Toddler itinerary critique - help me! last minute panic!

[Wosmama6]

We leave in 9 days, and I had my plans all set, but now reading updated crowd calendars and hours of operation, I am just torn. Any help is appreciated!!!! Travelers - me, DH and 2.5 yo DS, Cars and Nemo junkie who sometimes wakes up at 5 am, and sometimes at 8 am, with no predictability whatsoever.
Notes: we aren't doing child swap. DH and I have been several times, and waiting in line w/ a toddler who doesn't get to ride cancels out any potential fun of a thrill ride.

Arrive Sunday, Oct. 25 4 am wake up, arrive ~11 at AoA, have lunch at Landscapes of Flavor, and hopefully our room will be ready and we can nap off the really early flight.
Original plan = head to Epcot after nap and take in Future World attractions, mostly nemo. Maybe walk around World Showcase if DS isn't cranky.
BUT - EasyWDW is saying that's a bad time to visit Epcot. AND it would be nice to see Future World stuff. AND what are the chances that my kid will be chilled out enough to actually nap after seeing a lifesized Lightning McQueen on his way into the hotel room?
ALTERNATE idea - skip the parks and just take in the resort. Rest up for Monday.

Monday, Oct. 26 (Happy 30th me!)
Original plan was to tour MK with EMH and do ADR at BOG at 1130, back to resort for nap, then we have an ADR at Boma that we are not missing hell or high water LOL.
But ALL the crowd planning sites are saying this is a crappy day to go to MK. The busiest day of the week... and we are def going to MK on Tues and Thurs and since DS can't ride most of the headliners, we can easily do what we want in two mornings at MK
ALTERNATE ideas - visit AK, which is planned for Weds, and try to get Tusker House breakfast
visit Epcot if we skip on Sunday
visit HS, which we dont currently plan to visit at all given the limited attractions

Tuesday, Oct. 27 - MK w/ 8 am CP breakfast - this is set in stone, FP+ all good, etc.

Weds, Oct. 28
Original plan was to tour AK w/ EMH, back to resort for nap + pool evening.
but this is EMH day, not recommended on crowd planning sites. AND the only thing open that my son can ride during EMH is Kilimanjaro safaris... after that we either cross the entire park to ride the trike spin, and eventually return to ride the train and see lion king, or we just hang out doing nothing until the train opens til 930
ALTERNATE ideas - visit epcot if we miss it on Sunday/Monday
visit HS, which isn't currently in the plan

Thurs, Oct. 29 - MK w/ 8:15 am BoG breakfast - we're good here. We leave Friday, so if DS is doing well we might stick around a while instead of nap... we'll see.

So really, what I need to know:
1) how much do these crowd calendars really matter when you're only touring in the mornings? or only in Future World during F&W at Epcot?
2) Is HS even worth it w/ a 2yo? He does love Pixar stuff, but the shows are all in the afternoon, so it's really toy story mania and that's about it. And we're staying at AoA, so I feel like we have Pixar covered. On the other hand, don't want to miss anything he'd like if we have the time.
3) what's been your experience w/ LOs on arrival day?
4) What's your AK strategy when the attraction hours are wonky and EMH is rendered essentially useless?

HELP ME PLEASE!

 

[abinormal]

Rider Swap doesn't require the child to wait in the line. In fact, anyone too small for the ride won't be allowed in line. You go up to the attendant, ask for a Rider Swap ticket, and the first adult goes through the line while the other takes the child to another ride, or a snack, or a potty break or whatever. At a later time the other adult uses the Rider Swap ticket to go through the Fastpass line.

 

[Wosmama6]

oh my god. how did i not know that? i didn't even look into it, not even sure why i assumed it would be different than you mentioned. oh lawd i cannot even add that game changer in right now lol

 

[abinormal]

As to the rest of your itinerary, I don't think I can be much help. We were off site so avoided EMH parks.

We probably could have skipped DHS. It was my kids' least favorite, though they did enjoy TSMM and the Muppet movie.

We didn't go to the parks on arrival day but we also didn't get in until dinner time.

 

[NJlauren]

So I love EMHs when staying on site.

