Hello- I was hoping some of you kind folks would be willing to give me some feedback on our TP for our 2 MK days.
Family is me, DH, DS10, DS 6. DH and I haven’t been to WDW in 20 years. Kids have never been (and are COMPLAINING about going! SMDH.) I think they’re nervous about the rides.
My biggest priority is to minimize walking and take it easy- have fun, stop and smell the roses, absorb the atmosphere. Also minimize wait times as much as possible- I don’t think my boys would tolerate waiting in lines. In other words, we will be happy to skip attractions to lessen stress / minimize waits.
Here are my questions-
I haven’t been since they started bag checks- it sounds like Security is a whole new thing. We’re staying at POR. What time do we want to arrive at the park in order to be on Main Street ready to roll at 8:45 / 9:00? How long does it take to go through Security? Anyone know what time we should shoot to be at the bus stop at POR?
The train around the park is closed. Is it still possible to watch HEA from the train station railing? Is that a good spot to aim for? Realistic? Because this is our first time, watching HEA + the projections is a priority. Any hints for how to do that? A dessert party is out- we’re doing the SW one at HS later in the week.
How do these plans look to you? Too much down time? Not enough? Do the wait times look realistic? I’ll admit that I’ve been reading the threads about the crowd levels and have been getting very nervous.
A couple of notes about the plans-
One day one, I’m trying to move the 7DMT FP up to the 11:30-ish time slot, which would then (hopefully) enable me to move the HM FP to right after lunch, so that we could try to grab a few more FP for whatever later in the day. No luck so far, but I’ll try in earnest when we get down to WDW.
You might notice that Space Mtn is missing- DH refuses to ride that one and I suspect my kids will freak out at the thought, so that is missing on purpose. I would love to ride, but can miss for the sake of the family.
I think that’s it! Please either reassure me that all looks good, or help me fix my monumental mistakes!
Train tracks are under construction, but the train cars and main street Station are open, for a viewing spot. I think they will like Day 2 better, but I am putting my preferences in that opinion. The kids might like Sorcerers of Magic card game or the Pirate Treasure hunt or pirate training- dont know the name.
As you’ll be arriving at a peak time (park open) security will take longer than at other times of the day But they do a very good job of keeping things moving. The biggest mistake people make is going to the first line they see. Go to the furthest one - the line is usually shortest and sometimes theres no line at all. I would plan to leave the resort around 7:15-7:30, arriving by 8:00 to get through security and tapstiles to get rolling by your target time.
The train station is a great spot to watch from; you’ll need to stake that one out early though, if it’s an option. I’m not sure if it is or not at this time. Hopefully someone else can chime in on that. The station itself is open as there is an “up close and personal” train viewing option right now. If you’re not able to view from there, there’s an area behind the gardens in between Casey’s and Crystal Palace that I like. If you’re not averse to a crowd, go ahead and head into the hub about 20 minutes before show time and you’ll be fine.
I will take a look at your plans momentarily
You’ll have a hard time moving that 7D FPP. Keep trying though! ETA you’ll have a MUCH easier time moving the HM one up — do it!
IMO SM is missable. We did it for the first time in many years during our DAH last week, and it was smoother than I recall it being. But it’s not a must do by a long shot for us.
If we wanted to try and watch HEA from the train station, how early do you think we need to be there?
Re: Space Mountain- DH is 6’8" tall, and he is CONVINCED that when he rode it as a teenager he almost got decapitated. So he refuses to ride it. #tallpeopleproblems
Dumbo is a long wait but your younger one at least will probably enjoy the play area. And it’s cool in there. Maybe grab a snack before getting in line to enjoy while in the play area!
I think your plans for meeting gaston and the princesses and the characters at pete’s is super ambitious for one hour’s time. You’ll definitely need to make some choices there. Even with the 23 minutes of free time before your CRT reservation, that’s not probably enough time. Personally I would choose Gaston above all others.
Muppets - that will be immediately after the parade. You’ll need to have staked out a spot near HOP for the parade in order to take that in, which will be impossible due to your 7D FPP. I’d choose another time for this - 3:55 would work into your plans nicely; HOP is easy enough to move.
