First Time As A Family Trip suggestions...

[HeadFairyInCharge]

:mickey: We are self 34, DH 38(never been) and DD 5, DD 2 doing in December for a 7night vacation at the Yacht Club Resort. I have read and planned for + 6 months for this getting ready. Books, INTERCOT boards always helpful. Any ideas -comments or suggestions for me??? :cloud9:

[Diznee4Me]

Welcome to Intercot!

Check the WDW page, or here on Intercot, for the December Park calendars for park opening times and times for shows, parades, fireworks, etc.

MVMCP (Mickey's Very Mrry Christmas Parade) is pretty neat. You have to buy tickets for it but MK closes and only those with the ticket can ride the rides, see the special Cristmas parade, snow on Main Street, hot chocolate and cookies. It happens throughout December.

Have great trip!

[HeadFairyInCharge]

Got the MVMCP for Dec 9th

Most ADR are Made

Yacht Club is booked and hoping for an upgrade upon arrival to decent view. :blush:

Cindy's Royal Table 9AM reservation on Sat AM 12/6/08 Question Here:
Heard the rumor that taping may be this day for the Christmas Day Parade - Can we avoid any problem areas and still enjoy the park that day ??
Made ADR at 7 AM June 8th (before I knew of the taping thing...) :confused:

[BigRedDad]

#1 - You cannot do it all, so don't kill yourself trying
#2 If DD2 and DS5 are more comfortable taking naps at the resort, take a break in the afternoon and go back
#3 Make a list of your must see/do. Try to hit those early in the morning. Hit rides early and shows later
#4 Enjoy the YC nightlife and walk to the Boardwalk at night too. That is a relaxing evening before bed.

[HeadFairyInCharge]

I have a new obsession with this trip I have become an addict. Read guide books took notes...Read Luxury Guide...OK...Planning to do a day by day schedule to try and be prepared for anything. Still have questions on some areas-

Is the transportation from Resort to parks by buses good or am I in for long waits and riding times?

DH, not a good patient travel companion with 2 young girls that will be excited going to parks and exhausted afterwards...

I have not been back since my high school senior trip in 1992 OMG.... I am old ;)

[Zippy 1]

we have never had any problems with the busses. At the end of the night at park closing there can be fairly long lines. If worried about this plan ahead either leave a little early or wander throught the stores on your way out. We usually took our time leaving and by the time we reached the buses the was a small wait 5-10 minutes. With little ones you may be leaving at off peak times and not run into any waits.:mickey: Have a great trip!

[senderella]

Sounds exciting! You probably will see some of the filming for the parade, but it is usually in front of the castle and on main street. Once you are in Tomorrow land, Adventure Land, etc you won't even know they are filming.

Have a great trip.
Be sure and stop at Town Hall or the check in desk at your hotel and ask for a first time visitor button.

[teambricker04]

I think you will LOVE the quick easy trips from YC to the parks! We have 2 DSs (3.5 and 1.5) and it was nice when they would sleep in the stroller... we could just get on the monorail from MK to EPCOT and make our way back. On the boat from DHS we didn't have to take them out of the stroller. So nice! The only buses we took were from AK and DTD.

I agree... enjoy the night life on BW and at the Y&BC. There are nightly movies on the beach at BC.

One of our favorite things to do is head over to FW for the singalong/campfire/movie. It is a great way to see Chip'n'Dale and our kids loved the singalong.

I bet your DH will be so excited once he gets there that he will be a better traveller!!!

Have a super fun time!!!!!

[Jeri Lynn]

Welcome to Intercot!

Sounds like you have a great trip planned and the Yacht Club is really nice...I have never stayed there but always stay at the Beach Club and have walked through the Yacht Club.

And....I love your member name!!

[yjgirl32]

I agree with the previous post- don't try to do it all. It's impossible. Mark the things down that you really really want to do and get them out of the way. Then any else is a bonus.

The one thing that made our last trip extra special is a pontoon boat ride to wathc wishes. We did this on our last night in Disney and it made it extra special. Very very nice.

Have a great trip!

[threeh]

agreed, don't try to do it all. Take is slow and stop and smell the roses. Some of my fondest memories from our trips have been on the way to the parks or just walking around thru them. Enjoy your time together as a family.
Have fun!!! The epcot area resorts are my favorite I love to walk around back there, it is so pretty.

Happy planning:mickey:

[HeadFairyInCharge]

Thank you to all who replied, I am getting excited for this trip ..need to make a countdown calendar with the girls. Trying to get organized, keep a small binder of all my important notes and itinerary. Any other info or suggestions keep on checking in here to see discussions. Thanks.:mickey:

[snuggs30]

Have Fun!! Sounds like you have everything in order! And you are not OLD, just mature now..haha I was a 88 grad so i know what you mean! Go to Storytime with Belle! It's awesome!:mickey:

[paragon]

I agree with all of the above. The best tip I can give you will save you some time and grief, and that is to take the Resort Monorail when going in and out of Magic Kingdom. The wait time is much shorter, the ride is not that much longer if at all ( since the express often stops for clearance anyway ) and belive it or not, the resort monorail smells bettler LOL, probably because the doors open more often.
This little trick will help immensely, especially at the end of the day when you're worn out.

Have fun.

[LoriMistress]

I'm not sure what time in December you're going because around Christmas/NYE it will be extremely crowded. I would suggest making all of your ADRs if you haven't already or else you'll be eating at counter service for the majority of your vacation. Just make sure you arrive before park opening, make sure you do the must-do's, and make sure you take breaks (I would suggest leaving the parks around 12-1pm) to avoid cranky children/adults. The parks can be very overwhelming, particularly if it's your first time. Remember, you won't be able to do everything, but make sure you plan your vacation extremely well. I'd rather be over prepared then unaware.

[HeadFairyInCharge]

We will be there on Friday afternoon Dec 5th to Saturday Dec 13th of this year. Hopefully missing most of the crowd for Christmas we will be leaving as they get busier. I figure my oldest is 5 and in kindergarten, this would be the only time I pull my kids out of school. She should be fine missing a week. As they get older we will have to find time when school is out. :cool: This is a special trip for us, they are big Disney Fans...Princesses and all the Fab 5, they can't wait to see them. :mickey: