Ack! Going next week..heeeeelp me plan

[lovemypresley]

Hi all!

I'm new and my husband, my 3 yr-old daughter, and I are going to WDW next week; flying in Wed. 1/21, and returned Sun 1/25. I haven't been but once in '92, and I've never seen MK, MGM, or taken a 3 yr old. haha I have soooooo many questions, but here's what I've partially planned so far:

Wed: fly (i'm scaaaared lol), stay with friend overnight, since my hotel (HIFS) reservations aren't until Thurs.

Thurs: Get up, go to MGM (think this would be better than going on Sat?), check into hotel, maybe dinner at Chef Mickey's.

Fri: MK all day

Sat: Free day to sleep in, do stuff around hotel, downtown disney maybe (what exactly is there?)

Sun: up early, fly back

Does this sound ok? Here are some of my questions:

1. I have PS for Crystal Palace for Fri. Do I need PS for Chef Mickey's or the 50's Primetime cafe at MGM also? Is is worth going to CM?

2. Is there a secret as to what to do first at MK? Main things I want us to see and do are the Pooh Adventure, Haunted Mansion, Parade, Small World, Mickey's house, stuff like that. We have no desire to ride the big rides... and speaking of secrets, I've read where there are secrets there? What are they?

3. What's the best way to take cameras and video cams? I'll have a stroller, but should I just shove them in my tote bag and take that?

4. They don't have the spectromagic parade on that Friday. Is it worth staying there for the Wishes fireworks or is it just as good viewing from somewhere else?

5. How do you get on the monorails that take you to the resorts? Are they free?

thanks in advance for all these answers. Feel free to give me any advice on my planning!

 

[libbatx]

You've come to the right spot. There are so many people on this board with great ideas and these folks have made my last 4 trips to Disney even better. My 2 cents about the biggest "secret" for you...will be watching your daughter as she sees characters, hears familiar music, etc. A few things to consider:
-MGM, keeping a child in mind, has the Little Mermaid Show, Beauty and the Beast and I think Bear in Blue house (may have name wrong.) However, I think you'll only need half a day. The Studio Lot tour is closed for refurbishing. If you and your husband want to ride Tower of Terror or Rocking Roller Coaster, you can "switch off" - more on that later.
-Animal Kingdom is great for a 3 year old and you can easily do the "big" things in half a day. Be sure and do Safari Ride (Kilaminjaro) where you see real animals in a safari setting and Lion King show which is probably one of the best shows at WDW. We took our daughter first time at age 4 and it was a hit. There is also a 3 D movie called Bugs Life that, if your daugher isn't scared easily, you would enjoy.
-Personally, I think the Haunted mansion is too scary for a 3 year old, but you can do a "switch" if you husband and you want to ride it. Check out some other threads on switching. I've not done that myself, but many have. I think you all stand in line and one of you ride while the other waits with your child and then the other one rides.
-If you're up for it, Epcot would be a wonderful way to spend your Sat. or at least some time More stroller time for your daughter, but a great park. There is show at 9:00 pm over the lagoon called Illuminations that includes fireworks and lasers. Very cool. Because it's open later, you can go to MGM or AK in the morning, take a nap at the hotel and then go to Epcot for the afternoon or evening. Or if your up for it, skip the nap!
-Check out the times for the parades and various fireworks or evening shows. Specifically, I think you'll want to see Wishes over the castle at MK. I'm not certain it is every night. My favorite memory of MK the first time we took our daughter at 4 was her signing "When you wish upon a star..." as the fire works were going off on the castle.
-A great website I found from these wonderful boards, is:
http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/
It will give you info on parades, shows, etc.
-In terms of scheduling and crowds...again, I think you will probably not have too much of a problem. However, one hint is to avoid the parks on their early entry days where people staying at Disney hotels get to go an hour early. I don't know them all, but MGM is Sat. MK is Sunday (although I've been there Sun morning not early entry and it was great!!), and AK is Monday.
-Also familiarize yourself with FastPass. My bet is the crowds will be very managable when you are there, but just in case, FastPass is an option so you don't have to spend all your time in line.
-At Magic Kingdom, don't forget the Peter Pan ride, the detail is neat for kids and adults. And there is a new show called Mickey's Philamagic..or something like that. It's near Dumbo and the Carousel. A WONDERFUL show with great music. Also the Country Bear Jamboree in FrontierLand is cute.
-Your daughter might enjoy the Goofy Barnstormer rides - a very mini rollcoaster.
-If you want to get a book to study up, I personally have found the "unofficial guide to Walt Disney World" to be helpful. Don't think you'll have to follow their plans for getting on rides without lines, but there is information in there about specific rides, etc.
-No cost for the Monorail or the Bus system.
-You'll need to put cameras/videos in some sort of bag.
-You can rent strollers, but we found it easier to carry our own umbrella stroller. (Just our opinion.) There are hundreds of strollers so tie a scarf around your handle for easy identification.

