Help a Newbie Out :)

[mamawindmill]

Hello, first post here! My family is headed to Disney World June 25-July 2. I've been lurking/planning for a long time and now that my FP+ window is a few weeks away, I would really appreciate some feedback on my plan. Thanks for reading and commenting. Sorry if this gets long!

Our group is me, my husband, and our three daughters (just-turned 6, almost 3, 15 months). We are staying at Beach Club. Also, we will be joined from June 25-June 28 by my parents, 2 sisters in their early 20's, and my grandma who will need to be in a wheelchair to get between attractions, but can get out and stand in line. Here's the plan:

Sunday 6/25
Arrive around 2pm, check in, unpack, explore the pool
Dinner at Frontera Cocina 5:45

Monday 6/26: Epcot (MY 30th BIRTHDAY!!)
8:00 ADR - Akershus
10:00 - FP+ for Turtle Talk
11:45 - FP+ for Spaceship Earth
12:15 - Take kids & grandma back for nap
3:30 - Meet up in World Showcase to eat/drink around the world in celebration of my birthday. Try to get a FP+ for FEA sometime around 5:00.
Hopefully the kids make it until Illuminations

Tuesday 6/27 - AK (grandma will not join us this day)
8:00 EMH
8:30 - FP+ for KS
11:00 - FP+ for KRR, using rider swap.
11:45 - Lunch and nap
4:25 - ADR for Tusker House (ROL dining package)
7:00 - FP+ for one of the Pandora rides
ROL if the kids make it that late

Wednesday 6/28 - MK
8:00 - ADR for BOG
10:00 - FP+ for Cinderella/Elena
11:00 - FP+ for ETWB
12:00 - FP+ for Tinkerbell/Space Mountain (group will split up)
12:30 - Lunch & Nap
5:00 - Dinner at Columbia Harbor House
Hopefully the kids last for the new fireworks show.

Thursday 6/29 - Pool Day
9:00 ADR - Bon Voyage breakfast
4:00 ADR - Beaches & Cream dinner
I have park tickets for this day, so I'll grab FP+ for AK in the evening, but we will wait and see if we actually want to go

Friday 6/30 - MK
8:00 - Whatever the kids want to do in Fantasyland
10:30 - FP+ for JC
11:00 - Lunch & nap
2:30 - Return for Festival of Fantasy parade
5:15 - ADR for Crystal Palace
Depending on how things go, we could try again to see the fireworks if we missed them the first day

7/1 - HS
9:00 - FP+ for TSMM
10:00 - FP+ for TOT w/ rider swap - one parent will take the kids to meet Disney Jr characters
11:00 - FP+ for Star Tours (just for husband)
11:30 - FP+ for Frozen sow
12:00 - lunch & nap
5:15 - ADR for Hollywood Brown Derby

7/2 - EP
Breakfast in France
11:30 ADR for Via Napoli

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

First off:


My plans aren't usually that detailed so I won't offer any ideas there. Just keep in mind that the best laid plans can get off track and be prepared to roll with the punches if necessary and have a great time!
PS.
Don't forget to get a birthday button

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

To begin with, you'll be spending more than 40 minutes at breakfast on 6/26. I wouldn't expect to be out of there until 915 or 9:30, depending on how much princess interaction you want.

With kids that age, i'd throw the detailed schedule out the window, book fastpasses and ADRS, and leave everything else extremely open. Staying at the Beach Club is excellent for afternoon pool or nap time. Just do things based on your kids' temperaments, you know them best.

Planning less gives more times to adjust, and less disappointments.

 

[JerseyGuy24]

wow that is some detailed plan! my one recommendation is not not get too focused on your itinerary because there are sooo many variables that can happen to change things. As long as you have your FP's and ADR's all set you are good to go. just enjoy being in the happiest place on earth! too much planning leads to more stress. Stress is not welcome on vacation

 

[ErinsMommy]

I agree with PPs, that's a pretty tight schedule. I would pick your top 3 FPs and dining and wing the rest. We did that commando style our first 2 trips and exhaustion at the end of the day and when we returned home was an understatement; and we forgot to just enjoy vacation and relax.

