Anybody care to critque my tentative itinerary?

[Northern Disney Girl]

I also posted this on the Theme PArks board, posting it here to hopefully receive some feedback from my fellow Canadians!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Vacation dates are January 19th - 29th and we are staying at POFQ! For now I will say we will be on the DDP(unless there are any huge changes) and we will have 6 day (non hopping) MYW tickets. Here is the itinerary I have mapped out so far....please feel free to comment!

Monday January 19th
- arrive MCO 12:55pm
- arrive POFQ ~ 2pm (is this a reasonable expectation?)
- check in, settle in, explore resort, maybe swim if weather is nice
- 5pm head over to DTD for some CS supper
- early to bed to get ready for our first day at MK!

Tuesday January 20th MK - 9-8
- hoping for an 8 am CRT breakfast!
- be at Fantasyland RD to hit Dumbo ASAP, fantsyland, toontown,Liberty Square
- CS lunch ????
- tour Adventureland & Frontierland
- hoping for 5pm Chef Mickey's
- if girls are too tired after supper , head back to POFQ for bed otherwise, go back to MK for a bit more fun!

Wednesday January 21st - DHS 9-7
- CS breakfast @ POFQ
- arrive for RD - TSM, little mermaid, Muppets Star Tours Narnia
- hoping for 12noon lunch @ 50's PTC
- Beauty & Beast, LMA, HISTK playground, parade
- CS supper either at DHS or DTD depending on girls and how long we stay

Thursday January 22nd - rest day
- sleep in , CS breakfast @ WGP Express at DTD, shop a bit then return to POFQ to swim and rest
- hoping for 5pm supper @ O'Hana

Friday January 23rd - DAK - 9-5pm
- CS breakfast @ POFQ
- arrive for RD - KS, Pangani, Rafiki planetwatch, Nemo
- CS lunch ????
- FOTLK, Dinoland, parade
- hoping for 5pm supper @ Rainforest Cafe @ AK

Saturday January 24th - Epcot FW 9-7, WS 11 -9
- arrive for RD, tour as much as possible....
- hoping for 1030 PSB @ norway
- tour WS from 11 - 415.....
- hoping for 430 Garden Grill supper
- tour a bit more FW until close @ 7pm

Sunday January 25th - rest day
- sleep in
- hoping for 10am brunch @Boatwright's
- rent bikes and ride around POFQ/POR
- swim if good weather
- shopping at DTD
- hoping for 5pm supper @ TREX Cafe

Monday January 26th - Epcot - same as previous
- CS breakfast @ POR
- arrive @ Epcot ~ 11ish CS lunch in FW
- tour FW until ~ 3ish, then head over to WS - revisit girls favourites
- hoping for 6pm supper @ Biergarten
- stay for Illuminations @ 9pm

Tuesday January 27th - rest day
- sleep in, swim, check out playgrounds @ POFQ/POR
- eat when hungry
- ~ 1pm round of Mini Golf @ Winter summerland
- head over to AKL to explore .....
- hoping for 5pm supper @ BOMA

Wednesday January 28th - MK 9-8pm
- leisurely CS breakfast @ POFQ/POR
- arrive @ MK ~ 1030/11am
- hoping for 12noon lunch @ Crystal Palace
- tour whatever we did not see the previous day - tomorrowland?
- afternoon parade
- CS supper ????
- stay for Wishes!

Thursday January 29th - departure Day
- our flight leaves MCO @ 1145 am so I anticipate a DME pickup ~ 830am

Except for DH, none of us are really thrill ride lovers! Our girls are not afraid per say, just not experienced. Since this is their first trip ( I have been 3x as a teenager) we just want to soak up as much as possible, see and experience as much as we can, not necessarily DO as much as we can! We will be going back again, likely for a GG in 2011 when my sister's kids are a bit older! Let me know what you think! comments and helpful criticism welcome!
__________________

 

[dancin Disney style]

Looks like you have put a TON of thought into your plan. It looks great!!!!!!

Your 180 days is right around the corner. I'm sure that you will get all of your ADR's with ease, except CRT that one might be a bit of a challenge. For that one make sure you call right at 7am on the 180 days mark.

 

[disneymath]

Your touring plan looks good ...

