First family trip to Disney World

[Davin_Felth]

Hi, I'll apologize now for being long winded.

We're taking our first family trip to Disney World in August 2018. I've been there three times before (twice while growing up and the last time was 15 years ago with a friend in college), but it'll be a first for my DW and 3 kids (DD12, DD8, DS7 at time of trip). We're Disneyland vets, we go there every year and are happy to spend way more time there than needed (so we can ride our favorites multiple times). Our goal for this trip is to ride everything and hopefully see all the shows as well.

We understand that late August will be pretty hot and have thunderstorms pass though, so we're planning on taking mid-day breaks. I know park hopping isn't nearly as quick at Disney World, but since we're taking mid-day breaks, we'll get park hopper tickets for some flexibility. I'm planning on renting a car (mini-van probably, something big enough for all five of us plus luggage), so getting I figure getting to Epcot, HS, and AK will be quicker if we park there vs using the bus system. I'm undecided on MK though, I think I read that the trams bring you directly to the MK gates so you don't have to do the ferry from the parking lot.

We haven't decided on dining and fast pass reservations, just trying to figure out what days we're doing what, and how many we should do at each park. I love thrill rides, but my DW and kids don't quite as much (motion sickness from spinning or loops). None of them like Space Mountain, so I figure it'll be a tough sell to get them on Rocking Roller Coaster (Although, DD8 does like California Screamin'). Only my oldest DD has done Tower of Terror, so that's also going to be hard to get them on. Like DisneyLand, we're happy to do our favorites multiple times, but that's hard to predict since there are some differences. At DL, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Radiator Springs Racers, Toy Story, and Soarin are among the favorites.

Here's the plan we have so far, any advice would be appreciated.

Edit: Updated schedule based on recommendations

Day 0 (Tue, Aug 14) Travel Day - Check in at Hard Rock/Universal
Day 1 (Wed, Aug 15) Universal (with Express pass)
Day 2 (Thur, Aug 16) Checkout/More Universal until mid-afternoon/Food Shop/Check In PO-Riverside
Day 3 (Fri, 17) Magic Kingdom (EE)
Day 4 (Sat, 18) Animal Kingdom (EE)
Day 5 (Sun, 19) Hollywood Studios (EE)
Day 6 (Mon, 20) Animal Kingdom (EE) / Afternoon Park Hop option
Day 7 (Tue, 21) Rest Day (Sleep in, few hours at a water park)
Day 8 (Wed, 22) Epcot
Day 9 (Thur, 23) Epcot (EE) / Afternoon Park Hop option
Day 10 (Fri, 24) Magic Kingdom (EE) / Afternoon Park Hop option
Day 11 (Sat, 25) Rest Day (Sleep in, few hours at a water park)
Day 12 (Sun, 26) Magic Kingdom
Day 13 (Mon, 27) Travel Home

Sorry again for the giant wall of text!

 

[Indio]

You may want to add another Animal Kingdom day. With the new Pandora area, there's a lot to see out there and you may need 2 days to get fastpasses for both rides.

 

[hiroMYhero]

I think I read that the trams bring you directly to the MK gates so you don't have to do the ferry from the parking lot.

It's the buses from the Resorts that bring you to MK's entrance. Most recommend using the bus for MK.

In your Flexible Days, are you considering entering parks? What ticket length are you planning to purchase?

 

[Shellyb84]

I would also definitely add another AK day, or at least an evening there.

It doesn't look like you're taking advantage of any morning EMH. We really like those and get a lot accomplished on those mornings.

 

[MrsDuck]

You may want to add another Animal Kingdom day. With the new Pandora area, there's a lot to see out there and you may need 2 days to get fastpasses for both rides.

Ditto. In lieu of your flexible days, I'd consider adding another AK day and maybe even another Universal day especially if you're trying to do IoA and UO? If not, you should be okay to hit the highlights with your express passes.

As far as the other flexible day left open (if you choose to skip 2 days at Universal), I'd wait and see what your family loves and hit that park again. Your plan looks good! As you get into more specifics (dining, FP, etc) it will come together!

 

[Davin_Felth]

I would also definitely add another AK day, or at least an evening there.

