August 2016 Planning!

[tmaxwell]

It's finally here! I got to put down my deposit for our August 2016 trip! We will be at the House of Mouse for 10 days staying at AOA at the Finding Nemo Suites! I'm so excited for my kids who will be 6 and 4 at the time they are going to have a trip of a lifetime!

We have 9 day park hopper passes - taking one day off to pretty much relax and maybe hit Downtown Disney one day.

I'm trying to figure out how many days at each park we should do or should we just take it one day at a time? With kids that young, I know the majority of our time will be spent at Magic Kingdom followed by Epcot for my geeky husband. And Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom are half day parks from what I gather. I know we will be bound by FastPasses and dining reservations (we got the meal plan as well) but should I sit here and plan out each day?

Thanks for your input! I'm excited for these next 404 days to fly by!!!

 

[AaronInWI]

I'm so excited for you and your family! Our situation is different from yours for a few reasons - it is only my wife and I, we stay at the Contemporary because of the short walk to Magic Kingdom, and we typically only get a 6 or 7 day park hopper, so you have a little more time to play with - so what we do may not work for you. However, this is how we typically spend our week at Walt Disney World.

- We drive down from Wisconsin, and arrive in town around 3:00 pm. We'll check into our area (non-Disney) hotel, grab a bite to eat, and then head to Downtown Disney for a few hours.

- Our typical park schedule is get to a park by 9:30, stay until around 1:00, back to our resort for a nap and pool break, back to a park by 5:00 or so for dinner and then we'll stay there until park closing (or 10:00 pm, which ever comes first).

- We'll normally spend at least part of every day at Magic Kingdom because that is our favorite park. One or two days will be exclusively Magic Kingdom, the rest of the days we'll spend part of the day (either morning or evening) at one of the other three parks and then the rest of our day will be at MK.

- For us, Animal Kingdom is an easy 1.5 day park, maybe even two full days. But we are very much "stop and smell the roses" type of people. We love wandering around the park, watching the animals and just enjoying the amazing theming of that park. (This is the only park we stay the entire day instead of going back to our room to rest.)

- Hollywood Studios is a 1/2 day park for us. We'll wander around a little bit, I'll ride Tower of Terror once and Rock 'n' Roller coaster twice (my wife doesn't enjoy either ride) and we can call it a day.

- We normally don't plan each day to the minute, but we do have a general outline. We'll try to get our FP+ for the morning so we know which park to start the day in, and then we can wing it in the afternoon. (We aren't big table service dining people, so we aren't ever tied to ADR's.)

Hopefully this helps more than confuses!

Edited to add -- We also make sure to keep one night open for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. It wouldn't be a Disney trip with out seeing this.

 

[tmaxwell]

Thank you! We are driving down from CT. Our back up plan is to stay at the Contemporary if my mother in law can't make it. She knows she has up to 45 days prior to our trip to cancel.

We are also stop and smell the roses kind of people. I like the idea of having all FastPass reservations in the morning - very good tip!! We have a TA so I will mention it to him when it's time to book them.

Our plan was and always has been to get to the parks by rope drop, head back to the hotel for lunch, then back to the parks in the evening. The extra money we are spending on the park hopper seems to be it will be well worth it.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[BudgieMama]

Congratulations on booking! We booked our August 2016 trip a crazy 75 days ago, and it seems so far away!

We're staying for 14 nights at Coronado Springs, and have 14 Day Ultimate Tickets (I think that means they are park hoppers and water parks as well, in US terms, but they just call them Ultimate tickets over here!), with free QS dining plan, free memory maker and a $200 gift card.

We found we would need at least 2 days to do Animal Kingdom justice, and at the time at least a full day for DHS. A few things have closed since then, so I don't know if that would still be the case for us. We definitely missed stuff we wanted to see in both parks. I think people who say "it's a half day park" have already done everything and know what they do and don't like.

Afternoon breaks are crucial for us in August (and that's two youngish adults with no kids!) Having plenty of park days means you can take things easy and not stress to much, but don't underestimate how hot (and overstimulating) WDW can be!

Hope you have a fantastic time!!

 

[BudgieMama]

Oh, just realised you said 404 days... we're 405 days out, so you'll be overlapping us for most of your trip

 

[goofytiggerfan]

We are also going in August 2016 for 15 days, 14 nights. I am trying to figure out what to plan with no emh and hours to go with haha. We are staying at Carribean Beach and have the deluxe dining, Waterpark option, and only 10 day tickets. We plan to either buy few more days of tickets or use those days to do a majority of the Waterpark, DTD and mini golf. I am currently going through all dining menus on Allears.net which can be pretty daunting. I've been before so I already have an idea for dining. I plan on getting a subscription to touringplans.com and buying the Birnbaum or passporters books. Look forward to planning and seeing what you are planning as well.

