WDW - Rookies
 

Family of 4 going to WDW for the first time. Staying at the Grand Floridian for 4 days in Oct 2011. Frankly, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the choices. What are the must dos. Any dining suggestions? Thanks

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Only absolute must do is to have fun! Really, keep in mind this is a vacation and you don't have to do EVERYTHING. WDW can be a little overwhelming, but it really is wonderful.

Depending on what kind of tickets you have, I would spend at least one day at Magic Kingdom, and one at Epcot. I love Animal Kingdom, and don't particularly like Disney Hollywood Studios, but I like zoos and don't care for thrill rides. Some people feel the opposite way about it.

Most Disney food is good, the glaring exceptions being pizza and most of the coffee. DS and I love the afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian. Other good Disney meals have been Chefs de France in Epcot, Le Cellier, also in Epcot, and the Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht and Beach Clubs. If you are doing the dining plan, I highly recommend the use of counter service credits at the Wolfgang Puck Express in Downtown Disney, but it's a little pricey out of pocket. We were underwhelmed by Big River Brewing Company, but it's really the only table service meal I've had there that I was significantly disappointed in. For counter service, we like Earl of Sandwich and Sunshine Seasons in Epcot.

How old are the family members? That will make a difference for must-dos. Grand Floridian is an excellent hotel choice.

tracy2cents has given you some excellent links. Those websites really know Disney.

Go to Disboards. It is a little scary and overwhelming at first but you will learn a LOT there.

If there are character meals you want to go to, make reservations NOW. Restaurants make reservations 180 days out and the popular ones (princess, chef mickey, etc.) book up fast.

Learn about Fastpass and how to use it. It will save you a ton of time.

Need to know the ages of your kids to offer more advice.

Have a great trip!

Agree with what taitai said about getting restaurant ASAP, but not just the character meals. If you want to go a more adult venue such as Artist Point (my personal favorite) or California Grill or even Sanaa, Boma or Jiko, make those reservations without delay.


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Really need to know how the kids are - will make a huge difference in where you spend time, how much time in the parks, where you eat etc.

The key is learning all you can and planning in advance.

One tip I picked up is that if there re 2 lines for an attraction always stand on the left hand line. Most people gravitate to the right - and even in the left looks longer - it turns out to take less time (either people standing farther apart, or fewer twists once you get nside the attraction or something. We tested it 3 times before we believed it.

Get a copy of The Unofficial Guide to Disney World by Bob Sehlinger. This has more objective info than an official Disney guidebook. Also check out the related site www.touringplans.com.

Even if you're not a Type A planning person when it comes to vacations, a plan on how you will approach Disney is a MUST, even if it's just a rough plan outlining your must-sees, and not a detailed plan. A little advance knowledge will go a very long way toward a fun vacation, rather than melt-down city after theme-park overload.

Have fun!

Another vote for disboards.com. It's an extremely valuable planning resource for Disney.

If you haven't already purchased tickets, I recommend undercovertourist.com for the best prices. If you sign up for the monthly newsletter at mousesavers.com, there is a link to get a small extra discount at undercovertourist.

Sorry I left this out boys are 9 and 7.

If you go in October check if you overlap with a Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It's a seperate ticket event, but can be a lot of fun. Most every kid wears their costume and you can literally come home with enough candy to not have to buy anything for Halloween.

As far as restaurants, kids really like The Whispering Canyon Cafe in the Wilderness Lodge. Don't let them try and seat you away from the main dining area. Make sure you ask for ketchup.

You might want to check the cost for one of their Club level rooms. We find that the extra cost is usually worth it as we can have breakfast, sometimes dinner, and drinks (both the regular and alcoholic kind) included. Breakfast especially is a big plus.

Our kids are fairly hearty. With certain parks getting there early is the key. At both the Animal Kingdom and Disney Movie Studios you want to take advantage of the earliest entry you can on the day you're planning to go. When hitting the movie park, go first to the Toy Story Ride. Get a FastPass and then walk back towards Tower of Terror and the Rockin' Roller Coaster.

