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maydaymommy
11-29-2010, 01:17 PM
Sorry this got so long. . . .

I've been stalking this forum for a year and finally it's time to plan our trip! :yay:

I don't have room reservations yet, since I'm hoping for a discount to come out, or may try to rent DVC points, but hopefully we (and our strollers) will be at a monorail resort.

DS1 will turn 4 there (don't think he'll make 40 inches though), and DS2 will be 20 months, so we'll definitely be focused on MK. I also have a big birthday while we're there, and we may have a babysitter for one night!

Should I plan to skip any park? Thinking about maybe not doing DHS. DS1 is into the disney tv characters, but not Little Einsteins, so I don't know if that park is worth is for us. Anything besides the safari for little guys at AK?

We are arriving Saturday April 30th and departing Friday, May 6th. I know we will be in MK on Sunday May 1st. I'd like to make ADRs and I want to plan around which park we'll be in on which day, but I don't know how to figure that out.

Did anyone use a planning tool like Tour Guide Mike or Touring Plans to pick park days?

Seems like a general rule is be there at the start of EMH, or stay away from the EMH resort if you get a late start. I would hope we could make rope drop a day or two, but probably won't make it everyday. Both kids take a long, late afternoon nap currently (at 3.5 and 14 months) and I would imagine that's how it will be in 6 months when we're in Disney. Hopefully ds2 will take a shorter, earlier nap in the stroller if he needs it. I know he should be taking only one nap by then, I'm just hoping he'll be able to do it late in the afternoon like he does now. We do dinner pretty late anyway, so I hope I can get some later ADR dinner times. Possibly we can make it back to a park for rides and or fireworks/parade.

I have SO appreciated everyone's trip reports and advice that I've read. Any more great tips - throw 'em at me!

Also, how do you keep track of your planning info, like tips you've picked up here or on other boards?

TIA!!

crl
11-29-2010, 01:32 PM
Hollywood Studios was okay, but not great for us. DS did like the Hollywood and Vine character breakfast, but if your kids aren't into Little Einsteins. . . They had Lio, June, Handy Manny and Oso. DS really, really like the Playhouse Disney show. I'd think your kids might too, as I think they are more the target age. And the Toy Story Mania ride was a hit with dh and ds. We also had very good luck finding characters (and photo pass photographers) there, better than at the Magic Kingdom. We probably would skip it if we went back, but we are not sorry to have done it once if that makes sense. I actually thought HS would be better for younger (playhouse disney, lots of characters) or older (Rock n Roll Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, etc) kids.

If you think you can take advantage of extra magic hours, I would plan around that as the one day we hit MK in the morning with extra magic hours was great. Not all the attractions were open, but there was essentially no wait for the ones that were and we managed to grab fast passes for Splash Mountain easily because we were positioned to get there as soon as they opened that section of the park at the regular rope drop time. (We had an ADR at Chef Mickeys so we couldn't stay and ride, but it worked out great as we did an hour in the park, grabbed Splash Mountain fast passes for later and took the monorail to the Contemporary in time for breakfast with Mickey.)

We did Epcot, HS and MK. We loved Epcot, but the things we loved your kids probably won't be tall enough for. . . .

Hope that helps,
Catherine

TwinFoxes
11-29-2010, 03:11 PM
Should I plan to skip any park? Thinking about maybe not doing DHS. DS1 is into the disney tv characters, but not Little Einsteins, so I don't know if that park is worth is for us. Anything besides the safari for little guys at AK?

We are arriving Saturday April 30th and departing Friday, May 6th. I know we will be in MK on Sunday May 1st. I'd like to make ADRs and I want to plan around which park we'll be in on which day, but I don't know how to figure that out.

Did anyone use a planning tool like Tour Guide Mike or Touring Plans to pick park days?

Seems like a general rule is be there at the start of EMH, or stay away from the EMH resort if you get a late start. I would hope we could make rope drop a day or two, but probably won't make it everyday. Both kids take a long, late afternoon nap currently (at 3.5 and 14 months) and I would imagine that's how it will be in 6 months when we're in Disney. Hopefully ds2 will take a shorter, earlier nap in the stroller if he needs it. I know he should be taking only one nap by then, I'm just hoping he'll be able to do it late in the afternoon like he does now. We do dinner pretty late anyway, so I hope I can get some later ADR dinner times. Possibly we can make it back to a park for rides and or fireworks/parade.

