taking my family for the first time

[Zazu]

We are having breakfast with Mickey at the Contemporary early in the morning and then planning on heading over to Magic Kingdom on the monorail after breakfast. Can we park at the hotel and leave the car there while we go to MK?

That depends on how full the Contemporary is. If there's a big convention in house and lots of locals are expected, the parking lot there will do a hard close and you'll be asked to move your car after breakfast.

The good news is that there are special Character Breakfast buses that will get you to the Contemporary for your Chef Mickey event. Ask at your resort for the departure time, and don't let the lobby concierge tell you there isn't one. It's a lot less stressful way to get there.

As for taking the monorail from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom, I recommend against it. Not that the monorail isn't ubercool, but it takes over 30 minutes to get to the MK as it goes the long way around the lagoon. You can walk there in 10 minutes, the Contemporary is just across the street!

Also I understand there is room for 4 people in the front of the monorail. Will a stroller fit as well?

Sorry, no strollers in the front cab.

[mechurchlady]

Actually the webmaster is a gal :) She started the web site as a way to show off her pics as well as a way to exercise to lose and keep off weight.

I sit corrected but it was too
late to edit the original post, lol. I got stuck looking at her pictures. They are so informative and show how to get around.

Go to TTC and park there then take the Monorail to Contemporary then walk or take the monorail back around to MK. They do not like people parking at Downtown Disney or the resorts for free then going off to the parks. You can also instead of doing several loops on the monorail take the monorail back to TTC then take the ferry for a nice boat ride and view of the lake.

[Big Wallaby]

Hey, lookey here! I have one of those ultra-rare opportunities to correct Zazu! And not once, but twice! Woot! One moment while I relish this moment! It will be a long time before this opportunity arises again, as Zazu is correct in what he posts over 99.4629186% of the time. :D:

As for taking the monorail from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom, I recommend against it. Not that the monorail isn't ubercool, but it takes over 30 minutes to get to the MK as it goes the long way around the lagoon. You can walk there in 10 minutes, the Contemporary is just across the street!

As for taking the monorail from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom, I also recommend it, but not because it takes a half hour... That is far too long. In fact, when it takes that long I call it a problem. A loop on the Resort beam should take from 14-18 minutes. I've even had a nine minute lap on resorts. So Contemporary to MK should not take more than 15 minutes unless we are doing MAPO testing... but then we do that on the approach to Contemporary most of the time, so it won't effect your trip time too badly.

Still, walking is faster.

Sorry, no strollers in the front cab.

Actually, as long as you fold the stroller and can get it ahead of the operating console without breaking anything or disrupting the pilot's view, we can take it in the front cab. Most people will opt to leave it in the front car if it's big, but that's their decision.

And now, sadly, my once every couple years correcting Zazu is over. I step down and prepare for my feathery beating :p: . Can we not use the tar this time?

[goofyjoe]

4)any other tips to make our trip fantastic?

Buy a Dole Whip in the Magic Kingdom. You can find them at Aloha Isle Refreshments right after you cross the bridge into Adventureland from the Hub.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dole_Whip

I'd highly recommend the Pineapple flavor. I'm pretty sure you can't find this anywhere else except in rare instances. My mom swears by these.

[Whazzup]

Buy a Dole Whip in the Magic Kingdom. You can find them at Aloha Isle Refreshments right after you cross the bridge into Adventureland from the Hub.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dole_Whip

I'd highly recommend the Pineapple flavor. I'm pretty sure you can't find this anywhere else except in rare instances. My mom swears by these.

Even better are the Citrus Swirls, also sold at a refreshment stand in Adventureland. Or the Strawberry Swirls sold in Fantasyland.

[jerlove]

those dole whips look great.... We just added an extra night to our trip so that gives us some more time to try all of the suggestions I am getting.

[mechurchlady]

Sharing is caring and do try to share snacks like set down with some juice and one order of fries. People tend to carb out at the parks because they have to eat the tub of popcorn, a bag of candy or a whole ice cream sundae.

A mom tip is to always carry ziploc bags as you can toss dirty stuff in them and keep snacks in them. Buy the popcorn then stuff it in a bag for after a ride. Wet wipes are a must for a bag for the kids and clean undies also is a good to have in case of accidents or if they get wet on rides. Mom had in the trunk of our car a full change of clothes lol.

