We have 7 days at WDW and I think I’m stretching us too thin with too many late nights. Our girls are 11 & 8 and are night owls and don’t need as much sleep as most other kids we know, but to get onto as many of the good rides as poss we are also planning some early mornings. I need to cut out some time somewhere or I’m going to completely exhaust them. Which night time shows are worth missing?
Here’s my schedule so far:
Day 1: HS 9am - 9pm. Lots planned for the morning but the afternoon is more chilled, with dinner at 6:30 and Fantasmic. Is Fantasmic worth the late night?
Day 2: Epcot 8:30am - 7pm . Again a busy morning with a chilled afternoon and dinner booked at 6pm then home kind of early. They’ll be exhausted already though with a late night the night before and an early morning.
Day 3: MK morning EMH then a rest afternoon
Day 4: AK 8am - 10pm. This is a crazy day! It’s our only day there though and there’s so much to see. Should we abandon the night time shows there?
Day 5: MK 8:30am - 10pm Another crazy day. We have some spare time in the middle of the afternoon where it may be worth going back to the hotel for a rest before our dinner reservation at BOG at 7pm, then a few more rides until the night time show.
Day 6: MK 1pm - 6pm - A quiet sleep in morning then finishing off bits and pieces we didn’t do at MK before ADR at Ohana.
Day 7: Epcot 11am - 11pm. A slower morning then staying for evening EMH as it is our last day and we can sleep in a bit in the morning. If we are too exhausted though we won’t stay that late. We have ADR at Akershus at 6:45.
My first thought for you is that Rivers of Light at AK is often going 2x per day. If you can get into the earlier showing on that day, you can be out of the park a bit earlier and still see the show. For example, I’ll be there on an 8AM-10PM day, and RoL is showing at 8:45 and 10. My plan is to finish with the 8:45 RoL showing and call it a day - around 9 PM.
Day 1 - no break? 12 hours on the go? To long for anyone, IMO. And no, Fantasmic is not worth a late night.
Day 2 - early start after late night and then another almost 12 hour day with no break?
Day 3 - thank God you’re seeing the light.
Day 4 - way too long a day.
Day 5 - by now you’re getting divorced and your kids are running away. Trust me.
Day 6 - oh my God that sleep felt so good. You’re probably all alone though.
Day 7 - Nope. Start later if you’re staying til the end.
Day 8 - I assume you fly home? What time… I’m almost afraid to ask.
You need more down time. IMO this is a recipe for disaster. Either start early with a midday break for the nights you want to see the nighttime shows, or just plain start later.
Lol - OBNurse! We’ve done 4 days straight at Disneyland Paris 10 hour days before and handled it no problem. When you say midday break, do you mean heading back to the hotel?
No we’re not flying home the next day, we have a rest day then get on to a cruise the day after, so lots of rest time afterwards.
We were also able to “commando” tour the parks when our kids were that age! I personally think Fantasmic! is worth staying for. It is our 2nd favorite show (behind MK, of course!)!
I think you have enough “chill” afternoons and sit down dinners that they should be ok, but you can always play it by ear! If the kids are getting tired or grumpy, head back for a quick nap or rest!
Personally, I think no nighttime show is worth missing (I’m a fan of all the nighttime entertainment)… I would suggest cutting a lot of things out of the day and taking big breaks during then.
Like @OBNurseNH mentioned, Florida heat (90’s with Humidity) is tough and will work on ANYONE’S nerves. You don’t want your day ruined by tempers and frustrations. I think if you reorganized to where you’re doing early mornings, significant day breaks, and active evenings, you get to avoid a lot of that heat and keep everyone happy. Plus you can also avoid some crowds.
What do your TPs look like so far? Are you completely booked solid for all 7 days?
Just so we’re clear (cause I actually don’t know this), if you have a single-park ticket for a day, you can leave/enter that park as much as you want right?
Even if you’re a night owl or early riser, your poor feet After our first day my 10 year old son said his feet felt like they were going to split open. I always “Disney is not a vacation, it’s an experience” . Like a tiathalon. I imagine. Stay hydrated. I almost ended up in the ER after Disney in June.
I think all the nighttime shows are worth it. I havent yet had the privilege of seeing Rivers of Light - that is scheduled for this year.
Have you done a touring plan for HS yet? I don’t need that much time there. Although we are also not TSL peeps either. I can manage with 11am until Fantasmic. I don’t need to see every show every time though.
If leaving the parks midday isn’t feasible, an ADR to grab AC and rest your feet would be necessary for my crew.
I would honestly keep HS 1/2 day…unless RD or Jedi Training absolutely necessary, make it a late start if you really want to see Fantasmic. Alternatively, leave at/after lunch and relax at pool since Epcot the following day is such a big park.
Since you have 2 Epcot days, leave earlier (by 2-ish) the 1st day…maybe future world and a couple lands. Save the other lands for the late start Epcot day.
Also, consider dropping ROL. If you RD AK for FoP, you will be tired by that time. If you’re lucky enough to get FPP for FoP, then start later. All of us left AK by 2pm for naps/pool (adults took the naps). Only 2 of us returned to see Pandora at twilight and enjoy some drinks.
A good rule of thumb is that you can do 1/2 to 3/4 of what you would like to fit in without meltdowns and mutiny. I don’t mean the kids. I can certainly push myself harder, but groups just can’t make it. Prioritize.
I agree with the above that you’ve got too much going on, however as you feel your family will be happy with the long hours, you could compromise by making the evenings & early mornings more flexible. We didn’t think Fantasmic was worth the long exit afterwards, but if you haven’t seen it I would go. My girls love hanging out at the pool as much as the parks, but everyone is different. I would work out how many early mornings you actually need to do everything you want.
After our first day my 10 year old son said his feet felt like they were going to split open. I always “Disney is not a vacation, it’s an experience” . Like a tiathalon. I imagine. Stay hydrated. I almost ended up in the ER after Disney in June.