hi there, plans are coming together slowly but surely. we are two adults, vets at DLR but first trip to WDW. i have made a few ADRs, and booked a SEGWAY tour. we are staying at the WL jan 29 - feb 8. we are early risers. i myself am a big believer in the 3pm nap when on holiday so have tried to keep the afternoons pretty low stress so we can go back to the hotel. we have not made a lot of ADRs because we don't want to be tied down too much and are happy to try to make bookings the morning of, or once we have had a look around, for later in the week. we actually like the look of a lot of the counter-service restaurants in Epcot and are quite happy to eat that way rather than being tied down to reservations for more formal dining. we are not wanting to drive so will be reliant on disney transport, and have a budget for taxis and shuttles for the off-site portion of the trip. with all that in mind:

does anyone have any feedback for me about the advisability of the following:

Day 1: arrive MCO 10am. ME to WL. Hope to be at MK in time for the 3pm parade, and for the 6.30m fireworks. Have an ADR for 8pm at the Whispering Canyon restaurant back at the WL, and hope to be able to see the P&P fireworks from the hotel at 9.45pm.

Day 2: Disney studios in the morning. Lunch ADR 1pm at Mama Melroses.
Late afternoon head to AK - extended evening hours until 8pm that night.

Day 3: Early entry at MK 8am, then when the crowds hit, monorail to Epcot. ADR at Rose and Crown for lunch, 1pm.

Day 4: SEGWAY tour at Epcot booked for 7.45am start. spend the morning at Epcot, then head to DTD for lunch (earl of sandwich) and to check out the shops. Afternoon of leisure (maybe a spa treatment back at the hotel), then maybe back to Epcot for extended evening hours.

Day 5: MGM early hour - 8am. later wander over to Epcot.

Day 6: AK in the morning, 9am start. Afternoon at leisure. Evening extra hours at MK from 9pm til midnight. Dinner ADR at Tony's Town Square for 7pm.

Day 7: universal studios (we are going to book a shuttle when we get to orlando for this journey

Day 8: Epcot early entry 8am. Possibly studios in the afternoon. Dinner back at resort.

Day 9: shopping day - florida mall or the millenium mall?

Day 10: MK early entry 8am, rest of day free to choose.

Day 11: 1.30pm flight to LA and the DLR (to check out the new Nemo ride, and get my splash mountain fix since it will be shut at WDW) - we have 3 days before our 11pm flight home on the Monday night.

so, what do you think? does this look realistic? too exhausting? will we be ok travelwise?

This seems reasonable to me! Have a great time!

And I think your ADRs look about perfect, given what you described as your style.

Do you have an evening at the Studios? Fantasmic can be fun (though it's a very different experience than at DL!)

I've never done evening hours at AK, so I don't know what the crowds are like there - but I really noticed an increase in crowds on the evening EMH parks - so if you start noticing that trend, you might want to switch things around later in the week.

My sister and I really liked the Segway tour. Not much 'tour' to it (some) but it was fun, and they really do a good job of making sure you're safe AND comfortable operating the Segways.

Do you have an evening at the Studios? Fantasmic can be fun (though it's a very different experience than at DL!)

I've never done evening hours at AK, so I don't know what the crowds are like there - but I really noticed an increase in crowds on the evening EMH parks - so if you start noticing that trend, you might want to switch things around later in the week.

thanks for these ideas; on day 8 there is the possiblity of an evening at the studios - there is a parade at 3pm and fantasmic is on at 7pm. we hadn't really focused on it because we have seen it a few times at DLR and I understand that its not nearly as impressive at WDW because its not an the river. but it's something to keep in mind.

its interesting to hear about the evening EMH hours; I was only thinking about the fact that during those hours, only resort guests could participate. but i guess it would make sense if on those days the crowds were higher because resort guests would tend to head there along with everyone else - making for a busier day until the non-resort guests leave. hopefully it will not be too big a deal because on the days we were thinking of going to the evening EMH, we were not planning to hit that park until quite late in the afternoon. but, as you say, we can definitely be flexible.

As a total non-planner, your schedule looks pretty easy and flexible. I have found that you can often get really good ADRs the day of (even CRT) because people often cancel in the morning.

In my experience, night EMHs are less crowded than morning, but I've never been at AK for EMHs. One upside, as it gets cooler, the animals are more active (on KS).

I have also found that the crowds are considerably lighter by about 1:00ish in the parks that have morning EMHs. People who were there for the morning have left and the evening crowds haven't arrived.

It sounds like you are going to have a wonderful time!

I like your "schedule" because it's more of a general plan. There's a lot of "maybes" in there. There's not a lot of have-to-be-there things on it. You have a lot of time for your trip and your plan looks to be very easy going. One thing about Disney World that is different from Disneyland is the distance between the parks. But I think you are easing into things so that you won't be running from one end of the property to the other.

Have a great time!

I like the flexibility that you've built in.

Couple of things-have you thought about Prime Time Cafe over Mama Melrose's for that MGM lunch ADR? We tried both. Throughly enjoyed Prime Time but felt that Mama Melrose took forever(2 hours from seating to finish-wo dessert), was super loud and had better food at Olive Garden here in the "real" world. Wouldn't have done MM except that we wanted the Fantasmic Dinner package. Regarding Fantasmic-absolutely it's fabulous over the river at DL(we're vets too) but it IS wonderful to have a stadium and a seat rather than having to line up and wait for hours and stand thru the show. I actually like it better at WDW simply because of that comfort level thing.

Did I miss at least one night at Epcot? For me, Epcot is especially lovely at night-by all means see the show at least once. Nothing better than enjoying an adult beverage while listening to the music and shows in the various countries-I especially like both Off-Kilter(Canada) and the Fab Four(UK) but all are worth a listen. Wine tastings in Germany, Italy, Japan are definitely on my must do list, if we ever get the chance for an adult only trip!

Ihave you thought about Prime Time Cafe over Mama Melrose's for that MGM lunch ADR? ... Regarding Fantasmic; I actually like it better at WDW simply because of that comfort level thing. at least one night at Epcot?

thanks! we did look at prime time cafe, but we are both vegetarians and there didn't look to be anything on the menu that we would want to eat and while i know that there are always things they can do, going to a place with NOTHING on the menu looks like a bit of a challenge. I hadn't clicked on to the stadium thing regarding fantasmic; i will keep it in mind. and as for the evening at Epcot, there are a couple of evenings 'free' where we thought if we rested up in the afternoon that is where we would head. I love the idea of sitting in the shade with a glass or three of wine, listening to music - very Undisney! thanks again for these suggestions - I really appreciate it.

My sister (not a vegetarian) had a ratatouille stuffed green pepper a couple weeks back at Prime Time. I'm pretty sure it was totally vegetarian, and it was so good, we asked for the recipe (still waiting for it to be sent). I just checked the menu on MousePlanet, and it was on the August 06 version (and still there in real life!)