Need Help Planning-- US/Cruise/Possible MVMCP Trip

[ekatiel]

We booked a Thanksgiving cruise on Allure of the Seas. We got an awesome deal when Royal Caribbean had their kids sail free promotion . It will be me, dh, our two boys ages 8 and 10, and my parents (late sixties and early seventies). The cruise runs Sunday-Sunday. My kids have the entire Thanksgiving week off school, and I am not opposed to pulling them from school for 3-4 additional days. We are planning on driving from Houston. DH and ODS get pretty bad motion sickness, so big coasters really aren't our thing. We are all big Harry Potter fans, though, so our main purpose for visiting Universal is to see WWOHP. Here's what I'm thinking so far:

Wed 11/19: Kids go to school, leave after school and drive 6-8 hours.
Thurs. 11/20: Arrive in Orlando mid afternoon-- Possibly MVMCP, although we'll be dead tired the next day!!
Fri. 11/21: Universal-- we will definitely stay onsite (probably at Royal Pacific) this night, so we'd have early entry to WWOHP-- Will we be too tired if we attended MVMCP the night before?!
Sat. 11/22: Universal (not sure whether to continue on site stay for ease of travel or move off site for cost)
Sun. 11/23-Sun 11/30 Cruise, begin driving back on Sun 11/30
Mon. 11/31: Continue drive home, arrive mid-afternoon

I'd love to squeeze in MVMCP, b/c I have a hard time going to Orlando and not setting foot in MK. Is there another night we could do it? Maybe Sunday 11/30, and then not getting home until Tuesday? Or should I just drop it? Also, is 2 days enough if we're not big coaster people, and what do evenings at the parks look like? Thanks for any input!

 

[Lynne G]

Many people say the Halloween party is better than the Christmas one, if you want a good comparison, check out Easywdw's website. It is a great resource.

I think 2 days is the right amount for your family. You will be spoiled with the hotel express pass. It will be more crowded than maybe normal, as the new Diagon Alley will be open by this summer. As you are Potter fans, make sure you buy park to park tickets so you can ride the new train from and to the two Potter areas. There's a lot to do even if you are not a coaster fan. The animal and horror make up shows are great to see. The parade is fun to see too.

Have a great trip!