First Disney Day Itinerary--too much?

[Paigevon]

Staying at Ft Wilderness. Traveling with a party of 6: DH, DD(almost)5, MIL, FIL, SIL. Bringing stroller for second half of the day. Do I have too much planned?

BONUS QUESTION: What time would we need to arrive at the Main Street Train platform to get a good spot to watch the FoF Parade?

Bus to Marina, Boats to Contemporary start at 6:45 am every 15 min according to Ft Wilderness CM--be there by 7 am, few minute walk to Magic Kingdom

8:05 am Be Our Guest breakfast

Fantasyland rides: Peter Pan’s Flight; Meet Gaston; Enchanted Tales with Belle

7 Dwarf Mine Train FP+ 10:55 – 11:55 am

Walk to Adventureland

Rides: Magic Carpets, Jungle Cruise

Splash Mountain FP+ 1:05 – 2:05 pm

Pirates of the Caribbean

Eat lunch at Pecos Bills around 2 pm

Watch 3 pm Festival of Fantasy Parade nearby (maybe with time to watch Country Bears Jamboree)

Travel to Frontierland

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad FP+ 3:10 – 4:10 pm

Frontierland train back to front of MK

Catch boat back to Ft Wilderness, bus to cabin

Rest/swim/Dinner in cabin approx. 4 pm – 8 pm

Return to Magic Kingdom

Meet Tinkerbell

Return to Fantasyland, rides: Little Mermaid ride, Meet Ariel, Pooh ride

Back toward Main Street for 10 pm Wishes -- haven't figured out where...

Meet Rapunzel & Cinderella

Tomorrowland rides: Buzzlightyear, Tomorrowland Speedway, Space Mountain

Return when tired, park closes at 12:00 am

~*~

(Sleeping in the next day, 11 am Disney Springs for brunch and BBB, then Epcot for Akershus 3:30pm lunch and exploration)

NEW PLAN

Bus to Marina, Boats to Contemporary start at 6:45 am, approx. every 15 minutes—arrive around 7 am, ride ferry to Contemporary, few minute walk to Magic Kingdom

8:05 am Be Our Guest breakfast Reservation

Fantasyland rides: Peter Pan’s Flight; it’s a small world; Meet Gaston; Enchanted Tales with Belle; Winnie the Pooh

7 Dwarf Mine Train FP+ 10:55 – 11:55 am

Walk to Adventureland around 11:30, grab a snack somewhere when needed

Rides: Magic Carpets; Pirates of the Caribbean; Jungle Cruise (if time)

Splash Mountain FP+ 1:05 – 2:05 pm

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad FP+ 2:05 – 3:05 pm

((DD is tall enough to these rides, but if she’s too scared, Tom Sawyer’s Island is close by so we can split to take turns riding and watching her play))

Eat lunch at Pecos Bills around 1:30 pm

Country Bear Jamboree

Watch 3 pm Festival of Fantasy Parade from here

Frontierland train back to front of MK (20 min) ~ 4:00

Catch boat back to Ft Wilderness, bus to cabin

Rest, maybe swim, Dinner in cabin approx. 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm

((Alternative: take train back before/after lunch at approx. 2:00 pm, skip parade, rest 3:00 – 7:00 and return earlier))

--

Return to MK around 8:30 pm, or if too tired, watch Wishes from Marina

If not too tired:

Try to FP+ Meet Cinderella & Rapunzel, or Ariel

Grab a snack in Main Street to watch parades and fireworks

10 pm Wishes (fireworks)

.... Open until 12:00 a.m


Critiques, please? I also am "giving" extended family full freedom to deviate from my plan and do as they please of course lol.

 

[ottawamom]

That's a lot to do in one day. You're there for 5 days you may want to slow down a bit. It really depends on the energy level of the people you're travelling with. I personally would be burned out after day 1.

 

[SaintsManiac]

As long as you're ok with the possibility that the whole thing could go up in smoke.

 

[disBEAST]

You have a decent break planned for the day, I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm always in favour of having more planned because you can always deviate or drop from it if needed.

 

[Paigevon]

LOL! Yes, the rest of the trip is more laid back, ... I think.

