DWD -Theme Park Hater Needs your 3 Best Tips!
 

I am finally agreeing to go, from brazil, with my husband and two kids, 11 and 13. I am considering the Hyatt Cypress Gardens Resort because I am not sure if I can stand to be so close to the action. However we will spend only four days, and I do NOT want to rent a car. The hotel says they have shuttles but I don't want to wait around in the broiling July heat either. I am reading many messages posted about the Hardrock Hotel but our kids are clamouring Disney so this will have to be the main event. Should I just surrender to the inevitable and book at hotel at Disney. Will the lines just be too long and unbearable if I don't. What time do we have to get there in the morning to beat the crowds, how late do events go at night. I would appreciate your three single best tips that I must absolutely follow (aside from staying home which has worked beautifully up until now!!!) Thanks and any words of encouragement appreciated!!!

What is DWD????

I take it DWD really means WDW, Walt Disney World? Here's my tip for you:<BR>Let your kids go there with someone other than yourself so they'll have some fun.

I've done Disney 3x's in 5 years with 2 kids. You either love it or hate it. Go with an open mind & you may surprise yourself. Definitely stay in a Disney Resort Hotel. I recommend Port Orleans, The Wilderness Lodge, or Old Key West Resort. The kids will love it. Staying on site saves lots of time. I would be ready to go to the parks by 8-8:30 in the morning. July is peak season so lines will be 1-2 hours each ride. Parks close somewhere between 10-11:00 every night. Adult entertainment with dance clubs etc. is at Pleasure Island and that closes at 2am if I remember correctly. Don't bother with anything but sneakers for the day!

Liz-It's going to be hot, the lines will be long and you will be miserable. Let your au pair, grandparents or husband take the kids and you either go somewhere else or stay in the hotel. Why ruin it for them?<BR><BR>BTW-You should have had your tubes tied if you didn't want the inconvenience of having kids. People like you have absolutely no business being parents. And what's worse, your kids will grow up to be screwed up adults because of you...

I would agree with one of the above posts. Let Dad or the Grandparents take your kids if this is not your cup of tea. My husband has been to Disney in the past many times. He does not like being in crowds either. Guess what? He is staying home and I am taking my Son, Daughter-in-law and granddaughtr to Disney World and we are going to have a blast. Now for Disney info stay on site even though they do not have early entery anymore for resort guests you still cannot beat the convenience of staying on site. If the family gets tired after a morning at the parks, head back to the hotel and enjoy the pool or nap and then head back to the park when rested. There is transportation provided for each resort to get you to the parks. Life is to short put on your Mickey ears and have a good time with your kids.

Liz, at least you were being honest. You made it clear that you really don't want to make this trip, and are doing so reluctantly. Stay on the grounds because it's so much easier. Can you maybe spend the morning with the family inside the park and then spend the afternoon by yourself at the hotel pool. I've been to Disney and Universal and I'm ready to leave after a few days, but I enjoy spending time with my family, which we don't get to do very often. Go with an open mind. You may just enjoy yourself. And try to ignore the cruel posts. They seem to be everywhere today on this site.

OK, Liz, while Alex is finishing up his degree in child psychiatry, let's try to answer your question.<BR><BR>You probably should stay at a WDW hotel if you're not going to rent a car. Otherwise you're at the mercy of the shuttle. And if you don't have a car, where else are you going to go except to Disney? Orlando isn't made for walking around or public transportation.<BR><BR>Oh, and don't worry. The rest of knew you meant to type "WDW."

Liz<BR>Was at The Wilderness Lodge last spring break. Fantastic. Water show they put on at 9:25pm only at lodge was great also. Fast Pass works great when lines are long. Definately stay on premises if possible

There is a box at the top of the page that says "text search." Type in WDW, Walt Disney World or Orlando and you will find ALL the information you will ever need. OR, go to a bookstore or library and find a guidebook. There are tons of them. It aggravates me to no end when people try to take the easy way out and fail to do research on their own. Do the research, then come back and ask a question if you have any. AND Liz, park the ugly tone at the door next time. Ok?

