Which schedule is better?

[hkkatie]

Ok, so our trip isn't until August 2018, but I'm really conflicted on which kind of schedule we should follow. I don't know if my family would want to spend time going back to the hotel mid-day, so I'm assuming we will be at the parks from Rope drop until the fireworks, or possibly later depending on the closing time and how much energy we have. Also, haven't decided which parks are which day, will depend on the crowd calendars when they come out. Let me know which itinerary sounds better to you. (2 adults, 4 kids ages 5-15). Our "off" days would be sleeping in, swimming at the hotel, visiting Disney Springs/other resorts, possibly dinner reservations at other resorts. And probably doing laundry, haha. We do not plan to park hop. This is our first trip to WDW and I don't know if we will ever get to go back. (If we do, it will be several years later). Thanks for your input.

#1 (5 park days, 3 days "off")

Day 1 (Mon) arrive
Day 2 (Tue) park
Day 3 (Wed) off
Day 4 (Thu) park
Day 5 (Fri) off (My birthday, dinner at Hoop de Doo)
Day 6 (Sat) park
Day 7 (Sun) off
Day 8 (Mon) park
Day 9 (Tue) park
Day 10 (Wed) depart


#2 (6 park days, 2 days "off")

Day 1 (Mon) arrive
Day 2 (Tue) park
Day 3 (Wed) park
Day 4 (Thu) off
Day 5 (Fri) park (my birthday)
Day 6 (Sat) park
Day 7 (Sun) off
Day 8 (Mon) park
Day 9 (Tue) park
Day 10 (Wed) depart

 

[Shanti]

Ok, so our trip isn't until August 2018, but I'm really conflicted on which kind of schedule we should follow. I don't know if my family would want to spend time going back to the hotel mid-day, so I'm assuming we will be at the parks from Rope drop until the fireworks, or possibly later depending on the closing time and how much energy we have. Also, haven't decided which parks are which day, will depend on the crowd calendars when they come out. Let me know which itinerary sounds better to you. (2 adults, 4 kids ages 5-15). Our "off" days would be sleeping in, swimming at the hotel, visiting Disney Springs/other resorts, possibly dinner reservations at other resorts. And probably doing laundry, haha. We do not plan to park hop. This is our first trip to WDW and I don't know if we will ever get to go back. (If we do, it will be several years later). Thanks for your input.

#1

Day 1 (Mon) arrive
Day 2 (Tue) park
Day 3 (Wed) off
Day 4 (Thu) park
Day 5 (Fri) off (My birthday, dinner at Hoop de Doo)
Day 6 (Sat) park
Day 7 (Sun) off
Day 8 (Mon) park
Day 9 (Tue) park
Day 10 (Wed) depart


#2

Day 1 (Mon) arrive
Day 2 (Tue) park
Day 3 (Wed) park
Day 4 (Thu) off
Day 5 (Fri) park (my birthday)
Day 6 (Sat) park
Day 7 (Sun) off
Day 8 (Mon) park
Day 9 (Tue) park
Day 10 (Wed) depart

I think you've made a great start by acknowledging the need for downtime & resort days in your plans from the get-go. For too many people, that is neglected ("we'll rest when we get home"), and trips without breaks exhaust people and lead to meltdowns & feeling like they need a 2nd vacation just to rest when they get home. Especially in the heat of summer, downtime is really important.

That said, I'm leaning more towards Option #2, but would have two of your "park" days be water park days, one at Typhoon Lagoon and one at Blizzard Beach. They are both amazing water parks, charmingly themed and clean and not like any water park I've seen outside of Disney. They're very refreshing, both as a way to cool off, and for the fact that while they have fun attractions & food, you don't need to worry about FPs or ADRs while you're there, so the atmosphere at the water parks is more relaxed than at the theme parks. Avoid visiting the water parks on weekends, btw.

I would keep a dinner at Hoop Dee Doo Revue in there. Arrival day might be a good day for that, or one of your resort days. It's a special event that I consider a must-do. Don't worry about making it on your actual birthday. You'll be celebrating your birthday all week at Disney.

