Itenary Advice, curious

[chattwdw]

Haven't been to WDW since 1989 , obviously things have changed. Reading to my eyes dryout has been great in planning this trip, because we didn't plan in '89, but it was still great we didn't know any better. Now to my question?????????

Just 2 of us DW and I, and we are planning an arrival everyday at openning, and staying at POP resort to take advantage EMH. We will purchase Premuim AP, because we will return again twice in 2005. This Trip is arrive 6pm Sat. Nov. 20th and depart 2pm Fri. Nov. 26th 2004. Current iternary is :

Sat. check in and go to DTD.

Sun. MGM till 1pm/ back to POP till 4pm/D.Q. and end at P.I.

MON. Epcot till 12pm/ back to POP till 2pm/T.L. till 5pm/back to POP to change/get to EPCOT for 7pm and end with Illum.

TUES. M.K. till 12pm/ back to POP till 3pm/D.Q. till 6pm/ back to M.K. for spectro.

WED. EPCOT till 11pm/ back to POP till 2pm/ T.L. till 5pm/ back to POP to change/ goto MGM for fantasia.

THRUS. (thanksgiving day) MGM till1pm/ back to POP till 4pm/ D.Q. till 7pm/ goto EPCOT for ILLUM.

FRI. A.K. till 12or 1pm then "GOODBYE"

The parks have been choosen based on the current day and night (EMH) schedule in MAY, I do realize this could change, but just pertend it is still in effect with the same schedule (we can dream this WDW). I don't plan on using the evenings (EMH) only the mornings (EMH). Is it realistic to move from park to park or resort in 30 to 45 mins using bus transport.? For those who take a break in the day is 2 to 3 hours enough of a break?

THANKS SO MUCH IN ADAVNCE FOR ANY SUGGESTIONS AND THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THE GREAT INFO. ALL OVER THE BOARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jcemom]

I don't see a problem with planning using the test EMH schedule. After all, if they don't implement it permanently, you can also switch things around.

I think 30-45 minutes for park to resort is reasonable. It really depends upon whether or not you catch the bus at the right time. For example, if you walk up one minute after the bus left, it will take longer because you will have to wait for the next one, right? If timing is right it will be less than 30 minutes, but it is best to allow the extra time just in case.

We took breaks in February and found 3 hours to be great. Some days they were a bit shorter and others a bit longer, but we also had children along, so you should be able to move around more quickly than we did. Just loading up and unloading all the "gear" took extra time for us.

I'm sure all the "itinerary experts" will be along to help you with that aspect!

Welcome to the DIS and have a great trip!

 

[Serenity]

Welcome to the Dis!

I have never been a big fan of afternoon breaks. Since you are 2 adults with no children you may find that you don;t need these. But that is certainly up to you.

The only thing I would change is the rest time on the 2 days before going to TL. I would pack the swim stuff in a bag and put it in a locker while at the park. Then instead of going back to the hotel, I would go to TL, change and head to the lazy river to relax. I find after swimming and being in the sun for a while, that a nap is a great thing. So I would switch and take the break for a nap after the water park. But that is just me.

Good luck.

 

[HaleyB]

I agree
Without kids we find a long sit down lunch is a nice break. We still go to the room and nap some days, but don't need to everyday.

I need to edit this. My poor kids, that should have all been in past tense- before we had kids we didn't need a nap every day....

 

[XStAnt]

I think 30-45 minutes to get from park to resort, etc is a best case scenario. I think you should plan on an hour. Most people don't plan on the time it takes to exit a park and get into the next one (or to their resort room). 30-45 minutes tends to be the travel time from point A to point B. Take this example: on Tues at MK you want to leave at 12:00. If you're in fantasy land you need to walk to the front of MK. This will take 10-15 minutes. If you just missed a POP bus you could wait another 20 minutes. Give yourself 20 minutes to ride the bus back to POP. Then another 5-10 minutes to actually walk to your room. Sure, you can do it for less, but if you miss a bus you'll be off schedule.

I think you're doing too much travelling for such a short trip. It wastes too much time. I have no qualms about park hopping, but limit it to 2 places in a day. Too often you go from park A to POP to TL (or DQ) to park. You'll barely have time to get your bearings at the next place before you have to leave. For example: on Wednesday if you leave POP at 2:00 pm to go to TL you may not arrive at TL until close to 3:00 pm. You will need to look around and get your bearings on arrival and get set up. If you want to leave at 5:00 pm you'll barely have had any fun.

Plan to spend an entire morning or afternoon at TL. For DQ, plan an evening or a late afternoon (and combine it with a PI night). Only do one or two parks in a day to maximize your time at Disney.

I agree with others that you may not need the pm breaks. DW and I (both in 30s) went for 6 days over Christmastime on 2003. We never took an afternoon break. Were we tired at the end? Absolutely!! But we were able to go all day without too much difficulty. On another trip I'd probably plan a late afternnon or evening in the midweek to just sleep/rest at the resort.

Sorry this post is so long. Hope the info helps.

 

[chattwdw]

Thanks again to everyone for the info. I really do appreciate it and welcome anymore advice.

 

[Amyality]

Sounds like a nice plan, can tell you've been reading the unofficial guide! We went with small kids so we took the break and it was great, its nice to get fresh and clean for a nice dinner (we will actually be there Nov. 5-15th this year). Anyway, the one day we did not have a ciesta at the hotel we did so in Epcot's Mexico. There is a great little casual place there with covered tables. Its shady and relaxing. Baby slept and we had beer and nachos. We just sat around and talked for like two hours. After a full day in Epcot, we got on the bus and went to MGM toured around, did the Fantasmic package at Mamma Melrose. We were pretty pooped at the end of the day but, the kids were fine and so we we. I'd add alternative plans into your plan. I keept an Excel sheet with everything on it. My headings include 1.the date 2.the EE park/acutal park we want to attend 3.ps seatings or other for sure events. 4. notes/tips for success. We deviated from the plan in lots of ways but, it was a GREAT reference tool. I included alternate ideas in the notes section. I included important numbers and facts at the bottom. Have a great trip.

 

[Pammy_from_WI]

Looks like a pretty good plan and with just two adults you should be fine for the most part.

I agree with XSTant!!!! Did you plan for travel times? Travel times, even with a car can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. Depending on where you are going and how long you have to wait for a bus to arrive. Some of the resorts are huge! Just to walk from the bus stop at AKL to our room took about 10-15 minutes!

What I would do on the days where you have TL planned, skip the break at POP and just toss a suit and towel in a backpack and go from the park to TL. You can easily rest and swim at TL! Yes, TL has some walking, but it also has a lot of shade and the lazy river is a great way to rest. Plus all the parks offer lockers, so you can easily stash a bag with towels and suits in a locker and just pick it up on the way out.

So if you left the park at 12 you'd probably get to TL by 1 or 1:30, spend a few hours there, like until 4:00 then head back to POP to clean up. You'd probably get back to POP around 5pm, hour to clean up, head out by 6pm, get to EPCOT by 7pm.

I'd also suggest that if you are going to DQ I'd make some simular changes. Remember DQ is open until midnight, but it often gets busy after dinner time. So I'd either skip the break at POP and go straight to DQ or skip DQ.

Pammy