Please Look at my Holiday Plan

[Janine1983]

Hello! Ok, so this is my first draft. Subject to change!! (im sure at least 10 times before we go )

Heres the brief....myself, dh, ds (2yrs 3 months), my dad, his wife & her 2 children (12 & 14) are going to Orlando for 3 weeks on the 23rd Oct 2009. My DH & I have been before, but its a first time for everyone else!

We'd like to do near enough all the parks as we know this will be the last time we go for quite a few years (more children planned and bigger house!!!) I have a 21 day disney untimate ticket, and 2 weeks unliminited for IOA & US. Also a 2 wk unlimited for Seaworld, BG & Aquatica)

Anyway, Id love for you to look at what ive come up with so far. Please do tell me if you think something doesn't look right...as ive never been abroad with my son before & any tips from you who have would be fab!!! We've not done any ADR's as Ill take each day as it comes where my sons concerned. I know some days he'll be grumpy and over tired so Im all prepared (I think! )

I highlighted in RED the free days, and BLUE the days which are kinda a chilled out day too (not too much walking!)

So here goes....

Fri 23rd Oct - Arrive in OI late pm, collect car & travel to Villa
Sat 24th Oct - Typhoon Lagoon
Sun 25th Oct - Busch Gardens
Mon 26th Oct - Hollwood Studios & Fantasmic
Tue 27th Oct - Free Day
Wed 28th Oct - Seaworld - Dad & wife go to HHN at 6pm
Thu 29th Oct - Blizzard Beach - DH & I go to HHN at 6pm
Fri 30th Oct - Magic Kingdom & Spectro Magic & Wishes
Sat 31st Oct - Free Day (My birthday!!)
Sun 1st Nov - Island of Adventure
Mon 2nd Nov - Epcot & Illuminations
Tue 3rd Nov - Aquatica
Wed 4th Nov - Free Day
Thu 5th Nov - Clearwater/St Petes ?
Fri 6th Nov - Universal Studios
Sat 7th Nov - Animal Kingdom
Sun 8th Nov - Free Day
Mon 9th Nov - Daytona Beach (Dads birthday)
Tues 10th Nov - Universal 'best bits'
Wed 11th Nov - Disney 'best bits'
Thu 12th Nov - Packing up & Airport in pm
Fri 13th Nov - Arrive Gatwick in am

I thought we'd spend last 2 days hopping from parks to do the kids fav bits? Is that a good idea do you think?

Also, our free days will be days to spend by our pool, do a bit of retail therapy and most of all, a LAY IN! On my birthday (Halloweed) I plan to shop till I drop at all the malls, then head to DTD in the afternoon and have a meal somewhere but not sure where? Any reccommendations?!

So what do you think? Please be honest, as I really want the bed out of our holiday of a lifetime!

Thank you for taking the time to read this & reply

 

[Pegasus928]

That looks like a good plan to me.
You are also going to the same Fantasmic showing that we are going to - are you doing an ADR for reserved seating, or just turning up?
The only other thing that I might do different is to do a Universal park a couple of days earlier. You have 14 day passes and are only using them for 9 days. For me I would rather have the option of going back, but we know what universal is all about and know that we, as a family, all love it there.
I also noticed that you are only doing MK once and plan on incorporating Specto and Wishes. I don't know what time you plan on getting there but if you are going all the way to Florida and the MK it would be nice to see the opening ceremony at least once. And if you plan on doing it that day it will make for a very long one. Might be worth factoring in 2 trips to MK - one in the morning and one in the afternoon/evening.

 

[Elise79]

I would take advantage of the time difference and head for parks at opening the first couple of days as your little one will have you up early!

I would switch TL around and do MK first day - if every one else is first timers seeing that opening show then walking down main street will really wow them

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hiya,

A few things that I would suggest but bear in mind we rarely plan past the first couple of days as we just prefer that freedom to decide when we are out there, and we would only change plans anyway.

3 water park days may possibly be too much, and I would tend to avoid weekends , not necessarily all parks, but have found often water parks do tend to be slightly busier.

If it was me I wouldn't go to Typhoon Lagoon, Blizard Beach and Aquatica - I would probably drop one.

If it was me I would go to Magic Kingdom more than once - it is our favourite park overall, especially for Joshua.

If it was me I wouldn't go to Daytona, sorry Dad but I would recommend Clearwater as I just prefer the beaches on the west coast.
*it's probably a special treat for dad so my comments may not reflect your need to go there*

All of the above is just my opinion, we all have different ideas and preferences.
Most of our holidays have been at a villa so it is good you have free or rest days so you can choose what to do when you are there.

