SO excited Trip booked... now I need HELP!!

[tammz]

Hi All IM SO EXCITED!! and can barely contain myself!! I finally booked my FIRST WDW vacation!!!!
So a few details I am a single mom and my son just turned 5 we will be staying at POP on April 23- may 3 2012 (ok enough of those I think you all GET how excited I really am) This is our first airplane ride our first "real" vacation and the longest we have EVER been away from home!
I did all the bookings myself (thanx for all the help with my last post!!) and I am keeping my fingers crossed that WDW releases some sort of deal for that time of year Or I will have to pay full price
So I have been trying to track down park hours and times/days of parades and fireworks I seam to get different hours everyplace I look so I am a little confused I am trying to do a itinerary so I know what day to book our "special" meals We have decieded on Chef Mickeys, Mickeys back yard BBQ and 50's prime time cafe The rest of the time I have no problem eating quick serve or if we can maybe do a few table service meals with no ADR's We are both picky eaters So I think our best bet would be to eat when hungry and probably share meals
So on to my questions (Im sure I will have more) BUT to start I need a place where all the times are together I looked at the Dis calendar but Im not sure if that is up to date because I was under the impression Wishes and Fantasmic were not hapening every night Also I have to get down to planing and maybe you all have some things Ive over looked this is my BASIC plan:

Monday April 23 arrive 2-3 pm Do downtown disney maybe pool get familiar wilth transportation and possibly a mono rail ride

Tuesday April 24 First park day I wanted it to be MK BUT I read wishes will not be on Tuesdays at the end of April *IF* this is the case we will do animal Kingdom first and have a relax at the pool and hit bed early for the next day

Wed April 25 MK day!! I want to see the parades and WISHES for sure If the desert party is happening we are there!! I want to assure my sons first fireworks are memorable!! and we get a great view! I have a list of To do things to accomplish while in MK

Thursday April 26 I think we want to do Epcot (or will it be too much??) If not we will take a relax day I wanted to try and get to a mall Via trasit from down town disney (still researching that one) Mickeys Backyard BBQ is thurs and sat?? So we may book for thurs (less busy??)

Friday Epcot (if we didnt do it ) Or HS This is where my confusion starts I only want to do HS once but want to try 50"s prime time But was thinking I wanted to space my ADR's out..... Ok so now Im lost I have read so much info but I just cant compute all the dates times ADR's 6 months ahead! what park will be LESS crowded

As you see I need some major help and thats why I am here I am sure you will all be so much help and assure me I dont have to panic
Also I want to do MK at least twice and maybe Animal kingdom twice maybe 2 down days HS and Epcot that leaves 2 spare days!!

Please help I know there has to be some master planners out there!! and well I only have a few days to have a basic plan in place as my 180 day mark for ADR's is fast approaching!!

THANX in Advance

 

[lizabu]

I used http://www.easywdw.com/ a lot with my planning. I was able to bring up the crowd calender for my dates. Once I chose what day we would be in each park I made the ADRs for a restaurant in that park because I didn't want to spend a lot of time travelling to ADRs and I didn't want to buy park hoppers

 

[3pletprincesses]

I don't think it will be too much to do epcot on april 26 as the first 2 days will be early days and then you have MK long day and then Epcot. Worse comes you can always leave for a bit to rest at the resort. We did that both trips thsi year with my 5 yo triplets.

We did the BBQ this past May ( we were there from April 30 to May 13) and it was a disarter for us. The girls were too hot and tired and we left early. It wasn't worth the money to us. The meals is outside and if he is remotly tired, the heat will get to him. We will try HDD again in a few years but plan on doing it on a down day.

I would try to plan HS on a day that has the fantasmic show. It's my girls favorite show. They would pick that over Wishes any day. However, it will be busier that day at the park because alot of people want to see it and maybe you would like to do a fantasmic package to not have to wait over an hour in line to get in. It's honnestly worth the wait.

I also plan my trip using the site that the PP posted but keep in mind that since we are so far out, the crowds level will change and it will be change a lot if they add extra days of Wishes, Illumination or fantasmic or even because a new offer came out for those dates. That being said, no matter what you do avoid MK on the weekend.

I would plan at least 2 days at MK and at Epcot. You will find so much to do with your son at Epcot. That's my girls favorite park. You have to do soaring with him, he will love it if he is not affraid of heights. We usually do Future world one day the countries on the second day.

The other suggestion I have that some might not like is that we always get to the park at rope drop, go back to our resort around 12 and return around 4pm. We take that down time to swim at the resort and rest. I find it to be the best when you have young kids. As much as my girls love Disney and characters, they are so happy to hear, let's go back for a swim. this past May was very hot as we were hitting 40 degrea plus humidex every day. After a few hours of that weather, a nice swim, they get back to the park refresh and ready to run around until night time. Some people find it a waste of time to go back to the resort but for us, it's a saver or we would have major melt downs in the evening.

Also try to plan a down day after a few days of late evenings and early wake ups. After a few days, he will simply be too tired ( and mommy too) to even went to roll out of bed.

One last thing, I think Park Hoppers are a waste of money for first timer. you will spend more time travelling from park to park then what you will actually do. Plan your meals either at the resort near the park you are going or at the park you are going. Going from your resort to another resort can be time consuming.

If you questions ask away, we will all answer.