I have SO appreciated everyone's trip reports and advice that I've read. Any more great tips - throw 'em at me!

Also, how do you keep track of your planning info, like tips you've picked up here or on other boards?

TIA!!

First off, start making your ADRs NOW. Seriously, you're already within the 180 day window. I know it sounds crazy, but if there are places you really, really want to eat, do it NOW. Since it's your first trip, I'm sure you have a few "must do" places (character meals for example).

We didn't use any site for touring plans, we did however buy The Unofficial Guide to WDW. I highly recommend it. Great advice, and great touring plans.

If you go to the WDW website, you will be able to find a calendar with park hours, including EMH. That should help you. Also, if you want to see Fantasmic, do the Hoop de Do Review, or Mickey's Backyard BBQ, those are only open on certain days, so that will have to figure into your touring plans. You can get that info by calling Disney, I don't know if it's on the website or not.

I can not emphasize enough how important it is to get to the parks at opening. I know it's not doable for some families, but if you're just thinking 'eh, it'll be ok" I really encourage you to go early. Your experience will be much more pleasant. Especially at MK on the rides your DCs will likely be most interested in.

I wouldn't skip DHS, but I would allocate it only a part day. The Clubhouse Disney (or whatever it was called) was a big hit with my two little Mickey Mouse fans. If your DCs watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, they will love it. There's also Toy Story Mania, which we never got to do (see my earlier advice about getting there at rope drop...) If you or other adults are into roller coasters, "Rock n Roller Coaster" is a great ride.

AK has the safari ride, the Kilimanjaro Train, and some kiddie rides. There's also the Lion King show, and a cool parade. I wish we had given that park another day, it just didn't work out that way.

I'll post more later if I can think of stuff...

fivi2
11-29-2010, 07:56 PM
Sorry this got so long. . . .

I've been stalking this forum for a year and finally it's time to plan our trip! :yay:

I don't have room reservations yet, since I'm hoping for a discount to come out, or may try to rent DVC points, but hopefully we (and our strollers) will be at a monorail resort.

DS1 will turn 4 there (don't think he'll make 40 inches though), and DS2 will be 20 months, so we'll definitely be focused on MK. I also have a big birthday while we're there, and we may have a babysitter for one night!

Should I plan to skip any park? Thinking about maybe not doing DHS. DS1 is into the disney tv characters, but not Little Einsteins, so I don't know if that park is worth is for us. Anything besides the safari for little guys at AK?

We are arriving Saturday April 30th and departing Friday, May 6th. I know we will be in MK on Sunday May 1st. I'd like to make ADRs and I want to plan around which park we'll be in on which day, but I don't know how to figure that out.

Did anyone use a planning tool like Tour Guide Mike or Touring Plans to pick park days?

Seems like a general rule is be there at the start of EMH, or stay away from the EMH resort if you get a late start. I would hope we could make rope drop a day or two, but probably won't make it everyday. Both kids take a long, late afternoon nap currently (at 3.5 and 14 months) and I would imagine that's how it will be in 6 months when we're in Disney. Hopefully ds2 will take a shorter, earlier nap in the stroller if he needs it. I know he should be taking only one nap by then, I'm just hoping he'll be able to do it late in the afternoon like he does now. We do dinner pretty late anyway, so I hope I can get some later ADR dinner times. Possibly we can make it back to a park for rides and or fireworks/parade.

I have SO appreciated everyone's trip reports and advice that I've read. Any more great tips - throw 'em at me!

Also, how do you keep track of your planning info, like tips you've picked up here or on other boards?

TIA!!

We have not done DHS. My girls were 4.5 when we went and while there were a few things I thought they'd like, I didn't want to give up a whole day. Other people love it though. We really like AK, but we made it a short day and spent the afternoon at the pool. At AK we liked Tusker House safari breakfast, the safari, Festival of the Lion King, the Dino ride and playground, the character trails, the animal trails...

When we were there last May, it was Flower and Garden at EP which was great because they had a couple of cool playgrounds that were only there for that. My girls also loved innoventions and watching the performers, plus the various boat rides.

Make your ADRs now.

ITA about rope drop - very important.

