Thoughts on these daily plans?

[JChoma]

Sorry- this is long- but I'm planning our family's first trip to WDW & would love some input on our daily plans. Kids are 5 & 8. My parents & in-laws will be will us Mon-Fri. Saturday & Sunday the grandparents depart and it'll just be our family of four. Would like a more relaxing pace without a ton of backtracking. Would prefer not to take mid-day breaks.

Day one Monday 4/18- MK:
Rope drop arrival. Head right to 7DMT.
Next, Under the Sea/ Ariel
*Fast Pass for Pan's Flight @ 9:30
Ride a few other Fantasyland rides: Tea Cups, Dumbo, what else could we fit in before 11:30?
*Fast Pass for Space Mountain @ 11:30
Lunch (quick service or packed sandwiches)
*Fast Pass for Splash Mountain @ 12:30
Get 4th FP for Thunder Mt.
**After lunch- here's what we want to see. Any input on best order?**
POTC, Thunder Mt. Country Bear Jamboree, Watch parade in Frontierland, Hall of Presidents, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise
Dinner at Pinocchio's Haus
Small World
Leave after that

Day 2- Tuesday HS
Rope Drop arrival, Sign kids up for Jedi Training right away for 11:00 a.m. time slot
Ride Rock & Roll Coaster (no FP)
*Fast Pass for Tower of Terror @ 9:30
**5 year old and grandpa won't ride Tower, will see Voyage of Mermaid during this time**
Arrive for Jedi Training @ 10:30, done by 11:30
Lunch
*Fast Pass for Toy Story @ 12:40
Indiana Jones show @ 2:00 (get there by 1:40)
*Fast Pass for Star Tours @ 3:55
Muppets 3D
Leave after that
*Trying to be a bit flexible based on when Jedi Training needs to happen- a "must do" for the kids!

Day 3- Wednesday AK
Rope Drop arrival
Minnie/ Mickey at outpost
*Fast Pass for Safari @ 9:40
Flights of Wonder 10:45 show
*Fast Pass for Lion King @ 12:00
Lunch
It's Tough to be a Bug 1:30-ish
Maharajah Jungle Trek
*Fast Pass Everest @ 2:10
Finding Nemo @ 3:00 (arrive at 2:40)
DInosaur (do we need a 4th FP for this?)
Boneyard
Head home for dinner

Day 4- Thursday, MK again
Extra rest in morning.
*Weather permitting- first few hours of day @ pool
Arrive after lunch
*Fast Pass for Tomorrowland Speedway @ 12:40
Buzz Lightyear
*Fast Pass for Tales with Belle @ 2:50 (?? how long does this last?)
Winnie the pooh
Small World
*Fast Pass for Thunder Mt @ 3:50
Tom Sawyer's Island
Swiss Family Treehouse
Dinner (not sure where yet, prob. Columbia Harbor House)
Staying for Elec. Parade and Fireworks- what should we do between dinner & these events?

Day 5- Friday Epcot
Rope drop arrival
*Fast Pass for Spaceship Earth @ 9:15 (is FP necessary?)
The Seas
*Fast Pass for Turtle Talk with Crush @ 10:40
Mission Space
Figment
*Fast Pass for Test Track @ 12:30
Lunch
Afternoon at World Showcase
Illuminations

Day 6- Saturday AK in pm
Hoping for great weather to enjoy resort hotel most of today
Head to Animal Kingdom late afternoon for dinner & Rivers of Light! *This is 4/23, second day it's shown. Do you think we'll be able to arrive late in the day for ROL due to crowds?)

Day 7- Sunday, final day. MK.
Trying to push kids to stay all day from open to close. Am I crazy?
Rope drop arrival.
*Fast Pass for 7DMT @ 9:25
Be our Guest super early lunch @ 10:30
Fast Pass- meet Cinderella & Rapunzel @ 5:30
Fast pass- meet Anna & Elsa @ 6:30

Not quite sure how to schedule this day- I figured we'd let the kids re-visit their favorite rides & hit those with long lines during the parade. Only princess meet times were late and I was just happy to score the Anna/ Elsa one! That means only 3 FPs, though.

To anyone who's read all the way through this- THANKS and I would appreciate any input!!

