Only four park days with 7 year old

[Tiffany in Mass]

I haven't been do Disney since I was in my 20s (41 now). We are planning to take our *just* turning 7 year old daughter to Disney World the last week of August (work for a school, so it is what it is). I am assuming it will be extremely hot, but hoping for lighter crowds since a lot of kids will be back to school that week.

We only have four park days. I am thinking two at the Magic Kingdom, one at Epcot and one at Animal Kingdom. Our four park days will be Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge, which I understand is closest to the Magic Kingdom. We do not have park hoppers, but are doing the Dining Plan. I have to make dining reservations in a few days.

Main Questions:
What are the best days to do which parks?
What are the must-do restaurants and at what times? (thinking of at least character meal at Kingdom Tusker house on the AK day.
For fast passes, how do we know where we are going to be and when? Don't want to have to run across a whole Disney park to get to a ride at a certain time.
I know that afternoon "breaks" are helpful, but am concerned about taking 3+ hours out of a park day? My daughter cannot go from 7am till 10pm (??) without some sort of break... not sure that I can either!

I am a worrier/planner by nature, so this trip is throwing me for a loop I worry that someone will get sick there, etc. It is just the three of us, so we don't have any backup if plans go haywire.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed since I basically no nothing about Disney. Any advice would be great. Thanks!

 

[Klayfish]

I'm sure you will get lots of good advice here, there is a wealth of knowledge. We stay off site and don't eat in the restaurants, so I can't offer a ton of advice on restaurants and such. A few things I will say.

First, if you haven't been in over 20 years and DD7 (your daughter) has never been, relax. I know it can be very overwhelming, but try not to let it be. You can't see it all, just not possible. Do the best planning you can and enjoy the things you do get to see...don't stress over what you didn't see, or if you feel you could have planned better. Just enjoy the things you do get to see.

I would suggest using the park maps, which are available online, to help you as you're planning your FP+. That will help you from your concern about not running across the entire park. Try to hit sections of the parks in some kind of logical order, and make your FP+ accordingly. If you have specific questions on rides, ask away, you'll get great answers.

Yes, it would be really hard to do 7am to 10pm without a break. I won't say impossible, some people do it, but with a 7 year old it would be a tremendous challenge. There are lots of rides you can use as "breaks", because they're inside in air conditioning and last 15-45 minutes depending on the ride. If you're only going to be there for 4 days and not sure when you're coming back, I'd try to spend as much time in the park as possible and probably wouldn't do a mid-day break, but that's just my own $.02. I wouldn't run until I literally dropped, so I'm not saying to do 7am to 10pm. But I'd probably push the envelope a bit. Again, just my opinion. Do what's best for your family. WDW is mega huge, you will do a lot of walking no matter how well you plan, so keep that in mind.

Don't worry about what you can't control, such as getting sick, etc... Sure, it's something I think most people think about....trust me, as we get to about 2 weeks out, I start "thinking" about that, but I don't worry...it's out of my control.

No matter what you do, have the mindset that this is going to be a magical trip!!! Don't let stress of planning make it seem like a negative. Have fun!!! It makes me sad when I read some threads where it seems people get so stressed about planning that it seems more like a chore than fun.

 

[Minsc]

No matter what you do, have the mindset that this is going to be a magical trip!!! Don't let stress of planning make it seem like a negative. Have fun!!

Always fantastic basic advice!

This site is great for getting started on understanding planning strategy in today's Disney World.

http://**************.net/

 

[kydisneyfans]

I'll already throw a wrench in and say that with a 7 year old, a day at the Studios is a must especially if they are a Star Wars fan.

 

[kydisneyfans]

I'll already throw a wrench in and say that with a 7 year old, a day at the Studios is a must especially if they are a Star Wars fan.

and then I realize you have a daughter, not a son.....I personally would still do a day at each of the 4 parks, then follow up more in depth on any later trips. Some of the better in park restaurants are at DHS.

