Arg! I'm all confuzzled and need some touring help please!

[Canadian Harmony]

Ok... so things were FINE until I added in the Discover the Magic Tour on our first day. Now I've given us 3 days at DL and 1 at DCA. That just won't do! Please help me sort this out! Here's the requirements and what I think will work... so far:
We're staying at PPH, so we can do all early entry/mornings without a problem.

Day 1 (Monday - MAY be MHP) - DD10's BD. MM @ DCA (RSR, A&E M&G?), Little Mermaid (kids would kill me otherwise)... Soarin? Then A&E. Birthday Breakfast @ Minnie's, then DTMTour til... noon? Get in a ride or two til we go to the pool for a break til 2:30ish. BBB for the kids, princesses, etc, then Toontown for pre-party, then dinner @ Carnation Cafe for DD, the Trick or Treat, then Fireworks (I hope), then bed.

Day 2 (Tuesday - Could also be MHP, in which case the BB and MHP will be this night after the break) - EA and spend the day at DL, with 1 1/2 hrs at the hotel to hang out. Don't know what to do after MMM show at 5:45 - suggestions?

Day 3 (Wednesday) - DD8's BD. MM @ DCA - Olaf FP, RSR PF, WoC FP, A&E Boutique, all day at DCA. Can't decide between a WoC lunch at WCT or lunch at SJG or lunch at LFC!?! Alladin at 12:25, then a break at the hotel. Then GRR, Disney Jr show (just because), then the parade (again, because), and an early dinner at Ariel's Grotto for DD. Then Olaf if possible (don't know if he'll be there), Workshop, Animation Academy, etc, Carsland at night and WoC.

Day 4 (Thursday) - EA @ DL. All day at DLR doing the stuff we didn't do before, and then a Royal Theatre show after dinner. Dinner at Plaza Inn, wander around DTD and get souvenirs and stuff. Early night because we leave at Zero-Dark-Early tomorrow.

So will 1 day at DCA be enough? Before I included the tour, we had 2 half (or more) days at each park. Help?

 

[Keels]

When are you planning on going? That makes a big difference.

Also, be aware that you'll probably be able to accomplish a LOT more than you think you will because of crowds. The parks - even on heavy, busy days - don't really get full until lunchtime or afterwards. I went in with a WDW-esque touring plan that I quickly ditched within 1 hour of being at the parks. It's just THAT easy to see all the things you want to see if you make rope drop before crowds get heavy. By about 1 p.m. on BOTH days, I was parked out Cove Bar or Sonoma Terrace for a little relaxing, cocktailing and people-watching.

That said, if you can make it work, I advise on adding park-hoppers to your tickets. That way, you have more flexibility. I am so spoiled by PHing at DLR that I won't waste money on it again at WDW.

Good luck with the surprise - sounds like the kiddos are in for the birthday of a lifetime!!!!

 

[l4dyj8]

Agree with the above. And it looks like your must do's are all in CA? Park hoppers are a tremendous help. It's very easy to go back and forth. Plus if you are staying at PPH, you have a hotel guest entrance to CA.

I would do Ariel's Grotto for lunch. I May be mistaken, but princesses are only available for breakfast and lunch. This may have changed. But I would hate to go there and not get the full experience. They also have a WOC package.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

We're going the first week of October and we have Park Hoppers. The 5pm sitting of AG is our regular dinner time (we eat early) so we were just going to hit that, which is technically the last lunch sitting at AG.

I want to be easy going about the days, but I know me, and unless I can tell the family - This day we're doing THIS park, and THAT day we're doing THAT park, it'll be too much stress for my DD10 who has anxiety. She doesn't need to know every second, but she wants to know the basics - first we do DCA, then we'll do Breakfast with Minnie, then we'll do the tour, etc etc.

I'm hoping to get two days at each park and get all of our 'must do' rides in as well. Last time I was there, Space Mtn was down, Matterhorn was down and Star Tours hadn't been invented yet, so I really want to do those. Plus DCA which was under construction at the time.

 

[Plutos Mommy]

My son gets stressed when there is a change in his routine unless we talk about it ahead of time. Even now that he is 20 when we go to Disneyland we lay out a basic plan before we leave for the parks, after quite a few trips we can tell when he has had enough, but he is old enough to go back to the hotel on his own if he wants...makes everyone happy that way.

It sounds like you are surprising the kids with this trip would you be able to talk to your DD10 on the plane or in the hotel the night before and lay out your plan with the "this is the plan we are going to try to stick to...but if the blank is closed or it's way too crowded, etc. we may have to alter the plan" and then if plans to have to be changed ask for her input.

I know all kids are different, but if plans had to change I would state why and lay out 2 or 3 alternate things we could do and let him help chose what we should be doing next. For him having a logical reason and alternatives helped.

 

[cherice95403]

Some of your acronyms confuse me, but I see DCA on day 1 and day 3. The princesses you will get at Ariel's Grotto so I think you can cut that out of the plan. Honestly, other than a plan to make sure you hit the parades, night shows (WOC & Fantasmic!), and hit RSR at rope drop you can pretty much just wander the parks. With four days you will ride everything you want to ride MULTIPLE times. My DD also has anxiety and I try to prep her that we with the things I know, e.g., where we will start our day, parades, night shows; but make it clear that the middle of the day will vary. It's been ok.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Thanks. I know I use a lot of acronyms. I try to use the right ones, LOL.

I'm trying to decide between a WoC lunch at Trattoria or get a free FP for WoC and have lunch at Smoke Jumpers or Lucky Fortune instead. I'd like to do to two days in each park and hit the highlights of what we, as a family, want to do and see.

For DD10, her must-do's are: Minnie's (or Mickey's), the Magical Disney Tour, and the BBB. She's anxious for the wet rides, so I guess Splash and GRR are on.
For DD8, hers are: Princesses and the MHP. And all the rollercoasters she can cram in (even though she's never been on a real one!). Oh, and anything Ariel.
DH says the Tour sounds fun and he wants a break every day. I think once he looks at the video and checks things out in more detail he'll have more to add to his wish list.
I want to see Aladdin, do the MHP and the Tour, character meals for sure, and see a parade, fireworks, F! and WoC as well. Naturally, LOTS of character meets and rides too (IJ for sure!).

I just want us to have fun, but also to hit the highlights so we can say, "We didn't get to do XYZ, but we DID get to do what we really wanted to."

 

[wdwfan22]

Talk to your daughter ahead of time about park hopping. It is so easy, you hardly know you're going from one park to the other, except going through the turnsyles. That way you don't have to look at it as 3 days at DL and 1 at CA.

Plus, I would double, and maybe triple check that 5:00 is the last lunch seating at AG. That just doesn't sound right to me. I just looked at several days online, putting in lunch as the request, then also picking times between 2 and 5, and I only see 2:50 and 4:00 as options. I just can't imagine lunch runs that late. I would hate for her to miss the princesses. The CM's on the phone are OFTEN give the wrong information, amazingly enough.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

Well dangit. I'll have to see what we can do for a Princess meal because we're used to eating early I thought the 5pm would work, but 4 would be REALLY early and we'd have to eat again later. Hmmm... maybe a lunch then...

I can't make up my mind between Lucky Fortune, Smoke Jumpers and Trattoria for a WoC lunch though,