Brand Spankin' new to Disney

[udn3939]

I know the answer will probably be EVERYTHING... BUT my fiance and I are going to be honeymooning in Orlando in October after we OFFICIALLY (Yay Washington DC) tie the knot, and we will be staying on site at Universal but since I, personally, have never been to Orlando, let alone WDW, we are spending one day at Magic Kingdom. So... Is there anything I should definitely see, any tips and tricks or secrets to share? I have been reading some of the threads, but with planning this trip my mind has been so over the place I need a little help. Thanks!

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

First the single most important thing, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Now, to the rest of your post.

WDW is enormous. One day at MK is like having a single leaf of lettuce as an appetizer for a starving person. Well, it is! LOL.

So, what to do there in one day? What do you and your soon to be spouse like most? Thrill rides? Shows? Parades? Character interaction? Where do you plan on eating the day you are at MK? Do you have any desire to see any other part of WDW?

You'll need to decide how you want to spend your time, and then fill in those hours with the activities that are most appealing to you.

My wife and I are not thrill ride people, so a day at MK goes something like this for us...

Train ride around the perimeter (at the entry) just to get the MK vibe going. Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World (yep, we love it!) and whatever other "small ride" we may want to do. My wife won't do Splash Mountain with me.

We like Mickey's Philharmagic, Wishes and the Main Street Electrical Parade (a night parade, that will leave for California at some point in the future).

We don't often go to MK unless it is the first weekend in June or if we have young relatives/friends who really want to go there. Too many strollers, and there is no alcohol served in this park.

Yep, call us fussy be we like a glass of wine with our dinners.

So, if that helps a tiny bit, great! I'm sure there are others who will come by who are much more versed in the joys of MK.

If you want to take a break (and have a drink ) you can always take the resort monorail from MK to one (or all) of the resorts that border the lake. The all have bars or other places to have a drink and relax away from the chaos that is MK.

 

[STOCKYJIM]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

My Husdand (YAY I can say that now!!) and I Disneymooned last september onsite at WDW.

I agree with DVC that there are soooo many things to do even if you focus just on MK but here are some of the ones that stick out in our memory...

Go for a ride on either Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the caribbean - its a chance to take a step out of the buggyrun and sit together in the near dark (holding hands in our case - we dont do PDA's)

If they have any of the processions in the dark - do those - they are so much fun and give you some real memories.

I'm not sure if you can get honeymoon badges from guest services but if you can - wear them - for most people they wont notice but the CMs do really make an effort to wish you well.

Either go for lunch/dinner at Tonys or one of the other restaurants onsite - or as DVC says take the monorail to one of the resorts for a meal - one of our best nights was our last where we had dinner at narccoossees (sorry cant spell it) watching Wishes.

Depends on Budget but we got a personalised handdrawn image of Pooh and Tigger ("our" characters) with our names and dates of honeymoon - its now pride of place above our mantelpiece and is a really amazing reminder of one of the best times of our lives.

Overall however if you are only doing one day - dont try and do it all, pick the things that are important to you both and focus on those and dont dispair if you dont do it all - there is just an excuse to come back.

We did 10 days onsite and still only saw about half of whats available - we are planning going back for our second anniversary next year (it takes that long to save as we want a 1 bed at OKW or i would be back sooner!!)

We both hope you have an amazing time

J and D

 

[hematite153]

We went for one day (that turned into a half-day thanks to Charley) during our honeymoon 6 years ago and I just let my DW pick her favourites (remembered from when she was 5) and plot a path through the park.

I had a good time and she was so excited that I agreed to do a longer trip a year and a half later. We purchased DVC after that and just keep going.

So, my biggest piece of advice is: definitely don't think of it as a once in a lifetime trip. Do whatever feels fun and enjoy!

 

[SM81206]

again CONGRATS!!!

and like everyone else said dont try to do think you can do everything,

def get the buttons at city hall, the cast members do notice them and you get special treatment and not only from cast members people around the park who are disney people will see those buttons and come up to you and say congrats, its that extra magic touch

philharmagic is a must!
try to do the classic rides: pirates, splash mountain, space mountain, even the jungle cruise is cute especially if you never done it you will listen to some corny jokes its all a good time

but really just walk around the park, get your picture taken by cast members as often as possible, enjoy your time just being in MK.

 

[OrlandoMike]

One Day!

At the Magic Kingdom? That's it?

OK breathe deep, it can be fun! Do a little homework, and remember to take in the sights..... The architecture, the smells, the music, the happy guests!

Are you an early riser? If so I would suggest getting there about 20 minutes before the park opens, you can visit a lot of attractions in the first few hours that the park is open with little or no wait, and they even have an awesome opening show! What other Amusement Park opens with this kind of fanfare?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6XLldDu93s

 

[udn3939]

Thanks for all the feedback! This trip originally started off with just being a honeymoon to Universal Orlando and then I said I had never been to Disney (He is from Orlando - but now we are in Maryland) so he decided one day he would have to show me Disney (Insert a whole new world music here...). I know it's crazy to do anything with only one day, so hopefully once we do this then next year we can do a vacation in Disney.

So Excited!! Thanks again!

 

[colaboy29]

MK in a day will be a real challenge. I would make a list of the top attractions you want to see, check which ones have FastPass available to save some time, and enjoy what you are able to ride. And while you are waiting in line you start planning your next trip! Because you know you'll both want to come bac and see everything else.