Help me with my trip schedule please

[forever-sunshine]

I need somebody else with experience to take a look at my plan, I've never been to WDW and I think that I have tried to analize everything so much that I can't think straight anymore.

It will be my hubby and I and DD 5 & 19 mo

Wed 10/19 -
Animal Kingdom AM -
return to POFQ for nap -
Magic Kingdom then Chef Mickey's @ 6:30pm

Do I want to go to Magic Kingdom all day on Wednesday with a break for a nap since they stay open until 9pm then do Animal Kingdom on Thursday and try to switch my Chef Mickey's to Thursday?

Thur 10/20 -
Magic Kingdom AM -
Breakfast/lunch at 1900 Park Fare @ 11am -
Return to POFQ sometime (Do I want or need to go somewhere in evening since MK closes @ 6pm)

Fri 10/21 -
MGM or Epcot AM -
Back to POFQ for nap -
MGM PM -
Dinner @ Mama Melrose @ 4:50. Stay to watch Fantasmic

Sat 10/22 -
MGM or Epcot AM -
Back to POFQ for nap -
Epcot PM -
Dinner @ Rose & Crown 8:00pm - Watch Illuminations

Sun 10/23 -
Go see the beach. I still need to find a beach to go see. I really want to see the Atlantic Ocean, just to say I've been there but I would like a nice place for my kids to play. I have reservations at California Grill @ 7:50pm - but there is no WISHES that evening! I also have reservations @ Ohana for 7:55 (I need to cancel one of these)

Mon 10/24 -
MK AM -
Cinderella Breakfast @ 10:20am -
Back to POFQ for nap -
anywhere my DD wants to go for PM

Thanks for your help!
Amy

 

[alecam]

Hi!

My only advice to you would beon't get stressed out if you get off schedule! I got back in June with a 3 and 5 y/o. My poor husband wanted to kill me, because whenever he wanted to do something "off schedule" I would go into panic mode!! We had a very hard time going back to the parks after rest/nap time. The kid were absolutely worn out from just the morning and early afternoon, and had no interest in going back to a park for dinner/fireworks/shows/etc. They just wanted to go to the pool for the rest of the night.

So I found the best thing to do was to go to my pre-planned park in the morning, and then let the kids dictate the rest of the day.
It sounds to me like your schedule is pretty good for two small kids but don't be disappointed if you get off schedule. Have fun!!!!

 

[dzneelvr]

My biggest concern with your plan is that you have multiple parks on the same day. with the ages of your children, that doesn't seem wise. Here are some suggestions to consider: 1) make your PSs for dining and then that will determine your daily park--stick to one the first trip. there will be enough in the park to do both before and after naptime, so don't worry that you'll be bored. If you plan too tightly, you'll miss parades, autograph opps, browsing in the shops,and other special attractions and also feel like you're on transportation too long just getting around to all the parks. We only started doing multiple parks in one day when our kids turned teens and then because we go in the summer when the parks stay open very late. 2)I'd pick Ohanas over CG with your kids. save CG for when they are older and can enjoy the cuisine. 3)the ocean visit on Sunday? not sure what's up with that. I wouldn't drive off WDW for entire day and then return? a suggestion: on Sunday, do the MK breakfast, MK during the day, and then Ohanas at pm. Then on Monday, check out and drive an alternate route home that takes you past the ocean. We adjusted our schedule and stayed at Vero Beach Disney, which is the most perfect way to see the ocean IMO. Simplify your days and build in time for the kids--your DD-5 may want to do Country Bears 3 times in a row because she loves it so much or DD-19m/o may be fascinated by something at the resort's pool...nuggets of family time you won't want to cut short because you have to "be somewhere".....

 

[stacy6552]

I wouldnt leave the parks so much to eat, in oct. Since the parks close earlier, I would eat at resort resturaunts on non park days, like arrival and departure and beach days. Have dinner at LTT on MK's late day and eat at CM on the day it closes early.

Also be prepaired to be seated inside at Rose and Crown by 8pm. People seated outside by 7:15 tend to stay for Illuminations.

Also, since the parks close early, you might want to try and train the baby to sleep on the go (take long days at the mall...). If she will sleep on the go for you in her stroller, then you wont feel the pressure to leave and count the minutes when you get back until closing.

 

[forever-sunshine]

3)the ocean visit on Sunday? not sure what's up with that. I wouldn't drive off WDW for entire day and then return? a suggestion: on Sunday, do the MK breakfast, MK during the day, and then Ohanas at pm. Then on Monday, check out and drive an alternate route home that takes you past the ocean.

We were going to go to the ocean so that my kids can see the ocean. We live in Utah and they have never seen the ocean. We will be flying out on Tuesday - no driving home for us.

Thanks for your help though - I changed some of my dinner reservations so things are calmer.

 

[becca011906]

I think it would be much better to stick to one park per day, that's what we are doing. One park per day, plus we dont' have hoppers but still. we are also taking a full day out to visit the ocean b/c it's high priority of the other family we are traveling with!

 

[jtopp]

you have a full schedule, but you may find that doing all of it is unrealistic, especially with younger children. You may also find that your children might nap in a stroller, saving you travel time back to your room. If they do, its a great time for the adults to walk around and enjoy the scenery without rushing to the next attraction.
Going to the beach will be easy, but you have to allow for enough time. The easiest beach to get to from WDW is Cocoa beach, which is right down the Beeline expressway, about 1 hour away. Another possibility is Daytona beach, about 1 hour 30 minutes straight up I-4. Both are clean beaches, and you can drive right onto the beach.

 

[Colinsmom]

Four days of parks in a row is exhausting for both parents and kids! Can you schedule your relaxing beach day in the middle of your trip rather than at the end. Also, I think that MK is better to hit in the morning to avoid crowds. It will probably be pretty busy there the night that MK is open late; maybe Epcot is a better choice that evening (we like wandering the countries leisurely in the evening).

 

[MissionMouse]

I would say be flexible and be open to adapt. If your youngest is not happy then no one in your family will be happy. Within the first day you should have an idea how the kids will hold-up and make adjustments to our general plan at that time.

It is best not to develop false expectations that you will be able to complete all the rides or shows 100% during your stay. Fantasmic, 3-D Show and other rides/shows may be disturbing to your child. You may also want to develop some type of 'escape plan' like sitting close to an exit or other 'game plan' detail how DH and DW and going to handle the situation. Fantasmic scares lots of toddler/infants and Disney puts out lots of warning based upon trends. Overall, you will need to judge and monitor this with a plan formulated prior to entering a ride or show...to make your visit more enjoyable for everyone.

There is nothing like a kids nap in a bed and while some children do sleep OK in a stroller it does not provide the setting to get the depth of sleep to keep some toddlers going...especially over multiple days. Late nights can easily drain some small children very quickly and be very apparent the next morning too.

The one thing you need to keep in mind when you hop from one place to another is time. Time exiting or entering a park, waiting for transportation, actual walking time to point 'A' and 'B', walking back to your room. WDW is big and time can surprise some individuals during their first visit. You should also be aware of other time consumers like turning in or getting a stoller (sometimes lines) and other time 'x' factors (i.e., bathroom breaks, diaper changes, security checks, park entrance lines, waiting in line for a ride, character stops, browsing a shop or stand, unplanned items of interest encountered, etc). These items become more of a factor when you have two fixed schedule items there may not be much time in between to do what you thought you could accomplish.