Schedule Advice

[Anomalied]

I've been preparing this for a day or so, after some extensive research, and I'd like to know what some Disney experts think. Is this possible? Any suggestions for changes?

We're going to in Early March 2005. Last time I was in Disney was December 2000. It was easy to walk on the big rides back then, but I'm sure it will be more crowded this time.

I haven't finished all of our eating arrangements, so I need to fill in some empty spaces. It's pretty much finished, though.

(I'll post the schedule in a reply. It's not letting me do it in this one.)

 

[Anomalied]

DAY ONE​

Magic Kingdom​

Main Street USA

​

Breakfast at Main Street Bake Shop

Adventureland

Pirates of the Caribbean
The Jungle Cruise
Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse
The Enchanted Tiki Room

Frontierland

Splash Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Liberty Square

Haunted Mansion
Lunch at Columbia Harbour House


- Swim/Rest at Hotel -



MGM Studios

The Great Movie Ride
Sounds Dangerous
Star Tours
The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular

New York Street

MuppetVision 3D
Dinner at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater

Sunset Blvd.

Fantasmic!





<HR>



DAY TWO

DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM

DinoLand USA

Dinosaur
Primeval Whirl
The Boneyard

Asia

Kali River Rapids

Africa

Kilimanjaro Safari
Lunch at Tusker House

Safari Village

It's Tough to be a Bug!


- Swim/Rest at Hotel -


Epcot

Future World

Spaceship Earth

World Showcase

Canada
United Kingdom
France
Morocco
Japan
The American Adventure
Italy
Germany
China
Norway, Maelstrom
Mexico
Dinner at San Angel Inn
Illuminations





<HR>


DAY THREE

MGM Studios
(This one needs the most work)


Hollywood Blvd.

Breakfast at Starring Rolls

Sunset Blvd.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Rock n' Rollercoaster


- Swim/Rest at Hotel -


Downtown Disney

Various Shops/Restaurants





<HR>


DAY FOUR

Epcot

Future World

The Living Sea
Living with the Land
Food Rocks!
Lunch at Sunshine Season Food Fair
Journey into Your Imagination
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
Test Track
Universe of Energy
Innoventions


- Swim/Rest at Hotel -


The Magic Kingdom

Fantasyland & ToonTown

Various Attractions

Tomorrowland

Space Mountain
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Stitch's Great Escape

Main Street USA

Dinner at Tony's Town Square
Fireworks



​

 

[dixiegirl]

why the need for some much scheduled?? oh , :sohappy: by the way welocme to the boards!!!

 

[ThumpersThought]

You know, I typed up a long post -- by I think dixiegirl said it better...

What you don't want to do is be running from ride to ride. They're called parks, and people should spend more time "Walking in the park." (IMHO) If you run from attraction to attraction, you'll miss a lot of what Disney is.

I'd suggest highlighting what you feel are the "Can't Miss" attractions, and letting the rest flow more naturally. You never know when your scheduled MGM day happens to be a cheerleader convention or something -- and if your schedule doesn't allow for flexibility, that's going to be a problem!

 

[AkiraRaptor]

I couldn't agree more with dixiegirl and ThumpersThought. When you create too tight of a schedule, it just becomes a race with time, not the walk in the park like ThumpersThought said.

We used to rush from ride to ride, tring to get on each one. And in reality, we were missing alot more than we thouhgt.

We take it slow now. Do tours, sit down and look and around for a while. It's nothing short of amazing the details Disney has put into it's parks. You you really cannot see them at 100 mph going ride to ride.

I only schedule PS and tours. Other than that, everthing else is free time to do what ever. Heck, last year we only got on 2 or 3 rides in MK the whole time we were there. And we were at MK twice (first night and MNSSHP night).

I am one to absolutely say it's a much better experiance. Disney at 5mph is alot more enjoyable than at 100mph.

So, Id' pick out some must do's. ANd work out what parks you want to be at, and which days, but I'd wouldn't go any deeper than that. I'd "wing it" from there and spend a bit more time exloring the shops, looking how Disney builds things.

Most people miss the little stuff. ANd that's the magic of Disney, all the wonderful details.

Have fun either way! :wave:

 

[DiPSU224]

I can understand you wanting to make a schedule because I always do the same thing even though it gets thrown out the second we get there. What I would suggest is instead of making a ride-by-ride schedule, make a schedule of what days you want to visit which parks, then point out your "must see" attrations, any PS, or nighttime shows. The rest of the days will fill in on their own as you get into the parks and explore. If you're looking for more things to do on your trip, I would suggest the Keys to the Kingdom tour if you're into some more info on the Magic Kingdom. Have fun! :wave:

 

[Sharon L]

I think it's a good idea to decide which parks you will do on which days, but I think actually scheduling the attractions is probably not a good idea. Some of your days look a little too heavily booked, particularly Day 1 and Day 2. Since your trip is only four days, you will need to accept that you are not going to be able to do everything on your schedule. You will only be disappointed with your trip if you go in with such huge expectations.

