Are we crazy?

[amberjean15]

We are staying at AKL for 10 days the end of August with our 5 kids ages 11,8,6,5,2. We have 8 day park hoppers but dh and I are disagreeing on planning. DH wants to plan the mornings (so we hit all the must do rides) then let each child pick a park for after dinner and just wing it.
The idea of going in with no set plan kind of worries me but at the same time sounds kind of relaxing. Has anyone went in with little planning, is it to crazy?

 

[GatorMama]

I think having a morning plan is good. No huge need for afternoon plan. That's OUR plan actually to fulfill my need to plan and DH's need to go with the flow.

 

[Hootch]

DHS can be a little tough in the evening. The Muppets and Star Tours will have shorter lines. Frozen Sing Along should still be open late in August. You should be able to get into Fantasmic for one of the two showings.

TSMM, Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror will have long lines.

Some of the smaller attractions will have availability at Epcot in the evening. World Showcase can be fun. A lot of your kids would probably enjoy the Phineas and Ferb game in the different countries. Illuminations is at 9.

DAK closes earlier than most parks which makes it a hard park to get much out of after dinner.

The MK will have a few attractions with shorter waits and some FP availability for medium and even headliner attractions. (Though trying to get the same time for 6-7 people would be tough.) The parade happens twice and Wishes and the Castle lighting are entertaining.

You could try it the first few days and see how it works. Most attractions have FP availability the next day if you want to change your plans.. In some cases the times are limited but those tend to be in the evening from my experience.

 

[BugsDaddy]

My suggestion would be to hit the parks at rope drop and get in as many of the headliners as possible but use your Fast Passes at the park you might want to hop over to in the afternoon. That is probably easier said than done with 5 kids.

 

[pigletgirl]

I guess you could call me the neurotic mom who has most days planned! I find it's a whole lot easier to have an idea about how to spend the evenings. We usually have an ADR in the parks or resort so we like to mix up which night time show we will see or if we'll spend it in DTD.

It makes for much smoother and enjoyable evening.

 

[JennyDrake]

My suggestion would be to hit the parks at rope drop and get in as many of the headliners as possible but use your Fast Passes at the park you might want to hop over to in the afternoon. That is probably easier said than done with 5 kids.

I AGREE!!!

BUT with August heat and 5 kids, I cannot say enough how much I think you need to build in a LONG afternoon break to cool off, rest and maybe even swim. THEN see if you all feel up to going back out.

I'm middle aged, no kids and pretty darn fit. I live in the south, work on a farm and don't have air conditioning. With that said, WDW trips in August Kick. My. Butt. Even doing your best to prevent dehydration, everyone can still use a mental and physical break from the heat, crowds and overstimulation.

 

[georgina]

We are staying at AKL for 10 days the end of August with our 5 kids ages 11,8,6,5,2. We have 8 day park hoppers but dh and I are disagreeing on planning. DH wants to plan the mornings (so we hit all the must do rides) then let each child pick a park for after dinner and just wing it.
The idea of going in with no set plan kind of worries me but at the same time sounds kind of relaxing. Has anyone went in with little planning, is it to crazy?

I think it sounds good. With 8 mornings planned, you should be able to hit everything once, especially if 3 of those mornings are at MK. It's a good idea not to overplan with younger children. You can relax and enjoy your evenings.

 

[Ambear]

Sounds like a perfect vacation to me! I agree with rope drop. Then make the fast passes for like, 11-3. Then relax at resort and after dinner go wherever!

 

[amberjean15]

That's what I was thinking we'll have breakfast in our room then hit the parks at RD stay till noonish get lunch in the park then head back to our room until dinner time. Everyday we will have about a 5-6 hour break in the middle of the day. The 5 year old and I went last August and it was HOT in the middle of the day, she took a nap every afternoon and then made it to park closing most nights. I'm more worried about making it relaxing and everyone staying hydrated than fitting in every attraction.

 

[MataHari22]

DHS can be a little tough in the evening. The Muppets and Star Tours will have shorter lines. Frozen Sing Along should still be open late in August..

