Reasonable expectations

[tom1944]

We will be taking our first trip as DVC owners in August. We are staying at BLT.

The trip will center around my 4 year old granddaughter.

The plan is to spend 1 day at each park, have 1 free day and if we park hop it will be to MK.

We will schedule 1 meal every day rotating between either breakfast, lunch or dinner.

What would be a reasonable expectation of the number of rides/shows to be able to do at each park?

Since we will be going back yearly I want to do the trip as stress free as possible

 

[npatellye]

There are so many variables to this that it’s really hard to say. Will you be doing early entry? Will you have a stroller for the 4 year old? How fast will you be walking? Will you have Genie+? Will you be taking breaks, shopping, visiting characters, getting snacks, pausing for photos, etc. in between rides or as you walk around?

 

[tom1944]

We will do early entry some days
We will have a stroller
We will have Genie+
Yes to breaks, characters, snacks and shopping
We have purchased the photo service. I forgot what it is called

I am hoping that we can get in a total of 6 to 8 rides /show’s combined plus 1 sit down meal without that being too much for my granddaughter at each park.

 

[Bearval]

We will be taking our first trip as DVC owners in August. We are staying at BLT.

The trip will center around my 4 year old granddaughter.

The plan is to spend 1 day at each park, have 1 free day and if we park hop it will be to MK.

We will schedule 1 meal every day rotating between either breakfast, lunch or dinner.

What would be a reasonable expectation of the number of rides/shows to be able to do at each park?

Since we will be going back yearly I want to do the trip as stress free as possible

I would skip the idea of park hopping with a 4 year old especially in the August summer Florida heat and humidity. Plan on hitting the park 1st thing in the morning, go back to the resort room to rest up or go to the pool for the afternoon and if your granddaughter is up for it go back to the park in the early evening to hit the rides you couldn't get on when you were there in the morning.

 

[tom1944]

I would skip the idea of park hopping with a 4 year old especially in the August summer Florida heat and humidity. Plan on hitting the park 1st thing in the morning, go back to the resort room to rest up or go to the pool for the afternoon and if your granddaughter is up for it go back to the park in the early evening to hit the rides you couldn't get on when you were there in the morning.

That was the plan.

The idea to hop to MK was because we are staying at BLT so that would be where we would go back after her nap/rest period. Only if she was up for it.

Since we have 3 adults one or two will always have the option to keep going at the park when the others are back resting

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

Lucky grandchild! LOL. I think your plan is good. I'd expect 3-5 rides per day, and if you can research "stacking" Genie and Lightning Lanes, I think that's better.

Our preference is eat breakfast/coffee in the room, kids swim 7-1, quick service poolside lunch in there, then nap/clean up and head out around 5 p.m. for early dinner and then do the rest of the rides at dusk/cooler temperatures.

Crowds for the stroller set are calmer after 5 p.m., and you can bang out a LOT of rides during fireworks at MK. Since you're so close to BLT anyway, and MK is the little kid haven, I'd use the hoppers/stacking to do rides later in the day and relax together during daylight hours poolside or having a nice lunch in AC together. We only like 3-4 hours in the heat anyway, so 5-9 p.m. is perfect.
We also love character breakfasts as a late lunch. Little kids just want to use the pool all day anyway, so even if they wake up at the crack of dawn and swim at 7 a.m.-11 a.m.,, you can still make it over to Topolinos or Chef Mickey's or Steakhouse 71 for brunch, fill up, then hit the parks or go back to the pool until suppertime.

Lastly, even if the little one can't hang late nights, the adults should DEFINITELY take advantage of the DVC late hours Mondays and Wednesdays. You can hit everything with low crowds, out of the heat. Just eat a big meal beforehand. There's very limited food options.

 

[tom1944]

Lucky grandchild! LOL. I think your plan is good. I'd expect 3-5 rides per day, and if you can research "stacking" Genie and Lightning Lanes, I think that's better.

Our preference is eat breakfast/coffee in the room, kids swim 7-1, quick service poolside lunch in there, then nap/clean up and head out around 5 p.m. for early dinner and then do the rest of the rides at dusk/cooler temperatures.

Crowds for the stroller set are calmer after 5 p.m., and you can bang out a LOT of rides during fireworks at MK. Since you're so close to BLT anyway, and MK is the little kid haven, I'd use the hoppers/stacking to do rides later in the day and relax together during daylight hours poolside or having a nice lunch in AC together. We only like 3-4 hours in the heat anyway, so 5-9 p.m. is perfect.
We also love character breakfasts as a late lunch. Little kids just want to use the pool all day anyway, so even if they wake up at the crack of dawn and swim at 7 a.m.-11 a.m.,, you can still make it over to Topolinos or Chef Mickey's or Steakhouse 71 for brunch, fill up, then hit the parks or go back to the pool until suppertime.

