need your help as we continue to plan our trip to Disney...

[ProudGrandma]

Here are the details that we have set...we ( my husband, myself, and our 3 kids ages 12, 10 and 8) will be leaving Nebraska by plane on October 30th. We are staying in the Polynesian. We are meeting my in-laws there. The dates we are there included the free dining plan (1 snack, 1 quick meal and 1 sit down meal per person per day.). We have tickets to the parks (all of them) for 5 days (becasue one of the days we plan to rent a van and drive to Cape Canaveral and to Coco beach). We have park hopper passes.

 

We are now trying to figure out a few things:

 

1) what parks? how long in each park? which parades and light shows? what rides? etc.

 

2) what restarants are a must? which ones to avoid?

 

3) what must we do and see in Cape Canaveral so we can do that and the beach in one day. we don't need to actually SWIM in the ocean (although that would be cool since our kids have never swan in an ocean....lake Michigan, but never an ocean).

 

4) My husband heard about "Kid Cot" in Epcot...is that for our aged children or younger? How does that work?

 

5) any other general tips that come to mind as you read our plan of action??

 

6) Oh, We are taking Delta airlines. Are there any thoughts or concerns for us to consider?

 

7) what should we pack and what should we leave at home? (I tend to over pack).

 

thanks. I am sure I will have more questions...but for now, that is it.

 

Kathy

[nono]

How tall is your shortest child?

 

Do you all like thrill rides?

[nono]

First thing I would suggest is to check which nights will have the hard ticket Halloween party at the Magic Kingdom. Those are nights you have to pay extra to get in (parkhopper won't do it). It'll help you lay out your schedule.

 

I believe Food & Wine will be in full-swing still at Epcot. In my experience, the weekends around World Showcase in Epcot during Food & Wine are just too crowded. I'd avoid them.

 

NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING is an absolute must-do or must-avoid in Disneyworld. There's so much that folks can enjoy, which appeal to all different types of folks. For me, I have extremely good hearing. One of my favorite things about WDW is the background music. It's everywhere to set the mood. I can just sit here and "hear" the music along the pathways of the Polynesian. :) That's as great to me as any ride on Soarin' or Splash Mountain (not that those aren't wonderful too!).

[kroe1]

Here are the details that we have set...we ( my husband, myself, and our 3 kids ages 12, 10 and 8) will be leaving Nebraska by plane on October 30th. We are staying in the Polynesian. We are meeting my in-laws there. The dates we are there included the free dining plan (1 snack, 1 quick meal and 1 sit down meal per person per day.). We have tickets to the parks (all of them) for 5 days (becasue one of the days we plan to rent a van and drive to Cape Canaveral and to Coco beach). We have park hopper passes.

 

We are now trying to figure out a few things:

 

1) what parks? how long in each park? which parades and light shows? what rides? etc.

 

2) what restarants are a must? which ones to avoid?

 

3) what must we do and see in Cape Canaveral so we can do that and the beach in one day. we don't need to actually SWIM in the ocean (although that would be cool since our kids have never swan in an ocean....lake Michigan, but never an ocean).

 

4) My husband heard about "Kid Cot" in Epcot...is that for our aged children or younger? How does that work?

 

5) any other general tips that come to mind as you read our plan of action??

 

6) Oh, We are taking Delta airlines. Are there any thoughts or concerns for us to consider?

 

7) what should we pack and what should we leave at home? (I tend to over pack).

 

thanks. I am sure I will have more questions...but for now, that is it.

 

Kathy

 

You have quite a few basic DisneyWorld questions. And one really needs a Disney phd to maximize his trip. I would highly suggest you get a planning book or two to help. I like the Passporter and Grommer's. You might also check out the Disboards, the DisneyWorld official site, and the Mouse for Less online.

 

1. Plan one park a day. If your family is made of pack horses, consider the magic hour park which opens and closes early that day. The crowds are a tad larger, but there is much more time in the day to explore that park. You will rarely need a park hopper as each park is a full day of fun. The park schedule of attractions, lights, and shows is posted online or inside your room when you arrive. It's also found on the tv.

 

2. Dining in Disney is such a personal thing. With the age of your kiddos, then I would consider a couple of character dining options. Otherwise, there's not many bad places to eat. Do your homework and figure out menus that please your family. Menus can be found at several of the sites I mentioned above. You can also make reservations online at the official Disney site.

 

3. I'm not a big Cape Canaveral fan, so I can't help much here. The simulator is about all I liked. It's just a big outdoor museum, in my opinion. Unless you have a freaky space lover in your family, I'd skip this one. Swimming in the ocean is fine, but your kiddos will just be mad you're taking them away from Disney for the day.

 

4. That is mainly a coloring station to make a paper mask. Your kids are a little old. There is, however, Kim Possible scavenger hunts which I would recommend for your kiddos at Epcot. There's also a similar one in the Magic Kingdom which I recommend. These should be considered, however, after the novelty of the rides has worn off.

 

5. Do your homework in advance and have a loose plan. Do not plan to do everything. It is impossible. I've been to Disney over 100 times and still I have not seen everything. I'll be there this weekend to do some things I've missed in the past.

 

6. The Orlando airport is quite confusing. Try to find out in advance where your luggage will be. I always seem to wind up at the wrong carousel. Let Disney take you from the airport to your resort.

