BIG itinerary for March

[suevee]

Lost my first post, so will try again.

This is the beginning of my rough itenerary for approximately 22 people. Everything is dependent on weather and EE days. I know it is early but with so many people, I need to start SOMEWHERE!!! Any advice is appreciated!!!

Arrive on Thursday March 2 - 9 adults (ages 25 to 56), 3 tweens (from 10 to 13), and 5 little guys (ages 2 to 7). Total 17 with 5 newbies, 6 tag a longs, and 6 die hard disney planners. So the fun begins...

March 2 - Arrive around 5:20 at SoG. Plan to chill at pool, eat, and do Wal-Mart thing for supplies.

Friday, March 2 - Two more families arrive making our total at 23. Not sure what time they will arrive. Plan to spend day at MK with dinner for all at O'hana's, then back to MK watch fireworks.

Saturday, March 3- Plan to spend morning at AK, dinner at Chef Mickey's for all, then head over to Epcot see Illuminations.

Sunday, March 4 - Plan to spend morning at Epcot, then over to MGM for dinner at Hollywood and Vine with the evening at Fantasmic. Probably have 10 for dinner.

Monday, March 5- Weather permitting plan on spending morning at Water Park for some, MK for others, dinner with the Princesses at Grand Floridian probably for whole crew. Then my DH and I will take all the tweens and little ones so the parents can have a night out.

Tuesday, March 6 - Mk Breakfast with Pooh then revisit favorites.

Wednesday, March 7- Losing newbies (family of 5) We plan to do Sea World with grandson and the rest plan on doing Universal.

Thursday, March 8- Great grandfather joins us for the day. So we will have a rest day. Checking out other resorts, shopping, pool. Dinner at Whispering Canyon. Should be a blast for Great granddad. Younger adults and kids are planning Disney Quest/ Cirque du Soliel day with dinner at House of Blues. Will meet up occasionally at the hotel.

Friday thru Sat are returning to favorites days.

Sunday morning plan a big breakfast together, maybe Kona's? Then fly out in the afternoon.

 

[Bob P]

The best advice I can give you is: SPLIT UP FOR A WHILE!

We often go with a group of nine, and after a few days together it can get tedious. We always build in "separation time" such as: "we want to go to Tomorrowland, you want to go to Frontierland, so we'll meet you for our dinner ADR at Crystal Palace at 5:15."

Togetherness can be nice, but with a group that large you're bound to get some disagreements and somebody holding you up all the time. I think you should split up into a few groups and reconvene a few hours later for a meal, a parade or a show.

Bob

 

[suevee]

Great advice! We do not plan to be attached at the hip. In fact the only time we are all together is at the big meal times. We may be at the same park, but everyone will do their own thing. There are so many and the ages are so diverse that I am planning my itinerary then everyone else can join or not. So I expect some will spend 2 days at Universal, others will go to Sea World. Also I have built in return to favorites for the last two days.

The first five days I want to concentrate on the newbies to make sure they see everything they want to and they have a great time. They will be leaving on Wednesday. Then everything is looser for the rest of us.

 

[Bill From PA]

Thanks for the post. We're there the same week and now I know to avoid the parks on the days you're there as your group constitutes a 'Crowd' all by itself!

Bill From PA

 

[suevee]

Thanks Bill! More space for us! Where are you staying? How many in your group? I am finding it hard to plan without park times or EE dates. 'till March

 

[Bill From PA]

suevee,

We've got ressies at POR but I'm looking to get Swan or Dolphin at the Teacher's Rate, even if only for part of the stay. The two of us are arriving on the second, our daughter, SIL and two grandkids will get there on Sun., 3/5. We all leave Sun. 3/12. Our last trip was this New Year's Day 'til Jan. 10 and it was so dead from 1/3 on that we ignored EMH. The first week in March is our usual week and EMH will come in handy.

Bill From PA

 

[suevee]

Hi Bill,

This our first trip in March. Could you tell me what time do the parks usually close? I know the may close pretty early then but I was hoping for a few late nights. Also what are the crowds generally like then? Easter is going to be a little later in 2006 so I was hoping the crowds would still be reasonable but enough for good hours. Any ifo you can give would be appreciated.

If you would like to check out Sog while there give me a holler. All my dad and mom's family come from Harrisburg, PA. My dad is retired now in Florida from the Navy.

 

[Bill From PA]

suevee,

According to this site, and my memory, weekdays in March have closing times in the 7 to 8 pm range with weekends extending to 10 and beyond near the end of the month.

http://www.intercot.com/infocentral/calendar/historical/historicalhours2005.asp

I'd call the crowds 'moderate'. We use EE in March, getting to the early park for rope drop and we manage to get in all the most popular attractions by noon or so. By 1 pm, that park is usually too crowded for my taste, so we hop to Epcot which seems to swallow crowds without seeming crowded. We haven't been there in March since EMH so I can't comment on the crowds on the nights the parks stay open later rather than opening early. On any afternoon from 3/2 through 3/11 we'll be found in the Rose & Crown as seen below. If you're in the neighborhood around 2 or so, stop in and join us in a glass of brew.

Bill From PA

 

[WANNABE@WDW]

Hi, SueVee. We will also be there that week. Check your dates I think you may be looking at a 2005 calendar. We arrive Friday March 3rd at the Poly, on Monday the 6th we will be moving over to the BWV (we are renting pts for a 1 br). We will be there for the UCA All Star Cheer Nationals. The competition is actually only the 10th thru the 13th. We are making a family trip out of it. There are quite a few other families in our squad doing the same thing. I know people don't like the "cheerleaders", but my dd's are 5 and 8 so the only people they annoy are myself and dh! This will be our first family visit in March ( I went about 10 years ago, before I had children, I went for Springbreak). We were there this year in Feb and it was wonderful. I hope most of the Springbreaks are later in March. We did a Grand Gathering in Feb, we had a group of 30+ friends and family. I was the official planner, it was frustrating at times, but everyone had a great time. The secret is letting the different groups of people have plenty of alone time. That made the get togethers that much more special. You may want to check to see which restraunts you will have to go through group dinning. It is so worth the stress to plan these special events!

 

[suevee]

Bill,

Thanks for the info. We will try to check out the Rose and Crown around 2. We will have lime green ribbons!!!!

WANNABE,

We are coming in on Thurs March 2. Last year Easter was very early. This year Ash Wednesday in March 1 so Easter won't be until mid-April. We never had a problem with cheerleaders. It seemed they were there on one of our Feb trips. We did avoid MGM though there was some kind of big cheerleading event. Will there be an event like that schedualed this year?

By the way, Bill's going to be at the Rose and Crown.........