Help plan MK and HS

[disneyboy123]

I'm starting to plan out my days at MK and HS. It'll be MK on Wed 4/10 and HS on Friday 4/12. These are the recommended parks according to easyWDW.
It'll be myself and my significant other. We are offsite and can only afford 1 day at each park. We won't be making any ADR as we will just try to manage with counter food or whatever food carts they have. It'l also be the first time at both parks. We want to do pretty much every ride except for ones like tea cups and hall of presidents. We're willing to be in a go go go mentality, but also want to enjoy the magic without feeling rushed. My plan and questions below

MK
- arrive ahead of rope drop. We would like to watch the opening show so won't be near the turnstiles
- we want to see ETwB, and it is recommended to be the first stop at rope drop but at the same time it can be the least efficient when wanting to do as much as possible. Is it ok to leave this later on in the day? If so, is it better to head straight to space mountain/splash mountain? Or Peter Pan's Flight?
- At this point I'm all flustered lol... I guess it's hard to plan out everything when you're unsure of what the very first thing you want to do is... really wish i could have 2 days at MK, would make things easier.....


HS
- this is a lot easier to plan out as its not as overwhelming as MK. Of course first stop would be TSM
- then head over to ToT and RnR and grab fastpasses for whichever. Outside of TSM, ToT, and RnR I think everything else shouldn't be so bad, correct? We should be able to cover most if not all the attractions in a day as well as go to a few character meet and greets.

grabbing quick food for lunch and dinner shouldn't be too bad right? Sit down meals, although nice, would be inefficient for us and we're not too picky... we'll enjoy a nice meal on an off day

didn't think planning could be so stressful... and we're not even bringing kids!

 

[disneyboy123]

Anyone got any feedback?

 

[Bean786]

I don't have alot of feed back sorry but if your doing RD and want to see Belle go there first!

Also if you go to HS get fast pass for you story you should be fine to ride the other two.

 

[PictureJumpr]

In order to get the most out of a single MK day, I'd probably not do ETWB first. I'd head to Frontierland and hit Splash/BTMRR (fastpass one, ride the other standby then use the FP). If you need a little extra time to kill before your FP is good, Pirates is close by.

Next I'd walk through Frontierland and make a little side jaunt into Fantasyland to grap FP for Peter Pan. A slight (100yd) backtrack to do Haunted Mansion, then small world and by then it should be time to ride Peter with FP. After that, slight right after the exit from the ride and you can snag FP for Little Mermaid. Watch Philharmagic, break for lunch if you wish (you're close to both Pinocchio's Village Haus and Columbia Harbor House at this point, or Be our Guest if you don't mind the wait), and keep trucking.

Once your window opens from the Ariel FP, you can go get Dumbo or Space; neither is terribly far from that edge of Fantasyland.

I'd plan on ETWB in the waning (almost-closing) hours. Or maybe during the afternoon parade if you didn't plan on watching that. You'll probably have a little wait, but it shouldn't be brutal.


DHS is easier, in that it is smaller. The hardest part about this one is balancing the show schedule - they always seem to be inconveniently timed. Luckily there isn't much geography to cover to go from one to another.

Food options for counter service at DHS are dismal to say the least, but so long as you are prepared for that then you should be fine. For lunch I'd plan on Starring Rolls - they have good sandwiches, but are not open for dinner.

 

[disneyboy123]

Thanks
I try to visualize the day in my head and all I picture is me being a fat kid in a candy store and wanting to do everything but not know where to start

 

[hollygolitely93]

The plan above is very good. We have also toured this way...

Peter Pan
pooh
space Mountain
buzz
Monster Inc laugh Factory
Move It Shake It Parade
haunted Mansion
Grab FP to Splash or Big Thunder
Eat (Columbia Harbor House and Pecos bill good nearby choices)
Grab FP to other mountain before riding other with FP
meet Woody and Jesse
Ride POTC (see pirates league show if timing works out)
grab jungle cruise pass
Ride other mountain
Eat a dole whip and
See 3pm parade
Ride Jungle Cruise
Meet Mickey in Town Theater
Head up Main Street on way back to FL...shop...
Small World
mickey's Philharmonic
Grab Dumbo FP
Eat dinner Pinochio Village or Cosmic Rays both nearby
RidE Dumbo and Barnstormer (circus area is pretty at night but it may still be light out...depends on timing)
Ride LM
Get a "brew" at Gaston's Tavern...meet Gaston (he might not be out still...)
eTWB
Parade and Wishes