 

7. Make sure you pack things in small quantities. Carrying around a large bottle of sunscreen, for example, gets quite heavy. Think about a small fanny pack for each person with a water bottle holder. All supplies should be small enough to fit in those. Leave the million dollar camera behind. Small point and shoot is better. Bring a hat, sunglasses, one bathing suit, and a lightweight jacket for each person. Bring a handheld game device for each kiddo.

 

If you have any other specific questions, I'm sure someone here or on the DisBoards will know the answer.

 

:)

[DawnM]

Hey, I don't have any real advice for you, (other than to check out TourGuideMike and EasyWDW.com.

 

BUT, I wanted to tell you that we will be there the same time! :D We are doing the Disney Y.E.S. classes on the 29th and 31st. DH has a business conference the week of the Nov. 4-9 in Orlando. We will be there almost 2 weeks.

[Changed]

We're going in October, too, so I need to check back for all the advice. :-)

[momtotkbb]

1) what parks? how long in each park? which parades and light shows? what rides? etc.

Have you looked at park hours for the time you're there? With Park Hopper you can go to more than one park in a day. We typically begin at MK - we love all the rides, but faves are Buzz, Space Mtn, Thunder Mtn. We like the night time parade in MK - and for the daytime parade we quickly hit rides when lines are a little shorter.

We generally split Epcot into a couple trips - esp bec Epcot is typically open later in the evenings, at least the countries section. We get the kids passports for the countries section. Fave rides are probably Malestorm, Testtrak, and of course soarin.

Animal Kingdom - this park closes earlier but one of my kids favorites bec of the animals. For rides they love Exp Everest - the Dino ride - safari...really my kids loves just about any ride at Disney, but some they will do repeatedly.

MGM - My kids love Toy Story, Tower of Terror, Rock N Roll, Movie Ride, we also like to go to the shows.

 

You'll be there at Halloween so I'd try to look at the Mickey's Not so Scary Party for one night.

 

2) what restarants are a must? which ones to avoid? We go back every time to La Cellier, Crystal Palace, Chef Mickey, Dh and oldest ds like Coral Reef, -- reserve as soon as you can for your table service meals. We typically try to do some character meals even w/ our older ones. I can't recall the name but there is a restaurant at Yacht Club that we liked for dinner. Oh, instead of Cinderella table we've generally done the dinner over at Grand Floridian. We also like to go to Downtown disney one evening and we like Wolfgang Puck -- I think it's the Cafe that's on the dining plan as a table service.

 

 

4) My husband heard about "Kid Cot" in Epcot...is that for our aged children or younger? How does that work? My kids of all ages have enjoyed this - it's just stops along the way, they get their passports stamped and generally there is a theme craft that they do at each stop. Like a mask on a stick and they get a design to add for each area.

 

 

6) Oh, We are taking Delta airlines. Are there any thoughts or concerns for us to consider? Delta has always been great for us - just make sure to weigh your suitcases before going to the airport if you're an over-packer and keep your liquids (which depending upon the TSA person can even include toothpaste) in a separate baggie.

 

7) what should we pack and what should we leave at home? (I tend to over pack). I would pack a few pair of shorts, light jacket, long pants - we typically pack short-sleeve shirts and layer w/ a jacket if needed, except for dd who gets cold easily and she'll add in some long sleeve shirts. Don't forget swimsuits. You can take drinks/snacks in the parks so we typically take one back-pack and put a few juicepkts/water bottles, hand sanitizer, wipes and snack crackers in and of course the camera.

 

Have a great time! We're going at Christmas and taking oldest ds's girlfriend w/ us who has never been to Disney -- my kids are amazed that at 24 she's never been to Disney:) But they've grown up going since infants.

[Lily_Grace]

You need to hit up http://www.disboards.com They've got answers to all that!

 

1) what parks? how long in each park? which parades and light shows? what rides? etc.

 

Dh and I have decided that Hollywood Studios is one day, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom each two. Although Epcot should be split left-right, not future-world. There aren't enough rides/attractions in the world showcase to make it less of a trudge.

 

2) what restarants are a must? which ones to avoid?

Avoid Liberty Tavern in the Magic Kingdom. 1 bathroom, up the stairs. The food is okay but not worth it to make the potty sacrifice. Pinocchio's Village Haus and Cosmic Rays both had selling points: overlooking the Small World and something other than burgers. There aren't many places in the MK that don't solely sell the children's trifecta (pizza, burger, chicken) so we wrote down a list of places that offered something other than that.

 

Nothing is outstanding in Hollywood Studios, but it's hard to go wrong in Epcot and Animal Kingdom. One exception in AK - the Restaurantosaurus was terrible! Bad layout, overpriced burgers, and really, really bad compared with T-Rex in Downtown Disney.

 

 

3) what must we do and see in Cape Canaveral so we can do that and the beach in one day. we don't need to actually SWIM in the ocean (although that would be cool since our kids have never swan in an ocean....lake Michigan, but never an ocean).

 

4) My husband heard about "Kid Cot" in Epcot...is that for our aged children or younger? How does that work?

