This post has been a long time coming. It has been almost a month since we left for our vacation. It was marvelous. We loved every minute of it. I wanted to post some advice I had based on our experience there. Take it for what you will.
-
get the Disney meal plan. No need for the deluxe plan, basic was fine. You get one snack, one quick service (fast food) meal, and one table meal per day, per guest. It was great. You can use them in any order you want. Be sure to ask the cashier what is involved with each meal. Table service meals all included a dessert. Quick service meals include a side and dessert.
-
make reservation for the Table Service meals ahead of time. I was surprised that we really had to go out of our way to plan our sit down meals.
-
don't bring a baby if you can help it. I had a five and seven year old and they got tired. I saw many, many toddlers and babies and felt so sorry for their parents. That really limits what you are able to ride/do and they won't remember it at all. Of course, this is your own decision. I would be comfortable taking kids 4 or over.
-
rent a stroller. This piggy backs on the last topic. We rented a single stroller for five days (there's a discount for multiple days) the girls took turns or shared the space. It was perfect. We would've been carrying Little Sis a lot.
-
Save shopping till the end. If you have specific gifts you want to buy, spend your time looking, but wait to make purchases close to the end of your time. The stores can be very overwhelming (especially to kids) We told the girls to look and we actually spent our last day shopping. Downtown Disney has most of what you will need, and you don't need a ticket to get in.
-
Stay on property, this goes along with the dining plan. If you don't stay on property you won't need that. I recommend staying in a Disney resort property. This includes transportation to all the parks, and downtown Disney. If you want to go to another resort (for a meal or something) go to a park and there transfer to another bus to get to that resort. Some resorts have ferry boats, or access to the monorail. Ask the bus driver he/she will usually know what the best route is for you.
-
Take pictures of course, but get a photo pass. Disney has this awesome program, you pick up a gift card like card. Around all the parks are photographers who take great quality pictures, when they do, hand them your photopass card and they will swipe it. After your vacation you go online to see you photos and purchase them. No pressure. They even created a picture where my girls are "holding" Tinkerbell. I love it.
-
Use a travel agent to plan your vacation. I started out trying to plan this myself. I am so glad that I eventually decided to call our travel agent who planned our Hawaii trip. She thought of so many things that I wouldn't have known. Also we prepaid so everything was all paid(even all meals). We only had to bring cash for tips and gifts.
-
Buy or bring an autograph book for all kids. I never thought of this, but all the characters will give autographs with pictures.
Lastly, her are a few of my favorites:
Garden Grille (at Epcot, rotating restaurant, character meal)
Askerhaus Banquet Hall (also Epcot, princess meal)
Captain's Grille (Yacht Club resort, good food)
Soarin' (Epcot, best ride ever)
Safari (Animal Kingdom, go early for best animal action)
It's tough to be a Bug (Animal Kingdom, best show)
Feel free to comment if you have questions. I'm no expert, this is just what I learned from our experience. Also, if you live in our area and you want my travel agent's number let me know.
