Help 4 adult first timers pick which parks to visit each day of our stay please!

[NuMystic]

4 Adults visiting for the first time.

We'll be checking into Port Orleans French Quarter on the 14th of Jan and then leaving on the 18th.

Non park-hopper park tickets for 5 days so we've got:

14th - Should be all checked in at POFQ by around 4-4:30pm
15th, 16th, 17th - All day/night
18th - Only until 4pm (6pm flight)

Have access to TouringPlans crowd calendar but being that it's completely different than EasyWDW's I could use some guidance from the experts here!

Definitely want to visit all four parks.

Any help, insight, and advice would be appreciated!

 

[NuMystic]

Thank you so much everyone for your help. It was invaluable in highlighting a number of things we weren't taking into consideration.

So here is our daily itinerary (with park hours while noting our late arrival and early departure limitations on Wed/Sun):

W 14 MK 6-8pm
Th15 HS 9am-7pm
Fr16 MK 9-11pm
Sa17 EP 9am-9pm
Su18 AK 8am-2pm

We will probably aim for rope drop most days and the only EMH we'll be doing is Sunday Morning since it will make such a big difference with our very early departure that day.

Here are the areas I could use some extra insight:

• With only a couple of hours after arrival on Friday what would you suggest? That night there's 7:45 Celebrate the Magic and 8pm Wishes, and we'll have two FastPass slots we can use as well to knock a few attractions before our full MK day on Friday. Also as far as dinner we could use that night to enjoy one of the resort restaurants after the early 8pm park close, or there's a 7:50 Crystal Palace ADR still available.
  
  
• MK is open until 11pm on Friday night and we're lovers of night time entertainment but we'll have to make a choice then. Enjoy the extra late hours at MK and have Sat Epcot be the one day we'll sleep in a bit, or leave MK a few hours early to take advantage of Epcot Rope Drop. Being that we're getting a couple of extra hours at our Wed Arrival that doesn't seem like too terrible a sacrifice though?
  
  
• Finally could use help plotting our Dining Plan ADRs and/or breaks. We're on the Dining Plan and have 4 Table Service credits with the only 2 Dinner ADRs we know we want for sure being:

Boma
Trail's End (for a special Chef TJ prepared meal for our vegan guest)

There's a 7:50pm ADR available on Wed for Crystal Palace if we want it or we could do that on our full day at MK on Friday and hit one of the non-park restaurants on Wed night.

Thinking that the early HS park close on Thursday and 7pm Fantasmic should also make hitting an out of park restaurant pretty easy if we don't do the buffet at Hollywood & Vine in which case Sanaa and Ohana are also in the running for outside dinner ADRs.

We're not at all the "must eat at 6pm" types so if it makes the most sense flow wise to have our big meal of the day at 3pm or 9pm we can effortlessly do that and fill in the gaps with our snack and counter service credits. Especially if this has an impact on crowd flow. I'd just as soon take advantage of shorter lines and lighter crowds while folks that do adhere to lunch at 12-1 and Dinner from 6-8 are busy fighting for table space. Not sure if that's really a notable factor at WDW but I've certainly seen it when traveling elsewhere.

As far as Counter Service the only thing I already have in mind is Be Our Guest on Friday since we're long past getting a reservation for dinner there.

Thoughts and suggestions very welcome!

 

[NuMystic]

Alright ADR's are in, though I think I may need to adjust for travel times if I haven't given myself enough leeway. We'll be using Disney Transport and are staying at POFQ.



Wed Night We've got a 9:15 reservation at Sanaa. (only other time free is 8:45) Is that enough time to get there from MK if we ended the evening with 7:45 Celebrate the Magic and Wishes at 8pm? Of course we can do both on our Friday MK evening but being that we're only going to have a couple of hours at MK on our first night I thought it might be nice to end it with a literal "bang" for my wife's first visit to Disney. Of course I imagine there are plenty of attractions that may do that as well?



