WDW Florida

[Railer]

I am thinking about taking my girls to Disney in Florida this fall sometime. I haven't been there since I was little (Epcot wasn't even open yet) Anyone have any tips, or a good "plan" to get the most out of it? We would probably stay in the "Complex" somewhere, but I am just in the "thinking about it" stage and wide open to any suggestion's.

[warnerleroy]

You CANNOT go to WDW, especially the way it is now know and just "gun it". Thweres too much to see and do that people who often do it end up leaving unsatisfied that they haven't done everything they wanted. The best advice I could give you for now is to go to a book stor and buy a copy of Birnbaum's 2010 WDW(or 2011 if thats when you going) Skim through it. it gives detailed descriptions of rides, shows, hotels, activities, etc. Look through it and first decide on a hotel by either budget range, or themeing preference(HIGHLY recomend Grand Floridian) or transportation options near wear you want to be. Theres the monorail that goes to Contemporary, Transportation Ticket Centre, Polynesian, Magic Kingdom, Grand Floridian, and a connection from TTC to Epcot, buses that go every where and anywhere and boating, that doesant go everywhere and is by fare the most confusing to follow. look at the four WDW theme parks-MAgic Kingdom, Epoct, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. Everybodys favorite seems to be MAgic Kingdom, so if it's in your budget range stay in something called Magic Kingdom Area Hotels(Grand Floridian, Ploynesian, Contemporary, Fort Wilderness, Wilderness Lodge) or an Epcot area hotel(Yacht and BEach, Boardwalk, Coronado Springs) these are the hotels nearest the parks and have the best transportation to them. If your budget constranted, consider Plaza Blvd or Value resorts. Value resorts are ,more or less, Disney motels but still great service, while Plaza Blvd is in Downtown disney, but are hotels NOT owned by Disney(Holiday Inn, Best Western, etc) Look at the attractions and decide what you nee to ride and make a list, but dont be one of those people whose vacation is on a timeclock and completely scheduled! Here are some attraction you should try

MK-Jungle Cruise,Pirates of the Carribean, Splash Mt., Big THunder Mt, Haunted Mansion, Small World, Peter Pan's FLight, Mickey's Phillar MAgic, The MAny adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Space Mt, Tomorrowland PeopleMover, Buzz Lightyear SpaceRanger SPin

EP-Spaceship Earth, Soarin, Journey into Imagination with Figment, Captain EO, TestTrack, Grand Fiesta Tour, and Maelstrom

HS-great Movie ride, Tower of Terror, RocknRoller Coaster, Backlot Tour, Lights-Motors-Action, Toy Story Mani

AK-Expedition everest, Kali river Rapids, Kilamanjaro Safaris, DINOSAUR, Primeval Whirl

 

Also, do your self a HUGE favor, get familiar wioth the lay-of-the-land BEFORE you go so most of your vacation is not spent with your head buried in a map looking for an attraction thats right under your nose. Also, use EXTRA MAGIC HOURS, each day 1 theme park will open an hour early, and another wil lstay open up to 3 hours after it's normal closing. Also, it costs extra at Disney to go to mroe than 1 park in a day, so make sure you get a PARK HOPPER!

 

Also, if your planning on going in fall(2010), my best advice is to go AFTER halloween, but ATLEAST A WEEK BEFORE thanksgiving to ensure you get the best Disney experiece at the lightest crowds. you'll also be there when it's still Halloween or Christmas Season.

 

[ThemeParkRider]

I'm going then, too! I have been going just about ever year with my family since 1998, so you can trust me for advice. My best advice is plan in advance. A great place to start is mousesavers.com Lots of discounts, deals, and codes are there. Look for hotels that are in your budget. For example, Animal Kingdom Lodge is a good deluxe resort. And Port Orleans is a great moderate priced resort. Disney is offering free dining plans when you book, so check out the official site, too! You can get a good last minute deal by driving around on and off resort, but its chancy. Make sure you have a source of transportation when you are there: Disney Busses are helpful, but you can't go off property with them, say Universal. Also pay attention to park hours, hotel events, and know the map. Know where everything is, and try to plan where you will go the night before. My family makes a list of all that kind of info to keep things organized. Some tips to remember:

1. Stay organized

2. Don't buy new shoes before you go, Disney requires a lot of walking!

3. Plan to stay long enough so you can get to everything you plan. (Park Hopper passes are really helpful, so you can visit more than 1 park a day!) I suggest 4-6 days. I usually stay for about 7-10 days, but I'm spoiled.