 

[mamawindmill]

Haha ok, so four posts all telling me to plan less. I'm totally cool with that - but how in the world are you able to determine FP's and ADR's without such a detailed plan? I feel like with such a big group we would just end up standing around wondering what to do next. If I'm missing something, please tell me your secrets!

 

[rwdavis2]

wow that is some detailed plan! my one recommendation is not not get too focused on your itinerary because there are sooo many variables that can happen to change things. As long as you have your FP's and ADR's all set you are good to go. just enjoy being in the happiest place on earth! too much planning leads to more stress. Stress is not welcome on vacation

This. Make the ADRs and FP reservations and throw out the rest of it. You really don't want to be a slave to a schedule that hectic.

 

[Moms]

We are planners (we even do spreadsheets!) but have never had so much planned for any of our many trips! I would go ahead with your plans but be ready for anything ... don't get too attached to the itinerary and allow yourselves to go with the flow a bit. I haven't done a summer trip in a long time but imagine it could be crowded ... which will make some of the stand-by rides a challenge ... and schedule busters. Know in advance what you are wiling to wait for and what you are willing to skip and you can save some difficult "on the spot" difficult decision making.

When we go during peak crowd times (Spring Break, Xmas week, etc) we have had great luck getting to the parks at rope drop and doing two or three rides before our first scheduled FP (usually about two hours after park opening.

Have a great trip ... and stay hydrated too! It's hot, hot, hot!

 

[rwdavis2]

Haha ok, so four posts all telling me to plan less. I'm totally cool with that - but how in the world are you able to determine FP's and ADR's without such a detailed plan? I feel like with such a big group we would just end up standing around wondering what to do next. If I'm missing something, please tell me your secrets!

Make a list of things you would like to do in each park that are near your FP+ reservations. Do those. Also, study park maps to see where everything is so you at least are not criss-crossing the park too much.

The plan you have might be a good start but prioritize what's most important and don't worry about doing everything on the list. After your first day see how well the plan went and adjust going forward.

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

Make a list of things you would like to do in each park that are near your FP+ reservations. Do those. Also, study park maps to see where everything is so you at least are not criss-crossing the park too much.

The plan you have might be a good start but prioritize what's most important and don't worry about doing everything on the list. After your first day see how well the plan went and adjust going forward.

When my kids were that age i'd tell them AREAS we were going to, like Adventureland or Hollywood Boulevard, not individual attractions. That way if a given attraction was down for repairs or an hour wait i'd just move along to the next thing.

Be flexible.

 

[ErinsMommy]

Make a list of things you would like to do in each park that are near your FP+ reservations. Do those. Also, study park maps to see where everything is so you at least are not criss-crossing the park too much.

The plan you have might be a good start but prioritize what's most important and don't worry about doing everything on the list. After your first day see how well the plan went and adjust going forward.

When my kids were that age i'd tell them AREAS we were going to, like Adventureland or Hollywood Boulevard, not individual attractions. That way if a given attraction was down for repairs or an hour wait i'd just move along to the next thing.

Be flexible.

Both of these. We would do our ADR then usually plan for FPs around that area -- or if we ate at a resort, then we'll just take transportation to the park and take it from there. FP'g from front of park to to back of park and if we needed a break or changed our mind, we would log into our MDE and see if we can change it or just blow it off entirely. My daughter knew what she wanted to ride and didn't so it made it that much easier.

 

[mdelano4]

All I can say is WOW! Can you please talk to my DW? She thinks I am too much of a planner, but you make me look like an amateur. With a large group, IMHO you have to plan or else you will be "standing around wondering what to do next." We often travel with other families and sometimes to WDW. Whenever we go to WDW I have a very simple philosophy. I am making the plans my family and I want. If you want to do exactly what we do you are perfectly welcome. If not and you want to go your own way, no hard feelings and we will catch up later. I think your list is a little too detailed because you can't plan every second without flexibility for the unexpected. For example, character meets may take longer than 20 minutes. At that time of year, the characters need frequent switch outs because of the heat. There is about a 5 minute break each time. Also, you have to allow more time to eat (someone else already mentioned this). I would be afraid that with this ambitious a schedule you will be disappointed if you can't get everything on the list done.

