First time with Kids to Disneyworld! Help!?

last year as a family of 4 we spent £2000 or $3000 depending on where you're from in a fortnight. eating out twice a day,sometimes 3 times we did universal (14 day pass ) the magic kingdom( 1 day), visiting beaches, the cinema and the kennedy space centre (2 days).

universal studios is much better value for money than disney and although you get free dinning if you stay at disney it won't work out any cheaper and you're restricted to where and what you can eat so i wouldn't recommend it as others have. take your own cereal if you're from the UK we didn't like the american cereals to keep costs down. booze is expensive when eating out so stick to soft drinks, most places offer free refills on coke, pepsi etc. try http://www.park-tickets.com/ for tickets. have fun !

Your in for a huge treat. Disney World is a fabulous Vacation spot. I know it may look expensive right off the bat but there are some things you can do to save time, money and frustrations.

First spend the money and stay at a disney resort. They have a wide variety of price ranges. I prefer the moderate resorts. However, value resorts are really nice. The rooms are equal in size to a every other budget motel. The advantages are gretter then anywhere else. By staying you can get a meal plan. The restuarants are very expensive on thier own but by purchasing a meal plan you can try the sit down restaurants without worrying about the huge cost. It basically lets you pay for one meal a day and then you end up getting another meal and a snack for free.

You wont have to worry about renting a car. Disney resorts will pick you and take you back to the airport with magical express. You also have acess to the free bus to take you to and from all parks. They are fast and effiecent.

Its hard to describe but staying at Disney Resort is truly a unique experience. The themes of the hotels transport you to a different world. People tend to call it the Disney Bubble. Your always surrounded by Disney Magic in the bubble.

Disney resort guest can take advantage extra magic hours. This where the park is open early or stays open late just for resort guest its a great time to hit those really popular rides and avoid the heat and crowds.

Lastly, if your coming in summer its usually a good idea to leave the park in the middle of the day when its so hot and most crowded. Just head back to the hotel and go swimming then head back to the parks in the evening after dinner. This is so easy to do if your staying on Disney Property. Its much more difficult if your staying at a hotel outside the park

You have not really given enough information to answer this question. We don't know if you live 5 mile from there and are planning a day trip to one park, or if you are traveling from Australia and plan to be there a month. I will try to give you some hints that will help you find this information.

The parks:

All 4 parks are great. However, you need to find your kids' heights and evaluate how adventurous they are. My son was tall and loved splash mountain at something like 6 years old. Other kids are small and cannot ride all the rides at 12. The first link below should take you to Disney's ride height requirements.

After you work that out, here is the list of parks in order of importance to you. (only my opinion, others will vary slightly)

1. Magic Kingdom.

2. Hollywood Studios.

3. Animal Kingdom

4. Epcot.

Numbers 3 and 4 can be swapped. Depends on my mood.

The second link below lists menus and prices for restaurants. Figure out your eating habbits and then you can get an idea how much money you need for food. Bear in mind that there are meal plans, and perhaps free meal plans if you stay at a Disney owned hotel during certain periods. See their website for details.

The a selection within the third link below is the ticket calculator to see how much tickets will cost.

You can spend as much on souvineers as you prefer. However, eveything costs about twice as much as you might think. We usually go with one item (i like hats, tshirts, and sweatshirts). So that budget is totally up to you.

We have found that being on the dining plan helps us to manage our costs, we pay for it in advance and other than spending money, we really don't spend a whole lot more while we are there. Definitely look into it and go to Disney's website to make some dining reservations, you can make them up to six months in advance and you need reservations to eat at any of the sit down restaurants most months of the year.

As far as how much it will cost, it depends on how much is still an unknown. Do you already have a resort reservation? Do you know how long you will be there? It's hard to price tickets without knowing how long you will be there.

They are having dining free or kids free for a family of four

Get dining plans

Eat at buffet

Most have characters, best meal from disney

Make reservation

Go to Disney world web site and dining

Check out characters the restaurants

Buffet are 80% or more with families, so if the kids are having a bad day, most people understand that

If you are not doing dining free, you could pay for these before you leave.

Use fast past, get for all four

If staying at Disney, use the extra hours for the parks

With children under ten, get up and go to park early, use the extra hour to get on rides

Leave the park at lunch time, go back to the hotel for down time and pool time

Then go back when everyone else is leaving, in late afternoon

Bring one backpack that both could take turns wearing, maybe the 10 year old

Get the children water bottles that they could wear around their necks, so they are responsible for them

You will need sunscreen, dry T shirt if you have a child or parent that can not wear a wet one

AT night as sweatshirt or jacket

The first time I went to disney I spend 600 dollars on food, did not eat buffet, ate at quick services restaurants, thinking that was cheap. I was wrong

If you have a credit card, they will put the credit card on the adult room key, so you can charge things without bring a lot of cash. I used this. I also paid for Cinderella Castle meal, 1900 Cinderella buffet diner, two diner shows before I went. I also did free dining

With two children under 10 you want to go to the Magic Kingdom. That is where the real Disney magic is.

Take all the money you have, it will be expensive. If you do your homework you can get decent deals on lodging and meal plans but assume you'll spend a minimum of $250 a day while you are there. (budget priced lodging, food, tickets. souvenirs)

Oh boy! That is not a simple, quick, easy answer. There are wayyyyyyyyy too many variables. I would suggest with some research. I'd start with The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. In the meantime, I'd do some online reading.

Tickets: http://www.tothemouse.blogspot.com,/ http://hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Buy-a-Walt-Disney-W...

Dining:http://www.tothemouse.blogspot.com,/ http://hubpages.com/hub/Saving-Money-and-Walt-Disn...

Resorts: http://www.tothemouse.blogspot.com,/ http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1429305/w...

Savings: http://www.mousesavers.com/ (sign up for the newsletter)

General Info: http://www.allears.net/ (sign up for the newsletter), http://www.disboards.com/

You got some really great tips here!

I'd like to add....

are you going in a very hot month?

If so, bring a wash cloth for every person on the trip and take it to the parks.

You have no idea how excruciatingly hot it can get, and if you put that wash cloth is a cold fountain or sink faucet, then keep it on the back of your neck, it is so soothing!

I agree with Scott & Ellie - Bob Sehlinger's book, "The Unofficial Guide to WDW" is excellent. It has gotten much bigger over the years but the information is invaluable.

Save the MK for last, as your kids will think that WDW is only that and be disappointed.

Get the book...THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO WDW. It is what I swear by (even after 12 visits) and will answer all of your questions.....