Trying to figure out our plan...

[alien_host]

We are going to WDW in May. 6 nights at the Bay Lake Tower. Our first trip with our 5 year old DD. DH and I haven't been since 2000 so I'm sure a lot has changed.

We are doing basic Dining Plan. NO Park Hopper. NO rental car (an no plans to go outside of WDW).

We arrive late the first night so we aren't planning much of anything. Get to hotel, check in, grab dinner somewhere quick and try to hit the hay so we can start early next AM.

My initital plan is:
Day 1 MK
Day 2 EP
Day 3 AK 1/2 day (AM) and then maybe Downtown Disney or just hang out at resort after lunch.
Day 4 back to MK or EP depending on which is preferred.
Day 5 DHS
Day 6 departing

This is based on trying to take advantage of later evenings/early AMs at the parks. I'm not sure if it's worth it? Would DD really make it to that late at MK (i.e. when open til 1AM? - would we stay til 11?, does that kill the next day?)

I'm even tempted to skip Epcot this trip since IMO she would probably prefer MK/DHS to what is offered at Epcot.

Is it wise to make dinner reservations at our hotel for a few nights? That way we can come back to the hotel and relax and have dinner there and then decide if we can manage to go out to the same park again? I don't think we could last at a park from 9AM to 9PM (thus I'm worried about dinner reservations at say Epcot/DHS).

I'd love some advice. I know everyone travels differently but I'm finding myself overwhelmed. Even if I plan the days above, I am willing to make adjustments along the way. Yes the dining does "tie" us to certain places, so I'm trying to find ways to get around that somewhat without giving up the DP (i.e. leaving things as flexible as possible given the DP).

TIA!

[clc053103]

Hi! We stayed at BLT in Sept 09 and it is now our DVC home resort- you will LOVE it there!!! We traveled with 3 boys, youngest was my DS (age 4). WE did park hop, but you certainly could just go back to the same park at night.

As for late nights- the best advice I ever read and continue to follow is to take an afternoon break, during the high heat of the day. Go back to the hotel, take a little nap, go relax at the pool, and refresh for dinner. I know some families do well hitting the parks from open to close, but we really do prefer taking the afternoon break to relax, enjoy the pool, shower and get dressed in time for dinner. A nice strategy may be to choose a dinner location in the park you wish to visit that evening, or at a resort in the area. Then after dinner you could make the call on going back to the park or just going to the room.

In the MK area, there are good dining spots in your hotel (we love The Wave) as well as at the other monorail resorts (particularly Ohana and Kona at the poly). You also can take a boat over to Wilderness Lodge (though I would never recommend Whispering Canyon).

I would definitely recommend Epcot as I think there is much to do for a 5 year old!!! Rides like Nemo, the Land, Test Track- even exploring the country and hitting the Kidcot stops is fun! You could plan to eat at one of the Epcot area resorts or on the Boardwalk on Epcot day and then make the call if you would like to head back over at least to see Illuminations.

DHS is not known for it's table service, the only restaurant I've found to be half decent is Mama Melrose, so if you decide not to head back to DHS for the evening that might be a nice night to enjoy dinner at a monorail resort and then head back to the hotel to relax or even have a night swim (the pool is open but not guarded) and catch the electric parade.

Though you want to be flexible, I would highly recommend making a few reservations for table service meals so you are guaranteed you have a place to eat in or near the park you want to attend that evening. You call always call dining and cancel if you decide to do something quick service instead.

[fivi2]

We are also going in May for 5 nights - staying in a Cabin at FW. My girls will be 4.5. I am not the expert that some of our other moms are, but will share what I have read! I have visited the disboards quite a bit, checked books out of library, and subscribed to Tourguidemike (discount if you go through the disboards). You can also subscribe to touringplans.com to get crowd charts and touring plans.

Some people love the EMH, some avoid them because they make the parks more crowded. If you don't think your dc will stay up for the night ones, I would probably avoid those parks those days, because you will get all of the crowds and no benefit. (JMO - someone will correct me if I am wrong!)

We don't have parkhoppers. My plan is to get to the parks when they open, leave early afternoon and stay at the resort the rest of the day (swim, play, etc). We will have a kitchen and eat dinner at the Cabin a lot. (I do have one dinner ADR). If you do want to stay at the parks, I would consider leaving for an afternoon break, or at least having some early nights. It will be pretty hot and humid even in May.

