We are only at WDW for 3 full days in September. I know that is a great time to go but am wondering how to organize our schedule/parks. We are planning to go to all 4. Which 2 can I do in 1 day and which ones need a whole day?
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Only 3 full days......which parks will take up most of our time?
- Thread starter Sunshineglow68
- Start date
NYwdwfan
Well-Known Member
It all depends on what your family is into - my family doesn't really care for shows so we skip things like Beauty & the Beast and Little Mermaid at Hollywood Studio and the Nemo and Lion King shows at AK. To other families this may be blasphemy but we did them once and prefer other things. Personally, I would do 1/2 day at both Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios and 1 day at both EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. But that's just me! 
bethymouse
Well-Known Member
MK and EPCOT
In my humble opinion:shrug:MK and EPCOT take a whole day, especially if you like to walk around the entire world showcase and leave time for SOARIN and eating! If you enjoy WISHES and ILLUMINATIONS, then those two parks are all day!
HS and AK can be done in 1 day- again just my opinion!:shrug: Do FP for RnRC and TSM! See Lights Motor Action! Get a FP for EE! Ride Dinosaur and take the Safari! If you haven't seen Nemo or The Lion King, I would try to make time in my schedule to do that!
In my humble opinion:shrug:MK and EPCOT take a whole day, especially if you like to walk around the entire world showcase and leave time for SOARIN and eating! If you enjoy WISHES and ILLUMINATIONS, then those two parks are all day!
HS and AK can be done in 1 day- again just my opinion!:shrug: Do FP for RnRC and TSM! See Lights Motor Action! Get a FP for EE! Ride Dinosaur and take the Safari! If you haven't seen Nemo or The Lion King, I would try to make time in my schedule to do that!
Pick145
Active Member
Magic Kingdom needs a full day, AK and DHS are both easily doable in a single day and EPCOT can take 3/4 of a day or a Full day depending on how much time you spend in the countries. If I were you I would do Magic Kingdom the first day and then do your split day the second, then do EPCOT and then you can go back to any that you need to in the last part of the day when crowds are lower anyway.
I_heart_Tigger
Well-Known Member
Are you staying on Disney property? If you're up for late night extra magic hours do AK in the day time and HS at night. You can see almost every attraction including the shows (if you only do one I recommend Nemo) with that amount of time to work with.
Depending on how late HS is open you maye be able to go back to your resort in the middle for a little rest, too
Depending on how late HS is open you maye be able to go back to your resort in the middle for a little rest, too
AylaRanzz
Active Member
Last time I went in 2010 we had three park days and what we did was Friday we did MK in the morning, went to Epcot in the afternoon then back to MK for the rest of the night. Saturday we went to AK for most of the day then went back to MK for a few more hours before going back to the hotel to swim. Then on Sunday we went to HS till around seven then back to the MK for the rest of the night.
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
How many times have you visited WDW? What specific days will you be there? Are you staying onsite? Will you be able to go to the parks on your arrival day (evening) or departure day (morning)? What are the ages of the people in your group? The answers would help with planning.
Since you are going to all 4 parks in 3 days, I assume you have park hoppers.
Mornings at the parks are really important (lines are the shortest). Therefore, I'd suggest splitting your 3 days into mornings and evenings, visiting at least 2 parks each day. If your primary intention is to ride the "super headliner" attractions, one possible itinerary would be:
- First day morning - MK (Everyone likes to visit MK first. Go directly to your favorite attractions. Use FP!!!)
- First day evening - EP (Focus on World Showcase but ride Soarin' or M:S if lines are manageable. Also consider some of the "less glamorous" attractions such as Seas with Nemo & Friends or Spaceship Earth)
- Second day morning - DHS (Get a FP for TSMM first thing then ride ToT, RnRC, & ST, if these appeal to you.)
- Second day evening - MK (Ride attractions you missed on the first morning. Stay late for parade & fireworks.)
- Third day morning - EP (Get FP for Soarin' first thing & then ride M:S. TT will be closed. Leave EP early, say by 11 AM.)
- Third day afternoon - AK (if you are only into rides, do EE, KS, and Dinosaur. Otherwise consider Festival or the Lion King or Finding Nemo.)
- Third day evening - Squeeze in one more visit to your favorite park.
To see as many attractions as possible, it's extremely important that you arrive at each park at least 30 minutes prior to park opening.
With only 3 days at WDW, you probably will have to skip some major rides or shows. If you care to provide more details of what you REALLY want to see, I can make further suggestions. (Sorry for being so forward but 4 parks in 3 days really is an aggressive schedule.)
Since you are going to all 4 parks in 3 days, I assume you have park hoppers.
Mornings at the parks are really important (lines are the shortest). Therefore, I'd suggest splitting your 3 days into mornings and evenings, visiting at least 2 parks each day. If your primary intention is to ride the "super headliner" attractions, one possible itinerary would be:
- First day morning - MK (Everyone likes to visit MK first. Go directly to your favorite attractions. Use FP!!!)
