Is this too much?

[drinkme]

Thanks everyone for the input! I really appreciate the great tips! There are just some things in our plan that cannot be changed, such as the sleeping in thing. My BF works third shift here at home so the whole sleeping in this is for that reason, he's not an easy person to move around his sleep schedule and I don't need a cranky, resentful BF because he got no sleep. Also, we will be one hour ahead which will work against us as well. I realize that getting to the parks early is much more beneficial but this one is one we cannot budge on, besides we've already established that both the US and MK days will be early days, park open in fact. Speaking of MK day, I am trying to definitely plan MK on a day with no MVMCP but also trying to avoid the parade taping. I know just this last year, the parade was taped in November but I heard it was just due to some of the talent schedules, I can't bank on that happening again this year.

We picked Daytona because him and I have fond memories there each individually from other previous trips, I have been to Cocoa many times, especially when I lived in Orlando for three years, and realize how close it is especially to MCO so that may have to change. I also understand that the weather is unpredictable and in that case we would definitely find something else to do on our "Beach Day". I am leery to give up my rest day, just because on previous vacations, I've found that to be one of the most enjoyable days, taking things at a leisurely pace and finding some new Disney oddities.

We will definitely be getting a park-to-park ticket so we can ride Hogwarts Express. I am just trying to make this trip as budget friendly as possible and don't know how I feel about adding on an additional day. I've been in the past (before HP) and was able to leisurely do both parks in the same day and be done by 4pm, so I guess that's where my head is at.

Thanks for catching my "missing" of a QS meal, I suppose we could use that on our departure day in Riverside Mill otherwise, I'm not opposed to turning it into three snacks that we could bring home

I am definitely concerned about Pop Warner but as long as we're not at the same resort as them I think we should be okay!

Would it be possible for you to get to the parks at opening & let him sleep in? He can get up at his leisure & text you when he's up & on his way. I mean, what else are you going to do in the hotel room while he's sleeping? You might as well get up & hit the parks.

 

[drinkme]

Maybe I drive slow, but it took an hour for us to get to Daytona from MCO last year (that's where we spent the whole week.) I don't know if there are any closer beaches. And the security line out of MCO was quite long.

Orlando airport is definitely one you need to get to early. We were there in November & December. Both times we experienced long lines. In November we got to the airport 2 hours before our flight. We got to our gate as it was boarding.

 

[Bullseye]

You have QS and TS every single day.... What can I say, dining is my favorite part of vacation !

At IOA I recommend Thunder Falls Terrace in Jurassic Park. They have rotisserie chicken, ribs, burgers, corn/cob, smoked turkey legs, soups and salads. It's really comfortable in there and reasonably priced as QS goes.

 

[chasingthtdream08]

Would it be possible for you to get to the parks at opening & let him sleep in? He can get up at his leisure & text you when he's up & on his way. I mean, what else are you going to do in the hotel room while he's sleeping? You might as well get up & hit the parks.

You know, I did think of that! It might definitely be an option a few mornings, otherwise a few days for sleeping in wouldn't sound too bad to me either!

 

[chasingthtdream08]

Orlando airport is definitely one you need to get to early. We were there in November & December. Both times we experienced long lines. In November we got to the airport 2 hours before our flight. We got to our gate as it was boarding.

When leaving do you typically do a morning/afternoon/evening flight? Our flight doesn't leave MCO until 9:30PM, so I'm hoping security lines will be pretty slow at that point. Granted they might only have one open which would slow things down. When I lived in Orlando and was traveling out of MCO I would always have early AM flights and I agree, the security lines were bonkers but I never stood in them more than I'd say 45 minutes max.

 

[leebee]

We always "sleep in" a bit on our trips to Disney, because we stay up LATE in the parks. Heck, MK was open until 1AM in November, and you better believe we were there! Also, now that DD is over 21, we've learned the joys of the pool bar, evening relaxing on the Boardwalk with a frozen adult beverage, etc. We were never rope-drop people (once DD and the nieces were "over" character breakfasts) and have never felt like we've missed out on our Disney vacations. We try to be "out the door" of our hotel room by 10am, but even that is not hard and fast if we're really feeling lazy- or earlier if for some unknown reason we wake up early!

What are you going to do for breakfasts? It's definitely faster in the morning to have b'fast food in your room. We brought all ours with us- mini bagels, peanut butter, cheddar cheese, coffee, mini-moos cream cups, cereal (bought milk in the food court), fruit cups, yogurt (froze it before leaving home). However, we also find the DDP to be quite a bit of food, so we sometimes share credits, especially if we know we are having dinner at a buffet or "big serving" restaurant. We'll split a bounty platter for breakfast, split the BBQ chicken/ribs platter at Flame Tree for lunch, each have our own snack (love the frozen bananas at AK), and then have our own dinner. I know some people think it's not enough food, but it's more than enough for us.

