First Trip to WDW!

Misserika! To help with your first question here is a good website.
1. Here is a link that will help with all travel time estimates from different parks to different resorts :http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/aspx/twiz.aspx#.UhWSvTlc_zI

Hello and congratulations on your First Trip! You have made the right decision to research WDW before you go!
We have some great members who will be able to guide you through the fun of learning all things Disney!

We went the first of October past year. It was still.very very humid. The minuteI stepped out in the morning I was instantly sweating.
I have been told though that is unusual and the humidty has usually broke by then.

Many sites, including Disney Food blog, will post the food and drink list for the F&W fest. I printed them off and we reviewed them before we left. I circled the 'must haves' and took it with me. That way we didn't forget anything and it saved us time by avoiding places we didn't want food at.

I haven't stayed at All Stars yet but I believe most buses are between 5-20 minutes from resort to park, depending on how many stops at other resorts they make and how far your resort is from the park you want to go to. It seemed like the rides on the buses all went quick.

Must haves for us were bandaides and walking socks. They are cushioned and anti bacterial material (bought at Target). Good walking shoes and cooling foot lotion for a little pampering after a long day of walking.

Hope this helps for some of your questions!

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And if you can make MNSSHP it's pretty cool...

And don't forget the sunscreen! If you're like me you will use it all up!

welcome misserika!

if your interested in going to another park like universal you'll need to arrange for your own transportation. In past trips I used a shuttle provided by MEARS, I think it was about 16-18 dollars each. They pick you up at your resort in the morning and give you a number to call to arrange your return trip.

Also I second Magic Mirror...definitely go to MNSSHP it so so fun!

You're going to have so much fun. I'm taking my hubby on his first trip at the beginning of October.

I would suggest rain ponchos as the weather here in the SE can be quite unpredictable at this time of year. It will still be quite warm, but it is still hurricane season here and there's a chance that you could get quite some showers or storms. Someone on this board suggested getting the ponchos at the $1 store - one for each day and then toss them when you return to the room. That way you don't have to worry about hanging them in the shower and hoping they dry out for the next day. I thought that was a great idea.

I can't do traditional band-aids. For some reason, they just don't stick well to me (maybe too much lotion?!!). When I danced, I used liquid bandaid for my blisters and bangups. It's a thick liquid that you put over your blister( and it forms a seal on top of it. I love that stuff and it dries clear - also should stay on if it gets wet on a water ride. You should be able to find it at any drugstore or Target.

Hello misserika and to WDWForGrownups!. I am sure you will have a great trip. We're going the same time. MNSSHP is fantastic and I recommend it also, it is extra money though. One tip is take your time. You will not see everything, believe me and you will ruin your vacation if you try too. Look through the parks pages and write down you must does in each park and use the fast pass system. Did you get the "magic bands". They are new and part of the fastpass+ system they are starting. Also drink lots of water, stay hydrated while you are there, even if you don't think it's hot, drink water.

Try to do at least one rope drop, that's the opening of the Magic Kingdom. They do a ceremony that is really quite cute.

Also, I went for the first time during the fall and had never heard of Mickey's not so Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) and was caught off gaurd that the park closed at 7 the nights of the party....make sure to check the park hours to avoid disapointment

Beware that the food court at your resort might be more crowded then what it normally would be due to the food court at All Star Sports being closed. If you don't plan on spending much time at the resort, that may not affect you. In Epcot, there are a bunch of rides, so make sure you check those out. Check out Innoventions East and West in Future World.

misserika!!!

We went to Disney last October and also stayed at All Star Movies. We feel the same way that you do, why spend tons of money on a room you are hardly in. We loved it there. The rooms were very clean and the staff was wonderful as always. As far as the night life at the resort there really wasn't much going on. We had to pass by the Fantasia pool to get to our room and they always had families out there. We passed one afternoon and they had a hula hoop contest and music playing. They also had movie nights were they would play a disney movie at the pool. We never went so I can't really comment too much on it. Our trip was the beginning of October and it was pretty warm. Not horrible like May (been there, done that, almost died). I have long thick hair and I was able to wear it down a few days because the breeze kept me from sweating too bad but a few days I had to pull it up because it was super hot. We rocked poney tails, shorts, tanktops, and flip flops and we stayed pretty comfortable. As far as what to bring into the parks, one trip I brought EVERYTHING. I had bottles of water, snacks, ponchos, and sunscreen. It was heavy and I was miserable and when your hot and thirsty those ice cold waters that they sell are way better than the hot one in your backpack so I never drank my own water. I never wanted my snacks when I could just eat the fresh popcorn or ice cream. I always put sunscreen on in the morning and I never needed it again. So I NEVER used anything I had brought. My second trip I had a little cross body purse that was only big enought to fit my phone, my camera, a tiny wallet, and my sunglasses. It was the best thing ever!!! I never once said "oh I wish I would have brought blah blah". So take it from me...less is better!!! Bring only what you have too. Your going to have a blast no matter what you do!! I can't wait to hear all about your trip when you finally get to go!