I agree HS is
TSMM
Grab FP Rock n Roll
tower of Terror
rock n Roll
Beauty and Beast Show
Lunch
FP Start Tours
Indiana Jones Show
ride star Tours (muppets close by if need time to kill)
Muppet Show if didn't see it already
Head to Lights Camera Action (grab a snack...)
.maybe timing works out for Characterpalooza
Dinner
Fantasmic

 

[PictureJumpr]

Thanks
I try to visualize the day in my head and all I picture is me being a fat kid in a candy store and wanting to do everything but not know where to start

I can relate.
I've been there... bunches of times. Like, more than 40. I still can't keep it together when we get through the gates on the first day of a trip.

To rein in your inner fat kid, just plan on a direction. That simple. Either you're racing up Main Street and heading left into Adventureland/Frontierland... or you're racing up Main Street and heading right into Tomorrowland. From there you can pick up whatever candy you come across as you find it

 

[disneyboy123]

I have a question. If I wanna watch the openening ceremony at MK in a good spot, does that mean ill be in a bad position from the turnstiles to enter the park, thus putting me in a bad position to be in the first group of the high profile rides, ie. Belle, one of the mountains (depending what I choose)

 

[siskaren]

I have a question. If I wanna watch the opening ceremony at MK in a good spot, does that mean I'll be in a bad position from the turnstiles to enter the park, thus putting me in a bad position to be in the first group of the high profile rides, ie. Belle, one of the mountains (depending what I choose)

The opening ceremony takes place in the park, at least from the standpoint that it's after you go through the turnstiles. (It takes place in front of the train station, before you go through the tunnels to enter Main Street.) The best view is probably going to be right in front of the train station, and since the tunnels are on the sides, you're not going to be the closest to the tunnels, but I really don't think it should make that much of a difference with regards to how long it's going to take you to get to your first attraction.

 

[disneyboy123]

The opening ceremony takes place in the park, at least from the standpoint that it's after you go through the turnstiles. (It takes place in front of the train station, before you go through the tunnels to enter Main Street.) The best view is probably going to be right in front of the train station, and since the tunnels are on the sides, you're not going to be the closest to the tunnels, but I really don't think it should make that much of a difference with regards to how long it's going to take you to get to your first attraction.

ok well that's good to know.
Another question is I'm planning to go from rope drop all the way to the kiss goodnight (is this still happening)? This would make it about 14 hours at MK. Has anyone else done this and have any tips? Also, I'm really hoping to get some night pictures so will likely bring my tripod along. If we wait around after park closing for the crowd to clear out, is it possible to wait until there are barely any people left to get some nice pics of the castle?

 

[disneyboy123]

So I gave in and signed up for TouringPlans. Nice site. I tried plugging in my MK day and chose minimal wait time with fast walking... not sure how fast is fast walking but I'll assume its a bit less than running? Anyway, the result I got was below for April 10th... Can I rely heavily on what the results are or will I need to modify it as the day goes by? I just want to know how strict I have to follow the plan and if the times are pretty accurate from other people's experience.

Magic Kingdom Welcome Show 8:48am
Space Mountain 9:01am
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin 9:06am
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 9:14am
Peter Pan's Flight 9:23am
Journey of the Little Mermaid FP Booth 9:33am
Enchanted Tales with Belle 9:36am
Journey of the Little Mermaid 10:16am
it's a small world 10:29am
The Haunted Mansion 10:51am
Stitch's Great Escape! 11:17am
Jungle Cruise FASTPASS Booth 11:43am
Splash Mountain 11:48am
Jungle Cruise 12:31pm
Pirates of the Caribbean 12:45pm
Big Thunder Mountain FP Booth 1:08pm
PUSH, The Talking Trashcan 1:18pm
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress 1:37pm
The Barnstormer FASTPASS Booth 2:09pm
Dumbo the Flying Elephant FP Booth 2:11pm
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor 2:17pm
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 2:46pm
Cinderella Castle 3:04pm
Mickey's PhilharMagic 3:08pm
Dumbo the Flying Elephant 3:34pm
The Barnstormer 3:41pm
Wishes Nighttime Spectacular 9:45pm
Kiss Goodnight 10:25pm

 

[parkhopping]

First of all, I'm actually going to recommend that you head to ETwB at 10:15 since you want to be in a good position for the morning show. If you don't make it into the first or second group, you could be looking at a 40 minute wait. However, most people who arrive at RD are out by 10:15 and most people arriving at 10:15 won't know they need to rush there, so there's been a bit of a lull around this time each day.

