Itinerary(not sure if this is the right forum)

[buttercup1982]

Just started to plan a rough itinerary and my head is baffled would love it if anyone could help. First time to Florida with 4 adults 2 kids 64,60,33,32,10,9. We are staying at the port Orleans with QSDP, even though we have this plan we want to pay for a few nice evening meals, maybe some character dining. We have the full disney tickets and are either getting the flexi ticket or the 3 park ticket,
Day 1 hotel and downtown disney (arrive at 15.30 on a Friday)
Day2 Magic Kingdom
Day 3 Typhoon lagoon
Day4 universal Studios
Day5 Hollywood studios
Day6 Blizzard beach
Day 7 shopping
Day 8 Epcot
Day 9 wet n wild
Day10 Animal kingdom
Day 11 Isle of adventure
Day 12 Aquatica or Sea world
Day 13 Magic Kingdom
Day 14 universal
Day 15 Epcot? Home at 17.10
We are not hiring a car so it will be public transport, do you think I should miss a waterpark? Also are a could of these parks doable in half a day? I did want a couple of rest days but feel like I'd miss too much The inlaws will want a couple of days sitting by the pool so we probably would only get them the 2 park universal tickets.

 

[micksn]

Hi, Personally I wouldn't do wet n wild or aquatica when you have the disney waterparks included and free transport to them. You may find you want to visit Epcot world showcase more often, particularly on QSDP as you can have some of the nicer Counter service meals there. If you want to add on character meals breakfasts are cheaper and you'll also pay less on tips. Have fun planning.

 

[NikkiMouse]

Hi Buttercup

I'm not a Disney expert but def a type A personality!

I like how you are planning your days already. Have you checked out Josh's easyWDW.com. It gives excellent advice on What park days for easier touring etc.

Enjoy the planning. It's one of my fav thing about going to Disney, oh and arriving in that lovely hot sunshine, seeing the Welcome sign, my list can go on and on!

 

[buttercup1982]

Hi NikkiMouse,
I LOVE the planning, we've been to Disneyland Paris twice and I loved all the tips I got from here. (My husband is ex army and said my plans run with military precision ) have to stayed at the POR before?

 

[NikkiMouse]

We stayed at French Quarter 2011 and loved it!

Going back home to fq in a few weeks!

Riverside is lovely. Pool was great and we loved the food court (better then FQ's!)

I plan our vacations with military precision too!

Laminate them before we go button with the flow when we needing a relaxing day.

We go for three weeks and its still not long enough!

 

[queendisney]

seeing the Welcome sign, my list can go on and on!

That is when I know I have arrived...my heartbeat does a little jump at that Welcome to Walt Disney World sign...

I agree with the PP about dropping wet n wild, its a bit of a concrete jungle! I like the way you have spread your water parks about as you def need breaks from all that walking you have planned. I wouldn't over plan your trip as such or if you do then be prepared for it to fall apart a bit. There may be days where you go into a park and not get nearly as much as you had planned in your head done for various reasons ie the lines, the size of the park, interaction with characters taking far longer then expected , fast pass being down, the heat getting to you, more breaks needed then you expected etc and you might then want to go back and do what you really wanted to do in the first place. Personally I think you are on the right lines of having a plan of what you want to see but I would now go and look at each park individually and see what in those parks are your must do's and aim for them first. I think a good suggestion from a PP is to maybe join something like WDW touring plans or similar, it hardly costs anything and is great as it can give you loads of information on good days and bad days at parks.

 

[Elise79]

Firstly, the TS meals you are looking at paying OOP - work out the cost and see if it is worth upgrading your DP.

Secondly, you have a lot of offsite things in your itinerary and you said you are not hiring a car. How are you planning on getting there? Buses will be time consuming (although cheap) as you need to get to DTD and then walk to the bus stop to get on the Lynx buses. Taxis will soon mount up in cost. Have you looked at car? Driving really isn't bad at all.

