What would you do?

[amdgoogles]

Ok so this is my first summer trip to DL since I was little, and I'm learning through DIS strategies to manage the heavier crowds. I have 3 kids 6,4, and 1 that we're bringing with us, and staying at the DL hotel. Unfortunately the day we arrive is a Saturday, and we're there for 5 days June 20-24. I have a few questions..
1) Would you waste precious morning hours for breakfast at Minnies, or just defer to an early Dinner at Goofy's.. or do both
2) What time do you think we have to start scouting out a spot to get a location to watch Paint the night, and also stay in that spot for the fireworks show... and on that note anyone have a favorite place to do that? I figure anywhere on the castle side of the hub would work but I'm fuzzy on the details of the parade route
3) We're planning on taking a break in the middle of the day. What time should we leave the park.. and how early would you head back in?

 

[Saul]

If your at the park for 5 full days i think a character breakfast would be awesome for the kids.

From my experience people begin lining up for shows and parades EARLY.

Leave the park when you want. If your tired head to the hotel. Let
The kids nap for a few hours then head back. When and how long you take a break will all be based on how your feeling at the time


Good luck and keep us updated

 

[Bubblegum1286]

Ok so this is my first summer trip to DL since I was little, and I'm learning through DIS strategies to manage the heavier crowds. I have 3 kids 6,4, and 1 that we're bringing with us, and staying at the DL hotel. Unfortunately the day we arrive is a Saturday, and we're there for 5 days June 20-24. I have a few questions..
1) Would you waste precious morning hours for breakfast at Minnies, or just defer to an early Dinner at Goofy's.. or do both
2) What time do you think we have to start scouting out a spot to get a location to watch Paint the night, and also stay in that spot for the fireworks show... and on that note anyone have a favorite place to do that? I figure anywhere on the castle side of the hub would work but I'm fuzzy on the details of the parade route
3) We're planning on taking a break in the middle of the day. What time should we leave the park.. and how early would you head back in?

Okay,

1. Since you're doing five days, I don't think you'd be "wasting" time at Minnie's. We're only going to be in park for 3 days, so we don't have as much time to spend, so we're doing Mickey's instead on a non-park day. Given the amount of days you'll be there, I think you can afford a morning at Minnie's.

2. Honestly, if you don't have the "perfect" spot, it'll be okay. Others will have advice for the absolute perfect spot. We have caught fireworks from great spots and from crappy spots. It's still an immersive, wonderful show.

3. For this, you might consider a subscription to Ridemax. After lots of recommendations on this forum, I signed up. It's like ancestry.com in that you subscribe to their services for a certain period of time. We're going the same week as you, so I got the 90 day subscription for $15. You plug in what you want to do, and Ridemax does the rest. They create an itinerary that uses the absolute shortest wait times so you spend time on rides and not in line. They also work in daily breaks. If you want to catch a show during this break (my 3 year old MUST do the Disney Jr. show), you can. If you want to go swim at the hotel, nap, people watch, shop, etc. you can do that too. Just a suggestion

 

[NewbieMouse]

1. I would never waste morning hours for ANYTHING - in the a.m. you can get through so many more rides, so I would do Goofy's dinner instead.
2. I don't know anything about this one as I'm not a show/parades fan, SORRY!
3. If you start early (see #1) you could leave around noon-1:00 and come back about 4:00 - when our kids were smaller that's what we would do.

Have fun!

 

[amdgoogles]

Thanks for the replies! I'm taking all the info I can right now to try and make a plan... but in the end play it by ear with kids you never really know! But I love heraing others experiences!

 

[agamble]

You might need to wait a month or more to get good tips on viewing locations for the new parade/fireworks. Since the shows haven't started, no one really knows what it would be like to view them from different places. Supposedly the shows were made so that you get a good experience from various locations. That being said, I imagine the best place is going to be on Main Street since that's where a lot of the projections and special effects are. But, that also means it will be a very crowded place. So it may be that another location is a good choice too. I'm sure people will happily update about their experiences as soon as the shows debut.

We love Minnie's breakfast and meeting the characters, but if you're going to do Goofy's for dinner it may not be necessary.

I like the suggestion of going back when you're tired, but you also have a baby. Babies can nap in strollers, but if you plan to return to the hotel anyway, try to plan that for one of your baby's nap times. That way you can have a rest too.

 

[coaches24]

With 5 days I see no reason at all not to take one morning for a Minnie's breakfast. When my DD was 2 we took her for her first trip to DL and had breakfast at Minnie's first thing on day one. She's 6 now and still remembers we had breakfast with Minnie! It was a great way to start our trip and we had 3-day park hoppers so the 2nd day was our MM. With five days I wouldn't even think twice about using one morning for Minnie's breakfast. The little ones will love it!

I can't help you with the fireworks spot. I haven't taken the time to figure that one out yet.

3. As for the break in the day for me it all depends on how DD is doing. Usually between 12-3 at some point in that time frame we are ready for a break whether it be from fatigue or the crowd wearing on us. Then we usually head back near dinner time to get a few rides in while the crowds are eating. But that means you either eat dinner before going back or eat late (which doesn't always work great with little ones).