 

[MataHari22]

I'm trying to figure out how many days at each park we should do or should we just take it one day at a time? With kids that young, I know the majority of our time will be spent at Magic Kingdom followed by Epcot for my geeky husband. And Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom are half day parks from what I gather. I know we will be bound by FastPasses and dining reservations (we got the meal plan as well) but should I sit here and plan out each day?

We are also stop and smell the roses kind of people. I like the idea of having all FastPass reservations in the morning - very good tip!! We have a TA so I will mention it to him when it's time to book them.

Our plan was and always has been to get to the parks by rope drop, head back to the hotel for lunch, then back to the parks in the evening. The extra money we are spending on the park hopper seems to be it will be well worth it.

Thanks for the tips!

Since you are are first timer, I would not let anyone tell you that Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are half day parks. For me, yes, HS is a 3/4 day or 1/2 day, but I don't do Tower of Terror or Rockin' Roller Coaster. This year it'll probably be 3/4 because I do want to see all the shows and see Fantasmic! and Osborne Lights. For AK, I need the whole full day. I love that park. I love the theming, the details - like the tracks and leaf impressions in the paths, the architecture and all the huge tropical plants and bamboo... Plus it has my favorite show in WDW, Festival of The Lion King. I don't have kids, but it seems like your kids would be a good age for that park, especially if they like animals. So, I guess what I'm trying to say, is you don't know if you're really going to love it, so I wouldn't cut myself short and miss out on something I might think is a lot of fun because other people say it's only a half day park. Especially if you're the stop and smell the roses type people, then I would think that HS and especially AK would be full day parks for you.

We are two adults, no kids and I split my time:

3 days for MK. 1 of which is a hard ticket event. This year, MVMCP.
2 days Epcot
1 day AK
1 day HS

Since you're going in August, and have little ones, your mid day breaks are a good idea. As for planning your park days, I would look at the crowd calendar when it comes out and go with the most recommended parks to pick my days. Once I have my park days, I look at what restaurants I want to eat at and make my ADRs (advance dining reservations) at 180 days. Then, once all that is done, I start thinking about what three FP+ I want for each park. There is an excellent FP+ thread, not sure if you've read it yet. If not, and you would like to, I can give you the link. Since you have 10 days, you will get to see and do a lot. Hope you have a magical time!

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

I'm very happy for you. Enjoy the next year of planning!

 

[JZCubed]

It's finally here! I got to put down my deposit for our August 2016 trip! We will be at the House of Mouse for 10 days staying at AOA at the Finding Nemo Suites! I'm so excited for my kids who will be 6 and 4 at the time they are going to have a trip of a lifetime!

We have 9 day park hopper passes - taking one day off to pretty much relax and maybe hit Downtown Disney one day.

I'm trying to figure out how many days at each park we should do or should we just take it one day at a time? With kids that young, I know the majority of our time will be spent at Magic Kingdom followed by Epcot for my geeky husband. And Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom are half day parks from what I gather. I know we will be bound by FastPasses and dining reservations (we got the meal plan as well) but should I sit here and plan out each day?

Thanks for your input! I'm excited for these next 404 days to fly by!!!

You have plenty of time and GuideBooks to hopefully help too.

Two things to learn from the GuideBooks:
1.) "Hotel swimming pool," is the most common reply from young children when asked the question of, "What was your favorite part of the Disney vacation?"

Disney resorts have many activities. For instance, my child just discovered boating.

2.) Most children have about 4-hours to give before they get cranky. This can be magnified in the heat of summer.

Our child is now 6 y.o. and has just returned from her 13th Disney vacation.

Rope Drop (park opening at 9am) at 8:20am and then staying past the 3pm Parade is possible; plan lunch, skip dinner ADR's with kids on these days.

Parades and Fireworks are a trade-off with Pool time - who makes that decision and when....before or after making ADR's and/or FP+ 'wish list'?? Balance of Park vs. Swimming is the calculus of each family.

Starting at Parks first thing in the morning is an excellent idea. Being at a Park for Rope Drop can save hours from waiting on standby lines. The value of this planning tip cannot be stressed enough if you are typically morning-people and/or really want to 'see everything'.

