Touring Plans...Have I lost my mind?!

Walt Disney World
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I have become slightly obsessed with Touring Plans for our upcoming first ever Disney Trip! Finally we are a little over a month out and I am wondering if I need to tone down my expectations, or if these touring plans seem actually possible with our twin DDs (turning 8 yrs old while we are there)?! If any of you enjoy reviewing strangers touring plans and providing advice I would welcome any and all of your opinions :smile:

Day One:

Our flight arrives at 12:45pm, I made a TP at HS starting at 3:30-4ish just in case we are excited and get there quicklyā€¦ However, I am fully prepared that we might be tired from travelling and just get to the park in time for our F! dinner ADR. I am also thinking we might get there and be too tired to stay for F! and I am okay with that too. Just in case we have tons of energy and everything goes smooth I have plans in place to enjoy the night to the fullest!

https://touringplans.com/plans/print?id=1776220

Day Two:

Our twins girls are turning 8 years old today. This morning is definitely going to be the hardest one for us, and I am just hoping that the excitement of Disney World gets us up and out of the door in time for a pre-RD BOG ADR. We are all morning people and have no trouble getting up and out of the door normally. Do you think this plan is do-able or should I tone it down somehow?

If we need to tone it down I have some ideas:

1. Tour MK for only a couple of hours in the morning and then head back to the Poly to crash until dinner
2. Cancel 1900 ADR so when we do get tired we can go back and hang out at the Poly without having to get ready and leave again
3. Leave HS earlier in the evening the night before and not see F! That way we would be more rested for the first MK day
4.Cancel BOG ADR and skip 7DMT so we can at least sleep in one extra hour (although the girls are really excited to eat breakfast in the castle!)
5. Cancel H&V F! dinner package the night before and just leave the night open for either touring HS or staying at the Poly with no ADR commitment, will guarantee we are rested for first MK day

Any thoughts or opinions?

https://touringplans.com/plans/print?id=1809044

Day Three:

We have an Akershus ADR at 11am and really this is our only absolute commitment on our Epcot day. I have the TP if we get there early for morning EMH but I am fine with sleeping in and arriving just in time for our breakfast as well. If we make it to see Illuminations I would be surprised, but I have it on there just in caseā€¦I figure we will play this day by ear and see how it goes.

https://touringplans.com/plans/print?id=1839219

Day Four:

I picked FP+ in the evening figuring we can change them if needed to any rides we either missed the first day or want to do again. We can either hang out at the poly most of the afternoon/evening or we can head back to MK pretty early and do some more rides.

https://touringplans.com/plans/print?id=1841735

Day Five:

Of course our AK day is pretty much up in the air waiting to hear if ROL dinner packages or FP+ will be released. I tried to plan the most important rides/shows before lunch so we could leave at lunch-time if we are tiredā€¦

https://touringplans.com/plans/print?id=1803675

Day Six:

Our flight departs at 7pm. I made 2pm ADR at Kona CafĆ© figuring the DME will pick us up around 4pm so we will be back at the Poly and ready to go. I have FP+ scheduled at MK for rides that seem hard to get, figured we could change any of those FP+ to our favorite rides if we wanted tooā€¦Or if the family wants to spend the morning at HS (morning EMH) or Epcot or AK we will do that instead of MK.

https://touringplans.com/plans/print?id=1800066

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You have so much flexibility built in, to account for different scenarios regarding time, energy level, etc., that I canā€™t really think of anything to suggest! Impressive planning indeed.

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I love your planning.
My Type A Personality picky suggestions:

  1. At MK, meet Ariel at her Grotto before Under the Sea - the Grotto lineup builds MUCH faster after RD.
  2. Your AK day is very packed in a park that needs a lot of walking - donā€™t be afraid to ditch Pagani or Maharaj trek, or leave earlier. Also, our kids spend an hour each visit in the Boneyard, itā€™s their favourite play area in all the parks. Also, my animal-loving kids HATED the Conservation station (and so did we) - they were utterly bored and I was the only one interested in watching bat surgery, apparently. Weā€™ll never do it again.
  3. On May 3, swap your ToT and TSMM FPP if you can - TSMM is amazing, itā€™d be sad to miss it if you were running late. ToT easier to get as a 4th FPP or standby.
    Have an amazing trip!
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These look great to me, and your willingness to be flexible make them even better! I think day 2 is totally doable.

One thing that works for us for getting everyone up and at 'em are Tinkerbell gifts. Each night the kids leave out a little bag that theyā€™ve decorated. While they sleep, Tinkerbell leaves them something small (very small, like Silly Putty and funny papers, stickers with sheets of card stock). The rule is, the kids get completely ready (hair done to shoes on) THEN they can open the gifts. While they enjoy them the grown ups get ready. Then itā€™s out the door. Works like a charmā€¦not that you asked for advice, but saw that you were worried about getting up day 2ā€¦

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A lot of detail here. One comment Iā€™d make is the Finding Nemo. You actually have yourselves arriving almost on time for the show, but this show often ends up with standing room only. You might be better off doing the boneyard first and then waiting for the 4pm show.

Also, on the AK plan you said youā€™d skip Dinosaur and go to EE if the girls were scared. Theyā€™re more likely to be scared by EE (unless they love rollercoasters) then by Dinosaur, IMO.

