Are these MK itineraries reasonable?

[akatiedaniels]

Hi! FYI - This will be my family's first time to the parks. Kids aged 15, 12 & 9.

We are going to be arriving at the MK about 6pm on Wed Aug 21st. We then plan to rope drop Early Entry Hours on Friday Aug 23. I hope to not need to use Lightning lanes.

These are my tentative itineraries. Please let me know if they sound reasonable to you. I can't say thank you enough for your help!!

Wednesday Aug 21st PM – Magic Kingdom

-Transportation

-eat dinner (Columbia Harbor House, Pecos Bill or Caseys)

1. Under the Sea

2. Dumbo

3. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

4. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

5. Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor in Tomorrowland

If time, any of the following:

Carousel of Progress

Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room

Walt Disney World Railroad

Happily Ever After Fireworks show



Magic Kingdom AM Friday Aug 23rd Rope drop Early Entry

-Transportation

-Arrive at the park an hour before official opening time to rope drop. (Use time to gather maps and times guide)

1. Ride Seven Dwarves mine train in Fantasyland (at opening)

2. Peter Pan’s flight (first or last 30 min park is open)

3. The Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square (before 11am or during the last 2 hours)

4. Jungle Cruise in Adventureland (before 10:30 or during the last 2 hours)

5. Pirates of the Caribbean (before 11am or after 7pm)

7. It’s a Small World (before 11am or after 7)

(While in line order lunch from Columbia Harbor House in Liberty Square)

8. Eat lunch

9. If time permits, pick from the remaining attractions:

Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade (Anytime)

The Hall of Presidents (Anytime)

Mickey’s PhilharMagic (Anytime)

Monsters, Inc Laugh floor (Anytime)

10. around 12:30-1, go back to Beach club to swim/nap/shower

 

[Disturbia]

Hi! FYI - This will be my family's first time to the parks. Kids aged 15, 12 & 9.

We are going to be arriving at the MK about 6pm on Wed Aug 21st. We then plan to rope drop Early Entry Hours on Friday Aug 23. I hope to not need to use Lightning lanes.

These are my tentative itineraries. Please let me know if they sound reasonable to you. I can't say thank you enough for your help!!

Wednesday Aug 21st PM – Magic Kingdom

-Transportation

-eat dinner (Columbia Harbor House, Pecos Bill or Caseys)

1. Under the Sea

2. Dumbo

3. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

4. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

5. Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor in Tomorrowland

If time, any of the following:

Carousel of Progress

Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room

Walt Disney World Railroad

Happily Ever After Fireworks show



Magic Kingdom AM Friday Aug 23rd Rope drop Early Entry

-Transportation

-Arrive at the park an hour before official opening time to rope drop. (Use time to gather maps and times guide)

1. Ride Seven Dwarves mine train in Fantasyland (at opening)

2. Peter Pan’s flight (first or last 30 min park is open)

3. The Haunted Mansion in Liberty Square (before 11am or during the last 2 hours)

4. Jungle Cruise in Adventureland (before 10:30 or during the last 2 hours)

5. Pirates of the Caribbean (before 11am or after 7pm)

7. It’s a Small World (before 11am or after 7)

(While in line order lunch from Columbia Harbor House in Liberty Square)

8. Eat lunch

9. If time permits, pick from the remaining attractions:

Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade (Anytime)

The Hall of Presidents (Anytime)

Mickey’s PhilharMagic (Anytime)

Monsters, Inc Laugh floor (Anytime)

10. around 12:30-1, go back to Beach club to swim/nap/shower

Day 1 do not miss the people mover (great views, relaxing). I would minimize zig zagging (looks like you are sticking to 2 lands which is doable in a few hours). Philarmagic can take 25+ mins (incl waiting for the show and laugh floor takes similar time. Watch fireworks from the end of the hub (nog Main Street or too up close). Aug 23 is Mickeys not so scary so you will have to leave the park around 6 pm. Festival of fantasy parade is usually at 3 pm and it’s super hot by then so we skip and break at our resort. Seven Dwarfs can take up most of your am early entry.

Your second day has all high wait rides. I would move at least 1 to day 1. Enchanted tales with Belle is also great. Set a timer to keep an eye on mobile order times available at least one hour before peak lunch/dinner times.

