Hello all!

My 9 year old daughter and I will be going to DisneyWorld for our 1st time ever Dec 5-12!!

We are big time Disneyland fans and we have APs and know the parks inside and out. But this is all new territory for us!
I am not sure what we should do, see, ride, etc..

Please help with any tips, tricks, secrets, knowledge or any information that might be helpful. Any and all help will be appreciated.

Thanks!!!!

Have you read Adriennek's trip report? I'd start there.
And even though her boys may be right about Pirates, it's one of those things that isn't mentioned in polite company :)

- In the early afternoon, while the parks are most crowded, hop on the Monorail and visit the Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian resorts. You and your daughter will likely enjoy seeing all the Christmas decorations. At the GF, you can have your picture taken in front of a gigantic Christmas tree. There likely won't be a line during the day. Mrs. Klutch and I had a picture taken there in front of the tree. It turned out so nice, we actually bought it. There's a "Gingerbread House" in the lobby of the GF which has a little store. You can buy treats there to include a gingerbread shingle. As I recall, the gingerbread is kinda pricey, but it's good.

- When visiting the Magic Kingdom, I always suggest taking a boat or the Monorail over to the Grand Floridian cafe for lunch. It's only a little more expensive there than at a counter service place. The MK restaurants are just OK and the counter service places tend to be zoo-like. At the Grand Floridian Cafe, you can have a nice, quiet sit down lunch together in an elegant atmosphere. (Due to recent cutbacks, make sure the Grand Floridian Cafe is still open for lunch. If it is, you won't need a reservation.)

- If you do want to dine a MK restaurant, try the Liberty Tree Tavern. The food there is OK and it's not nearly as mobbed as the others. The Colonial atmosphere isn't amazing, but it's nice.

- The boat ride from Epcot to Disney Studios is nice and might be fun for a nine year old.

- Don't miss "Maelstrom" at the Norway pavilion in Epcot. It's short, but pretty cool and people seem to be forgetting it exists.

- Be sure to explore the trails at Animal Kingdom. They're interesting and quite beautiful. Look for the giant catfish!

- Catch a bus from a park to the Animal Kingdom Lodge resort. You can take in the breathtaking theming there. You can watch the animals and talk to the CMs from Africa who monitor the viewing areas.

Have you read Adriennek's trip report? I'd start there.
And even though her boys may be right about Pirates, it's one of those things that isn't mentioned in polite company :)

Oh SURE it is!!! The question is: Small World facade, do you laugh at it before or after you roll your eyes at Pirates? :D

Ok, and before I alienate EVERYONE in this part of the forum - thanks for the TR plug, Cathy - lilstreet, most of my answers are actually there. I will say this much because I don't remember how much I mentioned it in my TR:

1- We skipped Star Tours and Soarin' (No "Over California" in Florida. Apparently they don't want to talk about that part...) because they're identical to DLR versions.

2- Rent a car. End of discussion. ;)

Adrienne

With a week in the World, that's good amount of time to sample
everything, but not a big dose of what the World has to offer. Then again, a nice time to check out the Holiday decor. Be prepared to do a bit of walking, the World is much more spread out the DLR is.

You might skip over Star Tours, Soarin' and Toy Story Mania because of the same ride technology at DLR. However the Toy Story queue is impressive
as well as the exterior of Star Tours.

I think the most important thing to remember before you even step foot in Disney World is that it's a LOT bigger than Disneyland. The only two parks that you can walk in between are Epcot and the Studios and that takes over fifteen minutes. In fact, it's very difficult to even see the Studios from Epcot and vice versa. You will need to really get familiar with the vast transportation system and utilize many of the ways to navigate around Disney World. Plan on travel time no matter where you go or when you go.

However, the Disney transportation system is very efficient and can be an enjoyable part of any trip. Take advantage of all the different types and have fun with it.

2- Rent a car. End of discussion. ;)

Spoken like a true Californian, Adrienne. ;)

You'll find many different opinions on this. I've done both (rented a car and relied on Disney transportation). If you are dining at multiple resorts in the evening, having a car is almost a necessity. This would be especially true when the parks close early as busses may not be running after dinner. FYI,
Since Magic Express started, car rentals are getting more expensive.

lilstreet, are you staying on-property?

Lilstreet, you'll be there the same time I'm going to be. I'm staying off site so I will definitely have a rental car.

