1 day with park hopper and fast pass the day of visit

[TERRILYNN]

Thank you! Well, I think we are going to have to choose 2 parks, after looking at the fast pass options and how long it takes park to park, I think we will only realistically be able to do Epcot and then Magic Kingdom. I (luckily!) got a lunch reservation at Akershus (someone must have cancelled). We will do Epcot in the morning and eat at 12:30 there. Afterwards we will move on to Magic Kingdom and I managed to get our fastpasses booked for the afternoon/evening. Otherwise we will probably be running around like crazy people. I thought about doing Epcot in the morning, Animal Kingdom in the afternoon, and Mk evening/night but I'm afraid my 8 year old will be too exhausted to enjoy it.

 

[PinnySmart]

Thank you! Well, I think we are going to have to choose 2 parks, after looking at the fast pass options and how long it takes park to park, I think we will only realistically be able to do Epcot and then Magic Kingdom. I (luckily!) got a lunch reservation at Akershus (someone must have cancelled). We will do Epcot in the morning and eat at 12:30 there. Afterwards we will move on to Magic Kingdom and I managed to get our fastpasses booked for the afternoon/evening. Otherwise we will probably be running around like crazy people. I thought about doing Epcot in the morning, Animal Kingdom in the afternoon, and Mk evening/night but I'm afraid my 8 year old will be too exhausted to enjoy it.

That sounds like a good plan!

 

[JIMINYCR]

Thank you! Well, I think we are going to have to choose 2 parks, after looking at the fast pass options and how long it takes park to park, I think we will only realistically be able to do Epcot and then Magic Kingdom. I (luckily!) got a lunch reservation at Akershus (someone must have cancelled). We will do Epcot in the morning and eat at 12:30 there. Afterwards we will move on to Magic Kingdom and I managed to get our fastpasses booked for the afternoon/evening. Otherwise we will probably be running around like crazy people. I thought about doing Epcot in the morning, Animal Kingdom in the afternoon, and Mk evening/night but I'm afraid my 8 year old will be too exhausted to enjoy it.

The 2 park plan is at least better than your earlier idea. Even with that youre going to miss out on a lot. Using your own vehicle will be better than waiting for a Dis bus, but youre going to still lose time traveling. MK will be busier in the afternoon so even with using your FP then, you are limiting yourself. I feel bad that you and your DD cant get the chance to do more.

 

[KikoKea]

Thank you! Well, I think we are going to have to choose 2 parks, after looking at the fast pass options and how long it takes park to park, I think we will only realistically be able to do Epcot and then Magic Kingdom. I (luckily!) got a lunch reservation at Akershus (someone must have cancelled). We will do Epcot in the morning and eat at 12:30 there. Afterwards we will move on to Magic Kingdom and I managed to get our fastpasses booked for the afternoon/evening. Otherwise we will probably be running around like crazy people. I thought about doing Epcot in the morning, Animal Kingdom in the afternoon, and Mk evening/night but I'm afraid my 8 year old will be too exhausted to enjoy it.

Good idea to just go with 2 parks- you'll have a nice time and won't be so rushed.

For future trips, any chance your hubby would chill by the pool for a couple of days while you and your daughter enjoyed the parks? He could relax and rest and avoid the parks.

 

[jaklgreen]

Two full days and we leave with the desire to come back. If we stayed longer we wouldn't feel that way.

Planning two days and hop both days.

I go for two full weeks and do not want to leave. LOL

 

[jaklgreen]

Wow, I can't imagine being there that long. We will never do that, my husband isn't the vacationing type. He hates parks so we are lucky to get 1 day, honestly. Our entire trip is 4 days long, 2 in Orlando (1 day Disney, 1 day Sea world and 2 days at the beach in Clearwater). First vacation since 2011...and probably last for a very long time. I take what I can get though, and I'm super excited.

Do what I do, and go without your husband. My hubby likes WDW but not like I do. I need my Disney fix. So I go solo every year for the F&WF. He is happy and I am happy.

 

[jhastings74]

Reading this thread from first post to current has stressed me out.... Anyone else?

I agree with the others that your updated plan is better...two parks vs. three. That just seemed...impractical...to me, especially with a meal reservation. Trying to do too much in one day to get the most out of your trip ends up taking away from the enjoyment...kind of like the Law of Diminishing Returns.

Congrats that you are getting to go! Sea World will also be enjoyable.

 

[TERRILYNN]

Reading this thread from first post to current has stressed me out.... Anyone else?

Congrats that you are getting to go! Sea World will also be enjoyable.

I am feeling completely stressed out!!! I've changed my mind SO many times. You all have been SO helpful though. I really appreciate it. I just want to make the most out of the time we have without completely melting down. lol

 

[TERRILYNN]

Do what I do, and go without your husband. My hubby likes WDW but not like I do. I need my Disney fix. So I go solo every year for the F&WF. He is happy and I am happy.

I would LOVE to do that someday. He just doesn't like to do much anymore. We live so far away though, maybe when my daughter is grown she can be my Disney buddy.

 

[TERRILYNN]

Good idea to just go with 2 parks- you'll have a nice time and won't be so rushed.

For future trips, any chance your hubby would chill by the pool for a couple of days while you and your daughter enjoyed the parks? He could relax and rest and avoid the parks.

That sounds like a GREAT plan, although I doubt there will be any future trips. He is saying this is the one and only.

