We (DH, DD7, DS7 and I) will be traveling to WDW as a family for the first time late this August. After careful thought, we have decided to follow the unofficial guide’s wisdom and tour early, take a break, and then stay late. We have park hoppers and our plan is two park days, then a water park/break day, then two more park days, then water park day, then home. My question is how long of a break do I need in our touring plans to get back to Pop, actual rest or swim, and then get back to the parks? Is three hours enough? I have a more detailed itinerary below if that helps.
FWIW, we are an energetic family, we’ll have the DDP, we are staying in preferred rooms at Pop Century and we are more ride- than character- focused. Outside the Disney bubble, our kids are in bed around 8:30 pm and wake up around 6:30 am.
TIA for all your hard earned Disney wisdom!
Arrival day: flight lands around 2pm. Check our hotel, maybe disney springs, maybe just do a monorail or boat ride to get the lay of the land. Go to bed EARLY!
Day 1:
AM: HS, plan to arrive 45 minutes before opening. Rope drop SDD, do as much as we can (ideally TSMM, RnRC, Star Tours and maybe TOT) before QS lunch around noon, then back to the hotel for rest.
PM: MK, including dessert party with HEA (birthday gift to our almost 8 year old twins). Planning on using FPP at MK and wondering what time to make the first pass for. Hoping to get FPP for 7DMT, BTMRR, and Splash and to do what we want in Adventureland and Liberty square.
Day 2:
AM: AK: touring plan doing everything we want including a TS lunch at Yak and Yeti has us ending around 3pm (assuming we can get a FOP FPP) Plan to get FPP for FOP (please Disney gods!), KS, and KRR.
PM: 5:30 Mama Melrose reservation (the kind that includes the reserved seating for Fantasmic). Do any rides we didn't get to the morning before, then Fantasmic, then bed.
Day 3:
Blizzard beach, early dinner at Sanaa
Day 4:
MK all day. Park opens at 7am (it's SWGE grand opening day). Plan to get there a little before 7. Do as much of Tomorrowland as we can during EMH. Then Fantasyland, then repeat or fill in anything from the previous MK afternoon we didn't get to. Hope to get FPP for 7DMT, Space Mountain, and BTMRR. BOG lunch at 1:10. Plan to watch the parade and then back to the hotel for rest.
We have dinner reservations for the Wave at the Contemporary for 7pm. We may change that if we don't want to schlep all the way over to the Contemporary from Pop. We made those before the extra early magic hours were announced. That said, the menu really appeals to us and we're curious to check out the Contemporary, so we'll probably keep it.
Day 5:
Epcot all day.
AM: Plan to get to IG around 8:30 am either via skyliner or Lyft to hotel and then walk. RD FEA. Our touring plan in future world ends around 1:30 pm including time for early lunch at Sunshine Seasons. It'll be F&W so we are hoping to use some snack credits at the booths also. FPP for Test Track, Spaceship Earth and LWTL (last one is a throwaway in the hopes we can score Soarin' at the 11:31 drop).
PM dinner reservation at 7pm in WS. Kids say they really want to stay for Illuminations, but we'll see. We hope to do some of the Agent P stuff (I've taken notes on which countries people like best for that), check out shows, and just wander around.
Day 6:
Typhoon Lagoon day. Dinner at 'Ohana at 7pm. Hope to watch final fireworks from beach at the Poly. May check out Disney springs for souvenirs in between Typhoon Lagoon and dinner.
Day 7:
Home :frowning: