Am I being too optimistic

[firstimeirishman]

Wanted to post up our daily plan for our first ever trip, (to the states not just WDW, although have done Paris before) Was starting to worry that, with us not being used to the heat that we are going to be be drained halfway through, or if there is anything we have left out that we really need to do. There will be me, DW, DS13 and DD6 and we are staying at CBR. Also We have a rental car. Also the 2nd, 3rd and 4th are overall a CL1 for Disney PArks on TP so should we take advantage of that or will this be reflected at all Florida resorts

- Aug 26th Arrive @ CBR around 1700, will just get bearing in resort.
- Aug 27th AK Rope Drop till close CL3
- Aug 28th MK Rope Drop till Wishes with afternoon break CL3
- Aug 29th Epcott Rope Drop till Illuminations with afternoon break CL4
- Aug 30th This was a planned restday, but got ADR for BOG Lunch so will do easy MK visit
- Aug 31st Busche Gardens Open till close @6pm
- Sept 1st DHS Rope Drop till Frozen Fireworks,with break (CL2)
- Sept 2nd Seaworld Rope Drop till close
- Sept 3rd Islands of Adverture Rope Drop till tiredness kicks in
- Sept 4th Universal Studios Rope Drop till tiredness kicks in
- Sept 5th Character Breakfast @ 1900 FAre Park then rest day
- Sept 6th - Allocated Shopping day for DW
- Sept 7th Half day at Blizzard Beech, then DHS, hopefully for a few meet and FAntasmic
- Sept 8th MK Rope Drop ill 3pm Parade (or later if feeling up for it) CL2 (A+E FP's booked)
- Sept 9th Flight leaves Sanford at 6pm, so not sure what to do here, is there anywhere good to visit that sort of enroute to Sanford

 

[thiabelle]

What an amazing trip! You are sure to have a wonderful time.
-8/27- I'm not sure you will need to be at AK all day- you might get done what you want to get done early-ish. Depends what your goals for the day are?

-I think it's smart to schedule your breaks!

-I've never been to Busch Gardens so I can't comment.

-I know it's an additional cost but have you considered the two park-two day ticket for Universal/IOA? I think the parks require two days to see and experience everything but not being able to flip back and forth would have cramped my touring style plus you can't ride the train. (I LOVE US/IOA!!)

-I suggest checking Kenny the Pirate's website to see what characters might be meeting on 9/7. You said you want to go back to DHS for a few meet and greets but I don't know the specifics of who meets in the afternoons.

-Is you flight back to Ireland or are you heading domestically somewhere else? I've never flown in or out of Sanford so I'm not sure what time you have to be there for check-in. I would suggest heading to Downtown Disney (aka Disney Springs) for the last day. Lots of shopping and restaurants. I wasn't sure if on your "Best Husband Ever to have a Designated Shopping Day" you guys were heading to the outlets, a mall, or DTD. I like DTD- even with the construction (if you drive do your research about parking, etc- I never have a car)

-There seems to be a ton of things to do in Orlando outside of the parks. If you are done shopping I'm sure you will find something that appeals to the family before heading to the airport.

 

[firstimeirishman]

Thanks for the response.
Is there really a benefit to park hopping in the universal parks. We have the orlandoflex tickets which I think let's us hop.

DTD isn't a bad idea fir the last day cos we are flyingy back to Ireland.

 

[GillianP1301]

It's definitely a very full and awesome trip you have planned. I think it's fine as long as you are prepared for days when you might just want to go back and swim and call it a day early. We travel there at the same time and the heat is definitely a factor, but it's easy enough to hit an indoor attraction, store or restaurant to get a cool down break. We also hit the parks every day, but our approach us early mornings, but the evenings we stick to a bedtime close to what we do at home (8pm for my 7 yo). In a 9 night trip, we only do the nighttime show twice. That helps a lot with managing the fatigue. So you may want to consider shortening a few of your days, either by sleeping in or packing it in early.

