Anyone want to critique my plans? Please?

[missnic07]

Ok so I'm going the 17-29th August with my mum and a 9yo and a 6yo. We're staying at CSR and have the regular dining plan. I've tried to plan my days around Josh' recommended days over at Easywdw. Ok here goes...

We don't get into Orlando until about 10pm on Sunday night so by the time we get our bags etc and get to the resort it will be late (I'm guessing 11.30?).

Monday 18th:
Get up whenever and spend time at the pool (the kids LOVE the water and they'll be so excited about the slide!).
Then head to Epcot mid afternoon and use our 3 FP and then we have a reservation for Garden Grill at 7pm.
Watch Illuminations at 9 if we're not too tired.

Tuesday 19th:
Do Animal Kingdom at rope drop. Tusker House for lunch at 12pm. Back to hotel for pool/nap and then Magic Kingdom that evening.

Wednesday 20th:
MK at rope drop. Crystal Palace at 12pm. Back to hotel for a break and then back to MK for the evening and to catch the Electrical Parade and Wishes.

Thursday 21st:
O'hana reservation for 9.40am, then into Epcot until the afternoon. Go back to the hotel for a swim and do the movie night at the resort and an early night to bed!

Friday 22nd:
Hollywood studios when we wake up. Reservation for Hollywood and Vine lunch (characters) at 12pm. Do rides/shows until dinner at 6.15pm at H&V again (fantasmic package). Watch fantasmic at 8.30pm.

Saturday 23rd:
Rope drop at AK. Try and fit in what we didn't manage to the previous time and then go back to the resort and head to Typhoon Lagoon (question..do you think we'll have enough time to do this? Typhoon Lagoon closes at 6pm...)

Sunday 24th:
HS at rope drop. Reservation at Sci Fi Diner at 12.30. Use FP after lunch and then back to the resort to swim and movie night again.

Monday 25th:
Blizzard Beach at 10am and QS lunch there. Back to resort to change then DTD and T-REX at 7.30pm.

Tuesday 26th:
Sleep in and then Chef Mickeys at 11.20am for late brunch. Head into MK and do rides and watch the parade before heading back to the Contemporary for Pirates and Pals fireworks cruise.

Wednesday 27th:
Epcot at rope drop. Via Napoli lunch at 12.45pm. Back to the resort and then MK that night maybe, or maybe just spend the evening at the pool and rest, depends how tired we are.

Thursday 28th:
MK for CRT at 8.10am. Do MK until early afternoon then go back to the resort and let the kids have one last play in the pool, as the next day it will be...HOME time

Anything you think I need to change??

 

[pad406]

Ok so I'm going the 17-29th August with my mum and a 9yo and a 6yo. We're staying at CSR and have the regular dining plan. I've tried to plan my days around Josh' recommended days over at Easywdw. Ok here goes...

We don't get into Orlando until about 10pm on Sunday night so by the time we get our bags etc and get to the resort it will be late (I'm guessing 11.30?).

Monday 18th:
Get up whenever and spend time at the pool (the kids LOVE the water and they'll be so excited about the slide!).
Then head to Epcot mid afternoon and use our 3 FP and then we have a reservation for Garden Grill at 7pm.
Watch Illuminations at 9 if we're not too tired.

Tuesday 19th:
Do Animal Kingdom at rope drop. Tusker House for lunch at 12pm. Back to hotel for pool/nap and then Magic Kingdom that evening.

Wednesday 20th:
MK at rope drop. Crystal Palace at 12pm. Back to hotel for a break and then back to MK for the evening and to catch the Electrical Parade and Wishes.

Thursday 21st:
O'hana reservation for 9.40am, then into Epcot until the afternoon. Go back to the hotel for a swim and do the movie night at the resort and an early night to bed!

Friday 22nd:
Hollywood studios when we wake up. Reservation for Hollywood and Vine lunch (characters) at 12pm. Do rides/shows until dinner at 6.15pm at H&V again (fantasmic package). Watch fantasmic at 8.30pm.

