Hubs and I taking our sons (20 & 18) for the 18 yr old's graduation. Asked two of his friends to come. Both are going, but one is bringing his family! Unexpected change of plans but we wanted to roll with it. Friend's mom said she won a condo stay in Kissimee (a 30 min drive from parks) so his parents and 5 teens (two are mine) are all staying at the condo. Hubs and I will stay at Pop. This will be my kids' 5th trip to WDW. So we know what to expect - except they didn't have Genie+ last time we went in 2021. So that's new. BUT - the other family has NEVER been with their kids to WDW so this is a big trip for them! They are letting me do all the planning because they don't know anything and they trust I know what I'm doing LOL. No pressure right? So I want to make a memorable trip that we all will enjoy and especially help the newbies along since they don't even know what to expect. When I asked this mom what her expectations were or what her main concerns were on the trip this is what she said - She's concerned about standing in lines since it will be last week of March (Spring Break time), she said her son wants us to all stay together during the trip and not get separated (he may change his mind once he gets there LOL), and she was concerned about trying to get 5 teen guys up early and wasn't keen on doing rope drop or early entry.
So here's my plan - tickets already purchased, and park days already reserved - but I'm having trouble deciding if I need to swap my Tuesday and Thursday. And we need some advice on things to do during downtime:
Saturday - Arrive at Pop (probably around 7pm)
Sunday - EPCOT, park ticket from Park open to Close
Monday - sleep in, Magic Kingdom After Hours ticket only 7pm - 1am (what to do during this downtime until 7pm?)
Tuesday - sleep in, off day (what to do on this off day?)
Wednesday - sleep in, arrive around lunchtime to Hollywood Studios, park ticket + After Hours ticket
Thursday - sleep in, arrive around lunchtime to Animal Kingdom (mainly there for Everest, FoP, and NRiver - assuming Kali River will be closed) - maybe they will want to see other parts of AK!
Friday - All day at Magic Kingdom
Saturday - depart
I originally had planned to do AK on Tuesday and use Thursday as an off day/start to pack day. But the website I use for crowd calendars said that AK is 7/10 on Tues and 6/10 on Thurs, so I decided potentially less crowds is better than moving the off day until later in the week when our bodies would like a break LOL Does that make sense and sound like a good plan? Or should I plan for AK on Tuesday instead of Thurs? It will be hard for them to get up and going either day because of the after hours the nights before.
I would also like to know what are some good free or not expensive options for things to do around WDW or in the area that the teens would enjoy. We had planned Disney Springs of course - could do Splitsville, shop, eat, ...but what else? Visiting a water park or swimming at Pop is an option if it is warm enough. We went in March in 2021 and it was a cold trip! We needed long sleeves and jackets most days! So not sure if the water will be right for swimming.
Breakfast reservation at the other resorts like Ohana or Boma - what are some of your favorite places to dine with teens? The day we go to Animal Kingdom we could have a late breakfast at Boma which is close by?
Would like to start making dining reservations but need to make sure my Tues and Thurs plans are nailed down.
So here's my plan - tickets already purchased, and park days already reserved - but I'm having trouble deciding if I need to swap my Tuesday and Thursday. And we need some advice on things to do during downtime:
Saturday - Arrive at Pop (probably around 7pm)
Sunday - EPCOT, park ticket from Park open to Close
Monday - sleep in, Magic Kingdom After Hours ticket only 7pm - 1am (what to do during this downtime until 7pm?)
Tuesday - sleep in, off day (what to do on this off day?)
Wednesday - sleep in, arrive around lunchtime to Hollywood Studios, park ticket + After Hours ticket
Thursday - sleep in, arrive around lunchtime to Animal Kingdom (mainly there for Everest, FoP, and NRiver - assuming Kali River will be closed) - maybe they will want to see other parts of AK!
Friday - All day at Magic Kingdom
Saturday - depart
I originally had planned to do AK on Tuesday and use Thursday as an off day/start to pack day. But the website I use for crowd calendars said that AK is 7/10 on Tues and 6/10 on Thurs, so I decided potentially less crowds is better than moving the off day until later in the week when our bodies would like a break LOL Does that make sense and sound like a good plan? Or should I plan for AK on Tuesday instead of Thurs? It will be hard for them to get up and going either day because of the after hours the nights before.
I would also like to know what are some good free or not expensive options for things to do around WDW or in the area that the teens would enjoy. We had planned Disney Springs of course - could do Splitsville, shop, eat, ...but what else? Visiting a water park or swimming at Pop is an option if it is warm enough. We went in March in 2021 and it was a cold trip! We needed long sleeves and jackets most days! So not sure if the water will be right for swimming.
Breakfast reservation at the other resorts like Ohana or Boma - what are some of your favorite places to dine with teens? The day we go to Animal Kingdom we could have a late breakfast at Boma which is close by?
Would like to start making dining reservations but need to make sure my Tues and Thurs plans are nailed down.
