Want to take a stab at planning out 6 day trip?

[uhdwsso]

Hello all! We booked our first Disney trip (Aug. 14 - 20) and staying at Pop Century. We have 10 in our group (4 adults, 6 kids ages 10, 10, 8, 8, 8, and 5) so we're a grand gathering. I've been looking at various forums but honestly am beyond overwhelmed. If anyone wants to take a shot at planning out which park/restaurants/parades/fireworks would wow a Disney first timer please help. We are open to any character or special dining options and plan on staying at the parks all day if need be. We have 6 kids to lug around so we decided against the hopper. I am looking for a 6 day plan from which park to go to, which restaurants to eat at, which parades, shows and fireworks to go to, etc...honestly no restrictions. We are on the dining plan (1 snack, 1 quick service, 1 sit down).

I realize that this is an odd request but I just haven't been able to come up with much. I've been reading and reading and getting nowhere and will just go with one of your recs.

Thank you so much!

 

[Metro West]

 

[Rachandgarry]

Hello all! We booked our first Disney trip (Aug. 14 - 20) and staying at Pop Century. We have 10 in our group (4 adults, 6 kids ages 10, 10, 8, 8, 8, and 5) so we're a grand gathering. I've been looking at various forums but honestly am beyond overwhelmed. If anyone wants to take a shot at planning out which park/restaurants/parades/fireworks would wow a Disney first timer please help. We are open to any character or special dining options and plan on staying at the parks all day if need be. We have 6 kids to lug around so we decided against the hopper. I am looking for a 6 day plan from which park to go to, which restaurants to eat at, which parades, shows and fireworks to go to, etc...honestly no restrictions. We are on the dining plan (1 snack, 1 quick service, 1 sit down).

I realize that this is an odd request but I just haven't been able to come up with much. I've been reading and reading and getting nowhere and will just go with one of your recs.

Thank you so much!

Hi,

Not sure I'll be too much help but we can all have a go. Need to ask some more questions about your party really -

- do some/all of you like fast rides?

- do you like architecture and scenery?

- are you likely to go in quite a few shops?

- do you like films and shows?

- how do you all cope in heat and/or rain?

- do you all walk fast or are you more 'strollers'?

- what sort of food do you want to eat mainly? burgers, chicken strips etc or full table service?

- how important are the characters and is it princesses or the classics (mickey etc) - or both types?

- what is your spending money each day roughly?

- do you all want to be together mostly?

- how keen are you on photography? will you spend a lot of time stopping to get photographs of the parks?

- are there any special needs, special likes or dislikes or any other important info that might decide what and when you'll choose to do?

Sorry to be so nosey, but there's no other way to tailor a trip for someone, in my opinion...

Kind regards,
Rachel

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Okay, the first thing I do to plan a trip is go to www.touringplans.com. They have a cround calendar that tells you which parks to visit on which days. After I know which park I will be at on which day, I plan our Advance Dining Reservations. I like to use www.allearsnet.com for their menus. You can do a dining search by park and decide which restaurant you want to eat at on that day that will be in the park you are touring that day or at a near by resort. After that I make my daily itineraries.

With 6 park days I would recommend: 2 days MK, 2 days Epcot, 1 day AK and 1 day DHS

Also, your 180 day ADR Window is either open or almost open, and if there are any character meals or popular places you want to eat at, you really need to book early.

 

[Pig Pen]

I have gone to WDW several times with parties of 10 and greater. I will warn you, it's like herding cats and there will be hiccups even with the best laid plans. The questions Rachandgary posted above are good ones.

If you are all early risers attend the park with early EMH. This means you all must be at bus stop to park by 7:15 am for an 8:00 am opening. You can get a lot done in the first few hours and it will still be relatively cool.

If you are not able to get the entire group to EMH rope drop, then pick the park with late EMH. It will be less crowded in the a.m. and you will have time to come back later and do whatever you missed in the a.m. Either way, try to get to the park at rope drop or within a half-hour. Any later and it may be very crowded.

Also decide if you are going to stay together all day or if you will split up and meet at designated times. Once you have that laid out, figure out your eating schedule.

With large groups we find it most efficient to eat a light snack in the a.m. at the resort food court, head to the park, eat lunch in the park, and then head back to the resort during the afternoon. In August chances are it's going to storm every afternoon. If you are hearty, the parks are relatively empty during storms.

We then head out again for dinner and finish the evening in the park. Of course AK closes earlier than other parks, so if you go there on a regular day, there may not be time to leave mid-day and return.

After you figure out your eating plan, you can lay out your ride schedule. Always go to the most popular ride immediately in the a.m. and either ride immediately or get a fastpass (or both). There are lots of threads about the use of fastpass, etc. You will have to figure out which rides are appropriate for your party. For instance I have seen 5 yo kids who love Haunted Mansion while last trip I saw a 10 yo boy crying like a baby while waiting in line...

I hope this helps! I would be happy to lay out a tentative plan for you. Just PM me.

 

[uhdwsso]

Thank you all so much. I appreciate the input. Looks like I need to further consider all of the points that you made!