How should I plan my Parks/days?

[thor369]

Ok, so we will be there from Nov 20th-25th for 5 nights with two kids (under 5 years). Staying at the Swan.

Nov 20th - arrive mid afternoon, thinking of dropping off bag and heading over to HS, come back in a few hours and check in. Then go back in the evening, any chance of galaxy's edge ( can we take a stroll there) and then later catch the Fantasmic show.
Nov 21 - MK, early morning till noon, come back to resort for naps and skip parade? go back and spend the evening there maybe catch the fireworks
Nov 22 - AK, early morning till noon, and then go back again in the evening, I want to see pandora at night.
Nov 23 - MK/ maybe go to disney springs for the T-rex cafe ( kids love dinosaurs)
Nov 24 - MK or AK, depending on where kids want to go.

I am open to other suggestions/ideas.

Can anyone with experience using uber/lyft in Disneworld tell me, how much will it cost to go back to Disney swan from MK and AK and how long? Where outside the parks do we have to go to get uber/lyft.
We only want to use them when heading back to the resort as it would be faster than bus ride.

 

[Tink9721]

Nov 20th - arrive mid afternoon, thinking of dropping off bag and heading over to HS, come back in a few hours and check in. Then go back in the evening, any chance of galaxy's edge ( can we take a stroll there) and then later catch the Fantasmic show.

What time is "mid afternoon?" I would just check in when you arrive and then go to HS. Depending on the crowds, "taking a stroll" in Galaxy's Edge may not be possible. It's going to have a virtual queuing system, so you may need to reserve a time to go in depending on how crowded it is that day.

Nov 21 - MK, early morning till noon, come back to resort for naps and skip parade? go back and spend the evening there maybe catch the fireworks

Nov 21 is a Christmas Party night, so you won't be able to stay for fireworks if you're not going to the party.

 

[thor369]

What time is "mid afternoon?" I would just check in when you arrive and then go to HS. Depending on the crowds, "taking a stroll" in Galaxy's Edge may not be possible. It's going to have a virtual queuing system, so you may need to reserve a time to go in depending on how crowded it is that day.
Nov 21 is a Christmas Party night, so you won't be able to stay for fireworks if you're not going to the party.

We should be there at the resort by 2pm or so.
You are right, looks like the fireworks in MK is going to be on 20th and the 23rd.
So maybe be something like this

Nov 20 - MK in the evening
Nov 21 - AK,
Nov 22 - MK, early morning till noon, and then go back again in the evening, I want to see pandora at night.
Nov 23 - HS/ maybe go to disney springs for the T-rex cafe ( kids love dinosaurs)
Nov 24 - MK or AK, depending on where kids want to go.

 

[thor369]

Since I am not getting much response to this thread, should I make it in some other forum where I may get more responses to help me plan my park days

 

[hes122]

I think your second option looks a little bit more balanced. Are you not interested in Epcot at all? I think F&W will still be going on during your dates.

 

[Disney Kidd]

I would definitely try to add Epcot! You are staying at the swan and can either walk or take a boat there! You can also walk and take a boat to HS. The hotel you're staying at is closest to HS and Epcot

 

[Klayfish]

We should be there at the resort by 2pm or so.
You are right, looks like the fireworks in MK is going to be on 20th and the 23rd.
So maybe be something like this

Nov 20 - MK in the evening
Nov 21 - AK,
Nov 22 - MK, early morning till noon, and then go back again in the evening, I want to see pandora at night.
Nov 23 - HS/ maybe go to disney springs for the T-rex cafe ( kids love dinosaurs)
Nov 24 - MK or AK, depending on where kids want to go.

I think this is fine. If I recall, this is your first ever visit to WDW. If so, I wouldn't get too wrapped up in the plans. Frankly you'll probably be so overwhelmed...in a good way...that plans will get changed. There is SO much to see and do at WDW that a 5 day trip will barely scratch the surface. I like that you left flexibility on your last day, just make sure you know how to use the FP+ system since you'll probably be booking them last minute...during a holiday week. If you don't get any FP+ for that day, you could be quite disappointed, lines will be getting long. Do you have park hoppers, as you mentioned going to MK in the morning and AK at night on the 22nd? Pandora at night is really neat, but it won't be the end of the world if you miss it. Can you stay in AK on the 21st through the evening? Not only is Pandora neat, the lines in AK drop to nothing after about 5pm. So with the exception of Pandora, you can ride pretty much anything with no wait. Your kids will probably like the safari, and at dusk it's awesome...in pitch dark not so much.

 

[thor369]

I think this is fine. If I recall, this is your first ever visit to WDW. If so, I wouldn't get too wrapped up in the plans. Frankly you'll probably be so overwhelmed...in a good way...that plans will get changed. There is SO much to see and do at WDW that a 5 day trip will barely scratch the surface. I like that you left flexibility on your last day, just make sure you know how to use the FP+ system since you'll probably be booking them last minute...during a holiday week. If you don't get any FP+ for that day, you could be quite disappointed, lines will be getting long. Do you have park hoppers, as you mentioned going to MK in the morning and AK at night on the 22nd? Pandora at night is really neat, but it won't be the end of the world if you miss it. Can you stay in AK on the 21st through the evening? Not only is Pandora neat, the lines in AK drop to nothing after about 5pm. So with the exception of Pandora, you can ride pretty much anything with no wait. Your kids will probably like the safari, and at dusk it's awesome...in pitch dark not so much.

