I need a plan/itinerary

[madsmom]

Boy am I getting overwhelmed by all of this. We're going to Disney World the first week in May with a 5 1/2 yo and a 2 month old (I know I'm crazy). Some of you have said you have your trips all planned out on paper with what to do and where to go and what to see and what to eat..... Any chance you would want to share your detailed plans? We're staying at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort in a condo. Anyone stayed there, is there any transportation or do we need to rent a car? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Momof3Labs]

I'd suggest that you rent a car (and budget $11 or so per day for parking at the parks). I don't have an itinerary to share with you, but you should check Disney's website for the park hours each day that you'll be there. Note that you cannot use the extra magic hours since you are staying offsite, and should probably avoid a park on the day it has EMH since it tends to attract more crowds. You need to consider whether you will start your days early or later, whether you will take a mid-day break, whether you want to see evening fireworks, etc.

Review each park map, too, and pick 3-4 rides/attractions that are must-dos for your family, and make it a priority to hit those places when you first go to a park.

If there are any special places you want to eat (I'd suggest doing at least one character meal), then make the reservations very soon to get the times you want! You can see menus and prices on www.allearsnet.com.

You might want to check out a guidebook like the Unofficial Guide to WDW or a website like www.disboards.com or www.allearsnet.com to help in your planning.

[belovedgandp]

I got a lot out of reading pieces of and looking at the maps in the Unofficial Guide to WDW for both our trip as a couple in October 2002 and our with kids trip in September 2007.

I did a general grid based on where we had meals for which park we would be at which day. Look at the daily schedule for evening shows to figure out where you'll want to end up. It is a crazy long day to be there when the gates open and not leave until the last show. We opted for sleeping in and staying late. Getting back just wasn't practical for us and we even stayed on site.

You're smart to go with a baby. In September we had a 3 1/2 year old and a 3 month old. I'm so happy we went then. An infant will still sleep any where. I am EBF so no worries about hauling stuff. We opted for a sit-n-stand stroller which worked great for us. I also loved having the baby in a sling. We left a bag of non-essentials (rain ponchos, some snacks) in the stroller. I'd sling the baby and DH would carry the backpack with camera and essentials and we'd park the stroller in an area to explore several attractions. You can pretty much take a baby on anything that doesn't have a minimum height posted.

It is very easy to get very overwhelmed planning these things. Remember to have fun. I got some great info from some of the discussion boards, but they also raise my anxiety level if I spent too much time on them.

[bnme]

Boy am I getting overwhelmed by all of this. We're going to Disney World the first week in May with a 5 1/2 yo and a 2 month old (I know I'm crazy). Some of you have said you have your trips all planned out on paper with what to do and where to go and what to see and what to eat..... Any chance you would want to share your detailed plans? We're staying at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort in a condo. Anyone stayed there, is there any transportation or do we need to rent a car? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

All advice given great - don't stress out about planning too much. But knowing the park hours and having an idea which parks you want to do is a must. There may not be fireworks/parades every night. Figure out your must-do's, but don't try and do everything.

Just to give you an idea this was my basic plan, which we mostly stuck to:

Arrival day - Downtown Disney, Chef Mickey's for dinner (I had planned to do the pool at hotel, but forgot to pack bathing suits in carry-ons)
Day 1 - Magic Kingdom all day - stayed for SpectroMagic parade
Day 2 - Animal Kingdom day, Magic Kingdom at night for Christmas parade
Day 3 - Pool in the day, EPCOT evening
Day 4 - MGM all day, character breakfast to see Little Einstien's
Day 5 - Magic Kingdom, Downtown Disney for dinner
Day 6 - left for home

HTH, Have fun!

[onjbj]

You can't really map out every minute of your trip, at least not in my experience. But it is a very good idea to have the park hours and your meals planned in advance. Familiarize yourself with the park maps and head to the spots that your kids will get the most enjoyment out of first. Get to the parks as early as you possibly can, plan to possibly take a mid afternoon break (you'll need it and so will your kids) and go back to the parks in the late afternoon, early evening. Or, if you aren't early risers, do the opposite- take the mornings off, head out in the afternoon and stay at the parks later. Be warned, that they do get crowded by noontime.

You should also know when the parades are that you want to see, same with any shows that you want to catch.

Don't overplan- you'll make yourself crazy! You need some flexibility b/c of lines, weather, unpredictable children, etc!!

I plan my days by park hours and build off of that. We go to whatever park opens the earliest in the am, spend a few hours there, go back to our hotel (on-site) for a few hours, then go to dinner at a park or hotel on the monorail. I plan our meals around the park schedule/parade schedule too.

Karin

[madsmom]

Thanks for all of the good information. The Day 1, Day 2 info was particularly helpful. I'll try to set up something like this for us.

Thanks again!

[spanannie]

http://www.tourguidemike.com

This will get you sample tours with children for every park, plus tons more info, for just a nominal fee. We never waited in a line last year, and made all of the attractions we hoped to see. I can not recommend this enough!