How crazy do you think this idea is?

[JennaDeeDooDah]

My family and I have been planning a "parks-free" vacation for some time. We have been really excited about the idea. We arrive next Thursday on the 24th. We had been planning to go to Typhoon Lagoon (okay, so not a true parks-free vacation since we are going to a water park, but you know what I mean) on Friday morning. The weather report is showing a 70% chance of rain. Not a big deal for us, but we are concerned about rides at Typhoon Lagoon getting shut down if there is lightening or anything like that. So we started talking about alternative to the water park that day and my husband throws out the idea of going to Magic Kingdom. We have two very big reasons for considering it. First, my daughter has been begging to go on Splash Mountain since we first took her two years ago when she was 2. Of course, she was too short, so just about every day (not exaggerating - just about every single day) she would drink milk, eat her vegetables, and tell us how they were going to help her grow so she could ride Splash Mountain and help Brier Rabbit. She was finally tall enough in January when we went, but the ride was closed for refurb. We were planning a trip for the same time next year, but have bumped it to April so Splash Mountain would be open. That's how much she wants to ride. The second reason is for the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train. Our daughter loves Snow White. She has been her favorite princess since she learned about the Disney princesses. While watching Disney Junior, our daughter saw a commercial for the mine train and got so excited. She asks to watch videos of it on youtube weekly. She will ask us when she gets to ride it. She is really excited about it... and I am, too, if you want the truth.

So we are thinking of spending one day of our parks-free trip in a park, after all. But I just don't know if it is a good idea. First, if they close the Typhoon Lagoon rides, they will likely also have Splash Mountain and Mine Train closed, right? Second, getting a fast pass plus for those would likely be impossible the day of, right? She wants to do Splash first. I thought that we might could hurry and do mine train first and then head to Splash, but she really wants to do Splash first thing (at least, this is what she has said for the April trip - we haven't mentioned the idea of hitting up Magic Kingdom next week in case we change our minds). It's probably going to be crowded. Even with the rain, I'm not sure how much it will clear out the crowds. But, if we do this and we do get to ride Splash Mountain, we might can move our April trip back to January when we really love going. Or, we will see how much she loves Splash Mountain, keep it in April, and know we made the right decision.

I will add that we already have a day at Animal Kingdom Lodge planned, lots of time at Downtown Disney, and lots of time exploring Wilderness Lodge in the schedule. I would have no problem exploring other resorts on a rainy day, especially the monorail resorts. I also thought about playing a bit in the Contemporary arcade. Oh, and we have dining reservations that night at Chef Mickey's, if that makes a difference. I don't know. Were you able to follow that? What would you do?

 

[Robo]

1- The weather report is showing a 70% chance of rain. Not a big deal for us, but we are concerned about rides at Typhoon Lagoon getting shut down if there is lightening or anything like that.

2- First, if they close the Typhoon Lagoon rides, they will likely also have Splash Mountain and Mine Train closed, right?

3- Second, getting a fast pass plus for those would likely be impossible the day of, right?

4- She wants to do Splash first. I thought that we might could hurry and do mine train first and then head to Splash, but she really wants to do Splash first thing (at least, this is what she has said for the April trip - we haven't mentioned the idea of hitting up Magic Kingdom next week in case we change our minds). It's probably going to be crowded.

5- Even with the rain, I'm not sure how much it will clear out the crowds.

1- Ignore any weather report over 24-12 hours out. (No, I am not kidding.)
And, if there IS rain, it may or may not be over all of the area, and it may not last long.
It's possible to be pouring in, say, Epcot and be sun-shiny in MK (or vise-versa.)
2- Maybe yes. Maybe no.
3- Maybe yes. Maybe no.
4- No way to know. If the rain is an truly all-day thing, the locals will tend to stay away.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

1- Ignore any weather report over 24-12 hours out. (No, I am not kidding.)

Nothing is set in stone. We just saw the report and thought about how we should have a back up plan in place just in case we wake up on Friday to rain. It shouldn't have an effect on any of the other days, either way.

 

[supersnoop]

Do you have tickets already, or will you be purchasing a one-day Magic Kingdom ticket to make this back-up plan work? In my opinion, once you buy that ticket, a non-park trip no longer makes sense. The incremental costs of additional days is less that the cost of alternative entertainment.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Do you have tickets already, or will you be purchasing a one-day Magic Kingdom ticket to make this back-up plan work? In my opinion, once you buy that ticket, a non-park trip no longer makes sense. The incremental costs of additional days is less that the cost of alternative entertainment.

