1) The Research
Those 2 words alone might scare some people off. I can hear you now "Research? I'm not researching my vacation. I Just want to go and have fun and do whatever we want whenever we want." My thoughts on that.....Good Luck! If you don't research a Disney vacation I guarantee you will NOT have a happy family at the end of the trip and lots of complaints. Now to clarify "research". You do not have to spend hours upon hours researching.
Your best research is from other people who have already been. I talked to LOTS of friends and I will say that when you start telling people your going to Disneyworld, it's like being pregnant. Advice starts coming at you like crazy. Can be a little overwhelming but just take it in and use it if you would like or don't. It's your vacation!!
There are endless bogs and websites to use. Find the one that suits you and use that one. I've listed below a few links that really helped me plan our trip. I tried to focus on families that had the same age as my kids. What rides are the best for them, what's the best resort to stay in with families, do you rent a car, what to do with my kids on the plane (this was also our kids first plane ride), what dining plan to use, etc.
Here are a few links that really helped us:
The Poe Family Blog - Family that went for their first time and had lots to say about it.
WDW Hints - Great source of extras.
Magical Mouse Planner - Helped me understand dining credits.
Things you never thought to pack for Disney World - Title says it all and it helped!
Apps for Disney World
After research we were ready to book. We booked with a travel agent we were referred to. Debbie at The Magic for Less was amazing. She was more than pleasant to talk to on the phone and answered all of my zillion questions. And after talking to her I realized she helped me with things I didn't even think about and had to do a little more research. I HIGHLY recommend a travel agent for your first trip for sure! They will walk you through the process and make your trip as perfect as possible. Once our trip was booked I took a deep breath - Whew what a relief it's booked, it's really going to happen!! Guess I should tell you when we went. We left the Saturday after Thanksgiving and came back the following Saturday. Best plan, because I had the entire Friday after thanksgiving to pack and kept from Black Friday shopping!
Since we had an early flight to Orlando I had something special delivered the morning before we left. (David ran really fast around to the front, dropped the package, rang the doorbell, and ran back around the back-it was pretty comical in the moment). The special package was this....
Some new games to keep them occupied on the plan, snuggie blankets for the plane, a little snack and cute Christmas ornaments since we were going at Christmas time. And of course a special message from Mickey and Minnie themselves. I was going to take pictures of the kids faces but I didn't want to get wrapped up in taking pictures just wanted to experience this magical moment with them. So glad I did, they could not believe that Minnie and Mickey brought them this special gift.
So here's my bullet point for your first trip:
*Do your research
*Use a travel agent
*Research resorts - if you have small children you want to stay close to the food court. Let them know that.
* Book a stroller through Magicstrollers.com Our stroller was delivered to the hotel before we got there and was picked up on the day we left. Do NOT rent a stroller in the park! There is quite a walk from where the busses drop you off to the gates. You have to hassle with getting it on the bus but I promise you its worth it! Especially when you stay till closing and your kids fall asleep!
*Buy a dining plan. The character dinners are worth it and save you tons of waiting time with characters.
*If your staying at the resort do NOT rent a car. You don't need it. They have free transportation to and from all the parks, downtown Disney and the airport.
*Bring an extra empty suitcase for all the souvenirs that you will JUST have to have when your there. I promise!
*Go with as many family members as you can. Priceless memories will be made and will last a lifetime!
