Which park to do when? Please help...

[Toraliina]

Hi, my family (dh, myself, dd11, ds9 and dd4) will be making our first trip to WDW in Dec this year. We arrive in MCO on 10th Dec (approx 2 pm) from NYC (where we would've spent the previous 4 days) and will be staying at the CR from 10th - 15th Dec, then checking out to hard rock orlando for the next 3 nights to explore Universal Studios and IOA. We leave on the 18th.

Here is my plan :

10th- upon arrival take it easy, maybe do DTD (there's MK EEMH on this date, not sure if I should go for it?)

11th - Epcot (I have ADRs for dinner at Akershus)

12th - AK or MK

13th - MK + possibly MVMCP.

14th - DHS

15th - ADRs at Chef Mickey, then check out.

My dilemma is mainly between 12th &13th. I'm not sure i will be able to complete MK on the 13th, since we will probably go for EMH, then my ADR at CRT at 1pm, back for a rest, the MVMCP?

Or would I be better off doing MK for a full day on the 12th,then AK till maybe 3 -4 pm on the 13th, then back to MK for MVMCP?

I've booked a 4 day ticket for now, but could upgrade to a 5day. Not really keen on park hopping as the transportation between parks is quite a hassle.

ANy advice is most welcome. We are travelling so far for this, and I hope to cover as much as I can!

thank you.

 

[sharonabe]

Are you planning on breaks every day? If your 4 yr old doesn't nap anymore or can nap in the stroller, you may find you don't need that afternoon break. That will give you more time in the parks. The Dec weather doesn't zap your strength like the summer, and we were never in need of nap at that time of year (late spring and summer, we ALWAYS do).

If you're going to do MVMCP, I would do AK on that day AND I might build in some rest time for that day. You'll want to have enough energy for the party. However, in order to have some rest time, you may have to miss the afternoon parade at AK. If they do as they always have before, you can get in to MK at 4:00 with your party ticket.

As for arrival day, you could add that 5th day and go over to MK just for the evening parade and fireworks. It would be a great way to start you WDW vacation and you could make the 12th an early evening and get plenty of rest the night before AK/MVMCP.

 

[maxiesmom]

I highly recommend you check out the web site EasyWDW.com. It has wonderful advice about what park to do what day and why. Look for the link to December, and click on it. I've used that site a couple of times to plan my days, and the park suggestions are spot on!

Just by peeking you may want to tweek your plans a little. For example, on the 12th the Animal Kingdom is the least recommended park. But the 13th is a good day for the Magic Kingdom. However the 14th is not a great day for the Studios.

Go look at EasyWDW. That will give you all the info you need.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Good choice......

http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/12-december-2012-crowd-calendar/

 

[MHSweb79]

Just to throw a monkey wrench into your planning, Easywdw.com's park recommendations are fantastic for folks staying off-site, since he tends to avoid any park having EMH that day.

As an on-site guest, you may very well want to take advantage of EMH.

What we do is hit the EMH park in the morning (early!) and get all the super-headliners done with little to no wait. Then, around 11 a.m., when the hoards of people who "refuse to get up early on their vacation" are swarming in, we switch to a different park for the remainder of the day. Typically that park is chosen from the easywdw.com recommendations.

Of course, that strategy requires park hoppers. For anyone without hoppers, the easywdw.com recommendations are the way to go.

 

[Toraliina]

thanks everyone.

I never realized planning a WDW vacation is almost like planning some kind of military exercise. haha. The amount of effort people like Josh have put into analyzing crowds etc is really amazing.

I don't intend to get park hoppers (more expensive and transport from one park to another could be very long) and I'm not sure if I can make the EMHs, so am I better off following Josh's? (another problem is of course that my ADRs are based on the EMHs....)

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't intend to get park hoppers (more expensive and transport from one park to another could be very long) and I'm not sure if I can make the EMHs, so am I better off following Josh's? (another problem is of course that my ADRs are based on the EMHs....)

I'm a bit confused. Your not sure if you can make EMHs, but you based your ADRs around them?

 

[BYC]

Hi, my family (dh, myself, dd11, ds9 and dd4) will be making our first trip to WDW in Dec this year. We arrive in MCO on 10th Dec (approx 2 pm) from NYC (where we would've spent the previous 4 days) and will be staying at the CR from 10th - 15th Dec, then checking out to hard rock orlando for the next 3 nights to explore Universal Studios and IOA. We leave on the 18th.

Here is my plan :

10th- upon arrival take it easy, maybe do DTD (there's MK EEMH on this date, not sure if I should go for it?)

11th - Epcot (I have ADRs for dinner at Akershus)

12th - AK or MK

13th - MK + possibly MVMCP.

14th - DHS

15th - ADRs at Chef Mickey, then check out.

My dilemma is mainly between 12th &13th. I'm not sure i will be able to complete MK on the 13th, since we will probably go for EMH, then my ADR at CRT at 1pm, back for a rest, the MVMCP?

Or would I be better off doing MK for a full day on the 12th,then AK till maybe 3 -4 pm on the 13th, then back to MK for MVMCP?

