1 park per day?

[kcnole]

I think it really depends on how bad the crowds are. When I went in January everything was pretty much a walk on. We did all 4 parks in only three days. Now, we didn't see every show or ride every ride, but we didn't really want to. I would like to go back sometime and be able to spend 6 days spending mulitple days in one park. I could see how it would be more enjoyable since you could just take your time and not feel rushed, but I think it can definitely be done.

 

[Since1976]

Hi everyone! :wave: My family and I are heading to Disney World for the very first time during the second week of June. We all decided to purchase the 6-day MYW tickets with water park option. That leads me to my question(s). Is it possible to do 1 park per day? Also, is it possible to do both water parks in 1 day?

Your response to those questions will be greatly appreciated!

It makes me smile to read posts from people who are going for their very first time... I think all of us wish we could re-live that magical feeling.

Keep in mind that WDW is HUGE. It's more like a city than an amusement park. There are things to do there beyond the parks, so if you feel you need a break from all the rides, take a day off and explore the other areas of the resort. Visit the various hotels and their restaurants, take it easy at Downtown Disney -- let your stress level dictate your activities...

Have fun and come back here with a report!

 

[amykissangel]

I could tell you what my family does, or what me and my friends do, but you have a lot of little ones, so here would be my two cents worth:

A day at a water park isn't exhausting...if you're with friends. But I'm guessing that trying to keep track of all the little ones while the pre-teen and some adults want to head to the water slides could be a little tricky. If you get there early in the morning, stake out a spot, do everything you want to do, and grab a bite to eat, you should be ready to head out by 3 or so.

We always head to Downtown Disney afterwards (of course that's after we visited the hotel, showered, changed, relaxed) but it would probably be nice just to go home, rest and relax.

If this is your first time going, I will tell you something that I see every new family doing at all of the parks: waiting in line for three hours to see Peter Pan, or Dumbo, or Tower of Terror, Rockin' Roller Coaster, Exp Everest or the Safari, Mission Space, Test Track, etc.

DON'T DO IT!!! Families I see are just miserable..the parents are upset because the kids are upset and no one has a good time. Use the Fast Pass - doesn't cost anything, and while you're waiting for the time on your ticket, go have lunch or see a show. Ever since they started fast pass, I refuse to wait more than 30 minutes in line - and we've never had to.

To fully see MK if you're not a veteran, it takes two days. Same for Epcot. If you're a big show/musical buff like me, you'll want the whole day at MGM, and perhaps another half a day to see the shows you missed. Animal Kingdom is HUGE with a lot of walking, but there's never been much in the way of rides. Dinosaur, Primevil Whirl, Exp Everest, and the Safari are fun, but since they canceled the Tarzan show , there aren't too many things left to do.

ALWAYS arrive before the park opens - you'll get more done in that hour before most people show up than you will the rest of the day. If people are tired, sitting for two hours at a coffee shop or relaxing in a cafe is a great idea. And I don't want to start another huge thread argument, but if the kids get tired easily and they don't mind, bring strollers. It will be so much more relaxing.

:wave: I hope you have an absolutely fabulous time - and I know it's a pain in the butt, but if you have the time and inclination, bring a video cam,even if it's just for one day. We still watch videos from when me and my sister and brother were little and our first times @ Disney, and my mom will just bawl...it's so cute.

HAVE FUN!!!!

 

[DisneyMissy]

MGM and AK we only stay until the afternoon and hop to another park. We always go back in the evening on another day to MGM to catch Fantasmic.

 

[ClemsonTigger]

Reconsidering with your mention of the young children in your party, I think you need to plan to slow down even more. There will also be other rides that you will consider for them.

In MK plan on doing Fantasyland early on one of your visits. The rides there all have long waits by afternoon. You may want to plan on splitting up or allowing the teens to go off on their own with phone or meeting point set up.

Consider buying a park guidebook, my preference is the Unofficial Guide to help familiarize yourself witht the layout before you get there. Remember to use fastpasses, for example, in Epcot, FP Soarin' and walk on Test Track.

We used to use stroller rentals for convenience, but you will need strollers for the 5 and 4 with the 6 and 8 also needing break times.

Do try to get to the parks for opening time. Amy and others have provided other good points.

Good luck!

