Strongly Considering a Trip to WDW: Please Help me plan or talk me out of it

[Figments Friend]

Not sure if anyone has already mentioned this ( haven't read the entire thread yet...) but feel a need to cover it as it can be a influence on crowd levels and flight / room pricing -

Late February is a major winter school break in the Northeastern U.S.
'Presidents Week' aka 'February School Vacation' is a time to avoid.
Thousands of families from the areas of MA, NY, NJ, NH, RI, and ME plan trips to WDW during that time, wanting to escape the cold winter weather.
Be aware.
Normally, it's chaotic.
Covid times of today?
I'm guessing slightly less chaotic this year but you will likely still see crowd increases / wait time increases as well as inflated hotel rates.

It is also around the beginnings of the start of the Spring Break season in Florida, when thousands of college kids descend upon the area.
This period lasts right until early April, so a March visit also has the potential to see increased crowds / wait times as well as inflated flight and hotel room prices.
This year it probably won't be as crazy, but we are talking about college kids here....so anything goes, and usually does in Florida.

Just a couple of things to keep in mind.

My personal advice would be to wait and visit in early May.

-

 

[mickEblu]

Not sure if anyone has already mentioned this ( haven't read the entire thread yet...) but feel a need to cover it as it can be a influence on crowd levels and flight / room pricing -

Late February is a major winter school break in the Northeastern U.S.
'Presidents Week' aka 'February School Vacation' is a time to avoid.
Thousands of families from the areas of MA, NY, NJ, NH, RI, and ME plan trips to WDW during that time, wanting to escape the cold winter weather.
Be aware.
Normally, it's chaotic.
Covid times of today?
I'm guessing slightly less chaotic this year but you will likely still see crowd increases / wait time increases as well as inflated hotel rates.

It is also around the beginnings of the start of the Spring Break season in Florida, when thousands of college kids descend upon the area.
This period lasts right until early April, so a March visit also has the potential to see increased crowds / wait times as well as inflated flight and hotel room prices.
This year it probably won't be as crazy, but we are talking about college kids here....so anything goes, and usually does in Florida.

Just a couple of things to keep in mind.

My personal advice would be to wait and visit in early May.

-

Thanks for pointing this out! I’m going from 2/22 until 3/2. Do you think I will be spared from the chaos? That’s a week after Presidents’ Day and I’d imagine week or two until Spring Break really kicks in.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Lol! I do and I plan on writing up an epic trip report including some honest DLR/ WDW comparisons... if anyone is still interested in those.

My friend, that's what we live for over here.

Something I've observed from some of my friends is that the ones who prefer WDW tend to get caught up in the idea of a "Disney bubble", where a trip to "Disney" doesn't just mean riding Soarin' before spending the rest of your time in Disneyland. I'm curious to see how well you and your family embrace the idea of the Disney bubble in WDW- and it it impacts your experience in any meaningful way.

I'm strongly considering taking a Florida trip as well- and I expect your trip report to strongly influence my desire to go since we view Disneyland so similarly.

If you come back and say their Splash is better, I'm booking the next flight since I wouldn't want to miss that.

 

[mickEblu]

My friend, that's what we live for over here.

Something I've observed from some of my friends is that the ones who prefer WDW tend to get caught up in the idea of a "Disney bubble", where a trip to "Disney" doesn't just mean riding Soarin' before spending the rest of your time in Disneyland. I'm curious to see how well you and your family embrace the idea of the Disney bubble in WDW- and it it impacts your experience in any meaningful way.

I'm strongly considering taking a Florida trip as well- and I expect your trip report to strongly influence my desire to go since we view Disneyland so similarly.

If you come back and say their Splash is better, I'm booking the next flight since I wouldn't want to miss that.

Happy New Year my man! Wait, haven’t you been to WDW and on their Splash? I’m hoping to have a great time and I’ll try not to deduct points from WDW because of Covid and whatever patience might be tested due to my children. At the end of the day just seeing my son have a blast for a week will be awesome. He spent way too much time at home and indoors this year for a 5 year old.

