Newbie plan suggestion

[maxneo]

Visting 1st time WDW Apr 22-26, flight lands at 10.45AM on 22nd.Need your suggestions on park plan. DH and I decided to skip AK park since DD has seen and gone zoos and safaris a lot.
So on Apr 22nd we have about 1/2 day - is it worth to go to DHS? DH thinks may be just do EP or MK just to get a feel and then do 23 & 25 - MK and 24 & 26 EPCOT.. what you guys think.....? DH do not want to run around the park rushing things....also since we stay at POR Riverside and rented a car ... is there any good suggestion to commute to parks....

Driving to miami on 26th and then to key west.

 

[pitpat]

1/2 day would be fine for HS. 2 days at MK and Epcot are good ideas.

Use resort buses for the parks.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

How old is DD? Do you have park hoppers? Personally I would not skip any of the parks. AK is nothing like a zoo, it has so much to offer. I would for sure do 2 days at MK and 1 day at Epcot. The 4th day you could either do DHS or AK and then use the 1/2 day for the other park.

From POR you can either take the bus or drive to the parks. MK is kind of a pain to drive to, but the others are very easy.

 

[maxneo]

How old is DD? Do you have park hoppers? Personally I would not skip any of the parks. AK is nothing like a zoo, it has so much to offer. I would for sure do 2 days at MK and 1 day at Epcot. The 4th day you could either do DHS or AK and then use the 1/2 day for the other park.

From POR you can either take the bus or drive to the parks. MK is kind of a pain to drive to, but the others are very easy.

DD is five years old and no park hoppers since we have dinner reservations we might leave MK on 23rd early (like 7AM) so might miss fireworks but planning to catch up on 25th... not sure how DD will hold walking day long (not sure about myself )

 

[dkrauss]

IMHO many folks discount AK as just another zoo or safari. I don't think that does the park justice.......even before Pandora opens. There's so much other than the safari if you look into it. Both Jungle treks are much more than zoo's in my opinion. The gorillas are just amazing! Flights of Wonder is a great show where you get an up close view and can even participate in the show......I did The Lion King show is just so Disney........made me cry. Finding Nemo show is cute too. Depending on the age of your daughter there's Expedition Everest (the best coaster at WDW....for me ). Dinosaur is a fun escape back in time.......with thrills and chills. AK also has one of the best character meals at Tusker House (we prefer breakfast) where you can meet most of the Fab 5. One of my favorite parts of AK is Flametree BBQ........to me its the best QS at WDW.

But if you don't do AK............you can easily split HS. Depending on your DD age...........you may want to FP Toy Story Mania........or Tower of Terror. The StarWars stuff is cute but not extensive just yet. Given the time you're arriving you might want to FP Fantasmic......cute show definitely worth a try at least one time. For my wife and I its been a 1/2 day park for the most part.

The MK and Epcot are pretty much givens...........we're doing at 1/2 on arrival day at Epcot for our June trip. We do MK as a 1/2 or a bit more day on our departure day. Just can't get enough of the MK

Have a great trip.

Doug

 

[maxneo]

IMHO many folks discount AK as just another zoo or safari. I don't think that does the park justice.......even before Pandora opens. There's so much other than the safari if you look into it. Both Jungle treks are much more than zoo's in my opinion. The gorillas are just amazing! Flights of Wonder is a great show where you get an up close view and can even participate in the show......I did The Lion King show is just so Disney........made me cry. Finding Nemo show is cute too. Depending on the age of your daughter there's Expedition Everest (the best coaster at WDW....for me ). Dinosaur is a fun escape back in time.......with thrills and chills. AK also has one of the best character meals at Tusker House (we prefer breakfast) where you can meet most of the Fab 5. One of my favorite parts of AK is Flametree BBQ........to me its the best QS at WDW.

But if you don't do AK............you can easily split HS. Depending on your DD age...........you may want to FP Toy Story Mania........or Tower of Terror. The StarWars stuff is cute but not extensive just yet. Given the time you're arriving you might want to FP Fantasmic......cute show definitely worth a try at least one time. For my wife and I its been a 1/2 day park for the most part.

The MK and Epcot are pretty much givens...........we're doing at 1/2 on arrival day at Epcot for our June trip. We do MK as a 1/2 or a bit more day on our departure day. Just can't get enough of the MK

Have a great trip.

Doug

thanks Doug... DD is turning 5 yrs in April... she doesn't like roller coasters or thrill rides... so will do Toy story mania for FP... is fantastimic too loud.... thinking if DD will be scared (she is scared about loud noises)...

Has anyone tried Bibbidi Bobbidi.... want to surprise my DD with that when in MK... any suggestions...?

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

DD is five years old and no park hoppers since we have dinner reservations we might leave MK on 23rd early (like 7AM) so might miss fireworks but planning to catch up on 25th... not sure how DD will hold walking day long (not sure about myself )

Given that info, with a 5 year old I definitely would not skip AK....for all the reasons stated above by Doug. I would do 2 MK, 1 EP, 1 AK and 1/2 day at HS.

 

[dkrauss]

thanks Doug... DD is turning 5 yrs in April... she doesn't like roller coasters or thrill rides... so will do Toy story mania for FP... is fantastimic too loud.... thinking if DD will be scared (she is scared about loud noises)...

