Hows This Itinerary For Newbies?

[CamColt]

It will be myself, 31, DH, 35, and our 2 DS 3 & 6. We are Disney Vets, taking our neighbors...the parents are both 41 and DSs are 4 & 6. The kids have never been and the parents havent been in 16 years. They want to do whatever we do, so no pressure on me! How does this sound?

Sun-After a 24 hour drive, checkin ASMO around 10:00am, swim until our room is ready, unpack, clean up. Go to BW for dinner at ESPN. Explore BW a little before heading back to get a good nights sleep.

Monday- EE AK
Resort/pool break
Dinner at Kona Cafe
MK for FITS(a few attractions too)

Tues- Epcot
midday break
Epcot-Stay for Illuminations if everyone holds up

Wed- Breakfast @ Chef Mickeys 8:15
MGM...hoping to arrive by 10:30
Will try for no break today, and just stay until we are done
Back to the hotel for a dip inthe pool and an early night

Thurs- EE MK
midday break*
DTD-dinner at Planet Hollywood
*Im thinking if we feel like cutting our midday break short, we can head over to AK to catch the 4:00 parade before going to DTD, but we may enjoy the pool too much to do that.

Fri- MK
midday break
MGM for the parade, dinner at Mama Melrose, & Fantasmic.

Sat- Sleep in before hitting the road.

So, am I hitting the highlights for them?

 

[Boo Mc]

Here's my two cents: Possibly do Chef Mickey's on the Epcot day. Epcot opens later so you wouldn't miss as much by not being there early. (Not sure if you can take a monorail from Contemporary to Epcot but if so you could save some driving time. Try to get the front seat so the boys can get their pilots license). Also, this would get you to MGM earlier on Wednesday. If you have an early night on Wednesday, maybe you can stay longer at MK on Thursday. There is so much at MK for your DS's ages that I'm not sure you have enough time in your itinerary. Maybe you can get the kids to rest/nap in the park and just stay at MK instead of leaving at midday. Personally, I don't think it's worth giving up time at MK to go to Planet Hollywood but that's just my opinion. If you get to MGM early on Wed. you could take a midday break and go back for Fantasmic that night. Then you'd have Friday night available for DTD and Planet Hollywood (or Rain Forest) which is closer to the toy store, Lego store and last minute shopping at World of Disney. Just some food for thought. Have fun planning!

 

[3for Me]

I agree - for children that age group the best thing to do is cut into the time you spend at Epcot. I really think this is the park they will get the least out of, so I, too would do the character breakfast that morning instead.

 

[jerseydizdreamer]

A couple of thoughts... first, it sounds like a great time, and your friends are SO lucky to have an experienced Disney tourguide. With that in mind, make sure you're not too ambitious... when traveling with kids, as you probably know, they might be just as happy to play in a puddle for an hour as see the sights at Epcot.

I might also suggest switching the dinner at Kona to the day you're at the Magic Kingdom, if only because you can easily catch the monorail (which the kids love) from the Magic Kingdom over to the Polynesian Resort, and then back to the Magic Kingdom if that's where you want to go. Keep in mind that traveling to and from the Animal Kingdom, if you don't want to take the car, can take a while.

I'm not sure, but I don't think Animal Kingdom has Early Entry, mainly because they open pretty early as it is. But I would get there ASAP in the morning, so that you can get on one of the early morning safari's. The animals are usually more active in the morning than in the afternoon.

I agree with the others who suggest that Epcot might not be the most fun for the kids. In fact, if possible, it might be fun to have an "adults only" evening at Epcot. Usually, you can arrange child care through the resort. That way, the adults can go and hit some of the attractions in Epcot that might bore the kids.

Have a great time! Aside from the 24 hour drive (ack), I'm majorly jealous, as my trip is a ways off!

Richard

 

[tjkraz]

Be careful what you ask for (feedback)...you may get it!!!

Seriously, all of the suggestions above are great, and I'm sure it's just enough to make you question your entire itinerary.

I'll agree with the previous comments that a full day at Epcot may be a bit much for your party. Personally, I'd move your Planet Hollywood dinner to Sunday, and spend the evening around Downtown Disney.

Heed the previous advice and change your Epcot plans to a half day, arriving after a mid-day break. Have dinner at the ESPN club on your Epcot evening, exiting through the International Gateway or taking the boat. It's only a 5 minute walk from the IG to the boardwalk.

 

[CamColt]

Yikes, youre right tjkraz...my head is spinning, LOL!
Good points from everyone I will take them into consideration.
One thing though,I used to think there wasnt much at Epcot for kids, but I have to say after our trips a year ago and 2 years ago, my kids love Epcot. I was actually thinking we may need to miss an attraction or 2 there because we wont have enough time. My kids(and the friends) are very active, so anywhere that they can get involved with something hands on, run around(so to speak) is a hit with them....like at Innoventions, What If Labs, Fitness Fairgrounds, Viking ship in Norway, etc... They love the dinosaurs in Universe of Energy, and could spend hours watching the fish at Living Seas.
My kids are less interested in the shows in MGM, where they have to sit still, but of course, we like those.
And yes, AK does have EE, opening at 8:00 on Mondays.

 

[catwho]

Originally posted by Boo Mc
Here's my two cents: Possibly do Chef Mickey's on the Epcot day. Epcot opens later so you wouldn't miss as much by not being there early. (Not sure if you can take a monorail from Contemporary to Epcot but if so you could save some driving time.

Sure you can do it. You have to change Monorails a few times, but it can be done. With kids the ages that are going, telling them they "have" to ride three different monorails is going to be like a dream come true! LOL!! We love riding the Monorail from TTC to Epcot. It's the only way we have ever gotten there! We've never parked at Epcot.

 

[nicknamy1996]

Our 2 DS (ages 2 & 3) loved Epcot as well!

KidCot, Passports, Character greetings, rides and shows. We also went out the "back door" of Epcot and had a Kitchen Sink at B&C. They enjoyed the fountians,interactive stuff, and of course Illumnations!