HELP! I desperately need your help in planning my Disney Trip! About This Page:

[AliVal]

Hello. I thought this was the best place to come to ask for assistance and advice for planning my family's VERY FIRST Disney World adventure. My husband and I have both been there, but never with our little girls. These are the things I know... I am looking for at least 1 full year to plan and SAVE for this trip. I definitely want to stay in the park - I do not want to have to rent a vehicle. I want to do some type of hopper pass, but only things that are age appropriate for my little girls. My daughters (as of today) are 5 1/2 and 19 months old. My oldest daughter is totally into princess, so we know we definitely want to do the lunch in cinderella's castle. Also, my oldest daughter will be in 1st grade next year, therefore we'd like to do this trip either in the summertime or during a school break. I'd love to do it the day after Christmas next year through the 3rd of January, but I'm hearing that it's packed at that time. I know that we want to do the dining package, but I don't want to have breakfast included if we don't have to (not sure if that's an option)
So, that's what I do know. What I'm looking for advice on is the following...
*when do you suggest is a good time to go?
* what parks would be good for a 2 1/2 and 6 1/2 year old?
* what's the catch to get into the theme meals? Again, what would be good ones for my little ones?
* what suggestions do you have for the dining package?
* is it best to book this trip through the wdw website? is it best to go thru a travel agent? How do I get the best deal? What kind of payment arrangements are there to book a trip like this? Is it so much down and then so much 30 days prior?

I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting and any suggestions or advice that anyone has for me is greatly appreciated! The more we kick this idea around we may even turn this into a family trip and have my parents go as well as my sister, brother-in-law and my 14 year old niece (and a friend of course) Thank you all in advance. I look forward to any feedback.
Allison

[Lavendar_mom]

Originally Posted by AliVal

Hello. I thought this was the best place to come to ask for assistance and advice for planning my family's VERY FIRST Disney World adventure. My husband and I have both been there, but never with our little girls. These are the things I know... I am looking for at least 1 full year to plan and SAVE for this trip. I definitely want to stay in the park - I do not want to have to rent a vehicle. I want to do some type of hopper pass, but only things that are age appropriate for my little girls. My daughters (as of today) are 5 1/2 and 19 months old. My oldest daughter is totally into princess, so we know we definitely want to do the lunch in cinderella's castle. Also, my oldest daughter will be in 1st grade next year, therefore we'd like to do this trip either in the summertime or during a school break. I'd love to do it the day after Christmas next year through the 3rd of January, but I'm hearing that it's packed at that time. I know that we want to do the dining package, but I don't want to have breakfast included if we don't have to (not sure if that's an option)
So, that's what I do know. What I'm looking for advice on is the following...
*when do you suggest is a good time to go?
* what parks would be good for a 2 1/2 and 6 1/2 year old?
* what's the catch to get into the theme meals? Again, what would be good ones for my little ones?
* what suggestions do you have for the dining package?
* is it best to book this trip through the wdw website? is it best to go thru a travel agent? How do I get the best deal? What kind of payment arrangements are there to book a trip like this? Is it so much down and then so much 30 days prior?

I'm sure there are things I'm forgetting and any suggestions or advice that anyone has for me is greatly appreciated! The more we kick this idea around we may even turn this into a family trip and have my parents go as well as my sister, brother-in-law and my 14 year old niece (and a friend of course) Thank you all in advance. I look forward to any feedback.
Allison

The first (and best) thing you should do it go to the Passporter store (orange tab at top) and buy a Passporter Guide.
Sign up for newsletters from here and Disney's official site.

All the parks have something for every age. Explore Disney's site there's a section where you can ask for suggestions by age group.

All of the Character Dining will be great for your kids. Go to Allears.com to see what character is where and the resturants menus.

The basic dining plan does not include breakfast. There are mixed reviews on the 2008 plan but I feel it's a good deal (esp if you want at least one sit down meal per day).

Please don't expect (or try) to see it all with the little ones.

The easiest discount (and a good one) for anyone is the AAA discount. I'm sure looking around here you'll find lots of other tips. To get the AAA discount or any other you'd have to call Disney (vs website).