I can't believe any of the DL fans didn't mention to take your daughter to see Country Bear Jamboree in the MK. It will be nostalgic for you and your daughter will finally get to see what adults talk about. Also, when you come back to DL you can then point out the leftovers of our Country Bear that are still in the Winnie the Pooh ride.

I have often heard my parents speak about the Carousel of Progress at DL which has been gone for decades. MK has it still and it was neat for me to see what my parents talked about.

Another nostalgic ride for us DL people is the People Mover. If all else fails it is a good place to sit and rest for a few minutes and your daughter can get an idea of what the DL People Mover was like. She'll then finally have an idea of what the tracks are above DLs Tomorrowland

I know many MPers aren't a big fan of MK's Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management but I thought it was cute and different from our Tiki Room. I think it makes you appreciate the DL tiki room more.

DHS Tower of Terror is MUCH better then DCAs. The Rock n Roller Coaster at DHS is one of my favorite rides at WDW.

The Finding Nemo show at AK is just as good as the Aladdin show at DCA. My favorite Disney Park (between both WDW and DLR) is the Animal Kingdom. It is cross between the San Diego Wild Animal Park and a Disney Park. The Kilimanjaro Safari is awesome and is a must do! If you're daughter is bored at the San Diego Wild Animal park then she may not like it. I'm planning to go check out the decorations at Animal Kingdom Lodge and check out the Savannah from the lobby.

I'm specifically going to WDW to see all the holiday decorations. DHS has the Osborne Lights which I have heard a lot about. I plan to walk around all the hotels one of the days to see the decorations. I'm looking forward to seeing the Gingerbread House at the Grand Floridian. I think Epcot has something about Christmas around the world and you can hear the different countries santa/holiday stories.

I just made dinner reservations for the Candlelight Procession at Epcot and that might be a possibility for you and your daughter. The reservations weren't that expensive and also include reserved seating for Illuminations which really is a not to be missed show on the Epcot lagoon.

Maybe we'll run in to each other at the park.

Carolyn

Spoken like a true Californian, Adrienne. ;)

Hey! danyoung agrees with me on this one and he's not a Californian! :D

Adrienne

If you are dining at multiple resorts in the evening, having a car is almost a necessity.

The only time I have ever driven ANYWHERE on property is when we've had ADRs at another resort hotel. But I didn't rent a car; we had driven our own car down. There have been plenty of times when we've used Disney transportation to get from hotel to hotel with no problems.

If I felt like I needed to be driven somewhere, and we didn't have our own car with us, I'd take a cab. Much cheaper than renting a car for that time or two that you might not want to take Disney transportation. I am completely comfortable with the efficiency of Disney transportation (incl. Magical Express) 99% of the time :). In fact, the times that we have driven our own car down to Orlando, the car just sits there in the parking lot MOST of the time.

Wow!! This is all such great information!
Yes I am staying at the resort at the World of Sports.
I was surprised to hear that Country Bear Jamboree, COP, and the People Mover are still at WDW! I miss the Country Bears!!

Thank you all!! Keep the info coming! This is exciting!!

The monorail system is tranportation, not an attraction.

You will get lost in the Magic Kingdom; things are not in the same places.

The ride vehicles in Splash Mountain have side-by-side seating and in Space Mountain they are front-to-back.

From the All-Stars Sports to get to any theme park you are best off using Disney transportation, which is free. the only time you have to worry about transportation is if you will be dining at another resort.

Thank you all!! Keep the info coming! This is exciting!!

OK, this is tough to say. I grew up down the street from Disneyland. Imagine my suprise (perhaps horror) when I first visited the Magic Kingdom and learned...

There's no New Orleans Square! That's right. It's-just-not-there.

As you've learned, the MK Pirates of the Caribbean is a real letdown for Disneyland veterans. This is because it was not in the original plan. After many Disney fans expressed outrage, it was thrown in at the last minute. And it shows. However, other attractions are larger and more elaborate.

In the MK haunted mansion, the elevator doesn't decend. The ceiling rises. It's just a pass-through preshow. The queue is very well themed.

The queue at Small World isn't like Disneyland because it's indoors. If it was outdoors, many a guest would be overcome with heat exhaustion in August when it's over 100 degrees with 110% percent humidity.

