Need Disney World tips

[retrospectacle]

I'm taking my two little kids (2 & 5) to Disney World in Florida next month for the first time and I'm feeling like I'm in over my head. We want to see the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studio, and Animal Kingdom. We have two days total and I was looking for suggestions on how to do it and what is "must do".

Also if anyone has any connections for complimentary passes, man, that would be huge! It costs a small fortune for a family of four, even just for two days!

We also plan on spending a third day at Legoland. So, if anyone has any insight to that park, let me know, too.

[jhulud]

Fast Pass as much as you can. It's a timesaver.

Also...get the to the parks as early as possible...even at opening times.

Right now shouldn't be too too crowded as it's not "season".

[AdventureIsOutThere]

do you or your family members have any form of anxiety or anything like that?? (completely serious question)

[twelvetwenty]

The leftmost line is always the fastest.

[somethingvinyl]

Goto Park Ave CDs, best Record shop in the city. How much is an adult ticket to Disney? $100?

[retrospectacle]

do you or your family members have any form of anxiety or anything like that?? (completely serious question)

I have a two-year-old, they have every kind of anxiety imaginable. But other than that, no.

[retrospectacle]

The leftmost line is always the fastest.

I think you mean the leftmost testicle is always the lowest. Or is it the right? No, it's the left.

[retrospectacle]

Goto Park Ave CDs, best Record shop in the city. How much is an adult ticket to Disney? $100?

Park hopper, two adults, one kid (2 and under is free), two days = $656

[albert]

One thing that always stayed with me in animal kingdom is the bus ride that takes you through this mock safari type ride and you see a wide variety of African animals and plant life and such. It was a really neat experience for any age.

[AdventureIsOutThere]

do you or your family members have any form of anxiety or anything like that?? (completely serious question)

I have a two-year-old, they have every kind of anxiety imaginable. But other than that, no.

haha I understand... what I was getting at was that disney offers a certain pass, where if you have anxiety, or some other disorder, you can go up to the window and say something like "hi, I was wondering if you can help me out, I have anxiety and I have trouble standing in lines at theme parks" and they will give you this pass that acts as a fast pass..

I really do have anxiety so this works perfectly for universal/disney/what not, and my friends don't mind it either (; (it allows 5 other people to use the pass with you)

So what I am getting at is, either way, they can't deny you this pass.. so you basically can make up that you have anxiety or adhd or something and you'd be in the clear

[nicole]

I went when I was 6, and tbh I was too young to fully appreciate it. It was all kind of overwhelming and I wish we had waited until I was 8-10. In hindsight, it seems kind of wasteful. That being said the animal kingdom was awesome. theres also this massive aquarium thing at....hollywood studios, i think? thats cool. avoid eating in the park at all costs. the food is absolutely terrible and expensive as hell.

[smailtronic]

If you're only going for 2 days, I would scuttle the Park Hopper option, and just choose 2 parks. Here's why. First, PH costs quite a bit more ($656 vs $491 for no PH). Second, Magic Kingdom has tons to do, Animal Kingdom is huge, and Hollywood Studios has lots of stuff with the current kids show characters. With two kids, you could easily spend a whole day at both of the Kingdoms, and most of a day at Studios.

Doing PH, and running between three parks means you'll be go-go-go the whole time, and won't get as much out of it. Also, as others have mentioned, at your kids' age, they're not going to remember much of the trip. Might as well take your time and enjoy it, rather than stress about running around and seeing everything.

When we go, I do like to stay in the value Disney hotels. They're a little more expensive than other hotels in the area, but free transportation from the airport, plus being able to use the shuttle buses to get around all the properties is very handy. You're also not on the hook for $14 a day for parking at each park. But if you're driving down with your own car, it may make more sense to stay off-property.

For eating in the parks, budget $12 per adult, per meal, and half that for the older kid. This will work for the casual/quick-service places. With young kids, you probably weren't going to be doing any fine dining any way. Planning to drink water instead of pop will lower the cost too. And don't underestimate the size of the parks. Some people think they can just leave the park and run out to lunch at McDonald's - but you would lose a ton of time doing that.

