Going to DisneyWorld...could Use Some Advise

Park hopper tickets are great! We had a blast at Disneyland with them. At Disney World, we ate dinner in the castle...the food was actually really good...it was a real dinner. I would advise you reserve a spot ahead of time. My daughter got to sit with Cinderella and her Godmother. It was a blast! We also got to see Captain Hook chasing Peter Pan outside on the balcony...that was a hoot. I say it's totally worth the money. We also had dinner at Ariel's Grotto at Disneyland...again, worth the money! Both parks are really great...they do really give an experience with these things. So as you can tell, we've been to both parks. We only did the park hoppers at Disneyland (not Disney World). Even though it was worth the money for us at Disney Land and so I believe would be at Disney World, we only did the regular park at Disney World and it was great. I didn't feel rushed to get through the park to experience the other. I think we could've spent a week there and not run out of fun! So either way, you really can't go wrong. I do suggest the meal with the princesses for your daughter...and for you! Oh...and I forgot...I forget what it's called, but you can make 'appointment times' for the rides at each ride...that is a GREAT thing...saves so much time and waiting.

How fun to go play in Disney. We love it there. We took our little girl when she was 3 1/2. My best advise is dont expect too much and go with the flow. My little girl was good at sleeping in a stroller so we didnt have to go back to relax at the hotel, but our friends that were with us had to a couple of times. You can rent strollers at the parks, but we brought ours for comfy factor. Just make sure you put a luggage tag on it because there can be several that looks like yours at stroller parking. It may be too late to get a character dinner or breakfast, but they are alot of fun. We had ours the first night so our daughter got use to how big they are and so by the next afternoon the characters were less frighting and she would run up to them. If you havent you might look into getting the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. I really liked ours and would really recommend it. It has a whole section on going with kids and has a break down on rides and fright potential. In ours there was also a great section on how to go on some rides several times without long waits ( It was called the Chuck Bubba Relay heehee) For the kido that wants to ride several times you go in line and then dad counts for so many people to go in line then gets back in, as mom gets off you give your kido to dad over the rail. There is a break down of how many people to let go in front of you. Be aware for the grown up rides you can both wait in line and do a hand off (one rides first other waits with your daughter) just tell the attendant. Also use the Fast Pass system, its great. We would divide and concur the popular rides. When the gates opened my hubby and my friends hubby would go get a punch for one of the popular rides for us while we with the kids would walk over to the kiddie rides.
We always got the Park Hoppers, it makes things convenient especially if you stay on property plus some places like animal kingdom may not fill a whole day. I also made a label to pin inside of my daughters shirts that had her name our name and cell phone number in case we got separated. At 4 you should be able to drill your daughter to know her full name and your name, plus show her how the majority of the attendants dress so she has an idea about what the people that work there look like. I dont know if you've done Florida before but make sure to bring a sweater because the nights can get chilly and rain this time of year is cold. If you've been there before with no kido its a totally different experience and fun to watch how they are seeing everything for the first time. Have a wonderful and safe trip. :-)

We just went in July and it was great! We were working with a travel agent, so we did get the Park Hopper passes - we were there for 5 days. We also did the Dining Plan - I would STRONGLY recommend this! We also had made all our dining reservations (sit down meals only) a few months ahead of time (not that you can't just go to some of the restaurants, but the wait will be pretty long). We ate in Cinderella's Castle - this was expensive and so amazing. Again, we made those reservations months ahead of time. If you're working with an agent, they should be able to make some reservations for you, and if you're using the dining plan, there will be significant savings for you and your family. Definitely look into the dining plan! And the Park Hopper passes were great too.

Are you staying in a Disney Resort? If you are, you can also take advantage of all their shuttles and transportation, but you can also take advantage of the early opening hours and stay late hours - some parks open early for those staying in a Disney resort, and stay open late for them too. It's a great way to get to see those MUST SEE things without long lines.

There is a beauty salon at Magical Kingdom where you can have your daughter get her hair done like a princess - sparkles, make up, tiara, etc. and if you have a princess outfit for her, that's even better! Get an outfit here at Target or Walmart (they're a bit more expensive there, for sure)! You can call ahead for an appointment too (not sure what the name of it is)

If you're not working with an agent, I suggest doing some research online. I was glad I spent the time, because being informed meant I wasn't saying "I wish I would have known that!" during the trip. Here are some great websites that I read before our trip:
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/parkOverview?i...
http://www.kingdommagictravel.com/disneyworld/dining/char...
http://www.kingdommagictravel.com/disneyworld/dining/dinn...
http://www.kingdommagictravel.com/disneyworld/dining/dini...
http://www.kingdommagictravel.com/disneyworld/dining/dini...
http://www.allears.net/ This is a great site (allears.net)

Have a great time and rest up! You'll have long days, but they'll be worth it!

Toodles!

I just went two weeks ago! Stephanie had great ideas, I don't have much to add except we loved having park hopper tickets. If you decide to go to more than one park in a day, you can ride free buses, etc. to get around. They are good for something like 14 days, so if you need to take a day off you still have the same number of visits left. Also make sure to check into the fast passes for popular rides! They do not cost extra! You go to the fast pass machine by the ride in question, and using your park pass you secure a fast pass (one per park pass). It will give you an assigned time. You go off and have fun doing other things until that time, and you return to a very short wait in the special fast pass line. There are limits on it, so you have to do some planning. Have a fabulous trip!