Saturday 23rd:
Rope drop at AK. Try and fit in what we didn't manage to the previous time and then go back to the resort and head to Typhoon Lagoon (question..do you think we'll have enough time to do this? Typhoon Lagoon closes at 6pm...)

Sunday 24th:
HS at rope drop. Reservation at Sci Fi Diner at 12.30. Use FP after lunch and then back to the resort to swim and movie night again.

Monday 25th:
Blizzard Beach at 10am and QS lunch there. Back to resort to change then DTD and T-REX at 7.30pm.

Tuesday 26th:
Sleep in and then Chef Mickeys at 11.20am for late brunch. Head into MK and do rides and watch the parade before heading back to the Contemporary for Pirates and Pals fireworks cruise.

Wednesday 27th:
Epcot at rope drop. Via Napoli lunch at 12.45pm. Back to the resort and then MK that night maybe, or maybe just spend the evening at the pool and rest, depends how tired we are.

Thursday 28th:
MK for CRT at 8.10am. Do MK until early afternoon then go back to the resort and ,et the kids have one last play in the pool, as the next day it will be..,HOME

Anything you think I need to change??

Looks good, but busy. But you do have plenty of rest periods, you'll need them The day you do HS, you don't mention your plans but if the kids are at all interested you should head straight to the Jedi Training academy to get them signed up. They have to be with you. Yours are a perfect age for it. Enjoy the trip

 

[missnic07]

Looks good, but busy. But you do have plenty of rest periods, you'll need them The day you do HS, you don't mention your plans but if the kids are at all interested you should head straight to the Jedi Training academy to get them signed up. They have to be with you. Yours are a perfect age for it. Enjoy the trip

Thanks for looking over them . What does the Jedi Training consist of? The 9yr old is a girl, she's a bit 'too cool for school' if you get me lol, but she might let herself go on holiday!

 

[pad406]

Thanks for looking over them . What does the Jedi Training consist of? The 9yr old is a girl, she's a bit 'too cool for school' if you get me lol, but she might let herself go on holiday!

I think it's really cool. My DD was 9 too the first time and loved it. She really got into it, a bit too much I think, I feared for the safety of Darth Vader She was mad keen to do it on the next trip when she was 11.

Basically they get 'trained' by Jedi masters and have to 'fight' Darth Vader. All Star Wars. Here's a link to it

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/hollywood-studios/star-wars-jedi-training-academy/

Assuming the 6yo is a boy, he'll definitely love it.

You'll be there on the 22nd so check it out and if they want to do it, head there on the 24th, it does fill up quickly. It's near the entrance to Star Tours and you really need to check that out

 

[2Tiggies]

I don't say any obvious faults with your plans. What you've done right IMO is to balance it out with regular breaks in the day. That will also give the kids some time to relax and works wonders for moods

You seem to have built some flexibility in there as well which is also a good thing. The only thing that I would ask (and it's not something that's wrong, but all kids are different), is how your children cope with late nights followed by early mornings? Some children need very little sleep compared to others, especially if they get some down time in the day, whereas others are either early risers or cope better with late nights. You have several nights where you mention fireworks and parades followed by a rope drop the next day. This is not necessarily a problem at all, but you may find you end up calling it a day on one or two evenings or mornings based on how everyone feels on the day. My advice would be where you have nights back to back with a rope drop, not to book your morning FP's too early so that it gives you the option to sleep in later if the children (or you) are tired after a late night.

 

[missnic07]

I don't say any obvious faults with your plans. What you've done right IMO is to balance it out with regular breaks in the day. That will also give the kids some time to relax and works wonders for moods You seem to have built some flexibility in there as well which is also a good thing. The only thing that I would ask (and it's not something that's wrong, but all kids are different), is how your children cope with late nights followed by early mornings? Some children need very little sleep compared to others, especially if they get some down time in the day, whereas others are either early risers or cope better with late nights. You have several nights where you mention fireworks and parades followed by a rope drop the next day. This is not necessarily a problem at all, but you may find you end up calling it a day on one or two evenings or mornings based on how everyone feels on the day. My advice would be where you have nights back to back with a rope drop, not to book your morning FP's too early so that it gives you the option to sleep in later if the children (or you) are tired after a late night.