 

[DarthVader]

Some of the times, seem a little compressed and you may be rushing,

For instance

*Fast Pass for Space Mountain @ 11:30
Lunch (quick service or packed sandwiches)
*Fast Pass for Splash Mountain @ 12:30

Even with the fastpass you may be pushing your luck to go to Space Mountain and eat lunch in a span of an hour

Likewise for Everest. Even with FP, you may be in a long line with Everest.

*Fast Pass Everest @ 2:10
Finding Nemo @ 3:00 (arrive at 2:40)

Also consider that you need to be on the schedule of a 5 year old, and sometimes they don't really move as fast as you want.

 

[Jess G]

(referring to day 5) You questioned if you need FP for spaceship earth. My answer is no... In the morning sometimes there is a wait due to it being the first ride people see but wait times drift off during lunch and afternoon times. I've always been able to do this ride 2 or 3 times in a day (average of 20 min wait time)... the only thing is if you replace this FP what would you really change it to? ... Nemo also has low wait times. If character meet and greets are important to you I would change my FP to that and hop on spaceship between lunch and illuminations, if not keep what you have it at

(referring to day 7) Continue to check MDE including when your there to see if any earlier FP opens up for meet and greets. Chances are low but maybe (hopefully) you can get lucky and be able to utilize the 4th FP...

Also, I didn't see the peter pan ride on your itinerary ... Maybe you can replace a meet and greet on day 7 with peter pan (always a very long wait, I've never seen the wait under an hour) and replace your spaceship earth on day 5 with a different princess meet and greet offered in epcot (snow white, mulan, belle, jasmine and aladdin) ... Just a thought!

Are you staying on property?

 

[JChoma]

Some of the times, seem a little compressed and you may be rushing,

For instance


Even with the fastpass you may be pushing your luck to go to Space Mountain and eat lunch in a span of an hour

Likewise for Everest. Even with FP, you may be in a long line with Everest.



Also consider that you need to be on the schedule of a 5 year old, and sometimes they don't really move as fast as you want.

Thanks so much for the input! I was thinking we could do space mountain at 11:30, then get to splash mountain towards the end of the FP window which is 12:30-1:30. Think that's do-able? We will likely pack sandwiches for lunch, so hopefully that'll make lunch quicker. I'm going to bump back our Nemo show on day 3 AK from 3:00 to 4:00 to account for the long FP line at Everest we might encounter. Great tip!!

 

[JChoma]

(referring to day 5) You questioned if you need FP for spaceship earth. My answer is no... In the morning sometimes there is a wait due to it being the first ride people see but wait times drift off during lunch and afternoon times. I've always been able to do this ride 2 or 3 times in a day (average of 20 min wait time)... the only thing is if you replace this FP what would you really change it to? ... Nemo also has low wait times. If character meet and greets are important to you I would change my FP to that and hop on spaceship between lunch and illuminations, if not keep what you have it at

(referring to day 7) Continue to check MDE including when your there to see if any earlier FP opens up for meet and greets. Chances are low but maybe (hopefully) you can get lucky and be able to utilize the 4th FP...

Also, I didn't see the peter pan ride on your itinerary ... Maybe you can replace a meet and greet on day 7 with peter pan (always a very long wait, I've never seen the wait under an hour) and replace your spaceship earth on day 5 with a different princess meet and greet offered in epcot (snow white, mulan, belle, jasmine and aladdin) ... Just a thought!

Are you staying on property?

Thanks for the tips!! Pan is day one, first FP We just rented the Peter Pan DVD and the kids are excited to ride it! We are staying at a vacation home for a portion of our trip and Caribbean Beach for the other part.

 

[DarthVader]

then get to splash mountain towards the end of the FP window which is 12:30-1:30

Definitely I think 1:00 to 1:30 is probably a little more realistic imo

 

[Jess G]

Thanks for the tips!! Pan is day one, first FP We just rented the Peter Pan DVD and the kids are excited to ride it! We are staying at a vacation home for a portion of our trip and Caribbean Beach for the other part.

Oh sorry I didn't see that, I was so excited to read your plans I guess I rushed through lol... You'll enjoy Caribbean beach, it's a very welcoming and beautiful resort

 

[JChoma]

Oh sorry I didn't see that, I was so excited to read your plans I guess I rushed through lol... You'll enjoy Caribbean beach, it's a very welcoming and beautiful resort

Oh, that's great! We are so excited.