They can make a mask and have it signed by the different country representatives. We went with a passport and did the Kim Possible thing, though. You can download more for your kids here: http://www.themouseforless.com/downloads.shtml#trip

 

5) any other general tips that come to mind as you read our plan of action??

Look for the hidden magic. :) And make your own. One of our favorite things is taking a few moments to add some "pixie dust" to someone else's trip - sharing our glowsticks or giving someone a pin, something to pass on the magic feeling.

We also commemorate our trips with silhouettes. There's a few who do it in the Magic Kingdom and they are amazing to watch. Snip, snip, and you have a shadow to keep and one to give to your child when they lose the Peter Pan innocence.

Do the Jungle Cruise at night, too. It's creepy and empty but a lot of fun, and the kids might get a chance to help "drive" the boat.

 

6) Oh, We are taking Delta airlines. Are there any thoughts or concerns for us to consider?

Have fun!

 

7) what should we pack and what should we leave at home? (I tend to over pack).

 

Pack two laundry sacks and a couple of those cheap ponchos. Otherwise, you may end up paying through the nose for one.

[Luckymama]

For choosing "which park, which day" I highly recommend http://www.easywdw.com ! It's free, written in blog format, lots of pictures and details, a bit sarcastic/snarky at times. For beginners the best feature is the crowd calendar. Select your particular month from the right column and read his rationales for choosing what he did.

 

If you have time to read a lot, the best site for Disney food is http://www.disneyfoodblog.com :)

 

Have to run to a funeral otherwise I'd add more! We go to WDW annually though this year we went to Disneyland while visiting family in California.

[ProudGrandma]

thank you...I am taking notes and checking out websites....and still waiting for others to chime in.

[jgoodal08]

disboards.com is the place to go

[whitestavern]

These are our family's responses; YMMV.

 

Here are the details that we have set...we ( my husband, myself, and our 3 kids ages 12, 10 and 8) will be leaving Nebraska by plane on October 30th. We are staying in the Polynesian. We are meeting my in-laws there. The dates we are there included the free dining plan (1 snack, 1 quick meal and 1 sit down meal per person per day.). We have tickets to the parks (all of them) for 5 days (becasue one of the days we plan to rent a van and drive to Cape Canaveral and to Coco beach). We have park hopper passes.

 

We are now trying to figure out a few things:

 

1) what parks? how long in each park? which parades and light shows? what rides? etc.

 

We do all the parks, although our first year we skipped HS and it was fine. We do one day in HS and AK; two in EP and MK. These are either get there at rope drop, rest midday, go back late afternoon to close or get there at rope drop and go til about 4. Please don't go open to close; it will get exhausting. And hopping takes time, so plan carefully and make sure it's worth it.

 

Don't overlook rides that might seem "babyish". Even adults will love almost all the rides :) And don't overlook all the live shows and 3D shows. Def get a guidebook. We like The Unofficial Guide to WDW. It gives information on each ride: who will enjoy it the most, warnings about motion sickness, etc.

 

We like the nighttime MK parade the best. All of the fireworks shows are good, but we like Wishes (MK) the most.

 

2) what restarants are a must? which ones to avoid?

 

We are foodies and we usually eat at the signature restaurants, but I wouldn't say any are a must. We've never had so bad a meal at any restaurant that we would avoid it.

 

3) what must we do and see in Cape Canaveral so we can do that and the beach in one day. we don't need to actually SWIM in the ocean (although that would be cool since our kids have never swan in an ocean....lake Michigan, but never an ocean).

 

No experience here.

 

4) My husband heard about "Kid Cot" in Epcot...is that for our aged children or younger? How does that work?

 

It's a little cardstock bear on a stick. As you go to each country you get a stamp on it. Sometimes they sign it in a different language. With limited time, I'd skip this. Your kids are on the older end anyway. And they are sometimes hard to find within a country.

 

The movies in Canada and France are particularly good. Eating a little snack in each country is nice to do. Try to see some of the entertainment in each country if you can. The way we work our two days in Epcot is one day in Future World (maybe adding in the rides in Mexico and Norway) and World Showcase another day. Epcot is our favorite park by far!

 

5) any other general tips that come to mind as you read our plan of action??

 

Agree with other posters about checking out easywdw. They will tell you what day to go to what park. They will usually, but not always, tell you to stay away from the parks that have Magic Hours.

 

6) Oh, We are taking Delta airlines. Are there any thoughts or concerns for us to consider?

 

No experience; we take the auto train :)

 

7) what should we pack and what should we leave at home? (I tend to over pack).

 

I have no experience going at this time of year. And we stay offsite so we can do laundry. We pack very light. A few shorts/tees outfits, a pair of pants, a sweatshirt, and sneakers and socks should do it. Oh, and a bathing suit!

 

thanks. I am sure I will have more questions...but for now, that is it.

 

Kathy

 

As PPs have said, you can't do it all so don't worry about what you don't get to. You will have an awesome time!!

[Jeannie in NJ]

we go every year and stay at Grand Floridian, which like the Polynesian has the monorail to Magic Kingdom and Epcot. THis makes it so easy to just jump on and get to these parks in just minutes. Because of this, we visit these 2 parks almost every day. You will have to take the buses to Hollywood (used to be called MGM) and Animal Kingdom which takes a while so we only spend one day at those parks. On those days especially since Animal Kingdom closes early when we get back to our resort we grab the monorail to MK or Epcot. By far Epcot is the very favorite of all of us. THe best rides there are Soarin and Test Track. As soon as you enter the park go to Soarin and get a fast pass, it will tell you when you can get a fast pass for another ride ex. Test Track. Def get fast passes as the regular lines for those 2 are way too long. Do not miss Soarin, on our last visit I went on it 3 times.