My parents grew up in Orange County and, obviously, had been Disneyland regulars since the park opened. They were amazed, overwhelmed, awestruck and downright dumfounded at how HUGE Walt Disney World is. Ride the monorail from Magic Kingdom to Epcot and watch acres and acres of wilderness go by.

If you do rent a car, get a good map and study it. I had been to WDW twice before and, when I rented a car, I got lost almost every day. And that was just while driving from Animal Kingdom Lodge to other places whithin WDW. I made it from the Airport to WDW and back just fine.

Google and youtube so you can see where you are going as well as good maps. Take notes on the back of map print outs. Monorail has a resort and an express train so you need to make sure you are not on the express if you are taking the monorail to a resort. Keep your parking stub for later in the day just like DLR.

SEE EVERYTHING, that is my motto. Some people say not to do rides that are similar to DLR or vice versus. If you LOVE a ride then why not see it in another park. I rode every ride in WDW that I could.

You know your child so get a guidebook for taking notes. Even if you do not use it for the tours you can write notes in the book. Make a list or whatever of what you must see and do but do not storm through parks skipping everything not on the list then going back later. Relax and have fun do land by land and area by area. Use shows for resting and eat fancy meals at lunch time as that is cheaper.

If your time is limited then focus on those things you really love. I would do everything I could and use early entry and going early in the morning as well as fastpasses to get as much done.

I would do everything I could and use early entry and going early in the morning as well as fastpasses to get as much done.

Early Entry isn't what it used to be. There are now so many on property resorts that parks tend to be mobbed on Early Entry days. I've done both and, in my experience, non-Early Entry days win hands down for ease of touring.

But, by all means, get to the park before it opens!

Get a Tour Plan. The first time we went my wife bought me The Unofficial Guide. We followed the touring plans in the book. We saw everything in the park for our girls (ages 9 and 10). We never rented a car but we stayed on property (Pop Century). We stayed at several different resorts over the years and found Pop to have the slowest bus service (due to the sheer size of the resort). My point is we still were able to see it all. Almost forgot we made every rope drop, this helps get the big attraction out of the way before the crowds.
We also went back to our resort for lunch and a couple of hours in the pool before we went back.

Do you guys know if they have a Mr Potato Bar like the one in CA?

Do you guys know if they have a Mr Potato Bar like the one in CA?

The biggest one I believe is in Once Upon a Toy in Downtown Disney, but there are other ones throughout the parks and even a few resorts (or at least at one point there were some in resort gift shops).

Hey! danyoung agrees with me on this one and he's not a Californian! :D


Well, I USED to be a Californian, and still have some of the freeway pollution in my blood! As much as I enjoy having a car, I'd not recommend it for a first timer. You should be fine using Disney's bus transportation from the All Star Sports Resort (not World of Sports) to just about anywhere.

Even though it's kinda late and your trip is coming up fast, I'd strongly recommend that you pick up a good guide book. My two favorites are the Birnbaum's Official Guide and the Sehlinger's Unofficial Guide. They both have a ton of information, which I think you're going to want. If you didn't realize that the Magic Kingdom still had the People Mover, Carousel of Progress and the Country Bear Jamboree, I'd say you have some serious studying to do if you're going to get the most out of your vacation. Do you really want to spend a day wandering around the Animal Kingdom only to find out once you're back at your hotel that you missed some of the best attractions?

The guidebooks will say that there are two basic types of WDW visitors - those who have at least a general plan of attack, and those who you see in every park, gathered around a park map, wasting valuable touring time trying to decide what to see. Your DL knowledge is a start, but only a start - there's just a whole bunch of stuff to see and do in WDW that it's easy to miss a lot of it. Get a guidebook, read fast, and have a good idea of what's where.

I second the rental car!! So nice to be able to use your own car and not have to wait for transportation and then maybe have to stop at other places before getting to where you want to be. Really a time eater, rental car=time saver. :)

Make sure to ride Expedition Everest! Awesome! Too bad Mr.Yeti is not all lit up anymore. :( Really explore the area around the tree of life there are so many animals I love it!

FP for Peter Pan is awesome and we like DW's Haunted Mansion. It is neat to compare the differences.
Love Mickey's Philharmagic!

Did you make your ADR's? Liberty Tree is yummy! We enjoy Pizzafari and Flame Tree BBQ in Animal Kingdom for fast food. :)

Do you guys know if they have a Mr Potato Bar like the one in CA?