Lastly, even if the little one can't hang late nights, the adults should DEFINITELY take advantage of the DVC late hours Mondays and Wednesdays. You can hit everything with low crowds, out of the heat. Just eat a big meal beforehand. There's very limited food options.

This is something we will definitely consider

 

[RoseGold]

My 4 year old loved loved loved the late hours, maybe yours is a night owl too. We sat on Barnstormer like eight times until I felt sick.

The rides for this age won't have much line, so even G+ and ILL aren't really going to help you. Exception would be Remy and Frozen, I guess.

Give her a few options. Would you like to see the bird show or ride the train to see the animals? Would you like to ride a high up ride (dumbo) or meet Ariel?

Honestly, I'd skip HS. And this is tough because my favorite character meal for this age is Hollywood and Vine lunch. Reasonable-ish price, buffet is massive and surprisingly good and Mickey and Minnie are the whole point. If you have hoppers, I would consider hopping to do lunch in the afternoon and then Muppets and Frozen, maybe Aliens or Toy Story if the lines aren't crazy. In this age group, HS is a half day park for us.

If she's a princess-y girl, Bibbiti is the ticket. Even if you have to cut the trip in another way. Bring your own dress and sneak it to the cast member and just do the cheapest package. They'll surprise her with it in the dressing room.

 

[tom1944]

My 4 year old loved loved loved the late hours, maybe yours is a night owl too. We sat on Barnstormer like eight times until I felt sick.

The rides for this age won't have much line, so even G+ and ILL aren't really going to help you. Exception would be Remy and Frozen, I guess.

Give her a few options. Would you like to see the bird show or ride the train to see the animals? Would you like to ride a high up ride (dumbo) or meet Ariel?

Honestly, I'd skip HS. And this is tough because my favorite character meal for this age is Hollywood and Vine lunch. Reasonable-ish price, buffet is massive and surprisingly good and Mickey and Minnie are the whole point. If you have hoppers, I would consider hopping to do lunch in the afternoon and then Muppets and Frozen, maybe Aliens or Toy Story if the lines aren't crazy. In this age group, HS is a half day park for us.

If she's a princess-y girl, Bibbiti is the ticket. Even if you have to cut the trip in another way. Bring your own dress and sneak it to the cast member and just do the cheapest package. They'll surprise her with it in the dressing room.

We will be at Hollywood and Vine for breakfast to hopefully see Doc McStuffin but we can spend limited time at HS.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

In my experience, it was not the 4-year old who tired first, at least not if the toddler had a stroller.

Hopping is easy if you are already planning a mid-day break. Genie+ favors hopping. IMO, if you hop and use G+ effectively, then your odds of more than 8 rides is high, but that might be variable.

August weather though is where you might find a bit of a challenge. Generally, I don't mind the heat most days, but our general strategy is to take a short afternoon break every afternoon during the peak heat/storm hours. In FL, afternoon storms are very common, and they are often absolute downpours. Some days they last 10minutes, other days they last longer. If there is lightning anywhere near WDW, even if it is sunny, then they close the pools, coasters, animal attractions, and stop running any shuttle boats.

What I have found is that (toughing it out through) the afternoon heat tends to make everyone sleepy, especially right after lunch. This is especially true for those who drink alcohol.

Some trips, there are no storms, other times there are storms every day. That could have a big impact on how many rides you are able to cover.

August is also hurricane season. So again, the weather could have a significant impact on your visits.

IMO, the evening weather is often fantastic. People who start early then tough out the afternoons though usually end the day early. Many people do not return after the storms pass.

Much also depends on your general endurance level and health. Some trips everyone is 100%, but there are many trips where oddball things happen and we didn't feel up to marathon days. Plans can get derailed by a blister, soaked sneakers, upset stomach, dehydration, etc.

One more tidbit, WDW considers August to be Halloween season. They have been pushing this back more and more every year. It is pretty crazy! WDW makes more $ when they double sell park admission. I expect they will keep adding more of these moneymakers in the years ahead, and that regular park hours will keep trending down. How many rides you are able to cover will also depends on if you are willing to pay the added PM park fees.

Even with the above, we like WDW in summer. The water rides are especially fun. With rides, we're indoors much of the day. Bay Lake Tower is a great location. A plus is seeing the water parade every night. It is a fun way to end the day.

