Critique My Plans Please!

[corn princess]

We are heading to WDW on June 2-June 9. We are staying at AKL-Kidani. There will be 4 of us going: DH, myself, DD (7), and DD(2). We have 6 day base tickets (no hoppers). I finished my preliminary plans last night in order to be prepared to make my FP selection next week! Please look them over and tell me what you think!

Sun. June 3:
RD Magic Kingdom (try to ride: Haunted Mansion, Under the Sea, & Meet Ariel at RD)
-FP 7 Dwarves @10:00 & then do the Carousel
-Lunch & Break @ Hotel @11-3
-FP Peter Pan @ 3:30
-FP Enchanted Tales w/ Belle @4:30
-Dinner @BOG @ 5:00
Do Winnie the Pooh (Try for 4th FP), It's a Small World, & Meet Rapunzel & Tiana
-If it ever opens do HEA dessert party

Mon. June 4:
EMH @AK (try to do Safari & Wildnerness Explorers during EMH)
-Tusker House @ 9:00
(then do Boneyard, Finding Nemo Show, TriceraTop Spin)
-Break @hotel 12-2:30
-FP Na'vi River @ 3:00 (no FOP because I get motion sick and our kiddos are too little)
(walk around Pandora)
-FP Lion King @ 5
-FP Safari @ 5:30 (it's my DD's fave)
-QS Dinner at Park
(Gorilla Falls Trails, Discovery Island Trails)
-ROL

Tues. June 5:
Resort & Pool Day
-Breakfast at Boma
-Disney Springs Homecoming for dinner

Wed. June 6:
-RD Epcot (Soarin & Livin w/ the Land at RD)
-FP Meet Disney & Pals @9:40
(Journey, Nemo, & Turtle Talk after)
-FP Spaceship Earth @11:45
-Lunch & Break @hotel from 12-3
(3 Caballaros, Sign up for Agent P's)
-FP FEA @5:35
(Meet Anna & Elsa after that)
-Dinner @via Napoli @6:25
-Walk around WS, then Illuminations

Thurs. June 7:
-RD HS (sign up for Jedi Training & do TSMM at RD)
-10:05=Breakfast @H&V
-FP Disney Jr Show @11:20
-Rest @hotel @12:00-3:00
-3:30 (Beauty & Beast Show)
-FP Frozen Sing Along @4:30
-Hopefully do Jedi Training @5:10 (then watch Star Wars show)
-QS Dinner @park
(Little Mermaid after dinner)
-FP Fantastmic

Friday June 8:
-EMH @MK (Meet Tinker Bell, Buzz, & Tomorrowland Speedway during EMH)
(Mad Tea Party, Disney Pals Circus M&G, Dumbo all w/o FP, play in Splash area)
-11:00-2:00=Break & Lunch @hotel
-3:00 FOF Parade
-FP POC @5
-CRT DInner @6:00
-FP Jungle Cruise @7
-FP Magic Carpets @7:50

Sat. June 9:
-Last Day, CHeck OUt at AKL & Head to MK to do whatever we haven't gotten to
-Leave MK @ 3

THank you to anyone who read through this whole thing and has any advice/critiques!!

 

[ghtx]

Great plans! Several late nights followed by AM EMH mornings or RD might be a bit much for the kids (and the adults). With 3 days at MK you might be able to sleep in a couple of those days. Or, you could skip one of the evening fireworks shows or Fantasmic.

 

[tinkerbellybutton]

Everyone does Disney different, but for myself some of your FPs seem a bit late. We like to book our FP starting not long after park opening and book them as consecutively as we can so that we can start getting our 4th FP and so on sooner.

I know a lot of people book their FP for later in the day since morning waits aren't as long as afternoon waits, but our method has worked great for us so far.

Often times as soon as we scan our first FP we are able to bump our second FP up to an earlier time, we continue doing this throughout the day and it really maximizes how many you can get. We can often times use all 3, and maybe a 4th FP before our midday break. And then I usually book our next FP for when we return to the park on the bus ride back to our resort.

