I have a couple of specific Touring questions. We will be going April 20-26 to WDW of which on the 21st to AK, the 23rd and 25th MK. We are a party of 5 consisting of myself (Mom) DH, DS5 DS6 and GM 72(My Mom).
Must do Shopping/souvenirs in AK?
On youtube I watched some videos of the ‘kid-friendly’ rollercoaster rides, based on the ratings in TG for family with kids, in MK: am I the only one who thinks Barnstormer might be scarier than 7DMT? Anybody have any experiences they want to share? It’s mainly my DD5 who might freak out, even though you just never know with kids…
In my TP I added, after I read somewhere on the Forum, Meet Mickey on Town Square before the Parade at 3 pm to get a prime viewing spot of the Parade. However after evaluating the TP, it shows a waiting time of about 21 mins at 2:18 which puts us around 2:50 for the Parade however still 10 mins walking. According to the Map we don’t have to move to watch the Parade? Anybody got some further insight that might help me? I also figured another alternative might be Sleepy Hollow: get some waffles (yum) and watch Parade, but how do you go about that? Stay inside? Are there seats outside?
On that note, there were no more (!) FPP+ available as of yesterday for Meet Mickey at that time!!! Should I keep trying, or is it easier to get a same day FPP+? I used all my three FPP+’s already for: Pooh at 9:45, PPF 11:00 and HM 12:10
We want a datenight, DH and I, and have ADR for Morimoto: thoughts anybody: worth the money and should we use DDP (2) credits or is it better to pay out of pocket just for this one? I seem to remember reading somewhere that Signature dining is not really good value if on the DDP? We have 2 character ADR’s Chef M and Tusker as well as BOG, Skipper, Trex.
Thank you in advance for your help in this endeavor (NASA launch)it’s been a blast planning… how will I get my fix once this vacay is over???
My DD5 loved barnstormer, did 7DM twice, coped with Splash, BTMR, and star Tours but didn’t want to do them again, found POTC scary but did twice, she didn’t attempt space, TOT, Dino or Everest. Loved everything else. Her favorites were the hotel pool and the carousel.
I wouldn’t do Meet Micket without a FPP and your chances for an extra one on the day are slim to non existent. We watched the parade around the liberty square area, we got snacks, found a place on the curb and put down our blanket to wait about 30/40 mins beforehand, it was very enjoyable, we got to watch while sitting down which was nice too.
Re. #2. My twins were 5 (almost 6) on their first-time trip to WDW. Roller coaster-wise, we started with Barnstormer and did 7DMT next. Our kids loved them both. And going in, I really didn’t know what they would think. But they narrowly liked Barnstormer more because they thought it was more thrilling. (They liked Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain, which we rode later, even more.)
Barnstormer is a rougher ride than 7DMT, and I think has some tighter turns that move pretty fast. All of which can make it feel more like a real roller coaster than 7DMT. I think Barnstormer is less scary for a first time rider, because it’s all outside and you can see what it is and see what is coming when you are on the ride. But it is a roller coaster. I think Barnstormer gets called a kiddie roller coaster so much that first timers may think it’s like a kiddie roller coaster at the county fair. It is not. Honestly, if Barnstormer wasn’t just so darn short, it would be a nice little thrilling ride. I guess my kids think it is anyways.
I’ll leave your other questions to the experts. Have a great trip!
Depends on what you like. We always try to get something that’s not cheesy, but specific to the AK park. One of my favorites is a large mug embossed like the tree of life.
Again, depends on the kid. My DGD has been riding all the rides she’s tall enough for, and she loves them all. Amazingly so since she’s on the Aspie/Autism spectrum.
Sleepy Hollow seating is somewhat behind and to the side of the building, not much of a view from there. Good view of the side of the castle though.
Keep trying. People drop FPPs all the time. It’s hit or miss, luck of the draw.
We weren’t terribly impressed with Morimoto, to be honest. In DS area, we have really enjoyed The Boathouse, and Frontera Cocina.
DD rode Barnstormer and 7DMT each on her first trip at age 5. Swore she would never ride Barnstormer again. And held true to that promise when she went back to Disney a few weeks shy of turning 6. Barnstormer is a rougher ride than 7DMT, IMO.
Mickey greets guests during EMH. Is this available during those days? If not, can you see him first thing in the morning before his line gets long? Did you try breaking your group into 2 sets? Last year I was able to change a fast pass the evening before hand and got a tinkerbell FP. It’s ALWAYS worth it to keep checking. I believe the 30 day prior to date is a good one since I believe it is 30 days in advance when people have to pay in full or cancel their plans.
i would not use 2 credits to pay for a signature dining. Pay cash instead.
Opinion:
Barnstormer is a kiddie coaster. It is not scarier than 7d. It is rougher, but 7d is smooth. Barnstormer is over in the blink of an eye, and it’s a decent 1st coaster for kids. It’s more of a street fair kid coaster, imo. If your 5 yr old likes it, go attack the good ones. I bet that if ds6 rides it with dd5, and says it was “ho-hum” then dd5 will fall into place and want to do bigger rides to prove she is tough too (and then figure out that being a lil scared is part of the fun of big coasters!)
LOL - I went back and edited he to “she” for the 5 yr old after re-reading. You have both ds5 and dd5 in the op. No big deal. I looked at the keyboard, d and s are neighbors, that explains it. Is the 5 yr old a girl or boy?
LOL both are boys actually! Typo… too much research and trolling the forum! Thanks, it sometimes can be hard to tell what they’d find scary, especially the 5yo! 6yo is a daredevil, no worries there!
DD5 and I both liked 7DMT and Splash. We found the jerkiness of Barnstormer unpleasant and wouldn’t ride it again. I am not really a roller coaster person though - these rides are about as adventurous as I get.
Keep trying to get the Meet Mickey. People change FP so you could luck into one between now and your trip.
If you try estimating your meals using this tool https://www.distripplanner.com/ it will give advice on what your best meals are to pay out of pocket (if any). For my trip it cost me the least money to use 2 DP credits to pay for CRT despite that generally being considered poor value.
BS is much smaller and much slower. But it jostles you around a bit more[quote=“mammaschouten, post:1, topic:32107”]
DH and I, and have ADR for Morimoto:
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Morimoto’s is excellent! I don’t do the DDP, so I can’t comment on that aspect of your question, but the food is top-notch.
Just going to chime in on the AK shopping. These are the best stores at Disney. Many unique items and great selections. I was told by a cast member that new items are often “tested” at the AK shops before going park-wide or even to World of Disney.
Don’t overlook the kiosks along the walkways.
If you have a chance, also go over to AKL Jambo House’s gift shop. I could spend half a day in there.
@bswan26 can you order sushi to go? I was originally trying to decide between D-Luxe Burger or Blaze Pizza. If I can take the sushi to go, I’ll let the kids pick between burgers and pizza!
My opinion about Barnstormer - I don’t have any kids, but I love all rollercoasters, so I tried it one EMH night when it was walk-on. The ride itself was fine, but the ridged seats were SO uncomfortable. Probably wouldn’t bother kids because they “bounce” more than skinny adults, but I will never ride it again.
