Need a reality check. How many RDs are you able to do with an 8.5 year old?

[wdwpracticalprincess]

Hi Everyone! We are doing an 8-day, multi-gen trip early October. Cast of characters include me, DH, DD(8), DM(75), DFIL(65), DMIL(66). This will be our first family trip and I feel I *might* be a little over zealous in the planning.

Here's the outline:

10/3-MK (8:05am ADR at BOG) Just me, DH, DD. Planning on staying for MSEP, CTM, Wishes. Free day for GPs.

10/4-AK (everyone) planning on RD because park closes early plus we have 5pm ADR at Sanaa.

10/5-10/6 (me, DH, DD) Check in at Hard Rock Hotel for two park-to-park Universal days. Early admission and line skip included. Originally was planning to check in at the crack of dawn to take advantage of both days early admission, but wondering if we'll be able to do it. Free days for GPs. *EDITED* Actually, DD could do midday pool break here as my mom will be staying with us at HRH, but NOT visiting US/IOA, if that makes a difference.

10/7- EP (everyone) Planning on doing RD to do Soarin, TT. 12:30 ADR at Via Napoli, WS and F&W the rest of the day. Want to stay for Illuminations but don't know at this point of we'll make it.

10/8- Sleep in! 11:10 ADR at Beaches & Cream. DD, DH, and I want to sneak in exactly 4 "headliners" at DHS with FP+ after lunch, then head to DTD. 6pm ADR at Boathouse.

10/9- MK (everyone) This is our last park day before we leave so want to cram as much in as possible. That means RD. Park closes early for MNSSHP. 7:55pm ADR at GFC and hoping to catch HalloWishes from boat dock or Narcoosees terrace.

We're staying offsite so afternoon resort break isn't option for us.

So give it to me straight, people! This is crazy...or is it???

Thanks for the advice!!!

 

[Kathryn777]

Seems fine to me. We have a 8.5 year old (although he was 7.5 last trip). We did rope drop every day (8 days). We only had one late night however. He was usually asleep by 9

 

[jtowntoflorida]

10/3-MK (8:05am ADR at BOG) Just me, DH, DD. Planning on staying for MSEP, CTM, Wishes. Free day for GPs.
No problem. Day 1, everyone is excited.

10/4-AK (everyone) planning on RD because park closes early plus we have 5pm ADR at Sanaa.
Nope. Wishes followed by rope drop wouldn't be doable for our 8 year old, but she's also a high sleep needs kid. FWIW, AK is very doable as a late arrival park. You could wake up naturally and get to the park whenever and still have a successful day.

10/5-10/6 (me, DH, DD) Check in at Hard Rock Hotel for two Universal days. Early admission and line skip included. Originally was planning to check in at the crack of dawn to take advantage of both days early admission, but wondering if we'll be able to do it. Free days for GPs.
Personally, when we were at Universal in June we found no need for Early Entry. I think you'll find even less need in a slower time like October. The Express Pass is awesome, and because of it, we didn't mind the waits for Gringotts and Forbidden Journey, which were under 45 minutes (and usually under 30) anyway.

10/7- EP (everyone) Planning on doing RD to do Soarin, TT. 12:30 ADR at Via Napoli, WS and F&W the rest of the day. Want to stay for Illuminations but don't know at this point of we'll make it.
Seems doable. Though just beware that we generally don't feel comfortable with our kids in the WS in the evenings during F&W. I personally like to drink, and do imbibe at Disney, but the WS becomes very much like a big adult party during F&W. We usually leave by dinner or shortly after when F&W is going on.

10/8- Sleep in! 11:10 ADR at Beaches & Cream. DD, DH, and I want to sneak in exactly 4 "headliners" at DHS with FP+ after lunch, then head to DTD. 6pm ADR at Boathouse.
Great.

10/9- MK (everyone) This is our last park day before we leave so want to cram as much in as possible. That means RD. Park closes early for MNSSHP. 7:55pm ADR at GFC and hoping to catch HalloWishes from boat dock or Narcoosees terrace.
Sounds like a plan.

 

[amomma23]

We have been going since our kids were babies (oldest will be 13 next trip). We RD every day and have never missed a nighttime show. We do always have a midday break, because it works for us.

 

[kj2mom]

We stayed off site and while my children are older (13) we pretty much made rope drop every day of our trip. In my planning I was hoping we would just to get as much done as possible (we were there 4th of July so were expecting huge crowds/lines/heat) but happy kids meant happy mom so if that meant a little later mornings I was okay with that. Each night before going to bed I would ask what they wanted to do and they always wanted to be there for opening. That meant aiming to leave around 8am (except for the actual 4th when the park opened at 8 and honestly I can't remember what time we left) or so. We each had our own bathroom so we would get up at 7:30 and all be ready in time. In the grand scheme of things 7:30 is not really that early for us, they get up between 6-7 for school depending on the day, so we were fine with that schedule. We stayed for closing of each park too! The key for us was to be open to change based on everyone's opinion but in the end we did not have to fluctuate at all from our anticipated schedule.

 

[Sandi]

Without afternoon breaks, I think it's a bit ambitious and perhaps unrealistic. As the PP said, everyone is excited that first day, but then getting up for RD the next day will be tough. Good luck. Recognize limits and accept them. Getting tired happens.

 

[Chief Powhatan]

My DD is 11 now, but we have been hitting RD since she was 6 (usually 7 park days a trip). However, once the fun runs out for the day, we call it quits for that day and head back to our RV at Fort Wilderness. With the exception of an occasional ADR, we try not to over schedule the evening. If you are able to read your group and make changes if needed, your schedule should work.

