Help with first Disney Trip!

[lynzi2004]

When planning a Disney trip, which do you all feel is more important, avoiding high crowd levels or sticking to your tentative schedule? I've got our trip all planned out but when I look at the days we will be there...2-3 of my days are listed as red days on KennythePirate. I could switch them but for one reason or another would prefer to leave them like they are, but don't want to be standing in line all day at a park when I could have been breezing thru another one. We are going April 24-28th. Staying at Movies.

Sunday Arrival (RED)- Half-Day at HS (EMH HS)
Monday (RED)- MK (lunch at BOG)
Tuesday-AK
Wednesday (RED)-Epcot(breakfast at BOG 8:00, this is a conflict with parks but the only breakfast day I could get)
Thursday-MK (lunch at CRT, could possibly cancel currently undecided if we want to spend that much!)

We have a 5 day ticket, no hoppers. My understanding is I could order a 6-day ticket for an extra $30 for our family. DH, DD (4), DS (2)

I am stalking ADRs like crazy trying to get that BOG reservation on a different morning, as I would love to get in the park early to take a few pics and let the kids see Main street not so crowded.

My question is, for those that have been numerous times, which is more important do you think...avoiding red days or sticking closer to the plan you had initially imagined?!?!

Please help, I'm about to drive my husband crazy debating

 

[Jfsag123]

I think arriving for rope drop and having a good plan are more important than what park you go to on a specific day. However, without hoppers, you won't be able to do your BOG breakfast and Epcot on the same day. Would the price of hoppers be worth it to you just for that breakfast if you're unable to switch it to another day?

 

[StirlingSilver83]

So if you already have lunch scheduled at BOG why do you want to eat breakfast there as well? From the reviews I have heard of breakfast is highly over priced and I wouldn't want to pay $10 for a bowl of cereal, plus you have Epcot for that day and don't have park hoppers. so thats really not going to work out real well if you want to do epcot. As for HS, any park that has EMHs is going to be considered in the red because people flock to it bc of the EMHs so I usually tend to stay away from those days. But you are only going to be there half a day and they are mostly shows and with your age range for your kids I highly doubt you are going to be waiting for tower or terror and rockin roller coaster. I would not give up my BOG lunch reservations for Magic Kingdom on Monday, and just deal with the crowds. If you get there for rope drop you would be surprised how much stuff you can get done in that ammount of time. Then when its time to schedule FPs try to schedule them for after lunch, that way you have FPs during the busiest time of the day. As for CRT, we ate there last year for dinner and really weren't impressed, I don't think I would pay out of pocket for it. Its hardly any food, you are basically paying to eat in the castle (which is cool to eat in the castle) but thats pretty much it. I would either try to get something at 1900 Park Fare for dinner (Cinderella & Prince Charming + the step mother and step sisters) thats a ton of fun! Or try and get Akershus at Epcot for a princess meal. I just looked and Akershus does have some breakfast availability on Wed. so that should solve both your problems with BOG and princess meal and have breakfast

 

[lynzi2004]

Thank you for the feedback!

The breakfast reservations at BOG was just a fluke deal. I was looking seeing what was available and it was there. My main reason for wanting BOG at breakfast was to get into the park early, but I also realize in order for that to be realistic I would need to change our 2nd MK day from Thursday to Wednesday. But that would also mean canceling our CRT reservation. Maybe getting into the park early isn't that big of deal...

I'm definitely keeping the lunch reservation. That is DS birthday and I thought it would be a nice break after morning rides.

I'm glad to hear someone else's opinion of CRT. We booked it just because my daughter thought she might want to do it, but that will be our last day and I'm sure by that point we will have already met ever princess in Disney World! lol I will have to check out 1900 Park Fare, that wouldn't require a ticket to the parks and maybe we could do it on arrival or departure day!

I think arriving for rope drop and having a good plan are more important than what park you go to on a specific day. However, without hoppers, you won't be able to do your BOG breakfast and Epcot on the same day. Would the price of hoppers be worth it to you just for that breakfast if you're unable to switch it to another day?

We weren't planning on hoppers (Roughly $200 for our family), but could add an extra day ticket for $30. We were throwing this idea around just to be able to visit 2 parks on one day if we wanted. Good idea in general or no?

 

[Jfsag123]

We weren't planning on hoppers (Roughly $200 for our family), but could add an extra day ticket for $30. We were throwing this idea around just to be able to visit 2 parks on one day if we wanted. Good idea in general or no?

You won't be allowed to enter two parks on one day without hoppers or a completely separate ticket. Disney recognizes that it's much cheaper to add an extra day than to add hoppers, and so doesn't allow the use of two single day entries in one day. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

 

[dkrauss]

My first suggestion would be to look at other sites for their crowd information for that time frame. I use EasyWDW and Tourplans and compare (although TouringPlans has been off recently). I'd also look at more than just the RED park.........that's someones guess..........maybe an educated guess.........but its just that..........a guess.

