Critique Our Plans!

[Jasten]

Hey all, I have been having a blast reading these boards and getting ideas and advice for our upcoming trip in early September. I have been to Disney a handful of times and its a very special place where I draw a lot of personal creative inspiration from. This trip will be our first for our DD. She is 2 1/2 years old and we recognize this will be a very different but hopefully equally gratifying trip for me and my DW.

We are staying at the copper creek villas in WL. I am posting our schedule as I want the experts to let me know if they see any issues as well as help me get an idea if its appropriate for a toddler. This trip is very much centered around her so our usual bigger rides are out the window.

9/8 - Arrival Day @ 4:30pm (barring any Travel delays)
-----------
-Flying Jetblue. DD's first plane ride. Bought the CARES harness so we don't have to bring the carseat
-DME to Hotel upon arrival
-Order Groceries/get Room Ect.
-Perhaps head to Disney Springs for a quick bite to eat and some shopping

9/9 -Saturday Magic Kingdom
----------------------------------
-8:10am Chef Mickeys
-9:05-10:05 FP+ Dumbo
-10:25-11:25 FP+ Peter Pan
-11:40 Be Our Guest QS(Mainly we just want to see the inside of the castle!)
-11:55-12:55 FP+ Buzz Lightyear Ranger Spin
-2:00 FOF Parade
-Nap at Resort
-Return and hopefully land another FP or two but mostly leave later afternoon open and Flexible

9/10 - Sunday at Epcot (Our first time ever!)
----------------------------------------------------
-8:10am Akershus
-Maybe beat rope drop to Frozen (not sure how long breakfast goes). If we miss rope drop will meeting Anna/Elsa be somewhat easier around 9:30?
-9:05-10:05 FP+ The Seas with Nemo and Friends
-10:35-11:35 FP+ Turtle Talk with Crush
-11:35-12:35 FP+ Frozen Ever After
-Nap at Resort
-Flexible Afternoon

9/11 - Monday Disney/Springs / Pool Day
---------------------------
-11:45 T-Rex Lunch at DS
-5:35 Whistling Canyon Dinner

9/12 - Tuesday at Animal Kingdom/MK
--------------------------------------------
-9:15-10:15 FP+ Na'vi River Journey
-10:35-11:35 FP+ Kilimanjaro
-11:55-12:55 FP+ Its tough to be a bug ( I know this prolly isnt the best use but all i could get in morning)
-Nap at Resort (Grab an afternoon FP at MK)
-4PM Enter MK with MNSSH passes
-Trick or Treat / Parade / Hopefully do Haunted Mansion / Pirates / other rides missed on the Saturday MK

9/13 - Wednesday at Hollywood Studios
----------------------------------------------
-9:20am Hollywood and Vine Disney Jr Breakfast
-9:45-10:45 FP+ Muppet Vision 3d (going to be close)
-10:55-11:55 FP+ Toy Story Mania
-12:00-12:15 FP+ Frozen Sing Along
-Nap at resort
-Grab a FP+ for afternoon in Hollywood Studios

9/14 - Depart for home :-(
--------------------------------
-DME to airport

 

[BrianL]

Your plans look solid. The only thing is that some of your FPs are quite early. You would not need an FP for Dumbo at 9:05 (assuming open in 9:00). If you are just planning to burn them to book more later then it's fine, but something to consider. Also, FP for The Seas is less necessary than say Spaceship Earth, especially at 9:05 AM.

I hope you have a great time!

 

[Jasten]

Is Spaceship earth toddler friendly? If so maybe ill swap that. I would like to try that out. Is it pretty tame? I don't really do well with VR or motion sickness inducing stuff

 

[Jasten]

Dumbo was more of a burn situation. We wont make rope drop as we are at Chef Mickeys. My assumption is that it would be pretty likely we could land a pirates or haunted mansion in the afternoon once we have burned the other three.

 

[BrianL]

Is Spaceship earth toddler friendly? If so maybe ill swap that. I would like to try that out. Is it pretty tame? I don't really do well with VR or motion sickness inducing stuff

Spaceship Earth is a slow-moving "omni-mover" style ride (think Haunted Mansion or Buzz Lightyear - constantly moving chain of cars). It is a show about how people have communicated through history. It has some dark sections, but there is nothing scary. It's a little long, and may not be that engaging for a toddler, but it depends on the kid (I was the type who would love it). There is no need to worry about motion sickness or anything on it.

 

[Nstigator]

On arrival day, I would plan to just stay at the resort and not go to Disney Springs. Y'all will need to get to bed early to be ready for the early morning.

