Need some help for mid-sept trip

[Gaprofitt]

Hey All,

New to Disney World, have never been but have been doing a bunch of research. I'm a single Dad and my son turns 4 so I decided to do something special.. I currently have booked the Orleans Port Riverside, I considered the Caribbean Resort and a few others but this one seems really nice as well. Seems like you can't go wrong. It has the boat ride to Downtown Disney from my understanding as well.

We will be staying 4 nights and arriving on a Wed about 1 pm. We fly home Sunday and right now it's early morning but I may change the flight to later to get more in, not sure.

My son really enjoys waterparks, mini-golf and also enjoys water themed rides. He's about 43 inches tall now. I'm trying to figure out what all to do and how to schedule it.

I'm torn between doing a hopper pass or not. I'm also torn on the waterpark and more option. I'm also comparing ticket prices from undercover tourist and it looks like they give you the 4th day for free for paying for a 3 day ticket.

I'm also struggling on the basic dining plan, seems like if we take the boat to downtown disney and or eat at some themed restaurants it's worth it for the basic dining plan, if not it doesn't appear so. I need to be eating steak, etc for real value.. Perhaps I am wrong..

I was thinking something like this with the 3 day plus 1 free day, hopper plus waterpark and more.

Day one, Magic Kingdom, perhaps dinner at downtown disney at a nice place, mini golf.
Day two, Magic Kingdom early, mid-day swim, relax, back to park at night for fireworks, etc, birthday dinner in park for lunch perhaps. I booked one of the themed places, can't even remember the name now to be honest.
Day Three, water park early for a few hours, then Animal Kingdom briefly, just hit the highlands, safari, etc.
Day Four, Do whatever he wants more of, Animal Kingdom (Magic Kingdom(, perhaps the Hollywood Studios for a few hours.
Day Five - Fly home early AM, or change flight to later flight if we want to do more.

Thanks for any advice, tips, etc. This is hard to plan not having ever been and not knowing logistics. How long it takes to get from one park to another, etc.

Greg

 

[englanddg]

A lot to break into here.

First, don't stress. No matter what you decide, you'll have a great trip, I promise.

So, lets dig in.

1) For your plans, I would get WP&M. It will add about $120 to your 4 day tickets, and that is pretty darn close to the cost of Typhoon or Blizzard plus the cost of the Mini Golf. So, you'll at least break even, if not come out a bit ahead. One note about Mini Gold and the way WP&M works. You can use your Mini Golf admissons once per day. Meaning, if you want to do both the courses at say, Winter Wonderland (which is right outside of the Blizzard Beach waterpark, and is down on the south side of the property near Animal Kingdom)...anyhow, if you want to do both sides of the course, you'll have to pay for one leg (or come back the next day). At least that's how it was in 2012 (didn't try it in 2013). However, I'm not sure that you'll need the hopper for such a short stay.

2) The Dining Plan is a doozy question that gets asked a lot. Before you dig into whether it's a value for you, I'd take a look at the menus / prices for places you'd like to eat (menus/prices can be found on this website as well as disneyworld.com) and get that settled upon first, THEN decide if you want the plan. Once you make that decision, go here -> http://www.distripplanner.com/ and fill out their form. You don't have to eat at Downtown Disney a lot to make it work out for your, but you will need to eat at Tableservice for those credits, without a doubt. As a side note though, Tableservice need not be fancy restaurants. A lot of the restaurants are kid centric (with adult meals). Examples are Chef Mickey, Crystal Palace, 1900 Park Fare, list goes on. They have characters that meet and greet during the meal, and it's a great way to get some special attention for the kiddo (without standing in a long line, rather the characters come to YOU!). These restaurants are all one table service credit, and all the parks have their own versions (as well as some of the deluxe resorts).

3) Are you renting a car or taking the Disney Bus? If you are taking the bus, you need to allow yourself at least an hour to get to and from the resort. The reality is more like 20-30 minutes, but you can't predict that, so give yourself extra time. Also, the boat to DTD is a lot of fun, but is very slow (and stops along the way at other resorts...POFQ and OKW, iirc). Don't take it for speed, rather take one of the DTD buses. However, as noted, it is relaxing and fun to do...so if you do it, do it with that in mind.

 

[smk]

IMHO I think your plans are a little ambitious. Your son is four, right? The pools at the hotel would be fine, in my opinion. Your days are quite busy and your son may not be able to keep up. Maybe pick one thing, like mini golf?

 

[Go.Nijntje]

I agree with SMK, WDW is very overwhelming and it is easy to over do things. There is no way to do it all, so focus on quality rather than quantity. If you slow down and really enjoy the things you do, you and your son will have a much nicer trip than if you are cramming your days full. Hopefully you will have a great time and then next trip you can do some other things.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Day one, Magic Kingdom, perhaps dinner at downtown disney at a nice place, mini golf.
Day two, Magic Kingdom early, mid-day swim, relax, back to park at night for fireworks, etc, birthday dinner in park for lunch perhaps. I booked one of the themed places, can't even remember the name now to be honest.
Day Three, water park early for a few hours, then Animal Kingdom briefly, just hit the highlands, safari, etc.
Day Four, Do whatever he wants more of, Animal Kingdom (Magic Kingdom(, perhaps the Hollywood Studios for a few hours.
Day Five - Fly home early AM, or change flight to later flight if we want to do more.

That's a lot to cram in and a lot of travelling with a party of adults / teens - but with a 4 year old ???

Try this -
1) Day 1 - arriving 1pm - perhaps DHS and Fantasmic in the evening
2) Day 2 - MK. Character breakfast for birthday. Back to POR for swim / nap (if required) and return for evening parades and fireworks
3) Day 3 - AK. Back to POR for swim / nap (if required) and DTD for the evening
4) Day 4 - Water Park (if you're throwing the $$ around) or use the resorts pool. EPCOT and fireworks for late afternoon / evening
5) Day 5 - Home