You can learn from my mistake. Marching the family around a park from morning until night makes them a little hostile. In the end, that is no fun for anyone.

I am not holding myself out to be an expert by any means, but here is how we have done this over the years. I create a grid for each day, broken down by morning and afternoon. I list the EMH (although they seem to get released later and later each year). From there I figure what park we want to visit each block. Then, I pick the restaurants and make my ADRs. I try to have a backup plan in each park (i.e., if I can't get Rose & Crown to watch Illuminations after dinner, then I will go to Chefs de France), but if not, I go to plan B and switch the park for the day. After that, I have 4 months to tidy up that schedule and pick the rides for the FP+. Again, the best laid plans.... Once I have gotten whatever I am going to get for FPs, I make sure my grid has the proper parks listed for each morning/afternoon (assuming we are going to a park that day). As the time for the trip draws near, DW and I formulate a strategy, like when are we getting to park and where do we head first. When we get the the park we look at the show schedules and figure out what we want to see and where we can fit it in with our FPs. After that, we wing it (except for FPs).

 

[danikoski]

With your ADR at Akserhus, get to Epcot around 7:30. They will let you in about 7:45. Pay your bill up front after pics with Belle. Enjoy the meal, but once you get pics with all the Princesses, go ride FEA. We did this in February and walked out at 8:50 after pics with all the Princesses, and waited 20 minutes for FEA. Then we used our tier 1 FP for Soarin.

 

[mamawindmill]

Ok, edited my original post to only include the high points, because I totally get that every detail will not go according to "plan" and I absolutely understand the need for flexibility. Anyone care to comment on whether what remains seems reasonable?

(Also, all of that original detail came from me playing around with Touring Plans - they make it very quick and easy to overplan haha.)

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

Ok, edited my original post to only include the high points, because I totally get that every detail will not go according to "plan" and I absolutely understand the need for flexibility. Anyone care to comment on whether what remains seems reasonable?

(Also, all of that original detail came from me playing around with Touring Plans - they make it very quick and easy to overplan haha.)

MUCH better. Also, just a tip for beaches and cream. You can get smaller dessert sundaes like No Way Jose with 2 scoops of ice cream instead of 3. I think they are $5.99 instead of $7.99 or there abouts.

 

[rwdavis2]

Looks much better.

 

[DizDad513]

Ok here are my thoughts below... I inserted my thoughts in your original post (helps me process):


Sunday 6/25
Arrive around 2pm, check in, unpack, explore the pool
Dinner at Frontera Cocina 5:45 (excellent plan for arrival day! Explore DS if you all are up to it after dinner! So many times you hear about too many plans for 1/2 days on arrival days, but this is a good plan)

Monday 6/26: Epcot (MY 30th BIRTHDAY!!)
8:00 ADR - Akershus
11:45 - FP+ for Spaceship Earth
12:15 - Take kids & grandma back for nap
3:30 - Meet up in World Showcase to eat/drink around the world in celebration of my birthday. Try to get a FP+ for FEA sometime around 5:00.
Hopefully the kids make it until Illuminations (Looks like you only have 2 FP+ ideas down. What about adding one early for Nemo or Turtle Talk. You might not need it but think of it as insurance. Another option would be Living with the Land for a FP+, all ages seem to enjoy this. Much of your plan this day is going to be around when you can snag the FEA FP+ if this is your top priority. Also, you might want to try and get that time for SE earlier than 11:45. Since you have an hour window for FP+, I'd look at getting it around the 11:00-12:00 window in case anyone wants to head back early to the hotel).

Tuesday 6/27 - AK (grandma will not join us this day)
8:00 EMH
8:30 - FP+ for KS
11:00 - FP+ for KRR, using rider swap.
11:45 - Lunch and nap
4:25 - ADR for Tusker House (ROL dining package)
ROL if the kids make it that late (This will be a long day if you make it from AM EMH to ROL at night, but you have a healthy break in there so it should work out fine. EMH in the morning at AK are by far the best in my opinion. Again you're only at 2 FP+ for the day. What about Expedition Everest with a rider swap? My mom rides this with us and she is not a coaster person. Not much of a step above Big Thunder IMO. Tusker House is awesome! How about strolling on the Boardwalk and finding something easy for lunch (Boardwalk Bakery, Big River Brew Works is a good option too but you might not get that opinion from most people)?