Dear Former Teacher,<BR>I have done all the research however I like to supplement with as many people's impressions as possible. I think your suggestion is a good one, however hype is one thing but personal experience is another. If you have in fact ever been there, could you share some concrete ideas based on your personal experience please. Thanks

Hi Liz. I'm not sure why people are being so hostile. I'm not a big fan of Disney, either, and it is SO EXPENSIVE that we really never scheduled a family vacation there. We went to Europe, Mexico, the beach, Washington, DC, etc, and just tried to ignore it when our Disney-mad relatives asked us why we took such odd vacations! (These are people who celebrate their birthdays and anniversaries at Disney, or as we call it--though I'm sure we didn't originate this--Ratland).<BR><BR>Anyway, I did have a conference in Orlando one year, and took my kids, who were about 8 and 11 maybe. We got three-day passes, usually tried to be in the park by 9 am, and rarely lasted even as late as 5 pm. They were not impressed with the Magic Kingdom, wouldn't even go to Epcot, but LOVED the MGM one, which I also enjoyed. The highlight there was the full TV studio which had shows at selected times, for which about 25 lucky people would be selected. The lucky ones were given a spot in a classic TV bit, and the audience at the show saw film that looked like their kid or whoever was actually in Gilligan's Island, or I Love Lucy, or being interviewed by Howard Cosell. My girls LOVED that and it was very entertaining. I probably am not explaining it well, but we did all enjoy it.<BR><BR>I can't really do rides, so they had to do those on their own, but I can remember the Swiss Family Robinson area being OK even for a wimp like me.<BR><BR>We stayed at the Hilton, I think near the nighclub area, because that was where the conference was. It was on the Disney shuttle system, which was fine--I had a rental car, but you could rarely park very close to the entrance, so you traded a little waiting for the shuttle for a drop-off at the entrance. We were there in January, however, and not in the summer heat, which again would be a problem for me.<BR><BR>I've heard the waterparks are fantastic, so I would maybe focus on those in the heat, and maybe pick the resort with the best-sounding pool. There is really not much else to do in Orlando, so you might as well get up close and personal with the Mouse.

Well, at least she's being honest. Going in July with the heat and crowds would depress me, too. I prefer taking kids out of school for 2 days and going in Oct or Nov.<BR>Anyway, buy the book "Disney Without Kids" and it will give you some ideas of things you'd like and enjoy.<BR> If you stay at Disney resort, you can get into the park an hour before others. However, I couldn't get the kids ready that early!<BR>I stayed at the Hyatt and it is fantastic! My kids liked the hotel as much as WDW. it has a huge free form pool with a slide, bar and whirlpool under a "cave". The food is great there.This will probably make you enjoy the trip even more. The shuttles run frequently and I never had any trouble getting back and forth. You don't need a car. Best of luck.

You poor woman! Getting slammed for being honest. I sell this vacation more times than I could ever know. I know what I am talking about. The trick about WDW is timing. At the first sign of fatigue or overload, find a shady spot and rest. They can meet up with you later. Leave the park and head back to the resort and pool to chill. Or head to one of the water parks. The Disney Institute has a wonderful day spa as well as the Grand Floridian. In July, the heat and lines cannot be avoided. Wear light colored cotton clothes and drink tons of water and this should help some. WDW is not just for kids. There are many things adults can do such as the cooking, landscaping, etc. classes offered by the Disney Institute. Private tours are available for a fee that show the inner workings of Disney. I would definitely go and buy Birnbaum's Disney Insider. The book offers many different itineraries based on personal needs and time constraints. The main thing is to keep and open mind. You will likely find yourself laughing at your kids and their first impressions/reactions to the rides, hotels, etc. This will liely make the trip more enjoyable for you. Seeing it all through the eyes of your kids. Try to remember what it was like to be 11 and 13 and just go with it! Good Luck and I hope people start being more kind and understanding.