 

[mtownmagic]

Reconsidering with your mention of the young children in your party, I think you need to plan to slow down even more. There will also be other rides that you will consider for them.

In MK plan on doing Fantasyland early on one of your visits. The rides there all have long waits by afternoon. You may want to plan on splitting up or allowing the teens to go off on their own with phone or meeting point set up.

Consider buying a park guidebook, my preference is the Unofficial Guide to help familiarize yourself witht the layout before you get there. Remember to use fastpasses, for example, in Epcot, FP Soarin' and walk on Test Track.

We used to use stroller rentals for convenience, but you will need strollers for the 5 and 4 with the 6 and 8 also needing break times.

Do try to get to the parks for opening time. Amy and others have provided other good points.

Good luck!

What time do the parks open & how much should i expect to pay for parking?

Once again, you guys/gals are great!:sohappy: My hat's off to all of you. Hopefully, the information that you all have given will help me and my family make sound decisions. Thanks!

 

[amykissangel]

What time do the parks open & how much should i expect to pay for parking?

Once again, you guys/gals are great!:sohappy: My hat's off to all of you. Hopefully, the information that you all have given will help me and my family make sound decisions. Thanks!

I got these off the Disney Website for you...www.disneyworld.com...just click on the calendar section on the top of the main page, and it gives you times for the whole month of June for each different park.

Here are the extra magic hours...if you know what they are, just skip this next paragraph, but if you don't here's a little info...my job is boring so here I sit at my desk...at least this is entertaining...wow, my life is sad...:lookaroun

Every day, at least one park opens an hour early, and sometimes a certain park will stay open up to three hours late. (We once spent a 16 hour day at Magic Kingdom...but I won't recommend it :lol: ) If you have park hoppers, this is a GREAT idea...sometimes the parks with the ExtraMagicHours are the busiest during the day, but that hour before the park officially opens is wonderful. The three hours later is great too, but the kids will probably be tired. (They say EMH are for Disney hotel guests, but they've never checked mine. May want to ask others if they are. If others say they won't let you in, go to the parks WITHOUT the EMH...they'll be far less crowded:animwink: )

Here are the hours for when you'll be there:
Magic Kingdom: 9 to 11 every day (except when there's EMH)

Epcot: Future World (with Soarin, Mission Space, Test Track, etc) 9 -7
World Showcase (all the countries) 11-9 (@ 9 is huge
fireworks show, Illuminations..it's awesome)

MGM: 9 to 10 every day (except when there's EMH) YOU HAVE TO GO SEE
FANTASMIC...it's the best show in the whole world...seriously. There's probably going to be two showings of it when you're @ MGM, one at 8p.m., the other at 10. If you go to the early one, get there at least 1 1/2 hours early. If you go to the late one, 45 min. should be fine)

AK: 9 to 8 every day (except when there's EMH)

Typhoon Lagoon: 9 to 6

Blizzard Beach: 9 to 6

Here are the EMH for when you'll be there:

June 2006
Morning Extra Magic Hours
Magic Kingdom® Park - June 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29
Epcot® - June 4, 11, 18, 25
Disney-MGM Studios - June 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park - June 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 28
Disney's Blizzard Beach® Water Park - June 1-30
Disney's Typhoon Lagoon® Water Park - June 1-30
Evening Extra Magic Hours
Magic Kingdom® Park - June 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30
Epcot® - June 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29
Disney-MGM Studios - June 7, 14, 21, 28
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park - June 5, 12, 19, 26
Disney's Typhoon Lagoon® Water Park - June 3, 10, 17, 24

Ok, I should probably do SOME work now; sorry for giving you more info than you ever wanted ...but have a great time!

 

[DisneyMarg]

Here are the things that always trip us up when trying to do a park a day:
1) Showtimes and parade times. If you really want to see parades and shows, sometimes you have to repeat a park to get them in. Many of the entertainers (Off Kilter, Mulch Sweat Shears, etc) take a day or two off during the week, and this throws off the schedule too.
2) Headliner attractions. If you really want to do the big ticket rides, you almost have to make repeat visits to the parks to get them all in. It's possible to do all of the ones in one park on one day, but it involves a lot of hurrying, a lot of walking, and passing up some other things along the way.
3) Great food and themed restaurants. We end up at Epcot on multiple days because we love all the World Showcase restaurants. We also love Sci Fi and 50's Prime Time at MGM, and Tusker House at AK. And of course we have to have Dole Whips at MK - so we end up repeating visits to the parks just to get all the food in!

