Does this Itinerary looks too ambitious?

[~Tonga Wingo~]

I think if your times are right and your kids can handle it, that it looks great. Our last trip was the first with our kids and we opted for the DxDP with 3 TS meals a day and we do NOT feel as if we are on a "Navy SEAL assault on the restaurants"...although that analogy did give me the funniest visual.

Here is how we did it and it worked great...
We did a character meal before park open (7:30-8 am) everyday. It is a great way to start your day IMO because you get all the pictures and autographs of your favorite characters so you waste very little time in meet and greet lines. We were done with all of ours, except CP, just in time for rope drop so it worked great and we wasted 0 park time on breakfast and go characters to boot.

We found that lunch worked best around 1:30-2. By then we were not really hungry but we were starting to think about something for lunch. We opted for places with lighter lunches (sandwiches, salads, burgers, etc). Most days, lunch took about an hour to 90 minutes so even with a TS lunch, we did not miss that much more park time than we would have with CS lunches.

A side note on lunch...if you kids have to go back to the room for naps then you need to ditch your lunch plans and grab something on the way back to the resort or at the resort. Otherwise, you really will kill a huge part of your afternoon with the two. But if you kids can nap on the fly or don't need naps then a TS lunch really is no big deal.

We did our dinners around 7:30-8. Again, we were not really hungry but we were starting to think about eating by this point. I realize that is late for many for dinner but it worked fine for us. Most nights the parks closed around 8 or 9 so we didn't miss much if any park time with dinner. Plus, DS has Autism so he can not handle being too close to the nightly shows so we had him safely outside the parks on in a restaurant when they started up and he loved watching them from afar so that also worked great.

Anyway, I think it can work and work great if you time things right and your kids are able to behave through it all.

ETA...One change I would make is do NOT leave AK for lunch even it is just back to AKL...especially if you do not have your own car. Hopping the monorail at the MK to a neighboring resort is no big deal but this one will probably eat away at a lot of time. I would try Yak and Yeti or even get CS at Flaming Tree.

I agree with this post. Last time I went, we did a character breakfast each morning in the park before opening. A lunch around 1 or 2 and a late dinner around 8. We did do two CS lunches and one CS dinner. However, it was fine for me, the other adult and 7 year old I was traveling with and we did a 5 day trip. Of course, we didn't do everything but I don't think that's possible with one day in the parks. We went at the end of June and it was actually a nice break from the heat and our time to rest as we stayed at the parks from opening to close (even 2 AM one night at MK and a couple 12 AMs in other parks). I think if this is your strategy, you'll do fine. To get us out more efficiently, we asked for our check when we ordered dessert or if we'd already seen a character (such as Pooh at Crystal Palace and 1900 Park Fare) we didn't wait for him at the next breakfast if we'd already seen everyone else. We found though that it was actually nice to sit as we were busy, busy the rest of the time. One thing about the snack credits is that we made sure we each used two each day so that we didn't have them left over. We always grabbed an ice cream or popcorn when we sat down for a parade and this helped. None of us found it was too much food or kept us from doing things.

 

[3pletprincesses]

I went last October with my 4 yo DDs and I can tell you it will be too much 3 TS a day. We are doing deluxe this May and have scheduled things a bit differentely then you. We do caracter breakfast almost every day and then do Signature meals almost every evening. we have left a few meal credits not planned for quick service in case the girls are hungry between our 2 meals but with the snacks and all, I don't anticipate that they will eat much for lunch. They are just too excited to be a WDW and their appetite dissapears.

 

[gumby013]

I went last October with my 4 yo DDs and I can tell you it will be too much 3 TS a day. We are doing deluxe this May and have scheduled things a bit differentely then you. We do caracter breakfast almost every day and then do Signature meals almost every evening. we have left a few meal credits not planned for quick service in case the girls are hungry between our 2 meals but with the snacks and all, I don't anticipate that they will eat much for lunch. They are just too excited to be a WDW and their appetite dissapears.

Agreed, we do the same thing on deluxe.

Character breakfast (At the park of the day if possible)

Snack points in the park for lunch. I wish I could have Dole Whip for lunch every day...

Signature restaurant for dinner.

