Help me Plan my Short Trip to Disney!

[Ceusina]

I'm traveling to Disney in June, followed by a cruise out of Port Canaveral. My party consists of two adults and one 4 year-old. We have a very limited amount of time in Disney and I want to make the most of it! As of right now I'm only planning on going to Magic Kingdom, but if I could somehow squeeze in a quick trip to Animal Kingdom, I'd love to visit that park as well. The others will have to wait until our next trip (hopefully within the next year or so).

Tuesday, day #1:
-3:10 PM: Flight arrival
-3:30-6:00 PM: Pick up luggage, grab rental car, drive to Art of Animation resort, Hotel check-in, explore resort grounds
-6:30 PM: Dinner at T-Rex Cafe (I booked T-Rex Cafe because I think my son will LOVE it and we wouldn't have to "waste" a park ticket for only a short evening in the park - if anyone thinks this is a mistake, let me know! I could probably switch this reservation to the next evening)
-Early to bed

Wednesday, day #2:
-8:35 AM: Breakfast at Be Our Guest (I'd love to do lunch or ideally dinner there, but I'm not sure I'll be lucky enough to get a reservation - I've been checking daily for last 1.5 months)
-9:30-11:45: Explore Magic Kingdom (still need to make FastPass reservations)
-11:55 AM: Lunch at Crystal Palace - will we still be full from breakfast? Should I try to make this reservation for later?
-Afternoon-mid evening: Continue exploring Magic Kingdom (still haven't worked out those details)
-Dinner: Haven't figured out my reservation yet. Ah! I tentatively booked Tony's Town Square just to have something, but I'd love to figure something else out. For the sake of saving time, should I plan to stay in Magic Kingdom?
-After dinner: Not sure what exactly to do here either. I think my son will be able to stay up until 9:30, probably not much later without a total meltdown haha.

Thursday, day #3
-8:25 AM: Breakfast at O'hana
-Then pack-up and drive to Port Canaveral (cruise departs at 4 PM, but I know I'll need to board several hours earlier)

As you can see, I don't have all the details figured out. I'd love some advice!

 

[mouse_luv]

With such brief amount of time to spend in the Park, the last thing I would want to be doing is having so many TS meals.

 

[Ceusina]

With such brief amount of time to spend in the Park, the last thing I would want to be doing is having so many TS meals.

I could move our dinner reservation to T-Rex cafe to day #2. That would free up the evening of day #1 (maybe an evening trip to Magic Kingdom?). I could cancel our reservation at O'hana and maybe spend a couple hours in Animal Kingdom instead. That would mean I'd need to buy 3 day passes, instead of the 1 day pass I currently have. Since I'll only be able to spend a short amount of time in the parks on day #1/#3 I'm not sure if it's worth the extra cost. Any opinions?

The reason I booked T-Rex Cafe and O'hana is so that we could still have some of the Disney "feel" without having to pay for a full day park admission. Any advice/opinions welcomed!

 

[mouse_luv]

I was talking about day 2 and the 2 ts meals you have there. I would cut back to one and enjoy the MK, if you think you are going to do 2 possibly 3 TS meals in the MK and still get everything done you would want to get done in the MK in JUNE, you are not planning well. June is very HOT and very very crowded.

 

[Ceusina]

I was talking about day 2 and the 2 ts meals you have there. I would cut back to one and enjoy the MK, if you think you are going to do 2 possibly 3 TS meals in the MK and still get everything done you would want to get done in the MK in JUNE, you are not planning well. June is very HOT and very very crowded.

Thanks for your help! I'm actually going late May into early June - still very hot, less hot than mid/late June! One of the reasons I considered two TS meals was for the rest and relax aspect of sitting in one place (in air conditioning!) for a little longer than a QS meal. I haven't been to Magic Kingdom in 10+ years so my memory of how much there is to do is foggy!

 

[Princess_AmyK]

I think you have a pretty good plan and I think trying to squeeze AK into your trip and making it worth the extra ticket cost probably won't happen. Like mouse_luv said, you have a lot of TS meals. On day 2, I would plan for a dinner or a breakfast reservation. That is it. Otherwise you won't get much done, and every time a reservation comes up, you will likely be in the middle of trying to see something and be frustrated. I definitely suggest keeping your T-Rex reservation because then you can explore Disney Springs afterwards. Then on Day 2, I suggest being there at rope drop, using the morning to get major attractions done, maybe have an afternoon nap, and then come back for more rides before a dinner reservation. I think Crystal Palace would be perfect for your 4 year old if he enjoys characters. Also, I LOVE Ohana so you made a great Day 3 breakfast choice!

 

[Herdman]

I agree with Princess_AmyK. I think that's the way to go. Depending on the heat you may want to take a break in the afternoon. Sometimes less is more with a 4 year old so that you ALL have a great day!

 

[Weather_Lady]

I agree with all of the above suggestions. I'd have breakfast in the hotel room or at the Art of Animation food court, so you can be ready for a rope drop arrival at MK and won't miss the most productive touring time of the day. Then, go ahead and enjoy a leisurely lunch at Crystal Palace, and then hit up some low-key attractions where your son might even be able to catch a little post-lunch nap in air-conditioned comfort (e.g., Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress, or even a few spins around the monorail loop, just for fun). Then take it slower into the afternoon and evening (if you plan your post rope-drop time well and make good use of your FP+, you'll have hit most of the headliners by then), and take time to revisit favorite attractions, watch the parade(s), etc. (If you need to cross the park and your son is tiring out, don't forget that the WDW Railroad is an option! It's a great way to get between Frontierland, Fantasyland/Tomorrowland and the main entrance!)

Because you've had a big, all-you-care-to-enjoy lunch, you may find that you don't feel hungry for a big dinner, and that a counter-service meal is adequate, and will give you more touring flexibility. (Plus, you'll have a big breakfast at 'Ohana the next day.)

Just my two cents. If you've only got one day, you won't want to spend it sitting in restaurants when there are pirates, princesses and ghosts to be seen!

 

[Ceusina]

I think trying to squeeze AK into your trip and making it worth the extra ticket cost probably won't happen. Like mouse_luv said, you have a lot of TS meals. On day 2, I would plan for a dinner or a breakfast reservation. That is it. Otherwise you won't get much done, and every time a reservation comes up, you will likely be in the middle of trying to see something and be frustrated. I definitely suggest keeping your T-Rex reservation because then you can explore Disney Springs afterwards. Then on Day 2, I suggest being there at rope drop, using the morning to get major attractions done, maybe have an afternoon nap, and then come back for more rides before a dinner reservation. I think Crystal Palace would be perfect for your 4 year old if he enjoys characters. Also, I LOVE Ohana so you made a great Day 3 breakfast choice!

Thanks for the tips! That's exactly what I'm worried about - that squeezing AK into the trip won't be worth it and would just create added stress (but I'd LOVE to go if we had more time).