Hope some of this helps you in planning. You'll have fun no matter what.

 

[renessa]

As to which rides in what order at the MK....if you want dumbo - do it first. Then I would do Pooh and the other fantasyland rides like small world, peter pan, etc. Mickey's house is nearby, and goofy's barnstormer would be fun if she wants to ride. Then I would take the RR around to frontierland and head to the aladdin ride (like dumbo) if she's interested. The haunted mansion would depend on the child. You could definately do all of these and still see the parade. There may be other rides in fantasyland that might be of interest. Have a great time!!!

Oh, and I would get a PS for CM, if it doesn't work out you can call to cancel or if you can't there is no penalty.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Since you are not going to be there long I would plan on a park day on Saturday, probably Animal Kingdom with a 3yo. I would get to any park at opening (before the official opening time, actually). It won't be busy when you are there, but the park hours are short, too. Better to get there when they first open and finish early if you don't need all day in a park. You can then go back to your hotel and relax or take in a different park.

In MK make sure you head to Fantasyland and do all those rides since that area gets busy early.

Have fun! T&B

 

[Grumpy92]

Welcome, Sounds like a pretty good plan so far, but I have to agree with libbatx and their suggestions. It is great that you have built in some down time.
I recently went with my best friend and her 4yr old son. I saw WDW in a completely different view.

1. I would call and make a PS for CM, Sci Fi & 50s PT. As these are popular restaurants and you can always cancel them later if you change your mind. She will love the character meal and film it as much as possible. This was a highlight in our trip and he still watches it.

2. MK & AK are probably the parks that will appeal to your daughter the most. I would start with a FP for Pooh and then do many of the rides in Fantasyland as they will be the ones she likes the most. Skip HM or do the switch. Ride the Train. You might want to do some of the others suggested but just take your time. Crowds should be very manageable while you are there so that is a plus.

3. I learned a lesson in strollers on this trip. Either rent one or only take an umbrella type. Loading and unloading took three of us, was time consuming and tiring. Wouldnt suggest bringing your own. Keep in mind that they search all bags before you enter the park now. The more you have the longer it takes. We kept the camera/camcorder in the stroller or one of us carried it. After one day we only took the camcorder to selected things like the character meal. Just became too much to keep track of.

4. Wishes is wonderful. I would suggest Main St or you can watch it from the top of the Contemporary. Illuminations at EC is an excellent night activity.

5. Transportation is complimentary. You can board monorails for EC, MK or the Resorts at the Transportation & Ticket Center (TTC). Give yourself plenty of time for the drive from the hotel, parking, riding the tram to TTC then the monorail or boat to MK. Keep your daily parking pass as it is good for the full day. So if you leave and then return you only pay once.

Tip: Pick the top attractions and focus on them then do whatever you want afterwards. You wont have access to EE so pick a different park that day. Dont try to do a marathon, nobody will enjoy your VACATION that way. Midday breaks are the best tip. Go early, have lunch and return to the hotel for a nap or swim. You can then go back later.

I know you will have a magical time.

 

[XStAnt]

Not to sound critical, but why take off Saturday if you are only there for 3 days. Definitely go to a park that day.

If you can get a 3 day hopper you can hop between parks on any given day. I think Alamo sells them as well as some of the on line ticket brokers. Check out www.mousesavers.com for info on ticket discounts (as well as other discounts).

If you can't get a three day hopper, make sure you get all three single day tix at once. I forget what they call it but you get a slight discount when buying them at the same time. You cannot park hop with them.

Monorails are free. Resort monorails can be boarded at TTC (where you'll park to go to MK), at MK, and at the resorts (Poly, CR, GF). If you're not too tired I would hop on the resprt monorail when leaving MK on Friday and ride the loop.

If you want to eat at Chef Mickey's you may want to go on the day you do MK. CM's is at the Contemporary, which is a short walk or monorail ride from MK. From MGM it is a bus ride and could take you 30 minutes to get there.

If you want to give your 3 y/o a great treat schedule a character breakfast. Chef Mickey's has a popular one, 'Ohana at the Poly has Minnie (I believe) and at the restaurant in Norway at Epcot they have a princess breakfast. There are others as well.

I haven't seen Wishes but it is supposed to be fantastic. If it is too late for you to stay at MK because of the 3 y/o, You can watch it from Chef Mickey's, from the beach at the Poly or from the GF.

Have fun.