As for days, either take advantage of extra magic hour or do the opposite. Find out what park has the hour and avoid it for the day. The latter is our strategy and it seems to work. Sometimes it is possible to do more in a 9-7 day than it is an 8-9 day due to crowds.

 

[chris benton]

My 2 cents:
It's gonna be HOT. I would plan for rope dropping every day, especially if she is an early riser. I'd also plan to hit any am emh (again, especially if she is an early riser.) I would also PLAN mid-day breaks. She might get caught up in the excitement and wear herself out. Kids are kids, but you should know what's best for her. I'd get her involved in the planning, and let her know that somewhere around x o'clock (whatever time makes sense for that day's plans,) we'll be leaving the park to go back to the pool so she KNOWS what the itinerary is. Don't wear her out. You are gonna see a bunch of miserable little kids being dragged around by folks trying to fit it ALL in. I say pre-plan the breaks when you think she will be tired, and don't go commando until she's one of the miserable kids and you have to leave. It's a vacation, it should be fun. A lot of kids have an absolute blast hangin at the hotel pool, and spending quality time with their parents - don't take that for granted.
My general plan would be:

Up and at em EARLY before the big crowds. Eat a simple breakfast in your hotel room. Bring snacks to the park, too!
Mid day break for lunch, and having fun at the pool.
Relaxed dinner
VERY Relaxed night touring with an exit right after the nighttime show.

So -
Which park on which day?
If there's am EMH, I would absolutely target that day at that park. If there's pm EMH, then I might avoid that park, and go to it the FOLLOWING day. Use crowd calendars otherwise to have a plan of attack on which day for which park.

If there's an Early Morning Magic option for you? Maybe Tuesday at MK during your trip? I would ABSOLUTELY do it without question. Don't let the price get in your way, it's worth every penny (just my opinion, but plenty of others have the same opinion.)

Also, you might be a prime candidate to get the Touring Plans software to take the stress out of this planning. It's worth every penny.

 

[Nancyg56]

My 2 cents:
It's gonna be HOT. I would plan for rope dropping every day, especially if she is an early riser. I'd also plan to hit any am emh (again, especially if she is an early riser.) I would also PLAN mid-day breaks. She might get caught up in the excitement and wear herself out. Kids are kids, but you should know what's best for her. I'd get her involved in the planning, and let her know that somewhere around x o'clock (whatever time makes sense for that day's plans,) we'll be leaving the park to go back to the pool so she KNOWS what the itinerary is. Don't wear her out. You are gonna see a bunch of miserable little kids being dragged around by folks trying to fit it ALL in. I say pre-plan the breaks when you think she will be tired, and don't go commando until she's one of the miserable kids and you have to leave. It's a vacation, it should be fun. A lot of kids have an absolute blast hangin at the hotel pool, and spending quality time with their parents - don't take that for granted.
My general plan would be:

Up and at em EARLY before the big crowds. Eat a simple breakfast in your hotel room. Bring snacks to the park, too!
Mid day break for lunch, and having fun at the pool.
Relaxed dinner
VERY Relaxed night touring with an exit right after the nighttime show.

So -
Which park on which day?
If there's am EMH, I would absolutely target that day at that park. If there's pm EMH, then I might avoid that park, and go to it the FOLLOWING day. Use crowd calendars otherwise to have a plan of attack on which day for which park.

If there's an Early Morning Magic option for you? Maybe Tuesday at MK during your trip? I would ABSOLUTELY do it without question. Don't let the price get in your way, it's worth every penny (just my opinion, but plenty of others have the same opinion.)

Also, you might be a prime candidate to get the Touring Plans software to take the stress out of this planning. It's worth every penny.

Not just HOT....surface of the Sun HOT!

I agree, Get up and out to the parks early, plan to get out for the afternoon. My daughter met a little family in July. They went from RD to park close every day they were there "to make the most out of their park passes". Those poor kids looked like they had been run over by a truck. I would consider the EMH if it is offered while you are there. That money will be money well spent, IMO.

