How to plan a relaxing and yet fun trip to WDW?

[yaya74]

How do you plan a slow-paced but also fun trip (staying 5 nights at POR in mid-August) to WDW for a family of 4, kids are 8 and 4 yo? Need suggestions please...

My kids probably won't remember half of this trip, especially my younger one. So I don't want to catch every single rides in the park but only a few good ones, like Soarin (if it opens in August) and Illumination at Epcot ; Peter pan, 7DMT, Splash mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean in MK,;Fantasmic! and some shows in DHS, and ROL in AK. And we will just wing it for the rest.

Planning to spend more time at MK and DHS and less time in Epcot and AK.
We have water park tickets so we want to spend times there...
Will definitely need to rest in the resort in the afternoon and return to park for dinner.
Will do many character meals (Garden Grill, Tusker House, Crystal Palace, BOG *though not a character meal*)

If I plan my trip according to what I stated previously, will my family still have a good and memorable time?? If you had similar experience, I would love to hear from you.

TIA!

 

[Disneylover99]

I think you've already got a good plan. Pick a couple of must-dos from each park and enjoy whatever else comes along. Plus Character meals are always fun and memorable. It sounds like you'll have a great time!

 

[loves to dive]

Sounds pretty good right now. We just got back from a 6 night 7 day trip last week. We only booked 3 FPs in each park because we had to, there were really only one or two rides we really wanted to ride, the rest were gravy. We spent 3 out of the 7 days lounging in the hot tub/pool for a couple of hours each afternoon. We only booked two ADRs before we went - afternoon tea at GF and dinner at HBD. Truthfully, the HBD probably could have been booked while we were there. We did two other TS suppers but booked those on the fly while in the park, both were booked around noon the day of. We just decided on a whim we might like a TS meal that night. When we left, we decided it was probably the most relaxing trip we've taken in over 33 years and we have been going at least every other year for that long. Park hoppers are a must for us, there was one day we did 3 parks. We had our FP for AK and really only wanted to ride 2 rides, the safari and EE, we happened to get there at rope drop (not on purpose we were up, it was the day to switch resorts since we were doing a split stay, we had a car so we decided what the heck and drove over there). Grabbed breakfast and leisurely ate, hopped on Safari for our FP, walked the trails after, sauntered over to EE rode it with out FP, walked the trails over there and left. Normally we will spend a lot more time at AK but were really there for F&G so that was good for this trip. We then drove over to Swan and checked in (our room wasn't ready so we stored our bags with bell services) and walked over to HS. No FPs but we rode GMR and ToT then walked over to Epcot where we grabbed some food and rode SSE and walked around WS. We were in our room by 5:30 and went back to Epcot for some more food and and in bed by 8:30. None of our FPs were before 10 so my son could sleep in, he is medically retired Navy and has a bad back so he needed the rest. We had planned on eating breakfast one morning at the Swan until we found out it was a character meal so skipped it, I'm not sure what characters were there and I think it is only on the weekends but you might look into that.

 

[jawa7400]

Sounds fun! I would do waterparks early, rest (we are always exhausted after water fun), parks in the evening with scheduled FPs and ADRs. Maybe even skip a park day and just do water park but go to the parks just for dinner and fireworks/parade. Enjoy the slow pace!!

 

[Epcot242]

Looks good to me! We sometimes get tripped up because we do a lot of early mornings in a row. Which is easy to do since everyone's always so excited to be there. We're trying to do a pool morning earlier in our trip this year just so combat that a little. Have a great time!!

 

[ktlm]

I wouldn't assume your kids won't remember the trip. We took DD for her first time when she was 2. She is 10 now and she still has very distinct memories from her 2 year old trip, and will bring up things that DH and I had forgotten until she reminded us. Plus, if your 4 year old is a girl, she is in prime Princess mode and even if she doesn't remember the details later, it will be an amazing trip.

You can have a great time at WDW even if you don't do everything and take it slower. My DD is high energy and we are are a high energy go and do as much as we can at WDW family, but my in-laws including their DD are slow- do some things and then hang at the resort - people, and they and their family still loves WDW and has a great time.