Wait... Sorry to hijack the thread for a minute, but the Frozen Sing Along is just a temporary show? I guess I didn't realize that. Great, even less to do at HS. :-/

 

[soniam]

Wait... Sorry to hijack the thread for a minute, but the Frozen Sing Along is just a temporary show? I guess I didn't realize that. Great, even less to do at HS. :-/

I don't know if it's temporary. It seems really popular. They are moving it to the ABC Soundstage soon. It's possible that it could be replaced with a more intricate Frozen show, like Beauty & the Beast.

EDIT: I am wrong. They are moving it to the Hyperion Theater, where American Idol used to be. I believe this is a permanent move, but I don't know if the show is permanent. The Frozen Fever short will be playing in the ABC Sound Studio, but probably only for the summer.

 

[MataHari22]

I don't know if it's temporary. It seems really popular. They are moving it to the ABC Soundstage soon. It's possible that it could be replaced with a more intricate Frozen show, like Beauty & the Beast.

EDIT: I am wrong. They are moving it to the Hyperion Theater, where American Idol used to be. I believe this is a permanent move, but I don't know if the show is permanent. The Frozen Fever short will be playing in the ABC Sound Studio, but probably only for the summer.

I knew they were moving it to where Idol was, I guess I didn't realize it wasn't going to be a permanent show. Didn't know it was only part of that Frozen summer stuff. With as much closed in HS, you'd think they wouldn't have it be only temporary. I may end up just making HS a half day after all, and sleep in that morning after all.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We are going to WDW in August for 10 nights. We have 8 day park hoppers.

Our days are broke up into 4 rope drop days (one for each park), long midday break at the pool and then a park in the evening where our FP+ will be reserved.

The other four days are late starts at the PM EMH park. Then two days of rest. We may do a water park on of those days.

I think what your DH wants to do is great as long as you plan your FP+ accordingly.

When my kids were younger and before FP+ we planned like you did. Our mornings were set and our evenings were dinner ADR's and going with the flow.

 

[soniam]

I knew they were moving it to where Idol was, I guess I didn't realize it wasn't going to be a permanent show. Didn't know it was only part of that Frozen summer stuff. With as much closed in HS, you'd think they wouldn't have it be only temporary. I may end up just making HS a half day after all, and sleep in that morning after all.

I don't know if FSA is temporary or not. My guess is that it is more "permanent", meaning it will extend until something much bigger comes along, which could be a while. However, they could also replace it with a more elaborate Frozen show that could be permanent. The Frozen Fever short is most probably temporary.

 

[mrsclark]

I don't have kids, but can offer an experience from my own childhood...

On one day of our trip when I was nine, my mom let me be in charge of everything we did that day. I still remember how special I felt! I think we ended up going to all three parks and possibly River Country (or we may not have gone to RC, I may have just had my mom pack a bag and take it with us just in case - I do remember renting a locker under the train station at MK and stashing it there ). I am not even sure how much time we spent at the parks versus traveling between them!

But to this day, that is a very happy memory and one that stands out from the rest of the trip.

So based on my experience, I would go with your husband's suggestion to let a kid pick what to do in the afternoon/evening. First, because I think it will make a great memory for each child because they will feel special and in charge for one vacation day. Second, I think (and this is a guess since I don't have siblings), other great memories might result even on the day that a sibling is in charge - you might be surprised at what he or she picks or it will make for a great story (remember they time we had to ride Journey into the Imagination 5 times in a row because sister wanted to and how by the end I knew all the words???).

 

[kmoore7]

As a parent of 5 children also, your plan is spot on. We always do extended stays with hoppers and more or less follow your plan. There is only so much "set in stone" with 5 kids. My best advice is this: just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Remember, it's a vacation, and speaking from experience, crazy was decided after child #4. Have fun with your family and don't sweat the small stuff.

 

[1971DBday]

Love "Just Wingin It"!!!! Remember it's vacation and let the magic just happen!

 

[MainMom]

We are staying at AKL for 10 days the end of August with our 5 kids ages 11,8,6,5,2. We have 8 day park hoppers but dh and I are disagreeing on planning. DH wants to plan the mornings (so we hit all the must do rides) then let each child pick a park for after dinner and just wing it.
The idea of going in with no set plan kind of worries me but at the same time sounds kind of relaxing. Has anyone went in with little planning, is it to crazy?

Our evenings are usually go with the flow. Maybe we know we are going to MK to watch MSEP, but no other plans than that.