HELP! I'm so confused....

[GrumpyMommy]

We are planning our first ever trip to Disney May 16-23rd. DH, myself, DD10 and DS 8 are staying at Coronado Springs and we have the park hopper, water parks & more pass and the dining package. I have only been able to come up with a plan for our arrival day. Since we will be leaving the house at 3:30 and I figured that we will be pretty tired so once we check in either just hang around by the pool or go into downtown disney. We have ADR at Chef Mickey's for 5:30 and then maybe take a ride on the monorail and get to be early so we can get an early start on day 2... but what to do first.

It is all just so overwhelming with early magic hours, it is the first weekend of Star Wars weekends (we love SW), trying to figure out what day is better for each park, how long it takes to get the most of each park (I know we will never hit it all), when to fit in the water park and Disney Quest (both are must do's for DS) and where to make ADRs for our table service meals. This should be fun not stressful...

 

[bicker]

I think the key is to decide on just a few priorities. Then build your whole plan around those priorities only. So what's most important? Seeing as much as possible? Having fun? Sleeping in/restful vacation? Taking advantage of the specials? Seeing the nighttime shows? etc...

 

[MJMcBride]

Buying one of the many guidebooks might be money well spent. I particularly like the Unofficial Guide. The Passporter is good too. There's plenty of stuff on the web, but I find it easier to read a book.

 

[MomBoyd]

The first thing I would do is decide which park(s) to go to on which day. The list of Extra Magic Hours is at http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdwi/en_CA/calendar/extraMagicHour?id=CalendarExtraMagicHoursPage

There are two ways to deal with extra magic hours. If you will get up and be at the parks as soon as they open, or stay until the parks close, you should go when each park has it's morning or evening extra magic hours. That way you can do a lot of rides/attractions before or after the general public arrives or leaves.

However the parks with Extra Magic Hours are the most crowded overall. If you don't want to go early or stay late pick one of the parks which is not having Extra Magic Hours that day.

Please feel free to PM me with more specific information about what type of attractions everyone is interested in and what you expect your pace through the parks to be. I will be happy to work with you to help with your trip planning.

 

[jann1033]

i agree, get a guide book( our library has them so that's how i go)

that way you can see what interests you and your family then go from there..WDW has so much to do in addition to the theme parks...ie our one daughter was a horse fanatic( still is) so we always did a trail ride when she was little ( and we lived in a city, not rural).

the unofficial guide is good imo as it tells a lot of facts about each ride ( height restrrictons etc.) then you can skim through that and pick out the stuff you can go on. not sure how busy it is when you are going but if it is considered off season/value season we always do the emh ( am) as we get most popular rides done before the parks get busy. we stay till closing but aren't night owls

dining is the same. so much is what you like. the guide books have subjective and objective reviews so that might help although most places are decent. there is also a review page on here( not sure what the link is maybe go to the home page) and it tells pro and con of different places

we always plan the first 4 days in the the parks, ( we go by emh) then day off for a water park, dtd what ever, then skip around the parks and redo stuff or do other stuff the rest of what ever time we are there. do plan some out of park time to enjoy other things and relax. so maybe you would do the 4 parks, dq and shop the next day at dtd, go to your favorite park(s) the next day, water park the next, etc.

plan on dq during a weekday, weekends are very busy.

 

[kaylie&laurensmom]

I would HIGHLY recommend Tour Guide Mike. You can save $3 if you click the link at the top of this page - cost will be $15.95. WORTH EVERY PENNY! He has detailed information about which days to go to which parks, a full description of EVERY ride, attaction, and restaurant at Disney, touring tips, itenerary planning, etc. I thought I had all the info possible until I subscribed. This will really be a HUGE planning asset for you, I promise. There is no other place with all the information in one spot and it is CONSTANTLY updated. He will even email you with updates on your park hours, etc.

 

[Quinn222]

One thing that works for us is going through a guide book and having everyone mark down the three or four things that they really want to do most and the things they don't want to do at all.

