Disney Virgini

Definitely use your extra day at Magic Kingdom. It's really hard to s see the whole thing and do everything in 1 day, unless you plan on it being a very long day!

My first tip would be to not worry about splitting up for a short time. We saw lots of families who seemed to be determined to stay together, dragging the sulking pre-teen boy on the rides designed for the pre-school princess. When we went, our son wanted to ride one particular thing again but it was too scary for our daughter. So we agreed to split up, and my husband and daughter went to some things that were more geared to her interests, and I took my son to the things he wanted. It turned out great, and we met up at the designated spot a couple of hours later. (Yes, we purposely did that - my husband and daughter went to It's a Small Small World and I rode some adventure thing with my son, and we both really enjoyed the switch!) It's ok - you all might not see everything, but ending up relaxed and happy is the goal.

And please use the cameras/phones judiciously and sparingly. Another thing we noticed was families who were not even looking at their actual kids, just staring at the kids through the screens on their phones, snapping away. They barely even noticed things going on around them, just focused on the little screen, and swapping out the digital cards and batteries. You won't capture everything in photos, but really, you don't need 2,000 photos, do you? Put the camera down frequently, hold your kids' hands, look at their faces, take a few photos and look and listen and smell and watch. Enjoy the parade, the rides, the scenery, the food, the sounds. Then when you get home, print the photos (in duplicate), and make each kid a simple scrapbook of Disney memories. Include the tickets, photos, the map of the whole place, and little mementos (napkins with Mickey Mouse's face on them, etc, a menu card, etc). And ask your kids to tell you about their trip, almost as though you hadn't been there. Write it down in their words, and print it and put it in the scrapbook. Do this as soon after the trip as you can. Have them talk about a photo, or describe the ride, and kind of interview them ("what was your favorite part of the day, what did you eat, tell me about the parade", etc). Preserve those memories!

I'm suggest you get park tickets for at least 7 days. We went a few months ago, stayed for 9 nights and had park passes for 10 days. (This worked for us with our flight schedule)

Our family really doesn't like to wait in lines so although we are not morning people we get up and get to the park when it opens. You can do so much before the crowds arrive. We then would plan our fast passes starting at around 10:00am. We typically would go back to our hotel for lunch and swimming, taking a nap in the late afternoon. We had dinner reservations typically around 8:00 and would go back to the park taking advantage of the magic hours. This allowed us to never wait in line and we were there during the peak season. (My daughter is in high school and can not afford to miss school like she could when she was in elementary school.)

We personally prefer to eat at the various hotel restaurants. Check out the menus and photos to see what appeals to you. We really enjoyed the Hoopty do Revue dinner/show.

Downtown Disney is mostly shopping and dining so unless you are going to the Cirque du Soliel, which we absolutely loved, I would not think that would be high on my priority list for a first trip.

Don't be afraid to split up. Allow for a TON of walking and waiting. Everyone must wear good sneakers or walking shoes, no arguments about flip flops and so on. Everyone needs a hat, no kidding. It's hot and humid. And make a pact about souvenirs and tee shirts - no buying during the day or you will be lugging everything with you all day.

Your kids sound kind of old for the character breakfasts so I would skip those. You'll see characters in the park just as you move around and you can get a quick photo if you want to.

Start at the back of the park if you are going in the morning - enter and head to the back, resisting the temptation to go to the first rides. That's what everyone does. It's less crowded at the back - then you work your way to the front, and when everyone is exhausted and ready to drop, then you're at the exit!

Check the height requirements on the major rides. You'll do better now if you know if your 9 year old is tall enough for them - might as well rule stuff out (or in) now and not when you get there.

I completely agree with the comment below about limiting the time you spend looking at your kids through your camera - DO experience everything, talk to each other, talk to other people about where they are from, enjoy the scenery when traveling from park to hotel.

Allow for down time at the hotel & pool. You'll need it. If you can get a room with a fridge, you won't regret it. There's nothing worse than a cranky kid (or parent) when not everyone is ready to go. Keep some yogurt, string cheese, fruit, etc. on hand. If you have a small soft-side cooler with a shoulder strap, don't be afraid to take your own food into the parks - a nice break sitting on the grass for 5 minutes is far superior to (and cheaper than) waiting in a line every time someone wants a snack. Take reusable steel water bottles with a wide enough mouth that you can add ice cubes - don't buy the usual plastic ones (over priced). The metal ones can be taken on the plane (empty until you get through security) and then filled from regular water fountains. Way cheaper, and no lines. Give everyone a small backpack so they carry their own stuff, including sun screen and some hand wipes, plus a hat.