 

[goofy-4-ever]

I agreed, I think you are not going to be that hungry come dinner.

We do breakfast around 8am and dinner around 5pm and Snack for lunch (back at the room or in the park).

I also agree that I wish I could have Dole Whip for lunch every day!

 

[MSLRAC]

I went last October with my 4 yo DDs and I can tell you it will be too much 3 TS a day. We are doing deluxe this May and have scheduled things a bit differentely then you. We do caracter breakfast almost every day and then do Signature meals almost every evening. we have left a few meal credits not planned for quick service in case the girls are hungry between our 2 meals but with the snacks and all, I don't anticipate that they will eat much for lunch. They are just too excited to be a WDW and their appetite dissapears.

I think it depends on what the child is used to at home. We do 3 meals a day at home and that does not change on vacation...even at Disney. For our family, it is totally and completely unrealistic to think that we could do a breakfast buffet, use snack credits for lunch on the fly and then do a signature meal. My kids would meltdown mid-afternoon and would probably act like monsters for dinner. Yet, 3 TS meals worked perfectly and due to how we arrive/departure, we are even able to do 4 signature meals.

 

[Tiger926]

I think it depends on what the child is used to at home. We do 3 meals a day at home and that does not change on vacation...even at Disney. For our family, it is totally and completely unrealistic to think that we could do a breakfast buffet, use snack credits for lunch on the fly and then do a signature meal. My kids would meltdown mid-afternoon and would probably act like monsters for dinner. Yet, 3 TS meals worked perfectly and due to how we arrive/departure, we are even able to do 4 signature meals.

So do we eat 3 meals a day at home, as 3 of us have low blood sugar, but eating at WDW is very different than home.

Many of the foods are high in fat and sodium. Breakfast foods especially, are going to be very fatty and sit heavy on the body, and then a few hours later, there is another lunch meal, and then in between lunch and a heavy dinner, snacks are consumed. Also, at each meal, more than likely, pop is consumed, which also fills up little tummies.

Most of the kids' meals are pretty yucky, although a few restaurants offer grilled fish or chicken, but I see most kids eating hot dogs, chicken fingers, burgers and fries, so doing this for 2 meals per day, plus a heavy breakfast, is different than what most kids would eat if they were at home for 3 meals per day.

When we use to eat 2-3 TS meals per day, we did a lot of substitutions, and really watched our portions. We also drink water, with occasional milk or juice for dinner for kids, and sometimes juice at breakfast. Most people I see, gorge themselves at buffets, so those 3 meals a day aren't like what we eat at home, as the oils, sodium and cooking processes are vastly different than at home.

When you add in a Signature, again, those foods are very heavy in sodiums and sauces on top of large cuts of meats, and we definitely don't eat like this at home, so we don't find Signatures worth it for us at all.

Your mileage may vary, but eating in restaurants for 3 meals per day at WDW, is going to be much different than eating at home for 3 meals per day.

Tiger

 

[MSLRAC]

So do we eat 3 meals a day at home, as 3 of us have low blood sugar, but eating at WDW is very different than home.

Many of the foods are high in fat and sodium. Breakfast foods especially, are going to be very fatty and sit heavy on the body, and then a few hours later, there is another lunch meal, and then in between lunch and a heavy dinner, snacks are consumed. Also, at each meal, more than likely, pop is consumed, which also fills up little tummies.

Most of the kids' meals are pretty yucky, although a few restaurants offer grilled fish or chicken, but I see most kids eating hot dogs, chicken fingers, burgers and fries, so doing this for 2 meals per day, plus a heavy breakfast, is different than what most kids would eat if they were at home for 3 meals per day.

When we use to eat 2-3 TS meals per day, we did a lot of substitutions, and really watched our portions. We also drink water, with occasional milk or juice for dinner for kids, and sometimes juice at breakfast. Most people I see, gorge themselves at buffets, so those 3 meals a day aren't like what we eat at home, as the oils, sodium and cooking processes are vastly different than at home.

When you add in a Signature, again, those foods are very heavy in sodiums and sauces on top of large cuts of meats, and we definitely don't eat like this at home, so we don't find Signatures worth it for us at all.