 

[BrianV]

I am feeling completely stressed out!!! I've changed my mind SO many times. You all have been SO helpful though. I really appreciate it. I just want to make the most out of the time we have without completely melting down. lol

Don't be stressed!!! See what you can for the day you have and enjoy yourself. I'd you have fun and aren't stressed you'll be more likely to come back again!!

 

[TERRILYNN]

The 2 park plan is at least better than your earlier idea. Even with that youre going to miss out on a lot. Using your own vehicle will be better than waiting for a Dis bus, but youre going to still lose time traveling. MK will be busier in the afternoon so even with using your FP then, you are limiting yourself. I feel bad that you and your DD cant get the chance to do more.

Should we do MK first then? I asked my daughter last night about who she wants to meet, I got a shrug and a "not really" when it comes to princesses. She would like to see Mickey Mouse, and Olaf if possible. I'm thinking about canceling the Akershus since we have such a limited amount of time and doing MK first thing. Seems silly to waste an hour eating in there if she doesn't really care about the princesses anymore. When she was 4 we went to Disneyland for an afternoon with her Grandparents... at that time she was VERY much into princesses and we met them all... I guess she's just grown out of it. Would that be a better use of time? We will definitely take our rental car instead of waiting for the buses. Thanks for that info!

 

[slappy magoo]

Should we do MK first then? I asked my daughter last night about who she wants to meet, I got a shrug and a "not really" when it comes to princesses. She would like to see Mickey Mouse, and Olaf if possible. I'm thinking about canceling the Akershus since we have such a limited amount of time and doing MK first thing.

Another option is to try to do the character breakfast at Garden Grill in epcot. I believe Mickey Mouse is there along with some of the other "classic" characters. No Olaf, though. I think there's a meet-and-greet with Olaf at DHS, but I also believe you said that's the one park you're not going to.

Honestly there is no perfect answer as to which park you should go to first being that it's your only day. No matter what you're prone to miss something you want to do, and if anything holds up your travel time, it's going to be a pain no matter what.

Having said that, here's a thought - try to book a very early breakfast at Ohanas in the Poly. Mickey is there as well as a few "classic" characters, and Lilo & Stitch, for what that's worth. If you park in the TTC (Ticket & Transportation Center, aka "The Magic Kingdom parking lot") very early, you should be able to walk to the Poly no sweat. Then, leave your car there after breakfast and use the monorail to get to where you want to go. After breakfast, you can either use the monorail to get to epcot, then go back to MK in the afternoon or take the loop to MK, then go to epcot later and get one more monorail ride back to the TTC at night when you're done. I'd lean more towards epcot in the morning because a: you can make your fastpasses for MK rides in the afternoon, when it's more crowded and you really need them; b: a young enough child might not be all that into the World Showcase section of epcot (which doesn't open until 11 anyway) so you can stay focused in the Future World section, do Soarin' and Living Seas and the more kid-friendly stuff. Then monorail back to MK in time for the afternoon parades, if your budget swings a sit down dinner maybe the Thanksgiving style buffet at Liberty Tree Tavern, which isn't a character meal but is in the park so you might find it easier to swing a table. Or book as late a lunch as possible, which is not a buffet but ala carte, but would probably save you some money versus the one-price all-you-can-eat dinner. The stick around for the evening parade and fireworks if your wee one can stay up. If fireworks scare her, you can always leave a little early and go to one of the monorail resorts where you can still see the fireworks but it won't be as in-her-face or as loud. Then jump on the monorail back to the TTC and head home.

 

[TERRILYNN]

Just a quick thank you to all that responded to me. It was a wonderful day at DW. We only had the 1 day but thanks to all your suggestions didn't miss anything major that we wanted to do. We started at Epcot, booked our FP for Magic Kingdom that afternoon/evening...which worked perfectly. Epcot wasn't that busy in the morning. We ended up doing Akershus for lunch which was AMAZING so glad I kept it, and not having to stand in line to see the Princesses was so worth it. ALso we were tired by lunch and got to sit in the a/c and enjoy the rest. We went to MK around 3 and the FP system worked wonderfully. Had dinner at Be Our Guest, (while waiting for our plane in Kansas City, someone cancelled and I was able to grab it last minute). All your advice was spot on and we were able to make the absolute most out of our short time. Can't say thank you enough! Also parking at Epcot, then moving our car over to MK was absolutely the way to go. That was a big time saver and also allowed us to sit in the a/c and rest up before going at it again. Thank you all!

 

[BrianV]

Just a quick thank you to all that responded to me. It was a wonderful day at DW. We only had the 1 day but thanks to all your suggestions didn't miss anything major that we wanted to do. We started at Epcot, booked our FP for Magic Kingdom that afternoon/evening...which worked perfectly. Epcot wasn't that busy in the morning. We ended up doing Akershus for lunch which was AMAZING so glad I kept it, and not having to stand in line to see the Princesses was so worth it. ALso we were tired by lunch and got to sit in the a/c and enjoy the rest. We went to MK around 3 and the FP system worked wonderfully. Had dinner at Be Our Guest, (while waiting for our plane in Kansas City, someone cancelled and I was able to grab it last minute). All your advice was spot on and we were able to make the absolute most out of our short time. Can't say thank you enough! Also parking at Epcot, then moving our car over to MK was absolutely the way to go. That was a big time saver and also allowed us to sit in the a/c and rest up before going at it again. Thank you all!

So glad you had fun! Despite all the planning, while at Wdw it should be fun!!