DisneyWorld Advice

We just got back (we went the third week of June) and i have an 10 and 8 year old...my best piece of advice is too take breaks. The parkhopper was the best because we could do one park in the morning, go back to the room rest and then another in the evening. And if you dont do a ride, dont stress.
Most of all ENJOY.
have fun and many blessings

With all the advice in the world, you will constantly feel like you're missing things and in fact you will miss things. It's o.k though. It's an overwhelming place.
Enjoy your time there and don't over think it (says the guy who over thinks everything)

I have season passes and go about 2 times a month, sometimes more sometimes less. It's rain season so be prepared for that. If you are going to multiple parks, go to Hollywood Studios because star tours is a must. And your younger child would enjoy the playhouse disney show, heck I enjoy it! Personally I think charactor meals are a waste of $$ but maybe that's cause I'm from here. And yes I've done a few. The new little mermaid ride is awesome, and Peter Pan. Bring drinks and snacks if you can. Our fave eating spot is Casey's,its like a ballpark, and sells hotdogs. The candy shop is fun as well, but stay away from the sugar free stuff...it's got a warning that it can cause a laxative effect, NOT something you want at Disney lol! Enjoy

When I see these posts I want to scream,"just GO and ENJOY!"
Seriously, the trip is booked, you've got the key meal reservations and you have the common sense to bring plenty of water and sunscreen.
One of my fondest memories of Disneyland was arriving inside the gate, opening up the map and saying "okay guys where do we want to go first?" It's a great family adventure!
Oh, and make use of the Fastpass, you'll spend a LOT less time waiting in line. Have FUN!!!

The big thing we've learned for all amusement parks - is to leave mid-day - to hang out by your pool and let everyone chill for a few hours. Then consider going back later when it cools down. Maybe one of you goes with the 7 yr old in the evening in one direction and the other does something less exhausting with the 4 yr old that includes coming back to the room earlier than the 7 yr old.

We are going again in about a month - our kids are now 14 & 17 so we can do the early mornings, afternoon siestas and return in the evenings. But - when we went years ago the kids were 6 & 9 and we could go to EITHER the early mornings OR the evenings but not both. If your kids are early risers get to the parks early, then get back to the hotel & pool for the heat of the day. Save late afternoons / early evenings for water parks, Downtown Disney, the Boardwalk, etc.

Expect a meltdown from each kid each day. If it happens you're emotionally prepared. If it doesn't happen - BONUS! Even the best of kids will get stretched emotionally. They're exhausted, excited, their feet hurt, they're hot, they're off schedule, overstimulated... So when one of them drops on a bench or the grass or the concrete and just flips out or gets the angry face / silent thing (whichever your kid is) respond by saying something like "I understand how you feel I'm really tired / hungry / hot too. Let's take a time out and figure out what to do". As parents we're trying to cram in as much as we can into the many thousands of dollars we're spending - but if we're all crabby and miserable it will not be a good vacation...and family photos will be hysterically funny - about 20 years from now.

Having the unoffical guide and following the plans is probably the best preparation you can do. We downloaded the app to our smart phone too. Good luck mama!

I haven't seen anyone say this: use the Fastpass to your advantage.
Fastpass enables you to get a ticket for a future ride between two times. Lines will be horrible and getting a pass to "cut" in line makes a big difference. (No, fastpass is NOT cheating.) The longer the lines for a popular ride the further out the time will be for the fastpass appointment. If you are not sure how fastpass works, ask a park employee. In the hottest part of the day, spend time in the shows. They will be inside and air conditioned.

My wife and I took 8 kids with us. We saved a ton of money by buying our breakfast foods and ate in our room or took it with us and ate in the park. We bought hamburgers for lunch on the 99 cent menu at McD or BK or whatever happen to be convenient. We went to the grocery stores and bought fried chicken and had cold fried chicken in the park. Sam's has rotisserie chicken real cheap compared to park prices. We had cans of soda and water that we chilled in the frig in our room and then brought with us to the park. Have a back pack to put lunch in. Buy a frozen food bag and insert it in the back pack and put your food into it in the back pack. Avoid sandwiches or burgers made with mayonnaise. Your fantasmic dinner package may negate all this about food, but I'm not familiar with Disney's dinner package.

We went to Walmart to get our souvenirs. Walmart was about half off park prices. Walmart has drink bottles for 99 cents. They have a screw on lid and mouth that is wide enough to fit in the ice chutes of all the fastfood ice dispensers. (I am mad at Walmart right now because of the way they have treated Paula Deen, but they may get reasonable before you go on vacation.)

Have fun. Take mid day naps if your room is close to the park. Good luck to you and yours.

I agree with Jim. The best thing to do is before-hand research. But once you're there, just enjoy it. You can't do it all. If you are there for a week, you can do most of it but something will slip by.