At the movie park the show times dictate where you want to be. A FastPass can be used anytime AFTER your time slot starts. If you want to see the Indiana Jones show at say 11, but your FP for Toy Story is from 11 to 12, you can still use the FP later in the day. (They don't advertise that for obvious reasons.)

When in the Animal Kingdom and the Movie Park, give your kids time to run around their Dinosaur dig area and the Shrunk the Kids area at the latter. Lots of slides, etc. Good chance for them to burn off energy. Kids can't leave the area except through one entrace. I usually park myself near the exit and let them run where they want.

We almost always rent a car. The Disney bus system is slow. Plenty don't mind. I'd rather not have a 40 minute ride from our hotel (usually the Polynesian) to the Movie Park.

Hi,all the advice so far is great. Definitely get a car if you're only there for 4 days. Whispering Canyon is a fun place for kids. Our fav restaurant is Narcossee's at the GF and our fav character breakfast is the Supercalifragilistic brunch. We prefer people characters to those inside costumes. They talk to you!
Our kid likes Hollywood studios the best.The Indiana Jones show Star Tours Phineas and Ferb Characters and our favorites Toy Story Mania and Tower of Terror. 4 days is not very long. Try to get fastpasses early. I went to the Halloween party and I would pass it up if I were you.Concentrate on all the attractions already there that you've never seen. Next,go to the disney website, click on the calendar for each park and see which ones have shows/ extra magic hours on which days to get the most out of your pass. And the Unofficial guide is also very helpful. The GF is beautiful you're gonna have a great time. Also book dining in advance.At most places, if you're a no show there is no charge.

1) DON'T think that you can do everything in 4 days because you can't, if you try you will make yourself crazy.

2) Figure out what everyone really wants to do and focus on that.

3) Go to the sites that tracy2cents listed and read trip reports. They will give you a really good insignt into what you may or may not want to see.

4) Most important, relax and have fun. You are staying at the nicest hotel, enjoy it!

1 Full Day at Magic Kingdom-I think it is best to arrive early, maybe take a break in the middle of the day if you need a nap, and then stay late. Be sure to catch a parade or even the one at night and the afternoon. You MUST have one person get a spot by the curb at least 1-2 hours early and hold it. Watch the fireworks after the evening parade. Be at the front when the gate opens. Go Left as 70% of the crowd tends to go right. Use FASTPASS, I assume they still do this. If you skip the afternoon parade, this is a good time to ride the rides, because a lot of people will be watching the parade.

A day at Animal Kingdom, with maybe an evening meal in Downtown Disney. I would make the downtown disney area low priority. We like the Character breakfast meal in Animal Kingdom because you get in before the gates open.

A day at one of the water parks, and perhaps the evening at Epcot with a meal there and perhaps the evening performance.
This is a good day to do the breakfast character meal at the floridian because the waterparks don't normally open until 10:00.

Then a day a MGM.


I have always found all of the parks to be the least crowded on Sunday mornings. People just sleep in more on Sunday. So do not go to the waterpark on a Sunday. I would do the Magic Kingdom on a Sunday. Have a strategic plan of the "must rides" that you want to accomplish firt when going to Magic Kingdom.

We have been to DW several times, but has been a few years. Our favorite parts would be the two waterparks. Both of them are great.

There is also a pretty cool little train of boats that float in the lagoon by the Grand Floridian at night- complete with sound, lights etc.

We have been 3 times in Oct. 2 of those times weren't to bad on crowds, and 1 of those times was absolutely the most crowded we had ever seen it.

You'll have a great time!!! Just don't feel like you have to get everything in. Just see it as a great 4 days of fun.

A few tips;

1) Since you are staying at a Disney resort you are entitled to "magic hours" where you can go early/stay late at a theme park. When you arrive, ask for the magic hours schedule upon check-in and try to work your days around it. The advantage is that you will spend less time in lines and the park will not be as packed. Typically Magic Kingdom will have evening Magic Hours on Sundays until 2am. Epcot will have evening magic hours for Fridays until 12am both Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will have morning hours at 8am. However, they change every so often but that has been the trend recently.

