Itinerary Advice?

[Schweino]

Trip Dates: 11/30 - 12/7 (we arrive 11/29 but in-laws arrive 11/30 around 4 PM)

11/30 'Arrival' Day - Dinner at California Grill around 730 or so (hoping to get fireworks view after dinner)
12/1 AK Day - Plan to rope drop and leave around 4:00 or so and do dinner at Le Cellier at Epcot and catch fireworks at 9? Along with random Epcot stuff like check out the different little events they do for FOTH
12/2 HS Day - Rope drop and no current dinner plans. Possibly hop to Epcot to check out more FOTH and do dinner there (as my in-laws lived in Germany for a time, Biergarten maybe?)
12/3 MK Day 1 - Breakfast at Chef Mickeys and late dinner at Liberty Tree
12/4 REST DAY - Breakfast at Topolino's, check out GF after, back to resort and rest, get to WL around 5 or so and check out WL area, dinner at Story Book
12/5 Epcot Day - Early lunch at Space 220. Hop to HS around 3ish and spend evening there/close it down. (Hollywood and Vine dinner?)
12/6 MK Day 2/MVMCP Day - Rope drop MK, take a midday break/nap, then get ready for MVMCP at 4/5 w/ dinner at BOG around 6.

Few Notes

• After talking with my wife, she advised that her parents probably would not enjoy Disney Springs (and since we arrive on 11/29, we plan to spend some time there ourselves on 11/30 before her parents arrive). We nixed doing any dinners there.
• We did FOTH once in 2020 but with Covid, I am sure there was a lot that was lacking. We wanted to ensure we got enough time to check out all the little events/activities, hence the two evenings on 12/1 and 12/2 there. Plus IMO better dinner options.
• We wanted to have a 'planned' Epcot day on 12/5 to try and get into Guardians.

Our top priorities for restaurants were Space 220, Topo's, Chef Mickeys, BOG, and Story Book. Tried to push those to the latter half of our trip.

This itinerary is pretty hectic to me and there's a part of me that wants to cancel the park hopper and just do 2 MK days, 1 AK day, 1 HS day and 1 Epcot day, but I don't think we could get everything in that we wanted to see at Epcot without hopper, not to mention my wife will be really disappointed if we don't do Le Cellier and Space for food.

Open to any feedback!

 

[nickys]

The storytellers don’t tend to happen much beyond 5pm or so, maybe an hour later. To see them all means checking the schedule and some serious planning.

Each year I do a personalised plan on Touring Plans just for fun to try and incorporate all the story tellers plus Voices of Liberty and the “Joyful” performances. It’s almost impossible to fit them all in a single day. I know you said you’ve set aside a couple of evenings but arriving at 4pm it’s going to be hard to do more than 3, maybe 4 each day.

Not so sure about the food stalls.

 

[Ricky Spanish]

Sounds like a well planned culinary adventure!
Enjoy.
BTW, we are going the first week of Oct. and have no dining reservations planned.

 

[HoustonHorn]

This sounds like a great itinerary. My only suggestions:

1. Consider flipping 12/5 to MK and 12/6 to EPCOT. You can get in for the party at 4 (I think), so you can do EPCOT with a better shot at getting SPACE, then head over for the party.
2. If you have any interest in Star Wars, I highly recommend booking a park-closing Oga's. So on 12/5 (or 12/2 if you don't hop), try and get an Oga's right at park closing. They will let you stay at least an hour past closing, with no drink limits. If you want a roadie, they'll sell you one. But the best part is that when you leave, you'll be in a nearly-empty park that is absolutely magical. It's become a new tradition for me, and I recommend it to everyone!

Enjoy!

 

[Schweino]

This sounds like a great itinerary. My only suggestions:

1. Consider flipping 12/5 to MK and 12/6 to EPCOT. You can get in for the party at 4 (I think), so you can do EPCOT with a better shot at getting SPACE, then head over for the party.

I actually did spend time thinking about this and it's still in the air (since I still have another 29 days or so before I can book dining). Ultimately, my heart wants to keep MK there. I think that MK as a whole will have less visitors that day because of the party and people not wanting to 'waste' a reservation only to have to be kicked out at 6/7 - maybe I am wrong in my thinking. Secondly, there is just something right about ending a trip at MK. Staring down Main Street all lit up one last time before ending the trip hits my heart.

2. If you have any interest in Star Wars, I highly recommend booking a park-closing Oga's. So on 12/5 (or 12/2 if you don't hop), try and get an Oga's right at park closing. They will let you stay at least an hour past closing, with no drink limits. If you want a roadie, they'll sell you one. But the best part is that when you leave, you'll be in a nearly-empty park that is absolutely magical. It's become a new tradition for me, and I recommend it to everyone!

Enjoy!

I'll consider this! My FIL is a Star Wars fan so I think we do need to do this (we did Oga's in 2020 and I personally felt it was meh, but it's not about me).

