Need help from Itinerary Planners . . . .

[donna in Oz]

OK, I've revised my itinerary so many times my head's spinning. We are a group of five adults; will be at WDW 17-25 October. We're using 7-Day Hoppers and have tickets for MNSSHP on Oct 19th. And we're staying off-site.

We want to take in two days at MK, two at EPCOT, one at MGM, one at AK, and one day to "pick up the pieces". In addition, we want one evening at the AC, and one at JellyRolls. Fit into that schedule one 4:30 session of DiveQuest. We prefer not to park-hop during the day, except perhaps back to the MK for Spectro. Prefer not to use park admission on the day of MNSSHP, Oct 19th.

Would prefer our mornings to start a little later after a night at MNSSHP, JellyRolls or the AC.

I have a tentative itinerary sketched out, but my mind's a blur . . . how would you experts plan this??

 

[susy]

I think that you will be able to see all you want as far as the parks go with 2 days each at Mk and Epcot and 1 at AK and MGM. You may want to sav your 7th day for another trip if all goes well and you don't need it this time.

First of all , if you are offsite you will want to completely avoid EE days , which are Mon and Fri- AK, Wed- Epcot, Sat and Tues- MGM, Thurs and sun- MK. People have reported having a lot of success using the "day after " strategy. Park hopping may be necessary to see Spectromagic and it's well worth it. For example, you don't want to be at MK on Sat, but you may want to see Spectro on Sat night. Actaully, this would be a GREAT day to do AK. You could stay all day at AK, even go back to your hotel to rest and freshen up and head over to the MK for Spectro. You wouldn't waste any park time, since AK was your only park that day. You will still have two additional days at MK. It's also using the day after strategy for AK.
You will also need a down day in the middle of the trip where you can relax.

For Mk, you can split things up so you aren't exhausted. For example, on one of the days arrive 30 min-1 hr before opening and hit all the major attractions first. Have a nice lunch (Crystal Place is yummy and fun) and enjoy more relaxed touring until the parade. Wait until the major after parade" crowds leave and then leave whe you are ready. On your other MK day, sleep in arrive a little later. Tour until closing. If the park closes early you shouldnt' have any crowds and get to do all you want. Make a special trip to see Spectro and fireworks on Sat night after AK . I will PM you my AK strategy. Do the same with Epcot. Arrive early one day and do FW- leave when tired. Sleep in your other Epcot day and concentrate on WS. Stay until closing. Illuminations is great! Your MGM day will be long, but make a PS for lunch and for dinner (maybe do the Fantasmic dinner package) . There are a lot of shows, so it's a little more slow-paced. Don't miss the parade!

Since it's all adults I would go at a lesiurely pace (it is the off-season), enjoy more sit-down resturants and try to remember:it's a vacation!!! Throw out the "I need to get my money's worth" mentality out the window.You ALL have to do this prior to leaving home. It's Disney. You will never get your money's worth. We always have a few rules we go over when we leave on vacation: no arguing, no complaining. About ANYTHING! Have fun! I can't wait to see your itinerary.

 

[Micca]

Great advice from Susy. I don't think you'll need two days at MK, unless you want to ride everything, and watch all the parades, castle shows, etc. I would think one MK day along with your MNSSHP will suffice. Epcot can certainly take two days, but again, it depends on how long you wish to linger in World Showcase. Unless you just happen to hit a busy time(which typically yours isn't), Epcot is probably a 1.5 day experience. You have a nice stretch of time to spend at WDW. I think you can do a LOT without stressing over it. Have fun

 

[donna in Oz]

Thanks!! Here's what I've sketched out so far -- any comments/advice welcome! One of our party may be in a wheelchair, so I've allowed more time than usual (I think) :

Thursday, 16 Oct: Arrival day. PS at Ohana around 6:30 or so; monorail ride to Epcot & back. View EWP from the Poly Beach.

Friday, 17 Oct: Day at MK. See Spectro, if scheduled. PS for Chef Mickey's after park closing.

Saturday, 18 Oct: Park at MK; monorail to Epcot. Tour Future World. Hop back to MK for Spectro (if not seen Friday night). PS for lunch at Garden Grill?

Sunday, 19 Oct: Leisure morning; PS for 11:30 lunch at the Whispering Canyon. Take time to see Wilderness Lodge; then rent water mice from marina. Leisure afternoon swimming, etc., then PS at the Liberty Tree at 6:05; then MNSSHP.

Monday, 20 Oct: Day at Epcot-World Showcase. DiveQuest at 4:30. See Illuminations.

Tuesday, 21 October: My Birthday!! Day at Animal Kingdom. PS at Boma's for dinner. Evening at the Adventurer's Club.

Wed., 22 Oct: Leisure day -- may visit Blizzard Beach or Downtown Disney. Cirque de Soleil at 6:00.

Thursday, 23 Oct: Day at Studios. PS for lunch at 50's Prime Time. Stay for Fantasmic.

Friday, 24 Oct: Final day at the MK. Lunch at the Crystal Palace or the Plaza. Leave early to freshen up for an evening at JellyRolls.

Saturday, 25 Oct: Last day in the parks; will plan to see missed attractions or revisit others. Free evening for swimming, packing, shopping, or whatever.

Sunday, 26 October: Depart mid-morning.

Well, if you're still with me after reading all that, here's my concerns about this:

Being at Epcot on October 18th puts us there on opening day of the Food & Wine Festival. I really don't want to do that, but I can't seem to avoid it.

My other main concern is on Oct 20th. We plan to see the World Showcase that day, but it doesn't open until 11:00. At 3:45 or so, two members of our party will need to head back to the Living Seas to DiveQuest; they won't rejoin us until 7:30 or so, most likely. By that time, we won't have much time together as a group before staking out our spot for Illuminations. So, we'll really only have about 5 hours or so together to see W.S.

As I mentioned in my first post, we're off-site, all adults and want to avoid EE days. How does this sound??

 

[susy]

I don't think you will have problems on the opening day of F&W festival. You really want to tour FW on that day, so you'll be fine. Stick with FW.

On the 20th, be at WS at 11am sharp at mexico. do teh rides in Mexico and Norway. I think you should have ample time between 11 adn 3:45 to do the WS. Teh freiends can always go ahead and doeh divequest. The rest of you can go back and do whatever you want in Epcot. Pick a place to meet up at 7:30 (are you bringing two-way radios or cell phones?) You won't need to pick a place that early to see Illuminations. Your plan sounds good. Where are you staying? Why not onsite?

 

[donna in Oz]

susy,

We are renting a vacation home with 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, our own private pool and jacuzzi. We've stayed there before and absolutely loved it.

It's so nice to have a place to swim, without having the noise & commotion of kids. Don't get me wrong; I like children. But at the end of a long day, the peace & quiet of lounging in a pool or jacuzzi with no one but us is wonderful. (And having your own washer/dryer just outside your bedroom door is a plus, too !!)

And on top of that, it costs us less than any of the moderate resorts. Driving time to WDW is about 3 minutes (or less).