First timer!! please help!!

[ghubs]

Well, we have made the reservations and now its time to plan. Will be coming to WDW in mid Sept for 5 days/4 nights with my family - wife, 3 kids (16, 13, 9) and looking for your help. Statying at AllStar Sports w/ 2 rooms. Now the questions what should we do??? Please give me some tips on the must see's/ must do's including shows, events, rides, and eating (I love all types of dining experience). Any other tips welcome as well. Because the trip is only 5 days we will conemtrate only on WDW. Thanks in advance!!

 

[vmkids]

Here goes... I have a 13,12 and 10. So this is what we liked. and did not like...but once was okay!

LOVED- MGM-Rock and roll coaster, tower of terror, FANTASMIC, Beauty and Beast,
- MK- Buzz, toontown (for pictures), Thunder mountain,
- AK - 3D Bugs life, Dinosaur (sit on front seat right), Tarzan rocks (rollar blades),
- Epcot- Illuminations,

LIked- MGM- 3D Muppet, Hunch Back,
Epcot- 3D honey I shrunk audience, fast track, Space ship earth,
AK- Lion King show,
MK- Haunted mansion, Great Movie ride,Spectr parade, Fireworks, pirates of car.,
Epcot- Normay ride, Mexico Ride

Once- AK- Safaria (we have a better drive through near home)
- MK- Lion King, tea cups, Peter Pan, Snow white, Brain stormer, jungle cruise,
- Epcot - Cold soda place- YUCK Taste
- MGM- Indiana Jones,

Just for Disney sake-
MK- Small world, carasoul of progress, Alien encounter, swiis treehouse,
MGM- Audience playground (pictures)
Epcot- Movies in Nations

Hope this helps

 

[ceecee]

Get several Disney books and write down what you think you might enjoy and what you definately want to do, then write it all down. I did this the last time we went and had a lot of success doing it this way. We knew what we wanted to do and didn't wander aimlessly around. The last few days we did the things we liked best over again.
Also by looking at the maps in the books you can get aquainted with the parks before you actually get there.

 

[dpappas]

I 2nd get the books. I think the Unoffical Guide has the most info but others such as Birnbaum's and Passporter are good too.
Reading the books and planning is a big part of the fun for me!

If you decide to spend a day not doing the parks, we really enjoy checking out other resorts. They are all so different and you can get an idea where you might like to stay on a future trip.

 

[luvmy2sams]

<font face="Comic Sans MS">Here's another vote for utilizing the guidebooks, especially the Unofficial guide. Fantasmic at MGM Studios is amazing. If you book the Fantasmic dinner package you'll avoid waiting in line for an eternity. Spectromagic and Fantasy in the Sky at the Magic Kingdom, as well as Illuminations and Tapestry of Nations in Epcot, are other ideas for the evenings. As far as dining, Chef Mickey's is wonderful! We ate there on our first evening in WDW, and it was a great way to get into the spirit of Disney.

Have a wonderful time! There's nothing better than that first stroll up Main Street USA.</font>

 

[BobbiKK]

You are asking a lot, and its hard to know what you and your family like. We have pretty much been on everything and seen all the shows, AT LEAST ONCE, (more likely dozens of times) although I must admit to never having gone on TOT or RnR, but other family members have and love it. Some families would rather go on rides than see shows, others the opposite. We like both! If you are in MGM, there are many timed shows, so you have to check the guidemap you get when you enter the park and check out the times of the shows, then work your rides around them. Use FP whenever possible. At EPCOT if you want to go on Test track you should try to get there early and get a FP right away. Most likely your return time will be for a few hours later. The same with Winnie the pooh in MK. You shouldn't have a really big crowd in mid September, so that will help. Since we generally try to see everything each time we go, this is going to be hard, but, Our MUST DO's are:

MK: Haunted mansion, Buzz, TTA, Space mountain, carousel of progress. winnie the pooh, peter pan, and pirates of the caribbean. And of course the night time parade and hopefully the day time parade. IF this is your first trip, then you obviously want to try to do as much as possible.

MGM: Fantasmic, Hunchback show, Great movie ride, back lot tour, little mermaid but also try to see star tours, disney animation tour, millionaire, Indiana Jones, Beauty and the beast, and muppets 3D.

EPCOT: (We do EPCOT in two days, since its too much walking for us!) I love spaceship earth, test track, ellen's energy adventure, cranium command, food rocks, Norway's ride and Mexico's ride. Also fun is Honey I shrunk the audience.

AK: Safari, dinosaur ride, Its tough to be a bug, and an absolute must see is the Lion King show. You can do this whole park in less than a day, if you get there at between 8-9 a. m. you can be out, including lunch, by no later than 3 p.m. Then a rest at your hotel and spend the evening at EPCOT for illuminations, TON parade and a walk around the countries.

Have a wonderful time!!

