Suggestions needed! Planning a diff type of trip for me About This Page:

[Courtney892]

I have all these planning questions this time around! These last two trips have just been sooo far from the way my family tours that I need reassurance.

We booked a trip March 27-April 3 to take advantage of the new promotion--I really wanted later April when we were back into regular season, but one of the travellers needed to go the sooner the better. We had a wedding come up over that weekend and so changed our dates last night to March 6-13. There are a lot of issues with these dates: the biggest being they will prevent me from making a relaxing spa trip with my mother that we were really looking forward to, & we're still going during Peak Season--I try to only ever travel at times of low crowds.

Because we'll be at Disney for 7 straight days (we've done Orlando for 10, but never Disney itself for that many days/nights in a row), I'm a bit out of my element with regard to touring. We much more commonly only do one or two main parks during a Disney vacation and possibly also a water park or Quest (we keep no expiring tickets and head on down when we're in the mood). It sounds like ppl in our group are planning to do all 4 of the parks. Low season....no problem, but I am concerned about getting enough park time and enough rest time. One guy has a bum knee and can't walk a lot and his wife both has low energy and low blood sugar. I don't think either of them could tour two days in a row at ALL much less my way of early EMH-late EMH at a diff park. I can go all day with no issue at all. Maybe a off day the day after a marathon park day.

The problem is when I talk to them about what they want to do, they don't take their "limitations" into acct. They think they can do it ALL. I know they can't from experience on other trips, but I don't know what the threshold is and I know they all hate to have too much of a *plan*. I've mentioned that since it is a busier season we should stick pretty close to a plan through lunch, and then we'll play it by ear. I think I can sell that. They trust me as a Disney planner, but it is hard when you are dealing with the unknown. Plus I haven't done 4 parks in a week for 15 years and that was 4 parks in 4 days followed by a 5 day cruise. Even I would probably have trouble with that pace today

I've subscribed both to Touringplans.com and Tourguidemike to get their recommendations. We're travelling Fri-Fri and since it will be MUCH less busy than the previous dates we selected, it looks like we'll have some great touring days. But with only 6 days not including travel days, we can not take days off in between touring days, and I just don't think that will work with this group.

I think I have hit info overload. All week TGM shows very few RED park choices and touringplans.com says we'll have 2 days at only a crowd level 4, so I definitely want to do parks on those days. Since they want to do so much in fewer days, I would take advantage of EMH like we usually do, but I know that doesnt' work as well during busier seasons.

Original tentative plan was:
Friday: Fly in and settle in at POFQ--possible DTD or Dinner at 'Ohana followed by fireworks. There is a flight issue with our new dates, so we may have to drive which will shoot this entire day.

Saturday: I thought if we drive, they'll want a fun, relaxing, ease-into-vacation-mode day. Hubby and I do not need this, so we were going to hit a water park. Now that we are going earlier, his desire to try TL is dead, so perhaps BB again. But now I feel like we need to get right into touring because of how much they want to see.

Early EMH are at DHS, so I think we could go there and do the big rides. Hop out when it gets busy (if they ever decide whether or not they are getting PHoppers). Not sure where we'll hop to....Epcot and AK both look good for all day, but that isn't enough time for either IMO. I think they will want to do the least in MK AND we'll want to see Spectro, so I am wondering if this day or Monday is the better choice.

1. DHS for EMH, hop out around lunch, hop to ? Possibly MK for the few things they'll wanna do and Spectro. I don't think Monday at MK will be better.

2. All day in MK, hit anything big in the morn. Do atmoshere thing or even back to resort break. Then back for Spectro and to use FPs in the evening.

Which would you do?

Sunday is a low crowd day and we need to take advantage regardless if we've been out late on Saturday. Should be a good MK w/no Spectro, so we could do morn there if we missed rides hopping in on Saturday. But MK is holding the least interest for this group of all adults, so either AK or Epcot could be great, but a lot of walking after such a busy day on Saturday.

Suggestions?

Monday Sounds like Epcot should be done this day because it is the highest crowd day of our trip. Orig we discussed taking advantage of both early EMH at AK and late at MK, because in low season the double EMH days are awesome! I am reading not so much during the time we'll be going.
Maybe we should take it off because of touring Sat and Sun--I'll say a tentative off for now

Tuesday Possibly AK?

Wednesday Definitely off...only special thing it offers is Fantasmic! and I don't like that show. Need to check to be sure we all are in agreement, but I think we are.

Thursday Another low crowd day. Maybe the time to finally do Epcot with a fancy dinner since it is our last night?

Sooo, that looks like touring Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Thurs--which is more days than we planned. I don't think they'll wanna do more than 3. We want to tour on Sunday and Thursday as the crowds are supposed to be low and that was a big selling point for these particular dates with one of the group.

If we do DHS and MK on Saturday, Epcot on Sunday, and then AK on Thursday we have hit every park and groups can decide on their own if there is something else they want to see.

SUGGESTIONS PLEASE!!

[ChristyLeni]

Your schedule looks good. Here's my advice for what it's worth. When we go I plan for the parks every day but only a half day at a time. I do 2 days at MK, 2 days at Epcot, 1 day at DHS and 1 day at AK. We usually stay in the park till lunchish and then head back to the hotel. The only day's we stay in the park until later is DHS and AK and I make sure those days aren't back to back. Then we plan dinner for the evening and if it's in a park we may walk around some if there's something we want to see. If not, we hit Quest or DTD. The last day is always a review, usually between MK and Epcot. We check out anything we missed or want to do over. I've got three little kids so we can't move really fast and we wait in lots of lines, but we never have a problem seeing everything and the breaks back at the hotel are nice and needed. Hope this helps!

[Courtney892]

I plan for the parks every day but only a half day at a time.

I think this touring method could work for this group, but would drive me completely insane! It is a big concern

We have bought the no expiring option so we can keep and reuse our tickets over the next couple years, so we don't need or want to use them up by the end of our stay. It is a good idea as far as options for each member of the group to decide. They can hop out at midday and we can stay and do what we want. And on one of their other touring days we can do a water park.

Is definitely a suggestion to pass along. Thanks!

[Mary_Maas]

I think you have the right ideas with your plans. My husband and I are high energy kind of people and I have learned to do one big day at a park and then make a dinner reservation for the next day at the next park. That way, if we are exhausted, we can really take our time and not feel stressed about getting through the next day of events. I try and make a reservation or some type of activity for every day and keep it on an itinerary calendar, but we always seem to blow off one or two things.

[chezp]

I think you've got the right idea with your plans as well and I like the idea of a half day touring too. If people then feel up to it, they can always go back to the parks later in the day.

[dworldluver]

I am a big "planning freak" and have until my Nov. trip planned out every aspect of everything. Most of your week looks good. The half days planned out in a park sounds a doable for part of your group at least and that may be to your advantage if you and DH want to take in BB a couple of times or go parkhopping on your own.
I found that this last trip taking more time at AKL and slower transportation between Epcot and DHS was a great diversion and gave us a "recovery" period. Just visiting the other resorts for a meal or to sit by their pools or beach is good to experience more of WDW but not necessarily standing in line or riding a ride. But maybe that is because I am over 50 now and have done the 7am - midnight runs for at least 4 days at WDW enough times in the past that I know it can be done but not wanting to do that every time I visit anymore.