Need help, which plan is better?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Need help, which plan is better?
8
Sat, 10-07-2006 - 3:14pm

Oh boy. I've created a planning monster with DH. He came up with his own plan for our trip, so I thought I would see which you guys think is better. Welcome any and all feedback, but let me start by saying, we are planners! We based some things on last year's park and EMH hours, that may change. I'm not saying which plan belongs to what person, to be fair.

PLAN A
Friday, May 25--arrive, check-in, etc /Epcot and Coral Reef dinner, possibly see Illuminations.

Saturday, May 26--AM at MK for the Family Magic Tour (this is already booked)/ break / spend the evening at MGM with Mama Melrose's for Fantasmic Dinner Package.

Sunday--Animal Kingdom all day with Boma for dinner. No break today unless we need one, which we will take if we do.

Monday--Water park /spend the evening at Epcot, Marrakesh for dinner. See Illuminations.

Tuesday-MGM today with Hollywood and Vine character breakfast. Possibly substitute with Cape May Cafe bkst.

Wednesday--AM at MK, Crystal Palace breakfast before opening/break/ return to MK and dinner at Whispering Canyon/ Spectro and Wishes

Thursday--AM EMH at MK; break; 'Ohana dinner with Downtown Disney afterwards.

Friday--Epcot/ break/ Epcot with dinner at Teppanyaki, Illuminations?

Saturday--boys to do the pirate cruise, or play mini-golf in the AM/ MGM if we need to finish anything there, then leave for home.

PLAN B

Friday--arrive/AK for parade/Boma/return to AK if we want to assuming open till 8 like last year

Saturday--Family Magic Tour/break/Whispering Canyon and return to MK if we want, or whatever

Sunday--Animal Kingdom with Donald's Breakfast before opening / evening for Downtown Disney or mini-golf

Monday--Epcot/break/Epcot with Teppanyaki for dinner/Illuminations

Tuesday--MGM for H&V character breakfast/break/MGM for Fantasmic package at Mama's

Wednesday--AM at MK with Crystal Palace breakfast before opening/break/MK for Spectro and Wishes

Thursday--'Ohana character breakfast / boys to Pirate Cruise / break / water park if we want to or Fantasmic if missed it earlier

Friday--Epcot all day / dinner at Norway or Garden Grill

Saturday--anything except MK (avoiding Gay Day crowds), start home by 3 or so

Comments? Please??? Help me decide, I make ADRs in a little over a month!

~Steph

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-07-2004
Sat, 10-07-2006 - 4:13pm

Hi Steph!

I don't know that I will be much help.....I do want to know though is your family Star Wars fans? Traditionally Star Wars weekends is that weekend and it makes MGM crazy. Our family thinks its great, but that doesn't mean everyone will.............This time of year I would definately do some sort of Fantasmic package if you can.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 10-07-2006 - 7:03pm
DH likes SW, but he looked at the things from last year and said except for maybe the parade, he didn't care if he went or not. Hadn't really put much thought into that part of it though. Is that only on the weekends, like Fri-Sun?
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-07-2004
Sat, 10-07-2006 - 7:12pm
Yes, it is only on the weekends. Our children enjoy the jedi training academy as well.
Avatar for cl_ktbugsmom
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 10-07-2006 - 7:26pm

Hmmmmmm


I like Epcot on that first night becuase the park *will* be open until 9 at least, whereas with trying AK that day you're going on the hope it's open till 8 again. Since Mem weekend isn't until the next weekend, that's an iffy thing to plan on. I'd put it at somewhere between 50-75% rather than the 80-90% I would use if it were Mem weekend.


Day 2 - I think plan B sounds better here. It's less rushed feeling becuase usually the latest they make dinner reservations for Fantasmic package is around 430. So that means you'd have to leave your resort by 3 just to make it to dinner, earlier if you wanted any chance of attractions before dinner and to have any type of break you would have to leave MK after the Family Magic Tour/lunch.


Day 3- the only real difference here seems to be how you spend your TS meal credit. Your family liked Donalds right? And it's closer to Expedition Everest.

Avatar for shelb31
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Registered: 08-12-2006
Sat, 10-07-2006 - 8:11pm

Overall, I think Plan B is better.

Disney 2010
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 10-08-2006 - 3:22pm

Thanks guys! Here's a little more info on our thinking:

It actually is Memorial Day weekend when we arrive, it's the Friday of. My main reason for AK on day 1 (other than Boma, lol) was to see the parade at AK. I thought of going over in time for the parade, then leaving for dinner, and possibly returning if the park is still open. In a way, I like the Epcot idea better, but I do want to see the JJ parade. Of course, if we do a different full day at AK, we could leave for our break and come back in time to see the parade, then split for dinner. Would that work?

On day 2 (Monday) DH reasoning (plan A was his, ok, i told!), for going to MGM was it might be less crowded than MK. l can see both sides, and I'm making a note to look at that again later, as the morning will still be the same at least.

We did like Donald's, we've been there twice before, but my main thinking with that was to be inside the park and closer to EE at opening. I really, really want to have dinner at Boma this time around. That can be decided later too, I can always cancel ADR's, right?

Either day we do the water park, it will only be a few hours. The boys are too small to do much, and it will wear all of us out, I'm sure. We've never been to one, but we have 3 tickets already, so I thought we'd spend the $30 on the other ticket and go this time while they're both stuck in the kiddie area still.

As far as the meals, I think the main splits are at Epcot, and we'll get those worked out. It would help if DH would tell me where we're eating on my not-so-surprise-anymore trip, because I have a feeling he put a couple of the same restaurants on both itineraries to throw me off. I don't eat fish or seafood at all, and the Coral Reef isn't on my want-to-do list. We'll see.

Day 5 (I think, MK on Wednesday)--it's pretty much going to be the same, except possibly dinner. This is the only day all week (again, basing from last year's hours) that is not EMH or doesn't have two showings of Spectro, that's how I based it the best day to see the nighttime things here.

The "down" day--Both of you commented about it being so late in the week, I hadn't thought of that. We've never done a down day away from the parks before, and I'm honestly not sure we'll pull it off this time. The thing with 'Ohana is that DH loves the dinner, and I don't think we have enough character meals. How do you decide that? That's another place where ADRs can be changed I guess!

Departure Day--we've always (on all whopping 3 trips, lolol) gone to Epcot on our last day. Last year we tried MK and it was a complete and total zoo, and a waste of time. I think DH's plan of doing the pirate cruise on that day might make more sense. It will be something special for the boys. DH is ultra-organized and will have things ready to load the car by Friday afternoon during our break. He always does, right down to only leaving out what we're going to wear the next day and shopping bags that can be used to pack last minute things or be thrown away!

What it really comes down to is that I cannot make decisions and this should not be my thing alone!

Thanks again for all the input, keep it coming!

Steph

Avatar for shelb31
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-12-2006
Sun, 10-08-2006 - 3:45pm

I missed something before.

Disney 2010
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 10-08-2006 - 6:31pm

Thanks M'Shel! Believe me, if I put that we were going to MK on a Monday, it was a typo! I do know to avoid that like the plague!

We are going for the Family Magic Tour on the Saturday of Memorial weekend, but with the tour being guided, it shouldn't be too bad. Our full day at MK is on Wednesday, and that is the ONLY day of the week that there weren't two Spectro's this year!