Going on our first trip to WDW!

[xWingsx]

Hello!
This is my first time posting on the forums here and boy do I feel pressure. Not only from posting on here but planning this long overdue Disney World trip.
I've been planning my and my fiance's first ever trip to Disney World. It's been a very long process and just when I think I've got it all figured out, I remember I forgot to add something and it's like I'm starting back over from scratch.
One of the main reasons I've come to the forums here is because I would like some insiders help on some major details of this once in a lifetime trip. I've watched countless hours of Disney planning and tips and tricks videos online and wow it can definitely be overwhelming. Being that this is our first real vacation together and our 5 year anniversary trip, I want it to be as fun as it can be and try and not stress over the little details. So below are some details about our trip. I can include more if need be.
1) We will be driving from Michigan. We'd leave a few days before initial check in to give us time to enjoy the drive.
2) We're planning on checking in on Sept. 15th and checking out Sept. 25th 2019. (11 Days)
3) We're going to try and take advantage of the Free Disney Dining plan offer that is currently available. If that does get sold out by time we book the trip, we won't be that upset about it.
4) We will also be going to Universal Studios for a part of this trip.

Now onto my questions.
1) Is 11 Days or I suppose 9 days a good enough time to experience Disney World/Universal Studios? I don't assume we'll do much the days we check in and check out. Might head on over to Disney Springs but that's all I can imagine. If not we can definitely extend out trip to fit our needs.
2A) So if we end up getting the Free DDP offer and since park hopper is included with this. How many days should we allow for the Disney Parks? I had in mind maybe 5 days with Park Hopper, I think that should be enough to go to the parks we want to multiple times. I'm definitely open to suggestions with this questions.
2B) If we don't end up getting the Free DDP offer. Should we still pay the extra to get a Park Hopper ticket to get the full use out our trip or skip the Park Hopper and just enjoy the parks one day at a time?
3) We're really into Halloween and I definitely want to get tickets to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party for one of the nights we're there. Do you recommend we relax during the day time and then go to the event when it begins and not go to one of the parks during the day?
4) Weather. I know this one can't really be answered. What's the weather like in Florida during the month of September? What's best to pack clothes wise? I know I can expect rain nearly everyday and the chance for a hurricane. Crossing my fingers that one won't come but we definitely won't let some bad weather ruin our trip!

I'm sure I have many more questions but those are definitely my top priority. I'd love for some feed back and I'm open for any suggestions that any of you might have.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Gaugersaurus]

First Welcome to DISboards!

I'll start by saying definitely try to branch out to the other forums on the boards if you questions aren't answered here. There's a forum for just about any topic/question out there.

1. I'm firmly in the that no amount of time is enough but 9 days should be plenty of time to experience everything at WDW & US. I'd say the answer to this will depend on your touring style, are you commando park open to close or do you like a more relaxed, sleep in and get to the parks around noon vacation.
2. 
   
   • For a party of 2 the free dining promo might not save you the most money and it's likely there are no room left on the promo. I would say 6/7 days at Disney and 2/3 at US, that should give you enough time to explore at a more relaxed pace and give you a couple extra days to go back to things you missed/want to do again.
   • If you don't get free dining I would forgo park hopper to save some money, you can also look into getting annual passes as you could get a passholder discount on your hotel plus the discounts on dining. If you do go for an annual pass also look into Table in Wonderland, for $150 it gets you a 20% discount on your bill at most table service restaurants so if you plan a to do a lot of table service meals or spend a lot at dinner it could end up saving you more than you would getting the free dining promo.
3. If you get tickets for MNSSHP I would reduce the amount of WDW ticket you purchase by 1 day. In the past you've been able to get into Magic Kingdom at 4pm with a MNSSHP ticket.
4. September is hot, humid, and rainy. I'd pack shorts, t-shirts, ponchos/light-weight rain jackets, and shoes that do well in the rain/wet as there will be puddles on the ground. Personally I just packed my normal shoes and carried my flip-flops in my backpack to switch to if the rain got really bad.

 

[indoshakespeare]

1) That's a pretty good number of days. Even if you spend 2 days in Universal, 7 days in WDW for first timers is pretty good.

2 and 3) Start with a non park hopper, you can always upgrade it to a park hopper anytime. Do a morning/afternoon rest on your MNSSHP day so in essence, you'll get 6 park days.