Make a file with "tips" (for resort/ for travel / for parks) you'll collect LOTS of info between now and then.
I.E. When you go to your first park go to Guest Services and ask for your FIRST VISIT buttons!

[Caldercup]

Start saving now -- a coin jar is a great idea to get everyone doing whatever little thing they can do to save. Start a savings account for the trip. Check out the forum in the "PassPorter Villa" called "Budgeting and rewards" for more ideas. There's THIS thread with lots of ideas.

The first step in terms of planning will be for you to do as much reading as you can. That will tell you just how crowded Disney will be for Christmas -- good thing you're wanting to stay on property because, when the parks close for reaching their capacity, only resort guests are still allowed in.

I'd also recommend seeing what your library has to offer in terms of guidebooks (except for the PassPorter, most you can just read and put back on the shelf -- you will want to BUY the PassPorter as it is ESSENTIAL in planning, preparing, organizing and using on a day-to-day basis leading up to your trip as well as a reference during and after your trip.)

If I were you, I'd see about getting "Disney on a Dime" from the library. It doesn't have earthshattering info that you couldn't find by digging around websites or reading boards like this one, but it puts them all into one spot and is easily understandable. It's worth reading cover to cover for ideas -- and keep a notebook nearby to jot down their best tips.

Another book that will help you eldest daughter learn what Disney World *is* and what's there for her to see is Birnbaum's "Disney World For Kids By Kids." This is one you will probably want to own as it has places for her to color and mark up, as well as places for you to jot down notes. Many parents of kids give this to them a few months in advance and it becomes their bedtime reading together.

Kim Wiley's "Walt Disney World with Kids" is another great book for parents to read.

So, welcome to the boards -- we're an obessive and helpful bunch! I'm sure you'll get tons of tips just by reading and asking questions.

My first tip to you:

As for the 2008 Dining Plan, it allows you to get one table service meal (can be any time of day - breakfast, lunch or dinner) and one counter-service meal (also, any time of day), plus one snack that is in the $4 price range (the menus will note whatever counts as a snack on the dining plan (DDP.) Since your youngest will be under 3 at the time of the trip, she will not need a ticket and will not have to pay for the dining plan. She can eat off your plate or you can pay out-of-pocket (OOP) for her.

Getting a reservation (called an Advanced Dining Reservation or ADR) for Cinderella's Royal Table (CRT) for breakfast will be difficult, but worth it. There are tips to getting that coveted ADR, but it takes some commitment and quick phone skills *EXACTLY* 180 days before the day you want to dine. (If you're on property, it would be a good idea to learn how the 180+10 deal works.)

Hope to see you around here alot!
Eileen

[wdjeh]

1. Start reading Passporters ASAP for info. I would also suggest going to your local library and reserving or checking out the Unofficial Guide to WDW with Kids and a couple of the other well known books as well. By reading a few of these books it will greater educate you and give you a better knowledge of everything.

2. Your first task should then be to figure out what resort to stay at. Since your girls are little I would ask yourself how important it is to stay at a value, moderate or deluxe resort. How much time do you anticipate spending at the resort? Remember too that if you spend less on your resort that's just that much more you have saved to go to something else. I would suggest staying at a Value or moderate your first time. Choose one with a great pool area for the kids! I would recommend Pop Century personally.

3. Best time to go? If you are going in the summertime, its going to be busy. I would almost say go as soon as you can -when school lets out. Maybe mid to late June to avoid the heat with your two girls.

4. As far as the dining plan go. I personally do not recommend it. I think its a ton of food you have to consume in order to really have it pay for itself --especially when its just you and your hubby-your girls certainly won't need it. What type of eaters you are will really determine this answer. Its just myself, my hubby and our soon to be 4 yr old leaving in 14 days for a 3wk trip. We are brining pop tarts, cereal bars, and boxes of cereal for breakfast. For lunch we usually just eat at one of the park's cafeteria type places and then for dinner we will do a counter service meal.