Try to stay at a comfortable, nearby resort or hotel with a great pool, to make the most of your days off. At Disney, the best resorts for pools imo are:

1. Yacht Club or Beach Club (they share the phenomenal Stormalong Bay pool complex, & crowding isn't a problem because they scan Magic Bands for access)
2. Animal Kingdom Lodge (all guests have access to 2 feature pools, one at Jambo House & one at Kidani)
3. Boardwalk Inn (roller coaster-themed slide, but you can't be scared of clowns)
   
4. Polynesian Resort (features a mini-waterfall & volcano slide, but this pool is the most crowded, probably because it's the one most frequently crashed by non-guests)

There are other Disney resorts with great pools, though, & the offsite hotels Hilton at Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria at Bonnet Creek (which are both on WDW property) have a great pool complex & free park shuttles, as well.

Happy planning and have a great trip!

 

[hkkatie]

Great information! Thank you! I actually hadn't considered the water parks because I'm not a huge fan of them. Last time I went to a water park was probably when I was a teenager, maybe 20 years ago. Are the Disney water parks really worth doing over another day at one of the parks?

 

[kwdw]

Schedule 2. If your family has never been - they aren't going to want a break after one day in the park - and you are going to want 6 park days. Also - not sure what time of day you will arrive and leave - but you can often plan activities on those days. I also find it interesting that you are arriving on Monday. Not sure what your work life dictates (or your budget) - but if you could move that back to arriving on Sunday and having a longer trip - I'd do it.

I really like the Disney water parks - but unless your kids love water parks - I'm not sure they are worth adding if this is viewed as your "only" trip to Disney. 6 park days is about right - I wouldn't want to give up one of those for a water park.

You already mentioned not getting park hoppers - so I don't think the added cost of the water parks is good to add to your budget.

With 6 of you - I'd suggest AoA as a resort if you haven't picked one yet and you want to be in one room. I think CSR has the best pool of the mods if you are going to pick a mod. If you are staying DVC - I'd suggest AKV - Kidani has a much better pool slide! Though - lots of folks love BC.

 

[hkkatie]

The main reason for flying in on a Monday is because it's cheaper than Sunday, lol. But also because we are currently living overseas. The first part of our US trip will be on the west coast to visit family for a couple of weeks. At the end of our WDW trip, we would probably need to fly back to California on Wed, stay one night in a hotel, then fly back to Hong Kong on Thursday. With the time change, we would arrive home on Friday night. That gives our kids about one week to get over jet lag before they have to start school again. So Monday to the following Wednesday gives us 10 days on FL. (Incl. travel days). Will consider changing to Sunday if the price increase isn't drastic.

I've been looking at flights already to get an idea of them for next year. If things remain the same as they are now, the most likely flight would have us landing at MCO around 5:45 pm. By the time we get to the resort, there probably won't be a lot of time to do anything besides getting dinner, looking around the hotel a bit, then going to bed early so we can hit rope drop.

My kids love swimming, but truthfully I have never taken them to a water park, and I doubt they would miss it as long as we have access to a good pool. But I will take a look at the water parks, talk to my kids and see how they feel about it. But yes, budget is a factor.

 

[earfulofmagic]

Since this is your first and potentially only trip, I would go with plan 2. Although the water parks are nice and you'll likely find that with four kids, you can easily spend a day there, I would skip them for now.

One caveat: for one (or possibly two) of the park days, I would make them half or 3/4 days, whether late start or early finish. You can get lots done between rope drop and lunch, then spend another hour or so and leave. Or you can enter at 4 and stay til midnight. It'll be dependent on which park you choose for those kinds of days, but that's my two cents.

Finally, since you're a party of 6 -- if you want to stay deluxe, do consider renting DVC points for a one or two bedroom villa! That's your call, as you would be spending a fair amount of time in the parks and could probably do fine with a family suite at Art of Animation or two rooms at one of the values. You might still come out ahead with a DVC rental all the same.

 

[Macprincess]

Florida resident who transplanted from California several years ago. I know you said you don't really want to do afternoon breaks but you may want to reconsider this or have an indoor plan for your afternoons because your going to be here in August! I don't want to be a downer but you must be prepared. August is typically extremely humid and you can just about guarantee rain storm every afternoon or early evening which will more then likely be complete with lightning and thunder.

