After a reader named Misty left a comment on the Facebook Page about being so excited for her family’s first trip to Disney World that they might actually pee their pants, I wanted to chat with her to see what her plans were.
After she got back, I chatted with her again to see how it all went.
You can hear all about that and I have a quick tip of the day about when I suggest booking flights for your trip in relation to when discounts are announced.
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These are notes from this episode. There’s much more info included in the audio so be sure to listen to the episode for a better explanation.
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Misty’s trip
In this episode, a reader named Misty talks about why they decided to go to Disney World when they did, why they chose to stay at The Contemporary, some of the meals and special events they planned and why she was surprising her kids at 4:30 a.m. the day of the trip.
You’ll also hear what Misty thought after her trip including frustrations with My Disney Experience functionality, the things that ended up being their favorite, things she wished she had done and a lot more.
Quick tip of the day
When booking your trip, I recommend waiting to book flights (if possible) until after discounts for your trip dates have been announced. Sometimes when discounts are released, they don’t cover your exact trip dates but would work if you could modify your trip dates slightly.
If you already have flights booked, this isn’t always possible since flights are usually nonrefundable and unchangeable. If it makes sense for your trip, try to wait to book flights to allow for maximum flexibility (don’t wait too long though – I recommend booking flights around 2 months or more before your trip).
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Did you learn anything from Misty’s experience? Or did you learn some things after your first trip? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Leanne Smith
Tuesday 14th of July 2015
i LOVED listening to this episode!! Misty had her stuff together for a first timer!! My favorite part?? Her 12 days of Disney 'celebration' and gifts!!! This is such a FUN idea!! She had gifts i wouldn't even think of!! I am so excited to do this with my kids--thank you so much for sharing!! As always--love the podcast!! Will definitely listen again as i didnt have pen and paper handy! haha
I love to listen when i'm making dinner!! :) (Keeps the kids quiet as they tend to listen in too)
Chantel
Saturday 14th of June 2014
I took my 5 yr old son to WDW for the first time on almost the same dates (5/14-5/18) for the same length trip. I think we crammed more into our trip than they did and yes we were tired by the time we got home but it was awesome! We stayed at All Star Sports which doesn't generally come highly recommended but we loved it! We were in the Surf Board section which is near the pool, food court and transportation but we walked to the quiet pool and to a friend's room to borrow their stroller and found everything to be a quick walk (under 10 mins), the pools and food court were never crowded and the buses were generally great too. Magic Kingdom had a dedicated bus, and for the other Parks Sports is the first all star to be picked up and the first to be dropped off so you are never passed by a full bus and are the first to get "home" when you are tired! Also I am so glad they mentioned they loved Hollywood Studios! My son did too and I think Magic Kingdom may have been his least favorite (even though we did go everyday of our trip even if it was a Park hop for dinner and fireworks). The characters at Hollywood Studios were fantastic, can't be found in the other parks for the most part and had manageable waits. We did the Play and Dine breakfast with an 8:05 ADR and were finished in time to get out as they opened the main gates and TSM was a walk on, when we got off it was a 45 min wait with the queue already outside. We actually liked the food at hollywood and vine for breakfast but Mickey waffles made it easy to like. Animal Kingdom was my son's favorite and it was the only Park we spent a full day at with no break, every other park he wanted to head out for a swim by 1 pm. We went to Epcot as an afternoon park hop and he loved everything we did there (of course test track was his fave but he also liked Soarn', Nemo and Journey into the Imagination). Shannon's Advice was invaluable and we got to ride rides like Splash mtn and Big Thunder multiple times thanks to her recommendations!
Sarah
Thursday 6th of March 2014
What was the line tracker app misty mentioned that she used.
Deb
Monday 3rd of March 2014
when i was listening to her dining plans BEFORE she went, i was exhausted just thinking about doing all that with kids. i am going with my husband (no kids) and that itinerary was too much for us! i wasn't surprised to hear that it was a bit much for her and her kids. we all learn. what i am on the fence about is the dining program. i have to work out the specs if it's financially worth it for our stay. we are going in January 2015, and hopefully we will get free dining (staying at a DVC). great episode!!!!
Jeanne
Thursday 20th of February 2014
I've finally completed my first trip, and I guess it's one of those "YMMV (your mileage may vary" sort of thing - lol.
We had the deluxe dining plan - so we did A LOT of sit-down meals (2 credit and character meals). A breakfast and a dinner most days. When I first made the ADRs, I did them pre-park opening, but Disney added some EMH and generally switched hours around - so I didn't get to enjoy much of the pre-opening bonus of the breakfasts. That said:
We really enjoyed having a nice, good breakfast in the morning. We also really enjoyed relaxing at a quiet dinner at night after a long day in the parks. The meals were our "breaks". We tried to get our almost-5 year old to nap, but after the hassle to get back to the hotel (we had a rental) we decided to throw in the towel (and the nap idea) and just take breaks in the parks. We brought a stroller for our daughter, which was a god-send, because she was happy and relaxed and able to go all day long - and we had a handy place to put all our stuff.
I do wish the signage in Disney were more clear. Our GPS sent us to the wrong area of Disney World for All Star Movies, and then when we'd come back from MK we had to experiment with different exits to find which one led to All Star Movies. We got lost several times - so word to the wise, if you're driving really research those driving directions in "Disney language" before you go.
Oh - and visiting on Valentine's day had a few little perks! We got to meet 4 princes (Snow Prince, Prince Phillip, Charming & Flynn Ryder) and also had a special Valentine's dinner option at BOG with a fresh rose on our table. :)