What's a Plan?

Hello!

My husband and I (both 30-somethings) decided yesterday to take our first ever trip to WDW. It will be a short trip (Friday-Monday) in just two weeks!

I use TA to plan most of our vacations, but am really struggling with this one. It seems to be so overwhelming. Based on the TA reviews of hotels, we%26#39;ve narrowed our hotel down to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Outside of those reviews, do any of you have any advice or %26#39;insider%26#39; information you can share? Is this the wisest choice for accommodations?

Also, I%26#39;ve been reading the WDW site about busy days and light days. (For example, Epcot is busy on Friday%26#39;s.) What are your opinions about these - do they generally hold true?

And, in reading through some of the other forum postings, I%26#39;ve noted that it is often recommended to visit WDW with %26#39;a plan%26#39; - the term seems to be used quite speicifically - as if it references a certain kind of schedule. I%26#39;m having trouble understanding what this plan is or how to find it. Can you point me in the right direction?

Finally, any other tidbits of advice?

I really appreciate your support!

What's a Plan?

I just posted a message about having a plan! This means that before you show up at the park, you consider what you want to do at the park and in what general order so you get the maximum done on a busy day. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is very helpful in this regard. Now, I do think people can go crazy with these plans, but on the other hand, each of these parks are big and if you show up and walk in a circle taking the rides as you find them, you won%26#39;t be able to see it all. So get the book and look at the tips, particularly about what attractions to get to first and how to use fast pass. The book is also helpful in describing what attractions in each park you might want to see.

Have a great time!

What's a Plan?

There are several websites as well as books that have been written on the subject. They are referring to touring plans, which give specific plans as to what order to do each attraction in order to maximize your time in each park. These plans have been developed by people who have studied such things as crowd levels at each attraction at certain times of day and according to what day of the week %26amp; what time of year.

I have joined touringplans.com for info on my upcoming trip. People also seem to have good things to say about a website called Tour Guide Mike.

There is also a book called the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World.

Since you are going at such a slow time of year, you may not need touring plans. The crowds shouldn%26#39;t be bad at all. Then again, you

only have a few days. It depends how much you want to squeeze into your time.

Unfortunately, those are the busiest days for all of the parks. Do you have the full 4 days? If so, I would do MGM Friday, Animal Kingdom Saturday, MGM Sunday and Magic Kingdom Monday. If you don%26#39;t have the full 4 days to go to parks then Animal Kingdom can be done one of the mornings and MGM later that day and into the night so you can go to Fantasmic (a don%26#39;t miss laser/fireworks/water projection show). If you must do 2 parks in one day, you will have to purchase the Park-Hopper add-on. It will take all day to do both Epcot and the Magic Kingdom.

You can purchase touring plans at www.tourguidemike.com for approx. $25.

I recommend using Fastpass as much as possible. Here are the rides that you either need to RUN to first thing when the park opens or get a Fastpass for and come back. If it has an (*) beside it, that means that Fastpasses run out early so you either need to hit it at park opening or at least get a Fastpass early in the day:

Magic Kingdom: Splash Mountain and Space Mountain (Dumbo if you want to experience the ';true'; Disney trip--the line gets long early and stays that way all day)

Animal Kingdom:Safari(do early to see the most animals), *Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids

MGM: *Rockin Roller Coaster, *Tower of Terror (suggest that you RUN to one or the other for a quick ride and then grab a Fastpass for the other and come back later)

Epcot: *Soarin, *Test Track (suggest the same as the MGM rides)

The Animal Kingdom Lodge is a great resort. It has great theming and Boma is one of the best and most popular restaurants on Disney property. Make reservations ASAP if you plan to eat there. You may also want to look at Beach and Yacht Club. It is also in the Deluxe category and is walking distance from Epcot through the International Gateway.

Hope this helps! You will LOVE Disney!

Todd %26amp; Dawn,

First of all, what are your travel dates?

The Animal Kingdom lodge is a very special resort - you%26#39;re sure to enjoy it. Really, any of the Disney deluxe hotels will be nice. I also really like the Port Orleans Riverside resort - which is a moderate. A lot of people also like the Port Orleans French Quarter.

Here is a link with great pictures of the resorts - just be sure to click on the area that the line points to rather than on the words themselves. disneyworldlinks.com/Resort-Park-Presentatio鈥?/a>

Disney has 5 seperate theme parks + 2 water parks and they%26#39;re all popular. Good ';best days'; information and a touring plan can really help you get the most of your time and money.

Best days - these recommendations absolutely hold true. There are certain practical and psychological factors that will cause one Disney park to be more busy on a certain day than another. For example, it doesn%26#39;t matter what Disney does - Monday is always busier at the Magic Kingdom. Many people arrive on Sunday and ';Magic Kingdom'; is what they have in mind.

During peak times, any park that offers resort guests ';Extra Magic Hours'; is going ot be more busy on those days than one that doesn%26#39;t . Disney has 30,000 rooms and a qood percent of those visitors will head over to the ';Extra Magic Hours';. Evening magic hours at Magic Kingdom are a zoo year round - you%26#39;ll do better by avoiding the Magic Kingdom in favor of another park. Make sense so far?

Then you have special events that require a seperate ticket - for example, this is the season for ';Mickey%26#39;s Not So Scary Halloween Party.'; The Magic Kingdom closes earlier on the nights where this event is held. In addition, they generally don%26#39;t have the Spectromagic parade and might not have the Wishes fireworks - so, you%26#39;ll want to avoid the Magic Kingdom on those days.

