Parking

[makila]

Hello, it will be me, my husband and my 4 year old visiting this summer. We are staying at clarion lake buena vista. We have not decided if we are doing 4 day and just going to 1 park every day with 1 day of rest or doing a 5 day and doing magic kingdom 2 xs, epcot 1 or 2 and holywood studios. Animal kingdom depending if we go to epcot 1 or twice.

If staying off site would u leave magic kingdom or epcot in the afternoon and come back later? Or is it a huge hassle? It looks like a huge hassle. But alot of people seem to suggest it. Is there a way for my husband to drop me and my son off closer to the front and him go park and meet us in the park? i think we would love to 2 days of magic kingdom but the whole process of getting into the park seems really overwhelming. Any suggestions? Am i making this out to a bigger deal than what it is?

 

[Hakunamatata]

If staying offsite I wouldnt leave. Getting to and from is hard enough but losing time to me is the bigger waste.

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

In my experience, MK is the park which is the biggest pain to park at. Reason being is that you must park, then if your spot is too far for you to expend the energy to walk you take a little tram, then take either the monorail or ferry from the Ticket and Transportation Center to get to the park as the Seven Seas Lagoon separates the parking lot from the entrance, unlike the 3 other parks where you park and then walk or take a little tram to the entrance. Then as @hakunamatata mentioned, if you leave and come back with your car it wastes a lot of time and is annoying as you have to repeat the whole process.

I'm not sure what kind of rest you're maybe looking for (just slowing down, a nap, going to your pool). What you could do if you guys want to just slow down in the middle of the day on your MK day without going back to your resort is to hop on the monorail which is directly to the right of the MK exit, and go to one of the 3 monorail resorts or take a short boat ride to Wilderness Lodge. You could eat lunch at any of them, chill in the lobbies, explore the grounds, check out their stores. You could do the same with Epcot and the Boardwalk/Boardwalk resorts which is directly out Epcot's World Showcase entrance/exit. Additionally, Hollywood Studios is only a short boat ride from the Boardwalk as well.

Have a great trip!!

 

[correcaminos]

I agree bout MK. It is the one park I dislike parking at for the reasons mentioned above. The others are not bad for parking at all. What are you looking to do? If going back to swim, all but MK I think would be fine doing so.

 

[fireworkz]

I agree with a four year old you need some kind of mid-day break, especially if your four year old still takes a mid day nap. Even then it's good to arrive early as possible for shorter lines and take a break later when lines tend to peak after lunch. This is good no matter your age, especially if you want to last long enough to see the fireworks.

MK can be a pain for coming and going but the TTC is not nearly as busy after 1 or 2 pm as it is in the morning if you want to go to the hotel. But just I would also recommend disneyprincess5' s suggestion of checking out a monorail resort for a MK break without the TTC hassle. Polynesian is it the best in my opinion, get a late lunch reservation for Kona Cafe or if you're on a bit more of a tight budget or want something lighter head for Captain Cooks and just take your time. Worked great with our three yr old last trip. The only tricky thing here is if you want to see the parade at 3. This is where you will want two days at MK. So you can have a day two at MK without an am or night visit and no break. I think with a four year old you should do two days at MK. Skip Studios, if you only want four days in the parks. It' s a bit of mess now and is really only a half to 3/4 day park until Star Wars land and Toy Story land open. A second MK day would be better use of time and money IMHO.

As for your drop off idea, I wouldn't recommend it, big waste of time and you risk your husband getting lost. Just take the parking tram together. Each park does have a drop off area, where the taxis drop off. but to access it you need to go through the parking gate (for free) then he would have to find his way back to the parking gate (usually a confusing, not well marked route) then pay, park and take the tram. The parking cast will not let you drive up to the closest parking lot, they will only direct you to the parking lot, row and spot they are currently filling. Besides MKs drop off is at the TTC, not the park.