Okay - will my plan work?

[kwdw]

Just laid out my plan for an upcoming trip - and I'm realizing it's really tight in general and needs some work. I can swap up some things - but I can't figure out if my first day will work.

So - SUNDAY October 4th:

Arrive MCO 9:50 am
Magical Express E to All-Star Movies
After leaving backpack at bag check (assuming room not ready), bus to EPCOT
At EPCOT - pick up FW Festival Passport - get it stamped at Innovations East (I want the wine glass for passholders). Also buy map for FW Scavenger Hunt and an EPCOT Starbucks mug (will they send to resort?)

ADR - Kona Cafe at 2:20
MK - get to Frontierland to open portal, pick up new pack of SOTMK cards
Maybe ride POTC or wander through the Tree House
Swing through Main Street shops to look at non-party Halloween items

Be at HS for 6:30-7:30 pm FP for TSM, Fantasmic at 8 pm, browse Watto's Grotto during 9-11 EMH and maybe hit GMR without FP.

Will this work? It's my only planned Hollywood Studios day - so I do want to get there for my FP for TSM and I haven't seen Fantasmic in a couple trips so I kinda wanted to go.

I suppose I could give up the ADR at Kona and swinging by MK that day, but MK and Kona were the original plan - throwing in EPCOT is the change.

This whole plan violates my normal touring principles - too many parks in one day. I hadn't planned the EPCOT stop on day one - but I just learned I have to be there 3 days to get that wine glass - and my whole trip is four days. I was originally just going to go to MK until the ADR at Kona, then to HS. I've got enough time to do the Scavenger hunt and to enjoy the FW Festival on two other days. Maybe I should skip the freebie glass, it's not like I don't have tons of wine glasses..... but I don't have a Disney one!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

The line this morning for the AP stamp was HUGE. I would just abandon this "free" glass idea. It's not worth the wait

 

[kwdw]

The line this morning for the AP stamp was HUGE. I would just abandon this "free" glass idea. It's not worth the wait

Yikes! Sigh. The day does flow much better without the EPCOT stop.

 

[Spunky946]

That's a lot of hopping around. I'd skip both Epcot and Kona and go straight to MK and eat there and then hop to DHS

 

[havoc315]

I'd go straight to DHS. Multiple parks on arrival day is difficult, and I can't imagine 3 parks, plus a resort ADR.

Arrive MCO 9:50... Meaning Magic Express between 10:30-11. Arrive at the resort by 11:20-11:40. Could be as late as noon. Check in, get to the Epcot bus stop. Arrive at Epcot by 1.... If everything goes smoothly. To catch your 2:20 ADR at Kona, you need to be out of Epcot no later than 1:30, and that will be cutting it very close.
Finish your meal at Kona by 3:30-4. Realistically I'd give myself an hour to get from MK to DHS. So best case, you get maybe 90 minutes at MK, before running to DHS.

Of course, it's pretty easy to get from Epcot to DHS by the international gateway, so it really would work best if you removed MK. Then could do Epcot 1-5. DHS 5:30-close.

 

[havoc315]

Yikes! Sigh. The day does flow much better without the EPCOT stop.

Flows best without MK/Kona. It's very easy to get from Epcot to DHS. You can walk, bus, or boat. But Kona/MK in the middle makes it much harder.

 

[kwdw]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! I'm dropping EPCOT on day one - and well, skipping the wine glass hunt. While I agree EPCOT and HS is a better plan in general without a Kona ADR - I'm also trying to optimize the number of SOTMK cards I can get (trying to finish a set), I wanted to try Kona for lunch (thought I'm going to try to move the reservation a bit earlier), and I have plenty of time scheduled at EPCOT on Tuesday until 2 pm and all day Thursday - but not a ton of time at MK planned. Just Monday morning and Tuesday night party at MK.