Going to WDW!

[scaeagles]

Last time I was at WDW was in 1977 and the opportunity presented itself yesterday to go for spring break - have a friend who is a pilot and gave us vouchers that expire at the end of the month, so they had to be used, so why not? Woo-hoo!

So, experienced WDW people - advice? Going to spend 6 days at the 4 main parks and I have little time to do much research. Staying about 2 miles off property.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Yes.

Do not eat at the counter restaurant to the right of the Yak and Yeti in Animal Kingdom > Asia. That is, unless you really want to spend the next two days violently ill. (I'm still in some discomfort half a week later.)

Also, refer to the gigantic thread of advice we came up with for Bornieo's trip earlier this year; there was a whole lot of good stuff that I bet would be helpful to you, too.

[scaeagles]

Excellent. I suppose I should find that thread. I'll keep the eating tip in the front of my mind.

[swanie]

How cool.

Don't underestimate Epcot. Our kids LOVE Epcot...and the worst advice anyone gave us was to only schedule only one day there because they'd be bored.

Make sure you ride Rockin Roller coaster and Expedition Everest (on EE try the front and the back - 2 very different experiences )

Are you going to try for any dining reservations? If so, we love Boma! at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We also love the Fish and Chips in England at Epcot.

If you're looking for a good guide book try the Passporter's Walt Disney World. It reviews everything...counter service, sit-down dining, rides, etc. We kept it in our backpack for our first trip so we could reference it on the go.

I'm sure I'll think of more, but I'm just starting my first cup of coffee.

swanie

[Alex]

If you haven't been to Florida in 30 years and the kids haven't been there at all, skip WDW, rent a car, and go see Florida instead.

That would be my serious recommendation. WDW is cool, but the keys, Everglades, panhandle, etc., are cooler. So do them first.

But if doing WDW my advice is this: 6 days is more than enough time to see everything in all of the parks, so don't get hyperfocused on having a commando plan. Just relax and play it by ear and mood.

[Alex]

It occurs to me that that comes off as a party pooper post. And I make enough of those that I don't need to do it unintentionally.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with going to WDW. I just know so many people that go annually and have never seen a part of Florida that doesn't have Mickey ears in the background (or isn't a road connecting the Mickey ears to the airport).


And as good at WDW is I think the natural wonders of Florida are better, so if given a surprise opportunity and you haven't really been I do encourage giving some thought to skipping or minimizing WDW this trip in favor of other things.

But I'm not saying that doing WDW is a bad thing.

[scaeagles]

We are planning on renting a car for a day and heading to the Space Center and coast. I hadn't considered the Everglades, but one thing you need to know about me is I live 4 hours from the grand canyon and my kids (one of whom is 14) have never seen it. Bad dad. The keys are a bit far away, I think....don't want to drive all the way there.

[Chernabog]

My advice is to take one of those days and do Islands of Adventure/Universal Studios Florida. They have a one-day park hopper available.

I've been twice to WDW -- at age 12 in 1989, and then again in 2006. While I liked the Disney parks, I was actually WAY more impressed with IoA/USF when I did that in 2006. In fact, when I go on the Disney cruise in May (from Florida to Los Angeles), I'm arriving one day early to Florida specifically to do IoA/USF, and skipping all of the Disney parks.

Spiderman (even the most jaded theme parker with us went HOLY SH*T after going on that ride), Men In Black (makes Buzz Lightyear look like something a 2nd grader did), The Mummy (the good version, not the Hollywood crap version), Dueling Dragons (yes, the themed line is jaw-dropping), Dudley Do-Right, and a lovely meal at Mythos (a beautifully themed sit down restaurant in IoA.... all of IoA is VERY VERY well themed) -- totally worth spending a day for.

[cirquelover]

There is a lot to do in Florida. There are theme parks galore and many other sights to see like the space center, Gulf, many unusual animals and everything Alex mentioned too!
I would have to suggest going to see the Cirque du Soleil show La Nouba in DTD. I enjoyed it very much and would love to go back and see it again. It has something for every age group in your party and the music is "younger" than their other shows.
I think the food choices are wonderful at WDW. Take a look at the menus and see what appeals to you. We also loved Boma, it was a fun experience, and the AKL is beautiful. Make sure to look out on the Savannahs if you go there.
We also used the Passporter guide for WDW and it is very informative on everything.

I'm also very jealous! Have a great time!

[BarTopDancer]

Get a map in the MK. It's the same. But different! (Our MK motto). EPCOT needs more than one day. It is a HUGE park (nothing really prepared me for how ginormous it is). Eat at the counter service place in Morrocco and avoid 'Ohana. Go into the Canadian pavilion store and ask them if they have any Ducks Stanley Cup merchandise

We skipped the carbon copied rides and made a point to ride the different rides. We didn't spend nearly enough time in AK (since the San Diego Wild Animal Park is right down the freeway) and I regret that. Expedition Everest is amazing, as is their ToT. Mission Space was amazing as well (they aren't kidding when they say look straight ahead and do not close your eyes!)

Spend some time resort hopping via the monorail (the monorail goes through the Contemporary hotel! It's SO COOL!). If you can explore some of the resorts, take the time to do so.

Finally, take a little time to study the WDW transportation map. Since you're staying off property and have a car I presume you are going to be driving to the parks, but it would be a good idea to know your other options (monorail from EPCOT to MK for example).