4. Look at dining plans, character locations, and family activities. They're fun. I recommend the Hoop-D-Doo Musical Review. That is located at Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. I'm not sure about the spelling.

5. Also plan some time to relax, whether its an evening at the pool, or a night of shopping at Downtown Disney.

 

I hope this helps, and if you have any questions, just ask!

[av8r296]

I would also highly recomend getting a copy of Birnbaums WDW book. It is extremely informative and helpful. I've stayed both on and off the property and found that staying on site is definately the way to go. The last time I went I also opted for the dining option with my length of stay passes. This was probably one of the best choices I made. Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip.

[warnerleroy]

PLANNING TIP!

Plan a 7-day vacation and purchase a park hopper ticket.

At the beginning of each day, wake up early and go to the park that opens EARLY for extra magic hours(start at around 8 or 9 AM). Then at around 12-1, go back to your hotel todo whatever you want(relax, pool, shopping, Downtown disnet, etc) Then between 5-7pm, start heading to the theme park open late for extra magic hours. stay there untill the park closes or whenever youve done everything you want to.

 

With this plan, you should get "throug" Disney World in 2-3 days. Then you have 4 to do whatever you want again or anything you haveent done yet and still leave in time to "squeeze" in something youd like to do, like venture off property(not reccomeneded, DISNEY IS THE BOMB)

[Railer]

Thank's for all the "tip's". Some good info there from everyone.

[ThemeParkRider]

Glad I could help. Please do ask more once you have more info like budget and days! I'm really happy I have someone to help!

[Great Adventurer]

It's been said already, but be sure to have at least one day set aside for each park, including the water parks if you want to go all day. Odds are you won't be staying at the animal kingdom or the water parks all day without feeling like you could do a bit more, so I'd highly recommend a park hopper pass. Keep in mind that if you stay at one of Disney's resorts, you'll be able to spend a few extra hours at specified parks (depending on the day) after it has closed. It really depends on how the kids are feeling (if they're young you might want to tuck in earlier anyway), but it's something to keep in mind.

 

Also, if you want some down-time during a day in Hollywood studios, you might want to check out the American Idol attraction. If anyone in your group is a fan of the show, they'll love it, as you get to watch real people who signed up audition for a chance to win a ticket to skip the line at an actual audition for the show (basically, there are a couple shows during the day, with the finalists being showcased on the last one that day. Audience members vote for who wins). Be sure to scope out show times and arrive there early (I'd give it at least 15-30 minutes). I'm not a huge fan of the show, I only watch it from time to time, but I really enjoyed seeing the talent displayed and getting to vote.

 

Aside from that, there's nothing else I can really think of at the moment. Do some planning to make sure you get to see everything you want to see, but also be sure to leave a little time to rest or check out something you'd have normally skipped.

 

Oh yes, one more thing, if you get to the park around its opening time (preferably a bit earlier), you'll be able to hit the major attractions with little to no wait, and save your fast pass for a re-ride or an unexpected long line. If you do this effectively and stay in one park for a while, you'll likely be able to go on a majority of the rides/attractions offered.

 

Also, if you buy a dining plan, you'll get one quick meal, one snack (this includes drinks), and one sit-down meal per day. Odds are you won't be using your sit-down the first day you arrive, due to plane times. If you happen to have a spare because of this, you can redeem two of them to have a sit-down meal with a show. My family and I used our extras for the aforementioned Hoop-De-Doo Review, and we really enjoyed it. Keep in mind that you have to book the sit-down meals; it's a lot easier to call in advance if you want a specific one! We didn't know about this, and just booked whichever we could get our hands on (some at inconvenient times; we altered our schedule to fit them rather than vice-versa), but enjoyed them all nonetheless. You're bound to get something good regardless of what you do, but again, if you're looking for something specific, it's best to book early.

 

Okay, now I'm done.