First Time Disney Trip

[Dagney]

We'll be leaving for Disney in a week and a half. I've never been there before, and have little to no clue what to expect - other than a LOT of walking - a lot of people, and a lot of fun.

Any pointers on things to see? Things to pack? Things to do while the Sweetie tackles the rollercoasters I wouldn't be caught dead on?

Kellie

[Spexxvet]

Disney World or Land?

[Dagney]

Disney World - staying at the Boardwalk right outside of Epcot.

[Clodfobble]

Make sure you do go in the huge golf ball. I vaguely recall as a kid thinking Epcott was way cooler than the rest of the main park.

Welcome to my back yard.
Sunscreen.

[Dagney]

We'll wave - Actually, I'll be there probably once or twice a year - a timeshare at Disney seems to be a good thing to have - (He's got one, I get to benefit from it!)

[LabRat]

I eagerly await your critique of the trip. My inlaws just gave us a 'ticket' good for them, us, and my bro & sis-in-law to go this May for a week. They are getting a 3 bedroom condo 5 min from the place though, instead of a hotel in to save $$. His mom's sister did this for her family (6 adults 4 kids 12-6) this past May and recommended the condo/rental car route. I am totally pumped, because I have never been, and our 4 year old will have a BLAST. The in-laws went when my husband & his brother were kids, so they are looking forward to seeing how things have changed. The nerd in me is dying to go to Epcott, as well as to Sea World.

[Dagney]

I'll be sure to post an in detail trip journal here and on my blog when I get back.

The Dude takes LOTS of pictures, so there will be bunches of those to. I may or may not blur myself out

We won't get to Sea World this trip through - as we've got our week pretty much planned out already - and his parents are there with us - but it's on the list of things we want to do on one of our trips back.

Now, if I could only figure out what to pack!

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by Dagney

We'll be leaving for Disney in a week and a half.

Peak season -- Heh. Have fun with that!

Enjoy the resorts and take the time to walk through them -- some of my best trips to Disney didn't involve actually going to a park. Not having a schedule and not demanding that 'we have to ride this ride, that ride, and then eat here before the day is done' makes for an enjoyable trip. Too many people think Disney is about rushing around when the whole idea of going is about relaxing.

Write this number down and keep it with you: 407-WDW–DINE. Call it several hours before you eat somewhere and ask for priority seating or you'll get stuck in a line or not get a seat at all.

If you go to Epcot and elect to eat a meal at the McDonald's, turn around and leave. Epcot is about two things, primarily: awesome food and lots of booze.

Epcot's "Soarin'" has an awful wait time and is really the only ride where you'll want to get a fastpass early in the day.

A wonderful Epcot secret: there is only one ride in all of the parks that you can take a beverage with you. Do not pass up the chance to ride the cheesy Mexico boat ride with a margarita while heavily intoxicated. Laugh at the looping footage from 1981.

The only places where you aren't allowed to go will be blocked by fences. Everywhere else is open for exploration. Walk the lawns, recline under trees, have lunch in the shade. Other guests will give you weird looks for walking off the path, but the enjoyment is worth it. (One particularly nice route outside the parks is the river that runs through the resort areas like Port Orleans. You can walk along this river for miles and enjoy the quiet.)

Epcot "closes" at 9pm and an awesome fireworks show that is best viewed from the area around Japan/Morocco follows. Make sure you have a good view of the center of the lake for it. The show ends around 9:15pm and the crowds quickly fight to leave. Hint: stick around, take your time. MGM and other parks are quick to remove people after the official "closing" time, but Epcot works differently. Have a seat and laugh as everyone runs to the gates, then walk through the countries in the dark and be amazed at how wonderful the place is in the quiet. Walk behind England (get lost in the tiny hedge maze!) and through Canada to witness the wildlife that comes out once everyone is gone (bunnies everywhere!). You can easily walk around past 10pm in the cool air and not have to fight traffic when exiting. (Note: there is some odd promotion with resort guests that allows them to stay until 11pm or so. This was going on during the Food and Wine Festival, but might be over with now. Ask about it and see if you can get a blue wristband to extend your stay.)

