My biggest concern is getting to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom for 7 a.m. EMHs from Old Key West — and the viability of returning from those parks for an afternoon break. Just within this thread there are conflicting accounts as to whether morning buses are more likely to be full/take longer than during mid-day. So how early do we need to be out the door to be at each of those parks by 6:30-6:45 a.m., using the Disney buses? (That's when people say to get to EMH, just for the non-headliner rides) And by comparison, how early do we need to be out the door if we're using Minnie Vans or Lyft?
This is already really early for us since we're coming from the west. We're kind of approaching health-threatening sleep deprivation if we have to be at the bus stop before 6 a.m. (if bus service even departs that early, which now I'm not at all sure of). Being up at 5 a.m. is like 3 a.m. to us.
So if we're going to do that to a little kid, an afternoon break seems really crucial. But if we should always expect at least 40-50 minutes to get from point A to point B one way, that doesn't really leave much time to rest at the hotel. Our dinner ADRs in AK and MK are for 4:50 and 5:00 p.m. (again, I did not make the reservations, this isn't about me being stupid — and the people who did were caught off guard to even learn you have to book dinner 6 months out, because that's not something you just intuitively know out here in the regular world where you make dinner reservations a few weeks in advance). If we leave AK after the noon Nemo show (12:40) ... I just don't see how it's NBD for a bus to be a half hour overdue here and there. Suddenly you're not back to the hotel until close to 2 p.m. and you have to turn around and leave at 3:20 p.m. to make the ADR. That's 2+ hours in transit for like an hour of "rest."
I just cannot agree that I'm foolish for being surprised by these conditions.
OKW - whew. I don't know too much about it, other than it looks gorgeous. To be at AK and MK for the 7am open? I would be at the bus stop no later than 6-615. We are early birds, so that would NOT be a problem for us. If you are using Lyft, I would say to schedule it for 615 - 630 for AK. For MK - same, if you have them drop you at Contemporary so you can walk over.
So, however long it takes you to get up and get ready in the AM, subtract that from "at the bus stop no later than 6am" and get your wake up time there.
Now, personally, I would push the dining reservations back a bit, so you can go back to the resort and rest for a few hours. If that is not possible, find a quiet, secluded corner of the park and rest there. We bench surf, a lot, when we need breaks. Grab something cold and people watch for an hour while my kids recharge. It does wonders.
There is no "over due" for busses. They are not on a strict timetable. They average about every 15-20 minutes, but come quicker or slower based on a myriad of things. The screens by the stops will keep you updated.
If you don't want to rely on the busses, which I get, as a first timer who wants to get everything in and done, use Lyft or a cab.
We, however, find the transportation part of the vacation. 2 minutes or 90 minutes, we enjoy the time.
Try to not stress about it. Vacation should be fun. Once your plans are made, just be fluid. It will still be an amazing adventure even if all the boxes are not checked on the to-do list.