Reality Check...

[Lydia91]

I was hoping to get some advice on our planning for Disney!

We are traveling with my twin daughters who will be celebrating their third birthday at WDW as well as my parents who will be celebrating their 50th anniversary. My mom is struggling with some memory issues and has longstanding back problems which make walking any distance a challenge (she probably will be in a wheelchair whenever she is at the parks). She will not be touring much with us during the day, but rather joining us for dinner and evening activities.

I have been pulling together a schedule for our trip but am very worried I am being way too ambitious! I would appreciate anyone's thoughts about whether what I'm thinking about is reasonable, over the top or what have you!

Here's what I'm thinking:

1st Day:

Arrival, check in, early dinner at Boma Restaurant at Animal Kingdom (I understand that you can see the animals from the windows of the restaurant?), everyone to bed early.

2nd Day:

Early breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. Touring Magic Kingdom and back to hotel for nap no later than 1 PM. Dinner at 'Ohana and then back to park for the Electric Parade and Wishes. Late bedtime.

3rd Day:

Early arrival at Epcot. Early lunch reservations at the Biergarten and back to hotel for nap no later than 1 pm. 5:00 Dinner reservations for Hoop De Doo Musical Revue. Early bedtime.

4th Day:

Early arrival at Hollywood Studios. Back to hotel for nap no later than 1 pm. Return for dinner at Hollywood and Vine (Fantasmic package) and Fantasmic. Late bedtime.

5th day:

Early arrival at Magic Kingdom. Character Lunch at the Crystal Palace and then back to hotel for nap. Babysitter to arrive and girls to have dinner in room and bedtime at usual time. Adults to have dinner out and see La Nouba.

6th day

Early arrival at Epcot. Back to hotel for nap no later than 1 pm. Dinner reservations at the Haicenda and viewing of Illuminations. Late bedtime.

7th day

Early arrival at Magic Kingdom. Back to hotel for nap no later than 1 pm. Hang out at hotel after nap. Babysitter to arrive and girls have dinner in room. Late dinner reservations at Narcoossee's to celebrate parents' 50th anniversary and view "Wishes" during dinner.

8th day

Departure.

 

[diamondpixienc]

Sounds like a solid thought out plan to me. You have alloted for some down time each day which is good considering your mom. I would check into renting an ECV for her too. I think you can find more information about that on the DisAbilities board. My kiddos were/ are stroller nappers so there was no need for the mid day nap for us but we would always stick their regular bed times which will make all the difference for getting to the parks when they open first thing. Anywho, i hope you have a magical trip and i wouldn't change a thing. Take care.

 

[Tinetine]

Your planning seems very reasonable. The only thing I would look at is the transportation. Will you be relying on the Disney buses, monorail,or do you have access to a car ? Because if you take the evening with Hoop De doo, you would leave the park around 1, go to your hotel, then if you use the bus take a bus to MK, then bus or boat to WL. You might want to plan a cab that evening.

 

[cvjw]

Just wanted to add that you can see animals when dining at Sanaa (if you are seated in the front of the windows), not while dining at Boma. Boma's windows look out on the pool area. You can see animals while at Jambo House, just not while eating at Boma. Sanaa is our favorite restaurant of the 2, and is located in Kidani Village.

Your schedule seems like a good one, but very ambitious for someone with mobility issues. Also, you will be spending alot of your time in restaurants. We did the deluxe dining plan one year, and felt like all we did was go from one restaurant to the other, with not much park time in between.

 

[MSSANDRA]

My only concern is the late bedtimes, followed by the early mornings. A long afternoon nap may make those late nights work, but we found our preschooler just had a hard time if we did late nights, followed by early am plans.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

I think your plan looks great! The only thing I would consider is that you have to be prepared for your evenings to not go as beautifully as planned. My 2.8 year old was fine every morning, but two nights of our last trip we didn't even make it out of the hotel room due to various issues.

One thing that may be missing...is there any time for fun at the pool?

 

[Missy13d69]

I think it looks good, other than the late night early mornings. Kids that age thrive on structure. I worry that your setting yourself up for misery if you try deviating from 'regular' bedtime.