I've booked a 4 day ticket for now, but could upgrade to a 5day. Not really keen on park hopping as the transportation between parks is quite a hassle.

ANy advice is most welcome. We are travelling so far for this, and I hope to cover as much as I can!

thank you.

You have 4 full days. I would do a full day in each park. Why people want to lessen their time at AK I will never understand. It is NOT A ZOO! It is Disney's best park. If you wait until 7 to got to MVMCP, you will walk into a wall of people, all of them not knowing they could have entered by 4. If you are planning a park that has EMH, but are not planning on taking advantage of EMH, you are doing it wrong. If the park had morning EMH, and you are not there about an hour before it opens, that is not the park for you to do that day. If you do a full day in MK< plus the MVMCP, you will get a lot done in MK, and you won't have ignored the best park Disney has. No one can do it all in 4 days. So, don't even try. Just do what you can, and start planning your next trip.

 

[Toraliina]

BYC I wish another trip could be in the works soon but unlikely

When you say "if the park had morning EMH, and you are not there about an hour before it opens, that is not the park for you to do that day.", do you mean that if the emh starts at 8, i need to be there by 7 am?

Complicating these issues are ADRs of course, I made them before I waded into this whole touring plan thingy, and now it seems quite difficult to get them any other times (especially for CRT!)

I think I might go for BOTH the EEMH on the 10th (Since CR is so near to MK) AND MVMCP. Guess I could decide when I get there..

How long does it normally take from touchdown to arrival at the hotel by ME? (I plan to bring my bags with me.....)

thanks everyone for your great advice! I can't wait!

 

[BYC]

Yes, it is best to be at the turnstiles an hour before park opening. But, if you can't be an hour early, than a half hour. It makes no sense to got to a morning EMH unless you are there on time to take advantage of it. Otherwise, you are just going to a very busy park with no up side. Don't skip AK.

 

[RllngRckBrw]

What about dedicating the 12 to MK and do an AK day on the 13th with The party. That won't require hoppers and should give you the extra time to hit up the few MK attractions you missed between party stuff.

 

[Nancyg56]

I would spend one full day in each park.

10th DTD and resort time
11th Epcot
12th AK You will be in AK during Christmas season. I agree that there is so much to do within this park but one of my favorites is the Jingle Jungle Jammin Parade. I would not cut this park short in order to try to spend more time in MK. You won't get it all done there and this time of year really is nice for AK

13th MK -I would spend the morning at my resort and arrive in time for ADR at CRT and spend the rest of the day in MK. It will be nice to be there early for the party and stay until closing.

I would be very careful hitting AK on the same day that I wanted to go to the party in MK. In order to see most of AK you would need to get there by rope drop, you would probably need to skip the parade and would be exhausted by the end of the party in MK. It would be a very long day IMO.

 

[party-of-five]

I would spend one full day in each park.

10th DTD and resort time
11th Epcot
12th AK You will be in AK during Christmas season. I agree that there is so much to do within this park but one of my favorites is the Jingle Jungle Jammin Parade. I would not cut this park short in order to try to spend more time in MK. You won't get it all done there and this time of year really is nice for AK

13th MK -I would spend the morning at my resort and arrive in time for ADR at CRT and spend the rest of the day in MK. It will be nice to be there early for the party and stay until closing.

I would be very careful hitting AK on the same day that I wanted to go to the party in MK. In order to see most of AK you would need to get there by rope drop, you would probably need to skip the parade and would be exhausted by the end of the party in MK. It would be a very long day IMO.

We are arriving on the 10th too!

I second the above suggestion...
12/10 - arrive, soak it all in, there's so much to see and do at the resorts at Chistmas time. You could ride the monorail to each of the monorail resort lobbies to see the beautiful chocolate/pastry displays. They are amazing!
12/11 - Epcot
12/12 - AK (I personally agree that this park is often overlooked, but I think it depends a lot on your family's interest. If you find that you finish here early, you could always go to DTD for the evening especially if you decide to sleep in the next day)
12/13 - sleep in, take your time getting over to the MK for you CRT ressie and enjoy the late night at the party. IMHO, MK is so magical at night,especially decorated for the holidays.
12/14 - HS

This time of year is by no means quiet, but the parks aren't overwhelmed with people either. We've traveled at this time of year many times, and we're always able to ride everything we set out to.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Nancyg56]

Resort hopping takes time but so worth it! I would hit the monorail resorts but also the BC/YC

 

[maryj11]

I highly recommend you check out the web site EasyWDW.com. It has wonderful advice about what park to do what day and why. Look for the link to December, and click on it. I've used that site a couple of times to plan my days, and the park suggestions are spot on!

Just by peeking you may want to tweek your plans a little. For example, on the 12th the Animal Kingdom is the least recommended park. But the 13th is a good day for the Magic Kingdom. However the 14th is not a great day for the Studios.

Go look at EasyWDW. That will give you all the info you need.

I agree this is a great site ! I also look at touringplans.com but you have to pay a small fee each year. It is not much, now I cant remember what it cost, anyway it is worth it. Easy WDW is really good and it's free.