We did the Mr Potato in the Shop in Dino Land near the entrance to the Dinosaur Ride in the Animal Kingdom.

Back to the rental car issue. Even if you have a car, I think it's still best to ride the bus to Magic Kingdom. If you drive, you have to park in the ginormous lot, ride a tram to the Ticket and Transportation center, then board the monorail or ferry to the Magic Kingdom gate area. If you ride the bus, it dumps you off right next to the gate.

I second danyoung's recommendation to pick up a guide book. Although, I find the Birnbaum book kinda lame. It has nice pictures, but the information has much spin and is sometimes downright wrong. The Unofficial Guide is my favorite.

Personally, I have rented a car only once since DME started, and that was when traveling with some others who wanted to go to Daytona for a day, so we just got the car for the whole trip.

Yes, there've been times when I wished I had it - but usually that was just after dinner at a resort, which means if I was driving, I would only have a glass of wine OR a cocktail before - and not both of those and/or a dessert drink. Not that I usually have all three, but if I'm not driving, I don't have to even consider that. So for me, using Disney transportation is part of the vacation.

Yea, it can be a hassle to wait for the bus, and sometimes you have to stand - but sometimes you get lost in a car, and I don't like trying to navigate at night any more (especially if it's only me, which it often is on my trips) - and although people say the Disney roads are well marked, you DO have to be able to decipher what they mean (is my resort and AK area resort or a Studios area resort?) quickly - and that sometimes means multiple lane changes.

It WAS nice to be able to get a ride from All Star Sports to Beach Club - vs take a cab or do the transfer thing on a bus - but for me, personally, If you're staying onsite and not doing a bunch of off-site activities - it's not that worth the extra expense of a car.

Full disclosure, though - it may be different if you have multiple kids and the buses are crowded (or if you've got a large stroller). I NEVER let little Princesses or Princes stand (or Moms or Dads holding same) - and if I'm standing already and there's one near me that needs a seat, I haven't yet needed to shame a healthy adult into giving up their seat - but I probably would (and yes, I realize a healthy appearing adult is not always able to stand on a bus after a day in the park, but I'd risk that assumption if it was a 3 year old having to stand on the bus).

Back to the rental car issue. Even if you have a car, I think it's still best to ride the bus to Magic Kingdom. If you drive, you have to park in the ginormous lot, ride a tram to the Ticket and Transportation center, then board the monorail or ferry to the Magic Kingdom gate area. If you ride the bus, it dumps you off right next to the gate.

Ahh, but in my opinion this is EXACTLY why you should take a car to the MK! The trip by ferry or by monorail is one of the coolest ways ever to approach a Disney park. Granted, it might get a little old after the 3rd time or so. And getting out at the end of the day can be a nightmare. But riding that ferry first thing in the morning, when the temps haven't risen too high yet and you're surrounded by the amazing Disney hotels framed by steam rising off the water - well, it's just a really special part of a park storming day!

I second danyoung's recommendation to pick up a guide book. Although, I find the Birnbaum book kinda lame. It has nice pictures, but the information has much spin and is sometimes downright wrong. The Unofficial Guide is my favorite.

I actually agree with you on this one. I get the Birnbaum for the warm and fuzzy feeling of Disney spin, but the Unofficial Guide is much more detailed and accurate.

Yea, it can be a hassle to wait for the bus, and sometimes you have to stand - but sometimes you get lost in a car, and I don't like trying to navigate at night any more (especially if it's only me, which it often is on my trips) - and although people say the Disney roads are well marked, you DO have to be able to decipher what they mean (is my resort and AK area resort or a Studios area resort?) quickly - and that sometimes means multiple lane changes.

For a first time visitor, I totally agree. The property can be confusing. I've been so many times that I know it all inside out (pun intended!). But even then their lame signage can get me turned around for a couple minutes. I get the car for two main reasons - I like using it for direct transportation to and from the airport, and I really don't like waiting for busses at the end of a long day (or to be more accurate - I don't like waiting for busses ANYTIME!). Sure, it's only a 10 or 15 or 20 or 30 minute wait. But that's time I could be in the park. When I leave my hotel I like just walking to the parking lot to my car and GOING without waiting for anything. But again, for a first timer, no car would probably be better.