That's a good tip thankyou. Yes I was worried a little about this as the 9yo can easily sleep in until 12pm! I think on our mid day breaks that they can have an hour in the pool and then try and take a nap. Or like you said, if they're too tired we will just call it a night.
As long as we get to see Wishes once or twice that's fine

 

[missnic07]

I think it's really cool. My DD was 9 too the first time and loved it. She really got into it, a bit too much I think, I feared for the safety of Darth Vader She was mad keen to do it on the next trip when she was 11. Basically they get 'trained' by Jedi masters and have to 'fight' Darth Vader. All Star Wars. Here's a link to it https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/hollywood-studios/star-wars-jedi-training-academy/ Assuming the 6yo is a boy, he'll definitely love it. You'll be there on the 22nd so check it out and if they want to do it, head there on the 24th, it does fill up quickly. It's near the entrance to Star Tours and you really need to check that out

Ahh that looks cool. I think we'll definitely have to check it out! Thanks for sharing.

 

[pad406]

Not sure if it's your first trip or not, but these are our highlights. Of course not everybody will agree, but hopefully it will give you an idea of the rides/shows. We got so much help here planning our first (and second, and third) visit, I can't thank everybody enough.


HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Star Tours - A really cool simulator type ride. Someone gets picked to be the Rebel Spy for each 'trip'. The CM who controls the doors picks them. Wear a 'First Trip; button and try and catch their eye. Smile nicely and look excited. When you site down, don't put on the glasses immediately, looks straight ahead and don't fidgit. Good chance of getting picked.
Jedi Training - Sign up first thing, no FP+ for this. Must have the kids with you. They get to 'fight' Darth Vader! They'll love it
Indiana Jones - Stunt show based on the movie. Adults can volunteer as extras, great fun.
Lights Motor Action - Really cool show and a nice way to rest for a while
Toy Story Mania - THE family ride in WDW. Hugely popular. Even at that time of year, a must FP+
Rock N Roller Coaster - Good thrill ride. In the dark. Might be a bit scary for younger kids, my DS10 still won't go on it, but DD & I love it. Not sure of height requirement
Tower of Terror - Love this ride. Again might be a bit scary
Muppets Show - Great fun
Fantasmic - Fireworks and water show and more. Hard to explain. Must see

EPCOT Our favorite park.
Soarin - A 4D simulator ride on a kind of glider thingy. Really cool.
Misson Space - Another simulator type ride. There are 2, Green and Orange. Not for the claustrophobic or those prone to motions sickness. The green is a lot less intense, would recommend you try this first if you're unsure
Test Track - Haven't done the new version yet, but loved the old one
Turtle Talk with Crush - Kids love this, it's fun. Just sit in a room and 'talk' to Crush from Finding Nemo
Agent P's World Showcase - Haven't done this, is the replacement for Kim possible, kids loved that and is a really nice way to explore the world showcase with kids. Keeps them busy while the adults can stroll around.
Spaceship Earth - We like this, some don't. Not leading edge but fun and worth doing at least once.
Innoventions - We nearly missed this. If any of the kids are into roller coasters. must do 'Sum of All Thrills'. You design a coaster, or airplane flight (and some others) and then 'do' them in a simulator.
The Seas with Nemo & Friends - A gentle 'ride' through an aquarium
World Showcase - We easily will spend 1-2 days just wandering through here. A lot is hidden off the main track, just explore.

ANIMAL KINGDOM
Partly a HUGE ZOO, partly a theme park
Expedition Everest - Love this coaster
Kali River Rapids - Good raft type water ride
Dinosaur - Dark and possibly scary for younger ones. We don't mind too much if we miss this
It's Tough to be a Bug - Great show
Nemo the Musical - Class
Lion King - Great show - broadway type of production
Flights of Wonder - Great fun, missed it our first time nearly missed this our second time.