 

[disney_princess_85]

Looks good to me! I'd post mine up too but you'll all say I'm crazy because I have no rest days planned! My idea of a rest day is a trip to the malls! Never mind... I coped last year with a similar plan, plus we have no kids or anything to account for.

 

[Julia Ann]

I agree you should do a big park on day 1 as you will all be up about 5am ish because of the time difference and full of energy/excitement! Also maybe consider one of the water parks with a beach/chill out area instead of the coast - i wouldn't drive to the coast for a day, too far, waste of time in my opinion and all that driving would be tiring, for me anyway. unless you all love the white knuckle rides i would give busch a miss as animal kingdom just as good for the animals. All of it looks fab thou you lucky people

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I actually think it's a good idea to get away from Orlando if you have the time to, been very lucky to travel to the likes of Clearwater, Naples, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Sarasota and the Keys plus more...it makes a great contrast from the theme parks.

There is much more to enjoy in Florida than just Orlando.

 

[torsie24]

Looks a good plan, you have rest days planned and seems well spaced out etc.

My only concern is the days you do have planned seem to be full days, (ie your DHS & Fantasmic day) I'm guessing you want to ride TSM? Which would require being at the park for rope drop and then staying until F! will make it a VERY long day, especially for your little guy.

We personally aren't doing any full days (execpt our mega crammed US/IOA two parks in one day.) and our fantasmic night, for example we are going soley to DHS for Fantsmic that night, so we don't feel like the long wait is eating into our park time, also I hate getting to a park for opening, being hot and bothered, or tired by like 1pm when the crowds are at their worst and having 8 hours ahead of me still. So our schedule is very morning/afternoon/evening. With most afternoons as pool/no plans kinda days.

But, some people think I'm mad doing it like that, so it's just my opinion so please don;t go changing you iteneray or feel like I'm being bossy or anything!

 

[torsie24]

Looks a good plan, you have rest days planned and seems well spaced out etc.

My only concern is the days you do have planned seem to be full days, (ie your DHS & Fantasmic day) I'm guessing you want to ride TSM? Which would require being at the park for rope drop and then staying until F! will make it a VERY long day, especially for your little guy.

We personally aren't doing any full days (execpt our mega crammed US/IOA two parks in one day.) and our fantasmic night, for example we are going soley to DHS for Fantsmic that night, so we don't feel like the long wait is eating into our park time, also I hate getting to a park for opening, being hot and bothered, or tired by like 1pm when the crowds are at their worst and having 8 hours ahead of me still. So our schedule is very morning/afternoon/evening. With most afternoons as pool/no plans kinda days.

But, some people think I'm mad doing it like that, so it's just my opinion so please don;t go changing you iteneray or feel like I'm being bossy or anything!

 

[Janine1983]

Sorry whats TSM??

On the days Ive got DHS & Fantasmic & MK with Wishes I wasn't planning on spending the WHOLE day there. I was planning to get there for when it opens, then early afternoon head back to villa for swim (sleep in my sons case!!) then go back later on for more rides and then the evening show. Is this not possible then????

With regards to our first day...MK is what I origionaly thought about, but I then changed my mind as thought after a long day travelling (and not knowing how my son will be!) I thought we'd be too tired to enjoy it?? Also, where its a Saturday would this not mean the park is much more busier?????????????????? Id be more then happy to go MK on our first day as seeing the Castle down Main street is amazing!!!!

I thought doing all 3 water parks would be a good idea as they are kind of like a day off, and the kids get to have fun (and DH!!!) Id prob spend the whole day running around after my 2 year old!!! Are they all very similar then??

Pegasus, I was planning on already being in DHS and then just heading to show when its due to start!! Is this a no no then?? I really cant remember what we did years ago when we went as I was only little!

Thank you all so much for your help and advice! This is really helping me!

Oh and Daytona Beach, for some reason my dad really wants to go there and drive on the beach?! Heaven knows why...but as its his birthday I thought we could do it then?? Does anyone know how long it takes to drive to Busch, Clearwater & Daytona??? Also, is BG really similar to AK?

xx

 

[torsie24]

TSM = toy story mania, the most popular ride at WDW, you basically HAVE to get to it at opening to ride it, 2hr+ lines all day and fastpasses go within a couple of hours.

For fantasmic you need to be there at least 90 minutes prior to show time to get in. We are going to go in 2 hours early and take soemthing to eat, keep us entertained and sit on!

