GENERAL ADVICE FOR TOTAL DISNEY NEWBIES!

[Oldun]

We are coming from England to the US and want to spend 5 days in Orlando next April. 2 of those Orlando days will be Disney!!!, (Magic Kingdom and Hollywood studios.) Our kids are 7 and 8, one is a daredevil, one is cautious!! With a whole US trip to pay for we will look to keep costs down as much as possible. Disney looks fun but soooooo confusing - we would be VERY glad of some basic advice
So if anyone could help in answering some of our questions we really would appreciate it...... here are the main questions we have....
FIRST, whats the advantage in staying in a "budget" Disney resort hotel? ( We are normally airbnb people.) Are there park privileges, booking privileges etc. to make it worthwile staying on site?
SECOND We can only access the UK which gives the impression that visitors must pre-buy a minimum 3 day pass and reserve all the rides in advance. Can't you just rock up to the park buy a day ticket and go on whatever ride you want?
THIRD Is Genie worth the money?
FOURTH Well just generally your favourite tips and hints , we want to hear it all! !! thank you so much.

 

[Marionnette]

We are coming from England to the US and want to spend 5 days in Orlando next April. 2 of those Orlando days will be Disney!!!, (Magic Kingdom and Hollywood studios.) Our kids are 7 and 8, one is a daredevil, one is cautious!! With a whole US trip to pay for we will look to keep costs down as much as possible. Disney looks fun but soooooo confusing - we would be VERY glad of some basic advice
So if anyone could help in answering some of our questions we really would appreciate it...... here are the main questions we have....
FIRST, whats the advantage in staying in a "budget" Disney resort hotel? ( We are normally airbnb people.) Are there park privileges, booking privileges etc. to make it worthwile staying on site?
SECOND We can only access the UK which gives the impression that visitors must pre-buy a minimum 3 day pass and reserve all the rides in advance. Can't you just rock up to the park buy a day ticket and go on whatever ride you want?
THIRD Is Genie worth the money?
FOURTH Well just generally your favourite tips and hints , we want to hear it all! !! thank you so much.

• By staying in a Disney Value Resort, you will get 30 minutes to enter any park before the off-site guests. You will be able to book table service dining 60 day + the length of your stay in advance. Off-site guests can only book 60 days in advance. Whether this is "worth it" is subjective. If you don't like getting up early and making your way to a park for on-site rope drop, the value may not be there. If you don't intend to dine at hard-to-book restaurants, staying on site might not be "worth it". There are also intangibles like always being in the Disney Bubble, which some people place a high value on.
• You can purchase single-day or 2-day tickets if you wish. However, you must make park reservations for each day that you intend to visit. Without a park reservation, you won't get in. Once you're in a park, you can join any standby line you wish. There's only one attraction which does not have a standby line at the moment. That would be the new Guardians of the Galaxy coaster in Epcot. To ride, you need to either obtain a boarding pass to a virtual queue or purchase a Lightning Lane pass. When TRON opens in the MK, it will probably be a similar situation. You can also purchase Genie + for $15 per person per day on the day of your visit. Genie + gives you access to a feature on the MDE app which enables you to reserve a return time to attractions rather than waiting in a standby line. Genie + is complicated and I suggest that you read up on the various threads focused specifically on it and watch a few YouTube how-to videos.
• Genie is a free feature in the MDE app. Genie + is the paid feature. Some find it quite valuable. Others felt it was a waste of money. You really need to study up on it ahead of time if you want to get the most out of it.
• I'll leave favorite tips and hints to others and conclude by wishing you a magical trip.

 

[midwestdee]

We just got back. Buying Genie+ was worth every penny. By next April, things may change. Start watching u tube videos- Disney Food Blog and Tour Planning do some good ones. We stayed at POFQ this time. In June, 2019 we stayed at Pop Century a value resort - paid for a preferred room so building was close to food court/ bus stop. They now have the skyliner for transportation too. Everyone has different things that are most important- with only 2 days, take advantage of videos of the rides
( u tube again).

