touring plan??

[mom22monkeys]

we leave for disney in 9 days and im freaking out feeling unprepared. i have been reading this site for the past couple months but theres sooo much info! has anyone made touring plans for the parks or do you just go in and wing it? if you have could you share yours? we are a family of 4 with a 2 and 4 year old

 

[mom22monkeys]

With all the planning however, the most interesting part of your trip will be adapting to the children and their reactions. There are many threads here concerning what frightens some children, various things you shouldn't do.

For me when our children were young, it was enlightening to see things through their eyes. At four my DD hated fireworks and screamed until we took her out of the park. She also panicked with the "big" drop in PoTC and had to be coaxed on any water ride after including IASW. She hated the characters and panicked whenever on got near to her. Our other kids were OK (with the exception of HM).

One thing generally is that everything seems very loud to them...all rides, all shows. Dark reactions are uncertain.

Probably be more of an issue with the 4yo than the 2yo.

Take your time and enjoy!

both of my kids love fireworks and characters so im actually pretty excited for that. i def know that we'll have to go at there pace, if not it will make for a cranky trip LOL :lol:

 

[Susan Savia]

Touring Plan

We like to get to whichever park were going to that day just prior to opening. In the MK we bear to the left and do each attraction as we come to it; in Epcot we look through Innoventions and then do one side of Future World until 11:00am and then start around the WS. We check out all the countries and return to FW and do the attractions on the other side we missed earlier. If we haven't eaten we head out. In AK we have done the animal treks many times before, so we basically go there for the Safari ride, Dinosaur and shopping. We always do two parks that day...usually AK and HS. Neither are full day parks for us.

We have been known to enter the MK at 8:00am to have breakfast at the Crystal Palace. and spending the day in the MK although we've usually covered it all by 3:00, we wait around for the fireworks and Spectromagic getting back to our room late. It makes for a long day but we love it. Mid week we have a day off, and visit DTD for some shopping.

Hope you and your family have a wonderful time.
-----------------------------
Next trip - January '08

 

[bayoumoon]

When our children were that age they did better with their big meal at lunch time,:slurp: Then we would head to a longer attraction such as Hall of the Presidents or COP so they might fall asleep:snore: When they were young we didn't always stay on site If we were lucky enough to have them crash we would find a shady spot and someone was the designated watcher while the other had a break to shop or ride!!! They held out well as long as they weren't thirsty or hungry. We always made meal time a priority then.:sohappy:

***visions of meerkat manor***

 

[UberPlannerMom]

One thing I have read is that if you are not eligible for extra magic hours then you should look up the EMH schedule and avoid the parks that have the hours that day. Basically it will be more crowded due to the people who are eligible to use it.

As far as what park to do when- with seven days you have plenty of time to do each of them. I am starting at MK because he refers to our trip as going to Mickeys house and well I figured I just had to start him at "Mickey's House!" Some parents have said that you should save MK for the end in case the other parks are disappointing. Just a little help!

 

[ClemsonTigger]

One thing I have read is that if you are not eligible for extra magic hours then you should look up the EMH schedule and avoid the parks that have the hours that day. Basically it will be more crowded due to the people who are eligible to use it.

As far as what park to do when- with seven days you have plenty of time to do each of them. I am starting at MK because he refers to our trip as going to Mickeys house and well I figured I just had to start him at "Mickey's House!" Some parents have said that you should save MK for the end in case the other parks are disappointing. Just a little help!

I can't say I agree with that for morning hours. The first few hours of the day, regardless if others get an hour head start on you are the easiest to navigate....even on the busiest of days.

Besides, with going next week, crowds are going to be way down anyway, so there is little need to worry. Looks to be a bit wet however, be sure to bring some raincoats/poncho's/covers for the strollers.

 

[DABIGCHEEZ]

One thing I have read is that if you are not eligible for extra magic hours then you should look up the EMH schedule and avoid the parks that have the hours that day. Basically it will be more crowded due to the people who are eligible to use it.

As far as what park to do when- with seven days you have plenty of time to do each of them. I am starting at MK because he refers to our trip as going to Mickeys house and well I figured I just had to start him at "Mickey's House!" Some parents have said that you should save MK for the end in case the other parks are disappointing. Just a little help!

I don't think any parks are crowded for the AM EMHs. The PM EMHs might be more crowded but I don't think at this time of year will be too bad.

You have 7 day passes.. so 1 day at DHS is plenty and that leaves 2 day for the other parks... which is plenty of time. We just did exactly this during the last 2 weeks. Getting to the parks a bit before opening will allow you to get all of the major/long wait attractions done before lunch. Then take an afternoon break and return at dinner time to complete the day. We had no longer than 10 minute waits for all of Fantasyland and Adventureland. We FP'd the mountains over the 2 days and did not rush. The longest stand-by at MK was Buzz @ 20 minutes. Once 11 AM rolls around you will see the crowds building in FL and Mickeys Toontown(or whatever is is called exactly).

Remember you have 2 days which you should be able to enjoy each of the parks at a not so rushed pace.

If it is rainy as mentioned... it is even better and you should be able to get even more done as long as you wear your ponchos. The crowds hate the rain and therefore all wait times will be minimal.