Help me plan our MK days!

[DisneyMama811]

for our upcoming trip (January) our first and last park days will be Magic Kingdom...our girls will be 6&8 and our to do list consists of pretty much every ride in the park EXCEPT Hall of Presidents (we aren't American and just really not interested) Country Bear Jamboree, Enchanted Tiki Room (I'm terrified of birds) we also want to do Bibiddi Bobiddi Boutique for both girls
the first MK day we will rope drop and probably stay til close, second one probably won't rope drop.
how should we divide up MK over two days to make sure we get it all done?

 

[disneygirl2022]

Hi, I haven't been to Disney World before, but we're planning our first trip for October, and I've done a lot of research, so hopefully I can help you out.

If you want to do Bibiddi Bobiddi Boutique, then I'd recommend to do it super early in the morning on the first day, as according to to one article I read, it's best to accommodate up to two hours for the makeover.

Because of this, by the time you finish, a lot of the big rides may have long lines, but since you have two days and are staying late for the first day, you should be able to get rides like Big thunder mountain, Seven dwarfs mine train, peter pan's flight, space mountain, splash, jungle cruise and any other super popular rides I've missed either later in the evening or on the second day. So, after the makeover is done, if you haven't already had breakfast, I'd get something to eat at the Main Street Bakery or Confectionery before heading in line for Haunted Mansion.

After this, head over to Fantasyland and instead of doing Peter Pan's Flight or SDTM, do rides like Mad Tea Party, Prince Charming's Carousel, Dumbo the flying elephant, the many adventures of Winnie the pooh, it's a small world, Under the Sea, and if your kids especially love Mickey/Donald Duck, then watching Mickey's PhilarMagic should be good. Most of these rides should have short wait times, and you should be able to get all this done within the next 2 hours. For lunch, go to Friar's Nook, which seems to have a tasty selection of treats and hot dogs. During this time at Fantasyland, you can also do Character meet and greets with Mickey and Minnie and main street, princesses like Cinderella, tiana, and Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall, Belle at Maurice's cottage, and Peter Pan near Peter Pan's Flight among others.

Once lunch is done, if you didn't do all the Fantasyland rides I listed before, go do those now, or a bit of shopping & a some meet and greets. The afternoon should be a bit more casual since you've already done quite a lot. After taking a look around Fantasyland, go check out Adventureland, and if Pirates of the Caribbean and/or Jungle Cruise doesn't have a long line, go straight to those, they are both classic rides and I'm sure your kids will love to the jokes on Jungle Cruise. Then, take a stroll around Swiss Family Tree, it's not a must do, but a great filler if you need a break from constantly running around or thrill rides. Another fun activity for the kids is A pirate's adventure - treasure of the seven seas, which is a scavenger hunt, so if your kids love these, then go for it. If you're looking for an early dinner and your kids loved Jungle Cruise, head over to Skipper Canteen which is supposed to tie up with Jungle Cruise. Then, for a dessert, get the classic dole whip at Aloha Isle. It should be a bit later in the day by now, so take your time, and after dinner head back to Magic Kingdom, and try and do the big rides you couldn't do that morning or the smaller rides you didn't get time to do. Then perhaps get ready for fireworks, and just relax, as it's probably been a full on day.

So, this is just for the first day. sorry if it's a bit messy and probably not the best, and also that's a lot to do in one day, but of course you just adjust it the way you want, these were just simple suggestions, and I'm probably not the most reliable source since I've never been to Disney before, but I hope you have a great trip and let me know if you'd like my suggestions for the second day.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Hi, I haven't been to Disney World before, but we're planning our first trip for October, and I've done a lot of research, so hopefully I can help you out.

If you want to do Bibiddi Bobiddi Boutique, then I'd recommend to do it super early in the morning on the first day, as according to to one article I read, it's best to accommodate up to two hours for the makeover.

