First Disney Trip - Well Balanced or Too Much

[Danimal]

I have the same situation with a wife who is not a big theme park person. We went two years ago with the intention of coming back in five years. With good planning, the trip went so well we'll be back there this fall instead! A couple of notes on what you wrote:

--Don't sweat the construction at CBR. As long as the main pool is open, your kids will have a great time and there's plenty of quiet areas that your husband can enjoy during the down time. If your husband really wants some down time, you can sign your kids of for the Pirate Adventure Cruise that operates at the hotel. They only run Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday though (9:30-11:30), so if you end up moving any of your days around, it could give your kids a great time and you and your husband some time away from the kids!

--Completely agree with the posters who mentioned Wednesday as a HS option. It's a short boat ride or a 20 minute walk to Beach Club for dinner from there. You could easily take 3-4 hours there and hit the highlights for your kids and not feel like the day was overwhelming. TSMM, Star Tours, and some of the shows make for an easy and fun day.

--Just a thought on tying the two notes above together. If you switch your Hoop de Doo to Wednesday and forego the Cape May reservation, it would let you start your AK day a little bit later and let the kids take the Pirate Cruise at the hotel

--Quick note on Epcot. It's the least "kid friendly" of the parks. My 6 year old and 3 year old didn't care much for the World Showcase at the time of the trip and the ride selection is a bit lacking for little ones once you get past FEA, Nemo, and Turtle Talk. With the variety of animals and shows at AK (Flights of Wonder, Finding Nemo, Festival of the Lion King) and the animal exploration trails, you might have a better result with a full day at AK and a bit shorter day at Epcot. Maybe flip the Cape May reservation to Thursday if you really want it? It's a 5 minute walk to Cape May out the International Gateway at Epcot

--Glad you have a rental car for your itinerary. Hotel to hotel transport is the biggest pain at Disney

Have a great trip!!!!!!!!

 

[DISfirstTimer]

Wow, thank you so much for all the thoughtful posts. It gives me a lot to think for about. Trip Planning is always difficult as my DH and I are totally different travelers. He works such long and hard hours that when he actually gets a vacation his body just really needs rest and I like to do EVERYTHING possible and sleep at home.

For the cost adding a day it would be worth stopping at DHS even if its brief. I'll have to reconsider about sleeping in because the kids might really enjoy Jedi Training! Maybe we go in advance and my husband could meet up with us.

Epcot is a must for my Elsa loving DD. Also my DS will probably actually love World Show Case. He's really into other cultures and we are always planning places we want to see when he's older. I might suggest my DH and DD go back for a rest and he and I can travel the world together!

I'm planning on bringing our stroller but its only a single. I figured they could take turns but may look in to Double rentals to avoid fights.

Again thanks for the input. I may have to play around with my reservations a bit.

 

[Regan117]

My only opinion would be that you're sorely lacking any breaks for your kids who are only 4 and 6. Those are some long busy days for kids that age.

 

[bdiddy]

I want my husband to want to return which is why I'm trying not to overload it . If I exhaust us and having miserable kids he certainly won't agree to come back.

I wanted Moderate for the Queen beds as my husband is 6ft 4. CBR fit best in my budget and my TA assured me I wouldn't be impacted by construction. However, is a promotion comes along that allows me to upgrade I plan to.

My husband sounds a little like yours. He always jokes how he hates people. Which just means he hates crowds in any form. BUT with that said we took our first trip in 2008 and he had the mindset of one and done and we were just doing it for the kids and that would be it and we have since been back 5 more times AND a we just got back last week from a trip to Disneyland which was HIS idea. I don't know what it was about Disney (well maybe I do - haha) that turned my reclusive anti-social husband into being the guy that wanted to go back again and again but it happened and I never would have believed it! So don't discount your husband just yet as not wanting to go back, you may be pleasantly surprised!

 

[DISfirstTimer]

We did a very similar trip at the same time last year! Kids were 6 and 4. Will possibly be our only trip ever. We did so much more than I imagined and had an amazing time!!

We had 7 day hopper tickets but went in with a plan of our 3 fast passes pre booked and anything else was a bonus. Well.....we saw everything I had hoped to do plus so much more. We did early mornings everyday. We only stayed for one evening of fireworks at MK. We did not take a day off but did a part day at HS then had a "pool day" later in the afternoon.

I spent months pouring over forums, maps etc ( ok, I was obsessed with planning our perfect trip) and really feel that made a big difference in how we moved around and between parks. I didn't make an iternerary or anything but I think knowing everything I could made everything so much easier to figure out as we went along.