Lastly, I would skip wet n wild - it is really not very nice. You will have the Disney water parks included and that will be enough if its your first visit. The parks are huge!

Magic Kingdom will need at least 2 days if you want to see everything as does Epcot. The second day at Epcot could be a late afternoon and evening after a morning at a water park.

Animal Kingdom for us is a half day however we have been enough times we know what we like. Again though it could be split days and combined with some time at Blizzard Beach which is just down the road.

I wouldn't bother with Aquatica either and shopping I would do of an afternoon after visiting a park in the morning. SeaWorld is a nice day though with lots of shows.

Hope this gives you food for thought!

 

[NikkiMouse]

Hi, Personally I wouldn't do wet n wild or aquatica when you have the disney waterparks included and free transport to them. You may find you want to visit Epcot world showcase more often, particularly on QSDP as you can have some of the nicer Counter service meals there. If you want to add on character meals breakfasts are cheaper and you'll also pay less on tips. Have fun planning.

I agree with Micksn!

Wet n wild....been once, then went to Disney water parks....Disney does it so much better!

Seaworld is on our must do lists. Hit up a few rides but fit in as many shows as possibłe.

HS needs more than a day but you could make one an evening visit to fit in Fantasmic.

 

[buttercup1982]

I might drop Aquatica and Wetnwild (my 9yr old will sob haha). The reason we are not hiring a car is that I don't drive and my inlaws have said they don't want to drive over there. My husband at first said he would do the driving but then said he would feel pressured to run his parents back and forth if they got tired or wanted to chill at the pool. He drives for a living so he said would we mind not taking a car I can see where he's coming from and I could possibly see this happening. I think we would probably get cabs to universal

 

[queendisney]

I might drop Aquatica and Wetnwild (my 9yr old will sob haha). The reason we are not hiring a car is that I don't drive and my inlaws have said they don't want to drive over there. My husband at first said he would do the driving but then said he would feel pressured to run his parents back and forth if they got tired or wanted to chill at the pool. He drives for a living so he said would we mind not taking a car I can see where he's coming from and I could possibly see this happening. I think we would probably get cabs to universal

A cab would work out cheaper then going by Mears to US and IOA because of how many of you there are. I would avoid going by Lynx bus to US/IOA as its a complete pain and takes ages. A bus to SeaWorld on the other hand is very quick and very straight forward and extremely cheap so that's worth doing. It's the no. 50 and you can pick it up from the TTC or DTD Market place side. Its only a couple of $ each way, less for OAP's and not sure of this but it maybe free for kids. It drops you right outside the parking lot of SeaWorld. Loads of others will be on it. Shopping, again very easy by bus. I actually really enjoy the bus, weird maybe, but again its because I always drive at home and its nice to just sit back and let them take the strain. We may hire a car for a day or two this time as DH wants to go to the Kermit Weeks museum and that's not easy to get to on public transport. All these times we have been and still we haven't got to this place...tbh I don't really want to go but hey give and take I suppose!!!!

 

[buttercup1982]

A cab would work out cheaper then going by Mears to US and IOA because of how many of you there are.

Do you recommend any cab firms? Do you know a rough cost? Thanks

 

[scoobydooby]

I would say you definitely need two days at MK! If your kids love the water then I agree drop Wet n Wild, but Aquatica is a good water park. Not as well themed as the Disney ones but smaller, good slides and much better beach umbrellas!

I would also drop DTD day one and just explore the resort and use the pool and get settled.

We tend to hit the malls in the afternoon with a park in the morning.

That's a heavy schedule though. I have only bought that many tickets once for a December trip as it would be cooler as so less tiring. I won't do it again we were utterly battered when we got home. Now we do Disney with Sea World/Discovery Cove/Aquatica or Disney with Universal/IOA.