No, nothing wrong with going back to the villa at all, makes your plans seem a lot less hectic. We'll just be doing different am/pm parks as that's what we fancy.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

With regards to our first day...MK is what I origionaly thought about, but I then changed my mind as thought after a long day travelling (and not knowing how my son will be!) I thought we'd be too tired to enjoy it?? Also, where its a Saturday would this not mean the park is much more busier?????????????????? Id be more then happy to go MK on our first day as seeing the Castle down Main street is amazing!!!!

Oh and Daytona Beach, for some reason my dad really wants to go there and drive on the beach?! Heaven knows why...but as its his birthday I thought we could do it then?? Does anyone know how long it takes to drive to Busch, Clearwater & Daytona??? Also, is BG really similar to AK?

xx

We always tend to visit Magic Kingdom first, irrespective of what day it falls on.

Daytona is about an hour or so away, Busch Gardens about the same in the opposite direction, Clearwater just under 2 hours.

 

[Janine1983]

Wow over 2 hours for 1 ride?! Thats crazy!!! This TSM...take it its good then?! I remember when I was a kid my dad used to leg it straight to TOT, so we're best off going straight to TSM then?

90 mins before Fantasmic? Im gonna have my work cut out for me keeping my son entertained for that long! Any tips????? xx

 

[Pegasus928]

On the days Ive got DHS & Fantasmic & MK with Wishes I wasn't planning on spending the WHOLE day there. I was planning to get there for when it opens, then early afternoon head back to villa for swim (sleep in my sons case!!) then go back later on for more rides and then the evening show. Is this not possible then????

What you have planned here is perfectly normal and is exactly what we are planning on doing when we go. The link below is to my pre-trip report and if you have a quick look you will see the plan that we have for our trip in October.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2249130

With regards to our first day...MK is what I origionaly thought about, but I then changed my mind as thought after a long day travelling (and not knowing how my son will be!) I thought we'd be too tired to enjoy it?? Also, where its a Saturday would this not mean the park is much more busier?????????????????? Id be more then happy to go MK on our first day as seeing the Castle down Main street is amazing!!!!

We plan on doing MK first day. Past experiences have shown us that we will be up early anyway and the excitement will keep us going. Having said that we won't be staying all day and will probably leave around 2-3ish. (We have a dinner reservation at T-Rex at 4pm)

Pegasus, I was planning on already being in DHS and then just heading to show when its due to start!! Is this a no no then?? I really cant remember what we did years ago when we went as I was only little!

As has already been said you will need to be heading to the amphitheater as soon as it opens to get a seat. With them only showing Fantasmic twice a week more people tend to go on those days to combine their visit with catching the show. One way of avoiding this long wait is to book the Fantasmic Dinner Package. When you go for your dinner earlier on in the day they give you a 'priority seating' voucher. This way you can spend more time in the park while others are heading to the show. You then arrive at the designated seating area at least 30 minutes before the show starts.

Does anyone know how long it takes to drive to Busch, Clearwater & Daytona??? Also, is BG really similar to AK?

I also agree that getting away from the parks for a day is a good idea. We have been to Clearwater for the day before. As I remember it took about an hour and a half to get there (less time that it takes to queue for TSM ) and as you are going for 3 weeks you can certainly afford to go for the day. They have a place there called Pier 60 which is a good spot as the sun goes down as everyone gathers there to watch the sunset, giving it a real party atmosphere.
http://www.sunsetsatpier60.com/
We also went on a boat called Little Toot and went and did a bit of dolphin spotting.
http://www.littletoot.us/

 

[scojos]

firstly, the 1st time with travelled dd was the same age as your son, we always do AK on our first day, my asd son loves the animals, and we do ee (everest) sort of gets them in the mood slowly, kwim?
i would suggest a character bfast maybe tusker house on the first day, gentle start, before rope drop if you can, gets you into the park before the hoards, great pphotos, then mickey and co are "done"!
get fp for ee , ride safari, and then bumble around until you ve had neough...
ak is a smaller park, will get the 1st timers ready for a busier park, and is more layed back than the others...
do not work about your son, he will adapt v quickly, but i follw a pp advice, to hit the floor running, the older kids will be hyped, hell pick up on it, and whilst i love the water parks, they ll want the thrills (at 10-12) not slides, jmho.
2nd piece of advice, do the adrs!! cancel them if necc, when we were there they were not taking walk ins, at all, in the majority of the epcot restaurants, cancel if necc, but book them esp if you want character meals.
if ds is a fussy eater plan which cs meals you will take, im in the process of doing that 12 months out, i have 3 picky kids
if you are there through Free DDP, its even more important you plan!
i would also add busch is great, it was our 1st trip ;last year, we were there during TS faye, a BG was empty! im not sure if we want to go back, they allowed dd to go in the flamingo pen and we feed them! actually inside the pen, everyone was like- how do we do that?
staff at BG were amazing, but there was only a few hundred people inside the park, more staff than guests!!
last comment, ds will have been "penned" in all day, car, airport, plane seat, airport, car....
let him run and see mickey, he'll love you for it!!!