Plan afternoon breaks and then keep that plan. You are staying at a lovely resort, so it would be a shame to pay for it and then not use it.

After your break, plan a nice dinner, and then hit a park for the evening.

I usually plan TS meals in the Summer. I like knowing I have a cool place to bring the family to relax.

I generally suggest that people use Touring Plans to map out their day. I don't think their crowd calendars are the best, and I don't use my "plan" other than to figure out how to map out my FP for the day. If you spend some time creating plans you will begin to become familiar with the layout of the parks.

You are not going to get it all done, and truthfully, while August has fewer crowds than some of the other times of year, you probably will be moving more slowly due to the heat. I would make a list of the top three attractions your family wants in any given park, and then consider everything else a bonus.

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

I would have your daughter pick her top three "must dos" at each park and focus on those. It will be hotter than the face of the Sun in August. Plan to rope drop(first thing in the morning) the theme parks and then enjoy your resort pool. My kids always love the pool time just as much as the parks. Go back to a park in the evening and hit the "extras" or stuff Mom wants to do. You will never see it all, so just focus on having fun and enjoying the magic through your daughter's eyes. I hope you have an amazing trip!

 

[mshanson3121]

I haven't been do Disney since I was in my 20s (41 now). We are planning to take our *just* turning 7 year old daughter to Disney World the last week of August (work for a school, so it is what it is). I am assuming it will be extremely hot, but hoping for lighter crowds since a lot of kids will be back to school that week.

We only have four park days. I am thinking two at the Magic Kingdom, one at Epcot and one at Animal Kingdom. Our four park days will be Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge, which I understand is closest to the Magic Kingdom. We do not have park hoppers, but are doing the Dining Plan. I have to make dining reservations in a few days.

Main Questions:
What are the best days to do which parks?
What are the must-do restaurants and at what times? (thinking of at least character meal at Kingdom Tusker house on the AK day.
For fast passes, how do we know where we are going to be and when? Don't want to have to run across a whole Disney park to get to a ride at a certain time.
I know that afternoon "breaks" are helpful, but am concerned about taking 3+ hours out of a park day? My daughter cannot go from 7am till 10pm (??) without some sort of break... not sure that I can either!

I am a worrier/planner by nature, so this trip is throwing me for a loop I worry that someone will get sick there, etc. It is just the three of us, so we don't have any backup if plans go haywire.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed since I basically no nothing about Disney. Any advice would be great. Thanks!

Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about which park which day, other than to check out Extra magic Hours, you can plan around those.

At Animal Kingdom I would vote Tusker House, they have a great character breakfast. At Hollywood Studios I would say the 50s Diner, At Magic Kingdom I would say Cinderella's Royal Table or Be Our Guest are the main ones, and at Epcot, Akerhus is a good one.

For fast passes, you have to decide which park which day, choose the top 3 rides that are most important to you and book them. Look at maps of Disney and get a feel for where things are.

Afternoon breaks will be a must in that heat. Some find that just planning a sit down meal for an hour or so in the afternoon is enough. It most definitely would not be enough for us or our children. We need to leave the park, lay down etc... to recharge. So you'll need to decide what will be best for you.

I would do one day at all parks, or choose Hollywood Studios over Epcot, hands down. At HS you have Toy Story Midway Mania, several great character meet and greets, all the Star Wars stuff (girls love it too), Frozen Sing A Long, Beauty & The Beast show, Voyage of the Little Mermaid etc...

 

[GoofyMB]

I will add that for my 6 1/2 year old we still use a stroller at Disney. There is a lot of walking and keeping him from getting tired so quickly in the heat makes it more enjoyable for everyone.

 

[ErinsMommy]

I would do one day at each park. Book your FPs for early in the day (rope drop if you're up early enough), leave the park around lunch time and get in some pool/relaxation, then head back to each park in the evenings.