[ruckis]

Go to customer service and tell them you have bad anxiety and can't wait in lines. Tell them you need a Guest Assistance Pass. Some people frown on it morally but screw that. It's basically a fast pass for every ride. I've had one for Disneyland for a couple of years. Will never wait in a line again. You will be able to cover so much more ground in the short time you will be there.

[dreamover]

I echo smail. definitely forgo the park hopper and just pick two parks. honestly, MGM was my favorite but with the two little ones MK and AK are probably the two best. get there early and do what you want to do most first, then the day becomes less stressful.

i've had the park hoppers before, never actually hopped.

[kirbypuckett]

I'm thinking about taking my girlfriend to Disney, some good stuff here. Keep it up. I went when I was 12, but I don't remember much.

How long would the ideal Disney trip be?

[user456]

I couldn't imagine doing 3 parks in 2 days, especially with two kids! You're doing the right thing skipping Epcot with the kids. I think it's more enjoyable for adults.

I would definitely skip the park hopper and just go with a two day pass to MK and AK. Those are both big parks with tons to do. MGM is fun but the kids will like MK and AK better I think. Although you will miss Star Tours if you do that.

[nofxxxx]

If you're staying in a Disney hotel definitely take advantage of the Magical express from the airport (they check your bags and bring them to the hotel + give you a free ride to the resort) Ask concierge (sp) which parks are offering extra magic hours (some parks open early/stay open late for those staying at disney resorts only) You could bang out all the good rides in the morning. The best ride for kids is @ Hollywood studios is Toy Story Midway Mania, and your kids will love it, however, as soon as the park opens, everyone runs to fast pass it (it's called the Midway marathon). Get to Hollywood studios as early as possible to fast pass this if you plan on doing it.

[smailtronic]

I'm thinking about taking my girlfriend to Disney, some good stuff here. Keep it up. I went when I was 12, but I don't remember much.

How long would the ideal Disney trip be?

For adults, it's easy. Go to Epcot. Drink. Lather, rinse, repeat.

In all seriousness, the ideal trip totally depends on you and the lady. Personally, I think a week makes for a nice, good-length trip. At least a day in each park, and a day or two to relax around your hotel. Don't underestimate that! After a couple days in parks, it feels nice to just lounge by the pool, or stroll around Downtown Disney. If you play around with the booking engine on the wdw site, you'll see that, the longer you stay, the cheaper the park tickets get on a per-day basis, which is nice. On-property hotels are cheapest the first six weeks of the year, and Aug-Sep.

Keep in mind that, when booking, they're gonna try and prompt you to buy a park ticket for every day of your trip (including arrival and departure dates). You fly into Orlando at noon on a Monday, you're not gonna need a park ticket for that day!

Also, don't get the Disney Dining Plan, it's a waste of money.

[hipsterasfolk]

Stay away from the people who are paid to take surveys of why you are there. It's a waste of time and they don't even give you anything in return.

[kirbypuckett]

I'm thinking about taking my girlfriend to Disney, some good stuff here. Keep it up. I went when I was 12, but I don't remember much.

How long would the ideal Disney trip be?

For adults, it's easy. Go to Epcot. Drink. Lather, rinse, repeat.

In all seriousness, the ideal trip totally depends on you and the lady. Personally, I think a week makes for a nice, good-length trip. At least a day in each park, and a day or two to relax around your hotel. Don't underestimate that! After a couple days in parks, it feels nice to just lounge by the pool, or stroll around Downtown Disney. If you play around with the booking engine on the wdw site, you'll see that, the longer you stay, the cheaper the park tickets get on a per-day basis, which is nice. On-property hotels are cheapest the first six weeks of the year, and Aug-Sep.

Keep in mind that, when booking, they're gonna try and prompt you to buy a park ticket for every day of your trip (including arrival and departure dates). You fly into Orlando at noon on a Monday, you're not gonna need a park ticket for that day!

Also, don't get the Disney Dining Plan, it's a waste of money.

Good info thanks.

Where do you recommend booking through, Disney themselves?

[appletree]

interesting. tbh i went three times. first i have a horrible memory but i remember none of them. i think my last time was when i was 10 or 11. anyway some good info in here that i will probably need one day. gonna bookmark this thread.

good luck on your trip. and i second what everyone is saying i cannot imagine trying to rush with little ones. dont even have kids but it also has to be a vacation for you and the lady. they wont remember much if anything so make sure to enjoy it as well.

