itinerary and planning travel to TS restaurants

[Mrbyers126]

Family of 5 adults going to Disney in March 2018. Trying to figure out the best ways to get to and from parks for our dinners.

• We wont have a vehicle so Disney transportation is what we will be using.
• We are staying at AoA in Lion King Suite. Any help on where to move things to that flows better would be awesome.
• We are rope droppers and will be leaving parks for a mid day break to nap/refresh.
• Would like to visit the parks on days they have EMH in the PM so we can go back after dinner and spend time in the parks.
• We are doing DxDP so we will have 90 TS credits and 60 snack credits for our trip.

Right now our plans look like this....

Sunday (arrive @7:20am) and go to Universal (brother wants to do Harry Potter stuff). Come back and check in to hotel around 4/430 then plan on Hoop Dee Doo Revue @ 7:15...(how much time to travel there?)

Monday- Hollywood Studios
B-Snack credits/in room stuff
L-Backlot Express @ 12:00
D-Hollywood & Vine @ 7pm w/Fantasmic 9pm VIP seating

Tuesday-Epcot
B-Garden Grill (earliest ADR they have)
L- open
D-La Haceienda De San Angel @ 8:30 (view illuminations from restaurant)

Wednesday-Magic Kingdom
B-1900 Park Fare (earliest ADR they have)
L-Jungle Navigation Co @ 12:45
D- Morimoto Asia @ 7 (not sure about keeping this one brother isn't fond of Japanese lol)

Thursday-Animal Kingdom
B-Tusker House (earliest ADR they have)
L- Yak & Yeti @ 12/1230
D- Artist Point @ 630 (want to eat earlier so we can go back to Animal Kingdom and see Pandora at night)

Friday- Magic Kingdom
B- BOG (earliest ADR they have)
L- open
D- open

Saturday- Epcot/leave
B- open
L- open
D- Sanaa @ 5:30
Flight leave at 8:50, airport by 7:30, Board Magical Express by 6:45

 

[hakepb]

Saturday Saana dinner would stress me out. I'd rather eat Saana on Thu and move AP to an MK day, like Friday.

 

[tsme]

Going to the parks I give myself 1 1/2hr at least. For the restaurants not in the parks, I would take a cab.

 

[robl45]

Eat at the park you are at is the best advice I can give you, By the time you leave, get a bus, get to the place etc, you burn a lot of time. Depending on where you are in the park can take 15 minutes just to walk out. Bus could be another 15 minutes or more. I see the asia place is at disney springs. I'm assuming you aren't planning to go back to magic kingdom? I would suggest probably Uber to get to disney springs. We tried the bus to disney springs and from the theme park waiting probably 45 minutes. Then you would have to go back to a hotel from disney springs to go back to a park.

You are looking at a good 30 minutes to get to hoop fort wilderness for hoop de doo. Probably budget more like 45 minutes. You may have to get there early too.

Everything takes longer than it seems. I know i've done it and I always have to adjust my plans because the bus takes longer than you thought, stops off at another place first etc.
Sanaa you are cutting it too close.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

That Sanaa ADR is wayyyy too close to your flight departure time. It takes about 30 minutes from WDW to MCO, and the security lines at MCO are often very long. You've got the DME pick up time wrong. It picks you about 3 hours before your flight so your DME pick up will be around 5:45.

 

[sharonabe]

Saturday- Epcot/leave
B- open
L- open
D- Sanaa @ 5:30
Flight leave at 8:50, airport by 7:30, Board Magical Express by 6:45

You can't do Sanaa at 5:30. ME will pick you up at 5:50 at AoA. If you're not there, they will not wait on you, and you'll have to find your own way to the airport.

Thursday-Animal Kingdom
B-Tusker House (earliest ADR they have)
L- Yak & Yeti @ 12/1230
D- Artist Point @ 630 (want to eat earlier so we can go back to Animal Kingdom and see Pandora at night)

That's a lot of food for one day. The earliest TH will be around 8:00 a.m. Your Artist Point is worrisome too. Even with a 6:30 ADR, you won't be back at AK until about 8:30. Depending on what time AK closes that night, you might not have much time.