Second day is sleep in, 11 am DS then rest of the day Epcot until we want to head back.

Third day is early AK (8 am - 12 pm), 5-6 hour break at resort, then night AK again.

Fourth day is sleep in until ~9, 10:20 breakfast ADR, afternoon - Fantasmic at HS.

Last day is morning MK until ~7pm.

 

[mickeymom22]

Sounds like a good plan. I agree with SaintsManiac. Don't get upset if everything doesn't go as planned.

Since you are staying at Ft. Wilderness, if you decide you don't want to go back to the park, you can watch the fireworks from the beach. They pipe the music in. We did this one night. It was so peaceful to sit there quietly and enjoy the fireworks without having to jockey for a spot to watch and then file out of the park. Another fun activity at Ft. Wilderness is the campfire sing-along with Chip and Dale. Your daughter would really enjoy the show and meeting Chip and Dale. You can also toast marshmallows over the campfire.

If you are staying for more than a couple of days, these activities might be better later in your stay when you need to slow down the pace!

Happy Planning! I hope you have a magical time!

 

[Paigevon]

Sounds like a good plan. I agree with SaintsManiac. Don't get upset if everything doesn't go as planned.

Since you are staying at Ft. Wilderness, if you decide you don't want to go back to the park, you can watch the fireworks from the beach. They pipe the music in. We did this one night. It was so peaceful to sit there quietly and enjoy the fireworks without having to jockey for a spot to watch and then file out of the park. Another fun activity at Ft. Wilderness is the campfire sing-along with Chip and Dale. Your daughter would really enjoy the show and meeting Chip and Dale. You can also toast marshmallows over the campfire.

If you are staying for more than a couple of days, these activities might be better later in your stay when you need to slow down the pace!

Happy Planning! I hope you have a magical time!

Thank you!! We're hoping to catch the Campfire on arrival night! We'll be there at 4 pm at the latest, but closer to 11 am if things go as planned. Just swimming, exploring, early dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe, then campfire planned for arrival day.

 

[agavegirl1]

This is a doable plan but with a party of 6, everyone needs to be on board. I've done a similar plan with a party of 4 and prepared everyone for the plan. It went smoothly. Remember, kids don't always want to leave a park and come back.

 

[LovePug]

It sounds doable with that nice break built in. Has everyone in the party already been there? If so, they should be able to say if they think they can do it. If not, they might be in for a surprise at how tiring it can be and may not be able to handle it.

 

[mshanson3121]

Staying at Ft Wilderness. Traveling with a party of 6: DH, DD(almost)5, MIL, FIL, SIL. Bringing stroller for second half of the day. Do I have too much planned?


Bus to Marina, Boats to Contemporary start at 6:45 am every 15 min according to Ft Wilderness CM--be there by 7 am, few minute walk to Magic Kingdom

8:05 am Be Our Guest breakfast

Fantasyland rides: Peter Pan’s Flight; Meet Gaston; Enchanted Tales with Belle

7 Dwarf Mine Train FP+ 10:55 – 11:55 am

Walk to Adventureland

Rides: Magic Carpets, Jungle Cruise

Splash Mountain FP+ 1:05 – 2:05 pm

Pirates of the Caribbean

Eat lunch at Pecos Bills around 2 pm

Watch 3 pm Festival of Fantasy Parade nearby (maybe with time to watch Country Bears Jamboree)

Travel to Frontierland

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad FP+ 3:10 – 4:10 pm

Frontierland train back to front of MK

Catch boat back to Ft Wilderness, bus to cabin

Rest/swim/Dinner in cabin approx. 4 pm – 8 pm

Return to Magic Kingdom

Meet Tinkerbell

Return to Fantasyland, rides: Little Mermaid ride, Meet Ariel, Pooh ride

Back toward Main Street for 10 pm Wishes -- haven't figured out where...

Meet Rapunzel & Cinderella

Tomorrowland rides: Buzzlightyear, Tomorrowland Speedway, Space Mountain

Return when tired, park closes at 12:00 am

~*~

(Sleeping in the next day, 11 am Disney Springs for brunch and BBB, then Epcot for Akershus 3:30pm lunch and exploration)


Critiques, please? I also am "giving" extended family full freedom to deviate from my plan and do as they please of course lol.

