I could use a little help with my planning.

[ganggreen4jc]

Bringing the wife and 2 kids (18 &15) for our first ever trip to WDW in July '05 and I'm trying to create our plan or intinery. I've learned some great tips from this board and could use a little help from you folks with my planning. For now I'm just trying to figure out which parks on which days and with your knowledge and experience I'm certain to get the help I so desperately need.

Here's the facts:

Arriving in Orlando (from Los Angeles) on Wed. July 6 at around 4:00 pm. Shuttling to POP from there, so let's call our arrival about 5:30. I figure that dinner and DQ at DTD might be the best idea for the opening night, but it's hard to figure whether there will be jet lag or WDW adrenaline rush on the first day.

We're leaving the following Wednesday (7/13 at 2:00) so we have 6 fun-filled days (Thursday - Tuesday) to enjoy the parks, etc. We have UPH with our package. Since we're AP's at DL we're very curious to see MK and how different it is from DL, but we are looking forward to all the parks. "Illuminations" is must for us. Can that be squeezed in on the first night or should I be patient? Mrs. GG's first priority is an early morning animal tour at AK, just as the park opens. Which day would be best for that. Water parks and a possible parasailing outing are desireable, too. Based upon this info what would be the best suggestions for which parks on which days.

As far as dining, we figure to food court breakfast each day at POP and counter eat at the parks for lunch. We get a $25 gift cert for Planet Hollywood, so that may be our dinner destination on the first night. Other than that dinner plans will be determined later.

Any help would be appriciated!

 

[ganggreen4jc]

Also, if I'm staying at Pop Century, can I walk to CBR for a meal? Is it that close or would I have to take a bus to a park and connect? I've heard there's a CM tunnel connecting the two resorts, but I'm not sure if guests are permitted to use it.

 

[kandmwedding]

First off... did you book through Disney yourself, or are you using a travel agent?? If you booked yourself I suggest transferring your ressie over to dreamsunlimitedtravel.com (the Disney travel agents that are advertised on this board). They're great and can answer a lot of your questions and provide you with a basic or detailed itinerary and get your priority seatings taken care of. Just a suggestion...


But, as to your questions... I would suggest doing Animal Kingdom on the EE day, which is either Monday or Friday. That way you can arrive early, head straight to the ride and hopefully get on before all the crowds arrive. And the earlier the better as the animals do tend to hide in shade during the heat of the day.

You could definitely make it to Illuminations on your first night if you wanted to. It doesn't start until 9:00 so you'd have time to hop over to DTD, grab a bite to eat and do a bit of shopping before heading to Epcot. I'd suggest parking yourself on a bench about 45 minutes prior to the show if you're desperate for a place to sit. If you don't mind standing you can see it from anywhere in the World Showcase and don't need to worry about saving a spot. My personal favorite spot is on a bench in China. Just looks bigger to me from there than from anywhere else!! Oh, and I definitely suggest catching it on day one, because as soon as you see it you'll want to see it again and that will give you enough time to do that. Also, don't leave out the Wishes show at Magic Kingdom. It's great and is also worth waiting for!!

As to eating at CBR... you'll have to take a bus to a resort or DTD and then transfer to a CBR bus. There's no way to walk to there from POP.

Good luck and happy planning!!!

 

[luvsTink]

Hi!
I found both the Unofficial Guide to WDW and Tour Guide Mike to both be very helpful in planning. However, this board has the best up to date info such as Extra Magic Hours (EMH). I started planning our January trip back in the last summer and then found 2 weeks ago that Disney has changed all the EMH's and ticket prices, etc. So, it is best to have a "tentative" plan and be prepared to adjust it as need be...unless of course Disney decides to be more consistent after the first few months of new packages and EHM are in effect.

For our family, some of the dining experences are the most memorable and we look forward to them, so once we choose the parks for the day (depending on emh...we tend to avoid them) we then plan our meals so that we can acquire PS's when needed. allearsnet.com has great info on menus and prices so that you can budget appropriately.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Anne

 

[DeterminedOne]

Hey, Gang. Congratulations on your first ever trip to Disney. I'm excited for you! Since you are arriving early evening I suggest DD and DQ the first night as you mentioned. I don't think it would be feasible to do dinner @ DD and Illuminations that night. You'd be really rushed with the time it takes to get there and all. And you don't want to push it. You have plenty of time, no need to run yourself into the ground that first night. How about EPCOT your first full day with Illuminations that night? The next day, if I remember correctly from your dates, is EE day at AK so do that your second day.
I suggest the weekend for your water park and parasailing activities.
Sounds like you're on the right track with your planning. You're deciding what you really want to do/see and taking it from there. That's a good plan. Just take into account the time of year you are visiting as it relates to travel time.
And by the way, the voucher you get for Planet Hollywood has to be used within certain times (before 6:00 and after 9:00, I think.)

 

[MiJo]

I agree that you probably don't want to try Illuminations the first night. You will have plenty of time to see it (6 days) without being rushed, and why use a full day of admission just to see one show? While in EPCOT, don't miss Off Kilter when they perform outside Canada.
For meals, my DW and I eat breakfast in the food court of our resort, grab a snack mid morning in a park and then have a late lunch (2:30 or so). By doing that, we get pretty much the same menu and portion sizes as for dinner but with better prices. There's nothing wrong with being a little frugal during your stay.
Enjoy your first trip to WDW! You'll get great info and advice here on The DIS!