8 days tickets - which parks ?

[roxazul]

Hi,

first-timers here, I'm the planning control-freak mom
just trying to reassure me that my planning is ok, do you think this is a good itinerary for us ? (it's only me & DD 4)

We have 8-days base tickets, no park-hoppers
I don't plan on afternoon breaks as DD do not nap since 1 year but I don't plan on rope-drop either & go back to hotel around 9pm. Will bring a stroller in case we need it...
We also have one character meal a day scheduled in the same park that we will be in, mostly lunch when the heat is a its high.

first day : check in the afternoon and stay at hotel
second day : DD's birthday Magic Kingdom
third day : Epcot FW
fourth day :Animal Kingdom
fifth day : Epcot WS
sixth day : Magic Kingdom
seventh day : ? Animal Kingdom (or buy a one-day ticket for Typhoon Lagoon)
eight day : Hollywood Studios
nineth day : Magic Kingdom
tenth day : check out of hotel & fly home

if we do Animal Kingdom in one day, we may miss some things that we wanted to see, but then DD is a water lover so I thought TL would be great even if it means more $

any ideas or suggestions ?

Thanks

 

[disneymayz]

It looks good to me. If I was taking my DD only, that looks like I would do. We even take a stroller for my DD7 cause I like to stay late and she can sleep anywhere/anytime.

 

[andrews_dad]

I'd try to take into account Fantasmic days, EMH, etc. to attempt to predict the crowds.

 

[roxazul]

I know not to go on EMH days
but for Fantasmic, we have to go to HS that day, since we want to see it & won't have hoppers, I know it's going to be more crowded but there is really not much that we want to ride in that park

I think my question is more about AK, if we should do 2 days or 1 day only & add Typhoon Lagoon to our trip ??
is going to water park a must ?

I've put down the things we want to do at AK & if we go only for one day, we'll probably miss FOTLK & Camp Minnie-Mickey, which I think are 2 great attractions for a small kid, & we're not planning on doing Nemo, Everest & neither Dinoland...
why is it that I'm scared we won't have enough time
but we just want to walk at our pace in the trails & spend big time in Conservation area (DD interest in animals is huge)

I know it is a big park, I've read that so many times, that there's a lot of walking

what do you suggest

 

[roxazul]

replying to get a little more input

should I shell out more $ to go to Typhoon Lagoon ? (I know it's gonna be so hot in Sept) but we have the resort pools...
or do a second AK day ?

This our first WDW trip, it is for DD4 birthday, & we won't be able to come back for some years I think....

 

[kevgraub]

I know not to go on EMH days
but for Fantasmic, we have to go to HS that day, since we want to see it & won't have hoppers, I know it's going to be more crowded but there is really not much that we want to ride in that park

I think my question is more about AK, if we should do 2 days or 1 day only & add Typhoon Lagoon to our trip ??
is going to water park a must ?

I've put down the things we want to do at AK & if we go only for one day, we'll probably miss FOTLK & Camp Minnie-Mickey, which I think are 2 great attractions for a small kid, & we're not planning on doing Nemo, Everest & neither Dinoland...
why is it that I'm scared we won't have enough time
but we just want to walk at our pace in the trails & spend big time in Conservation area (DD interest in animals is huge)

I know it is a big park, I've read that so many times, that there's a lot of walking

what do you suggest

If you are planning on skipping Nemo, Everest or Dinosaur - I think you will have no problem doing everything in Animal Kingdom in one day, including Lion King and Camp Minnie/Mickey. Animal Kingdome is big, but most people are able to do it in one day and hit all of the attractions. If you are planning on skipping several, you should have absolutely no problems with one day.

I have not done the water parks, but given your plan, I would proabably go for TL over a second day at Animal Kingdom.

 

[wild4dis]

Looks good, I think you need to keep specific crowd levels on certain days in mind and possibly adjust your timing for visits......are EMH visits out of the question for you and your daughter? those early mornings when the crowds are very small are awesome for walking on to some of your favorite attractions.