I would suggest getting up early daily and doing rope drop which is going to be an adjustment with time zone changes. Yet, this is your best bet to avoid rain storms and extreme heat and humidity. Get your must see attraction done early in the day. Either plan indoor shows, sit down adr's or breaks in the hours between 3-6. This will put you one step ahead of the possible rain storm with a plan or if there is no rain it will get you out of worst part of the heat and humidity of the day. Also, be prepared that Florida summer rains are typically not sweet little drizzles. They come in hard and strong. The good news is they typically only last an hour or so once they arrive.

August is doable. I'll be there this year the first week of August it just requires a slower pace because the weather is draining. We also find our appetite decreases and you will need tons of liquids. Also, lightweight breathable clothes and shoes that dry quickly are a must. Don't forget to reapply sunscreen often.

 

[Shanti]

Great information! Thank you! I actually hadn't considered the water parks because I'm not a huge fan of them. Last time I went to a water park was probably when I was a teenager, maybe 20 years ago. Are the Disney water parks really worth doing over another day at one of the parks?

In summer, my family's opinion is absolutely yes. You've already got one day scheduled for each of the theme parks. If you're unsure, just do one water park day, and spend two days at Magic Kingdom. That's a nice compromise as MK might require 2 days to do it all. But don't bypass the water parks completely. They're nicer than any other water parks we've ever been to. I would pick Typhoon Lagoon, if you're only visiting one.

 

[hkkatie]

Ok, I've looked at a DVC site now, since you all mentioned it. From your experience and/or knowledge, how hard would it be to get connecting AK studios? That's what's in our price range as far as DVC goes. The 2 bedroom villa, although ideal, is a lot more than 2 studios combined. We have a family of 6, so the 1 bedroom isn't going to cut it. Thanks.

 

[kwdw]

Ok, I've looked at a DVC site now, since you all mentioned it. From your experience and/or knowledge, how hard would it be to get connecting AK studios? That's what's in our price range as far as DVC goes. The 2 bedroom villa, although ideal, is a lot more than 2 studios combined. We have a family of 6, so the 1 bedroom isn't going to cut it. Thanks.

I don't think 2 connecting studios is an option. The studios are usually connected to a one bedroom. But I'm not an expert. If you want to consider DVC - look at renting points - not paying listed rates on Disney's website.

Now - on the other end of the scale - you can probably request two connecting rooms at a value.

 

[Arden01]

We usually do a version of Plan 2. My kids would never want to take a break every other day. The only thing I alternate (if I can) is late nights, early mornings. Sometimes we don't even take a whole day off, just a morning/afternoon.

 

[hkkatie]

I don't think 2 connecting studios is an option. The studios are usually connected to a one bedroom. But I'm not an expert. If you want to consider DVC - look at renting points - not paying listed rates on Disney's website.

I've been looking at dvcrequest.com. Is there a different site I should be looking at?

 

[kwdw]

I've been looking at dvcrequest.com. Is there a different site I should be looking at?

There are two "main" companies that rent points - that's probably the largest. In addition - you can look at the Rent/Trade Board here on disboards for individual owners looking to rent points. Two bedroom DVCs are awesome - but they are quite pricey. So - if you don't have the budget for it - don't feel bad and look at other options for 6 people on property (or off).

 

[monorailsilver]

I would pick the 3 days off. We go in August and those days off on top of the mid day breaks are vital to our sanity!

The last time we went was 2013. We had 5 park days and 5 non park days. The park days each had a mid day break, aka a nap which included DH, myself and our 3 kids who were 12, 9 and 7. And they didn't fight the nap, I think the 12 yo was first to fall asleep!

Non park days: 2 were travel days so we spent the arrival day at the pool, followed by chef mickeys then the pool again. Departure day we spent at the pool until 3. We had 2 full pool days, I mean I was up at 6, laundry done by 7:30-8 and I was at the pool at 8 (pre gates) and the kids and DH slowly trickled out and we stayed until 10. The other day off we spent the morning typhoon lagoon, came back to the quiet pool then went to the then downtown Disney.

We are also going in August 2018, I want one more off day to sit at the pool. Our kids will be 17, 14 and 12 so I don't expect them to nap unless they want to, DH may but we still will take a mid day break from the sun on park days.

