Help me Brainstorm (Disney)

[purplepenguin7]

We have to go to Florida in August this year (yes August, the time is non-negotiable).  We were thinking of squeezing in one day at Disney (Magic Kingdom, most likely) for our 3.5 year old daughter. Our thought right now is to drive to Orlando Saturday night, spend the night in a hotel, wake up early Sunday morning and spend as much of the day as we can at the park and then drive back to our family location.  My H loves to drive so the drive time and time of day doesn't matter to him. 

So my questions:
1) Where should we stay?  It's just one night and I don't think we will get to enjoy any ammenties.  Are there are reccomended off site hotels that are cheap-er? 
2) Can we drive to the park?  Is that easier than taking a hotel shuttle if we plan to leave directly from there in the evening?
3) My daughter is more into Micky and characters than princesses.  Are there are must do activties (breakfast, lunch, etc) that we should look into booking?

Anything else I should know?  Is this absurd? 

[devonpow]

You can definitely drive! Usually when we go we rent a car and find it much easier to drive and park than to rely on the buses and shuttles. You just need to pay to park.

I would try to get breakfast reservations at Chef Mickey’s. It’s all the standard Mickey characters and it’s at the Contemporary, so super easy to have breakfast then hope right on the monorail (or walk!) to magic kingdom

[was5]

Assuming character meet and greets are back on, Pluto is normally right inside the entrance to MK. There is usually a line but it's well organized. We enjoyed our Ohana breakfast at the Polynesian resort. Right now the website says they don't have characters at that meal, but maybe that will change by August. When we went Lilo was there in addition to Mickey, Goofy and I think Donald (they were wearing Hawaiian shirts instead of their normal outfits). It is served family style, so it's all you can eat but they keep brining platefuls to the table.

Crystal Palace is right in MK. They used to have Winnie the Pooh characters, but not sure what the status is on that. I've heard good things about their breakfast but not necessarily about lunch.

[sent]

You can meet Mickey as soon as you enter the park. Driving and parking at Magic Kingdom versus taking a non-Disney hotel shuttle would be exactly the same amount of hassle so if you plan to leave directly from the park to your next destination, I'd drive and park your own car. Having a meal at Chef Mickey's would probably be good. Sit and relax for a bit while the characters come to you and eat your meal. Maybe lunch so you can try to get out of the heat for a few hours. I think Mickey's PhilHarmagic is the only Mickey themed ride, but Mickey and Minnie are omnipresent. They will be in the parade, calvacades, and do shows at the castle steps. You can also meet Mickey himself but if you end up doing a Chef Mickey's meal, I'd skip that. When my DD was 3.5, she was just barely tall enough to ride the Seven Dwarf's Mine Train and she loved it if yours is into fast rides; there are a bunch of the roller coaster type rides at Magic Kingdom. (My DS is 4 and he hated even the Barnstormer baby rollercoaster so he won't be doing the others anytime soon LOL).

[purplepenguin7]

thanks everyone! Chef Mickey seems like a great idea. Are there are discounts or perks to staying at the Contemporary and having breakfast at Chef Mickey? I'm trying to google this stuff but there is SO much information it's too much. I'm trying to minimize travel time so we have as much time as possible in the park. We also aren't really morning people so the closer the better I think.

[zarapipe]

Apr 20, 2022 11:38:41 GMT -5 purplepenguin7 said:

thanks everyone! Chef Mickey seems like a great idea. Are there are discounts or perks to staying at the Contemporary and having breakfast at Chef Mickey? I'm trying to google this stuff but there is SO much information it's too much. I'm trying to minimize travel time so we have as much time as possible in the park. We also aren't really morning people so the closer the better I think.

No discounts or perks. If you are doing one sit down meal and it’s going to be hot I would do a sit down lunch at MK. Maybe the crystal palace. It will help a lot with resting and cooling off.

[purplepenguin7]

sorry, one more question (no, i'll probably have a million more).

If an on property hotel is about the same as off property, it is a no brainer to stay on?

[sent]

Apr 20, 2022 13:15:32 GMT -5 purplepenguin7 said:

sorry, one more question (no, i'll probably have a million more).

If an on property hotel is about the same as off property, it is a no brainer to stay on?

If the on property hotel includes parking at the hotels, you would save some money there. Then again they will charge you to park at the hotel but I think many off site hotels also charge for parking. Staying on site you would also potentially have access to the half hour early entry. If you’re morning people, you’d be able to knock out a few attractions before it gets really crowded. We literally just left Magic Kingdom. DS enjoyed the parade which was at 12 pm and 3 pm today if you want to catch that also.

[was5]

Apr 20, 2022 13:15:32 GMT -5 purplepenguin7 said:

sorry, one more question (no, i'll probably have a million more).