 

[Sonconato]

Some food for thought. We are locals and we usually arrive at the parks late in the day but the same strategy will most likely work all day long, if not better. As you probably found out, some rides, like 7DMT are hard to get FPs for so sometimes it's best to get the hardest out of the way with your early selections. One thing to keep in mind, you can continue to get additional FPs to other rides once you have used your first 3 up. So with that said, it would make sense to me to use as many as you can as early as you can. You may then be able to get 2, 3, 4 or more throughout the day. My husband always sets ours up and he will try and make them one right after another and he will also try and make them in order as you move through the park.

For instance, on day 1, you have PPF @ 9:30, SpaceM @ 11:30 & ThunderM @ 12:30. Peter Pan is in the center of the park, Space Mountain is to the right of the Castle and Thunder Mountain is completely opposite of the park from Space Mountain. That is a bit of walking back and forth. If you put them in order, say moving clockwise around the park, it would be Thunder Mountain, then Peter Pan, then Space Mountain. This would require no back track. It's even better if you can group them on days that you plan on going since it appears to be multiple days.

Another thing he always does is to compress them in the shortest amount of time. You would be amazed at how much we cram in a short period. For instance, if you want to hit Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain and 7DMT, he would assuming the park opens at 8) schedule that for 8:00 am, 9:00 am and 10:00 am with Thunder and Splash as the first two. What this allows you to do is enjoy some shows like Tiki or Country Bears on your way to ThunderM and get to ThunderM by 8:50 am. You're probably through the FP line and ride by 9:00 to 9:20 then head over to Splash right after and get through that by say 9:45, which means you have from 9:45 till say 10:50 which is when you want to get to 7DMT. After that, you can immediately get another FP and so on. If you reverse them, you could hit 7DMT at 8:00 and then hit the other two close together, 1 at the end of your FP window and the next right at the beginning of it's FP window.

I hope this makes sense. The point is, you don't have to hit your FP window at the beginning. You can hit them close to the end as well.

 

[JChoma]

Some food for thought. We are locals and we usually arrive at the parks late in the day but the same strategy will most likely work all day long, if not better. As you probably found out, some rides, like 7DMT are hard to get FPs for so sometimes it's best to get the hardest out of the way with your early selections. One thing to keep in mind, you can continue to get additional FPs to other rides once you have used your first 3 up. So with that said, it would make sense to me to use as many as you can as early as you can. You may then be able to get 2, 3, 4 or more throughout the day. My husband always sets ours up and he will try and make them one right after another and he will also try and make them in order as you move through the park.

For instance, on day 1, you have PPF @ 9:30, SpaceM @ 11:30 & ThunderM @ 12:30. Peter Pan is in the center of the park, Space Mountain is to the right of the Castle and Thunder Mountain is completely opposite of the park from Space Mountain. That is a bit of walking back and forth. If you put them in order, say moving clockwise around the park, it would be Thunder Mountain, then Peter Pan, then Space Mountain. This would require no back track. It's even better if you can group them on days that you plan on going since it appears to be multiple days.

Another thing he always does is to compress them in the shortest amount of time. You would be amazed at how much we cram in a short period. For instance, if you want to hit Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain and 7DMT, he would assuming the park opens at 8) schedule that for 8:00 am, 9:00 am and 10:00 am with Thunder and Splash as the first two. What this allows you to do is enjoy some shows like Tiki or Country Bears on your way to ThunderM and get to ThunderM by 8:50 am. You're probably through the FP line and ride by 9:00 to 9:20 then head over to Splash right after and get through that by say 9:45, which means you have from 9:45 till say 10:50 which is when you want to get to 7DMT. After that, you can immediately get another FP and so on. If you reverse them, you could hit 7DMT at 8:00 and then hit the other two close together, 1 at the end of your FP window and the next right at the beginning of it's FP window.

I hope this makes sense. The point is, you don't have to hit your FP window at the beginning. You can hit them close to the end as well.

This totally makes sense. My rationale in planning this order was to get to 7DMT and some of the more popular Fantasyland attractions without a FP before lines are nuts. My 8 year old is dying to ride space mountain but I hate to schedule that one first and start in Tomorrowland if my 5-year-old can't ride it. I just love the idea of starting in Fantasyland, but don't know we could do that without backtracking somehow if we're also going to space mt. I'm worried we won't get same-day FastPasses for the rides we definitely want to hit- Pan, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain. And, worried that 7DMT would be crazy if we don't hit it first. What are your thoughts? I also read that Frontierland is a good spot to watch the parade, do you agree?

