Overwhelmed

[SMsRC]

We will be first timers visiting WDW from Dec 12-Dec 16 this 2013 year. Will be staying on-site at the Pop Century Resort and we will also have a minivan/suv rental. After doing months of research and tweaking I have finally settled on a semi-flexible itinerary. But every time I feel like I am finally done I find out yet another thing that's a "must-see"! We are not sure if we will ever go again, and while I have scheduled 2-3 hour breaks in our day to "take it easy" I want to experience all the "must-see-good-stuff". I want to list what we have planned and get some feedback on things that we should hit/would be fun that aren't on the list.

This whole trip is for my 4 year old son turning 5 the week we go to WDW. So the trip is mostly about things he would enjoy. So here is my must see schedule:
Dec 12 (Thursday): Epcot day (had to be dec 12 or dec 13 because husband wanted Dennis Haysbert at the processional, Fri was way more crowded at Epcot, so thursday it had to be), Akershus breakfast, candlelight processional package w/Chef De France, illuminations.
Dec 13 (Friday): Hollywood Studios (couldn't do this one on sat/mon-will explain below and crowds were predicted to be much higher on sun, so had to be on Fri) Debating between 1900 Park Fare, Ohana and Hollywood & Vine for breakfast (at the moment hold a 1900 Park Fare reservation for 8:00AM), Fanstasmic show, Osborne Spectacle of Lights.
Dec 14 (Saturday): Magic Kingdom first day (had to do MK this day because this was the only day in our 5 day trip where we could catch the Main St Electrical Parade) Breakfast at Chef Mickey's (@7:15am), Dream Come True Parade, Be our Guest Dinner Reservation at 4pm, Lighting of Cinderella's castle and the show at ~ 6pm, Main St parade @ 9pm, Wishes @ 10pm, Electrical Water Pageant @ 10:35pm
Dec 15 (Sunday): Magic Kingdom second day (had to do it on Sun because out of Thurs, Fri, Sun MVMCP would be least crowded on Thurs (but had to do Epcot that day), so this was second least crowded. Plus Mon is a short day so can't do MVMCP then) Breakfast at The Crystal Palace, Cinderella's Royal Table Reservation at 4pm, then at MVMCP getting the autographs of Seven Dwarfs (5:45pm get in line), watch Cinderella's castle lighting ceremony, more autographs- Captain jack Sparrow, Peter Pan+ Wendy, Aladdin+Jasmine+Genie+Abu (might not all be there), head to Tinkerbell's nook-winter style to check it out(get autograph if line is small). Both Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime parades, totally tomorrowland christmas show, celebrate the season stage show, wishes, experience snow on Main St (pref during parade but I hear these spots are gone 2 hours in advance)
Dec 16 (Monday): Animal Kingdom (has to be AK since we are leaving for the airport at 3pm and this is the only park that can be "experienced" in this short amount of time). Breakfast at Tusker's, Mickey's Jingle Parade.

I based these park visits based on the reasons listed above but mostly after consulting the touringplans crowd calender as well as the easy-wdw suggestions. They both matched. I enlisted the advise of Doug-the-master-planner on the Disney Mom's Panel. He suggested Dec 12: MK day 1+ MVMCP, Dec 13: Epcot, Dec 14: MK day 2, Dec 15: Hollywood, Dec 16: AK, this conflicted with the two websites so I stuck with what the two websites suggested.