Then, back to the hotel swimming pool. Nighttime activities are difficult - especially if the kid(s) have tired themselves from the swimming pool.

Park time of 4-hours plus transportation time (must give yourself 1-hour each direction to anywhere at Disney) is still a long day of walking 9-12 miles....day after day....

Even though we averaged less than 5-hours in a Park during our 9-nite stay - my child stills wants to tip-the-scale more to the pool and away from the Parks. In general, we are morning-people and out of Parks by 1pm. I'll bring along a second book to read or power-watch a TV series.

Read thru Cheat Sheet touring strategies for each Park:
http://www.easywdw.com/category/cheat-sheets/

Do not travel far for food. If you do, you may consider 'Camp' (childcare) to leave the kid(s) for a few hours while Parents/Guardians can enjoy an adult dinner. Camps are located inside Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, Yacht Club, AKLodge, and Dolphin. My kid prefers dinner with her 'friends'.

With kids 4 & 6:
-- Epcot, Hollywood Studio, & Animal Kingdom are each 1-day Parks. If any of these really interest you, then make a 2nd Day at one of these. Epcot could be a 2-day Park if your children were a bit older to enjoy World Showcase more; World Showcase does not open until 11am and will take some time to circumnavigate. No matter the time you end in a Park, "Hotel swimming pool!!" is the common refrain.

-- Magic Kingdom is at least 2-days with children ages 4 & 6. Add one extra day.

-- Water Parks may cost extra.

-- Food wise: Sci-Fi over Prime Time in HS because the age of formica is lost on children. Tusker House in AK gets you a 'Meet'n'Greet' of Mickey & friends and some exotic flavors at a Character buffet. Epcot has good restaurants (but avoid Nine Dragons), although, we tend to 'graze' at Spice Road, Les Halles in France, and Tutto Gusto. MK has Cinderella's Royal Table for lunch/dinner (a magical room full of princesses) and Be Our Guest for dinner almost always includes photos with The Beast. We avoid Qwik Serve with outdoor seating in the summer.

My suggestion:
+ 4-days for Non-Magic Kingdom
+ 3-days in Magic Kingdom
+ 2-days 'Wildcard'. Weather happens, preferences develop. Plan FP+ even on 'off-days'...maybe for nighttime shows like Fantasmic!...

One last thing - we focused more on indoor attractions that took longer (i.e., Splash Mountain, Dinosaur, Under the Sea, 3-D Movies) and skipped/avoided some outdoor attractions (i.e., Birds of Flight, Beauty & Beast Show, Kilimanjaro Safari) during our recent summer vacation.

You are going to have the urge to make at least one night of Wishes fireworks inside the Magic Kingdom and you may have similar thoughts on some of the other nighttime spectaculars (i.e., Fantasmic!, Illuminations) - good luck. If you use a 'precious' FP+ for one of these events, the unwritten rule is the kids will fall asleep too soon. Of course, make no plan for the nights, and that same unwritten rule is likely to keep the kids awake long past their bedtime(s) like the the hundreds of other children traipsing about Disney World.

No matter how much you plan - you are going to be carrying a sleeping child at some point during your vacation. Strollers must be folded when using Disney buses and some boats. How you travel with your stroller(s) may impact your enjoyment, particularly if you are using Disney transportation often. Getting from resort to resort is very difficult using Disney transportation. Minimize travel.

 

[jillymom8]

We are also going for 5 night 6 days at Carribean beach then switching over and doing universal, sea world discovery cove and aquatica. I cant wait

 

[mkla2015]

I think the way you plan your day is going to depend on your family. Are you morning people? Do your kids nap? Stay up late?

My kids are 5 and 3 but no one in the family likes to wake up early so while many families with small kids hit the parks really early- we do not.

A typical day for us is setting FP for 930, 1030, 1130. Get to the park around 930, do whatever we can between FPs, get lunch around 1pm, head back to our resort by 3pm for swimming and naps. Dinner around 7pm then closing a park. We always get park hoppers.

For a 10 day trip, I'd plan on 1 DHS day, 1 AK day, 2 EP days, 1 DTD day, 1 pool day, 4 MK days.

Some restaurants my kids loved were Tusker House in AK, TRex cafe in DTD, Ohana breakfast at Poly, Chef Mickey at Contemporary, and 1900 PF at GF.

I don't think you need to plan your days down to the minute but I would at least plan where to be on which days and definitely make dining reservations.