Change in plans...need help deciding!

[ELG13]

We added 2 days to the front of our trip to get the fdd. We will probably take a day off the end but for now we are booked 9/30-10/7 (which will probably change to 10/6). This is what we had planned:
10/2 arrive and explore with dinner at chef mickeys
10/3 - breakfast 8 am CRT and MK for the day
10/4 animal kingdom, dinner ohana
10/5 disney springs (we habe 3 small kids so we want a day to take it slow and explore. Probably do the pool as well)and family bbq
10/6 magic kingdom for the last day and dinner in the park
10/7 depart

But now with these new dates I'm not sure what to do. Is Hollywood studios fun? Or should we work in am extra MK day?? I just don't want to kids to be burnt out and fussy so we are trying to decide if Hollywood studios would be a good, calm, shorter park day so they don't get too overwhelemed. This is what I've got now..
9/30 arrive - Chef Mickeys for dinner
10/1 MK
10/2 AK
10/3 MK
10/4 DISNEY SPRINGS
10/5 MK
10/6 DEPART
Is animal kingdom a full day?? Any good recomendations on where to eat (inside or close to the park). I really wanted the first and last day to be MK but now with our original days changed, our first MK day now falls in the middle of our stay. I want to keep it though be we have CRT reservations at 8 and don't want to lose them. We have two 6yr olds and a 3 yr old..would Hollywood studios be more fun for them than animal kingdom??
My biggest concern is the kids. I want them to have fun but I'm trying to spread it out so it's not burning them out making them tired. Oh we may also do MNSSHP on 10/3 as well. Sorry for the long post!! I had a perfect trip planned and the fdd dates threw me for a loop!

 

[correcaminos]

So if we have 2 day park hoppers we couldn't do 3 day regular tickets for the other days?

If you have a 2 day ticket and then a 3 day ticket you can do the 2 day. If you had a 5 day you cannot do only 2 days of hopping. Does that make sense?

Yeah that's my feeling. I'm gonna push for epcot bc I think it would be a fun time for the kids without as much chaos. Hubs said no just because he remembers how boring it was for him when he was younger. He just wants it to be enjoyable

Not knowing his age but sort of guessing, does he realize how it has changed since he was a kid. I'm not joking by the time my son turned 3 it was tied for MK. By 4 it blew MK away. Now MK is a 'we have to do it for the magic' but Epcot gets majority of our time.

 

[21stamps]

We were local from 2011 to 2014 and I played a TON of Sorcerers, so thankfully that itch is scratched for me for the rest of my life. My wife worked nights and we didn't have kids yet so I'd go to Magic Kingdom on random Friday nights and get some exercise fighting villains. Once I completed my set, I'd give my packs away to well-behaved kids. They were always very appreciative.

I had never played it until last year! It was more fun than I expected.

My feeling on 3 MK days is, aside from the repitition, the kids have their few rides they like and lord knows they cam do them 12 bazillion times before they are bored and also, it won't be a rush to get there in the morning, I can take the little one for a nap if need be, or we could leave early if everyone is fussy. I guess the perk I see in 3 days is not a rush to do it all and a feeling of missing out of we get in later, leaver early????

You don't need to dedicate a day to Disney Springs. You could do an MK morning-break- DS evening.

I like doing parks in half day or quarter days. But we aren't open to close people. Except for DHS.

 

[ELG13]

If you have a 2 day ticket and then a 3 day ticket you can do the 2 day. If you had a 5 day you cannot do only 2 days of hopping. Does that make sense?

Meaning they would have to be separate purchases?? We could do a 2 day park hooper and then a 3 day base? But not a 5 day base with 2 of those days park hopper?? Sorry. We've never done park hoppers, we've always switched them at arrival bc bounce between parks with little never was very appealing lol!!

 

[ELG13]

I had never played it until last year! It was more fun than I expected.


You don't need to dedicate a day to Disney Springs. You could do an MK morning-break- DS evening.

I like doing parks in half day or quarter days. But we aren't open to close people. Except for DHS.

Oh yeah...I never thought about that!! Or maybe that could be our HS days. I'm just really iterested in HS for the kids now that's I've looked in to it a bit.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Meaning they would have to be separate purchases?? We could do a 2 day park hooper and then a 3 day base? But not a 5 day base with 2 of those days park hopper?? Sorry. We've never done park hoppers, we've always switched them at arrival bc bounce between parks with little never was very appealing lol!!

It's not cost-effective to do that. The cheapest way to add park hopping is to add it once to your five day ticket for $64 per ticket (not per day, total).

 

[21stamps]

Oh yeah...I never thought about that!! Or maybe that could be our HS days. I'm just really iterested in HS for the kids now that's I've looked in to it a bit.

It's really not a "half closed park". Don't believe the internet hype .

That could be perfect for your schedule. Where are you staying? (Sorry if I missed it)

Re: hopping. Do you think your kids will be ok with it? I haven't done it with a 5 or 6 year old..only bc I felt like it ate up too much time.

 

[ELG13]

It's really not a "half closed park". Don't believe the internet hype .

That could be perfect for your schedule. Where are you staying? (Sorry if I missed it)

Re: hopping. Do you think your kids will be ok with it? I haven't done it with a 5 or 6 year old..only bc I felt like it ate up too much time.

We are staying at ft wilderness cabins. I'm not so sure about hopping...I wouldn't mind having the ability to if we thought we wanted to try but that's also quite a chunk of change on top of everything else if we don't really intend to use it.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We are staying at ft wilderness cabins. I'm not so sure about hopping...I wouldn't mind having the ability to if we thought we wanted to try but that's also quite a chunk of change on top of everything else if we don't really intend to use it.