We are excited about Epcot (but considering skipping DHS!) so I guess all that depends on your dc. The imagination stuff, the Seas and Turtle Talk, maybe Soarin, (maybe Test Track), innoventions, the Kim Possible missions (maybe too old for our dc?) - I think we can easily spend some time there. Especially if you are there in early May during Flower and Garden - apparently they set up theme gardens and play areas - including a pirate one in years past (not sure if they've released this year's gardens).

You know your family best - but I definitely am not planning on doing all parks all day every day! We are spending lots of time at the resort (that's the plan, anyway) but there is a lot to do out at the Fort. (from what I hear).

Good luck!

Oh and while I doubt I will subscribe to tourguidemike next trip, it has been nice this time to get my bearings. It is a little under $20 if you go through the disboards.

[willow33]

We are also going in May and staying at the Bay Lake Towers. Our boys will be 5 & 7. We plan to do the park hopper.

We arrive around lunchtime and plan to do EP that afternoon and made dinner reservations at the Garden Grille around 5pm (character dinner). We then plan to head back to the hotel.

Day 2 will be AK, head back to hotel mid-afternoon, rest then go see Illuminations at EP
Day 3 will be MK (dh and I have dinner res at JIKO that night)
Day 4 Rest Day (no parks, just pool, etc..) Breakfast at Boma
Day 5 EP (have lunch res at San Angel Inn in Mexico)
Day 6 MK again and we will go to Kona for lunch (quick trip to Poly on monorail)
Day 7 DHS and dinner res at Ohana
Day 8 Departure Day

We plan to watch the MK fireworks from the hotel one night too.

Hope that helped some :)

[hillview]

We are doing 8 days 2 weeks from now! Your plan sounds great. I've never been but I'd do Epcot as I hear great things about it. I think you may want to spend more than 1/2 day at AKL.

I would make some reservations -- at least one character meal. Also walk ups as I understand it are tricky so maybe a couple of meals and then wing it for the rest?

If you are morning people I'd FOR SURE go to the park for EMH in the morning. If you are not morning people and aren't going to get there at 8 am sharp then I'd avoid that park the day it has EMH.

Disboards.com is a great resource.

HTH
/hillary

[egoldber]

I think you may want to spend more than 1/2 day at AKL.

I agree. You should at least stay for the parade, which is my personal favorite. :) But you can easily fill a whole day with the shows. The Lion King and the Nemo shows are two of the best at WDW. We also really enjoy the bird show, Flights of Wonder.

You DD is also old enough to really enjoy Fantasmic at DHS as well. It can be scary for younger kids, but a 5 year old is usually old enough to appreciate it.

[alien_host]

Thanks for all the info!

I thought I read somewhere that AK can be done in 1/2 a day....maybe they mean between 9 and 5 and not 9 and 9 since they close early...need to revisit.

What day is best for Downtown Disney? Is the weekend a bad idea since local residents might be going there and it might be crowded? Am I better off with a weekday afternoon/evening?
_________________________________
I do have a few ADRs but I am struggling with this, I made these before I came up with the above game plan and I think it needs changing (not sure on availability though)

Day 1 I'm not scheduling a character breakfast on our first AM there, figured we should just head to the MK and eat something in the room (bringing some cereal etc.). Debating if I should book Crystal Palace for lunch that day, not sure if it's a good idea to lock in a lunch reservation or if we should just see how it goes and grab CS somewhere. Maybe stay til the Parade at 3...go back to BLT and have dinner at the Wave on the earlier side (6) and then return to MK for Spectromagic? Seems like a pretty full first day!

Day 2 Wave - dinner - this is tentative Epcot Day so maybe it's not a good idea if we want to do Illuminations.

Day 3 California Grill - dinner - this is AK day and they close at 5 so shouldn't be an issue. But I was considering going to DTD so maybe it needs to be changed.

Day 4 Chef Mickeys. Breakfast

Departure Day Chef Mickeys. Breakfast since we really don't have time to go to a park that day.

Question - is it quick/easy to get from MK or Contemporary to Poly or Grand Floridian via monorail? If I made reservations at Poly or GF for dinner is it too much back and forth etc?