Tron VQ can take 45 mins to get through the line. Even with a LLSP it takes 20 mins. I would VQ Tiana on day 2. Things keep changing so keep an eye on which ride has VQ, standby, LLSP the day before (we received no notification when ROTR VQ procedure changed 2 days before we travelled).

 

[Tink9721]

Walt Disney World Railroad

The railroad closes at 7:00, so you'd have to do that right when you get to the park, or on your other day.

Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade (Anytime)

This doesn't exist anymore.

 

[akatiedaniels]

Day 1 do not miss the people mover (great views, relaxing). I would minimize zig zagging (looks like you are sticking to 2 lands which is doable in a few hours). Philarmagic can take 25+ mins (incl waiting for the show and laugh floor takes similar time. Watch fireworks from the end of the hub (nog Main Street or too up close). Aug 23 is Mickeys not so scary so you will have to leave the park around 6 pm. Festival of fantasy parade is usually at 3 pm and it’s super hot by then so we skip and break at our resort. Seven Dwarfs can take up most of your am early entry.

Your second day has all high wait rides. I would move at least 1 to day 1. Enchanted tales with Belle is also great. Set a timer to keep an eye on mobile order times available at least one hour before peak lunch/dinner times.

Tron VQ can take 45 mins to get through the line. Even with a LLSP it takes 20 mins. I would VQ Tiana on day 2. Things keep changing so keep an eye on which ride has VQ, standby, LLSP the day before (we received no notification when ROTR VQ procedure changed 2 days before we travelled).

Great points! Thanks so much for your ideas!

 

[akatiedaniels]

The railroad closes at 7:00, so you'd have to do that right when you get to the park, or on your other day.


This doesn't exist anymore.

Wow! My husband will be so sad about the Shootin' Arcade. Thank you so much for letting me know about both of these. I'll adjust for them!

 

[Disturbia]

The railroad will close 4 hours before park close (I believe it was 4 pm on MNSSHP night).

 

[philharmagic fan]

A couple of points -
1)7DMT has incredibly long lines at rope drop and frequently has a delayed opening. I'd pay for ILL; it's generally only $10-12 and worth it.
2) Peter Pan's Flight is currently closed for refurbishment. A cast member out front (we were there today) told us reopening is scheduled for late August/early September with no firm date yet.
3) You can get in line for a ride right up until park closing, and they continue running the ride until everyone in line has been on. I'd try for one of the more popular ones after fireworks on your arrival day. This also leaves a little time for the post-fireworks crowd to thin before you try to get to a parking lot or bus stop.

 

[scrappinginontario]

A couple of points -

2) Peter Pan's Flight is currently closed for refurbishment. A cast member out front (we were there today) told us reopening is scheduled for late August/early September with no firm date yet.

Peter Pan is scheduled to re-open Wed Aug 21.

Guests can see what attractions are open/closed by checking refurbishments on the MDE Calendar.

Peter Pan is showing as closed for refurbishment until Aug 20 then no longer on the list after that. I find their refurbishment dates to be quite accurate..

 

[ComeToSocialize]

I have to say, your plan for the 23rd is a bit ambitious without Lightning Lanes.

Nothing is impossible, but I will go ahead and say it will be extremely difficult to do the 6 rides you named all before lunch without lightning lane. Those are some pretty popular rides. You could probably do it with rope drop if you stayed after lunch. But not if you're planning to leave at 1230.

Keep in mind it'll take you at least 30 min, as much as an hour to get from wherever you are in MK to your room at beach club if you take the bus. The walking adds up and the bus can be infrequent. And then ditto on the way back. Driving doesn't save time at MK because you have to take the boat/monorail, I'd say planning to go back to beach club only makes sense if you're doing the party. Doesn't make sense to spend 90 minutes traveling back and forth to get a 60 minute break in, which is what you'd need to be back by 3pm, with park closing at 6.

Also note that getting to MK at 7am (for a 8am opening) is gonna mean getting out the door of your hotel no later than 630am.

That being said, your day 1 itinerary should be doable if you minimize walking around too much.

Don't say this all to burst your bubble, just to manage expectations. I'd consider: bumping one of the rides from the 23rd to the 21st (maybe do 7DMT at park close on the 21st?), and not planning on having a resort break since MK closes so early on the 23rd.