Go and enjoy - I'm jealous!! Wish I was going on Sat!

My advice is to just listen to your kids when your in the parks. If one of the kids really really doesn't want to go on a ride, don't force it. If someone is in obvious need for a rest, please take them back to the room and get some rest. That is really one of the biggest advantages of staying onsite. Also, don't worry about splitting up the family to see and do different things. My husband and older daughter really wanted to go to one of the water parks, my younger daughter and I wanted another visit to Epcot, so we split up for an afternoon and had no regrets!

Pick up those battery powered water/fan bottles at Walgreens or Walmart on the way in. At the parks they're $20+ each.

I hesitate to give you this tip because the value resort rooms are tiny but here goes: If at all possible try to eat breakfast out of your cooler. We usually took breakfast stuff with us (cereal and rice or almond milk), paper and plastic products, and ate in the room. If you start your day eating breakfast out you'll be rolling into the parks with everyone else (nightmare).

Do what the Unofficial guidebook says and get there at least 50 mins before park opening. It really does pay off. Don't plan on sleeping in much on this vacation.

If you get tired sleep in one day, and hit a water park in the afternoon. We love the Disney water parks. The best time to go is right after an afternoon storm!

Have a great time - it's a fun adventure with the right attitude.

Hi! We went for a week back in May with our 3 and 7 year olds and had so much fun and I'm sure you will also. I am a planner and don't think we would have enjoyed our trip as much if I hadn't researched obsessively. ;) The best website for Disneyworld advice and tips is disboards.com. I would second the eating breakfast in your room. Disney is so expensive and if your kids are like mine, they will be fine with cereal or oatmeal or yogurt with granola, etc. No need spending $50 when you can just have breakfast on the cheap in your room. Also, my kids didn't really like the character breakfasts. They did love the princesses though so the princess breakfast at Akershus would be good. A must see is the Wishes show especially the castle performance just before the fireworks...Amazing! Disneyworld is so BIG that its nearly impossible to do it all in one trip. So pick the favorites and kid appropriate attractions and you will no doubt have a great time. Also take an afternoon or two to just hang out at the pool and explore the resort or other resorts. We didn't get around to it, but I hear the Boardwalk is nice to walk around and to stop for ice cream.

Have fun!!

The park has a bus system that takes you between all the hotels and parks and a shuttle will pick you up at the airport so a rental car isn't really necessary. I paid for car rental for a week and the car never moved from the hotel parking lot. We purchased the meal plan which covered two meals and a snack each day. Combined with a few snack foods we brought along that was plenty of food. The hotel has a buffet type restaurant where you can each get whatever you want. We ate breakfast there, ate dinner at a restaurant in a park. Each day a different park opens early just for the people staying on property and it is posted on signs at your hotel. My kids didn't enjoy Epcot (but the adults liked it best), the kids liked Blizzard Beach waterpark and MGM studios the most. Magic Kingdom is a definite MUST. The parades at night are nice, but they are crowded and it's hard for the little people to see. No need to do it more than once IMO. The hotel also has a laundry area to wash clothes so you can pack a little less. At my hotel (Music resort) the laundry was next to one of the pools so the kids swam while I washed and I could still keep an eye on them.

Be sure and take an autograph book for your kids to get character autographs! And look for all the hidden Mickeys (wallpaper, curtains, fencing). And because of the bus system it's easy to take a midday break and go back to the hotel to nap or swim.

I hope you have as much fun as we did. It truly is the "happiest place on earth".

I've never been, so I don't have any advice for you... but we are planning our first trip this December (for my daughter's 5th birthday--and our 9th anniversary)!~ So, I wanted to see what others had to say/suggest!

We are planning to do a princess breakfast and heard the Asherkas is better (but, OMG, doesn't every girl want to go IN Cinderella's castle)?! Knowing us, we'll probably do both.

Anyways, hope you have a fantastic trip!

Don't try to do it all. Do the parks methodically or you waste time. Hopefully you have your dinner reservations. Usually have to be made way in advance. Take a break in the afternoon to swim. Have fun.

Since your staying on Disney property be sure and take advantage of Magic Hours. They do a great job with special entertainment and the crowds are way less. You may even consider skipping the park for most of the day to rest and arrive just a little bit before magic hours begin. You'll get to see and do a lot more in way less time.

DO NOT try to do it all. You can't. We stayed for two weeks and didn't see it all. Seriously. You will not enjoy it if you are worried about missing something.
Relax and embrace the fun moments that you happen upon instead of rushing to the next thing. Do make at least one meal reservation per day if you plan on having a sit down dinner or you will be waiting for hours.

My understanding was the value resorts require you to take a bus to the Ticket Transportation Center then another transportation(boat, monorail, or bus) to the park. If you can afford it, the Polynesian is right by the TTC and saves time on transportation. Plus, it is very lush.