Welcome

I didn't see it mentioned (and if I missed it, I apologize for repearting information), but .... if you are on the dining plan you can use your snack credits for food at the kiosks at the Food and Wine festival.

Hi and

October is a great time of year to go! We were there mid October last year and we consistently had short wait times for rides and it didn't rain a single day of our trip (though I'm sure that's more ofthe exception rather then the rule). I'd highly recommend the MNSSHP...we absolutely loved it! I'll second Magic Mirror about the f&wf...we used the lists on the Disney Food Blog and I made up an excel sheet by booth with pictures, descriptions, and prices and then color coded each item by our "must try" and "would like to try" items. It sounds intense, but it was super helpful so that when we got to a particular booth we could immediately tell if it was worth our time getting in line for. If we hadn't looked through all the options ahead of time, I probably a) would have gotten overwhelmed or b) tried a bunch of items at the booths at the front of the World Showcase that may not have appealed to me as much as options at the booths further back.

Have a great trip!

Oh and I recommend Mears for offsite transportation. I know for sure they offered bus rides to Universal and Sea World and I'm sure they do a lot of other locations, as well. I believe it was $18 a person round trip which, for 2 people, made it much more cost efficient then a rental or taxi. We used Mears for transportation to Universal when we were there last Oct and had a great experience. You just call them the nigt before to arrange a pickup time from your resort and then you have to give them a 3 hour warning before you want to get picked up so you can just call from the park when you know what time you want to leave.

Hi Erika! Welcome to the forums! How exciting to be headed off on your first Disney Trip!

It depends - as a general rule I plan on 60 minutes travel time when using the Disney bus system. If it happens to be less than that I just consider it a bonus.

It can be up in the mid 80s or so during the day, but sometimes drops into the 60s at night. There is always a breeze around World Showcase Lagoon, so many times I need a light sweater after dark even though I'm sweating during the afternoon.

Have you checked out the Disney Food Blog pages yet?
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2013-epcot-food-and-wine-festival/

They also have a fantastic Food & Wine Festival EBook
http://dfbminiguides.com/foodandwine

My personal advice is to check out all the menus ahead of time and try to pick a few of the marketplaces booths that you're sure you don't want to miss.

Boardwalk (Jellyrolls - Atlantic Dance Hall) or Downtown Disney (House of Blues, Splitsville)

There are other theme parks? LoL... Are you sure?

Comfy shoes, sunscreen, a sun hat, a light sweater for after dark.

Misserica. Your getting great advice. Movies was our first disney resort and we enjoyed it. I believe the all star resorts share a bus and movies was the last stop before heading to the parks. We always keep a ziploc bag on us just in case we think we will get wet from a ride or rain. We use it to put our phones in. If your going to carry any bag, purse or back pack on hot days a wash cloth is handy to cool off and freshen up mid day and can be stored in a ziploc bag. Considering having a small medical kit with you aspirin Imodium pepto all are good to have in the room. Make sure your shoes are all well broke in. New shoes look good but your feet will hate you. If you have a smart phone there are many great apps including my disney experience that will help you learn where things are. We love having the park hours months in advance so we can plan. Any questions you have just post away, someone here has done it and is happy to share.

Welcome to the forum! Dont have too much to add. Everyone who has answered knows what they are talking about, but want to just welcome you here and congrats on your trip! You will have a blast. The only thing ill add is the must have for packing...

I always carry a battery charger for my phone/iPads/Tablets and such. I use them a lot when im in the parks. Now that most of the parks have WiFi... it doesnt drain as badly... but I always carry one (a small 5,000mAh one that fits in my pocket). They are pretty cheap to. Im actually looking at a 10,500mAh to charge everything. Most batteries for cell phones have around a 1,400mAh and up to I think the Galaxy S4 comes with 2,600mAh? So if you get a small one... it helps. Will give you a nice backup if you run out of battery. But im a techaholic... and do videos for my trip from my phones. So it takes a nice chunk out of mine.

I wonder how that will be effected with the railway being refurbed? I think the Disney site is saying down for most of October.

Welcome to the site, you can get free ice water at the counter service places. Echoing a lot of the advice here, take time to enjoy things, too easy to try and fit it all in in the first visit!