I just booked my first Disney trip!! Now what?

[Camryns_mom]

ahhhh! So excited that I just booked my first Disney trip to port Orleans riverside in February 2017. Taking my princess loving 4 year old and husband and we are going with another family. I'm overwhelmed - I need to book all these tea parties and princess things and don't know where to start and what might sell out and such! HELP!

 

[hicksnichols]

How wonderful! There's nothing like a first trip. I love that resort. Did you book a princess room?

First things first is to determine how you want to spend your time. If you plan to spend most of the time in the park, you'll want to meet princesses there or do a princess meal in the parks. My favorite is Akershus breakfast in Epcot. The princesses will come to the table and meet your little one for autographs and pictures. Cinderella's Royal Table is similar and it is in the castle in Magic Kingdom but it costs more.

You may want to book the Bippidy Bopiddy Boutique as well, so she can get dressed up like a princess. I have never taken my kids to this. To me it seems as if most little ones are just as happy getting dolled up in their princess outfits with hair fixed nice by mom, and parading the parks that they don't miss it. But some will disagree with me.

Book everything as early as possible. Usually 180days before your check in date.

Keep reading the dis boards. You will learn a lot from here. I hope this helps some.

 

[Magical2017]

I agree with the previous poster. I have always enjoyed sites such as WDW Prep and Easy WDW, and also Touring Plans. The Unofficial Guide to WDW can be checked out at many local libraries and is very helpful. I am not sure if the 2017 guide book is out yet.

As far as booking ADRs, I often look at crowd calendars and try to determine which parks I want to visit on which dates. Then I book ADRs based on that.

 

[MunchkinSweetPea]

ahhhh! So excited that I just booked my first Disney trip to port Orleans riverside in February 2017. Taking my princess loving 4 year old and husband and we are going with another family. I'm overwhelmed - I need to book all these tea parties and princess things and don't know where to start and what might sell out and such! HELP!

I agree with another poster about the Akershus princess meal. 1900 Park Fare was another favorite of ours with Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Drizella, and Anastasia. It was a much cheaper alternative to Cinderella's Royal Table, which for us was over rated and over priced so we won't be returning. The bibbity boppity boutique was a nice treat for our daughters first trip but for each thereafter we just brought the things they gave her in a cutesy little backpack, and did it ourselves. Meet and greets with an autograph book were a big hit as well.

 

[Sagginit]

I went to my local library and took out a few books when I went back to the world after many years of not going. It was a huge help to get me started on where to start. Different books have different points of view so I took out a few and skimmed over applicable sections. You also may want to just start reading up on Disboard threads that appeal to you. Sticky threads and master threads will cover important topics that come up frequently. Some of the books I read had great advice on touring and planning. I found one book with fantastic pictures and details of each ride (down to approximate time). That was a huge help with developing a touring plan and knowing how much I could cover at a time. I think if you are on here you are a researcher and planner to a certain extent so you might want to plan out what you will research and in what order so you don't get overwhelmed.

If you are going to get a DP then meals and park days is a good place to start. You can at least lock in some major meals and then shuffle things around as you develop your plans. I am working on planning out a trip right now with less than 60 days out when we booked. I started with park hours and then picked 2 parks a day (we hop). I then booked out a few meals. If I couldn't find anything I liked I looked at if I would move the park around for that time slot. I then started with FP+. There is A LOT to do there especially if you are unsure what you and your child will like. Keep in mind you wont' do all rides or see all princesses or see every show on most trips. Fit in what you can and give yourself some buffer time so you don't wear yourselves out.

 

[laurainsem]

I ditto what everyone else said. If you still can (not sure if that is possible once you book the trip but it's worth looking into) make sure to book through a Disney travel agency like Small World Vacations. You may already be using a TA but if not they are incredible. It doesn't cost you anything and they will make sure to help you not miss anything, like when to make dining reservations or to get your fastpasses. Small World will also give you a year subscription to Trip Planner!

Also, try and do one of the dinner shows, like the luau or Hoop Dee Doo Revue. Your daughter would probably love the Revue or even doing the Backyard BBQ with the characters. We always book one of these the last night of our trip as its a great way to say "goodbye" to WDW. Have a great time and DEFINITELY make sure to use Trip Planner, it is a lifesaver. I'm so excited for your family, you will not regret all the hard work and money you put into this, I promise!

 

[jtopp]

This site is the best, and only info you will need. You can research everything from crowd levels(not bad in February) to ride info. I always peruse the menus of all the restaurants, so as I know what food my family will eat and how much all of this magic is going to cost. Planning it all, especially with help from your little princess, includes her in the fun and helps her pass the time until you go. Have fun & enjoy!

 

[Ramsin]

great!

 

[DisneyMagic79]

Absolutely love Disney World so i'm very happy for you. Going there this November with the kids. Can't Wait!.