 

[DisDreaming4116]

Lucky grandchild! LOL. I think your plan is good. I'd expect 3-5 rides per day, and if you can research "stacking" Genie and Lightning Lanes, I think that's better.

Our preference is eat breakfast/coffee in the room, kids swim 7-1, quick service poolside lunch in there, then nap/clean up and head out around 5 p.m. for early dinner and then do the rest of the rides at dusk/cooler temperatures.

Crowds for the stroller set are calmer after 5 p.m., and you can bang out a LOT of rides during fireworks at MK. Since you're so close to BLT anyway, and MK is the little kid haven, I'd use the hoppers/stacking to do rides later in the day and relax together during daylight hours poolside or having a nice lunch in AC together. We only like 3-4 hours in the heat anyway, so 5-9 p.m. is perfect.
We also love character breakfasts as a late lunch. Little kids just want to use the pool all day anyway, so even if they wake up at the crack of dawn and swim at 7 a.m.-11 a.m.,, you can still make it over to Topolinos or Chef Mickey's or Steakhouse 71 for brunch, fill up, then hit the parks or go back to the pool until suppertime.

Lastly, even if the little one can't hang late nights, the adults should DEFINITELY take advantage of the DVC late hours Mondays and Wednesdays. You can hit everything with low crowds, out of the heat. Just eat a big meal beforehand. There's very limited food options.

Regardless of age of the guests, I LOVE this style of touring, with some caveats.
Unless this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip (which it's not for you), being able to sleep in a little, eat breakfast in the room, go swimming and getting to a park by 1-2pm (5pm seems too late) is a perfect day for me. Stack the G+ LL for the afternoon and evening.
We've not had success with getting to the park early, going back to the resort and then going back to the park at night. Too much temptation to stay at the resort at that point.
Also, don't doubt the amount of energy a child in a stroller has. I've seen too many parents (myself included) crawling their way to the park exit at 11pm while a little one is doing cartwheels.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

Regardless of age of the guests, I LOVE this style of touring, with some caveats.
Unless this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip (which it's not for you), being able to sleep in a little, eat breakfast in the room, go swimming and getting to a park by 1-2pm (5pm seems too late) is a perfect day for me. Stack the G+ LL for the afternoon and evening.
We've not had success with getting to the park early, going back to the resort and then going back to the park at night. Too much temptation to stay at the resort at that point.
Also, don't doubt the amount of energy a child in a stroller has. I've seen too many parents (myself included) crawling their way to the park exit at 11pm while a little one is doing cartwheels.

They’re going in August though. Heading out 1-2 p.m. is the absolute pinnacle of heat and beating sunshine. We love 2nd shift parks. I am a reformed rope dropper after having DVC and two little kids at WDW in August twice. If it was not summertime, I am with you, but August heat is brutal.

 

[Brian Noble]

My advice: don’t worry about it! You are going to go back. Often!

In general, I either take a mid day break, or we do a “3/4 day” (defined as a sleep in day until about dinner) every day. Some days we skip a planned post break return. Even then my mistake is usually too much park time rather than too little.

Additionally, many of our best memories are not the rides/shows but the unexpected “in between“ times that I couldn’t plan if I tried—and those aren’t always in the Parks.

 

[kylenne]

They’re going in August though. Heading out 1-2 p.m. is the absolute pinnacle of heat and beating sunshine. We love 2nd shift parks. I am a reformed rope dropper after having DVC and two little kids at WDW in August twice. If it was not summertime, I am with you, but August heat is brutal.

Agreed. Even as an adult who knows how bad the summer heat is and prepares for it extensively (hydration, rest, etc) I've still been taken out by it once or twice on trips in July and August.

We plan on mixing our rope drop with midday break days with late starts and afternoon LL stacking on our upcoming trip, but we're going at the end of May. I would never do the latter during the worst of peak summer temps, it's a recipe for trouble.

 

[Brian Noble]

late starts and afternoon LL stacking on our upcoming trip, but we're going at the end of May. I would never do the latter during the worst of peak summer temps, it's a recipe for trouble.

We tried a mid-day start in Epcot in June. Once.

We were melting into the pavement within about two hours, and just bailed to come back later that night. We turned around and ducked from one air-conditioned building to another and retreated to Olivia's to just chill--literally and figuratively.

 

[kylenne]

We tried a mid-day start in Epcot in June. Once.

We were melting into the pavement within about two hours, and just bailed to come back later that night. We turned around and ducked from one air-conditioned building to another and retreated to Olivia's to just chill--literally and figuratively.

My first solo trip was in mid August before the closures, and one day I thought I would get in a ride on Spaceship Earth before leaving for my midday break since I had pulled a FP. But the FP line was backed up and naturally I ended up getting stuck in the worst possible part of the line with the sun beating down on me. I ended up having to get a Minnie Van back to POFQ because I literally couldn't make it the extra steps over to the regular rideshare pickup area. I learned not to push it in the summer after that.

 

[DavidNYC]

We will be taking our first trip as DVC owners in August. We are staying at BLT.

The trip will center around my 4 year old granddaughter.

The plan is to spend 1 day at each park, have 1 free day and if we park hop it will be to MK.

We will schedule 1 meal every day rotating between either breakfast, lunch or dinner.

What would be a reasonable expectation of the number of rides/shows to be able to do at each park?

Since we will be going back yearly I want to do the trip as stress free as possible

With a full day in each park you should have no issues doing every ride/show that she is eligible to ride at least once - especially if you're doing Genie+. Should be able to get on a few a second time as well. If you want stress free - just do a little pre-research to understand how to use Genie+ well and how to take advantage of those first and last couple hours where you can get a lot done.

 

[HeiHei2018]

We have taken my daughter at ages 4, 5, 7, and 10, with the last two trips in August. Always with three adults like you will have. If you are staying at Contemporary, definitely spring for the park hoppers and hop over to MK if you are feeling lively after the afternoon rain. If you are going in mid to late august, hoppers will also help you navigate around Halloween parties. Go to MK at rope drop on party days. Hop to MK right before fireworks on a non party day to see the fireworks. Rides and shows for little ones tend not to get huge lines, so you will be able to do plenty with Genie and Early Entry. (Our pre Covid MK rope drop was always Pooh, Dumbo, Ariel meet, Ariel ride, and the Sideshow Character meets, usually in 90 minutes or less.) Definitely research which rides and meets will be best for Genie (Peter Pan, Mickey meets, princess meets). I do recommend bringing a phone to let granddaughter play while waiting in line. (15 minutes is a long time to wait at age 4.) It sounds like she will have a great first visit and things to look forward to for many years. At 4, my daughter loved princesses but was too timid to go near them at meets. But she remembreed that Rapunzel had offered for her to touch her hair, and going back to touch Rapunzel’s hair was her top priority the next year.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Oh, I'm about the opposite. I don't like being cold, so August mostly feels great to me. Prior to my first summer visit to WDW, I imagined it would be hotter than it is. When I actually got there, it just felt like summer to me. The nights are often fabulous. FL doesn't have any mountains, and it is a peninsula, so there's often a nice evening breeze.

Mind, we usually do take a short break in afternoon. The warmth does tend to make us sleepy.

The afternoon storms make late afternoon unpredictable.

Last August, we saw huge bolts of lightning in Tomorrowland. (6-7pm) It was powerful! We hopped to MK from another park, and had G+. First part of the day, we used our pass in another park, then around 2pm, we swapped to booking G+ in MK.

We got to MK, and used our first pass for Space Mtn. As were exited Space Mtn, the storm started. Our next pass was for BTMRR, but it was down. that gave us an anything pass, which we used to ride Buzz. After that storm was heavy, rain so heavy it was hard to see. So we simply went over to Carousel of Progress. When it was over, we watched the rain for a few minutes until it let up a bit.

The lighting lasted though! People mover was running, but with the lightning, we shied away from riding it.

Our next pre-booked pass was for another ride that was down. Much of MK was down: Astro Orbiter, BTMRR, Splash, Barnstomer, Dumbo, 7DMT, Aladdin's Carpets, Jungle Cruise.

The rides that were open had significant standby waits, but with G+, we were able to go from G+ to G+. We rode Little Mermaid, Pooh, Small World, HM, Pirates, Tiki room. I don't recall everything, except BTMRR did not reopen that night, and towards the end of the night we were able to ride Peter Pan with only a 10 minute wait.

For us, we rode a lot of rides that night, but I am inclined to say most park goers left MK early that night and didn't ride anything after 7 or 8pm. Also, we were limited in what was open. It was an odd night, but a good example of how unpredictable evenings can be.

"How many' is also always going to be highly subject to which attractions/shows one chooses to ride. You can choose low wait attractions, long wait attractions, character greets, and shows like Hall of Presidents. Your time will also be greatly impacted by meals, bathroom breaks, mobility speed, and shopping.

 

[Boopuff]

Had I known... we brought my GS (age 1) stroller and all. We had wonderful plans... so in hindsight we should've chucked those ... We slowed down a lot, and just had a wonderful time. Baby had a blast. Go and enjoy!