Clearly I have NO clue as to what I'm doing here!

[fivi2]

It is my understanding you can actually walk from MK to the Contemporary. (maybe 15 minutes). We stayed at the GF last time. There is a resort monorail that loops from MK-CR-Poly-GF. It runs regularly, but we did get stuck for about 15 minutes or so one time. I am not sure how long the entire loop takes. But it is pretty easy to get around - just leave yourself some extra time.

We have no plans to go to DTD - as far as I can tell it is shopping and some restaurants. i can see doing it if you needed some filler, but I am not making it a priority. (Someone who has been there might disagree!).

We went for a very short trip last time, but found early (before park opens) breakfast ADRs to be nice (we did Tusker House at AK last time and are doing it again). We also did an early dinner at CP last time. It was okay, but the girls were really pooped. I ended up asking them if they could seat us about an hour early (it was a slow time and they could). We are doing dinner at CP again, but that is our check in day and we are just doing an early dinner at CP and that is all that day. ( we will be in area the night before so not a travel day). It looks like you are on the dining plan, so need the adrs, but it does look like you have a bunch!

Imo, it is more important to be able to be up early and in the parks when they open, so I'd watch out for late nights. You seem to have a few of those. Your dc is older than mine, but mine could not handle that schedule. The parks are tiring!

[clc053103]

Getting around to the other MK area resorts via monorail is actually quite easy and quick. Also keep in mind if you dine at Poly, you can take the walking path to the TTC and head to Epcot too.

[alien_host]

It is my understanding you can actually walk from MK to the Contemporary. (maybe 15 minutes). We stayed at the GF last time. There is a resort monorail that loops from MK-CR-Poly-GF. It runs regularly, but we did get stuck for about 15 minutes or so one time. I am not sure how long the entire loop takes. But it is pretty easy to get around - just leave yourself some extra time.

We have no plans to go to DTD - as far as I can tell it is shopping and some restaurants. i can see doing it if you needed some filler, but I am not making it a priority. (Someone who has been there might disagree!).

I wasn't thinking of the monorail loop...that is helpful. I was thinking of doing Park Fare but was trying to figure out how hard it is to get from the Contemporary to GF etc.

As far as DTD, I might have to skip it, but I REALLY wanted to go get the Mr. Potato Head Disney parts....before DD is way to old to enjoy Mr. Potato Head. I think it was only available at DTD?


Getting around to the other MK area resorts via monorail is actually quite easy and quick. Also keep in mind if you dine at Poly, you can take the walking path to the TTC and head to Epcot too.

OK I totally forgot about this....thanks!

[egoldber]

is it quick/easy to get from MK or Contemporary to Poly or Grand Floridian via monorail?

It isn't hard, but it does take time. If you hit the monorail at the right time, it doesn't take long. But if you just miss one and have to wait, it could easily take 30 minutes to get from MK to GF. Especially during the day, when they run fewer monorails.

Remember that the monorail is a loop. The resort monoral loop is MK-Contemporary-TTC-Poly-GF. To get from MK to GF, it's often faster to take the boat and skip the monorail loop.

[billysmommy]

As far as DTD, I might have to skip it, but I REALLY wanted to go get the Mr. Potato Head Disney parts....before DD is way to old to enjoy Mr. Potato Head. I think it was only available at DTD?




They also sell them at the souvenir shop in Toontown (in the tent where the princess and fairy meet and greets are) at the Magic Kingdom and at Mouse Gears at Epcot.

[las710]

We went with our daughters (3 and 1-yo) in November and can relate to your concerns about the long hours at the parks. Sounds like we may travel similarly. First off -- GREAT job booking at Bay Lake Towers! We stayed at Animal Kingdom and the bus transporation got old quick... I estimated we spent 3 hours in transit one day with going bak to the hotel for a nap. We are now buying into BLT and cannot wait to go on our first trip there.

We never stayed in the parks past dinnertime because we knew our kids couldn't handle it, not to mention we started relatively early and we were tired too. Plus our kids typically go to bed by 8pm, so late night was not an option. Personally, I thought the charater meals were a real highlight and at your DD's age I would think even moreso, so I would book some right away. We only did two, but next time I will use our dining plan better. Here's what I would do...