 

[ccudmore]

A complete answer to your question would take more than a single post (I wish it wasn't that complex)

There's a number of excellent web sites out there that have complete guides, suggestions, checklists, etc for first time (and seasoned) visitors. Sites like wdwinfo (run by The Dis), All Ears, Touring Plans, Your First Visit, etc are great resources.

 

[lanejudy]

SECOND We can only access the UK which gives the impression that visitors must pre-buy a minimum 3 day pass and reserve all the rides in advance. Can't you just rock up to the park buy a day ticket and go on whatever ride you want?

You do want to buy tickets in advance and make theme park reservations. Depending on your dates next April, it could well be a busy time of year with many US schools having a spring break or Easter break.

However, you do NOT have to reserve any rides in advance. Well, you can buy Genie+ and schedule some rides as early as 7am that day, but not earlier. Generally, yes, once you have a ticket and theme park reservation then you can enter pretty much all queues (except 1 at the moment and that may change by April).

 

[gatormom2tots]

Before our first trip as a family (2010 I think?) I started reading these boards and also bought the unofficial guide to Disney book- that book was INVALUABLE!

Now, I am a type A, OCD control freak who likes to research things to no end. But honestly, I spent about 9 months researching the ends and outs of everything. We had an amazing trip and learned how to utlize the old paper fast pass system. We have made numerous trips since that first visit...some years more than others (AP years were amazing!) but I still come to these boards with questions and clarifications.

My suggestion would be to start reading some of the topics here and familarize yourself. People on these boards have knowledge that MOST others who go to the parks do not have. IYou might also want to use a TA to help with the initial process- just make sure you get one that specializes in Disney. I have seen TAs who say they can do Disney but have no idea about the ins and outs. If you use one from Dreams Unlimited, you KNOW those guys are Disney obsessed and will guide you correctly!

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

Because you are only doing two park days and because of the two parks you're doing, Genie+ will be very helpful to getting you in more rides.
Again because of the short timeline, I would recommend staying a in a Value hotel to get that early extra 30 minutes--BUT as mentioned above *only* if your family will get up and out to the park early enough to enjoy it. I also think Pop Century is a good choice for you because of the Skyliner transport that will take you efficiently to DHS. (You'll take a bus from Pop to MK.) It might be nice to stay at a Disney resort just to help immerse yourself for those special 48 hours.
Yes, 2-day tickets exist. If you call the UK line, I would ask, but there are also legit third-party sellers that offer tiny discounts (which might help the pain of any currency conversion crappy rates your credit card might do to the purchase).
No, you will not book any ride any earlier than 7am of the day you are entering a park.
Unsolicited advice: I just did a 48-hour trip in May, and we went really hard to get a lot done. It was great, but it was exhausting. One thing that can help is forcing yourself to stop for a nice meal where you sit in air conditioning, eat real food (no, pretzels, ice cream, blue milk, and popcorn don't count), and *hydrate* yourselves. With the age of your kids, I would look into splurging for a character meal, esp at MK. At DHS, you only have one choice for character meal and a number of good choices for a nice table-service meal. For any TS meal, you need a reservation, which you can make 60 days out, something you will want to set a calendar alert to so you can get what you want.

 

[holden]

Two days is a super short time, but you can still have fun if you plan.

Park reservations are a must. You are traveling here during what we call "Spring Break" season. Many schools have off and WDW will be packed. I'd recommend making your park reservations as soon as you know your dates. You'll need tickets to do that.

With a short trip, I'd also recommend you use Genie+ and ILLs. There's a ton of info on these boards about both of those. I found them a little challenging to use at first, but they are worth it for MK and DHS. We have two of us on at 7am. One books Genie+, the other an ILL.

Book at least one sit down meal a day to get out of the heat. It could be a lunch or dinner. You'll be thankful for the break.

Arrive at the parks at least 30 minutes before rope drop. If you use Genie+ and ILL, you should be able to get just about everything done with an early start.

As much as you'll want to see and do it all, follow your kids' lead. WDW is exhausting. If you push them beyond their comfort level they might wind up miserable. This is why it's important to prioritize attractions and ride them accordingly. Instead of booking a Genie+ or ILL for 9pm, try to grab them earlier in the day.

