Did I mess up our park plan?

[jennygirlmt]

Any thoughts would be welcome and appreciated! We have a Make a wish trip feb 26-march 4.

We are big Star Wars and frozen fans.
I've never been to AK.
Girls will be 6, 4 and 21 months.
We are staying at Give Kids the world and driving to the parks.
We will have 3 day park hoppers and 2 days to universal.

Feb 27-HS and AK
Feb 28- universal (leisure start and early return)
March 1-MK, 11am BOG and 1pm BBB (ironically my daughter's hair is falling out again due to complications so I'm fretting this will be a disappointment. Hopefully they can make it magical!) We plan to rest in the wish lounge in the afternoon and shoot for 8pm fireworks.
March 2-Sleep in and another universal day.
March 3-epcot, askerhaus at noon then MK

My fears and issues-
1. They've since added (or I missed the first time) emh from 8-10pm on our long day. I'm worried this will make fireworks more overwhelming.
2. It seems like while we chose days via crowd calendars, now all of our days are the "wrong" ones. And I can't find any other BOG or BBB reservations that week.
3. I wanted feb for cooler weather and lower crowds but the end of feb is looking to be crowded with lingering marathon crowds and Mardi Gras, I feel like I chose so poorly, despite my husband and I discussing it for days.
4. I'm worried that hopping will be exhausting. I really want to see AK, but would ditch it if it meant not wearing the girls out. I'm hoping it'll be easy enough to jump to MK to end the trip, after we hit the high lights at Epcot (frozen and lunch).

We will have the genie pass and thus fastpass entrance to rides. I have a fairly concise plan for each park, hitting our highlights and not worrying about everything else. Other than Wednesday seeming to pack it all in (I'm ok to bail earlier if the kids melt.)

My husband told me to trust the gift of the genie pass and go with the flow. Do you see any concerns or have any suggestions? Thank you!

 

[Uconnyankee12]

I hope you have a great trip and make great memories for your family! My only suggestion is to replace universal with another DW day but I don't know if that's possible with your make a wish trip. I only suggest that based on the ages of your kids-- it seems that Universal is geared toward older kids/adults. And DW seems to be very kid friendly.

If you change your MK day and can't get BOG, we loved The Crystal Palace and the character meet and greets!

Enjoy your visit! And prayers to your family!

 

[jennygirlmt]

Thank you! Give kids the world gives us the three day tickets and two universals. It's a bummer, with four parks it would be nice if they (Disney) would offer a 4 day, but a gift is a gift and we appreciate it! Thankfully we are also Harry Potter fans so we'll make good use of those too.

Thank you so much! I'm going to check for CP!

 

[Uconnyankee12]

It's kind of funny that when I look back on our trip and talk to my kids, the best times seem to be the unplanned times. My son (11) loved the arcade (spent most of his down time there) and my little girl (8) had so much fun feeding the birds at a quick service in AK (after my husband and son left to go back to the resort). Unexpected moments lead to the pixie dust!No matter what you do or how you plan, you will have a great time!

 

[TwoMisfits]

I just read a GKTW trip report from 9 years ago in the trip reports thread and their biggest advice was to not do too much and to find some time for the resort activities as well.

I think your husband has it just right - relax and go with the flow...

 

[beesly]

Any thoughts would be welcome and appreciated! We have a Make a wish trip feb 26-march 4.

We are big Star Wars and frozen fans.
I've never been to AK.
Girls will be 6, 4 and 21 months.
We are staying at Give Kids the world and driving to the parks.
We will have 3 day park hoppers and 2 days to universal.

Feb 27-HS and AK
Feb 28- universal (leisure start and early return)
March 1-MK, 11am BOG and 1pm BBB (ironically my daughter's hair is falling out again due to complications so I'm fretting this will be a disappointment. Hopefully they can make it magical!) We plan to rest in the wish lounge in the afternoon and shoot for 8pm fireworks.
March 2-Sleep in and another universal day.
March 3-epcot, askerhaus at noon then MK

My fears and issues-
1. They've since added (or I missed the first time) emh from 8-10pm on our long day. I'm worried this will make fireworks more overwhelming.
2. It seems like while we chose days via crowd calendars, now all of our days are the "wrong" ones. And I can't find any other BOG or BBB reservations that week.
3. I wanted feb for cooler weather and lower crowds but the end of feb is looking to be crowded with lingering marathon crowds and Mardi Gras, I feel like I chose so poorly, despite my husband and I discussing it for days.
4. I'm worried that hopping will be exhausting. I really want to see AK, but would ditch it if it meant not wearing the girls out. I'm hoping it'll be easy enough to jump to MK to end the trip, after we hit the high lights at Epcot (frozen and lunch).

We will have the genie pass and thus fastpass entrance to rides. I have a fairly concise plan for each park, hitting our highlights and not worrying about everything else. Other than Wednesday seeming to pack it all in (I'm ok to bail earlier if the kids melt.)

My husband told me to trust the gift of the genie pass and go with the flow. Do you see any concerns or have any suggestions? Thank you!

Having a good plan is more important than visiting a park on the "right" day. It sounds like you're okay there.