 

[Kat&Dom]

I agree with 3pletprincess's advice on being at park at Rope Drop and having a break to swim and enjoy the resort. It is so refreshing and makes you feel like you have more park time than pushing through. Be prepared for any weather, we went in April 2010 and it was fairly mild for most of our trip but the last day, it was so hot - we felt like we were melting.

When we go to Disney next month, we are planning on going to the Chip and Dale Campfire. It is free to attend - you can buy s'mores to cook at the campfire and apparently there is also a movie. We thought this would be nice and relaxing way to start our vacation so you might want to do it for your first night too.

Coming from Canada, I find the food portions in the States to be huge so my son (he's 6 now) and I always end up sharing meals. That way we can have more special treats. We even share the Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich as it is huge and melts quickly in the sun.

I second or third the advice on easywdw.com - there is some great advice on it. We are following the advice as we will be in Disney over the American Thanksgiving. We are not doing the park hopper this trip as we are going with friends that will be on their first trip.

Another thing that your son might enjoy is doing the Jedi Training at HS. You have to arrive early to sign up but it is a pretty neat experience for kids. My son is completely pumped about doing it next month.

I hope you have a wonderful trip with lots of great memories.

 

[JDUB]

You will have such a good time with your 5 yr old!!! My DS turned 5 at Disney last month. He had so much fun because he loves thill rides and hit the 48" height so all rides were a go!!! We actually spent 2 days at HS too because he loved ToT, Rock n Roller, Jedi Training, Star Tours, Toy Story Mania, etc.
Also the CM will go out of their way for your son's first visit so have fun. We also planned the Chef Mickey on the same day as AK. We went back to the resort and swam before getting ready and heading to CM at 6:30. It also gave us time to ride the monorail after our meal to see the other resorts and MK.
Also here is a great character finder for you and your son:
http://www.wdwinsiders.com/character_finder.php

This website by far is the best for planning and advice.

Have Fun and keep us updated on your exciting trip!!!

 

[the_green_machine]

Not to ramble on about it but, www.easywdw.com has been my go to web site for the last 5 or 6 months. My wife and I are also planning for our first WDW trip in Jan 2012 and that site is not only very well written and funny but it is full of questions and answers that the majority of first timers will find very useful. It also has up to date park schedule changes and even multiple reports on food and serving sizes (great for picky eaters LOL).

I literally check that site once a day. Good luck and have a great time.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I also agree with doing RD and then and afternoon break before returning to the parks. We have used this plan for years and we never feel over tired.

If you can plan your parks days to alternate with days off. The off time can be spent at the pool or DTD. Those are also good days to plan special things like meals or shows. This is also something we have been doing for years. We rarely feel like we have been too busy and didn't have a rest...which is what vacays are supposed to be for. An alternate day plan will also allow you the time to enjoy the resort.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I would check out EasyWDW for their crowd calendar. Personally we never go without checking out the recommended parks on one of the 3 available crowd calendars.

The Backyard BBQ gets very bad reviews. I have never seen anything positive written about it.

 

[Sue M]

I'm not too sure how many days you'll be in WDW but for a first time visit usually:
2 days MK
2 days EPcot
1 day DHS
1 day AK
is a good plan.

I like the tour book WDW-The Unofficial Guide, and their web site touringplans.com it has a great crowd calendar. I use it to plan my park days. They also have Touring plans for each park, and tells you the order to go to each attraction, so you're not wasting your time in long lines, esp important going during busy seasons. Very helpful for a first visit.
Passporter is another great book.

I'd get park hopper tickets, so you can go to 1 park in the morning, take a mid day break, then go to a different park at night.

The price dif. prob isn't that big to add a day to have some park time your arrival day, since you'll be there relatively early.

Your first WDW trip!

 

[tammz]

Thanks for all the tips so far!! Its so great to be planing this vacation!! I looked at the easywdw site Its one I hadn't come across yet I like the crowd calendar and actually they say pretty much the same as I did AK on Tues, MK on Wed, and Epcot on thurs would be the least busy time I guess it depends if they release some sort of deal
I am concerened about Mickeys backyard BBQ I too have not read anything to promising I just thought it would be a good "show" being that we are picky eaters Hoop de doo and the Aloha show wouldnt be good for us food wise I cant talk my son into Chrystal palace although I had my heart set on a early morn breakfast to get into the park early and see it empty he says Pooh and friends are for babies and there is NO talking him out of that! Maybe If I give him an option pooh or princess (my bet is he will take pooh hands down)
By the looks of the menus my son will be eating alot of chicken nuggets and hot dogs Anyone know where to get grill cheese sandwiches or just peanut butter (no Jelly??) I am hoping he will be so hungry maybe he will try some new things!
Now that I have a "base" plan down I have to wait until may hours come out and look into what days offer shows I want to see the electric parade Wishes Fantasmic for sure!!
Thanks for the input so far PLEASE keep it coming

 

[HeatherLassell]

Maybe If I give him an option pooh or princess (my bet is he will take pooh hands down)

bahahahaha That's how I'd do it with my boys. They can choose. Either breakfast at Cinderellas Royal Table in the castle or the Winnie the Pooh breakfast at the Crystal Palace.

However my boys are going to CRT because of their 5 year old sister and they are fine with it.

I'm also a single mom planning our first ever trip (and plane ride too!) Check out my PTR (link in my signature) for all my planning fun!

I totally understand how excited you are! YAY!