Are these AK itineraries reasonable?

akatiedaniels

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jul 14, 2024
Messages
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Hi everyone!! Quick facts about us: This will be my family's first trip to Disney World. We are not big rollercoaster riders. 3 girls - 15yo, 12yo, & 9yo. Good walkers!
Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions! Thank you so much for your time!!

Friday Aug 23rd, 2024 – PM AK (arrive by 3) (8am-6pm)

-Transportation - bus

1. See Lion King (30min show) Shoot for 4pm show - check times day of (10, 11, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4)

2. Safaris

3. Gorilla Trails

4.If time and desire, It’s Tough to be a Bug

5.Explore Discovery Island Trails and Oasis

6. Dinner at Sanaa at 7:10pm (how long to get here?)

bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge?

Saturday Aug 24 – AM – AK rope drop (8am-6pm) Early entry 7:30am

-Transportation - bus

-Arrive at the main entrance 1 hour before official opening time. Use wait to get a map and times guide

1. Flight of Passage

2. Na’vi River

3. Kali River rapids if we want (opens later - check time - ~9?)

free lockers to store bag and shoes

opens later

bring flipflops and wear poncho

4. Maharajeh Jungle trek

5. Feathered Friends - shoot for first show (10:30?) (10:30, 11:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30)

6. Lunch at Flame Tree BBQ on Discovery Island but having BBQ for dinner. (Satu’li Canteen in Pandora looks good but is a long walk. Can also look into Asia food. Will be there for Feathered Friends)

7. Nemo - shoot for noonish show (25min show) (11, 12, 1, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30)

8. Take bus back to Beach Club to swim/nap/shower.
 
Hi everyone!! Quick facts about us: This will be my family's first trip to Disney World. We are not big rollercoaster riders. 3 girls - 15yo, 12yo, & 9yo. Good walkers! We plan on taking advantage of early entry in the mornings.
Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions! Thank you so much for your time!!

Thurs Aug 22 AM – Epcot – Rope Drop (9am-9pm) Early entry at 8:30

-Transportation - walk from Beach Club

-Arrive at International Gateway 60-75 min before official opening

(lots of walking between the first 3 rides but it will knock out the big waits early and then we will be inside for awhile)

1. Remy’s Ratatouille in France

2. Frozen After After in Norway

3. Soarin’ Land Pavilion

4. Living with the Land (before noon or after 3)

Work in Jammitors if possible in World Celebration (~9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:55, 1:55, 2:55)

5. Spaceship Earth in World Celebration (keep an eye on wait times. Less walking to eat first)

6. Lunch at Sunshine Seasons (or if not hungry grab a snack on the way out of Epcot in World Showcase)

7. If not a long line The Seas with Nemo and Friends and SeaBase

8. Walk through Moana

9. Journey with Figment (if time on way out)

10. Club Cool to taste soda (out of the way and may not be open- hold loosely)

11. 1:30-2 return to Beach Club to swim/nap/shower

take skyliner back to Beach club for the experience

or if we skip Figment, take bus since we are close to the main entrance

Thurs Aug 22 PM – Epcot (9am-9pm)

-transportation

- Bus if going to Nemo

- walking or skyliner if going straight to World Showcase

1. The Seas with Nemo and SeaBase if not done in the AM

2. Tour the World Showcase starting France moving counterclockwise (many shows have final time of 5pm)

Skip France film

Tour Morocco pavilion and exhibits

Tour Japan Pavilion and exhibits

Watch the American Adventure

Tour Italy

Tour Germany

Skip China film (not rated highly by any age group)

Norway (already rode Frozen)

Mexico (skip boat ride to save time - don’t wait more than 10 min)

Canada pavilion – watch film

United Kingdom pavilion

3. Watch fireworks - lots of good views

  1. Japan
    1. 2nd story of department store about 30 min
    2. last min - by the water or ground level in the open courtyard or anywhere between the pagoda and department store
  2. little island between the 2 bridges between France and UK (crowded)
    1. often closed for parties
    2. go down to lagoon level
    3. closest to the exit for us
  3. Mexico - pretty much anywhere
4. Walk back to Beach Club
 
Hi everyone!! Quick facts about us: This will be my family's first trip to Disney World. We are not big rollercoaster riders. 3 girls - 15yo, 12yo, & 9yo. Good walkers! We plan on taking advantage of early entry in the mornings.
Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions! Thank you so much for your time!!