 

THe stage show Beauty and the Beast at Hollywood Studios and the Lion King stage show at Animal Kingdom are just amazing. Do not miss them. Also we love the bird show at Animal Kingdom.

 

Epcot has the best places to eat. For quick service go to Sunshine Seasons (I think that is the name) it is a huge food court style place by the big golf ball. It has all kinds of food and everything is good. We also like Coral Reef for the amazing aquarium wall (ask to be seated there, they will try to accomadate you if possible). THe bakeries in France and Norway are great and are a snack credit.

 

OUr favorite places to eat at Hollywood Studios are Starring Rolls for quick service (great cheese and fruit plate, huge sandwiches that can feed 2 and the biggest cupcakes ever, plan to share). OUr favorite sit down is 50's Prime time Diner, it is so much fun, your kids will love it, so will you and dh, just go with the fun. Last time we were there, a teen boy at another table was being grouchy so his waiter "cousin whatever" moved him, chair and all across the restuarant to our table and he had to eat with us, which he didn't mind since we have a beautiful teen dd. You have to finish all your food, before you get dessert.

 

We don't care formuch of the food at Magic Kingdom, Columbia Harbor House is probably the best. We don't like any of the food at Animal Kingdom so sometimes bring snacks in or just eat at whatever place we are near.

 

You will get a great view of the MK fireworks from the Polynesian beach. The Epcot ones are good too. You will have to be in the park for them but plenty of places there to watch them from. Twice we tried to watch Fantasia at Hollywood but it is too loud so both times we left right after it started.

 

Lastly I used to over pack but now with being charged for every single bag by the airline (Spirit Air for us) and bags being weighed, we can now get by with 2 checked bags total for the 4 of us and each of us takes a small carry on packpack . For October it will be a lot easier that it is for us in Jan as you will just need shorts, maybe a pair of long pants (which can be worn on the plane plus a light sweat shirt also worn on the plane) and a few shirts, swim suits socks underwear, beach shoes for the pool and a pair of sneakers for everyone to wear on the plane. Take the biggest checked bags (but make sure they are not over the airlines required measurements) that you have and leave room to bring home anything you may buy in Disney but be careful that your bags will not be over the weight limit (your resort will have baggage scales that you can use to weigh them (we had to toss a few things coming back once).

Use Magical Express to get from the airport to your resort. You just put the tags that disney sends you on your checked bags at your home airport and they will appear in your room a few hours after check in. Magical Express if free but your do nave to have reservations thru Disney.

Edited August 9, 2012 by Jeannie in NJ

[ProudGrandma]

I am bumping this hoping it will pick up a few more responses...thanks for all of those who have responded...your help is very valuable to me!!!

[plansrme]

Days in each park:

MK: at least 2 (pretty sure it is mandatory that you hit MK first)

 

Hollywood Studio: 3/4-1 (ride Rockin' Rollercoaster about 12 times)

 

Animal Kingdom: 1 (closes early, like 5, so you can use the rest of the evening to revisit another park) (ride Everest about 12 times)

 

EPCOT: 1 at the most; skip the World Shopcase (hee-hee) section if you are pressed for time--it is mostly shopping, good shopping, but still shopping, and shows, some of which are excellent, but that always seem hard to plan around. KidCot is a waste of time. They usually get a little tag to attach to a stick. It is a ploy to get you to do more shopping. I like to shop as much as the next person, but there will be plenty fo opportunities for that withough schlepping through the World Shopcase looking for the KidCot tables.

 

As for which park on which day, I would either go with whichever park has early magic hours and be there before the park opens or, if you are not early risers, go to a park that does not have early opening. Do not, under any circumstances, get to a park that has early opening later than opening time.

 

Plan to stay for fireworks one night, or watch them from the Poly beach.

 

Get up and out early. No matter how crowded the parks are, if you are there at opening, you can hit up 3 or 4 rides (grab fast passes to one on your way to another) before there is a line. You will have plenty of time to hit everything several times if you get yourselves out of bed, do get your behinds in gear but, otherwise, relax!

 

Don't expect much from the food, and you will not be disappointed.

 

Terri

 

Plan to do laundry--there are laundry facilities in each of the hotels, including the Poly.

[DawnM]

I will just say that you and I do Disney very differently. I LOVE the world showcase. We love the rides from the different countries, we love the food, particularly Moroccan food. My Chinese son LOVES to hang out in the China section with the terra cotta soldiers and the circlevision, which has a segment of exactly where he is from, and we like the America presentation in the America section.

 

As for the Kidcot, my kids LOVED it when they were younger. We were studying countries that year and when we came home they identified from their mask which countries were on there and where they were on the map. Very educational.

 

We rarely get there at rope drop. We are too tired! But if you go off-season, it isn't a huge deal. The only thing we get to early is Hollywood Studios so that we can get FPs to Toy Story Mania.

