9 days at Disneyworld!

[Nunavut family]

My family and I are soon heading to Disneyworld from the Canadian high Arctic! It will be nice to leave -40 Celsius weather to the Florida sun. We will be staying at the Dolphin.

How would you all handle 9 days at Disneyworld? We have a 13 DD, 6 DS and 4 DD. Any tips?

We have been to Disneyland numerous times but our first trip to Disneyworld!

[Awesome_guy]

Hello from Calgary and welcome to Intercot!

You will have a blast! Having been to Disneyland you will get how the attractions go, but will find WDW very expansive. 9 Days will be great to explore, take breaks, and revisit favourite attractions (while taking in shows, I especially like the evening shows and fireworks).

We loved the Dolphin our last stay last March. Great pool area and so close to so much: Epcot, Boardwalk, and even Beaches and Cream for an ice cream break at Yacht & Beach.

Not sure if you're doing a water park to get some sun and outdoors in; both are great and have their perks.

Check out "Canada" in Epcot and enjoy the trip! =)

[indytraveler]

:welcome: to Intercot

9 days is alot of magic to take in. I would reserve a day to visit all the parks, with Magic Kingdom, and Epcot being good for 2 days. That leaves 3 days to do what you want and re-visit other rides if have the Park Hopper Pass. My family is not big on the water parks so we haven't done them but they are a nice change of pace, or hang out at your hotel/Downtown Disney for a day. this helps if you spend the previous night at a park until 1 am.

Not sure if you have made any Advance Dining Reservations (ADR) yet but you would want to look into that. These are for the sit down restaurants in the parks. You're on the right path by asking questions here, but do look at the different tabs to find out what days each park has its Extra Magic Hours (EMH) so you can plan to use them in the morning or evening.

Once you figure out what days you're visiting each park you can ask back for help on which attractions etc you want to see.

Good Luck with your planning

[TinkerbellT421]

Welcome to Intercot! :number1:

I second what the others have said. Also, with 9 days, it is great to have relaxation days. Last time we went for 10 days we had several days of just lounging in our room and the pool, took time for ourselves, relaxed our aching feet. Enjoy!

[Janmac]

Disney World is huge - lots more to do than Disneyland, which you already know. One thing to be aware of is how draining the stimulation of all the crowds and park size and heat, etc., can be.

The touring plan we have used in the past included being at a park about 30 minutes before scheduled opening, touring either favorite attractions or specific park areas (like Adventureland and Frontierland only at Magic Kingdom) and then leaving the park for some afternoon down time. We would then do Epcot from about 4 pm to closing.

We would typically do at least two mornings each at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Disney Hollywood Studios, with at least 6 evenings at Epcot, doing a pavilion or two at Future World before moving on to a couple or three countries at World Showcase, depending on how many days we were at the World. We usually plan between 7 and 9 days.

We pretty much skip the early entry parks. Generally also do not do MK on a weekend.

We were fairly disciplined about leaving the parks at 11:30, so the kids could swim and decompress away from all the park hustle and bustle.

On our recent February visit we did not stop for lunch at 11:30, but just after noon instead. Cosmic Ray's had huge lines. We left and went to the counter service at the Contemporary where there was no wait at all.

Our youngest grandson still feels, at 23, that a visit to Disney World must include pool or arcade time as much as park time. He says that's why it's called Disney World. :D

Jan

[Nunavut family]

Thanks for the replies!

We got a park hopper with the added water park options to our tickets.

Our family loves wildlife and therefore are looking forward to DAK. Each park has different attractions that are must do's so I see a lot of back and forth between the parks.

Our little daughter is scheduled at BBBoutique for the total Princess package. We also made reservations for the whole family to be transformed into pirates. We made one reservation for a character meal (can't remember the restaurant?). We wanted to keep our schedule free of many reservations so we could explore without timed obligations.

We are so excited, we have been one hundred percent isolated in an extremely small community accessible only by air for the past year. This vacation is going to be epic!!

[LVT]

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.:thumbsup:

[cer]

We are so excited, we have been one hundred percent isolated in an extremely small community accessible only by air for the past year. This vacation is going to be epic!!

Wow. I am so excited for you. I cannot even imagine living so remotely. You are going to have a great time and yes, it will be "epic"! :mickey:


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.:thumbsup:

This. Just recently realizing the magic of the mid-day breaks! :thumbsup:

When are you going?

[Nunavut family]

We leave Nunavut on the 5th of April, go to Vancouver Island for a few days then drive to Seattle on the 11th to fly to Florida on the 12th.