4) Wet wet wet. Luckily not as hot as July and any kind of rain help reduce the heat. Don't worry, as long as the parks don't close from a hurricane, you'll still have fun ^^

 

[DizMinMouse]

Congrats on planning your first trip!!
I would definitely take it easy the day of MNSSHP because you’ll be running around like a nut until midnight for the party. We usually still go to a park at rope drop the day of the party but then take a nice long break before the party.
I always recommend purchasing Memory Maker with your package b/c then you can both be in all the pictures. The Memory Maker photographers are all over the parks so you just get in their line and they’ll take your picture. They then scan your magic band so that the pictures go into your account.
We usually purchase the park hopper only because we generally go during the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival and generally end up there at night for eating. (We make a spreadsheet of all the foods we want to try before our trip b/c the menus are released prior).
I’ll post again if I think of anything else that might be helpful!
Happy planning!

 

[Skippyboo]

Welcome.

The Free Dining and Room only discounts are already out for your travel dates. They came beginning of January. So you want to lock in your room ASAP.

It’s sticky, hot in September. I would recommend the park hoppers for this reason, plus September is food and wine festival time. Get up early to hit the parks in the am and then go back to your hotel during the peak of the afternoon and then head back out in evening. Also if you do the Dining plan, the park hoppers give you more flexibility. If you’re at HS, which is food challenged, you can hop over to Epcot for better dining choices.

Not So Scary is great. I like to go to water park on party day then hit MK in late afternoon with my costume on. Halloween Horror Nights at Universal is awesome too. They shutdown the Universal side on HHN early so take that into account when deciding when you visit Universal. If you want to go to HHN, I recommend doing a midweek night if they have one during your visit. Way less people then on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

180 days out for Dining Reservations so if want a special restaurant book it then

60 days out for Fastpasses, it goes live at 7 am. Do your hardest FP first like Flights of Passage then fill in your other ones. You get 3 and they have to be in same park, you can get additional ones once you tap in for 3rd FP.

 

[HooplaFan]

If you go to Universal I highly recommend you stay at one of the three premium on-property hotels (Hard Rock, portofino, or royal pacific). Not only do you get early admission, but you get the express pass for free for your entire stay. Express pass is $70+ per person per day.

 

[jtopp]

Welcome!!!!
Disney is huge, and overwhelming for a first timer. First things first.
1.- Take the time to enjoy your drive. Trying to get there by driving straight thru will only make you first few days there trying to recover from the trip.
2.- Enjoy the time in the parks at your own pace. Do not get a parkhopper. This forces you to enjoy things in each park without rushing park to park. You are taking time to plan your trip, try to make it efficient.
3.- Free dining is great, but if you can't get it, don't let it ruin your trip.
4.- Enjoy Halloween. It is one of the better parties. Enjoy trick or treat on Main St.
5.- Even with your scheduling and planning, you are not going to see and experience everything. Enjoy what you do, and look forward to the next time to see what you missed. Enjoy your trip.

 

[com_op_2000]

IMHO, Plan two days of parks, take a day off, plan two days of parks, take a day off, etc.
This way you do not need a vacation from your vacation when you get home. The parks can be over-whelming for someone the first time. I understand that this is your first trip and you have been thinking about it so much. There are a lot of things to do outside the parks depending upon what you are into:
sports: golf, mini-golf, fishing, marathon, bowling, ESPN Club, WWS/ESPN Zone, etc
shopping: DS (DTD), area outlet malls, large scale malls
drinking: Jellyrolls, Raglan Road, monorail tour of resorts, walking tour of resorts in the Boardwalk area
movies: DS (DTD) 24 screen theater some with meals served by waiters
night clubbing: Jellyrolls, Atlantic Dance, Raglan Road, Citywalk
resort tours: monorail tour of resorts, Boardwalk around the lake tour of resorts, horse drawn tour of FWC, AKL/AKV
offsite: Gaylord Palms Resort, Citywalk, swamp tour
eating: Formal GF 5* Chef's Table @ V&As

My other suggestions:
Look into renting DVC points for a larger room. You can stay in a Deluxe Resort for the price you would pay for a Moderate Resort hotel room.
Go to WDW, stay onsite, then move over to US/IoA area hotel that allows their FOTL access for people who stay onsite. It will save you lots of time. The FOTL access is good for the length of stay including check-in and checkout days. That way if you stay 2 nights at US/IoA resort then you get 3 days of FOTL access.

 

[GoofyDad_4427]

Unless you are avoiding flying because of someone's fear, I would highly recommend you look into that option. It will save you a lot of time, and will probably cost the same or even less once you factor in your gas costs, hotel stays on the way and way back, and parking at the resorts/parks. Getting around the Disney/Universal area is super easy with Uber.