5. Look into the packages to see how expensive they are--ones that include the resort, dining plan and tickets. Then price out everything seperately yourself--pkgs. are not always cheaper and often times you can do better without one.

6. When it comes to the theme park tickets--with your two little ones I'm not sure that you really need park-hopper passes. I would recommend hitting just one park a day so as not to overwhelm your girls. This helps save some money on theme park admission as well.

7. As far as character dining goes. I would recommend doing a Cheff Mickey Breakfast or lunch at the Contemporary Resort (breakfast and lunch character dining is not as expensive as the dinners!; Breakfast at Cindy's Royal Table (castle at MK)--these reservations will be hard to come by though so you have to watch for your 180 ADR dates carefully-your passporters book will give you clues on how to go about getting a reservation; and we really loved the character dining at Liberty Tree Tavern at MK-dinner isn't too badly priced and the food is excellent!

8. I don't feel that you need a travel agent if you are willing to do the leg work yourself which I feel is part of the fun of planning a trip. However, if you don't have the time-then enlisting some help from a TA is a good idea for your 1st trip.

9. Seeing as the parks are all going to be pretty busy during your stay--read up on the parks and just pick out items that you really want the girls to see and yourselves. Don't try and go overboard thinking you will see it all---you won't not at this time of year unless you can take a 10 day vacation. With the girls at a young age, your just not going to be able to stay in the parks all day without mid-day breaks. My advice to families with little ones is this--- hit the theme park with the extra magic hours of the day --stay until after lunch. Then take a break, go back to your resort for pool time or nap time. After, have dinner and go back to whatever park to do that evenings activity (i.e., fireworks, parade, etc.). With your girls and given their age I would say they probably would like Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Disney's HOllywood Studios the best! Epcot is great but its a lot of walking and there are really only a few things to do there for your childrens' age group.

Anyway, I know this is long. Can you tell this is my passion? Feel free to email me directly from this site if you have any other questions. I love helping families plan a Disney Trip - especially when its their first time!

Jenn

[SARH7]

Great advice by the others and most importantly...GET THAT PASSPORTER!!!! It will become your bible!!

Here are my two cents on your questions....

*when do you suggest is a good time to go?

If you can hold off an extra week, I think your vacation will be so much more pleasant. Now I haven't been in WDW that week, I have been Dec 16-22 and that was pretty busy, I can't even imagine going when you are thinking. I did go last Jan the 8th-13th and it was great! I highly suggest, no matter when you go, getting up early and being at the parks 1/2 hour before they open...be first in line at the turnstyle. You cna get SO MUCH done before the crowds really start to build.

* what parks would be good for a 2 1/2 and 6 1/2 year old?

All the parks have wonderful things for your girls at those ages. My DD's first trip she was 2 1/2. She loved everything, and even though she was too short to enjoy any of the height restricted rides, she still enjoyed the ones she could ride immensly. As for hopper passes, I don not think you need them. For the $150 it will cost you just to add that option, I don;t feel it's worth it. We don;t hop, maybe when our dd and baby #2 are older, we may hop. For now, they are two young to really take full advantage of the evening extra magic hours and to me, that's the whole purpose of having a hopper- to do a non EMH park during the day and hop to another at night. We spend the day at our chosen park, do everything we want for the day adn then go back to the resort to relax or go somewhere like Downtown Disney or the Boardwalk. Remember that you won;t see it all...and that's okay.....it just leaves stuff for the next trip!

* what's the catch to get into the theme meals? Again, what would be good ones for my little ones?

Cinderella's castle is extremely hard to get....you must be on the phone at your exact 180 day marker, before the time, just waiting. And in my honest opinion, I don;t know if it's worth 2 meal credits. We did it when it was only one, and even then, I was a bit disappointed. We did lunch. There are other character breakfasts with princesses that I hear are better and they are only 1 credit and they are easy to get. I believe Cinderella is also at the Princess breakfast in Norway and also 1900 Park fare in the Grand Floridian. There are so many character meals to choose from and I have had great experiences at every one we've done.

* what suggestions do you have for the dining package?

