Planning first trip do DW. Help!

[PirateFish989]

day 4 = Magic Kingdom (8am-10pm) this is booked but considering cancelling for reservation at Epcot since we are Disneyland regulars

day 5 = our return day - don't leave until early afternoon so will look for brunch idea OR maybe checkout Disney Springs if it is not too much like CA's Downtown Disney

As a fellow Disneyland regular (we had AP's for several years)...MK IS like Disneyland Park, but I think it is different enough (even the same rides are different in many cases) that it is worth a trip there. We've spent two days there on both our WDW trips and easily could have spent more. Plus, seeing the castle is just magical. And, while I haven't been recently, Epcot is under heavy construction right now so that would sway me away from that park for a second day.

And Disney Springs is MUCH LARGER than DTD. Same general idea but larger. I think its worth checking out, but do what you feel is best for your family.

 

[kapicka]

Thank you PirateFish989 and everyone for your input. I may put in some time looking at other threads but for those of you helpful people following along here any CAN'T MISS attractions/food at the 3 parks where we have reservations? And for MK anything very unique and not avail at Disneyland?

 

[JustABru]

If you have your heart set on a "split stay"- changing resorts half way through- just really think about your location & how you can make it most convenient for your family. We are doing a split stay in June with Riviera & CCV and we're saving our Magic Kingdom days for our Copper Creek portion since it's so close and we can utilize the ferry.

 

[dachsie]

Thank you PirateFish989 and everyone for your input. I may put in some time looking at other threads but for those of you helpful people following along here any CAN'T MISS attractions/food at the 3 parks where we have reservations? And for MK anything very unique and not avail at Disneyland?

There is more availability in HS for December now if you want to go there one day

 

[kapicka]

dachsie - I saw they added availability. Those dates they added are before our trip but that is encouraging. I will keep any eye on it to see if more dates are added that include ours!

Also, we were able to switch from CC to BLT for our last 3 nights. I'm sure I would have loved the style of CC but since BLT came up as available I couldn't pass up the convenient location - plus it is a theme park view.

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

Thank you PirateFish989 and everyone for your input. I may put in some time looking at other threads but for those of you helpful people following along here any CAN'T MISS attractions/food at the 3 parks where we have reservations? And for MK anything very unique and not avail at Disneyland?

In AK you definitely have to visit Pandora....FoP is incredible and River Journey is very beautiful also. At night the land of Pandora is Gorgeous. Expedition Everest and Safari are always a must for us too. The walking trails are also lovely, love me some gorillas. AT HS; Tower of Terror, RnRc, not sure if you have slinky dog dash coaster in Cali? And obviously you have the entire SWGE in Cali. Epcot we just love the vibe, I believe Cali has many similar rides; not sure if you have test track or Frozen? just love visiting each world and seeing the different culture, sampling different foods/drinks. I find for us anyway, Epcot is a chill/laid back vibe. We love La Hacienda restaurant. We never feel rushed in Epcot for whatever reason. As for MK, I honestly am not sure what Florida has that is extremely different besides atmosphere and ride set-up/story telling. Definitely do Splash Mountain as that will no longer be themed as it currently is. Honestly, MK is just magical, the aromas, vibe and overall theming will be amazing during the holidays. Hope some of this helps.

 

[YesterDark]

FYI you can treat reservations like fastpasses and refresh them. You may find an opening.

 

[kapicka]

Question about food reservations - I KNOW people do a lot more advance reservations in FL than CA, and of course there are not ride or other reservations to make so I've made food reservations. Here is what I have:
Day 1 Epcot 6:30pm @ La Hacienda de San Angel Dinner (my picky kids love them some Mexican food!)
Day 2 Animal Kingdom 2:55pm @ Tiffins Restaurant Lunch (has good reviews, could possibly change to reservation for 2 and let my kids go explore by themselves as they are bigger)
Day 3 Magic Kingdom 6:00pm @ Jungle Navigation Co Dinner
Day 4 Magic Kingdom no reservations - plus if somehow Hollywood Studios becomes available this is probably the day we would go

What do you think - did I reserve too much? At Disneyland I used to reserve one all-you-can-eat character breakfast but my kids are much less excited about characters as they get older so I didn't do that last year. I do want SOME reservations because while we LOVE churros and corn dogs we would also like to experience some of the better food at the resorts.

All opinions are welcome. Thanks!

 

[dachsie]

Question about food reservations - I KNOW people do a lot more advance reservations in FL than CA, and of course there are not ride or other reservations to make so I've made food reservations. Here is what I have:
Day 1 Epcot 6:30pm @ La Hacienda de San Angel Dinner (my picky kids love them some Mexican food!)
Day 2 Animal Kingdom 2:55pm @ Tiffins Restaurant Lunch (has good reviews, could possibly change to reservation for 2 and let my kids go explore by themselves as they are bigger)
Day 3 Magic Kingdom 6:00pm @ Jungle Navigation Co Dinner
Day 4 Magic Kingdom no reservations - plus if somehow Hollywood Studios becomes available this is probably the day we would go

What do you think - did I reserve too much? At Disneyland I used to reserve one all-you-can-eat character breakfast but my kids are much less excited about characters as they get older so I didn't do that last year. I do want SOME reservations because while we LOVE churros and corn dogs we would also like to experience some of the better food at the resorts.

