hubby and i going to wdw 1st time in oct. 2003

[hydrationprincess]

hello. my hubby and i are going to wdw october 18th for our first time. we are totally excited. but we have no idea how to plan our trip. we will be there 7 nights/8 days. and we are staying at the all star music resort. i've already booked us tickets for the not-so-scary halloween party. and one of the main reasons we are going in late october is for the int'l food and wine festival. other than that...i'm stumped. i have been researching info and i just recently purchased a book "walt disney world for adults" to help with the planning.

what's the weather like in october?
what are 3 things that we must absolutely do while there for the first time?

any feedback would be great!

thanks so much!

 

[LAinSEA]

My two best tips for planning:

When the park hours and event schedules are available for your dates, decide what is a "must do" for both of you. If I were to put the nightime shows in order (our favorites) - Illuminations, Spectromagic/MK Fireworks, Fantasmic (like the Disneyland version better - sorry) and work your dinner plans around these shows. Decide where you really want to have dinner (lunches can be anything from a snack at EPCOT food & wine festival to quick-fast-and on-the-go in any park). Check out the menus on www.wdwig.com for help and planning. Make your PS's as soon as you decide.

It might not be as romantic as sleeping in and spending a leisurely morning in bed - however, if you are at the parks at their opening you will be able to experience many more attractions than if you sleep in. My advice (and I'm not a morning person) is to get up early and go and do then head back to your resort in the afternoon for a rest or whatever and then get cleaned up for an evening out (even if it's just back to EPCOT). Even if the park hours are shorter - it will enhance your vacation if you take time out mid-day and avoid "toddler meltdown" at the parks.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[spiceycat]

are you celebrating anything special - birthdays, anniversary - whatever - if you are when you make your PS - make sure you tell the CM (cast member).

Also the All star only has a food court on site - to eat at a restuarant you will have to either drive or take the WDW bus.

I bring an ice chest to save on money and also for a quick breakfast before we leave to go to the parks.

 

[hydrationprincess]

thanks for your replies to my post. we will definately take all into consideration. i will be celebrating my birthday while we are at wdw...but that is not really a priority. i just want to have fun! seems like it will be pretty easy to do that!

 

[KarenNY]

<b>Welcome to the Adults/Solo Board</b>
The weather in Oct is usually quite nice- warm days and slightly cool evenings.
In my opinion, Illuminations is definitely not to be missed.
You'll enjoy MNSSHP- it is a lot of fun. The Food and Wine Festival in Epcot is great, too. Take your time strolling around World Showcase, sampling lots of tasty items from around the world.
Don't miss the fireworks in the MK. It's neat to watch Tinkerbell glide down from the castle to start the show.
If you like rides, the Tower of Terror at the Studio is awesome. It is my favorite. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire is a lot of fun. Who knows- you may get in the Hot Seat with the chance to win a cruise!
The Festival of the Lion King at the AK is a great production. It's Tough To Be a Bug is a lot of fun there too.
I'm sure you'll get quite a few great suggestions here. Have a fantastic trip.

 

[Pat_Elliott]

Three things, in my opinion, not to be missed for a childless, first-time couple:

Agree with Illuminations, an excellent end to the day.

The Adventurer's Club in Pleasure Island. The ultimate Disney-like nightclub. A facinating experience.

One Man's Dream. Some probably wouldn't agree with this. But it's a good movie and an unbelievable collection of Disney artifacts. I'm personally counting on it being difficult to do with children. It's a "stop and look a while" type of display. And it may be gone soon.

Enjoy October. A great time to be in Disney, no doubt! Count on mostly warm weather, but be prepared for an occasional cold night, which means have a pair of pants and a sweatshirt or windbreaker in the suit case. You may not need it, but then again....

 

[yecats]

Just remember you'll only be a first timer once, after that they've got you and you'll be going back sooner than you think.

Best advise to give is to review everything before going (sites, books and talk to friends who have gone), make some general daily plans and take advantage of good advice. I would sit down with your loved one and decide what is most important to experience on your vacation. Are you ride fanatics (if so you will want to hit MK, Epcot and MGM more), animal fanatics (AK several times), swim park fanatics, food fanatics (check out Epcot, Boardwalk and various resorts) or a mixture of all these things (I am the later of all of these options). Plan according to these facts.