Looking at your plan, have your kids been before? Do you know if they will like the things you have on your list? Looking at your list, when my DD was 4, that would not have been a good plan for her. She did not like Illuminations at all at age 4, and was not crazy about Fantasmic either. She hated Splash (still doesn't like it), and at age 4, she had to be bribed onto POTC and didn't care much for that one until she was about 8. She did love Peter Pan from age 2 on up. So, if you really are planning on just doing those few things, she would not have been happy- but winging it for the rest based on what you find out they like would be fine. I would say, just be aware that what you plan as the "good rides" may not be what the kids, especially the younger one, consider the "good rides". My DD's favorite park other than MK has always been EPCOT, so for her, it would be less time at DHS and AK not EPCOT, but that is just our family. Your plan may be great for your family.

 

[Chelle's Belles]

Even with the new Fast Pass system, I think it pays to be at the parks at Rope Drop. It's so much less crowded, and you can do more with less hassle. We are typically done with the park and headed back to the resort for pool/relaxation by 2 p.m. Makes for a lovely trip, and make no mistake: your kids WILL remember it!

I'm also a huge fan of adult date nights. Take advantage of the excellent kids clubs Disney offers and steal some time away with your main squeeze.

 

[alopez926]

I am probably in the minority but I don't find going back to the resort midday and returning to the parks at night relaxing at all. I prefer to take at least one whole day to relax in the middle or end of our trip. That means sleeping in, having leisurely meals, hanging by the pool/hot tub, taking in some of the activities at the resort. Depending on our level of fatigue, we may pick one park to go to at the end of our day of relaxation, or not. I find it hard to leave the park and then go back. It never feels relaxing, even i I squeeze in a nap. Try the midday break once and see how your kids do. After a morning at the park and an afternoon in the pool my then 6-year old daughter had no interest in going back to the parks at night even though she loved them. She wanted to stay at the resort for movie night. Every kid is different so figure out what works for yours...sometimes trial and error is the best way!

 

[Chelle's Belles]

I am probably in the minority but I don't find going back to the resort midday and returning to the parks at night relaxing at all. I prefer to take at least one whole day to relax in the middle or end of our trip. That means sleeping in, having leisurely meals, hanging by the pool/hot tub, taking in some of the activities at the resort. Depending on our level of fatigue, we may pick one park to go to at the end of our day of relaxation, or not. I find it hard to leave the park and then go back. It never feels relaxing, even i I squeeze in a nap. Try the midday break once and see how your kids do. After a morning at the park and an afternoon in the pool my then 6-year old daughter had no interest in going back to the parks at night even though she loved them. She wanted to stay at the resort for movie night. Every kid is different so figure out what works for yours...sometimes trial and error is the best way!

I actually agree. And to be clear, when I say we are headed back to the resort by 2, I mean we are DONE with the park. Pool, rest, a little TV then a fun dinner? Perfection. Disney fireworks are great, but we cheerfully skipped them when my kids were young.

 

[yaya74]

I wouldn't assume your kids won't remember the trip. We took DD for her first time when she was 2. She is 10 now and she still has very distinct memories from her 2 year old trip, and will bring up things that DH and I had forgotten until she reminded us. Plus, if your 4 year old is a girl, she is in prime Princess mode and even if she doesn't remember the details later, it will be an amazing trip.

You can have a great time at WDW even if you don't do everything and take it slower. My DD is high energy and we are are a high energy go and do as much as we can at WDW family, but my in-laws including their DD are slow- do some things and then hang at the resort - people, and they and their family still loves WDW and has a great time.

Looking at your plan, have your kids been before? Do you know if they will like the things you have on your list? Looking at your list, when my DD was 4, that would not have been a good plan for her. She did not like Illuminations at all at age 4, and was not crazy about Fantasmic either. She hated Splash (still doesn't like it), and at age 4, she had to be bribed onto POTC and didn't care much for that one until she was about 8. She did love Peter Pan from age 2 on up. So, if you really are planning on just doing those few things, she would not have been happy- but winging it for the rest based on what you find out they like would be fine. I would say, just be aware that what you plan as the "good rides" may not be what the kids, especially the younger one, consider the "good rides". My DD's favorite park other than MK has always been EPCOT, so for her, it would be less time at DHS and AK not EPCOT, but that is just our family. Your plan may be great for your family.