Thursday we'll be finishing HS with the 7pm Fantasmic. How long will it take to get to Boma following that? Current reservation is 8:30 at Boma. (7:45, 8:45 still open)



Friday with the super long day at MK from starting with Rope Drop and ending with MSEP at 11p the plan is to head back to the resort to rest/sleep through some of the afternoon high crowd hours and then eat before heading back to the park for the evening. Our reservation right now is at Trail's End at 4:30 but every 15 min. slot is free all the way up through 7:30pm if that's too early. 5-5:30 might be a bit more appealing but wasn't sure what the ideal time to aim for being back at MK is touring plan wise. Also can you give me advice on how much time to budget for getting from POFQ to Trail's End via Disney transport? I've heard that it can take much longer between Resorts than between Resort and Park?



Saturday at Epccot where we will probably get a later start due to the very late night before we've got a 4:35 reservation at Coral Reef with the only other time free being 8:05pm with nothing left in between. Early dinner was the plan in any case since we’re heading straight to sleep after Epcot for EMH rope drop the next morning at AK for our last half day.

We're pretty committed to Boma, Sanaa and Chef TJ at Trail's End though the days and times could be shuffled. We figured that HS being the earliest night would be a good fit for a leisurely buffet dinner afterwards.

Sanaa and Trail's end could easily swapped if it made more sense time or travel wise. ADR's are available every 15 mins at Trail's end on Wed night following MK so that's easy, and Sanaa has a 5:10 available on Friday which we could do during our MK break.

The Coral Reef veg entree has good reviews and the atmosphere sounds appealing but we'd definitely consider swapping this one out if there's a far superior 1 credit TS meal we're missing out on Saturday. (Epcot)

Thoughts? Suggestions? Anything we're seriously overlooking or could be doing better with? Thanks for any insights you can share!

 

[Tuvalu]

Will you have a rental car or are you willing to spring for taxi rides, or must you use Disney transport only? Because while your itinerary is doable using the Disney buses, the process of getting to/from the restaurants you have chosen will be quite cumbersome. There are no direct resort-to-resort buses.

Wed eve ~ Because everyone will be leaving MK after the fireworks are over (8:15-ish) getting to Sanaa for a 9:15 pm reservation is going to be tight. It will be a slow walk out of the park and the AKL bus will be crowded. Assuming an AKL bus is waiting for you (likely you will have a 10-15 minute wait for one), it is about a 20 minute ride. Sanaa is in Kidani Village, which may be the second AKL stop. Also, when your dinner is over, you will need to take a bus from Kidani to Downtown Disney, and transfer to another bus to take you back to POFQ.

Alternately, if you have a car and park in the MK lot and can drive to Kidani, you should have no difficulty making your reservation. You can also walk to the Contemporary and take a cab to Kidani. Then you can take another cab from Kidani back to POFQ.

Thurs eve~ It is a long and slow walk out of the Fantasmic Theater (the show lasts 20-25 minutes) but 8:30 Boma should be ok if you don't have to wait too long for an AKL bus. Remember you will still have the same issue getting back to POFQ that you had the previous night.

Friday ~ I would get a later reservation for Trail's End, because it is MUCH faster to get back to the MK from there than it is to get from POFQ to Trail's End. From POFQ, you will need to take a bus to MK and then transfer to the boat to Ft. Wilderness. Trail's End is a short walk from the boat dock. But you will need to allow an hour and a half from the time you leave your room to arriving at Trail's End. For 4:30, you need to be leaving room around 3 pm.

Saturday ~ Coral Reef can be hit or miss, both with service and food. Our last experience (June) was disappointing in both areas. We aren't vegan though so cannot offer other suggestions.

 

[NuMystic]

Thank you so much Tuvalu! Okay just found out that it's not going to cost much at all to extend our car rental for our stay at Disney so we'll definitely have our own wheels.

So right now I'm planning on swapping Trail's End and Sanaa to open up the available ADR options a bit more.

What would be the ideal ADR time using our own car for:

- Trail's End following MK park close on Wed

- Boma following Fantasmic Th

- What time would we need to leave POFQ to make a 5:10 ADR at Sanaa on Fri and when would we likely be making it back to MK after dinner with our own car taking into account parking at MK and getting into the park or perhaps parking at Contemporary and walking over which someone said may be a good option?