[element101]

I'm thinking about taking my girlfriend to Disney, some good stuff here. Keep it up. I went when I was 12, but I don't remember much.

How long would the ideal Disney trip be?

For adults, it's easy. Go to Epcot. Drink. Lather, rinse, repeat.

In all seriousness, the ideal trip totally depends on you and the lady. Personally, I think a week makes for a nice, good-length trip. At least a day in each park, and a day or two to relax around your hotel. Don't underestimate that! After a couple days in parks, it feels nice to just lounge by the pool, or stroll around Downtown Disney. If you play around with the booking engine on the wdw site, you'll see that, the longer you stay, the cheaper the park tickets get on a per-day basis, which is nice. On-property hotels are cheapest the first six weeks of the year, and Aug-Sep.

Keep in mind that, when booking, they're gonna try and prompt you to buy a park ticket for every day of your trip (including arrival and departure dates). You fly into Orlando at noon on a Monday, you're not gonna need a park ticket for that day!

Also, don't get the Disney Dining Plan, it's a waste of money.

Pretty much agree with all of this.

I've been to all the parks way to many times. I've only done the onsite hotels a few times But recently did the Disney Themed hotel last christmas. Super expensive (Mostly because it was christmas) but it was such a great experience. For the price you definitely expect more than just themed wall paper in the rooms but the outside makes up for everything. And Kids love it!

If you can catch a international Food/Wine festival at epcot then do it! You wont regret it. I think the best advice is what was said above. Just take some time to relax and lounge. When you're in the parks its Go Go Go, so its nice to just hang out in downtown disney and not have anywhere to be.

And don't go on holiday unless you're ready for a bad day. Its so packed, lines are nuts, no one speaks english and when they do fireworks, shows and parades you have to stand in line for hours and hours just to get a decent standing spot.

[kirbypuckett]

My girlfriend and I are big on just relaxing on vacations. I hate the RUSH RUSH RUSH crap, it's annoying and you don't enjoy it as much.

[smailtronic]

For adults, it's easy. Go to Epcot. Drink. Lather, rinse, repeat.

In all seriousness, the ideal trip totally depends on you and the lady. Personally, I think a week makes for a nice, good-length trip. At least a day in each park, and a day or two to relax around your hotel. Don't underestimate that! After a couple days in parks, it feels nice to just lounge by the pool, or stroll around Downtown Disney. If you play around with the booking engine on the wdw site, you'll see that, the longer you stay, the cheaper the park tickets get on a per-day basis, which is nice. On-property hotels are cheapest the first six weeks of the year, and Aug-Sep.

Keep in mind that, when booking, they're gonna try and prompt you to buy a park ticket for every day of your trip (including arrival and departure dates). You fly into Orlando at noon on a Monday, you're not gonna need a park ticket for that day!

Also, don't get the Disney Dining Plan, it's a waste of money.

Good info thanks.

Where do you recommend booking through, Disney themselves?

Yes, book through them. They have customer service down solid, and make it such a breeze. They'll send you luggage tags in advance (kinda like a cruise), walk off the plane, onto their bus, they'll wait at the carousel for your bags and bring them to your room within a few hours of your arrival (you can grab them yourself if you prefer). Step off at the resort, check-in (you can also do this online in advance), kick off your shoes and chill. Also like a cruise, you can put all your expenses on your room keycard. Use their buses and the monorail to get around everywhere for free. And if you need to get somewhere quick, or say, you don't want to wait with hundreds of people at the bus stop at the end of the night, a cab back to your hotel's only gonna run $10-15. A the end of your trip, their bus takes you right back to the airport.

[mrc]

I believe if you stay at a Disney Hotel you will get the fast passes free of charge and those are usually like 50 bucks each.

As for legoland...

I heard that there were some days where legoland actually sold out and turned people away. i am sure this was during the holiday season when it first opened, but i would shoot to get there at 9:30 (when they open the parking lots) so you can be rolling into the park when it opens at 10am. Also be aware that the park is closed most Tuesday and Wednesdays so plan accordingly.

A friend just went with her kids and loved it, but said it was pricey. I think it was like $75 for adults but they offer discounted tickets if you buy in advance online (like 10-15 bucks off).