First Timers Anniv Trip Itinerary Help

[LilPaisley]

My DH and I are first timers traveling to Orlando for a belated Anniv. trip. We are taking a red-eye flight which has us set to arrive early morning on 4/26. We will leave early on 5/3. Our package includes a 3 day multi-park pass.

I have planned out a basic itinerary, but keep 2nd guessing my plans every time I read something new. I also have a few questions about options. We are in our 40s, no kids, laid-back, but budget minded. Here are my plans so far:

· Wed - arrive at airport 7am, pick up rental car and off to Pop Century. Unsure what to do for the rest of the day

· Thur - Epcot. Fast Passes: Soarin (9:50), Mission Space (10:50) & Spaceship Earth (1:10).

· Fri - Animal Kingdom. Fast Passes: Dinosaur (10:20), Kilimanjaro Safari (12:25), Exp Everest (2:20). Reserved Tiffins ROL dining package at 5:40. Show at 8:45

· Sat & Sun - not sure yet, possibly Kennedy Space Center 1 of these days

· Mon - Universal (tickets not purchased yet).

· Tues - Hollywood Studios/MK combo day. Fast Passes: Toy Story Mania (10:20), Star Tours (11:35), Tower of Terror (1:15). Reserved Liberty Tree Tavern at 7:25, but really unsure on this choice

· Wed - checkout by 7:30am


I have a few questions:

-Both of us lived in So Cal before relocating to Seattle, being very frequent visitors to Disneyland. Not having children with us, we thought focusing on the other three parks was a better idea. Are we making a mistake here?

-What footwear is best for the parks? How do feet hold up in Teva sandals? Would those be a good choice?

-What to do the free day and on our day of arrival?

-I might have waited too long for this, but what are some dining suggestions? I keep hearing that reservations are hard to come by…but I don’t have a clue what are the best restaurants to try. We are also slightly budget minded.

 

[Traver Freeman]

Hmmm....I was about to write "yikes" seeing your itinerary before I saw that you were SoCal. We are SoCal as well and go to DL once a month. We are planning two MK days, but we have a small child and a pregnant wife, so MK is more friendly for that.

MK is almost an exact duplicate of DLP, but bigger...much bigger. There is still some things there that are unique and you'll want to catch them. However, it's not as bad that you only planned a half day there considering your situation.

I will say, though, that we only have a half day planned at AK and HS each and are spending the bulk of our trip in EPCOT and MK. Since you are going before Pandora, like us, then AK really may not take you long. There are only like 5 rides in the whole park. There are actually more rides at DLP and DCA than all four parks of WDW combined. However, since you're doing ROL, a whole day is probably fine. Just check out all the shows and visit Rafiki's Planet Watch. You may feel like taking a break and going back to the hotel in the afternoon. You will likely have time for this if you spend all day at AK

I highly recommend resort hopping on your first day. We love doing it. Just pick like 4-5 resorts you'd love to check out and go visit them. I recommend the monorail loop (Contemporary, Poly, and GF) as well as Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Fastpasses look good. As far as Liberty Tree, that's where we are eating at MK, but we prefer it at lunch over dinner.

You will walk a lot more at Disney World and, while I wear flip flops at DL, I will be wearing my sketchers sneakers with gel padding the whole trip for WDW because you do walk a lot more.

As far as the free day, we always use one day to take a break. Go to Disney Springs, visit the pool, go mini-golfing, there are other things to do at WDW like horseback riding, parasailing, and golfing. Do something that you guys like to do.

 

[Traver Freeman]

Missed the restaurant question. There are so many choices for your EPCOT day. It depends on what you like. We prefer Rose and Crown (English food) or Teppan Edo (Japanese Hibachi grill) the best, but we've also eaten at Chefs de France and Le Cellier (Canada) and loved them. Biergarten (Germany) buffet is also good if you like German food and want a good atmosphere, but this one is not budget minded. You are more likely to find reservations still for places at EPCOT. There is not much left for MK and I would hang on to your Liberty Tree. You've got a good one for AK for dinner. I recommend Flame Tree BBQ at AK for lunch. That's just a QS so no reservations needed.

 

[LilPaisley]

Thank you for the reply. I ended up grabbing a 7pm slot at Teppan on our Epcot day. I had been tempted to book it, so your recommendation was the final push I needed.

When it comes to dinner reservations, I know you get charged if you cancel less 24hrs in advance, but what about if you see a better time slot available day of and want to grab it? Can you switch? or are you just stuck.

 

[Oneanne]

Also a Seattle-ite here and I also take the non-stop red eye... and also usually stay at POP! The last few trips my room has not been ready for early check-in, so I now plan to head right to a park and am frequently there at or right after RD. I'm pretty OK until early afternoon, when the lack of sleep catches up with me so I head back to the resort for a nap. Then I'm out again in the evening, which after a good sleep almost feels like Day 2 already. Sounds pretty hard core, but I don't do commando style touring and am actually pretty laid back. You've got the entire day, so my recommendation would be to head to a park and make the most of it. You could do Hollywood Studios your first day and then spend the evening resort hoping, as a PP recommended, and that would leave you an entire day for MK.

Shoes... I always recommend taking more than one pair so you can switch back and forth, and don't take anything you haven't already broken in as you can easily do 10+ miles a day.

For EPCOT I also like Teppan Edo and love Spice Road for a light meal, usually get the Olives and Hummus plate. Also Garden Grill is a favorite, if you have any interest in doing a character meal.

Hope you have a wonderful trip.

One last stop... you don't need to have a rental car while at Disney, so you might want to consider booking one for just the days you are going to venture out - there is a rental car place on property.

 

[Sheldonman14]

Wear shoes with good support. Disney World is huge. Bring two pairs of shoes, as a quick afternoon storm may soak a pair. May want to do Universal over two days, especially if you are HP fans.

 

[lpizzuro123]

Only thing I will add is that you will be in Disney during the Flower and Garden Festival in Epcot. We love this time of year. The flowers are just beautify and they have added Outdoor Kitchen the past few years. We do not always make dining reservations in Epcot when this is going on. We love to walk around and get samplings from all the different kitchen. Here is some info about the event.

Embark on a mouthwatering mission to taste your way around a healthy, wholesome smorgasbord… bon appétit!
With over a dozen delectable stops, the World Showcase at Epcot plays host to the Festival-exclusive Outdoor Kitchens, each offering a specialty menu of creative cuisine and libations. Savor, sip and stroll while satisfying appetites large and small!

Event Details

• World Showcase, Epcot
• Outdoor Kitchens open daily from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM
• Epcot admission required
• Alcohol will only be served to Guests 21 and older
• Outdoor Kitchens subject to closure at any time
• Food and beverage samples are available while supplies last
• All menu items are subject to change without notice