First Disney Trip - Well Balanced or Too Much

[wdw&sonny]

Based on your DH and kid's ages, I strongly recommend a mid-day break. Even though the weather is cooler, it will likely be warm enough for a swim. OR, just for a nap for kids and DH. Just that your DH will know that a mid-day break is coming will keep him more engaged in the morning. Split the day into 3 parts, morning in the park, afternoon at the resort, evening at park or another resort for dinner. You won't feel as fatigued at the day's end and you'll be eager to get up and do it again each day. The whole vacation will be longer and more restful.

 

[robl45]

My thought was to take our time in the morning as it will be a long day with our flight not arriving home until midnight followed by a two hour drive home! However, with Saturday crowds I think I will rethink breakfast and just get to park earlier. I figured after our Full Day at MK we should have a better idea of how much time we wish to spend there or maybe I should spend this partial day at another park (AK or DHS) and 2nd full day at MK. I just didn't want to feel rushed out of a park I hadn't yet visited in order to make my flight. Plus I felt perhaps spending the last day at MK would leave those most magical impression.

You can sleep on the flight. You will miss most of your day if you do the breakfast before the park on the final day.

You really should try to fit in DHS and jedi training if the kids are at all familiar with star wars. Likely that would be the biggest excitement of the whole trip.

 

[Christy702]

Everyone has brought up really great points. It's great that you've done your research before visiting and had such a helpful community to seek advice from.
With that being said, it's still YOUR vacation. Only you know what your family can or can't handle. I don't really have much advice of my own to offer because I've never traveled with young children, but I think the most important thing to remember is that no matter how much you plan, you're not going to get to do EVERYthing. So don't stress to much about it! I've gone on trips to the world as long as 14 days and still didn't have time to do it all. No matter what, it's going to be a great vacation for your family.
And if your son wants to go to Legoland, heck, take him to Legoland. Everyone's idea of a perfect vacation is different, so focus on what YOUR family wants.
I know y'all are going to have an amazing trip, have fun!!!!!

 

[momtotanmanandraerae]

I would highly suggest trying to move your resort to Port Orleans. IMO, that is a much better moderate resort and still should be in the same price range.

I second having a double stroller. My kids would get so tired at those ages of the walking. They loved to sit in the stroller and we were able to get around the parks faster. Also, I felt more comfortable when they were both in the stroller when we were fighting to get through crowds like at the end of the day after fireworks.

I would also cancel your breakfast reservation the first day and go to Magic Kingdom at rope drop. You can get a fastpass to see Ariel in her Grotto so you can see Ariel there. Definitely do HS on your OFF day - my kids favorite ride at those ages was Toy Story Mania at HS and you don't want your daughter to miss Frozen Singalong (quintessential Disney!) I personally would skip Cape May then and get a reservation at Hollywood and Vine at Hollywood Studios for lunch (character meal with Doc McStuffins, Sophia the first, and Jake the Neverland pirate). Then you can leave around 2:00 - 3:00 and head back to your hotel for the evening - pool and sleep early.

Since you will have two days at Magic Kingdom, take an afternoon break on your first day. Go back to the resort for pool and relaxation. My kids always loved the pool even in January (we have been three times in January). The pools are always heated to 85 degrees so they are warm. Disney also has pool parties every afternoon at every pool around 2:00 - 3:00 and my kids loved participating in the games and activities.

You will have a wonderful trip!
Kari

 

[MommaBerd]

I am going to "second" some suggestions from PPs:
Stroller - definitely yes! Besides the benefits mentioned, if at any point you need to hurry to something, it's a lot easier to put them in the stroller and go than trying to drag them along when they may be tired. Ideally, you won't be rushing anywhere, but I'm trying to keep it real...stuff happens.

DHS - Definitely worth spending SOME time here. For your Elsa-obsessed daughter, Frozen Sing-a-long is great! We - my DH and 3 BOYS - went based on recommendations from here, and we were all glad we did! Even my sullen, angst-y DS12 (then) laughed out loud and enjoyed it.

Move HDDR to Wednesday - Even if you go to DHS for part of the day, I think it would be best to do HDDR on a day that is more relaxed. You don't want the kids to be so tired from being in a park all day that they don't enjoy the show.

Resort - Granted we all have differing opinions about resorts, BUT if I wanted to make a good impression on my DH to increase my chances of a return trip, I would NOT stay at CBR with the construction going on. Especially since he values down time. The Port Orleans resorts are very peaceful and have fun pool areas and bar. Or if cost is a factor, consider the newly refurbed POP. I encourage you to visit the Resorts board and see the pictures/read the thread for yourself. Although, they only have two queens, one of which is a Murphy bed, but no additional sleeping space (Many mods have two queens + Murphy bed and I'm not sure if that's an important thing for you.)

