How does this 14 day itinerary look? Plz help

[TomRT]

Hello!

My fiance and I will be going on our Honeymoon July 27 - Aug 10.

This is what our itinerary looks like. Nothing is set in stone and any advice would be appreciated. For some of my days I have used a Disney Crowd Calendar and parks to avoid advice. 2 of our days will be at Universal. We are not early birds but we like to stay at parks later, or even take a break during day at the pool then stay late.

We will arrive in Disney on July 27, 2012 around 730PM. Until August 1st we are staying at Bay Lake, then from 1st-10th will be Boardwalk We will probably be pretty tired from our flights and won't do much when we get there. We have 7 day hopper passes.

July 28, Saturday - Since both my fiance and I hate flights we will want a relaxing day, we were thinking Typhoon Lagoon. In the evening possibly a TS ADR at a resort restaurant.

July 29, Sunday - Magic Kingdom, Fireworks at 10pm

July 30, Monday - Magic Kingdom, Electrical Parada @ 9PM

July 31, Tuesday - Animal Kingdom, possibly another park like Epcott or MK at night.

Aug 1, Wednesday - Check out of Bay Lake and into Boardwalk. This day will be a break day. Relax, pool time. Maybe some shopping off site.

August 2, Thursday - Epcott, TS dinner at Epcott around 7,7:30. Illuminations at 9PM.

August 3, Friday - Epcott, TS dinner at Epcott around 7:30

August 4, Saturday - Hollywood studios, Fantasmic @ 9PM

August 5, Sunday - Break day, relax, TS dinner possibly @ a resort restaurant, maybe off site shopping if not already done.

August 6, Monday - Universal Studios

August 7, Tuesday - Islands of Adventure

August 8, Wednesday - NOT SURE, maybe nearby off site sight seeing

August 9, Thursday - Re visit any parks we want to go to.

August 10, Friday - Have to be at airport around 1 or 4 PM

I have no idea if this is a good itinerary or not. Also, if we don't spend enough time at parks the break days can be used for those also.

Any input appreciated.

 

[Chilly]

My comment would be I don't find waterparks relaxing, they are if you will just chill out by the pool, but if you are running about going on all the slides I find them more tiring than a regular park.

 

[sambycat]

Nothing is set in stone and any advice would be appreciated. For some of my days I have used a Disney Crowd Calendar and parks to avoid advice.

i wasn’t sure what this meant?

it looks like you have many long days planned, and i’m guessing you aren’t in a ADR window (although off the top of my head i would have thought you would be?), because i only see one reference (TS?) to dining reservations but no places?

i think you guys know what you enjoy and thats what makes things fun! not sure if i missed how long AFTER the wedding the honeymoon is, because i wish we had more downtime immediately following the wedding! but, depending on how often you’ve been/go, it puts a different slant on the trip. especially since you mentioned that most/all of your park days are kind of half days, i guess that builds in all the relaxation part you want!

i agree with the PP in that i personally (especially in early august when it will be BUSY!!) would probably rather do resort poolside then waterparks, but it sounds like thats what you like, so go for it! to me it looks VERY VERY VERY busy!! less like a honeymoon and more like your average commando trip - which might be what you want so thats up to you guys!

i would plan in a few ADRs (i don’t know what “TS” means on your plan?), maybe one really nice dinner during the trip, but otherwise build im some “non-park” dining here and there and consider maybe something off the beaten path from your average commando style park visit that would read “honeymoon” - spa visit, MK tour, race car driving (woohoo!), something you’ve wanted to try together but are unlikely to do without something really great to celebrate!

pick up your just married/congratulations buttons and by some wedding ears when you arrive and your all set!

 

[YouLoveJulianne]

I see you're planning on going to Universal which is cool.... But you don't have Sea World listed... I would definitely recommend going there! Maybe on Aug 8th when you don't have anything else planned? My fiancé and I went a few years ago and we loved it! You can feed the sea lions and there's a few rides. It was fun and relaxing walking around the park and looking at all the fish and mammals. Good luck with all your plans! Whatever you do, if it involves Disney it'll be magical!

 

[TomRT]

We may do a poolside relaxing day instead of Typhoon lagoon, we will see I guess.

 

[TomRT]

i wasn’t sure what this meant?

it looks like you have many long days planned, and i’m guessing you aren’t in a ADR window (although off the top of my head i would have thought you would be?), because i only see one reference (TS?) to dining reservations but no places?

i think you guys know what you enjoy and thats what makes things fun! not sure if i missed how long AFTER the wedding the honeymoon is, because i wish we had more downtime immediately following the wedding! but, depending on how often you’ve been/go, it puts a different slant on the trip. especially since you mentioned that most/all of your park days are kind of half days, i guess that builds in all the relaxation part you want!

i agree with the PP in that i personally (especially in early august when it will be BUSY!!) would probably rather do resort poolside then waterparks, but it sounds like thats what you like, so go for it! to me it looks VERY VERY VERY busy!! less like a honeymoon and more like your average commando trip - which might be what you want so thats up to you guys!

i would plan in a few ADRs (i don’t know what “TS” means on your plan?), maybe one really nice dinner during the trip, but otherwise build im some “non-park” dining here and there and consider maybe something off the beaten path from your average commando style park visit that would read “honeymoon” - spa visit, MK tour, race car driving (woohoo!), something you’ve wanted to try together but are unlikely to do without something really great to celebrate!

pick up your just married/congratulations buttons and by some wedding ears when you arrive and your all set!