Because of this, by the time you finish, a lot of the big rides may have long lines, but since you have two days and are staying late for the first day, you should be able to get rides like Big thunder mountain, Seven dwarfs mine train, peter pan's flight, space mountain, splash, jungle cruise and any other super popular rides I've missed either later in the evening or on the second day. So, after the makeover is done, if you haven't already had breakfast, I'd get something to eat at the Main Street Bakery or Confectionery before heading in line for Haunted Mansion.

After this, head over to Fantasyland and instead of doing Peter Pan's Flight or SDTM, do rides like Mad Tea Party, Prince Charming's Carousel, Dumbo the flying elephant, the many adventures of Winnie the pooh, it's a small world, Under the Sea, and if your kids especially love Mickey/Donald Duck, then watching Mickey's PhilarMagic should be good. Most of these rides should have short wait times, and you should be able to get all this done within the next 2 hours. For lunch, go to Friar's Nook, which seems to have a tasty selection of treats and hot dogs. During this time at Fantasyland, you can also do Character meet and greets with Mickey and Minnie and main street, princesses like Cinderella, tiana, and Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall, Belle at Maurice's cottage, and Peter Pan near Peter Pan's Flight among others.

Once lunch is done, if you didn't do all the Fantasyland rides I listed before, go do those now, or a bit of shopping & a some meet and greets. The afternoon should be a bit more casual since you've already done quite a lot. After taking a look around Fantasyland, go check out Adventureland, and if Pirates of the Caribbean and/or Jungle Cruise doesn't have a long line, go straight to those, they are both classic rides and I'm sure your kids will love to the jokes on Jungle Cruise. Then, take a stroll around Swiss Family Tree, it's not a must do, but a great filler if you need a break from constantly running around or thrill rides. Another fun activity for the kids is A pirate's adventure - treasure of the seven seas, which is a scavenger hunt, so if your kids love these, then go for it. If you're looking for an early dinner and your kids loved Jungle Cruise, head over to Skipper Canteen which is supposed to tie up with Jungle Cruise. Then, for a dessert, get the classic dole whip at Aloha Isle. It should be a bit later in the day by now, so take your time, and after dinner head back to Magic Kingdom, and try and do the big rides you couldn't do that morning or the smaller rides you didn't get time to do. Then perhaps get ready for fireworks, and just relax, as it's probably been a full on day.

So, this is just for the first day. sorry if it's a bit messy and probably not the best, and also that's a lot to do in one day, but of course you just adjust it the way you want, these were just simple suggestions, and I'm probably not the most reliable source since I've never been to Disney before, but I hope you have a great trip and let me know if you'd like my suggestions for the second day.

Wow!! I have been to MK before but your strategy/list is better than mine.

To the OP I would just say, if you get Genie+ then you can stack rides for the afternoon and get BBB in the morning. Depending on weather, your daughters might love spending the entire day being treated like princesses in their makeovers, so morning BBB makes sense.

 

[disneygirl2022]

Wow!! I have been to MK before but your strategy/list is better than mine.

To the OP I would just say, if you get Genie+ then you can stack rides for the afternoon and get BBB in the morning. Depending on weather, your daughters might love spending the entire day being treated like princesses in their makeovers, so morning BBB makes sense.

Wow, thank you! I love Disney, as well as my daughter, and we're both very excited for our trip in October, and I can tell you we've been both binge watching Disney YouTube videos and reading allears.net. I'm in charge of our itinerary, but I didn't think I was that good at planning and thought my ideas were all over the place, plus most of my suggestions are from things I've read online, not personal experience, so thanks for again!

 

[NJlauren]

Some comments based on other comments, You will have difficulty getting a morning BBB on the first day of your trip, even in January. So be prepared for that, I usually book BBB for the last day first to guarantee a good time, and if I can get it earlier in the trip great, if not at least I have it.

If you’re doing Genie+ honestly I think you can do it all in two days, plan above is good, but imo optimistic, Mickey and Minnie on Main Street is no where near fantasyland, and all those rides in 2 hours is near impossible. Leave room for problems, tired kids, bathrooms breaks, etc etc. I would prioritize everything and make sure you know you might not do it all. It’s possible, but it’s also possible it might not happen.

