Newbie planning questions

[kaybee1476]

Our family (me, DH, and DDs 5 and almost 3) will be taking our first WDW trip the 2nd week of Nov. I think I need professional help for how crazy I've been in the last week with planning! I have several logistical questions to help me plan better, since we're only going to be in the parks 4 days, and I want to make the most of our time.

Our first day we'll be at EPCOT for most of the day. We have an ADR at Akershus (praying Cinderella will be there!) at 10:45. Since we're staying off site, we'll eat our usual breakfast each morning in our condo, so my strategy is to use late character breakfasts as our lunch.

1. Is it feasible to do most of the big rides for younger kids at EPCOT either before or after our breakfast, then walk from EPCOT to DHS in the afternoon to do the few things we want to do there, then walk back to EPCOT after dinner and stay thru Illuminations, assuming my kids last that long? Or am I crazy to attempt such a feat with young kids? (Side note: Fantasmic is happening that day, so I'm assuming crowds at DHS will be larger than usual since F only happens twice that week.)

2. Since we would likely skip Fantasmic (my girls scare sort of easily), would we have a chance of getting on Toy Story Mania during that time even though we would not get to that park til the afternoon?

3. We're planning to spend our second day at AK, which closes at 5pm, so would you recommend driving to MK that night just for the Electrical Parade and Wishes? I don't want to try this if we may not be able to get into the park at that time, but there is only 1 more night when both the EP and Wishes are happening (our last night), and I want to be sure we see both of these.

4. Our last 2 days will be at MK. As of now, I have ADRs for character breakfasts at Ohana for the first MK day and the GF on our last day. Now I'm thinking I've overbooked us for the character meals. (3 out of 4 days!?!?) My kids would likely gripe about leaving MK to go eat after only an hour in the park on our first day, so I'm leaning toward canceling the Ohana ADR so we can have more time to ride on our first MK day. (It was more for me anyway because I've heard the food is awesome!)

5. Assuming I do cancel Ohana and keep the ADR for the GF at 11am on our last day, what time would we need to head to the monorail from MK to get there by 10:45?

6. We have an ADR for Tony's for dinner on our last day (5:20). Will this give us time to finish dinner and find a spot for the parade and fireworks? (The parade starts at 7pm.)

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

 

[aheaviside]

I'm a relative newbie too...went in May for very short trip but learned alot from mistakes and planning 2nd trip for Feb. 2012 so i've been researching all weekend too. I can't answer alot of your questions but I would not head to MK then leave after 1 hr for Ohana breakfast. It takes significant time to park at MK, take the tram to TTC, monorail to MK and get inside. That's way to much travel time wasted to then leave after 1 hr. Also, we found we got SO MUCH DONE from 9- 11 am before crowds came. I wouldn't waste that AM park time for breakfast. That is important park touring time.


Here are my recs for MK days:
If you want character breakfast, book Crystal Palace for 805 ADR for 9 am MK opening. If its too late and you can't get the 805 ADR, then try for the 1130 lunch CP. That way you can do rides from 9-1130 then break for lunch.

For Epoct: I would arrive before 9 am opening, have someone head straight to Soarin to get FP (assuming your kids will ride?), then do Character Spot, Seas With Nemo, Aquarium, Turtle Talk w/Crush, Living with Land ride, ride Soarin using FP then head to breakfast...that may be way too ambitious depending on the day and how much time you spend in Aquarium. After breakfast, you can go back to FW to do Turtle Talk, Journey into Imagination and Spaceship Earth. I don't see you getting out of Epcot with just that list until 2 or 3 pm. And you haven't done Test Track, Innovations, Cool Club place or Circle of Life. I would think DHS would be too ambitious on this day but this is just based on my research so let's see what others say!

 

[mrssmith06]

I just had my first time trip, but I'll try to help a little!

'Ohana is a great character breakfast (it was our favorite!) but I wouldn't want to leave MK so soon after park opening and go there. Remember to allow 1-2 hours for character meals, some can run longer than others, especially if they are busy and you are going to wait and make sure you see each character. Can you do 'Ohana early, BEFORE you go to MK?

In Epcot, if you get there at RD, you can probably get quite a few things done before your ADR at Akershus. If your wanting to do Test track or Soarin', get FPs for one of those first thing.

On your AK day, if you are really set on seeing the parade and fireworks at MK, then yes, go to MK and see those. Especially since you may not make out of Tony's in time for the parade. I didn't eat at Tony's, I don't know how long it might take but you don't want to rush and stress yourself out either.