By parks to avoid advice I mean Tourinplans.com has a list of parks and which days to go to them or to avoid them. By TS I mean table service which means ADR to me sry. The non park dining we have are hopefully the following, Cali Grill, Hoop-Dee-Doo, Ohana. Then we have 3 other ADR which are Le Cellier, Bistro De Paris, Akershus. I think 6 will be more than enough as we are not huge fans of ADR's because of having to be somewhere at a specific time. I know it looks busy, but we will be hopefully relaxing in morning, going to a park, relaxing again mid day then going back later. I never even thought of the SPA idea, I think we will do it. Where is a good spa? What is the MK tour? What would you recommend I do to make this trip a bit more relaxing? I just dont want to miss any parks lol.


Thanks!

 

[tric8783]

I think you'll definitely be able to relax with your itinerary!! While you are at the Contemporary, and maybe your first day instead of going to Typhoon Lagoon, I would rent a cabana at the pool. It has padded loungers, a TV, fridge with soda and water and someone to come wait on you. You can bum around and be waited on. Boardwalk doesn't offer these (though we normally stay in the Villas by the theme pool) so I would definitely do it at the CR. You call 407-WDW-PLAY to book ahead of time. You can also get one that day if they are open. July/August is pretty busy so you may want to reserve ahead of time, or just call and ask how many are still open for the day you want and decide from there. We are getting one at the Poly the day after our wedding and can't wait!

The spa's are either Mandara Spa inside the Dolphin, or Saratoga Springs. Since you're staying at Boardwalk, I would suggest something at Mandara for proximity. They have some awesome couples rituals that can be very romantic

I would make your ADRs and then cancel them if you decide to change while you're there. Especially if it's busy season while youre there. Nothing more "non-romantic" than sitting around starving and waiting to eat! How about any breakfast ADR's? 1900 Park Fare is our absolute favorite- the food is amazing!

Not sure if you like italian but both of the restaurants in Italy/Epcot are very romantic to me, just my opinion! When I made a reservation for May to Tutto Italia, I did not have to give my ccard#, so this may not be one that you need to for (could make and not cancel and not be charged).

The MK tour someone mentioned is a tour of the Magic Kindgom, behind the scenes and etc. They have them at all of the parks and throughout WDW. Maybe take a sunset safari in AK? We also really enjoyed the Segway Tour at Epcot, just something different to do!

If you venture over to Port Orleans (I think French Quarter is the one w/ the carriage rides?), you could take a horse-drawn carriage ride.

We take Disney pretty slow-paced to begin with, so your plan sounds good to me!

 

[Clareathon]

Sorry, but I think you are WAY overthinking this...14 days is enough time to spend two days at every park, see absolutely all the attractions, and still have tons of "relaxation time" built in, but you are asking us how to relax on your vacation! I understand the urge to plan ahead, but honestly, the best way to have a relaxing vacation is to plan less, not more. Make a list of what parks you'd like to visit on what days, but allow yourselves to deviate from the plan if you feel like chilling by the pool or trying something different.

My best advice would be to do some research on all the things to do that don't necessarily involve the parks, and make a list of stuff you'd like to do (examples: mini golf, regular golf, shopping at a particular place, restaurants you'd like to try, dinner shows, etc). Then you can fit those activities into your days.

 

[TomRT]

I think you'll definitely be able to relax with your itinerary!! While you are at the Contemporary, and maybe your first day instead of going to Typhoon Lagoon, I would rent a cabana at the pool. It has padded loungers, a TV, fridge with soda and water and someone to come wait on you. You can bum around and be waited on. Boardwalk doesn't offer these (though we normally stay in the Villas by the theme pool) so I would definitely do it at the CR. You call 407-WDW-PLAY to book ahead of time. You can also get one that day if they are open. July/August is pretty busy so you may want to reserve ahead of time, or just call and ask how many are still open for the day you want and decide from there. We are getting one at the Poly the day after our wedding and can't wait!

The spa's are either Mandara Spa inside the Dolphin, or Saratoga Springs. Since you're staying at Boardwalk, I would suggest something at Mandara for proximity. They have some awesome couples rituals that can be very romantic

I would make your ADRs and then cancel them if you decide to change while you're there. Especially if it's busy season while youre there. Nothing more "non-romantic" than sitting around starving and waiting to eat! How about any breakfast ADR's? 1900 Park Fare is our absolute favorite- the food is amazing!

