30 sleeps and counting! first timers in Orlando.. this okay?

[Guest]

Morning all!

We are off on our very first orlando trip in 30 more sleeps! (9th October) We are travelling as a group of 8 staying in Paradise Palms resort in Kissimmee. I have taken on the task of making an itinerary of sorts and have come up with the following... feedback greatly appreciated from those more experienced travellers!

Day 1 9th Oct - Arrive from Manchester to Orlando international at 2pm, find villa, dump luggage and head out to Walmart to stock up. Plan is to relax at the villa for the evening and get an early night
Day 2 10th Oct - Universal during the day, maybe Longhorne Steakhouse for food in the evening.
Day 3 11th Oct - Magic Kingdom all day (need to source food as most restaurants in there are booked! ) gonna stay on for fireworks at 9pm.
Day 4 12th Oct - Relaxation day.. pool followed by family BBQ at the villa in the evening.
Day 5 13th Oct - Islands Of Adventure all day (again not thought about dining in the evening... recommendations welcome!)
Day 6 14th Oct - Volcano Bay/Typhoon Lagoon 1/2 day then reservations made at Hard Rock Cafe 7pm
Day 7 15th Oct - Relax day.. visit International Drive at some point and possibly Bahama Breeze for food early evening.
Day 8 16th Oct - Animal Kingdom in the day.. No plans made for the evening. Possibly Disney Springs and Raglan Road for food.
Day 9 17th Oct - Hollywood Studios staying for Fantasmic at 7.30pm
Day 10 18th Oct - Seaworld.. this will be 3rd consecutive day of parks so definitely back to villa to relax in the evening.
Day 11 19th Oct - We have tickets for MNSSHP and plan on dressing up so the afternoon will be spent preparing. Possibly pool and stay on site morning.
Day 12 20th Oct - Relax day after a late night at MK. Mall Of Millenia after a lie in and Cheesecake Factory for lunch!
Day 13 21st Oct - Busch Gardens, it's spooky safari kids weekend so hoping for a fun filled day!
Day 14 22nd Oct - Epcot.. reservations for breakfast with the princesses at 8am. Plan on spending our last day having a wonder around the food and wine festival and getting in a few FP rides before heading back to the villa to pack.

So... what's the verdict, do I need to make any changes?

[7SeasSailor]

Any day not spent in a park is a rest day to me so wouldn't have a rest day after Volcano Bay. You have only go one day for AK, if you haven't got fast passes then you might spend up to two hours in the queue for Flight of Passage. The only thing that we buy in Mall of Millenia is a meal at the food court, it is the high end of the market for us. You may be better off for bargains if you visit either or both of the Premium Outlets at the top or bottom of I Drive.

[jools1302]

Hi there,

Your plans look great, we are going to Busch Gardens same day as you 😊 But didn't know there was anything special on that day... for you full day in magic kingdom you could have looked at eating at some of the monorail resorts? Sometimes need an hour or si out of the park to relax and recharge

[AliceCooper9]

Plan looks good

Day 8 16th Oct - Animal Kingdom in the day.. No plans made for the evening. Possibly Disney Springs and Raglan Road for food.

ROL show?

[fluffychicken]

For MK you can't use on food on the day you don't want a sit down meal. There are lots of nice quick services places.

[DisneyHighlands]

I would second the comment relating to Mall of Millenia. We visited here, Florida Mall and the outlet on I4 and bought nothing at Millenia. It wasn't as good as the rest. The other options provided us with an additional case full of clothes to get home!

[gazza5]

Same we eat at mall of millenia, don't tend to bother with the shops.

With the dollar rate the way it is, even the outlets I cannot see me buying as much as previous trips.

As volcano bay to me is a relax day I wouldn't have a day off after, I would be hitting a park if possible.

Day 8 I would see whats on in the evening at animal kingdom, usually its closed by 8pm, so the entertainment isn't too late.

[Tre85]

I agree with others regarding Animal Kingdom - please stay for Rivers of Light its really worth a watch. Plus if you haven't booked Raglan Road for a party of 8 you might struggle. I would maybe looked to try and get a reservation on one of your rest days and spend a few hours at Disney Springs.

Also ref your Magic Kingdom day where you say you need to source food - theres plenty of quick service options so it won't be too much of any issue.

[Guest]

thank you everyone for your input, I have made a few changes...

Day 1 9th Oct - Arrive at 2pm shop and relax in the villa
Day 2 10th Oct - Universal during the day longhorn for tea on the way home
Day 3 11th Oct - Magic kingdom all day staying for fireworks
Day 4 12th Oct - Relaxation day.. pool followed by family BBQ at the villa in the evening.
Day 5 13th Oct - Islands Of Adventure all day, reservations made for hard rock in the evening.
Day 6 14th Oct - Seaworld, Millers Ale House in the evening.
Day 7 15th Oct - Relax day, cheesecake factory for lunch then florida mall for a browse.
Day 8 16th Oct - Animal Kingdom staying for ROL depending how long we last.
Day 9 17th Oct - Hollywood Studios staying for Fantasmic at 7.30pm
Day 10 18th Oct - Water park in the day reservations made at Raglan Road in the evening. Drinks and food!
Day 11 19th Oct - We have tickets for MNSSHP and plan on dressing up so the afternoon will be spent preparing. Possibly pool and stay on site morning.
Day 12 20th Oct - Relax day no plans in the day, reservations made at Chef Art Smiths Homecoming for tea.
Day 13 21st Oct - Busch Gardens, it's spooky safari kids weekend so hoping for a fun filled day!
Day 14 22nd Oct - Epcot.. reservations for breakfast with the princesses at 8am. Plan on spending our last day having a wonder around the food and wine festival and getting in a few FP rides before heading back to the villa to pack.

So essentially I have changed my hard rock reservations for when we are at IOA, made a couple of reservations in disney springs and I THINK we have a finished itinerary!

17 sleeps to go

[Guest]

I would have a think about your days of the week. You are only making one trip to AK and are doing it on a Saturday, I think it is a two day park anyway and definitely I would if the day I was going on was Saturday. I would maybe do the morning there on the 17th as well as HS doesn't have enough to fill morning, afternoon and evening (IMHO).

I see you had changed it now, but I have Mall of Millenia and Cheesceke Factory in my plan for next year. I thought Mall of Millenia looked great, but I am not bothered about shopping, just want to window shop. This year I didn't venture off property at all!