If I'm there for EMH I use them. If I'm not going to utilize them I would skip that park....(hope this makes sense)

I only but slight value into crowd calendars, they are helpful but I want change my whole trip based on them. Example Monday at MK could be hard because of the parties some other days are short and people want a full day. I would possibly switch that day up, but other then that I'm not to sure.

I took a quick look at easywdw and he only changes I would personally make would be Epcot on Monday, I would stick with AK on wed do safari right away, and walk around do the train etc.

This is just me, im guessing you age ADRs and such so don't go changing everything now because of other sites...

Now arrival day I would play by ear maybe hit up HS if you have the day on your park ticket or check it DTD don't stress, take it easy and be prepared to follow DSs lead and have a great trip!

 

[Wosmama6]

the only ADR switching our days would mess up is BOG lunch on Monday. we have just the QS plan, and Boma is a birthday dinner bonus. It would be easiest to stick Epcot on Monday and play Sunday by ear. I just hate to waste a full day since we are getting into MCO at 930! I just said 11 at AoA because who knows how long it will take...

 

[ELSA711]

I love MK on Sundays, could you flip flop your MK day to Sunday and do Epcot Monday.

You could even do MK Monday morning keep your ADR to BOG and then hop to Epcot, if you have hoppers.

 

[NJlauren]

I like the idea of MK Sunday and Epcot Monday!

 

[dizzy daisy]

I know that last minute panic! One final thrill before you go, lol.

Sun - In my experience, arrival day has been fine. Personally I'd "plan" on resort time, but if my child was up for it I'd go to AK. Have you considered it for arrival day? Open until 6:30 that night and it's the only 'green' park on easy wdw. You could catch the shows. And there is always the single rider line for EE if you and your DH find yourselves with a napping toddler on that side of the park, lol, you could take turns.

Mon- I'd have a happy birthday and visit Epcot More time in the park and smaller crowds. Sounds perfect.

Tues- Looks wonderful.

Wed- I'd plan AK EMH and book a late-ish (10a) breakfast at Tusker House. That way you're on KS early, then breakfast, then more attractions and characters.

Thurs- Awesome time planned.

No matter how you end up touring I know you'll have a great time. You have the perfect attitude about taking a little one with you and knowing that you need to go at his pace

 

[Wosmama6]

my only hesitation wtih MK sunday is that it's a party night, and we'd go after nap probably, and so we'd be getting there right along w the party crowds...

 

[jacknsally19]

We leave in 9 days, and I had my plans all set, but now reading updated crowd calendars and hours of operation, I am just torn. Any help is appreciated!!!! Travelers - me, DH and 2.5 yo DS, Cars and Nemo junkie who sometimes wakes up at 5 am, and sometimes at 8 am, with no predictability whatsoever.
Notes: we aren't doing child swap. DH and I have been several times, and waiting in line w/ a toddler who doesn't get to ride cancels out any potential fun of a thrill ride.

Arrive Sunday, Oct. 25 4 am wake up, arrive ~11 at AoA, have lunch at Landscapes of Flavor, and hopefully our room will be ready and we can nap off the really early flight.
Original plan = head to Epcot after nap and take in Future World attractions, mostly nemo. Maybe walk around World Showcase if DS isn't cranky.
BUT - EasyWDW is saying that's a bad time to visit Epcot. AND it would be nice to see Future World stuff. AND what are the chances that my kid will be chilled out enough to actually nap after seeing a lifesized Lightning McQueen on his way into the hotel room?
ALTERNATE idea - skip the parks and just take in the resort. Rest up for Monday.

Monday, Oct. 26 (Happy 30th me!)
Original plan was to tour MK with EMH and do ADR at BOG at 1130, back to resort for nap, then we have an ADR at Boma that we are not missing hell or high water LOL.
But ALL the crowd planning sites are saying this is a crappy day to go to MK. The busiest day of the week... and we are def going to MK on Tues and Thurs and since DS can't ride most of the headliners, we can easily do what we want in two mornings at MK
ALTERNATE ideas - visit AK, which is planned for Weds, and try to get Tusker House breakfast
visit Epcot if we skip on Sunday
visit HS, which we dont currently plan to visit at all given the limited attractions

Tuesday, Oct. 27 - MK w/ 8 am CP breakfast - this is set in stone, FP+ all good, etc.