 

We typically do not his MK first as this is what everyone does on Monday, so we reserve MK for Wed. when it is lower crowd volume.

 

I do agree about the food though, which is why we don't eat all that often at Disney. Part of that is cost, part is because of the quality.

 

Dawn

 

Days in each park:

MK: at least 2 (pretty sure it is mandatory that you hit MK first)

 

Hollywood Studio: 3/4-1 (ride Rockin' Rollercoaster about 12 times)

 

Animal Kingdom: 1 (closes early, like 5, so you can use the rest of the evening to revisit another park) (ride Everest about 12 times)

 

EPCOT: 1 at the most; skip the World Shopcase (hee-hee) section if you are pressed for time--it is mostly shopping, good shopping, but still shopping, and shows, some of which are excellent, but that always seem hard to plan around. KidCot is a waste of time. They usually get a little tag to attach to a stick. It is a ploy to get you to do more shopping. I like to shop as much as the next person, but there will be plenty fo opportunities for that withough schlepping through the World Shopcase looking for the KidCot tables.

 

As for which park on which day, I would either go with whichever park has early magic hours and be there before the park opens or, if you are not early risers, go to a park that does not have early opening. Do not, under any circumstances, get to a park that has early opening later than opening time.

 

Plan to stay for fireworks one night, or watch them from the Poly beach.

 

Get up and out early. No matter how crowded the parks are, if you are there at opening, you can hit up 3 or 4 rides (grab fast passes to one on your way to another) before there is a line. You will have plenty of time to hit everything several times if you get yourselves out of bed, do get your behinds in gear but, otherwise, relax!

 

Don't expect much from the food, and you will not be disappointed.

 

Terri

 

Plan to do laundry--there are laundry facilities in each of the hotels, including the Poly.

[JennW in SoCal]

Here's some more thoughts and ideas for you!

 

 

 

1) what parks? how long in each park? which parades and light shows? what rides? etc.

Which parks? It depends on what your family would enjoy. My youngest ds was an animal lover, and at age 9 we spent hours at Animal Kingdom studying the big tree from every angle, trying to find all the animals carved into it. The Dinosaur ride isn't bad, the dinosaur playground is terrific for a bored youngster to burn off steam. Expedition Everest has the coolest line, if you are into enjoying all the careful details the disney imagineers put into creating an atmosphere. The ride is pretty awesome, too. If you like thrills, Hollywood Studios has Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Rollercoaster, both family favorites. The stunt car show is very cool and I like the Toy Story ride there too. Magic Kingdom is not a favorite for us as we live close to Disneyland, and MK is just a smaller version. But it is iconic, and Pirates is great fun, as is Toy Story and Space Mountain. Epcot was never a favorite for us, though the test track is cool, Mission Space is awesome if you don't get motion sick. The World Showcase is a fascinating place to wander around

 

The fireworks from the Polynesian are perfect, no need to battle crowds The Epcot fireworks are nice too, and the lagoon so big that there it is easy to find a nice location for watching. My oldest ds is a huge Fantasmic freak, the water/light nightime show at Hollywood Studios. He worked for Disney for a year and his highlight was getting to be the pre-show announcer at Fantasmic. (His least favorite was telling kids they were too short to ride the roller coasters!)

 

2) what restarants are a must? which ones to avoid?

 

We are fond of the sci fi drive in at Hollywood Studios. I would suggest the T-Rex cafe in Downtown Disney but that probably isn't part of your meal plan. It is just the silliest place I've ever been, complete with animatronic dinos and a fake meteor shower ever 20 minutes or so.

 

All the hotels have lovely places to eat. The quick serve at Port Orleans Riverside is the nicest, I think, of the quick serve, cafeteria style restaurants. I also like the nicer restaurants at Animal Kingdom Lodge and just plain love the lodge in the evening. The employees are from Africa and sometimes are out by the animals to talk with you, they also have evening chats with an employee talking about their home country. There are also night vision goggles for viewing the animals.

 

I love eating in France when at Epcot! Or getting fish and chips in England. If you want to splurge, I really like the California Grill on the top of the Contemporary. Oh -- the character breakfast at the contemporary is also good as I recall.

 

3) what must we do and see in Cape Canaveral so we can do that and the beach in one day. we don't need to actually SWIM in the ocean (although that would be cool since our kids have never swan in an ocean....lake Michigan, but never an ocean).

 

We are space program junkies and LOVED the Kennedy Space Center. Loved it. The Apollo rocket on its side, the exposed engines, the outdoor rocket garden with a Space Shuttle you could go inside of. The shuttle program was still going when we were there so we took a tour out to the launch pads. It isn't a long drive -- about an hour? So you will have time to see ocean and enjoy the museum, I'd think. Watch along the side of the road for alligators -- we saw one or two on our drive out there!!

 

I get the needing to see the ocean thing. I grew up in land locked New Mexico. I'm still in awe of the amount of water in Orlando -- water in ponds and lakes and falling from the sky. I'm sure after this hot dry summer in the midwest all that water will be amazing to you, too!. If you fly through Houston you'll go over the Gulf of Mexico.

 

4) My husband heard about "Kid Cot" in Epcot...is that for our aged children or younger? How does that work?

 

Others have answered -- I know nothing!

