First time trip advice

[nancybotwin]

We are going to DW and Universal in April (5 days at Disney, staying at the Poly and then 2 days at Universal). It’s me, DH and three kids (13, 9 and 6). I’ve done lots of research and read lots of trip reports, but I would definitely love any recommendations or advice as we get closer to planning. Things about us:
-All three kids like rollercoasters and fast rides.
-I have us doing 2 days at DW, 1 each at Epcot, HS, Animal Kingdom but can change that.
-I am most worried about eating. We are pescatarian (no shellfish) and my kids are kind of picky…there are very few things that they will all eat. Italian works as does sushi.
-This trip started as a way to go to Harry Potter World at Universal; the 13 and 9 year olds are both very into HP.
-We live in Southern California so have done Disneyland and Universal Hollywood.

Any advice? Recommendations? Things we should know to make our trip special? This is probably our one trip to Disney…

[momin2013]

I’m sure someone will chime in with some Disney advice. I’ve only ever done one-day trips to DW before, mostly to Epcot, and I’ve never done any actual planning for them - I’ve just shown up and walked around going on rides. The last time I went was several years ago, though, so it may very well be that more planning is required.

I’ve done Universal several times as well and the only thing I’ve really done in terms of planning was to look at the park map/list of attractions and have an idea of the top ones we wanted to do. The last time we went was this past February and we did a one-day park hopper of Universal/IofA. I downloaded the app and it was super helpful, as it gave real-time wait times, which made it easier to plan out the rides as we went.

Your kids will love HP at Universal - honestly it’s my favourite part out of all of the parks hands-down. I can easily spend half a day just in Diagon Alley.

Food inside Universal IME is…not great. What I’d do is check out the options on the website/map to have an idea of which would work best for you. Food choices outside the park at Citywalk are exponentially better; what we typically do is just have a quick lunch/snacks in the park, then go for a nice dinner on Citywalk at the end of the day. We love Antojitos Mexican (been there a few times), and last time we also enjoyed the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium as well.

[ksun]

I'm assuming you mean 2 days at Magic Kingdom, not WDW, but if you're looking for more thrill rides, there aren't really any beyond Space Mountain at MK (Disneyland's Space is much better). Splash will be closed then. Epcot has the new Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind ride which is by far my favorite, but the only thrill ride at that park. Hollywood Studios has Tower of Terror, Rock'n Roller Coaster and Slinky Dog Dash (not really thrill, but cute) and then Rise of the Resistance and Smugglers Run in Galaxy's Edge (both of which are in Disneyland also) Animal Kingdom has Expedition Everest and Flight of Passage which are two of my favorite rides in the whole resort. If you do Genie+ you can definitely get all the rides in quickly at AK.

All the restaurants on property including Disney Springs have menus you can access thru the WDW website. There is plenty of fish to choose from. The parks cater to families traveling so there are tons of foods everywhere for picky eaters. If you like Disneyland churros, don't bother with the ones at WDW. They're awful. Also, Pirates and Small World are much better at Disneyland.

The Hogsmeade at Universal is the same as the one at Universal Hollywood. Diagon Alley is really neat though, with Gringotts and the dragon etc. Universal in Florida has a ton of roller coasters and thrill rides unlike the one in Hollywood.

[estrellita]

There are a few other "thrill" rides that aren't extreme, but go fast and/or are roller coasters, like the Dwarf Mine Ride (MK), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (MK - tame, but I still haven't tried it in all the years I've been there.. maybe this year), Tron is opening this "spring" (MK - I didn't see a specific date, and I'm sure the line will be insane once it's open), Mission Space (EPCOT - there is one that spins fast to get the zero G feeling and one that is just a simulator), Test Track (EPCOT), Dinosaur (AK - tame but fun), Kali River Rapids (AK). I'm not a roller coaster person (I hate big drops) so these are some of the ones I go on.

Your days look good, and that's exactly what we're doing in a couple weeks - 2 MK days, 1 EPCOT, 1 AK, 1 HS. There's a LOT to see at MK and it's usually the busiest park. My favorite is EPCOT personally because I love wandering the countries. I'd suggest MK and EPCOT on weekdays if possible, and the others on the weekend if your trip falls over a weekend.

Disney in general is wonderful about food. I only have limited experience with allergies/preferences on a Disney cruise with my daughter's food allergy (which she's now outgrown) but I've always heard good things. You can look at the menus for any of the restaurants on the WDW site to plan out where and what you want to eat. You can also order quick service from the app, but sometimes the line isn't too long and it's faster to just order in person. They have a ton of different food options that should hopefully work! We always eat breakfast at the hotel (they usually have waffles, omelets, as well as cereal, fruit, etc if none of the hot options work), then eat mostly snacky food all day (pretzels, hot dogs, dole whips, etc) and eat a quick service dinner. We rarely eat at a sit down place but we did make a reservation for the Mexican restaurant at EPCOT this time. You can also bring food in if you want to make sure they at least have some safe snacks.