Saturday August 24 – PM – DHS (9am-9pm)

-Transportation - boat - arrive by 3:15

1. Beauty and the Beast (4pm show - 25min) (11, 1, 2, 4, 5)

2. Based on wait times try

Slinky dog dash (closest to dinner)

Or Toy Story Mania (do we even want to ride this? Will Buzz be enough? Rougher.)

3. Dinner at Roundup Rodeo BBQ in ToyStory land at 5:25

4. Ride the Toystory land ride we weren't able to ride before dinner if waits are short enough and bellies are settled.

5. Walt Disney presents (Presentation about Walt Disney’s life)

6. Star Wars Launch Bay

7. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Train (if wait time is reasonable)

8. Muppets if we want

9. Explore if there is time and we don’t want to leave yet

-transportation back to Beach Club - boat - if not running because of weather, there is a bus

25 min walk

Sunday August 25, 2024 – AM – DHS rope drop (9am-9pm) Early entry at 8:30am

-transportation - boat

-arrive an hour before official opening time.

1. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

#2. Millenium falcon: Smuggler’s run

Explore Starwars world

3. Try Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway on Hollywood Blvd

Or Slinky dog dash if we haven’t done it yet

4. Muppet Vision if we have time

5. Indiana Jones stunt show (30min) - 1st show ~10:45 (10:45, 12, 1:15, 3:15, 4:30)

6. Lunch - ABC commissary

7. Leave by noon because we have Hoop De Doo review at 4

-boat transportation back to Beach Club to nap/shower (fast turnaround to get to Fort Wilderness in time for 4pm Hoop-Dee-Doo)
 
Definitely sounds like a full day really doing the deep dive into World Showcase like that, but mostly doable.

I can’t tell how long your midday break is though? What time are you coming back to start France / WS?

Alas, there’s no “taking the Skyliner back to Beach Club for the experience.” You’d do that on a Hollywood Studios day or a down day. The Epcot Skyliner station is the closest Skyliner station to Beach Club.
 

Also, I don’t think there’s a bus between Beach Club and the front entrance of Epcot.

Nemo rarely gets a long line, but, if it does, you can go into the aquarium via the gift shop/exit with no wait. My daughter would spend an hour in there when she was younger. And it’s lovely air conditioning.
 
Wow, going for Remy, Frozen AND Soarin' all in a row is pretty ambitious! When you factor in the walking time between the rides, along with the possibility that wait times for Frozen and Soarin' will both be looonnnggg by the time you make it, you might be spending your entire morning on just those three rides.
But, I hope I'm wrong! May the odds be ever in your favor! :D
 
That's a little aggressive, especially for a first trip in August - the hottest month of all in FL. be prepared for that, not sure where you live but a FL August is HOT and humid, even if you are used to a lot of walking - doing it in 98 degree heat with a 100% humidity index is a whole 'nother kind of h*ll (literally). And another poster is correct, there is no bus from the BC to any part of Epcot. Only way to get to Epcot is the walking path or a boat to the World Showcase entrance. Same for the Skyliner, the station is at the back of the park, in World Showcase, so near the Beach Club. You can definitely ride it, but it's going to drop you off at the same place you board, it won't take you to the BC. I would highly recommend "relaxing" your plans (for the other parks, too), it's going to stress you out when something may happen, and it will. For early entry, it's time enough to get one attraction done when at Epcot due to the distance between them. You won't get all three done in that time, unless you plan to buy Lightning Lane access, then you might get all three done in about 2 hours, if you can time it all right. I always tell people who are visiting for their first time to have an idea what they want to see and do, then focus on what it most important. Then everything after that is a bonus. Stressing about having to be "on track" won't be fun with 3 hot exhausted kids who just want to go back to the hotel and swim - and very smart to build that in! Have a great trip, just don't be too hung up on sticking to a master plan.
 
For your dinner at Sanna, you will have to take either a rideshare/taxi back to your hotel or take a bus from AKL to either the MK or DHS and then switch to Disney transportation to get back to the BC. There won't be any busses going back to DAK once you are done with your dinner because the park closes so early. Depending on the time DHS closes, I'd go there and then take the Skyliner to the back of Epcot and walk back to the BC. If you take a bus to Epcot, it will drop you off at the front of the park and there are no BC busses there. If you have hoppers you are fine, you'd walk through Epcot and then on to your resort. You could go to the MK, too and then switch to the BC bus there. If you drive, then ignore all of the above!
 