When you've got that comparison..........you can plan you're days.......... When I plan a trip.........the first thing I do is think about the things I want to accomplish duirng the trip, for example:

1. See the Welcome show at MK
2. See the FOF parade
3. See Illuminations at EPCOT
4. See Wishes at the MK
5. Ride ToyStory Mania

Then I start to plan my days around that. Now without hoppers and with 5 park days..........I might have to combine some of my choices into 1 park day. However with hoppers I have the flexibility of doing..........the Welcome show at MK (early morning before park opening) and seeing Illuminations at Epcot in the evening. I could even throw in seeing the FOF parade on that too. Now this may not be an example that works for you but it points out the flexibility the hopper can give you. Again this is all predicated on what you want to do during YOUR vacation.

From there.............I plan out any ADR's I want. For you BOG is the one you desire..........its also one of the more difficult ones to get. As previously stated your plan has breakfast at BOG in the MK and then the rest of the day in Epcot......which won't happen without hoppers. When considering ADR's keep in mind where your staying........the trip to the location.......remember an 8:00am breakfast means on the bus around 7:15am......remember there could be a wait......and the Allstars share buses too. (well unless you have a car ) Another thing about ADR's is beaware of those at resorts.......that can many times require an involved transportation plan.

Finally when I have all this worked out..............I do FP+'s..(keep in mind I do it this way because I'm doing ADR's at 180 days and FP+ at 60 days.) If you have particularly popular attractions you want fastpasses for you should have a backup plan if you don't get them. On a recent trip we didn't have a FP for 7DMT so we planned a rope drop arrival and went straight there......only waited 25 minutes

Unless there's a particular event at a park on those RED days..........I wouldn't get to wrapped up with that. EasyWDW has your dates as 5's and 4's over all..............so even a RED day won't be like Summer or Christmas time.....................but be aware...........this is just a guess (based most times on historical statistics )

Wishing you a magical vacation!

Doug

 

[msmama]

We weren't planning on hoppers (Roughly $200 for our family), but could add an extra day ticket for $30. We were throwing this idea around just to be able to visit 2 parks on one day if we wanted. Good idea in general or no?

The ONLY way to visit 2 parks in one day is to have hoppers. You are unable to use a second day of multiday tickets to enter two parks on the same day (however you could if you have separate one day tickets but that'd be way more than the hoppers).

I just noticed that my trip starting next week I have 2 "red days" with crowd level 9's and I'm going with it anyway.

I do have the benefit of multiple trips under my belt (and another trip in 2 months time) so missing anything isn't a huge deal for me. A good touring plan is going to help more than recommended days, I think. Get there at RD. Use your FP+'s wisely (whatever that means for your family) and go in with appropriate expectations and a bad day at disney is better than a good day other places as far as I'm concerned!!

 

[lynzi2004]

You won't be allowed to enter two parks on one day without hoppers or a completely separate ticket. Disney recognizes that it's much cheaper to add an extra day than to add hoppers, and so doesn't allow the use of two single day entries in one day. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

Ahh, I had no idea! You might be the bearer of bad news but you just saved me a world of trouble at the ticket counter! Well one park/day it is then. I'm afraid spending $200 for a park hopper isn't the best use of our budget with a 4 and 2 year old. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Magicmagicmagic]

Definitely try for breakfast at akershus on your Epcot day! It's better than BOG, lots of food, and a nicer atmosphere (and princesses!) I would keep CRT, because my girls loved it (4 and 2). It was really special for them, but it was our first day, so that might have made a difference. Since you have what Disney calls an infant (your 2 year old) places like akershus are better, since there is a buffet. We had some trouble at BOG and CrT with my two year old getting enough food.

 

[dkrauss]

Ahh, I had no idea! You might be the bearer of bad news but you just saved me a world of trouble at the ticket counter! Well one park/day it is then. I'm afraid spending $200 for a park hopper isn't the best use of our budget with a 4 and 2 year old. Thanks for the heads up!

For that age...........probably not. But you need to consider that when planning your days. You're pretty much looking a full days at each park............or 1/2 days and then rest with an ADR at a resort........OR back to same park after rest. But given where you're staying bouncing back and forth could be more exhausting than just letting the kids nap in the stroller

Don't let it bring you down.........you'll work it out.

Doug

 

[loves to dive]

I've never looked at a crowd calendar in my life, well that's a lie, I've looked at them to see what they were all about but never used one or paid attention to one. They are guesses, in some cases pretty good educated guesses but guesses none the less. You will be there during flower and garden at Epcot, a great time to be there. There are food booths set up around World Showcase and a couple of playgrounds the little ones might enjoy. My advice would be to not overplan. You have little ones, let them dictate how the day goes, nothing worse than a grumpy little one who just wants to rest. You aren't going to see and do everything there is to see and do anyway so don't stress it, it's supposed to be fun not a military operation.