Usually the roller coasters & fast rides are fun for kids your kids' ages. Don't go to by the names - for example "Seven Dwarfs Mine Train" sounds juvenile but the ride itself is fun for adults & teens. So are the Epcot exhibits that are science based or culture based. There are some historical exhibits - depends on your families interests. We liked a number of them because they gave you a chance to sit down!

I would skip the Rain Forest Cafe - but maybe that's because there is one near me so there is nothing "Disney" about it. Don't always reserve for meals - if you have to leave a ride early in order to make a reservation even if no one is hungry, it kind of defeats the purpose of the visit. You really don't know how long the lines will be, so you may wind up skipping things you'd like to do just to go get lunch at a certain place at a certain time. It's okay to explore and be spontaneous, or to grab a burger or grilled cheese at a smaller place with tables & benches rather than table service.

You might be one of the unofficial guides from the bookstore - we used one each time we took the kids. They are updated regularly and contain some helpful tips and updates on what attractions are worth it and which are not.

First Rain Forest had terrible food. I would do Prime Time 50s Restaurant. It is a blast. One of my favorites. I would definitely do a character breakfast or dinner.

Since this is your first time I would just take your time. Look at the maps and have some sort of plan. I would have gotten the 7 day pass. Cost is only a few dollars per day. This way you can really just take it all in. You can upgrade it without a problem. Did you get the park hopper pass. That is worth it.

Go to allears.net. Anything you want to know about Disney is there. Also you might want to pick up the Official Guide to WDW. Think that's the name. Written by Birnbaum. I get one every few years. We go once a year.

We went in Dec with my son, DIL and granddaughters. As a gift I hired a private guide for one day. It was worth every penny. The girls got to see everything they wanted at Magic Kingdom. No waiting on lines. It was expensive but worth it. In six hours we got into 17 attractions!!!

I would do the extra day at Magic Kingdom.

Another fav restaurant is Whispering Canyon at Wilderness Lodge. Breakfast is the best. Kids would love it. There is really so much to do. You won't do it all in a week. Have fun.

If you buy anything, they will deliver it to hotel. You do not need to carry with you

First: Don't expect to see or do everything in one trip.

I live near by and have a resident annual pass. We have visited so many times and there are still things I haven't seen or done.

I suggest you look at a map of each park and come up with a plan of what you want to see (they are on Disney's website). Most of the parks are in a circular shape so use that to your advantage (this way you wont be tired from zig zagging).

I really like the Sci-Fi diner, but its more for lunch. I like the 50's café better.
The Rain Forest Café is also a great choice at either location (there is one outside Animal Kingdom).
I haven't been to the other two but I have never had a bad meal at Disney.
I like the restaurants at Epcot's World Showcase, anyone of them has great food.

I would use your 5th day to go back to which ever park you liked the most. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom can be done in a day, Epcot in a day with small children, but you will probably need two days at Magic Kingdom.

Remember that it gets hot here starting in March (or this week) so dress appropriate and use sunscreen.

Have fun and try to not get overwhelmed (that's no easy task).

I should also let you know that there is a lot of building going on right now at all the parks and downtown Disney. There are walls everywhere and it can be frustrating.

We always start our trip with breakfast at Chef Mickey's.
I really enjoy Tony's Very kid friendly, nicely air conditioned, relaxed.
Sci-fi - the theming is very unique. Food is not good.
Coral reef was ok. I prefer Le Cellier.
Akershaus is my favorite breakfast food wise.

Tips: Get to the parks early (30 minutes before opening). Save fast passes for after lunch. You can do a ton in those first few hours with minimal waits. A non peak time, plus morning hours would be a waste of fast passes.

I went on the pirate and pals fireworks cruise during our last trip and it was great. Entertaining for the kids and was neat to see the different perspective on the fireworks.

www.disboards.com

Everything you ever wanted to know is on those. You can really get sucked in ;-)

Start with one of the smaller parks like Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. Magic Kingdom and Epcot are huge and overwhelming if you've never been there before. We spent one day at Magic Kingdom and didn't even see half of it. We spent half a day at Epcot and maybe saw half of it.