Also he doesn’t know where the toy stores are at WDW so that helps!

I’m sure I’ll enjoy the idea of being in the Disney bubble. I’m always so envious leaving Disneyland through DTD at midnight exhausted with an hour drive ahead of me and seeing people casually dining at Uva Bar about to walk up to their room at the Grand Californian. Granted, my situation isn’t that convenient. I think the notion and enjoyment of being in the bubble can still be separated from the evaluation of the actual parks.

 

[SuddenStorm]

Happy New Year my man! Wait, haven’t you been to WDW and on their Splash? I’m hoping to have a great time and I’ll try not to deduct points from WDW because of Covid and whatever patience might be tested due to my children. At the end of the day just seeing my son have a blast for a week will be awesome. He spent way too much time at home and indoors this year for a 5 year old.

Also he doesn’t know where the toy stores are at WDW so that helps!

I’m sure I’ll enjoy the idea of being in the Disney bubble. I’m always so envious leaving Disneyland through DTD at midnight and seeing people casually dining at Uva Bar about to walk up to their room at the Grand Californian. Granted, my situation isn’t that convenient. I think the notion and enjoyment of being in the bubble can still be separated from evaluation of the actual parks.

I've never been to Florida. To be honest, I've never had much of a desire to go- the only ride I would have wanted to experience is the original Journey Into Imagination and that's gone.

But Covid has changed things, and now I'd actually consider it.

 

[mickEblu]

I've never been to Florida. To be honest, I've never had much of a desire to go- the only ride I would have wanted to experience is the original Journey Into Imagination and that's gone.

But Covid has changed things, and now I'd actually consider it.

Funny how that works huh? If Disneyland was open I wouldn’t even be considering this trip right now. I’d still be waiting for that perfect time.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Splash Mountain is Jurassic Park over there. Don't go!

 

[Stevek]

Ok so far we have two dining reservations in. Sci Fi Dine in for lunch on my full park day at DHS and Sanaa for lunch on my half day park day at AK.

Some other possibilities in the running are lunch at Biergarten or the aquarium or San Angel on my Epcot day although I’m leaning towards no sit down as I only have 1 day at Epcot. I don’t need a reservation for the French pastry place do I?

Be our guest or Skipper canteen at MK but I’m not in love with either so ill probably pass and keep it casual at Mk.

California Grill for a down day dinner is looking good.

Also a lunch or dinner at Whispering Canyon At the Wilderness Lodge is looking good.

Anywhere good at the Poly that isn’t closed?

Not sure if you like Pizza but Via Napoli is quite possibly my favorite pizza on earth. We've gotten it at least once every trip.

 

[PiratesMansion]

But Via Napoli is exactly the same thing as Naples at Downtown Disney, so it's probably not worth going out of your way for it at Epcot as a result unless you're a huge fan.

Though I am amazed that it took 13 whole pages for Via Napoli to come up in a WDW planning thread. That has to be a new record.

 

[mickEblu]

Not sure if you like Pizza but Via Napoli is quite possibly my favorite pizza on earth. We've gotten it at least once every trip.

Thanks for Rec. Love Pizza and although I’m sure I’d enjoy it there is just too much other unique things we want to try. However, if one of us is craving pizza we may just give it a shot.

 

[Stevek]

Thanks for Rec. Love Pizza and although I’m sure I’d enjoy it there is just too much other unique things we want to try. However, if one of us is craving pizza we may just give it a shot.

Just don't do the walk up window...it's not so good and very different from what you get in the actual restaurant.

 

[Stevek]

But Via Napoli is exactly the same thing as Naples at Downtown Disney, so it's probably not worth going out of your way for it at Epcot as a result unless you're a huge fan.

Though I am amazed that it took 13 whole pages for Via Napoli to come up in a WDW planning thread. That has to be a new record.

