We try to take advantage of the "extra magic hours". Only available to people staying in the park. Bring your room key to the park for early/late access. They should have a schedule at the front desk when you check in.

A good game plan is to try and get in the park early/opening time ( earlier if they extra morning hours ) Hit the rides/attractions that are must sees in that specific park. Grab fast passes if available. Try to schedule a mid-afternoon break where you go back to your hotel and nap/swim/relax. Freshen up and head back out for dinner/parades/fireworks.
We are annual passholders and currently have stayed at 7 different resort hotels and are working our way around the others. Favorite so far is Wilderness lodge.

Have fun!
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Sofaman,

Caribbean Beach is a beautiful resort.

I have worked in marketing in Orlando for the last 16 years and have a desk at the concierge desk at a large resort across from Disney, where advice and experiences are exchanged all day. Disney and tourists are what have kept me alive for nearly 20 years now.

Rather than type a page or two, pm me if you want and I will give you my cel phone and see what I can share.

Oh, and I was in the parks over 70 times in 2009. Not completely by choice.

Off the top of my head, the best advice I can think of is to bring a lot of patience, and NEVER buy used tickets no matter what the "experts" told you they did when they were down from Michigan or Philly and stopped by the Denny's on International Drive last year before going to the Lobster feast and seeing an even BETTER deal.

The best deals are online unless, like in your case, you will be on property. You might want to take a side trip to Universal, so buy those online.

The new biometric scan makes it very hard now. Tenor? am I lying??
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I worked with Mike Testa years ago.
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Disney Dining Plan...Disney Dining Plan....Disney Dining Plan.

now...Since your daughter is 5, if the idea catches flight, the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique at Magic Kingdom...they dress her to the nines....and there is a spot right by the castle where you can sit and smoke a cigar while they turn her into her favorite princess.

The buses - the best damn thing Disney pulled off - you can get EVERYWHERE from the buses - from your resort - you can literally leave your car behind (unless you plan on visiting Corona Cigars for some "Dad Time" :-). The other advantage is you won't have to worry about $$$ for parking either!
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Take plenty of lunch money, great place but food prices are beyond your wildest imagination.:-)
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IMO I think Disney is nothing but a huge mall with a few shows/rides thrown in the mix. Great places to eat and few cool shows but that was 18 years ago. I'm not much of a Disney fan now but, I realized when I was 10, thats its not much more than a shopping experience. If I wanted Disney items, I'd go to the Disney store in every other mall in America.
While there PLAN NOTHING. Ride wait times are horindus, food wait is terrible, seating is a nightmare. There were a few nice "retro" rides I liked when I was there BUT that was 18 yrs ago and they have been replaced with new technological rides. (I like the classics)

Epcot is the besk park IMO. Lots of good food and shops there to buy unique gifts and such. I'd spend most my time there if I was given Disney tickets.

I'd rather save my money, go to Busch Gardens and Universal. Then you would still have plenty of money left over to catch a waterpark.

Don't get me wrong lots of people love Disney, I just got better ideas on how to spend my money. But maybe you and your family will love it.
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One other thing -- there are some free apps you can get for iPhones (and laptops) that show current wait times for the various rides at the parks. I found these to be pretty handy.
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Dunno why the griping about ride wait times...We used the SpeedPass on just about everything. Made the day a breeze.

Wait times for eating? Use the Disney Dining Plan - your times are already locked in before you arrive at your resort - better than reservations!!! And if you want to changethem, just talk to the front desk and they can rearrange it easily.
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the best place to meet the characters without a huge wait is Camp Minnie Mickey in Animal Kingdom
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the magic
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lots of fun stuff for big kids too
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Something else for the "big kids" to visit while taking a break from Disney.....

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:-)
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How far from WDW is Corona?
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I would like to thank everyone for there input it has been very helpfull :-)
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10-15 minutes East up I-4. Best sushi anywhere next door at Amura.

Downtown Disney has Fuego and Sosa, but be prepared to pay dearly.
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For the best deals on ticket prices, check out mousesavers.com

They have great ticket prices through a place called undercover tourist.

Pete is right: Never buy "used" tickets, you have about a 10% of saving and getting a great deal, and about a 90% chance of getting ripped off.

Don't buy tickets in the lobby of your hotel.

Re: Kids:

With kids/Without kids makes a HUGE difference. Boy/Girl/Age factors in as well. If you have a 5-7 year old girl, be prepared to shell out bank at bippity boppity boutique for a princess makeover.

Daily Touring Plans:

Doing a full day, trying to be the first one there and staying till they kick you out after the fireworks ... SUCKS!!!

Divide your day into A, B, C.
A=early morning
B=afternoon
C=evening/closing time

Only do 2 of the three. A and C, A and B, or B and C.

If you have kids with you, and you ever have this sentiment:

We spent a ton of money on this vacation, and you're gonna stay here till the bitter end whether you're having fun or not!

It's time to take a break.

If your kid is big enough to not need a stroller but small enough to fit into Disney's strollers, rent them one. It will make a world of difference.

Do you have any special needs kids traveling with you? PM me to let me know. I have special advice in that case.

I could go on all day. PM me if you have any specific issues. It's much easier for me to answer specific questions than it is for me to cover a general "what's the best advice?" question. That's why the Unofficial Guide books (I have 2 of them from different years, they are great) are like 800 pages.

Bring a camera. Take advantage of the photopass program.
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