Sunday the 13th of April will be our first day in the parks. Our little girl has an appointment at six in the evening for the Boutique. We wanted earlier but are now happy that it is in the evening. The Florida heat will be something to get accustomed to so it will be better if she wears a dress for the evening when it is cooler.

Our character breakfast is at the Cape May Cafe the following Saturday. We didn't realize that reservations book up so far in advance.

We are getting super excited and have taken to measuring our little girl daily as she is a sixteenth of an inch shy of 40 inches (maybe needs some magical shoes for the added lift).

[indytraveler]

I know I'll probably get blasted a little but 1/16" can be overcome a few different ways. Have your daughter wear her hair up with a high pony tail and hat. Put cushions in her shoes, this will help with the walking too. Or go low tech and have her hover stand straight up and hover her heels off the ground.

Sounds like your vacation is coming together nicely. The biggest difference with WDW is the size. Have fun

[Nunavut family]

I remember a trip to Disneyland when our daughter was about a half inch too short for Indiana Jones. We bought a nice pair of sandals that just put her a smidgen over the height. She Loved it!!

We booked a Fantasmic meal at Hollywood and Vine. I have read the reviews but decided to take a chance. Living where we live, a decent meal is half rotten tomatoes, wilted lettuce and brown bananas. A meal at our only diner is $36 a person and consist of Frozen fries and prefabricated frozen burgers on stale buns. Any meal at Disneyworld will far surpass our Arctic standards!!

[PlutoPlanet]

It will be nice to leave -40 Celsius weather to the Florida sun.

Aren't -40 degrees C and -40 degrees F the same? Anyway, it's certainly better in FL.

[PlutoPlanet]

You can walk from the Dolphin the the Cape May for the character breakfast. It is hard to get to another resort for breakfast, but the walk will work for you. DAK is great. Do the Safari first, but there is lots to do there. We like the Lion King show. We can do without the Nemo show. The Birds show is nice too.

From the Dolphin you can walk around the Boardwalk to Beaches and Cream to see if anyone is getting the "Kitchen Sink" ice cream dessert. The Boardwalk has some entertainment in the evening, it is fun for kids.

[PlutoPlanet]

And the best tip of all, get a Dole Whip in the Magic Kingdom at Adventureland. It is the most popular dessert at Disney. It's pineapple soft serve. Very refreshing.

[Nunavut family]

Yes! The Dole Whip is our absolute favourite treat! At Disneyland they have a stand right outside the Tiki Hut, we also like the Banyan skewers by Indiana Jones. Part of the adventure will be discovering new foods and treats not available at Disneyland!

Getting excited; not long now, three weeks today until arrival...

[AmandaChan]

So jealous! Here in the midwest I feel like the spring may never come. 9 days is quite a trip! and to be honest the only bit of advice I would offer is go back to the resort and take a nap/swim, get showered again and head out for a cooled down evening in the parks! My favorite part of our trips. Also you could take a day or two and avoid the parks and just go swim and relax, visit other resorts, go to DD, etc.

[PlutoPlanet]

Our youngest grandson still feels, at 23, that a visit to Disney World must include pool or arcade time as much as park time. He says that's why it's called Disney World. :D

Jan

Good point about the arcades. Our DD17 enjoyed some arcade time every year. I didn't get it at first, but I just go with it now. The Boardwalk Inn has an arcade. Not sure if Swan/Dolphin does.

[Nunavut family]

We will probably utilize one of our extras to visit Disney Quest in Downtown Disney to satisfy our children's love of video games...

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

:welcome: to Intercot from Toronto!

9 days is our "usual" trip ... we figure once we get down there we might as well make it worth it.

Everyone has given super tips, so there isn't much to add, but there are a few things we've found that help.

1. Again, make ADR's. I know you're close to your trip, but you'll do better now than trying to sort it out when you're there. If there is somewhere you don't book ahead, you can try while you're there, there are lots of people who can "squeak" in!

2. Plan some down time. If you're like us, you'll want to spend all of the time in the parks, but the resorts are super, the mini-golf is fun, and you'll need a bit of a break (at least we do). Just being in Florida is a vacation!

3. If you have a car, there is lots else to do in Florida - are you planning on leaving Disney at all?

Have a great trip!

[Nunavut family]

We aren't planning on leaving the resort. Truth is, I haven't driven a vehicle on pavement in over a year and Florida traffic would be overwhelming. If the road isn't ice, I don't drive (not true, will be driving to Seattle).

We just want a simple stress free vacation without having to drive around or have too many super plans...

[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! :D

[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! :hmghost:

[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! :secret:

Having lived in Fort Mac now and then, I feel your pain.. :winter: 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.:thumbsup:

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 !!

:minnie:

[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! :thumbsup:

[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 :mickey:

[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...