Weds, Oct. 28
Original plan was to tour AK w/ EMH, back to resort for nap + pool evening.
but this is EMH day, not recommended on crowd planning sites. AND the only thing open that my son can ride during EMH is Kilimanjaro safaris... after that we either cross the entire park to ride the trike spin, and eventually return to ride the train and see lion king, or we just hang out doing nothing until the train opens til 930
ALTERNATE ideas - visit epcot if we miss it on Sunday/Monday
visit HS, which isn't currently in the plan

Thurs, Oct. 29 - MK w/ 8:15 am BoG breakfast - we're good here. We leave Friday, so if DS is doing well we might stick around a while instead of nap... we'll see.

So really, what I need to know:
1) how much do these crowd calendars really matter when you're only touring in the mornings? or only in Future World during F&W at Epcot?
2) Is HS even worth it w/ a 2yo? He does love Pixar stuff, but the shows are all in the afternoon, so it's really toy story mania and that's about it. And we're staying at AoA, so I feel like we have Pixar covered. On the other hand, don't want to miss anything he'd like if we have the time.
3) what's been your experience w/ LOs on arrival day?
4) What's your AK strategy when the attraction hours are wonky and EMH is rendered essentially useless?

HELP ME PLEASE!

Arrival Day - Honestly if you are only planning on only going to Future World, I think you will be fine. We were recently at Epcot on the Friday opening day of Food & Wine. World Showcase was COMPLETELY AWFUL. But we spent like 2 hours at the aquarium / Nemo ride so we weren't really bothered by it. I think you will likely want an easier day after your morning, so just doing Future World would be pretty good.
Monday - If you are just going to be doing MK in the AM - the crowds will not be as big of an issue. It will certainly be more crowded on Monday but you can manage especially if you follow Josh's instructions!
Wednesday - Epcot would probably be a lot easier today and you could do world showcase. But AK isn't too bad on a busy day with a little one since you aren't going to be hitting up the thrill rides.


Responses to your specific questions:
1. Not as much of an impact in the AM; Definitely not as much in Future World.... that being said the weekend vs the weekday for Food and Wine is pretty dramatic. And there are some cool things for kids in World Showcase
2. Nope. I wouldn't bother AT ALL right now. TSMM is a cool ride and my DD is a huge Toy Story fan but isn't that into it. She doesn't really get the whole shooting concept (at least she didn't at 3). The two things she liked at HS was Disney Jr and meeting Buzz and Woody. I
3. Mixed bag... I would be careful about food. Mine ended up eating not very well on arrival day and throwing up in the middle of the night the last time we were there.
4. With a two year old, I would make sure to do Festival of the Lion King and the Safari and then see what else interests him.

GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY

 

[Lupeix]

I always plan a rest day on travel days. You never know how much sleep a toddler will actually get during the day.
Once you are at the resort you can re-evaluate and maybe head to a park. like Epcot. I find that the moroccan restaurant is good and almost never requires ADR to be seated. Your toddler may nap the whole way in the stroller, which will be a nice thing for you and your DH.

In terms of crowd levels, parks with EMH are never recommended, but early morning is always the least crowded time for rides, specially for toddler friendly rides. So If you are planning to be done by 11 am or so, the crowd levels projected will not have been reached yet.

I wouldn't switch the MK day, BOG lunch is a hard ADR to get. I have always been able to have almost no wait with good FP planning at rope drop in MK with crowd levels higher than what is shown for October. Last April DS (then 4) rode dumbo and barnstormer 2 times each before there was even a line, plus Winnie the pooh and Peter Pan with FP. The only line we did that morning was 7DMT and that was 25 minutes (which was almost too much for a 4 yo), and that was right at opening with no FP. All between 9-11 am, plus a break for a snack.

And I think at 2.5 HS is not really worth it. We skipped it at 2.5 and went at 4, and even then DS had limited rides he could do (he wasn't quite 40 inches yet
have a great trip!

 

[Wosmama6]

Sounds like just stick w my original plan?? And if for some reason arrival day is a mess, just switch Epcot to monday and forgo MK??