DH is not a planner and was not nearly as excited for the trip as I was. He was really surprised by how smoothly everything went and thought it was awesome that I knew all kinds of "stuff" (especially telling him that all the people waiting behind us at MK rope drop would run past us to Seven Dwarfs ha ha).

Honestly, I think being a prepared first time visitor must be easier.....everything is so exciting and the kids won't know if they are missing out on something ha ha!

I hope you have an amazing time!!

This makes me happy to hear. I too am obsessed with planning the perfect trip. My husband looked at me like I had 4 heads when I tried to discuss where we may want to eat in 180 days from now!

My plan is to be prepared/informed as possible and be willing to go with the flow. You're right my kids won't know what they are missing. They don't even know Disney World is a place yet, lol!

 

[stsomewhere]

In Jan, it may be too cold/cool swim. DHS- Olaf was there when we visited in APril. Epcot has always been my kids favorite ark since they were very little.

 

[JasonMouse]

It's ok to do 2 parks in one day, your meals will be the breaks. I noticed you don't have Illuminations in there which is my favorite, and the new HEA show. Those are the only two shows I would consider closing a park and going through the crowded bus ordeal at the end of the night. Remember weekdays M-R days are less crowded, your best park days.

 

[DISfirstTimer]

It's ok to do 2 parks in one day, your meals will be the breaks. I noticed you don't have Illuminations in there which is my favorite, and the new HEA show. Those are the only two shows I would consider closing a park and going through the crowded bus ordeal at the end of the night. Remember weekdays M-R days are less crowded, your best park days.

Oh yes, I'm hoping to do both of those shows!

 

[ols386]

If it were me, I'd do some checking on whether Caribbean Beach Resort will still be under construction. If it is, I would switch to one of the other moderate resorts, like Port Orleans Riverside, French Quarter, or Coronado Springs which has a fantastic pool area.

 

[Disney Mom 7272]

I would definitely try to fit in Hollywood studios if you could. Toy story mania, Star Wars, frozen sing along! If your kids like thrill rides then there is tower of terror! They may not be old enough or tall enough for rockin roller coaster but there is a lot to do there! My kids love that park!! The night time show is my favorite at Disney! Fantasmic is a must do for us! Hope you guys have a great trip

 

[wedowdw17]

Wow, thank you so much for all the thoughtful posts. It gives me a lot to think for about. Trip Planning is always difficult as my DH and I are totally different travelers. He works such long and hard hours that when he actually gets a vacation his body just really needs rest and I like to do EVERYTHING possible and sleep at home.

For the cost adding a day it would be worth stopping at DHS even if its brief. I'll have to reconsider about sleeping in because the kids might really enjoy Jedi Training! Maybe we go in advance and my husband could meet up with us.

Epcot is a must for my Elsa loving DD. Also my DS will probably actually love World Show Case. He's really into other cultures and we are always planning places we want to see when he's older. I might suggest my DH and DD go back for a rest and he and I can travel the world together!

I'm planning on bringing our stroller but its only a single. I figured they could take turns but may look in to Double rentals to avoid fights.

Again thanks for the input. I may have to play around with my reservations a bit.

I'll just say that my husband was one of those 'one and done' people regarding trips to Disney when we went last April....and we're going back again later this year.

We used a double stroller last year and will be using it again for my 5 and 4 year olds on our upcoming trip. They may choose to walk themselves between attractions here and there but I noticed it saves them ALOT of energy letting them ride in the stroller. My kids were happier overall being able to jump in and take a rest, and it helped them tour longer. I haven't used the stroller here at home since last summer, so don't try to equate how you use/don't use a stroller at home to what value it will bring you in the parks.

We chose on the last trip (and on this one as well) that we will not take an entire day off. Now, that's a personal preference, and you should do what you think works best for your family, but you may consider picking a park to visit each day and then plan for the days you are in the smaller parks like DHS/AK to make it an afternoon pool day.

 

[disneydentist]

Your last day worries me a little. Leaving MK at 5:30 for an 8:30 flight is tight at best. You need to get from MK to the parking lot, return the rental car, and get through security. It's right around 30 minutes from the Magic Kingdom area to MCO. I'd leave the park no later than 5:00 but that's me.

 

[DISfirstTimer]

Your last day worries me a little. Leaving MK at 5:30 for an 8:30 flight is tight at best. You need to get from MK to the parking lot, return the rental car, and get through security. It's right around 30 minutes from the Magic Kingdom area to MCO. I'd leave the park no later than 5:00 but that's me.

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.