1. What are the best days to do which parks? There are a variety of crowd calendars that if you google will recommend which parks to avoid (heavy crowds) and which ones to go to (lower crowds)

2. IMO I would mix it up and one day, table service at breakfast/QS at dinner. Then switch it up next day. Personally I like Chef Mickeys, Ohana or Crystal Palace for breakfast.

3. You'll have to pick out which part you want to be in for the day at 60 days out and book FPs for that park/that day especially if you want the harder to get FP such as 7 Dwarves, Frozen Ever After, Tower of Terror, etc.

4. Don't be scared of a break - go back to the resort and enjoy the pool!

[/QUOTE]

 

[Mesh]

Does your daughter like princesses? If so, I would plan Akershus (Epcot), 1900 Park Fair (Grand Floridian), or Cinderella's Royal Table (in MK-takes 2 credits but it's my daughter's favorite because you get to eat in the castle). I like to plan dinners because morning is the least crowded and coolest park time. We take an afternoon break, go to dinner, and then back to park.

 

[kandb]

I disagree with most on here and think you should do 2 days at MK. MK is nice and close and easy to get thru from WL and it is the best and biggest park, so why go to HS where there are probably only a few rides you will enjoy? Definetely 2 days at MK, good choice. Try Ohana's in the Polynesian for dinner, great food and a great 1 TS credit for your dining plan.

 

[momto2js]

With a 7 year old, I agree that 2 days at the MK is the best option. I like AK but my family believes it is the HOTEST place on earth. It is a park we skip in the summer because there are fewer places to go inside and hide from the heat. I would consider 2 at MK and 2 at EP or plan 2 MK 1EP and then leave the last one sort of up in the air. When my 7 year old says disney, he means MK.

Depending on your kid, we often have to pick, eithor rope drop or late night, but we can not do both too often. Rope drop is the best time go ride with fewer lines. Think the Unofficial Guide to WDW is a really good read, and adding their online tools will help you sort out your options, all for less than a CS meal

 

[ZoZo]

I'd recommend getting a good guidebook like the Unofficial Guide to WDW. It's a great place.to start and gives good basic advice about things like Fastpass, touring strategies, etc.

Once you've had a chance to read the guidebook, come back to the DIS and ask specific questions ( i.e. "What's your favorite CS restaurant at MK?"). I find it's easier to get basic info from a guidebook and then use a forum like this to get advice on specifics. You have so many questions starting out, it can be hard to get all of them answered in one big post.

 

[moran66]

I haven't been do Disney since I was in my 20s (41 now). We are planning to take our *just* turning 7 year old daughter to Disney World the last week of August (work for a school, so it is what it is). I am assuming it will be extremely hot, but hoping for lighter crowds since a lot of kids will be back to school that week.

We only have four park days. I am thinking two at the Magic Kingdom, one at Epcot and one at Animal Kingdom. Our four park days will be Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge, which I understand is closest to the Magic Kingdom. We do not have park hoppers, but are doing the Dining Plan. I have to make dining reservations in a few days.

Main Questions:
What are the best days to do which parks?
What are the must-do restaurants and at what times? (thinking of at least character meal at Kingdom Tusker house on the AK day.
For fast passes, how do we know where we are going to be and when? Don't want to have to run across a whole Disney park to get to a ride at a certain time.
I know that afternoon "breaks" are helpful, but am concerned about taking 3+ hours out of a park day? My daughter cannot go from 7am till 10pm (??) without some sort of break... not sure that I can either!

I am a worrier/planner by nature, so this trip is throwing me for a loop I worry that someone will get sick there, etc. It is just the three of us, so we don't have any backup if plans go haywire.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed since I basically no nothing about Disney. Any advice would be great. Thanks!