 

[lpizzuro123]

I usually put together an excel spreadsheet (or just do one on a piece of paper) with the days we are going, the hours each park is open, which parks are early or late entry, parades, wishes, illuminations and fantasmic. Usually when it is all laid out like this I have a better idea of when to go where, see if you want to do early or late entry, which things are most important to do. The Flower and Garden show will also be going on then. You might want to consider what bands are playing then, what times the shows are and if you want to see them or not. Here is the schedule I got off another web site.

Davy Jones May 12-15
The Tokens May 16-18
B.J. Thomas May 19-22
Felix Cavaliere's Rascals May 23-25

The shows are at 5:45, 7:00 and 8:15. We saw BJ Thomas last year and he was great. Would love to see Davy Jones this year but we are going Easter week so we will miss him.

The Teddy Bear and Doll show is also in Epcot on May 18 - 21.

The guide books are great but this web site is so up to date on all the latest it is the best tool. The books are great to read down there though when you might not have access to a computer. Make sure to check out all the info you get from your hotel at check in also. Usually you get so much paperwork this gets put to the side and you end up going through it after your trip and you find out about things too late.

Best of all, have a wonderful trip.

Linda

 

[GrumpyMommy]

Thanks for the info. I think we just want to have fun at a moderate pace and to see and do as much as we can without overdoing it. I went out and got the Unofficial guide (with kids) and Passporter so I will be reading away.

I read in one of the posts that the parks on the day after EMH were less crowded. I think we may go that route if this is true.

My only other question (for now) is which day is likely to be the least crowded at MGM during Star Wars weekend (Fri. 19th, Sat 20th or Sun 21st)?

I'm really not grumpy, he's just one of my favorites

 

[Eeyore2003]

I would not count on doing anything else for the Star War Day, just worry about doing what you want having to do with that and go back to MGM another less crowded day. As for when to go, my theory, and I'm not sure it really holds up, is that Sunday might be the less crowded. People usually leave on Sundays and also if there is still school in Florida, the locals might not want to be out late that night. We did this in November for the last week-end of the Food and Wine Festival. We went on Saturday and it was a literal ZOO, I was there about 10 minutes and we left and went back on Sunday, it was MUCH better.

The only drawback though, is the number of activities that still will be going on. I think you should also first check into what is going on that week-end and what you'd like to see and do there and also put that into the equation. Just go with an easy going attitude.

Also, we did the "day after" EMH last vacation and it worked out really well. We did Epcot with morning EMH just because there's Soarin', Mission Space and Test Track and all get busy fast, so I like that extra hour. We also tried night time EMH for AK, but you have to be sure to get there by mid afternoon to do Africa and Asia, as those areas close at 5 even for EMH. I think I would do AM for first timers for that one though.

Read about the days to do each park, waterpark and DQ first and pencil those in.

Figure out the best days to do the night time shows. (this may not be the same day as you do that particular park) Pencil that in.

Then figure out meals based kind of on where you are, just saves travel time esp. if you dont't have a car, pencil those in.

Then finally, decide what you have to do at each park and list in order of priority. Take breaks as needed. You pay for a lovely resort, take advantage of that too. The parks are really sensory overload for kids and they do need that get away break. It really perks everyone up and does wonders.

 

[crazyj4488]

My advice is to AVOID EMH like the plague....the park is too darn crowded. YOu can get more done at another park with normal operating hours...trust me...I've tested this too many times to count.

The .02 cents have dropped....hope it helps.

 

[Hopefully]

I think you need to come to your which park which day decision fairly soon so that you can plan your meals and get your ADR's (Advanced Dining Reservations). They can be made at 180 days in advance now, so people are booking them very early.
The Dining Plan has made the TS restaurants very busy now and some of the most popular restaurants book far in advance.
Decide if you want to eat in the park or at a resort nearby.
There are menus for all the restaurants here on the DIS as well as at allearsnet.com. Looking at the menus will help you decide where you would like to eat and also the associated costs. Since you have purchased the Dining Plan, you certainly want to be able to use it to the fullest and be able to get an ADR for all of your TS meals.
My advice. Make your ADR's soon, you can always try to change them or cancel them if your plans change.
Hope this Helps.