Do you plan on taking midday breaks?

 

[ELG13]

If you have a 2 day ticket and then a 3 day ticket you can do the 2 day. If you had a 5 day you cannot do only 2 days of hopping. Does that make sense?


Not knowing his age but sort of guessing, does he realize how it has changed since he was a kid. I'm not joking by the time my son turned 3 it was tied for MK. By 4 it blew MK away. Now MK is a 'we have to do it for the magic' but Epcot gets majority of our time.

Noi don't think he does and I was not really pushing it until hearing how awesome yall think it is!! I told him we are there during food and wine feast so that could be an added incentive!

 

[ELG13]

Do you plan on taking midday breaks?

Loosely planning on it. Our youngest will be 3 and this will be the first big thing for him. Sometimes he's fine going with the flow and can sleep in a stroller or maybe he can decompress in the dumbos playground and other times he may need a total break from things. We aren't quite sure but I'm planning on letting them sleep in the mornings and going back to the room when the need arises.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Loosely planning on it. Our youngest will be 3 and this will be the first big thing for him. Sometimes he's fine going with the flow and can sleep in a stroller or maybe he can decompress in the dumbos playground and other times he may need a total break from things. We aren't quite sure but I'm planning on letting them sleep in the mornings and going back to the room when the need arises.

If you're going to sleep in, I think you should skip the park hopper. The people who get the most out of it go to the parks early in the morning when crowds are low, then leave for a mid-afternoon break, then return in the evenings when the crowds start to thin out again. Without getting there early, your day will be too cramped to get much value out of hopping.

 

[correcaminos]

Noi don't think he does and I was not really pushing it until hearing how awesome yall think it is!! I told him we are there during food and wine feast so that could be an added incentive!

Oh I totally forgot F&W - yes you must go!!!!

I also agree with skipping hoppers if sleeping in.

 

[correcaminos]

Meaning they would have to be separate purchases?? We could do a 2 day park hooper and then a 3 day base? But not a 5 day base with 2 of those days park hopper?? Sorry. We've never done park hoppers, we've always switched them at arrival bc bounce between parks with little never was very appealing lol!!

Yes they would be separate purchases, but again I think skipping the hopper might be wise.

 

[ELG13]

Yeah we probably won't do the hopper. It's just a necessity for the fdd now and we change when we arrive.
Thanks for the help yall...I definitely have a better idea of how we should hit the parks this time. It's so much easier when it's just 2 adults lol!!!

 

[correcaminos]

Yeah we probably won't do the hopper. It's just a necessity for the fdd now and we change when we arrive.
Thanks for the help yall...I definitely have a better idea of how we should hit the parks this time. It's so much easier when it's just 2 adults lol!!!

It is easier to plan, but the joy I got watching my child enjoy the parks makes up for all of that! I hope you guys gave a fantastic trip!

 

[21stamps]

Yeah we probably won't do the hopper. It's just a necessity for the fdd now and we change when we arrive.
Thanks for the help yall...I definitely have a better idea of how we should hit the parks this time. It's so much easier when it's just 2 adults lol!!!

My first "motherhood" Disney trip was in 2015. I didn't come on Disney sites.. I asked a few questions to friends with kids. But, I have been to WDW so many times that I thought I knew everything...and my child's first trip would be Perfect.
I was WRONG.
Disney World is sooooo different with kids!

 

[21stamps]

We are staying at ft wilderness cabins. I'm not so sure about hopping...I wouldn't mind having the ability to if we thought we wanted to try but that's also quite a chunk of change on top of everything else if we don't really intend to use it.

We rented bikes and visited Ft Wilderness while staying at WL.. we really enjoyed the stables, and just sitting outside playing checker in front of the mercantile.

Definitely schedule in some down time. I know a lot of people think they are getting "value" by hitting the parks morning til night.. that kind of system doesn't work for my family. We enjoy time away from the parks as well- I feel like that's how we maximize our vacation value.
But, every family is different. No right or wrong.

 

[Raegansmommy]

We went in December and took our 8 and 5 year old daughters. We did 3 days at MK, and 1 day at each of the other parks. We still didn't do everything at MK. My daughter's had their favorites at all the other parks, but we didn't spend a full day at AK or HS. I wish we would have spread out our days at MK instead of doing 3 in a row. We live near Cedar Point, so the repetitiveness of their favorite rides is the norm for us. They also really enjoyed just swimming in the pool too.

 

[Worldlover71]

There is a flat fee for park hopping. Whether you are there for 4 day or 10, it is the same $75 (1-3 days cost $60). It's all or nothing. Since the added cost of the hoppers is probably less than what you would spend out of pocket for food without the DDP, it is a good deal, even if you don't use it.

However, there are also room-only discounts available right now. This discount does not require hoppers (or any tickets at all) so you should see if the room savings would would be more or less that the savings in food with the DDP. If the kids aren't big eaters, the DDP might be wasted on them and your savings greater with the room-only deal. Hopping can always be added during the trip if you find you want it.

 

[ELG13]

We tried the room only discount and it didn't save us as much and we are good eaters on vacation. Ive been told by multiple people through disney I can book the minimum park hoppers and just change them to the 6 day fl resident tickets when we get there since we don't plan on hopping. They said it's a loophole to get both the fdd and the fl resident rates for our tickets. Right now we are only booked for a 2 day park hopper but will change to a 6 day one park a day fl resident ticket.