5 Day Touring Plan? Extra Magic Hours? 1/29-2/3....Girlfriend's First Trip

[Luke P]

Hello everyone,

My girlfriend and I are going to be at WDW from 1/29-2/3. It will be my girlfriend's first trip and the last time I was at Disney was all the way back in 2004! We are very excited, and trying to figure out the best 5 day plan to maximize time with little waits as possible. Here is what I have scheduled so far:

Tuesday 1/30: Magic Kingdom morning, Epcot late afternoon night
Wednesday 1/31: Epcot Morning, Magic Kingdom late afternoon night
Thursday 2/1: Animal Kingdom all day
Friday 2/2: Magic Kingdom Morning, TBD late afternoon night
Saturday 2/3: Hollywood Studios Morning, TBD late afternoon

I have a couple of questions and need a little help since I haven't been in such a long time. So we are planning on doing Epcot afternoon/night on first day and Magic Kingdom afternoon/night on second day because these days have the extra magic hours and the parks will be open later. Is it a good idea to tour this way? Or will there be more crowds on those days because of the extra magic hours? My guess is that there will be more people, but since we are going during a "slow time" at WDW, I don't see it as that big of a deal? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Also, what do you guys think about how much time is needed at Animal Kingdom? I am thinking that it will require more than one full day. My girlfriend loves animals and I know she will really enjoy the Kilimanjaro Safari and exploring all the trails. I know that I want to explore Pandora and ride the Avatar rides multiple times!

I left a couple of time slots open because we aren't sure what we will want to do at that time. What do you guys think about my tentative plan? I appreciate any and all help! Thank you very much and we can't wait!!!

 

[Luke P]

I forgot to mention that we are staying at The Polynesian in case that affects any of the planning. We plan on using the monorail for Magic Kingdom and Epcot and Bus/Minnie Vans for AK and HS. Thanks for any help!

 

[dm11]

I always check Crowd Calendar at Touring Plans (https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/crowd-calendar), I find it great help and as accurate as it gets. Without subscription you can't see the full calendar for next 30 days but it can give you an idea what to expect. Looks like most days you are going it is low crowds except the Saturday, Feb 03.

I assume you already booked Fast Pass + selections? Since you are staying at a Disney hotel the window to book them opens up 60 days prior to the first day of the trip.

 

[Luke P]

Thanks for the response dm11! Yes, we got Fastpass+ selected for everyday. Got lucky and got Mine Train and Peter Pan for the morning of the first day at Magic Kingdom. The only fastpass we couldn't get is Avatar Flight of Passage. Thanks for the tip about touringplans.com, very helpful!

So I assume that the extra magic hours won't be a big crowd issue at EPCOT and Magic Kingdom? I just want to make this trip to WDW very special for my girlfriend since it's her first time and want to maximize our time in the most efficient way.

Thanks for any and all input everyone! I'm ecstatic to be going back and glad to have this forum for information!

How much time should we spend at Animal Kingdom? We plan on rope dropping on our third day and spending the whole day there. Possibly head back to the Polynesian from 2-4 PM and head back for night time activities. I know my girlfriend wants to see all of the shows and explore all of the trails. I am more concerned with the rides and want to explore Pandora to its fullest. I'm leaning towards another half day there. Thoughts?

Have a great day!!

 

[Minnie Mum]

You may not have enough time to see everything on your to do list for AK. Or you might. Depends on a lot of things, crowd levels only being one of the variables. But you really don't have the time to add an extra partial day. Since this is your girlfriends first visit, I'm going to assume that you want her to experience as much of the other parks as possible too. To do that you really need 2 days each at MK and Epcot. And a day each at AK and DHS. You don't have that time. Just make the best of the time you've got. If it was me, I'd spend the whole day at MK on Friday, and the whole day at DHS on Sat ( or go back to Epcot in the evening if you exhaust everything at DHS)