Ugh Disney is horrible. It's so trashy, run down and dirty. Save your pennies for a real vacation somewhere else.

We stayed in the art of animation,.which is one of the budget hotels, and I would recommend considering that. Its on the skyliner so very easy access to Hollywood Studios and epcot. We are not usually budget travelers, but it was nicer to have the space (separate bedroom) and be able to do Hollywood Studios easily (vs MK,.our kids preferred the former).

Where you should stay depends on your budget, and what you are looking for (are you ok with all four of you sharing a room with 2 queen beds? Or would you want to spread out in a 2 bedroom villa? etc.)
In general though, I think it's worth it to stay on Disney property. You get early entrance to the parks (1/2 hour before the general public) and if you are staying in one of the Deluxe resorts, there are select nights with extra evening hours (but depending on the exact dates of your trip, they might not coincide.)

OP- there is a whole Reddit subreddit on Disney too you might want to check out. Some of those posters are kind of over the top Disney fans but if you want really granular detail about things check it out

Thanks for all the advice! - OP

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

Looking for some input in planning a first Disney visit with 9 & 11yo. Neither parent has been (grew up overseas) but the kids have been asking to go.
We're thinking of doing one day each in Magic Kingdom (for Space Mountain and Pirates), EPCOT and Hollywood studios.
Does that sound manageable in late March?
Where should we stay?
What sort of package deals are worth it?
We're more used to planning our trips a la carte and being more spontaneous vs planning every hour in advance, but that doesn't seem to be the way to go here.
Kids like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean but not princesses.

Thanks in advance!

Indiana Jones is at Disneyland. You could do the 2 parks and hit all of those in Anaheim over 2 days.

Indiana Jones stunt show is at Hollywood Studios.

The ride is better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

Looking for some input in planning a first Disney visit with 9 & 11yo. Neither parent has been (grew up overseas) but the kids have been asking to go.
We're thinking of doing one day each in Magic Kingdom (for Space Mountain and Pirates), EPCOT and Hollywood studios.
Does that sound manageable in late March?
Where should we stay?
What sort of package deals are worth it?
We're more used to planning our trips a la carte and being more spontaneous vs planning every hour in advance, but that doesn't seem to be the way to go here.
Kids like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean but not princesses.

Thanks in advance!

Indiana Jones is at Disneyland. You could do the 2 parks and hit all of those in Anaheim over 2 days.

Indiana Jones stunt show is at Hollywood Studios.

Our kids are similar ages. Book at a Disney resort, and note the Floridian, Contemporary, and Polynesian all have monorail access to Magic Kingdom (and Epcot, with a change). When you book your hotel on Disney's site, get the park tickets with it (cheaper) and do only one park a day, not park hopper to save $. Get Magic Bands in advance (they can mail them).
We don't even rent a car when there, no need to.

After you book your hotel, you can book restaurants at the parks. We book lunch just to avoid any stress with hungry kids.

Then arrival day don't hit the park, just enjoy the hotel. THe next morning, wake up early and be there for early entry, which you get staying at a resort hotel.

Use the app and pay for the lighting pass every day, that lets you book rides in advance.

As soon as you tap your magicband into a ride's entrance, open the app and book the next ride.

Magic Kingdom is a must. Ours are similar age to yours and now they enjoy Epcot too.. not so much when they were younger.

That's Disney in a nutshell.

Anonymous wrote:Hello,

Looking for some input in planning a first Disney visit with 9 & 11yo. Neither parent has been (grew up overseas) but the kids have been asking to go.
We're thinking of doing one day each in Magic Kingdom (for Space Mountain and Pirates), EPCOT and Hollywood studios.
Does that sound manageable in late March?
Where should we stay?
What sort of package deals are worth it?
We're more used to planning our trips a la carte and being more spontaneous vs planning every hour in advance, but that doesn't seem to be the way to go here.
Kids like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean but not princesses.

Thanks in advance!

Indiana Jones is at Disneyland. You could do the 2 parks and hit all of those in Anaheim over 2 days.

Do not go to Florida

Anonymous wrote:It’s worth it to use a Disney planner— tons of them are free (paid via commissions from Disney). And I think it’s worth putting in the time in advance to watch YouTube videos on how everything works with the new system (we haven’t been since they did it)

I personally love park hopping and I’m not sure why some people are anti. Animal kingdom has a few awesome rides (avatar flight of passage and Everest) that were top rides for my kids (who were younger than yours)

Park hopping is not worth the additional expense or headache.

Use a disney planner
I'd skip epcot. My kids didn't like it.

We did something similar when my kids were 6 and 8. I started with a travel agent but ended up planning myself in the end. Stayed at Port Orleans and took the bus everyday. We used Lightening lanes/Genie+ back then (I know it's different now). We didn't get to do EVERYTHING but we did most of what we wanted. I made a few dinner reservations but no character dining. This was our schedule:

Sunday – Travel Day
Monday – Magic Kingdom
Tuesday – EPCOT
Wednesday – Resort Day/took ferry to Disney Springs
Thursday – Hollywood Studios
Friday – Animal Kingdom
Saturday – Travel Day

Good luck!

It’s worth it to use a Disney planner— tons of them are free (paid via commissions from Disney). And I think it’s worth putting in the time in advance to watch YouTube videos on how everything works with the new system (we haven’t been since they did it)

I personally love park hopping and I’m not sure why some people are anti. Animal kingdom has a few awesome rides (avatar flight of passage and Everest) that were top rides for my kids (who were younger than yours)

Hello,

Looking for some input in planning a first Disney visit with 9 & 11yo. Neither parent has been (grew up overseas) but the kids have been asking to go.
We're thinking of doing one day each in Magic Kingdom (for Space Mountain and Pirates), EPCOT and Hollywood studios.
Does that sound manageable in late March?
Where should we stay?
What sort of package deals are worth it?
We're more used to planning our trips a la carte and being more spontaneous vs planning every hour in advance, but that doesn't seem to be the way to go here.
Kids like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean but not princesses.

Thanks in advance!