Happy planning

 

[chmurf]

Do you recommend any cab firms? Do you know a rough cost? Thanks

a cab from POR to Universal is roughly $40 one way, but since there are 6 of you, there might be a surchage (minivan required) and I would expect the fare to be around $50 (so that's $100 round trip)

Regarding your planning, you use a day by day method, but in the end it will depend on when you go, and when your first day is.
Crowds can vary from day to day, and picking the wrong park on a day could turn the experience from very manageable crowds to "I wanna get outa here" crowds.

Have a look at easyWDW and choose your parks from crowds forecasts. They're not always 100% accurate but Josh has a pretty impressive record for crowds prediction.

I will just correct this :

First time to Florida with 4 adults 2 kids 64,60,33,32,10,9.

remember that, as far as tickets and restaurants go, this makes 5 adults and 1 child, not 4 adults and 2 kids

I would also add that 14 days in Florida, and doing WDW, Universal, Seaworld + waterparks is probably too much for the vast majority of guests, espcially for first timers, and even more so if you go at peak times.
I think that might be overdoing it, for both older and younger guests.

 

[MrRomance]

Just started to plan a rough itinerary and my head is baffled would love it if anyone could help. First time to Florida with 4 adults 2 kids 64,60,33,32,10,9. We are staying at the port Orleans with QSDP, even though we have this plan we want to pay for a few nice evening meals, maybe some character dining. We have the full disney tickets and are either getting the flexi ticket or the 3 park ticket,
Day 1 hotel and downtown disney (arrive at 15.30 on a Friday)
Day2 Magic Kingdom
Day 3 Typhoon lagoon
Day4 universal Studios
Day5 Hollywood studios
Day6 Blizzard beach
Day 7 shopping
Day 8 Epcot
Day 9 wet n wild
Day10 Animal kingdom
Day 11 Isle of adventure
Day 12 Aquatica or Sea world
Day 13 Magic Kingdom
Day 14 universal
Day 15 Epcot? Home at 17.10
We are not hiring a car so it will be public transport, do you think I should miss a waterpark? Also are a could of these parks doable in half a day? I did want a couple of rest days but feel like I'd miss too much The inlaws will want a couple of days sitting by the pool so we probably would only get them the 2 park universal tickets.

I think the first thing I would say is that you WILL miss stuff on your first trip and if you do manage to squeeze it all in, you'll probably need a holiday to get over it!

Not having a car is going to make travelling to all of the parks either fairly expensive (if you go the taxi route) or time consuming (if you go the public transport route). I am not an expert on the public transportation system by any stretch, but others here will be better able to comment on that.

My personal opinion is that you will need some rest days. People often underestimate how tiring the parks can be. I was told by a cast member once that on average people walk 26 miles per day in the bigger parks! With the heat, it can be really tiring, especially for kids, so I would definitely schedule in some rest days.

As PPs have said, you can scratch Wet & Wild and in my opinion Aquatica too. You won't get anything more from them than you will get at the Disney water parks and you don't have to worry about transportation for those. I would also be flexible on Day 1. You may find that you're too tired to do much of anything when you finally get to Port Orleans. You may land at 3.30pm (which in your head is going to be 8.30pm) but by the time you taxi to the gate, disembark, navigate your way through the airport, wait at immigration & customs, collect your luggage and get on the Magical Express (I'm assuming that's what you're doing with no car) and drive over to WDW, you and particularly your kids may be exhausted.

Our daughter is 9 and we go every year. Every year we go through the same thing. She is fine on the plane, but the moment we get off and we're going through MCO, the tiredness and all that excitement overload hits her. We end up dragging her through the airport with her crying and exhausted and she's asleep by the time we hit the road! Just my experience!

Both Disney Water Parks do not HAVE to be full days. In fact, if it's particularly hot, going early and getting our early or going late is usually a good idea.

Again, just my personal opinion, but I would say a day each for Universal and Islands of Adventure would be fine if you start early and have a full day.

