Honest input on our plans please!

[mshanson3121]

***I did x-post this in the disABILITIES board, as well.

Okay, I would like some REALLY honest input on our plans for our end of June trip. DH is thinking that the kids are going to burn out. We have never been away from home more than 5 days before (we'll be gone 15), and have never done more than 2 back to back days at a park before, and not at anything that compares to the the magnitude of Disney. Our normal vacations are at smaller, more low-key places. So this is really going to be testing the waters. Our in-laws will be flying in to meet us.

Our son will be just shy of 8, with significant SPD. Our daughter will be newly 5 with ASD (HF). They really both need to keep a routine as much as possible, which I think for us is going to mean keeping their evenings free, normal bedtimes etc... as much as possible. We have a house rented off-site with a private pool, we will be staying approx. a 12 minute drive from the TTC.

We are driving 27 hours from Canada (2 nights/3 days each way), though we are still looking at possibly flying as well. So here are our tentative plans:

We arrive in Florida Wednesday, hopefully around suppertime.
Thursday - free day. We plan on just playing in the pool, resting after our drive there, and then we're going to a 4:00 show of Hoop dee Doo.
Friday - Magic Kingdom with Pirate & Pal cruise that night (the only way we'll do fireworks, since they'll be too loud in park for DS)
Saturday - Sea World
Sunday - Hollywood Studios
Monday - Discovery Cove
Tuesday - Animal Kingdom
Wednesday - Magic Kingdom with BBB at 5:00 and CRT at 6:50. Staying for MSEP. (this is the last day that our in-laws are with us)
Thursday - Epcot
Friday - leave for home

We did not have any "free" days planned, as we wanted to see each park once, figured we'd want two days at MK, and we also really wanted to do SW and DC. We figured that DC is quite a relaxing day, and a nice break from the theme parks, so that it was really like a down day. I originally figured that we would do 9-5 days at each place, so that we'd have lots of time to see as much as we could see, while realizing we won't be seeing it all.

However, DH is worried that it's still too much. He thinks that the children are going to burn out, and that we need to plan either an entire down day or a couple half days. He pointed out that the kids aren't going to care how much they get to see (other than perhaps my son at Animal Kingdom, lol, he'll leave no stone unturned when it comes to animals), they'll just be happy to experience some of it, any of it. I know he's right.

So... thoughts? Is our plan doable? Do you think we should add in an entire free day? If so, would you drop your second MK day, HS or Epcot?(NOT dropping AK).

Or do you think it'd be easier to just plan on a couple half days? I could see HS being a half day for us, as well as Sea World.

 

[dkrauss]

You plan is what I would call, very high level..........and I don't believe that's a bad thing. You speak of keeping a rountine as much as possible. That can be difficult during a vacation at WDW.........but not impossible either. You know you're family best which means you're best suited to determine how to break things up. In my opinion I see the following challenges..........the night cruise for fireworks which on many nights don't go off until 9pm (late for you kids)........to remedy the late night you could arrive at Sea World later in the morning I'd switch Discovery Cove and Epcot because that breaks up the animal and fish parks. That could be a memorable place to end your trip on. I'm curious about how long BBB will take, its an elaborate process but I understand how cool it is for the little girl.......... I would stress have an alternate plan for your son...........Frontierland could work well during this time for him.........this is also a long night again given you plan on staying for a parade that can start later. I'm a big fan of taking breaks at mid-day (lunch until 4 or 5pm). You have 1/2 day opportunities with HS, Epcot..........given your children's ages............exploit this time off to rest and/or play at the pool. Again all this you'd know better.......I'm just doing stream of consciousness here . From a FP+ point of view I'd get Peter Pan's Flight and Winnie the Pooh and one other children's ride when at MK..........ToyStory Mania might be a fun FP at HS...........and Kilimanjaro Safaris is a must FP at AK...........but again you need to determine because you know your kids best.

You're plan is fine because its flexible...........which will work for you.

Have a wonderful vacation!!!

Doug

 

[Jennytoon]

I agree that keeping the plan high level is a good idea.

Every family is different, and burn out can be an issue even for kids that don't have any extra challenges -- some things to consider:

1) many kids wilt in the heat. Be prepared for the possibility that your kids will have less stamina than you expect based on previous experiences.

2) You don't have to commit now. I think your DH is right that they will care more about what they get to experience than what they don't. So I would suggest that you go with the fairly common advice to get FP+ for your must-dos, and I would add that if you are concerned about kids burning out, just make sure all your windows are over by 1-ish. Then you can decide on the fly -- if the kids are dragging, you can either try some air conditioning and food and see if that perks them up, or just decide to call it a day. Even if you call it a day -- we've stayed off site a fair amount, and if everyone has a few hours rest and then seems psyched to go back, it's really easy to make that decision on the fly as well.

I think the biggest key to avoiding burnout is just not to push. When you see your kids have had enough, whether that's 12:30 PM or 5 PM, just leave. My experience and that of most of my friends who have been is that if you respect your kids' limits, they always have energy to come back the next day. If you push it that extra half hour, every day ... that's where you start to get the draggy feet in the morning. I grant that my own and friends experience with kids at Disney is with neurotypical kids, but I have some experience with ASD kids and I would say that this principle likely applies quite well.

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

Personally, I wouldn't drive that far if I was worried about pushing the kids too much. My kids are generally very good with road trips (better than I am, actually), but 9 hours a day (on average) in a car for 3 straight days is a lot. It would also mean 4 more nights in hotels, packing up each morning, and generally not adhering to their normal schedule.

A lot of people do go back to their hotel (on or off site) for midday breaks. That might work for you if the kids need to rest, get out of the heat, etc. I could also easily see HS as a half day park, especially if you get an early FP+ for TSMM. I personally wouldn't drop the second MK, since it would allow you to take things a little slower each day you're there (and maybe take a midday break). Plus, if the kids decide they're just done for the day, you can leave MK whenever and know that you've still got another day there to do some more things (not so much pressure to get it all done in one day).

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

I definitely would not drop the second MK day. Mk is so special and it really requires two days to see. As much as I love Epcot, my daughter (we took her when she was 2 1/2 and then when she was 5) did not care for it. It is a huge park and exhausting to walk around. If you had to drop a Disney park, I would drop Epcot. Let the kids experience it when they get older and can appreciate how awesome it is.