I have a 7 year old daughter too and we go about 3x year I think the parks you have chosen MK Epcot and AK are def the best 3 unless like some people have said she is a star wars fan. Wilderness lodge is a great hotel I know travelwise it is definatly not the closest hotel to Disney (you have to take a boat/ferry there which I personally am not a fan of) Bay Lake tower is the closest to magic kingdom its the only hotel that you can walk to MK other then the contemporary two others on the monorail line are Polynesian and Grand Floridian but you defiantly cant go wrong with the wilderness lodge

What are the best days to do which parks? Weekends are the worst and MK then EPCOT there are a lot of sites with a crowd calendar here is one you can see the level and judge based off these
http://www.kennythepirate.com/2014/05/04/kennythepirates-august-walt-disney-world-crowd-calendar/

What are the must-do restaurants and at what times? (thinking of at least character meal at Kingdom Tusker house on the AK day) For your daughter I would say Cinerella's royal table (the one in the castle is probly the best must do restaurant for you because its probly her first time at Disney based off what you said ) and my 7 year old is coming out of the princess stage and if you are not going to be back for a while I would definatly go here. all Disney's restauants are good tusker house is fine but boma at AKL has the same type of food and its better .. here are a couple really cant go wrong with any other restaurants but I would defiantly recommend ohana for dinner


For fast passes, how do we know where we are going to be and when? Don't want to have to run across a whole Disney park to get to a ride at a certain time.
I know that afternoon "breaks" are helpful, but am concerned about taking 3+ hours out of a park day? My daughter cannot go from 7am till 10pm (??) without some sort of break... not sure that I can either!

I have 4 kids (7 5 2 and 2 months) and we usually do our fast passes and maybe one or 2 other rides and go back for a break or just not go to the park until 4 pm to stay for the fireworks etc. but with the fast passes get the rides you want to do and don't worry about the location they give you an hour to get there just try to plan accordingly so you get there in time sometimes it may involve walking fast to get to a place but with a 7 year old that shouldn't be too bad you don't want to miss out on a ride that has a 45 min wait because it was too far from your other fast pass

 

[BigredNole]

First off, there is nothing you can do about the heat, so don't worry about. However, be prepared for it. The worst thing is learning how fast your body spirals due to dehydration. You can go from being perfectly fine to passed out in a minute. Drink lots of water, even if you don't think you need it. If anyone is not going #1, they are not drinking enough. Don't be afraid to get wet to help cool off. Plan mid-day activities at AC events, shopping inside stores, indoor play areas, or head back to WL to hop in the pool, explore the lobby, or rest in the room. Then head back to the park around 5PM and enjoy.

 

[KTR]

You say you are on the dining plan so I would look into the Fantasmic dining package at HS and Rivers of Light dining package at AK. The Fantasmic package let's you choose between Mama Melrose, Hollywood and Vine and Brown Derby (2 credits) and gives you an extra appetizer plus seats in a reserved section for watching Fantasmic. Of course this is only if you opt to do HS which I see isn't on your itinerary at the momemt. The Rivers of Light package includes Tusker House which you are already planning on and it would give you a reserved seat for the Rivers of Light night time show. They both still cost 1 dining credit just as if you are eating there for a regular meal but have more limited time options.

 

[Nancyg56]

First off, there is nothing you can do about the heat, so don't worry about. However, be prepared for it. The worst thing is learning how fast your body spirals due to dehydration. You can go from being perfectly fine to passed out in a minute. Drink lots of water, even if you don't think you need it. If anyone is not going #1, they are not drinking enough. Don't be afraid to get wet to help cool off. Plan mid-day activities at AC events, shopping inside stores, indoor play areas, or head back to WL to hop in the pool, explore the lobby, or rest in the room. Then head back to the park around 5PM and enjoy.

You can't say to prepare for the heat enough! We travel on occasion in the summer so we know, yet it still blindsided my daughter this July. She sent me a text that she thought she was having a heart attack, she got that dehydrated. My dsil knew what happened, thank goodness, but she still was scared.

Drink water. drink water. drink water!

 

[HMANSION LOVER]

Two dining reservations we always make are Crystal Palace in MK because it's Pooh and friends and SCI FI diner in HS. Our children have always loved those two locations. Coral reef in EPCOT is especially nice as well as the garden grill because it's Chip & Dale. Never spend all that much time in AK so can't comment. Hope you have a great time.