I noticed that you've anticapated an hour from MCO to your resort ... it could take longer depending on how many DME customers are coming in at the same time as you and on how many stops the bus makes on the way to your hotel. (It shouldn't really interrupt your plans as you've wisely left this as a relax and explore the resort kind of day.)

I think that your dates may (or may not) fall into the, soon to be implemented 90-day ADR booking window. (Disney is updating thier ADR system so for a while it will go from 180 to 90 days in advance. Check the restaurant boards for more info, as I am not sure when the temporary change comes into effect.)

My only other piece of advice is to limit the amount of times you crisscross across a park to get to various attractions ... little kids have little legs that can get tired fast ... if you follow a set route and see what you want to see along the way, they'll (and you'll) probably stay energized longer.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[MECH8T7]

We went on our first family trip back in 2005 and our (then) two kids were 5 and 7, too. (We've been back 4 times since!) So, here are some thoughts based on my reflections of that first trip.

- On our first trip, we did the Hoop Dee Doo revue the first night. It was a great way to kick-off our WDW vaction and our kids loved the show. We went to and from FW campground via shuttle boat from the MK docks, so it was nice to be able to see the MK from the outside on that first night. As an added bonus, the end of the dinner coincided with the timing for Wishes, which we were able to see from the FW wilderness boat dock, and the Electric Water Parade on Seven Seas Lagoon. The dinner/show is not cheap but maybe something to consider if you are not going back for a few years. Or, instead of DTD, I would recommend heading to the Boardwalk area (outside the World Showcase entrance for Epcot) for dinner and exploring that first night...though I'm not sure what the best route would be for getting there from POFQ.

- We went with the common suggestion that families with younger children should try to go back to the resort during the day and return in the late afternoon / early evening. It doesn't really work for DAK because the park closes in the early evening but it otherwise really worked well for us...particularly since one of our kids was definitely feeling under the weather for a few days that trip..and really helped for the days when we wanted to see the evening fireworks (Wishes, Illuminations, and Fantasmic).

- On our first trip, I can remember days when we booked more than one character meal. We don't do that anymore. In fact, we try not to do more than I TS meal on a given day because you'll find that, if you book more than one ADR on a park touring day, it will really start to restrict your flexibility on how you would otherwise tour the particular park -- you might have to leave a line-up or be running across the park or have to split up to make sure you're not too late for your time. We also found that the kids hardly ate during the character meals, so it was better to spread it around during the week. For example, during your first MK day you plan to eat at the Castle and Chef Mickeys; would it still work for you if you did Ohanas that day and save Chef Mickeys for the day you were planning to go to Ohanas? Also, wondering whether you might want to pass on the Storybook Breakfast at Epcot given the fact that you are going to the Castle for breakfast; if you want stiil want another meal that is "princessy", I think the dinner at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian has better food and has better characters than the Norway pavillion.

- If you don't get your 8 am ADR for breakfast at the castle, consider going with the latest time for breakfast that they will give you. That will give you the chance to do quite a few of the rides in Fantasyland when there is no line-up and your kids will not be rushing through breakfast or getting distracted because they can't wait to hit the park.

- Did you know about the Alice in Wonderland Tea Party at the Grand Floridian? Our kids loved that one.

- I'm wondering whether you might want to allow for a second day at Disney Studios rather than a second day at Epcot. You should be aware that, because many of the attractions at Disney Studios are shows that operate on a set schedule, there may be conflicts with trying to co-ordinate the various showtimes to ensure that you see all the shows you want. Make sure that you plan that out as soon as you get the day's schedule for the shows upon arrival at the park.

- In my view, Fantasmic at Disney Studios is not to be missed. Many will argue that it is the best nighttime show (compared to Wishes and Illuminations) at WDW.

- I would highly recommend paying the upgrade to get the park-hopping privileges. It gives you more flexibility to recover in case you didn't really hit everything you wanted to at the start of the trip or someone in your family absolutely insists on going back to another park just to do one or two of their new favourite rides (e.g. Soarin').

Hope this helps. Your family is going to have a great and memorable time!

 

[laura001]

Wow, you have put a lot of thought into your planning! Good for you!!!

It has been a long time since we travelled with little ones...but I do have a few suggestions.

