Another Disney World question - going for one day

[Anonymous]

We are visiting in-laws in central Florida the week after Easter, so high season for Disney. We are interested in just doing one day at Magic Kingdom with our almost 5 yo and 3.5 yo sons. They love Disney and they love rides but they hate lines. Would we be setting ourselves up for disaster trying to go for one long day when crowds are likely to be high?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Going the week after Easter will be far better than the week before Easter. Can you go as late as Thursday/Friday?

Look at the April 2014 crowd control calendar at EasyWDW.com It suggests going to Magic Kingdom on Friday 4/25

http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/04-april-2014-crowd-calendar/

[Anonymous]

Thanks. We are going the week AFTER Easter. We leave on Friday but could go on Thursday. I don't understand why Magic Kingdom is listed as "not recommended" on Thursday when the overall crowd level is lower than Friday.

[Anonymous]

Thursday and Friday are both 7s.

However, there is a LOT more that goes into crowds at WDW than the date on the calendar. Magic Kingdom opens early on Thursday, which usually brings in WDW resort guests, which adds people/lines/etc. It does not open early on Friday 4/25.

Read all the dialogue with the April calendar. Check all the dates you'd consider (I guess either Wed. 4/23 or Thursday 4/24). They explain why a particular park is recommended on a specific day.

This link has the dialogue expanded:
http://www.easywdw.com/calendar/april-2014-walt-disney-world-crowd-calendar/#more-11790

[Anonymous]

Also, check out touringplans.com. They touring plans that try to guide you through the theme park so that you avoid long lines and still get to ride all the most popular rides. I think if you download their app, you can even customize a plan for your family and use the app on the day of your visit to check wait times on the rides. If you only have one day I think it would be worth paying for this service in order to cut down on waiting in lines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are visiting in-laws in central Florida the week after Easter, so high season for Disney. We are interested in just doing one day at Magic Kingdom with our almost 5 yo and 3.5 yo sons. They love Disney and they love rides but they hate lines. Would we be setting ourselves up for disaster trying to go for one long day when crowds are likely to be high?

Thanks!

I'd increase your success rate by being there at rope drop which means getting to the turnstiles before the park opens- ideally 30 minutes or more.

[Anonymous]

I have boys the same age and I personally would not go during a spring break day. We went a few weeks ago supposedly avoiding the heavy spring break crowds. We went at rope drop and we were able to ride about 4 rides. By 10am, rides were at 45 minutes. By 11, rides were 1+ hours. I can't fathom how busy it would be during spring break. My almost 3yo was miserable and crying.

[Anonymous]

We were there last year during spring break and had a blast. I think the key is to go with no expectations of hitting x number of rides. Start with your fastpass, see what you can see, and don't worry about what you couldn't see - just enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Go early in the morning. There are fewer lines, etc. If the kids want to see Mickey, book the scavenger hunt that departs from the Town Hall on Main Street. The kids will spend an hour or so searching for clues in the park with a Disney guide, and then they return the clues directly to Mickey Mouse. You enter through a back door and go to the front of the line to meet Mickey and have your picture taken. I think it was about $25/person. You'd wait in a line several hours long otherwise to see Mickey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are visiting in-laws in central Florida the week after Easter, so high season for Disney. We are interested in just doing one day at Magic Kingdom with our almost 5 yo and 3.5 yo sons. They love Disney and they love rides but they hate lines. Would we be setting ourselves up for disaster trying to go for one long day when crowds are likely to be high?

Thanks!

Lower your expectations.

Use FastPass

Get there before the park opens and ride your "must do" rides first, even if it means walking from one end of the park to the other to get them in. My kids's (both boys) touring plan on Easter morning at that age would be something like:
1. Get there before the park opens.
2. At opening, hustle straight over to Buzz Lightyear and ride it twice. Get a fastpass for another Buzz Ride later.
3. Hustle over to Fantasyland and ride Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh.
4. Hustle over to Adventureland and ride Pirates.
5. Ride the Magic Carpets ride (and skip Dumbo! they're the same ride)
6. Tour the Treehouse.
7. Go back and ride Buzz again, see the Monsters Inc. show, and ride the Tommorrowland Transit Authority.
8. Go back to the other lands and pick up what we missed.
9. Eat lunch.
10. See the parade.
11. Go home.

