Florida..Destination Disney...

First and foremost do research. There is so much at Disney that it is good to narrow down what you want to see and activities you want to do. Make dining plans in advance. That way you get to eat where you want with no stress. Finally this may fall under research but talk to other Disney fans. I got some of my best ideas from other people. Joining the forum has been great for this. I have all sorts of new ideas and dining options from talking with everyone.

I agree...read and read some more by going to different sites and check All Ears for all the different reviews on resorts and eating places. After you have done that write down all the interesting places you would like to set up for ADR and you can even print the menus from All Ears. As far as a resort you need to think what is important to you...like how much time will you actually spend at the resort so if the answer is much is really the cost of a Deluxe resort worth it? Make your list and join this board listing what you think and am sure we will all jump in.

Disney newbies definitely should consider putting together some sort of touring plan for each park. This is the site I used: http://touringplans.com/.

The worst way to waste time at WDW is standing around wondering what else is out there and debating what to do next. That's how we spent our first trip, and there were four of us, and each of us wanted to politely accommodate the wishes of the other three, so we wasted a whole lot of time talking when we could've been actually doing stuff. For our second and third trips, we had touring plans and didn't miss out on much. By the fourth we knew our way around well enough that we knew the better ways to tour each park and no longer needed a plan.

Lots of great ideas. My only real addition is to focus on what made you want to go in the first place. Spin your plans around that and your sure to have a magic time. Some of the excitement for me is learning something new on our trips. Surprises are part of the magic so I try hard to not put so much in a day that there is no room for discovery. Know what your travel party can handle and don't push it. Meltdowns happen at any age. Lol.

As someone who lives in Florida year round, my biggest tip would be to remember to prepare for Florida itself. What I mean is, no matter what the weather report says, or what time of year it is, there are a few items you should always bring with you to Florida. We get torrential, soaked to the bone after 3 minutes, ruin your whole afternoon if you're caught in them, rain storms. We get them very often even when the weather doesn't call for them. Even when it's not the rainy season here, we get them some days. BUG REPELLENT IS A MUST! Most people know about the mosquitos but we have another kind of little tiny bug we call "no-see-ums." They will eat a person alive! A person can get dozens of bites within an hour or two without bug repellent.

This is a list of "must haves" I would recommend to anyone traveling here, no matter what time of year:
Suntan lotion, Bug repellent, lots of disposable ponchos, and quart or gallon size Ziploc bags.

The disposable ponchos have been wonderful for us through the years because sometimes our rainstorms only last a few minutes but you are drenched if you're not covered. I pay .80 cents/each for ponchos so that I can throw them away when it's done raining. I don't want to carry around wet ponchos. If it rains again later, we open a new one because it only costs .80 cents! But if you pay $15-$20/each, most people wouldn't want to throw them away so you're stuck carrying around wet ponchos.

I use the Ziploc bags for several things. I put cameras and phones in them when it rains, I put all of my husband's "pocket items" in them when we go on a ride where everything will fall out of his pockets(ToT) and I use the ziplocs to put wet socks in after it rains. If you are caught in a rain storm in Florida, even if you have a poncho or umbrella, your feet WILL get wet! I carry an extra pair of socks for each of us in my bag and after it rains I put the wet socks in a Ziploc and we change into dry socks. Even if our shoes are wet, the dry socks make a big difference.

Do as much research as possible and be prepared not to see and do everything in one trip .

1. Research the whole trip...WDW as well as Florida and start your grid sheet
2. Make your ADRs and FP+ arrangements at appropriate intervals; refer back to your grid sheet and add them in
3. Plan and pack accordingly; finishing touches to your grid sheet

My three basic tips:

1.) Do your research of the basics: Know when the parks open/close, know which parks have the EMHs, special events, crowds, ride refurbishments, weather, height/health restrictions, etc.
2.) Have a schedule of plans for each day. It doesn't need to be a spreadsheet and exactly followed minute by minute per say but you need a basic plan. Since I haven't used FP+, I can't comment on what the proper and most useful way to use it but the sentiments I get from people is not to waste a FP+ on fireworks, parades, rides that previously did not have the original FP and if applicable, character meet and greets and give enough time intervals between each FP+ reservation, at least 3-4 hours between one.
3.) Know your limitations of you and your party. I know it's tempting to try and squeeze everything but if they need time to cool off or rest, let them!

Excellent ideas folks..Some i do..some I don't.....Cheers..

So true! Great tips!

One tip that I gave a friend of mine who was traveling on her first trip to WDW with her family was to ride TTA BEFORE Space Mountain to make sure that the kids could handle the "in the dark" concept. She failed to heed my advice...disaster ensued...day ruined. So my advice is if you are traveling with youngsters, make sure you have a good grip on their fears and apprehensions and do your ride research. There are some seemingly innocuous rides that can turn scary pretty quickly or even trigger fears that you didn't know that your child (or you!!) had. We're taking my husband's 66-year-old aunt with us in May and we already know that we can't ride Soarin' or any boat-type rides with her because she is deathly afraid of heights and water.

This is important for them and for the rest of us. I love It's a Bug's Life and Muppets 3D, for instance, but when kids starts screaming in fear and you can't hear anything, it's hard to hold the mood of fun. I feel bad for the parents who are trying to calm the kid, the kid who is frightened, and for all the rest of us now focused on the child.

I started with a pile of stuff carried in my bag, but as I continue, I pare it down to essentials. If's hot, I wear base waterproof mascara and lip balm. I've seen worse. The Dollar Store sells 2 ponchos for a buck. I carry 2 each time, and the ziplock bag idea. Travel size items are easier to carry and pick up as you think you need them that day. I was surprised as simple things like a couple bandaids, and second skin (mole skin?), sunscreen, and lip balm make the day smoother. We now have collapsible water bottles that can roll up when no in use.