Your mileage may vary, but eating in restaurants for 3 meals per day at WDW, is going to be much different than eating at home for 3 meals per day.

Tiger

You're making a lot of assumptions about our eating habits both at home and Disney. We eat pretty healthy at home and that did not change at Disney, thus eating 3 meals a day at Disney was not that much different than eating 3 meals a day at home for us.

At home, we start each morning with a hot breakfast, for lunch we eat soups, salads, sandwiches, etc and for dinner, we have steak, fish or chicken...we did the exact same thing at Disney. We don't do snacks at Disney (we used all of our snack credits for stuff to take home) and we drank water 95% of the time we were there. Yes, I am sure those meals were higher in calories than our normal meals but I also know that we easily got 10 times the exercise.

Also, my kids don't do typical kid crap foods. They loved all of their meals at Disney because they ate grilled fish, chicken, steak, shell fish, pasta, steamed veggies and fresh fruit.

Anyway, I am just tired of people on these boards trying to convince people like the OP that the DxDP is way too much food, 3 TS meals a day is unhealthy, wastes too time or makes you feel like you are rolling from restaurant to restaurant. If you don't want it to be like that, a little planning will ensure that it won't.

 

[dairyqueenmom]

Wow thats alot of sit down meals in one day, I would feel like we were spending our vacation eating at table service then enjoying Disney. I would pick some 2 credit places or use some of our credits for counter service for flexibility. I would not wanted to be tied down to so many reservations.

 

[JessicaFaye508]

Thanks for letting me know about BOMA not having lunch.

May have to change that to SANAA the DInner at BOMA instead of GF 1900 Fare

1900 Park Fare is the best buffet I ever had. I would maybe keep it if I was you. I REALLY enjoyed it.

However, I head Boma is fantastic as well. Ahh decisions decisions.

But yeah I think your main point is that you need to have a good amount of time between meals. Because you're going to be full all the time. (which isn't a bad thing but you know. you want to enjoy every meal)

 

[rickq]

Thanks everyone for the comments.

I am starting to think about character breakfast then signature dinner at night.

I know my kids act well at restaurants when we eat, but I am a little intimidated taking my kids to signature dining every night. How kid friendly are restaurants like artist point, Le cellier, Narcoosee?

Also, Maybe maybe doing signature dinner one day then character show the next day may make more sense timewise.

I am sorry I did not post where we are staying. We are staying at POLY.

 

[gumby013]

Thanks everyone for the comments.

I am starting to think about character breakfast then signature dinner at night.

I know my kids act well at restaurants when we eat, but I am a little intimidated taking my kids to signature dining every night. How kid friendly are restaurants like artist point, Le cellier, Narcoosee?

Also, Maybe maybe doing signature dinner one day then character show the next day may make more sense timewise.

I am sorry I did not post where we are staying. We are staying at POLY.

Poly!

I amend my suggestion.

Dole Whip for every meal.

 

[Tiger926]

Thanks everyone for the comments.

I am starting to think about character breakfast then signature dinner at night.

I know my kids act well at restaurants when we eat, but I am a little intimidated taking my kids to signature dining every night. How kid friendly are restaurants like artist point, Le cellier, Narcoosee?

Also, Maybe maybe doing signature dinner one day then character show the next day may make more sense timewise.

I am sorry I did not post where we are staying. We are staying at POLY.

There are some Signatures that are really kid friendly: Yachtsman, Le Cellier, Citricos and California Grill. Others that we have eaten at, not so much. That being said, we have never eaten at Artist Point as it looked not so kid friendly - each and every time we have gone by, it has had lots of couples dining in it, and not many kids, so over the years, we have not dined there, and we have cancelled ADRs several times at Narcoosee's due to scheduling conflicts, but they seem pretty kid friendly the times we have gone by there.

Good job for considering all options! Have fun at the Poly - Kona Cafe is our favourite restaurant at WDW!

You're making a lot of assumptions about our eating habits both at home and Disney. We eat pretty healthy at home and that did not change at Disney, thus eating 3 meals a day at Disney was not that much different than eating 3 meals a day at home for us.

