April Disney Itinerary - opinions please

Question

Hi all,

Travelling to Orlando for 3 weeks in April with my wife and 9 year old son. We are doing 6 nights at Wilderness Lodge with Dining Plan followed by 14 nights in a Villa (when we will then do Universal, Busch, Seaworld, Discovery Cove).

I've been to Disney before quite a while ago (14 years ago I think) and it seems like things have changed a lot from the old Fastpass system and it's now more of a military procedure to make sure you do lots of planning so you don't miss out.

As such and having read various tips regarding LL's and LLMPs I've come up with the following itinerary for our trip and just wondered what peoples thoughts were?

Any suggestions on things to change, things to add/remove? Thanks in advance.

Day 1 - (Arrival + Magic Kingdom)

14:30 - Arrive Wilderness Lodge, check-in

16:00 - Enter Magic Kingdom and aim to do all rides/attractions in TomorrowLand (buy LLSP for TRON 7 days before arrival)

Day 2 - (Magic Kingdom) - 7 days before buy LLMP and book earliest possible LL from Pirates of Caribbean, Tiana's Bayou Adventure and Magic Carpets of Aladdin, followed by other 2 at best available times.

08:00 - Aim to be in Early Hours rope drop queue by 8am, head straight for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at rope drop, followed by Peter Pan.

09:30 - Check in at 1st LLMP and immediately book Jungle Cruise.

10:00 till 13:00- Ride other 2 pre-booked LL's plus any short wait time rides in the area while waiting for Jungle Cruise call time, making sure to make other LLMP bookings after each check-in for after lunch (Winnie the Pooh, Philarmagic, Little Mermaid)

13:00 - Have lunch

14:00 till 18:30 - relax taking in other areas and using up later LL's

18:35 - Dinner at Be Our Guest restaurant

21:00 - Fireworks

Day 3 - (bit of rest, then Animal Kingodom and Epcot)

Have a well deserved lie in before

10:30 - Character Breakfast at Topolinos

12:00 - 13:30 - Make use of hotel pool

15:00 till 18:00 - Animal Kingdom, whatever attractions have shortest wait time.

18:30 till late - Epcot for Extra Evening Hours whatever attractions have shortest wait times possibilty of watching fireworks at 9pm.

Day 4 - (Typhoon Lagoon)

10:00 - Day at Typhoon Lagoon

19:30 - Dinner at Chef Mickeys

Day 5 - (Hollywood Studios) - 7 days before buy LLMP and book earliest possible LL from Alien Swirling Saucers (09:30), Slinky Dog Dash (10:00), Toy Story Mania (10:30), followed by other 2 at best available times.

08:00 - Aim to be in Early Hours rope drop queue by 8am, head straight for Rise of The Resistance at rope drop, followed by Smugglers Run.

09:30 - Check in at 1st LLMP and immediately book Rock 'N' Roll Roller Coaster for as soon as possible.

10:00 till 13:00- Ride other 2 pre-booked LL's plus any short wait time rides in the area while waiting for Aerosmith time, making sure to make other LLMP bookings after each check-in for after lunch (Tower of Terror, Beauty & The Beast)

12:30 - Have lunch

13:30 till 16:50 - More LL rides or short wait time rides

16:55 - Dinner at Sci-Fi Diner

19:00 - 20:00 - Couple more rides/attractions

20:30 - Fantasmic with VIP seating

Day 6 - (Epcot)

07:00 - Try to join Gaurdian virtual Queue

09:00 - Aim to be in Early Hours rope drop queue by 9am, head straight for Test Track followd by Soarin.

10:00 - As not buying LL's for Epcot just find atttractions with low wait times until Guardian virtual queue timeslot

18:00 - Dinner at Tepan Edo

21:00 - Possibly do Luminous fireorks if not already don on day 3.

Day 7 - (Check-out Day + Half Day Animal Kingdom)

Check out from Wilderness Lodge and spend 4-5 hours in Animal Kingdom on attractions not done on day 3)

### NOTE as we have a 14 day park hopper pass I have also allocated a day later in the vacation while we're staying in a Villa, to come back and do any attactions we either missed or want to do again.