If your kids like Star Wars the Jedi training at Hollywood studios is a must! It was my daughter's favorite thing. They get trained in how to use a light saber and then get to fight Darth Vader. Get to the park before it opens and head straight there so you can get signed up. The spots fill quickly. My kids also loved the Star Wars ride.

You can probably skip the Little Mermaid Journey at Magic Kingdom. My kids thought it was kind of boring.

We really liked Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot and the Bugs Life show at Animal Kingdom.

My kids loved the Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom. The Safari ride is fun too. The Finding Nemo show at Animal Kingdom was good. We didn't get to see the Lion King show because they were redoing it. That was one of my biggest letdowns because I had heard so many great things about it.

You could probably skip Downtown Disney. It is mostly a Disney themed outdoor mall. Nothing really spectacular. We spent an evening there and wished we had spent it in one of the parks instead.

Get the My Disney Experience app for your phone. You can manage your Fast Passes and dinner reservations from there. You can also get an idea of wait times. We didn't get fast pass tickets until the day before we were going to be in a specific park. We kind of knew which ones we wanted to do, watched the wait times the day before, and then got our fast passes that night. We missed out on a couple of things, but we also didn't waste fast passes on things we didn't need them for either. A couple of times we got to the ride, didn't have a long wait, didn't use our fast pass, and then exchanged them for a different ride. I think you can still do that, but I know they were talking about making a few changes to the fast pass program when we were there.

We didn't eat at the Rainforest Cafe there, but I've eaten at one near where we live (at the Mall of America). You definitely pay for the atmosphere. You can also find those all around the country. Someone else mentioned the Prime Time 50s diner. We really enjoyed eating there. It was the only non-counter place that we ate. Unless your kids eat a lot, the dining pass might not be necessary. We didn't have it, and we spent a lot less on food than the passes would have cost us. Especially since we didn't do a character meal, get desserts with our meals, or eat breakfast in the parks. We also ate most of our dinners off of Disney property. We did not do a character meal. Partly that was because I didn't plan far enough in advance, but also because we didn't want to be tied up for several hours.

Since you will be there more days than you have park passes, this is one idea. One of the best things we did was to take a day away from Disney. We drove down to Kennedy Space Center. It isn't a long drive and it was nice to have some down time away for all of the crowds, lines, and Disney overload. I loved seeing the space shuttle Atlantis. There are a couple of different buildings with displays. My daughter loved learning how you poop in space. You can do a meet and greet with an astronaut. We did the bus tour out to the launch pads which we thought was interesting, but our 4 and 6 year olds weren't too excited about it. Some friends of ours did a similar thing and also snuck in a couple of hours at the beach near there.

Find a guide book. I can't remember which one we had, but it was a great resource for determining ahead of time which rides just wouldn't be ones for us to do based on height and age requirements. We ruled out a lot of rides before we ever got to the parks. That saved a lot of time.

I think the biggest thing to remember is not to over plan. We had a general idea of what we wanted to do, but we weren't locked into very many things. Because of that we stumbled upon some unexpected things that ended up being some of our favorites. Like a street concert in the Africa section of Animal Kingdom.

It will not be a relaxing vacation. And you will spend more money than you had planned. Make the most of the little moments. Have a great trip!

The Sci-Fi Diner is cool, you and the kids will enjoy that one. If you have an opportunity to go to O'Hana in the Polynesian Hotel it is fun and GREAT food (make reservations well in advance). I have to say that we were a little disappointed in The Coral Reef, it was really loud in there and the scenery was really not what we were expecting from the pictures. We really enjoy the restaurant that is inside the Mexico exhibit.

Everyone has different likes so just go with your gut for that 5th day. (I would probably go to either Epcot or Magic Kingdom.)

One thing you need to try to plan on is a little down time just playing at the pool. Perhaps on a day in a park that's not on the top of your list you can plan to make it a short park day. It is easy to get burnt out doing parks day after day.

Have a Great Trip!!

M

Get to the parks EARLY! Well before rope drop. Enjoy the little pre-show at Magic Kingdom. That first hour or two will be your most magical, before the crowds set in.

2nd park day I would for sure say Magic Kingdom, there is way too much for one day. Skip the tomorrowland speedway. Long lines for a not very exciting attraction. Skip Circle of Life in Epcot. Just a boring film.

For each family member, have them pick 3 must do's in each park. Anything else is just icing on the cake. You won't be able to do everything. Slow down and enjoy what you do experience.