The suggestion of doing Hoop dee doo on the first night is a great one, it is a great way to kick start your vacation and there is quite a bit to do at FW before the show (if interested)

I see that you have pretty much planned your meals as 8, 12 and 5.....in our experience you could probably make your 12 something more like a snack etc., especially if you did a character meal breakfast. That is a lot of food to pack into 9 hours. I definitely wouldn't do two character meals in one day, you will find that all you are doing is running from one meal to the next.

If you don't get your 8 am ADR for breakfast at the castle, consider going with the latest time for breakfast that they will give you. That will give you the chance to do quite a few of the rides in Fantasyland when there is no line-up and your kids will not be rushing through breakfast or getting distracted because they can't wait to hit the park.

That is a great idea! All your kids will be interested in is getting going!

Good luck with the rest of your planning....enjoy!

 

[Rubbertops]

My suggestions:

I would buy a 10 day ticket rather than a 6 day. I don't think the difference is that much and then I would do half days for "rest" days. I would leave when the park gets busy and then do resort/DTD activities.

Or maybe do full rest days on Saturdays since the parks are busiest on those days.

I don't think you need a park hopper. One park per day is enough travelling. (You should save your energy as much as you can. )

We liked POFQ. I loved the theme and the music. The food court is good. We thought we would spend more time at POR but we only went there once for lunch.

PP mentioned Wonderland Tea Party. My DDs went at ages 3 and 7 and they really enjoyed it. They also did a pirate cruise (ages 4 and 8). I liked the alone time with DH.

Have fun planning!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Thank you so much to all the wonderful ideas and advice!

I am not so much worried about how long it takes us to get to POFQ from MCO that first day - just so long as we get there! An hour was just a guess!

We had considered Fantasmic! but decided to forgo it this time! With the amount of performances a week being shortened to 2, it just doesn't fit in to our schedule! Plus, our younger daughter is terribly afraid of sudden loud noises!

I was able to make some of my ADR's today! I was able to get CRT at 8:05am so we will be able to see an empty Main St and get to Dumbo before the lines are too long! Both My girls are princess crazy so I think that doing both CRT and PSB will be a good thing for us! That, and my hubby loves Scandanavian food!

I am not too concerned with having 2 character meals in one day. It gives us a chance to see and meet the characters without having to stand in line! My girls are really good eaters - not picky at all - so I don't think that much food will be a problem!

We are a very active family, and our kids are waaayyy past the napping stage so I don't think that going back to the resort will be necessary for us. I have planned to take frequent breaks and sit and rest as they need to! If they say they are tired and need to sit for a bit, we sit and have a drink and people watch for a bit! We are not doing this Commando by any means!


This being our first trip, we don't expect to be able to SEE and DO EVERYTHING! I have been planning this trip for more than a year already and have agonized over just about everything including park hours, schedules, dining times and reservations, number of days to be in the parks, whether or not to do EMH's, whether or not to do the DDP, etc! I have filled almost 3 single subject notebooks with notes, ideas, schedules etc! I feel very good with the current plan but am still willing to tweak it a bit more should it become necessary!

Thanks so much for all your suggestion! They really were very helpful!

 

[Ham Ham]

Excellent suggestion about buying 10 day ticket and using it as half days on your slower days.
Idea for day of arrival. Head over to the Boardwalk for some Pizza and then take the launch to EPCOT to see illuminations or the launch over to DHS for Fantasmic.

 

[cdnmickeylover]

Just a suggestion - you've scheduled swim time but in late January it can be cold in Orlando -- we've been there the end of January and the temperature was near freezing. We were wearing mitts and hats rather than swimming. Of course the weather can always be great too but I'd have a contingency plan in place just in case it's really too cold to swim.

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Just a suggestion - you've scheduled swim time but in late January it can be cold in Orlando -- we've been there the end of January and the temperature was near freezing. We were wearing mitts and hats rather than swimming. Of course the weather can always be great too but I'd have a contingency plan in place just in case it's really too cold to swim.

I thought I read somewhere that the pools were heated during the winter months! Obviously, if it is very cold we won't be swimming, however, we will be coming from a winter temperature of about -20 to - 30 C , so I think we will be pretty happy to be in temps of about +18 to +23 C! I wear shorts in any temperature over 10 degrees Celcius! I do appreciate the warning, Thanks!