MAGIC KINGDOM
Well it's magic Kingdom !
The first walk up Main St and seeing the castle :smile:

There is so much to see and do here. I couldn't possible list them all but here's our top ones
Space Mountain - Indoor roller coaster in the dark. Note the 'cars' are 2 seater one behind the other, not side by side. May be an issue for younger kids
Big Thunder Mountain - Our first ever ride in Disney, will always hold a special place in our hearts. Good family roller coaster, fairly gentle but fun
Splash Mountain - Log/Flume water ride, good fun, you don't get too wet if you're careful
Monsters Inc Laugh Floor - Love love love this
Buzz Lightyear - Ssshh but we prefer this to Toy Story
Mine Train - Opening soon, so haven't ridden it. A gentle type family coaster
Haunted Mansion - Might be a bit scary. DW and DD love this, I'm not bothered either way
Jungle Cruise - If you get a good guide, excellent, otherwise just good
Pirates of the Caribbeann - Love this, again might be dark and scary
Mickeys Philarmagic - Another 4D show, cool

And after all that, there's the fireworks, Wishes and Illuminations.Both are excellent. Then there's the show they project on the castle in Magic Kingdom, Celebrate the Magic, really really cool.

 

[willeve]

The only concern I would have is that you have a few Latin dinners followed by rope-drops. When my two were younger we found we needed earlier nights if we were going for rope drop. We tend to do rope drop in our first week then do later nights and later mornings in the second week.

 

[missnic07]

The only concern I would have is that you have a few Latin dinners followed by rope-drops. When my two were younger we found we needed earlier nights if we were going for rope drop. We tend to do rope drop in our first week then do later nights and later mornings in the second week.

Hmm yes I see your point. Maybe Tuesday the 19th we might not do MK that night as we will have the whole day on the 20th there.

 

[missnic07]

Not sure if it's your first trip or not, but these are our highlights. Of course not everybody will agree, but hopefully it will give you an idea of the rides/shows. We got so much help here planning our first (and second, and third) visit, I can't thank everybody enough.

Yes it's our first trip! I'm so so so excited!! More so than the kids lol. Thanks so much for the break downs of the parks, that's really helpful!
I've been trying to watch the ride videos on YouTube also, as the 6yo won't do anything too scary so I need to know what not to take him on lol. This site is SO helpful, I don't know what I would have done without it!

-edit just read all of your post. Thanks SO much, that's helped me out tons!!

 

[2Tiggies]

Being a first trip, I'm going to add to some of the great tips from the previous posters here and point out a mistake I made on our first trip. We lived in the parks, swam showered and slept at the resort. When we got home I realized that I did not have a single photo of the resort we stayed at. Make sure you spend some resort time. It is so common to go in with the approach that you paid xxx for your park tickets and you should be at the parks, but if you think about it, the resort portion of the stay costs you a lot more per day than the park entry does. Enjoy the resort time without feeling like you should rather be in a park.

CSR is beautiful. There is so much detail there and the theme is fantastic IMO. Go explore it, take some photos, whether with a fancy pro camera or with your phone - just preserve some of the memories. Disney is such a sensory overload that sometimes it's hard to take in and process everything as it happens. You need to slow down sometimes and just enjoy being there and document it with photos, video or journal entries - whatever your style is - so that you can process that later on when you get back.

Edit: Not sure about CSR, but the resorts we have stayed at always hand you an activities schedule on check in. They usually issue a new one each calendar month. Most of the activities tend to happen around the pool and are aimed at kids, but pretty much all are suitable for the whole family to join in. Movies at night and other things are always on offer too. If you check out the thread for CSR on the Resorts Board someone will be able to give you an idea where you can view a sample schedule to get an idea. When DD was younger it was one of the highlights for her. She loved the pool games.