Now we love the dining plan!!!! Make sure you look over the menus- the best place is on allearsnet.com. Pick exactly where you want to eat and what days and then at your 180 day mark...make those reservations! We always do the basic plan and will never do anything else. One sit done meal and one counter meal a day is plenty of food. I can;t even imagine doing 3 sit down meals a day! Besides, I wouldn;t want to take up that much time each day just to eat. Plus there's the snacks too- which we usually ahve left over at the end of our trip...which is great- snacks to take home!! Your dd who is under 3 will get to share with you. When we took dd when she was 2 1/2, we brought tons fo granola bars, fruit cups, etc.....she had tons of her own food so we weren;t stuck ordering chicken fingers every meal just so she'd have something to eat.

* is it best to book this trip through the wdw website? is it best to go thru a travel agent? How do I get the best deal? What kind of payment arrangements are there to book a trip like this? Is it so much down and then so much 30 days prior?

I have booked 2 trips on my own and 2 through a AAA travel agent. I priced travel agents other than AAA and the cost was more than what I paid to book directly on Disney's website. I highly suggest AAA...even if you don;t already have it...pay the $50...your savings will be more than that. We booked our upcoming trip through AAA- 9 nights at a moderate resort with base ticket passes and dining plan for 2 adults and one 5 year old- $2800. I was impressed! For any trip, no matter where it's booked, I believe it's a $200 deposit and the balance is due 45 days prior. You cna make payments all along if you'd like or pay the whole balance at the end.

[Caldercup]

Not to contradict everything you just wrote, Jenn

but...

They are wanting to go during Christmas week -- park hoppers will be essential because of the parks reaching capacity. If she hits an absolute crush at the Magic Kingdom, she'll want to hop to another park.

For the dining plan -- she has one little girl and one "infant" (under 3 years.) In that case, the dining plan works out quite well as the child will only be $11.99 per day, the equivalent to the cost of just one character meal per day. Mom'll have to pay OOP for anything the "infant" wants beyond what she can just eat off Mom's plate. With the 2008 dining plan, there's no longer an appetizer, so the "too much food" problem of previous DDPs is no longer an issue. (Not that we saw a price reduction when we lost the appetizer, but that's another deal altogether )

For the resort, I'd shy away from a value during the Christmas season -- the buses can be a nightmare with crowds like that. The extra money for a moderate (or even a deluxe), especially a small resort like Port Orleans French Quarter, will be worth it for a better bus experience and a smaller resort with a more quiet pool and food court.

If you do decide to go with a travel agent (which can make getting the best discounts much, much easier for a first-timer), I highly recommend Maureen and Lynn at Ears to You Travel. They're great and they will keep checking for discounts they can apply to your reservation -- you won't have to do a thing!

This can all be overwhelming (especially as all us obsessive/compulsive planners weigh in with our various approaches to planning! )


Eileen

[emtpej]

I don't want to make it sound like we are just here to talk you into buying a PassPorter, but it is pretty important to essential to have one.
I pretty much echo everything that everyone else has stated. It all makes good sense!

Also please check these websites listed on this page:
http://www.passporter.com/wdw/webunofficial.htm

especially allearsnet.com!

When we go in July we are planning to split up the day by going back to the hotel to rest and swim like many have advised, but I don’t know if that is as important to you if you are going mid-winter. I know that first grade is important, and these days they probably count any days your child misses as unexcused absences, but you might consider going at a time other than the Christmas break, like a date incorporating a week-end and take her out of school on the other days. I may get some flack for that statement, but of course, its up to you how you enhance you child's experience of the world.

I think that there are very few attractions at EPCOT – Future World that would be appealing and memorable to kids that age, but you have to collect all the advice you can.
I would get a package deal from AAA unless you are able to collect enough information to make your own reservations.

Renting one of the two-kid strollers at the parks was a very good investment for us, even though we only used it for one kid, because we were able to put all our stuff in it.

As far a getting the place and time for character meals, I understand that you have to call 180 days before your CHECK-IN date, even though you may be dining on another day. There is a sub-forum on this board that discusses exactly that.

Enjoy the planning – it is a big part of the fun of the whole trip!