UPDATE! Going to Disney (Magic Kingdom) next month

[aspentosh]

Update:

We did it! Of course it RAINED on and off the entire day (what the freaking chances?) but it didn't bother her at all. Quick update since you all helped so much.

I was able to score an 8am BOG reservation, so we had breakfast there. Took the ferry over to MK (no monorail at that time?) and she loved watching us come in. Breakfast was pretty good- she scarfed down her French toast and H and I shared the eggs benedict. 

After we finished breakfast (8:45ish) we headed to 7DMT (no FP) and only waited a few minutes to ride. She loved loved loved the ride and wanted to do it again, but the line was already 45min so we didn't try. Peter Pan line was also long and she didn't seem interested, so we passed.

Headed to Belle (no FP) and walked right in. She was Philippe and loved being part of the show. Even better is H was one of the guards. 

After Belle we picked and chose what she wanted to do. She chose Mad Tea Party, met Alice in Wonderland, Tomorrowland Speedway, Dumbo, Barnstormer, etc and we had little to no wait for all of them.

Headed back for our FP with Ariel and that was awesome. Snuck in It's a Small World before our FP to see Rapunzel and Tiana, which were all a hit.

Grabbed lunch at Pinocchio Village Haus, which was pretty good. Made our way towards BTMR (FP) but we walked right on and rode it twice. Skipped Splash Mountain since we were a wet and a little cold. Checked out Sawyer Island, found a Christmas ornament, and then got ready for the Fesitival Parade, which was awesome.

We spent the from 3:30-5 wandering around- did the Magic Carpets (walk on), met Jasmine and Aladdin (waited 45min), and headed back to meet Cinderella and Elena of Avalor (45min) before making our way to Main Street for the Move it Shake it parade and Elsa show with castle lighting.

We had like 6 things we wanted to do and we FAR surpassed that. Partly because it was a "low crowd" day and I imagine a lot was because of the rain. 

It's crazy how much the day cost us, but it was worth every penny to see her face. We were there from 8ish to 7pm (closing) and we loved basically every second of it! 

I know there was a bunch we didn't even look at (most of Tomorrowland, which was sort of planned and then Frontierland) but she wanted to meet the princesses and so we met as many as possible.

Seriously, than you all SO MUCH for your help. Sorry for the long recap  Here's a pic on 7DMT, with a total look of joy!



********
Total Disney newbie, so I have some basic questions because I am trying to make this easy on everyone

We're going next month and I've already got my three Fast Pass reservations. I have downloaded the Disney Experience app so I can make new reservations as we use them. Unfortunately I didn't get the Belle one in time, but hoping we can get one later in the day.

I've looked at and been totally overwhelmed by the Fast Pass guides on disney boards, but have found them to be helpful in what usually NEEDS a Fast Pass, so I am sticking with that as much as possible.

DD will be 5 in January and this her first time (well, all of our first times!) going so I am trying to make this about her as much as possible. Is there anything that stands out that is a *must do* for a girl that likes roller coaster rides and princesses that isn't obvious?

We're going to try and do as many of the princess meet and greets as possible. We'll do all the rides she is tall enough for (I think it only eliminates Space Mountain?).

But is there anything that's just totally awesome and should not be missed? Or anything that's overrated? Yes, I know this is subjective.

We'll only be there for a day, but will plan to arrive as the gates open and stay all day. TIA!

[L From The D]

7DMT, BTMRR, Splash, and Peter Pan are very difficult/near impossible to get secondary FPs for later in the day.

Definitely make time for Merida, she is a lot of fun and different than the other meets. My five year old's favorite meet at MK was Tinkerbell. We saw her twice and probably would have stopped in a third time if we had had time. Ask her anything from the fairy movies and it really gets her talking!

If you ride Aladdin's magic carpets, make sure you sit in the front and try to use the controls to get the camel to "spit" water on you. My kids thought it was hilarious.

[revolution]

You can check out touringplans.com and put in your fastpasses and what you want to do and it will spit out a plan of attack for you.

Keep in mind to go with the flow and you probably won't get it all done or seen.

I would keep a watch out on the app to see the wait times for the princesses and go with what is shortest and closest to wherever you are.

I'd wait in line for the Belle stories if you can't get a fast pass. both of my kids (boy and girl) had a blast at that.

What are your fast passes for?

[aspentosh]

Ah, the acronyms, lol I think I figured those out though!

Right now we have FP for: Big Thunder Mountain RR, Rapunzel (my daughter's FAVORITE so I only cared about this one, lol), and Ariel- all in the morning (9:30-12:30 essentially). I am sure these are awful, but I am trying not to care. Trying.

