Can you help me keep a secret?!?!...and which parks when?

[WishUponAStarryNight]

The backstory - when DS was 3 1/2, we did the whirlwind tour of WDW with my parents. It was wonderful. The magic was so real and we loved every minute of it. Of course, 4 years later, DS7 doesn't remember much of that trip. Last October, we cruised out of NYC and spent a day in MK. We had a great day (DS discovered his love of roller coasters ) and DS mentioned that he'd like to see what the other parks are like. We've talked on and off about taking a quick weekend trip just the two of us to visit all the parks. Well, today I booked a trip for November 2-6!! Though the dates aren't ideal, they are what fits into our schedule, so I went with it.

I'm going to try my hardest to keep this trip a secret. Problem is (and I fully admit it), I'm not very good at keeping secrets, especially the happy ones. As a solo parent, there's no one else at home who will listen to my excitement, so I'm hoping you all can bear with me over the next few months.

We'll be in the parks Saturday, Sunday and Monday (late flight Friday night and early flight Tuesday morning) and we have park hoppers. With all of the half marathon, Food & Wine, the start of Jersey Week and a 4:30 MK close on Monday, park planning is a challenge, to say the least. We certainly won't be able to do everything and, quite honestly, DS won't want to. I made the mistake last year of planning for all of the rides he loved the first time around, but he's so not into princesses, that dragging him on the Little Mermaid ride was the low point of the day. I don't think we'll make any ADRs - quick service will work just fine for us.

How would you recommend we structure our park days? On Saturday, I'm thinking AK in the am and MK in the pm. For Sunday, I'd like to do HS and Epcot (not sure of the order, but I'm sure we'll do SDD with or without a FP). On Monday, MK closes at 4:30. I'm thinking that might keep crowds down so we could spend the day there and then spend the evening relaxing/swimming at our resort (POR) and getting ready to head home Tuesday morning. I know MK will be super busy Saturday night, but I'd like to get over there before our last day. Am I totally wrong on the early close MK crowds? Any thoughts, suggestions, recommendations? Once I get our park days down, I'll start strategizing FPs.

Thank you -

 

[paradesintherain]

Your park strategies seem pretty sound. Generally I've heard that when MK closes early it can be a good day to visit since people want full days.

I'd recommend checking out some crowd calendars like Touring Plans or Kenny the Pirate to give you an idea of which parks might be best on which days.

And if you don't end up with a FP for Slinky Dog, you'd probably want to rope drop it to avoid a long line! Or I've heard it's shorter right before park close!

 

[buzzrelly]

Sounds fun!

I would suggest you head over to the Pre-Trip Report page and start a PTR. That way, you can plan and share as much as you'd like, so you'll be less tempted to spill the beans!

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

I think you’ve got things pretty well worked out. But truly, I would swap days. MK is very busy on Saturdays. I know you said you would like to go to MK on Saturday but it’ll be crazy crowded. I was there last year that weekend. Even though you’re in between parties, it’s still party season and non-party days, especially Saturdays are

And this is just my personal opinion but I don’t think spilling to your son about the trip would be a bad thing. It would give him something to look forward to with you. For me, that’s all part of the excitement of going to WDW. Sharing and talking about our upcoming trip with my DD.

Just my .02. Happy planning!

 

[winnieofpooh]

I'd highly recommend at spending your time at MK on Monday like you mentioned! Crowds will be significantly lower, and you could potentially accomplish more that day than you could a full day on Saturday. Plus, you can always hop to a different park afterwards if you wish!

