5 Questions of a Wide Variety! 2020 Trip!

[14cranberries]

Ha! I have a post over in trip reports in "pre-trip" mode? What is the difference between that and planning? I have all these questions and am worried I put them in the wrong spot and an internet mob complete with pixelated torches and pitchforks are going to come at me due to my immense stupidity.

Here is that post about our trip in Jan/Feb 2020
And here are the questions with some more info (AKA my latest update in my erroneous post)


Yay! Things are getting more real. We have our Disney savings account rolling, as well as spreadsheets and Pinterest boards. Right now we are looking at 2 days of 2 parks (1 per day), 3 nights on property (Art of Animation, likely), and a 3-4 day beach excursion.

Question 1) What is everyone's opinion on Park Number Two for us?

Epcot Pros:

• Are there a lot of princesses here? I have all girls, so Anna and Elsa are a big deal.
• Mulan is equally, if not more of a big deal than Anna and Elsa. Its the older two's favorite movie.
• Boss Man says Soarin' is amazin'. It sounds pretty cool.
• Crowds. I know, I know, I can't avoid crowds with a Disney vacation. But this is least crowded?

Hollywood Studios Pros:

• Star Wars - For my spousal unit, and really we all love Star Wars. It will be open by then, right?
• Toy Story - Slink is my middle's favoritest character ever!
• Little Mermaid - My favorite growing up!

Animal Kingdom

• Oh Nelly. That Pandora stuff looks amazing.
• The Nemo Muscial looks like a must see!
• The Jungle Book gang has a special place in my heart
• Dinosaur!

So all of this keeping in mind that this really is for my kiddos. Who will be (almost) 3, 6.5, and 8.5. Is there a dining experience in a park I cannot miss? What do you think? My husband's favorite movie is Beauty and the Beast, so fingers crossed for a res at Be Our Guest!

Question 2) If we are doing 3 nights, 2 parks how does that work out?

Do we arrive, sleep, park 1, sleep, rest day, sleep, park 2? We would get there on a Monday, I think. Or what do you recommend?

Question 3) How much do you budget for souvenirs?

My initial thought is everyone gets mouse ears + $100/person (ETA per person)? Is that a crazy amount for a kiddo? Would you separate that to $50/day? Mouse ears are non-negotiable! Ha! When I was younger we went every year but my grandparents never let me get mouse ears. I always wanted some!

Question 4) Is Bippidi Boppity Boutique "worth it"?
Is it worth the money and time spent? My girls love makeup and dresses and getting fancy, but I am hesitant to spend precious Disney time in a salon! Also, my youngest will be *nearly* 3, yes, we are doing that for the free ticket I am not ashamed. She cannot do BBB, then. This may cause some issues? Or my spousal unit and I can split but then we're missing experiences on either end.

Question 5) What do I *need* to do with 3 young girls that I am not thinking of?

Self-explanatory!

Thanks guys!

 

[GVentola]

There are a lot of princesses at Epcot. Try having a meal at Norway's Akershus for a royal princess meet and greet. Plus you can meet Anna and Elsa in Norway (lines for this meet and greet have gone down), Mulan in China, Snow White in Germany, Jasmine in Morocco, and Belle in France.

 

[KaliSplash]

Thoughts from a long-time Disney trip planner. (the questions in () are things you need to consider, no need to answer me.

There are more things to do at Epcot than either the Studios or Animal Kingdom, even after the expansions are working, which most will be in 2020. That said, the big expansion work is going on at Studios and has gone on at Animal Kingdom. I'd probably go with the Studios as my number two but I have done Epcot many times. Epcot does have new things coming on in the new few years as well. But it's the most adult park, as well. How old are the girls other than the nearly 3-year-old.. If they are 5 and 7, i definitely would do either the Studios or Animal Kingdom. (do they like animals a lot, or more cultural things such as Star Wars and Toy Story?)

If you're going to be there 3 nights, I would be strongly tempted to go to parks for 3 days, or even 4 if you are really ambitious. Arrival day arrive early morning, you sometimes can check in at 8 o'clock but even if you can't they will hold your luggage until your room is ready. Day one park visit, sleep night one, Day 2 part visit, sleep night two, Day three park visit, sleep night 3, Day 4 park visit. (limp over to the beach. It's less than 2 hours to either coast. Of course, that requires more $$ for tickets. This also reduces beach time. (where are you from, is the beach as rare a vacation as a trip to WDW?)

$100 for the trip is generous, I think. back in the day, we used to get "a" vacation present. the vacation itself was the big present.

I have only sons so I could not speak to the "makeup" day. But I would think you could do that at home, whereas you won't find Space Mountain down the street.

Again, not qualified on what you need to do with the girls! Good luck and have fun.

 

[NelleBelle]

I agree with the above about trying to do an extra park day (or two). Even with 4 days of parks, you will never get to see/do everything on your first trip. Couldn't tell by your post if you are planning to do the Magic Kingdom or not (?) but you will need to if you are wanting to eat at Be Our Guest. If you only want to do 2 or even 3 park days, I'd strongly recommend you get park hopper tickets--then you could easily hop over to Be Our Guest for Dinner (or have breakfast or even lunch). You could also do BBB while at the MK, then DH could take the ~3 yo to fantasyland and ride while you're with the other 2, otherwise you have to figure out what to do with the 3 yo at Disney Springs BBB. Also, if you want to keep your $$ for souvenirs other than princess dresses at BBB, you can bring your own dresses with you and save a ton (so I hear...I only have 2 DS but have lived vicariously through other's posts about taking their DD to BBB).

As for what to do with the girls, watch lots of planning and youtube videos so they have an idea of what to do.

Don't be surprised it the girls want to spend more time at the resort pool than in the parks We always let our kids swim for just a little bit when we got back from the parks at night. It cooled them off before bedtime (if we were there when it was hot) and then they weren't so tempted to make bath time into a prolonged event (they loved the water)!

You will have plenty of time for planning, which for some, is more fun than the actual trip! I'm sure you will change your mind plenty before things are finalized (FP+, ADRs, etc). What a great time to take a first visit to the World with your girls!