When leaving Epcot, keep to the left after you pass the large fountain. Locate the trippy light-up sidewalks. Oooooh.

[Dagney]

We got back from WDW last night - I'm in the midst of sorting through my travel journal, and The Dude is sorting through our nearly 3Gb of photos. (yes, 3Gig..we're photo hounds)

The trip was awesome. Absolutely awesome.
Saturday - Arrived at Orlando - went to Downtown Disney for dinner and to wander around - Dinner was at Ragland Road - the Irish Band was fantastic.
Sunday was shopping at Downtown Disney and Dinner at Boma -Animal Kingdom Resort - Again, fantastic.
Monday was Animal Kingdom - The Dude says Everest was a pretty good coaster (I was chicken) - The safari was the highlight of our day - we saw the baby giraffes as well as the young elephants. Dinner was Epcot - Germany - and the Illuminations fireworks - there are no words - they are phenomenal! (We sat between France and Morocco....great seats!)
Tuesday was MGM - I rode Tower of Terror - Twice - (there's a story there). The Dude's favorite is the Rockn'Roller coaster - he rode it 3 times. We stayed for the Osbourne Lights - well worth the long day.
Wednesday was Magic Kingdom - Had a character breakfast at the Crystal Palace - met Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore. Rode Splash mountain, and got soaked! Did a little resort hopping to see the amazing Christmas decorations - the Grand Floridian is beyond beautiful. Back to Magic Kingdom for Spectramagic and the Wishes fireworks - both were breathtaking.
Thursday was Epcot - the weather was rainy - but thankfully most everything was inside. Did the Behind the Seeds tour - and it was educational - but long! Had Fast Passes for Soarin`, and wow. Just simply WOW. We had dinner at the Coral Reef (with the fishes) and got to see the light up sidewalks - they were neat - would really like to know how they figured that one out!)
Friday - Checked out of the Boardwalk Villas - spent the morning at Downtown Disney finishing up our shopping (and really annoying our feet *G*). Got to the airport early for a 7pm flight home, and just crashed when we got back to Raleigh.

We're already booked to head back for the Food and Wine Festival in October, and are discussing a third trip for the Flower Show in March of 08.

There will be much more posted on my blog - and probably here too...but I wanted to check in. LabRat, if you have specific questions, please ask, I'll tell ya anything I can!

Kellie

[Dagney]

Originally Posted by Kitsune

Peak season -- Heh. Have fun with that!

Last week really wasn't 'peak' season - it wasn't as busy as I thought it would be at all. The Dude said it was 'low' season for everyone but DVC folks (of which we were). Very few lines for anything but the newer rides - and even they were no longer than 40 minutes - except for Everest....which was up to 55 at the highest.

I'd go back in a heartbeat this time of year

[Kitsune]

Glad you had a great time, Dagney! You'll love Food and Wine when you return.

Were they serving any carrot or pumpkin soup at Boma? My god, that stuff is good. (Note: if you like anything you ate and can remember what it was and where you got it, you can e-mail them and they will send you a recipe that is modified for small batches. They usually work out.)

[Dagney]

They had a carrot soup that I didn't try - but the fufu and bobotie were favorites.

Thanks for the heads up on the recipes - The Dude loved the bobotie, and I wanted to make it for him as a surprise

[orthodoc]

Are you going to post some pics? I'm probably going to take my daughter to Disney/Epcot (she's 14) in the next year - each of our kids has gotten to go on a 'teen trip' of their choice, and Disney is hers. Somehow, with four kids, we never got to Disney - ! - except before we were even married, waayy back. We went in the off-season and three quarters of the rides and attractions were closed. So I don't have great memories of it, and don't know what's best to do, where to stay, etc. The posts in this thread so far have been very helpful.

Epcot, MGM ... anything else a teenager would enjoy?

[Dagney]

Oh, we'll be putting photos on the web - probably his site, not mine - he's our Camera Guy - my future MIL said we have a point and shoot relationship - I point, he shoots

Not much was closed at Disney - except a few things that were down for repairs, but I'm not sure I'd have missed them because there were so many other things to do.

