For The Planners - Where Is The Magic

[Madi100]

As I'm getting ready to really start planning this trip I've been reading our travel books. I read the plans about doing Magic Kingdom in a day. I'm reading the Official Guide. The first tip is to walk briskly down Main Street. I would love to have a plan for our family to follow, but if I sit down and say that we are going to walk briskly down Main Street and go to this ride, then this one, then this one it will be great, because we get everything done in a tmiely manner. But, my biggest fear is missing out on the magic. To me, the best part about Disney is not the rides, but the atmostphere. So, how do you get to smell the flowers when you are briskly walking by them??

I'm not critizing the planners. I'm honestly curious as to how you can plan with strict planning and enjoy the atmosphere around you? Do you miss the street performers? Do you plan for your stops at the snack counters?

 

[bear22]

I'm with you on this subject. Since I have 2 kids(4 & 1) I can't walk briskly thru anywhere. I just try and do as much as I can and enjoy the magic wherever I land.

 

[disneygoof]

We have what I call "loose structure". That means we have PS's for breakfast and dinner, get to the parks early to avoid the lines and get the favorite rides in. When the lines get too crowded at mid-day, we have lunch when we're hungry or tired and take in shows, sights, street performers, whatever has a 15 min or less wait, regroup on FASTPASSES, etc.

I highly recommend the Family Magic Tour for your family, if time allows for 2.5 hours of completely structured MK time. It's great for finding the magic because you get to see and learn about some highlights of the MK that aren't well covered in the books (Cinderella's fountain, the Castle wishing well, the Liberty Tree, etc.). Also, there is nothing more magical than a private meet and greet with a character and then riding a ride with them. It will astound your daughters.

Have fun planning!

 

[nataliesdaddy]

We have what I call "loose structure". That means we have PS's for breakfast and dinner, get to the parks early to avoid the lines and get the favorite rides in. When the lines get too crowded at mid-day, we have lunch when we're hungry or tired and take in shows, sights, street performers, whatever has a 15 min or less wait, regroup on FASTPASSES, etc.

I highly recommend the Family Magic Tour for your family, if time allows for 2.5 hours of completely structured MK time. It's great for finding the magic because you get to see and learn about some highlights of the MK that aren't well covered in the books (Cinderella's fountain, the Castle wishing well, the Liberty Tree, etc.). Also, there is nothing more magical than a private meet and greet with a character and then riding a ride with them. It will astound your daughters.

Have fun planning!

woah - a Family magic Tour? There is a private meet and greet with a character? cool. Is that standard? or you lucked out?

 

[pixie08]

YES YOU DO MISS SOME OF THE MAGIC..because the magic is in the details!
We were there last year and followed the touring plan after 1/2 through the first day we basiclly gave up on them because we were runnning around and wanted to just relax and take everything in. It depends on your priorities. If you want to see EVERY attraction then go with the plan..if you don't mind missing a few and want to absorb the parks then here is my advice:

You still need a plan...make all PS's and figure out which parks when. Next make a list in order of what everyone in your group must see. Once you have the list find out which are fast pass. then coordinate your list to the map. If there are some big must do's a little crossing the park might help.
In MK for example grab a fastpass for splash mtn...then head to space mtn, then grab fast pass for philharmgic and wait for pooh..or whatever...just use fast passes efficiently!!! As soon as you are able to get a new one..get it!!! Don't wait- that is a top priority because then you will not be waiting in line and have more time to hang out!

This is JMHO..and what works for us. I hope it helps ! Have a great time!!

 

[missypie]

Our family's first Disney trip was two years ago, to Disneyland, when the kids were 12, 10 and 7. I told everyone in advance how it would be: The first couple of hours everyone would do exactly as I said, bypassing characters and shops and snacks in lieu of rides...then, as the park got more crowded and we had ridden lots of rides, we would slow down. Everybody bought into that and it went very well.

If you can get everyone to rush from ride to ride for the first two hours or so, you can have the rest of the day to "smell the roses."

Also, if you are going at a busy time and are relying on Fast Pass, you may have several hours before your return time to wander around and absorb the atmosphere.

 

[vicceja]

Hi!

I've been planning our June trip for several months now and part of my planning is getting all that extra information and sights that otherwise I would have missed and also getting all these great advise on how to get PS's etc. With kids it can be very unpredictable and I will not get stressed out if my schedule doesn't go as planned.

 

[Wishing on a star]

It is really a 'catch-22'!!!