 

[bellarinah]

My two girls (7 and 5 at the time) and I were at WDW last August for three and a half weeks. And let me tell you this. Under no circumstances, do NOT underestimate the Orlando weather in August!! It is HOT and it is HUMID. Since you said you live in Hong Kong, you are probably familiar with it. But I think it is worse in Orlando since it doesn't have any ocean breeze like Hong Kong. Plus, the infamous afternoon showers!

I totally understand since this is your first and probably only trip for a while, you want to pack in as much as you can. But park hours in August are long, from 9am to 10pm and maybe even longer at times. You're talking about going to bed at midnight and waking up at 7 am here. It definitely sounds good on paper to stay from rope drop to closing but in reality it's very difficult to do, especially with the younger ones (5-year olds). We are rope drop people. During those three and a half weeks, there was only one day that we stayed from rope drop till night (8am to 9.30pm) and I was completely done for that night and the next day. It was wayyyy too exhausting. From my experience, this is what works best for us. We do rope drop and stay till 1 to 2pm. Take an afternoon break to nap/rest or swim, not both. There's never enough time for both. Go back in around 6 or 7 to enjoy night time stuff and close out the park. We will take the mornig off the next day and go in the park late afternoon. Some of the days we do rope drop and maybe stay till 3 or 4pm and take that evening and night off. And rope drop again the next day. We almost never take a full day off from the park. Out of 24 days we were there, we took only 2 full days off. We did take several half days off though. We love visiting the park too much to completely skip it.

As far as the water parks go, let me say this. We are a water park loving family and Disney water parks are fantastic!! But we didn't get to the Disney water parks until our fourth trip last August. The first three trips were all one week long. We spent everyday at WDW, never went off site. There were just so much to do in the main parks. IMHO, I think maybe you'd want to focus on the four main parks this time around. With two younger kids, you will be moving around VERY slowly, even slower that you think!! I learned this the hard way when we went the first time and my kids were 5 and 4. It's also a bit tricky to go to a water park with small kids. You have to be on them at all times. Not that you don't have to be on them at the main parks. But I found water parks to be more difficult. For example, you can normally ride Peter Pan together as a family. Maybe you ride with one of the five-year olds, your husband takes the other, and the two older ones can ride together. But it's not like that at a water park. They do have a family raft ride. But most of the rides, kids have to ride by themselves. I guess you can have one adult ride first, the other adult rides last, and the kids in between. Since I normally travel alone with two kids (My husband doesn't go on a long vacation like that with us. He has to work!!), I don't have that option. I normally go down the slide first and wait till they come down. While I wait, I always wonder what if they are scared and don't want to do it, etc.

I guess what I want to say is this. You do have time on your side, 10 days. Staying from park open to park close with no break in between in August is grueling work. Can be done but very tough. Maybe you'd want to schedule some more breaks. Do some half days. Enjoy your resort pool and room. Don't worry too much about doing every single ride and show (very hard) because you won't, no matter how long your trip is. Just enjoy your time there.

 

[hkkatie]

My two girls (7 and 5 at the time) and I were at WDW last August for three and a half weeks. And let me tell you this. Under no circumstances, do NOT underestimate the Orlando weather in August!! It is HOT and it is HUMID. Since you said you live in Hong Kong, you are probably familiar with it. But I think it is worse in Orlando since it doesn't have any ocean breeze like Hong Kong. Plus, the infamous afternoon showers!

I totally understand since this is your first and probably only trip for a while, you want to pack in as much as you can. But park hours in August are long, from 9am to 10pm and maybe even longer at times. You're talking about going to bed at midnight and waking up at 7 am here. It definitely sounds good on paper to stay from rope drop to closing but in reality it's very difficult to do, especially with the younger ones (5-year olds). We are rope drop people. During those three and a half weeks, there was only one day that we stayed from rope drop till night (8am to 9.30pm) and I was completely done for that night and the next day. It was wayyyy too exhausting. From my experience, this is what works best for us. We do rope drop and stay till 1 to 2pm. Take an afternoon break to nap/rest or swim, not both. There's never enough time for both. Go back in around 6 or 7 to enjoy night time stuff and close out the park. We will take the mornig off the next day and go in the park late afternoon. Some of the days we do rope drop and maybe stay till 3 or 4pm and take that evening and night off. And rope drop again the next day. We almost never take a full day off from the park. Out of 24 days we were there, we took only 2 full days off. We did take several half days off though. We love visiting the park too much to completely skip it.

