Alexandra Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 I am overwhelmed by the planning on this trip. All I hear is there is tons of stuff to do and you have to have a plan. Would some kind sould tell me what areas to concentrate on? We are staying at the Port Orleans Hotel which I understand in the resort. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 I would stick to Disney and plan on one day per park (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studies [the former Disney MGM Studios]). Buy Park Hopper passes, so if one park leaves you cold you don't have to waste an entire day at it. Buy The Unofficial Guide to Disney World and follow one of their touring plans, at least until noon each day. Arrive at the day's park before opening time each day. Have a great trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Ohhhhhh, we just got back from Port Orleans. It is SUCH a nice hotel!!! We had a room right near the main lobby building and the bus stop. It was perfect!! It's so quiet and serene. We spent lots of time feeding the ducks and riding bikes. I agree with Melinda - spend a day at each park at Disney. I've not done Orlando, but I can't imagine trying to do Disney and Orlando in four days! (We were at Disney for ten days and we still didn't see it all!!) Have your kids watch the Disney Vacation planning video. See what they're interested in doing. Get the Unofficial Guide to Disney with Kids and follow their plans. We did and I think that book is what truly made our stay more enjoyable. We had no waiting for the rides and no mad rushes to get it all in. If you truly want a vacation - buy the Disney Meal Plan. Lots of food!!! Oh - and have fun!!! When do you leave? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 With four days you will barely scratch the surface at Disney. I suggest typing up with a daily itinerary. You don't need to stick to it fast, but at least you will have some idea of what everyone wants do to and see. Know the park hours when you plan and take advantage of Extra Magic Hours. Here is a link to plan dining, whether you are the dining plan or not, make priority seating arrangements or else you will be eating a lot of hamburgers and chicken nuggets. And another link to see pictures of your hotel, are you staying at Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey in TX Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Set an agenda beforehand. You may want to do a park hopper for a short time. Our favorite is EPCOT, but if it's not your idea of fun you could return to another park. I love seeing my children at WDW. Their eyes light up and they squeal with delight at the characters and experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paz Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Get to the park early, decide the most important things you want to see and hit them first. We just went to Magic Kingdom last weekend. We got to the park around 9:00 or 9:30 and were able to go on Pirates of the Carribean, Jungle Cruise, and Thunder Mountain Railroad with very little wait (10 to 20 min. per ride). Get fast passes for rides you want to see that are too busy. If you get a fast pass you need to wait for a certain period of time (an hour or so) until you get another so plan accordingly. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 I would stick to Disney and plan on one day per park (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studies [the former Disney MGM Studios]). Buy Park Hopper passes, so if one park leaves you cold you don't have to waste an entire day at it. Buy The Unofficial Guide to Disney World and follow one of their touring plans, at least until noon each day. Arrive at the day's park before opening time each day. Have a great trip! Ditto to everything Melinda said. Also, use fastpasses to save wait time in ride lines. And I would have your kdis read over ride descriptions and pick a few things at each park they really want to ride/do. Cover those things first, and then anything else you are interested in. The touring plans in the Unofficial Guide are very helpful as to what order to ride which things, so you aren't zigzagging back and forth across the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 My boys were 12 and 9 when we visited Disney World. Here's the big hits from our trip: MGM was our favorite (it is now Disney Hollywood Studios). They loved Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. My oldest in particular loved the shows, especially the night time Fantasmic. I hear there is a new car show with stunt driving that sounds very boy friendly. My dh and I loved the Sci Fi drive in at lunch time, and we like the 50s Prime Time cafe. The animation studios are interesting if your kids are into art of any kind. In Epcot we all loved Mission Space and the Test Track, and Soarin' (it is a cool ride that "flies" you through California). The World Showcase is cool, pick a country for dinner, and time it so you can watch the great firework show afterwards (good viewing can be found in Italy and Japan). My younger son loves animals, so he loved Animal Kingdom. We spent an hour our two just looking for the hidden animals in the Tree of Life. The new roller coaster, Expedition Everest, is supposed to be terrific -- it opened the year after we visited. Since we go to Disneyland here in Southern California all the time, we didn't spend too much time in the Magic Kingdom. You can't go wrong with favorites like Pirates, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. Use fast passes, and make dining reservations early! My ds recommends the Circ du Solei (sp?!!) in Downtown Disney for another evening entertainment option. Pace yourself, and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Being older, they might enjoy the activities at Epcot. We usually try to go there for at least half a day. We often go there at night, as many times of year it's open later than the rest of the park. We also really love the Animal Kingdom, and I think you can easily spend half a day there, as well. The most interesting thing there for us is the animal care center, where you get to see/pet real wildlife and talk to the scientists who work with the animals, etc. If your boys are into the whole movie genre, then you might like to take them by MGM for at least a few hours. Last time we were there, we found the sound levels for ALL the shows WAY too high for all of us, so some ear plugs might come in handy to help with decibel levels.... (This was true of the shows at Animal Kingdom, too.) Our favorite is still the Magic Kingdom. If you have daredevils, they may enjoy all the "big" rides. If you have kids with big imaginations, they may love to play on Tom Sawyer island as well as anywhere..... I'd go over the map and make a plan of all the things they want to do first. When we get to the Magic Kingdom, we try to go straight to the back first, where it's still relatively quiet. That way, we can cover more rides in a shorter amount of time before the park starts to fill up.... Have fun! I'm ready to go back, myself, Regena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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