If you get multi pass, then it gets a lot easier and what you lay out is doable (though doing those 6 rides before noon will still be very hard. Even when lines are short, it's super tough to do more than 1 ride every 40 minutes because of time spent walking around, actually riding the ride, etc. think 10 min to walk, 15 min for the line with LL, 10-15 min to do the ride and walk out depending on the ride)

Also, as a first time, I highly recommend being a bit spontaneous. It's good to have a wishlist, as wandering aimlessly or zigzagging for no reason wastes time. But keep it to 3-4 must dos and then be flexible with the rest. Things break, lines can be longer than expected, kids might want to sleep in a bit. Particularly if you're doing no LL, be flexible.

 

[akatiedaniels]

A couple of points -
1)7DMT has incredibly long lines at rope drop and frequently has a delayed opening. I'd pay for ILL; it's generally only $10-12 and worth it.
2) Peter Pan's Flight is currently closed for refurbishment. A cast member out front (we were there today) told us reopening is scheduled for late August/early September with no firm date yet.
3) You can get in line for a ride right up until park closing, and they continue running the ride until everyone in line has been on. I'd try for one of the more popular ones after fireworks on your arrival day. This also leaves a little time for the post-fireworks crowd to thin before you try to get to a parking lot or bus stop.

Great strategy! We are crossing our fingers that Peter Pan opens up in time...

 

[akatiedaniels]

I have to say, your plan for the 23rd is a bit ambitious without Lightning Lanes.

Nothing is impossible, but I will go ahead and say it will be extremely difficult to do the 6 rides you named all before lunch without lightning lane. Those are some pretty popular rides. You could probably do it with rope drop if you stayed after lunch. But not if you're planning to leave at 1230.

Keep in mind it'll take you at least 30 min, as much as an hour to get from wherever you are in MK to your room at beach club if you take the bus. The walking adds up and the bus can be infrequent. And then ditto on the way back. Driving doesn't save time at MK because you have to take the boat/monorail, I'd say planning to go back to beach club only makes sense if you're doing the party. Doesn't make sense to spend 90 minutes traveling back and forth to get a 60 minute break in, which is what you'd need to be back by 3pm, with park closing at 6.

Also note that getting to MK at 7am (for a 8am opening) is gonna mean getting out the door of your hotel no later than 630am.

That being said, your day 1 itinerary should be doable if you minimize walking around too much.

Don't say this all to burst your bubble, just to manage expectations. I'd consider: bumping one of the rides from the 23rd to the 21st (maybe do 7DMT at park close on the 21st?), and not planning on having a resort break since MK closes so early on the 23rd.

If you get multi pass, then it gets a lot easier and what you lay out is doable (though doing those 6 rides before noon will still be very hard. Even when lines are short, it's super tough to do more than 1 ride every 40 minutes because of time spent walking around, actually riding the ride, etc. think 10 min to walk, 15 min for the line with LL, 10-15 min to do the ride and walk out depending on the ride)

Also, as a first time, I highly recommend being a bit spontaneous. It's good to have a wishlist, as wandering aimlessly or zigzagging for no reason wastes time. But keep it to 3-4 must dos and then be flexible with the rest. Things break, lines can be longer than expected, kids might want to sleep in a bit. Particularly if you're doing no LL, be flexible.

Thank you so much for your thoughtful answers!! I had a feeling that this was shooting for the moon. I do want to make sure that we are still having fun and not super focused on running from one ride to the next. I'm sure that your suggestions are going to help us have a great time!

 

[akatiedaniels]

A couple of points -
1)7DMT has incredibly long lines at rope drop and frequently has a delayed opening. I'd pay for ILL; it's generally only $10-12 and worth it.
2) Peter Pan's Flight is currently closed for refurbishment. A cast member out front (we were there today) told us reopening is scheduled for late August/early September with no firm date yet.
3) You can get in line for a ride right up until park closing, and they continue running the ride until everyone in line has been on. I'd try for one of the more popular ones after fireworks on your arrival day. This also leaves a little time for the post-fireworks crowd to thin before you try to get to a parking lot or bus stop.

Great idea! I'm definitely moving the mine train to right before close on the first night. Thanks so much!

