Help with Planning Parks & Meals

[Frozen2014]

We will be coming to DW from a Sunday (arrive mid afternoon) to Saturday (leave noon-ish) in October. I have been spending lots of time looking at restaurants to be ready to make ADRs at the 180 day mark and have identified 2 so far at Magic Kingdom (CRT and BOG, which apparently are hard to an ADR)

Our thoughts / criteria - meals

1. Have 1 Table Service each day (ideally for dinner)
2. Have 1-3 Table Service for breakfast
3. Rest of the meals will be Quick Service

We will have the middle dining plan (1 TS, 1 QS, 1 Snack per day) and pay rest out of pocket.

Our thoughts / criteria - parks

1. Spend 4 full days at Disney. 1 day offsite
2. Spend 2 days at Magic Kingdom - one night seeing Electrical Parade; one night attending Halloween bash
3. Spend 1 day at Hollywood Studios and 1 day at Epcot

We booked our trip at a time when the crowds aren't crazy and the weather is comfortable. And I've been looking at the Halloween / Electrical parade dates and crowd indicators from last year, same week. Having said that, I think the way the dates work, each park ends up being the most crowded from last years dates.

Thoughts:
SUN - Down Town Disney, Explore Resort - or few hours at Magic Kingdom
MON - Magic Kingdom with Electrical Parade
TUES - Hollywood Studios with Fantasmic
WED - Offisite (to split up Disney days)
THURS - Epcot
FRI - Magic Kingdom with Halloween Party
SAT - Down Town Disney or resort

Last year the Halloween event fell on the Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

Do these days look ok, or is it a bad day to schedule MK on a Monday and Friday (but it seems to work if we want to hit the Halloween and Electrical Parade)? What about scheduling the 2 dinners? Will there be issues trying to schedule Cinderella Royal Table and Be Our Guest on a Monday and Friday? Or are should we try one for lunch or breakfast on the day of the Halloween Party?...and if so, is CRT or BOG better for one of the other meals?

Note as well, that our plan was to get 4 park day tickets with no park hopper, but apparently the cost is minimal to get one more park day...so going to MK for a bit on arrival date is an option too.

Sorry for all the questions. Maybe I'm stressing too much about it? I just want to get everything right and make this a great trip for all.

Advice is much appreciated.

 

[tazadd0420]

We always do Mk at least twice. Remember the mnsshp shows entrance at 7pm. Can normally get in 4pm so may want to keep that in mind when using park days. Since bought mnsshpay want to use a full day somewhere else. Dining is fine any ideas what wanted for qs meals? Type of food? DTD sounds like a first good day, but that is what we do so a little biased.

 

[GoMegGo]

Some people will say not to go to MK on on a Monday, but if it's what you really want to do, just plan your touring style accordingly. You are more likely to get a BOG ADR if you book it toward the end of your vacation, in your case on the Friday on the MNSSHP. And I agree with PP about not using a full day ticket on the day of the party. You can enjoy the resort or even visit another resort or DTD earlier in the day before heading in to the park.

 

[Frozen2014]

You are more likely to get a BOG ADR if you book it toward the end of your vacation, in your case on the Friday on the MNSSHP. And I agree with PP about not using a full day ticket on the day of the party. You can enjoy the resort or even visit another resort or DTD earlier in the day before heading in to the park.

The problem is that the Halloween Party is on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday night (if same as last year) and so without the park hopper, we would need to book CRT and BOG on a Magic Kingdom day.

Mind you, I suppose we could change it up a bit

SUN - Settle in to resort and Down Town Disney
MON - Magic Kingdom with CRT and Electrical Parade at 8pm
TUES - Hollywood Studios with Fantasmic at 7:30pm
WED - Offisite (to split up Disney days)
THURS - Magic Kingdom with BOG
FRI - Epcot....then head to Magic Kingdom with QS dinner and Halloween Party
SAT - Down Town Disney or resort

Hmmm...maybe this would work??? I'm sure our kids wouldn't mind 2 full days of MK plus the Halloween bash

As for Monday at MK, I guess we don't have much choice if we want to catch the Electrical Parade and want the middle of the trip to be the day offsite....This is all assuming of course, that this year's schedule is same as last year

 

[sharonabe]

The problem is that the Halloween Party is on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday night (if same as last year) and so without the park hopper, we would need to book CRT and BOG on a Magic Kingdom day.