 

5) any other general tips that come to mind as you read our plan of action??

 

Chat with the cast members. Many are college kids like my ds was, and they come from all over the country, and all over the world. They'll have tips and recommendations for you. If your kids have a lanyard to wear, they can start trading little stick pins with cast members.

 

Get a book on Hidden Mickeys. You can buy one ahead of time from Amazon or get one at the hotel gift shop. All the hotels, parks, attractions and restaurants have Mickey heads or Mickey toys hidden here and there -- it is like a giant Where's Waldo game. My youngest son survived waiting in long lines by hunting for Mickeys.

 

Watch for armadillos from the buses as you travel around the parks, and enjoy the bird watching.

 

6) Oh, We are taking Delta airlines. Are there any thoughts or concerns for us to consider?

 

Take full advantage of Mickey's Magical Express. They handle your luggage, drive you to the resort and back to the airport. Just have necessities in a carry on so you aren't left waiting forever for your luggage to get delivered to your room!!

 

7) what should we pack and what should we leave at home? (I tend to over pack). Really comfortable shoes. Hats, sunscreen, swim suits. Something for the kids to do to zone out after a busy day...

[Sparkle]

I haven't been to WDW, only Disneyland, so I can't help you with that part. But I have to share something that helped me out a lot on my last visit. I always tend to get blisters on my feet from all the walking, no matter what shoes I wear. But last time I went I used Soothing Care powder gel on my feet each morning, and never got one blister. So if any of you tend to get blisters or chafing, get a tube of this stuff. I highly recommend it. Soothing Care

[ProudGrandma]

wow...the great tips just keep coming in...thanks.

[besroma]

Hi! We will actually be there at the same time!

 

We used www.easywdw.com and www.tourguidemike.com to plan which days to be in which parks.

 

The Food and Wine Festival will be going on in Epcot, so we are planning to use some of our snack credits to eat at several of the kiosks and "eat our way around the world." We will loosely plan those using www.disneyfoodblog.com.

 

We have ADRs for Le Cellier (lunch), Rose and Crown, Kona, Boma, Hoop De Doo Revue, Tusker House, and 'Ohana. We will also eat at Columbia Harbour House, Cosmic Ray's, Beaches and Cream, and Earl of Sandwich.

 

We will be spending 2 1/2 days in MK, 1 1/2 days in AK, and 2 days in Epcot in addition to spending time at the pool.

 

Other than Kennedy Space Center, I am not sure about Cape Canaveral. We enjoyed our visit to the space center.

 

I agree with Dawn...we love Epcot, and thoroughly enjoy the World Showcase.

 

Some of the things that help me on Disney trips: shoe organizer with pockets from the dollar store to hang on the back of the door is handy to organize sun glasses, cameras, cell phones, etc.; taking a small soft-sided cooler full of bottled water (we froze ours) and snacks can save quite a bit of money; when packing, rolling each outfit up together including socks and undergarments helps everyone get to the parks faster in the morning, a collapsible laundry basket helps corral laundry and makes a trip to the laundry center easier. You can also put entire outfits for the youngest in Ziploc bags and hand one to him each day (just depends on the kid).

 

Have a great time!

Edited August 12, 2012 by besroma
ETA: Dollar store ponchos are great to have in your bag for unexpected showers and for water rides!

[besroma]

We use Trip Advisor a lot. In addition to hotel recommendations, there are many reviews there for attractions, which might help you plan the Cape Canaveral portion of your trip.

[praisefor3]

Just one tip to add:

 

Get the Delta American Express. It is free for the first year and you don't pay for baggage when you fly Delta. We didn't even put our tickets on AMEX. Just show your card at the counter and you don't pay. You can apply online. Very worth it.

[katilac]

In addition to visiting the web sites mentioned, I highly recommend an actual guide book. Almost ever library has them. Used book stores and thrift stores often have older editions very cheap, but you have to double-check stuff on the internet. Even an older edition can be a good start, though. I like The Unofficial Guide to Disney World for the basics.

 

The same people do the Touring Plans web site, and you can subscribe for a cheaper price if you buy the book (well, I'm guessing they still do this).

 

I do like having a touring plan. You can always veer off of it, but it's very handy for making sure that every person gets to do their top choices.

 

For restaurants, we like Coral Reef (EPCOT), Yak & Yeti's (AK), 50s Diner (Hollywood Studios), 1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian; haven't done that one in ages, though). We don't love any table service at MK, although we have enjoyed the Crystal Palace breakfast buffet for a character meal. I would do at least a couple of character meals; they are fun even for older kids & adults. The 1900 Park Fare is also a character meal, and we found the characters there exceptional - they are usually great everywhere, but these guys *really* spent a lot of time, and they were talking characters like the Mad Hatter, so they could make jokes, etc.

 

For counter service, MK has lots of good choices: Cosmic Ray's, The Village Haus, the Main Street Bakery for breakfast goods and coffee. EPCOT has lots as well, including ethnic food in the various countries. AK and HS are pretty indifferent.

 

You can find detailed descriptions and reviews of the restaurants in the guidebooks and online, and even menus. Before I got so experienced at Disney stuff, :D, I went more by the descriptions rather than the reviews, which are very subjective and vary wildly.

