28 days!! Our first trip, PTR

[tabm01]

Hi, I'm a 30 year old mother of 3, DD (4), DS (2), and DS (11 months). My husband and I are taking our kids on our first disney trip, and we've invited his mother along (to help with the kids lol). This is a first trip for all 6 of us!! My husband and I were wondering how our parents kept WDW a secret from us as kids. I mean we had heard of it, but had no idea what it was really all about. Our idea of WDW was pretty much just MK. We had no idea how huge it was! I guess it's just the advancement of technology that has our 4 year old already identifying Cinderella's castle. Oh well, back to the pre trip report. We are driving 12 hours from Louisiana on a Thursday. We will stay at a Marriott hotel that night (using MIL's points) and drive to WDW the Friday morning. We plan to drive straight to POR to check-in, and then straight to AK for our 1st day. Below I will list our ADR's and FP+'s. We have kids who like to eat, so we're on the deluxe DP. Please let me know what you think!

Friday-AK
Kilimanjaro 9-10
Nemo 10:30
(Flame Tree)
Kali River 12:00-1:00
Back to hotel when ready
Boma 6:15

Saturday-MK
Crystal Palace-8:10
7 Dwarf Mine Train-9-10
Aerial-10-11
Belle-11-12
BOG 12:10
(Nap)
Ohana 5:35
(Resort pool that evening)

Sunday-EP
Akershus 8:15
Soarin' 9-10
Nemo 10-11
Crush 11-12
Teppan Edo 12:00
(Nap)
Via Napoli 5:45
World Showcase
IllumiNations 9:00

Monday-Resort/Rest Day
Whispering Canyon 8:35
T-Rex 12:00
Cali Grill 5:35 Mom & Dad only

Tuesday-HS
Hollywood & Vine 8:05
Disney Jr. 9:30
Mermaid 10:30
Toy Story 11:30
50's Prime Time 12:40
(nap)
Mama Melrose's 5:55 (Fantasmic package)
Fantasmic 9:00

Wednesday-MK
Harmony (DS's first haircut) 9:00
Main Street Bakery for breakfast
Pirates 9-10
Splash 10-11
Liberty Tree Tavern 11:50
(nap)
Narcoossee's 6:00
Buzz 7-8 (may switch to MSEP)
Parade 9:00
Wishes 10:00

 

[MarbleBob]

Looks like you have a great trip lined up. We've been to PO 3 times. Twice at French Quarter and once at Riverside. It's by far, my favorite moderate resort. Great pools and beautiful grounds. They have a boat that takes you over to Downtown Disney. Make sure you ride it over at least once, the kids will love it!

I think your itinerary looks great. Especially with the young kids in mind. Taking a full day off to rest and enjoy the resort is wise. And making room for afternoon naps is smart too. Seems like too many people cram too much in their itinerary and end up with cranky kids and cranky parents

Animal Kingdom plans look great. The kids will love Kilimanjaro. We've eaten at Flame Tree several times and it's a good value for the QS credits. Boma is one of our favorite restaurants at WDW. We've been there several times and the food has always been amazing. Make sure you get there a little early (or wait until after dinner) to walk outside and let your kids see all the animals.

MK day looks great. We've been to Crystal Palace for breakfast once. It's not my favorite place for breakfast, but the food is great and it sure is convenient to be right inside the park (vs. say, Chef Mickey's) Seeing Cinderella Castle out the windows is too cool.

We haven't been to the new Fantasyland yet (looks like we'll be there a few days later than you) but good job on the 7 Dwarf Mine Train FP+'s. We locked ours in on Friday too. We'll also be eating at BOG for the first time (dinner). 'Ohana is one of our favorite restaurants too. It's a shame that the Poly is under construction, exploring the resort might not be as fun as normal, but dinner should be awesome. My kids always loved the Coconut Races and the lady that comes out and plays the ukelele. We've got an ADR for Ohana' in June too.... for 19 people in our party. Yikes!!!!

Your Epcot day looks spot on with the little ones in mind. We've done the princess breakfast at Akershus twice. Our dd's loved it!!! Good food too Make sure you ride the Three Amigo's ride inside the Pyramid in Mexico. They'll love it too. (And Soarn' is incredible!) My family loves visiting Japan in the World Showcase. We tried Teppan Edo once and it was great. We love a good Japanese steak house and this one didn't disappoint. Good food, but amazing service. We haven't tried Via Napoli, but my parents love it. Hope to get to it on our next trip. I really want to try those wood fired pizzas.

Whispering Canyon is lots of fun. It's a bit loud and rowdy in there, but very cool. Make sure you take some time to explore Wilderness Lodge. My kids loved going back and forth over the bridge inside next to the spring when they were little. And make sure you go outside and see the geyser erupt. So cool!! Mom and dad date night at the California Grill sounds awesome. I've only been there once, but it was about as good as it gets. We watched the sunset from up there and then saw the fireworks after dinner. Everything we ate was amazing, especially the sushi.

Your HS FP+'s look good too. If my kids were as young as yours, I would have picked the exact same options. We first saw Mermaid when my DD was about 3 (now 14). She loved it and it was one of the highlights of the day. Never been to 50's or Mama Melrose, but I've heard great things about them. Fantasmic is awesome.

And your last MK day looks good too. All 3 of my kids had their first haircut at the Magic Kingdom. Great experiences and great memories. I like that you are finishing the trip off with a bang, literally. Wishes is cool!

I'd say, on paper, it looks like your trip is going to be awesome. Looks like you've done your homework.

 

[tabm01]

Thank you so much, what a relief, lol! I feel like all of my hours of research have paid off, but who knows how it will go in reality!