Overthinking? Underthinking? Questions for a Surprise First Timer Trip

Walt Disney World
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Quick background: Mom (me, 40-something) and daughter (7 year old) WDW visit — 5 nights starting June 20 at AKL, 5-day ticket with Park Hopper and Genie+. First time for her, I haven’t been in over 20 years!

We’re visiting my parents in Orlando on Saturday and Sunday, dropping my husband off at MCO on Monday for a noon-ish flight, then heading to WDW, staying thru Saturday the 25th, then back to my parents for a flight out Sunday.

It’s a surprise for my 7 year old, because she’s had too many things canceled over the last two years, so until we’re in Orlando, maybe even leaving MCO for WDW, mums the word.

I’ve read all the Genie+ blog posts, watched the videos, read the forums here, and listened to so many Disney Dish podcasts. All of which have been amazing and fun (I’m a nerd and love all the data).

Current plan (and park reservations):

Monday — MK @ 2pm ish, BOG for a 5:30ish dinner, maybe Epcot for late hours
Tuesday — AK, wrap up early for dinner at Saana
Wednesday - DHS, 1pmish lunch at Sci-Fi Dine-In, possibly MK after pool break
Thursday - MK (sister and husband joining us here), evening depends on energy levels and what we’ve done already
Friday - Epcot (Space 220 Lounge for a 7pmish dinner, so we’re at this park all day)

I have some barebones Touring Plans that I will finalize based on how day 1 goes at MK — I’m planning on stacking rides for the afternoon, and will test out rollercoasters with Barnstormer, then go from there.

What I’d love advice on are some specifics that I can’t really figure out from what I’ve read, and one general philosophical question…

  • Drive or bus from AKL to DHS, AK, & Epcot (I know driving to MK is a no-no because of the TTC)?

  • Best time of the day to take a “back to the resort trip”?

  • Rope drop vs. stay late, or really, is everything impossible if we don’t rope drop?

  • How do you balance maximizing the trip without it making it seem like a Death March of Fun?

  • Bonus question: Is there anything in my plan above that I can change that I should?

Apologies for the length of this, I’d like to say that if I had more time, it would be shorter, but I’m afraid I’d just ramble more!

Thank you!!

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I’m excited for you! First time for DD7–it’s a really good age. We just took DD6, and she was so fun to watch. She went at age 2, but of course did not remember.

I would caution about going to and leaving MK–it takes awhile, even if you don’t TTC. Back and forth to that park is a real time eater. Looks like you aren’t doing that, but I would allow an hour for travel to that park any time you go just to be safe.

We had great success with rope drop for DHS and Epcot, and I would highly recommend it. Especially at DHS. At DHS, we were ready to head back after lunch. It was SO crowded by that time, and SO hot. We loved Sci-Fi Dine in–great choice there.

Epcot is so spread out–we rope dropped with a plan to leave in the middle of the day, and then we just stayed all day. It was my favorite day this trip (and Epcot is my least favorite park). Really great this time though.

We didn’t rope drop MK, and we were able to do less because of that. MK is one of my favorite parks for staying late though–we always get a lot accomplished there in the late hours. The crowds definitely thin after the fireworks.

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I’m concerned about these “530-ish” or “7pm-ish” dinner plans. I hope OP has these reservations secured or has set up res finder!

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Good point.

@SunsetRani: Your dining reservations are already made, right?

If they aren’t, don’t panic. You can set up alerts and might be able to get most (Space 220 is hard but not impossible). I can explain more if needed.

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Oh yes — I do have them planned! I was just too lazy too go into MDE and look up the exact times. :wink:

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Great!! That’s excellent news.

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Good to know re: DHS and Epcot rope-dropping. Those are the two that seemed the most straightforward for us to rope drop.

I don’t see us staying at DHS for very long — ToT is an absolute no for both of us because we both hate sudden drops, I’d love to do RotR, but would be happy just walking around Galaxy’s Edge and doing one of the other SW themed rides. SDD only if we get a good Genie+ time, unless it turns out my kid is a rollercoaster aficionado and is willing to wait standby.

Based on the times, I think rope dropping AK would be the hardest, it’s close, but it’s so early and I have a feeling my daughter will be up late the night before because of the excitement of being there. I don’t think she’d be up for EE, so it’s really KS, NR, FoP, and maybe KRR (here’s hoping I did those acronyms right) for Genie+.

MK rope-drop would be tough because of the bus situation, as well as being after a few days at the parks, but it might be either a late night at MK on Wednesday OR rope dropping on Thursday.

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ToT–I understand you there completely. I’ve ridden once, years ago. Love Twilight Zone, but the ride scares the pants off of me.

My DD6 is a thrill seeker–she rode anything she could get on (which is everything–she’s 48 3/4 inches tall), including this. I said, well, if she can ride, so can I! But, sadly, no. I ended up taking the chicken elevator at the last minute, and she rode with DH and her two sisters. Sigh.

We rode SDD twice–once with Genie + (first available time, 8:40 am) and the 2nd time we got in line right at close. It’s really not a bad wait then, but you won’t be there at night. I’m not brave enough for that line at any other time of day. SDD is really a great ride.

