Disney World - Westerville,OH

Yes wagons are allowed, bring a cooler. And yes gulf coast beaches are better! I might be kinda biased however😉 there's a particular one called Calisades Island, you have to take a ferry boat, but its beautiful and soooo clean! And every time we have gone we see a pod of dolphins

I like tha bartrums (sp) guide because it was more colorful and info was easier to digest, but we also got the unoffici guide because of the added info.

Obviously there are pros and cons but staying on site means free transpo to parks or free parking if u choose that, plus the extra magic hrs. But we only have a party of 4. And free is free.

I am also curios about the physical distance from park to park or park to hotel and howmuch extra time and hassel the crowds add. I keep hearing. How rests are great but it just seems like a lot of time and effort.

Since you are not staying on Disney property, you will need to pay parking each day (around $14-$16) but you can save your ticket and reenter later in the day. You park in the parking lots, then walk or ride the tram to the transportation center and then ride the monorail to the Magic Kingdom or Epcot. You can park at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios and Epcot directly and then walk or take the tram to the park. It is kind of a hassle to get back to your car and leave the park for lunch and return later in the afternoon. Why not plan to stay until 3 and go home for the day and enjoy the hotel for the rest of the day or just plan to revisit the park in the evening a night or two. You definitely want to make the trip back for the fireworks displays at Epcot and Magic Kingdom.
I have never seen a wagon pulled around the park. You can rent a double stroller there. Depending on the time of year it rains in the late afternoon-it does cool things down a little. You can bring food into the park and I have seen some coolers. Not sure if there is a size restriction. Also, there are lockers at the front of the parks, but I don't know the dimensions. You could probably call Disney and ask for guest services at one of the parks and they would be able to tell you. What about a back pack ice chest to store lunch?

We didn't stay on site. We ate breakfast before we left each day. We also packed a lunch of pb&j, fruit, chips, cookies and drinks. We didn't pack a cooler. I just carried them in a backpack. I read posts this week saying venders will give you a cup of ice for free. Did not know that at the time. We just drank warm drinks. But that would certainly help you out!

We stayed at the park until 5 or 6 and then went out to dinner.

With a 4 and 6 year old in tow, I would definitely bring a stroller. Actually, I'd bring a double stroller if you have one. We did a lot of walking. I haven't used my double stroller for a couple of years, but I wish I had brought it with me to the St. Louis Zoo a few weeks ago, as I ended up renting one when we got there. That was one of the smartest things I did that day.

If you really want to bring the cooler, you could just leave it in your car and then go back to the car for lunch and return to the park when everyone is done eating. We opted to bring the backpack so that we didn't have to take the time to do that.

Hi,

I literally just walked into my door a few minutes ago...from Disney !

It will be hot, hot, hot and humid in August. Bring sunglasses, hats, sunscreen and wear a wet facecloth/hand towel around your neck (I saw a few people sporting this look)! If it rains, your feet and flip-flops will get soaked. It's even a good idea to pack a second pr of shoes. My sneakers got SOAKED this past Monday and they did not dry overnight. I wore flip-flops the next day and I almost fell walking into the bathrm. I would not rec walking around in flip-flops anyway. I carried our lightweight rain capes in my bag. I brought semi-frozen water into the parks w/ me every day. A ton of people had backpacks on. Many folks were eating lunch that they had carried in. We ate at the quick serve resaturants for lunch. Our lunches were about 8.00 each. I brought in waters. You can call about the dining plan. My friend is there right now w/ her 5 kids and she did a quick serve dining plan. We purchased the dining plan w/ a snack, quick serve and 1 sit down dinner a night. If you call Disney's direct number, I am sure they could answer your questions about the cooler.

Ask the Marriott if they have the schedule for the park hours. Magic Kingdom was open until 3 AM last night (Holiday hrs). I would rec going to the parks the moment they open up and know what rides you want to go on. Or go after dinner when it gets cooler ! **I went on Soarin' yesterday at 9:15 am and there was a 20 minute wait. When I went back to that ride after lunch, there was a 90+ minute wait to get on. So, I had to get a fast pass. Test Track is the other popular ride there, too. Get on that one early, as well. Epcot does not have an abundance of rides.

Animal Kingdom is wonderful, too. Sometimes they close at 5pm though.

The west coast is gorgeous !

Send me a message if you have any questions about the rides in Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom or Epcot.

I am not a fan of Hollywood Studios.I am not a big movie watcher. I love one of the restaurants there !

If we stayed at the park for lunch, is there somewhere to store a cooler? I imagine that having to carry one around all day would be a hassle.

Yes you can bring a cooler and if it is not too big you can store it in a locker at the front of any of their parks.

Can you bring a wagon into the park (I was thinking it could hold the kids and cooler)? Or should we just rent a stroller there if the kids get tired?

Disney does not allow wagons, you need to be able to see your children in front of you. I would rent a double stroller for your younger children and if they are not sitting on it all the time you can put your cooler in it.

Which is the best Disney World guide book? Don't know.

I read that the Gulf coast beaches are better than the east coast. Is it worth the 2 hour drive to the gulf coast?

