First Trip. . . Please Help!

[ThreeSmithGals]

Alright. I've been reading and "lurking" on the boards for a few weeks now, but I've got to ask some specific questions! So here's the deal. I know it is a busy time to go but that's not an option, so we will make the best of it and have a good time. Our party of 11 will be heading to Disney in June. It will be my DH, myself our 3 DC's (8yo DD, 4.5 yo DD and 20 month old DS); my Dh's brother, his wife and their 2 DD's (8 yo and 6 yo) and my FIL and MIL. We will arrive on Thurs. afternoon/evening (June 10)- staying off site in a house with its own pool 3 miles from WDW. We will have 8 day base tix to DW. Now that said- my husband and BIL, myself and SIL will have a conference to go to during the days on Mon-Wed. but will be able to do DW at night. We have ADR's at CM on Fri. June 11 at 5:10, CRT at 9:05a Sat. June 12 and Thurs. June 17 at 1900 PFat 4:35. That's all I've got. I know that my FIL is going to stay at the house with my DS sometimes because he doesn't do the heat and walking that well and it will allow DS some good rest time away from the Florida sun. . . but otherwise could you help plan my trip- we will be driving, so we will have our own stroller, and all that jazz. TIA for all your help! Excited to hear what you would recommend!

 

[AirGoofy]

Well, if I counted right, then you have 8 days and 8 theme park tickets so it's one park a day. Some avoid the park the day have EMH because they feel it's too crowded. Some go so they can get all the time in. I think you are supposed to stay at a resort to get EMH, but am not sure how the know the difference except to ask for KTW card. What are your plans? Do you want more character meals? Are you planning on doing character pictures & autographs? Rides or shows? Disney extra tours? Are you planning to visit each theme park twice or MK 3 times?

If you do plan on doing each park twice, especially with your conference, you may be able to get to enjoy the time you have and not feel rushed to get everything done in one day. And, we planned what we wanted to do, what we knew to avoid, and maybes (depending on the line), including those indoor shows where we can rest and soak in the cool air.

 

[Rylee]

Hi,

Check park hours for each park at the Disney site. Since you can't take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours, (for Disney resort guest only) avoid parks with the EMH as they will be more crowded.

Since you don't have Hopper Tickets, obviously you need to visit the Magic Kingdom on the day of you CRT reservation.

If you have 8 days at the parks, and with the ages of the kids, I think you would enjoy -

2 full days at MK
1 full day at Epcot
1 full day at DHS
1 full day at AK (Usually closes earliest of all the parks.)

On your half days, definitely return to Epcot and DHS.

If I have if figured right, you have 1 evening left... you could let the kids choose or plan to go see Fantasmic at DHS.

Learn about Fast Passes and use them!

With a group that size, you definitely need a touring plan, or a loose idea of what you want to do, otherwise there will be a lot of standing around discussing what to do next, and getting as many answers are there options.

Make a list of some-must-see-and-do attractions. Try to do these first thing in the morning.

Once you check a few things off the list, relax and discover the magic at you own pace!

 

[crysplefty]

I would do 3 days at MK, 2 days at Epcot, 2 days at HS, and 1 day at AK. HS tends to have long lines due to the fact that there are only a few rides there. When you get there head straight to Toy Story Mania to get your Fast Passes. No you will not be able to take advantage of the Extended Magic Hours (EMH) since you are staying off grounds. And yes they do ask to see your hotel cards at the entrance of rides/attractions to verify whether or not you are staying on ground. Regardless of whether Magic Kingdom has EMH on Monday or not, avoid it that day anyway. Magic Kingdom is busiest on Mondays. If possible, I'd try to book Donald's Safari Breakfast (located in Animal Kingdom) about an hour before Animal Kingdom opens (on the day you plan to visit Animal Kingdom). It has a great buffet and will give your children more opportunities to see some characters up close. I would try to spread out which parks you go to on which days instead of doing each park on consecutive days, so no one get bored.

 

[ThreeSmithGals]

Thanks so much for your suggestions! I agree that we need 3 days at MK! There is so much to do! I know we won't get to see everything, but we do want to "get alot done, but not be frantic about it! Thanks for the suggestion about Donald's Safari b'fast. Sounds like fun! I am at the point that there is so much excitement about the trip, I feel like I am still all over the place and unable to get focused! Do any of you guys have Schedules you use for your trips. Would love to see them. Thanks again for all the help!

 

[moparop]

As far as schedules go, there are three main options you can look into: Tour Guide Mike, Unofficial Guide to Disney, and Ridemax. They each have their pluses and minuses and people here swear by one to the point where the others are awful. I am a Tour Guide Mike, but I know people who follow the other plans have trips equally as successful as mine. Both Mike and the Unofficial Guide will tell you which parks to be at on which days, where Ridemax focuses more on the order of attractions.

My biggest advice with a group of that size and at that time of year: be there every day for rope drop. Be ready to walk into the park as soon as it opens. You can accomplish so much in that first hour or two while it is not sweltering out. I know with your conference that it will not always be possible, but for the days it is - SOOO worth it!

 

[DisneyClown]

Definitely learn about Fast Passes! You can get your FP in the morning, and use them all in the evening, even past the return time window, so that will save you some standing in line time. You would be surprised at all the rides and shows you can do even with your littlest one, so check out the age and height restrictions on the rides before hand and you can plan accordingly. Since you're not staying onsite, you're probably not going to take midday breaks at your resort, so plan some breaks in restaurants and/or shows that are air conditioned to get a break from the heat. There are Baby Care Centers you can go to that are air conditioned to get a break and it's not just for mom and baby, the rest of your family can join you also, so make a note of where those are located in each park(one per park). Happy planning!
Oh....and welcome to the Dis!