OP here with an update. First of all, it was great. The kids were totally surprised! We spent the first day at Epcot and we're glad to have the Fast passes for Nemo, Test Drive, and Mission Space (although that ride actually scared both my kids). We did most of the other rides later in the day as standby or with fast passes and lucked into a short-ish standby wait for Soarin' which we all agreed was our favorite.

Today we went to Disney and arrived around 9 and got on a bunch of rides before it got crowded. We did Barnstormer 3 times, Dumbo, Tea Cups, motor speedway, and Buzz Lightyear two times before any real waits. So the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train was a disaster. Couldn't get a fast pass so went standby when the wait was allegedly 30 minutes but they had been closed for an hour or so in the morning so all the fast passes were being accepted throughout and we ended up waiting over an hour. We were late to our next fast pass at the Jungle Cruise but they let us on once we told them about the mine train delay. Kids also loved Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and we also did standby on Splash Mountain which ended up being all of our favorite. In short, we got to do everything we wanted to do. Great two days!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd stay at one of the cheaper hotels. You are just going overnight and will barely be in the room. Not worth the extra money.

I wouldn't even bother staying on site at a Disney hotel bc it's too short of a stay. You're not going to have a chance to enjoy the hotel's amenities (really nice pools/water slides for example) and the other perk is the early opportunity to book FPs. You might be able to take advantage of extended hours by staying on site, but check the calendar bc it changes.

I feel the opposite. For a short stay, stay on property and do as much as you can. It's also about the immersion and experience. Plus, taking transportation and parking out of the equation.

We stayed at the Liki Tiki resort, the waterslide pool is perfect for kids your son's age and the price is right! Go to Magic Kingdom and spend a day by the hotel pool..Wilderness Lodge has a nice pool too

Anonymous wrote:Once you use your FP you can get another one. (This is helpful in MK)

Wrong. If you get three up front, you have to use all three before you can schedule another one. Starting with the fourth one, it's reserve one, use it, reserve another.

Buy through Disney

Once you use your FP you can get another one. (This is helpful in MK)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. In the end we got the best deal at the Port Orleans Riverside and decided to go Epcot tomorrow and Magic Kingdom Wednesday. We got fast passes for The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Test Track, and Mission: Space at Epcot and for Buzz Lightyear's Ranger Spin, Jungle Cruise, and Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom.

Let me know if there are other rides/attractions you would recommend at Epcot - haven't been there for 20+ years.

This sounds like an awesome trip! If they have early entrance hours at Epcot (either day) and you can get it, go to Soarin'. It's fantastic. Definitely eat on the country side and walk the whole loop.

Thanks. Yes, we also want to so Soarin' but we will have to wing it

Kids don't know we're going so very excited for tomorrow!!

Thanks again for all the tips.

I love Disney hotels.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. In the end we got the best deal at the Port Orleans Riverside and decided to go Epcot tomorrow and Magic Kingdom Wednesday. We got fast passes for The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Test Track, and Mission: Space at Epcot and for Buzz Lightyear's Ranger Spin, Jungle Cruise, and Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom.

Let me know if there are other rides/attractions you would recommend at Epcot - haven't been there for 20+ years.

This sounds like an awesome trip! If they have early entrance hours at Epcot (either day) and you can get it, go to Soarin'. It's fantastic. Definitely eat on the country side and walk the whole loop.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For a one night stay, just pick an all star and save yourself money. They're fine. Our favorite ride in all of Disney World is Toy Story Midway Mania in Hollywood Studios (actually more of a game than ride). You're too late to get advanced fast passes for it, but if you go late, the line isn't terrible (note that late at night, it will say the wait is 45 minutes or more to deter ppl, but it's more like 10-15 minutes).

Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller coaster a great too.

So wait, how early do you have to get these Fast Passes? We haven't been to Disney for 3+ years...

You can get them anytime (including day of in the parks), but if you stay on-site you can get them up to 60 days in advance. Off-site it's 30 days. The very popular rides (like midway mania) may not have any available. You haven't missed your opportunity to get any fast passes, the rides and times are just going to be more limited.

To clarify, I wasn't saying you couldn't get ANY fast passes last minute, but you can't get the biggies (meet Anna and Elsa, the new mine train, Midway Mania).

Thanks everyone. In the end we got the best deal at the Port Orleans Riverside and decided to go Epcot tomorrow and Magic Kingdom Wednesday. We got fast passes for The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Test Track, and Mission: Space at Epcot and for Buzz Lightyear's Ranger Spin, Jungle Cruise, and Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom.

Let me know if there are other rides/attractions you would recommend at Epcot - haven't been there for 20+ years.

Anonymous wrote:I thought the toy story ride was in Magic Kingdom, the one with the lasers right?

Also, it is not too late to get fast passes, we weng during winter break, when the park was at capacity, and we were able to get fast passes for a couple of rides by going to the fastpass stations at the park. You will be able to get some for some rides.

Toy Story is in Hollywood Studios and is the most fun ride at Disney. They just doubled capacity but its still hard to get on without a fastpass. Buzz Lightyear is at Magic Kingdom and is also fun.

Wilderness Lodge may be discounted because it's got construction going on. Still a beautiful hotel and I would recommend staying there if the price is right for you. It makes Magic Kingdom easily accessible via boat.

Get the Disney app. You can do fast passes, look at ride wait times and make dining reservations. It really did make it much easier for us.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For a one night stay, just pick an all star and save yourself money. They're fine. Our favorite ride in all of Disney World is Toy Story Midway Mania in Hollywood Studios (actually more of a game than ride). You're too late to get advanced fast passes for it, but if you go late, the line isn't terrible (note that late at night, it will say the wait is 45 minutes or more to deter ppl, but it's more like 10-15 minutes).

Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller coaster a great too.

So wait, how early do you have to get these Fast Passes? We haven't been to Disney for 3+ years...

You can get them anytime (including day of in the parks), but if you stay on-site you can get them up to 60 days in advance. Off-site it's 30 days. The very popular rides (like midway mania) may not have any available. You haven't missed your opportunity to get any fast passes, the rides and times are just going to be more limited.