 

[momto2js]

I would change the arrival day plan. My plan "A" would be to drop stuff off at AOA and head to a park, take your pick which one. I would tour from 1 until 5. Have dinner and make sure everyone is in bed EARLY. Like lights out by 7. That way, you don't start the trip off with a oh we are here now take a nap, struggle and you get a good first nights sleep and can be at the next day's park at rope drop. Too many times I have "wasted" time on trying to enforce a nap when a better plan would have been to keep going and then get to bed early.

 

[jacknsally19]

Sounds like just stick w my original plan?? And if for some reason arrival day is a mess, just switch Epcot to monday and forgo MK??

I think that's a good idea.... I think you will be fine doing 2 days at MK. Tues and Thurs will have very light crowds at MK (due to party night) so you will get a lot done on those days. Honestly, you don't need two meals at BOG. One is enough to get the experience so don't feel bad canceling the lunch. If you feel like you did not accomplish much at Epcot on arrival day, it might be good to cancel MK on Monday and head back to Epcot. My DD loves that park!

You can also check the night before for cancellations to get Tusker House.... It's a lot of fun for the 2 yr old and then make your final call.

Oh at Epcot, try and ride Figment! It's my dd's favorite ride and it almost always has no wait. We rode it 5x at our last visit.

 

[Wosmama6]

I would change the arrival day plan. My plan "A" would be to drop stuff off at AOA and head to a park, take your pick which one. I would tour from 1 until 5. Have dinner and make sure everyone is in bed EARLY. Like lights out by 7. That way, you don't start the trip off with a oh we are here now take a nap, struggle and you get a good first nights sleep and can be at the next day's park at rope drop. Too many times I have "wasted" time on trying to enforce a nap when a better plan would have been to keep going and then get to bed early.

oh wow, i love this idea. that's very true, and it makes much more sense with the whole "wake up at the crack of dawn for EMH" thing.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

at that age with DD she wouldn't nap. it was early bed time, eat at 5pm then head back to AoA for bed. she went right to sleep. that would work best for you since you have 8am adrs.

Your trip sounds similar to mine! we leave Oct 24th and my bday is Oct 25! yay mommy bdays at disney! remember that the kids will like pool time more than most everything else.

We are planning 1/2 days in the parks, pool time, and QS not table service.

 

[Wosmama6]

at that age with DD she wouldn't nap. it was early bed time, eat at 5pm then head back to AoA for bed. she went right to sleep. that would work best for you since you have 8am adrs.

Your trip sounds similar to mine! we leave Oct 24th and my bday is Oct 25! yay mommy bdays at disney! remember that the kids will like pool time more than most everything else.

We are planning 1/2 days in the parks, pool time, and QS not table service.

Where ru staying?! Yay for Disney birthdays!

 

[branv]

Well, if its too much hassle to switch it all around, we always loved early EMH. Fair disclosure, that was before FP+, but as long as you actually do make rope drop (and many people plan to, but don't), we always had great luck with it. We always left around noon, but before that time touring was pretty easy as long as you do the big areas up front. You just get ahead of the crowds then leave as they pick up.

To be fair, even EasyWDW and TP has said early EMH isn't a bad time if you use it to your advantage correctly. But many people don't arrive early enough or they stay all day when the crowds surge. If you have park hoppers though to use for another park in the evening, early EMH is quite beneficial.

I can say from experience that evening at MK on a Monday with Early EMH is... shudder.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

Where ru staying?! Yay for Disney birthdays!

hi, we are staying at the Grand Floridian (always wanted to stay there and we've been to disney so many times that DH is kinda bored of it so i thought we will stay somewhere new each time, and i got it for $468 a night, so i splurged for a split stay there for 5 nights, and then Little Mermaid room for 4 nights, we stayed there last trip for DD's first trip (age 2) and she loved it, it helps balance the cost this way plus we are only doing MK while at GF doing 1/2 park days so we get resort pool time and lots of bits of MK time too, then at AoA we'll do AK, Epcot, and DHS. I'm hoping to book a bounceback offer to save money on next years trip. Age 2 was the best, and SO glad we went with DD that we MUST go with our 2nd daughter for her 2nd year. I love having my bday at disney, MNSSHP specifically, i have done that a few times. If i'm home then birthdays are just not as special. I like going to a party on my bday AoA was so adorable, you'll love it. You must try the surf and surf burger. I hope to eat it many times!