At home, we start each morning with a hot breakfast, for lunch we eat soups, salads, sandwiches, etc and for dinner, we have steak, fish or chicken...we did the exact same thing at Disney. We don't do snacks at Disney (we used all of our snack credits for stuff to take home) and we drank water 95% of the time we were there. Yes, I am sure those meals were higher in calories than our normal meals but I also know that we easily got 10 times the exercise.

Also, my kids don't do typical kid crap foods. They loved all of their meals at Disney because they ate grilled fish, chicken, steak, shell fish, pasta, steamed veggies and fresh fruit.

Anyway, I am just tired of people on these boards trying to convince people like the OP that the DxDP is way too much food, 3 TS meals a day is unhealthy, wastes too time or makes you feel like you are rolling from restaurant to restaurant. If you don't want it to be like that, a little planning will ensure that it won't.

As far as eating habits, we eat healthy at home, but it is much more difficult to do at Disney - we do not salt anything at home, yet Disney's food is full of sodium, so, just because your kids are eating soup, they are still ingesting large amounts of sodium. Grilled chicken and steaks are also full of sodium too. I bet there is more sodium in Disney's soups, than in hotdogs. My dad is a chef, and I can assure you it is very nearly impossible to separate a chef from his/her salt. That being said, you can make substitutions and ask for food to be cooked differently, and in some cases they will, which again, takes up more precious time, as you are waiting for your food to come out. We've also not ordered desserts more times than I can count, and we have very sensible portion control, but that's not the norm for what a lot of what I see in the parks, especially when it comes to the DxDP.

I am not trying to convince anyone based on opinion, but experience in having done it. So, you won't hear me say that it's too much food and you'll be rolling to the restaurants, since no one is forcing you to eat that amount of food. I speak from experience though...not sure if everyone else on this thread has eaten this way, but for years, we have been eating 2-3 TS meals per day at Disney. We've eaten pretty much everywhere, multiple times, and eating 3 TS meals per day is a lot of time in restaurants and transportation to restaurants, and I find most first timers don't know to even consider these factors. Eating patterns and quantity of food aside, eating 3 TS meals per day, will chew up tons of park time, and with 2 young children, and only 5 days, I feel based on tons of experience, that this plan is too ambitious for the short trip that the OP has planned.

YMMV, Tiger

 

[tink1953]

Think about this

1. you will be watching the clock and trying to get to the resturants in time for your ADR

2. you have spent lots of $$$$ for park tickets, how much time will you get in the parks??

3. its your first trip...it should not be commando rushing around, especially with young kids. It will make you crazy

4. Let the kids enjoy the character meals this time

5. save yourself some money and go to the regular dining plan

6. you are staying at a beautiful resort you want to enjoy that also.

Personally I find it hard to do one sit down meal while enjoying the rides and attractions.


I would recommend:

O'hanna breakfast

Castle for any meal if you can snag one
or 1900 Park fare

Crystal palace has Pooh and friends

young kids like Hollywood and Vine

Chef Mickey

these are character meals

Even well behaved kids can get bored in some of those resturants.

I am just afraid you will regret trying to do all of these places...I would like to see your family enjoy the parks and each other having fun.

Just my opinion from experience with my grandson and what we did...I found the regular dining plan with him a bit taxing, he began to not even like going into resturants...LOL

hope you have a great time and I just might see you there we are going at the same time.

BArb

 

[The QC]

Some useful advice in this thread.

My 2 cents/some questions:

How much park time per day is really reasonable for a 4 or 5 year old walking around in hot weather in Orlando? I was thinking 3-4 hours per day is plenty, especially if we arrive at rope drop, head straight for top rides, and grab fastpasses like they are going out of style.

When my family went on a (non-Disney) cruise, we definitely had three full sit-down meals per day PLUS snacks, and that was with a very sedentary week where the biggest walk was from the buffet to the pool. We are not obese, but we like to eat.

I can see having a daily schedule like this for a week (assume staying at the Poly):

• Wake up at 7 (no problem in my family)
• Have a sit-down breakfast at the Poly, another Monorail Resort, or in the MK from 8ish to 9ish or so.
• MK time from 9ish to until 12 or 12:30. Only do 1 or 2 "lands" per day.
• Sit-down lunch in MK or Monorail Resort from 1-2.
• Nap, Pool, and Resort Activities from 2-5.
• Sit-down dinner from 5-7ish
• From 7-9, either revisit MK or more pool time.
• After fireworks, bed.
• For Epcot days (we are not planning on DHS or AK), assume Lunch or Dinner in the park or, if we are feeling energetic, at Cape May Cafe.