If an on property hotel is about the same as off property, it is a no brainer to stay on?

If you're just doing MK, it would be nice to stay at one of the monorail resorts. I've only stayed at Art of Animation (not monorail) and the bus system to and from the parks leaves a lot to be desired - especially if you stay until park closing when the lines for the busses are really long.  

If you are comparing off site prices to a value resort, look at the off site resort fee, parking fee and if they provide a shuttle to MK. I did see some hotel shuttles near the onsite bus pick up. They are a little further away but their lines aren't nearly as long (from what I remember).

Edit for clarification: if you can get a monorail resort for the same price as off site, I'd do the monorail resort. But, I might take a nice off-site over a value resort depending on the perks the off-site hotel might offer.

[purplepenguin7]

Thank you, that is really helpful. We are not morning people but I’m trying to somehow make this (relatively) worth the while. Our typical MO would be to stroll into the park around noon but I feel like that’s going NOT to be the best with just one day there.

*edit to add a key word

[was5]

Apr 20, 2022 13:54:39 GMT -5 purplepenguin7 said:

Thank you, that is really helpful. We are not morning people but I’m trying to somehow make this (relatively) worth the while. Our typical MO would be to stroll into the park around noon but I feel like that’s going to be the best with just one day there.

Our first trip to WDW as a family was also in August (8 years ago) - kids were 7 and 1 (twins) at the time. Do not wait until noon to get there. Our first day at MK we didn't get there until about 11am. OMG it was so hot and humid. We were all miserable for the first hour we were there.

The best day we had at MK we had breakfast at the Polynesian and were in MK by 9:30 am. Even though this an hour or 2 after park opening, it was still early enough that the crowds weren't too bad and the heat was not stifling.

The evenings weren't too bad either and we ended up staying later than I expected on our first day. It was really just that mid-day 11:30-3pm that was awful for the heat.  If you do splurge for a monorail resort, an added benefit is being able to go relax at the hotel for a couple hours mid-day. Or like zarapipe, suggested, do lunch at Crystal Gardens to get a break from the heat. 

Oh also, figure out your plan of action in terms of what lands you want to cover and what direction you want to go in. We did a lot of back tracking on our first day in MK because I didn't plan it well. This was also in the old days of Fast Passes and I scheduled our times not knowing the lay of the land. I don't know the new systems at all so I can't give any specific advice. But, try not to repeat "lands" if you can avoid it. For a 3 1/2 year old, the rides I would aim for are Buzz Lightyear (Tomorrowland), then moving onto Fantasyland Tea Cups, Dumbo, the Barnstormer (kids roller coaster next to Dumbo). There's also a show in the Dumbo area and a splash area (so with one toddler not really into princesses, this might be a place where you spend a lot of time), then go to the Winnie the Pooh ride, Mickey's Philharmagic (gives you a break from the heat if you can get in during the middle of the day), the carousel, then Peter Pan and Small World if the lines aren't crazy long. I don't think Frontierland needs to be a priority with a young child (they have a roller coaster and a flume ride). I also think Liberty Square is kind of eh for little kids unless you think she'll like the haunted mansion (some young kids find it too scary, others like it).  Since Liberty Square and Frontierland are next to each other, that removes about 20% of the MK if you make a decision not to go in those areas. I would go to Adventureland since it has has Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise. 

You could also go in the reverse order I listed above, starting in Adventureland, then going to Fantasyland and ending in Tomorrowland. Some people swear by going counter clockwise (turn left when you enter the park) to avoid the largest crowds. 

Good luck. This makes me want to plan another Disney vacation!

[sent]

Apr 20, 2022 13:54:39 GMT -5 purplepenguin7 said:

Thank you, that is really helpful. We are not morning people but I’m trying to somehow make this (relatively) worth the while. Our typical MO would be to stroll into the park around noon but I feel like that’s going to be the best with just one day there.

I mistakenly read that as you are morning people. We aren't really morning people but we can stay up late. The lines go down a lot during the fireworks show and afterwards. I utilized this strategy yesterday to ride 5 rides with DS in a little over an hour - People Mover, Buzz Lightyear, Tomorrowland Raceway (his favorite of the 5), Tea Cups, and Barnstormer (where he declared "I don't like this ride!"). We could have Dumbo also, it was right there and had no wait but he said no. He declared he was done at 10:20 pm and immediately fell asleep in his stroller, something he NEVER does. The park didn't close until 11 so we could have definitely done a few more toddler friendly rides in Fantasyland.  

[purplepenguin7]

Apr 20, 2022 14:24:54 GMT -5 was5 said:

Apr 20, 2022 13:54:39 GMT -5 purplepenguin7 said:

Thank you, that is really helpful. We are not morning people but I’m trying to somehow make this (relatively) worth the while. Our typical MO would be to stroll into the park around noon but I feel like that’s going to be the best with just one day there.