Be prepared for intense heat. April can be beautiful or hot. There is no way to know ahead of time. Also prepare for rain every day. Sometimes it rains in MK but not in DHS. Rain clears some people out of the parks, so I keep going when it rains.

Try to carry as little as you can in the parks. We go bagless.

There are many indoor attractions that can give you some downtime if you need it (Carousel of Progress, Hall of Presidents, etc). These attractions are often not too crowded also.

WDW advises to allow 1.5hrs for transportation (if you stay at a Disney resort). This might seem like a lot, but it is often accurate. If you want to arrive at a park by 8:30am, leave your hotel room by 7am. Uber/Lyft is often quicker than Disney buses, so that's an option too. If you are offsite you might need even more time.

Have a great trip!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

So I am not going to rehash what others have said on the basic end of things. Plus we all have different experiences and opinions.


I will say however, the best thing about these boards besides our love for Disney and Theme parks is that we do know certain things, and if we don't know fully we can lead you in the right direction. I often end up hating giving people advice, or telling them to watch or look into people who can help them and then completely ignoring it because they wanted xyz and then complain that their 4 year old is too tired, or they wasted money and time on something because this person doesn't like this or that, even though I told them to check out the boards or watch this youtuber or call if you have questions. Please, please, please, please, please continue to do the fabulous research you are already doing, and really think about exactly what your family wants and needs. Get everyone involved (unless its a surprise with the kiddos-then I can understand not having them get involved). If you have teens it can be really fun to hear their ideas or what they want to try!


I do hope you and your family enjoy your trip!

 

[midwestdee]

Personally, I strongly suggest avoiding booking any table service meal with or without characters- it would suck up
1 1/2 - 2 HOURS of your day & cost a fortune - food is food.

 

[MICKIMINI]

There is so much good advice here! I have 49 1/2 years experience at WDW...I would recommend you do anything you can to expand your trip by as many days as possible and stay close to MK. WDW is 40 square miles huge. It is hard to visualize the immensity of the property.

Disney is larger than almost any big city. Location will make the difference for you as most resorts will be an hour trip to get to a park and an hour back. First visit I'd try to stay on the monorail if possible. If there is any way you can do it, you won't regret it. Time is money. I promise, it's worth it!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[nicksinger8]

Have a look at the unofficial guide to Disney by Len Testa and Bob Sehlinger. Disney has become a complex place to go on holiday - I last went in 2004 (I am also from the UK), but that book will cut through a lot of the nonsense. We are going for 10 days this so we got the 14 day pass so can't help on the 3 day pass.

The key to touring the parks is get there early. Disney hotel guests are admitted 30 minutes before non disney guests, but if you get there a good 30 minutes before your entry time and you use a touring plan, you'll minimise time waiting. Touring plans tell which order to do the rides, but they save you so much time queuing (they are a key feature of the unofficial guide).

 

[Nevada Jen]

As someone who has done disney a lot, I am just going to comment on one thing. For years we stayed in a nice nearby, but offsite, timeshare. It had a kitchen, a great pool with low crowds etc. I thought people who paid those prices to stay onsite were nuts. I thought leaving the stress of disney behind at the end of the day was actually a way better choice and people just didn't know what they were talking about. We would drive in everyday to whatever park we were doing that day.

About 7 years ago, we stayed onsite for the first time and it was a really big difference. Forget the published perks, being in the disney bubble is almost like having an extra day of vacation. The first time we stayed on site we stayed at a value resort. I am NOT a value girl. No way would I willingly stay at the equivalent of a motel! Turns out it didn't bug me in the least. I think I might actually like the value resorts the best for Disney. Something about being able walk across the grass to your room or the pool or the food court. Not needing a car is huge. Maybe it brought back memories of college? No clue why it makes such a big difference, but at least for me it really changes it from any other amusement park visit to a disney vacation.

OK. I guess I have 2 comments. If you are going to California as part of your trip, 2 days at Disneyland (I would not stay on site there) is a very reasonable amount of time to hit everything in the parks you would want. You are going to have to be selective at Disney World in Florida.