 

[cdnmickeylover]

I thought I read somewhere that the pools were heated during the winter months! Obviously, if it is very cold we won't be swimming, however, we will be coming from a winter temperature of about -20 to - 30 C , so I think we will be pretty happy to be in temps of about +18 to +23 C! I wear shorts in any temperature over 10 degrees Celcius! I do appreciate the warning, Thanks!

They do heat the pools in winter but we've been there in January a few times and the temperature has been no where near 18C to 23C. It's been closer to 0C and below -- even as a hardy Canadian this is not swimming weather even with a heated pool. One year we were there it was actually below 0C and there were numerous frost warnings -- it was still warmer than home but only on a relative scale. It was a little warmer during the day but not much. Orlando is not warm year round and in January I wouldn't plan on wearing shorts especially at night.

 

[dancin Disney style]

They do heat the pools in winter but we've been there in January a few times and the temperature has been no where near 18C to 23C. It's been closer to 0C and below -- even as a hardy Canadian this is not swimming weather even with a heated pool. One year we were there it was actually below 0C and there were numerous frost warnings -- it was still warmer than home but only on a relative scale. It was a little warmer during the day but not much. Orlando is not warm year round and in January I wouldn't plan on wearing shorts especially at night.

I agree it can get pretty chilly in January, even to the Canucks. I was there last January and it was nice in the daytime but it got cold after the sun went down. In the evening there were people wearing scarves and hats.

We did go in the pool one afternoon, the air temp was around 18C, but that was the only day that was warm enough. The rest of the time we had to wear sweaters all day.

 

[yxe dad]

We had considered Fantasmic! but decided to forgo it this time! With the amount of performances a week being shortened to 2, it just doesn't fit in to our schedule! Plus, our younger daughter is terribly afraid of sudden loud noises!

Great work on all your plans!

Disney seems to have alot of sudden loud noises, so for first trip with the kids I took some ear plugs. They worked great for the attractions and shows mt youngest would have either cried on/in or asked to leave. After a few days he stopped using them as he adjusted to high noise levels.

I also agree with the other posters about getting a 10 day pass with doing more half days.

As for dining, you know your family better than me but here are a few of my fav's!
Boma and Jiko at the AKL, and Tusker House at the AK. Columbia Harbour House for the Lighthouse Sandwich(it's the best sandwich in all WDW), and Crystal Palace at the MK. Epcot, well it's really hard to find bad food there but LeCellier is great, 9 Dragons in China is my kids fav, and I can't leave without going to Biergarden in Germany! DHS - I have never eaten a meal here that I really liked/loved so good luck. The best value in DTD is the Earl of Sandwich(I'll usually eat here 4-5 times a trip) if your looking for a great sandwich, and the tomato soup with croutons is a great side. Other WDW resorts for dining would include the Poly, for O'hana, CR for Chef Mickey's, and the California Grill.

Oh ya, remember to have fun and give us a trip report!

Shayne

 

[bluenosemickey]

I've been 4 times with the kids in the past two years. Everytime I learn something new.

I, too, am a chronic planner. It's a disorder you need to learn to control!

Have a plan B for tired/sick kids... it happens and can pull the rug out from under the best laid plans. So I didn't disclose too much to the kids about the day's plans. Only when I felt confident that we were able to do what was planned. This way you don't get someone feeling badly about hijacking the family for the day.

The other thing we (reluctantly at first) do is to leave the park around 1-2pm and then return after 4pm. My kids didn't nap anymore, but I found the down time to be really beneficial on many unexpected levels:

1. The crowds are moving against you (always a good sign you're doing the right thing), they are arriving when we were leaving and vise versa (sp?)coming back in the park.

2. We really enjoyed the parks at night and this allowed for a later stay without the tired cranky kids (and parents).

3. We actually got to see/do more than if we had stayed...reason being, the crowds. Why waste 45-60 mins waiting in line for a favorite ride? In the afternoon, everything is busier. You can find that you are only able to see/do 2-3 activities in this 2-3 hour period. If you return later on and visit your favorite attractions, you will find 10-20 min waits (at the most) and you will get to do things faster and not miss anything. Tip: get the fastpasses before you leave the park in the afternoon and come back afterwards and use them (they don't really expire).