Other thoughts:
Granted, we had all boys, but when they were little (4, 6, 8), they had little interest in the nighttime shows, so Wishes was the only one we did. They couldn't have cared less about seeing Illuminations, though they really loved Epcot. Now, they probably would have enjoyed the Star Wars show at DHS. But in general at that age, we found early evenings and rope-drop starts made for the best days.

AK is such a peaceful, beautiful park and I think it makes for a more relaxing day. If your kids are at all interested in animals, they will really enjoy it. There are good places to eat in the park (the new Satu'li Canteen, Yak & Yeti, Flame Tree BBQ, etc.) and Rainforest Cafe just at the entrance. Maybe plan on eating in the park instead of Cape May so that you can maximize your time there.

And one more thing - you can PLAN the perfect trip, but things don't always go as planned. So yes, it is so important to plan and be educated. But, be willing to let things go or to adapt your plans or to keep things in perspective. I get so stressed making sure everyone is happy and having a great time that I have a hard time enjoying myself. (I'm working on this!) Also, even though my DH enjoys Disney, I still try to keep my Disney chatter to a minimum (which is why I'm here!) at least until the trip is about a month away. I ask him if there is anything in particular he wants to see/do/eat and take that input (if there is any) into account when I'm planning.

Hopefully you'll find something helpful in this long post!

 

[MommaBerd]

And if your son wants to go to Legoland, heck, take him to Legoland. Everyone's idea of a perfect vacation is different, so focus on what YOUR family wants.

Forgot to say THIS ^^^^ I regret not taking my boys to Legoland when they were younger and now that window has closed.

 

[ellecg]

I think that your trip sounds great! If you are looking for a breakfast/brunch on Sat in order to spend more time in MK, then check out Crystal Palace. It's a favorite, good food, service, atmosphere, and the Pooh characters!

Yes, strollers are so helpful, esp for navigating crowds. Our kids were 5 and 7 the last time we went, we picked up cheap walmart umbrella ones and once we were in the parks we left them in the stroller areas most of the time. And only went back to them when we had long walks or so they could sit comfortably for parades/fireworks.

 

[wedowdw17]

Good to know. Not mention unexpected traffic. Perhaps I will scrap my breakfast reservation and just head to MK. I really only made it in case Ariel isn't at Askerhaus.

If that's the only reason you made the breakfast, another option is meeting her in the grotto in MK instead if you don't catch her at Akershus. She'll be in her mermaid form at the MK meet & greet as opposed to her human form at the character meals. I really appreciate the meet & greets in the parks because you get the photographers who can snap pics of your whole family together with the character. At the meals, I end up behind the camera capturing my kids with the character instead. Good luck in your planning!

 

[Kerriowl]

We were in Disney in early June. Our were staying in Fort Wilderness but our kids had the Pirate Adventure booked at Caribbean Beach. We drove over in the morning. I was SOOO glad that we weren't staying there. There was lots of confusion from staff members - we were told to park in a parking lot that was totally closed off due to construction. Guest services was housed in a hotel room and the food and shopping looked to be VERY diminished. If you are going to stay there, I would go in with realistic expectations.

 

[jpeterson]

We went last December with our kids, 5 & 3, and found a midday break was not beneficial at all. We had a double stroller, and with the cooler weather the kids could go a lot longer. In May when it was warmer a break was more needed. It depends on the kids, but I wouldn't assume a midday break is a necessity.

 

[leebee]

I've never been to Legoland, so I might be off-base here, but it's hard for me to imagine that Legoland is anywhere near as strenuous as Disney. I'd skip the day off and move Legoland to Wednesday. Then you'd have one day in each Disney park, could skip Legoland if everyone is too tired (but without missing anything at Disney), and only need to stay at CBR instead of do the check-in/chek-out thing on the first day of your vacation.

Regarding princesses, you'll see almost all the "biggies" at Akershus except Cinderella. I'd skip BOG lunch on Tuesday and schedule dinner at 1900 Park Fare (at the Grand Floridian, so on the same monorail/boat system as MK). Dinner will be hosted by Cinderella, Prince Charming, the stepmother, 2 stepsisters... and maybe a couple of mice? It's not too girly-girl, I think your son would enjoy it, too.