Our first trip to WDW as a family was also in August (8 years ago) - kids were 7 and 1 (twins) at the time. Do not wait until noon to get there. Our first day at MK we didn't get there until about 11am. OMG it was so hot and humid. We were all miserable for the first hour we were there.

The best day we had at MK we had breakfast at the Polynesian and were in MK by 9:30 am. Even though this an hour or 2 after park opening, it was still early enough that the crowds weren't too bad and the heat was not stifling.

The evenings weren't too bad either and we ended up staying later than I expected on our first day. It was really just that mid-day 11:30-3pm that was awful for the heat.  If you do splurge for a monorail resort, an added benefit is being able to go relax at the hotel for a couple hours mid-day. Or like zarapipe, suggested, do lunch at Crystal Gardens to get a break from the heat. 

Oh also, figure out your plan of action in terms of what lands you want to cover and what direction you want to go in. We did a lot of back tracking on our first day in MK because I didn't plan it well. This was also in the old days of Fast Passes and I scheduled our times not knowing the lay of the land. I don't know the new systems at all so I can't give any specific advice. But, try not to repeat "lands" if you can avoid it. For a 3 1/2 year old, the rides I would aim for are Buzz Lightyear (Tomorrowland), then moving onto Fantasyland Tea Cups, Dumbo, the Barnstormer (kids roller coaster next to Dumbo). There's also a show in the Dumbo area and a splash area (so with one toddler not really into princesses, this might be a place where you spend a lot of time), then go to the Winnie the Pooh ride, Mickey's Philharmagic (gives you a break from the heat if you can get in during the middle of the day), the carousel, then Peter Pan and Small World if the lines aren't crazy long. I don't think Frontierland needs to be a priority with a young child (they have a roller coaster and a flume ride). I also think Liberty Square is kind of eh for little kids unless you think she'll like the haunted mansion (some young kids find it too scary, others like it).  Since Liberty Square and Frontierland are next to each other, that removes about 20% of the MK if you make a decision not to go in those areas. I would go to Adventureland since it has has Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise. 

You could also go in the reverse order I listed above, starting in Adventureland, then going to Fantasyland and ending in Tomorrowland. Some people swear by going counter clockwise (turn left when you enter the park) to avoid the largest crowds. 

Good luck. This makes me want to plan another Disney vacation!

Thank you!!! This is so helpful. Last time I went to Disney I was a teenager with my friends and we just kind of wandered around with zero cares or plans. Everything is so different now.

[purplepenguin7]

[/quote]Our first trip to WDW as a family was also in August (8 years ago) - kids were 7 and 1 (twins) at the time. Do not wait until noon to get there. Our first day at MK we didn't get there until about 11am. OMG it was so hot and humid. We were all miserable for the first hour we were there.

If you do splurge for a monorail resort, an added benefit is being able to go relax at the hotel for a couple hours mid-day. /quote]

A really silly question. We’ll likely be staying Saturday night with the park day Sunday. I assume we’ll have to check out that Sunday AM so I don’t think we’ll be able to necessarily “go back to the hotel” in that case right?

[was5]

Apr 20, 2022 18:06:34 GMT -5 purplepenguin7 said:

Our first trip to WDW as a family was also in August (8 years ago) - kids were 7 and 1 (twins) at the time. Do not wait until noon to get there. Our first day at MK we didn't get there until about 11am. OMG it was so hot and humid. We were all miserable for the first hour we were there.

If you do splurge for a monorail resort, an added benefit is being able to go relax at the hotel for a couple hours mid-day. /quote]

A really silly question. We’ll likely be staying Saturday night with the park day Sunday. I assume we’ll have to check out that Sunday AM so I don’t think we’ll be able to necessarily “go back to the hotel” in that case right? [/quote]


Good point. You are right unless you can pre-arrange late check-out.

If you did stay on site, would you put your luggage in your car before you head to MK or would you ask bell service to hold it. I'm just trying to think logistically how much benefit you get from staying on site.

What time do you think you'd arrive on Saturday? Would you use the pool or other amenities on Saturday afternoon/evening? Maybe you could try to get a dinner reservation for Chef Mickey on Saturday- that way you're not trying to fit everything in one day.

[krystee]

In August, I might be tempted to skip the park and do one night at the Polynesian. Do the character meal at Ohana (I assume characters will be back by then), swim in the pool, ride the monorail for fun, maybe boat over to Fort Wilderness Lodge and ride the ponies, watch the Disney movie outside by the pool area, enjoy some Dole Whips, and watch the fireworks from the beach.