 

[akatiedaniels]

Peter Pan is scheduled to re-open Wed Aug 21.

Guests can see what attractions are open/closed by checking refurbishments on the MDE Calendar.

Peter Pan is showing as closed for refurbishment until Aug 20 then no longer on the list after that. I find their refurbishment dates to be quite accurate..

That would be perfect timing for us! I hope that it holds up!

 

[scrappinginontario]

Update - Peter Pan reopened early! It’s accepting guests already so you’re good to go for sure!!

 

[ilovebassets]

Maybe we had bad luck, but MK is a particularly difficult park for doing Early Entry because you have a to rely on Disney transportation one way or the other. We were outside at our bus stop at SSR very early...bus showed as coming, coming, coming...and it never did. The timer reset, and we waited another 20 minutes. Got the park and niece's ticket/fingerprint wouldn't work. There was a major shortage of cast members, and we waited a long time for that to get resolved. Then we finally got into the park well after Early Entry started despite our very early start. Determined to make the best of it, we beelined to Space Mountain knowing that 7 Dwarves was out of the question. Got to Space Mountain, and it was down (which was not showing in the app). So we pivoted to Buzz, but the line was so long because everyone else was doing the same.
Got off Buzz, ran to Goofy's Barnstormer (a silly classic for our family), and its as also down and not showing as closed in the app. It was a very un-magical start to the day for having woken up so early and rushing out the door, and I will never rely on early entry again for MK. (We love it for DHS and Epcot, but we drive there.)

 

[Disturbia]

Maybe we had bad luck, but MK is a particularly difficult park for doing Early Entry because you have a to rely on Disney transportation one way or the other. We were outside at our bus stop at SSR very early...bus showed as coming, coming, coming...and it never did. The timer reset, and we waited another 20 minutes. Got the park and niece's ticket/fingerprint wouldn't work. There was a major shortage of cast members, and we waited a long time for that to get resolved. Then we finally got into the park well after Early Entry started despite our very early start. Determined to make the best of it, we beelined to Space Mountain knowing that 7 Dwarves was out of the question. Got to Space Mountain, and it was down (which was not showing in the app). So we pivoted to Buzz, but the line was so long because everyone else was doing the same.
Got off Buzz, ran to Goofy's Barnstormer (a silly classic for our family), and its as also down and not showing as closed in the app. It was a very un-magical start to the day for having woken up so early and rushing out the door, and I will never rely on early entry again for MK. (We love it for DHS and Epcot, but we drive there.)

We stay late instead. I’ve watched a few videos by allears and where you are during the line up and how much time you save. If you’re not in the first 5-10 min wave (need to be the first in line for the buses-an hour before early entry), you’re still stuck with a 45 min+ wait

 

[akatiedaniels]

Maybe we had bad luck, but MK is a particularly difficult park for doing Early Entry because you have a to rely on Disney transportation one way or the other. We were outside at our bus stop at SSR very early...bus showed as coming, coming, coming...and it never did. The timer reset, and we waited another 20 minutes. Got the park and niece's ticket/fingerprint wouldn't work. There was a major shortage of cast members, and we waited a long time for that to get resolved. Then we finally got into the park well after Early Entry started despite our very early start. Determined to make the best of it, we beelined to Space Mountain knowing that 7 Dwarves was out of the question. Got to Space Mountain, and it was down (which was not showing in the app). So we pivoted to Buzz, but the line was so long because everyone else was doing the same.
Got off Buzz, ran to Goofy's Barnstormer (a silly classic for our family), and its as also down and not showing as closed in the app. It was a very un-magical start to the day for having woken up so early and rushing out the door, and I will never rely on early entry again for MK. (We love it for DHS and Epcot, but we drive there.)

Wow!! I'm so sorry to hear about that very unmagical day. I'll try and hold Early entry loosely though it will be a bummer to get up that early for nothing.

 

[akatiedaniels]

We stay late instead. I’ve watched a few videos by allears and where you are during the line up and how much time you save. If you’re not in the first 5-10 min wave (need to be the first in line for the buses-an hour before early entry), you’re still stuck with a 45 min+ wait

She does have great videos! Lots of pressure to be at the first of the line for the bus. Thanks for the heads up on what time that is!