 

[Tuvalu]

Swapping Sanaa and Trail's End actually makes things easier and here's why~

On Wednesday, you won't need to drive to MK. Take the bus. Watch the fireworks from the end of Main Street closest to the Train Station ~ that way, you will be able to quickly exit the park. Make your way to the Ft. Wilderness boat dock (you can even see the fireworks from here if you prefer.) Take the boat and walk to Trail's End ~ you should make a reservation of 9 pm or later. When dinner is over, make your way to the Outpost bus stop (a short walk from Trail's End) and catch a bus back to POFQ. Buses to resorts are available here to take guests home from the Hoop Dee Do show (which will end 10:30-ish). You will be able to take advantage of the bus, just tell the CM you are going to POFQ (it will share with another resort).

(Using a car on Wednesday requires taking the ferry or monorail from MK back to the parking lot; riding a tram to your section; walking to your car; driving to Ft. Wilderness; parking; catching an internal bus from the Settlement Depot to the Outpost; walking to Trail's End. This will take much longer than simply riding the boat over from MK.)

Thursday ~ Using your own vehicle to drive from DHS to AKL, you should be able to make your 8:30 pm Boma. If there is an 8:45 reservation available, change it to allow yourselves some extra time.

Friday ~ Plan to leave POFQ around 4:30 for your drive to Sanaa. This will allow you time to park in the garage at Kidani and leisurely walk to Sanaa. After dinner, I recommend driving back to POFQ and taking the bus to MK (and not have to worry about parking in the MK lot, riding the tram and then ferry or monorail, and having to reverse the process at the end of the night.) The monorail resorts (especially the Contemporary) are very strict with their parking; you must be staying at the resort or have dining reservations for one of the restaurants.

Allowing for a relaxed pace dinner, you should be back in the MK by 7:30 pm.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Thanks to everyone for all the invaluable insights!

So after doing a bit more reading morning EMH are just not going to work for us because if being at the gate for Rope Drop is as much of an advantage as everyone says it is, then being out of bed, showered, having coffee and getting to the park by 8:30 is already going to be a big enough feat for us! Trying to accomplish that by 7:30 am is wading deep into this-doesn't-feel-like-a-vaction-at-all territory.

So with that in mind I'm currently considering this plan:

14 MK 4-8pm
15 EP 8:30am-9pm
16 MK 8:30am-11pm
17 AK 8:30am-7pm
18 HS 8:30am-3pm

Pros:
- Some have said the MK is the park that will most benefit from extra time so we could catch Wishes and a few things on the night we arrive then have dinner at one of the resort restaurants after it closes.
- All of the above are "recommended" on the EWDW Crowd calendar with three being their 1st choice and also either ideal or not too bad according to TouringPlans Crowd Calendar.
- I've heard HS is considered by many to be a half day park this time of year so it seems well suited for our last day which is cut short?
- None of the above are EMH days which we wouldn't be taking advantage of anyway so we're spared any extra crowds that brings, and will instead aim for rope drop at the regular opening time every day while getting a bit more sleep.


Cons:
- HS on the day we leave means we couldn't do Fantasmic (if we go against the crowd calendars we could swap HS and AK)
- For the first night since we're arriving late Epcot would get us one more full park hour before closing.
- Some have suggested starting and ending with MK is a great thing for first timers, though I'm concerned that with the early closing on the 14th and having to check out in the morning and leave the park on the 18th by 3pm we're not even getting a full combined day to experience MK.

On swapping AK and HS for the last two days, AK on the 18th and HS on the 17th are predicted to be heavier attended parks at both TouringPlans AND EWDW Crowd Calendars. Even being the slow season since these are our weekend days that may still be a significant consideration? (Touring Plans rates AK 9/10 crowd heaviness on the 18th and HS on the 17th is marked 7 vs 6 at all the others... EWDW lists them both as 2nd to worst in red those days)


Thoughts? Critique? Things I'm missing? Improvements to be made? I'm All Ears!

I think this is a great plan! I'd consider switching HS/AK if you really want to see Fantasmic, but I don't think you'll miss not seeing it, considering how busy you'll be. (Also, the AK is one of the parks where a slightly-later-than-rope-drop arrival isn't going to kill your wait times as badly, especially if you make good use of your FP+, so that's a good park to plan for the morning after your late night, in case people have trouble getting around early.) I also think that MK on arrival day, with a full day thereafter, is a great way to start your tour. (I never feel like I've legitimately arrived at WDW until I see Cinderella Castle.) If you don't want to wait for a late, post-park-closing dinner, keep in mind that there are a number of good restaurants in the MK, and several great ones conveniently accessible on the monorail loop, so you won't have a lot of trouble leaving/returning to the park for a dinner reservation if you'd rather eat earlier.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Courtney6682]

Ak & HS are both half day parks as of now and MK & Epcot Id try to plan two days at each. So Id maybe do AK arrival day or HS, same thing departure day and get two days at MK & Epcot in between.