 

[Davey Jones II]

O.P., by my math, you've allocated four days in total (adding up full days and half days) for your first trip to WDW. Trust me, that is not too much. In fact, it's hardly enough to take in the World. By contrast, we will be doing our sixth trip to WDW, and spending 10 full days in the parks! And I expect that we won't have time for everything. WDW is humungusly ginormous.

Instead of Cape May, I would go to the theme parks on Wednesday. Do at least a half day at Disney Hollywood studios, and maybe the rest of the day for Animal Kingdom and Pandora. After all, you can only fast pass one Pandora ride per day.

 

[robl45]

Personally I would skip legoland. While its cute for the kids, we got a very very good deal and that made it worth it. Otherwise the hotel is nice but quite overpriced IMHO and the park itself is nothing compared to Disney.
Plus depending on lines, I think you are cutting the day real short Monday to get to Chef mickeys by 5:45.

Saturday: why are you skipping the whole morning instead of heading to MK? You are probably cutting it too close with the 5pm MK and flight at 8:30PM

I definitely wouldn't skip DHS if your kids like rides. Your son likely is tall enough for Aerosmith coaster and between that and tower of terror and toy story, you'd be missing some of the best rides. Plus if possible you could schedule an early morning breakfast at DHS and sign the kids up for jedi training.

EDIT: I've never been to Hoop, but my kids enjoy Ohana for dinner. Probably the favorite dinner is Whispering Canyon at Wilderness lodge. You might want to check that out.

Hi everyone! I'm looking for some input to my trip plans. This is our 1st Disney Vacation and may be our only (according to my husband!). I'm travel with DH and DS 6 and DD 4. I had to cut back the length of our trip as my kids will be missing school and I want to ensure I'm not trying to cram too much in. I'd rather do less and us all be happy! We will be traveling Sun 1/28/2017-Sat 2/3/2018 and staying at Caribbean Beach. We will have a rental car. I currently have all ADRS listed.

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


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.

 

[unrequited23]

If you feel that DHS isn't a good fit, right now, for your family don't feel pressured to add it to your plan. We went with a 5 yr old who was 42" that found Barnstormer a little too wild for his tastes and a 2.5 yr old who was 37" and a complete thrill seeker. We skipped DHS on the trip in favor of more time at MK.

I don't think we would have enjoyed the trip as much without our rest days. We followed the pattern of two park days one rest day.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

Looks easy and stress free for a first time trip to me - although like others have said, the kidlets may need some down time popped in there.

The thing that stood out to me (and I apologize if a pp has touched on this already) is your comment "we may have to cancel if we don't think we'll make it" in regards to your Chef Mickey res. I just want to make sure you know if you don't cancel within 24 hrs you'll be charged $10 per person. Outside 24 hours no problems, just don't wait until day of.

Have a super time!!

 

[Shellyb84]

I think it looks pretty good. When we took our first trip, I thought it may be our only trip or maybe it would be a long time before we went again so I tried to cram too much in. We ended up wishing we had spent more time at the resort, so I think it's great you have the resort day built in. I would try to do HDDR instead of Cape May and try to work in 'Ohana, the food isn't that great at CM and your kids will love HDDR, 'Ohana is one of our favorites and also fun for little ones. I also would not want to stay at CBR. Even without the construction going on we didn't like it at all. If you really want a moderate, I think CSR has decent rates right now because of the construction going on there, and it's not going to effect you as much as the construction at CBR IMO. Or maybe consider Pop. We stayed there recently and while CSR had been one of our favorites, since staying at Pop we would choose it over a moderate. The renovated rooms are awesome if you could snag one!

 

[Shellyb84]

Also, if you do end up not being able to make it to your Chef Mickey ADR, on the same day you can modify it on the app to a date in the future, and then cancel it and you will not have to pay the $10 pp.

 

[DISfirstTimer]

Personally I would skip legoland. While its cute for the kids, we got a very very good deal and that made it worth it. Otherwise the hotel is nice but quite overpriced IMHO and the park itself is nothing compared to Disney.
Plus depending on lines, I think you are cutting the day real short Monday to get to Chef mickeys by 5:45.

Saturday: why are you skipping the whole morning instead of heading to MK? You are probably cutting it too close with the 5pm MK and flight at 8:30PM

I definitely wouldn't skip DHS if your kids like rides. Your son likely is tall enough for Aerosmith coaster and between that and tower of terror and toy story, you'd be missing some of the best rides. Plus if possible you could schedule an early morning breakfast at DHS and sign the kids up for jedi training.

EDIT: I've never been to Hoop, but my kids enjoy Ohana for dinner. Probably the favorite dinner is Whispering Canyon at Wilderness lodge. You might want to check that out.

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.