It's actually not the same (I talked to the cook that came from WDW)...it's good but not quite as good.

 

[mickEblu]

So below is the current itinerary and the park hours for the week I visit WDW. Could you guys give me some pointers on what to do in the mornings or what attractions to hit first so I can maximize my day? For example, earlier in the thread @rreading told me to do Slinky first instead of MMRR since everybody runs to MMRR first and MMRR's line moves quickly. Like for AK should I run to FOP? At MK what is the best way to handle 7 Dwarfs? At Epcot, Frozen/ Test Track? If for whatever reason I don't get to the parks at rope drop or park opening time on the full days does the game plan change? Im not trying to plan out my whole day, just want to know the best way to start each day.

We plan on doing full days/ rope drop at the parks on Day 2, Day 4, Day 5, Day 7 and possibly Day 8 too if we don't get enough done on our first MK day. Ive also been flirting with the thought of adding one more night to our stay where I absolutely do not go to any of the parks and have a really lazy day. Also please feel free to tell me to move any of reservations around or use a different mode of transportation. We'd also like to do a dinner at some point at Disney Springs (maybe Homecomin if we don't do Whispering Cyn) but don't know what day we want to do that yet. Might just be spontaneous with that one.

Park Hours

MK: 9am - 6pm
Hollywood Studios: 10am - 7pm
Epcot: 11am - 7pm
Animal Kingdom: 9am - 5pm

Itinerary:

Day 1, Mon 2/22: Arrive hotel between 6-8pm. Haven't booked flight yet

Day 2, Tues 2/23 : MK (Bus)
Reservations: Whispering Canyon Cafe 7:15pm (Boat from MK, can I bring stroller?)

Day 3, Wed 2/24: Down day (DHS by Skyliner some point in the afternoon)
Reservations: None but we are thinking of doing Sci Fi Dine In for lunch today instead of our full DHS Day on Day 7. We are thinking it may be smart to just do MMRR, Sci Fi Dine in, whatever else is convenient on this day (and maybe ROTR if we can score a boarding pass at 1pm) and then just focusing on the rest of the park on our full day at DHS.

Day 4, Thurs 2/25: AK (Bus)
Reservations: None

Day 5, Fri 2/26: Epcot (Skyliner)
Reservations: Biergarten 6:25pm (Most likely will not use this reservation as we plan to snack our way through the World Showcase all day).

Day 6, Sat 2/27: Down Day (AK by Bus at some point in afternoon or just half day starting in the morning)
Reservations: Sanaa 1:05 pm (Do I need a bus to get here from AK or can I walk?) I chose this time as we don't know if we'll be doing a morning or afternoon in AK but I definitely want to eat here during the day to see the animals

Day 7, Sun 2/28: DHS (Skyliner)
Reservation: Sci Fi Dine In 1:30pm (open to doing this earlier in the trip)

Day 8, Mon 3/1: MK (Bus) (Maybe check out some of the MK hotels/ ride Monorail - is there a better day to do this?)
Reservations: Be our Guest 1:30pm (Probably won't use it but just in case. None of the table service restaurants are all that appealing to me at MK)

Day 9, Tues 3/2: Depart

Side Note: for all my reservations I'm putting down 6 people but we are actually 7 with my newborn daughter. Since she doesn't need a chair I'm not including her in the count. Is this ok?

Thank you again for all the advice!

@PiratesMansion @mlayton144 @GrandCanyonConcourse @Stevek @rreading @Tuvalu or whoever else may be so kind to answer

 

[Little Green Men]

I think that’s sounds good!

 

[PiratesMansion]

So below is the current itinerary and the park hours for the week I visit WDW. Could you guys give me some pointers on what to do in the mornings or what attractions to hit first so I can maximize my day? For example, earlier in the thread @rreading told me to do Slinky first instead of MMRR since everybody runs to MMRR first and MMRR's line moves quickly. Like for AK should I run to FOP? At MK what is the best way to handle 7 Dwarfs? At Epcot, Frozen/ Test Track? If for whatever reason I don't get to the parks at rope drop or park opening time on the full days does the game plan change? Im not trying to plan out my whole day, just want to know the best way to start each day.

