First time to Disney World!!!!

[Amere]

I can't even say how excited I am! My best friend and I (both in our late 20's) are headed down and will be there Feb 20-25. We are actually staying in Davenport with my Grandma to save money and we got the 4-Day Park Hopper.
A few questions for you veterans!

What can we expect the crowds to be like?

How early should we leave in order to be at the parks before they open -we have planned to be at the parks on days when they are not early entry.

Any pointers on things we can't miss, or things we might not think to bring?

Oh, can you tell me how to add the counter to the bottom of my post?

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[bkcwilliams]

You'll have a great time! Take a look at the boards and you will get some great advice! We went for the first time in November at can't wait to go back!

Be sure to get to MK early enough to see the pre-show. A lot of people don't know about it, but it is pretty cool. The "mayor" of the MK comes out to welcome all of the guests and the train pulls in with many of the characters and the mouse himself.

Have a great time!

 

[morrow4]

Amere - I'm sure you'll have a great time. Something I always enjoy doing (not an attraction or anything) is making a family photo for people so the whole family will be in the picture. (So often, either the MOM or DAD is left out) I just like to do that because it seems to make so many people happy.
BKCWILLIAMS -- What time is the preshow? (kind of?)

 

[bkcwilliams]

It starts about 10-15 minutes before the park opens.

 

[AParabola]

GET A GUIDEBOOK! There is so much to do and see that it will be really helpful to read about what's available before you go. Because there are four parks and all types of additional activities you can't just "wander". It's great that you got a park hopper because then you can spend the morning in one park, take disney transportation to another and have dinner in a third. I recommend the Birnbaum book because it has the most detail about the attractions and all the little things that most guide books miss. You don't want to waste your time figuring out where everything is once you're there. That being said, there's no way you'll be able to see or do everything that interests you in one visit, so pick out the things that seem most exciting and then relax and have a wonderful time.

 

[angey77]

Get a copy of Birnbaum's "Walt Disney World Without Kids." It has some great advice.
And HAVE FUN!! I just brought a friend last year and it was her first time in WDW and she's 28, she had a blast!

 

[elemusing]

Go to the Technology Board off the main DIS Boards and scroll down to like the second or third post about the countdown timer and just follow the link and the directions.

Have fun! You are gonna LOVE IT!!!!

Angie