No tickets yet. And that will be the only day we would even consider going to a park. If we were to do that, we wouldn't make the decision until that morning so we would be walking up and buying tickets for the three of us that day.

 

[ibela]

I don't think it's that crazy. On the flip side, you'll be spending about $300 for a rainy MK day. I've done it, 4 night non-park trip, then we had dinner plans at O'hana and from there somehow decided OK, just 1 park day. That said, it was before FP+ so were able to get legacy FP that day and we had complimentary 1 day tickets. If she's been looking forward to it that much, why not do 1 park day? If it's drizzling, MK should be fine. If it's raining hard, I'd plan the park day a different day - a little something to break up the non-park activities (of which there are plenty). We own DVC and flights used to be cheap so we got 10 day no expiration tickets which lasted us 3 or 4 trips. Enjoy whatever you do!

ETA: I think the only FP+ rides which have been really difficult to get same day is A&E and the mine train, Splash should probably be OK.

 

[GillianP1301]

Well first off, nothing is crazy when it comes to time at WDW.

I personally would never do a non park trip, I just think there are much nicer hotels to stay in elsewhere to do a more relaxed vacation. That being said, and since it is something your family wants to do, then I would have a hard time justifying the $300 for one park day. To me, it's either multiple days or not, just strictly from a financial perspective. If the money is not an issue for you, then by all means, it's a great backup plan.

I would stick with your original plan and keep MK in your back pocket. It's unlikley you'll get a complete washout day at this time of year and I'm guessing you will very likely get a good chunk of your day in at Typhoon Lagoon without weather playing a factor. If a storm rolls in in the afternoon, you can pack it in and do some more resort touring, or the arcade that you mentioned as a potential activity.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I don't think it's that crazy. On the flip side, you'll be spending about $300 for a rainy MK day. I've done it, 4 night non-park trip, then we had dinner plans at O'hana and from there somehow decided OK, just 1 park day. That said, it was before FP+ so were able to get legacy FP that day and we had complimentary 1 day tickets. If she's been looking forward to it that much, why not do 1 park day? If it's drizzling, MK should be fine. If it's raining hard, I'd plan the park day a different day - a little something to break up the non-park activities (of which there are plenty). We own DVC and flights used to be cheap so we got 10 day no expiration tickets which lasted us 3 or 4 trips. Enjoy whatever you do!

ETA: I think the only FP+ rides which have been really difficult to get same day is A&E and the mine train, Splash should probably be OK.

Well first off, nothing is crazy when it comes to time at WDW.

I personally would never do a non park trip, I just think there are much nicer hotels to stay in elsewhere to do a more relaxed vacation. That being said, and since it is something your family wants to do, then I would have a hard time justifying the $300 for one park day. To me, it's either multiple days or not, just strictly from a financial perspective. If the money is not an issue for you, then by all means, it's a great backup plan.

I would stick with your original plan and keep MK in your back pocket. It's unlikley you'll get a complete washout day at this time of year and I'm guessing you will very likely get a good chunk of your day in at Typhoon Lagoon without weather playing a factor. If a storm rolls in in the afternoon, you can pack it in and do some more resort touring, or the arcade that you mentioned as a potential activity.

Thank you both for the input.

 

[cvjw]

If I were going to spend $300 for one day at the MK, I would plan on staying all day to get my money's worth. You should be fine going to Splash at rope drop and then getting day of FP+ reservations for other rides - not the mine train or Anna and Elsa. I have heard that the line for the mine train gets more manageable closer to fireworks time.

 

[PlainJane]

I love going to Typhoon Lagoon on a rainy day. Hear me out, if it's only raining they don't close the attractions, those only shutdown when there is a report of lightening in the area. We would go to a covered area and wait it out if things closed for lightening. Once the lifeguards had the all clear to reopen, often a mass exodus of park guests had already occurred, and we would return to having fun in a considerably less crowded park.

Since I'm already wet, as long as it's a hot day, I don't mind some rain showers. Which rarely last the entire day anyway.

As far as MK as a rain day option, if it's raining in Typhoon Lagoon, but not the MK I could see this plan working, but you would want to get there at rope drop. If it's raining both places, unfortunately the attractions you want to do are outside, so I really don't see the point of skipping a water park to go on outdoor attractions elsewhere.