Mind you, I suppose we could change it up a bit

SUN - Settle in to resort and Down Town Disney
MON - Magic Kingdom with CRT and Electrical Parade at 8pm
TUES - Hollywood Studios with Fantasmic at 7:30pm
WED - Offisite (to split up Disney days)
THURS - Magic Kingdom with BOG
FRI - Epcot....then head to Magic Kingdom with QS dinner and Halloween Party
SAT - Down Town Disney or resort

Hmmm...maybe this would work??? I'm sure our kids wouldn't mind 2 full days of MK plus the Halloween bash

As for Monday at MK, I guess we don't have much choice if we want to catch the Electrical Parade and want the middle of the trip to be the day offsite....This is all assuming of course, that this year's schedule is same as last year

The problem with this one is you don't have enough time at EP and you miss Illuminations which is a GREAT show.

I like your first plan better with those few hours at MK on your arrival day. Is there a reason you're leaving out AK? You could do that on your party day.
As PP said, you can get into MK on party day at 4:00, so you could make an early ADR at BoG for this day.

 

[Frozen2014]

I was thinking of catching Fantastic OR Illuminations, and my understanding is that there are fireworks at the Halloween party. My kids are young so went with Fantasmic.

So we'll only have 4 full days at Disney as my husband really wants to do one day offsite (this was our compromise for staying onsite). Definitely want to hit MK for 2 days and HS for 1 day. Between Epcot and AK, it looks like Epcot has more interest to us. Having said that, Epcot is the last inline between MK and HS, so I think cutting that park day a bit short is ok.

 

[ElizabethG]

We have been to Disney for past 4 Octobers. I never minded using one of my park days at MK before MNSSHP. The crowds are much lower before 4:00 when the let in party guests. The MK days that offer the electrical parade are very crowded.

BOG is the hardest ADR to get. They only take reservations for dinner, because lunch is QS. So, I would try not to make this one on your MNSSHP day. We were there this past October. I preferred it to CRT (which has characters and ADRS for B/L/D). BOG is not a character meal, but Beast does walk through the dinning room and you can stop for pics with him after the meal. Whenever we have done CRT on the DDP, we have paid OOP. I don't think it is work 2 TS credits.

I would go to Crystal Palace for breakfast instead. I like their breakfast and getting into the park before opening. You can see the princesses at Akershus in Epcot, or Cinderella at the 1900 Park Fare (in GF) for dinner on your non-park day.

 

[Frozen2014]

We have been to Disney for past 4 Octobers. I never minded using one of my park days at MK before MNSSHP. The crowds are much lower before 4:00 when the let in party guests. The MK days that offer the electrical parade are very crowded.

BOG is the hardest ADR to get. They only take reservations for dinner, because lunch is QS. So, I would try not to make this one on your MNSSHP day. We were there this past October. I preferred it to CRT (which has characters and ADRS for B/L/D). BOG is not a character meal, but Beast does walk through the dinning room and you can stop for pics with him after the meal. Whenever we have done CRT on the DDP, we have paid OOP. I don't think it is work 2 TS credits.

I would go to Crystal Palace for breakfast instead. I like their breakfast and getting into the park before opening. You can see the princesses at Akershus in Epcot, or Cinderella at the 1900 Park Fare (in GF) for dinner on your non-park day.

