kinda new and think this has been asked

[manda'smom]

hi we are going june 20-26 will the crowds kind of lighten up that week because the next week is going into july 4th. just getting the 5 day hopper pass not into water parks and don't think we'll have time. going with dd she's 7, dm, and df my dh couldn't get off work. what would be the best day to do mk like to do it first then again on friday but if dd decides that she wants to see it more we'll skip another park unless there is one that can be seen fairly early and we can go back for a nap or swim and do mk at night and see the fireworks. staying at fort wilderness. any suggestions on an iternary or things we should do will be appreciated. been over 10 years since dm and i went. thanks again sorry so long

 

[Disney Fool]

Hi, there. A lot has changed in 10 years, so be savvy as to what you will see. Get yourself a good guidebook and read up on what's there. Since you're staying on Disney property, you'll have access to EE (Early Entry days) and take advantage of them!
The early entry days for the Magic Kingdom are Sunday and Thursday, I believe. Since your daughter is 7, you'll probably want to spend a lot of time there. Schedule a character meal and schedule time to take in the parades and fireworks. Also, don't miss Fantasmic at MGM. By the way, the buses for Fort Wildersness have several stops to make in the loop before it leaves the area for the parks. Make sure you've scheduled in enough time to get from point A to point B, so that you're not rushing around. Also, realize that you won't be able to do it all--no problem there,--just plan for your next trip!

 

[manda'smom]

thank you for your reply anyother suggetions will be appreciated i'm taking notes

 

[WilliamsMom]

We just took our DS8 in February. We followed the Unofficial Guide's Magic Kingdom 2 day plan and it worked out great. (We bought the 5 day hopper pass) My husband was skeptical about following a specific plan but by the 2nd day of our vacation he was fully supportive of the Unofficial Guide. I made copies of the mini plans in the back of the book and it really worked. Having 2 days for MK is a great way to do the "must sees" as well as on day 2 riding the favorites for the second time. Besides Fantasyland is so quickly mobbed that you don't want to use the strategy of just walking around and riding a ride as you come to it or you'll be standing in long lines. I think starting with a non Magic Kingdom park is the way to go. MK was our son's favorite but by going to Epcot then MK then Animal Kingdom then MK and finally MGM it worked out well. MK sets children's expectations high so I resisted going to that park first although it was tough to restrain myself!!! Must sees are definately: Fantasmic/MGM, Wishes/MK, and Festival of the Lion King in Animal Kingdom. Also pack water bottles/juice, snacks, and rain ponchos. Have a great trip!!!!

 

[WilliamsMom]

Taking a break and leaving the park around 3pm is a great way to go. We did this each day except at Animal Kingdom and it worked out perfectly!

 

[manda'smom]

does it work out better to go to a park, rest then go back to the same park for fireworks or go to any park, rest then a different one for the fireworks or other show? did that make since? also know we want to do hoop dee doo revue would it be better to do on say a day after mgm or ak? what about a breakfast at chief mickey's what park and day, time would you suggest?
thanks terrie

 

[Beca]

hoop dee doo is HARD to get reservations for. If you do not already have them...make that a first priority. If you are lucky enough to snag reservations, then schedule your trip around that.

Good luck!!!!!

Beca

 

[my3princes]

If you're staying at FW make sure to use the ferry to get to MK or Chef Mickey's it saves a lot of time and my family looks at it as another attraction.

 

[HaleyB]

Animal Kingdom closes pretty early, so you could hop to another park if you have the energy afterwards.
Chef Mickeys is not inside a park, so it is a great choice for a rest/ no parks day. We like to do it on our departure day if time allows.
If you don't already have it, you need The Unofficial Guide to WDW. It is the best WDW book around and has tons of information about all things Disney.

 

[wld]

We went this week two years ago. My best advice is don't plan to nap around 3pm. Based on our week this is when the rain starts, it cools way down and everyone leaves the park. Just put your rain poncho on and there will be low lines anywhere you choose to go. Also my almost 18 year old confessed a couple of weeks ago that when she was little (she started going at 8) that MGM was her least favorite park. Might help in your time planning. Normally if we do leave a park we don't generally go back to that same one. I agree a good planning book is nice. Our first few times we used Birnbaums as it is short and uncomplicated. They make a kids version too. The unoffical guide has lots of info, but we have never used the touring plans.

 

[WilliamsMom]

It depends on how you look at the strategy of leaving at 3pm. If you have older kids with stamina, I agree stay because around 3pm the crowds do thin. But for my son who was 8 years old when it hit 3pm, he was ready for a pool break. Even if he was still going strong I think it's better to leave the park before you have an exhausted child. Plus if you get to the park at the opening you have spent a good 6 hours touring.

On our second day at MK my husband had the strategy that since we were planning to see Wishes and Spectromagic in the evening that we should make it a MEGA day and just stay in the park from open to close. At the start of the day it made sense but by 3pm my son said he wanted to go back to the pool. I was ready for a break myself, so we left. It worked out perfectly because we came back refreshed, found a great seat for the evening events and really enjoyed them. The only thing we didn't get to do was ride Buzz Lightyear a second time but we explained it to our son and he was fine with it. It's good to realize your families limits and the fact that you can't see everything!

