First timers

[NannyPlum1988]

Hi everyone,
I was directed here after posting on the general holiday thread.
After talking about it for years we have finally booked our honeymoon/family holiday for Christmas 2025!!!
We have booked to stay at Lake Buena Vista village resort, who have free shuttles so have decided not to hire a car.
I have hundreds of questions!
We are flying from Heathrow and had planned to use their official parking, however looking at the website I’m think our vehicle may be too big to park (Isuzu Dmax pick up).
We need all the help we can get so please hit us with all your hints, tips, hacks, must do, things to avoid etc.
Thank you ☺️

You'll save a tonne of money on airport parking by using JustPark and reserving a parking space outside of the airport. This space, for example, can fit a large car and would cost you £11 for a week over Christmas if you booked now (and do book asap as they tend to book up over holidays!) Parking on Montrose Road, Bedfont, TW14 - from £1.60 per hour. It's then a 5 minute drive (uber) or 30 min (flat) walk to the airport, or there are buses.

Bring lunches to the parks, you'll save both money and time standing in queues + you can eat in line for attractions. Bring layers that you can easily take on and off. Also on the topic of saving money, we got themed souvenirs before we went (and didn't let the kids see) from places like supermarkets for themed clothes. I bought mickey ears off of facebook marketplace before we went too. This meant that I could leave the souvenirs on the kids' beds in the mornings, and it was something new to them, so they didn't beg so much for things in the gift shops (this is still pretty inevitable though!).

I know some people swear by saving for the trip through Disney gift cards, I haven't tried it but it seems a good idea. You can allocate each family member a spending budget and load a gift card with that amount, although whether or not this works would depend on the age of your kids! Disney Gift Card | One Card. A World of Possibilities!

Dress your kids in bright colours, and we got badges in case they got lost. This might not be necessary if your dc are older and know your phone number but if they don't, teach them to find a cast member and point at their badge if they do happen to get lost. Lost Child Badge - Child ID - Missing Child - Etsy UK

Don't ignore Ubers to give you that bit more flexibility. We found that they were pretty good and reliable.

When you say Christmas ........ do you mean Christmas?

What's your travel party look like? Who are we catering for?

I would budget in for some Ubers to the parks too, I’m not sure about your particular hotel but I know the shuttle buses lots of resorts offer are quite restrictive. Lake Buena Vista resort is close to a few restaurants which are cheaper than eating in the parks, there are some take outs near by too which are ideal sometimes after a long day in the parks (I think it’s near a Pizza Hut and they do a great family meal deal for around $25).

There is also a publix and a Walmart close, definitely pop in there for snacks and drinks. A 500ml soft drink is $5 in the parks - we buy a bulk pack in Walmart and take them in a backpack each day.

Evenings can get cooler in December so pack a light jacket but still take lots of suncream!

Congratulations on booking especially over Xmas it is even more magical then.
As a previous poster said I would book Ubers but don’t leave the parks at the same time as everybody else as obviously the price skyrockets!
Find a Wawa’s petrol station garage to get your pack up stuff as prices are more than extortionate in the parks. Walmart’s are expensive as are Green’s. They do great breakfast stuff and sandwiches/baguettes to takeaway and decent price.
Lake Buena Vista is a great location for Disney and plenty of other restaurants- The Olive Garden, Hooter’s (not as seedy as people make out)-Cici’s buffet pizza (great value all you can eat).
Comfy shoes for parks obviously. Plan, plan, plan download apps so you can get an idea of ride queuing times.
Be prepared to get up early- I’m talking 6ish to get your breakfast and get sorted with Ubers and then get through all security at the parks. It really can make a difference to how long you will queue to get on a ride. Depending on how much you want to get crammed in I’d also plan for downtime days at a waterpark just to recharge.
International drive great for cheap souvenirs and plenty of crazy golf.
As somebody else said pack a few jumpers as it will be a bit cooler.
On a final note be prepared to be very depressed when you get home, it really is one of the best places on earth.

