First time planning for WDW need all the help

Interested in knowing when is the off season for WDW and is staying in an onsite hotel much more expensive than one some where else in Orlando?

While I am sure you could find some cheaper options offsite or nearby, the fact is that because of the size of WDW and the fact that this is really your sole destination, I'd plan on staying on property - even if it's at a value resort to take advantage of on site transportation.

How many days do you really need to see everything across the four main parks?

To see EVERYTHING - weeks ;) To see most of the top attractions, 1-2 days per park is probably a good rule of thumb. The reality is that there are so many shows, performances, nooks and crannies to all the parks that even after all these years of going, there are things I've never done or places I've never eaten at. Some of that comes from finding favorites and doing them all over again...

Also what rides attractions are similar/same as their Disneyland counterparts, is the WDW version really better/different?

There are a bunch - and I don't want to weigh in on the better/different part. On some, it's a matter of taste (Haunted Mansion) and others there's not much controversy (Pirates).

Looking over pricing it seems like WDW could be a lot more expensive than DL if you go for about the same amount of time. Looking for any kind of feedback or suggestions.

Hmm, having just been at Disneyland - pricing seemed similar though the seasons may not match up crowd wise. Generally speaking, there almost isn't a slow time at WDW anymore. Others can probably speak better to this.

Also is having a car/rental car a must? how bad is the onsite bus lines?

Busses are fine. If you are impatient, you might want to rent a car. I do just about every time, and then go with the flow. If I'm not feeling rushed, I will take a bus. If I am at a deluxe like the poly or the contemporary, I am far more likely to use in house transportation. If I am at a value, I'm more likely to drive and park.

The park area looks MUCH bigger than Disneyland. Is dining about the same as any other theme park

Pretty much - lots of options in the parks or in the newly revised Disney Springs. For the big restaurants, you'll definitely want to make reservations in advance.

What are some of the things that you should really do first time at WDW?

Well, there are 3 parks that you don't have in California - so there is a lot to see and do that won't feel familiar. Even the Magic Kingdom has a different but still familiar feel to it.

Best advice I can give - bring a comfortable pair of shoes. WDW is far more spread out and taking breaks because of that becomes far more important. Build time into your schedule so you don't feel RUSHED to do things and your vacation will come off as a pleasant experience rather than a exercise if futile vacation planning ;)

Welcome to Intercot!

John obviously beat me, but my post will stand.

WDW area is much larger than the Disneyland Parks. Depending on what you want to do, you could take 7-10 days and not see it all. But if your only hitting the 4 theme parks, you'll get a lot of that done in 7 full days, but maybe not all. Having been so often now, we like to hit resorts and do other events and activities that are not in the actual 4 theme parks but are still part of "The World". This may include Disney Spring, a water park, visits to other resorts, meals, walks, biking, horseback riding, boating, fishing and hanging by the pools. We don't do everything, every trip.

Most people here would recommend staying on site as they like the full Disney immersion. It being your first trip I'd recommend it too.. just easier to navigate when you start there the first time out and although, it may cost more than the local Days Inn but it will be well worth it and there are many price points and discounts available depending on your travel time.

Staying onsite also has these perks:
*Magical Express which will take you to and from the airport to your resort included in the price of your room.
*Extra Magic Hours - offer Guests of Walt Disney World Resort hotels the opportunity to enjoy additional time in the Theme Parks, before or after standard operating schedule at no extra charge. For instance Hollywood Studios closes at 8:30 tonight, but resort guest can stay till 10:30.
*Early Access to FastPass+ Planning – Guests of WDW Resort hotels get first access to reserve a limited number of Disney FastPass+ attractions, shows and more per day—up to 60 days before they arrive!
*Complimentary WiFi
*transportation to and from all parks, water parks and Disney Springs. Could be buses, ferries or monorails depending on your resort choice.
Unless you choose to leave the WDW resort area often, you won't need a car. The busses are more than adequate. You can even take a Mears shuttle to Universal if you're wanting to venture over there.

Although it's typically busy all the time now, better times to travel can still be found. Check out the dates here.

Some same attractions are better than Disneyland's and visa versa.
The larger noteworthy repeated attractions include Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder, Space Mountain, Star Tours and Tower Of Terror. There are some repeat Fantasyland attractions as well. I personally only like Star Tours and Splash Mountain better at WDW. I don't like Tower of Terror at either park.. but that's my issue. :blush:

Like Disneyland, get up early and get going.. don't worry about what you might miss on trip one, because if your a Disney fan, you'll take another trip. Take your time and enjoy the in between attraction moments. There is plenty of entertainment and things (the little details) to see along the way to that next "ride".