We've had to deal with similar hair loss, but not at the same time as a WDW visit. Can you (or can Give Kids the World) call the BBB to let them know about your circumstances prior to your visit? Will your DD have a wig, or could you bring other accessories that they could work with?

WDW is currently testing express transportation between parks. It allows guests direct park-to-park transport, with backstage pick-up and drop-off points that eliminate the need to go through security at your second (and third, etc.) park(s). If it's extended into February, I'd suggest asking GKTW if they can get that benefit added for your trip (and if they can't, I'd still consider adding it yourself if it's an option).

 

[Nancyg56]

I cannot speak to the hopping and how it will affect your family , but I figure if your family is up to it, hop. If not stay where you are. There is no "right" way to tour, so I would play it by ear. If you start in DAK and the children and you are having fun and have more to explore, skip DHS. It is not going anywhere. The same with Epcot. If you all are enjoying your time there, unless you really need to get back to MK, just stay. If you find that after lunch the children want to leave, pick your park and go. IF they are tired, go back to the resort and let them enjoy the amenities there.

I have always felt that most of any vacation expectation we think the children have is really our own. They will enjoy what they are doing, and if they miss something, they don't mind, kids are kind of "in the moment".

I will chime in on BBB. I would cancel it in a heartbeat and look at Ivy Trellis in the Grand Floridian. I am not disparaging the Fairy godmothers in training, but they are not licenses stylists, and will not be able to personalize your daughter's needs. I took my Princesses to the Ivy Trellis and had the Princess package for them, an felt the entire experience was perfect for them. The stylists are licensed, so they have more latitude in how they handle your children's hair, and if your child needs that special treatment, this is the place she will be able to receive it.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Thank you! Give kids the world gives us the three day tickets and two universals. It's a bummer, with four parks it would be nice if they (Disney) would offer a 4 day, but a gift is a gift and we appreciate it! Thankfully we are also Harry Potter fans so we'll make good use of those too.

Thank you so much! I'm going to check for CP!

touring with the genie pass is completely different than other trips. I am assuming you are staying at Give Kids The World remember to check the characters that are visiting there and the parties there also.

 

[ElsasFan]

Any thoughts would be welcome and appreciated! We have a Make a wish trip feb 26-march 4.

We are big Star Wars and frozen fans.
I've never been to AK.
Girls will be 6, 4 and 21 months.
We are staying at Give Kids the world and driving to the parks.
We will have 3 day park hoppers and 2 days to universal.

Feb 27-HS and AK
Feb 28- universal (leisure start and early return)
March 1-MK, 11am BOG and 1pm BBB (ironically my daughter's hair is falling out again due to complications so I'm fretting this will be a disappointment. Hopefully they can make it magical!) We plan to rest in the wish lounge in the afternoon and shoot for 8pm fireworks.
March 2-Sleep in and another universal day.
March 3-epcot, askerhaus at noon then MK

My fears and issues-
1. They've since added (or I missed the first time) emh from 8-10pm on our long day. I'm worried this will make fireworks more overwhelming.
2. It seems like while we chose days via crowd calendars, now all of our days are the "wrong" ones. And I can't find any other BOG or BBB reservations that week.
3. I wanted feb for cooler weather and lower crowds but the end of feb is looking to be crowded with lingering marathon crowds and Mardi Gras, I feel like I chose so poorly, despite my husband and I discussing it for days.
4. I'm worried that hopping will be exhausting. I really want to see AK, but would ditch it if it meant not wearing the girls out. I'm hoping it'll be easy enough to jump to MK to end the trip, after we hit the high lights at Epcot (frozen and lunch).

We will have the genie pass and thus fastpass entrance to rides. I have a fairly concise plan for each park, hitting our highlights and not worrying about everything else. Other than Wednesday seeming to pack it all in (I'm ok to bail earlier if the kids melt.)

My husband told me to trust the gift of the genie pass and go with the flow. Do you see any concerns or have any suggestions? Thank you!

I would not worry about the hopping wearing your girls out; we hopped from AK to MK last year and the bus was so nice and quiet (hardly anyone on it) and it was so nice to sit down for a while that it actually felt like a nice break.

My advice is not to second-guess yourself. You made the best plans that you could, based on the information that you had at the time. And having a good plan is much more important than visiting a park on the "right" day. The crowd calendars are just the estimates of the people who make them. They could be right, they could be wrong, so don't let it cause you any anxiety.

A friend of mine from college took her family on a Make a Wish trip last year and they had an amazing time. I hope you too, do!

 

[jennygirlmt]

Thank you everyone!! I'm going to not angst over it. Our kids are definitely "joy in the small things" type kids and we will go at their pace and we will have a blast. Our family is just ready for a "get away from daily life" trip full of magic.

Thanks for the recs on hair and dining!

 

[Nancyg56]

Thank you everyone!! I'm going to not angst over it. Our kids are definitely "joy in the small things" type kids and we will go at their pace and we will have a blast. Our family is just ready for a "get away from daily life" trip full of magic.

Thanks for the recs on hair and dining!

Have fun!!!