Don't fret if you don't get to see and do everything you want. We didn't see half of Epcot...We missed out on a lot in MK, but it's just more to look forward to next time! Transportation and waiting in lines for rides can take up more time in your day then you will realize. I'm sure November is a much slower time though so you'll probably do better than we did. Good luck!!!

 

[lmillercrew]

I would get to Epcot at rope drop and do as much as you can before breakfast. As pp stated, get a fast pass for Soarin and do some character meet and greets. I would maybe skip a lot of WS, just because of the ages of your children. Just pick out the major things there, do them in the morning/early afternoon and then maybe pop on over to DHS for the rest of the day. They are running Fantasmic every night now, so the crowd level thing may not matter anymore.
I would for SURE cancel O'hana. You are going to need ALL of your two days at MK. There is so much to do and see and with two little ones, you're not going to want to rush or skip things. You might even want to do things twice!! Just go and have a good time. Don't worry about doing everything. You may not have time to do it all. Pick and choose, you can always come back again.

 

[sharonabe]

Fantasmic will NOT be showing every night in November. The calendar only has it every night through September, so I wouldn't count on them changing that.

Your DHS plan is problematic. It is doubtful you will get on TSM without a long wait if you don't get there until the afternoon. Could you do DHS on one of your MK mornings? You would get the few things done there and be able to hop over to MK and since you have another morning for RD at MK, that would be my plan.

Unless everyone is just too tired, I'd definitely head over to MK after your AK day.

 

[danceintherain]

1. Yes, you should be able to get most of the kiddie rides in Epcot done before 10:45, if you get there at Rope Drop.
The walk between Epcot and DHS is long, so it may be better for you to drive, take the bus, or the boat. Driving would probably be the best option, as your kids might not last that long. If you drive, you can just hop back into the car and head back to your condo (also, it's the fastest way). If you walk or take a bus or boat, you'll have to go all the way back over to Epcot anyways. Save your receipt for parking, and you won't have to pay twice, or 3 times if you make it back to Epcot after dinner.

2. Fast Passes for TSMM are gone very early in the day. You might be able to get one for a very late time in the evening, if you head there immediately after your breakfast at Akershus, but they could be all gone. If you're really intent on riding this ride, it might be better to attempt to change your Akershus ADR to a lunch time, and go to DHS in the morning, then spend the afternoon and evening in Epcot (though you're going during F&W, which means the WS will be very crowded).

3. You should be able to make it to the Magic Kingdom in time for the parade and fireworks, even if you stay all the way up until AK closes at 5. You might even consider trying to head to Epcot this evening instead for Illuminations.

4. I think you are being too ambitious for someone who has never been to Disney before. While having meals in the monorail resorts for late breakfast is a good plan to save money, it drains time, especially since those are character meals. Even IF you get seated immediately, it takes at least an hour for the characters to make their rounds, which means you'll be returning to the Magic Kingdom right when everyone else gets there, possibly after noon when the crowds are at their highest. You can collect Fast Passes to have a few sure things when you return to the park, but with only an hour before you have to leave again, you won't be able to get that many, especially if you spend any time riding rides. You could have one adult ride with the girls while the other is in charge of gathering FPs, but again, I wouldn't recommend this for first timers.

5. Even for a 11am meal, I would err on the side of caution and plan on exiting the park around 10:15, which means leaving the rides around 10am. Again, you'll only have an hour to do anything before leaving.

6. This again depends on when you get seated, but you will get out in time for the parade to start. The availability of good viewing spots will be dependent on how early you get out.

Here's my 2cents. I would cancel the ADR at the GF. You have two meals planned for this day, which means you'll be spend A LOT of time eating. It might even be better to switch to a late lunch ADR at Tony's and cancel the dinner ADR too. This way you'll have a nice place to relax, when you start getting tired.

I found the breakfast food at the character meals to be very similar. The only thing I particularly liked about the food at Ohana was the Jamba Juice, which you get with your meal at Tusker House in AK as well. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same thing, only at Ohana they bring the food to your table. Therefore, I would forgo Ohana as well, and make an early morning ADR at Tusker House (I looked it up, and if your AK day is Nov 7th, there's an 8:15 breakfast ADR available). While the characters are making their rounds, if the park opens, you can send an adult to FP EE (if your girls are tall enough). When you leave the restaurant shortly after 9am, you should be able to walk on to Kilimanjaro Safaris, and the location of Tusker House puts you very close to the entrance.

Also, if you really want to ride TSMM, then I would swap one of your MK mornings for DHS. I usually find it best to do a morning at each of the parks to accomplish all the headliner attractions with the shortest wait.

These are just my suggestions. I'm sure you have your own reasons for setting up your plan the way it is, I just think you're being very ambitious for a first timer, and you might find the need to change the ADRs at the last minute anyways, which would likely result in CS due to lack of availability in the restaurants.

