Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

We have so many dining things booked and such and I made an Xcel spreadsheet of the times all the parks are open and all the extra magic hours, but I am so overwhelmed. How did you figure this all out?

This trip is unlike others, because we never booked reservations and such.

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

I'm soooooo over organized. our trips like 6 months away and I forsee a 400 page itinerary already! I'm so overwhelmed. So I'm gonna plan for it all but then let ourselves deviate as well , so no stress.

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

We have never spent 2 hours at a character meal. An hour is probably average. I don't like to sit around eating forever when we could be out in the parks having fun.

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

You really don't want to cram too much into any particular day. That kind of plan usually creates more problems than it solves.

One of the biggest issues my clients have is that they cut thier dining too close and don't allow enough time for transportation. Be sure to build plenty of cushion into your travel time.

Good Luck!


Bob
Mouse Tales Travel
www.MouseTalesTravel.com
888.883.7940

"Helping LIFamilies members have magical vacations since 2008"

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

I'm a master at this. Our December itinerary is already mostly planned and we just booked.

I think a spreadsheet is overkill IMO. I just use a few pieces of paper.

On one I write the says we'll be there and the park hours, parades, shows and EMH for each park

On another, or in my planner, i write the days and start filling in what we want to do. I break each day into AM and PM. Usually we'll do one park in the morning and another in the evening, or have an ADR elsewhere.

1) the first thing I fill in are evening events. Depending on the time of year, Wishes, Main Street Electrical parade, and Fantasmic! are not shown every night. On this trip, I also have Candelight processional and MVMCP to think of. I want to make sure that I plan carefully to make sure we get to see all of the evening shows. This can be the most difficult. If you have a choice, try to see Wishes or Fantasmic! on a night when there are 2 showings and see the 2nd showing. it will be less crowded and you will enjoy shorter waits on rides while others are watching the first show.

2) Next I start to make ADRs. We're not doing DDP this time, so we're not doing as many ADRs, but we do have a few, so I want to make sure we're in the appropriate park or can hop to the appropriate park for our ADR.

3) Unless you plan to be there the minute it starts, avoid the morning EMH park like the plague. The park will have higher crowds all morning and the other parks will have lower attendance. it's a weird phenomenon. let's say DHS opens at 9 to the general public, and EMH is at 8, you will still see the bus line for DHS MOBBED at 9:30 am. A lot of people just plan to go to the park that has EMH, regardless of whether they will make it there for the EMH, so it increases park attendance even beyond the crowd that came in between 8 and 9.Another solution is to get to the EMH park at 8 and stay there until about 10:30 or so when the crowds start to come in, grab lunch and park hop.

4) Figure out what to do with 1/2 days on arrival and departure. Our arrival date this year is evening EMH at DHS. We're going to head over there and enjoy the christmas lights and hopefully get to ride some of the headliners. On our last day, even though it will be crowded, we usually like to head back to MK. Some people don't like to "waste" a park ticket on arrival and departure days, so this can be a good time for shopping

5) Fill in the rest according to preference and b est days. For example. I know we like to spend a lot of time at EPCOT and MK, and I want a day and an evening in each park. We're spending our first full day in EPCOT since it's a Monday and a busy day for MK. I also looked at my ADRs and event tickets to try to minimize being in the same park back to back.

6) Plan down time and open slots to repeat favorite things. Every trip I seem to have one park I like better than I did before, so you want to make sure you're not so overscheduled that you can't be flexible and accomodate that.

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

I can't find my itinerary sheet for our trip at the moment...ahhhh

But it's something like this

Sunday - evening EMH at DHS - Fantasmic
Monday AM-EPCOT
Monday PM- MK EMH - Wishes, MSEP

Tuesday AM- DHS
Tuesday PM - MVMCP

Wednesday AM - MK - Breakfast with Cindy!
Wednesday PM - Open - maybe check out resort decorations

Thursday AM - DAK
4:45 Dinner at Boma
Thursday PM -EPCOT?

Friday - I totally forgot what I planned for Friday other than maybe EPCOT's evening EMH

Saturday AM - MAYBE DHS EMH ?
Saturday PM - EPCOT- Candlelight Processional, Illuminations

Sunday- MK, or whatever we feel like

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

Also, use the Unofficial Guide or Touringplans.com to see which parks are best on which days and use that as well.

