Disney in 1-2 days...Can it be done? Help!

[Owl X]

I recommend spending a full day in the Magic Kingdom as it has the most attractions.
You could split a day between Hollywood Studios and Epcot.

It is very important to arrive at the parks early as ride wait times increase throughout the day.
You may be able to ride 3-4 attractions during the first hour compared to maybe 1 during an afternoon hour.

Since your kids are into Star Wars, you should plan to see the Star Wars night show in Hollywood Studios.

Recommendations:

• Day 1: Epcot morning; Hollywood Studios afternoon
  • Epcot: Soarin', Test Track, Mission Space, Spaceship Earth, Turtle Talk, Disney Pixar Film Festival
  • Hollywood Studios: Rock'n'Roller Coaster, Star Tours, Toy Story Midway Mania, Tower of Terror, Muppet Vision 3D, Frozen Sing-along, Star Wars Galactic Spectacular
• Day 2: Magic Kingdom all day
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan's Flight, Barnstormer, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, TTA PeopleMover

 

[DismomK4]

For MK, it's a little more complex. MK currently opens 1 hour before official opening time. This means if the park is scheduled to open at 9:00. It actually opens at 8:00. The catch is that only the front part of the park, the Main Street Area and Hub area are open. Ropes are placed at the entrances to each land within MK where the attractions are. They do this so people have time to get lockers, rent strollers, go to the bathroom, get breakfast, and shop a little before the rides opens. So to "rope drop" MK, you really need to be outside the turnstiles to enter at about 7:00 to 7:30 to be in the front of the crowd. This gives you time to take care of any rentals, take pics in front of the castle, get a snack, and then stake out a spot at the front of the rope leading to the land you want to go to first. The cast members will hold you there until around 8:45 to 9:00, and then will take the rope down completely or walk the crowd back depending on which land and the current crowd level.

Do you know what time Mickey starts seeing guests in Town square? Does he start before official park opening?

 

[nighttowll]

I don't think so. As far as I'm aware, no attractions or entertainment are open early. Only shops, restaurants, and service based businesses such as those for various rentals or guest services. Disney wants you spending money, not enjoying free entertainment.

Here's an article from Kenny the Pirate outlining the new opening procedure and listing what should be open. The article is a little old, but not so much that the list should be out of date, or off by much.

http://www.kennythepirate.com/2017/01/09/new-magic-kingdom-welcome-show-affect-touring/

From the article:

What is open once I enter the park?

• City Hall for Guest Relations
• The Photopass shop inside Main Street Theater
• The full Emporium
• Casey Corner
• The Confectionery
• The Crystal Arts Shop
• The Bakery (Starbucks)
• The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor
• The Crystal Palace
• Be Our Guest
• Cinderella’s Royal Table

 

[Lynne M]

Welcome to the DISboards!

To answer your question....can Disney be done in 1-2 days? Well, it depends on how you define "doing Disney." Can you ride and see everything? No way. It'd probably take a multi-week stay to do everything. Can you see a couple of theme parks, ride a bunch of rides, see a bunch of shows? Absolutely.

Don't think of doing WDW like spending a couple of days at a local amusement park, or even a Six Flags or Hersheypark. It's not even comparable to Disneyland, really. It's in some ways comparable to visiting a major American city, and it's larger than some American cities (40+ square miles). There's a mass transit system, several "neighborhoods" that are connected by miles of highway, a whole lot of attractions, tons of shopping and dining. Aside from the four theme parks, there are something like 30 resort hotels inside WDW, a shopping/dining/entertainment district, endless recreation possibilities, two water parks, about 90 full-service restaurants and at least as many fast-food places....and now you're probably feeling more overwhelmed than you were when you got here. Sorry....

My point is, just like if you were going to visit New York or Los Angeles, you have to start by deciding what you want to see and do, from a very long list of options. And to do that, you need to know what the options are. Since you're completely new to WDW, I'm going to suggest the official guidebook. It's a great overview of what there is to do in WDW. You'll find descriptions of all of the rides and attractions in all of the parks, so you can choose which parks you'd like to focus on.

https://www.amazon.com/Birnbaums-20...8-1&keywords=birnbaums+walt+disney+world+2018

Once you've gotten a feel for the place, try this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-G...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XQB445015PKZG09K0PKK

This will give you the nuts and bolts of efficiently navigating the parks, shortening your time in lines, etc.

