Trip Advice Needed - 1st time, experiences, and more

[DisPhanatic]

Hi fellow Dis friends,

I have been to Disney several times and love it! My 75 year old aunt has asked me to take her for her first trip. She has been to DL but never the Florida parks. She is a young 75, in shape, adventurous eater, and a global traveler. It will just be the two of us.

We are booked for April 2026 and four nights in PopCentury. We plan to rent a car to make some travel easier and will use the Skyliner but likely not the buses. Right now, here is my rough plan:

Saturday - arrival day, half day starting around 1, either AK or EP
Sunday - MK
Monday - HS
Tuesday - EP
Wednesday - 7:30 pm flight home, AM park either AK or EP

I’ve looked at Undercover Tourist and Touring Plans for best day for what park and plan to purchase LLMP but not single passes.

I know I will need to take it slower than I usually do, take breaks, and not try to fit it all in. She says she is open to all rides but spinning which works for me. Here are my questions but I welcome all advice!

- 5 day park tickets or park hopper? I am leaning toward 5 day so we get some more time in Epcot for Flower & Garden and the World Showcase.

- Special dinner or experience? We are light eaters and probably will snack or quick service most things. I’d like to do one nice sit down dinner or experience. I love Boma and think she would enjoy AKL. I’m also considering the Spice Road Fireworks dinner. What would you recommend? If Boma, where would you work it into the plan?

- Which park to do on arrival day? If AK is open until 8 and we have LLMP, can we do the park justice that day? I know Epcot is usually super busy on Saturdays. We would do the other park on departure day.

- What are other must do items? I’d like to catch a lot of shows more so than rides since we can sit and rest for those.

Thanks so much! I am looking to make this experience special for her and appreciate the advice!

 

[sponica]

I'd math it out. I'd probably buy the 5 days though, and then I'd be bonkers and add in PH closer to the trip.

I personally hate buffets and only do them on the cruise line. So I'd be more inclined to do table service at Sanaa over Boma.

I'd probably deal with Epcot on Saturday, but I'm bonkers.....that and I wouldn't want to wait that long for the gran marnier slushie

I know you said you'd probably be driving over taking the busses, but I'd still take the bus to MK.

 

[gottalovepluto]

On the transport do note if you drive to MK you park at TTC and then have to catch a monorail or boat to MK. If you arrive by resort bus you are dropped off by the park entrance.

I would get hopper tickets because you are staying at Pop. That way you can pop into EP and do food booths whenever you want. Ideal for light eaters!

AK usually closes early (and correspondingly opens early). For instance today it closes at 6pm.

I wouldn't touch EP with a 10 ft pole day or night on a Saturday

We love to hit EP on departure day, specifically during FL and Garden to see any topiaries we missed and do the butterfly tent a second time! I would do AK on arrival day and anything you miss you can get early on departure morning and then hop to EP. Direct buses between parks start running around 10am I think. Keep an eye on the weather on departure day, if there is lightening in the area the skyliner will go down and the bus replacements can take a long time. In that event I would plan on going to an EP area hotel and snagging a rideshare back to Pop since you probably won't have 45 mins to lose waiting around on transit.

ETA- if you are traveling around Easter I would reconsider no SPLLs if you want to ride those things and budget for LLs to be priced at their historical max.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Since this is your Aunt's 1st time and you will be taking it slow, I would not spend $$ on hoppers, this way you can take your time and enjoy everything in the park for the day. Plus you will be hitting all 4 parks so it's not like you need to get in 2 parks in 1 day. Also, you have a bunch of other places to eat like AOA, CBR or even the Riviera resort just a walk or skyliner ride away. If AK "is" open until 8 then I would do that on arrival day, this way on departure day you will be able to decide whether you need to go back to AK or go to a different park.

 

[team bradfield]

I'd probably deal with Epcot on Saturday, but I'm bonkers.....that and I wouldn't want to wait that long for the gran marnier slushie

Where is this gran marnier slushie?

 

[pooch]

Kiosk in France - Epcot. We like the lemon citron slushies at the same booth.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Hi fellow Dis friends,

I have been to Disney several times and love it! My 75 year old aunt has asked me to take her for her first trip. She has been to DL but never the Florida parks. She is a young 75, in shape, adventurous eater, and a global traveler. It will just be the two of us.

We are booked for April 2026 and four nights in PopCentury. We plan to rent a car to make some travel easier and will use the Skyliner but likely not the buses. Right now, here is my rough plan:

Saturday - arrival day, half day starting around 1, either AK or EP
Sunday - MK
Monday - HS
Tuesday - EP
Wednesday - 7:30 pm flight home, AM park either AK or EP

I’ve looked at Undercover Tourist and Touring Plans for best day for what park and plan to purchase LLMP but not single passes.

I know I will need to take it slower than I usually do, take breaks, and not try to fit it all in. She says she is open to all rides but spinning which works for me. Here are my questions but I welcome all advice!

- 5 day park tickets or park hopper? I am leaning toward 5 day so we get some more time in Epcot for Flower & Garden and the World Showcase.

- Special dinner or experience? We are light eaters and probably will snack or quick service most things. I’d like to do one nice sit down dinner or experience. I love Boma and think she would enjoy AKL. I’m also considering the Spice Road Fireworks dinner. What would you recommend? If Boma, where would you work it into the plan?

- Which park to do on arrival day? If AK is open until 8 and we have LLMP, can we do the park justice that day? I know Epcot is usually super busy on Saturdays. We would do the other park on departure day.

- What are other must do items? I’d like to catch a lot of shows more so than rides since we can sit and rest for those.

Thanks so much! I am looking to make this experience special for her and appreciate the advice!

I would actually suggest heading over to Disney Springs on arrival day and save AK for last. AK is a park you can likely do in half a day. You can set up a nice dinner and be a little more laid back on arrival. You’re gonna need that energy and rest for MK, especially considering who you’re going with.