Don't even know where to start!
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Don't even know where to start!
| Thu, 08-09-2007 - 1:50pm |
Hi all!
I don't even know where to begin....My aunt gifted us her timeshare for the beginning of July 2008 in Orlando, about 10 minutes from Disney. I am excited beyond belief that I am FINALLY getting to go to WDW, but now I just don't even know where to start!
We will be driving there, and staying offsite. Where should I start with planning and everything? It will just be myself, DH and DS, who will be 4 at the time we travel.
Any tips, tricks, or advice as to where to start would be greatly appreciated...I've been looking around and just can't make heads or tails of it...I'm on information overload!
Thanks in advance!
Kristin



Hi, Kristin! Welcome to the board! That is wonderful of your Aunt to gift you the use of her timeshare!!! What an incredible savings.
My first question would be how long are you going for? Once you know how many nights/days you are going for you can decide which type of tickets you would like to purchase. Do you want park hopping so you can visit more than one park in a day? Do you want to visit the water parks while you are there? Etc.
Then, 6 months before your trip the park hours will be available on the Disney website. You can plan which park you'd like to be at on each day. Since you are staying off-site you will probably want to avoid the Extra Magic Hour (EMH) parks as many of the on-site guests will be going to those parks and they will be more crowded.
Also, decide if you want to eat at the parks or take advantage of the kitchen at your timeshare (I'm assuming there is a kitchen). If you decide to plan any meals at the parks you can book them 180 days in advance and I do recommend that you book them at or near your 180 day mark.
I would also recommend buying a Disney guide book that specializes in going with children. Take a look at all the parks and see what specific rides/shows/attractions are important to you and your family.
I am sure the other ladies will be around to offer their advice as well.
Have fun!! I just love the planning phase of my Disney trips!
Kristin,
If you hang out on this board long enough things will start making sense! LOL I would start with the basics, the four parks that make up Walt Disney World - Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and MGM Studios, now known as Disney Hollywood Studios. If you go to WDW's official site, http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/?bhcp=1, you will see three pull down menus on the top left hand corner of the web page. There you can learn about the parks, the resorts/hotels, and the other experiences - Downtown Disney, Disney Boardwalk, golf, spas, etc. Print out maps of the parks and start familiarizing yourself with the names of the different attractions and such. That way, when you read the posts here you will not feel so lost.
Ruth in FL
Thanks for the welcome!
We will be there for 5 days (4 nights)..as for hopping, I don't know what to do about that. DH has already been to WDW before and said he's taking me to Magic Kindom last because he already knows if he takes me there first, I'll never leave. (At least he knows his wife well...LOL!) Water parks, I'm not really in to that. The resort has a giant pool and such, and we have plenty of water parks at home that DS can go to...so I'd rather spend the time we have in the parks than in the water parks.
We do want to eat a few meals at the park, to get the "experience", so to speak. I'd like to do a character meal for DS, but I'm not sure what they have in the way of things for boys; I read a lot about the princess activites, but hey, I've got a boy! He may LOVE his Ariel and Jasmine, but I don't think he wants to dress up like them!
Welcome to the board, Kristin!
Val, Co-CL Disney Vacations