Yes Christmas, we fly out the week before Christmas and come home New Year’s Day!
Its myself, my husband and our 2 daughters age 15 and 10

Thank you, we have definitely budgeted for Ubers and also tipping!
Thank you that’s really helpful ☺️

That’s great thank you, really helpful.
We are beyond excited and also a little overwhelmed 🙈

That’s all really helpful, thank you ☺️

Fantastic. Are they "princess-ie" or "thrill-seekers" or both? The former will enjoy WDW more while the latter will enjoy USO (including the new EPIC theme park).

It will be busy. I use touringplans.com . Have a look and sign up for a subscription if it appeals.

You'll probably want to pay for Genie+ on a few days to get some "fast path" WDW rides avoiding the queues. Use the videos online to decide what to get. But it will start adding up!

Sadly, Big Thunder Mountain will probably still be offline for it's major maintenance.

Consider (more expense) the Mickey Special Christmas Party at MK. That'll need booking at the earliest opportunity (everything will!).

If you like some cheesy laughs then pay for a Hoop-de-Doo meal dinner show.

Watch the WDW News Tonight shows on YT to keep abreast of all the changes.

Enjoy. Take a moment to breathe and people watch, and try to stay off the phones as much as possible (not easy with G+).

We went for the first time last year. My biggest tip is to get a supermarket delivery to your hotel (everyone does it & bell services will take the delivery for you & put the chilled items in the fridge etc. so you don’t need to be there when it arrives). The food in the parks is overpriced & not great, so we had breakfast in the room, took packed lunches to the parks then ate at Disney Springs (lots of good restaurants) or in the hotels for dinner.

We found the shuttle buses/monorail/boats to be excellent for getting around Disney and we used Ubers to get to Universal so no hire car needed unless you want to go further afield.

Have a great time!

Join the It’s Orlando Time Facebook group - it has helped me plan every single trip and I’ve made some great friends from that group 🙂

Read forums, watch vloggers, and familiarise yourself with all the tips. Honestly I feel like I am studying for a Disney degree every time we go as stuff is constantly changing.

Download the My Disney Experience app.
Find out when the Xmas parties are on the park will close early to non-party guest on those days.

Set up the LYFT app as well as UBER, price up rides with both and take the cheapest (most drivers work for both). Note that taxis (and off-property hotel shuttles) have to pick up/drop off at the Ticket &Transportation Center for Magic Kingdom, so you will have to take the monorail or ferry to/from the park entrance. Disney transport is excellent and it’s fun to resort-hop, especially to see the theming and Xmas decorations.

Food can be pricy in the parks but there are iconic snacks to be had. Check out mobile ordering on the MDE app, which will save time queuing. Consider ordering the kids meals if you want something small. Iced water is free and available at most quick service places so no need to lug bottles around. Take a squeezy squash if you don’t enjoy plain water. Avoid the fountains.

Some good value places to eat at Disney Springs are Earl of Sandwich, Polite Pig and Blaze Pizza. It’s nice for a wander around in the evening and for shopping. Make sure you know where the ride-share pick up/drop offs are (there are two).

With regards to getting on rides, go early or stay late. Or both. Take breaks. And don’t try to see and do it all!

Just to add- take a couple of cool bags for your pack ups, water bottles etc along with ice blocks.

Sign up for Denny’s rewards- great value breakfast and they offer good discounts.

If you do decide to go to International Drive- plan a whole day- they have Wonder Works depending on age of your kids great for all sciencey/interactive factual stuff. My then 9 year old and 6 year old loved it. Don’t bother with Ripley’s - even a member of staff at the desk said Wonder Works is far better. Don’t bother with the I- trolleys either to get you up and down the strip- it can be a nice leisurely walk stopping off at various attractions that you might otherwise miss.
Also home to Icon park with plenty going on.
Pirates Cove golf very expensive but further down the strip is Gatorgolf (with real alligators).

No genie plus anymore -it’s individual lightning lanes plus multi pass lightning lanes. Very expensive over Xmas as it’s the busiest time.

i’d watch mammoth club on YouTube for park plans or how to use lightning lanes. Other advise is to go to magic kingdom on the day the parties happen and it closes at 6. Ad it’s quieter as everyone avoids. I assume you have a 14 day pass thing so not an issue leaving early one day and party hopping or quiet evening.

Check out which park will be quietest on Xmas day- we made the mistake of going to Magic Kingdom- it felt like the whole world had descended!