I would do half the park one day and the other half the other day, if on site I would rope drop both days if it’s do able for your family. Day 1 start in fantasy land, then do liberty square and if you have time frontier land. Day 2 start in tomorrow land, do Main Street and adventure land, can do anything you missed the 2nd day.

Now if you are trying to meet princess after BBB if so and you can’t score BBB for day 1 you may need to or want to swap those plans.

For context my girls are 8 and 4, I have 2 short days at MK this week and I plan to hit all our favs, but not every ride.

 

[disneygirl2022]

Some comments based on other comments, You will have difficulty getting a morning BBB on the first day of your trip, even in January. So be prepared for that, I usually book BBB for the last day first to guarantee a good time, and if I can get it earlier in the trip great, if not at least I have it.

If you’re doing Genie+ honestly I think you can do it all in two days, plan above is good, but imo optimistic, Mickey and Minnie on Main Street is no where near fantasyland, and all those rides in 2 hours is near impossible. Leave room for problems, tired kids, bathrooms breaks, etc etc. I would prioritize everything and make sure you know you might not do it all. It’s possible, but it’s also possible it might not happen.

I would do half the park one day and the other half the other day, if on site I would rope drop both days if it’s do able for your family. Day 1 start in fantasy land, then do liberty square and if you have time frontier land. Day 2 start in tomorrow land, do Main Street and adventure land, can do anything you missed the 2nd day.

Now if you are trying to meet princess after BBB if so and you can’t score BBB for day 1 you may need to or want to swap those plans.

For context my girls are 8 and 4, I have 2 short days at MK this week and I plan to hit all our favs, but not every ride.

Oh no, I definitely agree with you. Although I have a teenager, I definitely understand that with younger kids you can't do everything, and things happen. Mainly, what I was trying to do by listing the rides was just put out some suggestions to what the poster could do, I didn't necessarily mean that everything be done, it was just that I didn't really no what rides the poster or the posters kids would like to do.

To the Poster, I want to say that you definitely shouldn't rush and try to do everything, and I"m sorry if I made it sound that way. My recommendation would be to talk to your kids and see if they have any rides they want to do, prioritize those on the two days you have at MK, and if you have time to go on more rides, then go for it. But my suggestions for meals and fireworks are still the same, and you definitely can get lots done without rushing.

 

[DisneyMama811]

I guess I should specify we want to do every ride at MK (except the ones I mentioned in the original post) but there are some we won't really care if we miss. like astro orbiters,aladdin,regal carousel... I'm mentally preparing myself that Splash will probably be closed which I'll be sad about but I'll get over DH and I have been before (not for years though) the kids haven't and we probably won't make it back again while they're little as we live in Canada and financially we can't swing frequent trips.. we've been saving for years for this. We are staying onsite at AoA so will take advantage of early openings, I just want the kids to have the most amazing time possible

 

[disneygirl2022]

I guess I should specify we want to do every ride at MK (except the ones I mentioned in the original post) but there are some we won't really care if we miss. like astro orbiters,aladdin,regal carousel... I'm mentally preparing myself that Splash will probably be closed which I'll be sad about but I'll get over DH and I have been before (not for years though) the kids haven't and we probably won't make it back again while they're little as we live in Canada and financially we can't swing frequent trips.. we've been saving for years for this. We are staying onsite at AoA so will take advantage of early openings, I just want the kids to have the most amazing time possible

That makes sense. You want to do as many rides as possible since this is like a one time trip. Okay so since you want to to most rides, I'd still try to prioritize some. If your kids are fine with going on roller coasters, definitely prioritize splash mountain, BTMR, space mountain, SDMT. But, if you want a few more family friendly options, do rides like Peter Pan's Flight, Haunted Mansion, etc first to get those out of the way, then maybe do rides that aren't too high on your priority list, and then do the roller coasters later in the evening when (hopefully) lines are low or you've done enough during the day that you don't mind doing rides where lines aren't too long, for example. Or, try and figure out what rides you and your kids would enjoy most, what rides are medium priority to you, and then rides that you will do if you have time to do but otherwise skip, and then divide these 3 categories into the two days (hopefully that didn't sound too complicated). I think since you have two days, you can definitely get a lot done, if not all the rides.

