Please review my itinerary and tell me what you think.

[riu girl]

Please review and give me your opinion. Have not been to WDW in 21 years so this is all NEW to me.

Also: While reading, please keep in mind that DD7 has severe ADHD. She never stops , unless I make her. In the itin, I have alloted quite a bit of ASMo time (so she can simply slow down: read, draw, watch tv, swim etc). Without this down time, she over does it and can end of very ill. Happened on last vacation and I don't want it to happen again.

Day 1 (Friday Dec. 17): Drive to Buffalo and stay at Comfort Suites. Parking, shuttle and bagged breakfast included. Hope to arrive at hotel in early afternoon so we can have a lot of down time. Will order dinner in.

Day 2 (Saturday Dec. 18) Fly BUF-IAD-MCO. Arrive MCO just after noon. Pick up rental and drive to ASMo. Explore resort and spend the rest of the day there.

Day 3 (Sunday Dec. 19) Go to DTD for a few hours, have lunch at Earls and ice cream at the ice cream shop (have a couple two for one coupons) . Early afternoon: ride the two monorail routes and check out GF (to see gingerbread house). Will not do a park that day since kids will be tired from getting up at 3 am and then travelling. Go to bed early.

Day 4 (Monday Dec. 20) MK - This will be a long day since we want to be there at open and will stay for Wishes. Will rent a double stroller for DD7 and DS4 for the day. Will take their blankets with them in case they want to nap in stroller.

Day 5 (Tuesday Dec. 21) Spend morning in FW (petting zoo and pony rides) and WL. Will have lunch somewhere there, but not sure where yet. Counter service preferred since we have a PS for that night and don't want to overeat at lunch.
Early afternoon - Quiet time - ASMo
4:30 pm - drive over to Swan and Dolphin and check out their decorations
5:30 - PS at Gullivers (Character dining with Goofy and Pluto). DS4 and I are very small eaters so couldn't justify a buffet or family style plated meals for character dining. We can simply order from the menu here.

Day 6 (Wednesday Dec. 22) AK. Will rent a double stroller for kids.

Day 7 (Thursday Dec. 23) Checkout of ASMo and then drive over to AKL to see the animals and decorations. Drive back to MCO, pick up new rental car (had to do a split rental to use a great discount code) and then drive to Daytona Beach.

Day 8 - Day 16 (Dec 23 - Dec 31) Kick back and relax at a beachfront hotel just north of Daytona (Ormond Beach)

Dec 31 - Fly home (MCO-IAD-BUF).

What do you think? Please be honest. I think that I should try to get to MK and AK earlier (to avoid building Christmas crowds) but not sure how. DO NOT want to go to either park on an EE day.
Also, all breakfast will be eaten in our room (food I've brought from BUF). Lunches and dinners will be counter service except PS at Gullivers.
I am also going to post this over on the Canadian board in hopes of getting as many replys as possible, so please don't waste your time reading it over there again.
Again, ANY tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you, Suzy V.

 

[julfre]

Looks like it is very doable, but would recommend a break on your MK day to go back to the hotel and nap. It will be a very long day and you may need the b reak as much as your kids

 

[paigevz]

We will be going at roughly the same time as you. We arrive on the 18th and are staying at the Wilderness Lodge. We decided to do MK first thing trying to beat the crowds, so will be there on the 19th.........on the 20th, we'll be at AK, and on the 21st, we are going to MGM, but will have counter service lunch at the Lodge...........would be nice to see you there, I'd love to see a kid that can match my son's energy level! On the 22nd, we'll be at Epcot, but on the 23rd, we are doing Downtown Disney until our PS at AKL at Boma for dinner. We'll probably not be there the same time though, as sounds like you'll have gone by then. Sounds great to relax on the beach for so long........wish we could do that!

I cancelled Gulliver's Grill character dinner for mine when I found out there's only one character out at a time for 1/2 hour or so and then a switch..........figured it might take an awfully long time to see only two characters, and my son won't be able to wait that long! Just a thought for you........we are doing Chef Mickey's on the evening of the 18th, they have 4 or more characters all out at once, and it's a buffet, so lots of movement, though it is rather visually stimulating, and maybe too much for your daughter after that long trip, but thought I'd throw out the idea to you!

So close now!

 

[oogieboogie]

I didn't see MGM or Epcot in your itenerary. Are you not doing these parks?

MGM is a great park for a 7 and 4 yr old. The 4yr old would love Playhouse Disney and the 7yr old I bet would love Voyage of the Little Mermaid.
Then you also have Muppetsvision 3D and BTAB show.

I think it's wise to build in some downtime in the middle of the day, especially the MK day. That's a long day without a mid-day break.

 

[Harambe]

You're smart about not overdoing it! I agree that the MK day will be long. I suggest leaving MK midday (get your hand stamped) and taking the monorail to the Polynesian. Their counter-service place is nice. (If you can swing a sit-down meal, Kona Cafe is awesome.) Get some take out, eat, and then take the kids to the beach. They have cabanas, just right for a snooze - or the kids can just chill out and play in the sand. Then take the resort boat back to MK for Wishes.

 

[n2mm]

You were doing everything so nice and slow and relaxing, then you threw in a WHOLE day at MK. No way. Even us seasoned veterans take a break. If you were not on property, that would be hard, but I really think a mid-day break is a must whether you have kids or not. Are you also doing AK all day and no break. Not sure if you have a hopper or not, but if you do, why not do AK, then a break, then go to EPCOT or MGM for the evening. You do know that if you rent a stroller in the AM, you don't have to pay again in the PM if you take a break, you just show them your receipt.

While at FW, you might want to consider trail's end for lunch. Even though it's a buffet, the price can not be beat. $5 ish for kids, and $10ish for adults (the prices just recently went up a dollar so can't remember price). My grandson LOVES this place. It is his favorite place to eat. (Kids and all you can eat pizza and jello seem to be a real hit).

Good luck and have fun.

 

[LovePug]

Originally posted by n2mm
You were doing everything so nice and slow and relaxing, then you threw in a WHOLE day at MK. No way.

I totally agree . Take a break in the early afternoon and then come back in the early evening. I could never withstand an opening to closing day without a break (especially with 2 young children ) .

 

[riu girl]

I just wanted to thank everybody for the great tips. It means so much to me that you would actually spend the time reading my LONG post.


We are doing only two parks this trip due to two factors:

1. Finances - We are also doing 8 nights in Daytona ,thats why our WDW portion of the trip will be a BUDGET trip.
2. I don't want to overtire the kids.

We are going to purchase the 2 day/2 park tickets. They are about 5$ cheaper then buying two single admission tickets.
I think the cost willbe :

kids: 87 ea. adults:111 each. I don't know if this includes tax or not.

I will consider a mid day break during the MK day. I just know this idea will pose huge resistance from DH and DD7. I thought if we took the train around the park once or twice that would give us 2 20 mins. of quiet time. But again, thanks so much for this suggestion (mid day break) and I will give it a lot of thought.

Any other tips/suggestions?????????

Suzy V.