 

[micksn]

Hi, we tend to find we are very tired in the evening for our first few days untill we adjust. I remember my DD aged then 11 almost falling asleep on a bin during illuminations on day 2 of our trip! I would do Wishes on Aug 30th rather than 28th to allow for this. Maybe visit DTD on that evening. Like you we tend to do a park ealy morning till 1ish then have pool and rest and go back out at 6ish. You are visiting a lot of different parks, but I know lots of people do this. We stuck to Disney on our first trip and it fully filled our time. On our last 2 trips we've had a day at Universal and a shopping day. I'm sure you'll have a great time exploring everything. I would have another morning at a Disney Park on your last day - revisit your favourite or one you feel you didn't have time to fully explore!

 

[Eastern]

Just a suggestion as you are probably unfamiliar with Florida heat and humidity: pack clothes that are light in fabric and color. The athletic type apparel that is moisture wicking is especially good when you are walking around parks all day as it dries very quickly (good if you are caught in a passing rainstorm). You can also wash it in the sink and hang it up to dry if you need to.

I see so many people wearing black tshirts and heavy jeans, even when it's hot! It is so much easier to tour if you are wearing appropriate clothing.

 

[itchin2go]

Thanks for the response.
Is there really a benefit to park hopping in the universal parks. We have the orlandoflex tickets which I think let's us hop.

DTD isn't a bad idea fir the last day cos we are flyingy back to Ireland.

I'm thinking hopping is the only way to see the Harry Potter train? Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

There is no way we could keep that schedule in August. We can go maybe 4 hours max in a park before we need a break in the summer. We also can't do RD the day after a park close.

We were at Disney in August last year. The heat and sun are nothing short of brutal mid-day. Make sure you have a ton of water with you. Our family of 4 went through a 24 case of 24 ounce bottles in 3 park days last August.

 

[Drusilla99]

I had a rental car for the first time in June and LOVED it! The week I was there was an exceptionally hot week for June, so it was nice to not have to wait for a bus, just st jump in the car & crank the AC. The only park that I would have preferred the bus is MK; their parking lot is across the lagoon and it's quite time consuming, and hot, waiting for a ferry or monorail to take you over and then the lines to get back can be long. That's my two cents, your trip sounds wonderful!!

 

[ArwenMarie]

I think it looks fine as a starting plan. The weather is going to be the biggest issue...you just can't as much done as you can during the cooler weather. Between the brutal, brutal heat of midday and the daily storms (with lightning and thunder often). Here are my random thoughts...

AK is really hot for some reason. I wouldn't plan on being able to stay until closing. Maybe try to condense your must-dos there and leave earlier.
The afternoon breaks look good for MK and Epcot and DHS.
I would skip the BOG lunch on the rest day and make that a planned rest day after the three previous park days. I'm not sure MK is the easiest place to just pop into. Or try to get a BOG reservation on the days you are planning to be at MK anyway? I've had really good luck with Disney Dining Buddy.
I haven't been to Busch Gardens but I imagine they get the daily storms too and since a lot of their stuff is outdoors you might not make it until 6 pm so try to get your must-dos done in the morning.
Your Universal days look fine since you are giving each park a whole day and starting out early. Same for SeaWorld. Again, the weather will be a factor there as to how long you can stay. For Seaworld, try to prioritize which shows you want to see, it can be hard to fit them all in one day.
We like to do a character meal on the days we are leaving when we have a late flight. Seems to lighten the mood! Maybe move that 1900 Park Fare to that day? Then you could do a little resort tour on the monorail or something if you had more time to spend before you head out to the airport.

Have a great trip, remember to drink lots of water!

 

[firstimeirishman]

Thanks for the tips guys, certainly some food for thought there. don't know if I can get another bog res been trying for a week now.
Since we have the car we will be able to stop at a store most days to stock up on water so we should be okay in that respect.

I've really had the feeing that somethings gotta give, might have to readjust my touring plans to make sure all our must do's are in the morning and everything else is a plus, but would definitely hate to go and not see all the fireworks and parades at least once

 

[revdon64]

I'm probably going to start sounding like a broken record because I say this a lot, but Frogg Toggs! TMOTO

 

[edolee]

First, I think you have gotten some really good advice above. We will be there for most of your trip, so good luck to both of us on the weather ;-) .
The main issue I see with your plan is that it is too full... given your kids ages, you need to be careful to give plenty of rest. Also, hydration will be CRITICAL to achieve anything close to this... all it will take is a small case of heat sickness for any of you to really foul up your plans.