It doesn't look like you're taking advantage of any morning EMH. We really like those and get a lot accomplished on those mornings.

When I did AK 15 years ago, we easily did it in one day. But, that was a couple young adults and they've added more stuff since then. I'll add another day in there.

I didn't even think about morning EMH. I'll need to look through that schedule and align with those. The extra hours at night don't help us, the kids wouldn't be staying up to normal closing anyways. Thanks for pointing this out!

 

[Davin_Felth]

In your Flexible Days, are you considering entering parks? What ticket length are you planning to purchase?

Oops, I meant to mention we're planning on 8 day park hopper+ tickets. Flexible days are for where we think we might need more time in specific parks. Hoping to get it figured out ahead of time considering fast pass reservations.

 

[Davin_Felth]

Here's a revised schedule based on comments so far. I'm already considering that I might need to bump the travel up one day earlier, so we could do Magic Kingdom EE on the first Friday. We already book our rooms, so I'll have to reschedule those if so...

Day 0 (Wed, Aug 15) Travel Day
Day 1 (Thur, Aug 16) Universal
Day 2 (Fri, 17) Checkout/Rest/Food Shop/Disney Springs/Check In
Day 3 (Sat, 18) Animal Kingdom (EE)
Day 4 (Sun, 19) Hollywood Studios (EE)
Day 5 (Mon, 20) Animal Kingdom (EE)
Day 6 (Tue, 21) Rest Day (sleep in, water park for a few hours)
Day 7 (Wed, 22) Epcot
Day 8 (Thur, 23) Epcot (EE)
Day 9 (Fri, 24) Magic Kingdom (EE)
Day 10 (Sat, 25) Rest Day (sleep in, water park for a few hours)
Day 11 (Sun, 26) Flexible
Day 12 (Mon, 27) Magic Kingdom
Day 13 (Tue, 28) Travel Home

 

[Gehrig1B]

I would consider Express bus transportation if you plan to do a lot of hopping. It will add about $150 to your budget and currently is good for only 7 consecutive days but it will get you from park to park in less than 20 minutes and after initial entry each day no more bag checks/security waits. Very efficient.

We found ourselves literally hopping to another park just because we found a fastpass for an attraction same day. Also allows freedom to make ADR's wherever (within a park) and you are just 20-30 minutes away by express bus. We spent several days in 3 different parks...

Just something to consider.

 

[disneyvoice]

Here's my feeling about travel to MK when you have a car . . .

We also typically rent a car for our trips. In general I do think getting to all the parks except MK is easier if you just drive vs. taking the bus. The only exception to this is if you are planning to drink around the World at Epcot. We definitely do not get drunk when we go to Epcot but we have found we prefer to take the bus (or just stay at an Epcot resort) so we don't have to totally limit ourselves because of driving. With MK it is kind of a toss up. We always find the buses to MK much more crowded than any of the other buses, which means sometimes you end up waiting in line for 20 minutes for the bus only to have it fill up before you can get on so you have to wait an additional 20 minutes for another MK bus. We have stayed at MANY different resorts at all times of the year and have found this to be the case at all of the resorts. This is most common early in the morning. So while I do think it is more convenient to just have the bus drop you off directly in front of the park, you can often get there faster by driving to TTC and taking the boat over in the morning.

I would also suggest adding an additional day for AK. Since you have so many flexible days I would think about adding a day or two for the water parks. You can make a day at a water as relaxing or as active as you want. We typically use a water park for a rest day in between park touring. You could also use those as days to sleep in and head to a park later in the day. I always think it's nice on longer trips to take a few days to do a more leisurely tour of the parks. We often spend the morning an early afternoon at a water park, head back to the resort to shower and then go to a park in the early evening - we really like going to Epcot in the evening after a water park day. We have dinner and then just kind of stroll around without worrying about hitting the more popular rides.

 

[tlmadden73]

1) I'm jealous of that trip itinerary. I hope I can bless my family with a big Disney Vacation like that some day

2) Are you thinking hoppers? The cost is chump change considering what the overall cost of this trip would be. Heh.
Probably worth it when going for that long and doing 2 days in almost every park.
Like the poster above said . .if you are doing hoppers, I would suggest the Express Bus service as well.