I really, REALLY doubt your not even 5 year old is going to be able to go from 8 am until 2 pm without lunch, let alone a break. I would do lunch immediately after 7D. Try and get to Peco's around 11:30 - 11:45. You'll beat the main lunch rush. The rest of your afternoon sounds pretty good, except no way at all, are you going to be back in your cabin by 4:00 pm. Not even close. The FoF parade won't be over until around 3:30. So by the time you ride BTMR, get over to the train, take the train back to the front of the park, walk to the dock, get the boat back over, get to your cabin, you're looking at roughly 5:30. It'll be supper time. So, you'll need to go have supper somewhere (or make it). Be done that around 6:30 pm. You've already put your 5 year old through a very busy almost 12 hours, without much of a break at all to speak of. So... I'd say be prepared that you'll be done for the day at this point.

And just myself personally, no way would I try and do Wishes on our first night, for the reason that if you try and pull off that busy of a day, push your young child to stay up that late (if Wishes are at 10:00, you won't be back to Ft. Wilderness until after 11:00), you're going to have them exhausted and worn out before you've even begun. Sleeping in a stroller in a busy park, being woken up for traveling back/forth etc... is not anywhere near the same quality sleep as 10-12 hours in bed in a quiet room. Myself, I'd wait until later in the trip. Getting over tired at the start of a vacation is a good way to ruin it.

 

[mshanson3121]

LOL! Yes, the rest of the trip is more laid back, ... I think.

Second day is sleep in, 11 am DS then rest of the day Epcot until we want to head back.

Third day is early AK (8 am - 12 pm), 5-6 hour break at resort, then night AK again.

Fourth day is sleep in until ~9, 10:20 breakfast ADR, afternoon - Fantasmic at HS.

Last day is morning MK until ~7pm.

The other days sound good, but I would definitely move Wishes to your last day. For two reasons: 1. So you're not wearing everyone out so early in the trip 2. There's just no better way to end your vacation/time in WDW than by watching Wishes

 

[Nohal]

You have a lot planned but you may have to change plans on the fly. Some rides may have long lines that you might want to skip till later. I would eat lunch much earlier because that is a long time between breakfast and lunch. I don't think I would plan on wishes, that is a long day for adults let alone a 5yr old who may not even nap. I don't know if I would go back to the hotel for a break if you go to the pool how hard will it be to get everyone out of the pool to get ready to go back to the park. I know once in the pool my kids never wanted to get out. I also think you have a good plan to chill out the next day.

 

[Paigevon]

This is a doable plan but with a party of 6, everyone needs to be on board. I've done a similar plan with a party of 4 and prepared everyone for the plan. It went smoothly. Remember, kids don't always want to leave a park and come back.

Yes, actually put this together to send to MIL and SIL per their request. I don't mind if some gets cut out/changed, or even if it doesn't work at all.

It sounds doable with that nice break built in. Has everyone in the party already been there? If so, they should be able to say if they think they can do it. If not, they might be in for a surprise at how tiring it can be and may not be able to handle it.

None of us have been there in 10+ years... We may or may not make it back in the evening, I'm assuming now.

I really, REALLY doubt your not even 5 year old is going to be able to go from 8 am until 2 pm without lunch, let alone a break.

We're packing snacks! She's a grazer, plus we'll stop for treats occasionally too.

I would do lunch immediately after 7D. Try and get to Peco's around 11:30 - 11:45. You'll beat the main lunch rush.

I will keep that in mind if everyone is hungry then. I've heard BOG has large portions, though... I hope.. at $24 each.

The rest of your afternoon sounds pretty good, except no way at all, are you going to be back in your cabin by 4:00 pm. Not even close. The FoF parade won't be over until around 3:30. So by the time you ride BTMR, get over to the train, take the train back to the front of the park, walk to the dock, get the boat back over, get to your cabin, you're looking at roughly 5:30. It'll be supper time. So, you'll need to go have supper somewhere (or make it). Be done that around 6:30 pm. You've already put your 5 year old through a very busy almost 12 hours, without much of a break at all to speak of. So... I'd say be prepared that you'll be done for the day at this point.