Ouch, that Magic Carpet wait time. I’d see about getting a 4th or later FPP for that. It’s a terrible boring queue and it does take forever. Fun ride though, for what it is!
You’ll need to leave the park before this has you leaving the park to make it to Ohana for 6pm I would exit not later than 5pm. Better early than late! And no matter how you get there - boat or monorail - you’ll have to wait, and in neither case is Poly the first stop.
Re: “Check tubing of french horn…”
My DS just started playing the french horn this year and I read somewhere that the french horn in Philharmagic had a hidden mickey. Just a fun little thing I thought we could look for.
I should have specified in my plans- those things listed in my plans under the breaks are NOT must-dos. They are just things to keep an eye out for or ideas of things to do if we’re looking.
I had the same thought re: Dumbo. I figured that queue would be a good place to take a load off and let the kids have a little free play.
Re: Muppets. Hmmmmm. Didn’t think about coordinating that with the parade because we’re going to fit the parade in on day 2, so I kind of just… ignored it on day one. I’ll have to think about that. I just wish I could know if I’ll be able to modify that 7DMT FP or not.
It may not - if you’re in luck you’ll go through the tapstiles and board a waiting boat and be there in about 10-15 minutes. But if you have to wait - which is far more likely - you’ll end up late leaving as late as this plan has you leaving. Always best to pad that time when there’s a time-sensitive component involved.
Thanks for the tip!
DS20 is a French horn player and he’ll love that. Encourage your boy to keep playing, there are never enough French horn players so all the bands will want him. Even though they don’t get the glory parts.
This probably comes from a false rumor that went around for years that someone was decapitated on that ride. But you can ride hands up the entire time and come nowhere close to getting injured. No amusement park in the world could get away with a design without plenty of clearance! (Coaster enthusiasts call those parts of rides “headchoppers” because they are designed to make you feel like you will lose your head. In actuality, there is probably a good 10 ft of clearance!)
SM is our favorite ride in all of MK. It isn’t a trip to Disney without it!
Also for Day 2, if it were me, I would try the following to see if it improved wait times:
Go to Adventureland first thing in the morning and do Pirates (no FP … switch FP to BTMRR), Magic Carpets and then Jungle Cruise FP. Then head to Tomorrowland for those attractions with a break for lunch while you are there. I’d be nervous that BTMRR might have a much longer wait in the afternoon than currently showing on your TP. Of course, the trade off is that Buzz and Astro Orbiter might have longer wait in Tomorrowland with that plan, but People Mover, Carousel of Progress and Monsters will most likely still have shorter waits.
Don’t know how to quote, but re: getting decapitated on Space Mountain… Trust me, I KNOW. DH is normally a very logical guy, but when I have tried to explain that Disney would have safeguards upon safeguards for all of their coasters and there is NO WAY the clearance is anywhere near close enough to harm a normal-sized human, he won’t hear it. He is 1000% sure that 30 years ago he rode Space Mountain and felt something whiz right over his head and he was almost a goner.
I’m convinced that it was probably just a bat or something, but he won’t hear any of it.
In any case, it’s not worth arguing about anymore. I can skip it. But my DS6 just announced a couple of days ago that he wants to ride it after all… turns out its just because there’s a toy he wants to buy in the gift shop at the end and he thought he had to ride the ride to go to the gift shop.
“Are the overall wait times better if you switch the order of (4) through (7) on Day 1 to:
(4) Dumbo
(5) Small World
(6) Peter Pan FP
(7) Philharmagic”
Just checked, and it’s almost exactly the same. Shaved 5 minutes off of the Dumbo wait, but added 5 to Small World. The original order had less walking too, and from what I hear the Dumbo wait is more pleasant than IASW, so I think I’ll keep it as is. Thanks for the thought, though! It’s fun to play around!
So he refuses to ride it. 
I’ll have to think about that. I just wish I could know if I’ll be able to modify that 7DMT FP or not.