Check park hours. Traveling in late Jan/early Feb, you might find that parks are closed by 7pm. This could effect your time choices for dinners, because with a 5pm dinner, you might not get back into a park after you eat. Can your kids handle a 7pm dinnertime (we always have eaten late, even when DD was the age of your 2)? If so, making later ADRs will maximize park time.

 

[Spotthecat]

Legoland was absolutely a must for my boys and it did not disappoint. We're going back for our third time in March after our Disney cruise...the kids preferred it to the Disney parks ☺ but I have 3 Lego obsessed boys lol 4 7 and 9. New Ninjago land was opening a month after we were there last time...guess where we'll be starting?

 

[kniquy]

Sunday: Fly to Orlando/ Stay at LEGOLAND Resort

Monday: LEGOLAND. Check in to CBR. Chef Mickey's 5:45 (May have to cancel if I don't think we will make it on time)

Tuesday: MK or Bust! Hit it hard. BOG 11:30 Lunch

Wednesday: OFF Cape May 5:00pm

Thursday: Epcot (Early Morning Hours 8 am open) Askerhaus (12:00)

Friday: AK Hoop Dee Doo 615pm show

Sat: Trattoria al Forno 10:00 am Head to MK until 5pm. Fly home 830pm

I'm just adding in my 2 cents- I think trying to include legoland is taking away from your disney time. I would skip that and just go right to CBR. You can actually save money by not getting a rental car and use the magical express. Super convenient and makes getting to/from the airport effortless. It sounds like with your plans you don't even need a car. If you do need to go anywhere just take Uber. Take the money you are saving on the rental car and put it towards the cost to add the extra day at CBR and add a day of parks. You can still hit the parks even after you check out of your room by leaving your bags at bell services. Magic express pick up is usually 3 hours before your flight - so you would need to be back at CBR for 5:30 pick up.

With a 4 and 6 year old you might be limited with how much you can accomplish. They will get tired of all the walking. I would actually adjust my park days to align better with your dining reservations -- so when you do Hoop Dee Doo -- Make that a MK day -- very simple to just hop on the bus for ft wilderness to get to your reservations. Sat for your al Forno reservation i would just do Epcot or HS. Try to plan some afternoon breaks to give the kids a break from park time - leave the parks by 12-1pm (when a lot of non resort people arrive) and then go back in the evening for a few hours. That is one of the great benefits to staying on site. And if the kids are doing well just keep going.

The key to a great disney trip is super planning. Touring plans can help. Plotting out the parks (print out maps) to really see if your flow of FP dining reservations and desired rides doesn't have you running from one side of the park to the other. You should be going at a good time that isn't too crazy.

If you want your husband to want to come back then avoiding driving around orlando would be a good start. I can't tell you how nice it is to start our vacation on the magical express and if you choose to you can put special disney tags on your luggage and then it magically appears in your room. No need to lug yours and your kids luggage all around the airport looking for your car rental company. Trust me!


Oh and if you want some great family pics - consider getting the memory maker -- it sounds like it is expensive but you do get ride photos and it is often so tough to get great pics of the whole family.

 

[tlmadden73]

I think you are trying to do too much bouncing around to resort restaurants ... stick with restaurants in the parks.


Why stay at LEGOLAND resort just one night? Why not just stay at Contemporary and drive down the next day?

Personally I feel that having DINNER reservations at parks you do not plan to be at during the day is way too inflexible.
Chef Mickey's at 5:45 on the day you are at LEGOLAND (one hour away from the Contemporary) is probably cutting it too close.

When my group went to LEGOLAND in March 2017 . .we were there from opening to close (10-6) without really trying and it was NOT a busy day in the least bit (we could ride rides over and over and over again without leaving the queue) and we spent a lot of time in the "garden" area and a lot of time in the stores as the park was closing. There is a lot of fun rides there to try and try again and again with little lines (depending on the ages of your kids).


Same with trying to hit AK then get over to Hoop Dee Doo. You are really cutting your day short at AK that way. In the old days (before Pandora) that would have been fine when AK closed at 5-6 anyway, but I think now, that could be a rush depending on what you want to do at AK which now has night entertainment that may be worth staying for. I would do Hoop on a day off. Grab dinner at an AK restaurant instead.

 

[tlmadden73]

Forgot to say THIS ^^^^ I regret not taking my boys to Legoland when they were younger and now that window has closed.

LEGOLAND was the highlight of the last trip to Orlando with my family and two other families (all with boys between the ages for 3 an 11).
It is a hidden gem for sure and well worth the 40-60 minute drive from wherever you are staying near Disney if you have kids in those ages (3 to 11). Any younger and there isn't much they can do . .any older and they would find it boring probably.

