9 days at Disneyworld!

[Canuck Park Hopper]

Welcome from Calgary!

Nine days will be great. Our longest was 14 days and we just took our time. For that trip we had a 10-day pass w/ Water Parks. We kept a couple of spare days for relaxing at the resort, running a couple loads of laundry, etc. For the remaining 12 days we visited each park at least twice and had 3 water park days.

We only leave WDW for the odd external adventure (say Universal Orlando, Cape Canaveral, etc). Otherwise there is no real reason to leave and you can get from A to B using the on-site bus network.

I tried driving on-site once years ago - the traffic itself isn't bad, I just kept getting turned around!

[EeyoresBestFriend]

Welcome from BC, Canada!

Another little tip that we always found helpful for our groups: if your resort has a hot tub, go soak in it at the end of the day. Even if you just sit on the edge and soak your feet for 10 or 15 minutes, it's amazing how much that will help to reducing the aches & pains. It will keep you going for days without feeling like your legs and feet are going to fall off.

It's an amazing place and I have no doubt that you will have a fabulous time!

[Nunavut family]

Thank you EeyoresBF! We are actually from BC also and still maintain our residence on Vancouver Island!

A good foot soaking has always been a daily occurrence during our many Disneyland vacations. My wife and I would sit in the hot tub while the kids are in the pool. Two weeks until Disneyworld!

[roses]

Welcome to Intercot! Looks like you have lots of great advice already. I'll have to agree with ADRs - especially for the time period you are going. Research the different parks to see what key rides/attractions you want to hit. Make a plan, but be ready to break the plan. Sometimes sitting at one of the outdoor patios, enjoying a soda or snack, and just taking in the atmosphere is the best way to spend a half hour or so!

[hauntedmansiongirl]

You'll find the Disney transportation really good! You can take a boat ride or walk to Hollywood Studios and Epcot and can take the monorail from Epcot to MK if you don't want to take the bus all the time (you have to get off at the Transportation and Ticket Centre and transfer to the MK line). The buses are pretty decent though. We drive 22 hours from Burlington, Ontario- so by the time we hit WDW we are ready for a break from our truck. And we have never had a problem!

Make sure that you see the Martin Short movie in the Canada pavilion- it is really cute and makes fun of the typical Canadian stereotypes!

We are leaving April 5th, arriving in Disney April 7 and staying until the 21st, so we'll be there the same time that you are! Have a great time my fellow Canuck!

[MinnieMal]

We will be there (my DS 16 and I) at the same time! I am sure you are looking forward to warmth - and color!!

I would first stress the importance of sunscreen and maybe hats (even baseball hat type). The April sun in Florida is going to be strong enough to cause some significant sunburn. Using a good sunscreen and hats can help avoid a painful burn (which could really make your stay uncomfortable). All the resorts and parks have plenty of both in the event it's not easy to find and pack before you leave home.

Wildlife - it will be all around you. The tiny geckos will dart in and out of the low level shrub areas and are fun to spot! Ducks are everywhere (even in the pools occasionally!) and often have their little families in tow. And the ponds have some very interesting turtles in them, too!

You chose a great resort and area - so centrally located with so much to see! As others have suggested, I would definitely take in the Boardwalk area, especially in the evening - and take the full walk around the lake. (Your family might want to try the Kitchen Sink at the Beachclub, 20 scoops of ice cream!). You could work off the calories by renting one of those canopy covered bicycles, but be prepared - the upward slop near the YC is steeper than it seems - and the ride back down the hill (into Boardwalk) tends to have you build up quite a bit of speed!

I'd also take a spin on the monorail and stop in to the Contemporary and the Polynesian - just to get a feel for the other resort areas - they are so different - and a ride on the monorail is always fun.

Pictures - take lots and lots - the flowers at Epcot will be beautiful, and COLOR will be all around you - so they will make an awesome backdrop. (I still think the blue sky over the castle is bluer than anywhere else!)

First Visit buttons - cast members in gift shops should have them, and by wearing them, you never know if you might get a little bit of special treatment here or there throughout your stay.

And most of all - ENJOY! Just two weeks away!! Woo Hoo!!!

[Patricia]

Welcome to INTERCOT, from Canada's warm spot!

Having lived in Fort Mac now and then, I feel your pain.. Not just the -40 cold, but that isolation (end of the road) and it wasn't as bad as yours, I could drive away... in 5 hours or so, weather depending. Freaked me out that the grocery store would run out of milk and the produce guy actually laughed out loud when I asked for fresh spinach. Anyhoo..

I grew up on Disneyland and as a stand alone park, it remains my favorite, but for a longer vacation, I still pick WDW. Your kids will love the water parks! We love Animal Kingdom with the entertainment and slower pace it offers, Epcot for it's different foods and drinks, MK for nostalgia & "Disney attractions" and Hollywood Studios for the thrills (ok, I don't like HS thrills, but I still show up)

My advice for first timers, don't expect to see everything. You'll go crazy trying.. I'm not sure I've seen it all yet and I've been plenty. I thought my first trip (7 days) would be my only but after arriving home, I knew I'd return because I hadn't seen everything yet and it was such an easy, fun vacation with my kids.

Also, smart not to make too many Advanced Reservations, you can spend a lot of time working around them. Personally, I seldom make any. There are plenty of food options that won't mean having to stop what your doing to race off for a ressie.

Enjoy!