 

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

Everyone does Disney different, but for myself some of your FPs seem a bit late. We like to book our FP starting not long after park opening and book them as consecutively as we can so that we can start getting our 4th FP and so on sooner.

I know a lot of people book their FP for later in the day since morning waits aren't as long as afternoon waits, but our method has worked great for us so far.

Often times as soon as we scan our first FP we are able to bump our second FP up to an earlier time, we continue doing this throughout the day and it really maximizes how many you can get. We can often times use all 3, and maybe a 4th FP before our midday break. And then I usually book our next FP for when we return to the park on the bus ride back to our resort.

I usually start all my FPs around 11, since this is when the park gets the busiest. Then you can always get more once you use the initial three!

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Are you sure you'll need/want the afternoon breaks every day? I know some people swear by it, but it can really take a long time to get out of the park and back to your hotel. Maybe consider a few days without the breaks, where you plan to leave the park early instead (if you don't think your kids can handle open to close). That way, you don't have to worry about as many late nights followed by early mornings. Just a thought.

Have you thought about doing the Fantasmic dinner package at HS? Since you're eating at H&V anyways, you could do the F! package and save the FP.

Also, I see you have a few FPs planned for only 30 minutes apart. Just so you know, they are one hour windows and cannot overlap. So, these won't work:
-FP Lion King @ 5 -FP Safari @ 5:30 (it's my DD's fave)
-FP Jungle Cruise @7 -FP Magic Carpets @7:50

 

[tamerbelles]

Love it! You're my kind of planner.

As someone who also does midday breaks, I would give more time for transportation back to the parks. You have a couple of FP's/shows within 30 minutes of your scheduled break time. If you have your own car, that should work. If you're relying on the buses at AKL, you might be cutting it close.

The ride to MK is a solid 20 minutes from AKL, not including the time you'll wait on a bus, plus security! We found ourselves doing a mad dash to make a few afternoon FPs/shows last trip. It was soooo stressful. This time, I'm trying to make our evenings less time-sensitive so our breaks can be more relaxing.

 

[KenHutch]

Me and the girls are rope drop commando's so we always hit early and then we start our fast passes around 11:00 (this allows the very lazy members of daughters family to show up). As long as you watch how well the little ones handle the day you should be fine. What kind of stroller are you bringing for the 2 year old? If its big enough the 7 year old might be able to sit a bit (I have seen some monstrous strollers).

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Have you done this before and know you like the afternoon breaks at the resort? If not, I would think about how you might need to modify plans on the fly after a couple of days if you decide the breaks don't work. (For me it's more exhausting to go back and forth like that). Also I will agree with a previous poster that you need to allow more transportation time. If you're at the hotel until 3pm you are not going to make a 3:30 Peter pan fp. You need to allow an hour minimum, and 90 minutes would be better. Personally I like to use my 3 fp by mid afternoon if I can so I have more flexibility later in the day.

Overall though I think it looks like a very thorough and achievable plan other than the concern about leaving enough time for transportation.

 

[DIS_AWC]

If you're at the hotel until 3pm you are not going to make a 3:30 Peter pan fp.

Assuming the times she posted are the start time of her preferred FP windows, OP would have until 4:45 to get to Peter Pan after their break, including the grace period at the end of the FP window. I think an hour and 45 minutes would be more than ample time to get from AKL to MK and up to PPF to tap in for the FP.

 

[sharonabe]

Thurs. June 7:
-RD HS (sign up for Jedi Training & do TSMM at RD)
-10:05=Breakfast @H&V
-FP Disney Jr Show @11:20
-Rest @hotel @12:00-3:00
-3:30 (Beauty & Beast Show)
-FP Frozen Sing Along @4:30
-Hopefully do Jedi Training @5:10 (then watch Star Wars show)
-QS Dinner @park
(Little Mermaid after dinner)
-FP Fantastmic

This day has me a little concerned. By the time you finish signing up for Jedi, the line at TSMM will be very long. I doubt you'll make your 10:05 ADR.
Then I'm not sure about the Disney Jr Show. Is 11:20 the time of the show you're trying for or is there another one after that still within your FP time frame? I don't think you'll make the 11:20. What time is the Star Wars show you're thinking of watching after Jedi? If it's the Star Wars Spectacular, that's a nighttime show and it has to be dark, so it won't be showing at 5:30/6:00.

