Bringing Newbies About This Page:

[That's So Raven]

Ok so I need some help. For my upcoming trip in May I am bringing 2 newbies with me. Being the seasoned pro that I love to believe I am, I'm so used to being there with other vets. What are some must dos for the newbies? Is there anything I can do to make their 1st time a little more magical? And 1 last thing, should I follow an itinerary or just go with the flow (I'm totally not an itinerary type of person)?

[aswaffer]

I say go with a flow ( or just act like it). In your head have an itenerary especially with how to work the fast pass system and wow them with how fast you can get them onto rides. As far as must dos......I would have to say Fantasmic would be a pretty magical end to an evening for a newby. At Epcot maybe eating at Mexican Cantina by the water during the fireworks show. At AK take them to one of the fabulous shows there (Lion King or Nemo our favs). At Magic Kingdom my husband showed me how to slow down and take it all in (which was nice cause I usually like to run everywhere in that park) we had a great dinner at Liberty Tree the kids got caramel apples for dessert they ate them on the riverboat played on Tom Sawyer Island and wrapped it up with the parade. I had never slowed down at MK before and when I did I really enjoyed it! Good Luck and relax..its Disney and everybody will have a ball!

[SARH7]

I'm taking a newbie in November and a tough one at that: my dad. We have been asking him to go for years and finally he has caved and said "yes". My mom is going too, but she is not a newbie...me and her went in 07.

My plan is to do all the things I think he would like...even if we usually skip them. I will have some kind of plan...just so we can minimize our wait times. My dad is not a fan of lines.

I'm excited...when you take a newbie you almost get to re-experience things like it's the first time.

[xrosario]

Yeah I'd say work the fast passes so that they're experience of the world is about the magic and not lines!
I think some of the shows are can't miss, Wishes, Illuminations, Fantasmic.
I think having a little bit of a plan so you can avoid the lines and catch these things might be a good idea.

[Kobeychiev]

I took a newbie back in January and it was wonderful! Make sure to take things slow and let them experience it. Have some must dos (my recommendations, Magic Kingdom- It's a Small World, Pirates, and the Parade: AK- The Tree, Any Show: Epcot- Illuminations, All the Countries, Living with the Land, Soaring: DHS- Buzz Lightyear, the Shows, Fantasmic!) but let them pick. Walk through the park and say what looks good. They will know when they get there whether they want to become a child again by going on Dumbo, or stay an adult on Space Mountain, or go to 'school' in the carousal of Progress. Instead of leading them, let them explore and tell them what each ride entails. The picking is the most fun.

[Camsohanna]

We took a new person to disney last year, and one of the best things to do is show them some of the attractions before going and let them pick. Some of his favorite things were Fantasmic, The Laugh Floor, Kilimanjaro Safaries, Test Track, and Soarin', basically the "must see" things. However, his favorite thing that he still talks about is the FOOD.
Btw, we are two 15 year olds, so younger kids might not like some of the same things. And it is good to plan out which parks to go to on which days, and coordinate them with the restaurants you're going to that day so you don't have to run all over Disney. But definitely go with the flow inside the park, it's much more enjoyable

[That's So Raven]

Great thanks for the help. I think I will let them take a look at 1 of my guide books to get a feel of things they don't want to miss. I really hate racing through the park, so I will definitely give them some time to soak in all the magic. We have a couple of ADRs at Tony's and Jiko. I'm hoping they will enjoy those.

[Disney Dream'n]

My advice... don't give too much away in advance. I can obsessivly talk about WDW until it actually gets annoying to listen to. Yes, I am aware of this down fall. I think doing this takes the "newness" out of the experience for some pple and they can feel like they've already been there/ done that if they hear too much.

Give your tour mates a Disney book with rides, shows etc and ask them what looks good to them and make your list accordingly. I did this with our dinning ressies 2 yrs ago and tried to accomodate everyone's dinning choices, and it worked out.