 

[ARO]

Also consider that you need to be on the schedule of a 5 year old, and sometimes they don't really move as fast as you want.

How true this is! LOL

 

[Sonconato]

This totally makes sense. My rationale in planning this order was to get to 7DMT and some of the more popular Fantasyland attractions without a FP before lines are nuts. My 8 year old is dying to ride space mountain but I hate to schedule that one first and start in Tomorrowland if my 5-year-old can't ride it. I just love the idea of starting in Fantasyland, but don't know we could do that without backtracking somehow if we're also going to space mt. I'm worried we won't get same-day FastPasses for the rides we definitely want to hit- Pan, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain. And, worried that 7DMT would be crazy if we don't hit it first. What are your thoughts? I also read that Frontierland is a good spot to watch the parade, do you agree?

That all makes sense. You have to do what you feel is best, especially if there are "must do's"! Hitting 7DMT first will certainly give you a greater chance of getting on the ride. I just wanted to make sure you knew you could get additional FP's after you used your first three. The sooner those are gone, the sooner you can get more, unfortunately, 1 at a time after that.

As for Frontierland to watch the parade, I would agree. That's where we always chose to watch them because there are a lot fewer people...relatively speaking. That goes for either the daytime or nighttime parades.

One other thing to keep in mind, if the line at the FP kiosks are long and it seems like it might be a 20 minute wait to get a ride that normally has a 30 minute wait, it's probably not worth the wait in the FP line.

Also, if you really want to ride something that you can't get a FP for and you have seen or will see a parade another time and can by pass that, the lines are shorter at many rides during the parades.

 

[JChoma]

That all makes sense. You have to do what you feel is best, especially if there are "must do's"! Hitting 7DMT first will certainly give you a greater chance of getting on the ride. I just wanted to make sure you knew you could get additional FP's after you used your first three. The sooner those are gone, the sooner you can get more, unfortunately, 1 at a time after that.

As for Frontierland to watch the parade, I would agree. That's where we always chose to watch them because there are a lot fewer people...relatively speaking. That goes for either the daytime or nighttime parades.

One other thing to keep in mind, if the line at the FP kiosks are long and it seems like it might be a 20 minute wait to get a ride that normally has a 30 minute wait, it's probably not worth the wait in the FP line.

Also, if you really want to ride something that you can't get a FP for and you have seen or will see a parade another time and can by pass that, the lines are shorter at many rides during the parades.

I'm so grateful for your advice! Thanks!

 

[DarthVader]

One other thing to keep in mind, if the line at the FP kiosks are long and it seems like it might be a 20 minute wait to get a ride that normally has a 30 minute wait, it's probably not worth the wait in the FP line.

Agreed, and we like doing this as well, though I've seen some Disney sites say its better to have the FPs later in the day when the crowds are higher. I presume because you may get on the rides w/o FPs in the morning and the afternoon the FPs will have a greater affect. Yet that doesn't full hold true with rides like 7DMT where the line is instantly long when the rope drops. I'd rather get FPs in the morning and then add on.

One other thing to keep in mind, if the line at the FP kiosks are long and it seems like it might be a 20 minute wait to get a ride that normally has a 30 minute wait, it's probably not worth the wait in the FP line.

This is probably one of my biggest complaints. You have to wait in line, there's almost always a CM there to help, because its not the easist process it seems and even then after waiting 20+ minutes I can't get the FP I was hoping for. FPs basically get exhausted as the morning turns into afternoon it seems.

 

[Princess_AmyK]

It looks like you have a good plan! A lot of advice that I can offer is in line with what everyone else said:
-some of your times are slightly jammed but this is just where you will have to go with the flow
-you can get more FPs later on
-a 5 year old may make plans hard to stick to but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a plan. Just that you should be prepared for not hitting up everything, and adjust accordingly.

Also, since you aren't doing any breaks in the day, your kids are likely to get exhausted. Even as an adult, I am dying for a break most days. If they get super tired, attractions like Hall of Presidents, Nemo Musical, or some of the films in World Showcase, are great air conditioned places for them to take a quick nap while you enjoy a show.