 

[chmurf]

You may find that you're too tired to do much of anything when you finally get to Port Orleans. You may land at 3.30pm (which in your head is going to be 8.30pm) but by the time you taxi to the gate, disembark, navigate your way through the airport, wait at immigration & customs, collect your luggage and get on the Magical Express (I'm assuming that's what you're doing with no car) and drive over to WDW, you and particularly your kids may be exhausted.

This !

and that 1st evening is on a friday night.
Friday nights can be crazy busy at DTD ... I'm not sure fighting your way through a crowd with tired and cranky kids, is the best way to start a vacation ...

 

[jen_uk]

Like others have said I would drop the other waterparks and just do the Disney ones, the theming is so much better As its your first time and you are staying onsite at Disney I would make the most of that and spend more time in the Disney parks, you could easily spend 2 days at each park. If you try to cram all of the parks in you may get burnt out. Don't worry about the transport in Disney as the park busses are great I wouldn't try to stay at a park from dawn till dusk as it will be a bit much, the great thing about staying onsite is that you can go back to the hotel half-way through the day for a swim/nap and then go to a park in the eve to see the fireworks and parades.

 

[Sundancer UK]

Personally I would have more time at the main parks, there really is so much to see. We managed without rest days by making sure we went back for a nap/break in the afternoon.

I've got a trip in may and was working out our meal costs today. I'd suggest that if you are planning a few full service meals, do as I did and work out how much they would all cost, compared with how much it would cost to upgrade to the full dining plan. We were only thinking of two meals, and that was already almost half the cost of how much it is to upgrade for us!

 

[queendisney]

My personal opinion is that you will need some rest days. People often underestimate how tiring the parks can be. I was told by a cast member once that on average people walk 26 miles per day in the bigger parks! With the heat, it can be really tiring, especially for kids, so I would definitely schedule in some rest days.

So true..I think we def do the 26 miles. Rest days are a must or at the very least go in the park for rope drop and then come out again in the afternoon.


Our daughter is 9 and we go every year. Every year we go through the same thing. She is fine on the plane, but the moment we get off and we're going through MCO, the tiredness and all that excitement overload hits her. We end up dragging her through the airport with her crying and exhausted and she's asleep by the time we hit the road! Just my experience!

our nephews slept on the way over so weren't too bad but all the same it is very tiring. We managed to go to DTD for a couple of hours but that really was it..they and us were like the walking dead by the time we got back to our rooms

Both Disney Water Parks do not HAVE to be full days. In fact, if it's particularly hot, going early and getting our early or going late is usually a good idea.

As it is manic on a Friday at DTD and if you do have a bit of energy left, maybe go and see the fireworks from the Poly Beach, or just go and have a swim in one of the quiet pools at POR..and then grab something to eat in the food court.

 

[Elise79]

I might drop Aquatica and Wetnwild (my 9yr old will sob haha). The reason we are not hiring a car is that I don't drive and my inlaws have said they don't want to drive over there. My husband at first said he would do the driving but then said he would feel pressured to run his parents back and forth if they got tired or wanted to chill at the pool. He drives for a living so he said would we mind not taking a car I can see where he's coming from and I could possibly see this happening. I think we would probably get cabs to universal

In that case it might be worth considering a car in the middle for a few days and do all your offsite stuff then - it will be cheaper and easier.

You can pick a car up from the car care centre at Disney and they will send a shuttle to collect you from POR.

 

[Shazzie B]

Your DS will be so pleased with Typhoon Lagoon & Blizzard Beach he won't miss the other two, so as everyone else has said- don't waste your time & money. we love Aquatica, but not that much we'd get taxi if no car. waterparks are our rest days, we visit a park everyday, but know to leave when we've had enough.

We are staying on site this year so just doing Disney park, can understand you wanting to do Universal parks though, kids will love Harry Potter area. Hire car as Elsie79 has suggested is probably best option. The 'seniors' will be able to leave parks earlier than you really easy at Disney, and the Universal parks don't have to be full days if you start early(park opening) you'll probably be done by 3-4pm anyway.

Have a great time, enjoy the planning but be prepared for 'adjustments'