Ok so if you couldn't already tell, we love love love parades and things like cinderella's castle lighting. So wanted to make sure we could catch all of that. We will definitely be experiencing the different attractions in each park. We got the Unofficial WDW guides 2013 and 2014, husband and I have been circling the ones will def hit, ones we will hit if we have time etc. Other than the things mentioned above, noteworthy Christmast "must-see" things I have heard about are visiting the different resorts, Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge and the Beach/Yatch club resorts in specific to view their gingerbread houses. While no one in our family is a fan of gingerbread houses, we all love looking at Christmas decorations and lights. I have also heard about the Sleigh Ride at the wilderness lodge and the Hoop Dee Doo Musical revue show. The only night we could do any of the above would be on Dec 13 since that will be our earliest night, I project we could leave Hollywood Studios around 9pm. So we would have time to do ONE of the three things mentioned above. I looked at the Hoop Dee Doo and while there are rave reviews about it, the latest show they have is at 8:30pm which means we would have to cut our Osborne lights viewing short (since we are planning on viewing the lights after Fantasmic), plus slapstick comedy isn't really our thing. The sleigh rides go all the way till 10:30 so that's definitely do-able and sounds like it would be so fun. We will have our own car rental and will be staying at the Pop Century for our entire stay. Will also be on the Deluxe Dining plan.

Everyday between noon and 3:30 is when our "rest time" and downtime is scheduled and this downtime really extends to 5 or 6pm since we will go from our naps/swims to a sit-down dinner that will last an hour-ish. So should I give ourselves a break on the night of the 13th or catch either the sleigh ride or tour the resorts?

As I said it's really about making our little one happy, he is a five year old that loves Walle-E, Cars, "Up" characters, and Mickey. Would really appreciate it, if I have missed something major and will make sure it work it into our short visit.

 

[SMS55]

The first thing you need to do is relax. This is supposed to be your vacation and you are stressing. Understand that you will not see it all. I know you want to see it all but understand that for a first timer it's impossible. Many of us on this site have been there dozens of times and haven't seen it all. Find out what's most important to you at each park and put those as priorities. Then do as much more as you can in that park. The best piece of advice I can give you is to get to the parks early. You can knock out popular rides with little lines and get fast passes for others. Also know that sometimes parade times are good times to ride. If the parades are important to you than this piece of info is useless. I've seen the parades so I will pass. Which park on which day seems to be locked in because of reservation. Focus on having fun and enjoy as much as you can.

 

[SMsRC]

The first time I called Disney to reserve a resort reservation, they asked me if I had been to WDW, I said "no, but I have been to your Walt Disneyland". The Disney rep paused and said "Ma'am with all due respect that's not even close to the same. To give you an idea, all of Disneyland can be fit into the parking lot of Magic Kingdom which is just ONE of our parks in Walt Disney World". Needless to say that boggled my mind and the furious planning commenced.

While I will actually relax while on the vacay, this trip is a huge amount of money for us. So I would be very uncomfortable just winging it and missing things that I could have hit had I known about them. I do agree that we will not see it all, nor am I planning for us to, so I agree 100% with you on that. The whole point of my post was what are the "must see" things and did I miss anything. The things I listed like candlelight, fantasmic, osborne spectacle and parades were examples of things I provided that were "must-see" things for our family. Just wanted to know if there more things like that I am clueless about since it is our first time. These things take very little time to see I do not think it is unreasonable to want to see all the parades, lighting ceremonies, fireworks, shows etc. Those can be accomplished if one slept in, arrived at 5 pm, then spent about 4-5 hrs at the park. Or am I completely nuts in thinking that?

While I haven't been to WDW, we went to Disneyland when I was 16. We just winged it that time. It was total chaos. While my sister and I had spent time looking at rides and attractions beforehand, so we knew what we wanted to do but we didn't know where any of it was. So it was Step 1: Look at map, Step 2: Turn map the right way and look again, Step 3: make our way to the ride, Step 4: wait in a super long line, Step 5: enjoy the ride, Step 6: repeat step 1 for next ride. We were so frustrated since everything was confusing, then we overheard a party of 5 talking about some parade and looked at the map and made our way to the parade route and caught the parade. This was at Christmas-time. That's when I fell in love with Disney parades. We wouldn't have even known about it if we hadn't overheard it, I mean parade sounds so boring for a first-timer who doesn't know what it is. It doesn't say Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and every other character you have seen while growing up and watching Walt Disney movies will collectively come together and bedazzle your senses! It just says parade lol. So when I saw the word Fantasmic, I actually skipped it, but then I read in the guide book that it's a not-to-be-missed laser show with a 40ft dragon and that piqued my interest. I apologize for conveying myself wrong in the original post. I realize we can't see it all and don't wish to or plan to. I would like to know if there are things that have stood out to people that have visited in the past that someone like my son and our family would enjoy

 

[dkosdros]

Wow.. you sure are a planner. I am excited for you that you and your son get to experience the parks for the first time together. That is great. It is true Disneyland is small in comparison but you don't need to stress. Sounds like you have a good grasp on what there is and what you want to do.

