Joan,
Thanks for asking me your question to planDisney!
My family is the same way. First, we pick our parks. Then, we pick our dinners!
Typically, Disney will publish park hours about 60 days in advance. On occasion, they will do them in blocks, but at any given time you should know the hours for the next two months of dates. For your trip, you should see hours getting listed around the first couple of days of September, likely starting on the 5th. But start checking around September 1st, just in case they come out a few days early.
Here are a few dates and events to keep in mind, as you start that early park planning.
During the first few days of your stay, Walt Disney World will be hosting the
Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend. My recommendation is to keep
EPCOT park visits to later in your trip since those first two days of your trip are likely going to be busy ones in the World Showcase.
On the 9th, the
Magic Kingdom will be hosting the first
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party of the season. If you are planning a full park day on that last day, the Magic Kingdom might not be your best bet as the park is sure to close early for that party.
Other than that, I don’t expect any odd hours for any given park.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park can start to have earlier closing times as the colder months set in, so keep that in mind. But we don’t often schedule dinners there anyway, as we usually opt to have our one big breakfast of the vacation at
Tusker House Restaurant with Donald Duck!
Now I like to talk about park planning, but I
LOVE to talk about where to eat! So, if you are looking for any dining suggestions, please
write me back, let me know some of your preferences, and I can offer some great table service, and counter service selections by park.
Have a Magical Vacation!Doug