Need help - making major changes to our plans

[smelton521]

Hi everyone! I am starting to feel over-scheduled for our 1st trip to WDW in May. Seeing as how I will be 18 weeks pregnant and I have no idea how our kids (ages 5 and 4) are going to respond to full days and late nights, I am thinking of making some major changes to my original plans. I could really use some advice because of course i want to do ALL of the things in my original plan but I just don't think it's reasonable anymore. But at the same time I don't want to cut out too much! I have not canceled any ADRs yet - I wanted to get some opinions first. So here are the original plans:

Day #1: arrive late morning, MK, PL @ 3pm, Chef Mickey's @ 7pm, Pirates and Pals Fireworks Cruise 8:30pm
Day #2: This day is a mess thanks to the addition of Star Wars meals. I currently have 3 ADRs but I think I am going to cancel 2. HS at rope drop, sign up DS for JTA. Originally I had only had H&V lunch at 12:40 since DD LOVES Sofia, but now I ALSO have Sci-Fi Star Wars Bfast @ 9:20am and the Star Wars dinner @ H&V at 7pm. I think I'm going to wait to hear some reviews of the SW meals and then decide which to cancel. Also most likely going to cancel H&V lunch and just do Sofia M&G.
Day#3: 8am EMH @ AK, 10:30am Tusker House breakfast
Day #4: MK - 8am BBB, 1pm CRT
Day #5: Epcot 8:15am Akershus breakfast, do Epcot until after lunch then go to a water park
Day #6: Perfectly Princess Tea Party for DD and me, then to MK for our last day. 4pm BOG dinner.

So in looking at this schedule I am worried that i have too many early mornings. Plus looking at EasyWDW crowd predictor I'm thinking of switching my AK and Epcot days. Not to mention that I am going WAY over on our DDP credits and already spending extra money at PL, BBB, Fireworks Cruise, Tea Party. So here is what I'm thinking for a revised schedule:

Day #1: Keep it the same - arrive late morning, MK, PL @ 3pm, Chef Mickey's @ 7pm, Pirates and Pals Fireworks Cruise 8:30pm
Day #2: HS at rope drop to sign DS up for JTA, 1 ADR Star Wars meal
Day #3: Water park at opening 10am, Epcot in late afternoon/evening. No ADRs, just eat Flower and Garden food/QS
Day #4: Keep it the same - MK - 8am BBB, 1pm CRT
Day #5: AK with Tusker House bfast or lunch, DTD that evening if we feel like it.
Day #6: Perfectly Princess Tea Party, MK for our last day with late lunch FP for BOG

I am sad to drop the Akershus reservation because I've heard such great things, but we are doing CRT and the Tea Party and if we are only go to be at Epcot in the late afternoon/evening I don't want to take up 1.5 hours eating. Same with dropping BOG - I hate to miss dinner there but it's our last day and we won't be getting to MK until after 12pm so I hate to take up time eating. Plus removing both meals puts us at only going over by 1 TS credit.

Thoughts?

 

[tigerbelly]

I'm sure that more experienced folks could weigh in on your plans but I am wondering if you are not taking on too much your first day. Are you flying or driving? And what time does your flight arrive? You may be underestimating the time it takes to get from airport to resort, and then from resort to park. Also- I have not done Pirates and Pals so I don't know where it takes off from, but your Chef Mickey ADR might make the timing too close.

The other thing that may trip you up is JTA. The time that you come back to participate could interfere with an ADR. Depending on which one you keep. And what are your dates if I may ask?

 

[Itinkso]

I like your revised schedule better.

JTA will schedule in around your ADRs and Fp+ but get there as early as possible to sign up... get to the park at least 45 minutes before opening.

The H&V Star Wars dinner meal will be better for your kids as it's Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and the Chipmunks in Star Wars garb. Not as scary as the Dark Side at SciFi... plus, $48 for breakfast is a little much.

 

[TX Southern Belle]

Make sure to keep your MUST dos & that y'all don't spend to much time at reservations & not the park. Y'all will have a lot of fun, but don't cancel anything that you might regret later because you can cancel up to 1 day prior to the reservation for most stuff.

 

[tigerbelly]

Also one more thing.....I would say keep the BOG ressie. Fastpasses for BOG lunch seem to be fazing out. And you don't get to meet beast for lunch. I have a ressie and can't seem to find much on the menu that appeals to me but I plan on going for a salad and a couple desserts (the dessert are the best part of the place IMO) and if you did it that way you could pay OOP and then pick up some food somewhere else later if you are hungry.

 

[smelton521]

I'm sure that more experienced folks could weigh in on your plans but I am wondering if you are not taking on too much your first day. Are you flying or driving? And what time does your flight arrive? You may be underestimating the time it takes to get from airport to resort, and then from resort to park. Also- I have not done Pirates and Pals so I don't know where it takes off from, but your Chef Mickey ADR might make the timing too close.

The other thing that may trip you up is JTA. The time that you come back to participate could interfere with an ADR. Depending on which one you keep. And what are your dates if I may ask?

We are driving. We leave after my son's preschool graduation Thursday May 8 - the drive time is around 10+ hours - so we will split it up and stay somewhere 3/4 of the way Thursday night, then drive to Jacksonville Friday to see some close friends and stay there Friday night. Then we will be driving to WDW from Jacksonville on Saturday morning. The Pirates and Pals Fireworks Cruise takes place at the Contemporary which is where Chef Mickey's is.

So we check in on Saturday May 10 and our last day is Thurs May 15. Then drive to Naples to visit my grandmother. So we will be driving through about 3/4 of the state of Florida! We are crazy!

I am pretty positive I'm going to cancel the lunch ADR because of the uncertainty of JTA and because if we do breakfast we won't be hungry anyway.

 

[tigerbelly]

Ok wow! That is a very ambitious trip! Especially pregnant But it will also be a whole lot of fun. You won't have Star Wars weekends to contend with so it should be pretty doable especially at HS.

I still think that the Chef Mickey ADR will be a tight squeeze for time, because in our experience we didn't get seated right away or see our server right away. The characters may take their time coming around. But that is only a worst case scenario. You'll definitely get to eat at your own pace since it is a buffet.

 

[laughinplace199]

Your first day seems too full and I think you're cutting it too close for the cruise at 8:30 with a 7:00 ADR. We've never been seated on time at CM, and dinner lasts at least an hour. Even if you do make it, that's going to be a late night followed by an early morning. I'd be afraid of everyone being burnt out and exhausted by Day 2.

Are your hearts set on a waterpark? With kids that little, I'd skip the water park and spend more time in Epcot.

Could you do the cruise the night you're considering DTD? DTD is just shops and restaurants, never a must-do for us, but YMMV.

 

[Tanooki]

Having done both (but not on the same night!) I would NOT do Chef Mickey and the Pirates and Pals cruise back-to-back. You will feel rushed and you are going to be too full from diner to enjoy the snacks before the cruise. I would drop the Chef Mickey and do a light meal at a CS in the end of the afternoon. There is so much food at the P&P pre-cruise that you can fill up real good and the cruise will make for a really nice and special end of your first day