 

[danceintherain]

Now I remember you saying that you were planning on eating breakfast at your condo before heading to the parks in the morning. Even so, a late breakfast or lunch ADR at Tusker House would be easier to get to that a breakfast on the monorail from MK.

 

[aheaviside]

1 more thing to think about that you have not mentioned: breaks for the 3 yr old?
Will your 3 yr old need breaks....will she nap in the stroller? You have 4 very long days planned. AK sounds like a full day as you mentioned staying till 5. Epcot then DHS is a very full day. Your MK days have lunch breaks but no real down time out of the parks.

This may be fine for your 3 yr old but our 3.5 yr old did fine the first 2 days which were only rope drop till 230-300 and was a complete disaster by day 3 Grumpy, tantrums, not eating well, etc. He normally naps so by 300 he was exhausted and we had to leave the parks on the verge of a breakdown and since we were 25 mins. offsite we didn't go back. I know you want to get everything in your itinerary but just make sure that you don't risk a major meltdown on day 3 or 4 by going 9-9 the first two days.

 

[amym2]

Honestly for a 4 day trip, I would plan only one character meal (maybe 2 at most) and I wouldn't do any of them before noon. You'll have the most energy and shortest lines for the first few hours the parks are open. With a 10:45 ADR at Akershus, you will only have from 9-10:15 at the latest to allow enough time to walk back to Norway. With an almost 3yr old, you'll have to baby swap to ride Soarin and Test Track (the best two rides in all of WDW IMO). If you arrive at rope drop, you can potentially ride Soarin (or get a FP right away) and do the Seas pavilion (Nemo and Turtle Talk), but that's all you'll have time for. When walking back to Norway, if you have time, stop into Mexico and ride the boat ride. All of the rest will have to wait until after your ADR (I would plan to be done 12:30 or later). That means walking back from Norway to Future World. EPCOT is huge and it in itself requires lots of walking.

I agree that I would do DHS on one of your MK mornings instead. Toy Story FP are usually gone early, and I absolutely wouldn't count on getting one if you go after a full morning at EPCOT. No way would I plan to walk from EPCOT to DHS and then back again with two little ones.

After AK on day 2, I would plan a relaxing evening and early to bed. I wouldn't try to do MK, especially if that is your kids' first exposure to it. You want them to walk into MK refreshed and excited about the castle. I suppose if after the AK day your kids still have plenty of energy, you could give it a shot, but I think for our family it would backfire. When we went when our kids were 5 and almost 3, the 5 year old needed a nap as much as the 2 year old, and he hadn't napped in years!

As others have said, you will not be able to do it all. You'll have a much better time if you plan less to do and find that you have extra energy and can do more than planning too much to do and being disappointed. At least that's my opinion!

 

[Disney Commando]

I got to ask do you have Base tickets or Hopper's Some parks are better different times of the day

 

[kaybee1476]

I read somewhere that Epcot & DHS were the only parks you could really walk between, but it didn't say how long of a walk... and they probably weren't factoring in 2 kids, so thanks for clearing that up.

I didn't care anything about riding TSMM until I started reading how much everyone seems to love it! I'd be fine with missing it since none of us actually knows what we'd be missing! In fact, I'd be okay if we skipped DHS altogether. I was mostly interested in the shows (esp B&tB). And it would be nice to get a taste of all of the parks while we're there.

If we do try go to DHS for part of the afternoon, what would you recommend for our little ones besides TSMM?

I'd love to go back over to EPCOT that night to see Illuminations, but it depends on how my kids are at that point. I definitely don't want to wear them out on their first day! If they've gotten their second wind, we'll keep them up for the 9pm fireworks. However, the Electrical Parade and Wishes at MK is more important to us, which is why I'd like to try to make it there after AK in case they're too exhausted by the end of the trip to stay late that last night. I failed to mention that we are planning a day off in the middle of the week to play at our resort. (Epcot/DHS, AK/MK, day off, MK, MK)

How do you collect fast passes? I thought you could only get one FP at a time, or until the return window opens up.

I just canceled Ohana and made ADR for Crystal Palace at 11:35 instead. Still holding on to GF for now. My concern about the CP meal is that my youngest is afraid of the Chick-fil-a cow and Monkey Joe, so I'm worried that she'll freak out over Pooh and his friends since they're in full costumes as well. I was thinking she'd do okay at GF with Mary Poppins, Alice, and the Mad Hatter. I may end up keeping only the princess breakfast at Akershus and forget about any other character meals for that very reason. We'll see if I can desensitize her to the cow and monkey in the next couple of months!

