Critique/Comments on Trip Plans Please?

[GoldeneyezCA]

Hello all,

We're Disneyland AP's so very experienced in Cali, but DH and I haven't been to WDW in 15 years. I'd appreciate comments on my planning thus far - if X is a waste of a FP, if X-Y distance is too far to make sense, etc. I appreciate all the info I've found on this board!

Tickets: 5-day PH + Water Parks
Lodging: Shades of Green, but got a campsite for 8/19-8/20 so we could get 60-day access
Transportation: We'll drive or Uber to save time
My family: me, DH, DD4 and DD8, and grandparents who won’t do thrill rides
Additional family: BIL, SIL and 3 kids ages 9-14 who live in FL and will go back

Interests:
- Our kids love animals, Star Wars and Princesses equally, their cousins are more into light thrill rides
- DH and I are the only ones who will do coasters, so there aren't many on our plans to avoid leaving the group too much
- DD4 is an Amazon of a child (46" and 54 lbs = can ride most things but too heavy to carry if she wears out, so we may bring an umbrella stroller and/or need to plan mid-day breaks)

Sat 8/19 AK EMH - 11 ppl, mixed group

• EMH - FOP and NRJ, so can switch the afternoon NRJ to something else
  
• 10:30 - FOTLK
• 11:30p - Tusker House Lunch with ROL
• 12:45 p - Kilimanjaro
• 2:30p - NRJ
• 9:15 p- ROL

Sun 8/20 EPCOT - 11 ppl, mixed group

• 9:35a - Figment
• 10:45a - Spaceship Earth
• 11:30a - Lunch: Via Napoli
• 1:55 p - FEA
• (Since D23 announcement, now I know why I couldn't get Mission Space!)

The rest of the trip it’s just our family...

Mon 8/21 - Typhoon Lagoon & HS

• morning @ Typhoon Lagoon, umbrella reserved
• 4:35p - Dinner: 50’s Prime Time Cafe (unless we're still resting at hotel, LOL!)
• 5:10p - Toy Story Mania + RnR Coaster (split party)
• 6:25p - Star Tours
• 7:45p - Star Wars Dessert Party
• 9:00p - Star Wars GS Fireworks

Tues 8/22 MK - (opens 7:45 for "special ticketed event"?)

• 9:00a - Enchanted Tales w/ Belle
• 10:00a - Peter Pan’s Flight
• 11:00a - Buzz (may change to H Mansion or Barnstormer though since the guns don’t move)
• 11:40a - Cinderella RT lunch - mixed feeling on this based on reviews, but yay for A/C!
• 3:50p - 7DMT (trying to move this earlier)
• 5:45p - BOG dinner (thanks, TP res finder!)
• Question: Do we need a FP for Barnstormer or HM?

Wed 8/23 - likely go back to AK but will let the kids decide
- I do have a BOG lunch at 12:40 in case they pick MK instead of AK)

• 10:30a - Nemo
• 11:40a - EE
• 12:30a - FOTLK
• 1:30p - NRJ
• 6:00p- Cirque Du Soleil - La Nouba (so glad to be able to see this one more time!)
• 8:30p - FOP (!) only one I could snag the whole trip, and I just got it 2 days ago

Thurs, 8/24 - Flight home at 6 pm so we'll be able to sleep in, swim at hotel, etc

Thank you!

 

[ChristineOH]

For your MK day, Buzz is super easy to get as a 4th FP, so I was going to suggest switching it to Haunted Mansion, but you are going to have time to kill between lunch and 7DMT, and that will be at the busiest part of the day. Buzz happens to be close to a bunch of attractions that don't have bad waits, even in the afternoon. I'd switch Buzz to 1:00-2:00, and after lunch, go over to Tomorrowland and ride Buzz, do Monsters Inc., ride Peoplemover, maybe Carousel of Progress, and then head back to Fantasyland for Philharmagic, the Carousel, Teacups, the train splash area if you don't mind the kids getting wet, etc. You can also throw a snack in there.

You could RD Haunted Mansion or plan to get it for a 4th FP. Definitely FP something as soon as you do 7DMT. Barnstormer is super easy to get as a 4th FP, for near immediate use, so if you don't get to it before 10am, that's what I'd do. That line is sooooo hot.

We loved CRT. Nothing beats eating in the castle. I hope you love it too!

 

[GoldeneyezCA]

Thanks for taking the time to skim my plans and comment! I changed my 11 am Buzz to Haunted Mansion because the kids love it here, and we'll do Barnstormer in the morning if possible. And I'll keep checking for something earlier for 7DMT, so we DH and I can get 4th FP's earlier. I appreciate your help!

 

[queenofthehive]

I would cancel the water park morning and spend more time in HS. You are still missing a lot - FSA, Indiana Jones Show, Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid Show, and Launch Bay.

 

[robl45]

I wouldn't split the party for toy story and rockin roller coaster. Toy story is a fun ride for all. What about tower of terror? DHS is my families favorite park. Not a lot of rides, but IMHO pretty much the best on Disney property.

 

[samantha3590]

I would suggest Kali River Rapids as a ride/3rd fast pass that the whole family could do together at Animal Kingdom (as long as you don't mind getting wet!) Plus it's going to be HOT at that time of day. I haven't seen it myself but have heard kind of "blah" reviews about NRJ.

 

[GoldeneyezCA]

Thank you all!
- Typhoon Lagoon is to give us all a break from the parks. We'll miss some things at HS, but we still have an open day on Thurs, so we could go there instead of back to AK. Thanks for the comments on HS!
- We live 30 min away from DLR and have AP's, so we can ride Midway Mania whenever we want. I wanted to send the kids and grandparents on that while DH and I ride the RnR.
- Re: Kali - I don't like getting soaked on rides unless I'm in a swimsuit, but we may change our minds with the heat, LOL! But really, the reason for NRJ is to accommodate the whole family - my in laws won't ride Kali, either

Thank you!

 

[robl45]

The river rapids are really tame. You likely don't even get wet on it. I love rapid rides and this one is probably the lamest one there is IMHO. You have to be right in the right place to get wet which doesn't happen very often. You can always wear a poncho as well. We did that once and then stopped because it wasn't worth the hassle because most times you just get a little wet.

 

[sharonabe]

Tues 8/22 MK - (opens 7:45 for "special ticketed event"?)

Since you had a question mark here, the special event is Early Morning Magic. It's an extra ticket you can purchase to get in early. The only rides open are 7 Dwarves Mine Train, Peter Pan, and Winnie the Pooh and there's also a buffet breakfast included.