Only advice I can give is get to the parks early early early, hit the most popular attractions first, use the FP system as much as you can, See Wishes in MK and if possible since you should be arriving early to do the most without crowds see the opening show at MK its pretty special and something memorable you and your son will cherish for many many years, See Illuminations in Epcot, See Fantasmic in DHS, See Nemo & FTLK shows in AK if you can (Both are great), See the Lights Motor Action show in DHS and Voyage of the Little Mermaid show if its still there by that time. Be sure your son plays some in the Honey I shrunk the Kid play area. Its a lot of fun as an adult to explore and the kids love it. I still remember playing in it as a kid. AK enjoy the trails, head to Rafikis Planet watch you son will enjoy this. Like others have said there is so much to do you wont see it all but you know what your doing and you have a plan so you will get the most out of it I can tell and you will be back in a few years to get the rest and or redo again some of the stuff you did or didn't do.

Major Attractions to Hit first at each park:
MK: Little Mermaid, Enchanted tales with Belle (if this is up your alley), Be sure to FP Peter Pan or catch it at a slow time which isn't very often.
EP: Soarin & Test Track
DHS: Toy Story Mania, RNR, & ToT
AK: Expedition Everest & Safari

everything else you should be able to use FP for or the wait wont be to long. use the touring plans to maximize your time. Once you go then next time you can tweak it more to maximize it even better. You got the crowd calender down and which parks to do at which time. You got this. I don't think you are missing anything.

 

[Tinkerbell397]

I agree with @SMS55....relax and remember.....your son is only 5 years old. If you rush though the park, he will not enjoy anything. During my many vacations in The World, I have seen kids have major meltdowns because mom and dad had a schedule and they insisted on maintaining that schedule. No fun for anyone....especially the little one who just wants to enjoy where he is at the moment. Get to the parks early and get those Fast Passes for you favorites. Don't get discouraged because there will be lines and delays. Just relax and enjoy your first time in Disney with your son.....you will never have a first time again.

 

[Phonedave]

Just stop planning.

With 4 days, there is no way you are going to see it all. There is no way you are going to even see all of the "must sees"

While you do need a plan, you do not need (or want) a minute by minute detailed plan. Pick one or two things that you (or your family) really really wants to do per day (it looks like you have) and then go from there.

When you get into a park, use some common sense- don't criss cross and spend loads of time walking, instead use the map. But be open to changing your plans depending on what you and your family sees.

Don't let the idea that you are going to "do it all" wreck your vacation, because it will. You will be so stressed about staying on schedule that you will not have any fun, and then you will be disappointed when you fail to do it all anyway


-dave

 

[RememberWhen]

You're going to have a blast! The only thing I can think of adding is the opening show at MK. Your little guy might also enjoy getting a passport at Epcot. I loved that as a kid.

Have a great time!

 

[SMsRC]

The way I had seen it the "must-sees" were the huge things (fantasmic, osborne spectacle etc things that 90% of first-timers would enjoy and be awed by), but I understand what you guys are saying in that for a 5 yr-old his "must-sees" will be a lot of attractions versus events that I consider and that means we won't get to it all. Makes sense. I definitely do not want to tire the little guy out. We are a pretty active family, we do something every weekend and he seems to have endless energy even when we take vacations. But 5 days at WDW is not the same as 5 days in Alaska, so I get what you guys are saying.

@ Phonedave: It is 5 days The consensus seems to be 6 days is all that is needed to "fully" experience WDW. 2 for Ep, 2 for MK, 1 for DHS and 1 for AK.