I second this!! We always do MK and Epcot AT LEAST TWICE...no matter how many days we stay

 

[Disnee4Me]

Ak & HS are both half day parks as of now and MK & Epcot Id try to plan two days at each. So Id maybe do AK arrival day or HS, same thing departure day and get two days at MK & Epcot in between.

I agree with this but since there are 5 days and the short days are at AK & HS, with the three remaining days, for 4 adults, I'd do one day MK and two days EPCOT

 

[NuMystic]

Now that we're driving, for Sat. Epcot is it worth the extra walk from the Boardwalk parking lot to save time getting out and on the road after Illuminations? (via the international gateway)

With a speedy exit in mind (we're doing EMH the following day at AK) what would be our best bet for a viewing spot that doesn't require staking it out more than 45 min in advance?

 

[JillC LI]

With a speedy exit in mind (we're doing EMH the following day at AK) what would be our best bet for a viewing spot that doesn't require staking it out more than 45 min in advance?

You could eat at Rose & Crown Pub for a great meal and viewing location of IllumiNations without having to stake out a spot in advance. Shoot for a later meal time.

 

[Disneykings]

Sorry to add question on.. Just reading through the return transport info with Magical Express. Can anyone give me some advise. We are staying in October at Saratoga Springs Villa, our flight is at 19.30 and we have Magical Express booked. How should we plan our last day, inc checking out (previous post said you can check out at resort?) Where do we leave luggage etc. I'd like to do a nice breakfast at 1900 park fare or similar. But need a relaxed day as I am terrified of flying and airports Need to take into account overnight flight to London so need to make sure daughter eats well before we fly. .. Any help would be great, thank you

 

[Tuvalu]

Sorry to add question on.. Just reading through the return transport info with Magical Express. Can anyone give me some advise. We are staying in October at Saratoga Springs Villa, our flight is at 19.30 and we have Magical Express booked. How should we plan our last day, inc checking out (previous post said you can check out at resort?) Where do we leave luggage etc. I'd like to do a nice breakfast at 1900 park fare or similar. But need a relaxed day as I am terrified of flying and airports Need to take into account overnight flight to London so need to make sure daughter eats well before we fly. .. Any help would be great, thank you

You will need to vacate your room by 11 a.m. You can leave your luggage (including carry-ons) with Bell Services at Saratoga Springs ~ you can call and have Bell Services pick up your baggage from your room, or you can transport it yourself to the Bell Services stowage area.

Since you are flying internationally, Magical Express will pick you up from Saratoga Springs approximately 4 hours prior to your flight departure ~ so you need to be at the pick-up location at 15.30. You will receive a Magical Express document on your door with your exact pick-up time the day before you check out. You should have plenty of time to grab some food at the airport before your plane leaves.

 

[englanddg]

You could eat at Rose & Crown Pub for a great meal and viewing location of IllumiNations without having to stake out a spot in advance. Shoot for a later meal time.

As a side note, at least on my trip in 2013, they had started to extend a lower deck "standing viewing area" option as well for guests who book a later R&C dinner but couldn't jockey a upper or lower deck table, or their meal finished close to Illuminations. It was a roped off area down to the left of the lower deck seating, behind the seating station and down the hill. No extra charge, just ask your seater / waiter about it.

 

[Disneykings]

You will need to vacate your room by 11 a.m. You can leave your luggage (including carry-ons) with Bell Services at Saratoga Springs ~ you can call and have Bell Services pick up your baggage from your room, or you can transport it yourself to the Bell Services stowage area.

Since you are flying internationally, Magical Express will pick you up from Saratoga Springs approximately 4 hours prior to your flight departure ~ so you need to be at the pick-up location at 15.30. You will receive a Magical Express document on your door with your exact pick-up time the day before you check out. You should have plenty of time to grab some food at the airport before your plane leaves.

Thank you, thats a great help