Planning my first trip to Disney....

[thejanester4]

Hello all! im new to intercot, and like my subject says im planning first trip to disney. a coworker of mine is an intercot/WDW addict so i followed her lead and here i am! so....HELP!!! Where to i even start? :mickey:

[RalsFam]

We are in the same boat! There is so much info out there, it gets confusing. I am now addicted to INTERCOT! My eyes are crossing from trying to read all the posts.:mickey:

[pink]

Congradulations first of all for going on your first Disney trip.

Hotel- There are many places you can start to plan. You have to decide if you want to stay on Disney property or off-site. I recommend staying on the property as you can use the bus system free of charge, Magical Express system which takes you to and from the airport free of charge as well. By staying on site you also get extra early morning and night hours in each of the parks on different days. If you decided to stay on site you also have to chose between a deluxe, moderate or value resort. However, whichever you chose they are all great and have excellent service as it is Disney.

Park Tickets You can get a basic ticket which allows you to enter one park each day or you can spend a little extra money and go for the park hopper ticket. I recomend this ticket as it lets you visit as many parks in one day as you want. For example, you can spend the morning Magic Kingdom and then go to dinner at night in Epcot and go see the Fatasmic show in Hollywood Studios after and your ticket allows you to do that. You can also purchase the park hopper and more ticket which also allows your access to the water parks, etc.
There is also a no expiration option that you can add onto the tickets so your tickets never expire but all of those options are of course optional.

You also have to consider flights and food reservations as well (ADR'S) I hope you have fun planning your trip. There are many great pictures of each of the resorts on this site, menu examples, etc.

PM me if you need any help. :mickey:

[Strmchsr]

:welcome: to Intercot!!!! We're glad you're here.

The place to start is Info Central. Go through the various sections and you'll learn more about WDW than you could think possible. Also, if you're not sure about your accommodations you'll want to read through the resort section. Once you've done that, begin looking in the various forums like dining, vacation planning, accommodations, etc and you'll see folks asking lots of good questions and getting lots of good answers. You'll be a WDW expert in no time. Also, feel free to ask all of the questions you have. As I said, start with Info Central because if you're new to the whole Disney thing you won't even know what to ask just yet and that will help you get started.

Finally, I STRONGLY suggest you book your trip through Magical Journeys (http://www.yourmagicaljourneys.com/). They don't cost you anything and you'll get fantastic, knowledgeable service. Do a thread search and you'll see tons of folks use and love them. They'll make planning you first trip so much easier.

[snerd475]

:welcome: This is the BEST place to plan your trip. Everyone is always happy to answer any questions! C'mon, ASK!
I agree with previous posters - stay on property, even if it's a value. The benefits are worth it.

One thing I took for granted, and I want you to be aware of, is take advantage of the Fast Pass system. I had a friend go for the first time and they didn't know. I guess it's not really well-advertised. USE IT!

Guide books help. PM me for my faves, and any other advice. Happy to help.
:pixie:

[Disneyfun]

:joy::welcome::joy:
Welcome to Intercot!!
This is the best place to find answers to ALL your questions! The above posters are dead on! As you seek answers to questions and advice, the first thing everyone is going to ask is who is in your party and their ages and general interest.
There is so much to do at WDW, that you can go absolutely crazy trying to do it all! Do yourself and your group a favor and don't try to do everything - take your time and relax and enjoy what you can at a leasurely pace. Form a loose plan for each day that you are going to be at WDW. Info centeral will be a great place to start making those plans. If you need any help, just remember that there are tons here that enjoy helping others plan their trips almost as much as they enjoy going! :)

[snerd475]

I just realized that you might not know what PM means! Sorry! We take things for granted around here.

If you click on anybody's user name, it'll give you options. One of them is "send a private message" (PM) You can ask that person whatever you want. It will not show up on the message board, as it's private, just be sure you look at your private message note under your user name, because the email notifiers don't send if you get a reply.

So, PM me if you need any help!

[disneydeb]

Have a great time planning!:thumbsup:

You are now in the zone!:cool:

[thejanester4]

thanks so much for everyone's advice in just the first few hours! in response to an above question there are 3 of us girls going and we are all 23. :mickey: girls only vaca!!!

oh and translations are always welcome, though i am a quick learner. :blush:

[RockinRollerMom]

:welcome: to intercot. Just a few tips.

First don't be afraid to ask questions. Even us who have visited Disney tons and tons still have questions. The more questions you ask the better prepared you will be.
Enjoy the the planning process. I LOVE planning my next Disney trip!

If you can, stay onsite. I really think it is the best way to enjoy a Disney trip. There are different price ranges to fit most budgets. If you stay onsite you get to advantage of Magical Express and EMH.

I am also a big fan of the Dining Plan. In general you will save money and get to enjoy some of the great restaurants that Disney has to offer.

Good luck with the planning and Congrats!

[RALPH]

First welcome to Intercot!:grouphug:

When we planned our first trip I remember all the internet research, books etc. It was a lot of fun being a WDW newbie and learning all this neat stuff.

Our starting point was when could we go. (Time of year) Also who is going. This is an important choice as crowds (I hate em) will affect your trip. This also affects the price of rooms etc. So pin that down First.

Then the next decision will be to stay on or off the property. Stay on if you can. Your budget will determine what hotel you can afford and the time of year comes into play again regarding price. (Specials) (Free dining)

Once those two decisions are made everything else falls into place. Airfares will be dependent on a bunch of variables or are you able to drive?

Park tickets are pretty standard, although I would get the park hopper add on. Water parks and other things are up to you and the time of year. We made a commitment to go twice within 1 year so we purchased an annual pass and save big time on park admission over 2 trips. But the cash outlay on the first was tough.

If you want to eat dinner at a nice table service restaurant check out the menus and recommendations and book your ADR's (advance dinner reservations) 180 days before your trip (if you are staying on property). I'm not sure the rules when staying off.

Then decide what you want to see and what to not miss and have fun. Planning a WDW trip is almost as much fun as going.

[RaRaRoundTheWorld]

Welcome to intercot!!!

I for one have turned into a total intercot junkie and love to check in even when we're between vacations. I found this site better than the others out there, and better than most guidebooks. Here are a few of my tips (I'm OK with being branded a nerdy nut):

- Spreadsheet - If you're like me and love to fiddle with your trip plans :blush:, this is fun and helps you organize. I fill in days across the top, break up the day by meal times on the left. I store dining reservation #s (ADRs), important phone #s, park hours (w/EMHs - that's Extra Magic Hours), and possible plans for the day.

- Hotel - Each one has a different aesthetic, number of restaurants, access to specific parks and activities. The limit is 5 to a room. There are great photos in the resort tab. For a group of young woman as you are (and if your budget affords), the Polynesian has a relaxed, fun, party atomosphere and the pool is IMHO the best.

- Meal plan - Disney has introduced several dining plans that can be coupled to your park ticket. This offers a savings. There is a downloadable brochure of restaurants and eateries for the plan. You can use this to select your aforementioned ADRs. Call Disney early to book your reservations. Restaurants can book up even during "slow" or value seasons. If you can, try to do Cinderella's Royal Table. It's a total thrill to eat in the castle!

- No question is too silly or specific - I'm always shocked at how much help I get for even the most ridiculous-seeming questions.

:welcome:Have a blast planning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!