Your list of must-dos is probably different, but if you get there at park opening and hit your must-dos first, you'll spend way less time in line, and still have a good time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, check out touringplans.com. They touring plans that try to guide you through the theme park so that you avoid long lines and still get to ride all the most popular rides. I think if you download their app, you can even customize a plan for your family and use the app on the day of your visit to check wait times on the rides. If you only have one day I think it would be worth paying for this service in order to cut down on waiting in lines.

+1

They are going to charge around $12 for their plans, but it's worth it.

[Anonymous]

Here's the link for the scavenger hunt. I'd do that in the afternoon when the lines for the rides are the longest…
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/family-magic-tour/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are visiting in-laws in central Florida the week after Easter, so high season for Disney. We are interested in just doing one day at Magic Kingdom with our almost 5 yo and 3.5 yo sons. They love Disney and they love rides but they hate lines. Would we be setting ourselves up for disaster trying to go for one long day when crowds are likely to be high?

Thanks!

Lower your expectations.

Use FastPass

Get there before the park opens and ride your "must do" rides first, even if it means walking from one end of the park to the other to get them in. My kids's (both boys) touring plan on Easter morning at that age would be something like:
1. Get there before the park opens.
2. At opening, hustle straight over to Buzz Lightyear and ride it twice. Get a fastpass for another Buzz Ride later.
3. Hustle over to Fantasyland and ride Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh.
4. Hustle over to Adventureland and ride Pirates.
5. Ride the Magic Carpets ride (and skip Dumbo! they're the same ride)
6. Tour the Treehouse.
7. Go back and ride Buzz again, see the Monsters Inc. show, and ride the Tommorrowland Transit Authority.
8. Go back to the other lands and pick up what we missed.
9. Eat lunch.
10. See the parade.
11. Go home.

Your list of must-dos is probably different, but if you get there at park opening and hit your must-dos first, you'll spend way less time in line, and still have a good time.

There is NO WAY OP will be able to do all that before lunch the week after Easter. They will be lucky to get on 3 rides before lunch. Also, they have changed the fast pass system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are visiting in-laws in central Florida the week after Easter, so high season for Disney. We are interested in just doing one day at Magic Kingdom with our almost 5 yo and 3.5 yo sons. They love Disney and they love rides but they hate lines. Would we be setting ourselves up for disaster trying to go for one long day when crowds are likely to be high?

Thanks!

Lower your expectations.

Use FastPass

Get there before the park opens and ride your "must do" rides first, even if it means walking from one end of the park to the other to get them in. My kids's (both boys) touring plan on Easter morning at that age would be something like:
1. Get there before the park opens.
2. At opening, hustle straight over to Buzz Lightyear and ride it twice. Get a fastpass for another Buzz Ride later.
3. Hustle over to Fantasyland and ride Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh.
4. Hustle over to Adventureland and ride Pirates.
5. Ride the Magic Carpets ride (and skip Dumbo! they're the same ride)
6. Tour the Treehouse.
7. Go back and ride Buzz again, see the Monsters Inc. show, and ride the Tommorrowland Transit Authority.
8. Go back to the other lands and pick up what we missed.
9. Eat lunch.
10. See the parade.
11. Go home.

Your list of must-dos is probably different, but if you get there at park opening and hit your must-dos first, you'll spend way less time in line, and still have a good time.

In addition to the changes in Fast Pass since this poster went last Spring, there is a lot of "hustling" from one place to the next. Her kids must move a lot faster than mine!

[Anonymous]

We have one parent get fast passes while the other take the kids for rides in the begininng.