Took my kids to Disneyland when DD was 4 and DS was 1. DD remembered the Little Mermaid ride because she rode 4 times. But she does not remember the rest of the two-nights trip. My youngest is a boy who is into everything my DD does. I forgot to list Toy Story Mania which he will love. Not sure about Splash but gonna give it a try since my DD wants to ride it. He is a tough cookie for his age so I won't worry much. None of my kids are into princesses now (yay!!!! ) Thank you for your suggestions!

 

[yaya74]

Even with the new Fast Pass system, I think it pays to be at the parks at Rope Drop. It's so much less crowded, and you can do more with less hassle. We are typically done with the park and headed back to the resort for pool/relaxation by 2 p.m. Makes for a lovely trip, and make no mistake: your kids WILL remember it!

I'm also a huge fan of adult date nights. Take advantage of the excellent kids clubs Disney offers and steal some time away with your main squeeze.

I am hoping that my family can do rope drop. I am all about waking up early and staying up late when going to Disney parks. Not sure how the rest of my family will do though.... Definitely will get there rope drop on the MK day.

Is there a fee to use Kids Club?? Never heard of it before. Thank you!

 

[Chelle's Belles]

Here's a link. It's not cheap... but nothing at Disney is

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/childrens-activity-centers/

 

[RustManFan]

with 5 nights at a WDW resort and plans to go to all 4 parks, I'm afraid the trip might not be terribly relaxing..... unless you plan for the next visit in another few years where you can do more than highlight attractions

 

[twinspluscade]

with 5 nights at a WDW resort and plans to go to all 4 parks, I'm afraid the trip might not be terribly relaxing..... unless you plan for the next visit in another few years where you can do more than highlight attractions

I was thinking this too, especially since it sounds like OP is doing a water park too?

Truthfully, when my kids were around that age I never found Disney=relaxing. Part of the issue is that they'll see all those fun looking rides, and it might be hard to tell them they can't ride it. If it were me, I would scrap any idea of having a relaxing trip, and I'd also ditch the water park. I'm guessing you'll have just four full days? I'd plan on being there at rope drop, and then going back to the resort to briefly rest, and then back to a park. I'd add more rides into the itinerary too. I can't imagine the kids being in Fantasyland and then being content to do just Peter Pan before moving on to the next land.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

You've got a lot planned for 5 nights--4 parks, water parks, character meals. Might not have a lot of time for relaxing! For us, transportation to and from places detracts from the relaxation, so we try to factor that into our plans.

I think the key is to remember that you are on vacation, and yes, you paid a lot for those tickets, but you're supposed to enjoy yourself. You don't have to grind every possible moment of activity out of a park to get your money's worth! Be willing to leave the park and go back to the resort (or stay at the resort and go to the park later) in time to keep everyone happy, rested and relaxed. For our family, doing that took a lot of effort!

Our kids are 10 and 7 now and have been several times. When we talk about our trips, time spent hanging out together at the resorts features high in their memories.

Edited to add--since someone else has already thrown it out there, I'd ditch the water park too. For relaxing trip, I would not do a water park and a regular park on the same day. And with kids that age, I'd just head to the resort pool where it's easier to keep up with them.

 

[fivikse]

We went when our girls were 4.5 and again at 7.5. They still remember a lot from both trips. Tusker House breakfast is our favorite character meal. They don't like thrill rides.
Hits at AK were the Safari, Lion King show, and the Boneyard playground. At 4.5 they enjoyed the train to conservation station, but we didn't do at 7.5.
We have never done DHS. (last trip we offered it and they wanted an extra day at EP. We don't do park hoppers).
Hits at EP on both trips were Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, Mexico ride, Maelstrom (gone), Agent P, the kidcot stations, and meeting characters. At 7.5 one loved Soarin, one hated it (didn't do it at 4.5 - maybe weren't tall enough?). Both loved Illuminations at 7.5.
Hits at MK were Small World, Indy Speedway, Little Mermaid, Philharmagic, Tom Sawyer's Island, Barnstormer (7.5), Splash (at 7.5, one dd only), Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room. Neither likes Pirates or BtMRR. They are iffy on the Dumbo style rides. I'm sure I'm forgetting something - we spend the most time at MK.