Thanks to all of the wonderful advice and I would greatly appreciate any other helpful hints! I know I'm overplanning, but planning is half the fun for me! I'm just losing an awful lot of sleep over it!

 

[kaybee1476]

Honestly for a 4 day trip, I would plan only one character meal (maybe 2 at most) and I wouldn't do any of them before noon. You'll have the most energy and shortest lines for the first few hours the parks are open. With a 10:45 ADR at Akershus, you will only have from 9-10:15 at the latest to allow enough time to walk back to Norway. With an almost 3yr old, you'll have to baby swap to ride Soarin and Test Track (the best two rides in all of WDW IMO). If you arrive at rope drop, you can potentially ride Soarin (or get a FP right away) and do the Seas pavilion (Nemo and Turtle Talk), but that's all you'll have time for. When walking back to Norway, if you have time, stop into Mexico and ride the boat ride. All of the rest will have to wait until after your ADR (I would plan to be done 12:30 or later). That means walking back from Norway to Future World. EPCOT is huge and it in itself requires lots of walking.

I agree that I would do DHS on one of your MK mornings instead. Toy Story FP are usually gone early, and I absolutely wouldn't count on getting one if you go after a full morning at EPCOT. No way would I plan to walk from EPCOT to DHS and then back again with two little ones.

After AK on day 2, I would plan a relaxing evening and early to bed. I wouldn't try to do MK, especially if that is your kids' first exposure to it. You want them to walk into MK refreshed and excited about the castle. I suppose if after the AK day your kids still have plenty of energy, you could give it a shot, but I think for our family it would backfire. When we went when our kids were 5 and almost 3, the 5 year old needed a nap as much as the 2 year old, and he hadn't napped in years!

As others have said, you will not be able to do it all. You'll have a much better time if you plan less to do and find that you have extra energy and can do more than planning too much to do and being disappointed. At least that's my opinion!

I'm starting to agree with you about the character meals. I may cancel all except Princess breakfast. Not sure if any of us will do Test Track. I'm planning on all 4 of us riding Soarin' since they're both tall enough. Thanks for the tip on the boat ride in Mexico.

I won't cry if we miss out on TSMM. I mainly just want to see DHS and take in some shows the kids will enjoy.

My 5yo never naps either, but she does need time to herself every day. Younger one usually naps ~2 hrs. in the afternoon.

Thanks so much! Great advice!

 

[kaybee1476]

I got to ask do you have Base tickets or Hopper's Some parks are better different times of the day

We got park hopper tix.

 

[danceintherain]

I read somewhere that Epcot & DHS were the only parks you could really walk between, but it didn't say how long of a walk... and they probably weren't factoring in 2 kids, so thanks for clearing that up.

I didn't care anything about riding TSMM until I started reading how much everyone seems to love it! I'd be fine with missing it since none of us actually knows what we'd be missing! In fact, I'd be okay if we skipped DHS altogether. I was mostly interested in the shows (esp B&tB). And it would be nice to get a taste of all of the parks while we're there.

If we do try go to DHS for part of the afternoon, what would you recommend for our little ones besides TSMM?

I'd love to go back over to EPCOT that night to see Illuminations, but it depends on how my kids are at that point. I definitely don't want to wear them out on their first day! If they've gotten their second wind, we'll keep them up for the 9pm fireworks. However, the Electrical Parade and Wishes at MK is more important to us, which is why I'd like to try to make it there after AK in case they're too exhausted by the end of the trip to stay late that last night. I failed to mention that we are planning a day off in the middle of the week to play at our resort. (Epcot/DHS, AK/MK, day off, MK, MK)

How do you collect fast passes? I thought you could only get one FP at a time, or until the return window opens up.

I just canceled Ohana and made ADR for Crystal Palace at 11:35 instead. Still holding on to GF for now. My concern about the CP meal is that my youngest is afraid of the Chick-fil-a cow and Monkey Joe, so I'm worried that she'll freak out over Pooh and his friends since they're in full costumes as well. I was thinking she'd do okay at GF with Mary Poppins, Alice, and the Mad Hatter. I may end up keeping only the princess breakfast at Akershus and forget about any other character meals for that very reason. We'll see if I can desensitize her to the cow and monkey in the next couple of months!

Thanks to all of the wonderful advice and I would greatly appreciate any other helpful hints! I know I'm overplanning, but planning is half the fun for me! I'm just losing an awful lot of sleep over it!

Yes, the walk between Epcot and DHS is long. If you're not staying on the property, I really wouldn't recommend it, especially with small children. Also, the Epcot entrance/exit is in the World Showcase, which means you'll still have a bit of a walk after you return to Epcot to get back to the parking lot.