1) You can easily obtain "Kids get in free" tickets
2) The park was so empty (maybe several thousand people there all day) that rides were all walk-ons except maybe a few slow-loading coasters.
3) Just different type of attractions there for young kids .. boat rides, car rides, this neat fire truck race.
Nothing on the lines of technological awesomeness or theming, but just pure fun for kids. (My son's (4) favorite ride was simply a ride where you got on a horse (that was on rails) that bounced up and down and simulated you jousting. It went around in a winding circle and he just loved it.

Simply put, the rides at LEGOLAND just wouldn't work with the crowd levels at DISNEY. The rides are worth it if you aren't waiting more than 5-10 minutes . .but wouldn't be worth it if you had to wait 30+ minutes.

While the boys all had fun at Epcot, DHS and MK, they talk about LEGOLAND more after the fact . .simply because they were able to do a HECK of a lot more in less time (the park was only open 8 hours that day).

 

[Elbygrl]

You've gotten lots of good tips and feedback. I think the only think I would add is highly recommend Hoop Dee Doo Revue for your family. It's my boys' absolutely favorite dinner of every trip and they were both 5 years old the first time they got to go. The food is very kid friendly (ribs, fried chicken, corn, potatoes, cornbread) and the show is the best one on property as far as talent of the cast and entertainment value goes.

And if your DH doesn't want to go as often as you and your kids, leave him home! That's what I do.

 

[robl45]

I've never been to Legoland, so I might be off-base here, but it's hard for me to imagine that Legoland is anywhere near as strenuous as Disney. I'd skip the day off and move Legoland to Wednesday. Then you'd have one day in each Disney park, could skip Legoland if everyone is too tired (but without missing anything at Disney), and only need to stay at CBR instead of do the check-in/chek-out thing on the first day of your vacation.

Regarding princesses, you'll see almost all the "biggies" at Akershus except Cinderella. I'd skip BOG lunch on Tuesday and schedule dinner at 1900 Park Fare (at the Grand Floridian, so on the same monorail/boat system as MK). Dinner will be hosted by Cinderella, Prince Charming, the stepmother, 2 stepsisters... and maybe a couple of mice? It's not too girly-girl, I think your son would enjoy it, too.

Check park hours. Traveling in late Jan/early Feb, you might find that parks are closed by 7pm. This could effect your time choices for dinners, because with a 5pm dinner, you might not get back into a park after you eat. Can your kids handle a 7pm dinnertime (we always have eaten late, even when DD was the age of your 2)? If so, making later ADRs will maximize park time.

Disagree on the 1900 park fare. My son did not enjoy that. We have a priceless photo with him and prince charming that we still joke with him about 3 years later.

I will state again I would look into doing Whispering Canyon at wilderness lodge. I have to do that every trip. Both kids love it.

 

[AllyGirl_79]

What do you think? I was also considering doing Hoop Dee Doo on Wednesday our off day and doing Ohana's Friday night and watch Fireworks from the beach one last time. My husband thinks kids would prefer Hoop.

Count me in as another fan of the Hoop Dee Doo for kids! It really is great fun. And the food is quite good, too.

You might want to look more into the resort. While an individual building might not be under construction, it sounds like the changes to the common areas are drastic. Add in construction noise, and it may not be very magical. I'm not sure where they'll be in the process in January, but I'd be cautious and get firm answers on pool availability, construction noise during the day, etc.

Also, the Dis had links to an article at the end of July regarding the crazy delays at the Orlando airport, with experts suggesting that you arrive 3 hours before your flight. Given that you're traveling in the off season and late in the day, it will not require as much time as peak summer. However, I would think a 5pm park departure on your last day might be pushing it, especially if you were planning to leave your car at the hotel.

I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip and make great memories regardless of your final planning decisions. I hope you enjoy it!

 

[KittyKitty]

I watched this video of Caribbean Resort this morning from my favorite vlogger. This was posted Aug 5th.

 

[bdiddy]

I also wanted to say that on our first two trips the kids were 2 and 4 and then 3 and 5. On our first trip I had thought we would probably leave to take a break but it's really not easy leaving the parks especially when you have a double stroller and especially when you are using the buses. We just said forget it and my younger child would usually nap from about 1-3 every day in the stroller while DH took DD on the few rides that DS couldn't go on. We like to go for a week too so we weren't that rushed. We'd either get into the parks later and stay late or go early then had back early. We did each park twice except Animal Kingdom. And even spent half a day swimming and fishing at the resort and another half day at Downtown Disney.