Alternatively, you could find a quiet spot to rest up like the train around MK or TTC, the monorails or boats. This will accomplish much the same thing. As the one other poster stated, AK closed early so this doesn't apply there.

We were really surprised to find this "leave and come back" technique really works well. It's just reeeally hard to do. Once you're behind that entrance, it's difficult to walk out again!

Give it a try one day just to experiment, pick a day that's warm enough to swim and the kids will definately go for it.

One other thing we do sometimes is visit the parks that don't have EMH going on. You will definately find them to be less busy than the ones that are offering EMH. Now TBS, we really enjoy the late nights at both EP and MK so we make an exception for those. But we always get PH passes and so we only arrive later at the park offering late EMH to avoid the crowds as long as possible. By then, those that didn't get their afternoon break are pooped out and have to leave early!

Have fun and don't stress, all will work out great!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Great work on all your plans!

Disney seems to have alot of sudden loud noises, so for first trip with the kids I took some ear plugs. They worked great for the attractions and shows mt youngest would have either cried on/in or asked to leave. After a few days he stopped using them as he adjusted to high noise levels.

I also agree with the other posters about getting a 10 day pass with doing more half days.

As for dining, you know your family better than me but here are a few of my fav's!
Boma and Jiko at the AKL, and Tusker House at the AK. Columbia Harbour House for the Lighthouse Sandwich(it's the best sandwich in all WDW), and Crystal Palace at the MK. Epcot, well it's really hard to find bad food there but LeCellier is great, 9 Dragons in China is my kids fav, and I can't leave without going to Biergarden in Germany! DHS - I have never eaten a meal here that I really liked/loved so good luck. The best value in DTD is the Earl of Sandwich(I'll usually eat here 4-5 times a trip) if your looking for a great sandwich, and the tomato soup with croutons is a great side. Other WDW resorts for dining would include the Poly, for O'hana, CR for Chef Mickey's, and the California Grill.

Oh ya, remember to have fun and give us a trip report!

Shayne

You bet I will! Thanks so much for all your great suggestions! The more I look at our plans the more I become convinced that adding a few more ticket days might be in order! Either that or park hopping! Not sure yet, but I will let y'all know what I decide!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

I've been 4 times with the kids in the past two years. Everytime I learn something new.

I, too, am a chronic planner. It's a disorder you need to learn to control!

Have a plan B for tired/sick kids... it happens and can pull the rug out from under the best laid plans. So I didn't disclose too much to the kids about the day's plans. Only when I felt confident that we were able to do what was planned. This way you don't get someone feeling badly about hijacking the family for the day.

The other thing we (reluctantly at first) do is to leave the park around 1-2pm and then return after 4pm. My kids didn't nap anymore, but I found the down time to be really beneficial on many unexpected levels:

1. The crowds are moving against you (always a good sign you're doing the right thing), they are arriving when we were leaving and vise versa (sp?)coming back in the park.

2. We really enjoyed the parks at night and this allowed for a later stay without the tired cranky kids (and parents).

3. We actually got to see/do more than if we had stayed...reason being, the crowds. Why waste 45-60 mins waiting in line for a favorite ride? In the afternoon, everything is busier. You can find that you are only able to see/do 2-3 activities in this 2-3 hour period. If you return later on and visit your favorite attractions, you will find 10-20 min waits (at the most) and you will get to do things faster and not miss anything. Tip: get the fastpasses before you leave the park in the afternoon and come back afterwards and use them (they don't really expire).

Alternatively, you could find a quiet spot to rest up like the train around MK or TTC, the monorails or boats. This will accomplish much the same thing. As the one other poster stated, AK closed early so this doesn't apply there.

We were really surprised to find this "leave and come back" technique really works well. It's just reeeally hard to do. Once you're behind that entrance, it's difficult to walk out again!

Give it a try one day just to experiment, pick a day that's warm enough to swim and the kids will definately go for it.

One other thing we do sometimes is visit the parks that don't have EMH going on. You will definately find them to be less busy than the ones that are offering EMH. Now TBS, we really enjoy the late nights at both EP and MK so we make an exception for those. But we always get PH passes and so we only arrive later at the park offering late EMH to avoid the crowds as long as possible. By then, those that didn't get their afternoon break are pooped out and have to leave early!

