Heading To the Mouse's House

[crokett]

just booked the place we will be staying next spring when we go see Disney World and Sea World. This will be the 2nd trip. We went when my oldest was about 18mos. then we went to Sea World and Universal. She didn't care much about Universal but she had a blast at Sea World.

[LCHIEN]

Loring's guide to doing Disneyworld/land with your kids
1. Hit the place when it opens. Like 8AM or whatever. park closer to the entrance that way.
2, When you get inside, head for the back attractions. Most people stream in when it opens and get in line for the first thing they see. The attractions at the back will have shorter lines or no lines at first until people get back there.
3. Go until lunchtime, early afternoon if you can keep going without revolt from hungry campers.
4. Leave DW and pick up light lunch at a fast food place outside the magic kingdom, it'll cost half as much and be less crowded. May even be better food.
5. Take a swim and a nap at the hotel. Get some rest during the hot part of the day.
6. Go out for an early dinner.
7. Head back to the Magic Kingdom about 6 or 7 PM.
8. It's cooler, people are getting dinner. Ride the rides now.
9. Go until at least 11 PM if your kids are latesters like mine.
10 The fireworks and Main Street electrical parade are at 11PM. try and be on the Skyway when the fireworks go off, it'll be the best seat in the house.
11. You have another hours the lines are nil and you can ride your favorite ride at night in cool weather as many times as you like.

So you got maybe 10-11 hours in the park, beat the heat and the lines and the captive eating places.

[Uncle Cracker]

Couple of updates for Loring's otherwise excellent suggestions:

1) Magic Kingdom park hours now vary from day to day and week to week. Some days closes early as 9:00pm. Check the "Calendar" on the WDW website. Fireworks and parade times also vary nightly.

2) The Skyway has been removed for a couple of years now.

3) Save wait time by getting "Fast Pass" reservations for more popular attractions. More about that on the website.

4) The Main Street Electrical Parade has run its course. It has been replaced by the SpectroMagic Parade. Check the schedule, as this parade often does not show on some nights when the park closes early.

[bruce hylton]

My granddaughter and family get to go in about two weeks to Disney World courtesy of the 'Make a Wish Foundation'.
She is looking forward to it.

[gjat]

A big thumbs up to Loring and Cracker. It is great advice. There's lot's to see and do all around the area from Cape Canaveral to Busch Gardens.
It's already pretty warm, so be prepared for hours in the sun.

Bruce, I hope your grandaughter and family have a wonderful time. MAW is a wonderful organization.

[LCHIEN]

A big thumbs up to Loring and Cracker. It is great advice. There's lot's to see and do all around the area from Cape Canaveral to Busch Gardens.
It's already pretty warm, so be prepared for hours in the sun.

Bruce, I hope your grandaughter and family have a wonderful time. MAW is a wonderful organization.

I apologize for the out of date info.My kids are 23 and 27 y.o. respectively, if that's any indication.We ended up going to disneyland two years in a row, due to circumstances.

[Thalermade]

Was at WDW in 2000. If the monorail still exists, ask to ride in the front. Pretty cool to be sitting in the nose of the train with the driver.


Russ

[jcjrsmith]

just booked the place we will be staying next spring when we go see Disney World and Sea World. This will be the 2nd trip. We went when my oldest was about 18mos. then we went to Sea World and Universal. She didn't care much about Universal but she had a blast at Sea World.

Some great Disney focused websites:

http://www.disboards.com

http://www.wdwig.com

I have been going to WDW since about the time it opened. Took SWMBO there for our honeymoon. We like to take our motorhome and stay at Ft Wilderness, but we have also stayed at All Star Music, Port Orleans Riverside, Shades of Green, and the Contemporary.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me or email

[jcjrsmith]

One other thing - great way to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Go to the Contemporary Hotel and take the elevator to the California Grill on the top floor. Hang a right out of the elevator and go outside on the walkway atop the building. You get an incredible view of the Magic Kingdom, and they pipe in the music from the show to speakers along the observation walkway. Cost is FREE.

[Ed62]

There's a lot of good advice from those above. We've been twice, both times in the Fort Wilderness Campground. First time was with our camper, and the second time we rented one of their trailers. Had a ball both times.

I don't have to tell anyone who's going to have a good time. It's just about guaranteed.

Ed

[cgallery]

Couple of more notes: If you want an inexpensive on-grounds hotel that is relatively inexpensive (at least compared to the Contemporary or Floridian), stay at the Dolphin/Swan. It is a nice compromise between the premium hotels and off-premises and/or bus-service hotels. If you stay on the concierge levels you can get a free breakfast and snacks (take extra snacks to the parks and you can eat a late lunch and avoid lots of crowds).

If you want to dine at any of the Epcot restaurants, get your reservations made as soon as possible. They fill up very fast. Same goes for the character breakfasts.

Some of the restaurants in the parks have large portions that are easily enough for two. The DW tip sites have more info on those.

+1 on the monorail. Sitting in front is fun, you just have to ask an attendant if you can travel w/ the driver when you get to the front of the line. If there is room, they will almost always allow it.

I've worn by kids out on Disney (I won't admit how many times we've been there). Some day we will have grand kids and will be able to resume our trips. My wife and I have even joked about working for Disney when we're older. I have a friend that retired from Harley and moved down there for part-time work.

Oh, and Sea World is every bit as fun. Love feeding the sea lions, dolphins, and stingrays.

[LCHIEN]

Maybe the main street elecrical parade dates me but i always loved it. For those like me, enjoy this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFTl7Qab3rk

hope it brings a smile to your face.