My bunch liked MFSR an awful lot, even better than Rise (not me–they liked the feeling of control I guess. Rise is amazing). Star Tours is a walk on but is not in the same league as the other two Star Wars rides. You’re right–the theming in the land is amazing. It’s nice just to walk around and look.

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A note about AK, I would add Festival of the Lion King and the Feathered Friends in Flight bird show to your list. Both are excellent and FotLK is air conditioned!

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Consider Toy Story Mania if you can get a LL for it during that morning. It’s very cute, and return times are pretty early for awhile in the morning.

Rope dropping, we were able to do both RNRC and Runaway Railway as walk ons. Love both of those as well.

We did have EE. Crowd level on our day (Memorial Day weekend) was an 8.

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My 7 year old is a shorty, not quite at 48” when I measured her a few weeks ago. But she did a carnival ride quick drop ride at Legoland in December and HATED IT. She’d love the theming, though— scarier the better for her.

I have fond memories of the Indiana Jones show and MuppetVision 3D from back when it was MGM Studios (RIP The Great Movie Ride…sniff), so we’ll be doing those, either before or after lunch. I forgot about RR and TSM — maybe we will be there longer than I expected!

I had done all this research about a month ago, then set it aside, as the trip seemed so far away, but now it’s almost here…so this is very helpful. Thank you!

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Thanks! I haven’t really looked into the various shows and what to prioritize — this is good to know!

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I see that you noted maybe the Epcot late hours on Monday. MK also has deluxe extended evening hours on Wednesday. It’s 11 pm to 1 am, so might be kinda late for your DD7, but if she’s a night owl vs an early bird it’s a good time to do a lot of rides with short waits. And you can potentially stack genie+ LLs for before the extended hours start.

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I highly recommend Frozen Sing-along at HS. It’s so funny - especially for us adults. We’re empty nesters. Do it in the hot part of the day. It’s indoors, comfy theatre style seats, and air conditioned.

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100% agree We had skipped the sing a long on previous visits. We loved it so much in October, I saw it twice!!!

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Are we talking about different things? FEA (Frozen Ever After) is the ride at EP. But I do think we are both talking about the show at HS. Too bad it doesn’t have an easy acronym!

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Yes we are… I messed that up. Will edit. :woozy_face:

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Not a problem! :hugs: We really like it, too. We only have sons - adult ones, at that - so it’s kind of fun to sit there, surrounded by people singing “Let It Go” at the top of their lungs. Ah, Disney.

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You said:
What I’d love advice on are some specifics that I can’t really figure out from what I’ve read, and one general philosophical question…

Here are some thoughts

  • Drive or bus from AKL to DHS, AK, & Epcot (I know driving to MK is a no-no because of the TTC)?
    We like the bus. We tend to get lost easily. Riding the bus gives us the chance to be tired zombies, or talk excitedly about our experiences, or chat up fellow riders or take fun selfies to add to our memories. Part of your fun this trip can be finding out what works for you two.

  • Best time of the day to take a “back to the resort trip”?
    There is a time when the park’s walkways are suddenly more congested. Or you’re just done being hot. Or your child has had enough stimulation. This time varies. You may not notice tho we do, and usually begin exiting the park. Summer seems to require more breaks.

  • Rope drop vs. stay late, or really, is everything impossible if we don’t rope drop?
    No. Not impossible. Rope drop can work great. It helps to be a naturally early riser, or a happy napper. In summer, with the heat, it may be better to pick either rope drop or stay late if you’re not taking a break. When we have chosen to stay late at MK we might chose Epcot World Showcase for the next morning.

  • How do you balance maximizing the trip without it making it seem like a Death March of Fun?
    Tune into yourself and how you’re feeling. If touring is beginning to feel like a chore, take a break. When it’s hot it’s easy for us to lose that fun attitude without realizing it. I have noticed we’re happier if we set meal/eating times and stick to it. It’s a short time between having fun and being out of fuel or low on fluids.

  • Bonus question: Is there anything in my plan above that I can change that I should?
    Maybe. Maybe not. It’s your plan! The great thing about it is you don’t have to do that plan again, if it’s not working. There might be one thing: remember to be patient. Be flexible. Be open to switching gears.

Hope this helps. Oh, and there is no wrong way to tour. You guys do you. :blush:

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I just returned last week from a trip with my DD9 and DD5. For us, I have learned that we can do early rope drop or stay late, but both is too much for them for more than maybe one day. We are naturally more night owls than larks, and I really enjoy the parks in the evening as crowds and the sun go down. With Genie+ it’s easy to stack the “good” rides for later in the day. We found our “groove” with this general plan: I woke at 7 to get first LL, any ILL we wanted and if Epcot day VQ. Then we all slept til 9:30 or so, had a late brunch and hit the parks around 12-1 with at least 3 LL’s set up. We stayed out late til closing and repeated. We were the only ones on our boat heading to Epcot at 10 PM after HS closed to ride GOtG in evening hours! With this plan we rarely waited in any significant lines the whole trip. If you and your DD are more early birds, rope drop may be a better option, but Genie+ seems less useful since times available for the more desirable rides move late in the day so quickly. And, the one day we tried to use the early hours (at MK) it was so short and so crowded. Granted we did not get there as early as hoped, walked in around 8:40; we got in line for Peter Pan and actual wait was 45 minutes. But most important, just do what fits best for your schedule and interests and enjoy being together!

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