I'd say go with the flow as much as possible, but you know your guests best. Some pple really enjoy a tightly followed schedual and others won't care for it.
Just my two cents worth..... Have a great trip

[Kynna]

We had a recent experience with this and I'll just share my anecdote. I know everyone is different but my main point would be to make sure everyone is very clear on how much time you plan to be together and when you are going to break off. I said over and over again that I didn't expect everyone to stay together at all times and that they would want to have their own experience of Disney. The main thing is that we are together for our ADR's. The problem was that sense that we were the "hosts" made them feel that they had to wait for the OK to break off. Of course I did not want to tell them to go do their own thing once we were there because I didn't want to be rude.

I reccommend doing a practice run at a local amusement park or attraction to get an idea of how everybody tours. If that isn't possible at least get together and talk in person to find out what they are looking for. Are they "get your moneys worth" commando's, or relaxed live in the moment types when it comes to vacationing.

[That's So Raven]

I will definitely be taking everyone's suggestions. Thanks!!!

[kurtholley]

Friends are going with us in May also. They have been up for anything,basically what ever we want to do they said they are ok with. we did save 2 days with nothing scheduled. So they,or we can do anything we want separate. Even though we will probably all end up at the pool relaxing

[808boneplayer]

I went with a group of friends half were newbies and half were pro's. I think some issues that we had with the vets was that they needed to understand that first timers want to take everything in. There is going to be some "give and take" when newbies are in your group.
Our next WDW trip we are taking two newbies maybe a third, and my gf and I are vets along with another friend who worked there for a year.
Bringing newbies is fun, but vets need to remember that they are newbies and the pace may be slow.

Maybe you should get them a passporter and later on have a sit down discussion to see what the newbies want to do. Then you can lay out some suggestions and help them achieve their goal faster with your park knowledge.

Travis

[808boneplayer]

Also about the itinerary thing... I suggest to have an outline of what you want to do. Maybe jot down some notes. I've been on trips were everything is planned to the second and to be honest... I didn't like it. Now planning in that fashion might work for some people, but it didn't sit right with me.
As long as you have some sort of plan I personally think that's good enough. PLus things change and you need to be ready to adapt to that situation.
But like I said, I you are one who likes everything planned out to the second, then by all means make an itinerary.

Travis

[mechurchlady]

I am west coast but have had experience with new people in parks.

First is that the new visitor does not understand why you are doing certain things especially someone who is new to amusement parks. At DLR we use a wheelchair so we make sure we avoid Main Street before the Main Street parades happen. A new person would not understand the traffic jams that can happen during a parade. We vets know at both parks that certain things close for events, that weather can close a ride, and when is the best time to eat. The new person would head off to what ever tickles their fancy while the old pro knows how to work the system to their advantage.
The veteran visitor has to remember to explain when necessary why things are happening and deal with people who stop and question what seems like madness to them.

Second and equally important is that the new visitor will want to stop and savor things in the parks. At DLR I have been watching the Dapper Dans at DLR for decades. I have seen the Mark Twain from stem to stern but to a new visitor that could end up with them spending the whole ride looking at details. I love Mickey Bars which may not register as much importance to a new visitor. A new visitor must eat at a certain overrated restaurant even though I know of better places. The new visitor may stop and watch characters while we are looking at our watches. I shop and grab what ever fits as I know what is in shops but to that new person they are going to spend extra time seeing everything.

You must make allowances for the new guest to not be on your schedule. We have certain ways of attacking parks to make the most of our energy and time. With a new person it was a lot of stopping to see things.

Lastly do not forget to include things that are mundane to you. I have seen the Animation Building so many times that I skip it, for example. I rode in the rear cone of the monorail with someone who was like a kid. He was enthralled whereas to me it was just a peek at the hotel and back areas as well as transportation. I think we could have spent the whole night on the monorail circling DLR. I love seeing that joy that someone has on experiencing something new.

Reminder: You have to read and understand the people with you. At Animal Kingdom some people like my mother could spend all day staring at animals while others rather move on to other stuff. Some people love hearing the history and little secrets of a park while others do not. Enjoy your trip as you are going to have lots of memories.

[elbodans]

while this is, of course, coming from my own experience, it may be something to think about--my advice is 'don't expect them to love it like you do'. i recently took a friend to epcot and AK--she'd never been to disney before--and she was less than impressed. this was obviously a bit of a let down for me--but i refused to allow it to ruin my fun--i continued to be enthusiastic (and she continued to NOT be enthusaistic) and that was that.

have a great trip--may is just around the corner!