My best advice to you is to remember that you'll be coming back. You won't be doing it all on this trip, so don't get caught up in what you're not getting to do. Just enjoy what you ARE doing. Have fun!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

As others have said, 2 days is nowhere near enough to fully experience Disney World. I think 6 days is a better number, but you don't have 6, so you make do with 2.

I would buy a Walt Disney World guidebook and review the 4 theme parks. Personally, I agree with the recommendation on the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. It also has touring plans which can help you make the most out of your time.

What attractions, shows, entertainment, and characters (if applicable) appeal to you the most? Decide which 2 parks have the most that appeal to you and then choose 1 park for each day. Your time is already at a premium and park hopping will take even more of it up. A good guidebook and these boards will help tell you how to make sure you experience certain things. Review the parks and attractions and decide what appeals to your family the most. Once you have decided on your 2 parks, choose the must do experiences (including rides, shows, entertainment such as parades, fireworks, characters) in each park. After you've figured all that out, make your fastpass reservations. Off property guests can do so 30 days before they arrive in the parks. You can reserve up to 3 per day. After all 3 have been used up, then you may reserve additional fastpasses based on availability that day after you are inside the parks.

Be aware that Hollywood Studios has Star Wars offerings beyond the Star Tours ride attraction and Jedi Training Academy. Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, and BB-8 are available for meet and greets. The First Order stormtroopers led by Captain Phasma marches through the park every day. There is a stage show that shows different characters and loosely retells the saga. The Galactic Spectacular takes place nightly. And Star Wars Launch Bay shows props, replicas, and various items from the movies.

Do your boys want to do Jedi Training Academy? They need to sign up for that first. Make sure you know when, where, and how to sign up.

Also keep in mind that Star Tours may be wildly popular. With a lot of Star Wars fans, you may want to do it more than just once.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Can't be done and I wouldn't try on a first visit.
I've been a number of times and enjoy the quick and dirty style when its my sister and I but we know exactly what our must do's are and since we know we'll be back soon we don't worry about what doesn't get done.

Do one day at MK and one day at HS. No park hopping.

And as much as it pains me to say it lol I wonder if Disneyland might be the better choice for you if you really only want to spend 2 days.
Much less planning and much less to feel overwhelmed about.
Do Disneyland one day and Disney's California Adventure one day.

 

[pjhootch]

With a 7 and 9 year old I would definitely spend 1 day at MK, even if your boys have not been big on rides in the past. MK is full of rides for that age group and they do not have to be big Disney fans to enjoy it.

 

[wings91]

Use both days at MK so you don't feel as rushed. 2 at MK will get everything you wanted done + doubles on your favorites.

 

[hsmamato2]

Thanks for the advice thus far!

Some of what I'm reading doesn't make sense to me, lol, as we're not a Disney family really & I haven't done enough research to know what certain things are, but sounds like it's a given to drop Epcot & definitely visit MK. Then figure out if we want to do HS or AK. HS might be best saved for the next trip when we'll come to visit the Star Wars land, so we're not experiencing it twice, & my boys do indeed LOVE animals....but my husband is a big Star Wars geek, so that's something to discuss.

We'll be there from April 18th to the 26th, so not during my kids spring break, but unsure if that's spring break in the US....I'm in Canada.

Are fast passes a must for rides? How do they work? Are there many rides in MK? Also...is AK more like a safari type experience?

No..... you should do HS as one of your days.... you;ll find plenty to do esp. since the kids like Star wars plus the other stuff...listen, if you've never been, it's hard to imagine 'seeing it twice' can be a good thing but the disney experience is different every time you visit, so going again in a few years isn't a game changer. Yes fastpasses are necessary, find the fp threads here and read a lot. I suggest HS and MK for a two day visit. You will NOT be bored. I've visited the parks multiple times and I'm never bored-

 

[srwarden1928]

CAN what you suggest be done? Yes. On my last trip I spent one day doing "the best of the best" in MK and Epcot and another day doing "the best of the best" in AK and HS. I also spent a day doing all the thrill rides in all four parks and one doing the classics of all four parks. But I spent the first four full days on that trip doing one park per day and seeing "everything". You miss a lot by doing "the best of the best". It's fun, but so are many of the other attractions. I don't like to take less than four days in WDW, because I want one full day in each park. This situation is even more extreme for new people. It will take some time for you to get "the lay of the land". You will have to figure out where things are and the best way to get to the next one. Given the ages of your children and your interest in Star Wars, I would do one day in MK and one day in HS. It will still take research and planning, but trying to do all four parks in two days as newbies sound to me like setting up for failure. Have two wonderful days in two parks rather than half-way trying to see four. Then come back and have another trip another time.

