I'm getting so worried..

[3MouseMom]

All these reports of crowded parks are freaking me out. We are leaving 10/21, returning 10/26. Big "girls trip" with my dds (8&4) and my mom for her 70th b-day. Unfortunately, I picked Friday night for MNSSHP--I think that was a big maistake! But the only other option was Sunday, and we have an early CRT on Monday and I didn't think it was smart to stay out so late the night before such an early PS.

Here's my question:

Can you see any better way to to plan our time than the following schedule? Maybe some of you more experienced DIS veterans have some ideas on beating the crowd:

10/21 - Arrive mid-day, PS for Hoop De Do that night
10/22 - Late morning PSB, do WS at Epcot (maybe Test Track, but not too much else at FW, pretty relaxed day strolling through WS)
Go to MK for 5:25 PS at CP, do MNSSHP
10/23 AKL during the day, kids with a sitter while mom & I eat at Epcot/watch Illuminations
10/24 - MGM all day (Fantasmic dinner package-I was really worried about crowds so I booked it)
10/25 - 8:25 CRT at MK, morning at MK, monorail to GF for Wonderland tea party at 1:30, back for afternoon at MK and Wishes at 7:30
10/25 - maybe DTD before departing for MCO

I didn't plan much resort time, we aren't into hanging at the resort or too mcuh swimming. I purposely avoided MK on the weekend (plus our CRT was for Monday). I guess the MNSSHP will be the worst of this schedule. I hope we can move and are not in gridlock!
Maybe I'm just looking for reassurances!

thanks...

 

[Disney_1derland]

Wow! You have a lot packed into that trip! Let me dissect your schedule with my personal preferences and you can decide whether it applies to you or helps you at all! (It may not, but hey, that is how we all learn!)


10/21 - Arrive mid-day, PS for Hoop De Do that night

--->Sounds good so far!

10/22 - Late morning PSB, do WS at Epcot (maybe Test Track, but not too much else at FW, pretty relaxed day strolling through WS)
Go to MK for 5:25 PS at CP, do MNSSHP

-->You don't specifically say what time your PS is for but I'll assume 10:30ish. By the time you are done there it will be 11:30ish. This leaves you 5 hours to do WS. Should be okay as long as you don't try to do too many shows, remember that it may be busier than you expect due to F&W festival which may slow down your progress.

This seems like a VERY busy day for a 4 year old (I have one of those and for us, we could never do this-she would be on melt down by 7pm when the MNSSHP is just getting started)


10/23 AKL during the day, kids with a sitter while mom & I eat at Epcot/watch Illuminations

--->Sounds good!

10/24 - MGM all day (Fantasmic dinner package-I was really worried about crowds so I booked it)

--->Are you planning opening to closing the park? Again, for us that would be too much without a mid-day break.

10/25 - 8:25 CRT at MK, morning at MK, monorail to GF for Wonderland tea party at 1:30, back for afternoon at MK and Wishes at 7:30

--->This one would put my family over the top. This is a lot of running and a lot of big events for one day.

Since you have both CRT and PSB planned for some BIG days on your schedule I would probably cancel one and just settle for one princess meal.

My 4 year old does not nap at home but if we run her a full stressful day then by 6pm she is on meltdown and by 7pm she is done in. We plan to do a morning session, take an afternoon nap then do an evening session. Have you tried taking her out on a full days adventure to see when she's going to lose steam? If not I think you should be prepared for what to do if/when that happens. WDW is stressful and stimulating and can overwhelm most children. It's just a thought and may not apply to your child at all. You know what is best and I'm sure you've put all of that thought into this schedule. These are just my observations about how my two children (4 and 2) would handle it.

Good Luck and Have a great time!!!

 

[inmyis]

I agree with Disney-1derland about the need for a midafternoon rest/swim/nap. It is essential. My DW and I attended the 10/8 MNSSHP and yes it was packed. We still had what may be the best time we have ever had at MK!! The parade and fireworks were great and the Trick-or-Treating was a blast. The festivities continue through midnight, so make sure everyone is well rested before heading to MK that night. Make sure to check out the walway from Toontown to Tomorrowland that runs along the RR tracks. All the Alice in Wonderland are there along the way with plenty of candy stations, it is a nice surprise.