 

[RoseGold]

BBB takes a lot of park time. I'd think about doing Disney Springs on a non-park day, if it is open then, which I think it could be.

If your goal is princesses, be sure to check the parade schedule for the one with princesses.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

for our upcoming trip (January) our first and last park days will be Magic Kingdom...our girls will be 6&8 and our to do list consists of pretty much every ride in the park EXCEPT Hall of Presidents (we aren't American and just really not interested) Country Bear Jamboree, Enchanted Tiki Room (I'm terrified of birds) we also want to do Bibiddi Bobiddi Boutique for both girls
the first MK day we will rope drop and probably stay til close, second one probably won't rope drop.
how should we divide up MK over two days to make sure we get it all done?

What an awesome trip. January is a great time to visit. If BBB is on your radar, here are a few tips to consider that will vary based on what you decide to do for dining, etc and when you'll want to get them gussied up. My girls have done BBB a few times and it's an awesome experience at that age. For my girls, after around 10ish they were over it. It was sad... but I digress.

• consider doing BBB on the front end of your trip as your first MK day so you'll have their cute hair styles for photos on subsequent trip days. Also, if you have any character dining planned, do consider having the girls makeovers done before that for all your photos with characters. They make awesome memories.
• I think someone mentioned going to BBB the first few hours the park is open, don't do that, you want to hit the popular attractions during that time and take advantage of lower/low waits and book your time when the rides are at peak wait times, say between noon-4p. Don't book any reservations for anything else within say a 2 hour window of your appt after since BBB does run behind some times so you'll want to give yourself some wiggle room. Try to get them both the same times or just 15-20 min apart so they can both be made over simultaneously. BBB will usually tell you how much time to allocate depending on what service you book for them. My girls did hair, nails and a dress when they were around your girls ages, maybe a little younger and it was a long visit with the wait. I think it took almost 3 hours. It's not just slap on a dress, it's a whole experience. Also, FYI, you don't have to buy the dress at BBB, you can bring your own princess dresses and accessories. I learned that one a long time ago. The dresses they sell are so pretty but they're super itchy and super $$$.
• For a two day MK visit, I would recommend splitting the park in half and trying to tackle Fantasyland/Tomorrowland on your rope drop day and then doing Frontierland and Adventureland on your non rope drop day. I would also build in some time to re-ride or visit anything you all really loved. Keep in mind that only Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are open for early theme park entry. Also, leave yourself some time either at park closing or park entry on your non rope drop day to explore main street.
• Do consider purchasing G+ since there are so many rides and it's more bang for your buck than the other parks. As you work through navigating the system and booking times, you can build your day around your park planning pretty easily. And by your second/third park day using it, you'll be a pro. Keep an eye on the two hour window and set an alarm to book your next G+. Practice using MDE and G+ before your trip so you have some familiarity before you arrive.
• Also, a day of rope dropping and staying till close is a really long day for anyone, no matter their age. I would build in your BBB time as a break since BBB does eat up a good bit of time. Maybe plan to pick up a QS snack/meal right before so nobody's starving. And with MK also on your last day, not sure how many days your trip is, consider a later arrival if ya'll are tired. You can book G+ early and build up some for a later arrival if you need to.

I think with two days at MK, you can definitely do all the rides and not feel like you were rushed. Keep an eye on the park calendar for hours as you get closer to your visit and the weather, I see the Canadian flag in your profile so you'll probably laugh at FL winter but I have heard northerners say 45 degrees in Central FL felt colder. Our winter weather is super finicky and it could be 50 early morning and gorgeous 75 degrees at 2pm with no humidity or could be a rogue day of all day 50 degrees. It's all over the place.