 

[mitzy150]

I agree with what everyone said... that Sanaa reservation likely will not work. Everytime I take the ME I am stunned at how early they want us to get there.. like usually do pick up about 4 hours before the scheduled flight time at least. I would suggest a couple things
--> Your Artist Point reso is a lot of going all the way across property on one day, especially if you want to go back. I suggest moving your Sanaa reservation to that night as it is much closer. As for your Artist Point reso.. it is much to the MK, so why not move that to your day at the MK that you have the night open.

 

[Mrbyers126]

So we have to be back at our "home resort" to board magical express? We can't catch it at one of the other hotels? Will definitely change the Sanna around.

Man o man this itinerary thing is difficult!

Is it an"waste" to leave the parks around 2 to go back to the hotel and then go to dinner from there? I know everybody in our group will want some chill time before dinner. Is there a best way to accomplish this lol

Is there a place to find out what restaurants are closest to your resort or the park your visiting that day?

 

[GillianP1301]

The Artist Point on Thursday at 6:30 will leave you very little to no time at AK afterward. A signature meal is about 90 minutes on average and you have to factor in your transportation back to AK. Instead, I would put Artist Point on your Friday MK day since it's a very easy boat ride over to WL.

If you make that switch, then you could move the Sanaa to Thursday since you'll be at AK anyway. It is a very short (5min) bus ride between AK and AKL, so even with a a wait on the longer side, you should not need more than 30 minutes travel time each way.

HDDR is one of the trickier/time consuming ones to get to, but if you give yourself 90 minutes (which you have more than enough time in your plan) then you'll have no issue and it's worth it because it's a great experience. I would bus from AoA to MK and then boat shuttle from MK to Fort Wilderness. The boat launch dock is right next to the HDDR dining hall (as opposed to bussing to Fort Wilderness from a park and then having to get on another internal bus to get to HDDR).

 

[hakepb]

So we have to be back at our "home resort" to board magical express? We can't catch it at one of the other hotels? Will definitely change the Sanna around.

Man o man this itinerary thing is difficult!

Is it an"waste" to leave the parks around 2 to go back to the hotel and then go to dinner from there? I know everybody in our group will want some chill time before dinner. Is there a best way to accomplish this lol

Is there a place to find out what restaurants are closest to your resort or the park your visiting that day?

The search tool here doesn't have "park area"
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningmain.cfm

Relying on bus transportation means switching busses at the nearby park (and waiting for that 2nd bus)

Close to POR doesn't really matter, as Disney transportation only goes from POR to a park and Disney Springs.

It's easiest (and most reliable) to go to Monorail resorts on MK days. WL isn't too bad with its boat ride...but you still have to figure 60-90 minutes to get from your resort to another resort.

I generally only go to another non-monorail resort once or less per trip, and would generally drive there. (I have my car but take Disney transportation 95% of the time)

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Do you already have these ADRs? I do not think you will be allowed to book a 7PM Fantasmic package for a 9PM show.

 

[Mrbyers126]

No I don't my 180 is on September 12th trying to get everything ironed out before then.

I really want to visit the parks on days they have EMH in the PM but no way of knowing when that will be yet lol

 

[disneyvoice]

I wouldn't be able to move if I ate that much food at WDW.

You are already going to be spending a LOT of time on meals doing 3 TS meals in one day so I agree with the PP that you should just plan on staying in whatever park you are already in for dinner. With all the time you will be spending on meals, plus the travel time back and forth for afternoon break and the break itself, PLUS the travel time to get to your evening meals and back to the park you are going to have very little time to actually spend on attractions in the parks. I think you are going to feel like you are doing nothing but eating and riding the bus. I think you will find that you won't need as much time in the afternoon to relax as you think you will. You will have a lot of down time already at so many TS meals so I would suggest just forgetting about going back to the resort in the afternoon. That will give you some time for attractions.