:welcome: to Intercot!

I'm also a proponent for staying onsite. WDW does offer specials throughout the year such as reduced room rates or free dining. Our site sponsor Magical Journeys would be happy to help you with your planning and if a special comes up they will rebook for you (subject to availability of course).

:welcome: to Intercot!! Glad you're here.

1.) Off-season and hotels - Well, if you're asking about off-season in terms of crowds, that doesn't exist any longer. Even previously slow times (like right now) are growing increasingly crowded. I would definitely recommend staying on-site. It's so worth it and rarely much more expensive, if at all. Yes, you could find a hole in the wall hotel for cheaper but you won't beat the price of Disney's value resort at anything really reasonable in the area. I'm with the others on the suggestion - use Magical Journeys. They will make finding the right place for you as stress-free as possible. They are awesome. And don't cost you a thing to use.

2.) # of days - At least one full day in each park, but even then you won't see everything. Even by yourself. There's just so much to do and see you need a couple of weeks to do everything. But plan on at least 1 day in each park.

3.) Rides - I'll just admit up front any ride that WDW and DLR share, the DLR version is better. But the WDW versions like Haunted Mansion, It's A Small World, and POTC are still plenty of fun.

4.) Rental car - No, absolutely not. In fact, for your first time I would skip any notion of a car and just use Disney transportation. It's very efficient and will get you around with no worries. Another advantage to staying onsite.

5.) Dining - Food is an area where WDW is far superior to any other theme park in the world. DLR included. The options and quality are just amazing. Dining is probably currently my favorite thing about WDW because there's just so much good stuff. You'll want to look over the variety of counter service and table service options and try out whatever your budget will allow.

You don't want to go offseason your first time because there will be shorter hours and certain rides will be down for refurb. I would recommend going holiday time the beginning of December. If you call Disney directly a lot of times they have great deals especially if you have a Disney Visa card or are a new applicant.

Thanks for all the feed back. Was looking at the camp grounds, it seems to really only be worth it if you are with a large group. It shelling out the couple extra bucks for one of the moderate hotels over the value hotels worth it? And is WDW any tighter on what they let you enter the park with than DLR? I mean snack and water wise. The overall expierience looks way more immersive than DLR. Are there any shows that really stand out compared to the rest? I'm mostly a ride and shopping guy, but with so many shows I feel bad if I didn't see some of them.

We're planning our first camp ground experience this coming summer, and we've booked a cabin. The campground is AWESOME, and there is lots to do there, but for a first time trip, I think I'd stay on a "regular" resort, since you probably will be so busy with the parks that you won't have time to do everything around the resort anyways.

The "value-or-moderate" question is a tough one. We're moderate people. We like the slightly larger rooms, the queen beds, the pool slides and the sit-down restaurants. Honestly, I think the fact that the pools at the values don't have slides is a deciding factor for my family, we LOVE the pool and spend a fair bit of time swimming.

You can bring food into WDW. You can't bring in any glass containers, or any rolling bags/coolers/ There are lockers near the front of each park, so you can bring food, and store it, so you're not carrying it with you all day. WDW also offers free ice water (just ask for it at a counter service restaurant). We love this, getting cold water when we need it, without paying the crazy amounts for bottled water (or having to carry our water bottles with us all day).

In terms of shows in the parks, there are some that really are worth seeing. We especially love both Festival of the Lion King (a MUST-DO) and the Nemo show at Animal Kingdom. Outside of the parks, we love the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review (the dinner show at Fort Wilderness). It is a fun time, and the food is pretty good too.

Enjoy ... planning is (amost) as much fun as the actual trip!

Welcome to Intercot!! Since you're planning to go by yourself, I'm guessing your hotel room will primarily just be a place for you to sleep in between park touring? If so, I might suggest you look at a value resort. Pop Century comes to mind as a decent choice. If you want to splurge a bit, I'd suggest you look at a moderate such as Coronado Springs (Has many of the amenities of the deluxe resorts at a moderate price) or Port Orleans French Quarter where you have the added bonus of boat service to Downtown Springs.

In terms of size, there is NO comparison between Disneyland and Disney World. At Disneyland, you can walk to both parks and walk between parks and Downtown Disney at will. This, you cannot do an Disney World. You will need buses, monorails, and boats to traverse from one end of Disney World to the other. Rent a car if you wish. Personally, we almost always exclusively use Disney transportation. If you want to park-hop at Disney World, you'll need to allow for additional transportation time.