Just when I think I have it figured out, I get confused as there are so many different suggestions. Yes, I realize that BOG isn't a character meal. Just thought it looked neat (but hope the beast doesn't scare my daughter, who is a bit of a wimp). Am hoping that if I try at the 180 day mark, that booking for the Thursday will work.
I've gone back and forth on 1900 Park Fare vs Crystal Palace vs CRT. I should say that my daughter is a Cinderella fan and will be 5, but I also have a son who will be 9. People have suggested to try CRT just once and since its in a castle and they have swords, it won't be too girly for my son. I think I want to give it a try.

 

[GWhitten98]

Thoughts:
SUN - Down Town Disney, Explore Resort - or few hours at Magic Kingdom
MON - Magic Kingdom with Electrical Parade
TUES - Hollywood Studios with Fantasmic
WED - Offisite (to split up Disney days)
THURS - Epcot
FRI - Magic Kingdom with Halloween Party
SAT - Down Town Disney or resort

Last year the Halloween event fell on the Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

I do have 2 questions...how old are the kids? Did I read right that some days you are planning on more then one sit down meal?

Here is my 2 cents...

I would suggest CRT for as early as possible breafkast(get the benifit of being in the MK before everyone) Electric parade days are generally busy. Also that way you could take an afternoon break, go back to your resort for naps or a swim and the kids could rest up/be refreshed for the parade.

We did the MVMCP on arrival day this year so we used the tickets instead of a park ticket. It worked great, got there right at 4 and walked right in and to our ADR at BOG. Maybe that would be an option for you. If you did your down day Tuesday or Thursday combined with MNSSHP. You could then either figure in some additional down time anther day or get in extra park time.

Chef Mickey(at contemporary) on a MK day is also another great choice, super easy to get to since you can jump on the monorail. It gives you a little time away from the hub-bub of the park itself which is sometimes nice...great for lunch or dinner.

If you are gonna do epcot, the princess breakfast there is really amazing, honestly I kind of prefer it to CRT. That could definately be a back-up in case you don't get CRT.

So overall this would be my plan (of course you will need 5 day park ticket)...
SUN - Down Town Disney
MON - Magic Kingdom with Electrical Parade with lunch at Chef mickey before returning to home resort for break
TUES - Hollywood Studios with Fantasmic with lunch at Hollywood and dine
WED - Epcot with Breakfast at Akusher (princess instead of CRT)
THURS -Offisite (to split up Disney days) wtih BOG dinner ADR and Halloween Party
FRI - Magic Kingdom with late breakfast at ohana first
SAT - Breakfast at Tusker house and AK till 12ish(enought time to do dinsour, safari and everest).

 

[cgerdon02]

I know that every family is different, but as far as Epcot is concerned, my family has begged me not to do a day at Epcot. We have been three times and left early every single time because we are bored and exhausted from walking so much. My kids are young (9,6,4 & 1) but they hate it there. I don't personally hate it, but is definitely my least favorite of the 4 parks. Definitely have a plan going in so that you don't have to cut across the park a zillion times.

 

[cgerdon02]

MON - Magic Kingdom with Electrical Parade with lunch at Chef mickey before returning to home resort for break
.

Unless something has recently changed, there is no lunch at Chef Mickey's only breakfast and dinner. With that said, despite the negative reviews on here about Chef Mickey's, it was our favorite meal last October!

 

[fuzzlekins]

If your kids are young, Fantasmic may not be the best option. It can be scary to little kids - big dragon, lots of villains, etc. Illuminations is fantastic! Less so after your first-time awe, but we still try to catch it once on every trip. If you decide to do Fantasmic and you also plan to do Toy Story Midway Mania (great ride!), then I recommend doing the Fantasmic Dinner Pkg to avoid the long line for the show. If you decide to bag Fantasmic, then that's a great time to score a bonus ride on Toy Story Midway Mania in the standby line. If it's an EMH night, even better. We went directly from Fantasmic to TSMM and were able to ride twice in a row with only 15-20 minute waits each time because of EMH.