 

[JohnD]

Trip Dates: 11/30 - 12/7 (we arrive 11/29 but in-laws arrive 11/30 around 4 PM)

11/30 'Arrival' Day - Dinner at California Grill around 730 or so (hoping to get fireworks view after dinner)
12/1 AK Day - Plan to rope drop and leave around 4:00 or so and do dinner at Le Cellier at Epcot and catch fireworks at 9? Along with random Epcot stuff like check out the different little events they do for FOTH
12/2 HS Day - Rope drop and no current dinner plans. Possibly hop to Epcot to check out more FOTH and do dinner there (as my in-laws lived in Germany for a time, Biergarten maybe?)
12/3 MK Day 1 - Breakfast at Chef Mickeys and late dinner at Liberty Tree
12/4 REST DAY - Breakfast at Topolino's, check out GF after, back to resort and rest, get to WL around 5 or so and check out WL area, dinner at Story Book
12/5 Epcot Day - Early lunch at Space 220. Hop to HS around 3ish and spend evening there/close it down. (Hollywood and Vine dinner?)
12/6 MK Day 2/MVMCP Day - Rope drop MK, take a midday break/nap, then get ready for MVMCP at 4/5 w/ dinner at BOG around 6.

Open to any feedback!

Are you staying at a deluxe resort? (I'm doing a split stay at two of them in several weeks with a good Disney+ rate which is why I asked). If not, what follows doesn't apply. If so, your CG dinner on 11/30 couldn't be better planned. You could hop to MK for extra evening hours which are Wednesdays for MK until 1am. Just make make a park reservation there for the day to guarantee you can do extra evening hours. If you don't actually plan to be in MK before your CG dinner, I would recommend the party enter at the MK entrance plaza first then immediately exit then head straight to your CG ADR. Utilize extended hours afterward. 12/5 also works out for you. Even if you hop to HS, you could hop back to Epcot for extra evening hours which are Mondays for Epcot from 9-11.

 

[nickys]

Are you staying at a deluxe resort? (I'm doing a split stay at two of them in several weeks with a good Disney+ rate which is why I asked). If not, what follows doesn't apply. If so, your CG dinner couldn't be better planned. You could hop to MK for extra evening hours until 1am. Just make make a park reservation there for the day to guarantee you can do extra evening hours. 12/5 also works out for you. Even if you hop to HS, you could hop back to Epcot for extra evening hours from 9-11.

As long as you have a park hopper ticket no one will ever be turned away for the deluxe extra hours.

 

[JohnD]

As long as you have a park hopper ticket no one will ever be turned away for the deluxe extra hours.

Well, you need to stay in a deluxe resort for starters. Two, don't you still have to make a park reservation for the day at any park before making use of extra evening hours?

Edit: The answer is yes. Per Disney,

• Guests will need valid admission and a theme park reservation for the same park on the same day to experience extended evening hours–or, Guests may experience extended evening hours if they have a ticket or annual pass with the Park Hopper option and first enter the park where they made their reservation.

 

[Schweino]

Well, you need to stay in a deluxe resort for starters. Two, don't you still have to make a park reservation for the day at any park before making use of extra evening hours?

Edit: The answer is yes. Per Disney,

Wait a second - either I am misunderstanding or Im learning something new. If you have park hopper, and don't stay in a deluxe, you can still experience extended evening hours?
EDIT: That post from Disney I am most likely taking out of context and only applies to deluxe stayers with Park hopper.

To note: We are staying at POR.

 

[nickys]

Well, you need to stay in a deluxe resort for starters. Two, don't you still have to make a park reservation for the day at any park before making use of extra evening hours?

Edit: The answer is yes. Per Disney,

Sorry, I was responding to your comment that he should make an MK reservation to ensure he could go to the extra hours.

I meant he could book any park and not worry. Maybe I misunderstood your post.

 

[nickys]

Wait a second - either I am misunderstanding or Im learning something new. If you have park hopper, and don't stay in a deluxe, you can still experience extended evening hours?
EDIT: That post from Disney I am most likely taking out of context and only applies to deluxe stayers with Park hopper.

To note: We are staying at POR.

No.
Must be staying deluxe. Must have a park reservation but can be for any park if you have a hopper.

 

[JohnD]

Sorry, I was responding to your comment that he should make an MK reservation to ensure he could go to the extra hours.

I meant he could book any park and not worry. Maybe I misunderstood your post.

Well, I did. My point being that MK is right there. But I clarified it to say it would be quickest to book MK, enter and exit MK immediately before their CG meal, then return for the evening hours.

 

[JohnD]

Wait a second - either I am misunderstanding or Im learning something new. If you have park hopper, and don't stay in a deluxe, you can still experience extended evening hours?
EDIT: That post from Disney I am most likely taking out of context and only applies to deluxe stayers with Park hopper.

To note: We are staying at POR.

Correct. To utilize extra evening hours you need to stay in a deluxe resort. With park hopper, you must utilize your park reservation at any park before going to extra evening hours. It's moot in your case as you're staying at POR.

 

[Schweino]

Hey all. What would you consider ADR Priority? Here is what I was thinking from hardest to least to get:

1. Storybook Dining
2. Topolino's
3. Space 220
4. Chef Mickeys
5. Be Our Guest
6. California Grill
7. Le Cellier