 

Tip o' the day: after park entry, have one person in charge of holding all of the guest cards. You do NOT want to have to deal with a lost card. Plus, while the rest of the group is having a snack or waiting in line, that person can dash to a different section to get Fast Passes.

 

fyi, standard Disney etiquette is that it's okay for one or two people to join their group in line (b/c everyone understands a bathroom break or buying a cold drink for everyone), but a group joining one or two people in line is not cool.

[Lily_Grace]

Tip o' the day: after park entry, have one person in charge of holding all of the guest cards. You do NOT want to have to deal with a lost card. Plus, while the rest of the group is having a snack or waiting in line, that person can dash to a different section to get Fast Passes.

 

 

 

Take a picture of the cards, too. If you lose one (or all), you can have them reissued as long as you know the numbers. They'll void them out and give you new ones.

 

Just personal experience, but bring two pairs of shoes for each person. With all that walking your feet need a rest. If you have two pairs you can switch off each day (and for the littles have a dry pair waiting when they play in the water areas).

 

 

One more small thing - the cast members all wear different clothes in the parks that depend on where they are working. Our kids are taught from an early age that if they are separated they need to stop and approach a mommy. Moms are easy to recognize and can help get a kid to a cast member/lost child station or wait with them on a bench (as one did so kindly many, many years ago!)

[Jennifer in MI]

Here are the details that we have set...we ( my husband, myself, and our 3 kids ages 12, 10 and 8) will be leaving Nebraska by plane on October 30th. We are staying in the Polynesian. We are meeting my in-laws there. The dates we are there included the free dining plan (1 snack, 1 quick meal and 1 sit down meal per person per day.). We have tickets to the parks (all of them) for 5 days (becasue one of the days we plan to rent a van and drive to Cape Canaveral and to Coco beach). We have park hopper passes.

 

We are now trying to figure out a few things:

 

1) what parks? how long in each park? which parades and light shows? what rides? etc.

 

My 12 year old says, "You won't like anything. Give us the tickets. We'll take the hit for your family!!!" Heehee. He's the class clown.

 

What parks???? ALL of them! LOL Actually, we usually do two days at MK and Epcot. The other two can easily be done in one day each. At Disney Studios, you need to have a plan if you want to see it all.

 

What kind of rides does your family like? I love the Unofficial Guide to WDW with Families. They go over EVERY ride and every detail of every ride. You'll get a good idea of what you want to do. Here are my kids' recommendations:

 

Sam (16 -LOVES rides) - Space Mountain (MK), Test Track (Epcot), Rockin' Roller Coaster (HS), Expedition Everest (AK)

 

Andrew (14 - LOVES rides) - Splash Mountain (MK), Soarin' (Epcot), Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror (HS), Everest (AK)

 

William (12 - Scared of rides - Thunder Mountain Railroad (MK), Test Track and Mission Space (Epcot), Toy Story Mania (HS), Safari (AK)

 

Meg (6 - LOVES rides) - Thunder Mountain (MK), Test Track (Epcot), Toy Story Mania and Tower of Terror (HS), Safari (AK). She would love Everest, but it's dark and she's not fond of dark!

 

My picks - MK: Monsters, Inc Show; Race Cars; Tea Cups; Oh - just everything!!!

Epcot: Soarin''; Living on the Land (My dh is laughing right now - but I really like this one!), Test Track. LOVE it!!! China. Canada. Good stuff.

AK: Definitely the bird show and the Lion King. SEE THEM!!!!

HS: Beauty and the beast. Indiana Jones. LIghts, Motors, Interaction. Definite must sees. Rides - Toy Story Mania. Definitely get there early and getFast Passes!!!

 

2) what restarants are a must? which ones to avoid?

 

 

Our favorites: Boma, Whispering canyon (the waiters are rude - great place for boys!!), O'Hanas, LeCellier, Mexico (I forget the name), Coral Reef

3) what must we do and see in Cape Canaveral so we can do that and the beach in one day. we don't need to actually SWIM in the ocean (although that would be cool since our kids have never swan in an ocean....lake Michigan, but never an ocean).

Honestly, unless you have a child who really loves rocketry, I'd skip Cape Canaveral and head to a beach over on the Gulf side. They are much nicer over there! But, if you can, add a day at the end of your trip and head to the beach. Once you get to Disney, you probably won't want to leave for the day. But, taking a day off the parks is nice! Disney has SO much more to offer than the parks!

 

4) My husband heard about "Kid Cot" in Epcot...is that for our aged children or younger? How does that work?

 

Your youngest might find it fun! My dd absolutely loves it. Talking with each of the representatives from each of those countries is fun. Meg loved seeing her name in Chinese. Also, someone mentioned Kim Possible. I think they are switching that out to a Perry game. Same concept though.

5) any other general tips that come to mind as you read our plan of action??

 

Read, read, read. Have your family pick out certain rides that are must-dos. Find a way to fit them all in. Definitely have a plan of action going in. It makes the entire day more relaxing. We used to follow the plans in the back of the Unofficial Guide.

6) Oh, We are taking Delta airlines. Are there any thoughts or concerns for us to consider?

 

7) what should we pack and what should we leave at home? (I tend to over pack).

 

They have laundry there. So, definitely under pack!! I carry a fanny pack andin it, I put Advil, my phone (doubles as my camera), KTTW card, lip balm.