Skipping TSMM is probably your best option considering everything else you want to do. You can always pop by there as soon as you get to DHS and check for FPs, but they'll likely be gone or have a very late return time.
Definitely try to schedule in a few shows at DHS. There's a Disney Junior show and Voyage of the Little Mermaid in addition to the Beauty & the Beast show.
You can go to this website to find out general show times before your trip: http://wdwent.com/ The "current" times will be posted about a week out, but they don't change very much throughout the year, except maybe adding a later show depending on how late the parks are open, so you can use them as a guide before your trip. Just make sure you pick up a times guide to verify.
The Honey! I Shrunk the Kids Playground is also a huge hit with little ones.

I would plan on skipping Illuminations, unless you can work it in on a different night. Running back and forth between parks will take up a lot of time, and the World Showcase will be VERY crowded from the Food & Wine Festival. We didn't go to Epcot as much as we usually do last year, because of Food & Wine.

The end time on Fast Passes are hardly ever enforced. Your time to get another FP will either be at the beginning of your return time on your last one, or 2 hours after you get it whichever comes first. For example, if you get a Peter Pan Fast Pass at 9am, with a return time of 9:30 am, you can get a new Fast Pass at 10am. If you get a Peter Pan FP at 9am with a return time of Noon, you can get another FP at 11am.
Many veteran Disney travelers spend their mornings gathering FPs and riding rides with waits less than 20 minutes, then use them later in the day when the wait times for the FP attractions are longer than 20 minutes.

I think the decision to cancel Ohana in favor of Crystal Palace was a good one. Ohana breakfast has costumed characters as well, so it is just as likely that they would scare your daughter. The later ADR time will give you more time to do as many attractions as possible before your break.

Also, familiarize yourself with the baby swap program. This could allow your older to ride the attractions with height restrictions twice in a row, if she rides with both yourself and your husband.
http://wdwuntangled.com/fastpass.php

I understand the overwhelmed feeling. I also understand the desire to do everything, but I've found that it's usually better to plan less and look at everything else as a bonus.

One other suggestion I have regarding your daughter's fear of costumed characters is to approach one while you're at AK. They tend to have the shortest lines there. If she seems afraid, you can easily cancel the ADR at Crystal Palace later in the trip.

 

[sharonabe]

The boat ride in Mexico will NOT be open on your way TO breakfast as World Showcase does not open until 11:00. It will be open AFTER you finish eating and you could ride it on your way back to Future World.

As for HS, if you're okay with skipping TSM, your DDs will enjoy Beauty, Voyage of Little Mermaid, Disney Jr, the Muppets, and characters in Animation bldg for the older one.

And FPs....when you get your FP it will give you a return time for when you can come back to ride and then on the bottom it will give you another time for when you can get another FP. That time is usually after the return time or 2 hrs later depending on which is earlier. You can USUALLY use your FPs even after your return time window, but not before.

 

[lmillercrew]

Fantasmic will NOT be showing every night in November. The calendar only has it every night through September, so I wouldn't count on them changing that.

Whoopsie...

 

[kaybee1476]

So, now I have cancelled all of the previous ADRs for character meals, and we're going to do the Princess breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. My inner frugal self was hoping to avoid paying so much for a meal with the princesses. However, I bit the bullet because (a) this is our very first trip to Disney, (b) we don't have to pay for our younger DD since she'll be just under 3 years old, (c) we can have more time at EPCOT and/or DHS for the day we are splitting, (d) I want my girls--and, honestly, myself--to experience the magic of dining in the castle, and (e) the one princess that DD5 has her heart set on meeting is Cinderella, and she's not guaranteed to be at the Akershus breakfast. It will be nice to know going in that we will have a picture with Cinderella, which will likely be the best souvenir we can take from this trip.

I actually have 2 ADRs for CRT, since I'm not sure which day will work out better. Currently, we are staying at our condo 5 nights (Sun-Thurs) because we're using our timeshare. We were really hoping use Bonus Time to add 1 day to the front of our trip and 1 day to the end, but I just found out that we would have to add 2 consecutive nights, and I don't know if that's possible, given that we'll probably have to stay a night on the road on the way down and on the way back home. (It's a 10-hour trip if you drive straight through from home, and that's not going to happen with 2 young kids!)

Anyway, I just have to figure out what will be the best scenario and remember to cancel one of the CRT breakfasts at least 2 days ahead of time so I don't lose over $130!

I'm driving myself crazy over this trip!

 

[danceintherain]

Eating in the castle is wonderful, I'm sure your girls will LOVE it!