First trip to the world in 6 days...nervous!

[julieinok]

My family is set to depart for the World on Sunday (10-12). This is our first trip. I am excited but nervous about so many things....right now I am focused on the weather! It looks terrible...but I have heard that no matter what the parks are open and to get out anyway. I am also wondering what we should wear to Cinderella's Royal Table breakfast and to our sit-down dinners (Chef Mickey's and Whispering Canyon). I am going to be on vacation and don't like the idea of having to get dressed up but don't want to be embarrased either :)

Thanks! Any last minute tips/advise?

J:mickey:

[WDWFanatic]

:welcome: to Intercot!

About the weather...bring poncho's and don't let the rain stop you. Also check out Strmchsr's post for the weather. He is really good. My DH and I used to joke that Disney must have a big umbrella they put over the parks to keep the rain out.

For CRT breakfast if you have a daughter you may want to bring her dress if it's raining so it doesn't get trashed on your way to the park.

My DH and I have always worn just casual clothes. There are only a couple places in WDW where you have to dress up. Victoria and Alberts come to mind.

Did you get rain poncho's already? You can get some cheap one's at the dollar store and just toss them when done. Or better ones at Walmart I think. Or you can buy them at WDW, cute, but maybe not the way you want to spend your money.

Have a great trip!

[julieinok]

I bought 12 rain ponchos last night at the dollar store...(3 for $1.00!) I figured that way we could toss them if we wanted to.

[yjgirl32]

We went to CRT for lunch and dressed in shorts- very casual. The only ones who were dressed up were the little girls- (awww they looked so cute). Don't worry so much about the weather- I know it's very hard to do, ut no matter what you can't change it. Just bring those ponshos and keep your spirits high- Your at Disney! Have a great vacation.

[faline]

All the dining places you cite are very casual - wear what you would to the parks. As others have noted, if you have any little girls in your party, they often dress like their favorite princess for Cinderella's Royal Table.

If the weather report includes daily thunderstorms, that's typical for this time of year and doesn't mean you will actually get any rain. Thunderstorms can be intense but generally don't last very long. If you happen to get a more significant rain event, bring your ponchos or umbrellas and head to the parks anyway!

[nls721]

I wouldn't stress too much on the weather. With our trip last June, the forcast on weather.com looked like it does now. I was so upset, I was ready to cancel and rebook for another time. But, we ended up going for a week and only 2 days we had rain. One wasn't until the evening at Epcot. It poured. The ponchos didn't help too much and we were soaked and just walked around. We could have waited it out though but chose to see how wet we could get : ) The other time it rained in the evening at the MK. That wasn't even a hard rain, and it cleared out the park. When the outside rides started going again we were able to get on Dumbo without a wait.
Make sure you also bring extra shoes because if it does rain the last think you want is to wear wet shoes the next day.
We leave on Saturday for a week, so I'm not stressing for this trip.

[Figment78]

As most people have already responded - casual is the way to go when in disney! Even for me, maybe the most high maintenance girl on earth (make-up and high heels every day), I go super casual when in WDW.

As for rain - if you can see the storm coming, some attractions are better than others during the rain... Some that come to mind are:

DHS:
Toy Story Mania (most of the long line is indoors)
Animation Tour (again, indoors)
Little Mermaid (inside show)
Beauty and the Beast (undercover show)
Muppets movie

AK: (has the least indoor areas of all parks)
Finding Nemo the musical (if you get inside before the rain starts!)
Lion King Festival (again, if you get inside quickly)

Epcot:
The Seas building has two rides - Nemo & Turtle Talk + other stuff to do inside
The Land has Soarin, Living with the Land, and the Circle of Life movie. Add lunch and you have easily waited out the rain.


Magic Kingdom:
Hall of Presidents - I personally love this attraction, and think it gets a bad rap, BUT it is also a popular way to avoid the heat, rain, rest your feet, take a nap, and recharge!
Philharmagic is indoors and most of fantasyland has undercover lines, plus the rides are pretty close together and you can dash from one to the other
Pirates of the Caribbean
Tiki Room

One major piece of advice though - bring extra shoes!

Enjoy your 1st trip!

[mouse2508]

Congrats on your 1st trip to The World! We've been with and w/out DS's and have a magical time each and every trip!

As for the weather, it is Florida, afterall :D You should expect humidity and possibility of rain every day. Agree w/ the panchos, we took Dollar Store cheapies and those worked just fine :)

Also, for planning Intercot is an excellent resource for what's going on, any attractions down for refurb, and certainly the staff and members of Intercot are great for providing info/advice. Another great source (my apologies if I'm not supposed to mention this specific source) is WDW Passporter and is available at major bookstores; this has reviews (by adults and children) of attractions, maps of the parks w/ walking times, as well as info on resorts and travel time from resort to desired park.