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

wow you really know your stuff! I'm kind of winging it since none of us has ever been.

How can I find out what times the shows are at each park? I think my girls will enjoy those more than the rides.

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

where did you get the sheet from? We're staying at Shades Of Green which isn't a disney resort (its military families)

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

Posted by hazeleyes33

Posted by bethsiar

where did you get the sheet from? We're staying at Shades Of Green which isn't a disney resort (its military families)

We got it from the Grand Floridian but I would still see if they have it at the front desk of the hotel. Since they are so close (we passed it every time we were on the bus) they probably have all kinds of disney paperwork there too

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

Posted by bethsiar

Posted by hazeleyes33

Posted by bethsiar

where did you get the sheet from? We're staying at Shades Of Green which isn't a disney resort (its military families)

We got it from the Grand Floridian but I would still see if they have it at the front desk of the hotel. Since they are so close (we passed it every time we were on the bus) they probably have all kinds of disney paperwork there too

THank you so much!!

I'm glad to hear it's close too!

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

Have you checked out the unofficial guide? They are really good - you don't need spread sheets etc. I promise you I always over plan - and if you over plan too much you will drive yourself mad.

Unofficial guide also has a website. You can join (if you have the book the membership is less (I think it is like $5-10). I like it b.c it lays out 1) crowd calendars. Tells you what the crowds should be like for each day you are there (scale of 1 -least crowded to a 10 - most crowded). They also make recommendations of parks to avoid and best parks to go to.

Additionally they have TONS of touring plans. They are great for people who don't go a lot or have never been. There are ones for people with young children with 2 days in MK etc. They try to help you see everything in the most efficient way (it MIGHT mean more walking but they try to help you so that you spend the least amount of time in line). I find that they can be helpful for a starting point. You can start with them and then deviate from them to suit your own personal taste. I would not use them like a bible.

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

you guys rock. thank you for all these suggestions!

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

A lot of this REALLY varies based on the time of year you're visting.

During the busier seasons, park hours will be longer and shows and fireworks will be every night, sometimes twice a night. During less busy seasons, or special events, parks will close very early (MK as early as 6 or 7pm), and you may only have 1 or 2 chances per week to see Wishes, Fantasmic, and the Main Street Electrical Parade.

During busy seasons having a touring plan (touringplans.com or The Unofficial Guide to WDW), is essential and will help you avoid hours on line. During the off season, having a specific plan is less important, but you do still need to be smart about it.

What PP is referring to is called a TimesGuide. You can get them at your resort or at the park gate. They are specific to each week, so you can't get them ahead of time. However, you can get a pretty good schedule from intercot.com.

We're going in December, so one of the challenges we have is that Fantasmic! is only being shown 2 of the nights we're there, and only once per night. Wishes and MSEP are only being done 3x, due to the Christmas party.

I would say that ALL of the nighttime events are not to be missed, which is why I specifically plan my days around them FIRST, rather than meals.

You want to have one late night in each park, except AK.

EPcot - IllumiNations - Some feel this is the best nighttime event. It takes place around the WS lagoon. it's SO much more than a fireworks show.

MK- Wishes fireworks, The Memories, the MAgic and You!, and Main Street Electrical Parade are all amazing.

DHS - Fantasmic! is excellent. it's my absolute favorite and I feel that it alone is worth your park admission. HOWEVER, you MUST get to the theatre at least an hour early. Our trick is to go to EPCOT that day, get a DELICIOUS meal to go from one of the world showcase restaurants , take the boat from International gateway to DHS, head right for the theatre and sit there enjoying a leisurely meal.

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?

I feel in terms of planning each day, if it's the off season (which is when we go), you don't need a whole touring plan (but it helps if you're a first timer), but you DO need to know exactly where you're going when you get into the park. I'm bad and have NEVER made it to rope drop despite the best laid plans. DH is impossible to get out of bed. If you can make it to rope drop, you're in great shape, but even if you can't, you need a plan. Every park has rides where the fastpasses disappear by the early afternoon, so you need a plan

DHS: Run right to TSM to get a fastpass, then ride RNRR and ToT, if 2 hours have passed, get a FP for RnRR, or whatever your favorite is.. TSM creates HUGE bottlenecks and totally messes with our touring plans. (NB: For some reason, while you can normally get a new FP either when your FP window opens or 2 hours after getting the first FP, for some reason for ToT, it's ONE hour).. you can try to use this to your advantage too, but I's still get a TSM FP first).