[Davy Crockett]

We normally go for 10 days and being that there is so much more (4 theme parks, 2 water parks + DTD vs 2 Theme parks at DL) to do and some days you may want to enjoy relaxing by the pool that number of days gives you ample opportunity to do all you want and not be hurried. Make sure you have the park hopper & water park options as you will utilize these staying 9 days. I have a spreadsheet I built several years ago that when printed out gives you a daily summary of where you're going and what you're doing and on the detailed side it records all your dining and show reservations by day (shows confirmation numbers) and keeps track of your credit's remaining or your dining plan per individual traveling with your party. I carry this in the parks, so I print 5 or 6 before we leave to head down and that way if one gets wet or just wears out I throw it away pull out another and continue on. It helps me keep better organized time wise.

ENJOY YOUR TRIP!

[azcavalier]

Hello and we will love the planning along with you.
1. break and nap at noon -3pm will do wonders for your stamina. The grown-ups may think no way, but try it. It refreshes and makes the 2nd part of the day a whole new adventure instead of a very long chore.

Another vote for this. You'll be there for nine days...you will get to see almost everything you want to (but not everything!), so just realize that you don't have to see it *right now*, even if you're in that park. Discipline yourself (and your family) to call it good for the morning, go back to the hotel and relax, take a nap, go swimming, whatever. Then head back out for dinner. You'll have a better time as a family, because you won't have those 3pm "Magic Meltdowns" that families have because they're exhausted and don't realize it.

I didn't read all of the other responses, so our tips:

1. Take full advantage of the morning Extra Magic Hours. Be there before the rope drops. You can ride/see so much more in that first hour than you can in the next four.

2. At Animal Kingdom, ride the Kilaminjaro Safaris first thing (you can go grab fastpasses to Everest and then hit the safari). In the morning, when it's still cool, the animals are out and active. If you wait until later in the morning or afternoon, you'll see a bunch of lazy animals, and will miss some entirely. It's a much, much better ride early in the morning.

That's probably it, short of full-blown touring plans.

[Nunavut family]

Thanks all! Three more days until we leave for Disneyworld.

We have four reservations (one Character breakfast, one Fantasmic dinner, one BBBOUTIQUE, and one Pirates experience).

That will be the only pre-planning we are doing. We will utilize EMH, but I refuse to have a detailed daily plan for our vacation. A vacation loses its spontaneity and magic when your on a timeline IMHO.

Anyways, getting excited.

[MinnieMal]

Wooo Hooo! We are counting down too - two days for us, wow. So exciting!

It sounds like you have put just the right amount of scheduled events into your plan while making sure you have room to relax and truly enjoy your wonderful, warm vacation ... ahhhhh !! Safe travels to you and yours - hope you post some trip updates while you are there! ENJOY !!

[Gator]

We just did 9 full days in the parks a few months ago, so I can give you some of our experience.

First, with 9 days, that give you two full days in each park, with another day left over. What we did was make that extra day a third day at the MK to do all the things we never do. Ride the Riverboat, visit Tom Sawyer Island - stuff like that. And then in the middle of the day, head back to the resort and hit the pool. For us, this was a big deal, because we never leave the parks. But it was nice to venture into MK, go rest in the pool, and then return for fireworks. Of course, you might want to head to Downtown that evening for the video games you mentioned.

Next, being from the West, make sure the first park you visit the day after you arrive isn't one where you have to be there at rope drop. With the three hour difference, there's no way you'll be able get everyone up in time on that first day. And probably not the second day either.

Last: take your time. I know this is hard - it was for me. But with all that time, you don't have to rush from ride to ride like you would on a shorter trip. When you get to Epcot, you'll have to time to really take in all of the World Showcase and it's live entertainment. And don't miss the World Showcase Players in UK or the Liberty Voice in USA.

Have fun! I'm jealous. I love this stage of the trip.

[Aurora]

Have a wonderful trip and please post a trip report when you return. We would love to hear about your vacation!

[DisneyDawgette]

BIG votes for naps here! We went for four days in October, all four of us adults, and the guys were begging me for a nap on Day 3! Unfortunately, with MNSSHP, we didn't have time for one that day! I'm sure with kids, this will be even more important, because BOY were they cranky until they got to eat!

Have a great trip! I second the request that you post a report! Sounds like you're going to have a lot of fun in the Sunshine State!

[LudwigVonDrake]

I usually do 10 days staying on property. Naps and swims break up the day nicely then you can go back to a park at night and be refreshed

[mom2morgan]

Hello from Central Alberta! We used to go to Disneyworld in December, and the weather was disappointingly hit or miss. We went for the first time ever in September - and I've HEARD that weather is similar to April. What a delight! Can you imagine getting out of a pool after dark, and being warm enough to just lounge in a chair without covering up?! (well maybe you can when you're in Vancouver, but I've never been able to do it in Alberta ;-) Just ENJOY some of that resort time by the pool! Do you have park hopper passes? Since you are so close to Epcot that could give you more opportunity to eat there. If not - you'll enjoy just trying all the many different Quick Service options all over the parks and resorts, and that'll help you keep it spontaneous.

[Nunavut family]

Day 1 is done! We arrived at MK for rope drop and managed to do all our favourite rides virtually walking on. A little disappointed with POTC, not nearly as good as a Disneyland! Splash Mountain and big Thunder made up for this.

Only FP we got was for Space Mountain. Went for an afternoon nap at 1430 hours and returned to the park for 1730 hours in time for our daughters appointment at BBB. What a treat, she had such a good time and was a Diva in training!

Next we did Downtown Disney, it was overcrowded and not very enjoyable. Two spectacular downpours also occurred today. Back to the room for 2330 hours and kids in bed anticipating our morning trek to Hollywood Studios.

All in all it was an enjoyable first day at Disney World. Also very impressed with the Dolphin so far; well worth the money...