Not sure of your daughters interest, but FOTLK is a favorite must do for my family every time.....my kids enjoy that no matter what age they were (DW and I too !!)

as far as the water parks, they really are fun and Sept weather is perfect for the pool, I guess it depends on whether your daughter is adventurous and wants to try the slides and other things...or will she be content with the pool and slide at your resort? probably easier for mom to keep an eye on her and relax as well......when my kids were younger, I felt like I was always on watch when at the water parks, i know it may be overprotective in that environment, but I certainly wasnt able to lay on a chair in the sun very much !!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

I would decide when you get there. You have a full schedule, and if you plan to go without a mid-day break, your DD might be wiped out by the seventh day. You may want a day to sleep late, shop at DTD and relax by the pool. I'm not sure where you are staying, but the Disney resorts are worth spending some time there! You can buy TL tickets at TL - you might find a discount in advance, but it won't be that much. I'd wait until Day 7 to decide what you want to do.

Just an FYI - my kids are 6 and almost 10, and we still take afternoon breaks. September in Disney is HOT and you might find your DD getting tired and cranky. You can always duck into an air-conditioned show or restaurant, but we like to go back to the resort and swim and recharge for a bit.

FOTLK is one of our favorite shows in all of WDW, not just AK. Even though DD6 doesn't like the Lion King movie, she likes the AK show! Nemo was just OK to us, but lots of people love it. The playground in Dinoland is a great place to play, although it will be super hot there in September.

I think you should count on your DD needing a stroller, at least at AK and Epcot. There is a lot of walking, and it will be hot and humid. You will get a lot more done if you can give her a break in the stroller, and she will be happier for it!

Since you don't expect to be back for a few years, I'd spend that day at one of the four main parks instead of a water park, but I hear the water parks are great, too!

 

[lacy1101]

Would you want to consider doing Epcot FW and WS in one day so that you could have 2 days at AK and a day at the water park? Thats probably what I would do. If not, then I'd say 2 days at AK and skip the water park (since, as you said, you do have the resort pool for her water fix).

Sounds like a great trip!

 

[srwarden1928]

There is no way to properly critique your schedule as you did not provide dates. I strongly suggest using touringplans.com recommended park days. Another family violated those recommendations every day of their trip, endured oppressive crowds, and now hate Disney. These recommendations have never steered us wrong. We follow them most of the time.

 

[roxazul]

Thanks all for the ideas/suggestions.

I think I will stick with my first idea of doing 2 AK days. One of those to be only half-day so we can have a little rest. I already purchased the 8-days base tickets without water parks, so I will use all days in the 4 main parks.

I know it will be very overstimulating, hot & we will feel tired from this schedule, that's why I don't plan on rope-drop neither EMH, but instead have a good night sleep. I know about lines & we will use FP whenever possible, we don't plan to go on the most popular rides either, so it may help a bit...

I really don't want to do Epcot (FW & WS) in one day, I think we would miss a lot, we will have a character meal in both FW & WS so I think that will be too much for one day.

 

[ty93850]

If you are staying at a disney resort I would take a break and go to pool for a few hours each day. Recharge and head back out. TL and BB are both good parks and if you buy them as a add on you will recieve 2 days admin to them. So you might do them on your arrival day or depart day. I would use my park tickets to the fulliest and not cut a day out of disney. Disney is very draining of energy for you and your daughter. There are some great books out there that I would encourge you to read. Everyone has a fav mine is the unoffical guide to disney. This book has a lot of sections that go into every thing at the world, so dont be turned off by its size. But buy a book and read it just about all will tell you a break is needed, you will be doing a lot of walking. As far as your plans for the parks I agree I would need the dates to say yes or no. But a genreric plan of visit each park at rope drop for 4 days then go back to the parks you and your dd liked would be my suggestion. The MK could eat your whole 8 days alone if you wanted to do everything. The unoffical guide has some touring plans that can help you plan out your day at each park if that would help ( they work we use them). Our family uses the park hopper we go to each park for a day then in the evening we go to EPCOT and eat dinner. We also go to the evening parades aswell. I say you can do AK in a day it is the biggest park but the easiest to get through ( missing some of the shows) HS is also easy to get through in a day. Let us know your resort. Also each resort has a good pool some are better than the others, my kids love the slide at WL and we are staying at the BW in June they have a nice pool and slide aswell so we leave out the water parks. Getting back and forth from most resorts in the world is very easy ( some are convaluted) But to wrap up get a book and plan away with you being a every detail planner you should LOVE the unoffical guide. I plan everything out and my family would just roll there eyes at me until we followed the guide and then they saw how much more of the park we were able to do. Good luck and remember to be realistic with your trip, you and your daughter will have a lot more fun.