We are going, we're taking the family and we will be in Disney Sept '14

[jess4101]

Intro: My name is Jess, I have started a bunch of potential plans for Disney, then something happens, or it's just not going to work. So this time, it's going to work and I have 10 months to make it work! It's going to work! And I would like to mention, PLEASE give me your 2 cents on every aspect of my planning. I have no clue what I'm doing. Cast: Me, I've been to Disney a few times as a young girl and I don't remember much except the Buzz Lightyear ride. DH, Dallas, NEVER has been to FL, so obviously he has never been to Disney! He's not so into the planning and when I show him he's like okay cool, you're in charge. Our Children: All have NEVER been to Disney! Originally I wanted to make this a surprise BUT I was torn and I want them a part of the planning. We can make for a surprise next year. Olivia will be 9 this weekend, Ayden will be 8 in Jan, Addyson will be 7 in March and Emmaline is 4 but will be 5 in August. AND lastly, "my other" adult child, Tiffany, who is actually my sister, known as Aunt Tippy. We went on a family trip when she was young, and she was there a few times while visiting our family in Orlando as a teenager but she's super excited. She's a HUGE part of the kids' lives and I couldn't imagine her not going with us for their first trip which has kind of been a determining factor of changing our minds for our previously planned trip. The Base Plans: We are driving from PA to FL, planning on leaving Friday Sept 12th, arriving at Disney Saturday Sept 13th. I *think* we are staying at ASMo, we need beds and showers, that's all I really care about. Plus Emmaline is OBSESSED with the enormous Dalmatians, which makes me wonder if we should go with the preferred rooms and get a Dalmatian room or just stick with cheap. I can change my mind in the future. We will be leaving Sept 19th 7 days, 6 nights. I think for a first trip that will be perfect! Much better than the original 3 day, 2 night, what was I thinking? The Questions: I ultimately decided 7 days, we were going to get 4 days of passes, spend a day at each park, I'm pretty sure walking rate is going to be aw struck rubber neckers, so everything won't get done. I'm okay with that because we will go back! And then someone said to skip Hollywood Studios and Epcot. So I was like okay I can do 3 passes, do MK 2 days, AK 1, and then a water park 1 day. But, the person who said that to me has girls, my son is a huge Phineas and Ferb fan, and also likes Star Wars and would love the Jedi training.. and I wanna see Turtle Talk with Crush, we do have turtles named Crush and Squirt... The first and last day we are devoting to hotel time and downtown Disney. Food: I love food! We are doing the dining plan, since we are banking on the free QS dining plan, we are upgrading to normal dining. I want to do Cinderella.. I'm kind of torn because I'm pretty certain my DS will hate it, I'm hoping that we can do lunch and DH and DS can do like a QS lunch and spend some guy time while my sister and I go hang out with princesses! I heard to do the Crystal Palace for breakfast, so that's probably going to happen. I want to do Rex, which I'm pretty sure we are going to either do dinner the first day or lunch the last day.

 

[Lori77]

Jess-
Sounds like a great trip! I would recommend that you do at least 5-6 days at the parks if you can squeeze it, since it will be your first trip. I know it is extra $, but the extra time is priceless! We usually do one day for each park then if there was things we missed or a favorite, then we go back to that one. Things can change quickly depending on the crowds and if it rains.

I would also recommend not skipping Epcot or HS! Epcot has awesome rides like Test Track and Soarin which are must-sees, along with Finding Nemo and other pavillions that make learning fun! The countries alone are awesome even if you just spend time going through them quickly. My kids loved getting to experience how life is different in the world. Also, they have the Phineas and Ferb game that goes all around World Showcase. I can't remember what it is called but it is supposed to be really fun.

HS has Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, Rockin Roll Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror, again must-sees. Plus they have the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast shows. It is a great park, and the atmosphere is relaxing. The Great Movie Ride is fun, a bit dated, but still a good overview of movies in Hollywood.

I would agree that a Water Park is a must do, as it is nice to unwind and relax in the Florida sun! Well worth it!

We stayed at the ASMo this year, and it was good. We had a Buzz room which I did pay extra for, and was glad I did since we were closer to the main pool and food court.

Hope this helps! Happy planning and hope you have an awesome trip!
Lori

 

[JB Meier]

Jess:

Congrats on your first family trip to the World! Here are a couple of initial suggestions:

* Be sure to do some research on your dining options, as you want to be sure to maximize both the fun and the value (most bang for your DP) that you can.

* Cinderella's Royal Table costs TWO table service credits. To eat in the castle is cool, but for only one credit you can dine at Akerhaus in Epcot (in the Norway pavillion) where Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, and Ariel all come to your table, plus you get a free photo package with Belle! Great value.

* I would spurge on getting more tickets and going to the parks more. Prices decrease drastically with the more days you add on, and for your family the difference between 4 days and 6 days is only $192 which is only $21 per person for two extra park days. That would mean you could run to Magic Kingdom that first night for a quick couple of rides and to watch the fireworks.

* Also, your number of meals on the DP are going to be determined by the number of nights your are staying. Therefore, you will have 6 table service credits each, and will have to travel to a park or another resort anyway to utilize them.

* I would do all of the parks, and plan on setting aside at least two days for Magic Kingdom. If you decide to only go with 4 day passes, I would recommend MK twice along with one day each of Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

* If you are planning to do Disney Quest in addition to at Downtown Disney you will need to set aside at least half a day. Otherwise you can see most of DD and eat all in only a few hours.

* Crystal Palace for breakfast is nice as you are inside of Magic Kingdom and the characters are Pooh and Friends. However, right next door at the Contemporary is Chef Mickey's, another character breakfast that includes Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto. Both have the same food and cost the same on the DP, so I would choose based on who you would like to meet!

* Have most if not all of your reservations decided by the 6 month mark so you can book them quickly to ensure securing a table. Some ADRs such as Cinderella's Castle and Chef Mickeys go very quickly once reservations are open.


Please don't hesitate to post any other questions or concerns!

There are a lot of good sites out there for planning, including mine! (The Rajah Report)
I will post the link in a separate post, but until then happy planning!!!

-JB-

 

[JB Meier]

Jess:

I have a trip report site called The Rajah Report which is just a personal blog.

However, I have a "Links" page that has a ton of great resources for trip planning.

Best of luck,

-JB-

P.S. Involve the kids, at least this time. Their excitement just can't be contained:

 

[jess4101]

Thank you so much and I started checking out your blog but will continue reading! I didn't realize CRT was 2 TS credits so we will probably go to Akerhaus instead because we aren't going for the food anyhow! lol

 

[jess4101]

We had a family dinner tonight and decided we are going to do 1 day at each park and 1 water park! So now we need to decide on dinning plans and then we will decide where we are going on what days!

 

[bellasmommy0]

You should really look at price, the difference between 4 day tickets and 6 day ticket is minimal. It is easy to say now that you only need 1 day at each park, but once there you may change your mind. Especially with a 5 year old...she will most definitely want more than 1 day at magic kingdom. And with September heat if you don't feel so pushed on your ONLY day in a park, you can take a midday rest.

 

[jess4101]

I know we won't be able to do MK in 1 day but with only having 6 full days (5 full, 2 half) it's kind of rough. A friend of mine said to spring for the park hopper and then I'm like well.. Then we might as well just go for another day. I keep tossing ideas around!