Liz,<BR><BR>Yes, you are right, I did get a kick out of your post. :-)

My three tips for maintaining mom's sanity:<BR><BR>1. Stay in one of the ``on site'' but <BR> not ``Disney'' hotels (disney village,<BR> I think its called). You get the on<BR> site bus transportation, but its less <BR> expensive. The only thing missing is <BR> the extravagant disney architecture. These hotels are across the street<BR> from a shopping center containing an<BR> actual grocery store. The suite hotel (forget the name) has kitchenettes -- have lunch in your room or picnic on hotel grounds and avoid the crowds. <BR><BR>2. Go to the room for a siesta between 12 and 3. Swim in the pool and play on the playground.<BR><BR>3. Refuse to stand in line. The Fast Pass can get you a 10-15 minute wait for most of the major attractions. Lots of the smaller things have short waits. Skip anything that does have the long wait (or let the kids stand in line while you drink lemonade in the shade).<BR><BR>4. Everybody carries a water bottle. <BR>

<BR>5. A lot of time can be spent arguing about what to see next. Each morning, for whichever park you visit, have the kids make a list of their top 4 must-sees and their next 4 want-to sees.<BR>Then make a schedule around the list: start by planning which fast-passes to get and then what nearby things to see while waiting for fastpass to be ready. Then go to the next fastpass site, and so forth. <BR><BR>What is fastpass, you ask? You go to the (popular) site and put your Disney ticket in the machine. You get a ticket for the site, with a time shown (maybe a half-hour later, maybe x hours later, depending on crowds). Come back at that time, show your fastpass ticket, and you can pretty much waltz right in, no waiting.<BR><BR>You can only hold one fastlane ticket at a time, can't get them all at once, so plan to do the fastlane sites in sequence. <BR><BR>6. Try not to worry to much. Walt Disney's whole point was to build stuff that parents would enjoy with their kids, rather than just watching the kids have fun.

Liz:<BR>I agree with you. I am not not NOT a WDW fan. If you want to stay were there is transportation, try the Best Western in Disney Village. Not too expensive all the amenities of being on Disney property.<BR>I however, like to rent a car and stay away from the park. My favorite place was Westgate Vacation Villas. I was able to sneak away from everyone and head back for a rest, swim, shower and met up with everyone for dinner or the fireworks. I was able to keep my smile in place even though I was gritting my teeth the whole time. Makes everyone around me keeps their sanity too. Some people just love WDW, some of us don't. Enjoy your family time together. They will be 25 and 21 before you know it!

Liz, Ignore the ignorant posters. Some people feel that being anti-disney is heresy, and only bad, evil people can speak negatively about the Rat. I have never understood this phenomena but some people get VERY upset with anti-Disney sentiments. Imagine implying that disliking Disney makes you a bad parent! Talk about an absurd analogy. I think it takes a GOOD parent to make the sacrifice to take their kids to Disney!<BR><BR>That being said, my husband hates Theme Parks, and we just returned from a great trip from WDW and Universal. He finally agreed to go and admitted that he had a great time. I also hate crowds. <BR><BR>My advice is to stay at the Swan Dolphin hotel, the only non-Disney hotel located in WDW, right next to Epcot and MGM. It is a very nice resort Hotel which is enjoyable in it's own right, and will allow quick access to the parks. You can walk or take boat launch to Epcot and MGM. I wouldn't stay off-site. Those shuttles are not convenient.<BR><BR>Go early! I can't stress this enough to minimuze crowds. It's the crowds that get me. I can't stand them. Your best chance to avoid them is to GO EARLY and leave early to swim at the hotel.<BR><BR>Consider a few days at an on-site hotel at Universal, like the Hard Rock or Portofino. Gorgeous hotels with the best perk of all. You show your room key and there is NO WAIT. You go to the front of the line so you don't waste the entire day standing in line for the attractions. With kids 11 and 13 they will probably prefer Universal anyway. Also at Universal the parks are a 5 minute walk from the hotel, so there is no need for transportation of any kind. My kids (12 and 9) LOVE the Hard Rock, as do we. I would bet they would prefer it over any Disney hotel. We stayed 3 nights at Disney and 3 at Universal. I would do 2 nights at both places. It is definitely the most convenient way to go. Just take a car service from one hotel to the next.<BR><BR>Get a limo (costs less than a taxi or shuttle from airport). We used yourride.net. They pick you up on your schedule. Our trip from airport to Swan, Swan to Hard Rock, and Hard Rock back to Airport cost $ 100 for all 4 of us, for all 3 trips!<BR><BR>Good luck and you may even find, like my husband, that you you will have a great time and may even consider going again!