Have fun and don't stress, all will work out great!

Thanks! You have some great advice! The more I think about it, I think getting away from the parks for a couple of hours in the afternoon sounds like a great idea! Definitely going to give it some more thought!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

I also posted this on the Theme PArks board, posting it here to hopefully receive some feedback from my fellow Canadians!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Vacation dates are January 19th - 29th and we are staying at POFQ! For now I will say we will be on the DDP(unless there are any huge changes) and we will have 6 day (non hopping) MYW tickets. Here is the itinerary I have mapped out so far....please feel free to comment!

Monday January 19th
- arrive MCO 12:55pm
- arrive POFQ ~ 2pm (is this a reasonable expectation?)
- check in, settle in, explore resort, maybe swim if weather is nice
- 5pm head over to DTD for some CS supper
- early to bed to get ready for our first day at MK!

Tuesday January 20th MK - 9-8
- hoping for an 8 am CRT breakfast!
- be at Fantasyland RD to hit Dumbo ASAP, fantsyland, toontown,Liberty Square
- CS lunch ????
- tour Adventureland & Frontierland
- hoping for 5pm Chef Mickey's
- if girls are too tired after supper , head back to POFQ for bed otherwise, go back to MK for a bit more fun!

Wednesday January 21st - DHS 9-7
- CS breakfast @ POFQ
- arrive for RD - TSM, little mermaid, Muppets Star Tours Narnia
- hoping for 12noon lunch @ 50's PTC
- Beauty & Beast, LMA, HISTK playground, parade
- CS supper either at DHS or DTD depending on girls and how long we stay

Thursday January 22nd - rest day
- sleep in , CS breakfast @ WGP Express at DTD, shop a bit then return to POFQ to swim and rest
- hoping for 5pm supper @ O'Hana

Friday January 23rd - DAK - 9-5pm
- CS breakfast @ POFQ
- arrive for RD - KS, Pangani, Rafiki planetwatch, Nemo
- CS lunch ????
- FOTLK, Dinoland, parade
- hoping for 5pm supper @ Rainforest Cafe @ AK

Saturday January 24th - Epcot FW 9-7, WS 11 -9
- arrive for RD, tour as much as possible....
- hoping for 1030 PSB @ norway
- tour WS from 11 - 415.....
- hoping for 430 Garden Grill supper
- tour a bit more FW until close @ 7pm

Sunday January 25th - rest day
- sleep in
- hoping for 10am brunch @Boatwright's
- rent bikes and ride around POFQ/POR
- swim if good weather
- shopping at DTD
- hoping for 5pm supper @ TREX Cafe

Monday January 26th - Epcot - same as previous
- CS breakfast @ POR
- arrive @ Epcot ~ 11ish CS lunch in FW
- tour FW until ~ 3ish, then head over to WS - revisit girls favourites
- hoping for 6pm supper @ Biergarten
- stay for Illuminations @ 9pm

Tuesday January 27th - rest day
- sleep in, swim, check out playgrounds @ POFQ/POR
- eat when hungry
- ~ 1pm round of Mini Golf @ Winter summerland
- head over to AKL to explore .....
- hoping for 5pm supper @ BOMA

Wednesday January 28th - MK 9-8pm
- leisurely CS breakfast @ POFQ/POR
- arrive @ MK ~ 1030/11am
- hoping for 12noon lunch @ Crystal Palace
- tour whatever we did not see the previous day - tomorrowland?
- afternoon parade
- CS supper ????
- stay for Wishes!

Thursday January 29th - departure Day
- our flight leaves MCO @ 1145 am so I anticipate a DME pickup ~ 830am

Except for DH, none of us are really thrill ride lovers! Our girls are not afraid per say, just not experienced. Since this is their first trip ( I have been 3x as a teenager) we just want to soak up as much as possible, see and experience as much as we can, not necessarily DO as much as we can! We will be going back again, likely for a GG in 2011 when my sister's kids are a bit older! Let me know what you think! comments and helpful criticism welcome!
__________________

OK! So after reading everybody's advice, I sat down down last night and tried to work out an alternate plan that includes hopping, emh's AND mid day breaks! I haven't quite worked out all the kinks and details yet but here is the jist of it! Tell me what you think!