To me, I do not see the magic in standing in lines for hours, or spending a whole day in the park, to end up missing many of the attractions!!!

With Disney, the crowds, etc.. You really have to plan for both, 'commando' time and down-time. Otherwise, smelling the roses means you miss many of most exciting gardens(attractions).

We are planning two days for MK... The first day definately starts out a bit 'commando'... There is simply no other way to experience the rides and attractions that we and DS will want to see... Like I said, there is no Magic in standing in long lines.... Then, the second day, will be a day to smell the roses! We have PS for lunch at Cinderella's Table, which we will enjoy right after taking the time to stake out a great spot for Cinderellabration...

Unless you live close, or are fortunate enough to visit often... Time is cruel!!! There simply isn't enough time to see all the things you will want to see, and stop and smell all the roses, on the same day. That is the big catch-22!

 

[agotta]

I am a big planner, but we love to experience the "magic." Especially since our next trip is with Disney "virgins". I plan the parks, but not the attractions. Like the day after we get there, I have EPCOT planned until after lunch, Le Cellier, and then to MGM for EMH. I don't have specific attractions picked out. This allows us to stay on schedule, but still stop and smell the roses

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

If you can get everyone to rush from ride to ride for the first two hours or so, you can have the rest of the day to "smell the roses."

Also, if you are going at a busy time and are relying on Fast Pass, you may have several hours before your return time to wander around and absorb the atmosphere.

This is what we do. You actually have MORE time to soak up your surroundings because you aren't waiting in line all day.

We just returned and spent two mornings at MK.

Day 1---We did all of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland before 11:30 (lunch at CP). I got Fastpasses to Splash before we ate. The rest of the day we just we just took pics, rode the train around MK, ate snacks, went swimming, etc.

When we left CP the rides in Fantasyland had posted wait times of 1 hour or more----Pooh said 90 minutes!!! No thank you!!!

I find it much more magical with young kids to not wait in lines.

 

[kirbsam]

The magic is whatever you decide it is. On a weekend trip, the magic is riding ther most rides with few downtimes. If we are staying a week, there is plenty of down time to take it all in.

 

[Madi100]

Thanks for all of the replies. Maybe we haven't needed the commando style planning because we go during off-season. To me, I wouldn't be very magical if I had to be around a lot of people during the busy times. I tend to get just a bit crabby. As much as I love the thought of planning things out, I dont' know if the family would go for it. We do plan our PS's and our parks, but we are still quite flexible. The family tour sounds like fun. We might have to look into that. I know I've read about it before.

 

[mommytutu]

When planning my vacation I had to first accept the fact we will not be able to see and do everything. By accepting this I was able to enjoy the things we were doing and know that I have a reason to go back. I read everything I possibly could. I hung out here and I bought a couple of books. I talk with the family and we picked out a few "must dos" and from these boards I got ideas how to make those must dos into something really special. Chef Mickey's is great, but add to it by riding in the conductors car of the monorail. Having breakfast at Crystal Palace is really fun, but add to it by getting a PS time that is prior to park opening so you can walk down Main Street when it's almost empty and take some awesome pics of the kids in front of the castle. And speaking of the Castle, it is so cool to eat in, but add to it by requesting the first dinner PS time and a window seat...yea, you'll eat dinner 5:00, but you'll have the best view in the house. Also, if you don't mind a 5:00 dinner have dinner at the Coral Reef and ask for an aquarium table. I took really cool experiences and added to them that way if my "add on" pixie dust didn't work out we still had a really cool experience.

I also knew we couldn't go commando style all day everyday....it's part of accepting we won't see it all or do it all. We would go back to the resort in the afternoons for a swim or a nap. If we didn't then by dinner the kids were tired and fussy and then it would just go downhill from there.

We had a plan and we stuck to it, but at the same time the plan was flexible, this way we didn't waste time looking at each other saying "What do you want to do?"..."I don't know. What do you want to do?" or spend time going back and forth across the park. And we soaked up the smells and sights where ever we were. And if we missed something, oh well...we already knew we wouldn't be able to see everything and do everything...did I mention that already?

As for Main Street specifically, we waited until we were leaving the parks to do our shopping. I planned it this way for a couple of reasons. One, the kids knew when we would shop so that cut down on a lot of the "I wants" throughout the day. Two, we were ready to leave the park so the chances of us spending too much time, which would result in spending too much money, were diminished.

