Does my MK touring plan work?

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I've got about a month before my ADRs open. While I know I won't have everything locked down then, I don't want to have to change hard-to-get reservations because I later realize that the timing for my plan simply doesn't work or there's no way I'll get the FPs I want on the days I have picked.

I'd love feedback on whether I'm being too aggressive with my timing, picking hard to get ADRs/FP+ too early in my trip, etc. It'll be myself, hubby, and three 5yo girls: kids first trip ever, adult's first trip since high school. I doubt we'll be back again for about 4 years, so we're taking a long trip (10 days) and trying to make the most of our time in WDW. For MK, we're skipping HM due to fear factor but trying to experience nearly all of the rest. While I know park hours can change, I'm guessing 9am-9pm with 7:55 HEA based on last year late February/early March.

MK Day 1 (180/60 + 1)
- Plan to arrive around opening but not to RD. Will be girls' first experience in the park, so we'll be moving slow through Main St, lots of looking around, etc. Don't want to rush them along too early.
- It's a Small World
- FP Winnie the Pooh 9-10 (arrive toward end of window)
- Carousel, Royal Majesty Makers, meet Peter and Wendy
- FP Peter Pan 10:05-11:05 (again, end of window)
- FP Rapunzel M&G 11:10-12:10 (beginning of window)
- ADR Crystal Palace 12:15
- Muppet's history, riverboat, hall of presidents, Country Bear Jamboree, try for 4th FP Jungle Cruise, Tiki room, Aladdin M&G, Swiss Family Robinson
- 4:45ish dinner Pecos Bill
- Last move it, shake it parade of the day (5:45??)
- Merida M&G, Main St entertainment
- Park hubby with strollers at 7pm for 8pm HEA. Mom and girls do bathroom, bring ice cream sundaes from Plaza.
- Exit after HEA

MK Day 2 (+3)
- RD to Tomorrowland
- Buzz, Astro, Speedway, Tea Party, meet Alice et al, Dumbo, Under the Sea
- FP Ariel 10:00-11:00 (arrive end of window)
- FP Enchanted Tales 11:10-12:10
- Meet Gaston
- ADR BoG 12:30
- FP SDMT 1:30-2:30
- Philharmagic, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, People Mover, Carousel of Progress, Meet Buzz
- ADR Ohana 4pm
- Get kids back to Boardwalk and in bed around normal bedtime (7:30) given the early start

MK Day 3 (+6)
- Day before is our late HS day, so assuming we may sleep in a bit, arrive after park open
- RR to Frontierland
- FP BTMRR 9:15-10:15
- Tom Sawyer Island
- FP Pirates 10:15-11:15
- Magic Carpets, other Adventureland that we didn't get through on day 1
- ADR CRT 12:00
- Liberty square / Frontierland we didn't finish on day 1
- 3pm parade (plan to view from Frontierland)
- FP Splash 3:15-4:15
- Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire (last show of day, 4ish?)
- Bonus FP or things we haven't accomplished yet. QS dinner depending on what land we end up in.
- Earlier exit (6:30ish) to try for a normal bed time

MK Day 4 (+9)
- Departure day, but flight isn't until 8:25pm, so planning to be back to resort by 4:45
- PPO ADR BoG
- Whatever the girls want to do in Fantasyland (assuming at least one SDMT before the RD crowd gets there)
- FP SDMT 9:30-10:30 (do whenever we're ready to head to the next land)
- FP Barnstormer??? My understanding is that this is going to be quite frustrating for our family because of the two seats per row, three kids under 7 issue. Not sure if it's even worth trying. If we do FP this, I'm making mine for Space, everyone else here, and using RS to ride with the girls.
- FP Space for Mom 10:30-11:30, RS for Dad. Kids can visit characters, Monsters Inc, People mover while we swap
- FP BTMRR 11:30-12:30
- QS Lunch, bonus FPs and afternoon touring based on what they liked from the first three days, what we may have missed, etc
- 3:45 start heading toward the exit to catch Magical Express

I *feel* like I'm giving myself enough room for things. I left 2 hours for every ADR, tried to minimize walking by generally keeping us moving in one direction through the day, etc. Plus, there are a few good chunks of time on days 3 and 4 that should help me get through whatever we didn't accomplish earlier. I left BoG, CRT, and SDMT until at least +3 so that I have a better chance of nabbing them.

So, hive mind, where am I going to cause myself problems?

 

[pitpat]

first day you may want to meet Merida first. Also Wendy doesn't meet and I don't think Peter meets until the afternoon.

You clearly put a lot of thought into this. 4 days will give you plenty of time to fit everything in. Don't see a reason you'd have trouble with FPs. I don't know what the deal is with BOG anymore after they change.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

first day you may want to meet Merida first. Also Wendy doesn't meet and I don't think Peter meets until the afternoon.

Great info. I must have been looking at an old list that showed Peter and Wendy meeting by the ride. Really, that would just be to kill some time between FPs without going too far. Maybe I can do Merida first and put It's a Small World in there instead. How do the lines get for Merida?

 

[Calee]

So I'm calculating that you are going in Feb, correct? A relatively slower time. You will be fine. With 4 days in the MK you will have plenty of time to do everything you want to do. Don't skip barnstormer, it's a cute ride. With 4 days you will have plenty of time to do it. Pick up a 4th fast pass for 2 of you at a time if you need to.

