Help!

[socalruss]

Hi everyone,
Heres the deal. In less than a month we'll be in WDW. ME, DW, DD(10), DS(9), DS(5). weve never been before and Im looking for some kind of itinerary.
We'll be there in July from the 20th-28th.
Were staying off site so will be renting a car. I know it will be hot, but right now in Riverside its not even noon and its about 95.
What i'm looking for are some ideas on what to do and not do. We live in SoCal and I can go from my driveway to DL main gates in less than an hour. Been there countless times and have been AP's before. Based on that, should we skip MK altogether and maybe throw in a water park? Or is it a "cant miss" no matter what?:confused:
Couple of other things. Since this is our first time, we don't have ADR's. What are some good alternative places to eat? I read in Birnbaum's that there are still TS places that you can walk up to and get tables. Also, what kind of traffic can I expect. Were staying at Marriot Cypress Harbour which is about 10 miles east. Last thing;) Were getting park hoppers. How feasible is it to see at least 2 parks in one day?
BTW, the knowledge all of you bring to this site is amazing and greatly appreciated by newbies like me!!:thumbsup:

[Strmchsr]

First of all, :welcome: to Intercot!!!!!

The first thing I would suggest is read through the Info Central tab at the top. It has tons of info that will answer many of your questions.

Yes, definitely do MK. It's different enough from DL that it's most certainly worth it and that's the quintessential Disney experience.

You can do MGM in half a day if you don't stop to see all of the shows. You might could even do a half day at MK if you only hit the things that are different from DL. Some people do AK in half a day, but it's usually a full day for us. Epcot is at least 1 complete day, and really 1 1/2-2 to see everything. A lot of times you can see AK by mid to late afternoon and then head to another park for the evening.

As for ADRs - good luck finding a TS that will allow walk-ups in July. I suppose it could possibly happen in January or one of the lighter months, but don't expect that in July. You could spend half your day just looking for a place to eat. If you don't want to do ADRs I'd suggest just going for CS.

As for traffic - no idea. I haven't stayed off property in a while, but hopefully someone will be along to answer that soon.

[DestinationWDW]

You will be fine at CS restaurants - try to eat at "off times" - early lunches or late lunches/early dinners or late dinners and you'll do even better. With your children's ages, would definately do water parks! But don't pass up MK to do them!!! Can go to water park in am while it's hot and hit MK at night when it's cooler! Welcome to Intercot! Have a magical vacation! :mickey:

[socalruss]

You guys are awesome...Thanks!:mickey:

[Lizzie]

If you feel you are short on time there are some things at DW that are the same as DL. The ones that I can think of are Muppets, Its Tough To Be a Bug, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, are some that I can think of.

[wdw_bound]

I'd definitely try for a few ADRs. For kids your age, I'd suggest Whispering Canyon, Ohana, or just about any Epcot World Showcase that sounds good to your family.

Pre dining plan, we used to have one or two TS per trip, and it made a big difference for us to make time to have some calm and sanity and have a nice meal as a family.

As mentioned above, I believe Birnbaum's is out of date with the walk-up advice. On our last two trips, I've seen people get turned away for the length of their trip without ADRs.

You'll be there for 8 days - I wouldn't skip any of the parks. Parkhopping is definitely feasible - we do it every trip. To beat the heat, we go early in the morning and stay until lunch, then go back in the late afternoon/early evening. Even staying offsite, this should be fine. My best advice is to have each kid list about 2-3 attractions at each park that they have to do (there will be overlap) and promise that those are the priority, and that everything else is just bonus. It really helps ward off upset :)

Have a great trip!

[faline]

You'll find that a number of the rides that exist in Disneyland are different in Disney World. These include: Space Mountain, Winnie the Pooh, Pirates, It's A Small World, Snow White, and Buzz Lightyear to name a few. Others, you may find are pretty much the same except for the queue area and/or location of the attraction. Additionally, you will find rides and attractions throughout Disney World that do not exist in Disneyland.

I would certainly recommend a visit to the Magic Kingdom regardless of how many times you've been to Disneyland.

If you do want to try any of the terrifica table service restaurants that exit throughout Disney World, I'd suggest giving a call now to see if you can get any advanced dining reservations. It may be difficult to get anything at this point but it's worth a try. You might also get lucky if you show up at the door of a table service restaurant right as it's opening. Otherwise, you'll need to rely on counter service.

Traffic in the general area varies based on time of day and day of the week.

Different parks close at different times of the day. You may be glad you have park hoppers. You may, for instance, start your day at Animal Kingdom (which tends to close early), stay until 1 or so. You might then want to hit a water park or return to your resort for some pool time. In the evening, you may want to "hop" over to Magic Kingdom or Epcot for some evening touring.

I'd also recomment that you see Fantasmic. It's a different experience than California.

[Tick-Tock]

Definitely visit MK. It's interesting to see the similarities and the differences between DL and MK. And then you can gloat about how you still have Mr. Toad and your Pirates is better.

[MsMin]

:welcome:
:ditto: on seeing MK. It's fun to compare and different.
The heat -- sounds like you are used to but the humidity could make it feel different-- drink plenty and sometimes there are afternoon Thunderstorms to cool things down that time of year.
Traffic was bad the last time we went that time of year and stayed offsite; but it's been a while since I've done that. The traffic piles up at the gate and getting into the parking lots.
I think a waterpark is a nice break esp. in the summer. Are you planning to go back to the room mid day??? Sometimes a short trip on the monorail helps a little one w/ a quick nap, that the Hall of Presidents and some movies....
Hope you have a wonderful trip. I find it easier to get a TS at a resort too during when crowds are higher and it's a nice break!

[tarjaybuff]

:mickey:Hi there! Congrats on your trip.

I would make a spreadsheet on Microsoft Excel. Check the websites and mark the info you find. SOme parks open early/stay open late. I also mark which days are busy and quite for each park. I leave space for dining reservations, and mark times for parades/special events. Then I decide which day is the best for eacj park. Its fun, and builds the anticipation of going. Have fun!!:thumbsup:

[mickey&missy]

:welcome: to intercot!

First, I agree with everyone who said not to skip MK. I've never been to DL (can't convince DH to travel that far) but I can't imagine experiencing WDW and not going to MK. To me, its the center of the magic.

We've done AK as 3/4 of a day. We're out of the park by 2 or 3 and it great to be able to get back to the hotel for a swim or rest! Be forewarned, AK is a hot park for some reason. It feels much warmer there then at the other parks. We did MGM as half a day once and a full day once. WIth MGM and AK it really depends it really a personal preferences. Some people are more into movies and shows etc others nature and animals. Give that a thought in planning too. EPCOT is a must and definitely needs a good amount of time.

As for ADR's, there definitely are a lot of really good CS places. But, I would suggest throwing in a few TS too. There are so many good ones! Chef Mickey's is great for family fun and its easy enough to get to with the monorail. Ohana is on the top of everyones list and is also easy to access with the monorail. Whispering Canyon's is an experience all to itself and you can get there by boat from MK.

I would suggest going through Birnbaum's and making a kind of Don't Miss list and make sure you do those things if nothing else!

Good luck and have a great trip!