please review itinerary for Feb.

[pixie71]

Hello,

This is my first trip with my DD age 2 (single parent) and he is very energetic (to put it nicely) Just trying to give him a taste of Disney. Could you please take a look to this itinerary and offer suggestions-thanks.

Sunday - arrive at POP, swim, dinner at food court (early bedtime)
Monday - MK (all day)
Tuesday - Chef Mickey's 11:00 am, non park day, Boma 5:20 pm
Wednesday - AK (All day)
Thursday - Downtown Disney souvenir shopping - departure

Thanks so very much.

 

[cyndibelle]

its sounds good..we are going in february...2nd-8th...do you have an alternative plan for if the weather is yucky for the swimming?? you never know with the weather down there if it is gonna be warm enough for swimming or not....have a great trip...

 

[danacath]

Here's a mother of 3's two cents' worth: I would rearrange a few things. I'd take advantage of AK's EMH and go there on Monday. When our fam gets there bright and early, we are usually done in that park by about 12 or 1 PM and we can head back to our resort for a late lunch and swim/nap. Also, as nice as Boma is, I would only do one "nice" meal/day with a 2-y-o, so I would keep Chef Mickey's and cancel Boma's. On your MK park day, get there EARLY if your 2-y-o is going to be up anyway, and you can "conquer" Fantasyland in good time. By 11 or 12, depending on park hours that day, take a break back at your resort so you can nap/swim/eat and come back to MK later for the parade and fireworks. I'm a big believer in sheduling in breaks if at all possible. It really does help!

HTH...Have a fantastic trip!

 

[pixie71]

Thanks cyndibelle and danacath.

I thought about rescheduling the Chef Mickey's to our arrival date and have dinner there instead, however, we are driving in and although I am trying to arrive around check-in I am not sure how wired up or tired he may be (either way not good for dinner.)

I want to keep Boma (for myself mostly) I will play around with this schedule it's not set in stone

Also, regarding the EMH - aren't those usually the most crowded?? If the weather is not great for swimming I may take him to Downtown Disney for a movie or to play at Lego Land.

Thanks again - keep the suggestions coming...

 

[vicb]

When my DS was 3 his hands down favorite thing at WDW was... transportation! One night we rode loops on the monorail! He loved the train at MK. He liked any boats (water taxi, ferry, etc) and we rode an antique firetruck in MK and they let him ring the bell. At MK he loved Donald's Boat (it was wet that year) and Tom Sawyer Island. You are wise to build in swim time both DS and DD (who was 6 that year) loved the pools!

Good luck.

 

[disneyfan551]

Ok, personal opinion only... I wouldn't waste 1 of the 2 days at AK. Every year we say that we could skip it next time. And I LOOOOVE Disney, so that says alot. We truly could do with or without it. (I know, everyone is different...) Even with our 2yo dd, we can find alot more to do at Epcot that she would even enjoy.

Secondly, I agree about only having 1 good meal a day. I'm not sure if you've been to Boma or not, but to us it was so-so. Nice to do once, but we'll continue trying other restaurants. I'm in the minority, as most people love Boma. But, I wouldn't splurge here, during such a short trip.

Have fun with whatever you decide to do!

 

[pixie71]

Intially, I thought about visiting Universal Studios (because DD loves Barney and Spongebob also) but opted to keep the trip strictly Disney.

So that left me with choosing between Epcot, MGM or AK but the last time I went to MGM was the first year it opened and hated it...and Epcot I haven't been there in the past 8 years that I've visited Disney.

From my vague recollection of Epcot I did not have a good time there (although my father loves it) However, I was there the first year AK opened and I enjoyed it very much.

Show me the light - what's so great about MGM or Epcot

 

[danacath]

pixie71,
Everyone will give you a different opinion on which parks are the most enjoyable, so you just need to pick the parks that appeal to YOU the most. (and it sounds like that's exactly what you've already done. )

Regarding EMH, I've always made use of it and have never regretted it. It is amazing how much ground you can cover in that first hour. We arrive before the gates open and when the crowds start to swell (late morning--before lunch), we leave that EMH park for the day and go have lunch and a swim at our resort. After a nice break, we head back to a DIFFERENT park for the remainder of the day. Anyway, it looks like you won't be in MK for an EMH, so that just leaves AK to consider. When we've gone to AK for an EMH, we've been able to stay ahead of the crowd for most of the morning, taking the Safari ride first and going from there. Around Noon it gets busy, but we're usually about ready to leave anyway. (One of these days I'll have to stick around for the afternoon parade at AK--haven't done that yet.) Do you have "one day-one park" tickets or a PH or AP?

I'm with you on not doing Chef Mickey's on your arrival date. I dunno about you, but I never have much of an appetite on travel days as it is. Plus you'll probably want to rest up that evening anyway so you're ready to roll in the morning.

 

[pixie71]

Thanks Danacath,

This planning is so hard...I don't know how my parents did it with 5 (boterhs & sisters) of us. I just want him to have fun and enjoy the Disney Magic as much as I do

These boards are really great - I have gained a wealth of knowledge just by reading the posts here.

 

[tjmw2727]

I have been visiting WDW with my girls since the oldest was 2 1/2, many times alone as DH dosen't "love it" and dosen't get much vacation. So my thoughts at first glance are:

I second the advice of using the early morning hour, even if only from MK. Especially if yours is a child who is up early anyway. We get more done in fantasyland in that hour than any other time in our trip. I might also consider doing Boma on the day you are AK, keeping up with the theming. I know my kids still do better with only one "sit-down" meal per day and they are 6 and 9 now! I try and make our sit down meals for breakfast or lunch since its quicker and a bit less expensive. We generaly do sandwiches in the room or a counter service dinner and often do breakfast in the room as well.

If you have a park hopper pass and your son will settle down in the stroller maybe you can walk WS one evening for some fun yourself. I did this a few times when my kids were small and it was a nice "break" for me without using a babysitter or kids club.
I would give them dinner at the resort, dress them comfy and settle them in the stroller. They always fell asleep while I was walking the WS giving me a chance to watch the outdoor entertainment and sip on a "drink". Even thought I am sure this is a trip primarily for your son, IMHO there is nothing wrong with an hour or two of Mom time.

My only other thought is to be flexible, if he seems to love the parks then you can spend more time, if not lots of resort time and hopefully pool time. If its to cold to swim perhaps a boat ride to Wilderness for the petting zoo or as you mentioned DTD and even a monorial ride. He may like riding up front with the driver if that's available on one of your trip.

Have fun
TJ

 

[zakatak]

Hi!

When are you going in February?

Boma is great, it is my favorite restaurant ever, but it might be hard with a two year old. Will you be travelling with anyone else that can take turns at the table with him?

I love Animal Kingdom and think that the younger ones like it better than Epcot. Just a Mom's opinion, but my kids have been into animals and dinosaurs more than anything at Epcot. There is even a petting area in Rafiki's Planet Watch (after you ride the train).

Good luck!

Karen