I think this is more of a question of, do you want to drop your TL day to go to the MK?

 

[ajwolfe]

First off, I would never consider a non park trip. I have to agree with the poster above that said there are much nicer places and more relaxting places to stay if that's what you are looking for. However, you have to take in consideration that I'm 16 hours away and you may be much closer making this an easier trip.
Aside from that, I can't imagine my kids being okay with being that close to the parks and not being able to go especially when if one of them was already begging to go at home due to the commericals. So I would consider doing 1 day in MK, even though it isn't the best financial decision. That may make your little girls trip.

 

[Suzerella]

It's possible to be pouring in, say, Epcot and be sun-shiny in MK (or vise-versa.)

This. We were at Rose and Crown in Epcot last month, sitting on the sidewalk, facing the "road" between the restaurant and the stores. It was literally raining to the left of us, and not raining to the right of us. You could see the line on the "road" - wet on the left side, dry on the right. It was like an episode of the Truman Show.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

If I were going to spend $300 for one day at the MK, I would plan on staying all day to get my money's worth. You should be fine going to Splash at rope drop and then getting day of FP+ reservations for other rides - not the mine train or Anna and Elsa. I have heard that the line for the mine train gets more manageable closer to fireworks time.

I hope you're right about it getting more manageable closer to fireworks. I have no idea how she would feel about being right next to the mine train at various parts of the day but not being able to ride it. And I can't see her being patient enough to stand in a line that is longer than 30 minutes max.

I love going to Typhoon Lagoon on a rainy day. Hear me out, if it's only raining they don't close the attractions, those only shutdown when there is a report of lightening in the area. We would go to a covered area and wait it out if things closed for lightening. Once the lifeguards had the all clear to reopen, often a mass exodus of park guests had already occurred, and we would return to having fun in a considerably less crowded park.

Since I'm already wet, as long as it's a hot day, I don't mind some rain showers. Which rarely last the entire day anyway.

As far as MK as a rain day option, if it's raining in Typhoon Lagoon, but not the MK I could see this plan working, but you would want to get there at rope drop. If it's raining both places, unfortunately the attractions you want to do are outside, so I really don't see the point of skipping a water park to go on outdoor attractions elsewhere.

I think this is more of a question of, do you want to drop your TL day to go to the MK?

I'm worried about the lightening. I have no issue with rain, either, and I enjoy swimming in the rain so I can definitely see what you are saying about Typhoon Lagoon being fun in the rain. I just don't want to waste money on a ticket for there to then be a thunderstorm that closes the rides, you know? At least at Magic Kingdom there would be some rides we could still do. Although, ironically, the same weather that would make us choose MK over Typhoon Lagoon - lightening - would likely shut down the two rides that are making us consider Magic Kingdom. We love the idea of Typhoon Lagoon as neither my husband no I have been there before. But, if there is lightening that ends up closing stuff for an hour or two, I think we would regret not having spent that money on a MK ticket where we could have gone on rides. We are kind of crazy in that we enjoy Magic Kingdom on rainy days, so we aren't concerned about that aspect of it.

First off, I would never consider a non park trip. I have to agree with the poster above that said there are much nicer places and more relaxting places to stay if that's what you are looking for. However, you have to take in consideration that I'm 16 hours away and you may be much closer making this an easier trip.
Aside from that, I can't imagine my kids being okay with being that close to the parks and not being able to go especially when if one of them was already begging to go at home due to the commericals. So I would consider doing 1 day in MK, even though it isn't the best financial decision. That may make your little girls trip.

We are all excited about the non-park trip. We discussed in in length both as a couple and with our daughter. She's on board. She is excited about spending time at Wilderness Lodge and the Tri-Circle D Ranch, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Downtown Disney, Fantasia Gardens, Boardwalk, and other things at Disney. She is excited about the different places we are dining (Beaches and cream, Chef Mickey's, Rainforest Cafe, Sanaa, Ohana, and either Whispering Canyon or Captain's Grille. She is aware that we aren't going to the parks and is fine with everything we have planned. I'm sure she would be excited if we told her we decided to go to Magic Kingdom because we were worried about Typhoon Lagoon being closed due to lightening, but she's not going to be upset if we don't. She knows we are going again in April. She knows that no parks are planned for next week. This isn't something we are springing on her when we get there.