My advice -
- take advantage of Early Entry hour for the assigned park that day. As your staying on site this is a great option for you.
- most people are tired after 6 hours of covering any one of Disney's parks, so go back to your hotel and take a siesta or swim or do both.
- at night check out a different park than the one you visited in the morning (ie. Thurs. MK in a.m. and Epcot in p.m.)
- to save money, eat late lunches in sit down restaurants and snack at night.
- if your late risers and don't want to hit the parks until 12:00 noon or after, don't go to the park that had an EE day. But make sure that you catch the following programs at night; MK (Spectromagic parade and fireworks at closing - Saturday night), Illuminations at Epcot begins at 9:00 p.m and Fantasmic at MGM -these are must do's at least once).
- Check out a few of the other Disney resorts and make dinner plans at rest. there. The Poly, PORS, CBR and AKL are very nice to walk around and visit at night (romantic to) and have nice rest. to eat at.
- spend a small amount of time at DTD, PI and/or Boardwalk as they all offer a little something different.

If you make some general outline plans, a few ressies, your vacation will be over with before you know it and you'll be planning your next one at a different resort.

 

[alvernon90]

I think that Jellyrolls is also great fun with the added advantage of no kids allowed.

 

[winniedapooh]

DH and I went away alone for the first time in 12 years in 2001, went to WDW and had a blast. With 5 DCherubs things can get a bit, let's see shall we say noisy.....I think the first day we hardly said a word to each other, held hands and enjoyed each other. I guess that is my advice to you to have and fun and enjoy being with each other and doing what you want to do. I don't think I will ever forget that first trip in Nov. 2001 walking on to Main Street, with all the crowds and seeing the clock to the left reading 12:50 and thinking how quiet it was. We have since gone again in Oct. and are returning again this Oct. 22-26 for our 18th anniversary which is the 19th. Have fun!

Pixie dust to you both.....

 

[briand1023]

You will definetly want to see the Fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. Supposedly they have an all-new display, twice as nice as the previous display beginning in Oct 03. See rumors board for more info on display.

 

[hydrationprincess]

thank you to everyone for your replies and suggestions. only 8 more weeks to go. we are so excited! i have to start working on our itinerary now !! i'll keep y'all posted on what we do, etc.

kymberly & frank

 

[chell]

We will be there at the same time! Which night are you going to the MNSSHP? I'm going on the 19th and 24th. I hope to meet you there. We are staying at All Star Movies, so we just might wind up on the same bus sometime.

Do you still have more planning to do?

 

[hydrationprincess]

michelle,
we will be going to mnsshp on the 19th as well. we will be staying at all star music resort. as for planning???? i have no idea where to begin!!! we've never been sooo - we have soooo much to see! any suggestions! it would be great if we could hook up sometime while we are there.

thanks much!
kymberly

 

[chell]

Originally posted by hydrationprincess
michelle,
we will be going to mnsshp on the 19th as well. we will be staying at all star music resort. as for planning???? i have no idea where to begin!!! we've never been sooo - we have soooo much to see! any suggestions! it would be great if we could hook up sometime while we are there.

thanks much!
kymberly

I'm sending you a PM!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by hydrationprincess
thank you to everyone for your replies and suggestions. only 8 more weeks to go. we are so excited! i have to start working on our itinerary now !! i'll keep y'all posted on what we do, etc.

kymberly & frank

My DBF and I are taking his first trip in 20 years next february adn have been planning like crazy. One word of advice...

That guide for adults, IMO, cuts out a lot of the fun stuff. Make sure you take some time and be big kids rather than just two adults with no kids.

DBF is 31 and he wants his first ride to be on Pirates of The Caribbean. And he wants a pirate hat.

Enjoy!

Sheri

 

[snyderla]

I think I've posted this before somewhere, but this kind of goes along with the missing the "toddler meltdown" at MK. If you and DH are early risers this worked out great for us:
Make a PS as early as possible for breakfast at Crystal Palace.(8AM usually). It is a character breakfast buffet: winnie the pooh, et al. Then head straight over to Fantasyland and ride the rides over there that are really cute, and fun, but there's no way you would want to stand in line for 20 to 45 minutes with screaming kids (don't get me wrong, I LOVE children, have 2 of my own plus 2 grandkids, one of which is 2 years old, so I know what I'm talking about when I say "toddler meltdown" and "screaming kids"). You can experience them all quickly and in a fun way and still have time for the rest of the park and a mid day rest or swim then head back for parades and fireworks in the evening. This worked so well for us that we are doing it again next month when we go!

Above all, have fun and don't try to do everything at once.
Lori

 

[Lisha7]

My advice for planning is to get a passporter. I have been to Disney 4 times and I am planning my fifth, but I still think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you don't know, a passporter is like a guide book and planning book all wrapped in one.

I also vote for Illuminations.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I love the Beauty and the Beast show. IMHO it's as good as Broadway, and not as long.