On our MK RD day, we are RD-ing SDMT, Pan, then SM.
I was planning to LLSP Tron and SDMT (for a second ride). Plan was to leave MK by 4pm so we have time back in room before a 6.45pm Raglan ADR.
BUT, it occurs to me that staying at BWV means we could instead use the second LLSP for Guardians. I.e. leave MK around 3.30pm to take monorail to EP, ride LLSP Guardians and either walk back to BWV or take an uber from front entrance if we are too tired for a 30 minute trek back to our room.
Is this feasible? Too much of a time suck? I know my kids are going to love Guardians more than any other ride and we’ll have a shot at more SDMT during the waning hours of the MK Xmas party.
We will have other Guardian opportunities as well, but without VQ, it isn’t as good as it would have been last year.
Fri: 12am arrival, airport hotel
Sat: BWV check-in. Late arrival EP. LLMP + Guardians LLSP + Guardians SB. Regal Eagle. Space 220 lounge.
Sun: MK. RD SDMT. LLMP + Tron LLSP. Question: LLSP SDMT or Guardians?. Sleepy Hollow. Raglan.
Given a choice between SDMT and GOTG…GOTG will win every time.
SDMT is…fine. But it is no Guardians. Honestly, we rarely bother to ride SDMT even once. I’d never consider paying for it!!
It adds time, but then again…having an opportunity to take the monorail over can be fun in itself. And, perhaps after riding GOTG, you might be able to sneak in a ride on SE, or Soarin’, or LWTL or something as you head back to BWV.
That’s where I was leaning. Just didn’t even think of it till tonight. Didn’t know how much time the monorail would take.
SDMT is a huge nostalgia ride for me. When we went to WDW in 2015 with my then 6 year old and 9 month old and my extended family, my now late father was with us.
Because we were doing rider swap, he got to go 2X back to back on SDMT with my then 6 year old.
Context: he was never overjoyed about coming with us on a WDW vacation (he was more of a off the beaten path traveler like climbing Kilamanjaro in retirement, sailing from Australia to the pacific islands, captaining a boat to explore islands in Croatia and Turkey, bow hunting at 10,000 feet elevation camps)…yet he came dutifully at the request of my Mom :).
The entire trip through MK and Harry Potter world, he was positively enchanted.
He was always a present, in the moment kind of guy. But I remember this so vividly, he and my son both had the BIGGEST smile when they got to ride SDMT a second time with no wait.
IDK. I used TP and I think it’s 18 minutes (going off memory) from Guardians to IG exit, and then another 10 minutes to our room (depending on where it is).
TBH. My original plan was to RD SM x2, but gosh if it’s not down at Rope Drop 20% of the time. That’s not great odds, so we will knock out SDMT instead, and then make our way back to Space with the hope that it was open.
It can be done in 15…if you are just at the front of the park and you ordered groceries from Instacart, and they originally said it would be an hour, and next thing you know they message you to say they are on their way!!! I was SO out of breath from almost running it!
But yeah. 30 minutes is probably a more reasonable leisurely pace to get there!
Too funny. That would totally be me…but I have a 16 year old who is somewhat athletic…so I would send him through the gauntlet (think of it as training, lol). My youngest is getting into cross country, but he’s VERY distractable, and the odds of him actually getting from Point A to Point B in a park built for distractions is exactly ZERO.
I think if there’s an opportunity to ride gotg- and there is - you take it. Especially when it slides into your plan the way it does. MK-EP front of park is pretty easy and honestly the walk from front to IG is not bad at all. You could take a friendship boat if the side that runs to Morocco is back up when you go (currently only Mexico to Germany is running I believe). And then a ferry from IG to BWV. Both of which would save steps. And is there anything lovelier than a WDW ferry ride?
Thanks all. appreciate the feedback. Def will buy the Guardians LLSP. It will be a fun way to end the day. Our last attraction at MK was country bears (lol) on our way out of MK, so this will amp up the energy.
I didn’t know there were so many ways to get back to BW from front of park!
Im just trying to preserve my moms legs (shes 79) - as this is only day 2 of our trip!
The climb to the monorail isn’t pleasant but after that, it’s a relaxing ride. The monorail switch at the platform is easy. We like the Friendship boats to save our steps. But I’d only suggest it if the Port of Entry area to Moracco is open.
When I was there at end of September that side was closed and only Mexico-Germany was running. Wasn’t sure if they changed in the last few weeks, which is why I mentioned it.
It would be great if they could get them both going at the same time.
This is good to know! This might change my plans around a bit. DH is limited in walking so we use the boat to give him a break. I can not convince him to rent a scooter.
This change can’t have happened too long ago so I would be surprised if they switched back so soon. I wonder if not enough people use them so they only have 1 going at a time…
There’s never a long line, but there’s never not been some kind of a line when I’ve used it. I think more people would use it if they would just fully open it for goodness sake!
I’m assuming because of the nighttime show that has stuff in the middle of the lake. But then, they could go in a square… And was there “stuff” before the tacos? I can’t recall.
It’s less about time for us and more about getting DH to sit. I’ve never waited more than 5 minutes for a boat.
I was SO out of breath from almost running it!