2) MUST reserve restaurants in advance...if you havent done so yet, it may be too late but you may find a few availabilities. They recently upgraded their Disney Dining plan making it even more difficult to find an open table in any restaurant in WDW (particularly EPCOT as it has the most variety). If you dont do so, you may get stuck eating burgers,pizza, and hot dogs for every day that you're there.

3) DO take advantage of their wonderful transportation. They have a bus/monorail system that works so well and no need to be driving around at all. Its always on time and they drop you off at the front of each park so no need to spend time in the parking lot waiting for the tram.

4)I will forewarn you that WDW is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this October so it will most definitly be PACKED! Especially EPCOT as its hosting the Food/Wine Festival which is very popular. I dont mean to scare you, but im being realistic. The best thing you can do to ensure you have a great time is get to the parks EARLY. Then after lunch, head to the hotel for a break should you need it. After lunch is when the majority of the crowds arrive. Then after 5p head back to the parks as most families leave early. This way you will avoid the majority of the crowds and the intense heat/humidity that peaks after lunch.

5)FASTPASS is a must...its free so take full advantage of it. Before arriving to the park, decide as a family which ride you want to do. Then when you get to the park- head straight to that ride and get a FASTPASS. If you wait till after lunchtime to do this, the popular rides will have already run-out of Fastpass for the day. Also, every thrill ride has 3 lines. One is for single riders, one is for fast-pass, and the other is the normal cue line. If they run-out of fastpass and the normal cue is too long then you can opt for single-riders line but will obviously not ride as a family.

6) At EPCOT, upon entering, start heading towards the left side of the park towards Test Track/Mexico and walk around the lake towards this direction. The majority gravitate towards Soarin/Canada side so you'll hit less crowds walking against them. Definitly ride Test Track- your boys will love it. A great lunch spot is Via Napoli in Italy- great for families. Or you could skip lunch and spend the day snacking at all the food booths that will be up during the food/wine festival. Each country will have their own booth and a sampler for about $3-4. By the time you walk around the lake you'l be so stuffed you wont wanna eat lunch. EPCOT definitly needs a full day and do NOT miss the fireworks at 9pm. It is the BEST fireworks show Disney has. Although, you will need to grab a seat towards the front of the lake, by Mexico a little early. But its a great time to unwind and grab an ice cream as you wait.

7)At Magic Kingdom, start the day heading towards the right and go straight to Space Mountain in Tomorrowland, but only to get a FASTPASS. Once you have your Fastpass save Tomorrowland sightseeing for later and walk all the way across to Adventure Land. I say this, because Space Mountain is the most popular and best ride and will almost always run out of Fastpass immediately. If you dont get a Fastpass do expect a good 2-3 hour wait for this ride, which will put a damper on the day. The crowds always start the day heading to Tomorrowland and then finish the day in Adventureland. However, if you grab a fastpass for SM first, and then continue to AdventureLand you will be going against the crowds. By the time you make your way towards Tomorrowland, it should be night-time and really the best time to see Tomorrowland with all the lights on.

8) Animal Kingdom and MGM/hollywood studios are small enough to combine into one day if you choose to. I would start with Animal Kingdom early in the morning and go straight to the Safari all the way to the back of the park. Its a long walk, but early in the morning is the best time to see all the animals in the safari. Once the sun gets too hot- they all disappear. From there you can work your way down towards the front of the park/exit. From AK you can catch a bus to MGM. Once at MGM, head towards the right and grab a Fastpass for Rockin Roller coaster and then wait in line for tower of terror (the wait time for TT is always better than RRC). From there you can head towards the chinese theater (behind the HUGE and unecessary mickey hat). Make sure you ride Star Wars- its recently upgraded and your boys should love it).

Sorry for the long response, but i wanted to give you as much advice as i could to ensure you and your family have a wonderful time. Im an annual passholder and die-hard Disney fan (going this weekend for the millionth time) so i have experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of Disney to know now what to do/not to do. However, everyone has a different method to tackling Disney and this one is mine which i feel works very well. However, the best and final advice i could give you though is to have fun!!!