 

[rwdavis2]

First off, I would never consider a non park trip. I have to agree with the poster above that said there are much nicer places and more relaxting places to stay if that's what you are looking for. However, you have to take in consideration that I'm 16 hours away and you may be much closer making this an easier trip.
Aside from that, I can't imagine my kids being okay with being that close to the parks and not being able to go especially when if one of them was already begging to go at home due to the commericals. So I would consider doing 1 day in MK, even though it isn't the best financial decision. That may make your little girls trip.

Agreed, what's the point of going to WDW and not going to the parks? I really don't understand it. Especially if you have kids that want to go. If money was the issue to not getting theme park tickets then wait a while until you can afford the tickets.

If the parks did not exist there is nothing else in WDW that I would even consider visiting. Some of the hotels are nice, but as was said, there are much nicer places for the same or less money.

Heck, the Hard Rock at Universal is a much nicer hotel than almost of the ones at WDW, and besides that, you can walk to City Walk.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Agreed, what's the point of going to WDW and not going to the parks? I really don't understand it. Especially if you have kids that want to go. If money was the issue to not getting theme park tickets then wait a while until you can afford the tickets.

If the parks did not exist there is nothing else in WDW that I would even consider visiting. Some of the hotels are nice, but as was said, there are much nicer places for the same or less money.

Heck, the Hard Rock at Universal is a much nicer hotel than almost of the ones at WDW, and besides that, you can walk to City Walk.

Money isn't the issue. We wanted to do this. And how great that there are different people in this world who can enjoy vacations in different places and in different ways!

 

[niclodn]

I personally think that any way you want to do Disney is the best way I have done trips before where I have only done 3 attractions in an entire weekend. But then again, I'm an AP holder and go often. So, I think having an MK day as a back-up plan is a good idea. What I mainly wanted to comment on is the standby line for 7DMT. I have waited in it 3 times since it opened and can promise you that it is not bad at all! All 3 times were fairly late at night, so it might be a different experience earlier in the day. But the outside portion moves pretty quickly (about half of the line is outside if its backed up to the entrance) and we hardly noticed how long we were in that portion of the line (about 30 minutes) because we were trying to avoid the hurricane force fans set up about every 15 feet (it was chilly and those fans REALLY blow hard!). Once you hit the inside portion, the interactive stuff will help the time go by faster. It is really fun and something that you miss out on entirely using FP+. Plus every time we waited the actual wait was about 15-20 minutes shorter than posted.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

JDDD-

Here are my thoughts.

If the weather is bad enough to shut down rides at TL, it may as well shut down 7DMT and SM also (since both have outside components that often close due to weather). $300 is a lot of money if you can't ride your go-to rides. If you could buy 10-day no expire to use for your next trip also, it might make financial sense.

I just look on MDE, and there are not 3 FPs available for 7DMT on 7/25, and since you would buy the tickets at the gate, you wouldn't be prebooking anyway, so it was be almost impossible to get them day of.

Should you decide to do it, you MUST be there at RD and high tail it to 7DMT immediately (there are instructions on here on how to get to the front first), otherwise you will be looking at approximately 70-100 minute waits all day until closing. Then you could do Splash Mountain with a FP+ you schedule in the park after riding 7DMT.

I would be hard pressed to not sneak into a park when in Orlando, I have often thought of the relaxing no-park trip, but then I get the shakes, and start booking FP+ and ordering tickets

I guess my biggest concern is the whole weather issue. I probably wouldn't take a $300 chance.

 

[bumbershoot]

Rain doesn't mean lightning. Things get closed if there is lightning in a certain radius around a place. I think it's five miles. And they open it once the lightning is gone. And while I'm no expert, in general I believe the rainstorms tend to happen more towards the afternoon in general.