As far as the water parks go, let me say this. We are a water park loving family and Disney water parks are fantastic!! But we didn't get to the Disney water parks until our fourth trip last August. The first three trips were all one week long. We spent everyday at WDW, never went off site. There were just so much to do in the main parks. IMHO, I think maybe you'd want to focus on the four main parks this time around. With two younger kids, you will be moving around VERY slowly, even slower that you think!! I learned this the hard way when we went the first time and my kids were 5 and 4. It's also a bit tricky to go to a water park with small kids. You have to be on them at all times. Not that you don't have to be on them at the main parks. But I found water parks to be more difficult. For example, you can normally ride Peter Pan together as a family. Maybe you ride with one of the five-year olds, your husband takes the other, and the two older ones can ride together. But it's not like that at a water park. They do have a family raft ride. But most of the rides, kids have to ride by themselves. I guess you can have one adult ride first, the other adult rides last, and the kids in between. Since I normally travel alone with two kids (My husband doesn't go on a long vacation like that with us. He has to work!!), I don't have that option. I normally go down the slide first and wait till they come down. While I wait, I always wonder what if they are scared and don't want to do it, etc.

I guess what I want to say is this. You do have time on your side, 10 days. Staying from park open to park close with no break in between in August is grueling work. Can be done but very tough. Maybe you'd want to schedule some more breaks. Do some half days. Enjoy your resort pool and room. Don't worry too much about doing every single ride and show (very hard) because you won't, no matter how long your trip is. Just enjoy your time there.

Thanks for all of your good insight. Right now I am leaning toward the 5 park days and 3 days off. I know that after one full day at HKDL, we are usually totally wiped out. (And it does take us 1.5 hours to get home from HKDL by public transportation.) The last time we went there was at Christmas time, and the whole day after, we were all so tired. So yeah, adding the heat and humidity into the picture, I can imagine it will be much harder. I love the idea of closing the parks, but I guess we'll have to see how we're feeling when we are actually there. I guess, if need be, hubby can also take the littles back to the hotel first while the bigger kids and I stay longer, and then the following day we would get to sleep in and take it easy. I did talk to hubby about taking afternoon breaks, and he thinks it's a waste of time (in other words, a waste of money.) So we'll see.

 

[kwdw]

Thanks for all of your good insight. Right now I am leaning toward the 5 park days and 3 days off. I know that after one full day at HKDL, we are usually totally wiped out. (And it does take us 1.5 hours to get home from HKDL by public transportation.) The last time we went there was at Christmas time, and the whole day after, we were all so tired. So yeah, adding the heat and humidity into the picture, I can imagine it will be much harder. I love the idea of closing the parks, but I guess we'll have to see how we're feeling when we are actually there. I guess, if need be, hubby can also take the littles back to the hotel first while the bigger kids and I stay longer, and then the following day we would get to sleep in and take it easy. I did talk to hubby about taking afternoon breaks, and he thinks it's a waste of time (in other words, a waste of money.) So we'll see.

I think the most important thing about August is realizing you just can't do Rope Drop to Close for days in a row - its too much heat and its tiring even in perfect weather. I'm suggesting the 6 days, two off because I don't think you are really going to have as long as days as you think.

So for your first day - you might plan rope drop to parade at MK. Then - see how the family is holding up. Either do a few more rides or go back to the resort. Maybe head to a different resort for dinner. Get to bed at decent hour. Start rope drop the next day at DHS - stay until close. The next day - take a break for the whole day - or sleep late and relax and head to a park at 3 pm - but stay until close. The next day - head to a park late - stay until close - but the next day - whole day off. Day after - start at RD again.

Other strategies for August include booking a TS meal between 1-4 pm - give the family a whole hour to sit in the AC and be off their feet. Or start at RD, break 11-4 at the resort, head back to the same park and stay until close. Or - skip RD - and head to a park at 3-4 pm. For me - for EPCOT and MK (parks I will see 2x in 6 days) - I only CLOSE the park one day. I rotate between RD and Close.

Part of this depends on how well your kids do with messed up schedules. Some kids can move their sleep schedule around and hold up just fine. Others become cranky and miserable.