Also...AK early magic hours....I don't think Wilderness Explorers is available during EMH, so maybe do Gorilla Falls after the Safari.

 

[corn princess]

Great plans! Several late nights followed by AM EMH mornings or RD might be a bit much for the kids (and the adults). With 3 days at MK you might be able to sleep in a couple of those days. Or, you could skip one of the evening fireworks shows or Fantasmic.

That's very true! We may cut out ROL & Illuminations!

 

[corn princess]

Are you sure you'll need/want the afternoon breaks every day? I know some people swear by it, but it can really take a long time to get out of the park and back to your hotel. Maybe consider a few days without the breaks, where you plan to leave the park early instead (if you don't think your kids can handle open to close). That way, you don't have to worry about as many late nights followed by early mornings. Just a thought.

Have you thought about doing the Fantasmic dinner package at HS? Since you're eating at H&V anyways, you could do the F! package and save the FP.

Also, I see you have a few FPs planned for only 30 minutes apart. Just so you know, they are one hour windows and cannot overlap. So, these won't work:
-FP Lion King @ 5 -FP Safari @ 5:30 (it's my DD's fave)
-FP Jungle Cruise @7 -FP Magic Carpets @7:50

Good point, I knew that about FP's but must have overlooked the timing! If my kiddos are doing well then we'll probably stay in the park but given the heat & humidity of June during our last trip a mid day break was a must!

 

[corn princess]

Have you done this before and know you like the afternoon breaks at the resort? If not, I would think about how you might need to modify plans on the fly after a couple of days if you decide the breaks don't work. (For me it's more exhausting to go back and forth like that). Also I will agree with a previous poster that you need to allow more transportation time. If you're at the hotel until 3pm you are not going to make a 3:30 Peter pan fp. You need to allow an hour minimum, and 90 minutes would be better. Personally I like to use my 3 fp by mid afternoon if I can so I have more flexibility later in the day.

Overall though I think it looks like a very thorough and achievable plan other than the concern about leaving enough time for transportation.

Absolutely something I"ll look into to make sure we have enough time for transportation! I may cut our breaks short to make sure we get back in time!

 

[corn princess]

Me and the girls are rope drop commando's so we always hit early and then we start our fast passes around 11:00 (this allows the very lazy members of daughters family to show up). As long as you watch how well the little ones handle the day you should be fine. What kind of stroller are you bringing for the 2 year old? If its big enough the 7 year old might be able to sit a bit (I have seen some monstrous strollers).

We actually have a double city mini! I know my 7 yo & she will need a stroller break at some point!

 

[corn princess]

This day has me a little concerned. By the time you finish signing up for Jedi, the line at TSMM will be very long. I doubt you'll make your 10:05 ADR.
Then I'm not sure about the Disney Jr Show. Is 11:20 the time of the show you're trying for or is there another one after that still within your FP time frame? I don't think you'll make the 11:20. What time is the Star Wars show you're thinking of watching after Jedi? If it's the Star Wars Spectacular, that's a nighttime show and it has to be dark, so it won't be showing at 5:30/6:00.

Also...AK early magic hours....I don't think Wilderness Explorers is available during EMH, so maybe do Gorilla Falls after the Safari.

That was my concern as well! No TSMM FP are really screwing up my plans lol! This was the day that was giving me the hardest time as well.

Good point about Wilderness Explorers...I think we'll switch that and Gorilla Falls!

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Your times are pretty tight all around, wait times have been longer for just about everything.