I didnā€™t see ā€œItā€™s Tough to be a Bugā€ on your plan. You might want to consider it. We liked it, but I know itā€™s not for everyone.

We did the Affection section/conservation station and Iā€™m glad we did, but my kids were too old for the petting zoo. Having done it once, I probably donā€™t have to do it again. It is a nice little train ride, though.

Your #2 on MK suggests not doing Space Mountain in favour of Cinderellaā€™s castle or the People Mover. No one runs for Tomorrowland to get on the People Mover. Itā€™s a great little ride for resting your feet in the middle of the day. The line is always manageable (unless thereā€™s a breakdown). If youā€™re not doing Space Mountain or the Castle, consider the 7DMT or Buzz Lightyear.

With regards to Sum of All Thrills, my kids discovered this one this year and went twice. They loved it. You design your own coaster (and itā€™s even educational - check out the youtube videos) and then you ride a simulator. To my eye, the simulator wasnā€™t doing much, but my boys got off with grins on their faces and said it was just like a real rollercoaster.

Where are you flying from? Are you worried about jet lag? Good luck, have a great trip.

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Where are you flying from? We would have a hard time staying up for Fantasmic and then making a pre-RD BOG breakfast. Should work fine though as long as your flight is on time. I could do it but the rest of the crew would not be on board :wink:

I donā€™t think you can get to Ohana and watch the Pirates show on that MK day. Lots of time at MK to do everything though it looks like. Also, note, you MIGHT get wet on Splash Mountain so be prepared with ponchos since itā€™s your first thing at MK headed back for the evening.

Point #3 might be a good option. I have been 3 times with a kid to WDW and STILL have not seen Fantasmic because of the late nights and not wanting the delays leaving the park. We prefer early morning. Most of us just cannot do late nights and early mornings with kids but you know your kids stamina best. I would still keep the H&V dinner. We loved the characters there and will save you from having to see mickey and minnie elsewhere.

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The only thing Iā€™ll comment is that I spent months planning our last trip and within about 5 minutes something shiny caught the kids eye and everything was derailedā€¦so being flexible is key.

I love creating Touringplans and changing them around but try and think of them as a guide as opposed to a strict itinerary. If your like me you will get frustrated your months of planning have gone down the tube in minutes if they arenā€™t strictly following them.

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Thank you for taking the time to review my plans and give your advice!

We are coming from Colorado, which is 2 hours behind Florida time. It will be a very early morning for us on our arrival day, but the girls typically sleep well on airplane rides. Fantasmic! at 9pm FL time will feel like 7pm to us so Iā€™m thinking we will be fine that nightā€¦Itā€™s the bright and early BOG ADR that has me more concerned. I figure the girls will be waking up what feels like about an hour and a half earlier than normal that day. I guess it boils down to deciding if Fantasmic! is worth the risk of being too tired to enjoy the next morning at MKā€¦

I wonder what time we would be able to get back to the Poly after F! if we were to take a cab or uber? If we were back by 10pm they would probably get plenty of sleep but if we would be pushing 11-midnight then we better pass on Fantasmic this time.

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I took a cab from HS to WL one night. The cabs are all the wa to the right- past the buses in the parking lot. It took less than 10 minutes? With tip it was about $20 and worth every penny!

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Only you will know for sure, but your girls may have trouble falling asleep on Florida time that first night. Might just as well see Fantasmic. You could play that by ear. If theyā€™re exhausted, skip it, if not, stay. It might tire them out.

As for the morning, my kids are usually tired when I get them up, but the excitement of the Disney day doesnā€™t take long to set in and theyā€™re happy to be up. They may surprise you, but you know your kids best.

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Thanks everybody!

I have an alternative to Day One with more breathing room for tired kiddos:

https://touringplans.com/plans/print?id=1861258

I moved the Day One TSMM FP+ to 6:30-7:30 and will also have to cancel the H&V F! dinner just so I donā€™t have to worry about missing an expensive ADR. If the kids seem rested and ready to go to Fantasmic! then we can wait in the regular line, and if not then we can just go back to Poly and get a good nightā€™s rest :smile:

I like this plan better because I was worrying about not being able to back out of ADR if we are wiped out from traveling!

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I think youā€™re absolutely on the right trackā€¦ Fantasmic is great, but being semi-rested for a big day at the Magic Kingdom is even more important. Our kids still havenā€™t seen Fantasmic for this reason. Your plan to play it by ear relative to fatgue/excitement is sound. :slight_smile: Iā€™d hire you to plan my trips for me!!!

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ā€¦Now Iā€™m debating that 1900 ADR on day 2 :wink: My planning might never be done!!

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I think you should keep the 1900. It will be so much fun to celebrate your girls birthday. Make sure their birthdays are on your reservation. My son got cards from characters at several of our ADRs. Also, they should get a birthday button. Mickey San Gappy Birthdayto my son. It was awesome. Go big on your secon day at the MK. You have a calm day at Epcot to recover. At 8 they will do great.

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Iā€™ll add a suggestion for day #6 (May 8). Iā€™m not sure that Tiana meets in the middle of the day (12:15). When making our touring plans, we had to see her in the morning or the afternoon. If Tiana is a priority, you may need to see her earlier or later than 12:15. You may want to stick with Merida at 12:15. She is pretty popular and might be a 45 minute wait at that time (but hopefully not).

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