Plan # 2 - involves emh's, park hopping, and mid day breaks!

tues Jan 20th Epcot am emh @8 so be at Epcot from 8 - 1pm mid day break dinner at O'hana and then be at MK until close @ 8pm.

wed jan 21 - DHS from 9 - 1 with lunch @ 1230 @ 50's PTC, mid day break at resort, AK pm emh from 4 - 8pm

thurs jan 22 - MK am emh from 8 am until 1pm mid day break @ resort Epcot from 5pm (WS TS supper somewhere - maybe Biergarten) until close to see Illuminations

Fri Jan 23 - rest day - no parks, sleep in, veg out, maybe do some shopping swimming if nice check out resort playgrounds etc dinner @ DTD?

Sat Jan 24 - DHS am emh 8am - 1pm back to resort, rest supper @ Chef Mickey's?

Sun Jan 25 - Epcot 9am - 1pm , rest possible P&PP night?

Mon JAn 26 - AK am emh 8am - 1230 with lunch @ RFC AK ? if not too tired stay; if too tired or park too crowded return to resort for rest,

Tues JAn 27 - brunch @ boatwright's? maybe go to DHS for part of day? go mini golfing @ Winter Summerland

Wedn JAn 28 - MK 8am brekkie @ CP MK 9am - 1, mid day break supper @ 1900 park fare back to MK until close

Thursday - DME to MCO @ 830 am flight @ 1130am

So........ what do you think? is it too much? Is it really necessary to hop in January? My hubby is not exactly thriled with the idea of shelling out an extra $200 for the option of hopping but I am hoping for the possible "canadian code" for free upgrades to hoppers

 

[yxe dad]

You put alot of thought and energy into your first plan and I don't think you needed to scrap the whole thing. I liked the first plan but it just needed to be tweaked a little. I tweak my plans even when I'm at WDW based on how I'm feeling that morning.

Are you using TGM or any books to help you decide on which days you'll go to which park? The reason I ask is that I subscribe to TGM and have the 08 UG and cross reference the info to give me the "best" days to go to which park. Now let me say there is alot of info but it's worth the $$$ to avoid the crowds.

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

You put alot of thought and energy into your first plan and I don't think you needed to scrap the whole thing. I liked the first plan but it just needed to be tweaked a little. I tweak my plans even when I'm at WDW based on how I'm feeling that morning.

Are you using TGM or any books to help you decide on which days you'll go to which park? The reason I ask is that I subscribe to TGM and have the 08 UG and cross reference the info to give me the "best" days to go to which park. Now let me say there is alot of info but it's worth the $$$ to avoid the crowds.

Thanks! Yes I did put a lot of work into that plan! I have a UG 2007 and am a subscriber to the website. The days I have scheduled in the first plan are suggested by UG as being "best parks" on the particular day. The numbers look great - mostly 4's and 5's!

I seem to be waffling again! As I consider the two plans and the pro's and con's of each I am still leaning towards the first! Do you have any suggestions on how to improve on the original plan? I am all ears!

 

[yxe dad]

Thanks! Yes I did put a lot of work into that plan! I have a UG 2007 and am a subscriber to the website. The days I have scheduled in the first plan are suggested by UG as being "best parks" on the particular day. The numbers look great - mostly 4's and 5's!

I seem to be waffling again! As I consider the two plans and the pro's and con's of each I am still leaning towards the first! Do you have any suggestions on how to improve on the original plan? I am all ears!

I'd stick with the first plan but get a 9 day pass. It's only $6.39 more per ticket and then you wouldn't need to get a park hopper at $45 per ticket.

I always recommend to get to the park for opening and leave between 12-2. We'll go for lunch, relax by the pool, mini golf, explore different resorts, basically all the stuff you had planned on your 3 relax/off park days. This way you and your family can relax and recharge everyday! Then head back to the parks around 4 or 5, you'll notice crowds of cranky people leaving that have been there in the sun all day. Enjoy the attractions that you didn't get to in the morning and do your fav's over again before leaving.

The three days you have off, I'd plan to go to the parks, but that's just me.

Sorry, I don't want to confuse you more but you did ask for input .