Again, good luck and have fun. And remember, you'll just have to plan a return trip for anything you missed :D

[julieinok]

Can you all tell me what the scoop is on bringing your own stroller? Can we take it on the disney transportation? I am thinking it would be nice to have in the airport and not to mention the savings! I hear they are expensive to rent!

[dtootsie42]

wow, you are going to have a blast!!! Don't worry about the weather just get out there and enjoy yourself.

We never really dress up for dinner. The only time we do is when hubby and I go out to dinner at our favorite place, Narcoossees at the Grand Floridian (even then it is not really fancy). We started doing this years ago and when our daughters were little we used to take them to the Neverland Club for babysitting service. Our daughters loved every minute. On our last trip our daughters were 20,18 and 16. As we were getting ready to go out they were going their way but talked about how much fun they used to have at the Neverland Club :mickey:

[BigRedDad]

Congrats on your first trip. Here are a few tips and answers to your questions:

1. Have fun and stop stressing.
2. Don't fret the rain, because you cannot control the weather. Plus, rain storms only last a little while in FL.
3. Remember you cannot do everything, so don't try
4. You can definitely bring your own stroller and you can bring it on all WDW transportation.

[wdwfansince75]

About strollers....you can bring your own stroller.....Disney lets you use your own everywhere....if you bring a large folding stroller, you may have an occasional gruff guest fuss a little on the buses. Umbrella strollers work great. The Disney strollers are a combination baby/toddler/child hauler and crowd control divice....seems that most people use them to lead their families through crowds. They are a poor substitute for manners.

Weather is rarely a problem at WDW. Some rides are even more fun in the rain...I particularly remember special rides on Kali River Rapids, the Jungle Cruise, and Splash Mtn in the rain. Most queue's are indoors, as are most attractions....but many of the exits do dump you out into uncovered parts of the world. The ponchos will help a great deal....if you remember to take them to the parks with you!
And yet another endorsement of extra pair(s) of shoes.....On one trip, changed out of wet shoes during afternoon break at resort, wore dry shoes to rainy park that evening, and had two pair of very damp shoes the next morning! Caution...do not microwave shoes!

[angelat]

Julie-I would just say make sure you remember to actually take the ponchos with you each day. :thumbsup:
For our trip in April I knew there was a chance of rain a couple of the days (at least) so we too bought the .50 ponchos at Walmart. The first day it looked sunny and I didn't even think of taking them. Then, walking to the first ride, the rain rolled in! We were soaked while on the go-cart ride. We ended up buying the $5.00 Disney ponchos! While they were a nice momento (they say year of a million dreams on them) we were sure to remember the ponchos every day thereafter! And...of course we never needed them again! :shrug:

[krose78]

And yet another endorsement of extra pair(s) of shoes.....On one trip, changed out of wet shoes during afternoon break at resort, wore dry shoes to rainy park that evening, and had two pair of very damp shoes the next morning! Caution...do not microwave shoes!


But DO NOT buy NEW shoes to bring with you as an extra pair.

[weswerx]

You are going to have SOOOOOO much fun.
Don't stress, you're on vacation, relax and enjoy your time there.
I plan on being there from the 13th to the 17th, so we might run into each other. You never know.
Well, enjoy your trip:mickey:and take lots of photos!
Can't wait to read your trip reports when you get back.

[Momof2boys]

3 years later one of my boys (10 & 8) best memories at WDW is walking thru World Showcase in a complete downpour. We took our shoes & socks off and walked from Japan in our bare feet. The water was like a river but the boys LOVED it - and everytime it rains and they want to go out & play it comes up. I just tell them there are home rules & Disney rules :mickey:

[mdhiggin]

The week I was there, there was a chance of rain every day, but it only rained once for about 15 min. It's not a big deal if it rains. It's Florida, and it's still warm enough not to be uncomfortable if you get wet. Ditto on the ponchos and extra shoes, though. Have some flexible plans about things you want to do and try to do stuff in the same area of a park before moving on unless wait times are horrible. Get your fast pass first and then head to a close attraction until time. I think you can get one every two hours. The parks are huge and it's a waste of time crisscrossing. If you're interested in shows at the parks, most are only open during the daytime hours, so put this into your plan by checking the Times Guide available with the Park Map at the park.
Above all, there is no way you can see or do absolutely everything, so just slow down and enjoy a relaxing vacation.

[oliver&bianca]

I hope that you love Disney as much as I do.

Here are some things that I have learned by experience:

-Take advantage of the Fastpass system. Ask a CM if you fully don't understand it. Also, while waiting for the Fastpass return, use some of the shorter stand-by lines.