We are hoping we can start in Frontierland and work our way to Fantasyland, stopping at things that interest her along the way.

Good to know that Belle is worth waiting for. I figured as much. Will add Merida as a must do! My daughter likes her, too.

[aspentosh]

And if it matters, we looked at the crowd calendar for December and are going on a Tuesday with a rating of 4. I am hoping that will help with crowds (understanding it won't be perfect, no matter what).

[ilikedonuts]

Belle has been impossible to get with same day fp this trip (we are here now). Just hit it within a half hour of rope drop. Today it hit 70 minutes by 10:30 on an 8am open day.

[irishbride2]

If you have time between fast passes, I highly recommend Tom Sawyer's island. IMO, it is extremely underrated. I have a 6 year old girl and a 3 year old boy and they love it.

If you do Belle, make sure to tell her to roar as loud (and aminated) as possible when they ask her too.

[Deleted]

We also like story time with belle, it's a small world, peter pan (for some reason the line for this ride is always stupid long), splash mountain and the jungle cruise.

Ok..but listen. Look up what you want to do. Make a SHORT list of your MUST dos and then anything else is a bonus. Try not to stress about making a wrong choice...anything you do will be fun and hopefully create magical memories for your family. :0) and anything you miss she'll never know the difference...so just enjoy!!

[revolution]

Nov 7, 2016 11:22:21 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Ah, the acronyms, lol I think I figured those out though!

Right now we have FP for: Big Thunder Mountain RR, Rapunzel (my daughter's FAVORITE so I only cared about this one, lol), and Ariel- all in the morning (9:30-12:30 essentially). I am sure these are awful, but I am trying not to care. Trying.

We are hoping we can start in Frontierland and work our way to Fantasyland, stopping at things that interest her along the way.

Good to know that Belle is worth waiting for. I figured as much. Will add Merida as a must do! My daughter likes her, too.

Your FP's are not awful!  They are great!  

I ditto the other suggestion about making a short list of what else you want to do.  Combine that with the app with the wait times and you will have a blast!

[aspentosh]

Nov 7, 2016 12:14:29 GMT -5 @sing4mysavior said:

We also like story time with belle, it's a small world, peter pan (for some reason the line for this ride is always stupid long), splash mountain and the jungle cruise.

Ok..but listen. Look up what you want to do. Make a SHORT list of your MUST dos and then anything else is a bonus. Try not to stress about making a wrong choice...anything you do will be fun and hopefully create magical memories for your family. :0) and anything you miss she'll never know the difference...so just enjoy!!

This is kind of what I was trying to do, lol! It's so hard because we are surprising her, so I can't ask for her input, but I have a pretty good idea of what she loves.

My short list included the three fast passes we got plus Belle, the Tea Cups, and It's a Small World. Maybe that's not short  

I've added on Merida and Aladdin as bonuses. And will definitely take a look at Sawyer Island. 

I appreciate the kind words and help. 

[was5]

Do you plan to see the Festival of Fantasy Parade? It is mid-day (3pm) and a really awesome parade. We did FP for it when we went. I'm not sure if parades are even FP options anymore, but you want to get a good seat. Maybe have another adult hold a spot? I wasn't really sure what to expect from the pictures on the WDW website (features a dragon), but all of the Disney characters are in it. My DD enjoyed it more than the night time parade.

ETA: the WDW website has a brief video of the parade and the dragon is from Sleeping Beauty.

[curbsideprophet]

Have you tried to get a Mine Train FP? I would keep looking for that and drop Ariel if you can get Mine Train.

When is you BTMRR FP? Is it first or last? I would not want to cross the park to go on BTMRR in the middle.

Do you have any dining plans? I would search for a PPO BOG since you do not have a Mine Train FP.


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[aspentosh]

Maybe we'll try and do the Parade? I've added it to our itinerary so I can be reminded (no FP available).

BTMRR FP is for 10:10. The other two (both in Fantasyland) are after. But now I am worried if we don't do Belle before BTMRR that we will wait for ages... and that means we are going back and forth a bit.

No dining plan. I haven't even though about food at this point, lol.

[Deleted]

Nov 7, 2016 10:19:17 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Total Disney newbie, so I have some basic questions because I am trying to make this easy on everyone

We're going next month and I've already got my three Fast Pass reservations. I have downloaded the Disney Experience app so I can make new reservations as we use them. Unfortunately I didn't get the Belle one in time, but hoping we can get one later in the day.

I've looked at and been totally overwhelmed by the Fast Pass guides on disney boards, but have found them to be helpful in what usually NEEDS a Fast Pass, so I am sticking with that as much as possible.