I like the Unofficial Guide (book) and the disboards. I did subscribe to Tour Guide Mike and found it moderately helpful, but probably wouldn't subscribe again.

cheri
11-29-2010, 09:40 PM
Check out touringplans.com now. You're far enough out that you can use their calendars for free. I ended up buying their service (1/2 off if you buy the Unofficial Guide), and thought it was definitely worth the $5.xx it ended up costing.

I also agree with getting there at RD everyday. You'll get so much more done!

With our two (2 and 4), we generally got to the park for RD (or a few minutes afterward), and usually were leaving around 12:30-1:30. We would have had huge meltdowns if we stayed any longer. The kids napped and played at the resort in the afternoon.

Also, if you can get an early morning ADR for Crystal Palace, you get in the park before it opens. We did an 8:05 breakfast and it worked out really well. We were standing in the middle of the park at RD and headed for TomorrowLand, where we rode Buzz Lightyear several times in a row :).

Have fun! The planning is half the adventure.

liz
11-30-2010, 09:52 AM
Yes, ITA about getting to your park first thing. We never made the official rope drop, but always within 20 minutes of opening. It was a more peaceful experience in the early morning before the big crowds arrive. We always left for naps - totally worth it, plus it was super hot when we were there- and then we would return around 5-6 pm and stay late.

Make your ADR's now. We used the restaurant menus found on Allears.net- this helped us to know which restaurants we would like, even the CS.

I didn't buy the touring plans. We used the free planning site and it was sufficient. The days we went were rated at 1-2 and some days a 5, so the plans didn't really help. What did help was looking at the park maps and deciding ahead of time our must-do's and then planning our own touring plan with built in stops at restaurants in the area of the park we were in. This minimized the walking from one part of the park to another.

Oh, and make your DVC reservations for a monorail resort NOW. I totally misjudged and was not able to get a room 3-4 months out from our dates.

I used the disboards for lots of help (and of course BBB!).

maydaymommy
11-30-2010, 01:02 PM
Thanks, everyone!

I've been busy trying to figure things out and making some ADRs!! I was able to get a few, and unable to get some others. I also ordered the UnOfficial guide.

Our park day we'll go to MK, followed by EP, AK, DHS, and back to MK on our final day.

I have lunch at Crystal Palace booked for my ds1's 4th birthday, and dinner at California Grill for my own VERY BIG birthday. (Hopefully we'll be able to see Wishes from the restaurant after that dinner.) Also a dinner at 'Ohana and dinner at Chef Mickey's. Wondering about doing breakfast at Tusker House on our Animal Kingdom day.

It's great to hear about your trips, I remember reading about them while you all were planning thinking our time would come some day!

Thanks again. I'm sure I'll be back for plenty more advice.

fivi2
11-30-2010, 09:19 PM
Thanks, everyone!

I've been busy trying to figure things out and making some ADRs!! I was able to get a few, and unable to get some others. I also ordered the UnOfficial guide.

Our park day we'll go to MK, followed by EP, AK, DHS, and back to MK on our final day.

I have lunch at Crystal Palace booked for my ds1's 4th birthday, and dinner at California Grill for my own VERY BIG birthday. (Hopefully we'll be able to see Wishes from the restaurant after that dinner.) Also a dinner at 'Ohana and dinner at Chef Mickey's. Wondering about doing breakfast at Tusker House on our Animal Kingdom day.

It's great to hear about your trips, I remember reading about them while you all were planning thinking our time would come some day!

Thanks again. I'm sure I'll be back for plenty more advice.

I will say that Tusker House (breakfast) was by far the best meal of our two trips. BUT - with a 4 yo, I think the characters are what matter, not the food (cause none of it is spectacular) and you are doing Chef Mickey's with the classic characters already, so may not need Tusker House.

We have done Tusker House early breakfast before park opening both trips, but if we didn't, I think I would make AK my sleep in - late arrival morning. With little ones you most likely aren't going to be racing for the big ticket roller coasters. Some say the animals are more active early, but I am not convinced it really matters. We like AK, but don't feel the need to rush through and "do" everything - we enjoy the scenery.

I agree with pp - we went at rope drop and then left early afternoon and hung out at the resort. We never actually made it back in the evenings, but that is a good idea. Have fun planning!