 

[GillianP1301]

I think your plan looks great. The Monday at MK is definitely the way I'd go and I also like that you'll have some MK time on your first day as well. Since you're going to have hoppers, you could also opt to go back to a park on the Monday late afternoon/evening before your swim time if there is something that you didn't get a chance to do earlier in the trip. You definitely will have lots of flexibility. I would FP AK on the Sat and hope to snag a FOP and then FP DHS on the Sunday for SDD. That will leave EP with no pre-booked FP, but if you do that park first, you could RD a couple of headliners or if you do EP last, then ride them just before closing.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

Thank you, all!! I think I've got a good overall plan, now I have to consider how specific I want to get. I love the flexibility we'll have being just the two of us and not being tied to ADRs, but I'll have to give some good thought to FP. We'll likely start as @GillianP1301 suggested (thank you!). I hope to skip HEA Saturday night since we've seen it (we did the Plaza Garden dessert party in October - totally worth the cost; I'm not interested in those Main Street crowds otherwise), and get on some rides with somewhat shorter waits.

It was suggested above that I clue DS in. I do love planning our vacations together. We took a trip to Yellowstone in June and part of the fun was the lead up. For this one, though, I'd like to keep it to myself (for as long as I can!).

 

[gharter]

Mk on Monday is a good option.
Saturday and Sunday, its not really going to matter as both days will be busy at AK and MK. Depending on which day has a party at MK (if either does), may make a difference.
Given the days you will be there, getting the FPs and working the FP system will be important depending on what you want to ride. At 7, he will probably want to do all th epopular rides.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We will be there 11/2-11/11 and are staying at POFQ 11/2-11/4. I'll be with DD12 and she likes coasters. I think your plan sounds pretty good!

These are our plans:

11/3 AM EMH AK, midday break if we want and then hopping to MK in the evening. We do have a HDDR at 6:15 pm so we will go to MK after that. If we don't do our break we will hop over to MK before dinner but I'm pretty sure we will do a midday break by the pool since it's going to be an early morning. I know MK is busy on Saturday's but I figure I'll grab a FP for MK to start at 8 pm after we use our FP at AK. I plan on being done at AK by 1 pm so our FP+ will start around 10 am. If I didn't have HDDR and was going to spend the entire evening at MK I would do my FP+ for MK. That may work for you if your son is really into the coasters. You could FP Space, BTMRR and Splash. I've done AK AM EMH before and you can get a lot accomplished with FP+. Since it’s an EMH morning you could RD FOP too. I hear it isn’t as bad on EMH mornings wait wise since there is no FP line.

11/4 DHS in the morning with FP+ at DHS and then hoping to Epcot in the evening. I plan on getting FP+ for Epcot after we are done at DHS. I check the app every now and then and Soarin and TT aren't that hard to get around 1 pm for 3 pm or later.

11/5 We are taking advantage of lower crowds at MK this day. Probably staying until it closes at 4:30 and then hoping to DHS with FP+ at DHS. My DD's favorite rides are ToT and RnRC so it only makes sense to repeat this.

I hope this helps!

 

[clutter]

Solo parent to an only child as well. I did the same thing when dd was 6, 15 (!?) years ago. It was hard keeping it to myself. I picked her up early from school that day, telling her she had a dentist appointment. You will have a blast!


It sounds like you have hoppers, so I would break up your planning into partial days. Maybe plan for three of the mornings to FP+ at DHS, Epcot and AK, then leave afternoons and evenings free to be flexible. It sounds like your ds likes coasters, but do you think you might need to build up the intensity, or would he be ok with EE or RnR off the bat? That would factor in to my plans as well. What about the nighttime shows?

We had so much fun doing trips in a very unstructured way. Before FP+, I'd make dinner ADRs. That was the only structure to our day. With FP+, we now have two pieces to our framework. Dinner and FP+. But that's fine. I'm kind of into getting them out of the way early on, so we've accomplished our "goals" for that day and the rest is as-you-please. I find this even more helpful on a short trip.

Since you have been to MK, I'd worry about that one the least. At Epcot, you want to ride Soarin' and Test Track (but you can't get both on FP+). Mission Space was fun, but the original was one of the few times I didn't do well on a ride, so I stay away from Orange and Green rarely has a line. At DHS, you will want to do SDD, TSM, the Indy Show (is it still there?), Star Wars, Tower of Terror (a favorite of my kid since she was 4!) and RnR if he's up for it (goes upside down and is in the dark. I made my dd wait til she was 7 because I was chicken). At AK, you want to do Primeval Whirl, Dinosaur, EE (goes backwards), the Safari, Tough to Be a Bug, and maybe Na'avi and FOP. All of the parks have so many other magical things to do, but these are the rides you probably want to prioritize this trip.