I think starting at AK is a good idea. You can get this park done by shortly after lunch if you get there for rope drop. A previous poster was correct, it gets REALLY hot during mid-day at AK. Given your kids ages, they might enjoy having lunch at Rainforest Cafe. I am not a huge fan of the food or the prices, but my kids still demand to go there as it has become a tradition. Try to finish by 2pm at the very latest, and give your jet lagged bodies a rest back at your room/pool.

Next couple days look great, as long as you honor the afternoon breaks you have planned. It might be a challenge to do an Epcot rope drop after a long day at MK for the little ones. If I had to get to a park a little later than rope drop, I think Epcot would be a good choice. Maybe make sure your FP+ are a little later in the morning that day.... or at least that the first FP+ is not terribly critical.

If you can really drag them back to Illuminations for another late fireworks, I would be tempted to follow another posters advice and skip the BOG lunch the following day. I have not experienced this personally yet, but my understanding is that new ADR opportunities for BOG and other restaurants will start popping up closer to your arrival. This is because people's plans change, and they have to cancel the ADR so they don't get charged for a no-show. So it is very possible you can get a BOG ADR for one of your already planned MK days. That planned rest day is GOLD... let people sleep in and re-charge.

My real issue with your plan is the next stretch of 6 days. You are up early each day, have a trip to and from Tampa, and have several open til close planned. At the end of the six days, you have 2 lighter days planned... an off day after a character breakfast, and a shopping day. I would strongly suggest moving the shopping day to the 2nd or 3rd, and moving the park day to the 6th. This will have a couple benefits... first, it will break up all those early days in a row, and second, the crowds will be decreasing the further you get into September.

I have another suggestion, but it will cost you some money...

Instead of Busch gardens and Blizzard Beach, consider going to Discovery cove. It will look really expensive when you first check it out, but note that a discovery cove ticket include unlimited admission to sea world and aquatica (instead of blizzard beach) for 14 days.

It is a personal opinion, but I think given the likely cost of this trip, Discovery Cove will be a much bigger highlight than Busch Gardens ( and you can skip the nasty drive to Tampa).

Agree with another posters comment on the Tickets for Universal, if you have not bought them already, you need multi-park tickets to ride the hogwarts express between Universal and IOA.

Sounds like you have a GREAT trip coming. The only way to ruin it is to try and do too much and end up with a family revolt on your hands.

Ed

 

[firstimeirishman]

Thanks Ed,

I'll certainly try to rearrange the bog reservation, but the seem hard enough to get .

We have 14 day Orlandoflex tickets which already gives us seaworld and aquatica, seems strange that discovery Cove isn't included, which is a shame as it looks pretty cool.

 

[firstimeirishman]

A couple of you have said about AK being a half day, whereas I was struggling to fit it all in, so whats best to drop, the day is pretty full up to our fast pass at Kali which should be around 15.15 (according to TP), after that it was the trek, train and Rafiki

 

[ArwenMarie]

A couple of you have said about AK being a half day, whereas I was struggling to fit it all in, so whats best to drop, the day is pretty full up to our fast pass at Kali which should be around 15.15 (according to TP), after that it was the trek, train and Rafiki

AK can be tough with the shows and everything. I would skip the train out to Rafiki. What else is on your list for AK? Maybe we can help tell you what is worth it (or not) from our opinions.

 

[firstimeirishman]

Plan is 1. Safari (FP+) 2. Everest, 3. Dinosaur. 4. Boneyard. 5. Whirl. 6. Triceratops. 7. Meet and Greet (FP+) 8. Lunch 9. Bugs life 10. 1pm Nemo. 11 2pm Lion King 12. 2.45 flights of wonder, 13, Kali with FP+ then, train, Rafiki, Train and leave

 

[ArwenMarie]

Plan is 1. Safari (FP+) 2. Everest, 3. Dinosaur. 4. Boneyard. 5. Whirl. 6. Triceratops. 7. Meet and Greet (FP+) 8. Lunch 9. Bugs life 10. 1pm Nemo. 11 2pm Lion King 12. 2.45 flights of wonder, 13, Kali with FP+ then, train, Rafiki, Train and leave

I think I would head out after the Lion King. Maybe move Kali up if that is a must-do. But I think the way you have it set up is good so that leaving earlier is an option should you want to, other than the Kali FP.