Hello! We are a family of 6 adults and 4 kids (Age 5,7,8,10 at time of trip) going to Disney in Feb 2020. We arrive Friday Feb 21 and leave Sat Feb 29. We have the middle Dining plan the gives one quickservice and one table service per day.
Our dining reservation window opens Aug 25 (so coming soon!)
I wanted to post the overall itinerary that I made to see if anyone had any comments. I planned this somewhat according to the anticipated crowds.
Friday - Arrive at noon. Go to downtown Disney and do an early supper at Chef Art Smiths Homecoming.
Sat- HWS. Quick service lunch & Dinner at 50’s Primetime Cafe
Sun- MK. Lunch at BOG and Quick Service Dinner as well.
Monday - Free day to relax at pool. Hoop De Doo for Dinner.
Tuesday- Epcot. Quickservice Lunch. Dinner at Biergarten (hoping for 530 which will give lots of time to catch the fireworks.)
Wednesday - Animal Kingdom. Brunch (around 11) at Tusker House. Quick Service Supper.
Thursday - Free day. No dining plans yet. I will likely book some FP+ for HWS as I assume if the kids want to go somewhere it will be there for more starwars and toystory. However I will book them for later in the day to allow a sleep in. If we decide to not use them it will be no big deal.
Friday - Last day to spend at MK. Quickservice lunch. Dinner at Liberty Tree early enough to see fireworks.
Sunday you are planning on being in MK during a race weekend. Last year I left the world on that Sunday and the traffic around MK was extreme . What resort are you staying at?
I was thinking it would be busy as well due to the race but Sunday was only a 5 at Mk, 7 at Epcot, 5 at HWS and 8 at AK. Do you think this is inaccurate? The sat shows busier with 8,8,6&9. What are your thoughts?
Thanks for your help!
I would expect heavier crowds Sunday, have a good TP and not try to pack too much in, incase u leave early bc of crowds. U may not stay until fireworks, lol. Does anyone have experience hands on with race Sunday? Crowds heavier in am vs pm? That may help plan that day better.
I am not concerned about the crowd in the park, I am concerned if you are trying to get to the park in the morning the detours and road closures may create a very long bus ride.
I had experience arriving to Epcot on the half-marathon day. The bus took forever and the entrance was packed as well. But the park itself had VERY low crowds.
If you decide to keep MK on Sunday, allow A LOT of time for getting there. If you start early enough it should be fine.
@PrincipalTinker@eug2506 thanks for the advice! We will be arriving at the park before opening… Aiming for at least 30 min before rope drop. Do you think one Park would be better than another for Sunday?
I agree with @PrincipalTinker! I have notes from other people’s experience that there are road closures until 11am and people who left the resort around 8am had a good hour ride on the buses.
My plan for that Sunday is either Disney Springs or MK for the afternoon.
People were running across the airport Sunday morning. I have never seen so many people miss flights. The traffic is very bad around MK and the resorts. I left WL and GPS got me around most of it but it was challenging.
@PrincipalTinker - I was actually going to do O’hana but was worried we would not get back in time for the fireworks. Since it is our last night I am sure we will want to watch the fireworks again! That is mainly why I chose there.
the Princess half goes through MK — about miles 4-7 go through the lots, access roads, and park itself. The race starts at 5:30am, with the last corrals probably departing the start line at Epcot as late as 6:30am. That means the last runners may be entering MK as late as 8am and leaving the park on their way back to Epcot as late as between 8:30am and 9am. Just be aware you may find it difficult to execute the usual RD plan because of this!
If your kids are into Star Wars, I’d also plan to schedule something like Droid Depot at the 180 day mark as well - or at least a reservation at Oga’s - even if it’s just for a drink/outside your DDP, if SW is important, I’d snag something to ensure you’re able to get in (though hopefully crowds are smaller by then!).