 

[cmsb]

We found on this trip that our kids (8.5 and 6) did much better sleeping in and staying late. They wanted to see the fireworks more than they wanted to run around the parks in the morning. So, we made it until 11pm/12am most nights, but didn't get to the parks until 10am some days. Fortunately, we still did everything that we wanted thanks to fastpass +. We tried one day with a mid-day break, but since neither naps, they were still grumpy and tired. When the kids are tired, the magic quickly disappears! You know your kids best and you know their limits. Having a happy vacation is way better than doing everything.

 

[CandleontheWater]

I have a 5 year old and a two year old and next week will be our 5 year old's 12th trip. I think we have made rope drop 95% of the time on our 12 vacations with no problems. My kids naturally get up early, there is no sleeping in with them, so YMMV. We usually only do one or two late nights during the week, just to cut down on crankiness, but even if we are out til midnight, my kids are still up at 6am without fail.

 

[ohiotodds12]

Even though the kids are older, we have always done RD since they were 3. We like the early days. Now they did tend to be asleep by 9ish when they were younger but we are not park closers typically so it worked for us. I don't think we have ever slept past 7 when we are there. I know people that sleep until 12 and go in the afternoon, and that works for them but if you child gets out of bed easily, there should not be an issue.

 

[elgerber]

We have been going since our kids were babies (oldest will be 13 next trip). We RD every day and have never missed a nighttime show. We do always have a midday break, because it works for us.

This was us as well! My kids are 19 and 22, but we have always toured this way, since they were 4 and 7.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

When DD was 8, we could do rope drop every day. It is much harder for her at 12!

The weather makes a HUGE difference for us as to how hard we can go. During the summer, we need an afternoon break, but during the winter, we can go rope drop to park close. October is usually pretty nice, though it can still be hot.

 

[wdwpracticalprincess]

FWIW, AK is very doable as a late arrival park. You could wake up naturally and get to the park whenever and still have a successful day.

My only concern is missing active animals during morning hours (KS and the animal trails).

we generally don't feel comfortable with our kids in the WS in the evenings during F&W. I personally like to drink, and do imbibe at Disney, but the WS becomes very much like a big adult party during F&W.

ahhh...EP's reputation as the "drunk park" strikes! F&W is mostly for GPs so we'll see how long our DD in engaged with KidCot/Agent P. As long as we hit Mitsukoshi and La Cava de Tequila, I'll be a happy camper.

Getting tired happens.

yep. i'm tired writing out our itinerary!

Having a happy vacation is way better than doing everything.

i need to use this as my mantra at WDW!

even if we are out til midnight, my kids are still up at 6am without fail.

same here. DD is TOTAL early bird, NOT night owl. thus, my optimism incorporating so many RDs into the plan.

Thanks everyone for your input so far! Much appreciated!!!

 

[soniam]

We always do RD and AM EMH. DS went at 6, 8.5, & 9. We don't usually have problems; however, we don't stay at MK much past Wishes. We usually do the night shows. What helps us is to have a short or off day about every other day. If it's just a short day, then we still do RD and leave to go swim in the afternoon.

Most kids are early risers. What is your home time zone? Ours is CST, so WDW (EST) is only an hour off. This could make a big difference.

 

[luvmy2babies]

Like others have mentioned, the issue I see is the rope drop at AK after the late night at MK. At 8, my daughter did make it 8am to 9pm in MK in October just fine with lots of breaks. That year though, MSEP was running at 8 and Wishes at 9 so we were back at our hotel (International blvd area) by 10pm. And, we actually watched Wishes from the Ferry back to TTC, not from inside MK so we had a bit of a head start.

This year it looks like MSEP is at 9 and Wishes at 10; so you’re looking at being in MK pretty late. My daughter probably wouldn’t be able to do a full park day through dinner from rope drop after that; but YMMV. Generally after a night that ends with Wishes, we hit a park (usually Epcot) around 10:30 or 11 the next day.

But my daughter is not a morning person. Even on 9 plus hours of sleep she is difficult to get going, even at Disney. But once she's up she's up.

 

[wdwpracticalprincess]

What is your home time zone?

We are CST, too. Advantage, disadvantage, neither or both?

This year it looks like MSEP is at 9 and Wishes at 10; so you’re looking at being in MK pretty late.

yep. concerned she might not make it to MSEP, let alone CTM, Wishes. well, we'll play it by ear. if she makes it, we'll see about doing AK late arrival. if we end up leaving MK early, we'll do RD at AK. who knows, she may be hopped up on pixie dust and outlast us all!

 

[123SA]

I think the main thing is --what are your children's sleeping habits? My kids always did RD everyday because no matter what time they go to bed, they ALWAYS wake up...it's the rest of the day that may fall apart. For them, there was no point in planning a sleep in day, they wouldn't do it. 2 out of 3 also would not nap. So when it got to be too much for them, it was the nights that had to be cut out. They were excellent at going to bed 7-9:30pm range and staying asleep until morning (6:30am). They were happiest if I worked around their sleep habits rather than trying to have them adjust to an altered scheduled.

 

[gtpoohbear]

For us, we can make it 2-3 days doing the RD/late night thing (with an a afternoon break) After the initial adrenaline rush of those first few days, we either have to sleep in, or go to bed early.

It's actually why I have come to like taking more frequent and shorter trips. We can go really hard for a couple of days then go home before the fatigue sets in.

 

[vicb]

In my experience of going to WDW every two to three years as my children were growing up... it is/was way easier to do early mornings emh or rope drop when my kids were younger... as they became middle schoolers and teenagers no way morning emh and barely rope drop! So go for it now. We had to transition to a few rope drops and eve emh nights.

 

[abyrd86]

My DD9 and DS10 do great at RD multiple times on our trips. They are troopers though and are the types to push themselves even when they are WORN OUT