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Mother, Son, Giraffe, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Animal Kingdom, Savannah
  • On Jan 29, 2011
    Gretchen from NC Asked Note: This answer was provided prior to the change to planDisney and may still contain references to Disney Parks Moms Panel.

    Experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    We are leaving this Saturday and I am SO overwhelmed on what to do when we get there. Seems crazy to ask, but we don't want to miss a thing. Do we just truck our children through 12 hrs everyday at each theme park to catch it all? Is there any rest time

    Hi Gretchen,

    I am telling you in all honesty that it is impossible to "not miss a thing" during one trip to WDW. I have been to the parks many dozens of times and I still find new things to do on every trip. Disney World is as big as a city. You could make yourself crazy trying to go everywhere and do everything. Don't even try and you'll be much happier.

    In my experience, the families who have the worst time are those who put in 12 to 14 hours days of park touring with no breaks. You'll be exhausted and cranky. The families who have a great time are those who get up early and arrive at the parks before opening time. They spend four or five hours experiencing their top priority attractions. Then they take a mid-day break to have a leisurely table service lunch, or take a nap, or have a dip in the hotel pool. Then in the evening, they go back to the parks and do just a few more rides, and see the fireworks. Remember, you're on vacation.

    My advice to you is to go to your local bookstore right now and buy two books: Birnbaum's Official Guide to Walt Disney World and the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. Give the Birnbaum to your kids. Tell them to choose the top five things they want to do on the trip. You can make these five things happen and they'll be happy. Then, go to the back of the Unofficial Guide and look at their touring plans. The plans tell you the most time efficient way to see the parks. This will allow you to get the most done in the most efficient way possible. Also look at their website at touringplans.com.

    And most of all relax! You're going to have a great time.

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Meet the Panelist: Erin, New York

I have three teenage daughters. We're DVC members obsessed with Disney travel. We've been to Walt Disney World countless times and have visited Disneyland & Disneyland Paris. We've taken several Adventures by Disney and Disney Cruise trips. Learn More About Erin

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