I wouldn't wait until 315 for your splash fp. I would move it earlier to open up the ability to get additional fp.

 

[kagmypts]

Do not waste a FP on Barnstormer. The wait is so short thst it is hardly worth it!

 

[Ben E N]

Day 2 I would move Gaston up to closer to 10. If you get in line before he ever shows up, it will be the shortest line of the day, as only "in the know" people know he's coming. Otherwise, when you show up you will be in line behind others who were already waiting for the previous M&G time. He's so fun and interactive that he's worth waiting for, but that encourages more people to wait for longer.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I wouldn't wait until 315 for your splash fp. I would move it earlier to open up the ability to get additional fp.

I don't love how late that FP is, but between CRT and the parade, I'm worried about where to fit it in. I know they can get really busy at lunch and I don't want to be rushing to try to get to Splash and shove into a spot before the parade starts. The girls LOVE a good parade, so I want to get there in time to be able to comfortably situate the stroller in first row viewing.

My plan would be to try to shift Pirates up once I tap into BTMRR, and then Splash once I tap into Pirates If I can get it by 11, then great. Otherwise, I keep it for after the parade. How would you configure it differently to fit Splash in earlier?

 

[disneydreamer1980]

My last 2 trips (2016&2017)I couldn’t get CRT til my tenth day, and I tried for that first on ADR morning. Could be because I always go during free dining though. And I agree with the other PPs, with 4 days in MK you’ll be able to fit everything you want to do in. We always do 4 MK days also. Have fun!

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Do not waste a FP on Barnstormer. The wait is so short thst it is hardly worth it!

I'm not sure what else to do with those FPs if not Barnstormer. I really want to do Space, but with the kids being too short, it'll have to be a swap. From what I can tell, there's nothing else over there that hubby and 3 kids under 7 could FP while we do the swap. The only things that can seat 4 (Peoplemover, Monsters Inc, CoP) either don't have FP or don't need it. From what I'm looking at, he won't be able to take them on Buzz because at least one of them would have to be in a car without an adult, which they are too young to do. Same goes for Astro, Speedway, even Dumbo from what I understand. So, I either do a combo of FP and RS to get us all on Barnstormer, or I don't book 3rd FPs for the rest of the party.

If I'm wrong about being able to take 3 kids on any of those other rides, I'd love to hear it. My initial plan was that they would ride Buzz, as I expect that'll be one they want to repeat, but with the rules about having a 14+ supervise an under 7, I don't see how we'd make that work without both parents.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Day 2 I would move Gaston up to closer to 10. If you get in line before he ever shows up, it will be the shortest line of the day, as only "in the know" people know he's coming. Otherwise, when you show up you will be in line behind others who were already waiting for the previous M&G time. He's so fun and interactive that he's worth waiting for, but that encourages more people to wait for longer.

Hmmm, that's a tough one. I'm trying to bang out quite a bit those first two hours of my RD day, and cutting all the way up to Gaston that early would require me to either a) skip a lot or b) backtrack a lot that morning. I know that RD to Tomorrowland without trying to hit Space should afford short lines, but I'm still trying to hit 7 attractions in 2 hours. That was the morning that worried me the most.

Maybe I could move him to the 4th morning, and then do it right at 10. We'll already be in Fantasyland for the PPO, so we wouldn't be getting so far out of our way for him. I could always take a peek to see what the line looks like on Day 2. If it's too long, then I make sure to get there before 10 on day 4.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

My last 2 trips (2016&2017)I couldn’t get CRT til my tenth day, and I tried for that first on ADR morning. Could be because I always go during free dining though. And I agree with the other PPs, with 4 days in MK you’ll be able to fit everything you want to do in. We always do 4 MK days also. Have fun!

CRT and BoG are the ones I'm most concerned about. I'd be willing to shift them around between the various MK days if I need to, but this is the way I'd prefer them. If I really can't get it earlier, I can book CRT as my 180+9 lunch and then work around the other days.

It's funny, I've been popping into the dining system whenever I think of it in the morning to see what's actually available at 180. The last few weeks, with 180 days being the holidays, nothing is ever there. Then, suddenly, this week, I've been seeing BoG and CRT lunches just sitting there at 8am on day 180!!! I know early January is supposed to be the lightest time of the year, but I didn't realize it would be that much easier to book dining. So, I'm hoping since I'm NOT going during free dining, I'll be able to hit them where I've currently got them planned. If not, I guess I'll have 4 months to rework things before FPs.

 

[VTNuke]

It's fine to get the same FP over multiple days. Some rides you'll be able to walk on at any time. You'll still get those in, but if you wanted to do, say, the SDMT multiple times, you'll could end up in a long line for that 2nd time around. If you've done this much prep work, I'd say touringplans is probably work the $20 for your trip. They have a lot of information about prioritizing your FP's and can even help you set up the best way to hit each attraction in the park.

In the end, you'll have plenty of time to do everything you want in 4 days.

 

[gharter]

Looks like a great plan. Should have plenty of time to get everything done without pushing too hard.
And having some sit down shows in the afternoon helps so the kids don't get as tired.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Looks like a great plan. Should have plenty of time to get everything done without pushing too hard.
And having some sit down shows in the afternoon helps so the kids don't get as tired.

Thanks! My girls love shows of all kinds, so I'm hoping they'll be a nice respite after heavier touring in the morning.