We're watching FoF near Frontierland, so I've heard it'll be passed through by 3:20 and we can go straigh to BTMR, then train, so I figured we'd be waiting for the boat back to the cabin around 4, maybe 4:30. Everyone's comfort does come first though, over returning to the park.

And just myself personally, no way would I try and do Wishes on our first night, for the reason that if you try and pull off that busy of a day, push your young child to stay up that late (if Wishes are at 10:00, you won't be back to Ft. Wilderness until after 11:00), you're going to have them exhausted and worn out before you've even begun. Sleeping in a stroller in a busy park, being woken up for traveling back/forth etc... is not anywhere near the same quality sleep as 10-12 hours in bed in a quiet room. Myself, I'd wait until later in the trip. Getting over tired at the start of a vacation is a good way to ruin it.

My MIL, FIL, and SIL are all leaving mid-day Monday morning, so they won't have a second MK day. That's one reason I pushed so much into one day. Very true, though. Thank you for the detailed response and insight! DD has always been high energy, up late and early riser, but a day at home is way different than a day in the park, 100%!

We also are leaving by 7-8 on our last day because we have to drive home. 3 hours without stops, so I rounded way up to 4 hours so it feels like we made it home quicker than expected haha.

 

[Paigevon]

The other days sound good, but I would definitely move Wishes to your last day. For two reasons: 1. So you're not wearing everyone out so early in the trip 2. There's just no better way to end your vacation/time in WDW than by watching Wishes

Unfortunately, MIL/FIL/SIL are leaving Monday so won't have a second MK day. We also have a 3/4 hour drive home when we leave our last day, so as much as I want to stay for Wishes, I don't know if we can leave much later than 7, that's making it home probably around 12-1 am!

 

[tstidm1]

I would see if you could get an earlier Splash mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad FP +. Then, I would aim to take the break by 1 PM or so. That way you would get the really hottest part of the day be your break. I try to avoid the 1-5 PM timeframe if I can help it.

 

[Paigevon]

I would see if you could get an earlier Splash mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad FP +. Then, I would aim to take the break by 1 PM or so. That way you would get the really hottest part of the day be your break. I try to avoid the 1-5 PM timeframe if I can help it.

Originally planned this, but I really want to see FoF!

 

[tstidm1]

Since you want to do Festival of Fantasy, I would put in a show like Country Bears or Tiki Room that are better for the younger crowd to give some breaks off your feet in Air Conditioning. That itinerary would ware me out and it's why I don't do Festival of Fantasy parade.

 

[mshanson3121]

We're watching FoF near Frontierland, so I've heard it'll be passed through by 3:20 and we can go straigh to BTMR, then train, so I figured we'd be waiting for the boat back to the cabin around 4, maybe 4:30. Everyone's comfort does come first though, over returning to the park.

The earliest you'll make the dock is 4:30. You will likely wait anywhere from 5-15 minutes for a boat. The boat ride is roughly 15 minutes long. So at the very best, the earliest you'll likely be getting off the boat is around 5:00. Then you still have to wait for the bus to take you back to your cabin. So, you'll definitely be after 5:00, and again, very realistically pushing 5:30 before you get back to your cabin.

 

[Paigevon]

The earliest you'll make the dock is 4:30. You will likely wait anywhere from 5-15 minutes for a boat. The boat ride is roughly 15 minutes long. So at the very best, the earliest you'll likely be getting off the boat is around 5:00. Then you still have to wait for the bus to take you back to your cabin. So, you'll definitely be after 5:00, and again, very realistically pushing 5:30 before you get back to your cabin.

Very true. We may either A) watch Wishes from the marina, or B) try to catch the boat back to MK right around Wishes time, depending on how things go. We may even end up leaving before FoF.

 

[mshanson3121]

Unfortunately, MIL/FIL/SIL are leaving Monday so won't have a second MK day. We also have a 3/4 hour drive home when we leave our last day, so as much as I want to stay for Wishes, I don't know if we can leave much later than 7, that's making it home probably around 12-1 am!

Then I would skip FoF that day, and do an afternoon break instead, so that you guys can have more rest, because you won't be getting much at all otherwise. You could do FoF on your last day.