 

[DISLOVE]

Hi there... My husband (26) and I (25) are frequent Disney travelers and have helped plan trips for several of our
friends and this is what we tell all of them....
* Don't rush through the parks and miss the magic. Stop and enjoy all of the magnificent "extras" that Disney provides.
* Take a moonlit stroll with your wife, perhaps a midnight swim while the kids are snug in bed
* Go to the Hoop Dee Doo Review... one word... awesome
* Budget extra money for food so you can eat wherever you desire. Our favorites: Cinderella's Royal Table (dinner, no charachters), San Angel Inn (Mexican pavillion), Tony's Town Square (MK), Whispering Canyon (Wilderness Lodge)
* Get good shoes about a month before your trip and break them in.
* Don't forget the sunscreen!!!!! And the bathing suit...
* Again, take time to relax and enjoy each other. Swim at the hotel, go to a waterpark, party Downtown

And I have always sworn by Birnbaums Guide...

Kristy

 

[Gretchen]

Short and to the point:
I always to Pirates of the Carribean. My very favorite ride, always did it at DisneyLand...
Eat in the Castle...I like breakfast, great food and it's just sooooo cool. ( and I'm 40 yo!)
Get a book and make a list of the must do's for you.
Talk to others...this site is great!
Relax and enjoy walking around..all the sights and sounds!
Gretchen
Oh, I like the Rose & Crown pub...eat outside
Have a ball!!

 

[akdisneyfan]

All of the suggestions have been great, I would also check to find out what rides will be closed down for conditioning during your stay so you won't be disappointed when you get there. The Disney site on the Internet will give you the information.
I would also get tickets for the E Ticket night at MK, all of the most popular attractions are open and the crowds are so small that you can often just walk right onto a ride. E Ticket nights run on various nights from 8p.m. to 1 a.m. , by doing all the most popular attractions at this time you free up days to visit other parks or go to other less popular attractions.
I would also recommend going to Hoop Dee Doo Revue, it is fairly corny but even my oh so sophisticated teenagers were laughing, it really is a good time.
My teenagers also had a really good time at DisneyQuest, the virtual reality arcade at Downtown Disney. It is open till midnight or 1 a.m. so it is fun to do after the parks are closed.
Have a GREAT time!
Kim

 

[Gabrielle]

Hi!

Hope you have a wonderful time on your first trip!

Here are some hints that have worked for me and my family on our several trips to DW:

Take advantage of all early-entry mornings; leave by 11 or noon and go back to the hotel to swim or nap.

Get a fastpass first thing for the most popular rides.

Make priority seating reservations for a character breakfast as soon as you arrive - gets you in the Disney mood and will give your kids exposure to the characters in a relaxed setting.

Rent a car so you can easily get around to the other resorts and their restaurants.

Best, most inexpensive things to do? The campfire at Fort Wilderness at dusk every night; outdoor Disney movies are screened. Relaxing and magical. Or, watch the electrical water pageant on the beaches at any of the monorail hotels. It moves from resort to resort, starting at around 9:00 pm

Do the e-night! Best memory I'll ever have was sitting on the bench in front of the castle at 1:00 am with my son, watching and listening to the shutdown announcements. Music is played, different lights are shown on the castle...wonderful! Not to mention that we didn't even have to get off the rides to ride them over and over (this was in May).

Have fun!

 

[PlutoPal]

Grab some Disney Books and jot down some attractions that interest you. Have a great time!

 

[tink85]

Hiya! Me and my sister (16 and 13) love Disney and have been going for pretty much all of our lives.
-Our faves at the MK are the 'mountains' (Splash, Big Thunder, and Space), the haunted mansion, buzz lightyear's ranger spin, and the pirates of the Caribbean. For eating, the Plaza Restaurant is one of our faves along with the Liberty Tree Tavern for a family sit-down
-At Epcot we like Ellen's Energy Adventure, Body Wars, Test Track, the Maelstrom in Norway. We always try to eat at the Rose & Crown Pub in the UK 'cuse if you sit out on the patio, you have great seats fro Illuminations
-At MGM, don't miss rock 'n roller coaster, Tower of Terror, the Great Movie Ride, the Indiana Jones Stunt show or Fantasmic! One place we always have to eat is the Sci-Fi Dine-In theater, usually for lunch, it's like a real drive in movie and you eat in old 50s cars and watch trailers for old sci-fi movies while you eat
-The animal Kingdom has the Tarzan Rocks show (which is a rock concert of the music from Tarzan), Dinosaur, It's Tough to be a Bug, Kali River Rapids (you can get really wet though), the Festival of the Lion King, and the Safaris in Africa (the one of the best times to go is early in the morning 'cuse the lines shorter and the animals are more active).
- Also, Downtown Disney is a great place to take a day off from the parks. My personal fave is DisneyQuest. You can design and 'ride' your own roller coaster, compose your own song, play VR games and a ton of other stuff! Also, there's tons of shops down there and Pleasure Island (for adults - it's nightclubs)
- Out of the water parks, me and my sis have only ever been to Blizzard Beach and we love it! The mini golf course outside the park is also a lot of fun if you have time

hope this helps and good luck on your first trip! Don't forget to take your time and look for the little things that make Disney so special. See how many hidden Mickeys you can find!