- First day evening - EP (Focus on World Showcase but ride Soarin' or M:S if lines are manageable. Also consider some of the "less glamorous" attractions such as Seas with Nemo & Friends or Spaceship Earth)
- Second day morning - DHS (Get a FP for TSMM first thing then ride ToT, RnRC, & ST, if these appeal to you.)
- Second day evening - MK (Ride attractions you missed on the first morning. Stay late for parade & fireworks.)
- Third day morning - EP (Get FP for Soarin' first thing & then ride M:S. TT will be closed. Leave EP early, say by 11 AM.)
- Third day afternoon - AK (if you are only into rides, do EE, KS, and Dinosaur. Otherwise consider Festival or the Lion King or Finding Nemo.)
- Third day evening - Squeeze in one more visit to your favorite park.
To see as many attractions as possible, it's extremely important that you arrive at each park at least 30 minutes prior to park opening.
With only 3 days at WDW, you probably will have to skip some major rides or shows. If you care to provide more details of what you REALLY want to see, I can make further suggestions. (Sorry for being so forward but 4 parks in 3 days really is an aggressive schedule.)
dkosdros
Active Member
I'm going to chime in with you have nothing to worry about. I easily did 2 parks per day for 2 days and we were able to see all 4 parks in the two days. We never had to skip big attractions or shows either.
I recommend getting to each park early for rope drop. You can easily knock off 3 attractions while grabbing one FB or another during the first hour or so. You would be surprised that by doing this come 11am you have done a majority of the park and havent run into any crowds yet. To do this you need to keep moving and cannot stop to soak in all the details but you still experience Disney and get to see everything. Since you are adding a 3rd day if it was me I would still try to do all 4 parks in two days and leave your third day to go back to do or see your favorite things but that is just me. The key is getting there early and take advantage of the extra magic hours for the morning and the evening because the park is dead during those times so you can get a lot done. Hope you have a great time. :sohappy:
I recommend getting to each park early for rope drop. You can easily knock off 3 attractions while grabbing one FB or another during the first hour or so. You would be surprised that by doing this come 11am you have done a majority of the park and havent run into any crowds yet. To do this you need to keep moving and cannot stop to soak in all the details but you still experience Disney and get to see everything. Since you are adding a 3rd day if it was me I would still try to do all 4 parks in two days and leave your third day to go back to do or see your favorite things but that is just me. The key is getting there early and take advantage of the extra magic hours for the morning and the evening because the park is dead during those times so you can get a lot done. Hope you have a great time. :sohappy:
Thank you all so much. This has really helped me. It will be myself, DH and DD (10) We will be staying at WL. This is my and DH 4th time but DD only
2nd. She was only 2 1/2 when we went before so really doesn't remember much. This is what my tentative scheduled is as of yesterday.
We arrive on Monday (9:54a airplane) - once we've settled in I thought we'd go to HS because they are open until 11p that night.
Tuesday - Epcot (open early) then over to MK after a while there, take the boat back to WL where we have dinner reservations at Whispering Canyon at 7:50.
Wednesday - Magic Kingdom where we will see the parade at 3 and Wishes at 9.
Thursday - Animal Kingdom (opens at 8) we have dinner reservations at Rainforest Cafe at 4:30.
Friday - plane leaves at 10:55a so no time for the parks.
I'm sure that Wednesday and Thursday we can squeeze in another park before or after if we want to.
It's only May and we don't go until Sept. so I still have plenty of time to change the plans.
What do you think?
2nd. She was only 2 1/2 when we went before so really doesn't remember much. This is what my tentative scheduled is as of yesterday.
We arrive on Monday (9:54a airplane) - once we've settled in I thought we'd go to HS because they are open until 11p that night.
Tuesday - Epcot (open early) then over to MK after a while there, take the boat back to WL where we have dinner reservations at Whispering Canyon at 7:50.
Wednesday - Magic Kingdom where we will see the parade at 3 and Wishes at 9.
Thursday - Animal Kingdom (opens at 8) we have dinner reservations at Rainforest Cafe at 4:30.
Friday - plane leaves at 10:55a so no time for the parks.
I'm sure that Wednesday and Thursday we can squeeze in another park before or after if we want to.
It's only May and we don't go until Sept. so I still have plenty of time to change the plans.
What do you think?
I would start out elsewhere, in that case, unless there are stage shows that you desparately want to see. Disney's Animal Kingdom would be easy to get through and still have plenty of time for the Studios.
I myself always do the reverse. Usually the Future World corwds disappear later in the day when everyone heads to World Showcase. Since I'm not a big fan of World showcase, that works for me.
Sounds good.
You won't need that much time at DAK unless it's completely packed. In fact, I, as a solo traveler can spend that much time there, but that includes multiple re-rides in addition to visiting all the animal exhibits.
Since you're going in September, crowds should be lighter, so I don't think you'll need as much time in the parks as you think you will (but that can be a bit unpredictable. Of course, you're travelling with a child, so that will affect your day as well (and how much park hopping you do). But on your DHS and DAK days, definitely don't plan to spend the whole day there.