1: MK... maybe use two quick services that day. Everyone will be so excited to be there --that will be the best day for putting in a long time at the park.
2: Epcot and definitely try doing a breakfast or lunch with the princesses at Akershus in Norway. My 3-yo was jumping out of her skin, she was SO excited.
3: AK and maybe Tusker House at AK for the Donald & friend breakfast OR Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary for the character dinner (we did this one and it was fun -- Mickey, Goofy, Donald, Pluto, Goofy, etc.) OR take the boat from Contemporary to Fort Wilderness for Mickey's BBQ or the Hoo-Dee-Do Review dinner show
4: MK or Epcot
5: DHS and maybe another character meal that's easy to get to like at Fort Wilderness or at the Grand Floridan -- I've heard the Cinderella meal at 1900 Park Faire is nice.

I know that convenience will be key for us on our next visit so any elaborate dinner will need to be within one of the parks we are visiting that day or within easy range of BLT.

Have a great time!!!
Lisa

[erosenst]

A *lot* depends on you and your DD - how long she'll last, what she'll like, etc.

We went last January right before DD turned 5. We're going again in April, when she'll be 6.25. DD still needs a lot of sleep - last year she napped every day; this year she still may. We stayed at GF last time, and will be at BLT this year, so we can get back and forth easily.

We did a lot of character meals last time because she LOVES the characters, and that won't last indefinitely. Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace, 1900 Park Fare, and Cinderella's Royal Table. She loved them. This year doing Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace, and Akershus.

Last year had three full days and did two in the MK and one in DHS. This year doing two at MK and one at Epcot. Having said that, she's never loved zoo's and live animals, so it was easy for us to not do AK. We also spent time at DTD, and she enjoyed that. Yes, lots of shopping - but still some fun little things like getting pixie dust outside one of the shop, choosing just the right treat at the candy company without rushing, etc etc.

We also spent one afternoon at the pool, and she thought that was great as well.

Because she still goes to bed early, we never did the fireworks. The latest we were at the parks was 7:15, and she was fine with that and had basically had enough.

Not sure that helps - but best advice I can give you is to plan around what DD will think is fun, not how much you think you "should" do.

[Momof3Labs]

Some thoughts:

Leaving a park to eat at a resort takes extra time. Sure, it might be a "quick trip" once you are on the monorail, but remember that you have to stop whatever you are doing in the park, walk all the way back to the exit, up the monorail ramp, wait for the next monorail, and then once you board, it is pretty quick (unless you get caught in the daily safety drill and brake test - but I digress). Then once you return to the park, you go back through security and turnstiles, and need to walk back through the park to where you will pick up. It takes a LOT of time away from the rides, IMO, and is best done as a mid-day break.

Last time we did the dining plan, we made some TS breakfast ressies, some lunch and some dinner. We liked the lunches best, by far. We could have a quick breakfast in the room and get to the parks (ride lines tend to be shortest first thing in the AM), play for a few hours, then sit down to a good, filling meal. Then we might do another couple rides, head back to the room for a break/nap. Dinner would be CS, at the hotel, at DTD or back at the parks.

In contrast, when we had dinner ressies, we were more rushed getting the kids up from their nap, getting back to the park and through the park to the restaurant. Breakfast ressies are best done before the park opens so that you are well-positioned to hop on a ride when you are done eating.

I also suggest that you avoid booking lunch and dinner ressies on the same day. Too much downtime and sitting - and way too much food. One sitdown meal per day is plenty for us (and the kids).

ETA: While the food is good at some places, it is mediocre at others, and none of the Disney restaurants I've tried (including California Grill and Jiko) have food as good as the better restaurants we've eaten at elsewhere. In other words, if you go there looking for amazing culinary experiences, you may be quite disappointed.

[Momof3Labs]

I'm even tempted to skip Epcot this trip since IMO she would probably prefer MK/DHS to what is offered at Epcot.

Epcot might not look like a lot on the map, but it is my kids' favorite park. Hands-down, they beg for it over even MK (their second favorite park). I'd suggest that you at least give it a try at her age - Nemo, the Land boat ride, dinner at the Garden Grill (hands-down consistently the best character experience we've had in four trips with kids), Soarin, Test Track, Mexico boat ride, street entertainment at the countries, Germany train garden...