@dkosdros: Your plans are pretty much on point with how we have our days planned via touringplans. But thanks so much for the additional tips!

We do have a rough schedule of early breakfast, be at park at rope drop, take a break from approx 2pm-4pm, eat dinner, hit the parades/events (which you do have to be in time for...can't just say oh relax you can show up for candlelight at 7pm when it starts at 6:45pm lol, neither can you show up late for ADRs they'll charge you) I thought what I was doing is normal and I am attempting to plan it beforehand so I can enjoy when we are actually there. There is no minute-by-minute schedule and again I don't want to or plan to do it all. I just want to prioritize by knowing what the super-duper-awesome stuff is versus the mildly-awesome stuff (again I am not asking about attractions or rides, those we have gone over as a family and know which ones to prioritize). I wanted to know about extra things if there are any that I am not aware of.

Am I the only one in the world that is doing this? There is so much to WDW how can one just relax and not plan at all? I won't force my son to go on a ride at 10:00AM because that's on a schedule, that's not it at all, I am spending more time defending myself because I wanted to plan a trip where we got to see cool things than getting any suggestions of things I have missed (dkosdros being the exception, Thank you sir/ma'am!) With all these "relax" comments I feel like I am a complete loony toon lol!

Edit: What is the opening show at MK (the only MK show I know of is the Cinderella lighting the castle at dusk/approx 6 PM) and what is the passport at Epcot about? Btw this is exactly the information I was looking. Exactly!

 

[MickeyPeace]

There is one huge mistake I see here. This is your first time visiting WDW? You must go to MK first thing. Even of for a couple of hours before Epcot. This is your first impression. You don't get another one!

It's a ritual that I still have to this day. I once took a newbie to HS first and that's when I learned that lesson.

If you're not doing Park Hoppers, consider it.

 

[RememberWhen]

You are not loony toon at all. We definitely plan like crazy. We plan food and what parks to go to and big things, just like you have.

I think people worry that a lot of first timers tend to over stress about a schedule and then don't have a very good time because they missed things. It sounds like your planning/stress level is pretty balanced, so I think you'll be ok.

I've never personably been in December, so I don't know about any special events at that time of year.

If you guys enjoy parades and shows, definitely see the shows at AK. I really can't think of any other big stuff. My family loves hoop-de-doo, but it's not for everybody. There's a flag lowering ceremony at MK you might enjoy. And you should check out the barber shop on Main Street MK. Those are small, but special, things you might like.

 

[Disnee4Me]

On

There is one huge mistake I see here. This is your first time visiting WDW? You must go to MK first thing. Even of for a couple of hours before Epcot. This is your first impression. You don't get another one!

It's a ritual that I still have to this day. I once took a newbie to HS first and that's when I learned that lesson.

If you're not doing Park Hoppers, consider it.

Only problem is, if she takes the litte guy to MK, he may not want to go anywhere else!! Although I do admit we usually go there first and my little guys aren't so little any more

 

[RememberWhen]

I think Epcot will be pretty good as a first impression. MK is more classic, but saving some magic for later is ok.

I can imagine DHS being rather underwhelming as a first disney experience...

 

[JillC LI]

You have obviously spent a great deal of time researching your trip and planning it to make the most of it. I do not think that is loony at all. In fact, most of us on this board do it. I think that the "relax" comments are coming from the fact that you said this is your first and possibly your last visit, and it sounds like you are trying to fit everything into 4.5 days. You won't, but you can definitely hit many of the highlights you have outlined.

Our family's first trip was also 4.5 days, and our kids were 5 and 7. They were very active walkers, and we kept them running around the parks (which is what they demanded!) from opening until closing. They were so excited and never seemed to tire until the final night at EPCOT when DD age 5 laid down on the ground during IllumiNations and started to sob for no reason other than utter exhaustion. We left the park, of course, and she was perfectly happy after a good night's sleep. We tried to fit as much as possible into that first trip, but we also knew it would not be our last.

