We're going to be there the week before you, heading back home on the 14th! Park hours are posted through the 17th, but they're likely to change so I wouldn't get my heart set on park days until just before my FP day.
We have done the meal plans before and we've always spent more than when we just pay for what we want when we want it. So now we bring in a lot of snacks and splurge on the meals we really want.
I have no experience with
Disneyland but FWIW, this is what I would do with 5 base ticket days and the currently posted park times. I always take a look at the crowd calendar on Touring Plans, but I usually choose my parks based on EMH, which we really make the most of. But the hours are going to change between now and then, so you can really ignore the dates and take whatever is helpful from the suggestions.
1/14 HS 8-9 am EMH
RD Toy Story, jet over to RnR and ToT using rider swap
Definitely get a FP for Toy Story so you can do it at least one more time that day
The only thing we ever skip at HS is the Indiana Jones show, simply because it's long.
All the shows are worth seeing. Frozen Sing a Long is a must, even if you don't love Frozen. Fantasmic, too.
Make a reservation for Sci-Fi, we like their apps over their entrees and they have great shakes
1/15 AK 8-9 am EMH
RD the Pandora rides, use rider switch as needed
FP suggestions Safari, Lion King, EE w/ rider switch and FOP w/rider switch
Don't skip the dinosaur dig area, my kids always love it.
Food - AK is our least favorite park but has some of the best food.
I would make a late breakfast reservation at Tusker House, great breakfast buffet and inexpensive for a character meal. Late breakfast means you might also get to sample from the lunch menu when they change over
QS - Yak and Yeti and Restaurantsaurus
1/16 Epcot 8-9 am EMH
RD Soarin, Living with the Land, Test Track w/ rider swap, Spaceship Earth
FP - FEA,
Don't miss Three Caballeros (easy to walk by it inside the restaurant), Seas with Nemo - the observation deck at the end is really cool
We usually skip - the Lion King film near Soarin, but it's worth seeing once if you don't have that at Disneyland
Food - We usually travel during Food and Wine and just snack when we're hungry. Askerhaus is a very cool character breakfast with good food, but it's pricey and I would only suggest it if you're kids are over the moon for princesses and you don't have a similar experience back home. Biergarten is fun, Garden Grill is good food, but nothing unusual that we couldn't find at home, I forget the name but we like the QS downstairs near Living with the Land, lots of choices
1/17 MK 8-10 pm EMH
I'd FP any of the mountains, buzz, and Pooh
We never skip any of the mountains, Pooh, Buzz, Small World, Philharmagic, Hall of Presidents,
We try to be in Frontierland during parades and fireworks and we can usually go back and forth between Splash and Big Thunder with very little wait. My kids were able to do both at 3 years old
To save time we often skip Peter Pan, river boat, Tom Sawyer, and the treehouse.
Food - MK is my least favorite for food. We love Dole Whips. I think BOG is very cool on the inside but the food has been meh
Liberty Tree Tavern is good but we always have a long wait after our reservation time, so don't plan FP near your meal time
1/18 MK hours not posted
I would FP for MK but keep in mind you can return to the park you most loved during the week.
Our absolute favorite restaurant in the whole world is Boma at AKL. I think it is well worth the time to transfer buses or take an uber to go for dinner and AKL is a beautiful resort to visit. Enjoy an awesome African buffet (with plenty of American choices, too), see the animals, check out the Jambo House lobby, walk back behind the pool and see the flamingos.
I think it's really helpful to print out the maps, circle the attractions you definitely want to do, and map out how you want to navigate the park. My youngest is autistic so we like to have a couple of backup plans and escape routes ready. I also still pay the $15 for Touring Plans, even though I make my own itineraries. It's a small price for a helpful resource.
That's my 2 cents, I hope some of it is helpful.