Me, being the uber planner, had my family rate all the attractions as "must do", "nice to see if we have time", "I'll go along if other people want to see it" and "no way, please don't make me do this!" This helped me plan out our day and keep everyone as happy as possible.

AKL is awesome, you must eat at BOMA for dinner! Jiko is OK, but more of an adult splurge. Sanaa is a little more out of the way to the main AKL lodge, but it was a great experience for my whole family when my kids were about your kids ages. The Mara has really, really tasty food for quick service.

I have not eaten in any of the restaurants on your list, but would very much like to at some point. We always do a grab and go breakfast, quick service lunch, and table service dinner.

Typhoon Lagoon is a fun waterpark and a nice way to break up all the park touring.

Your going to have a great time, I'm super envious!!!

I have a question first, if you are staying for 8 days, 7 night, why only 5 days at the park? Visiting other theme parks? To add a few extra days is so cheap, even if you have a 1/2 day that could be spent at the parks, I would buy the extra days.

If it was my first disney trip (and have not been to Disneyland before), I would spend 2 days at MK. However, epcot is a close second as there is so much to explore there.

AKL is absolutely amazing...GREAT choice!!

As far as your plans, this is my opinion.

I would not waste any time at Downtown Disney. It may be me, but unless you are going to disney quest or shows, it is a money pit. Plus, there is so much you can do in the park (included in price), why go to DD? You can go to rainforest cafes at any big city, I would not waste that time and money to get to DD to eat there when there are a ton of of other great places to eat. When in Disney...do Disney!

You do not have any character dining...is there a reason for this? The buffets, while expensive, are great and meeting the characters while not waiting in line is a great time saver! I have not heard good reviews at all about Tony's, sorry. We did Sci-Fi this last trip and it was my least favorite one. I would do 50s prime time before sci-fi. The coral reef is great! Don't forget to visit a lot of the other food choices in epcot too. The one that is a must is breakfast at Tusker House. It is by far a top choice!

Get fast passes for 7 dwarfs mine train....and to meet anna and elsa. Also test track. You will not want to wait for those. Expect it to be busy, even though you picked a down time. It is crazy no matter when you go (as I have learned, even while picking what are supposed to be crowds 1/10).

I don't have a lot of ride/show 'don't dos' (except lilo and stitch). Almost everything is worth trying once.

You cannot do everything...just enjoy what you can do!

Just understand from the get go that you won't see everything the first go around. Figure out what your preferences are and go from there, enjoy and have fun!

We started going to Disney World when our daughter was 2 and we went every 2yrs until she was 16. LOVED each visit.

Our go to hotel is the Polynesian. LOVE that place. Character breakfast at O'Hana is a lot of fun. We also went to the Luau each time. We preferred the regular luau instead of the character one. We also liked having the boat taxi as an option for a quick run to/from MK.

We opted not to do dining plans. That was best for us. I personally think it is a good way for Disney to make some extra money.

We got tickets that were good from the time we checked in until midnight on the day we checked out. These were good for any park at any time as many times as you want. Loved this option.

We did a private safari at AK. That was worth the money. We had our own vehicle which went off the beaten path of the regular safari.

Chef Mickey at the Contemporary was always a go to for us.

Breakfast with Winnie the Pooh in MK was nice. I think we only did that once in all the times we were there.

We opted out of Rainforest Café because we have one here in Dallas so we already knew what that was about.

Buy autograph books for your children before you head to Disney. That way they are ready and set if they see a character before you have time to go to a shop and get autograph books.

How are you getting there? We always flew from Dallas and then took a cab (about $100) I know there is free transportation but you are at the mercy of when your hotel stop occurs and how crowded the bus might be. We like the straight shot approach.

I don't know how it works with AK, but when we were there, specific hotels got to go to the park 1 hour before it opened to the public. I know Polynesian, Grand Floridian and Contemporary had a certain day to go early. I think other hotels have the perk of going an hour early as well.

If you have special couple time, go to the Grand Floridian... great food and Spa.

We briefly stopped at Downtown Disney and never went back.

Most of our time was spent at Epcot, MK, and AK.

The MK daily parade at 3pm is a sight to see. Do it at least once. At night there is a laser parade which is pretty too. The 3pm parade is the classic.

Fireworks from MK nightly. Since we were at Polynesian, we watched those from our rooms or the beach. Lovely.

Of course get a guidebook and figure out what you might be most interested in.

Have a wonderful time!