Also, your itinerary doesn't really involve park hopping with that one exception so why pay the extra $$ for the hopper pass? I, personally, am not a fan unless it's a very short stay. If you're only doing it to fit in CRT and BOG, I'd go with just BOG and skip the hopper. Incidentally, if you are going to see Illuminations, Rose & Crown Pub is a great viewing spot with good food. I doubt you'll have any trouble getting your BOG reservation as long as you do it 180 days out.

If you're flying out around noon on Saturday, I wouldn't plan anything for that day except the resort. They'll pick you up 3 hrs before your flight.

 

[fuzzlekins]

I know that every family is different, but as far as Epcot is concerned, my family has begged me not to do a day at Epcot. We have been three times and left early every single time because we are bored and exhausted from walking so much. My kids are young (9,6,4 & 1) but they hate it there. I don't personally hate it, but is definitely my least favorite of the 4 parks. Definitely have a plan going in so that you don't have to cut across the park a zillion times.

It definitely depends on your kids' personal tastes. My daughter is 6 and LOVES Epcot. I know it's not the norm but she'd never allow us to skip it (not that we'd want to b/c hubby and I love it too). Turtle Talk with Crush is one of the best kid attractions/interactions in all of Disney, IMO. My daughter says Soarin' makes her feel like a fairy. She can literally spend hours in the China pavillion alone between the games the shop keepers will teach you, the shopping, and the entertainment (the acrobats are amazing!). A lot of people say the food at Akershus is better than CRT (I tend to agree) and they've got the princesses as well (1 dining credit vs. 2 as well). Plus Elsa and Anna are currently at the Norway pavillion, and that's a big draw. We always run out of time at Epcot and wish we had more. So again, it really depends on your kids' interests.

 

[MrInfinity]

I know that every family is different, but as far as Epcot is concerned, my family has begged me not to do a day at Epcot. We have been three times and left early every single time because we are bored and exhausted from walking so much. My kids are young (9,6,4 & 1) but they hate it there.

OMG I can so help you here! I loved Epcot growing up... so when I took my family in 2010 and we hit Epcot, I was excited to go... but it was September -- and hot, and some ppl had headaches, and then we started walking... and before you know it half the party bailed and went back to the hotel. Me and my son went back early, then the rest came by evening, and we had a decent showing of Illuminations. We left and the rest of the trip they complained how Epcot sucked.

Then in 2012 we went and nobody was excited, but we tried it. This time it went so differently! We hit up some rides in the morning and ran into the new Phineas & Ferb Agent P adventures. THIS was a game changer. I never noticed this as Kim Possible (nobody watches her these days). But as Agent P... oh my the adventures were awesome! They are probly the same trinkets you found w Kim but w the new storylines and ways of beating Dr Doofenschmirtz. Every story opened with a small backstory just like the episodes. We loved this so much we came back for our "flex day" at the end of the trip to do two more of them!

Our kids are 11,7,5,2. So when we went in 2012, they're almost the exact same ages as yours are now!

Go there -- Ride Soarin, eat, then ride The Seas, Turtle Talk, and Figment, and then MOVE ON... do not wait to eat or drink, do not stay in the heat, nor waste your time on the bigger kid rides of MS or TT (if one of you wants to go ride those w your 9 that would be cool). Get the 6 and 4 year old into the Agent P adventures and you will find yourself chasing all over the World Showcase!

One of the neatest ones was where a penny stamp machine gave you a different penny than you'd get if you just walked up to it cuz you were playing this game and the cell phone triggered it to give you the special coin. It was really neat.

We now have 2 Epcot days queued up on our upcoming trip and I cannot keep them away. So different from one trip to the next.

 

[ses1230]

Unless something has recently changed, there is no lunch at Chef Mickey's only breakfast and dinner. With that said, despite the negative reviews on here about Chef Mickey's, it was our favorite meal last October!

They sometimes have lunch service during very busy times. Since OP is going in October I doubt it will be open for lunch.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

With only 4 park days, frankly I would ditch the daily TS meal. Maybe do ONE breakfast OR one supper during your stay. TS meals are real time killers, and time looks like it could be a premium for you.