3) Late August - yep . .expect hot, steamy mornings and afternoon showers for a few hours. If they are thunderstorms expect outdoor rides to close up. Take Ponchos .. EVERY day. I went in August and they were a lifesaver. It is sorta fun being there in the rain honestly.

4) You may want to consider a 2nd day at DHS. With Toy Story Land open (and you have never been there) .. getting it all done in one day will be challenging. But who knows .. they may close more attractions before next summer.

 

[Davin_Felth]

I would consider Express bus transportation if you plan to do a lot of hopping. It will add about $150 to your budget and currently is good for only 7 consecutive days but it will get you from park to park in less than 20 minutes and after initial entry each day no more bag checks/security waits. Very efficient.

We found ourselves literally hopping to another park just because we found a fastpass for an attraction same day. Also allows freedom to make ADR's wherever (within a park) and you are just 20-30 minutes away by express bus. We spent several days in 3 different parks...

Just something to consider.

My DW brought that up. It sounded pretty interesting. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea if we're planning on driving to each resort, plus taking mid-day breaks back to the resort. But, I'm open to it.

 

[Davin_Felth]

Here's my feeling about travel to MK when you have a car . . .

We also typically rent a car for our trips. In general I do think getting to all the parks except MK is easier if you just drive vs. taking the bus. The only exception to this is if you are planning to drink around the World at Epcot. We definitely do not get drunk when we go to Epcot but we have found we prefer to take the bus (or just stay at an Epcot resort) so we don't have to totally limit ourselves because of driving. With MK it is kind of a toss up. We always find the buses to MK much more crowded than any of the other buses, which means sometimes you end up waiting in line for 20 minutes for the bus only to have it fill up before you can get on so you have to wait an additional 20 minutes for another MK bus. We have stayed at MANY different resorts at all times of the year and have found this to be the case at all of the resorts. This is most common early in the morning. So while I do think it is more convenient to just have the bus drop you off directly in front of the park, you can often get there faster by driving to TTC and taking the boat over in the morning.

I would also suggest adding an additional day for AK. Since you have so many flexible days I would think about adding a day or two for the water parks. You can make a day at a water as relaxing or as active as you want. We typically use a water park for a rest day in between park touring. You could also use those as days to sleep in and head to a park later in the day. I always think it's nice on longer trips to take a few days to do a more leisurely tour of the parks. We often spend the morning an early afternoon at a water park, head back to the resort to shower and then go to a park in the early evening - we really like going to Epcot in the evening after a water park day. We have dinner and then just kind of stroll around without worrying about hitting the more popular rides.

My DW and I are boring, we don't drink. So, we don't have to worry about that for driving.

Thanks for the heads up on the MK bus, might just drive there as well.

Do you mean a 3rd day at AK, or a 2nd like others have suggested? I've added a 2nd day to our plans (it looks like they do Early Entry 2 days a week there), so hopefully that's enough time for that park.

I figured the Rest Days we had planned would be good for the water parks as well. This August, they don't open until 10AM, so we can sleep in and then do some time at them (My DW and I can probably relax some, while the kids run around. I know they'll want us to do some of the stuff with them too though). Adding days to our tickets is easy, and really not that expensive, so evening trips to Epcot could be good on those days. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Davin_Felth]

1) I'm jealous of that trip itinerary. I hope I can bless my family with a big Disney Vacation like that some day

2) Are you thinking hoppers? The cost is chump change considering what the overall cost of this trip would be. Heh.
Probably worth it when going for that long and doing 2 days in almost every park.
Like the poster above said . .if you are doing hoppers, I would suggest the Express Bus service as well.

3) Late August - yep . .expect hot, steamy mornings and afternoon showers for a few hours. If they are thunderstorms expect outdoor rides to close up. Take Ponchos .. EVERY day. I went in August and they were a lifesaver. It is sorta fun being there in the rain honestly.

4) You may want to consider a 2nd day at DHS. With Toy Story Land open (and you have never been there) .. getting it all done in one day will be challenging. But who knows .. they may close more attractions before next summer.

