planning ride order? help!

[DisneyMama811]

with things like Genie + and ILL do y'all have any tips on how to plan your park day? I'm most worried about MK, we have a list compiled of which rides we want to do, I've cross referenced to see what will be closed for refurbishment and know that since we have two MK days we will split the park in half and focus mainly on Fantasyland and Tomorrow land on our first day, (the kids are 6&8 and Fantasyland will be a huge focus) BUT we will also be there in the days leading up to Splash closing our MK days are Jan 17 & 23, I know the line will be 500 miles long on the 23rd so we need to ride it the 17th... planning to buy ILL for SDMT and if they put Splash on ILL or a virtual Q that will be a massive priority... outside of that I have no idea how to do this have never been to Disney as a parent. last time hubby and I went was 2011, new Fantasyland was under construction and paper fastpass was still a thing, we started with Space Mountain (walk on mid September) and went counterclockwise around the park and did everything in one day... I'm under no illusion that we'll be able to do that this time. I'm expecting chaos

 

[sponica]

I think the one thing to keep in mind is that kids will slow you down much more than you think they will. But if Splash mountain is a priority, I would keep an eye on the wait times and LL availability. January can go either way weather wise, and if it's chilly out, doing Splash is not fun. Chilly with sun, I'd tempt it. Chilly cloudy days, nope.

 

[DisneyMama811]

I think the one thing to keep in mind is that kids will slow you down much more than you think they will. But if Splash mountain is a priority, I would keep an eye on the wait times and LL availability. January can go either way weather wise, and if it's chilly out, doing Splash is not fun. Chilly with sun, I'd tempt it. Chilly cloudy days, nope.

oh believe me I know the kids will slow us down, especially my 6 year old, she's newly 6 and is very "young" for her age very prone to mood swings and slowest walker ever. I've already rented a stroller haha

 

[2Lunds]

Here's a strategy that could work for you, and it will save you money too:

Skip the park-hop and "stack" your Lightning Lanes.

1. If you can manage rope-drop, great, if not, don't stress. Buy an ILL for your top priority like Mine Train or Peter Pan for as early as you can. Book your first Lightning Lane around that same time. 2. 2.Arrive at the park and knock those two out.
3. Two hours after park open you can book another one - choose something later in the day - like 5/6 pm. Two hours later - do the same thing. Repeat for as long as you can.
4. Meanwhile, you can make a circuit of the park at your leisure. Do lower-pressure attractions like shows etc... have a nice meal, jump into lines that aren't terribly long.
5. Take a break mid-day, and arrive back in the park after an early dinner with your stack of Lightning Lanes ready to go.

You can definitely still do this while park-hopping - but I find it mentally less draining to focus on one park at a time and for you guys, MK will be the biggest deal with littles.

 

[DisneyMama811]

Here's a strategy that could work for you, and it will save you money too:

Skip the park-hop and "stack" your Lightning Lanes.

1. If you can manage rope-drop, great, if not, don't stress. Buy an ILL for your top priority like Mine Train or Peter Pan for as early as you can. Book your first Lightning Lane around that same time. 2. 2.Arrive at the park and knock those two out.
3. Two hours after park open you can book another one - choose something later in the day - like 5/6 pm. Two hours later - do the same thing. Repeat for as long as you can.
4. Meanwhile, you can make a circuit of the park at your leisure. Do lower-pressure attractions like shows etc... have a nice meal, jump into lines that aren't terribly long.
5. Take a break mid-day, and arrive back in the park after an early dinner with your stack of Lightning Lanes ready to go.

You can definitely still do this while park-hopping - but I find it mentally less draining to focus on one park at a time and for you guys, MK will be the biggest deal with littles.

we aren't park hopping at all, I don't see the point in it

 

[2Lunds]

we aren't park hopping at all, I don't see the point in it

Ok perfect. Where are you staying, on property?