We just did one day at MK with a 4YO, and our favorite part was going to the Polynesian for dinner, the outdoor movie, and fireworks. The park was fun, but the security line was bananas, the crowds were highish, and we didn’t feel very magical.

[jaycee]

I think krystee 's idea is good.

Also, you will have a fun time, even if it is August! It's a pet peeve of mine when people say to not travel during certain times of the year for whatever reason. Some people just can't go at the most ideal time. My extended family usually gives us a hard time or at least eye rolls when we say we're traveling during non-ideal times. We did the southeastern national parks (zion, grand canyon, even death valley) in mid august and we had the most perfectly wonderful time. Was it hot, of course it was. Was it crowded with summer vacation people, another of course. But if we didn't go then, we would not have an opportunity to go. Ok, I'll get off my soap box now.

[purplepenguin7]

Apr 22, 2022 21:59:19 GMT -5 krystee said:

In August, I might be tempted to skip the park and do one night at the Polynesian. Do the character meal at Ohana (I assume characters will be back by then), swim in the pool, ride the monorail for fun, maybe boat over to Fort Wilderness Lodge and ride the ponies, watch the Disney movie outside by the pool area, enjoy some Dole Whips, and watch the fireworks from the beach.

We just did one day at MK with a 4YO, and our favorite part was going to the Polynesian for dinner, the outdoor movie, and fireworks. The park was fun, but the security line was bananas, the crowds were highish, and we didn’t feel very magical.

We actually did consider this and it’s still a possibility. I wish MK had like a grounds pass. I know my daughter would love the castle, Main Street, the parades and stuff like that. She likes rides but I’m not a super planner and the idea of waiting 2 hours for a ride sounds awful.

[purplepenguin7]

Apr 21, 2022 18:39:48 GMT -5 was5 said:

Apr 20, 2022 18:06:34 GMT -5 purplepenguin7 said:

Our first trip to WDW as a family was also in August (8 years ago) - kids were 7 and 1 (twins) at the time. Do not wait until noon to get there. Our first day at MK we didn't get there until about 11am. OMG it was so hot and humid. We were all miserable for the first hour we were there.

If you do splurge for a monorail resort, an added benefit is being able to go relax at the hotel for a couple hours mid-day. /quote]

A really silly question. We’ll likely be staying Saturday night with the park day Sunday. I assume we’ll have to check out that Sunday AM so I don’t think we’ll be able to necessarily “go back to the hotel” in that case right?

Good point. You are right unless you can pre-arrange late check-out.

If you did stay on site, would you put your luggage in your car before you head to MK or would you ask bell service to hold it. I'm just trying to think logistically how much benefit you get from staying on site.

What time do you think you'd arrive on Saturday? Would you use the pool or other amenities on Saturday afternoon/evening? Maybe you could try to get a dinner reservation for Chef Mickey on Saturday- that way you're not trying to fit everything in one day.[/quote]


I am weirdly paranoid about leaving luggage in a car in high tourist destinations so we’d probably try and leave with a bellhop. If our plan works out we’d probably come in late Saturday after dinner. We are going to be in florida for a family event and have limited days to begin with. We are really just trying to sneak this side trip in because my daughter is in PEAK Minnie and daisy phase and we know she’d love it.

We are highly considering just a character breakfast and maybe a few other day activities with no park visit.

[daisyduck]

Just go into the park, I think you'll regret being literally right next to it and not going in! I've spent several weeks at Disney in August or September and it is hot, but very manageable. Most of the line queues are indoors or heavily shaded, so you spend less time in the heat than you think you will. You will also be able to do a ton of rides/shows/character meets with less than a 30 minute wait.

I would not mess with character dining if you only have one day (you are going to spend enough on just tickets) and your 4 year old will get more out of the parades and character meets. If character dining is important to you, definitely pick somewhere in the park (so probably Crystal Palace). You will lose a lot of time going to and from a restaurant that is out of the park (I've done this a lot and decided recently that it isn't worth it). A good quick service option in MK is Columbia Harbor House. I like the food and the eating area is fully indoors/air conditioned so you can chill at your table for a bit for a mid-day rest.

ETA: Take a swim suit for your daughter so she can play in the Dumbo splash pad. No line to do it and a great way to cool off during the day. My daughter always loves it.

ETA2: Re: your fear of leaving luggage in the car. Keep in mind the parking lot is only accessible to people who have paid to park in it or are Disney employees. I'm sure cars occasionally get broken into, but it's not like parking at a mall or beach where it is easily accessible to anyone and has quick ways to exit. I've left luggage in my car in Disney lots a few times and never worried about it. Even if you stay on property, I'd probably drive to the park so you can have a quicker exit (with the exception being Poly or Contemporary). Getting a bus or monorail back to your hotel just so you can get bags from the bellhop will be a big pain and easily add an hour of extra time when you are ready to leave.