You are going to have so much fun!!!

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

We will be there 11/2-11/11 and are staying at POFQ 11/2-11/4. I'll be with DD12 and she likes coasters. I think your plan sounds pretty good!

These are our plans:

11/3 AM EMH AK, midday break if we want and then hopping to MK in the evening. We do have a HDDR at 6:15 pm so we will go to MK after that. If we don't do our break we will hop over to MK before dinner but I'm pretty sure we will do a midday break by the pool since it's going to be an early morning. I know MK is busy on Saturday's but I figure I'll grab a FP for MK to start at 8 pm after we use our FP at AK. I plan on being done at AK by 1 pm so our FP+ will start around 10 am. If I didn't have HDDR and was going to spend the entire evening at MK I would do my FP+ for MK. That may work for you if your son is really into the coasters. You could FP Space, BTMRR and Splash. I've done AK AM EMH before and you can get a lot accomplished with FP+. Since it’s an EMH morning you could RD FOP too. I hear it isn’t as bad on EMH mornings wait wise since there is no FP line.

11/4 DHS in the morning with FP+ at DHS and then hoping to Epcot in the evening. I plan on getting FP+ for Epcot after we are done at DHS. I check the app every now and then and Soarin and TT aren't that hard to get around 1 pm for 3 pm or later.

11/5 We are taking advantage of lower crowds at MK this day. Probably staying until it closes at 4:30 and then hoping to DHS with FP+ at DHS. My DD's favorite rides are ToT and RnRC so it only makes sense to repeat this.

I hope this helps!

Love your park plans! Hoping to take advantage of EMH at AK on Saturday, too. I've given some thought to RD FOP and doing MK FP for the evening - we'll see what I can get for FP when the time comes. I'd love to have a mid-day break and then get over to MK around 7pm if I decide to get FP for AK earlier in the day. If I get them for MK, we'll head over there earlier. It think we'll be able to get a lot done on Monday in MK (I hope I'm not totally wrong guessing there will be lower crowds there that day), so if we don't get to much on Saturday, we'll should still be ok.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

Solo parent to an only child as well. I did the same thing when dd was 6, 15 (!?) years ago. It was hard keeping it to myself. I picked her up early from school that day, telling her she had a dentist appointment. You will have a blast!


It sounds like you have hoppers, so I would break up your planning into partial days. Maybe plan for three of the mornings to FP+ at DHS, Epcot and AK, then leave afternoons and evenings free to be flexible. It sounds like your ds likes coasters, but do you think you might need to build up the intensity, or would he be ok with EE or RnR off the bat? That would factor in to my plans as well. What about the nighttime shows?

Since you have been to MK, I'd worry about that one the least. At Epcot, you want to ride Soarin' and Test Track (but you can't get both on FP+). Mission Space was fun, but the original was one of the few times I didn't do well on a ride, so I stay away from Orange and Green rarely has a line. At DHS, you will want to do SDD, TSM, the Indy Show (is it still there?), Star Wars, Tower of Terror (a favorite of my kid since she was 4!) and RnR if he's up for it (goes upside down and is in the dark. I made my dd wait til she was 7 because I was chicken). At AK, you want to do Primeval Whirl, Dinosaur, EE (goes backwards), the Safari, Tough to Be a Bug, and maybe Na'avi and FOP. All of the parks have so many other magical things to do, but these are the rides you probably want to prioritize this trip.

You are going to have so much fun!!!

Thank you!! I think it's going to be a blast! I love your ride line up. I'll have to keep this in mind while planning, for sure. We haven't yet been to DHS and I think that's what he'll enjoy the most this time around and he's mentioned that he really wants to ride EE in AK. BTMRR was his favorite last year, but I was too chicken to get on Space Mountain with him (the single seat thing). Maybe we'll get there this time.