We plan on doing full days/ rope drop at the parks on Day 2, Day 4, Day 5, Day 7 and possibly Day 8 too if we don't get enough done on our first MK day. Ive also been flirting with the day of adding one more night to our stay where I absolutely do not go to any of the parks and have a really lazy day. Also please feel free to tell me to move any of reservations around or use a different mode of transportation. We'd also like to do a dinner at some point at Disney Springs (maybe Homecomin if we don't do Whispering Cyn) but don't know what day we want to do that yet. Might just be spontaneous with that one.

Park Hours

MK: 9am - 6pm
Hollywood Studios: 10am - 7pm
Epcot: 11am - 7pm
Animal Kingdom: 9am - 5pm

Itinerary:

Day 1, Mon 2/22: Arrive hotel between 6-8pm. Haven't booked flight yet

Day 2, Tues 2/23 : MK (Bus)
Reservations: Whispering Canyon Cafe 7:15pm (Boat from MK, can I bring stroller?)

Day 3, Wed 2/24: Down day (DHS by Skyliner some point in the afternoon)
Reservations: None but we are thinking of doing Sci Fi Dine In for lunch today instead of our full DHS Day on Day 7. We are thinking it may be smart to just do MMRR, Sci Fi Dine in, whatever else is convenient on this day (and maybe ROTR if we can score a boarding pass at 1pm) and then just focusing on the rest of the park on our full day at DHS.

Day 4, Thurs 2/25: AK (Bus)
Reservations: None

Day 5, Fri 2/26: Epcot (Skyliner)
Reservations: Biergarten 6:25pm (Most likely will not use this reservation as we plan to snack our way through the World Showcase all day).

Day 6, Sat 2/27: Down Day (AK by Bus at some point in afternoon or just half day starting in the morning)
Reservations: Sanaa 1:05 pm (Do I need a bus to get here from AK or can I walk?) I chose this time as we don't know if we'll be doing a morning or afternoon in AK but I definitely want to eat here during the day to see the animals

Day 7, Sun 2/28: DHS (Skyliner)
Reservation: Sci Fi Dine In 1:30pm (open to doing this earlier in the trip)

Day 8, Mon 3/1: MK (Bus) (Maybe check out some of the MK hotels/ ride Monorail - is there a better day to do this?)
Reservations: Be our Guest 1:30pm (Probably won't use it but just in case. None of the table service restaurants are all that appealing to me at MK)

Day 9, Tues 3/2: Depart

Side Note: for all my reservations I'm putting down 6 people but we are actually 7 with my newborn daughter. Since she doesn't need a chair I'm not including her in the count. Is this ok?

Thank you again for all the advice!

@PiratesMansion @mlayton144 @GrandCanyonConcourse @Stevek @rreading @Tuvalu or whoever else may be so kind to answer

Looks good.

If you're able to be at each park pre-opening (and give yourself plenty of time before you get there for transportation), I would go immediately to 7DMT, as it will get a long wait instantly (best way is probably to take what would be the Matterhorn path at DL from the hub, then turn left). Frozen is massively popular, but Frozen is quite a ways from the main entrance of Epcot, so it may be better for everyone's sanity to wait until you're closer to it and then bite the bullet when you happen to be in the area.

I would start with FOP for Animal Kingdom if you're able to get there pre-opening, but again everyone else will have the same idea so prepare accordingly. Then do River Journey if there's a short line, otherwise head to Africa and do the Safari. Dinosaur is the last of the the big attractions to build up a significant wait. Everest has a single rider line. Don't forget to walk at least the main animal trails (Gorilla Falls trail in Africa off the safari, Maharajah Jungle Trek in Asia)!

