Is this too much?

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

For our upcoming 2nd trip (as a family) to WDW we had decided to make the trip longer, STILL undecided about whether we'll even venture to US/IOA this time or not (I'm thinking not- but we haven't totally decided on that yet- I have a PAP and everyone else in the family has 7 day park hopper plusses PLUS 1 day each left on park hoppers from our last trip- so we could technically easily just do WDW the entire trip) - but we also decided to take it "easy" this trip.
We went on our last trip spur of the moment, totally unprepared without any PS's (or even knowing anything about PS's at the time LOL), but we did go gungho.. every day up at the crack of dawn to be there when they opened- but only one day per park plus 3 days at US/IOA. This time we are staying onsite and have plans to make this more like a "vacation" than commando style park going- yanno? This time maybe taking midday breaks if we (or the youngest/etc) feels like it, etc.

Well I had planned on not making too many PS's- just the ones I felt we "had" to do... since we haven't ever before with the kids. I had been to breakfastosaurus once and the Garden Grill ice cream social on my solo trip.... so all the rest would be the first time for ME too. I just really didn't think we could "take it easy-vacation style" if we had a bunch of PS's we were trying to "make" all the time- and plus with 3 young children that might really take some work sometimes- or they might not be hungry at that time and we'd be paying a fortune for their meals, etc. Yanno?

But I ended up with quite a lot of PS's... or maybe it just feels that way? This is what I have so far- do you think it's too much or going to be too hard to do all these AND still have a relaxed type vacation while there? Are we going to be freaking out constantly trying to make it to our PS's? We won't always be at the park that we have the PS for before/after that PS- as well as some are really early in the morning and I'm worried about transportation to get to them. We had planned that if we don't do US/IOA during our trip to just use WDW transportation and save the money it would cost on renting a minivan. The PS's are early in the morning in some cases because that's all there was available- but also I didn't really think we could do EMH and THEN eat breakfast- we're the types that we're hungry when we wake up and don't do well with waiting a few hours before eating. Yanno?

Here's what I have so far- we arrive late on the 20th.
Nov. 21st: noon lunch at Rainforest Cafe @ AK (we might do AK that day but doubtful that we'll be up early enough for EMH since we're arriving around midnight the night before... we don't HAVE to use the park passes for this PS- so we might go to another park and then head there to AK for lunch?

Nov. 22nd: CRT 8:05am (this is before the park opens- but concerned about how we'll get there in time for this PS)

Nov. 23rd: no real PS's planned but we'll be doing MK atleast early in the day and I have to call 2wks in advance and try to work out a time for us to have a private meeting with Mickey due to some "problems" we had with Mickey on our last family trip- I'm hoping they would be able to do it on this day.

Nov. 24th: Breakfastosaurus @AK 8am (again, worried about how we'd get there that early using WDW transportation?)

Nov. 25th: Garden Grill ice cream social 3pm

Nov. 26th: 1900 Park Fare breakfast- 8:10am (again, worried about how we'd get there that early using WDW transportation?)

Nov. 27th Thanksgiving: 50's Prime Time cafe 12:10pm

Nov. 28th: 1900 Park Fare dinner 6:50pm (no real concern there- I'll just have to time our breakfast and lunch JUST right so the kids will be hungry at that time but not hungry way before that.. LOL)

That's what I have so far- and the only other thing I was planning on doing (and can't yet- not 90 days out yet) was to make a PS at Beirgarten on 11/29 at 7pm or later. I don't have any plans to make PS's for Dec 1st and we leave on the 2nd afternoon-ish so I won't make PS's for that day.

So what do you think? It's 1 place per day- do you think it's too much? I know some others do much more than that- planning 1-2 PS's every day of their trip.... but what I mean is do you think that's too much and STILL have a "relaxed" time while there? We've never gone to WDW with PS's in place before going- so I'm not sure how hard it really is to make PS's like this or if it's stressful at times trying to make it to early breakfast PS's and stuff like that. So I could use any advice, tips, etc. that you could give me! Thanks so much!

