Planning ONE day at the MK? ADVICE NEEDED!

[MagneticxBoy]

So, last August I stayed at Coronado Springs for a week and had a awesome time. Everything was perfect and perfectly planned thanks to my past knowledge (lol) and TourGuideMike's website. Well this year I'm staying in Daytona Beach for a week in a condo, but I can only afford one day at the world. Ofcourse I picked Magic Kingdom. I haven't done any planning for this day and were leaving August 10th to Florida

.

First off this is actually my first time off Disney property coming to one of the parks, so I need a little help. It's about a 1 hour and 30 min drive from Daytona to the mouse so thats not to bad.

Im thinking August 13th (Monday) would be the best day for us to go to MK because there are no Extra Magic Hours for resort guests. Im thinking arriving around 8:15 to disney property.. Parking in the MK parking lot, taking the tram to the TTC and from there the monorail. Im wanting to get to the park BEFORE it opens.. Am I going to be able to do that first off?

Also I really don't have a solid plan on how we are touring the park but I have to have a general idea. I can't find my massive plan book from last year

so I'm trying to just remember what worked best.. Heres what I got for the first half of the day...

Fast Pass Space Mountain
Ride Space Mountain
Ride Buzz Lightyear
Ride Winnie The Pooh
Ride Snow Whites Scary Adventure
Ride Peter Pans Flight
Ride Small World
Fast Pass Big Thunder
Ride Splash Mountain
Ride Big Thunder (fastpass)
Ride Pirates
Ride Space Mountain (fast pass)

I NEED HELP.. ADVICE TIPS to make the best of one day at the park

I never did it before!

 

[slappy magoo]

They may, at least, open up Main Street before offiicial opening for shopping and strategic positioning.

No idea how bad the crowds will be that day, either. The other fly in the ointment is if they start paying attention to time windows on the FP.

What I'd at least try to do is this (taking into account HM is closed)

Head right to SM, ride it, followed by Buzz.

Walk over to SM, get a fast pass, even if the line is short (if you like it enough to ride it twice, ride it the first time now). Ride BTMRR while waiting for the FP, followed by Pirates & Jungle Cruise.

Head over to Fantasyland, and if one of your faves there has a FP, nab it, then ride other attractions while waiting.

Head BACK over to Tomorrowland and get a FastPass for SM. It will probably be signifcantly later in the day so take advantage of this lag time to hit any of the rides that's not high on your to-do list but you haven't done yet.

 

[JDM]

I'm going to make a suggestion that may be considered sacrilege by many on this forum:

Don't plan much.

Now, you're going in August and the crowds are likely to be elevated somewhat compared to April when I went, but nevertheless....
I researched extensively and bought the Unofficial Guide and absorbed everything. So, all this information was valuable and was in my head. But, we decided ultimately to just take the rides as we met them along the way. If the line's too long (which they often weren't in our case), we'd get a fastpass and come back later.

Overplanning leads to stress and stress leads to NOT enjoying your vacation.

Know the information. Know the options. But throw away the detailed itinerary and go with the flow. You'll have a much better time.
(Note: the exception to this rule would be if you want a sit-down dinner....then you'll need to make advance reservations, unfortunately)

ENJOY!

 

[MagneticxBoy]

Your right I dont want to overplan but I do want my morning to be over planned.. I did this list last year in the morning and it worked well, there was no back tracking really.. From tommrrowland you head to fantasyland then from there to frontierland and then adventureland.. Ah im already stressed.. lol

 

[KingStefan]

... Im thinking August 13th (Monday) would be the best day for us to go to MK because there are no Extra Magic Hours for resort guests. Im thinking arriving around 8:15 to disney property.. Parking in the MK parking lot, taking the tram to the TTC and from there the monorail. Im wanting to get to the park BEFORE it opens.. Am I going to be able to do that first off? ...

According to Len Testa's Crowd Calendar, Mon, Aug 13 is a good choice. Wed, Aug 15 is lower crowds, but the park closes at 7 for P&P, and on Monday it's open 'til 11 pm. Aug 22 is the next really good day, but the park closes at 9 pm, as the crowds start to slow down this week. You may even be gone by then anyway. So the 13 th looks good.

However, 8:15 is way late to arrive at the parking lot. You have to get there NO LATER THAN 7:30 if you don't have tickets, 7:45 if you already have tickets. The earlier the better. I like to be even 15 min earlier than the above times, because I'm a worrier, and that gives me time to wind down. Remember to allow for variations in traffic, since you're coming from a long distance.

Plus if Disney staff thinks it's going to be a really busy day, Main Street will open earlier than the scheduled park opening time. In late July they may open Main Street as early as one hour before official park opening as a crowd control measure. But on Aug 13, that will probably not be the case. But you never know. Just in case, I like to plan to be at the central hub waiting for rope-drop to Tomorrowland at official park opening, having visited the bathroom and gotten a fresh map. So I like to allow myself as much extra time as possible, especially if I have the family in tow.

Also, call 407-824-4321 the day before to make sure the opening time hasn't changed. Right now it's scheduled for 9am.

 

[MagneticxBoy]

sheesh. so i need to leave daytona at 6 am... that means I need to wake up around 5 am.. i plan on being there tell park closes... im going to have no energy.. i probaly wont make it tell the park closes.. lol

 

[KingStefan]

sheesh. so i need to leave daytona at 6 am... that means I need to wake up around 5 am.. i plan on being there tell park closes... im going to have no energy.. i probaly wont make it tell the park closes.. lol

My advice:

Go early (before park opening) and rush around like a mad man riding all you can until the crowds come.

Take a nice break in the middle of the day. I would suggest a liesurely lunch at one of the MK resorts - there are four to choose from plus Fort Wilderness, and plenty of food choices. Pick one that fits your budget and taste. Then find a quiet spot at the resort of your choice to sit and veg a bit. If it's a nice day, find a spot on the beach or by a pool. If it's very hot, find a place in the lobby. I find the lobby of the GF extremely relaxing, and it's almost never crowded. If you're "antsy" then get out your map, and kinda mull over what you'll do later.

Then when you're rested, go back to the park. Kick around while the lines are long, maybe collect some fast passes and visit things that are rarely crowded, like Country Bears, Hall of Presidents, and CoP. You can sit in these, too, and relax. Then when the crowds are gone, there will be plenty of time to ride whatever you missed in the early morning.

Don't forget to plan dinner. Maybe you like to eat on the run. I usually like to have a relaxing larg-ish lunch, and then have light food at a counter service a bit late - after most other people have eaten (but before they close!).

By the way, you don't say whether you already have a ticket, and whether it's a hopper. If you already have a non-expiring ticket and it's a hopper, or you're willing to spring for the extra thirty something bucks, Epcot is the best park to go to that day according to touring-plan Len. Almost every Monday, Epcot is the place to be. A two-park visit on a good-Epcot day on a day when MK is open late sounds flippin' sweet, as Napoleon would say.

Whatever you choose, have a great and magical time!

 

[RiversideBunny]

Drive over the night before and stay at a Value resort or a cheap off-site place. Won't cost you too much.
If you stay at a Value resort then you can park for free or just us Disney transportation.

Call Disney and see what they have for one night at any Value resort.

Good luck.

 

[KingStefan]

Drive over the night before and stay at a Value resort or a cheap off-site place. Won't cost you too much.
If you stay at a Value resort then you can park for free or just us Disney transportation.

Call Disney and see what they have for one night at any Value resort.

Good luck.

Great idea!