A few questions to add... how long should I space out the LL's? Is 30 minutes between each one reasonable?

I've not allocated any time to parades but we'd like to do at least one. Can anyone suggest a space in that itinerary where we could best fit one in?

We've currently decided against LLMP for Animal Kingdom and Epcot. Is that a mistake?

Many thanks for any help.

Regards

Dean

Answer

Hi Dean,

Your itinerary is very detailed and shows that you’ve clearly put a lot of thought into using Genie+, Lightning Lanes, and Early Entry effectively. Here’s some feedback and suggestions based on current Disney crowd patterns, attraction flows, and family experience considerations.

General Tips:

Spacing LL reservations: 30 minutes is generally a good starting point, but for popular rides (TRON, Seven Dwarfs, Rise of the Resistance) you may need 45–60 minutes between LL rides if you factor in walking, photo ops, bathroom breaks, and any potential queue delays. Less popular rides can be spaced closer together.
Parades: For Magic Kingdom, the Festival of Fantasy Parade is a great option. A good spot to fit it could be between 14:00–16:00 on Day 2, after lunch and before your late LLs. In Hollywood Studios, the Disney Movie Magic or Sunset Season of the Force nighttime shows could be viewed in the evening, fitting around your Fantasmic VIP seating.
LLMP for Animal Kingdom and Epcot: It’s not a mistake to skip them if you’re comfortable using Early Entry, Genie+ selections, and virtual queues (like Guardians at Epcot). AK tends to have lower wait times earlier in the day, and Epcot’s attractions are more spread out, so LLMP is less critical unless you’re targeting Guardians and Soarin’.

Day-by-Day Thoughts:

Day 1: Arrival plus Tomorrowland – good choice for a partial day. TRON is smart to pre-book 7 days ahead.
Day 2: MK – your plan is very thorough. Consider adding a mid-morning snack break if your 9-year-old needs it. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train rope drop is ideal; following it with Peter Pan is excellent strategy. Booking Jungle Cruise after check-in is great, as it will fill your mid-morning.
Day 3: Mixing AK and Epcot is ambitious. Your morning character breakfast at Topolinos and pool time is perfect for a slower start. At AK, focus on Pandora and Kilimanjaro Safaris first; other attractions can be fit in based on wait times. Epcot in the evening is fine, just check that park closing times and fireworks align.
Day 4: Typhoon Lagoon – straightforward and good rest day between parks. Evening at Chef Mickey’s works well as it’s near MK and convenient for dining.
Day 5: Hollywood Studios – excellent rope drop choices. Slinky Dog, Rise of the Resistance, and Smugglers Run order is ideal. Keep Genie+ updated through the day to maximize ride coverage. Don’t forget short snack breaks, as this is a long, high-energy day.
Day 6: Epcot – using Early Entry and virtual queue for Guardians is correct. Soarin’ and Test Track first is smart. You may also consider exploring World Showcase before dinner at Teppan Edo. LLMP is optional here; you’ll likely manage with Genie+ and early arrival.
Day 7: Check-out day with half-day AK – good plan for finishing up missed attractions. Keep timing flexible depending on how tired the family is.

Additional Recommendations:

Consider a late afternoon break on your busiest park days to recharge, especially with a 9-year-old. This can prevent meltdowns and improve overall enjoyment.
Use My Disney Experience app throughout the day for ride wait times, modifying Genie+ reservations, and checking virtual queue status.
If interested in character meet-and-greets, try to schedule them during lower wait times or when walking between rides.
Always account for extra 10–15 minutes walking between attractions – parks are larger than most expect.
Be flexible: even with planning, Disney crowds can be unpredictable in April due to spring break. Having a buffer is helpful.

Overall, your itinerary is very well structured, with a good balance of early rope drop, LLMP strategy, rest, meals, and evening shows. Spacing LLs slightly more for major attractions and inserting one parade viewing block will enhance the experience. Skipping LLMP at AK and Epcot is reasonable.

Enjoy your trip – it sounds like it’s going to be a fantastic Disney vacation for your family!