Considering a MK-heavy trip

[rjmdds]

Hi. I just booked a trip from 11/11-11/15/09. It was an unplanned trip that we decided to book. We typically go for 9 days or so and hit everything in a relatively leisurely manner. We weren't planning to go again until 4/2011. Since this is a shorter trip, my planning skills will be put to the test. My DD is 7 and DS is 4. I am consdering leaving out some parks and basically making this a MK trip with a stop in EPCOT. Plus we are staying at the CR Atrium Club so the MK will be ultra-convenient. I am just concerned that I will regret not hitting all of the parks. Or not spending enough time in EPCOT. Thoughts?

[SBETigg]

With good planning, we managed to hit all four parks on our last four day trip and return to our favorites. We did all of our must-sees and some extra things, but not all of the things we usually do. We did use park hoppers and that helped us make the most of our time. We also took advantage of morning EMH, hopped when it got busy, and hit the parks with evening EMH on the day after their EMH.

It was just two of us, adults, so it will be a little harder with children, but still doable depending on crowds. There were things in all parks we just didn't want to miss. If you keep it to MK and Epcot alone, you will definitely get more satisfying experiences at those two parks, though you will miss out on some things at the other parks, like Toy Story Mania. Happy planning!

[Jeri Lynn]

I would just get there and go with the flow...you may find you will fit in more than you think!!

Great time to go, I love November!

[faline]

When we've done long weekends, we've generally hit each of the 4 parks. It's usually at a quickened pace though we generally manage to get in our "favorites" at each of the parks. Maybe it could be an adventure - a quest to ride only your favorites at each park before moving on to the next!

[MinnieMommie]

I think it depends on the type of vacation you want (leisurely or more fast paced)and the number of full days you will be there. Will your flight schedule allow you to get good use of the parks on the days you arrive and depart? Do you even plan to go to the parks the first and last day of you trip? This will determine if you plan to visit the parks 3, 4 or 5 days. Once you know how many days and how many full days you will be able to visit the parks you can think about how much you can realistically and comfortably do.

You also have to consider how well your children travel and if they will enjoy hopping from park to park or if they might get more out of enjoying the resort, MK and Epcot rather than experiencing attractions in all the parks.
CR is a great place to be with kids. The access to and from MK and Epcot is very convenient. When my kids were young we used to stay there and go back to our resort each afternoon so they could swim, rest and relax before going back to the parks at night.

If you get a park hopper you can get in as many parks as you like. You can even manage a short visit to AK and HS and just hit a few things your family really likes. You can also have a great time just enjoying the resort, MK and Epcot. :mickey:

[tinksmom02]

If your kids (and you!) would get the most enjoyment from a heavy-MK vacation, don't feel bad about it! I'm assuming that you've been to the other parks on previous trips--if the kids don't mind skipping them, I say enjoy it!