[Roop]

We are scheduled for our first trip in August, we're not crazy about the heat but it's our only free time. We'll be staying at AKL for nights; me, my wife, 2 daughters (8&7) and our son who will be 8 months at the time.

We are overwhelmed with the options but plan on scheduling 2 character breakfasts. Other than that we are thinking we should try to plan on getting in 2 activities each morning, some kind of show, pool or water park, nap, 2 more activites and then dinner.

Is this realistic?

I've been browsing the forums, great advice & ideas, would appreciate any recomendations.

Thanks,

Roop

[JK5]

Sounds like you have a plan that will work, just remember with kids anything goes. The best part of staying on site is the flexibility to go back to your resort when a melt down is near That way you can regroup. We've been there during all stages with our 3, including 1 visit with me being pregnant. You might want to take advantage of the early hour entry if your kids are early risers. By mid morning when the parks get a little more crowded head for your resort for the pool or a water park. The parks are open later when you're down there so you can take advantage of going to a park in the evening when it's cooler. Also, plan rest breaks in cool attractions.... MK Pirates of the Caribbean, Hall of President's ( may 8 yr old loves to nap here),Country Bear Jamboree, Mickey's Philharmagic, Carousel of Progress these are all sit daown and air conditioned, and you can always hop onTommorowland Transit Authority and get off your feet. Grab a guide book if you haven't already they come in handy especially when it comes to things your girls will want to see. Have fun!

[tinkerbell]

Welcome to DC :) so happy to have you join us. We are going in August too. Do I understand right .. you will be at AKL 4 nights, 5 days at the parks?
Personally I think as far as Charactor Breakfast .. Chef Mickey's is wonderful. Since you will be staying at AKL though you might consider the charactor Breakfast at Animal Kingdom for one choice. And I know as for as a show, Festival of the Lion King at AK is wonderful !
For night time shows ..my personal recommendations would be Fantasmic at MGM and Wishes at MK.
again welcome to DC and looking forward to more post by you :)

[Willbegone]

Welcome to DC! Let me recommend having an early or late lunch at Crystal Palace with Pooh and the Gang at MK. It is a wonderful mid day break from the heat, after you can take a nap because you will be FULL! The food is good and the characters are GREAT! Have a great time!

[MissDisney]

Roop, welcome! When we had little ones and we had a hot week, we made sure to go to a park in teh morning, and then GO BACK TO THE HOTEL for a swim, lunch and a little r&R and then another park in the afternoon! Some people like to do one park a day, which never worked for our kids. They became overwhelmed, tired, hot and miserable. But we quickly learned to go home for about 2-3 hours (say, 12:30-3:00) and then head back out, refreshed and happy! We had so much more fun that way.

[mickaholic4077]

Welcome to DC!!! If you will be at AKL on either a Wed or Sat be sure to eat at Boma. They have out-of-this-world ribs on the menu then.

[llama]

Welcome to DC. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. Do get a good guide book and make it your bedtime reading from now until you go. The more you know, the more you'll enjoy your trip. And please ask lots of questions here. Someone will have the answer. In fact - you'll probably get 10 answers. I might suggest that instead of two character breakfasts, you might plan one breakfast (1900 Park Fare is our personal favourite, or Chef Mickey's) and one character dinner at the Crystal Palace. Everyone seems to enjoy that, and you won't be obligated to rush on two mornings if things aren't going as planned.

[babets]

There is nothing better than seeing first timer's expressions to the world. I love going and seeing the expressions on my children's faces. I just love WDW and everything involved w/ it.

[tammysbowman]

Welcome! You are definitely planning in the right direction with a built-in break in the afternoon. It is amazing how much a 2-3 hour break can do. Some suggestions are to take advantage of the early hour entry for the parks and use FAST PASS to your advantage.

Someone out there may have more information about the current use of the FAST PASS. I have heard that even if you utilize the early morning hour that the FAST PASS can't be used until regular park hours and I can't remember if there has to be an hour between obtaining another FAST PASS.

I suggest doing the MK in two days versus one. One day head directly past Cinderella's castle to the DUMBO ride (if your children want to ride this) first. This is the old amusement type ride and, therefore, takes the longest time in line. You may want to send someone over to the BUZZ LIGHTYEAR ride or SPACE MOUNTAIN for fast passes. These two rides are also ones that become quite busy fast. After Dumbo, go to the Peter Pan ride and try to go on as many ride as possible in that area of the park until your fast passes can be utilized. Depending on what time it is, we like go on and visit the rides and attractions in Tomorrow Land and Mickey Toon Town until lunch or break time and head back to the hotel for our break. The MK seems to get busier as the day goes by, so we usually opt to visit another park after our break. The 2nd day at the MK, we head directly to Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain as soon as the park opens and finish with the attractions on that side of the park. It seems to work better for our family this way.

At Epcot, get fast passes ASAP for TEST TRACK and probably MISSION SPACE (I didn't ride this because I get motion sick easily).

At AK, get fast passes ASAP for Kil. Safari ride. The animals are most active in the early morning and evening due to the heat. You may want to get fast passes for the Dinosaur ride too.