 

Then, we carry a backpack with the stroller. Items in it depend on the day. If it might rain, we throw in the dollar store ponchos. If it might get chilly at night for a fireworks show (if it's in the 60's it'll feel cold!), I throw in a cheap pair of dollar store mittens and a hat for each person. If we are at a park where our feet might get wet, I throw in an extra pair of socks. Sunscreen. I think that's it.

 

thanks. I am sure I will have more questions...but for now, that is it.

 

Kathy

 

I'm sure you will have a great time! You've gotten lots of great advice!!!

[ryyans]

Disboards.com has a homeschool families section in the forums. You can talk to other homeschool families that love Disney and could share loads of advice for you.

[Twigs]

Check the Epbot post for today

 

What should I see at Walt Disney World?

[DianeW88]

You've already gotten lots of great tips. Check out all the sites recommended. Read, read and then read some more. I'm personally of the opinion that you can't plan too much for a Disney trip.

 

Just a heads up though. You may not be able to get the table service ressies you want at this late date. Most people have their reservations made at the 180 day window, so have several alternatives in mind when you book them.

 

I highly recommend 'Ohana, 1900 Park Fare (for dinner), Crystal Palace (for breakfast), Liberty Tree Tavern (for lunch), Le Cellier (this is now a 2 credit for both lunch and dinner, although I think the lunch 2 credit doesn't start until 2013), Les Chefs de France, Via Napoli, The Garden Grill, Hollywood Brown Derby (2 credits), 50's Prime Time Cafe, Yak & Yeti, Tusker House and Boma.

[Susan in TN]

 

2. Dining in Disney is such a personal thing. With the age of your kiddos, then I would consider a couple of character dining options. Otherwise, there's not many bad places to eat. Do your homework and figure out menus that please your family. Menus can be found at several of the sites I mentioned above. You can also make reservations online at the official Disney site.

 

 

:)

 

:iagree: and keep yourself open to trying whatever happens to be nearby when you are ready to eat.

[nono]

I just checked Disney Dining on 10/31 and found Flying Fish and Kouzzina available, and on 11/1 found Kona Cafe, California Grille and The Wave, Mama Melrose, 50s Prime Time Cafe.

 

All of these had dinner availability for 7 guests between 5 & 7 pm. Some didn't have a boatload of choices, so you may want to start making some plans as to where to do your sit-down dining soon.

 

Here's a link to get your started:

 

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/

 

Try to figure out where you will likely be and then choose a restaurant close to there. Commuting to dinner can be a real drag after a full-day of park touring.

[delaney]

For me it is simple and I have done it 12 times in the past 10 years.

1. Never do Magic kingdom on a Monday-all the weekend drivers hit it that day.

2. Animal Kingdom is a great choice for Mondays.

3. I typically avoid the early entry days b/c the crowds at those parks are the worst that day UNLESS you hit it when it opens early and then leave to go to another park for the afternoon.

4. Get maps and plan your route ahead of time.

5. Have a runner for fast passes so when one set activates they can run to grab new ones.

6. Fast pass the safari ride as you get on it so when you are done you can go again relatively soon.

7. My favorite restaurants are Whispering Canyon Cafe in Wilderness Lodge, Chef mickeys in the Contemporary, Crystal Palace in MK for the breakfast buffet(and can get you in before the park opens if you plan it right), the castle is pricey and not that great in my opinion, Boma in AKL, and for ice cream Beaches and Cream at beach club.

8. A must see is the Jungle parade at AK. Better to see that when it is open a bit later so the lines to get out aren't nuts.

I generally do this:

Monday-AK

Tuesday-Epcot or MK

Wednesday-morning at Hollywood Studios/afternoon at Epcot or MK if they are open late

Th-open to group choice

Friday-MK since drivers tend to clear out

[DianeW88]

I just checked Disney Dining on 10/31 and found Flying Fish and Kouzzina available, and on 11/1 found Kona Cafe, California Grille and The Wave, Mama Melrose, 50s Prime Time Cafe.

 

All of these had dinner availability for 7 guests between 5 & 7 pm. Some didn't have a boatload of choices, so you may want to start making some plans as to where to do your sit-down dining soon.

 

Here's a link to get your started:

 

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/

 

Try to figure out where you will likely be and then choose a restaurant close to there. Commuting to dinner can be a real drag after a full-day of park touring.

 

 

You have a couple good ones to choose from here! I cannot recommend Kona Cafe for breakfast enough. Seriously, it is my favorite breakfast on the property. And dinner is pretty darn good, too!

[besroma]

I just checked Disney Dining on 10/31 and found Flying Fish and Kouzzina available, and on 11/1 found Kona Cafe, California Grille and The Wave, Mama Melrose, 50s Prime Time Cafe.

 

All of these had dinner availability for 7 guests between 5 & 7 pm. Some didn't have a boatload of choices, so you may want to start making some plans as to where to do your sit-down dining soon.

 

Here's a link to get your started:

 

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/

 

Try to figure out where you will likely be and then choose a restaurant close to there. Commuting to dinner can be a real drag after a full-day of park touring.

 

If you do not get the ADRs you want right away, keep checking. People do cancel trips and also change their minds.