You can certainly do a park a day, but do consider this to be a "sampler" and choose the things you most want to do. You won't get it all in, and you'll have to do some planning if the shows and parades are important to you.

I've been 7 or 8 times, and sometimes for 5-6 days during those visits and still have things I haven't seen yet!

 

[LCK123]

I go with little ones just about every year, so we pretty much have it down to a science now. The kids are 6, 4, and 1. Our last trip was this past December and we are going back in September. The best advise that I can give, having done this with little ones...is to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN. Use the Disney itinerary and plan your days...BUT be flexible. Be sure to make advanced dinner reservations and plan your meals..this will save you time, especially with a large group, such as yours. In addition to the time required to accomodate such a large group, it will avoid conflict with the indecisive ones in your party.

My little ones were able to recharge by sitting at lunch or Dinner. And when they simply got too tired, they slept in the strollers. Don't forget the strollers! Even the 6 year old wanted to get off her feet.

The Disney itinerary is very helpful in planning your day, but flexibility is best. Our family - even on the first vacation - had no problems doing AK and MGM in a day and MK and EPCOT in two. The water parks can certainly be done in one day or even a half if it's just the little ones. The older kids might prefer the whole day. The park hopper tickets are a must, at least for us, because of dining and Extra magic hours. Get to the parks early....

Good Luck!!

 

[ssidiouss@mac.c]

Hi everyone! :wave: My family and I are heading to Disney World for the very first time during the second week of June. We all decided to purchase the 6-day MYW tickets with water park option. That leads me to my question(s). Is it possible to do 1 park per day? Also, is it possible to do both water parks in 1 day?

Your response to those questions will be greatly appreciated!

6 days.. hmm.. I think Epcot is a 2 day park (1 day for futureworld and 1 day for the countries) and the waterparks can't really be done in 1 day.. I would set up the 6 days something like (not in order) :

1. Magic Kingdom (w/ Dinner at Ohana's which is right next to it)
2. Epcot FutureWorld (w/ Dinner at the Biergarten in Germany)
3. Epcot World Showcase (also walk the disney boardwalk)
4. MGM
5. Animal Kingdom (early bed night.. rest.. or maybe HoopDeeDooReview)
6. Typhoon Lagoon (or Blizard Beach) (early bed night.. rest zzz)

I had more fun at Typhoon Lagoon than Blizzard Beach because of the wave pool and good slides.. but Blizzard Beach had a few better slides and the scariest ride in all disneyworld.. Summit Plummit! So it depends what your looking for. Typhoon Lagoon was more laid back because you could hang in the wave pool which was great fun too.. the waves are powerful.. where as Blizzard Beach may have had more extreme slides but it seemed you were always walking up steps waiting in line.

 

[brertigger]

1. Magic Kingdom (w/ Dinner at Ohana's which is right next to it)
2. Epcot FutureWorld (w/ Dinner at the Biergarten in Germany)
3. Epcot World Showcase (also walk the disney boardwalk)
4. MGM
5. Animal Kingdom (early bed night.. rest.. or maybe HoopDeeDooReview)
6. Typhoon Lagoon (or Blizard Beach) (early bed night.. rest zzz)

Looks good. I just have one suggestion- after you go to the waterpark, you might enjoy going to Downtown Disney or DisneyQuest. You can easily spend several hours shopping at all the stores in Downtown Disney.

DisneyQuest is a huge place. It is five stories. At first, it will seem very confusing. Luckily, they do have maps available (be sure to get one--it will save time and energy, not running around the entire building trying to find something, like my group did, before we found the map). You can also easily spend several hours here. I recently spent about 4 hours there and did not get to many of the things (and the lines were short too). There is that much to do there.

 

[polarboi]

A whole day at World Showcase?

Wow... for those of you who spend an entire day on World Showcase, what do you do while you're there?

I generally spend a few hours in World Showcase... enough to get a meal, stroll through the countries, linger in a few shops, and experience The American Adventure and maybe a film and a ride. I could see watching some in-park entertainment and lingering a little longer to use up more time, but I just can't imagine spending the entire day on this half of the park unless you really love to shop for hours upon hours. Am I missing something?

