Making the most out of a short(er) trip

[Cwilson]

We will be going to WDW for our first family vacation in about a month!! *woohoo*

We are going Monday-Friday, but will only be in the parks 3 and a half days. I wish we could go for longer, but it is during the school year and so we have to do what we can do. We have planned out what parks we want to visit each day and our dining reservations (which I made mostly for lunch so that we can keep some flexibility at night). My question is.. how do I make the most out of our trip? We have a 9 year old and a 3 1/2 month old, so I know this is probably long enough for them. I am just wondering how I am going to fit in what I want my daughter to see (our son is too little to care/remember) without running us all ragged! I know everyone is going to say pick your favorites, and we've already done that.. made our lists of *musts*

I'm hoping that since we are going in October it will be a little less crowded and so we will have the opportunity to do all that we want to do. Advice???

 

[mom2travel]

It sounds like you are off to a good start with a plan and some ADRs. Use FP as much as possible. Plan your park routes so you are not zigzagging back and forth. Know you can't do everything and accept it. If a line is longer than xxx minutes skip it until later (we've been to wdw many times so use 15-20 minutes as our cutoff, depending on the ride). Allow yourself to get caught up in the little moments of fun, not always focusing on your to-do list. you want your memories to be of the fun and special things you did as a family not of rushing around and getting cranky.

Our last trip was Sun-Wed so pretty quick. We booked ADRs and had a plan for which park when and also for taking pool breaks. Sunday we followed the plan, and during our pool break decided to alter Monday's plan. We also ended ip canceling a breakfast because we wanted to spend that time on our last day in a park. We took cues from the kids too (11 & 9). We had snack breaks or did things in the A/C when needed. Be open to improvising and it'll all work out

Have a great time!!

 

[JEL394]

I'm interested in replies to this, as we are also going on a relatively short trip (our first as a family, DH and I have not been since we were teenagers) next month as well. We will be there with DS 4.5, DSturning-3, and DD5months, and just thought that 4 nights was about all we could handle as a family. I've planned out our days with breaks for swimming/napping, made ADR's, and hoping for light crowds!

 

[Luv4Dis]

Hi CWilson!!!

I think your best bet is to hit the rope drops! Get to the parks early and stay until baby (or everyone) needs a break. Go back, swim, enjoy the resort, and head back for some more fun. We made out best when we hit the park early!

Also, keep in mind that you can't do everything....so be prepared to "skip" some attractions this time around and be ok with it.

Even though you will only be there for a shorter visit...you will still be enjoying the WDW magic!!! Remember, if everyone is doing ok without a super long break....baby can probably go with the flow....nap in a carrier or stroller....on an attraction....etc....

SOOO excited for you guys!

Love you!!

PS...this is my sister