You cannot walk from Animal Kingdom to Sanaa (Animal Kingdom Lodge is not right at the park and is a bit removed from everything else). Keep in mind that there are two buildings at AKL and you want the Kidani Village building for Sanaa.

Explore the Monorail resorts, etc. on a down day. Assume you will need two open-close days at MK and be pleasantly surprised if it turns out you don't.

Epcot-do TT by single rider line. Not really sure what the best plan of attack would be for Frozen at this moment.

Make sure you cancel the reservations you're not going to use before the day of so that you don't get charged the $10/person no show fee.

 

[mickEblu]

Looks good.

If you're able to be at each park pre-opening (and give yourself plenty of time before you get there for transportation), I would go immediately to 7DMT, as it will get a long wait instantly (best way is probably to take what would be the Matterhorn path at DL from the hub, then turn left). Frozen is massively popular, but Frozen is quite a ways from the main entrance of Epcot, so it may be better for everyone's sanity to wait until you're closer to it and then bite the bullet when you happen to be in the area.

I would start with FOP for Animal Kingdom if you're able to get there pre-opening, but again everyone else will have the same idea so prepare accordingly. Then do River Journey if there's a short line, otherwise head to Africa and do the Safari. Dinosaur is the last of the the big attractions to build up a significant wait. Everest has a single rider line. Don't forget to walk at least the main animal trails (Gorilla Falls trail in Africa off the safari, Maharajah Jungle Trek in Asia)!

You cannot walk from Animal Kingdom to Sanaa (Animal Kingdom Lodge is not right at the park and is a bit removed from everything else). Keep in mind that there are two buildings at AKL and you want the Kidani Village building for Sanaa.

Explore the Monorail resorts, etc. on a down day. Assume you will need two open-close days at MK and be pleasantly surprised if it turns out you don't.

Epcot-do TT by single rider line. Not really sure what the best plan of attack would be for Frozen at this moment.

Make sure you cancel the reservations you're not going to use before the day of so that you don't get charged the $10/person no show fee.

Thanks! Sounds like we really have to shoot for rope drops. We re not really planning on doing any single rider unless we absolutely have to.

So for Sanaa I’ll probably have to take a. Uber then?

 

[PiratesMansion]

I didn't realize that the Epcot Skyliner station will drop you off at the International Gateway entrance, not the main entrance. That *should* put you a little bit closer to Frozen vs. those coming in at the main entrance. You would want to head left towards the UK pavilion and then around the lagoon to get to Frozen the quickest.

An uber or take the bus from the park to get to Sanaa.

 

[mickEblu]

I didn't realize that the Epcot Skyliner station will drop you off at the International Gateway entrance, not the main entrance. That *should* put you a little bit closer to Frozen vs. those coming in at the main entrance. You would want to head left towards the UK pavilion and then around the lagoon to get to Frozen the quickest.

An uber or take the bus from the park to get to Sanaa.

Neither did I! Thanks! I assumed it was entrance of the park.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

 

[mickEblu]

I didn't realize that the Epcot Skyliner station will drop you off at the International Gateway entrance, not the main entrance. That *should* put you a little bit closer to Frozen vs. those coming in at the main entrance. You would want to head left towards the UK pavilion and then around the lagoon to get to Frozen the quickest.

An uber or take the bus from the park to get to Sanaa.

I just took a look at the WDW map on the app. The skyliner puts you WAY closer to Frozen than the park entrance. Hopefully the skyliner station don’t have a huge line in the morning.

EDIT: never mind for a second I thought I was going to the UK pavilion, not Norway. Duh. You re right - it’s a little closer

EDIT EDIT: @PiratesMansion you just have to wonder between the stress and high chance of failure of doing this with 3 young kids if it makes more sense to not feel the need to run anywhere, just walk to Test Track first thing and hit Frozen after or when it makes sense. As much I want to maximize my day I also don’t want to feel like I’m running a marathon. Unless the wait time for Frozen increase exponentially?