 

[clutter]

I waited for Space until dd was 7 as well because of the single seats. Then I rode behind her with my hands hovering over her shoulders. Like that would help in an emergency. I think we did RnR before Space. EE and Test Track have single rider lines. Using that and FP, we did EE maybe 7 times one day. Like I said - FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cherish those moments. This summer we are going back for the first time in a while. Now 21, dd and her friend and cousin have totally different goals....

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Love your park plans! Hoping to take advantage of EMH at AK on Saturday, too. I've given some thought to RD FOP and doing MK FP for the evening - we'll see what I can get for FP when the time comes. I'd love to have a mid-day break and then get over to MK around 7pm if I decide to get FP for AK earlier in the day. If I get them for MK, we'll head over there earlier. It think we'll be able to get a lot done on Monday in MK (I hope I'm not totally wrong guessing there will be lower crowds there that day), so if we don't get to much on Saturday, we'll should still be ok.

I think it sounds great! I have read on many threads that MK will be very low crowds that Monday. I hope to get lots done that day.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Love your park plans! Hoping to take advantage of EMH at AK on Saturday, too. I've given some thought to RD FOP and doing MK FP for the evening - we'll see what I can get for FP when the time comes. I'd love to have a mid-day break and then get over to MK around 7pm if I decide to get FP for AK earlier in the day. If I get them for MK, we'll head over there earlier. It think we'll be able to get a lot done on Monday in MK (I hope I'm not totally wrong guessing there will be lower crowds there that day), so if we don't get to much on Saturday, we'll should still be ok.

That Saturday i plan on leaving AK by 1. Hanging at the pool and then taking Minnie van to HDDR. If we feel up to it we may take the bus a bit earlier and hop into MK before heading to HDDR. Right now MK is closing at 9 pm. If they extend hours I may switch my FP to MK. I don’t plan on getting to MK until 845 or later since HDDR ends at 815. But as of now I’m going to get FP at AK. If i get FOP no way am i switching to MK but i highly doubt it since it’s only gonna be day 2 for us.

 

[Disneymom1126]

As a solo parent, there's no one else at home who will listen to my excitement, so I'm hoping you all can bear with me over the next few months.

Also a solo parent and I have to tell you we have had such fun times on our trips together to Disney. When we're home there is always so much to be responsible for, no one to share in the houskeeping, discipline, making sure homework is done, shopping, etc. etc., etc. so it can be stressful for both of us. Disney is our getaway and we enjoy every second of our time together with no worries...Hakuna Matata! In any case, I think you have a great plan. One of the things that is nice when it's a one on one situation is that you can also go with the flow a little easier. If you decide that on Monday after spending the earlier part of the day at MK you want to hop over to HS and watch the Star Wars Fireworks - you can do it. You can let your DS tell you what he wants to do. I've also both surprised my DD and told her and I've had a lot of fun with the surprises. We've also done a countdown from 30 days out with activities on the back of each countdown day (some were easy like 5 minute Disney dance party and others were more involved for the weekends like dinner and a disney movie night or making Mickey Waffles). The time where I didn't surprise her until the day we were leaving, I wrote a pre-trip report here. It kept my mind on planning and had someplace for me to write down and share everything with other Disney fanatics and made it easier to keep the secret! Happy planning!

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

When we're home there is always so much to be responsible for, no one to share in the houskeeping, discipline, making sure homework is done, shopping, etc. etc., etc. so it can be stressful for both of us.

Yes, exactly this! I ask a lot of DS because there's just no way I can do it all myself. We both need playtime together - I think that's what I'm most excited about!

 

[PHXscuba]

Epcot on a Sunday afternoon/evening during Food and Wine could be very busy. I'd do any World Showcase stuff you want to as soon as you arrive from Hollywood Studios (if you boat you'll enter in that part of the park anyways.

PHXscuba