 

[pooh4evr]

Where are you staying, and what transportation are you using? Disney transportation can be very drawn out, as in an hour or more to get back to your room. We never left the parks for naps, we didn't want to waste park time with it, so the girls always rested / napped in the strollers. Just a thought.

 

[ilovevacation]

I agree it sounds like a totally solid plan. Just considering that "early"and "late"are totally subjective words and hoping your kids won't suffer melt downs for it during dinner/shows. Stoller naps sounds like a fantastic idea and don't forget to leave a little wiggle room in your schedule for magic. Have a great time!

 

[Lydia91]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the feedback -- and thanks for letting me know the animals aren't viewable from Boma!

My daughters are definitely not stroller nappers so we will be going back to the hotel for a 2-3 hour nap every day. I was hoping that that would cushion them against the late nights but it is very true that an early morning following a late night could spell disaster! We may have to play things by ear a bit...

My issue with the evenings is that, due to way my Mom has acted since her memory loss, it is very difficult for her to get going before the early afternoon (which is, of course, naptime). So I see the dinners/evening activities as being the main time when the whole family will really be together. And I'm putting all sorts of pressure on this issue mentally as this is likely the last "big" family vacation that my Mom will go on given her condition. I probably need to give some more thought as to how I am balancing things. In the end, my daughters will have the chance to go to Disney again so I think it is fair to weight things a bit more to my parents' needs while making sure the girls have enough rest to avoid meltdowns, etc., etc.

In terms of transportation my Dad and my husband have been pushing just using the Disney transit system but I feel that in light of our frequent "back and forths" that we should spend the money on a rental car. I think we just need a lot of flexibility given our various limitations here. Any thoughts?

 

[pooh4evr]

We have used the busses and the last time had a car- wow what a difference! The car was well worth it! It was so nIce to have a comfortable seat, a cool ride, and it took maybe 10 - 15 minutes from getting in the car to get to the room. The draw back if you can even call it one, is that the busses drop you off closer to the entrance, but really when you are walking miles a day, a few more feet won't hurt. Oh and having a place to keep the stroller (trunk) instead of keeping it in the room is great too, as well as not having to fold it up and stand on the bus ride. - one other thing, is carseats, we gate checked ours.

 

[heather13]

Overall I think your plan is great, but doesn't allow for much time on rides, especially at the MK where your girls will have the most fun.

Depending on where you're staying, ITA with Disney transportation issues. If you rely on the busses you must allow 30-60 minutes for each one way. It stinks. If you're doing the monorail or direct boat, it's much faster. Add to that at least 30 minutes for kids to calm down & fall asleep, then another 15 minutes for them to fully awaken, potty, & fix hair before catching a bus back, plus for my kids having a post-nap snack became important. I didn't fully appreciate how long everything would take! On the plus side though, DD4 usually is in bed by 7pm at home with no nap, but with a 1-2 hour nap she was okay the next day for our two late nights (in bed by 10pm).

Having just returned from a trip where we had both a wheelchair & stroller, it takes a LOT longer to walk within the parks, because we spent so much time trying to keep track of one another. Will your mom be staying in the room with your dad in the mornings? I'd be concerned if you leave her in the room alone if she's having memory issues. Rather than rent a wheelchair in the parks for times she visits parks with you, I'd get a wheelchair either from a separate rental place or from the hotel. My mom doesn't walk well either, and it took her up to 30 minutes to walk from the bus drop off to the wheelchair rental area - and that's skipping the "bag search" lanes. It can be a really long walk. I was amazed how much time we saved when we borrowed a wheelchair from the hotel.

 

[NMDisneyFan]

You don't need to worry about the late bedtimes, especially if the naps are good. Have fun and be prepared for unexpected changes to your plans!

 

[DopeyDame]

Overall I think it looks good. I would just be hestiant about pushing the "early" days. Since you want to make sure everyone is fresh for afternoons and evenings with your mom, I'd probably let the kids sleep in as needed.
Other than that, it sounds great! We always go back to the hotel for naps with DS and it makes our whole trip so much more enjoyable.

Of course, the #1 advice when traveling with litle kids is to just go with the flow and don't worry if your schedule gets totally blown away. If everyone is having fun (even if just staring at some flowers in the middle of Epcot), that's a success!