 

[gembeans]

We're here at the moment & the only change I might make is to bring ur first evening reservation forward a little. We were awake really early the first morning & were flagging by our 4pm ressie at t-rex

 

[missnic07]

Being a first trip, I'm going to add to some of the great tips from the previous posters here and point out a mistake I made on our first trip. We lived in the parks, swam showered and slept at the resort. When we got home I realized that I did not have a single photo of the resort we stayed at. Make sure you spend some resort time. It is so common to go in with the approach that you paid xxx for your park tickets and you should be at the parks, but if you think about it, the resort portion of the stay costs you a lot more per day than the park entry does. Enjoy the resort time without feeling like you should rather be in a park. CSR is beautiful. There is so much detail there and the theme is fantastic IMO. Go explore it, take some photos, whether with a fancy pro camera or with your phone - just preserve some of the memories. Disney is such a sensory overload that sometimes it's hard to take in and process everything as it happens. You need to slow down sometimes and just enjoy being there and document it with photos, video or journal entries - whatever your style is - so that you can process that later on when you get back. Edit: Not sure about CSR, but the resorts we have stayed at always hand you an activities schedule on check in. They usually issue a new one each calendar month. Most of the activities tend to happen around the pool and are aimed at kids, but pretty much all are suitable for the whole family to join in. Movies at night and other things are always on offer too. If you check out the thread for CSR on the Resorts Board someone will be able to give you an idea where you can view a sample schedule to get an idea. When DD was younger it was one of the highlights for her. She loved the pool games.

Thankyou! I definitely plan on enjoying the resort . I've got plans of using the hammocks and getting some photos of the kids in those! Really can't wait to visit CSR. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it! Which part did you stay in? I've put a request in for Cabanas 8A.

 

[2Tiggies]

Thankyou! I definitely plan on enjoying the resort . I've got plans of using the hammocks and getting some photos of the kids in those! Really can't wait to visit CSR. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it! Which part did you stay in? I've put a request in for Cabanas 8A.

We've never stayed there - only visited it. It is still on the bucket list, but we fell in love with POFQ in 2010 and this year is the first time since then that we are breaking away for a split stay to try something else

I love the theming of CSR though!! Friends of ours only stay there and aren't interested in staying anywhere else. They are the kind of people who know exactly what they want so the fact that they keep going back, and knowing them as I do, makes me keen to try it. You can give us a good run down and report when you get back

 

[missnic07]

We've never stayed there - only visited it. It is still on the bucket list, but we fell in love with POFQ in 2010 and this year is the first time since then that we are breaking away for a split stay to try something else I love the theming of CSR though!! Friends of ours only stay there and aren't interested in staying anywhere else. They are the kind of people who know exactly what they want so the fact that they keep going back, and knowing them as I do, makes me keen to try it. You can give us a good run down and report when you get back

Yes I will ,

Do you happen to know if you have to pay to do the Kim Possible Missions in Epcot or is it free?

 

[Elise79]

Kim Possible is free

We have had 5 great stays at CSR and if it wasn't for our DVC it would be our resort of choice

My only comment with your plan would be the day you have the morning at AK followed by TL - I would swap them round. Have a slower morning at TL then take advantage of pre-booked FP and the fact AK empties mid afternoon to finish off A K.

All kids are different but our Dd has never had any issue with late nights And early morning however it takes 3 or 4 days for her to be able to stay awake until the late fireworks. She is nearly 6 but she has been going since she was under 1. Other things we have found that work for us are having a character breakfast the first morning meaning we are not tied to a reservation later in the day so we can eat a bit earlier if necessary (not too early though as it doesn't help you adjust)

 

[ChipnDaleRule]

We're here at the moment & the only change I might make is to bring ur first evening reservation forward a little. We were awake really early the first morning & were flagging by our 4pm ressie at t-rex

I would agree with this 100%. Because of time difference your first morning your awake super early, add in the first day excitement, heat etc, to have a meal in the evening is a big ask. We usually have our meal at lunch time and then go back to the pool and by early evening we're usually in our room exhausted

 

[2Tiggies]

My daughter is older now so this is less important, but something I used to do to help give an overview of times was when writing/typing out my rough itinerary plan, if we had a late night, I would draw a red line under it and for an early morning, a green line above. When you look at the page it immediately flags up any clashes. My general approach was to avoid a red and green line back to back. With increased stamina as DD is older now, I simply try to avoid two of these back to back late/early days in succession.

 

[pad406]

Yes I will ,

Do you happen to know if you have to pay to do the Kim Possible Missions in Epcot or is it free?

Kim Possible has been replaced by Agent P, similar in concept I believe and still free

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/epcot/agent-p-world-showcase-adventure/