EPcot: Run right to Soarin' and get a FP. Ride Test Track and Mission:Space, depending on what time it is, head back and do Captain EO and Living with the land. As soon as the 2 hours are up or your window opens, get another FP for Soarin'. Ride Soarin', do the Living Seas, etc. Just have a sketch especially when it comes to using fastpasses

AK: Run to EE and get FP.

MK: You have a few options. The question is whether you run to grab a FP for Space and ride Buzz (of vice versa) or if you run to get a FP for BTMRR and ride Splash (always do FP for BTMRR rather than Splash since the line is hotter for some reason..ick). If you have 2 days at MK, you can do one on one day and one on another. Or if you're there at rope drop, you can probably get in all 3 mountains without a huge wait if you're willing to cross the park quickly and it's not high season.

Also, it helps to know which rides are people eaters. There's never a really long line for Haunted Mansion, since it's a continuous loader, so you can ride it at any time. Similary the Buzz line moves quickly, but it's a long line. Despite it being a continuous loader, there is ALWAYS a long line for Peter Pan. There's never a line for Philharmagic.. You will usually not have to wait through more than one show. If you just want to get off your feet, you almost never have to wait for Carousel of Progress or TTA. Be prepared to wait FOREVER for Dumbo.

At DHS I find I never even use FP for ToT as long as I get there in the morning since the line moves quickly. The RNRR line moves relatively quickly, but it can get packed. TSM is a NIGHTMARE. The line is always very long and moves at a snail's pace. The line for The Great Movie Ride moves very quickly. There usually isn't a line for the Backlot tour. I've also heard that even with the new ride, Star Tours is moving fast. If you just want to get off your feet you can do Sounds Dangerous, which is boring as hell and terrifies some children. The Art of Animation is total crap. We went once when they stil actually did animation there. Now it's nonsense. One Man's Dream is really awesome but would bore kids, I think. I've never had to wait more than one show for Voyage of the Little Mermaid.

At EPCOT there is always a line for Soarin', and like TSM, a FP obtained at 10am can give you an 8pm return time. Ugh. I think they stopped the interactive games in the queue (anyone confirm this?). Test Track can be a nightmare line, mostly, IMO because the right breaks down all the damn time. The single rider line is faster and you may end up in the same car as the person you're riding with, just not next to each other. Mission:SPACE really doesn't have long lines anymore. FP is not worth it. One thing to note: For safety reasons, they will NEVER post a shorter wait on Team Orange (more intense) than on Team Green (less intense) because they don't want people to ride more intense when they don't want to just to avoid a line, so it's very possible if the times are the same or close that the Orange line is shorter than you think. If you want to get off your feet I have NEVER seen a line for Figment. EVER. The line for Spaceship Earth moves VERY quickly, but I'd avoid it in the morning and early afternoon and come back later. because it's smack dab in the middle of the park, people flock to it when they come in.

At AK: Kali lines really fluctuate depending on time of day and weather. We've been able to walk on, an d we've seen 2 hour waits. We usually try to get on teh Safari as soon as it opens though since that can be a long line. Definitely do the safari. <3. It's tough to be a bug can be a long line at times. Since, like Spaceship Earth, it's IN the park's centerpiece, it attracts early morning crowds. ITTBAB can also TERRIFY young children. I've seen it happen. Festival of the Lion King is Phenomenal. Don't miss it. I've never had a problem getting a seat. There are 2 ways to do AK. You can get there at rope drop and basically see the entire park by lunch, have lunch and leave, or you can do it in 2 afternoons, arriving after 2pm when most of the crowds have gone for the day. On our last trip they still have evening EMH at DAK and we really enjoyed that. This time, the park closes at 5 every day, so morning touring it is! EE can have long lines, BUT the queue area has the best theme IMO.

Message edited 9/9/2011 11:43:46 AM.

Re: Disney itinerary - how did you do it?