Does this sound like a good plan?

[american_mommy]

I have been trying to work on our schedule of what we are going to do. We are getting to Florida on Dec. 28 (Wed), We're planning to go to Magic Kingdom on Thurs, Sea World on Fri, Animal Kingdom on New Years Eve(we don't stay out for celebrating with 3 little kids), Sea World on Jan 1 and Magic Kingdom again on Jan 2. We will be leaving on the 3rd.
Now my kids are 6 1/2, 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 so we are planning on going to the park as soon as we can in the a.m. then leaving for lunch(we're staying at a rental house) then letting my 2 yr old nap(dh will probably too) and then going back in the afternoon.
My only worries is Isaw some posts saying certain parks could get bsuy and be over capacity. What are the chances and parks? How do you find out those and would you recommend different parks for different days. Now we are plaing MK for the 1st and last day but that is if they aren't bored of it the 1st day(I doubt they will be) but we are open to go to another the last day if so. My inlaws are buying the tickets and I don't think they are getting hoppers so it would be 1 park per day. Sea World we are going by that we can get the 2nd day free down there which this board has told me yes.
ok any opinions, advice? I haven't been able to research and plan like I wanted because of life and being a wife of a truck driver, just no time!
THANKS!
Tammy

 

[GOOFYFREEK]

I understand that you get the 2nd day for free at Sea World but you can easily see the entire park in one day. Even in its most busiesst day.

And your worries about parks reaching capacity is very valid. MK during Peak days has reached capacity as early as 11am, but usually isnt till about 1 pm. 2nd is MGM reaching capacity which has been known to happen on occassion as well. Most people then flock to AK or Epcot. Its very hard for Epcot to reach capacity, but has been known to happen but that is usually during one of the festivals.

But in your plan you never mention visiting Epcot or MGM

 

[american_mommy]

The reason we are planning 2 days at SeaWorld is because we are a very marine loving family. I love dolphins and my kids have grown to love them too. They are amazing with dolphins, whales etc. Of course if we think we have done it all and don't need to go back then we won't
I only plan on doing MGM or Epcot if we think we won't need to do the 2nd day of MK.
I am hoping to convince the inlaws to get the hoppers too in case of the parks reaching capacity. Since we plan on leaving at lunch I wouldn't want to come back and not be able to get in the park. we plan on going to MK on Dec. 29 and Jan.2 Are either of these normally busy days? I know I read the Jan.2 could be but wasn't sure why. Thanks!

 

[jessiesue]

If your little one will take a nap in the stroller, it would be easier to just have down time in the park. By the time you leave the park, ride back to your rental home, fix lunch, get your child down for a nap, and have time to wake up, you are probably looking at 3-4 hours. With it being a busy timeand you don't know if in-laws will by hoppers, you don't have to worry about being shut out of the park. We have tried both ways and the down at the park works better for us. Every family is different but it's something to think about.
HTH

 

[dougsmom98]

I went this time of year with two year old twins and a 4 year old a few years back. I think you are very smart for going to Animal Kingdom on New Years Eve. That is exactly what we did and we had a wonderful time. It wasn't crowded and it was a very low stress day. I think you should definately arrive at the parks when they open. That is what we did, and we were able to do so much in those first few hours. We stayed off site also, so we avoided the EMH parks. Unfortunately for people staying offsite, I noticed that Magic Kingdom was doing morning EMH everyday between Christmas and New Years, so you will just have to go with it. If you can avoid leaving the park, I think you should. I was lucky that all of my kids slept in their strollers in Disney. With young kids, it is hard to come back at night. We pushed it all day until about 4-5 and then went home, had dinner and were in bed early so that we could arrive early again the next day. I think we only went back at night once, and one other day we stayed from opening until 9 pm. If you get a chance to go to MGM for the Osborne Lights, it is worth keeping the kids up for. In the winter months, we didn't find it necessary to go back for a rest in the afternoon. In June I hadn't planned on afternoon naps, but it was too hot so we had to. We would rest at lunchtime and linger in a counter service restaurant until we were recharged enough to move on. We also rested while we waited for the parades. I really don't think your kids will have had enough of the MK after only one day. We always plan 2-3 days there. Have a wonderful time.

 

[american_mommy]

Thanks for all the advice. I talked to my mother in law and told her about some of my concerns. I think they are thinking about the hopper passes but her dh wants to buy at the park. Not sure why!
I thought about MGM as a choice too so we will see I guess. It's hard because we are at the house a week but for me to see my own family we are leaving a day early. I haven't seen my mom since New Years Eve and we are driving through NC to see her and OH to see the rest of my family. We already are comign from Ontario and it will be a LONG drive but this breaks it up.
I will have to see how the kids are doing at the parks I guess. We are limited on $ so not eating at the parks for 2 meals would be good. We are getting excited!