2) Yup, we're doing park hopper+ tickets (For flexibility if we decide to go somewhere else after our mid-day break, plus entry to water parks on our "rest days").

3) We're from Washington State, so rain doesn't bother us. But, ponchos are on our packing list.

4) Even after Toy Story Land opens, isn't there only around 7 rides in DHS? Shouldn't that be fairly easy to do in one day?

 

[KittyKitty]

Day 0 (Wed, Aug 15) Travel Day (Check in at Hard Rock/Universal)
Day 1 (Thur, 16) Universal (Get as much in as possible with Express Pass)
Day 2 (Fri, 17) Checkout/Disney Springs/Food Shop/Check In at PO-Riverside/Rest

I would suggest using Day 2 to use Express Pass for Universal before you go over to Riverside(my favorite moderate resort). From this itinerary you only have 1 day at Universal.

There is a boat from Riverside to Disney Springs that you can do later in your trip if Disney Springs is high priority.

Since you have a car, I would wait to buy the express transportation, since you plan to take a break between parks during the day. It will be hot!(I live in Seattle.I am a wimp with humidity)

 

[sharonabe]

My DW brought that up. It sounded pretty interesting. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea if we're planning on driving to each resort, plus taking mid-day breaks back to the resort. But, I'm open to it.

I think you have two things working against you in buying the express bus pass. One is you are driving to most parks which means you have to get back to the park that has your car. Two, it is only good for 7 CONSECUTIVE days, and the way you have your trip set up, you don't have 7 consecutive days in the park, and you would have to choose ahead of time which 7 days you might even try to use it.

Make sure you purchase the park hopper PLUS ticket as that ticket includes the water parks. A regular park hopper ticket does NOT include the water parks.

 

[sharonabe]

The extra hours at night don't help us, the kids wouldn't be staying up to normal closing anyways. Thanks for pointing this out!

3) We're from Washington State,

Sorry, forgot this in my other post. Are you forgetting the time difference? Midnight FL time will be 9 pm Washington time, whereas, 8:00 A.M. FL time is 5:00 A.M. Washington time which means you'll be getting up in the morning more like 3-3:30 A.M. Washington time.

 

[Disney_traveler]

Do your kids like/are interested in Harry Potter? I'm just wondering if you may want more universal time for all the potter stuff outside of rides. The great thing is you'll have express pass, so rides will be quick. The interactive wands and shops are also neat to experience because they look exactly like the movies. And if you were looking at 2 waterpark days, maybe look at Volcano bay. The hard rock pool is really neat with a slide and sand volleyball area and music underwater.

 

[Davin_Felth]

I would suggest using Day 2 to use Express Pass for Universal before you go over to Riverside(my favorite moderate resort). From this itinerary you only have 1 day at Universal.

There is a boat from Riverside to Disney Springs that you can do later in your trip if Disney Springs is high priority.

Since you have a car, I would wait to buy the express transportation, since you plan to take a break between parks during the day. It will be hot!(I live in Seattle.I am a wimp with humidity)

That's a good idea. I think a 2nd day at Universal would help, DW thinks one is enough. Harry Potter is my main priority there.

Our options were August or Spring Break. Decided we wanted the longer trip, and potentially less crowds. We're from Washington as well, so the humidity and heat will definitely make the mid-day breaks necessary.

 

[LYSE]

How are your kids when they start getting tired? We always rent a car when we go because I dont have the patience to sit and wait on the busses. Especially when your kids are fried from spending a long morning at the park. Hollywood studios is a one day park for me. Magic Kingdom is easily three days since its always the kiddos favorite. Epcot two days. Animal Kingdom two days as well. I think your underselling Universal though. Even with express pass I would want two days for Harry Potter. It's just such an amazing and unique experience. Keep in mind too that WDW is NOTHING like Disneyland. Disneyland is my go with the flow and relax park, i've been there well over 30 times since I went once a year with parents and then continued the tradition as an adult. Dining has to be planned in advance at WDW and attractions. You probably already know all this but the first time I went to WDW I really wished someone had drilled it into my head that I needed to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN.