Which Park Plan Strategy??

[RPM1214]

We are going on my DS5 first trip in July. He is on the timid side when comes to rides, but is tall enough for most Disney rides. I'm thinking we will spend the most time in MK and even AK, but want to hit all of the parks. Even with Toy Story Land, I don't know if we really want a full day there though as we aren't going to do RnR or TT and aren't huge Star Wars fans BUT realize we'll probably have to use the 7am EMH to get Toy Story rides in. We had debated park hoppers, but after making plans, are leaning towards NOT doing them this first trip (still food for thought though). Fast pass day is in a few weeks, so I want to be ready. Which plan looks better? Thanks for any feedback

Also, flight arrives Day 1 @ 8:30am and departs Day 6@ 7pm so I'm planning 6 park days.

Option#1:
Day 1-Check in and head to Magic Kingdom
Day 2-Epcot
Day 3-MK with EMM
Day 4-AK
Day 5-HS with 7am EMH for Toy Story rides
Day 6-Check out and head to MK or AK

Option #2:
Day 1-Check in and head to DHS and hope to do at least one Toy Story ride (probably just TSMM as I'm sure other FP won't be able to get)
Day 2-Epcot
Day 3-MK with EMM
Day 4-AK
Day 5-MK
Day 6-Check out and head to AK

 

[mousehouse23]

I'd go with #1.

Visiting Magic Kingdom first is always a good idea, especially with a little one. And I like the idea of getting the most out of EMH at HS. You may be pretty tired by that point of the vacation, anyway, so only being there half a day isn't necessarily a bad thing. You can enjoy Toy Story Land, watch Disney Junior or some other shows, and use the rest of the day to swim or check out Disney Springs.

I think Base tickets are perfectly fine for a first trip, especially with a younger child. That being said, if you want the OPTION of changing your mind later--and keeping your planning flexible--the Park Hopper is your friend.

You can still get in 3 days at MK if you want to head there on your departure day. It would be nice to have 2 days for AK (especially if you want to go to Rafiki's Planet Watch), but honestly, I think he's going to love MK the most. And it's a great way of bookending your trip.

 

[RPM1214]

I'd go with #1.

Visiting Magic Kingdom first is always a good idea, especially with a little one. And I like the idea of getting the most out of EMH at HS. You may be pretty tired by that point of the vacation, anyway, so only being there half a day isn't necessarily a bad thing. You can enjoy Toy Story Land, watch Disney Junior or some other shows, and use the rest of the day to swim or check out Disney Springs.

I think Base tickets are perfectly fine for a first trip, especially with a younger child. That being said, if you want the OPTION of changing your mind later--and keeping your planning flexible--the Park Hopper is your friend.

You can still get in 3 days at MK if you want to head there on your departure day. It would be nice to have 2 days for AK (especially if you want to go to Rafiki's Planet Watch), but honestly, I think he's going to love MK the most. And it's a great way of bookending your trip.

Thank you so much!! I appreciate your help as we've been getting overwhelmed trying to figure out the "best" plan to keep our family sane and be able to enjoy the vacation in the July heat with a 5 year old whose forte isn't waiting patiently lol.

 

[sharonabe]

I also like Option #1. It looks more relaxed.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I think I'd go with Option #1 as well. If your focus in DHS is Toy Story Land, I think that may be your best way to get on the rides. As PP said, if you decide you want to hop once you are there, you can always add that option to your ticket!

 

[Surgie2]

I like Plan 1 as well. You might consider Frozen Ever After at HS - have heard it's great even for those who don't love Frozen (gasp!). We have two 5 year-old grandkids in our group and one who is 4 so we did FP for Disney Jr., Frozen and Star Tours (which they may decide not to do). HS took a bit more advance planning than I expected. We are doing family photos at our resort in the morning so we aren't arriving until after lunch. I checked all the afternoon show times before making FP which was helpful - they don't all run every hour.