 

[Janine1983]

Ah thank you all so much for your comments!!!!!!!

Would you reccommend that i goto MK and DHS on days there is no night show...and then do a night show another day when say we've been to universal??? Our tickets are unlimited so would that be best???

As has already been said you will need to be heading to the amphitheater as soon as it opens to get a seat. With them only showing Fantasmic twice a week more people tend to go on those days to combine their visit with catching the show. One way of avoiding this long wait is to book the Fantasmic Dinner Package. When you go for your dinner earlier on in the day they give you a 'priority seating' voucher. This way you can spend more time in the park while others are heading to the show. You then arrive at the designated seating area at least 30 minutes before the show starts.

How would I go about this Fantasmic dinner package?? How much is it? I like the idea of reserved seating!! xx

 

[Pegasus928]

Would you reccommend that i goto MK and DHS on days there is no night show...and then do a night show another day when say we've been to universal??? Our tickets are unlimited so would that be best???

I guess it would depend on your family and how they are coping on any particular day. Planning is good - but you also need to be flexible to a certain extent.
We are doing a few split days were we will do the mornings and early afternoon one day, then come back another day for a late afternoon and evening to watch the fireworks. That is because we know from experience that we wouldn't want to be in the parks for a full day. It's too tiring and it would risk DS having a meltdown which would then spoil the day for everyone.

How would I go about this Fantasmic dinner package?? How much is it? I like the idea of reserved seating!! xx

You just ring up Disney Dining same as you do for any other reservation. The price is dependant on the restaurant you eat in, and I think there are 3 to choose from in DHS. You don't have to pay any extra for the reserved seating.

 

[T16GEM]

I'm probably going to get flamed for this as I know it's so popular, but I would NEVER EVER consider waiting 90 minutes with a two and a half year old to see Fantasmic, I agree that it's a great attraction but I just think it's a waste of time to sit there for that long on those metal benches. If the ADR makes any difference to the time that you have to wait then I would say go for it.

We were there in January which is relatively quiet and we went to the ampitheatre about 20 mins before the show was due to start, we sat in the very front row which was good because it meant we didn't have to worry about the kids falling down the the steps.

Also I don't know how well your little one will cope with Fantasmic as it's a very intense show in my opinion and our 3 year old sat there with her eyes covered for many of the more scary parts. I would hate to have waited all that time to see it and then have to leave.

They both really loved Toy Story Mania though, and we did get FPs for it, at 10am in the morning our fast passes came out for 8pm!!!! One thing that I would suggest though is wait until the park is due to close and go to TSM, even if the line still says 120 minutes or whatever, the CMs told us that they leave the wait time high when they are due to close to discourage people from going in line, we still did and waited 20 minutes. Our DS2 LOVED this ride and squealed all the way round!!

We like to visit the coast too during our trips. We have been to Miami, Clear Water, St Petes, Cocoa Beach etc. I would say that if you aren't planning on going again any time soon then do your beach trip. We said that we wouldn't be going until 2010 with our kids, thinking that they would be too young to enjoy it and DS is on his third trip this year!! The Disney Bug is too much for me!


HTH

Gems

 

[scojos]

I'm probably going to get flamed for this as I know it's so popular, but I would NEVER EVER consider waiting 90 minutes with a two and a half year old to see Fantasmic, I agree that it's a great attraction but I just think it's a waste of time to sit there for that long on those metal benches. If the ADR makes any difference to the time that you have to wait then I would say go for it.



Also I don't know how well your little one will cope with Fantasmic as it's a very intense show in my opinion
Gems

no flames from me, i totally agree!
leave dh to save spaces, do something else, and join him 20 min or so before hand!
i think the dinner package is over rated, bad food, bad service and not worth the $$$$, jmho.
if the parks are quiet not worth it.
i do agree fantasmic is intense, sit towards the back for a rapid exit if necc

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I'm probably going to get flamed for this as I know it's so popular, but I would NEVER EVER consider waiting 90 minutes with a two and a half year old to see Fantasmic

I wouldn't wait for any ride for 30 let alone 90 to be honest.

If others wish to then as we say it's all about personal choice.