You've done Disneyland, so you're used to lines and everything, so that's good. Definitely go to guest services for the first visit buttons and/or for anything else you might be celebrating. Not sure if you're drinkers, but EPCOT has so many good drinks in the countries. People like to "drink around the world" but I'd definitely tell people to share drinks if they want to attempt this, haha. I know France did wine flights last time we were there. H and I got different ones and tasted all of them! We also like to try different foods in the countries - we love the French baked goods, the sushi in Japan, lefse in Norway, pretzels in Germany, and so much more.

Lastly, we always make time on arrival day or maybe AK day (since they close earlier) to wander Disney Springs. They have some fun shops, good food, sometimes performers and stuff. And my favorite thing about WDW is you just hop on a bus to get everywhere, no driving necessary! Unless you want to of course. You do have to pay for transportation from the airport now, but then the busses go to all the parks, Disney Springs, the hotels, etc.

[susiebw]

My best advice to everyone I talk to since we went for our first (and hopefully only) time in October is to pay the extra money to make sure you get on Guardians of the Galaxy at Epcot. It's probably my favorite ride ever of all time anywhere. I loved it so much.

[mrsslocombe]

-Get 1st visit (or I'm Celebrating) buttons for everyone at a resort or hotel or Guest Services. They write your name on the button and cast members and face characters will wish you a happy birthday or happy anniversary or congratulations by name. BTW you can totally make up what you are celebrating-one time my friend got her button for her actual birthday, and the cast member insisted on us all having birthday buttons, so I had a happy 30th birthday in January when I turned 35 in September.

-If you are waiting on line near a cast member, chat with them (especially your kids). Sometimes if you mention loving something they have discretion to give you a perk or they give you a special tip. One time we mentioned that we love the Tea Cups and the cast member told us the fastest one AND they let us stay on for a second spin. Or they might give you a suggestion of a question to ask a character, where to find Hidden Mickeys, etc.

-Anyone can get Pixie Dusted at Castle Couture or Sir Mickey's for free, it's cute.

-You can bring food/snacks in the park (just no glass or alcohol) so we always Instacart a bunch of snacks and breakfast to our room. The tap water in Disney tastes disgusting, so we order 2 galloon jugs and refill our bottles from those as much as possible. Still not great for the environment but...better than individual plastic bottles.

-Mobile Order all the food you can, it saves so much time. You can also customize for allergies very easily in the app.

-If you need a mental break-the second floor of Columbia Harbor House at Magic Kingdom (they have a pretty good salmon dish) is very quiet.

-The MK fireworks are the best and Happily Ever After should be back on in April. I would reserve your spot at least 45 minutes before if you want good viewing. For the second MK night it's really fun to ride the People Mover and Big Thunder Mountain during the fireworks.

[Patsy Baloney]

Harmonious and Fantasmic.

They were the absolute high points of the trip I took with my H in December.

For Harmonious, we stood in Japan. At one point in the show, the entire showcase starts setting off fireworks. It was incredible. All I kept saying was WOW! WOW! WOOOOOW! A nice older guy turned to me afterwards and wiped tears from his eyes. He said, “I’d guess that was your first time seeing it? It’s really something.” A very moving show.

Fantasmic had *just* reopened in Hollywood Studios when we were there and it was worth the time we spent just chilling in the amphitheater holding down seats an hour before a super-full show. I cried. I was the old guy in this story 🤣 it’s just so fun and has soooo many characters in it that make my heart sing with nostalgia.

I know a lot of people love to rope drop - it ain’t us. We would usually get there earlier in the day (9 or 10am), but always utilized Genie and Lightning Lanes to get the flow of our day going.

Have so much fun!

ETA: I found Hollywood Studios to be the hardest of all the parks to do rides. There just aren’t a lot, they’re all really popular, and that means the lines get LONG. If your family is into Star Wars and Toy Story and also wants those classic rides like Tower of Terror without a 2 hour wait, you might consider splitting a Magic Kingdom day with Hollywood Studios. We did this a few times where we started in one and banked Genie+ rides in the other.

[livinitup]

We really like eating lunch in-park at Mythos Restaurant at Universal Islands of Adventure. Their menu will meet your pescatarian needs. It is sit-down and the air conditioning is wonderful - or you can pick outdoor seating. It’s in a good location in the park, too. We go to the park early and it’s nice to get off your feet at lunch without having to walk all the way outside of the park to Citywalk and then back.

We have always been able to get a table for 5 on the same day we were in the park (small wait times/call back). But if you can get a reservation, I’d do that.

[imimahoney]

At Universal, pay attention to which park has early hours for on-site guests. Also make sure you get the park hopper pass, that's the only way to ride the hogwarts express to and from Diagon Alley.

We ate inside HP both days for lunch. We at at the three broomsticks and the leaky cauldron. The three broomsticks was awful (totally counter service and a massive cluster) but the leaky was way better (table service and better organized). Both meals were meat heavy but they did have vegetarian options and I *think* fish and chips.

Universal will probably be insanely busy because of the new Mario world. Just prepare and know that going in. Some lines will be awful so if you have the ability to buy their express lane tickets I'd do it even though some HP rides don't follow it.