There's magic everywhere, it's just easier to see when everyone is happy and getting along, so rest and food were important to us and helped us endure the waits for rides.

 

[Synonymous]

If you're concerned with the Magic, you don't need a commando plan. If you get there first thing in the morning and use Fastpass for everything possible, there's no reason to hurry. Just realize that you won't be going on Space Mountain 4x that day. You may end up with some long waits between FP rides, but you said you wanted to absorb the Magic, right?

 

[heathriel]

I go to Disney every year, and I *always* have a plan to make sure we get to do all the things we want to do. This does mean that sometimes we're going to rush from one place to another, but sometimes the rushing is magical on its own.

I grew up loving the Main Street Electrical Parade. I remember the awe I always felt when I'd see Pete's Dragon rolling down the street, and the smoke coming out of his nose, etc. Spectromagic isn't anywhere near as good as MSEP, but I am still entranced by all the beautiful floats. It distresses me that it only runs some nights, so my DH and I will drop everything else so that I can see it.

Last year, he twisted his ankle the morning of the day we were going to see it. As a result, for the rest of the day he was a little slow walking around. We ended up at MK just as the Genie was coming out of the gate, so we missed the very beginning of the parade. Being such a great husband, my DH said that we would get to the front so I could see the whole thing, no matter what. He and I ran all the way up Main Street, over the bridge to tomorrowland, back through Fantasyland and over to Frontierland to catch the very beginning of the parade just as it got to the General Store. (Most areas are roped off during the parade, and we were on the right side of the street, so we had to run much farther than if we could have just gone through Adventureland.)

Anyway, by the time we got to our spot, tears were streaming down my cheeks. Not only does the parade make me emotional, the "Magic" that my DH had just performed was more than I could have hoped for. It was wonderful.

So, anyway, even when you have a strict plan of attack, you need to improvise sometimes, and in the improvising comes the Disney Magic.

 

[foxtrotter]

For me, there is no Magic without planning.

We're lucky enough to be able to go during whatever time of the year we want to, so we can go during the slower times. But I still plan. I would absolutely lose any magical feelings if I had to stand in line for 2 hours, or anytime longer than a half hour. So we try to do 'smart planning'. Hit the big attractions first to avoid long waits, have PS's for sitdown restaurants so we don't have to sit around and wait for an hour when we're hungry, use fastpass wisely. Then we can have a leisurely afternoon and evening, taking our time to smell the roses, hit the shops, relax on a bench and watch the ducks.

I find that having a plan reduces stress considerably, because we usually manage to do everything we want to do without worry. And we always allow for change-ups and things we can't control like weather. Except hurricanes, they're evil. I can see how that might not work for some people, but it works very well for us.

 

[madison66]

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[Madi100]

If you're concerned with the Magic, you don't need a commando plan. If you get there first thing in the morning and use Fastpass for everything possible, there's no reason to hurry. Just realize that you won't be going on Space Mountain 4x that day. You may end up with some long waits between FP rides, but you said you wanted to absorb the Magic, right?

I've been three times and never had much of a plan at all. I'm just wondering if it's better to plan more than PS and which park to do which day. My nieces and nephew went to Magic Kingdom with their dad, and they didn't ride one single ride. Now to me, there is no magic in that either. But, if I rode every single ride in Walt Disney World and that's all I did, I'd say I missed most of the World. And, I'm really surprised that Disney would promote such planning when they put so much effort into the atmosphere. I won't wait in lines, and I've been fortunate to go when they aren't long. Ariel's Grotto was the longest line I've ever been in. All for my DH

I guess that everyone here is right - you've got to find what works for you.

To the person who suggested combining the magic what great tips. I think I'm going to try to get Crystal Palace before the park opens. I tried that last time, and I got an early morning day I've got to figure out how to organize that the right way this time.

 

[disneygoof]

woah - a Family magic Tour? There is a private meet and greet with a character? cool. Is that standard? or you lucked out?

Standard. Literally there are cast members holding ropes up to keep the masses away from you (and other tour participants) and your character. Often Peter Pan, they are in character and following along with the "story" (it's Disney, there's always a story) of your tour. Then they visit an attraction with you. It's amazing.

Info here

 

[Synonymous]

My nieces and nephew went to Magic Kingdom with their dad, and they didn't ride one single ride. Now to me, there is no magic in that either.

I can't see any reason why this should ever happen. You don't have to have a commando plan to avoid this. Get there early and use FP, and you will certainly get to do most of what you want, even on the busiest days of the year.