-Do not leave the parks directly after fireworks or parades. Wait in the park by shopping or sitting on a bench and people watching. This will save you a lot of aggrevation.

-Take your time and do not stress over the little things or big things like crowds (they will be there). GO WITH THE FLOW.

-Do not Miss these attractions:
Magic Kingdom - Pirates
Epcot - Soarin
Animal Kingdom - Its Tough to be a Bug
Hollywood Studios - Fantasmic

-HAVE FUN!!!!

[Tink#64]

:welcome: As every one else has said, don't worry about the weather overly much! I think most of our trips have had terrible forcasts & we usually only experience one rain event per trip! Our first trip it rained on our first park day! We put on the ponchos & went! But agreeing with everyone else, do yourself the favor of buying the cheap throw away ponchos! We didn't our first trip & when it stopped raining DH & I were left to tote around the wet ponchos! YUCK! Also a hat or visor helps keep the rain off of your face! Then pulling the hood of the poncho up over the hat keeps you dry & you can see! We take our crocs for a spare pair of shoes & they are perfect for when it's going to be wet! It was raining on our arrival day this year & we wore the crocs to DTD & then the next morning it was still raining so we donned the ponchos & crocs again & headed to Epcot! Then the rain ended, wore dry tennis shoes the rest of the week & didn't need the ponchos again! Although I buy enough for several days of rain, with the thought of throwing them away each time we use them! All 4 of us carry one in our pack every day in WDW! We've been caught in some of those sudden Florida afternoon rains! They usually don't last long, but you don't want to have to wait it out when there's so much fun you could be having! Also we always dress casual in WDW for dinner, you won't be embarassed, WCC is a very comfy casual place and tons of fun!
:pixie: For a magical trip!

[julieinok]

What do you do with your backpacks when you are going on a ride? Probably a dumb question, but I keep thinking that I will be bringing my camera and don't want to just leave that lying around.

[Polynesian Dweller]

What do you do with your backpacks when you are going on a ride? Probably a dumb question, but I keep thinking that I will be bringing my camera and don't want to just leave that lying around.

All rides that will jostle things around have places to place things like cameras, usually a mesh compartment in front of you or under seats. We take our cameras all the time and my DW has a very expensive DSLR digital camera and never has problems.

I agree with others. Don't stress yourself out about every detail. Disney has thought of almost everything for you, from ponchos to storage lockers, they have it and there are CMs everywhere to help out. Millions of people go to Disney with all the same issues and it all works out.

In terms of weather, we have been going regularly every year for 2 decades and the reports always have rain in there somewhere and its rare for the rain to have any effect on our trip and even then just waiting 20 minutes for it to clear out. I just check for temperatures now to know how hot it may be.

Relax, enjoy yourself, and be confident it wil work out. Because it will.:mickey:

[KylesMom]

There's only one thing left to do - let the nervousness slide away and prepare to have a magical time! :mickey:


What do you do with your backpacks when you are going on a ride? Probably a dumb question, but I keep thinking that I will be bringing my camera and don't want to just leave that lying around.
We usually carry a backpack which has our rain gear stowed in addition to my big camera bag. Most of the attractions will accommodate a decent-sized bag between your feet. You will not be able to leave it anywhere in the load/unload area. Also note that you can rent lockers at the parks if you decide you want to stow your pack.

[nls721]

There are so many "tame" rides like It's a Small World or Pooh that you just put the bag next to you or on your lap. Something more intense, I would probably put in on forwards so it is over my chest, know what I mean? I don't carry a backpack into the parks but that's what I've seen. Seems like it'd work good.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

I brought my backpack on everything with me, I just looped the strap around my foot to keep it in place.
As for the ADRs you have, you can wear shorts to all of these places and not feel uncomfortable.
Bring the little throw away ponchos every day, they don't take up much room and come in handy for those quick rain showers. And the good thing about the rain is that a lot of people disappear. No waiting for the rides that are inside!
And you can bring your stroller on the Disney transportation but you do have to fold them up on most everything. You might also want to bring a shower curtain or something to throw over the stroller if it does look like rain. Get a clear one so the little one can still see out if you happen to be pushing it when it rains. And if at all possible put it somewhere underneath where it won't get wet when you are on a ride. But that's not always possible either.
Don't stress and have a wonderful time.

[faline]

Definitely do not leave valuables lying around! You can take backpacks with you on rides.

[JenniferS.]

We have a camera bag that we take on all the rides. We usually bring one backpack w/ extra clothes/diapers etc... and we just leave it right in the stroller. Never had a problem. I only left stuff in it that wouldn't be a big deal if stolen or lost. If we buy any merchandise, we take those with us on the rides. We usually try to buy things when we know we are headed back to the hotel for a mid-day break or at the end of the night. I hope you have a great trip!!