 

[Figment1990]

I actually think your plan looks really good. When we've gone the past two years (DS age 3 and 4) that is almost the exact plan we've done. (Did you find my itinerary somewhere??? ) Seriously, I think you could be fine. If your children are like mine, the nap will be very helpful and it will help them stay up later but my child would not sleep in the next day anyway so sometimes that "early after late night" didn't matter anyway. I just made sure that we had everything ready to go each night so we could get up at the latest possible time those days.

I only have a few comments otherwise. First, if you have park hoppers, consider switching your Epcot and DHS mornings and thus, you wont' have to go "early magic hours" early. For that age, we find that the early hours at those two parks aren't as necessary and do influence the crowd levels overall. We definitely do the early hours at MK though - SO much can be done in that time! (this also depends on what time of year you are going, of course). But in reading your post, I don't think you have park hoppers, so you can keep it as is and will still be ok. Just know where you want to go and when at both Epcot and DHS.

The second piece of advice I have is that if you can manage to do the 7pm Hoop Dee Doo show, it might be less of a time crunch. Two years ago we tried to make the 5:15 show after DS's nap and we barely got seated before they started. No picture or fun time at Fort Wilderness. Last year, we did the 7pm show, figuring we would just give DS snacks to tide him over and it worked SO much better. For us, leaving the park at 1, back to the room by 1:30-1:45, meant naptime usually lasted til at least4. For the 5pm HDD, you will want to be there by 4 and that leaves little time for travel.

As for whether things are too late or too early, since you didn't put actual times (8am, 10pm) or the time of year you are going, I can't give a totally informed opinion. for example, during your trip, wishes might be at 8pm or it might be at 10pm. I apologize if I missed this information somewhere.

Have a great trip! (And don't worry about being too ambitious! It's disney!)

 

[Lydia91]

Thanks for the thoughts Figment! We are going the week of May 12th so I hadn't resolved on times for anything yet as the calendar hadn't been posted to the Disney website yet.

However...thanks to these boards I just found the travel agent calendars for May (yay!) and unfortunately things are running very late while we are there. MK's Electrical Parade is at 9 and Wishes is at 10 every night, Epcot has Illuminations at 9 every night and Fantasmic is at 9 every night.

A family member has given us their Wyndham points so we will be staying in a three bedroom condo at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek and will not be able to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours. Given that is the case, my general plan is to avoid a park on the day it is having EMH -- my schedule will need to be updated to reflect that now that I have the information.

After giving it some more thought, I am thinking about having Wednesday be a totally "off/pool" day, with my Mom and I hitting a spa while the girls are napping Wednesday afternoon. I would then make sure our flight on Saturday was for something like 6 pm so we can have a last morning at the MK... Not sure if that is a great last farewell or too stressful.

 

[NMDisneyFan]

We always go to MK on the last day. It is a great farewell!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I know you see this as a big, possibly last family trip, given your mom's circumstances. So I definitely would be putting the most eneergy into making her as comfortable and happy as possible. If that means later nights, then you should probably be planning on letting the kids sleep in, and/or have long naps.

Keep in mind, it'll be hot in May--this could affect both your mom and your children.

Another thought--would either you or your DH be willing to take the kids back to the hotel if they're tired in the evenings? It kind of goes against the big family vacation thing, but might work out best for the several days of late nights (not every night, just be willing to do this if there's an issue).

Keep in mind, too, that preschoolers can be notoriously fickle about what they like and don't like. My youngest loves fireworks now, but was very "scared of loud" when he was that age. Similarly, my younger DD would wet her pants, even though she was totally potty trained, when we were in WDW. We eventually realized that this was the way she knew she would be immediately removed from a new/scary to her situation. We caught on when she did it twice, while we were waiting for Fantasmic! to start. I'm not tryign to discourage you, just help you to hope for the best and plan for the worst.

 

[Lydia91]

The fickleness of pre-schoolers has been a major concern for me too!

This Sunday, we took the girls to the Rainforest Cafe for the first time because I wanted to see how they reacted to the animatronics.

They were not huge fans to say the least.

We've done a lot of talking over the past couple of days about how the animals were just machines and so on. The girls are now at the point where they laugh about the "silly monkeys" at the restaurant. We thought we would give it a couple of weeks and then try it again. I'm hoping we can get them comfortable with that kind of experience by the time we head off to Disney.