At MGM, you may want to consider the "dinner & seating" package for the Fantasmic show. It may seem a little pricey, but it was well worth it for us to not have to sit and wait 2 hours in advance in a line or on seats with two children. We had dinner, walked to the back entrance just for the package and walked (a lot longer than the regular line) directly to our seats. Another advantage was that it was a lot faster getting out after the show too. The VOYAGE OF THE LITTLE MERMAID show seems to fill-up quickly too, so consider fast passes. When we were there last October, there were a lot of characters that came out at the top of the hour from opening to 1:00 p.m. for autographs. They had a little stage show and then went to various areas in front of the stage for autographs and pictures. Each hour had different characters so if you are looking for certains ones, you may want to ask a Cast Member of the scheduled appearances for that morning. The 1:00 didn't have quite as many because of the parade at 3:00 p.m. though.

The character breakfast and dinners really depend on what characters your DD's want to meet. I personally recommend the O'hana or Chef Mickey for breakfast unless they have their heart set on seeing the Princesses (Epcot-Norway).

Read as much as possible before you go and always be FLEXIBLE!

Sorry if I gave you too much information...I just love WDW and get carried away!

[disneydana]

Welcome to DC! I agree that you need to learn as much as possible before you go to maximize your time there. There are some great guidebooks out there. Personally, I use www.tourguidemike.com. It is a wonderful site. It costs the same as a guidebook and has a wealth of info as well as forums you can post on to ask specific questions.

My kids are about the same age as yours. I highly recommend a break midday! We get to the parks prior to opening and leave sometime after lunch. The kids (and usually DH ) will nap and then we head back out for evening activities. It is so much more enjoyable that way. And no, my kids don't nap at home but they do at WDW. I would also find out which days are the least crowded for each park and plan to visit that park on that day.

Your DD's would probably love to do a character meal with the princesses. CRT or Princess Storybook breakfast would be a good option. We tend to not do breakfast character meals because that is when the parks are less crowded. Also, if you plan to see Fantasmic, I think the dinner package is a must for August. Good luck with your planning.

[tragic312]

welcome to DC, roop. it's great to have another member be a part of this great big family.
there is, of course, plenty to do in WDW for you and your family to enjoy. i'm a big fan of just about everything that's down there but i will offer a few favorites of mine for you to enjoy.

EPCOT:
i love visiting spaceship earth. it is such a beautiful site. i also love visiting the countries. there are performances, movies, and even rides in certain countries that are worth checking out. oh and how can i forget illuminations. just a wonderful and fantastic show to check it!! that's given at night time.

AK:
the safari is a great one for the kids to enjoy. you'll get to see so many animals up close and personal.
the festival of the lion king is a definite must for any lion king lover.
mickey's jamming jungle parade is fun and festive.
the tree of life is also a great attraction to see.

MGM:
Muppet 3-D show. it's not scary so the little ones will love it.
Al's Toy Barn is a great spot to meet Toy Story characters
the motor car parade is a great parade to watch.
the sorceror's hat is beautiful at night to see.
fantasmic is my ultimate favorite show down there. it might be a little scary for the kids but it's all good fun.

MK:
THE CASTLE. i'm a huge fan of cinderella's castle. if i could, i can look at it all day long.
cinderella's surprise celebration show is a crowd pleaser and the kids will love seeing their favorite characters on stage.
share a dream come true parade is also another crowd pleaser where the kids will see alot of their favorite characters.
the carosel (sp?) is a calm relaxing ride.
the tea cups are fun and so is the train that rides around MK.
the steamboat is also smooth and relaxing.
Big thunder mountain is fun.
i haven't seen wishes in person yet. i have seen it online though and it's a great show.
Spectromagic is my favorite parade. the kids will enjoy it very much.

there are a few other favorites of mine that i left out that i think are a little too much for little ones: RnRC, TOT (of course!!), Haunted Mansion, and a few others i can't think of right now.

as far as character dining goes: Crystal Palace, Cape May Cafe, Chef Mickey's.
my personal fave is crystal palace. but something tells me that'll change when i go to CRT for breakfast. i hope this helps you plan out your trip to WDW.

[royorb1]

I agree with several other posts on this thread, don't miss Fantasmic at MGM and take advantage of the dinner/show. Make PS arrangements in advance! It is unforgettable. 8(:o)

[karliebug]

When we do the fantasmic show we always choose Hollywood and Vine because it is a buffet with something for everyone and lots of kid friendly choices. Since your kids are under 3, you won't have to pay for them to eat. It is good food and the least expensive of the dinner options with stuff your kids will like, as well as good adult food. Make sure you bring enough diapers,disposable bibs, wipes, etc. with you. I also recommend bringing your own stroller to save money. I think the double ones are $13 a day now. I also always bring children's tylenol and cold medicine with me , just in case. You will have a great time. Don't forget that you can use the baby swap when you and your husband want to go on thrill rides.

[JOANN]

Welcome to DC!!
I think your plan is great. Alot of times I read the posts for first timers, and it seems they make alot of reservations, which is ok, but I would concentrate on seeing all I could at the Parks. A character breakfast or dinner is nice, but just remember why you are going to DW. I would have to say, it's because of the Parks. There is so much to see & do. It will be impossible to see it all, but at least you know you tried your best. Please know this is only my opinion. I know you will have a great trip!! Just take each day as it comes, and you will be just fine!! Good luck and have a safe and happy trip!!! JOANN

[Roop]

Thanks for all the advice!

We've hacked out a soft schedule, scheduled a few character meals and left one day open to do whatever the girls want.

Thanks again,

Roop