All opinions are welcome. Thanks!

Sounds great! As for Tiffins, no need to change number on reservation. You won't be penalized if only 2 show up. I have way more reservations booked than you do. LOL. On your EPCOT day, if you are interested, you could try to book Beaches and Cream and go get the Kitchen sink sundae for the family - that might be a fun memory for you. Beach Club is walking distance from EP at international gateway

 

[nherbert]

disneysprings is way bigger and better than DTD, some shops are the same but there is really no comparison, my only word of caution is that if you are relying on Disney buses for travel to and from Disney springs you can have very long waits (And that was pre covid)

for dining, do you have a Landry’s card, if so then you can walk up to yak n yeti at AK (Without reservation) which is our favorite restaurant there (there is a reason reservations are hard to get). You can use the same card to walk up to rainforest care just outside AK as well.

I don’t know if they are or will be open but our two favorite buffets were Boma (at AKL) or Tusker House at AK, I suspect neither will be buffets post covid but if they come back in some form i suspect the food would be good and interesting.

the thing that concerns me most about your plan is that the day you are changing resorts you have a 7am park start. You want to be at that park for 7am for you’re best chance to do the Pandora ride without long wait. You don’t want to miss this. AK is best when you do it at rope drop, wait times are minimal.

to get there for 7am you need to be at bus stop 6am you need to be calling for them to get you luggage around 5am (they don’t come in a hurry you will have a wait).

if it was me (see my signature we do lots of split stays and change resorts a lot), I would be swapping the Epcot and AK days, so I was swapping resorts on the day when park didn’t open until 10am. I realize the night before is when you arrive and getting up for 6am start is not appealing, but believe me you will be too excited to sleep. You sleep much better the second night, after a day of walking.

having Epcot on your 2nd day means you will be closer to your resort at the end of the day, not sure but you may be able to use monorail to contemporary to get home (not sure if it will be running By then).

having AK on day 1 means you will get back early so you have time to explore the resort, and see the animals.

 

[wiggy500]

I think one sit down meal the first three days and none on the day you want to be flexible is about right. Two in the same day would be restrictive. For fast, quick meals that are high quality I really like Flame Tree Barbecue in Animal Kingdom and Pecos Bill in Magic Kingdom. And in Epcot there's so many food options in the World Showcase.

To me in Animal Kingdom as much as people talk about the Avatar rides the single can't miss attraction there is Kilimanjaro Safaris. Both the Avatar rides are wonderful as is Expedition Everest. Pandora (the Avatar area) is a sight to behold.

In Epcot since you have access to Soarin' the rides I'd make sure to check out are Test Track, Frozen Ever After, and Spaceship Earth. Living with the Land is a different kind of experience and worth checking out as well. For sure give yourself some time to walk through the World Showcase.

And I'll leave opinions on what not to miss in Magic Kingdom for those who have been to Disneyland to answer.

 

[kapicka]

Y'all are SO helpful. We switched park days and updating dining reservations as a result, and just to keep it updated here is what we have now with some notes about what to see and do...

night before: Kidani
day 1 = Animal Kingdom (7am-7pm)
Tiffins 5:25pm (for 2 or 4)
QS: Flame Tree BBQ, Satuli
Do: Pandora (at night), FoP, River Journey, Expedition Everest and Safari, walking trails, Kilimanjaro Safaris
night 1 = Kidani
day 2 = Epcot (10am-9pm)
La Hacienda 4:45pm
QS: Regal Eagle, Snshine Seasons
People love: Kitchen Sink from Beaches & Cream at the Beach Club
Do: Test Track, Frozen Ever After, and Spaceship Earth
night 2 = Bay Lake Tower
day 3 = Hollywood Studios (9am-8pm)
night 3 = Bay Lake Tower
day 4 = Magic Kingdom (8am-10pm)
People love: Ohana's at the Polynesian, watching for Jungle Navigation opening in park
Do: Splash Mountain (changing), Country Bear Jamboree (my addition)
night 4 = Bay Lake Tower
day 5 = morning bruch and/or Disney Springs, fly home in afternoon

Disney Springs w/ Landry’s card = walk up Yak n Yeti
Favorite buffets were Boma (at AKL) or Tusker House at AK

 

[kapicka]

Hollywood studios opened up and we grabbed a reservation for our 3rd day! Thanks everyone for encouraging me to check. Not sure when they opened up dates but I found it at 4am

 

[nkereina]

We are WDW regulars and did our first trip to Disneyland last year (trip report in my signature). By comparison, we found Disneyland was significantly easier to get around with everything being compact. My biggest piece of advice would be not to underestimate the time it takes to get around WDW property. The property is the size of the city of San Francisco. We allow 45-60 minutes to get to where we need to be using Disney transportation, especially now when using buses and capacity is limited.