When its a family trip - we plan every day at a park - but that might only mean 4-6 hours in a park on some days. Other days - we go 12-16 hours. So - if we are going on a 10 day trip - that's 8 park days - only not going on arrival and departure day. Ticket prices go down after 4 days - so for us - the flexibility of going each day and being able to have some short days offsets the increase in ticket price. (We don't hop and the kid I travel with can handle a messed up schedule as long as she gets a chance to sleep sometime!)

I agree with your husband that breaking at the resort is a waste of time in the afternoon. BUT - I have also been to the parks in August - and guess what - I couldn't handle the heat. I'm a morning person and it killed me to not head to a park until 3pm and stay until close instead of being a RD person - BUT - not having the sun blazing down on me was necessary. Sure - it was still hot at night - but the long shadows of afternoon and lack of sun after about 8 pm was necessary.

The other thing is this - you can BUY a 5 or 6 day ticket - but if you want to add a day or two to your tickets - you can do that when you are there - as long as you add the day before you leave the park on your last day. Now - that means you can't pre-plan FP's for a last minute added day - but at least you have the day before to search to add some for the next, newly added day.

 

[hkkatie]

I think the most important thing about August is realizing you just can't do Rope Drop to Close for days in a row - its too much heat and its tiring even in perfect weather. I'm suggesting the 6 days, two off because I don't think you are really going to have as long as days as you think.

So for your first day - you might plan rope drop to parade at MK. Then - see how the family is holding up. Either do a few more rides or go back to the resort. Maybe head to a different resort for dinner. Get to bed at decent hour. Start rope drop the next day at DHS - stay until close. The next day - take a break for the whole day - or sleep late and relax and head to a park at 3 pm - but stay until close. The next day - head to a park late - stay until close - but the next day - whole day off. Day after - start at RD again.

Other strategies for August include booking a TS meal between 1-4 pm - give the family a whole hour to sit in the AC and be off their feet. Or start at RD, break 11-4 at the resort, head back to the same park and stay until close. Or - skip RD - and head to a park at 3-4 pm. For me - for EPCOT and MK (parks I will see 2x in 6 days) - I only CLOSE the park one day. I rotate between RD and Close.

Part of this depends on how well your kids do with messed up schedules. Some kids can move their sleep schedule around and hold up just fine. Others become cranky and miserable.

When its a family trip - we plan every day at a park - but that might only mean 4-6 hours in a park on some days. Other days - we go 12-16 hours. So - if we are going on a 10 day trip - that's 8 park days - only not going on arrival and departure day. Ticket prices go down after 4 days - so for us - the flexibility of going each day and being able to have some short days offsets the increase in ticket price. (We don't hop and the kid I travel with can handle a messed up schedule as long as she gets a chance to sleep sometime!)

I agree with your husband that breaking at the resort is a waste of time in the afternoon. BUT - I have also been to the parks in August - and guess what - I couldn't handle the heat. I'm a morning person and it killed me to not head to a park until 3pm and stay until close instead of being a RD person - BUT - not having the sun blazing down on me was necessary. Sure - it was still hot at night - but the long shadows of afternoon and lack of sun after about 8 pm was necessary.

The other thing is this - you can BUY a 5 or 6 day ticket - but if you want to add a day or two to your tickets - you can do that when you are there - as long as you add the day before you leave the park on your last day. Now - that means you can't pre-plan FP's for a last minute added day - but at least you have the day before to search to add some for the next, newly added day.

Thank you for your insights! I'm just confused about one part of your reply. You said we can add another day before we leave the park on our last day. Does that mean we have to finish the five days before we can add a 6th day, or does that mean we can add the 6th day anytime during our trip (while we're at a park), just as long as it's before we leave on the last day? Thanks for helping out a newbie.

 

[Hikergirl]

If you plan on doing RD to close then I would do option #1.
We usually only take 1 park day completely off, but we also don't do RD to close. We are early afternoon arrival people.

 

[hkkatie]

If you plan on doing RD to close then I would do option #1.
We usually only take 1 park day completely off, but we also don't do RD to close. We are early afternoon arrival people.

Do you feel that you get your moneys worth arriving in the afternoon? I like RD because you can usually get several rides done before the lines start to get too long. So I'm just curious how that works when you arrive in the afternoon. Do you feel satisfied with the number of attractions you've been on?