That last day is the perfect day to spend seeing all of the things that aren't necessarily "attractions." Some of my best memories are of exploring the shops, meeting all the characters, and walking around viewing all the side entertainment. With all of your days being so busy and full of FPs and attractions, you will probably be happy that you left the last day so open. I really recommend you take the time to just roam, relax, and take it all in without worrying about making it somewhere by a certain time.

 

[Sonconato]

I'm so grateful for your advice! Thanks!

I haven't studied your plans that closely but mostly for what I have already responded to. I did notice that you were trying to hit all of the coaster rides, but it seems you missed BarnStormer. It may have been just an oversight.

As others have said, you may want to be prepared to be a little flexible, especially with a 5 and 8 year old. When you head over to Storybook Circus, I predict you will be blindsided by your kids when they see the Casey Jr. Splash and Soak area which is near Dumbo and they're going to want to play in the water. The time that you're visiting could be rather warm and your kids will probably love to cool off in the water, I know I would if I were a kid. So I would suggest to be prepared, possibly even consider having some extra clothes or swimming suits and towels. They may want to spend a bit of time there not unlike many other children. Perhaps you could have lunch there or something and let them go wild while you relax a bit.

You had also asked about other things to do to fill in time. My guess is that won't be a problem, but if you want a suggestion and something fun that you and your kids can do on every ride or as you walk through the parks is to keep your eyes out for the "Hidden Mickeys". It's fun, challenging and entertaining. They have a book you can buy as well.

Also, when your sitting or looking around, (which I think you will be doing at Casey Jr's) try to figure out what the meaning of things are that Disney cleverly disguises. For instance, if you are at Casey Jr's, check out the numbers on the train cars. They do have a meaning and I know what they are but I'm not going to say because that would spoil the fun for you. When you do figure this out, you'll start to realize this type of thing occurs everywhere...it's something that really separates Disney from other parks.

Lastly, it sounds like this is your first trip, at least as a family and I'm going to guess that you're hoping it is NOT your last. If that is the case and you'll be back, keep in mind that you don't have to do everything in one trip. Relax, take your time and soak it in and have fun. If you're like most on this forum, you're going to become hooked.

 

[TXDisney]

It's good you made your multiple days MK and Epcot. Bc of that don't rush any days there. I'd try and add some Disney dining in there if that interests you.

 

[JChoma]

I haven't studied your plans that closely but mostly for what I have already responded to. I did notice that you were trying to hit all of the coaster rides, but it seems you missed BarnStormer. It may have been just an oversight.

As others have said, you may want to be prepared to be a little flexible, especially with a 5 and 8 year old. When you head over to Storybook Circus, I predict you will be blindsided by your kids when they see the Casey Jr. Splash and Soak area which is near Dumbo and they're going to want to play in the water. The time that you're visiting could be rather warm and your kids will probably love to cool off in the water, I know I would if I were a kid. So I would suggest to be prepared, possibly even consider having some extra clothes or swimming suits and towels. They may want to spend a bit of time there not unlike many other children. Perhaps you could have lunch there or something and let them go wild while you relax a bit.

You had also asked about other things to do to fill in time. My guess is that won't be a problem, but if you want a suggestion and something fun that you and your kids can do on every ride or as you walk through the parks is to keep your eyes out for the "Hidden Mickeys". It's fun, challenging and entertaining. They have a book you can buy as well.

Also, when your sitting or looking around, (which I think you will be doing at Casey Jr's) try to figure out what the meaning of things are that Disney cleverly disguises. For instance, if you are at Casey Jr's, check out the numbers on the train cars. They do have a meaning and I know what they are but I'm not going to say because that would spoil the fun for you. When you do figure this out, you'll start to realize this type of thing occurs everywhere...it's something that really separates Disney from other parks.

Lastly, it sounds like this is your first trip, at least as a family and I'm going to guess that you're hoping it is NOT your last. If that is the case and you'll be back, keep in mind that you don't have to do everything in one trip. Relax, take your time and soak it in and have fun. If you're like most on this forum, you're going to become hooked.

This is really good advice and a good reminder to soak it in Thanks for the tip about the splash and soak area. That sounds like a perfect thing to do at lunchtime on our last day, when we're spending morning til night at the magic kingdom! And yes, I'd go every single year if we could Can't wait!