 

[lynzi2004]

For that age...........probably not. But you need to consider that when planning your days. You're pretty much looking a full days at each park............or 1/2 days and then rest with an ADR at a resort........OR back to same park after rest. But given where you're staying bouncing back and forth could be more exhausting than just letting the kids nap in the stroller

Don't let it bring you down.........you'll work it out.




Doug

We will be driving, would it be better for us to drive within the resort to most places?

 

[lynzi2004]

For a lunch reservation which is a better time in your opinion...11:00 or 2:00? Would our morning be spent better touring at 11:00? The reason I ask is there is a 2:05 BOG reservation instead of the 11:00.

 

[MHDTS]

The best advice, as others have mentioned, is to go to each park early! As veterans who have been going to WDW since it opened, we always take our guests and encourage others seeking advice to show up when the Park opens, enjoy the opening show, and then head to your first ride of choice or FastPass selection.

Depending on the season, if one Park is super busy, they all are. Your time frame means there is spring break somewhere, although Easter (one of the busiest times) is four weeks earlier. Weather can play a role, too. So be flexible, go early, and don't fret too much!

 

[NH-to-FL]

I agree with previous posters that getting to rope drop with a plan will go a long way towards getting everything done. And I second the suggestion to check other crowd calendars. I prefer easyWDW which shows your dates as 4 or 5 out of 10 crowd levels. Not too bad.

The fact that you are putting together a plan and asking questions puts you ahead of a lot of folks who sleep in and just show up.

wishing you a magical trip!

 

[dkrauss]

We will be driving, would it be better for us to drive within the resort to most places?

Resort to resort will work good when you have an ADR..............You'll need to check into the cost of parking at the parks. You'll need to weigh that against the ability to control your movement a bit easier. I'm a very big fan of Disney transportation.........but everyone has a different situation. Having a car............gives you flexibility! My favorite word when planning Disney!

Doug

 

[jlnten17]

FWIW I think its important to be flexible. We switched one of our MK days based on weather and it worked out perfectly. We had 2 rainy days in the forecast kept one MK and switched one to HS so we could go to MK when it was nice and sunny earlier in the week. The rainy day at MK we had to keep for our breakfast at CRT. I thought the food was pretty good and the princesses did a great job spending time at our table but also got around quickly so we were able to get out into the park in under an hour. That day it ended up just misting/ very light rain it kept the crowds away and was by far our most enjoyable day (despite being an EMH red day). We also did BOG lunch which was decent. Nothing special about the food but the cupcakes were good and its the only way to get a peak inside the castle. Try not to put too much stock into the crowd calendar because our predicted green 3 day ended up being a very red 9. That whole day I was thinking "If this is a 3 what is a 10?!" I checked the next day and it was listed as having been a 9. Good to know thats not a 3 but also disappointing to know there is no real "slow season" anymore.

 

[jlnten17]

Oh and definitely do rope drop each day. I am not a morning person but it was so worth it. Even the resort felt quiet in the mornings just one or two other people in line to get coffee when I stopped at Kona Island around 7:30 each morning. The day we checked out the GCH at the Poly just an hour later at 8:30-9:00am was crazy. Super long lines for QS food and lines at the monorail, elevators etc.

 

[Legendteri]

My DD was also 4 when we took her and her brother to Disneyworld. I was trying to decide between CRT and AKershus and ended up doing Akershus. The reservations were easy to make, the prices were cheaper and the atmosphere was really nice as was the food. It is actually a funny story. We had lunch reservations as she started to throw a fit when we walked in and would not let me put her in her Cinderella Dress. It was as if I could see her thought process going from " Wahhh, I'm hungry and tired and whiny " to an instant " Wait is that Sleeping Beauty ?" She perked up immediately. My husband and I liked the food and my daughter got to meet 5 princesses and go on a parade with them. It was wonderful. As far as CRT, well she never knew there was a restaurant there so what she didn't know didn't hurt her.

 

[lynzi2004]

My DD was also 4 when we took her and her brother to Disneyworld. I was trying to decide between CRT and AKershus and ended up doing Akershus. The reservations were easy to make, the prices were cheaper and the atmosphere was really nice as was the food. It is actually a funny story. We had lunch reservations as she started to throw a fit when we walked in and would not let me put her in her Cinderella Dress. It was as if I could see her thought process going from " Wahhh, I'm hungry and tired and whiny " to an instant " Wait is that Sleeping Beauty ?" She perked up immediately. My husband and I liked the food and my daughter got to meet 5 princesses and go on a parade with them. It was wonderful. As far as CRT, well she never knew there was a restaurant there so what she didn't know didn't hurt her.

I love your comment about her not knowing there was a restaurant in the castle. This trip would be so much easier but my sister took her girls 7 and 4 last year and ate at the castle. My DD has seen the pics and watched her videos over and over! My 4 year old has her ideal Disney trip already planned...unfortunately it doesn't always match up with mommy and daddy's budget