My other recommendation is to check out easywdw.com. Josh recently did a 2-part morning tour of MK and helps lay out what your priorities should be and how long you can expect to wait for rides. These are the 2 most recent posts.

As for what you can expect from TP in consistency, I've never used them so I can't say for certain. However, it is good advice in general to be flexible. Any number of things can happen that will mess with the plan - a ride going down, for instance. Don't be so tied to the plan that you are positively lost without it. Treat it as more of a guideline than anything else.

Since you are doing QS for meals, be sure to avoid peak dining times (12-2 for lunch and 6-8 for dinner) to have shorter waits.

My final note is that since you are opening and closing the park, there's no real reason why you can't do just about everything you'd like to do. During the final hour of operation, wait times will decrease quite a bit, especially in Fantasyland - most families with small children will have left. Note that you can get in line for an attraction right up until the park's closing time; you'll still be allowed to ride.

Have a GREAT trip!

 

[disneymomma76]

Ok....so.....here's my two cents for what it's worth. Touring Plans is great, but since this is your first time in MK you should realize they have you running all over the place. Back and forth......back and forth. Plus you didn't leave any time to eat or use the restroom OR to get caught up in the MAGIC. http://www.wdwinfo.com/maps/mk.htm

Some tips......
If you are going to make it a 14 hour day you have time to do almost everything you want. It will start to get busy around 10-11am and stay that way until dinner. Do the big things first thing or last thing. Leave the shows and less popular things for 11-6pm. ETwB does not have fastpass so I would either do it first thing or last thing. Utilize your fastpasses, but don't drive yourself mad running everywhere.

Another big tip.....from what I hear Dumbo and Barnstormer are not connected to the fastpass "system". What that means is you can get a fastpass for Dumbo, Barnstormer AND one more thing ALL AT THE SAME TIME! Also Mickey and the Princesses are not connected to each other so you can get both of those fastpasses at the same time.

Arrive 45 minutes or so before the published opening time. You will go through the turnstyles and be able to watch the opening show. Sometimes they "drop the rope" earlier than the posted opening time. You can get a lot done in the first 2-3 hours and the last 2-3 hours.

Also if you have a smartphone you can download the Disney Parks Mobile Magic app and now that you have Touring Plans you can download that app as well. They both give you wait times and fastpass return times. They aren't always 100% accurate, but at least they will give you a good idea.

Have fun! Take time to enjoy it all.

 

[disneyboy123]

Wow thanks for the tips guys! Only 11 more days til I leave! What's gonna suck is we plan on visiting another park early the next day. Hope my body holds up haha

 

[Serrina89]

If your thinking about eating somewhere, I recommend pizza planet at HS. It's an arcade and has pretty good theming.

 

[disneyboy123]

If your thinking about eating somewhere, I recommend pizza planet at HS. It's an arcade and has pretty good theming.

Does it have "the claaaaaaw"
Lol

 

[PictureJumpr]

It had several last time we were there.



Also, skip Stitch's Great Escape. You're welcome.

(You may wish to skip Barnstormer, too, if you are more than about 5'9" tall.)

 

[disneyboy123]

It had several last time we were there.

Also, skip Stitch's Great Escape. You're welcome.

(You may wish to skip Barnstormer, too, if you are more than about 5'9" tall.)

Lol the ride isnt thaaaaaat bad. I remember the last time I went 15 or so years ago when it was still the alien. Good ride to just cool down and rest legs for a bit. And the wait isnt bad.

 

[PictureJumpr]

Okay, but I hope you like chili dogs


The comment on Barnstormer isn't a knock at Barnstormer - nothing wrong with that one - but if you're tall then you'll be riding with your knees tucked under your chin (it's sized for little kids).

 

[disneyboy123]

I'm also curious
Because I'm off site
What time should I be at the parking lot in order to get a good spot at the opening show or in front of rope drop?