I think your ride selection for Saturday is good, although you really don't need FP for dumbo that early. In reality you might not need any fastpasses for rides that a 2 1/2 year old can ride. But might as well take them since you can. Crowd levels on that time of year are VERY low. Pretty much as low as they are ever seen all year. Great planning there. Here's a suggested adjustment based on park layout to keep you from walking so much:

9:00 ish - Dumbo and Barnstormer. Again you shouldn't need FP. But I understand wanting to make sure you get on it quick, so your call. There are characters over here as well.
10, 10:30-ish until lunch - Buzz (move or remove fastpass), people mover, astro orbiter, speedway. Whatever you can do over in Tomorrowland. This is all a short walk from Dumbo.
11:40 - lunch.
Move Peter pan FP to noon-ish if you can. Then ride Small world while you are right next to it.
Make your way over to parade area by around 1:00 to get a good spot. Maybe get DD a nice little snack while you wait.
As you said, decide if you need to nap. DD might have already slept in the stroller. Then figure out what you want to do the rest of the day.
Maybe instead of Dumbo and/or Buzz, select some fastpasses for the evening for haunted mansion or pirates or princess meet and greets for afternoon/evening after nap.
DEFINITELY SEE FIREWORKS

Sunday - again you don't need FPs but it's fine. Just don't stick yourselves to those times if you get there and can ride early. Make the most of your time and the short lines. You should be able to do the other rides in the front of the park like Figment and Spaceship Earth. Note - I didn't check the schedule, but World Showcase often opens later than Future World, so you might not be able to ride Frozen early even if you beat rope drop.

Monday. Perhaps too much food with two table services. That's a lot of eating for one day. Both places are fun though. It's good to have a rest day. If your park tickets are good on this day, maybe go over to MK for a little while.

Tuesday - I recommend trying to get into Lion King or Nemo instead of Bug. Even if in the afternoon. DD might sleep during the show, but if she doesn't she'll be blown away and y'all will too.

Wednesday - I've heard terrible things about the food and overall experience at Hollywood and Vine. I would do more research. If you've done Chef Mickeys, you will have seen most (all?) of the same characters. Maybe cancel this one. Sleep in a bit longer instead after. Assuming you were up watching fireworks the night before, y'all might need the extra rest. Shouldn't need FP for Muppets or pretty much any show here. But using up the 3 you have is cool.

 

[BrianL]

Dumbo was more of a burn situation. We wont make rope drop as we are at Chef Mickeys. My assumption is that it would be pretty likely we could land a pirates or haunted mansion in the afternoon once we have burned the other three.

You are probably good on getting POTC or HM in the afternoon, so I think you are fine there. One thing to note is that Dumbo does not have a traditional queue, but it does have an indoor playground and then you are paged when your time to ride has come. I am just noting this because with a Fast Pass (or at 9 AM) you won't really be spending the time in the playground, which some kids like a lot.

Also, on Peter Pan, there is a new queue which is very cool and interactive, set in the Darling's nursery. If you use FP you will not see this at all. It's not a big deal, just something to consider.

 

[Aron1012]

As someone who has been to H&V three times in last year (wasn't my choice!), it can easily be skipped. The breakfast is actually the better of the meals comparatively. Characters are Disney Jr. at breakfast(Handy Manny, Sofia, Doc McStuffins, and Jake). They are fine but looks like you are pretty character heavy already. I always ending under-budgeting how much time they take up. You should figure more than hour. You might not be at the table that long but 30-45 min waits to be seated can happen. That's a little better with breakfast normally.

Like the others mentioned I would skip the first hour FPs. Book one after your current third instead. If you are ready to go back by then just cancel it and get something else for the afternoon. Especially with rides you are doing won't need them in first hour or two really.

 

[Danimal]

Make time for Flights of Wonder at AK. Your kid will love it!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Hey all, I have been having a blast reading these boards and getting ideas and advice for our upcoming trip in early September. I have been to Disney a handful of times and its a very special place where I draw a lot of personal creative inspiration from. This trip will be our first for our DD. She is 2 1/2 years old and we recognize this will be a very different but hopefully equally gratifying trip for me and my DW.

We are staying at the copper creek villas in WL. I am posting our schedule as I want the experts to let me know if they see any issues as well as help me get an idea if its appropriate for a toddler. This trip is very much centered around her so our usual bigger rides are out the window.

9/8 - Arrival Day @ 4:30pm (barring any Travel delays)
-----------
-Flying Jetblue. DD's first plane ride. Bought the CARES harness so we don't have to bring the carseat
-DME to Hotel upon arrival
-Order Groceries/get Room Ect.
-Perhaps head to Disney Springs for a quick bite to eat and some shopping

9/9 -Saturday Magic Kingdom
----------------------------------
-8:10am Chef Mickeys
-9:05-10:05 FP+ Dumbo
-10:25-11:25 FP+ Peter Pan
-11:40 Be Our Guest QS(Mainly we just want to see the inside of the castle!)
-11:55-12:55 FP+ Buzz Lightyear Ranger Spin
-2:00 FOF Parade
-Nap at Resort
-Return and hopefully land another FP or two but mostly leave later afternoon open and Flexible