KEEP THE REST DAY!! Even if you are accustomed to being on your feet at work all day (a nurse, for example), it's different when you are trudging around a theme park, in hot weather, walking on asphalt and concrete. Besides, sometimes rest days are the most fun. We went for a drive around the area one time and ended up picking oranges in an orange grove. THAT was an amazing experience for this New England family- and it was totally unplanned. We just decided to go for a drive to see the area, maybe stop at the outlets, do whatever came along- and orange picking is what came along! It's also nice to relax totally and recharge. If you have to do "something Disney" there is always Disney Springs (which we find mind-numbingly boring), resort hopping, etc. One trip we did the "Disney Transport Tour:" Bus to Epcot, monorail to TTC, ferry to MK, boat to WL and back to MK, bus to DHS, boat to Epcot/BW/DHS, bus back to our resort. We stopped for lunch along the way, toured around WL (never been there before), etc. It was fun, we were off our feet quite a bit so relaxed, and saw some new stuff along the way! (actually when we got to the TTC we hopped a parking lot tram and rode it around just so we sampled all Disney transport on one day- although now that I think of it, we could have tried to fit in a carriage ride or something, too!).

Sounds to me like you have a pretty good handle on how you guys want to vacation, what you want to see/do, etc. Have fun!

 

[chasingthtdream08]

We always "sleep in" a bit on our trips to Disney, because we stay up LATE in the parks. Heck, MK was open until 1AM in November, and you better believe we were there! Also, now that DD is over 21, we've learned the joys of the pool bar, evening relaxing on the Boardwalk with a frozen adult beverage, etc. We were never rope-drop people (once DD and the nieces were "over" character breakfasts) and have never felt like we've missed out on our Disney vacations. We try to be "out the door" of our hotel room by 10am, but even that is not hard and fast if we're really feeling lazy- or earlier if for some unknown reason we wake up early!

What are you going to do for breakfasts? It's definitely faster in the morning to have b'fast food in your room. We brought all ours with us- mini bagels, peanut butter, cheddar cheese, coffee, mini-moos cream cups, cereal (bought milk in the food court), fruit cups, yogurt (froze it before leaving home). However, we also find the DDP to be quite a bit of food, so we sometimes share credits, especially if we know we are having dinner at a buffet or "big serving" restaurant. We'll split a bounty platter for breakfast, split the BBQ chicken/ribs platter at Flame Tree for lunch, each have our own snack (love the frozen bananas at AK), and then have our own dinner. I know some people think it's not enough food, but it's more than enough for us.

KEEP THE REST DAY!! Even if you are accustomed to being on your feet at work all day (a nurse, for example), it's different when you are trudging around a theme park, in hot weather, walking on asphalt and concrete. Besides, sometimes rest days are the most fun. We went for a drive around the area one time and ended up picking oranges in an orange grove. THAT was an amazing experience for this New England family- and it was totally unplanned. We just decided to go for a drive to see the area, maybe stop at the outlets, do whatever came along- and orange picking is what came along! It's also nice to relax totally and recharge. If you have to do "something Disney" there is always Disney Springs (which we find mind-numbingly boring), resort hopping, etc. One trip we did the "Disney Transport Tour:" Bus to Epcot, monorail to TTC, ferry to MK, boat to WL and back to MK, bus to DHS, boat to Epcot/BW/DHS, bus back to our resort. We stopped for lunch along the way, toured around WL (never been there before), etc. It was fun, we were off our feet quite a bit so relaxed, and saw some new stuff along the way! (actually when we got to the TTC we hopped a parking lot tram and rode it around just so we sampled all Disney transport on one day- although now that I think of it, we could have tried to fit in a carriage ride or something, too!).

Sounds to me like you have a pretty good handle on how you guys want to vacation, what you want to see/do, etc. Have fun!

Finally! Someone gets me! Yes, this is exactly how I plan to vacation! I lived in Orlando for 3 years and was a Cast Member for part of that time, trust me I know how to navigate if I get to the park after 10am! And I don't need to see EVERYTHING. Cause I've seen/rode everything probably around a dozen times.

For breakfast we were planning on stopping somewhere like a grocery store/Walmart on our arrival day, we'll have a rental car, so it won't be too much of a hassle. Otherwise the fact that we can use our snack credits at Starbucks makes me a very happy girl. I think we may end up finding that the DDP is too much food for us, so I wouldn't mind splitting some meals and turning left over CS into snacks to bring home.

I was leaning on keeping the rest day, I too have had some of my fondest memories on my rest day. Exploring Orlando sites off the beaten path! I also would love to go mini golfing at Disney, I went to Fantasia Gardens once and it was a hoot, gotta try Winter Summerland!

Thanks for the input, really put a smile on face after realizing I'm not the only insane person who wants to sleep in on a Disney vacation!