Walt Disney World Orlando : Things to do ??

[Jasjas]

We will be spending a week in Walt Disney World after our Caribbean Cruise in June of this year. We are a group of 12 people spanning 3 generations ranging in age from 10 years to 68 years.... I was chosen to to be the Entertainment Manager...!!!

 

As the oldest in the group, I have to do the research and come up with suggestions for a program of important things 'not to miss' during the day and dinner shows for the evenings...

 

The 10 year old will also celebrate her birthday during that week.

 

We will be staying at the Disney Boardwalk Inn.

 

PLEASE HELP ME !

 

On my list I have requests for :

 

Medieval Times Dinner Show

Hoop Dee Doo Dinner Show

Discovery Cove - Swim with the Dolphins.

Celebrate The Magic Fireworks @ Cinderella Castle

 

Hardly enough to keep us busy for 6 days...

 

The "Things to do in Disney World" website is a maze in which I got completely lost...

 

Sincere thanks.

 

Jasjas

Edited January 12, 2016 by Jasjas
Mistake

[goneclear]

Disney Boardwalk Inn is a great location. Check the boardwalk bakery for reasonable priced breakfast.

Get the Disney APP for park times. Staying at Disney resort gives you extra magic hours in the parks available only to guest at Disney resorts.

Do soaring ride in epcot.

Go to Disney Springs (Was Downtown Disney) in the evening. Many bars and restaurants there with some shopping.

So much to do your time will pass very fast.

Medieval Times Dinner Show is great fun. good choice.

[Capt_BJ]

if you are serious about Discovery Cove be aware it can fill way in advance so don't wait too long ... and be aware it is $$$

 

Blue Man Group at Universal is fun for all ages and very family friendly. Admission to Universal is not required (or included)

https://www.universalorlando.com/Theme-Park-Tickets/Blue-Man-Group-Tickets.aspx?__source=prtnr.ps.bmg.google.BrandOrlFLSearchAD&s_kwcid=AL!4228!3!70228760367!b!!g!!blue%20man%20orlando%20tickets&ef_id=UGi1GAAAC6CnKysM:20160112173358:s

 

 

Have you looked into any of the special tours at Disney

 

train lovers can visit the train shops b4 opening

 

divers can swim in the big tank in EPCOT (Dive Quest)

 

there is a dive with dolphins IN EPCOT too

 

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/

[MTElkwhistle]

Check out DISboards

 

What tickets will you have?

I could do 2 weeks in Orlando and hardly do the same thing twice.

You need to do your Fastpass + and book any dining (sit down meals) especially if you have the dining plan.

[hrhdhd]

My advice would be to be aware that June will be a busy time at WDW, so you should try to firm up reservations for those things you must do and then prepare to be flexible about the rest.

 

June is also very hot and humid, with afternoon thundershowers often. You may want to plan for afternoon breaks (head back to hotel, take a nap, swim in the pool, etc.) to avoid the heat and/or rain.

 

If you haven't been to Medieval Times, it's probably not a bad idea to check it out, but it wouldn't be on my list. Certainly don't go expecting gourmet food or wonderful service; it's all about the "show."

Edited January 12, 2016 by hrhdhd

[Host CJSKIDS]

allears.net is a fantastic website to learn all about Disney. You will be able to read all about the resorts, restaurants, menus, specials, touring and everything else there. There are also great guidebooks out and I would grab one of those. Mousesavers.com is a another site for some good info. And you can't beat the disboards for everything Disney.

 

As someone who has logged an embarrassing amount of time at Disney and the resorts ( so much so that I have had the once head of the resort dining for the Yacht & Beach Clubs to my house for Christmas!) I can tell you that there is more than enough to keep you very busy for the week that will delight all ages. Between the parks, the shows and everything else you will have a great time.

 

Renting surrey bikes along the Boardwalk is lots of fun. I love going to Jelly rolls at night right there on the Boardwalk, great thing for the adults.

[MommaBear55]

We just did a week at Disney with 10 of us from 13 months to 67 years old and had a blast. We are all Disney fans from way back. Start walking now, we walked anywhere from 6 to 9 miles daily.

