how much time to resort hop?

[collegejunkie]

i've asked something similar to this before, but our plans have changed a bit, so i'm sorry if it seems like a repeat.

we decided to resort hop on our arrival day, since our flight gets in at 9 am and we'll be up from about 3 or 4 am. we're expecting to have our luggage being held for us by 11 am. so let's assume our start time is 11. we are staying at AKV and would like to do the following:

- go to the boardwalk to see those resorts first and then make it to the MK area resorts for our 2 pm whispering canyon cafe reservation
- see the MK resorts and (maybe) have some time to relax back in our hotel room before our 6:45 pm 'ohana reservation

is this doable?

 

[Jestocost]

i've asked something similar to this before, but our plans have changed a bit, so i'm sorry if it seems like a repeat.

we decided to resort hop on our arrival day, since our flight gets in at 9 am and we'll be up from about 3 or 4 am. we're expecting to have our luggage being held for us by 11 am. so let's assume our start time is 11. we are staying at AKV and would like to do the following:

- go to the boardwalk to see those resorts first and then make it to the MK area resorts for our 2 pm whispering canyon cafe reservation
- see the MK resorts and (maybe) have some time to relax back in our hotel room before our 6:45 pm 'ohana reservation

is this doable?

The touring plan will work. Getting back to your resort to rest after lunch and touring the MK resorts, then getting back to an MK resort for dinner will not. Even if lunch takes only one hour and you tour for only one hour (not much of a chance to see anything), that has you back at AKV by 5:00 p.m.; which leaves MAYBE 45 minutes of relaxing before you're back at a bus stop to get to the Poly for dinner. Since it's likely that lunch could take longer than an hour and touring could take longer than an hour, you'd really have no time relax.

Also, if using DME you can't rely on your luggage arriving in your room until at least 1:30 p.m., or so, and that's assuming a room is available for check in before 4:00 p.m., which isn't a given. That suggests that your timeline for getting to BW may be too optimistic.

I'd suggest planning to be at your 2:00 p.m. WCC reservation, touring the MK resorts after lunch and staying in that area until your dinner at Ohana.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

i've asked something similar to this before, but our plans have changed a bit, so i'm sorry if it seems like a repeat.

we decided to resort hop on our arrival day, since our flight gets in at 9 am and we'll be up from about 3 or 4 am. we're expecting to have our luggage being held for us by 11 am. so let's assume our start time is 11. we are staying at AKV and would like to do the following:

- go to the boardwalk to see those resorts first and then make it to the MK area resorts for our 2 pm whispering canyon cafe reservation
- see the MK resorts and (maybe) have some time to relax back in our hotel room before our 6:45 pm 'ohana reservation

is this doable?

If you're using Disney's Magical Express, take a carry-on with anything you'll need right away, such as sunscreen and shorts (as well as valuables, fragile items, and medications). You can change at the gym locker rooms or pool changing rooms.

Then it doesn't matter if your room isn't ready until 4:00 p.m. and it takes bell services another hour or two to take your bags to your room. You don't have to be in the room when the bags are delivered because Disney covers the gratuity.

What about your carryon bag(s)? That's easy too. Once you've used what you need, you can check the carry-on bags with bell services in the lobby. When you return later in the day, you can retrieve them there (a tip is customary at that point).

If your room is already available when you get to the resort, that's even better.

Resort hopping can be fun. Don't forget the transportation boats on Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon, in addition to the Monorail.

 

[minnie mum]

I'm going to have to agree with the PP. You will probably not have your luggage at AKL unless you bring it with you. DME usually takes 3-4 hours to get your luggage to your resort. If you arrive at MCO at 9:00 then you can reasonably expect to be checked in by 11:00, even though your room may not be ready.

If you will rely on Disney Transportation, I would definitely eliminate the Boardwalk resorts. You would have to travel to DHS or Epcot, then walk to the boardwalk, so probably wouldn't start your tour till noon. Then you'd have to leave by 1:00 to get to the WL for your lunch ADR (bus to MK then boat to WL). You would really have no time to see the resorts .

Why not just bus to MK, hop the monorail or walk to the Contemporary to start your tour, continue on to WL for lunch and more touring, then after lunch go back to the monorail to see GF and end up at Poly and a leisurely apperitif at Tamu Tamu before your dinner ADR.

By the way, will you really be hungry for dinner at 6:45 if you don't finish lunch till 3:00?

 

[collegejunkie]

If I change our WCC reservation to 12 pm, does that help? I wouldn't mind eating lunch on the boardwalk, but there wasn't anything available (only breakfast and dinner).

I don't mind not having our room ready as long as we can leave our things at the resort. Can we request that instead of DME dropping our bags at our room they leave them at the front desk until we come back from dinner?

 

[Jestocost]

If I change our WCC reservation to 12 pm, does that help? I wouldn't mind eating lunch on the boardwalk, but there wasn't anything available (only breakfast and dinner).

I don't mind not having our room ready as long as we can leave our things at the resort. Can we request that instead of DME dropping our bags at our room they leave them at the front desk until we come back from dinner?

If your flight arrives on time at 9:00 a.m., then DME should get you to your resort by 10:30 a.m. and you might be able to check in and then make it to WCC for a 12:00 p.m. lunch. Even that's cutting it close using Disney transport, since you have to bus to the MK and then take a boat to WL. A cab might be a better option. However, if your flight is late, which happens all too often, then your schedule is blown.

The good news is that DME actually will deliver your bags to your room before you get back (even if you haven't been to the room yet) and they'll be waiting in there for you when you get back from dinner.

 

[minnie mum]

If I change our WCC reservation to 12 pm, does that help? I wouldn't mind eating lunch on the boardwalk, but there wasn't anything available (only breakfast and dinner).

I don't mind not having our room ready as long as we can leave our things at the resort. Can we request that instead of DME dropping our bags at our room they leave them at the front desk until we come back from dinner?

There are a few places you could have lunch at the Boardwalk. Big River Grille and Brewing company and ESPN club are both open for lunch. Beaches &Cream at the Beach Club is also open for lunch. If you really want to tour the Boardwalk resorts, then having lunch here instead of all the way over at WL would make a lot more sense.

 

[collegejunkie]

i didn't see them on the dining page, does that mean we don't need ADRs? it would be fun to try espn or beaches and cream. i haven't heard much about big river grille.

 

[Jestocost]

i didn't see them on the dining page, does that mean we don't need ADRs? it would be fun to try espn or beaches and cream. i haven't heard much about big river grille.

Big River Grille accepts reservations, but not through the Disney dining system.

I don't believe Beaches and Cream and ESPN accept reservations.

 

[collegejunkie]

Big River Grille accepts reservations, but not through the Disney dining system.

I don't believe Beaches and Cream and ESPN accept reservations.

hmm, okay, thanks! are they usually crowded between noon and 1?