For your first day there, you may not be able to fit both the safari and gorilla trails in that afternoon. Those 2 attractions tend to close earlier (often 5 for the trails and 5:15 maybe for the safari). Would be cutting those super close if you go to the Lion King show (which is amazing and definitely something to see).
 
Your DHS morning on the 25th is pretty ambitious also. I don't think you'll get all you have listed done by lunch. Rise is going to take an hour, Smugglers Run will probably be at least 30 minutes and Slinky Dog will probably take an hour. Mickey's Railroad may be 30 minutes also. So to be out by noon will be pushing it. Good Luck!!
 
Definitely sounds like a full day really doing the deep dive into World Showcase like that, but mostly doable.

I can’t tell how long your midday break is though? What time are you coming back to start France / WS?

Alas, there’s no “taking the Skyliner back to Beach Club for the experience.” You’d do that on a Hollywood Studios day or a down day. The Epcot Skyliner station is the closest Skyliner station to Beach Club.
Thanks! I don't know why I got it in my head that we had the skyliner. Must have confused Beach Club with one of the other hotels we had considered. :)

I'm hoping for a good 3 hour break in the middle of the day. So my plan now is to try to keep the morning schedule but have two shorter evenings in the World Showcase.

Thanks so much for your feedback!!
 
Doing parks every day for 4 consecutive days and going from open to close seems overly ambitious to me. Disney parks can involve MILES of walking and it is very HOT/HUMID that time of year along with being very crowded. I think everyone will be exhausted from having to get up so early to race off to be there when the park first opens. Likely some who go to Disney for the first time want to plan to see/do everything so they don't miss out and/or get their money's worth, but the reality can be quite a bit different. This seems overly ambitious to me even if your family is the go-go-go type.
 
Thanks! I don't know why I got it in my head that we had the skyliner. Must have confused Beach Club with one of the other hotels we had considered. :)

I'm hoping for a good 3 hour break in the middle of the day. So my plan now is to try to keep the morning schedule but have two shorter evenings in the World Showcase.

Thanks so much for your feedback!!
Oh I definitely consider the Skyliner a perk of Beach Club. It’s a great option to go to DHS or just resort hop to Riviera, CBR, and Art of Animation. It just so happens that the Skyliner station that’s the short 5 minute walk from Beach Club is the same one that’s a short 2 minute walk from Epcot.

It really is all super close together, and Beach Club is a great place to be staying for a midday break from Epcot. Beach Club is closer to France than France is to Germany at Epcot. The bulk of your walking will actually be in World Showcase, rather than to/from your room!
 
The Skyliner drops you off just outside of the World Showcase. So you wouldn’t need a hopper to use the Skyliner.
 
You might consider modifying your title from specifying AK for more feedback on all parks.
 
Oh I definitely consider the Skyliner a perk of Beach Club. It’s a great option to go to DHS or just resort hop to Riviera, CBR, and Art of Animation. It just so happens that the Skyliner station that’s the short 5 minute walk from Beach Club is the same one that’s a short 2 minute walk from Epcot.

It really is all super close together, and Beach Club is a great place to be staying for a midday break from Epcot. Beach Club is closer to France than France is to Germany at Epcot. The bulk of your walking will actually be in World Showcase, rather than to/from your room!
This is so great to hear! We can't wait!
 
Doing parks every day for 4 consecutive days and going from open to close seems overly ambitious to me. Disney parks can involve MILES of walking and it is very HOT/HUMID that time of year along with being very crowded. I think everyone will be exhausted from having to get up so early to race off to be there when the park first opens. Likely some who go to Disney for the first time want to plan to see/do everything so they don't miss out and/or get their money's worth, but the reality can be quite a bit different. This seems overly ambitious to me even if your family is the go-go-go type.
Thanks! I do want to be careful of that. Going to make the mid day break longer and not stay for fireworks each night.
 
Your DHS morning on the 25th is pretty ambitious also. I don't think you'll get all you have listed done by lunch. Rise is going to take an hour, Smugglers Run will probably be at least 30 minutes and Slinky Dog will probably take an hour. Mickey's Railroad may be 30 minutes also. So to be out by noon will be pushing it. Good Luck!!
Thanks! Then I'm thinking we'll break up the big rides between two days. Can't wait!
 












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