 

[ses1230]

I was thinking of catching Fantastic OR Illuminations, and my understanding is that there are fireworks at the Halloween party. My kids are young so went with Fantasmic.

So we'll only have 4 full days at Disney as my husband really wants to do one day offsite (this was our compromise for staying onsite). Definitely want to hit MK for 2 days and HS for 1 day. Between Epcot and AK, it looks like Epcot has more interest to us. Having said that, Epcot is the last inline between MK and HS, so I think cutting that park day a bit short is ok.

To help decide between them, I would watch F! on youtube. There are a few parts that could be scary for little ones.

 

[HBGdancermom]

With only 4 park days, frankly I would ditch the daily TS meal. Maybe do ONE breakfast OR one supper during your stay. TS meals are real time killers, and time looks like it could be a premium for you.

I'm with Gumbo. This past October, the sit down meals (and having to stop what we were doing to get to them) was our least enjoyable part. Of course, my crew is not big on eating out anyway so I don't know why I thought this would be different in the world. Lol

I also agree with the early breakfast at CRT. It is so fun being in the park with no one else.

 

[Frozen2014]

If your kids are young, Fantasmic may not be the best option. It can be scary to little kids - big dragon, lots of villains, etc. Illuminations is fantastic! Less so after your first-time awe, but we still try to catch it once on every trip. If you decide to do Fantasmic and you also plan to do Toy Story Midway Mania (great ride!), then I recommend doing the Fantasmic Dinner Pkg to avoid the long line for the show. If you decide to bag Fantasmic, then that's a great time to score a bonus ride on Toy Story Midway Mania in the standby line. If it's an EMH night, even better. We went directly from Fantasmic to TSMM and were able to ride twice in a row with only 15-20 minute waits each time because of EMH.

Also, your itinerary doesn't really involve park hopping with that one exception so why pay the extra $$ for the hopper pass? I, personally, am not a fan unless it's a very short stay. If you're only doing it to fit in CRT and BOG, I'd go with just BOG and skip the hopper. Incidentally, if you are going to see Illuminations, Rose & Crown Pub is a great viewing spot with good food. I doubt you'll have any trouble getting your BOG reservation as long as you do it 180 days out.

If you're flying out around noon on Saturday, I wouldn't plan anything for that day except the resort. They'll pick you up 3 hrs before your flight.

Thank you....great site to get ideas. It does confuse me though cause then there are all these other ways and I doubt what I thought would be great

A few of you have noted that Fantasmic is scary. That surprises me...and didn't even occur to me...as (1) is uses Disney characters (2) it is one of the earlier firework shows so you think this would be tailored to the younger crowd. ho hum...let me look inot this more as my (then) 5 year old is a big wimp.

I think the above comment is just confusion. I have planned the days so that no park hopper is needed...so we wouldn't be purchasing one. My understanding is for the Halloween party, it is a separate ticket and you don't need MK tickets...which is why it works mixing it with a different park that we may not want a full day at such as Epcot

 

[fuzzlekins]

Thank you....great site to get ideas. It does confuse me though cause then there are all these other ways and I doubt what I thought would be great

A few of you have noted that Fantasmic is scary. That surprises me...and didn't even occur to me...as (1) is uses Disney characters (2) it is one of the earlier firework shows so you think this would be tailored to the younger crowd. ho hum...let me look inot this more as my (then) 5 year old is a big wimp.

I think the above comment is just confusion. I have planned the days so that no park hopper is needed...so we wouldn't be purchasing one. My understanding is for the Halloween party, it is a separate ticket and you don't need MK tickets...which is why it works mixing it with a different park that we may not want a full day at such as Epcot

The park hopper part was confusion on my part - I thought you had mentioned that. Incidentally, you'll be able to get into the MK as early as 4pm the night of the MNSSHP.

We do "go go go" every trip. I'm only now beginning to relax my itinerary scheduling. With low crowds, you'll be surprised how much you can see/do in a week!