Lovely thing about Disney is that you can use it as a teaching tool for patience. "If you want to go on that ride, we will get in this line of people who all want to ride it just as much as you do, and we ALL need to understand that it's going to be a long wait." If a typical kid really wants to ride it, then they need to stay ok in the lines. If the lines are too much, let's go do something else.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I personally think that any way you want to do Disney is the best way I have done trips before where I have only done 3 attractions in an entire weekend. But then again, I'm an AP holder and go often. So, I think having an MK day as a back-up plan is a good idea. What I mainly wanted to comment on is the standby line for 7DMT. I have waited in it 3 times since it opened and can promise you that it is not bad at all! All 3 times were fairly late at night, so it might be a different experience earlier in the day. But the outside portion moves pretty quickly (about half of the line is outside if its backed up to the entrance) and we hardly noticed how long we were in that portion of the line (about 30 minutes) because we were trying to avoid the hurricane force fans set up about every 15 feet (it was chilly and those fans REALLY blow hard!). Once you hit the inside portion, the interactive stuff will help the time go by faster. It is really fun and something that you miss out on entirely using FP+. Plus every time we waited the actual wait was about 15-20 minutes shorter than posted.

Love hearing this about the line! That makes me feel much better. We were AP holders, as well, but didn't renew this year due to it not making financial sense due to the dates of our upcoming trips and the expiration of our passes. Oh, and I agree about doing Disney in your own way.

JDDD-

Here are my thoughts.

If the weather is bad enough to shut down rides at TL, it may as well shut down 7DMT and SM also (since both have outside components that often close due to weather). $300 is a lot of money if you can't ride your go-to rides. If you could buy 10-day no expire to use for your next trip also, it might make financial sense.

I just look on MDE, and there are not 3 FPs available for 7DMT on 7/25, and since you would buy the tickets at the gate, you wouldn't be prebooking anyway, so it was be almost impossible to get them day of.

Should you decide to do it, you MUST be there at RD and high tail it to 7DMT immediately (there are instructions on here on how to get to the front first), otherwise you will be looking at approximately 70-100 minute waits all day until closing. Then you could do Splash Mountain with a FP+ you schedule in the park after riding 7DMT.

I would be hard pressed to not sneak into a park when in Orlando, I have often thought of the relaxing no-park trip, but then I get the shakes, and start booking FP+ and ordering tickets

I guess my biggest concern is the whole weather issue. I probably wouldn't take a $300 chance.

I'm concerned about the same weather shutting down Typhoon Lagoon and Splash and 7 Dwarfs Mine Train. On the positive side, Pirates, Small World, Tiki Room, and Haunted Mansion would all still be running and my family all loves those. I figure my daughter would understand why she couldn't go on Splash and Mine Train if it was due to weather because she understood not being able to go on Splash when it was closed for refurb. I appreciate the info about no FP+ being available for Mine Train. I figured that was going to be the case, but it is nice to have it confirmed.

Rain doesn't mean lightning. Things get closed if there is lightning in a certain radius around a place. I think it's five miles. And they open it once the lightning is gone. And while I'm no expert, in general I believe the rainstorms tend to happen more towards the afternoon in general.

Lovely thing about Disney is that you can use it as a teaching tool for patience. "If you want to go on that ride, we will get in this line of people who all want to ride it just as much as you do, and we ALL need to understand that it's going to be a long wait." If a typical kid really wants to ride it, then they need to stay ok in the lines. If the lines are too much, let's go do something else.

I figure that if there is lightening in the area when we wake up, we will just not chance TL. If it is just raining, we will make a judgement call right then. If it is lovely, we are heading to the water park. I can handle the afternoon rainstorms just fine. Plus, if it is a thunderstorm in the afternoon rather than just a rain storm, at lest we would have gotten in a few good hours at TL, right? Our daughter did pretty good waiting in lines in January, but I can't see her waiting in the hour+ long lines of Mine Train.

 

[ZehnJahren]

IMHO, I'd do MK.

Here's why: what a great surprise for your daughter! She's not expecting it at all, knows not to ask for it, and you're going to be right there, so only you know how excited she would be if you decided to take a quick tour on the monorail, and then get off at MK and go ride the rides she can't stop talking about! It's like a miniature surprise trip, and I'd bet it would be a trip she wouldn't stop talking about for a long, long time - "Remember when we rode Splash Mountain for the first time?" "Remember when you surprised me?" "Remember when we went to MK and I didn't even KNOW?"

Now, if she's not the type to like surprises, YMMV. But if she'd be psyched to suddenly be hanging out with Brer Rabbit, I'd go for it!

That being said, lightning could ruin the plan, but if you stay in the park it's almost certain the lightning would stop and you could ride what you wanted with less crowds. I've ridden many a turn at BTMRR or other outdoors rides that were rainy. You'll be able to get FP+ for Splash day-of, I'm sure!