I hope you have a good time.

 

[GenerationX]

I plan very similarly to the way you do. I like what you've done with breaking the days into thirds and geographically grouping the attractions you want to see. As for what I would do to the plan:

1. On days 1, 2, and 4, note which attractions are "Must See" and which ones are "Sounds Fun", since you may not have time for all of them.

2. On day 3, add to your Disney-MGM Studios itinerary "Whatever we missed on Day 1".

3. Note which attractions are FastPass and which nearby attractions are likely to be walk-ons (go on them while waiting for the FastPasses to activate).

Have fun! :wave:

 

[Hakunamatata]

In my opinion avoid parkhopping as much as possible on the same day. If you are going to the MK, go for the day, even if you go back to the hotel to rest, return to the MK that night.

If the rest is necessary for health issues do it, but if not, stay in the park and just take a long lunch or multiple sit down breaks. The Tomorrowland Transportation Authority (TTA / Peoplemover) is great for this. At EPCOT the boat ride around the lake is good for a rest.

Since you are going in March, and this is the month for most Spring Breaks, you may experience longer lines. Use Fastpass as much as possible. I.E. get FP for Pirates then go ride Jungle Cruise, etc. then go back to Pirates.

I agree, scheduling when you are going to ride an attraction is going to leave you frustrated.....

 

[meatloafsfan]

The schedule looks pretty good to me. I am assuming you have a child with you (?)

Just a couple of tips....

1) The land Pavilion in Epcot may not be open when you are there. It is supposedly closing Jan-Mar 05. Food Rocks! is gone already, and the Sunshine Season Food Festival may be closed at that time.

2) Since you are planning on seeing Fantasmic and you are concerned about crowds, have you considered the package?

3) I don't know what you are planning at DTD, shopping? Dining? DisneyQuest? Cirque du Soleil? See a Movie? Pleasure Island?

4) Before you go, double check operational hours and if you are staying onsite, early morning entry. You may need to shuffle the days around to make the most out of your trip or to ensure that you can see the evening fireworks.

5) Remember, there are afternoon parades too!

Just a few thoughts of mine.

P.S. I think that it's fine that you have done up this kind of schedule, it will ensure that you and your family see what you want and don't miss any of the magical events that are important to you. There is nothing worse that having to ask "so what does everyone want to see?" and getting 4 or 5 different answers.

 

[Anomalied]

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

I must have used an outdated guide book. I didn't know that Food Rocks! was gone. Oh, well.

Anyway, my family and I will take your advice and relax a little more. My children were very young the last time we went (3 & 4), and now that they're 8 and 9, they want to tackle every single ride on property.

I guess it's just fun to plan all of these things.

Thanks, again!

 

[SpenceMan01]

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

I must have used an outdated guide book. I didn't know that Food Rocks! was gone. Oh, well.

Anyway, my family and I will take your advice and relax a little more. My children were very young the last time we went (3 & 4), and now that they're 8 and 9, they want to tackle every single ride on property.

I guess it's just fun to plan all of these things.

Thanks, again!

I totally agree on planning things out. I've been enjoying that aspect all summer!! Like others have said, don't get too carried away. Once I reveal to my girlfriend about our Jan. trip (her first visit to the World), I want to sit down, go through the list of attractions and place each one in a category: "Can't Miss", "Really want to See", "Will see if we have time", and "Skippable". I can't imagine there will be many in that last category :animwink:. If you make a schedule, just make sure to allow for spontaneity while you're enjoying the parks.

One thing though: Like you, we've usually gone in Dec. when crowds are light. We went on a spring break trip in March of 2000. The lines were significantly longer. Unfortunately your kids aren't going to be able to do everything. I think it'd probably be a good idea to let them know that way in advance, just to make sure they don't get their hopes up only to have them come crashing down.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Welcome to the boards.
I like the ideas behind your trip planner BUT you're being far too ambitious on day 1. Ok, if you had WDW to yourself then you may achieve your goal, but don't forget there will be others there. March isn't the busiest time in the parks.
Your trip shows you at The World for 4 days - there are 4 parks, why the need to switch parks, why not do 1 park on each day at a sensible pace ?
Try refining your schedule and lets have another look

 

[Hakunamatata]

Welcome to the boards.
I like the ideas behind your trip planner BUT you're being far too ambitious on day 1. Ok, if you had WDW to yourself then you may achieve your goal, but don't forget there will be others there. March isn't the busiest time in the parks.
Your trip shows you at The World for 4 days - there are 4 parks, why the need to switch parks, why not do 1 park on each day at a sensible pace ?
Try refining your schedule and lets have another look

Well stated Hook...here here...