9/10 - Sunday at Epcot (Our first time ever!)
----------------------------------------------------
-8:10am Akershus
-Maybe beat rope drop to Frozen (not sure how long breakfast goes). If we miss rope drop will meeting Anna/Elsa be somewhat easier around 9:30?
-9:05-10:05 FP+ The Seas with Nemo and Friends
-10:35-11:35 FP+ Turtle Talk with Crush
-11:35-12:35 FP+ Frozen Ever After
-Nap at Resort
-Flexible Afternoon

9/11 - Monday Disney/Springs / Pool Day
---------------------------
-11:45 T-Rex Lunch at DS
-5:35 Whistling Canyon Dinner

9/12 - Tuesday at Animal Kingdom/MK
--------------------------------------------
-9:15-10:15 FP+ Na'vi River Journey
-10:35-11:35 FP+ Kilimanjaro
-11:55-12:55 FP+ Its tough to be a bug ( I know this prolly isnt the best use but all i could get in morning)
-Nap at Resort (Grab an afternoon FP at MK)
-4PM Enter MK with MNSSH passes
-Trick or Treat / Parade / Hopefully do Haunted Mansion / Pirates / other rides missed on the Saturday MK

9/13 - Wednesday at Hollywood Studios
----------------------------------------------
-9:20am Hollywood and Vine Disney Jr Breakfast
-9:45-10:45 FP+ Muppet Vision 3d (going to be close)
-10:55-11:55 FP+ Toy Story Mania
-12:00-12:15 FP+ Frozen Sing Along
-Nap at resort
-Grab a FP+ for afternoon in Hollywood Studios

9/14 - Depart for home :-(
--------------------------------
-DME to airport

Personally, I wouldn't plan on going to DS on your arrival day. The flight plus traveling to the resort and then getting all the way over to DS is a lot for one day (especially if this is your DD's first flight). I would settle in at the resort and eat there.

I would suggest pre-ordering for BOG. The lines to order food once you get inside the castle can be really long.

You've got a LOT of walking going on your EP day. You will be walking all the way from the FW entrance to WS for breakfast, back to FW for Nemo and Crush and then BACK to Norway. Since you are eating in Norway, I would REALLY try to get FEA and the Anna/Elsa meet and greet in before heading back into FW. Otherwise, you will be spending your entire morning walking in EP. My DS has gone on Spaceship Earth since he was 1 and never had issues. You may also want to try Living with the Land and Gran Fiesta Tour (in Mexico) with your DD.

I wouldn't recommend doing It's Tough to be a Bug with a 2 1/2 year old. The animal trails are lovely and Festival of the Lion King, Flights of Wonder and Nemo are fantastic shows. Rafiki's Planet Watch is also fun for little ones. I would highly recommend trying to get those into your itinerary.

You don't need a FP+ for Muppet Vision so I wouldn't rush breakfast to get to it.

 

[erinch]

T Rex is really loud and overwhelming. The ice cave is freezing. It is jam packed with stressed out families and the tables are close together. If you want something like that, Rainforest Cafe might be better. But could you time your lunch for nap in stroller, sit on a patio and hopefully enjoy a grown up meal?

 

[bravenyc]

I took my 2.5 year old last year in May (also had my 5 yo with me). Along with what some others have said, I would suggest skipping DS the first day and focus on relaxing and lots of pool time (the pool was one of my daughter's favorite things). Also agree that Tough to Be a Bug may be too intense for her - we skipped it. I also might warn about staying for the parade - my little one did not make it to 2:00 - if you are going to try to stay for that - definitely have a low key day the previous day. My daughter's hand down favorite was dumbo - she still talks about it today. Have fun!

 

[StraightToDumbo]

Another vote for no DS on travel day with a toddler. It is stimulation to the max and you will walk WAAAY more than you think.

 

[DisneyMom2000000]

Is Spaceship earth toddler friendly? If so maybe ill swap that. I would like to try that out. Is it pretty tame? I don't really do well with VR or motion sickness inducing stuff

My toddlers LOVE Spaceship Earth!

 

[erinch]

The other thing is when mine were that age they loved the play areas. There are interactive fountains at Disney Springs and Epcot. Bring a change of clothes and let her at it.

There are play areas by splash mountain and pooh in MK.
Amd a large playground in AK.

 

[Ouida]

I'll just throw this out here. My little guy cried (loudly) at tough to be a bug. He was 3, it's a fond memory now, lol. But totally awful then.

 

[DAKDarling]

I would skip It's Tough to Be a Bug and see if you can hop in line for an early showing of FoTLK instead. I would also schedule in some more time to wander around DAK and see the animals. There is an interactive play area for kids in Dinoland.

 

[DAKDarling]

Also, will you be seeing any of the nighttime shows? Your tot might fall asleep by then, but that shouldn't stop adults from enjoying them!
I'm not sure how rider switch works exactly but you could look into it so the adults can ride some thrill rides.