Please share with me how you would start in the Magic Kingdom.

[BYC]

We will be in the Magic Kingdom Nov. 12. Hours are 8-7 (Not an EMH day). I will have two 6 year old first-timers. I am told to do the popular stuff first, and I understand that, but I am not sure what the popular stuff is for little kids. Should I enter at 8, and head right to Dumbo? Then what? My kids are all adults now, and and I have not toured MK in this way before. Fantasyland is where we should head first, right?? I don't expect my entire day to be planned out step by step, but it sure would help to know what to do in the first couple of hours. Thanks for any input!

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

Are they going to ride space mountain or splash mountain? I would not start with Dumbo. Lately the reports are there are not long lines there. If you are starting in Fantasyland go to Little Mermaid, Peter Pan and the Winnie the Pooh. Those 3 will get long lines faster than the others in Fantasyland.

 

[Mr.MouseFan]

With Dumbo no longer an issue, I would start with Peter Pan and grab a fastpass to do it later in the day as well. Then I would head over and do Pooh. Those will most likely be the longest lines in Fantasyland for little ones so better to do them first before the masses arrive.

 

[avassar]

Yes, I would definitely start in Fantasyland, and it would be easy from there to grab fastpasses in Tomorrowland as well. Dumbo, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Tomorrowland Speedway, and Buzz Lightyear would probably be my priorities for the morning.

 

[BYC]

Only one of the twins (the boy)will be tall enough for Space Mountain, and he does want to ride it. So, we will split up for a bit just for that. I will find something to do with the girl, who is disappointed, but OK with it. Thanks for all your input. This will make it easier for me to at least know what direction to go!

 

[MOM POPPINS]

you could take her to see Ariel at the grotto or belle at the cottage they might be open???while the boys go on Space Mountain... you could also get fast passes for all of you for peter pan to use after space mountain... I think it's going to be hard to make morning plans without knowing if the new fantasyland is going to be open

 

[kohlby]

We always head to Fantasyland first but one of us goes over to pull fastpasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad while the other is with the kids on a ride. BTMRR is two of my kids absolute favorite ride at MK. (The height limit is 40", so I'd wager a guess that almost all 6 year olds would be tall enough).

Space Mountain can be a bit jerky, so though a lot of kids like it, it's not one I'd start with. My daughter cried on it her first time, at 5 years old. But when she got off, she wanted to do it again! She said that she liked it now that she knew where the bumpy parts were! She was a tiny thing, only hitting the 44" since she had sneakers on and barely 40 lbs. She did love BTMRR even the first time she did it, at 3 years old. Also, that one has you sitting next to the child. SM seats means you can't easily comfort a scared child. I'd suggest using fastpass on SM so the child tall enough takes less time for it. (Though we've always been able to walk right on to SM! Our last trip was the last full week before T-giving and the lines were never more than 5 minutes for us. We did it mid-afternoon when we noticed how short the lines were. I can't guarantee that, since it seemed strange to me to be a walk-on, but check the wait before you grab fastpasses.

 

[twopearls]

Just got back...here's what I would do. Try to go on a day when the park opens at 8.

Pan
FP Pooh
Belle
Ariel ride and meet
Ride Pooh w/ FP
Dumbo
Barnstomer
Pete's Silly Sideshow

Of course, if you want to meet Merida, you need to fit that in somewhere too. She starts at 9:15. You could do that before Dumbo and Barnstormer. You'll wait a bit, but not as much as later in the day.

 

[BYC]

Thanks everyone!

 

[mousefan73]

If characters are important, the first thing I would do is when you walk into MK, pass under the train station and go right and you will see the building where Mickey, Minnie and Princesses do meet and greets. Outside they list the wait times, If under 15 minutes do these first to get them out of the way.
Peter Pan IMO, is a must FP, unless the new FLE has pulled people from there. Its crazy but we have gone in super low season, where you can walk on most anything, or 15 min. max wait, but for some reason Peter Pan ALWAYS had an over hour standby wait during the day.

 

[mousefan73]

One more thing, If you are planning Dumbo as a must, be prepared to spend more time over there than planned as next to it, is Goofys rollercoaster..Its a small one for smaller kids. Not a scary as the others, but fun and my kids loved it, I had to ride it 3x with my daughter( 6).

 

[loki_]

Fantasyland first.

 

[Magpie]

I'm thinking if you can get there by ropedrop, then walk straight through the castle, grabbing fastpasses for Peter Pan along the way.

Do Storytime with Belle first, as it doesn't move very many people through and there's no fastpass. That'll take a big chunk out of your morning though - it's about a 20 minutes experience, I think.

Then visit the Little Mermaid in her grotto and ride the Little Mermaid ride.

Back around to ride Peter Pan and Pooh, on your way over to Storybook Circus. Ride Goofy's Barnstormer if the line isn't more than 15 minutes (honestly it's not worth waiting more than that, even for little kids). Pick up Fastpasses for Dumbo if the wait looks long (over half an hour... though it does include a play area inside, so keep that in mind - your kids might not mind playing for an hour). While you're waiting for your Dumbo Fastpasses to come due, you can visit the characters in Pete's Silly Sideshow.

After all this, it's good to take a break and have a snack. You could always head back to New Fantasyland and check out Gaston's Tavern!

FWIW, this is all theory... I haven't had a chance to try any of it out yet.

 

[CarpeDisney]

I agree with mousefan. If characters meet and greets are important, stop by the area in town square before making your way into the park. Once you're done here you can head into fantasyland, pick up fastpasses for Peter Pan and then do a few rides like Winnie the Pooh, Small World, Mickey's Philharmagic...and maybe even venture into the area with Dumbo, and the barnstormer roller coaster. In the early morning, you may be able to fit most, if not all of these rides in before your fastpass return time for Peter Pan. At that point, you'll be elligible for some more fastpasses and can head into Tomorrowland for passes for either Buzz Lightyear or Space Mountain. Again, as someone mentioned, the timing of the New Fantasyland opening could have a big impact on this.

We were at WDW last November, around the same time you'll be travelling. From what I remember the crowds were low, and I think you'll be surprised how much you can get done in the parks. I would get to the parks by, or as close to, opening as possible. This way you're not fighting the mid-day "crowds" (a relative term based on the time of year you go) to try to see everything.

Also....have a plan in place, but don't be so committed to it that you miss out on all the interests that the kids develop as they walk around and experience it all for the first time. I think many will agree that some of the best times at WDW come from those spontaneous moments when you do something that was never even a consideration. Have a great trip.

 

[helpmejenny]

I would suggest getting there for rope drop. The first attraction for sure should be Peter Pan's Flight. Do that right away because the line for that is crazy all day long. There are two Dumbo's now, so our wait in Sept. wasn't that bad. Explore the new fantasy land early morn and they go hit the bigger attractions like Splash and Big Thunder. Have a great trip!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

You might want to consider Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid first, since it's so new. No idea how popular it will be. But after that, Pan, Pooh, etc.