I think it is great you have agreed to go. Our family has been many times over the years at various ages of our kids. I think it helps to get in what I call " the park frame of mind". I surrender to the type of vacation it is going to be. I go knowing we are going to be running around (we do go at our teenager's pace although I definitely don't do all the attractions they do), and doing parks, parks, parks. <BR><BR>It is a wonderful family time - sharing the excitement and fun altogether and we have memories we will always treasure. We have always gotten excited ahead of time by planning, reading, looking at websites, and really planning a strategy. Fast pass is the way to go and all the tips in the books, like where in the theater to sit, all add up to make navigating through the parks much easier and definitely saves time. <BR><BR>Since you have decided to go, once there try as much as you can to let go of your negative feelings so the kids can have an awesome time. When my kids were your age we actually let them take the boat from our on site hotel to the park where they spent the day by themselves. Of course we had a lot of rules with them and we were in cell phone contact. It was so good for them to have that trust and independence and we loved relaxing at the pool and having a day off from the parks. Which by the way I highly recommend having cell phones. <BR><BR>After our last trip this past Dec, I will tell you this. None of us ever want to return to Magic Kingdom. We loved MGM ( don't miss the evening show Fantasmic!!) and my kids (and us) favor IOA. Even though your kids really are wanting Disney I can assure you at their ages Islands Of Adventure is not to be missed.<BR>3 tips - <BR>1. go with a "park state of mind"<BR>2. forget MK, go to MGM, IOA/Universal<BR>3. Have a game plan , strategy for getting around the parks after much reading and discussing - and use Fast Pass.<BR>Have a great time!<BR>

Just wanted to add that both the Swan and Hard Rock have fabulous, big pools with waterslides and very nice landscaping. You can spend a day just hanging out by them. <BR><BR>Also the waterparks were my husbands favorite. Just go early and spend the day at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach rather than fighting the crowds in the heat of the day.<BR><BR>Also, can't stress enough that with only 4 days I think it would be a big mistake and time-waster to stay off-site. To check park hours go to Disneyworld.com, they post hours for each park and each month.

I thought I already posted a response to this, but I'll try again!<BR><BR>I second the person who suggests MGM and Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. I've talked to a couple people who went to WDW and IOA and both said they probably won't go back to WDW. (Tho MGM still is fun!) If you check out Universal IOA, then you could reap the benefits of Hard Rock Hotel. And you could venture to WDW for a day, just to say you were "there". Let the kids and you, together, do some internet surfing and see what you all come up with. Sounds like the Hard Rock could be a place for you to retreat to while dad and the kids do their thing, if it gets a bit much for you.<BR><BR>

Liz, As an orlando resident just wanted to say that if you do come please do not act like the majority of your fellow brazilians and travel in packs of hundreds all wearing the same T-shirt following another T-shirt with a little flag on a stick. Why is this? and they are the rudest bunch I have ever come accross, they push and shove their way around and basically ignore others that are in their way. Yes I am a little bitter but if you had to deal with this all the time you would to. Sorry for the rant but when I saw brazil I had flashbacks of being overrun by a pack of flourescent orange T-shirts. If you see one of these packs while at the parks pick up your kids and get out of the way.

