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[Candy30]

I am trying to plan out 7 days at Disney in Sept and it's driving me crazy. Now my family has been to Disney before but we are going with 5 who have never been. We arrive at airport at 9:15 AM. How long does it take to get to our resort? Would it be safe to plan on getting to a park at Noon? Which park to start?

I know we would like to do Hoopty Doo review one day, Boma another and Grand Floridian for dinners. I also want to eat at: Rainforest Cafe, Drive in Diner, 50 Prime Cafe. It's hard to figure because I don't know if there will be early entry days and late for others but it makes it hard to decide.

We plan on doing a "Down" day where we go to DownTown Disney and swim in the pool. I was thinking a Saturday would be good for that because the parks maybe crowded. Help Me! Am I thinking along the right lines. Should I wait and see what Reservations I get on the restaurants? On that note do I do late dinners? Or early Dinners?

We plan on eating in the rooms for breakfast and then snack at lunch and then do dinner. Or we could eat at lunch and snack for dinner? Do I sound confused? Well, I am!!!

Also I read that a lot come back and nap and go back to the parks later. Is that a good idea. We no longer have younger ones in our party. The youngest is 11 and the youngest youngest is 70.

We want to get the most out of our days and oh I forgot to mention that they want to do Universal in there somewhere too. I was thinking maybe Sunday for that???? My head is spinning.

 

[OurMsBrooks]

Getting in at 9:15, I'd think noon is a reasonable bet for when you could get to a park. I don't think I'd make any reservations based on that, but I don't think it's unreasonable.

For us, even when it's one of the days we would normally avoid MK for crowd reasons, we have to start at MK. I don't feel like we're really at WDW until I cross into Town Square and get a look at the castle.

Personally, we are not mid-day nappers or park-leavers. We typically stay. This just really depends on the needs of your group. Some people get really burned out and need a break, whether just to get a quick shower, or to be away from crowds for a bit to regroup. For us, we feel like it just takes too long to leave and come back, so we stay and build some down-time into the afternoon in the park.

 

[Alesia]

I am trying to plan out 7 days at Disney in Sept and it's driving me crazy. Now my family has been to Disney before but we are going with 5 who have never been. We arrive at airport at 9:15 AM. How long does it take to get to our resort? Would it be safe to plan on getting to a park at Noon? Which park to start?

If you're taking ME, you can plan on being at your resort and checked-in by 10:45. You can definitely be at a park by noon.

We plan on doing a "Down" day where we go to DownTown Disney and swim in the pool. I was thinking a Saturday would be good for that because the parks maybe crowded. Help Me! Am I thinking along the right lines. Should I wait and see what Reservations I get on the restaurants? On that note do I do late dinners? Or early Dinners?

We planned a down day right in the middle. It gave me a chance to do laundry. I wouldn't worry much about what day of the week to do it. Just fit it in where ever it makes sense.

We plan on eating in the rooms for breakfast and then snack at lunch and then do dinner. Or we could eat at lunch and snack for dinner? Do I sound confused? Well, I am!!!

We preferred eating a larger meal at night as opposed to the middle of the day. I don't like to stuff myself and then ride the teacups, KWIM?

Also I read that a lot come back and nap and go back to the parks later. Is that a good idea. We no longer have younger ones in our party. The youngest is 11 and the youngest youngest is 70.

We didn't rest in the middle of the day. We really didn't need to. If I were you, I wouldn't expect everyone to stick together all of the time though. It's a recipe for disaster.

 

[LazyKat]

I would echo what's already been said and add that I wouldn't try and get too bogged down with trying to plan everything for everyone. It's possble some of the group might want to go back and rest and others won't. It's also possible some might want a day of rest and others won't. I know having a plan is a good idea, but you might do better by encouraging the others to do a little research and planning of their own, take some of the burden off you.

I also agree about saving the big meal for the end of the day, but then I would encourage you to have a substantial breakfast (lots of carbs, like bagels), or you'll have some cranky people by dinnertime.

 

[Johnny Quest]

We are avid planners who travel often with fairly lg groups of family consisting of only older kids, adults and a few seniors.

The first thing I always plan on the day of arrival is to dine at or near the resort we are staying. Logistics are draining - from the time you leave for the airport to the time you arrive and check-in at Disney. You just never know what you are going to encounter.

It's best to keep the flow positive and ease into your vacation. Stress can play a big role in this type of trip and should be avoided whenever and wherever possible A good plan is essential. Trust me, you will reap the benefits from all your efforts.

Also with meals, if this is your focal point for everyone to gather, mix them up for the week. There are some great places for breakfast - late lunches - and dinner. Everyone is usually relaxed upbeat and positive during these times.

 

[MHSweb79]

You don't say whether you are getting free dining? If so, you get one counter-service meal and one table-service meal per day (plus a snack.) We don't care if we eat our big meal for lunch or for dinner, so I just let the availability of the ADR's for that day decide for me. Once the park hours come out, you can get an idea of where you'll want to be each day - that is, if you plan to use EMH hours or see a specific parade or show that may not run daily. Have some backup choices ready in case you can't get what you want when you make your ADR's, and be flexible on times. For example, my family is perfectly happy eating dinner at 4:30 p.m but would never tolerate an 8pm meal. That's just us.
If you're getting in at 9:15 a.m. then you had to get up pretty early to get to the airport that morning. I would plan the afternoon at Magic Kingdom and get back to the resort pretty early for a good night's sleep. You want to start off your vacation with plenty of energy!

 

[Candy30]

Hi, I do have the Dining Package. All the suggestions are great! We may need to take it easy the first day and stay close to the resort. We are staying at POP. I wanted to try and do HOOPty doo review the first night but not sure if they have openings for Wednesday. I have to wait and see.

Has anyone traveled off property to go to Universal? Did you do a taxi or Limo service?

Everyone wants to start at a park when we get there. I was thinking MK and maybe trying an early character dinner there. Any suggestions? I am thinking around 4:30 or 5:00PM