 

[manda'smom]

thanks for all the info. thinking we will try early morning ,rest, then an evening at the park or shopping not going to set it in stone though never can tell how dd will take to things one minute she likes something and the next she doesn't wouldn't suprise me if all she wanted to do was stay at the pool. trying to get her excited. now to figure out what days to do what wish i had 2 weeks. but will make the most of the time we do have and enjoy what we see. i know i want to goto mk first but if monday is a bad day we'll do it second or in the evening after maybe ak or mgm and then again on friday.. does this seem ok or does someone have a suggestion that might work out better?

 

[WilliamsMom]

Our first day in the parks was a Monday and I really couldn't decide until almost the last moment which park to do on Monday since that is a busy day for MK. I went over the pros and cons with my hubby and he said it sounded like it was to our advantage to do another park first. I chose Epcot and then MK on Tuesday, AK on Wed, MK on Thurs and MGM on Friday. We did 3 evening events during the week and also made a trip to the lego store in Downtown Disney which was fun. I avoided early entry days since we were staying off site and our plan really worked out well. The Unofficial guide was a real treasure in planning. Of course my son wanted to do the pool sometimes more than Disney and it wasn't even one of those fancy pools. I'm sure you will have a wonderful trip! My son loved the Rainforest Cafe so perhaps your daughter might too. We went to the one at AK and he announced it was the coolest place he'd ever been! That made my day.

 

[manda'smom]

williamsmom: did you need a reservation for the rainforest cafe my cousin and her family went in nov she loved it also thought it might be a good place for lunch that day. dd is a picky eater must have chicken nuggets or tenders was this a problem for you. thanks for all of your suggestions making it a lot easier to plan.

any more suggestions keep them coming
thanks terrie

 

[mickeyfan0705]

I booked a Priority Seating for Rainforest Cafe in Animal Kingdom. I hear it is a good idea, otherwise the waits are long.

I do not think Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney offers PS, but I may be wrong

 

[WilliamsMom]

Luckily my son is not a picky eater. I can't remember what he had but he liked it. They also have some very cool & delicious smoothy drinks for kids or adults and I had the turkey (or was it chicken?) wrap and that was surprisingly good. We also got a sampler appetizer which was yummy. The most fun part of the menu is a dessert called "volcano." It's a huge brownie icecream concoction with a silver fancy thingy stuck in it! The servers come out and yell VOLCANO!!!! There was enough for all three of us and I'm not the type to willingly share my dessert! But of course the atmosphere i.e. animals and the aquarium were what my son thought were the coolest. My hubby thought the decor was a tad chaotic but we all thought it was fun for a vacation!

Here was my strategy on making priority seating for the Rainforest Cafe. I made a noon and a 5pm priority seating. I couldn't decide which meal we would want to eat there. We ended up eating lunch and then coming back at 5pm to have the volcano. We saw the 4pm (last showing) of the Festival of the Lion king and made it back to the Rainforest Cafe by 5:15. The Festival of the Lion King is a must see!!!! Seeing the last show was a perfect way to close the park and then the volcano was icing on the cake. he,he

If you do want to see the 4pm show position yourself at the END of the parade route and you can see both. If you don't view the parade at the end of the parade route you will be stuck in the crowds and it won't be easy to get to the Festival of the LK which filled up quickly when we were there.

I would skip the Tarzan show. My son wanted to see the show based on the preview we saw on the travel channel but it wasn't what we expected. We thought it would be a lot of cool skateboarding and stunt tricks but that was only a small part of it and the music was loud and rock & rollish. None of us liked it and wanted to leave but we stayed until the end which took up a lot of time because this park closes around 5pm. We also were really looking forward to the Dinosaur ride but it wasn't what we were expecting either. My son is quite brave and rode all the big coasters but Dinosaur was pitch dark and he closed his eyes the whole time. Plus the ride is very jerky. But other than that I really enjoyed AK. The tree of life and the Bugs show were incredible. I have a lot of my notes/strategies in MS Word that you are welcome to have. It isn't fancy but it was helpful. A lot of it was tips I had read on this website. Just email me and I will send it to you.

 

[manda'smom]

williams'smom : hey would really like to see notes my computer has been acting funny not sure if i have a virus or not even though ive done virus scan if i email you will it infect your computer or anybody elses don't want to take the chance of messing up someones computer. thanks terrie
to all those replying you are the greatest thanks

 

[WilliamsMom]

Oh those nasty viruses! There are so many going around these days. I can send the info via snail mail if you want to share your address.

 

[manda'smom]

williamsmom i pm you with address hope you got it
if anyboby has anymore suggestions i will be happy to hear from you it's been over 10 years since i've been and want to make it a special trip with dd we never have time to do anything really really special together something for a whole week with no worries. thanks

 

[WilliamsMom]

Terrie,

I'll send you a nice envelope of "stuff" next week!

TGIF!