Is this unreasonable? People who go all the time- let me know.

My assumption is that the monorail commute is quick and provides much-needed sitting and A/C breaks. I would want to eat as many meals at the Poly, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary as possible. Other resort restaurants look like a lot of commuting, and I'm not sure if they are that different and worth the ride (tell me if I am wrong).

My other assumption is to save longer-commute restaurants like Boma for days where we are at the resort all day and not try to combine them with MK since it's so far from most resorts.

Finally, maybe it's me, but I WANT to take enforced periodic breaks in a crowded, overwhelming place like Disney World. The Deluxe plan looks like a $$$ issue, not a time or feeding issue for my family.

We live in NYC and I am pretty experienced with small kids on public transport and in restaurants. MK to Boma looks like a very long trip with transfers in hot weather with small, restless kids. I wouldn't want to do it in a car, either.

 

[Tiger926]

Some useful advice in this thread.

My 2 cents/some questions:

How much park time per day is really reasonable for a 4 or 5 year old walking around in hot weather in Orlando? I was thinking 3-4 hours per day is plenty, especially if we arrive at rope drop, head straight for top rides, and grab fastpasses like they are going out of style. This is not a lot of park time at all, but if this is what works for your child, then that would be an appropriate schedule. Depending upon time of year going, you won't get a lot done in this short amount of time. If you go during a busy period, wait times, and yes, even with Fastpasses, there are wait times during busy times, will eat up a lot of that time. Sure there are quick rides, but shows are much longer than a few minutes.

When my family went on a (non-Disney) cruise, we definitely had three full sit-down meals per day PLUS snacks, and that was with a very sedentary week where the biggest walk was from the buffet to the pool. We are not obese, but we like to eat.

I can see having a daily schedule like this for a week (assume staying at the Poly):

• Wake up at 7 (no problem in my family)
• Have a sit-down breakfast at the Poly, another Monorail Resort, or in the MK from 8ish to 9ish or so.
• MK time from 9ish to until 12 or 12:30. Only do 1 or 2 "lands" per day.
• Sit-down lunch in MK or Monorail Resort from 1-2.
• Nap, Pool, and Resort Activities from 2-5.
• Sit-down dinner from 5-7ish
• From 7-9, either revisit MK or more pool time.
• After fireworks, bed.
• For Epcot days (we are not planning on DHS or AK), assume Lunch or Dinner in the park or, if we are feeling energetic, at Cape May Cafe.

Is this unreasonable? People who go all the time- let me know. Again, this does not allow for much park time at all. You can do a non-character meal within 1 hour, even during busy times, as long as no kitchen or overbooking issues, but character meals usually take longer. Meals like 'Ohana and Chef Mickey's, will tell you that it will take 2 hours to see all of the characters, as that is their schedule.

My assumption is that the monorail commute is quick and provides much-needed sitting and A/C breaks. I would want to eat as many meals at the Poly, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary as possible. Other resort restaurants look like a lot of commuting, and I'm not sure if they are that different and worth the ride (tell me if I am wrong). Resort monorail is pretty quick, but during peak seasons, it can get a bit busy at closing and opening times, but that shouldn't be an issue for you. But, all of those character meals are extremely busy - 'Ohana takes almost 2 hours to see the characters, Chef Mickey about 1.5 hours, and 1900 PF is the quickest and can be done for breakfast or dinner in less than 1.5 hours, but you won't be in and out with any of those in less than 1 hour. Have eaten at all of them many times, and they are very busy!

My other assumption is to save longer-commute restaurants like Boma for days where we are at the resort all day and not try to combine them with MK since it's so far from most resorts. Or, you could do Boma when you are at AK. But again, I need to remind people, that Boma is only open for breakfast and dinner. Also, it is subject to peak season surcharges, so it's a costly meal without characters.