Another thing that struck me is how significantly larger Disney Springs is compared to Downtown Disney. We always spend multiple nights at Disney Springs browsing and dining. Its not to be missed, IMO.

One of the things we enjoyed most at Disneyland and California Adventure was riding the rides that we were familiar with from WDW so we could compare. So while I think its good to focus on rides that would be new to you, don't disregard rides you may be familiar with too because there are variations. At MK, we thought Big Thunder and Splash Mountain were better than DL's versions. We thought Pirates, Small World, and Space Mountain were better at DL. At Epcot, we preferred Test Track to Radiator Springs Racers. If you're able to get a DHS pass, we thought DHS's Toy Story Mania was better, but preferred Incredicoaster to Rock N Rollercoaster and preferred Guardians to Tower of Terror.

Last thing I will add is definitely take advantage of the TS restaurants at WDW. While DL is known for QS, WDW would be more known for TS. The QS at WDW is sub-par, especially in the current environment. Since park hours are too short to justify a mid-day break, having a TS lunch reservation is a nice mid-day break substitute or even booking a late dinner near park closing is a good way to enjoy a TS meal without wasting park time. Any of the Epcot restaurants are a unique experience, and we also love 50s Prime Time and Sci Fi Dine In at DHS - IMO, two of the most uniquely themed restaurants on property.

 

[dachsie]

That would be reasonable but you would lose your Skipper Canteen ADR

 

[kapicka]

dachsie - we did make the switch (and I changed my note/comment above) - thanks for the reminder about that. We will try to get a new reservation for the new date!

 

[kapicka]

nkereina - thanks for the insight. That is a good reminder to try (and compare) rides from DL while we are there. We miss Tower of Terror which used to be in CA so we will go on that one for sure! It does seem that reservation dining will be a highlight of the trip and since there are no fireworks/shows to rush to it will make for a destination and respite in a busy day. (Plus a break from wearing masks.) We have Sci-Fi Dine-In on our watch list in case a reservation becomes available

 

[Handykapper]

Enjoy your stay!!!

 

[PirateFish989]

And for MK anything very unique and not avail at Disneyland?

My suggestions:

Don't miss the PeopleMover (if it is up and running when you go), BTMRR (very similar but the track goes out over the water which is cool), Haunted Mansion (there is an extra room you go through), Peter Pan (same ride but the queue is interactive which is fun), 7DMT (a cute coaster that was fun and unique to WDW), Hall of Presidents (again, if it is open. Similar is premise to Moments with Mr. Lincoln, but a really great show we both enjoyed!).

Things we found disappointing: Space Mountain (far inferior seating, sound, and lighting), Pirates (shorter than at DL but worth a ride), limited Churro availability (in 2014 there was ONE cart in the whole park in Frontierland that had churros and in 2018 we found a cart in Fantasyland with them but couldn't find them anywhere else!).

I'm sure there are other things to add to each but I'm blanking!

As far as food...in MK we enjoy Columbia Harbor House for quick service.

You also mentioned in a previous post that use the Landry's Card at Yak N Yeti in Disney Springs. It is not in Disney Springs, but in AK. We've eaten there twice and had good meals both times!

 

[kapicka]

We did it and made it back. I am very thankful for all of your help - here are our thoughts...
-Trip overall was great. First time to DW so nothing to compare it to as far as non-covid times but we had a really good time.
-It was COLD on the AK day (33 degree low and 52 degree high) but we braved the cold to start early and ride Avatar rides first then Everest so the rest of the day was not too rushed.
-Yak and Yeti food was quite good, service was pretty good, drinks were super sweet and not our favorite.
-Epcot park was cool to see. Mexico area/Aztec pyramid was really cool and the overall layout of the back loop of the park was a lot of fun to walk and eat through. Test track ride was just ok, and the "Figment" Imagination ride had us rolling our eyes. (I know that we don't have nostalgia for the rides as first timers so it may be different for others.) La Hacienda restaurant was good and we ended up there at sunset which was cool.
-Hollywood studios was a very good day. We were able to join Rise of the Resistance virtual que from our hotel at 7AM which was our only "fast pass" type of ride for the trip. Sci-Fi cafe was fun and pretty tasty too. New(ish?) Mickey ride was fun. Biggest surprise was the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster which I liked a lot and the rest of the family LOVED and insisted we ride again at closing.
-Magic Kingdom of course being the most like our Disneyland felt more like "home" and was a great day comparing DW rides with DL rides. Love that Bear Country Jamboree was still there. Our very very favorite food and drinks of our stay was at Jungle Navigation Co. where everyone's main dishes and our appetizers were all delicious.
-We are so glad we took the trip and even with restrictions and distancing and those awful masks it was SUCH A GREAT time away from the house we've all been stuck in for work and school for most of a year. Disney's transportation was used for most trips and on the couple of occasions when the shuttle rides looked really long we got an UBER and they were quick and reasonable. Of course, walking from Contemporary to Magic Kingdom was quickest and easiest.

Happy 2021 Y'all!!