Help with our first DL vacation itinerary

[dec2901]

I have tried and tried to develop a logical itinerary and I am really struggling. My husband, DS5 and I will check-in to the GC on a Tuesday and check-out on Saturday in late April. We have 4-day park hopper tickets. We are also hoping to attend an Angels game (they are playing Tuesday and Wednesday night). We want to do the WOC dining package and because our son is a picky eater we are considering Wine Country Trattoria (cheese pizza). Would you do the night entertainment the same day you visit with extra magic hours or on a different day?

Please let me know what you think of our very rough plans. I would appreciate all of the advice we can get. Let me know what you think about our dining choices. You will see that I put things I haven't decided on in italics. Thanks so so much!

Tuesday - arrive around noon; check in; visit DL park for 5 hours; go to Angels game

Wednesday - extra magic hours at DCA; either WOC or PTN

Thursday - EMH at DL; 10:40 bfast with Minnie at Plaza; either WOC or PTN

Friday- DCA in the morning; son at Pinocchio's kids club at night while we enjoy date night at either Napa Rose, Steakhouse 55, or Carthay Cirlce. son is afraid of fireworks so hoping we can catch the fireworks without him

Saturday - check out; breakfast at storytellers; leave

 

[smartlabelprint]

Sounds good. If you can afford Napa rose I hear it's amazing. Personally I'd cross carthay off your list. I haven't heard enough good reviews.

The rest of your plan looks great to me.

 

[farmfresh]

This looks fine. As you are staying on site I think it won't matter if you do an early morning and then have plans to stay for parades at night. You can always pop back to the hotel for a break in the middle of the day.

I wonder though whether your first day might be a bit ambitious. I'm not sure where you are coming in from, but traveling days always seem tiring to me. I'd be tempted to put the angels game off till Wednesday. That way you have a bit more flexibility if everyone is tired. You could do WOC or PTN that night which means you could take a break beforehand if you needed to. (but it would depend what time they were on). The you could have a really busy am at DCA the next day, take an hour or two off and head to the Angels game.

Or, depending on what time you are leaving Saturday, you could forget about the park on your arrival afternoon (just use the pools and see DTD), then head over to the game. Use your fourth day on Saturday morning, which will be better than a Tuesday am most likely (esp if you have Early entry). I'm not sure what time the parks open when you will be there, but 7am-12pm gives you 5 hours, and they will be better for riding.

 

[Nonsuch]

...we enjoy date night at either Napa Rose, Steakhouse 55, or Carthay Cirlce

I highly recommend Napa Rose.

...son is afraid of fireworks

Be aware: WOC has some massive fireballs

 

[Angrose]

Also, Pinnochio's often take the kids to a viewing deck to watch the fireworks, so it might be a good idea to let them know that your son doesn't like them.

 

[VandVsmama]

Tuesday - arrive around noon; check in; visit DL park for 5 hours; go to Angels game

Are you arriving via plane or driving? 5 hours at DL plus a baseball game can be a lot for some 5 year olds. What time is your son's normal bedtime? It looks from the Angels' website like most of their home games during the week start around 7pm. So the game could end up going to around 10pm, not including travel time back to your hotel. If your DS's normal bedtime is 9pm, then you can probably stretch it. But if he usually goes to bed around 8pm, be prepared for a tired kid the next day and adjust your plans accordingly. Of course, only you know your child best!

Wednesday

- extra magic hours at DCA; either WOC or PTN

I think that you should shoot for the nighttime entertainment as early in your trip as possible. This is because if there is a weather issue (like rain earlier in the day if you're wanting to see PTN), then you still have more evenings the rest of your trip to see it. Also, in order to help your DS5 last longer into the evening on the day that you're going to do nighttime entertainment, take a mid-afternoon break at your hotel. Since you're staying at the GCH, it will be VERY convenient to do this! But make everybody lay down and rest for 20 minutes...no going downstairs to the pool to swim all afternoon...close the curtains and have everybody rest for a few min. No TV on either. You just might find that your DS falls asleep and takes a nap. This will make the evening more enjoyable.

Another thing you could consider is to rent a stroller for that evening. Of course, you won't be able to take it out of the Esplanade area, but it might save his little legs from getting extra tired.

Thursday -

EMH at DL; 10:40 bfast with Minnie at Plaza; either WOC or PTN

Our family really loves Minnie's breakfast at the Plaza Inn. Your DS is going to love it!

Friday

- DCA in the morning; son at Pinocchio's kids club at night while we enjoy date night at either Napa Rose, Steakhouse 55, or Carthay Cirlce. son is afraid of fireworks so hoping we can catch the fireworks without him

We are hoping to stay on site for our next visit and I've always wanted to try out Pinocchio's kids' club for our kids! Either of these 3 dinner options sound great!