Looking for input on our August Itinerary

Walt Disney World
1

Below is my current rough itinerary for our trip in August. Would appreciate thoughts on how doable this looks. My kids are 7 and 9. We’d really like to do a few of the nighttime events (My priorities are HEA and Fantasmic I think). And we’d like to do 2 EMM events, and 1 EMH morning. We’re not a burning the candle at both ends type of family. So I’m planning long afternoon breaks because it’s hotter than the sun in August and nighttime is more pleasant for touring. On days when the break is long enough, we’ll swim (45 minutes or 1 hour is usually plenty for my kids). And then rest (On our last trip 3 years ago we found that 1.5-2 hours in a dark, air-conditioned room mid-afternoon was restorative for all of us, whether or not sleep came, even with quiet reading or use of tablets.)

The wake-up times below are my current thinking for my kids. They’ll be just up, dressed, and out the door within 20 minutes. I’ll plan to be up at least ½ hour earlier. The nighttime schedule will be flexible except for the handful of TS dinners planned.

Pre-Disney Schedule:

2 Days at Universal. Planning for days to be roughly 7 am wake-up to 9:30 PM bedtime, with 4 hour breaks in the afternoon for pool and rest time at Hard Rock hotel.

Disney Schedule: Staying at Pop Century

Monday:
8:00 AM: wake-up
8:30-10:30 AM: Breakfast, Transfer Hard Rock Hotel to Pop, Bus to Typhoon Lagoon
10:30 AM - 4:30 PM: Typhoon Lagoon (or Blizzard Beach)
4:30 PM: Bus to MK/Ferry to Hoop De Doo
6:15 PM: Hoop De Doo
9:15 PM: Bedtime

Tuesday:

6:30 AM: wake-up
7:00 AM: Bus to Magic Kingdom
7:45 AM: EMM Magic Kingdom
1:30 PM: Bus to Pop
2:00 PM-6:00 PM: Lunch/Swim/Nap/Rest at Pop
6:00 PM: Bus to Hollywood Studios
8:30 PM: Fantasmic
9:30 PM: Bus to Pop
10:00 PM: Bedtime

Wednesday:

6:00 AM: wake-up
6:30 AM: Uber to Hollywood Studios
7:00 AM: EMM Hollywood Studios
2:30 PM (at latest): Bus to Pop
3:00 PM-6:00 PM: Nap/rest at Pop
6:00 PM: Bus/Uber/Lyft to Disney Springs or Wilderness Lodge
6:30 PM: Raglan Road Or Storybook Dinner @ Artist Point?
9:00 PM: Bedtime

Thursday:

8:00 AM: Wakeup/Breakfast
9:00 AM: Bus to Magic Kingdom
9:30 AM - 3:00 PM: Magic Kingdom (leave after Festival of Fantasy Parade @ 2 PM)
3:00 PM: Bus to Pop
3:30 PM - 6:00 PM: Swim/Nap/Rest at Pop
6:00 PM: Bus to Magic Kingdom
8:25 PM: Once Upon a Time
8:55 PM: HEA Fireworks
10:00 PM: Bus to Pop
10:30 PM: Bedtime

Friday:

6:45 AM: Wakeup
7:15 AM: Bus/Uber to Epcot
8:00 AM: PPO breakfast at Garden Grill
9:00 AM - 2:30 PM: Epcot
2:30 PM: Bus to Pop
3:00 PM - 5:30 PM: Swim/Nap/Rest at Pop
5:30 PM: Bus/Uber to Epcot
6:30 PM: Dinner at La Hacienda
9:00 PM: Illuminations (maybe)
9:30 PM: Bus to Pop
10:30 PM: Bedtime

[Will plan to skip Illuminations if we’re dragging]

Saturday:

6:30 AM: Wake-up
6:50 AM: Uber to Animal Kingdom
7:15 AM: Arrive AK for 8:00 AM EMH
8:00 AM - 1:30 PM: Animal Kingdom
1:30 PM: Bus to AKL Kidani Village for Sanaa Lunch
2:00 PM: Sanaa Lunch
3:30 PM: Uber to Pop
3:45 PM - 6 PM: Nap/Rest at Pop
6:00 PM: Bus to Animal Kingdom
9:00 PM: Bus to Pop
9:30 PM: Bedtime

Sunday (departure day)

Kids’ Choice day (will make Fast passes for Animal Kingdom between 9:30-12:30)

Questions:
• For our Monday plan: Are waterslide lines prohibitive if we arrive at 10:30 am? I’m trying for a couple of not too early mornings and this seems like a good day for it. I’m also considering doing 4 PM Hoop de Doo instead of 6:15 for an earlier evening. That would only leave 4 hours for the waterpark. Is that enough time to do some slides/wavepool and not feel rushed?