We were last in Disneyland in March of this year. Some of the "same" rides are quite different at Disneyland than they are in Disney World. Some I like better in one place; others in the other location. You'll have to judge for yourself.

If you've never been to Disney World before, 2 days per park would be the minimum to really cover a good amount of the attractions. Even with that, you'll find you won't have time to do everything Disney World has to offer.

There is a wide variety of dining in Disney World. There are a number of quick service venues if you want to eat on the run. There are also some nice table service venues. If you are a solo traveler, you might want to try Biergarten in the Germany section of Epcot where diners are seated with other parties. At Teppan Edo in the Japan section of Epcot, you are also seated with other diners. The Tune-In Lounge at Disney Studios allows you to eat at the bar which is a nice spot for a solo diner. The Cape Town Lounge and Wine Bar at Animal Kingdom Lodge allows you to order off the full Jiko menu. The Wave at the Contemporary bar allows you to order from the menu. You might also try dining at the bar at California Grill. Otherwise, if dining solo doesn't bother you, book any restaurant you want for a table for one!

Interested in knowing when is the off season for WDW and is staying in an onsite hotel much more expensive than one somewhere else in Orlando?

Staying at a hotel vs onsite. This all depends. There are a lot of options. There are very cheap hotels in the area close to WDW, but what type of hotel are you looking for? You will need a rental car unless the hotel provides transportation to the parks. The value hotels at WDW offer some very good pricing with no car needed, so that is something to take into account when planning. Since you are going by yourself, you might even want to look into AirBnB

How many days do you really need to see everything across the four main parks? With only one person, you can see a lot more quickly than in a group, but I would still plan on at least a week there.

Plan on going by myself, and wanting to be as cost efficient as possible. Also what rides attractions are similar/same as their Disneyland counterparts, is the WDW version really better/different? Looking over pricing it seems like WDW could be a lot more expensive than DL if you go for about the same amount of time. Looking for any kind of feedback or suggestions.
The last time I went to Disneyland was in 1980, so I think I will let someone else answer this question for you  - I will say that I love Disneyland’s it’s a small world over WDW’s.

Is dining about the same as any other theme park?
Pretty much the same if I remember correctly.
What are some of the things that you should really do first time at WDW?

Let me think on this one for a day and get back to you!!!

Is it possible to use a bicycle to get from area to area? I have a collapsible bike I could take with me, but is biking a viable option?

The Biergarten idea sounds awesome. I have been to Germany and the tradition of seating individuals with larger groups is really awesome actually.

I'm thinking four days is really the most I can do, looking at Monday through Thursday. One day a park is probably the most I can do. Also after looking at everything I think doing a camp site might actually be really fun.

If I do stay off site, is there a way to get discounted parking or are you stuck with paying the 20 dollars a day? (I think its 20) That really starts to rack up if you go multiple days, and makes staying on site way more enticing. Also if you stay on site and use the parking permit you are given, could you still use it on your check out day? I mean if you are staying Monday through Wenseday night, would the permit still work Thursday during the day or would it expire early in the morning on Thursday meaning you would still have to pay for parking for that day?

Thanks so much for all the help.

Biking within the campground is an option but it is really not an option for getting from resorts to parks. Parking is free to on-site guests but, if you stay off-site, you would need to pay the full cost of parking each day though you could move from park to park and not have to repay the fee in the same day. If you are checking out on Thursday morning, you could use parking and all the other resort amenities for the remainder of the day on your checkout day.

Thanks for answering the parking question, couldn't find the answer any where. If I do stay at the camp grounds, does the price go down if I wait closer to when I plan on going to book? There can't be that many people wanting to camp the first week of Febuary. Or will they match what ever they are currently charging any way? Or do they never change the price for the camp grounds?

There is no flexibility in the price of staying at the campground. You'd be surprised at how many folks want to camp at Fort Wilderness year round - there are often times when the campground is "sold out" months in advance. So, if you want to camp, you'd best book as soon as you decide this is where you want to stay or it might not be an option for you. (As of right now, it looks like campsites are still available for the first week in February). If you are a camper and have stayed at a number of campgrounds, it is highly likely you will find this one to be the best campground you've ever stayed at!!

Question about fast pass + I couldn't find the answer any where so I thought I would just ask it here. Some of the night time atractions like parades and fantasmic mean you can't use fast pass + the rest of that day at all, or does it just take up all three initial spots and you can still go to the kiosk to get more one at a time?