Stop worrying about the crowds!! You'll drive yourself crazy Plan like it will busy and enjoy the fun!

 

[3MouseMom]

Thanks! I hear you on the nap/rest. I considered it, but dd is closer to 5 and hasn't napped since 18 months. That doesn't mean she won't be cranky, lol! But trying to go back to hotel mid-day would result in mutiny with my two. I think I am going to let them sleep in longer in the mornings, then keep going each day. (I avoid EE days--it doesn't work too well for us).

Yes, PSB at Epcot is late, so we'll go right there and then just stroll through WS without any commando pressure. I am worried about the girls geting tired at MNSSHP, but we'll play it by ear. I am pretty sure we won't stay till midnight, and I'm ok with that.

For MGM, we won't go till later in the morning. Maybe swim before we go over, or just hang out a bit. So I think this is okay.

Yes, I am worried about the MK day too! Yikes! But since it is our last park day and Wishes is so early that night, I think I'll try it. Maybe I'll wait and see how they are doing on Sunday.

On our last trip, they both feel asleep on the plane ride home before we were wheels up!

Thanks again! And thanks for the tip on the walkway with Alice...we'll be sure to do it!

 

[empkuzco]

We were there from Oct 11-15 (Mon-Fri). What we found was:
Monday (Oct 11) - Animal Kingdom - It drizzled much of the morning and this seemed to keep the crowd down. In the afternoon it POURED for at least a half hour. This probably sent folks home early. All in all, the park wasn't that crowded. With fast passes we did Kilm Saf twice, Prim Whirl twice, and everything else once.
Tuesday (Oct 12) - Disney Quest - We started for Epcot but it was already drizzeling pretty good, so we decided to switch up days and go to DQ. It actually stopped raining shortly and turned out to be a nice day. DQ wasn't too crowded. We did the Pirate simulator 4 times (best darn thing there by far).
Wed (Oct 13) - Epcot - Sunny, and a little cooler. The park was a good bit more crowded. We did most everything (Test Track twice) but by the afternoon the crowds were tough at the big rides. We tried to go back to Test Track at 3pm. The line was all the way out the door and fast passes were giving 5:20pm as the return time.
Thursday (Oct 14) - Magic Kingdom - Another nice, cooler day. This was EE day, and things did seem a little crowded. But, with fast passes we did everything (included Splash M twice) without bad waits (nothing more than 10 minutes).
Friday (Oct 15) - MGM - Alot cooler day, but sunny. It POURED down rain about 10am, but quit after about 20 min. The park was a little crowded but manageable. With Fast Passes we didn't wait long for anything (< 10 min). I believe we did everything but RRC.

In short, if you use the fast passes, you can easily do everything once and several things twice. Go early (early entry), knock out a few rides in the first hour, and always get your fast passes (get one during EE for something later). Do the popular rides early, save the not-so-popular rides for later. Get fast passes for things you want to do a second time while you are doing the not-so-popular things. Also, check the wait times. Long lines don't necessarily mean long waits. Most wait times are also overestimated. Hope this helps.

 

[n2mm]

Nothing we can do about it. I doubt you'll cancel your trip. Just have to use fast-pass often. I did a check on the hours and Sat. 23rd hours have been extended from 10:00 to 11:00, a strong indication that the crowds will we wild and the resorts at capacity.

 

[jwfla422]

We just got back last night after a few days at WDW. While it was busy I STILL think it was MUCH busier when we were there in JUNE (not to mention horribly hot!!)

Your schedule looks pretty good. If you stay away from MK on Saturday and head there earlier in the day you should be ok. You'll already be there early with your CRT PS and that's a great PS to have!!

We found AK to be fairly crowded on Saturday, but not awful. I'm not a "crowd" person myself and we usually try to go to WDW during non peak times because of that.

The longest line we waited was 45 minutes and that was at MK's toontown fair to see Cinderella and Ariel who are now in the same room while they do the Grotto rehab and I think that was more because everyone was dodging a downpour Otherwise I don't think it was overly crowded that day (friday).

You also look like you have some non park activities scheduled, those will be fine. Just make sure you have PS for any restaurants you want to eat at or at least for dinner.

Don't get worried, you're going to WDW!!