Clearwater beach is very nice and less then two hours away. Just take I-4 toward Tampa.

You are doing the right thing by staying at the hotel for free. If you are driving it doesn't matter that you aren't staying on property.If you were flying and staying on property then you wouldn't need to rent a car .
I would bring a stroller . We rent one for our twins and it is maybe $27 a day for the double . We need it so it is worth it . If you are driving you can bring one . That will give you a place to leave your cooler/bag when you go on the rides.Just bring your purse with valuables with you on the rides. No one will bother your bag that you leave in the stroller.
Yes, when the park opens is the best time to go . Figure out what the park hours are on the website and don't go to the park that has extra magic hours in the morning because it will give everyone a head start on the rides/fastpasses. You can go to the Magic Kingdom in the morning then go back to the hotel for swimming then back at night , Epcot too . Animal Kingdom you can do about half a day then back to the hotel and maybe to Downtown Disney at night . Hollywood Studios you can probably do by 5 pm then over to the Magic Kingdom for parade / fireworks later .Be sure to map out your day and what are the must see attractions/rides.You must get your fast passes for Toy Story mania at Hollywood Studios as soon as you get to the park . They are out of them before noon. It is an awesome ride . Everyone loves it ! Go to the website allears for great tips . Have a magical trip !

Best book... Get the "Unofficial Guide to Disney World"

I would think you could wheel a wagon through the park but I am not sure. We always just brought our own stroller. My daughter still liked her stroller at age 7😀. It is a lot of walking.

They have lockers.

We would get to the park first thing in the morning too. Loved it...no lines...leave at lunch time...eat lunch at one of the Disney resorts...hang out at the pool...nap...have a late dinner...go back to the park around 9:30-10:00. We stayed on site though so we were able to take advantage of "magic hours".

Being from Florida I can give this info. It is HOT and Humid in the summer. SOOOO hot and humid. So dress for the weather and have plenty of water. Yes, you can bring a wagon into the park. They do have lockers to store things (for a fee) but depending on your size of cooler, it may or may not fit. Gulf coast beaches are nicer in the fact that they are a little calmer and much clearer. Just depends on how far you want to drive.

I find that sometimes the guidebooks and/or experts are helpful, and sometimes they're not. It depends on your family.

Yes, every expert everywhere recommends arriving early and taking a midday break. There's very good reasons for that (crowds, heat, etc.). We've never done it that way. First, we're not morning people, and second, we're from the west coast, so getting up early on east coast time just isn't going to happen. We arrive late (say, lunch time) and stay late. The parks tend to empty out after dinner, and it lets us keep our internal clocks in a familiar rhythm. It works great for us, but some people would hate it. Knowing your family is more important than any advice.

The property is huge, so even hotels just outside the park boundaries take significant driving. If your kids get overstimulated or need down time, by all means, do it. Otherwise, it will just start to feel like a hassle. We have friends who planned on hitting multiple Disney parks in a day, plus hotel pool breaks, and they were so exhausted by all the between park travel that they've vowed never to come back, and their kids are far past the nap stage. We never plan on more than 2 parks in a day. Disney transportation is free and varied (buses, monorail, ferries), but it will take a minimum of half an hour to get from one place to another, because the property is so immense (roughly the same square miles as the city of San Francisco).

Have fun! We love Disney World. I'm jealous. :)

I've only been to Disney World twice (2005 & 2007), but I agree with the sentiment that it's not worth the effort to leave and come back or to try to go to more than one park the same day.

If people get tired, sit down, have something to drink or eat, watch a show, something along those lines. If you're really too tired to stay and decide to go back to the hotel, I'd be willing to be you decide it's not worth the effort to return until the next day.

We liked bringing something to eat in a backpack. Definitely saved money, and we could just stop and eat at a park bench, rather than stand in long lines to purchase food.

Also, the parks are not all the same size. We could spend three days at Magic Kingdom and not see everything, but Animal Kingdom could be done in a day. Some say it could be done in a morning. I don't have a very good feel about how long it would take to do the other two parks.

One thing to really keep in mind is to just have fun. It's great to get a few ideas of things you'd like to do, but try to go with the flow and just enjoy yourselves!

Honestly, I would try to tour in the parks starting at rope drop until about 2pm, maybe 3 at the very latest, and be done for the day. Just have a quick-service lunch in the parks to save touring time and money. Then go back to your hotel and swim and relax. I would take the mid-late afternoons to enjoy your hotel's mini waterpark and other amenities. If your whole family has the energy to make it back for dinner and evening, that is amazing. My family did not even make it back into the parks when we stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge, and my only 2 kids were 10 and 8 then. I don't know how people do the back and forth to the parks unless they are staying on one of the Disney monorail resorts.

Yes, I would rent the double stroller for the 4 and 6 year old. IMO, totally worth not having the hassle of lugging your own. I wouldn't bother with the cooler. Ice water is free everywhere. One family backpack with band-aids, flip flops (for hot or wet feet), a few non-melty snacks, and disposable cups to split sodas if you buy them, is about all we carry. And a backpack easily goes on all rides/attractions at the parks.