had a rough plan at the outset, we made a more complete plan back at the hotel each night (or in AM at breakfast) about what to see that day. My kids surprised us by loving Epcot more than Magic Kingdom, for example. 2 days probably too much at Wilderness. I suggest getting to one selected park early, then leaving early afternoon for swim, relax, etc, and then go back, maybe to a different park. Save the last day for "repeats". You WILL panic if you feel obligated to cram as much as possible into your days - isn't the idea to have some fun together as a family, not win a marathon? Do a search on this board and you will come up with a zillion posts - many disagreeing with the other - that just proves we all have different ideas of what works for us!

I agree with gail about the book Disney with Kids. It was a wonderful help with our planning. Have a great time, and don't worry too much about planning! At bedtime when the kids were settling down, we just pulled out our book and planned the next day's activities, what time to get up and go, what to do first, etc. Then it was only planning one day at a time, it was less overwhelming than doing it all in advance.

Go to www.disboards.com for a LOT of great info on Disney.

I planned our trip {a few years ago} well, I thought, before we arrived, bought and read guidebooks, etc. However, once we arrived, a million things through off my precise itinerary. and you know what? It didn't matter! I agree with the above posts; purcase and read a book or too, have a rough idea of what you want to see and do, discuss plans the evening before each day,be flexible if things don't work out exactly as you planned - i.e. crowds,closed attractions, cranky kids {or spouse}, then just have a great time! I think that the best tip is not to overplan and try to see every thing. Disney is a bit overwhelming. Better to have fun doing fewer things than to be stressed, so allow time to relax.

Tom, Good advice on not trying to do everything. It would take a good 3-4 weeks of non-stop to see everything. My best advice is relax and enjoy the experience. One thing is that Animal kingdom can easily be done in a single day. Take at least one day to just relax around the hotel, go swimming, rent a boat or just go check out some ot the other hotels. I live in Orlando and have been to disney many many times. I have done both the Commando approach and the leisurely approach and the latter is definitely the way to go. My one tip is to plan to have lunch at the restaurants in Epcot, same food for much less. Enjoy your trip and dont stress out!!!

You might consider a day or two at Universal Studios. A dear friend went and said that they enjoyed US better than DisneyWorld, and wished they hadn't waited till the last day to go. <BR><BR>A few years ago my daughter and I went to DW. We did 2 days at Magic Kingdom, 1 day at Epcot, 1 day at MGM. If you had limited time like we did, I'd suggest trying to hit the highlights. But you have plenty of time so it's not necessary. <BR><BR>Have fun, and RELAX!

Dear 1st timer:<BR>If you get too overwhelmed feel free to e-mail me direct with any questions. Enjoy your trip lots to do but not all in one trip you will have a great time.

Universal's two parks are wonderful! Don't forget them!

I highly recommend the Birnbaum Disney books. Since you are spending 7 days,consider one day at Universal and maybe one day at SeaWorld. They may want one shopping day as well.Then , by all means buy the park hopper passes which give you total freedom to enjoy as many parks as you can fit in. If you don't use all the passes, you can redeem them anytime in the future.

Ask each child and adult what their top two "must-dos" are, and get help from everyone coordinating these into the outline of the trip.<BR> <BR>Break up your touring days by going back to the hotel for a nap or swim mid-day.<BR><BR>Eight straight days in theme parks is too much, IMO. Break it up by taking a couple of days for the beach, pool, nature preserve, etc. Avoid Magic Kingdom on weekends. Animal Kingdom can be done by starting at about 2 p.m. when the early morning crowds are thin out considerably.

My family just did the Disneyworld thing in November 2001. We purchased a 5 day pass and only used 3. Our children were a little younger (10, 8 and 5 all girls) and we'll return again to use those 2 remaining passes. We spent 2 weeks there visiting friends, golfing (husband) and mainly swimming! My kids loved the pools. <BR>I agree with the other posts .. go get a book. Also, the most helpful was www.mousesavers.com They have excellent ideas and great ways to save. Also check out www.wdig.com <BR>Have a super time and enjoy!!!