Critique my Itinerary! 7 day Visit in October.

[JZCubed]

So I'm debating just canceling the dining plan all together. I am very happy with my ADR choices but I will probably feel pressure to order an appetizer and a dessert even if I don't really want it. Most days we only have two meals scheduled, usually a breakfast and a dinner so that we can spend the time in between in the parks. Thoughts???

3/4 of your 2-credits are all prix fixe at about $70 and you're already paying for apps and dessert. Le Cellier is difficult to get past $70 even if you order 3-courses.

So even if you go regular DDP, the math is not likely to be in favor.

I think eliminating DDP altogether is a wise decision.

As to the particulars of you plans as they stand now:

--Sci-Fi is really cool, but timing wise very close to Brown Derby. We do the Fantasmic! package too, but this can be a great deal of food. Skip breakfast, but still eat little at Sci-Fi (you have no obligation to over order) and know that Brown Derby is a 3-course prix fixe meal.
--Water Park, Downtown Disney….and then Ohana? That might too much commitment for my family. If anything, I guess I'd be looking to skip Downtown Disney if my heart were set on Ohana dinner. Of course, the reverse might be true if I was looking to go to Downtown Disney and was indifferent to Ohana. I'm not suggesting what you should do other than consider the amount of time your plan entails on this day and consider toning it down.
-- I'm not sure I understand the benefit of traveling to Le Cellier for dinner. Save $$ and the hassle, eat at Kona.
Hopefully these come across as being observations, not nitpicking.

 

[kmdrago1783]

3/4 of your 2-credits are all prix fixe at about $70 and you're already paying for apps and dessert. Le Cellier is difficult to get past $70 even if you order 3-courses.

So even if you go regular DDP, the math is not likely to be in favor.

I think eliminating DDP altogether is a wise decision.

As to the particulars of you plans as they stand now:

--Sci-Fi is really cool, but timing wise very close to Brown Derby. We do the Fantasmic! package too, but this can be a great deal of food. Skip breakfast, but still eat little at Sci-Fi (you have no obligation to over order) and know that Brown Derby is a 3-course prix fixe meal.
--Water Park, Downtown Disney….and then Ohana? That might too much commitment for my family. If anything, I guess I'd be looking to skip Downtown Disney if my heart were set on Ohana dinner. Of course, the reverse might be true if I was looking to go to Downtown Disney and was indifferent to Ohana. I'm not suggesting what you should do other than consider the amount of time your plan entails on this day and consider toning it down.
-- I'm not sure I understand the benefit of traveling to Le Cellier for dinner. Save $$ and the hassle, eat at Kona.
Hopefully these come across as being observations, not nitpicking.

Thanks for the insight. Since I'm canceling dining we can choose to have a light lunch at SciFi or even split.
Ohana is our favorite and a must for us! I have Waterpark and Downtown Disney as a very tentative plan so may do one or the other dependent on weather and time.
As far as Le Cellier, we have never been so really want to try it.

Thanks!

 

[kmdrago1783]

I'd never do those all those breakfast ADRs either. I'd push them back later (or cancel) and actually do some touring, then late breakfast.

Your arrival day doesn't seem feasible to me. You land at noon, let's say 2 hours to get to your resort, then another hour at least to get settled in and off to Epcot. You're going to eat lunch at 3 pm? Even if everything goes to plan, it will be at least 2 hours from arrival until you step foot in a park. Won't the kids be starving by then? FWIW, Saturday arrivals in October are crazy hellish. Two years ago when we arrived October 19, we waited for over an hour just to board a bus. The line to check in at DME was stretched all the way down the terminal. It was crazy.

On the 18th, if you don't take a break until that late, it's going to be pretty difficult to get back in time to get a decent spot in line for Jack & Sally. I believe people started lining up around 5:00 last year.

On the 20th, you're going to Epcot on an early EMH but not taking advantage of EMH. It's going to be super crowded that day. I'd switch Epcot to a different day that doesn't have EMH. Epcot is also going to be packed the night of the 23rd, but as long as you don't expect to do any rides or hang out in the WS (which will be full of F&W partiers on a Friday evening) and are only going for the ADR, hopping there should be OK.

FWIW, our trip dates coincide with yours...we'll be in Orlando October 15-24. We're going to Universal the first few days, then transferring to Disney. We'll visit MK for a few hours in the afternoon of the 18th, doing Epcot the 19th, AK the 20th, HS the 21st (see you there! ) , and MK on the 22nd and 23rd. We'll close out the week with MNSSHP on the 23rd. I selected my park days based on easywdw.com's recommendations, as his advice has served us well on all of our prior trips (including 3 in October).

Thanks! Have to figure out the Epcot thing but

1. Good point on arrival day. Thinking I might get the kids a big breakfast at the airport and have some snacks on hand so that we can skip lunch and can also grab a snack in the parks before dinner. If they're hungry can grab something when we arrive in Orlando as well. Is there any value to just taking a Taxi to the resort to save time?
2. Def planning on taking my break earlier so that we can be back at the park at 4!