Several people have already pointed out that you will need to leave much earlier for DME on your departure day so Sanaa won't work that late. I agree with PP about the Fantastic times - I feel like when we have thought about doing this dining package it never works out because we don't want a heavy lunch and the last available dinner time is earlier than we want. Maybe that's changed, I haven't looked for awhile.

With all that said, some people don't care as much about the attractions and are all about the food. So you might be okay with not having as much time for actually touring the parks. If that's the case you have picked some really great places to eat!

 

[Mrbyers126]

I am trying to figure out how to get the most out of the DxDP and also see the parks. Our group is the kind that likes to have a nice sit down dinner and try new foods. That being said we do want to hit all the main attractions of the parks not rushing through like crazy and with 2 days in Magic Kingdom and Epcot hopefully we can do that (any advice greatly appreciated). If we don't do a midday break and we go til like 2:30/3 then go back shower and get ready for dinner then not worry about going back to the parks at night?

 

[Pumbaa_]

I never book anything non refundable on arrival day. Stuff happens. I have a friend who sat on the fully loaded plane at the gate for two hours tonight waiting for a pilot. Another friend planned on lunch when they arrived. Instead they had a late dinner due to flight delays.

To maximize dxdp plan signature dinners. Ff, yachtsman, narcoossee, cg, ap
Best quality food and experiences

Throw in early lunch or late bfast, a couple character meals are always fun

As for getting to dining, if you do not have a car Uber. Most will be in the 15-20 range and save you hours on a bus. No disney buses go resort to resort and relying on Disney transportation works but is a time suck. Call an Uber and be at your destination in 15-20 minutes

I would do rope drop, hit the headliners, ts lunch and head to my resort around 2. Again Uber is your friend
Rest pool relax and hit a 6 or 7 pm dinner. Allow 2 hours then hit late hours if you want at whatever park has it. Or relax and head back so you can rope drop the next morning

I prefer rope drop or morning emh to night time. Less crowded and can get more done in that one hour, it works.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

So we have to be back at our "home resort" to board magical express? We can't catch it at one of the other hotels? Will definitely change the Sanna around.

Yes, Magical Express will only pick you up from the resort you are staying at and the pick up is approximately 3 hours before your flight.

I wouldn't be able to move if I ate that much food at WDW.

I agree!

I am trying to figure out how to get the most out of the DxDP and also see the parks. Our group is the kind that likes to have a nice sit down dinner and try new foods. That being said we do want to hit all the main attractions of the parks not rushing through like crazy and with 2 days in Magic Kingdom and Epcot hopefully we can do that (any advice greatly appreciated). If we don't do a midday break and we go til like 2:30/3 then go back shower and get ready for dinner then not worry about going back to the parks at night?

Personally, I'd skip the DxDP and just go with the basic plan that gives you 1 TS, 1QS, and 2 snacks per day. (Actually, I'd skip the dining plans altogether, but that's a different thread.) The DxDP is just too much food and you have to plan too many TS meals in order to get your money's worth. And TS meals take away from your park touring time. If you want to have a nice sit down meal and still be able to see the parks, cut back to 1 TS per day.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Generally, a Fantasmic! package will be at least 3 hours before the show, and only offered for the early show. Planning a 7PM dinner for a 9PM show on the package is not a good plan, because it won't work.

 

[JerseyJanice]

As Pumba pointed out, the best way to get value out of both your park time and Deluxe Dining Plan is to plan signature meals that use two credits.

Table service dining takes a lot of time out of your day and is a lot of food on the Deluxe plan. I would rethink your entire plan to include a big breakfast or lunch, then a signature dinner.

 

[Disnee grl]

We did the dlx dining one time. It was way too much food and we were rushing all over the place to get to reservations. We are so much happier with the regular dining plan. It is hard enough to do with juggling FP's and dining reservations on the regular plan. You are able to get more done and more relaxed with the regular plan.