Help (please) with my itinerary!

[alleghator]

Trying to accomodate the various interests and energy levels of my family (check ages in sig, below) for our trip next March. We have a Saturday-Saturday timeshare.

3/11 Sat -- travel day, settle in, buy groceries, Chef Mickey's for dinner
3/12 Sun -- arrive AK early am for opening, stay 'til we're done touring, back to timeshare
3/13 Mon -- arrive DS early am for opening, back to timeshare for lunch/swim/nap, back to DS for dinner at 50s Primetime, stay through Fantasmic (depending if my son freaks out ... he's not always good with loud noises)
3/14 Tues -- arrive MK early (hopefully for CRT breakfast), back to timeshare for lunch/nap/swim, back to MK through fireworks (see above noise note *sigh*)
3/15 Weds -- break from parks day, probably hang at Downtown Disney with lunch at Earl of Sandwich
3/16 Thurs -- back to MK early (probably Crystal Palace breakfast this day), similar day as Tuesday, but if we stayed up for parade/fireworks on Tuesday, we'll boogie out at some point for an evening on the Boardwalk
3/17 Fri -- arrive EP early for opening, back to lunch/nap/swim, back to Epcot for Biergarten dinner, stay through IllumiNations (if Matthew lets us *double sigh*)
3/18 Sat -- good-bye to Disney breakfast at the Whispering Canyon Cafe.

Thanks for any and all input ... this is a first WDW trip in YEARS, and our first with kids at all. Thanks SO much!
--Heidi

 

[jann1033]

trying to figure out what ds is ... something at MGM????sorry duh on my part...if it's busy/open late when you are there i can understand all the napping but it seems like a lot of running back and forth to me...we go off season and just rest by having a nice long sit down lunch. or i might head over to fort wilderness for a rest if the crowds got to me...depending on how far the time share is from the park youcould be talking about lots of time spent driving back and fort( don't forget the time spent getting to the car ect).illuminations and wishes are not particularly loud... wishes like normal fireworks, illuminations some fireworks but mostly lasers...fantasmic may be a problem as it was loud and lots of scary characters imo

we loved WC for breakfast before leaving except we REALLY din't want to leave and ended up staying till almost noon not good with a 22 hr drive ahead of us

 

[alleghator]

DS=MGM, sorry ... my guidebook abbreviates it that way.

I'm not 100% "married to" the mid-day breaks, but my biggest priority f the trip isn't seeing everything, it's making this a truly enjoyable trip for everyone. So, I don't want tired and crabby kids (or parents!). We may skip one or two of them, if it looks OK. But, I'm reluctant to do that early in the week (I'm afraid it will set us up for a rude awakening later in the week if we hit a wall).

--Heidi

 

[Grand2me]

That looks pretty darn good to me. It's great to plan, that's half the fun of going. Just remeber to keep it loose. If you don't hit EVERYTHING, it's OK.

 

[mommystieg]

Like jann1033 stated, unless you are staying onsite all that traveling back and forth to your resort will eat up lots of park time. Even staying onsite we typically allow almost an hour to get from our resort to most parks. I know it sounds like a lot but if you factor in the amount of time it takes to drive to the parking lot, park and unpack the car, walk to the entrance, go through the bag search and then through the turnstiles, it takes a lot longer than it seems like it should. Our DD#2 has been visiting WDW since she was just a little over 2 and we rarely return to the room for a rest. We usually plan one sit down meal per day to take a break from the parks. WDW has lots of low-key, indoor attractions -- Hall of Presidents, American Adventure -- that also provide a quiet, cool place to rest. We also use a stroller for her and she will nap in the stroller.
DD#2 also does not like loud noises but she will sit through most fireworks shows as long as someone holds her ears. Maybe some earplugs would help your DS tolerate the shows a little better. Fantasmic does have some moments of nearly complete darkness and lots of villanous stuff so if your DS is easily frightened by that you may want to reconsider. You can always sit near the back of the theater and make a quick exit if necessary.
We love Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace, 50's PTC and Earl of Sandwich.
Have a great trip