Finally, maybe it's me, but I WANT to take enforced periodic breaks in a crowded, overwhelming place like Disney World. The Deluxe plan looks like a $$$ issue, not a time or feeding issue for my family. This is exactly why were eating 2-3 TS meals per day, as spending 2 weeks each summer in the stifling heat, requires air conditioned breaks, good food and time off your feet! It is a time issue though, as I've said already.

We live in NYC and I am pretty experienced with small kids on public transport and in restaurants. MK to Boma looks like a very long trip with transfers in hot weather with small, restless kids. I wouldn't want to do it in a car, either. MK to Boma would be a very long trip.

Hope this helps, Tiger

 

[~Tonga Wingo~]

Some useful advice in this thread.

My 2 cents/some questions:

How much park time per day is really reasonable for a 4 or 5 year old walking around in hot weather in Orlando? I was thinking 3-4 hours per day is plenty, especially if we arrive at rope drop, head straight for top rides, and grab fastpasses like they are going out of style.

When my family went on a (non-Disney) cruise, we definitely had three full sit-down meals per day PLUS snacks, and that was with a very sedentary week where the biggest walk was from the buffet to the pool. We are not obese, but we like to eat.

I can see having a daily schedule like this for a week (assume staying at the Poly):

• Wake up at 7 (no problem in my family)
• Have a sit-down breakfast at the Poly, another Monorail Resort, or in the MK from 8ish to 9ish or so.
• MK time from 9ish to until 12 or 12:30. Only do 1 or 2 "lands" per day.
• Sit-down lunch in MK or Monorail Resort from 1-2.
• Nap, Pool, and Resort Activities from 2-5.
• Sit-down dinner from 5-7ish
• From 7-9, either revisit MK or more pool time.
• After fireworks, bed.
• For Epcot days (we are not planning on DHS or AK), assume Lunch or Dinner in the park or, if we are feeling energetic, at Cape May Cafe.

Is this unreasonable? People who go all the time- let me know.

My assumption is that the monorail commute is quick and provides much-needed sitting and A/C breaks. I would want to eat as many meals at the Poly, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary as possible. Other resort restaurants look like a lot of commuting, and I'm not sure if they are that different and worth the ride (tell me if I am wrong).

My other assumption is to save longer-commute restaurants like Boma for days where we are at the resort all day and not try to combine them with MK since it's so far from most resorts.

Finally, maybe it's me, but I WANT to take enforced periodic breaks in a crowded, overwhelming place like Disney World. The Deluxe plan looks like a $$$ issue, not a time or feeding issue for my family.

We live in NYC and I am pretty experienced with small kids on public transport and in restaurants. MK to Boma looks like a very long trip with transfers in hot weather with small, restless kids. I wouldn't want to do it in a car, either.

Last 5 day trip I took (plus 2 half days on travel days), we did DTD the night we arrived and ate at Wolfgang Puck's.

Day 1. MK: Crystal Palace for Breakfast, The Palace for lunch and Tony's for Dinner.
Day 2. Epcot: Ohana's for breakfast, Chefs for Lunch and the Garden Grill for dinner.
Day 3. Seaworld: We did Chef Mickeys for breakfast and Coral Reef for dinner when we got back.
Day 4: Animal Kingdom: Tusker House for breakfast, Pizzafari for lunch, and Yak and Yeti for dinner. Ordered a pizza in the room around 10 as my cousin didn't like his dinner.
Day 5. HS: Cape May for breakfast. Sci Fi for Lunch and Mama Melrose for dinner.

The day we left, we ate at 1900 Park Fare and grabbed QS at MK before we left for lunch before we hit the road. 2 QS I think the whole week.

This upcoming trip will be all TS. We spend the entire day, open to close in the parks so I love TS just for the break in the heat it gives us and the chance to sit down. So my answer to your question is yes, it is doable. We rode every ride we wanted to at the parks. We may not have seen everything in the world showcase (I think we spent 4 hours there) or caught all the parades/shows but we did plenty. I think there are tons of places in MK or on the monorail/Epcot you could hop to on your MK/Epcot days.