July and August are the WORST for crowds and heat. If you really don't like either you are going to be pretty miserable IMO. Make sure you buy a good pair of walking shoes, break them in before you go and carry bottled water with you...

No comments or slams, just tips:<BR><BR>1. Eat your main meal at an off hour to avoid waiting in lines and and to be able to sample the restaurants at lunch-time prices. We'd make reservations for around 2:30 or 3:00 and that worked well.<BR><BR>2. Sunscreen, water, and humor are your friends. Use them generously!<BR><BR>3. Please consider staying at a Disney resort. Their transportation is easy to use if you want to split up and meet up later. For example, you could go shopping in the afternoon after resting in your hotel for a bit and your husband could take the kids back to the theme park instead. Disney in small doses works great. <BR>

Hey Stayaway- you pompous ass. Yes, Europeans and S. Americans may be different in some ways. They don't all shave their armpits or use deodorant- but to pick on Brazilians that way is an example of Americans at their worst! In fact, when I do Disney and see all my disgusting fellow Americans with their 300 lb. bodies in tank tops and shorts screaming at their kids, or blowing smoke in lines, I am reminded how crude our culture has become. Think jerry Springer and Survivor. Brazil is a beautiful country with gorgeous people who have a wonderful attitude about life!

Hi, Liz! Last May we went to WDW for 3 days w/our 2 kids(11 & 13 at the time). We stayed @ The Boardwalk Inn. I was like you...<BR>"finally agreeing to go". This is what we did: Some things we did together like the water parks; some we did apart. One day I went to Epcot for the entire day(loved it!) while my wife, son & daughter did the roller coaster/ride thing! They had a blast & so did I! We met in France @ Epcot for dinner that evening, chatted about our day over dinner & then all skipped 'home'(to the Boardwalk Inn!) across the bridge after the fireworks display. Each morning we had a leisurely breakfast @ Spoodles next door to The Boarwalk Inn. We did the horse & buggy thing on our last morning & it was fun. There are various ways to see WDW & if you are not into it I am sure your faamily will understand. Where is it carved in stone that one must love WDW to be a good parent?????

Liz, you will have a good time! Really! Our family usually stays at one of the All-Star hotels since they are less expensive, but the rooms are small, you may want to go for a hotel with larger rooms. I would recommend staying on-site and get a length-of-stay parkhopper pass. Start at whatever park has early opening that day, so you can get in about 8 AM. Later in the morning when the park begins to get crowded, take WDW transportation to another park. I recommend wdwig.com - Deb Wills unofficial guide site - that has details about early opening days, park events, trip reports and hotel reviews, lots more! Even if you hate theme parks DO be sure to see: in Epcot, Planet Earth, Living Seas, international pavilions around World Showcase - check wdwig.com for special performers/ exhibits. Last trip we saw a delightful Japanese candymaker who was an artist with candy! Animal Kingdom - be sure to see Lion King and Tarzan Rocks, also take Safari ride and take train to Conservation Station. MGM - Go on the Tower of Terror even if you hate heights, it is lots of fun! Star Tours is fun too if you are a Star Wars fan. Spend time talking to some of the street performers, they are lots of fun. Magic Kingdom - ride Splash Mountain, it is too cute! Also Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain roller coaster are favorites. Spend one evening at Pleasure Island and spend a few hours at the Adventurer's Club to see the shows, the maid's sing-a-long, the talking masks on the wall, the magic moving bar stools, lots more! Walk around the lake at Downtown Disney, sit a spell at the Lego store, eat lunch at Rainforest Cafe. The kids might like to spend half a day in DisneyQuest, virtual reality attractions in one building, separate admission but worth it if you like that. Hubby and kids could go there while you shop or lounge by pool with good book. HAVE FUN!