Need some itinerary help please! 12/17-12/24

[TheCoopers]

I have 6 full days in Orlando and I have 6 things planned....

1 day at MK
1 day at EPCOT
1 day at AK
1 day at MGM
1 day at Sea World
1 day in the Cocoa Beach area

Here's what I think I should do and my reasoning why I should so. I want you all to tell me if I'm thinking the wrong way! I need some DISer expertise since I am brand new to planning a Disney World trip!

Sunday, 12/17: Arrive 9:30pm. Too late to do anything. Head to the condo and get a good night of sleep.

Monday, 12/18: Spend the day at EPCOT. I chose EPCOT this day because AK and MGM have EMH and I was advised by a self-proclaimed Disney fanatic to avoid parks on days they have EMH because they tend to be busier. Is there truth to this?

Tuesday, 12/19: Spend the day at SeaWorld. I go on a lot of cruises...I know from past experience that after the 1st day of major walking I do on a vacation, I need a day to recover and after that I'm fine the rest of the time. With all of the sitting at shows at SeaWorld, I think it would be a good "recovery" day.

Wednesday, 12/20: Spend the day at MK. It is the only day of the week we are there that they will be open until 11pm and I would like to maximize my time there, since lines will be long since it's so close to the holiday and I'm sure I'll waste a lot of time standing in them.

Thursday, 12/21 and Friday, 12/22: Spend one day each at MGM and AK. These days are interchangeable to me. Is one day better than the other to do either park? I know lines will be long and the park will be crowded due to the proximity of the holiday.

Saturday, 12/23: Head out to Cocoa Beach and try to recover from all of the blisters that formed on my feet in the previous five days. My best guess is that traffic heading out that way could get pretty bad. Does anyone know if one time of day is better than another to head out that way?

Sunday, 12/24: No plans at all until we head to the airport around 1. Not touching Disney or any major attraction with a 10-foot pole on this day. Other suggestions for what to do with the 5 or so hours we have to kill before heading to the airport would be appreciated.

How does this itinerary sound? Is there a more efficient way I could rearrange things? I am trying to get the most out of this trip that I can (without killing myself to do so) because I've never been before and really don't know when I'm going to get the opportunity to go back. As grateful as I am to be able to take this trip, I wish the timing could have been better (as in, I could have avoided the holiday crowds, but it just didn't work out that way!).

 

[christophfam]

Who will be traveling with you? Any children? It would help to know.

 

[TheCoopers]

It's just my husband and I. We're in our mid-20s. We're pretty laid back and easy to please people

Actually, I just reread my first post and I had a whole paragraph written out with some background info before the first sentence that you see. I guess the message board monster ate it!

 

[MomofCKJ]

Do you have any ADRs made? If so I would try and do the park near wherever you made them for that day (for example if you have an ADR at Ohana that day would be good to do MK since you are close by).

Allyson

 

[TheCoopers]

Do you have any ADRs made? If so I would try and do the park near wherever you made them for that day (for example if you have an ADR at Ohana that day would be good to do MK since you are close by).

Allyson

Nope - our schedule is free and clear and we're going to play things by ear. The only place we were really interested in eating at was V&A, but since this is a last minute vacation, they did not have early seating availability when I tried to make a reservation.
That's a good tip, I hadn't thought about that, so if we do get an ADR in somewhere, I will try to coordinate it so that it fits in with the area we'll be visiting on that particular day.

 

[TheCoopers]

Anyone?? Bueller?

 

[Becky_Boop]

Nope - our schedule is free and clear and we're going to play things by ear. The only place we were really interested in eating at was V&A, but since this is a last minute vacation, they did not have early seating availability when I tried to make a reservation.
That's a good tip, I hadn't thought about that, so if we do get an ADR in somewhere, I will try to coordinate it so that it fits in with the area we'll be visiting on that particular day.

No ADR's? Unless you plan on eating CS for most of your trip, you might want to get on the phone now and see if you can make a few ADR's, just for some dinners.

 

[TheCoopers]

No ADR's? Unless you plan on eating CS for most of your trip, you might want to get on the phone now and see if you can make a few ADR's, just for some dinners.

There is a reason we don't have any ADR's. It's complicated, and I don't really want to get into it. We might do one nice dinner out one night, but I'm actually looking more at a non-Disney restaurant for that dinner. I'm not so much concerned about the food portion of our itinerary as I am trying to figure out if it logistically makes sense. We have the food part figured out, except for the one meal that we're still not sure about.