I think I may have unintentionally put pandora in the evening there and MK in the morning.

I meant, the day we go to AK, we will return in the evening. This is the first I am hearing that AK after 5 pm the lines drop significantly.

We are not getting park hoppers btw.

The only reason to put MK evening the first day we arrive is because of fireworks on that day and Saturday. Not sure being a travel day if kids will be up till 9pm. They might coz vacation.

I agree that since it’s our first time and so much to see I think am getting overwhelmed with the FP not available and long lines etc. we might just take it easy and let the kids decide what’s they want to do.

We definitely want to Disney springs just because of the T. rex cafe, so we might just go there the day we arrive have dinner come back and go to HS for the fantasmic show or MK for fireworks and evening stroll.

How do I prioritize the rides in the parks where it’s tiered like AK.

I was thinking FoP, the safari and maybe dinasour but my 5 year old may get scared if the ride.

 

[Klayfish]

I think I may have unintentionally put pandora in the evening there and MK in the morning.

I meant, the day we go to AK, we will return in the evening. This is the first I am hearing that AK after 5 pm the lines drop significantly.

We are not getting park hoppers btw.

The only reason to put MK evening the first day we arrive is because of fireworks on that day and Saturday. Not sure being a travel day if kids will be up till 9pm. They might coz vacation.

I agree that since it’s our first time and so much to see I think am getting overwhelmed with the FP not available and long lines etc. we might just take it easy and let the kids decide what’s they want to do.

We definitely want to Disney springs just because of the T. rex cafe, so we might just go there the day we arrive have dinner come back and go to HS for the fantasmic show or MK for fireworks and evening stroll.

How do I prioritize the rides in the parks where it’s tiered like AK.

I was thinking FoP, the safari and maybe dinasour but my 5 year old may get scared if the ride.

IMO, the best place to start a WDW trip...especially for a first timer...is MK. To me, it's the "heart" of WDW. There's nothing like walking under the train station bridge, out onto Main Street and seeing that view. Still gives me goose bumps, and I've done it at least 100 times. So hitting MK your first day is perfect, if you ask me.

Remember, WDW is the most popular tourist destination in the US, so it's going to be crowded. The attractions can and do get long lines. But that doesn't mean you have to stand around and wait for hours. The first hour the park is open (which we don't do, we'd rather sleep) and the last hour are much lower crowds. And I can't stress enough how helpful it is to learn how to use the FP+ system. You will be able to get FP+ if you know how to use MDE. I agree with taking it easy and letting the kids decide what they want, we've never been "planners" ourselves. Our home lives are very crazy and scheduled, on vacation we prefer to wing it. We have the advantage of being WDW vets, but you can still wing it as a newbie if you understand some basics.

Disney Springs is great, I'd recommend checking it out. It's all shops and restaurants for the most part, but still fun.

Yes, lines in AK really drop around dinner time. Pandora attractions will still have long lines, but others won't. Dinosaur, Safari, EE, Kali (though it may be too cold in Nov), PW, etc..have MUCH shorter lines. I can't tell you how many times we've just walked right onto the safari after 5pm, or at the most waited 10 minutes. Dinosaur isn't a fast ride, but it's very dark, VERY loud and jerks you around a lot. Only you can decide if your kids would like that.

As for prioritizing rides, as a newbie, I'd do it based on what you think you and your kids would like most. Don't even worry about tiering, except for the fact that you can only have one tier 1 at a time. In AK, I'd FP+ FoP if you can get it. If not, I'd do Na'vi. The rest of the attractions are super simple to get FP+ for in AK, even same day. MK isn't tiered, so grab what's most important to you and the kids.

 

[Tink9721]

IMO, the best place to start a WDW trip...especially for a first timer...is MK. To me, it's the "heart" of WDW. There's nothing like walking under the train station bridge, out onto Main Street and seeing that view. Still gives me goose bumps, and I've done it at least 100 times. So hitting MK your first day is perfect, if you ask me.

Definitely agree with this. MY first trip, at age 6, started at AK, and my first attraction was It's Tough to be a Bug, which terrified me 15 trips later, it clearly didn't scar me for life but I really think MK should be everyone's first park. Every trip since then has been started at MK, except one where we started at Epcot because MK was super crowded. And even then, we went to MK that night for our traditional first night LTT dinner and fireworks. We don't mess with that formula now We also end every trip at MK

 

[dizneefan13]

There are many great websites out there to help you plan your vacation. your first visit dot net is one of them. touring plans is another. but there are many, along with many great youtube videos.

 

[SFMommy]

To me this seems like a lot of back and forth and late nights and early mornings. Will your young kids be able to handle that? Don't underestimate the time that it takes to get back to the hotel for a rest and then back for nighttime shows/activities.

Since you are at the Swan, consider going to Epcot the last day. Especially if you've already been to MK and AK twice each.