 

[onecoolmama]

Wow, I have 4 planned and I thought that was a lot! No, I think you can do all of those and still have a realxing vacation. Think about..you wake up everyday of your life and you have things planned all day..I am a SAHM, but if you work you have to get to work, the come home, eat dinner, play with the kids, drive in traffic (at least where I live)..your whole day is planned from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. So, on vacation, you wake up and say Oh I have just one thing planned today, but other than that the rest of the day is open and free. Not bad at all!!

I hope you have a realxing and great trip! We are going a little more comando-style..so not as relaxing for us! Hope you come back refreshed and rejuvinated

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Thanks for your post!
You know... I really wouldn't mind going "commando-style"- that's more my style anyway. But I'm taking a little solo trip before this trip- so hopefully I can get that out of my system before our family trip. LOL

So I guess this trip we're attempting a more relaxing vacation type trip BUT a little "commando" style on the PS's.... simply because those are things we haven't done. Yanno? Like CRT and breakfastasaurus is a MUST.... CRT for my Disney Princess obsessed toddler- breakfastosaurus because the kids didn't see Donald not one time during our only family trip previously. Things like that. So maybe it's okay to go commando style on PS's for meals and character dining experiences but everything else will be relaxed take the day as it goes and that's okay?

You're right though... thanks for helping me to think of it that way. At home we ALWAYS have a billion things planned or timelines we have to meet constantly- even one thing a day should still be relaxing for us! LOL

 

[onecoolmama]

If it is too much, just call and cancel that day. I mean, don't do it on the ones they have your credit card for..but the others..if you are in line and don't want to leave..no biggie, just call, cancel, then get counter service somewhere. If those are your must do's better to have the ressies and cancel then to not get a chance to do it at all!

I may sound great, but I do not relax like this at all during my vacation. maybe one day I will, but for now we have everything scheduled right down to breaks at the hotel and when we have to leave again. It is not very relaxing, but I did live like your vacation in college. Oh..it's Tuesday..I have to go to an 8am class..but I have the est of the day free just to do whatever. I was never a partier and I have never had a beer or been drunk..but those were the days..when all you had was 1 scheduled activity...fond memeroies of a realxing life. oh well, back to my kids, lunch, cleaning the house and laundry. At least I have something to dream about..retirement!

I hope you have a very relaxing trip!

 

[MinnieGi]

One ps per day is what I do too! I used to do more but then found I was canceling the second ps just because it would be too much food or too inconvenient to get to. So now I just do one a day also but also don't feel tied to it if we want to do something else instead, I just call and cancel. Of course CRT I would never cancel!

As far as the early breakfasts go I know they do start running the buses early just for these character meals. Ask at your hotel desk exactly what time their buses start running and try to catch the first bus since your ps times are very early!

Have fun!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Thanks everyone!
Yes, that's another reason I didn't want to do like 2 PS's on some days and none on the others.... because 2 big meals like that is just going to be wasting money with my family. First off me and DH are lowcarbing on Atkins... so we'll have a limited amount of food we can eat at the character meals/etc anyway. And my kiddos are mostly grazers- they NEVER hardly ever eat a full meal -so definitely not going to eat their money's worth at those meals even if they are hungry at that exact time. They'll eat a little and an hour or two later want to eat a little again. So might as well only do one a day. LOL

Yes, we can call and cancel if we don't want to do them- but they are all ones I doubt very seriously we would cancel... LOL

We're trying to do this one more relaxed because all our vacations in the past, even to places NOT Disney related, have always been mega-planned (I can't help it.. I'm a planner and wanted to do as much as possible during our time together on vacations LOL) down to each meal, all activities, etc. That's why we made this one longer- so maybe I could relax and not try to plan every minute having plenty of time to do everything- but I'm afraid my "over-planning" personality is trying to come through against my best efforts to control it. LOL