 

[missnita]

Again, thanks so much!

Yes, definitely feeling overwhelmed! I think I just didn't realize how much of a 'deal' Disneyworld is, hehe. People have told me, but I thought they were exaggerating, lol.

We definitely are not interested in doing Disneyland first...we're not a Disney family, as I mentioned before, and we're going (this time) because we're saving so much money & it's only a portion of our Florida vacation. So we'll probably never do Disneyland.

We've decided to just do two of the parks this trip. We were initially thinking MK & HS, but now we're thinking we'll do MK & AK, saving HS for next time when the new Star Wars is completed.

Any thoughts on Universal? Besides Harry Potter, not much seems too appealing...maybe I'm wrong.

Lastly...the 2 day, 2 park pass...do the 2 days need to be used consecutively? or can they be split up, going to one park 1 week, the other the next?

Thank you!!!

 

[rstevens333]

If you like Star Wars, you can do some pretty easy stuff in Hollywood Studios in daylight:

• March of the First Order is surprisingly fun if you like parade-style marching and Stormtroopers.
• Star Tours usually has lighter lines than other rides in that park.
• You can watch kids doing Jedi Training right near Star Tours with no line. It's a cute little show and you'll see lots of lightsabers and a villain or two.
• Backlot Express right next door has Star Wars desserts and Darth Vader chicken and waffles.

While you're near Star Tours, Muppet-Vision is a fabulous 3D show with minimal lines. Save a Fastpass for Toy Story (not a fan of the movies, but the ride is great.) While you're at Toy Story, the Little Mermaid show (TRULY WEIRD and GOOD) is right nearby, as is the Star Wars Launch Bay. (exhibits, characters and a little movie.)

If it were me with kids and two days, I'd do a full day of Magic Kingdom, then a half day of MK and half day of Hollywood Studios. I walked into H.S. blind on my first trip in many years in the afternoon with no plan and did remarkably well. Just follow the wait times on the app and be OK with not getting on Rockin' Roller Coaster or Toy Story without Fastpasses.

I was skeptical about the Little Mermaid show, but it's bonkers and wonderful. There are some laser effects and stuff, but lots of live actors and puppets.

 

[jcdean]

Any thoughts on Universal? Besides Harry Potter, not much seems too appealing...maybe I'm wrong.

Lastly...the 2 day, 2 park pass...do the 2 days need to be used consecutively? or can they be split up, going to one park 1 week, the other the next?

Thank you!!!

How much do you (or your family) like Harry Potter? For many people, including my children, HP is enough of a reason to go to Universal. Between The Wizarding World and Diagon Alley there enough to spend an entire day there, and think of the rest of the parks as a bonus. Unfortunately, to see both Harry Potter sections, and ride the train between them, you need to purchase "Park-to-Park" tickets (Universal's version of Park Hopper) which makes a day at Universal considerably more expensive than a day at one Disney park.

Disney tickets do not need to be used consecutively. You'll be able to go to the second park up to 14 days after the first.

 

[trouttigger]

While you can fit a lot into 2 full days at the parks you gotta be careful not to overwhelm yourself to the point where on the 2nd day you start to feel exhausted and your trip to the parks isn't going to be enjoyable. Since it sounds like you have trip planned back in a few years you may want to consider doing a 2 day-2 park ticket without the park hopper. That way you have more actual park time to spend riding the rides, seeing the shows, and meeting the characters than worrying about having to travel to another park and losing out on valuable park time. What I would do is pick out the 2 parks you want to see the most and keep in mind most of Hollywood Studios is under construction right now but in a few years all the new lands will be open making it really worth going to. As far as dining goes with very limited time I doubt you would want to waste valuable time on any sit-down dining as those take a minimum of 1 hour to complete.

I would agree with all of this. But my life theme is to do a few things well rather than whiz thru everything.