 

[hannahdrewmom]

Some useful advice in this thread.
How much park time per day is really reasonable for a 4 or 5 year old walking around in hot weather in Orlando? I was thinking 3-4 hours per day is plenty, especially if we arrive at rope drop, head straight for top rides, and grab fastpasses like they are going out of style.

This really is a limited amount of time in the parks. Remember if you are only there for 3 hours you will only get 2 maybe 3 FP's and that last FP you probably won't even be around to actually be able to use. For example:

RD 9
Head to dumbo
Grab FP for Peter Pan (return time of 10) Can't grab another til 10.
Ride Pooh
Ride Peter
10am
Grab fp for Pooh (return time 11) Can't grab another until 11.
Ride PP w/ FP
Ride IASW
Ride carousel
Ride snow white
11am
Grab FP for Buzz (return time 12:30 can't grab another until then.)
RD pooh with FP
Philharmagic
Tea Cups

It's already 12! You haven't even gotten out of fantasy land! This isn't the order I would advocate by any means but am just giving an example of how little you really get done in a 4 hour period. You still do have lines and waits and this is averaging about 20 minutes a ride.... which is low if you are during a busy time! There is so much to do in the parks. You will never be able to do it all even if you stay all day but 3 hours a day is not going to be enough. I think it is doable and then breaking at lunch but you definitely need to go back into the parks in the afternoon or you will need to spend a month just in MK!

 

[Tiger926]

I also forgot to remind everyone going to MK, that the expansion has really thrown a kink in touring plans.

Since Toontown is closed, the rest of the park is very busy. When we were there 2 weeks ago, as compared to our July trip, the expansion was driving us nuts, as people were just confused as to what to do, which makes for longer waits at most rides, and Fastpasses that are depleted pretty quickly.

Just something to keep in mind for those only contemplating a few hours in MK, Tiger

 

[rachel09985]

I would just do like two signature dinners your whole trip so you have just a little bit of time to relax on those days where you only have two sit dwn meals. It might be a better value to do three 1 credit restaurants a day as opposed to one signature and one sit down so if you are looking at getting the most out of the plan you may want to look at it that way.

I toyed with doing a signature this trip but some of the menus were just too fancy for me. Not sure what your thoughts would be on that.

 

[~Tonga Wingo~]

This really is a limited amount of time in the parks. Remember if you are only there for 3 hours you will only get 2 maybe 3 FP's and that last FP you probably won't even be around to actually be able to use. For example:

RD 9
Head to dumbo
Grab FP for Peter Pan (return time of 10) Can't grab another til 10.
Ride Pooh
Ride Peter
10am
Grab fp for Pooh (return time 11) Can't grab another until 11.
Ride PP w/ FP
Ride IASW
Ride carousel
Ride snow white
11am
Grab FP for Buzz (return time 12:30 can't grab another until then.)
RD pooh with FP
Philharmagic
Tea Cups

It's already 12! You haven't even gotten out of fantasy land! This isn't the order I would advocate by any means but am just giving an example of how little you really get done in a 4 hour period. You still do have lines and waits and this is averaging about 20 minutes a ride.... which is low if you are during a busy time! There is so much to do in the parks. You will never be able to do it all even if you stay all day but 3 hours a day is not going to be enough. I think it is doable and then breaking at lunch but you definitely need to go back into the parks in the afternoon or you will need to spend a month just in MK!

I rode the following at MK with 3 TS meals last June. It was a 8 crowd day according to touring plans. MK was open until 2 AM. However, the only thing we rode during that time was anything twice (or three times) and used the time to get autographs. We rode everything below once during normal park hours with 3 TS plus saw the parade at night and fireworks and danced with Chip and Dale during the day parade and browsed a few shops and toontown. It is doable if you don't waste time, get fast passes and ride things when the lines are low. We eat at off times so we are also normally riding when others are eating. This makes a huge difference.

Pirates (3 times), Haunted Mansion (x3), Thunder Mnt Railroad (x2), Splash Mnt (x3), Space Mnt, Teacups (x2), Dumbo, Country Bear Jamboree, Tom Sawyer Island, The Hall of Presidents, Stitch, Buzz (x2), Carousel, Monsters Inc, Mickey's Philharmonic, the riverboat, jungle cruise, snow white and it's a small world.