We don't do hoppers. We hit rope drop (usually), come back to swim in the afternoon. MK we head back in the evening for more. AK we usually leave for good at 1 or 2, but we haven't been during the nighttime stuff. EP we sometimes head in late after swimming or doing a character breakfast because we don't do many headliners there. So four days for us would look like (switch depending on crowd calendars):
MK - rope drop, break, back to MK for more
EP - sleep in, late start, stay through illuminations
AK - (pre-opening breakfast at TH) rope drop, leave mid afternoon, swim, night time resort activities or character dinner
HS - rope drop, break, head back to park for night activities (we don't actually do HS, so we'd pick a different park!)

 

[pa. dad]

I am probably in the minority but I don't find going back to the resort midday and returning to the parks at night relaxing at all. I prefer to take at least one whole day to relax in the middle or end of our trip. That means sleeping in, having leisurely meals, hanging by the pool/hot tub, taking in some of the activities at the resort. Depending on our level of fatigue, we may pick one park to go to at the end of our day of relaxation, or not. I find it hard to leave the park and then go back. It never feels relaxing, even i I squeeze in a nap. Try the midday break once and see how your kids do. After a morning at the park and an afternoon in the pool my then 6-year old daughter had no interest in going back to the parks at night even though she loved them. She wanted to stay at the resort for movie night. Every kid is different so figure out what works for yours...sometimes trial and error is the best way!

I agree with you- some kids just don't like to nap. Mine never did.
Having a sleep in day works well. Last trip a few months ago we did our "sleep in a little" day at the AK on New Years day. We had the Fastpasses and the Tusker House reservations for a 530 dinner. Even with heavy crowds and arriving at the park later, we got to do most of the things we wanted to arriving at like 10 to 1030. We did miss the nemo musical and we did not take the train ride to rafikis petting zoo which we had done before.
I think a sleep in later day can work for the AK or the Studios but not as much for MK or epcot. We got to stay up a little later on New years eve and then sleep in later.

 

[Julylady]

I think your plan looks pretty good as well. I just wanted to share our strategy. We break each day into 3 parts: morning, afternoon, evening. We spend 2 of 3 parts of each day in the park with the 3rd part spent relaxing at the resort. So one day we might spend the morning at MK, go back to the resort for swim/nap in the afternoon, and then close out the day at EPCOT (with FPs for 5-6pm, 6-7pm, 7-8pm, ending the night with Illuminations. Then the next day we would sleep in and go to another park around 11am and stay until late. Third day, we would do rope drop but leave the park for the day about 4pm and spend the evening at the resort. This schedule seems to work better for us than taking an entire day off during the trip.

The best part of making a schedule is know when and how to go "off schedule." You need to recognize when your family might need a "time out" and be able to adjust accordingly. And sometimes, the kids (or the adults) just need to be separated for an hour or two. Most families don't spend 24-7 together in normal life and it can be stressful to do so on vacation. Having a schedule allows you to make adjustments and still experience those things most important to you. Our family only eats a table service meal every other day. We are DVC members and eat a lot of meals in our villa. The kids find TS meals stressful rather than relaxing (food is "weird, which means not like home", they are expected to be on their best behavior, they think they take too long) so we make simple meals in the room which saves a lot of money plus allows for more down time. I hope you have a great vacation!

 

[yaya74]

Thank you all for the suggestion. DH insists on the water park portion and got very mad when I didn't order the water park option at first.... Like I said before, I don't plan to ride all the rides, and I might skip some parks during the day depending on how the family feel, as long as we are in the park for dinner ADRs. I definitely will spend more time at MK and DHS. Anyways, thank you all for the help!

 

[TwoMisfits]

Thank you all for the suggestion. DH insists on the water park portion and got very mad when I didn't order the water park option at first.... Like I said before, I don't plan to ride all the rides, and I might skip some parks during the day depending on how the family feel, as long as we are in the park for dinner ADRs. I definitely will spend more time at MK and DHS. Anyways, thank you all for the help!

I'd get 2 day park hoppers and water park and more tickets. I'd spend 1 day in MK, 1 day seeing the new HS and AK, 1 day at each water park, and 1 day to rest/see Disney Springs. I'd play your character meals for the evenings of your water park days. I think this would be much more relaxing...