I don't know your daughter, so I can't say what may excite her - but I'll give some highlights of all of the parks so you can decide or let her decide (it is _her_ trip *G*)

Animal Kingdom - the park is - as you may have guessed, geared towards animals. There aren't a LOT of rides, but it is fun. The Kilimanjaro Safari was an interesting trip through the 'reserve' Disney has set up there - lots of animals. The narration is a bit 'cheesy' but all in all, it was really interesting. The Flights of Wonder show was all about birds of different varities, and we learned a few things we didn't know before - the birds flew out through the audience, and we got to see a few we'd never see otherwise. (The Hyacinth Macaw was one of those). The Dude liked Expedition Everest - said it wasn't scary, but was 'fun'. I'll be trying that in October - so will let you know then. One ride we didn't get on was the Kali River Rapids - but only because we didn't feel like getting soaked. Looked fun though, but the weather wasn't cooperating for us. This isn't a 'full day' park - because it closes around 5pm. We augmented the day with an evening at Epcot for dinner and the fireworks (park hopper passes are the way to go so you can move around as you want).

MGM - this park has more rides - and a lot of shows - if your daughter likes roller coasters, the Rockn' Rollercoaster is Dude's favorite. Fastpass makes it easier to get on it a few times through the day. MGM is also not a 'full day' park for us - there aren't any fireworks in the evening, and I've been told that the Fantasmic show in the evenings is good - but not spectacular. (It's on our 'if we've got nothing else to do list'.

Magic Kingdom - This is most definitely the 'kid' park of the four. Lots of munchkin meltdowns - but if you're going to Disney - you have to go here. Space Mountain is a good coaster from what I heard (we weren't able to get on it). Splash Mountain and the Big Thunder Mountain coaster were fun. The Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean were fun too. We enjoyed the Haunted mansion - thought the effects were fun.

Epcot - Part of the park is ride and 'kid' oriented - the other - the international part is more adult oriented - but still fun. Futureworld is the ride part of Epcot - Soarin is well worth the wait - and a few rounds if you can do more than one. Spaceship Earth is the big golfball - and the ride inside is relaxing and informative. (It's about the evolution of communication). The Land has a very interesting 'ride' through the hydroponic greenhouses and fish farms. This is where we did the behind the seeds tour. The International showcase is a lot of little movies and shopping, and food of course - not a lot to 'ride' but a lot to absorb.

There are two water parks we didn't get to - Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon - I've heard they're pretty cool places - but we just didn't have enough time.

One thing that really made our trips through the parks fun is playing the 'Hidden Mickey' game. All through the parks there are images of the Mickey head. There are guide books to help you find some - and some you find on your own. We spent time looking for those as well - but didn't find as many as we could have. (Next time!) That could make the trip fun for your teenager.

Disney doesn't seem to have an 'off season' any more. Which is good - things won't be closed for you.

Where to stay - well, we're members of the Disney Vacation Club, so we have a time share at the Boardwalk Villas. If you want to stay on property, there are a number of resorts available for you to pick from - ranging from tent camping to posh spoilage, and lots of things in between. If you stay at the Animal Kingdom for example, and have a room that opens on to the savannah, you can look out your window in the morning and maybe catch a glimpse of a zebra or giraffe. (Now that would be awesome in my opinion).

One point of advice - budget time, and listen to your feet. Nothing worse than trying to cram everything into a few days and being miserable towards the end of it. We took lots of breaks, sat through some shows, and basically just did what we wanted to, on a very loose time frame.

I highly recommend making reservations for your dinners and lunches, or you'll wait forever at some places. Fast pass helps you bump to the front of the line (when it works right). And if you're wanting a pepsi, youre out of luck - Disney is a coke only park.

And when you're at Epcot, try the Beverly at the coke place. Trust me, it's memorable

A few good reference tools

Hidden Mickeys: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secrets - Steve Barrett (We got ours from Amazon - you can get them at the Parks however)
Fodor's Walt Disney World - I just picked up the 07 version tonight, but an earlier edition had a lot of great info in it.
www.allearsnet.com - the source for a lot of great WDW info, as well as menus for most, if not all of the restaraunts
www.wdwinfo.com - another source for great info.
www.disneysearch.net - don't use this one much, but it's come in handy
talkdisney.com - more info