I mean, yes, there are three films, but that's a bit much for me in one visit, and for those of you with kids, I can't imagine how restless they'd get. The two rides are fairly minor attractions, though I could see them being relaxing for those who enjoy them. Several of the countries have no attraction at all other than food and shopping.

For me, the only "must see" of WS is The American Adventure. I also like to catch some of the outdoor entertainment (Miyuki in Japan is my absolute favorite!) but it can get hot wandering outside for too long, especially during the warmer months.

Can someone who is a real WS-aficianado give me an idea of what a WS-only day would look like for you? This is the one part of the parks I fear I've never fully appreciated as much as others, but I'm willing to learn.

-p.b.

 

[Since1976]

Wow... for those of you who spend an entire day on World Showcase, what do you do while you're there?

I've never done a whole (or even most of a) a day at the World Showcase, but I think that if I were to try it, I'd sample a little of every country's cuisine as I worked my way around. I'd probably end up eating nothing but appetizers and samplers, but boy what a vacation for the palate that would be!

I had considered doing this for the 2005 Food and Wine Festival, but silly me, I reserved dinner at Marrakesh and avoided all the food stands for fear of ruining my appetite. What a waste of a rare opportunity! (Marrakesh was *delicious*, though)

 

[brertigger]

Traveling with me will be 5 adults, 1 pre-teen, and 4 children (8,6,5,4).

Since that is a pretty good size group, I also recommend you keep the tips on this post in mind: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=75745

 

[tink81]

I suggest taking your time and researching things you really want to see for this trip and saving some things for the next trip. It'll give you something to look forward to! My parents always did this with us! If the lines were too loang at attractions like Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Spaceship Earth, Tower of Terror, etc. then they would just tell us that if we didn't get to it this trip, we could always look forward to riding it next time! You don't have to commit to a date, but just commit to coming back, it made us feel so great to hear that we were coming back (someday)!

 

[DisneyMarg]

Regarding kids recharging.... when ours were young they seemed to refresh and renew by playing around in the playground areas. Honey I Shrunk the Kids at MGM is fabulous. I always thought it strange that adults re-energize by RESTING - you know, cool, dark, quiet, feet up - but the kids seem to re-energize by running around. I think the tiring thing for them is all the behaving - in line, in the restaurants, in the shows, etc etc, so they love having some time to just be kids. So if I were you I'd work in some lengthy time in the play areas - enough time so that you don't have to pull them away - they can't play until they're ready to go.
Great places are Tom Sawyer's Island at MK, the Boneyard at AK, Honey I Shrunk the Kids at MGM, the boat at Norway (sorry can't remember the name) in Epcot, and the water fountains at Epcot where the kids can jump in the water. There are probably others - these just come to mind as favorites.

Bring along a book (or iPod) and in most of these you can find a spot to sit and "adult rest" while they have their fun. A break for everyone!

 

[ClemsonTigger]

Wow... for those of you who spend an entire day on World Showcase, what do you do while you're there?

I generally spend a few hours in World Showcase... enough to get a meal, stroll through the countries, linger in a few shops, and experience The American Adventure and maybe a film and a ride. I could see watching some in-park entertainment and lingering a little longer to use up more time, but I just can't imagine spending the entire day on this half of the park unless you really love to shop for hours upon hours. Am I missing something?

I mean, yes, there are three films, but that's a bit much for me in one visit, and for those of you with kids, I can't imagine how restless they'd get. The two rides are fairly minor attractions, though I could see them being relaxing for those who enjoy them. Several of the countries have no attraction at all other than food and shopping.

For me, the only "must see" of WS is The American Adventure. I also like to catch some of the outdoor entertainment (Miyuki in Japan is my absolute favorite!) but it can get hot wandering outside for too long, especially during the warmer months.

Can someone who is a real WS-aficianado give me an idea of what a WS-only day would look like for you? This is the one part of the parks I fear I've never fully appreciated as much as others, but I'm willing to learn.

-p.b.

Well, a pint or two in UK (including at least one Guinness), stop in Germany for a Weisse or Spaten, Dos Equis in Mexico, Sam Adams in AA...sit and enjoy Off Kilter or British Invasion, MoRockin....mix in a nice lunch and dinner along with what you discussed manages to round the day off nicely.