Wednesday 6/28 - MK
8:00 - ADR for BOG (You have a number of early mornings and late nights back to back going on here. Even with breaks mid-day do not be surprised if you start getting a little pushback on another early morning from at least 1 person in your party. Not saying it will happen but it is a possibility. With that being said pre-rope drop BOG is an awesome experience!)
10:15 - FP+ for Cinderella/Elena
11:30 - FP+ for ETWB
12:00 - FP+ for Tinkerbell/Space Mountain (group will split up)
12:30 - Lunch & Nap
5:00 - Dinner at Columbia Harbor House (Love it as a QS option. Get a spot upstairs)
Hopefully the kids last for the new fireworks show.

Thursday 6/29 - Pool Day
9:00 ADR - Bon Voyage breakfast (New, never tried it. Looks awesome)
4:00 ADR - Beaches & Cream dinner (YES!)
I have park tickets for this day, so I'll grab FP+ for AK in the evening, but we will wait and see if we actually want to go (Maybe consider FP+ at Epcot this day, or strolling around WS at Epcot. Since you are sooo close it might be a more laid back option and you can easily get back home if you're getting pooped.)

Friday 6/30 - MK
8:00 - Whatever the kids want to do in Fantasyland
10:30 - FP+ for JC
11:00 - Lunch & nap
2:30 - Return for Festival of Fantasy parade (This is an excellent parade! Make sure you give yourselves enough time to make it back for this!)
5:15 - ADR for Crystal Palace
Depending on how things go, we could try again to see the fireworks if we missed them the first day (Other FP+ options for this day: for the whole family; Pirates, Talking Mickey, Dumbo, Little Mermaid: for riders swap; BTMRR, Splash. Try to keep things relaxed after dinner to make it to fireworks. Shopping on Main St., taking the train etc.)

7/1 - HS
9:20 - FP+ for TSMM
10:00 - FP+ for TOT w/ rider swap - one parent will take the kids to meet Disney Jr characters
11:00 - FP+ for Star Tours (just for husband)
11:30 - FP+ for Frozen sow
12:00 - lunch & nap
5:15 - ADR for Hollywood Brown Derby (Awesome day. Are you going to try to get to Fantasmic? Try to catch Muppetvision, great attraction for all ages.)

7/2 - EP
Breakfast in France
11:30 ADR for Via Napoli (Yum. When do you leave?)

Sounds like you will have a fantastic time!! Good Luck!

 

[monkeybug]

I was wondering why everyone was saying you had over planned and I was feeling a bit self conscious because yours looked very similar to the way I plan, and then I saw the post about them being edited!
I don't know what you had before, but what you have now looks great!

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

Love the edited plan!

 

[Imagineer5]

Haven't read the replies, but will post my comments here

Monday 6/26: Epcot (MY 30th BIRTHDAY!!)
8:00 ADR - Akershus
11:45 - FP+ for Spaceship Earth
12:15 - Take kids & grandma back for nap
3:30 - Meet up in World Showcase to eat/drink around the world in celebration of my birthday. Try to get a FP+ for FEA sometime around 5:00.
Hopefully the kids make it until Illuminations

Grab a 3rd FP for the Character Spot or Living with the land! Grandma would love LwtL (and so will everyone else)

Tuesday 6/27 - AK (grandma will not join us this day)
8:00 EMH
8:30 - FP+ for KS
11:00 - FP+ for KRR, using rider swap.
11:45 - Lunch and nap
4:25 - ADR for Tusker House (ROL dining package)
ROL if the kids make it that late

Don't forget about the new AK rides in Pandora <3

Wednesday 6/28 - MK
8:00 - ADR for BOG
10:15 - FP+ for Cinderella/Elena
11:30 - FP+ for ETWB
12:00 - FP+ for Tinkerbell/Space Mountain (group will split up)
12:30 - Lunch & Nap
5:00 - Dinner at Columbia Harbor House
Hopefully the kids last for the new fireworks show.

Remember, FP windows are 1 hour long. Don't forget to grab RS before heading to Tinkerbelle!