Is this Disney trip OK?

[Anonymous]

I know Wilderness Lodge is undergoing some major renovations....I'm not sure if they still will in May? You may want to check into that.

I agree with the others about not gettning a meal plan.

If you don't want to get park hoppers, I would aim to do the morning extra magic hours as much as possible. We got a lot done during those times.

If your child is not into characters but you want a fun dinner experience, check out the Hoop De Doo Review Dinner Show. It is at the Fort Wilderness Camp Ground. It is worth it to splurge on the "Category 1" seats.

[Anonymous]

This is the PP who went to Wilderness Lodge in October. The PP is right that there are renovations going on -- hopefully you heard about them. They started the reservations the week after we left. I know they closed the beach and the small playground and the "quiet pool", but the main pool is unaffected, and a courtyard view should be fine for avoiding construction views and noise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meh. No park hopper, no meal plan, no insurance. All a waste of money.

Agree.
Just go to the park that happens to have the extended park hours that day. You'll be surprised how long an elementary kid can stay awake and how much more fun it is to do rides with a thinner crowd.

Also, the park hopper pass in theory is great, but in reality it takes a good 1 hour to travel between parks. For some, it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of the day, but just a heads-up that it's not like you hop on a shuttle and viola you arrive 10 feet from the entrance of the next park. There's a lot of waiting, walking, standing in security, etc. For us, it wasn't worth it especially since we could maximize our time with FP and extended magic hours.

Nix the meal plan. You can bring your own snacks (I packed a back pack of non perishables) and that way you don't feel like you have to eat or snack or hurry to the other side of the park for your sit-down meal, etc. Plus, we're not big on desserts or soda so that was another aspect we were essentially paying for with the meal plan, but not really using. And with all the snacks I packed, it was just faster, easier, and more flexible to go without a meal plan.

I can't speak for insurance. We've never really felt compelled to get it - weather, no medical issues, etc. were not probable factors for us.

Plus, give yourself a day to enjoy the Wilderness Lodge.

[Anonymous]

No meal plans. Take food and water with you. We made pb&j and packed apples, chips, grapes, almonds, etc and ate only one Disney meal a day. The food is expensive and nothing to write home about.

[Anonymous]

The insurance only covers airfare if you buy your plane tickets through Disney. If you book yourself, they are excluded. Cancellation fee is only $200 anyway, so not much more than the insurance.

We are doing the Dining plan but with very specific circumstances-for most it's not worth it. There are some tools where you can estimate costs online if you want to.

I would book FP for somewhere for the last day. You didn't mention Hollywood Studios-that's an option for a day too.

I'd look at crowd calendars to pick which day you go to which park and think about what's realistic for you in thinking through extra magic hours. For example-we are traveling with small kids-so PM extra hours do us no good and tend to make the parks more crowded during the afternoon. For other families, planning to go to a park that opens at 7 am when you can't get up and moving before 9 am is pointless.

[Anonymous]

Get park hopper, and ditch the meal plan.

We never spent a full day at one park...yawn.

We enjoyed heading to other parks for dinner...Epcot, Hollywood studios. And traveling there gave you a little break.

We stayed at the boardwalk.

[Anonymous]

You can always add park hopper on the spot if you decide to use it. (And it will not cost more than buying it early.) If you're not sure, wait and see.

[Anonymous]

Get the Disney app! Get a photo card to capture any pictures you may have taken by park employees ( it's free ).

Skip the meal plan , but make your dinner reservations now for the best selection.

We did character breakfast at the Polynesian hotel and it was good. Relaxing and a nice start to the day.

Find out about the hidden mickeys and go on a scavenger hunt to find them - they are everywhere and my 8 year DD loved searching for them. There is an app for that too lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would do Epcot on arrival day. Think you have a good plan. Do 1 park per day. Don't think you need parkhopper. Check out some resort meals and downtown disney. I would not do the meal plan unless it was free.

I am thinking we will begin with Epcot when we arrive, do Magic Kingdom the 1st full day, then Animal Kingdom on the 2nd full day, and let our kid decide the 3rd day itinerary. I know if we stay on property at a cool resort he will want to take advantage of all of that stuff too, so not doing park hopper helps to alleviate the pressure to do it all (which we don't have to, and don't really want to).

I also think I will ditch the dining plan - thanks for this advice.

Letting the kid decide the 3d day itinary sounds like a nice idea, BUT you really need to try to get fast passes in advance for certain rides. I would suggest at least taking a guess at what the third days will look like and get passes for the more popular rides that day - you can always alter your fast passes at a later date.

We were going to do this, but we were having so much fun at Disney plus by the second day, you have it figured out more. So we changed our mind and spent the first and second day at Disney and then moved on for the 3rd day. Don't forget to watch the shows at night too.