They did well with fireworks this past 4th of July, but who knows whether that might have changed by the time we go! I do know that no matter how well we plan, that the whole thing might have to be trashed when we get there...we'll just have to do our best and take it easy.

 

[Lydia91]

Okay -- thanks to everyone's input, here is the revised schedule:

1st Day (Saturday):

Arrive at hotel at 11:00, eat lunch at hotel and then put girls down for nap by 1:30. Husband and I run errands (grocery shop) for the week while g'parents stay with the girls.

Wake girls up at 4 and have dinner at 5:30 at Sanaa at Animal Kingdom. Girls in bed by 7:30.

2nd Day (Sunday):

Breakfast in room, leave room between 7:45 and 8:00 and arrive at Magic Kingdom at 8:30 (1/2 hour before opening).

Tour Magic Kingdom.

Lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table.

Leave for hotel no later than 1:30. Girls in bed for nap around 2. Let them sleep as long as they wish. Have dinner at hotel or in room once the girls wake up.

Return to Magic Kingdom no later than 8 to see Electric Parade at 9 pm and Wishes at 10 pm (including reservations for the dessert buffet for Wishes).

3rd Day (Monday).

Breakfast in room, leave room between 7:45 and 8:00 and arrive at Epcot at 8:30 (1/2 hour before opening).

Tour Epcot.

Leave for hotel no later than 12:00. Lunch in room. Girls in bed for nap around 1:00. Let them sleep until 4:30.

Dinner Reservations for the 6:15 Hoop De Doo Musical Revue.

4th Day (Tuesday):

Breakfast in room, leave room between 7:45 and 8:00 and arrive at Hollywood Studios at 8:30 (1/2 hour before opening).

[My preference here would be to do a Fantasmic Package dinner, but I understand that the latest dinner you can do on a package is 5 PM...if that is true, we will need to do a lunch package.]

So, Brown Derby or Hollywood & Vine for lunch for the Fantasmic Package at 12:30.

Back to the hotel for naptime no later than 2. Let girls sleep as long as they like. Have dinner at hotel or in room.

Back to Hollywood Studios no later than 7 pm for the 9 pm Fantasmic!

5th day (Wednesday):

9:30 Breakfast at Chef Mickey's.

Afterwards, pool morning with the girls. Lunch at hotel or in room.

Girls to nap at 1:30. While girls are napping, Mom and I hit the spa at the Ritz Carlton.

Babysitter to arrive around 5:30 and girls will eat dinner in room. Adults to have dinner at either Seasons 52 or The Venetian Room. 9 PM Show of La Nouba. If up for it, Husband and I to hit Raglan Road or Jellyrolls afterwards for a drink and music.

6th day (Thursday)

Breakfast in room, leave room between 7:45 and 8:00 and arrive at Magic Kingdom at 8:30 (1/2 hour before opening).

Tour Magic Kingdom until 1/1:30. Girls in bed for nap around 2. Let them sleep late.

Dinner at Epcot around 7 [Location TBD], stay for the 9:00 Illuminations. Considering doing the boat rental for the show.

7th day (Friday):

Breakfast in room, leave room between 7:45 and 8:00 and arrive at Magic Kingdom at 8:30 (1/2 hour before opening).

Back to hotel for nap no later than 2 pm. If reasonable, pool time after nap.

Babysitter to arrive and girls have dinner in room. Late dinner reservations (9 PM) at Narcoosee's to celebrate parents' 50th anniversary and view Wishes during dinner. Alternatively, dinner at Citricos without view of Wishes.

8th day (Saturday)

Breakfast in room, leave room between 7:45 and 8:00 and arrive at Magic Kingdom at 8:30 (1/2 hour before opening).

Tour Magic Kingdom.

Try for counter service lunch at Be Our Guest.

Departure.

I have dropped Ohana because, though it sounds cool, I think it will be too loud and chaotic for my parents to find comfortable.

I have also carved back on the Disney Dining a bit -- after really looking at the reviews and some of the price points involved I am not sure that some of restaurants are really worth it dollarwise. They are really charging some very fine dining prices and I am just not convinced that the food quality will match up. So, I think one "Disney" meal per day should plenty cover us.