Last December I planed an epic trip to WDW for my family. I mean I got the free dining, $375 in GC due to CBR construction! I was over the moon excited. I had worked feverishly to get all the hot FPPs and dining reservations. Then a very unexpected school function came up that I could not ask my boys to miss and I had to cancel the whole shebang! Devastated was putting it mildly. Through the course of canceling and beginning the rescheduling process, I found that I was really the only one who wanted to go. So we scrapped the whole thing and took the money I had scraped away for the trip and put it towards APs for DLR. Over the course on the past year we were able to go to DLR 4 times and had a great time, but I still had that itch to experience WDW.
Just this week DH scheduled a trip to Texas to visit an old high school friend. This got me thinking, if he can go on this trip (which I fully support and encouraged him to go on), I can go to WDW solo! Also I am in the process of getting licensed in my chosen profession (which has been about 7 years in the making), so this would be an amazing way to celebrate!
I find myself in this amazing, but overwhelming predicament, I only have to worry about myself! This means I donât have as many schedule constraints or have to worry about what my wants/doesnât want to do (I have found them to be party poopers as of late).
This is where you come in, I need your help in planning this thing. It was easier when I had to take everyoneâs schedule into consideration, because that ended up guiding me to what we HAD to do, now I am a ship with no sail.
I am thinking a 5 night/6day trip in early May, but that is not set in stone. What do you think? I am here to soak in your wisdom!
fancy meeting you over on this side of the boards, since itâs usually on the DL sideâŚhave you been to WDW before? or only DL? you have to do MK of course, but based on our trip this year, Iâd really focus your trip on the rest of the world. happy to answer any questions from someone who usually goes to DL as well.
Early May is a lovely time to be in WDW. Itâs warm but not as hot and muggy as the summer. The prices and crowds are lower in May than April, too, since spring break is over. And Epcot has its flower and garden festival, which is fun.
It sounds like youâre from the west coast. Iâm guessing you wonât be doing much on your arrival and departure day. Are you thinking one day per park? That sounds good to me. If you want a âresort dayâ or a water park day, youâd probably need to spend an extra day in WDW.
Never been to WDW! Really excited to finally try it. So happy to have someone that is a DLR regular to bounce things off of! I really want to focus on the other parks, but definitely want to experience some of the same rides to compare and contrast! I am really hoping that they have a Disney after hours at MK, so my days can be focused on other parks, but time will tell on that.
I seriously doubt it. DH is not a big traveler (which is why I was so supportive of his trip). DS13 and DS14 are surly teens that have taken after their Dad. If they âsuddenly want to come,â I will tell them that we had better start planning another trip! I have also asked each of them a half dozen times if they are sure that they donât want to go and each time I get a resounding no.
Good to here about the weather in May. I was worried about that. I live in a very warm place in the summer 30 day streaks over 100 degrees is not uncommon, but when we went to DLR this summer, I was dying because of the humidity. I finally get what they mean by âdry heat.â
I probably wonât get to do much my first day, unless I can find a red eye there, but on my last day, I might get to have a morning in the park since my flight back is in the evening.
Trouble with that isâŚIâm not sure there are any planners on these boardsâŚ
Sounds like a good time to go. If possible, make park days Monday through Friday, to avoid weekend crowds.
One thing Iâd think about while doing your planning is to focus on the DIFFERENCES. What I mean is, the thing DL/DCA has over WDW is that you take all the best elements from four parks from WDW, and put them into two parks at DL. Now of course, even then there are some differences. But there are many things fairly similar. Try to plan around the things that make WDW different.
True. Iâm thinking about Space Mountain as an example. It can be problematic to think of the two Space Mountains as clones of the same ride. Instead, they are really two different ride experiences. Rather than compare them, treat them as unique rides that happen to have VERY similar theming.
Anyhow, have any idea where you want to stay? Will this ultimately be a budget trip? Staying on property for sure, or is off property an option? (WellâŚsince I assume you are flying in, I also assume youâll be staying on property.)
If I were doing a solo trip I would think about the things that my family enjoys less than me. For example, I could sit and watch animals while they look at them for a minute and are ready to move on. So I would take my time on the trails or ride the safari more than once or do a tour (remember you only have to pay for one person so tours are suddenly a lot more affordable). I bet if you go down the list of attractions and entertainment in each park and think about what you normally would skip or rush because of family disinterest you can find some things that you wouldnât even think of on your own.
SO much this!!! Yes! We were at DLR for my birthday this summer and they pooped out on the last night and I stayed in the parks and watched Paint the Night Parade, Shaboom, and rode all the rides that my family usually dismisses. It was amazing. I cannot even fathom having an entire trip like that! There is soooooo much I want to do. I doubt I will get it all done in one trip. I am like a kid in a candy store.
Hi! We go to WDW in the beginning of April pretty much every year, and it is hot and humid for us west coasters (and very similar to what DL felt like in July). I would go before May if DL in the summer was too much, WDW will be quite a bit more humid than DL was at that time. We love Flower and Garden at Epcot, the park is amazingly beautiful and the food booths and topiaries are lovely. I think it starts in early March.
We take the early flight from WA in order to help with the time change once there. We usually leave around 5:45am PST and have a connection, then arrive in Orlando between 3:30 and 5:30pm. This year we went and checked into AKL, and then went to AK for the evening, stayed until 10:30pm I think. It was a very long day, but this way we got on Eastern time quickly. The next morning we were at AK by 8:30am which felt horribly early, but then we were good. So donât discount going to a park the first night, it is a great way to knock out dinner and 3 FPP rides.
In December I am taking the red eye for the first time to get there (going with Jules and Tonya from DL chat), I assume it will be terrible since I have a hard time sleeping on a plane. I land at 5:45am which of course is 2:45 PST, so I actually booked an extra night at Pop so I can go straight there and nap for a few hours.
We always go to a park the last day as well. In December will go to HS for a few hours, basically 3 FPP and lunch before we head to the airport.
I stayed at Pop last October and really enjoyed it. We stay deluxe or moderate as a family, so wasnât sure I would like Pop, but I was really impressed. Staying there again in December, for $101 a night booked through MVT.
You will love WDW, it is different than DL/DCA in many ways. MK gets less of our focus, we love the things there that are different than DL, so the other 3 parks get a lot of our time.
Have fun planning!
you have to experience most of the differences for yourself, but if you like Buzz Lightyear at DL, you may want to skip it at MK altogether. we sometimes do it multiple times per day at DL. Did it once at MK and called it enough. We prefer Splash at WDW, mostly for the side by side seating. Tower is great, compared to the DL tower. I havent been back for Guardians yet, so cant compare that. HS will remind you a lot of California Adventure. RnRC is great, my favorite Disney ride anywhere. also, beware of Navi River Journey. it is a cool ride, but not worth the super long waits. I did so much homework, waited 70 minutes because âif thereâs always a long line, it must be worth itâ. not always the case.
