Which trip is better?

[Marc Davis Fan]

Hey WDWMagic friends,

I rarely (if ever?) post for advice about trip planning, but I have a "dilemma" that I think my fellow WDW fans here could offer some really valuable advice about.

I am taking a friend on her first-ever trip to WDW, which we've been talking about doing for years, so I really care about making the trip as perfect as possible. We'll be staying at Port Orleans Riverside for four nights and five days. The schedule will be as follows:

Arrival / Day 1:
-Sassagoula River Cruise
-DHS in evening
-Victoria and Albert's for dinner

Day 2:
-DAK

Day 3:

-DHS in morning
-Epcot in afternoon-evening

Day 4:
-Water park in morning
-Lunch at Kona Cafe
-Monorail to MK for afternoon-evening there
-Drinks at Wilderness Lodge

Day 5 / Departure:
-DAK in morning
-Visit AKL / lunch at Sanaa

I've used this exact itinerary before, and it was absolutely perfect. However, there are two options for when we can go, with benefits and drawbacks to each:

Option 1, December 2018:

PROS:
-Typhoon Lagoon will be open instead of Blizzard Beach, and I think Typhoon Lagoon is a lot more impressive (right?)
-Its gets dark sooner, so we'll have more time in the parks "after dark," when they're the most magical (especially at DHS before V&A the first day)

CONS:
-Festival of the Holidays is going on; I haven't been to that, so I don't know if it's as nice/impressive as F&G
-We'd only be able to get Garden View room (instead of a River View room) at POR, which means we could get placed far from the main area / near the parking lot
-There will be room renovations going on in Alligator Bayou area, which is where I plan to request a room (she would prefer that area by a lot)
-Maybe some of the Christmas decor in parks/resorts takes away from the "regular" ambiance that a first-timer should experience

Option 2, early-March 2018:

PROS:
-F&G will be going on instead of Festival of the Holidays
-We'd have a River View room, so we're guaranteed a good location

CONS:
-Blizzard Beach will be open instead of Typhoon Lagoon, and I think Typhoon Lagoon is a lot more impressive (right?)
-The gets dark later, so we won't have as much time in the parks "after dark," especially our first evening at DHS before leaving for V&A (sunset is at 6:30 PM that night, so we'll have until 7:00 PM [when it will actually get dark] in the park, and then take a Minnie Van for a speedy ride up to the GF)

So basically, the issues are between:
(1) Typhoon Lagoon vs Blizzard Beach (for a first-timer to a WDW water park!)
(2) F&G vs FotH (for a first-timer to Epcot!)
(3) PoR River View without room renovations going on vs PoR Garden View with room renovations going on
(4) More time in the "parks after dark," especially in DHS on the first night vs less time after dark, especially in DHS on the first night

Thanks so much for your time and help!

 

[GVentola]

Festival of the Holidays could be more magical than Flower & Garden. About the only thing F&G gets me in the park for now is its Garden Rocks artists, and even that I don't go to as much anymore. Are either of you into gardening? I'm not, so the seminars are of no interest to me, but they may be to you. The Holidays has Storytellers in every pavilion; you could try to see a few. You could get a dining package for the Candlelight Processional. That definitely sounds more magical to me, but I'm not you or your friend. Ask her what she enjoys more--puttering around in the garden, or Christmas time.

 

[LeighM]

I've been in early March twice and absolutely love Flower and Garden Festival (I'm big into gardening) but going to WDW in December is high on my bucket list. Plus the Christmas Party in MK looks like soooo much fun! I've stayed at Riverside 4 times - twice in the Magnolia Bend section, once in a royal room, and once in Alligator Bayou in either a standard room or garden view. And one of those times was in 2012 when they were doing the last room renovations. The renovations didn't affect us in any way whatsoever. The last stay there, I had requested a room in Alligator Bayou that was close to the West Depot (I think), which is the first bus stop for the theme parks. Disney definitely delivered on that request and we had a room that was a 3 minute walk to the bus stop and there was never a big crowd and were always able to get a seat. We were the first one and the first off. It was a longer walk to the lobby but my husband and I enjoy the walks through Riverside.