I loved the turkey legs and in the Japanese Pavilion are these snow cones that are not snowcones but a Japanese shaved ice treat. In epcot there are stations that kids get to do activities and get a passport stamped, I think AK had that also. Keep an eye out for Streetmosphere and acts that pop up around WDW. You never know unless you know where to get the infor where you might end up chatting with a princess or watching an ethnic dance group.

[delsdad]

I am so glad I came across this site. I am learning what not to do so I can avoid the title "SG" lol. Perhaps just making this post may qualify me.....

Anyways I am taking the family on our first ever Disney Vacation at the end of Jan, I have 2 children one is 7 the other is 2 and we are staying at the ASsports resort. I think I am even more excited than the kids. So far my

I overlooked this in my first post to you Jerlove, But I should mention the importance of the afternoon break. It seems that the best times to have kids in the parks are the morning and early evening. Our strategy, and that of some vetran visitors, is to be at the park first thing in the morning, leave after lunch, (or even for lunch), and return at 4pm till 7 or so. this gave my daughter the (and us) the afternoon nap and quiet time that she (and we) so desperately needed. When returning to the park, we would pass legions of families leaving with kids of all ages in full meltdown mode . It seems 9-4 is more than most kids can handle, and since the 12-4 period is when the parks seem to be at their busiest, it is a waste of effort trying to stretch the day into that afternoon.

A nap and a swim in the quiet hotel gives them some down time before retuning to the parks for the (less crowded) early evening. And seeing the parks after dark is something spectacular ! The magic kingdom in particular is gorgeous and more magical at night.

Even tho a seven year old does not need a nap, his parents will need a break, and this is the perfect time for him to enjoy the resort with one of you, while the other one naps with the toddler. You will be fighting over who gets to nap with the little one !

We used park hoppers, so often our evening park was not our morning park, making it almost feel like another day added on the trip, just by doing 2 parks in a day, with a snooze in between.

delsdad

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

I'll second that "break". DW and I started taking them on our trips, about five or six years ago, going to the park in the morning, after breakfast, then leaving about one or two. going to the hotel, getting a Pina Colava at the pool, and just relaxing. We would then get ready for our dinner (if we had reservations, then go back to whatever park we were dining at. see a few more attractions, have dinner, and then finish our day at the park.

A few nights we would just eat at the hotel, and not go back to a park. (heywe are on VACATION!!! hehehehe)

[Zazu]

Hey, lookey here! I have one of those ultra-rare opportunities to correct Zazu! And not once, but twice! Woot! One moment while I relish this moment! It will be a long time before this opportunity arises again, as Zazu is correct in what he posts over 99.4629186% of the time. :D:

This is a fun opportunity for me as well. It's not often I get to learn something new.

As for taking the monorail from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom, I also recommend it, but not because it takes a half hour... That is far too long. In fact, when it takes that long I call it a problem. A loop on the Resort beam should take from 14-18 minutes. I've even had a nine minute lap on resorts. So Contemporary to MK should not take more than 15 minutes unless we are doing MAPO testing... but then we do that on the approach to Contemporary most of the time, so it won't effect your trip time too badly.

The 30 minute quote is what we use at the Big Toaster because it includes the worst-case wait time. This certainly understates the normal speed of the operation, but we're concerned that guests with a dining reservation not miss it, thus the worst-case time is used.

If you honestly think the worst-case time is really shorter than that, let me know and I'll see if I can get our spiel adjusted.

Still, walking is faster.

That's why we recommend it!

Actually, as long as you fold the stroller and can get it ahead of the operating console without breaking anything or disrupting the pilot's view, we can take it in the front cab.

Interesting change. When trained as a park greeter, we were told they weren't allowed. Glad to see some rationality has crept into the system.

And now, sadly, my once every couple years correcting Zazu is over. I step down and prepare for my feathery beating :p: . Can we not use the tar this time?

No beating is called for. As I recently posted, I *don't* claim to know WDW inside and out, just most of it. And things do change, often several times in one day. Do please continue to let me know whenever my pontifications are in error.