DD will be 5 in January and this her first time (well, all of our first times!) going so I am trying to make this about her as much as possible. Is there anything that stands out that is a *must do* for a girl that likes roller coaster rides and princesses that isn't obvious?

We're going to try and do as many of the princess meet and greets as possible. We'll do all the rides she is tall enough for (I think it only eliminates Space Mountain?).

But is there anything that's just totally awesome and should not be missed? Or anything that's overrated? Yes, I know this is subjective.

We'll only be there for a day, but will plan to arrive as the gates open and stay all day. TIA!

If you can plan to be there BEFORE the gates open I totally would. I have heard that Belle doesn't actually open until about 15-20 minutes after park opening. In that case, since you don't have a FP for 7DMT I would go straight there and ride standby and then go to Belle. I think the FP for BTMMR is great. The line builds there later in the day. It's my 4 year olds FAVORITE ride in MK. 

Peter Pan will be tricky to get on too. I would suggest doing that LAST or during the parade. If she isn't a HUGE fan of Peter Pan you can skip it. It's classic and nostalgic, but not super exciting. 

www.easywdw.com/easy/magic-kingdom/magic-kingdom-touring-plans-rope-drop-wait-times-and-fastpass-priority/

This is a good guide to park touring. With a color coded map! 

[was5]

If you are just spending 1 day, I think a plan where you are not going back and forth between different areas is important. Can you make your BTMRR FP later in the day, like after lunch? That way you can go to Fantasyland at Rope Drop and hit Small World and Belle. Then use FP for meet and greets, break for lunch and then BTMRR? Depending on the timing of BTMRR, you can hit Alladin's Carpet on the way to the castle area for the 3pm parade, see the parade then head over to Tomorrowland and then to the Tea Cups?

[aspentosh]

I can absolutely get there before opening since we're staying with my dad and he's less than an hour from the park. So we'll definitely plan to do that.

I've changed my BTMRR FP to 3-4pm. That way we can head straight to Fantasyland for Belle, then do other things in that area until our next to FP in that area. Hopefully hit up the Mine Train while we're there. Then we'll have a couple hours to kill and make our way to BTMRR for that FP.

That seems to make a little more sense rather than back and forth.

You all are amazing.

[ilikedonuts]

My suggestion is Mine Train, Peter Pan and then Belle right at rope drop in that order.

[curbsideprophet]

I would try to get a PPO BOG breakfast and go with the order donuts posted.


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[aspentosh]

Nov 7, 2016 15:06:01 GMT -5 ilikedonuts said:

My suggestion is Mine Train, Peter Pan and then Belle right at rope drop in that order.

Got it! She doesn't know Peter Pan, but it seems to be a favorite so it's worth a shot

And will look for a reservation at BOG! Thanks!

[beantrees]

Nov 7, 2016 14:35:09 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

I can absolutely get there before opening since we're staying with my dad and he's less than an hour from the park. So we'll definitely plan to do that.

I've changed my BTMRR FP to 3-4pm. That way we can head straight to Fantasyland for Belle, then do other things in that area until our next to FP in that area. Hopefully hit up the Mine Train while we're there. Then we'll have a couple hours to kill and make our way to BTMRR for that FP.

That seems to make a little more sense rather than back and forth.

You all are amazing.

I suggest watching the festival of fantasy parade in Frontierland (in front of Country Bears Jamboree). If you watch from there you should be able to get a front row spot if you show up around 2:40. Then, you're in the perfect spot to catch your Big Thunder FP. The parade is not to be missed IMO.

[zarapipe]

aspentosh, you will have a ball! It's her first time and she will be so excited and happy- she doesn't know about FP, what's good, what's not- it's going to be amazing for her no matter what you do. Try not to stress, I think you are handling it well.

[sju]

We were there yesterday and at around 10 am, the 7DMT was 70 min. DH did the standby line with our friends who are visiting and it did not take as long. Peter Pan was 75 and it only got worse as the day progressed.

I agree that Tom Sawyer Island is underrated. Our kids always have a blast. The fort is nice because parents can stay in the main area, while kids run around.

Have fun!

[nsl]

Sounds like a wonderful trip! Glad things went so smoothly.

[ilikedonuts]

Yay! I'm so glad you guys had fun!

[curbsideprophet]

Yay! Glad it went well and you got in so much!

I did not realize Aladdin was with Jasmine at MK as well as Epcot.

[lishie]

So glad your daughter had a magical day at MK!

[was5]

Sounds like an awesome day! Glad you had low crowds.