Your plan is ambitious, even for an old-timer, but if you get to the parks at rope drop and make wise use of FastPasses, you should do fine. The Opening Ceremony at the MK is about 20 minutes before park opening at the train station outside the park. It is very cute, and when it ends, you can run to the most popular attractions before the park gets too crowded. I can tell you that December 14th at the MK will probably be your most crowded park day because I experienced it last year. It was the only day over that same weekend when MVMCP was not being held, so the crowds were intense. We arrived early, did tons of rides before 10:30am and enjoyed things like parades, light shows, etc. in the afternoon. You have a second day at the MK so don't worry if you can't do all you want the first day in terms of attractions.

It's good to have a plan and it sounds like you are willing to be flexible so I think you will have a great trip!

 

[CtDisneyGuy33]

Lots of great advice on this thread. I agree with WDW first, to me, thats the pinnacle of it all. You will be there during Christmas season, so the crowds are usually more than usual. Just walk around and take it all in. I had a friend of mine go to Walt Disney World and literally walked around for a period of time to get the feel of the place, its a special feeling to be there. Enjoy it.

And don't do what I usually do and get on rides with empty stomachs. I have had more TUMS before 10AM after rushing and getting on rides, where a quick breakfast snack or whatever would have helped me out. Enjoy everything about it. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Weather_Lady]

You've done the planning and you know what you want to do. As others said, now you should sit back and relax. The fact is, you're going to have a wonderful time whether you do everything on your "to-do" list or not. Getting to the parks early and taking naps in the afternoon will be more key to your enjoyment than any additional planning.

Relax, go and have a wonderful time - you've earned it!

 

[dkosdros]

You are not looney at all. Some of us just forgot how much planning we actually did and others are still in denial. LOL I do just as much planning now but half of it is in my head other half on paper and the other half is just form experience so I know what to expect. Yea never been good with math. How many 1/2's equal a whole? LOL Can't wait to read your trip report when you get back. You're doing one right? Someone this planned cannot skip out on a trip report.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

The only thing that concerns me is you 1900 Park Fare Reservation before Hollywood Studios. I would definitely hit rope drop so you don't miss out on Toy Story Mania Fast passes run out quickly!

 

[Joshua&CalebDad]

While I will actually relax while on the vacay, this trip is a huge amount of money for us. So I would be very uncomfortable just winging it and missing things that I could have hit had I known about them. I do agree that we will not see it all, nor am I planning for us to, so I agree 100% with you on that. The whole point of my post was what are the "must see" things and did I miss anything. The things I listed like candlelight, fantasmic, osborne spectacle and parades were examples of things I provided that were "must-see" things for our family. Just wanted to know if there more things like that I am clueless about since it is our first time. These things take very little time to see I do not think it is unreasonable to want to see all the parades, lighting ceremonies, fireworks, shows etc. Those can be accomplished if one slept in, arrived at 5 pm, then spent about 4-5 hrs at the park. Or am I completely nuts in thinking that?

I think you have done lots of planning and are well on your way to a GREAT trip. And you have quite a bit of the "must see" attractions listed. However, you have asked a loaded question, "What are the must see things?" Everyone has a different opinion as to what would be considered a must see attraction. However, I promise you, you have hit the big ones. Other responses have already alluded to the fact that you won't get it all in this trip and there is no reason to try to. That's what makes Disney World fun. When you leave, you know that your first trip was awesome and that you got to do a lot of awesome things. You will have also learned a lot of great tips for the second/following trip. FYI...you'll also leave knowing that you probably didn't need to do all the things that you did on the first trip.

Here is an example, from what I can tell you have at least two Table Service meals per day. That's great and you picked some great restaurants so Kudos to you. However, by the time the week is over you'll probably feel like you ate way too much or that you would have been okay by only doing one table service restaurant per day and one quick service per day. Table service restaurants are great and most tend to serve pretty decent food no matter what you read on the boards, however, the table service restaurants can take an hour to hour and a half a piece. You may end up feeling like you spent too much time eating and that the time could have been better spent on rides and other attractions. However, you can't necessary learn that from someone else, you'll just have to experience it and make a decision on your own.