[Anonymous]

I like park hoppers (but agree about ditching dining plan) if you're staying at a park with non-bus transportation. At WL you can take that lovely boat ride to MK that's fast and fun, and pop back into MK for fireworks or snacks or whatever. I even like PHs when you're staying at far-flung WDW resorts because sometimes if tension is rising or someone needs a change of scenery, just the ride to the change of scenery can do a whole lot of good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are about to book a Disney trip for early May. There will be two parents and one early elementary child (who is not very interested in character dinners or water park stuff, which makes things much easier).

Staying in a courtyard view room at Wilderness lodge for 4 nights (leaving mid-morning on the 5th day).
Planning to go to a park on the day of arrival and the 3 days we're fully there. No park hopper, just one park per day. This seems smart and manageable for a first time visit?
Debating the one snack/one quick meal/one seated meal dining plan, which seems limiting and pricey.
Will definitely get the $150 insurance, which covers last minute cancellations in full and includes airfare refunds.
We plan to take the free transit from the airport.

Any words of wisdom?

No meal plan
No hopper ticket for that short of a stay.
If you are spending most time at MK, then the Wilderness Lodge is a good pick.


Arrival Day: Go to MK your first day since it is so close and focus on some rides with late afternoon fast passes and do the parade and fireworks that night.
Day 2: Epcot all day (fast pass Soarin and get there early to get on Test Track and hopefully get to go on it twice. It is my 6yr olds fav ride!) Make reservations at Coral Reef for late lunch/early dinner.
Day 3: DHS or AK - you decide but either one, you should be done the park by dinner. Head back to hotel for dinner/pool/early bed
Day 4: MK all day - be there at rope drop, take a mid-day break at hotel from 1-4pm and back to MK until close
Day 5: Breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe at your hotel before leaving

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would do Epcot on arrival day. Think you have a good plan. Do 1 park per day. Don't think you need parkhopper. Check out some resort meals and downtown disney. I would not do the meal plan unless it was free.

I am thinking we will begin with Epcot when we arrive, do Magic Kingdom the 1st full day, then Animal Kingdom on the 2nd full day, and let our kid decide the 3rd day itinerary. I know if we stay on property at a cool resort he will want to take advantage of all of that stuff too, so not doing park hopper helps to alleviate the pressure to do it all (which we don't have to, and don't really want to).

I also think I will ditch the dining plan - thanks for this advice.

Epcot is a not a good one to do on arrival day if you want to go on Soarin and Test Track, which are many kids favorites. Both have waits into 60-90minutes even during low periods. Disney does not allow you to get fast passes for both. And by the time you use your 3 up, all the extra fast passes for both rides are gone. And honestly, they are two of the best rides in all 4 parks but I refuse to wait in mid-day or night time lines.

Magic Kingdom on the other hand has 3 fast passes to anything so you can get 3 good ones even if you aren't arriving until afternoon - and then there are still more to be had once you use up those 3.

And honestly, you will SEE Magic Kingdom when you are arriving at Wilderness Lodge. It would suck to see it and not go there first when it is right next door and easiest to get to after a day of travel. You will need at least 2 days there anyway.

[Anonymous]

I'm clearly in the minority, but we loved the dining plan. BUT I believe it only makes sense during really busy times (we go over Christmas typically) and only when your kids are in the age cut-off for kids meals. When it was me, my husband and 2 elementary kids it was perfect. It does take sincere planning to maximize the benefits and get it to be cost effective, but I love planning things like this. It takes my mind off of boring days at work

[Anonymous]

Frequent Disney traveler here.

I agree with others who have said you probably don't need the Disney Dining Plan. You should be able to easily get reservations at any sit-down restaurants that you're interested in, since May is not a super busy time and you don't have a large party. You may also like the flexibility of not having reservations, because you can just eat on the fly depending on what park your in and where your schedule takes you.

Park Hopper can be fabulous, but for such a short trip, I wouldn't necessarily recommend the extra cost.

If you're planning to hit all 4 parks in the four days, here's what I'd consider:
- Magic Kingdom is definitely a full day park
- Epcot only has a few rides, and one of their biggies (Soarin) will be closed. If your family is not interested in the World Showcase -- mostly shops and restaurants -- you could make this your half day, but I'd get FastPass reservations for Test Track and any other rides you'd want to hit (like Living with the Land and Seas with Nemo)
- Animal Kingdom is great for kids who love animals. They do close on the early side, but if you go first thing in the morning, you can get a full day of rides and still have the evening to enjoy Wilderness Lodge (pool and amenities)
- Hollywood Studios has a lot of construction going on, but they have the new Star Wars Launch Bay which is fun if your child is into that. Could potentially be a half day park, but you'd want to make FastPass reservations for Toy Story.

[Anonymous]

For all those recommending Soarin'---it's undergoing refurbishment till (through?) summer.