• For our Wednesday plan: Would you choose Raglan Road or Storybook dining at Artist point? I think we’d really enjoy the entertainment at Raglan Road, and characters are less important for us this year (they were a big part of our trip 3 years ago). But Artist Point is very Disney and looks very unique.

• Dining plan question: Above assumes we will upgrade our free QS dining to the regular plan. Alternative is to keep QS plan and drop all TS meals except Hoop De Doo and Garden Grill, to allow maximum flexibility. What would you do? (Kids are all about the rides this year…)

• Overall question – Goal is to keep everyone well-rested enough to enjoy the whole trip, without burning out. Do you think this plan accomplishes that? If not, what would you change?

2

One more question! We have 6 day park hopper plus tickets. If we do a waterpark on day 1, and the main parks on days 2-7 (so 6 days of theme parks after 1 day of water park), does that work with our 6 day park hopper plus?

3

I could be wrong, but I don’t think your 6 day park hopper plus works that way. My understanding is that you can park hop to any park including the water parks for 6 days. Not add an extra day for the water parks. I would just do regular parkhoppers for 6 days and then by a one day water park ticket. That should be cheaper.

4

Are you planning on going straight from the water park to HDDR? Seems like that is one of the days I’d spring for an Uber on Minnie van as well. Both those trips involve a transortation transfer which could be time consuming. Everything else seems cool.

5

The only input I have is that your trip looks fabulous. Lots of good ideas in there. Good luck with your planning!

6

I’d do raglan road on Wednesday and artist point Thursday before heading to MK for fireworks. Works good with your current plans.

7

Your trip looks great! Depending on how your FP’s look you might be able to make your Sanaa reservation a little earlier. Have a great time!!

8

No you’re wrong about that. With a 6 day ticket they can use 6 park days plus up to 6 days to do water parks or whatever else it covers. So it used to cover 12 days potentially, although with the new rules on how long you have to use tickets that may be slightly different. But I assume you get at least 8 days if not more with a 6 day ticket.

9

Really?? I had no idea. That is such a better deal than I thought! Good to know. Thank you!

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10

A 6 day PH+ is good for 10 days

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11

I think you’re plan looks great and is sensible and has some flexibility built into it. If you arrive at 10:30 at the water park you will encounter some lines, but if you prioritise the big slides you should be okay. My DDs all really love the water but we have usually found 4 hours to be plenty at the water park (some rides, lazy river a few times and the wave pool). In terms of the dining plan I think that is a difficult call and is dependent in how much your children enjoy sit down meals, If they do I would keep them - builds in some slower time and time to connect outside the madness that is the parks. If they don’t like sitting in restaurants then I would keep the QS plan.

12

We went to Blizzard Beach in August last summer and probably arrived around 11. The lines were very manageable. Four hours in the sun is a long time. Despite my best efforts, my husband and I were sunburned.

As PP mentioned, you have to transfer buses so this is definitely a time to Lyft.

I can’t comment on HDD but Garden Grill is one of my favorite restaurants. I might suggest lunch though as Epcot is the worst park in the summer as it’s so large and there’s so little shade. It’s nice to have air conditioning and a place to rest for lunch.

You have a lot of transportation in your plan - I would assume an hour for each bus leg to be safe.

13

Thanks very much to all for the input! I just realized I made a mistake with my booking, because we check in to Pop ON my son’s birthday, so he will turn 10 the day we arrive at Disney. Ugh. That changes the cost calculations for upgrading the dining plan – it might still be worth it but a much closer call. I suppose I could reconfigure the whole trip to arrive at Disney earlier and do Universal on the back end, but I don’t even know if the free dining deal I booked would be available on those earlier dates at this point. Or I don’t know, is there an exception because he was born in the evening and we’ll check in before it is technically a full ten years? :slight_smile:
Anyway, this realization has me rethinking meals in light of the goals of this trip (rides!). My husband and I would really enjoy TS meals, and I think it would make the trip feel more relaxed, less hurried. Kids will do fine either way. But I think flexibility will be important this year, and TS meals both limit flexibility and cut into ride time. Add in the additional cost of the meals and I’m struggling to decide! I’m still leaning toward the upgrade, but any input would be appreciated (if you’ve done a QS only trip, for example, or have experience with how chaotic we should expect the Pop food court to be, etc…)