Best piece of advice I can give you and I believe some, if not most, others will agree is to make sure you don't miss out on the relaxing or true family moments. Take time each day to grab an ice cream or maybe some other little snack (my family loves the caramel popcorn, can't get enough of it) and just sit down on the street corner/bench/table and just take it all in. Disney is an incredibly magical place and some of the best times will be had just sitting down and taking in the scenery. I can't wait to go back and just sit at a table somewhere on Main Street with my family and eat some ice cream and people watch. Mind you I am not generally like that and am always on the move and have my family on the move, you should see my Disney Vacation spreadsheet.

Over the last few years I have learned, the hard way, that sometimes I have to just force myself to stop and just enjoy the moment instead of forcing it.

By the way, there are plenty of veteran Disney vacationers on this website, who take at least one trip a year for a week at a time, and don't feel like they have done all the "must see" things. I hope this helps and puts your mind at ease. Good luck and have a great and magical trip.

 

[SMsRC]

@ RememberWhen: I had heard about the Barber shop a while ago they do something like a first haircut or something and heard that it would be awesome and wanted to do it but completely forgot about it till now. Thank you for the reminder. Also looked into the Epcot kidstop passport thing and it looks like something my son would LOVE to do. Found some cool templates to use from the disboards at http://s143.photobucket.com/user/donatalie/library/Passports/Passport 2?sort=4&page=1 for your next visit, in case you don't have some already. Thanks so much for the idea!

I considering swapping the MK to thursday and doing Epcot on Sunday but I didn't want to start with a bang and have the rest of the trip be meh. My son loves animals so I actually think he will enjoy AK just as much as MK which is why I planned it this way. Epcot is the most "adult" park if you ask me so I placed that first and DHS with its fantasmic and osborne lights would completely enthrall my son. So I don't think he won't enjoy either of those days, his highlight will definitely be MK solely due to the parades, parades and getting to go the cars show (the cars show might be at DHS or is that the monster's laughing floor show? totally confused now).
I do see your point and can imagine how awesome it would be to see the reaction of a first-timer experiencing MK first when they first reach WDW.

Thanks for the information about the MK opening JillC, I had not read about that anywhere at all. Will look into that.

Math has never been my strongpoint dkosdros so you'll get no help from me there. I "think" 1/2+1/2=1, you might want to have someone else double check that tho... I will definitely do a trip report, if nothing else to help other first-timers, I know I have greatly benefited from perusing forums and reading of trips people took in Dec or first-timer trips in general. Gotta pay it forward!

The 1900 Park Fare reservation before DHS might be problematic indeed since my son would want to ride TSM probably a few times. I figured since we have our own car rental we could show up for the reservation around 8:00AM and be done eating by 8:45 and at DHS for rope drop, I would prob be better off changing to Hollywood&Vine since that's on-site. For breakfast reservations at parks prior to rope drop, I know they let you in early if you show them the reservation, but then when you're done eating do you just walk into the park wherever you want to go? Or do you have to go back to the front gate and wait with the people or something? Don't want to be doing anything unlawful and get thrown in Disney jail lol.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

As long as you keep in mind that you can't do it all you'll be fine you have a decent plan so far. I would say do NOT cut your Osborne Lights time short it is really cool and I think a 5yr old would like watching the lights dance. The 1900 Park Fare ADR scares me a little since you are going to the studios that day, and with a 5yr old you will want to do Toy Story a couple times. It just seems out of the way to go from Pop Century to the Grand Floridian then to the Studios. I know a lot of people don't like Hollywood and Vine but if you want to be at the Studios early and do a charcter meal that might be your best bet. If you can get in early there is a character breakfast at the Beach Club (Cape May) that would be closer. Otherwise maybe skip the breakfast, go to the Studios early fast pass Toy Story and ride it as well and get some breakfast at Starring Rolls Bakery in the park.