Mid September with a 3 year old. Touring plan or just wing it?

[TeamEvansGo]

We will be going for 6 days in September 2015. (2 days Mk, 2 EP, 1 AK, 1 DHS) It will just be my wife, my 3 year old son and myself. Is it worth it to try and follow a touring plan? We aren't really interested in riding that many rides he won't be able to, so that takes out a lot of the headliner attractions. I also know that September is still the slower part of the year.

So what do you think, should we try to follow a touring plan, or just wing it and make sure to really utilize our FP+ options?

 

[NileNellie]

I would wing it. The crowds shouldn't be too bad and you're there for long enough that you don't have to cram it all in.

I will be there in late September with my husband and (almost) 3 year old as well.

Have fun!

 

[TeamEvansGo]

I would wing it. The crowds shouldn't be too bad and you're there for long enough that you don't have to cram it all in.

I will be there in late September with my husband and (almost) 3 year old as well.

Have fun!

Thanks, that's what I was thinking! I'm a huge planner, but I understand that you shouldn't over-plan (especially with a toddler!) and after reading the 2015 Unofficial Guide, it started to seem like a touring plan for that amount of time we have might be overkill.

 

[DopeyDame]

I would have a general idea of what you want to do and what are your "must-dos" and obviously your FP+ times will give you a sort-of-touring plan. But I wouldnt' at all use a full-up touring plan with a 3 year old. That's just setting yourself up for failure.

 

[Alesia]

How much do you love playing the "What do you want to do?" "I don't know, what do you want to do?" game?

I hate that game so we always have a plan. We deviate from it when we need to (or want to,) but the plan is always there. It's just so much easier that way.

 

[minnie mum]

How much do you love playing the "What do you want to do?" "I don't know, what do you want to do?" game?

I hate that game so we always have a plan. We deviate from it when we need to (or want to,) but the plan is always there. It's just so much easier that way.

I agree with this. We always have a touring plan no matter how crowded or quiet the parks are. We tend to follow them fairly closely in the morning to get the more popular rides out of the way before the crowds increase.Then we loosen up for the rest of the day. We see what we really want to see, but we allow for flexibility. Fastest way to ruin a trip is to equate a touring plan with a battle plan that MUST be followed to the letter and to the minute. Use the plan as a guideline.

 

[chicagoshannon]

You should have a bit of a plan but be prepared to ditch it. I would definitely plan on taking a break mid day.

 

[SmallWorld71]

One thing to keep in mind with a month like Sept. is that the crowds fluctuate immensely due to the special events that are held that month. Because so many people plan their days around MNSSHP and Food & Wine (and the fact that things like the Electrical Parade are not offered every night) you will find that if you choose unwisely, the park you are in may feel crowded indeed. Even if it's a "slow" time of year, if everyone is all flocking to the same place as you it can make a big difference.

As far as a touring plan, I don't think you need to follow a strict plan. But, you do need to know what lines build up quickly and where to go first. For example, maybe Peter Pan won't have a 90 minute wait, but it will likely have a 45-60 minute wait. Crowded and long lines are relative terms and there are plenty of things that young children love where the line build up quickly. (Kilamanjaro Safaris is another one that comes to mind).

IME - no matter what the crowd prediction is, it is best to know what you want to accomplish in the first 2-3 hours of your day. You can always abandon your plan.