Not sure if you like italian but both of the restaurants in Italy/Epcot are very romantic to me, just my opinion! When I made a reservation for May to Tutto Italia, I did not have to give my ccard#, so this may not be one that you need to for (could make and not cancel and not be charged).

The MK tour someone mentioned is a tour of the Magic Kindgom, behind the scenes and etc. They have them at all of the parks and throughout WDW. Maybe take a sunset safari in AK? We also really enjoyed the Segway Tour at Epcot, just something different to do!

If you venture over to Port Orleans (I think French Quarter is the one w/ the carriage rides?), you could take a horse-drawn carriage ride.

We take Disney pretty slow-paced to begin with, so your plan sounds good to me!

As for breakfast ADR we are not huge breakfast people so I do not think we wil make any. As for dinner ADR's how does the cancelation policy work? Are you charged if you cancel?

 

[TomRT]

Sorry, but I think you are WAY overthinking this...14 days is enough time to spend two days at every park, see absolutely all the attractions, and still have tons of "relaxation time" built in, but you are asking us how to relax on your vacation! I understand the urge to plan ahead, but honestly, the best way to have a relaxing vacation is to plan less, not more. Make a list of what parks you'd like to visit on what days, but allow yourselves to deviate from the plan if you feel like chilling by the pool or trying something different.

My best advice would be to do some research on all the things to do that don't necessarily involve the parks, and make a list of stuff you'd like to do (examples: mini golf, regular golf, shopping at a particular place, restaurants you'd like to try, dinner shows, etc). Then you can fit those activities into your days.

The reason for planning so much is because of reading all the things I have been seeing online about making good plans and how its important. Is it possible to not even make plans and still see everything nicely and relax? I just dont want to not plan and wait in line for a ride / attraction for 2 hours instead of 10 minutes by planning ahead. We are open to not having a set schedule and seeing a park on a day we didnt plan on I just dont want it to backfire. The only thing I have to make sure of is the Dinner ADR's at Epcot, we need to make sure we are there in time. If it were up to my fiance and I we would wing the whole trip, but from what we read online about planning in these busy months I am not sure now. What is your advice?

 

[Clareathon]

I see what you mean, especially visiting in summer when it's busy...I guess I may have been a bit harsh with my advice! What I would say, using the wisdom of my 13 or 14 trips to WDW (lost count!) is...plan your mornings strictly (so you can see all the hottest attractions before the lines get long), relax your afternoons (have the option of taking a nap in the room or hanging by the pool), and definitely make dinner ADRs. It's hard to get into some of those restaurants! Really, what will make or break your vacation is how you spend the time from park opening until noon each day. If you have a great touring plan and see a lot right away, you will feel more relaxed and able to chill out for the latter 75% of the day!

 

[tric8783]

As for breakfast ADR we are not huge breakfast people so I do not think we wil make any. As for dinner ADR's how does the cancelation policy work? Are you charged if you cancel?

Gotcha! DF hates sitting down formally for breakfast but 1900 Park Fair is worth it to him! And it's not so formal since it's a buffet. You could always linger over and see if you can get in if you feel like it one day!

Yes, most of the popular restaurants now require you give your CCard# in order to make a reservation. If you are a no-show, they charge your card $10/person. This was just started last September I believe. (For people like me who would normally make several ADR's per night so we'd have options) You can avoid being charged by cancelling your res 24 hrs in advance! Some restaurants don't require your CC, so when you're making reservations online you'll know which ones will charge you (if they ask for your CC or not) for not showing up.

 

[FizzingWhizzbee]

That's awesome that you are going for so long!

I like mixing up the days instead of having two in a row. As in not going to the same aprk two days in a row. That way if you want to re-ride something it is still fresh.

We also got the park hoppers and went to Epcot for a lot of meals, since they have some really neat restaurants.

Also, I would absolutely make reservations for any meal you plan to eat. We went in the off season and waited 45 minutes for a hot dog. After that, we had tt reservations for every meal.

I think your plan looks great though!

 

[Icecoldpenguin]

We are going for 14 days for our honeymoon too. Some key differences I see is that we are annual pass holders so I don't have to figure out which days I am going to a park.

I agree that you should plan a little less.

I like the planning for the universal days I think that is important. I think you really should make some ADRs and then base the parks you go to or the area of disney world you go to based on your ADRs. It is very important to make sure that you eat and you do not want to run into waits that are over an hour and then you end up eating counter service all the time.

If you want to take a look check out my honeymoon pre trip planning journal which is in my signature. You will see lots of ADRs some of them have changed though. Basically we make ADRs for every day and then if we need to cancel based on how we feel then we do.

I would download an app like the one from undercover tourist and I would use this when you are there to check out wait times and how crowded the parks are. I would not pay attention to it ahead of time.

take advantage of Extra magic hours and plan some of your park days around those so you can stay in the parks late.

just my 2 cents

teresa