Has anyone tried Bibbidi Bobbidi.... want to surprise my DD with that when in MK... any suggestions...?

Yeah the fireworks at Fantasmic can be loud don't wanna sugar coat it.........but its such a great show for young ones

Doug

 

[acwsmom]

AK is definitely not a zoo or a safari. When DS was 5, AK was one of his favorite parks because he loved playing in the Boneyard and riding all the rides near there. He also loved the Nemo and Lion King shows. It's an amazing park!

I agree with ENJDisneyFan. Do 2 MK days, 1 EP, 1 AK and 1/2 day at HS. Or, at the very least, make AK your 1/2 day park.

 

[mshanson3121]

Visting 1st time WDW Apr 22-26, flight lands at 10.45AM on 22nd.Need your suggestions on park plan. DH and I decided to skip AK park since DD has seen and gone zoos and safaris a lot.
So on Apr 22nd we have about 1/2 day - is it worth to go to DHS? DH thinks may be just do EP or MK just to get a feel and then do 23 & 25 - MK and 24 & 26 EPCOT.. what you guys think.....? DH do not want to run around the park rushing things....also since we stay at POR Riverside and rented a car ... is there any good suggestion to commute to parks....

Driving to miami on 26th and then to key west.

I would never skip AK. Sorry, but AK is not just a zoo - there are Broadway quality shows, great rides, a new night time show, etc... Plus, I promise you, no zoo you've been to, will have been as well themed/or beautiful as this one. At 5, my daughter absolutely loved this park. For a young girl who doesn't like thrill rides there's Flights of Wonder, The Lion King, Nemo (all shows), the new river ride in Pandora, Rivers of Light (night time show), character meet & greets including Pocahontas, Kali River Rapids, The Boneyard (pretty much guaranteed to be a hit with that age), the flying Triceratops ride in DinoLand, there's also the Wilderness Explorers program which my kids LOVED.

So, I would do your half day at HS (TSMM, Frozen Sing a Long, Beauty & Beast, Little Mermaid, meet and greets, Fantasmic) then a full day at EP and AK then two days at MK.

As for the Boutique, yes, do it. My daughter loved it. We did the one in the castle, followed by dinner at CRT.

 

[maxneo]

Is it possible to add a park hopper option for just 1 day for my 5-day base ticket?

 

[mshanson3121]

Is it possible to add a park hopper option for just 1 day for my 5-day base ticket?

You have to add it for the balance of your ticket, so if you go on the first day you need to add it for the 5 days, if you upgrade when there's 2 days left, you would have to add it for the 2 days. Hopefully someone will chime in if I'm wrong. For the minimal price difference though you'd be just as well off to add the hopper for the entire ticket. For example: it's $60 to upgrade to a hopper for a 2 day ticket, and only $75 to upgrade to a hopper for a 5 day ticket.

 

[acwsmom]

You have to add it for the balance of your ticket, so if you go on the first day you need to add it for the 5 days, if you upgrade when there's 2 days left, you would have to add it for the 2 days. Hopefully someone will chime in if I'm wrong. For the minimal price difference though you'd be just as well off to add the hopper for the entire ticket. For example: it's $60 to upgrade to a hopper for a 2 day ticket, and only $75 to upgrade to a hopper for a 5 day ticket.

No, the cost to upgrade the tickets is based on how many days were on the ticket - not the number left to be used.

 

[mindeola]

IMHO many folks discount AK as just another zoo or safari. I don't think that does the park justice.......even before Pandora opens. There's so much other than the safari if you look into it. Doug

YES! We have always loved AK. I do not know why so many hate on it or think it is a zoo. So much more than that! We are actually taking an Animal kingdom centric trip in May. Staying at AKL, doing Wild Africa Trek and dinner at Tiffins for our anniversary.

Given that info, with a 5 year old I definitely would not skip AK....for all the reasons stated above by Doug. I would do 2 MK, 1 EP, 1 AK and 1/2 day at HS.

This plan is exactly what I would do in that time frame.

I would never skip AK. Sorry, but AK is not just a zoo - there are Broadway quality shows, great rides, a new night time show, etc... Plus, I promise you, no zoo you've been to, will have been as well themed/or beautiful as this one. .

Ditto. I have been to all the best US Zoos. This is a different ballgame .

Sorry, I know that is not what you asked about,. I just have a heart for AK. I get your DH not wanting to run around like crazy. We have found in the past few years that we enjoy using our car. We used to drive to Disney , park at our resort and never use it again. The last couple of trips we have used our car quite a bit. It isn't bad enough that I would rent a car if I was only doing Disney, but If I have driven there I like to use our car most of the time.

 

[purple figment]

You have to add it for the balance of your ticket, so if you go on the first day you need to add it for the 5 days, if you upgrade when there's 2 days left, you would have to add it for the 2 days. Hopefully someone will chime in if I'm wrong. For the minimal price difference though you'd be just as well off to add the hopper for the entire ticket. For example: it's $60 to upgrade to a hopper for a 2 day ticket, and only $75 to upgrade to a hopper for a 5 day ticket.

This is not correct. The cost to add a hopper to a 5 day ticket is $75 + tax regardless of whether you add it on the first day you use the ticket or when you are using the last day on your ticket. It is based on the original number of days on the ticket.