 

My recommendation for Disney newbies is to get Birnbaum' s Disney guide. It has wonderful suggestions for daily touring plans. There is plenty at the Disney parks alone to keep you busy for a week. I strongly recommend dining reservations set up before you go. You can also go online and create a Disney Experience profile for each member of your group, which allows you to link your reservations. Also, if you get your tickets ahead of time you can get fast pass tickets, which let you go to the head of the line in your time slot, rather than waiting hours on line. Yes, preplanning really helps. The hours each park will be open and when they have parades and the night time shows will be posted online.

 

Just to complicate things, if the 10 year old is a Harry Potter fan, Universal Studios has a marvelous Harry Potter World.

[Travelling2Some]

We did WDW every other year while our kids were growing up. All of the above is good advice. I would also add to get a copy of The Unofficial Walt Disney World Guide. It is a great deal of work to plan a WDW trip for a group. Make sure that your folks understand this and are willing to stick with the program you put together for them.

[Jasjas]

Thank you... THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for all your input...I really do appreciate all the help I can get from folks who know the ropes...

 

I am hard at work planning...!

 

Sincerely.

 

Jasjas

[KuffMUp]

Granted, this was eons ago. It was DD birthday. At the Caribbean Beach Club Resort, we were able to reserve a boat that would take us to the edge of the Epcot Lagoon to watch the fireworks complete with a birthday cake and decorations. I don't recall how we did it but this could give you an idea to try to find. We didn't stay at that Resort but were still able to reserve it for a birthday package.

[goneclear]

Granted, this was eons ago. It was DD birthday. At the Caribbean Beach Club Resort, we were able to reserve a boat that would take us to the edge of the Epcot Lagoon to watch the fireworks complete with a birthday cake and decorations. I don't recall how we did it but this could give you an idea to try to find. We didn't stay at that Resort but were still able to reserve it for a birthday package.

 

Yes this is still available. You sign up for it at the dock of the Yacht Club resort which is just across the lake from Boardwalk. Short walk or you can take the freindship boats that transport you to Epcot and the Epcot resorts and Hollywood studios. You can also rent little 2 seater boats to drive around in the lake,

[Ralphinsc]

I've planned plenty of Disney trips and several cruises and those Disney trips can be MUCH more involved than the cruise planning. There are several websites, forums, and planning books out there. Immerse away. One week will barely scratch what you could possibly do in Orlando. Definitely get on those reservations if you haven't already. Hoop Dee Do can go quick at times. The fastpass booking pretty much means you have to pick out the parks you want to visit months in advance and build a pretty involved itinerary unless you want to wait in lines for hours and hours. Seriously look into every tip you can find to lower your waits, because they can be very long and it will be very hot.

 

Good luck! and have FUN! :D

[suebbbhoney]

Hands down the best site for planning your Disney trip is https://touringplans.com/ and the best book is the unofficial guide (your library probably has a copy). Although it costs to use some of the trip planning resources on touringplans, it saves so much time with personalized plans and the ability to optimize your plan while in the parks, it's great. I have been to Disney 20+ times and using this app made my last trip the best ever!

[JuliaMS]

I got a book called Walt Disney World with Kids. Had great information on rides for different ages, shows, places to eat and tips, tips, tips. Get a highlighter and read thru it. lots of tips. If you are going in the summer I recommend planning a sit down lunch someplace air conditioned and a lighter dinner. You will have plenty to do for a week.

[Artemis908]

I would recommend checking out some Disney centric forums, disboards.com is my favorite. The first thing you have to do is decide if you're going to be dining in WDW and book your restaurant reservations. They are open 180 days in advance and fill up VERY fast.

 

There is just SO much to do, I could spend over a week in Disney and not do everything I want to do. There's just so much to do, that's not even counting the water parks, Disney Springs, and exploring the other hotels. The Boardwalk has a great pool and there is more to do at that hotel than I think at any other hotel. It's also walkable to Epcot, making Epcot a great place to book dining reservations if you are willing to get park hoppers.

 

If you are looking for something quiet and low key, Disney Springs, Grand Floridian and Contemporary all offer boats for rent. If you want something really special you could rent a boat for the fireworks.