So, something that will help you know which park is better on a given day is a distinct advantage.

Finally, ';The Plan'; - there are a couple of resources out there that chart crowd flow and can really help you stay ahead of the line. This is always an advantage but even more so when you are going during a peak season. For example, we went to Disney World during the summer peak season but never waited more than 20 minutes because we have ';a plan';.

There are three sources for a ';plan'; that I have used and generally recommend. There is a book called ';The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World'; and it has very good information. There is an online subscription service called ';Tour Guide Mike'; - www.tourguidemike.com - that gives great information to help you develope your own plan. Finally, Build A Better Mouse Trip - www.buildabettermousetrip.com - is a service that will develope a custom touring plans for you. They%26#39;ll also help with dining reservations etc.

Does this help?

Hello toddndawn,

the Animal Kingdom Lodge is a nice resort. My favorite is the Yacht and Beach Club as it%26#39;s location and pool cannot be beat! It%26#39;s a 5 minute walk to Epcot and a quick boat ride to MGM Studios. It%26#39;s also located on the Boardwalk which is a beautiful, lovely area and relaxing to stroll along in the evenings.

I wish you had more time as I generally recommend a full week for a Disney vacation especially for a first visit as there is so much do.

The weekends are generally more busy even during non peak periods as the locals also visit. I have found Mondays to be a busy day for the Magic Kingdom. Your going during a non peak period though so you shouldn%26#39;t have to deal with crowds which is a definite plus for a first time visit!

There is so much to tell you about Disney, I recommend you also go to www.allearsnet.com for a wealth of information along with this forum.

There are some fun dining options including 50%26#39;s Prime Time Cafe at MGM Studios where ';Mom'; will remind you to take your elbows off the table. The California Grill at the Contemporary Resort offers great food and a perfect view of the Wishes fireworks at Magic Kingdom if you time your dinner appropiately! At Epcot we love LeCellier in Canada and even in non peak periods I do recommend a reservation here and at the 50%26#39;s as these are very popular restuarants, phone 407-WDW-DINE. There is a list of Disney restaurants and menu%26#39;s at www.allearsnet.com

WOW! You all know your Disney!

Thanks for the extra direction. I%26#39;ll be spending my evening%26#39;s this week working on our plan!

We will be arriving LATE on Thursday night (Nov 2) - so no park hopping that day.

We have all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

We leave Monday evening - so we will have a small bit of time on Monday morning.

Generally, I%26#39;m not immediately drawn to Magic Kingdom. We hope to see Epcot, Animal Kingdom and MGM by day - and then enjoy some of the nightlife...

Perhaps when we arrive, I%26#39;ll begin to feel the Disney spirit and skip right over to MK.

We do plan to return in late January with friends. So, this is a warm-up visit!

Thanks again for all the advice!

Your welcome! Do try to see the Wishes fireworks from the California Grill or you can see them from the Grand Floridian resort also over looking the Seven Seas Lagoon. Narcoossees is another great dining choice located at the Grand Floridian!

Since you are staying 4 nights at Disney I assume that you have 5 day park tickets. If so and you arrive in time Thursday evening, I would head over to the Magic Kingdom to catch the Wishes fireworks. They are Spectacular!!! I would not go to the Magic Kingdom on the weekend and since you are leaving Mid-day on Monday this would allow you to see these Don%26#39;t Miss fireworks and give you a ';Magical'; way to begin your trip. Then you could spend a few hours back at the Magic Kingdom on Monday before you leave. If you get there early the crowds aren%26#39;t nearly as bad as they are later in the day and since you said it wasn%26#39;t one of the parks highest on your priority list a couple of hours will be all you need. Make sure you do all of the ';Mountains';, Mickey%26#39;s Philharmagic, Buzz Lightyear, Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion for the true Magic Kingdom experience.

I would do MGM Friday, Animal Kingdom Saturday, and Epcot Sunday. Since Animal Kingdom won%26#39;t take the entire day, you could then resort hop to see some of the other properties (having dinner at one of them) to see where you may want to stay on your next visit. All of the resorts are so different and themed so wonderfully that they can fill an entire day of sightseeing themselves and offer some fabulous restaurant choices.

Happy Planning!

One thing many people fail to put into their plans/itineraries is time to rest. Disney World is a huge place, and you will get tired if you go full speed through the parks for the entire time you%26#39;re there. Either plan to take a break during the day and go back to the hotel for a rest, or plan a lazy sleep in morning, or plan an early night. Plan something that lets you recharge those batteries so you don%26#39;t need another vacation as soon as you get home. Just spending time wandering around your resort can be relaxing.

Also, realize that the best laid plans can go by the wayside quickly. I%26#39;ve seen people get really frustrated when something interferes with their ';plan';. I%26#39;m sure once you get a taste of WDW, you%26#39;ll want to come back again. Don%26#39;t feel that you have to do everything on this one trip. Relax and have a great trip!

yes toddndawn, they all know a lot about disnay... :-)

You choose a very nice resort (although i think there are better choices).

If you are going the first time d o n 麓t wast time in planning, planning and planning...

you麓ll have a blast anyway! there are so many things to do and to see so that you will have a great time whatever you do!

When you return the second or third time, then you can go ahead and try to see everything in detail...

just relax and enjoy disney with it麓s perfektion and magic (90% love it and 10 % hate it)

Go around the daytime and at night do Illumination at epcot, wishes at Magic and fantasmic at mgm!

That麓s about it!

Have f u n !!! :-)))

eyeliner