StAug WDW fan
New Member
September
Don't forget that September is peak hurricane season here in Florida and don't forget the afternoon thunderstorms. It been pretty quite here lately on the hurricane side but you may have a few interruptions with a heavy hour or two downpour. Typically a good time to do some of the indoor stuff and shopping. Or on the other hand get a poncho and GO!
Don't forget that September is peak hurricane season here in Florida and don't forget the afternoon thunderstorms. It been pretty quite here lately on the hurricane side but you may have a few interruptions with a heavy hour or two downpour. Typically a good time to do some of the indoor stuff and shopping. Or on the other hand get a poncho and GO!
ParentsOf4, I like you're shedule the only problem is we have dinner reservations at AK on our 3rd full day so wanted to go there then and I'm trying to take advantage of the early opening and later closing times. This isn't easy.
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
WL is a great place to stay! The 3 of you should love it there.
Your itinerary looks good but I do have some observations:
DHS has several rides that tend to attract long lines: ToT, RnRC, ST, and TSMM. ToT, RnRC, and ST can have relatively short waits in September so these should be OK. However, except at park opening, I don't think I've ever seen TSMM Standby queue at less than 50 minutes (and this was near park closing). 90 minutes is not uncommon. With you landing at 9:54 AM, you probably will make it to the park between noon and 1 PM. With the park closing at 11 PM for EMH, 10 hours at DHS should be plenty of time in September. However, there's always the possibility that you could spend a lot of time waiting in line, especially at TSMM. By the time you arrive, I wouldn't be surprised if all TSMM FPs were gone. Personally, we only do TSMM when we have a FP but hopefully you'll have a shorter than normal wait. Since it appears to have been about 7 years since your last trip (based on the age of your daughter), I assume you're not familiar with TSMM. It almost always is a long wait, perhaps longer than anything you've experienced in the past. It's possible that the line could be shorter during Evening EMH, especially once people start queuing up for Fantasmic. Since WDW is offering "Free Dining" in September, it's hard to be sure what crowd levels will be like.
Tuesday morning EMH at Epcot should be good. I assume you plan to head to the World Showcase in the afternoon. Just be warned that if it's a typical September day, it could be hot and humid with afternoon storms. I've always found the World Showcase to be one of the most uncomfortable places at WDW in the afternoon heat.
MK is scheduled to close at 7 PM on Tuesday for Mickey's Halloween Party. Since you have a reservation at Whispering Canyon for 7:50 PM, this shouldn't affect you. (I assume this is why you planned a 7:50 PM reservation.) In fact, it might help since guests tend to avoid MK when it closes early and will give your family a chance to rest for Wednesday's long day at MK.
DAK is a good place to visit for Thursday morning EMH but you might be "done" with the park before your 4:30 PM Rainforest Café reservation, especially since you will be there for the 8 AM opening. It's a good plan though since this should give you time to do nearly everything at DAK.
As you wrote, Thursday evening will be a good time to squeeze in one more visit to your favorite park.
Your itinerary looks good but I do have some observations:
DHS has several rides that tend to attract long lines: ToT, RnRC, ST, and TSMM. ToT, RnRC, and ST can have relatively short waits in September so these should be OK. However, except at park opening, I don't think I've ever seen TSMM Standby queue at less than 50 minutes (and this was near park closing). 90 minutes is not uncommon. With you landing at 9:54 AM, you probably will make it to the park between noon and 1 PM. With the park closing at 11 PM for EMH, 10 hours at DHS should be plenty of time in September. However, there's always the possibility that you could spend a lot of time waiting in line, especially at TSMM. By the time you arrive, I wouldn't be surprised if all TSMM FPs were gone. Personally, we only do TSMM when we have a FP but hopefully you'll have a shorter than normal wait. Since it appears to have been about 7 years since your last trip (based on the age of your daughter), I assume you're not familiar with TSMM. It almost always is a long wait, perhaps longer than anything you've experienced in the past. It's possible that the line could be shorter during Evening EMH, especially once people start queuing up for Fantasmic. Since WDW is offering "Free Dining" in September, it's hard to be sure what crowd levels will be like.
Tuesday morning EMH at Epcot should be good. I assume you plan to head to the World Showcase in the afternoon. Just be warned that if it's a typical September day, it could be hot and humid with afternoon storms. I've always found the World Showcase to be one of the most uncomfortable places at WDW in the afternoon heat.
MK is scheduled to close at 7 PM on Tuesday for Mickey's Halloween Party. Since you have a reservation at Whispering Canyon for 7:50 PM, this shouldn't affect you. (I assume this is why you planned a 7:50 PM reservation.) In fact, it might help since guests tend to avoid MK when it closes early and will give your family a chance to rest for Wednesday's long day at MK.
DAK is a good place to visit for Thursday morning EMH but you might be "done" with the park before your 4:30 PM Rainforest Café reservation, especially since you will be there for the 8 AM opening. It's a good plan though since this should give you time to do nearly everything at DAK.
As you wrote, Thursday evening will be a good time to squeeze in one more visit to your favorite park.
Thanks ParentsOf4, I am going to take all of your suggestions to heart. I appreciate all of your help.
ThinkTink721
Well-Known Member
MK & Epcot usually take up most of our time.