How much time do we need for MGM based on the following ...

[bajanswife]

We are 4 adults. We will likely want to do the following together:

Beauty
Indiana Jones
Mermaid
Millionaire?
Backlot Tour
Muppets?
maybe Fantasmic??

and then we will split up and the thrill seekers will do:

T of T, Star Tours & RnR

and the non-thrill-seekers will do:

Great Movie Ride (thrill seekers have seen it)
generally just wander around (non-thrill seekers have never been to MGM)

Can we do this in October, on a weekday, assuming we don't get there til noon (and closing is at 7.30)? Are show times so staggered that we won't be able to do all of them? We only have 3 days, so we thought we might zip around the MK first thing in the morning just to say we did it (it's the park we are least interested in) then scoot over to MGM. Or would we be better off doing MGM first thing and then going to Epcot when we're done, then combining Epcot with AK on another day, or MK and Epcot?

 

[trracers]

I will let someone else help you with the "can we do it" stuff, but from what I remember, the showtimes are pretty staggered and it is hard to see all the shows in a day...however, I am writing to say that FANTASMIC is a MUST SEE!! It is an incredible show, so be sure to stay for it.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

First off--you could spend all day--esp. if you want to see fantasmic--I do not recommend the 2 hour wait for fantasmic just for the gates to open--if it is before the summer--1 hour prior to show start is plenty. In the summer, you may need the wait time--good op to have a to go dinner while you wait in line.

B/C this is a "show park" and you want to see "shows"--you will need the bulk of the day to accomplish everything.

The shows are about 25 minutes give or take a few minutes....
Beauty is near TofT and RnR, so you can fast past one of the rides, watch the show then go on your FP ride and long wait the other ride while the rest of your group spends the 1 1/2 to wait in line and ride GMR.

Suggestion--arrive at opening and hit the thrill rides first--that'll take an hour, while the rest of your party gets GMR out of the way. FP the one you are not riding first. Spend wait time coordinating the show agenda for the day according to the show guide. If B&B is playing in the a.m. then see that next, or just come back later in the day.

Then head over to mermaid, then millionaire, then backlot tour.
Follow up with muppets--then split, one group do star tours, the other go on to the animation tour--meet at B&B for show (if you didn't see it earlier)...or hook up for your PS reservation at 50s prime time or Hollywood and Vine for character dining (my 2 fave restaurants in the place).

See notes in your quote:

Beauty--25 MINUTE SHOW, CHECK SCHEDULE--NOT DAILY
Allow 10 minutes (for ok seats) to 60 minutes for choice seats (wait time)

Indiana Jones--~ 25 MINUTE SHOW FP AVAILABLE, CHECK SHOW SCHEDULE allow 40 minutes with FP, hour without

Mermaid--~25 MINUTE SHOW FP AVAILABLE, CHECK SHOW SCHEDULE allow 40 minutes with FP, 1 hour without--I would drop this show--if time is an issue--it mixes puppetry with scenes from the movie

Millionaire?--FP AVAILABLE, CHECK SHOW SCHEDULE (allows for an AC'd wait when you come back at your scheduled time)--if FP allow 45-60 minutes for this attraction.

Backlot Tour--ALLOW AN HOUR to 1 1/2 hours--you will come out in close proximity to get to the muppets.

Muppets?--allow 40 minutes--including wait time--less if you get in the door at the right time. I would see this over mermaid

maybe Fantasmic??--depending on busyness (how full other shows are during the day--how long waits were elsewhere) you can show up anywhere from 2 hours prior to gate opening, to half hour prior to show start--it is a huge ampitheater and quite boring sitting on bleacher seats when nothing is happening.

and then we will split up and the thrill seekers will do:

T of T, Star Tours & RnR--hit TofT and RnR first thing if you can make park opening

and the non-thrill-seekers will do:

Great Movie Ride (thrill seekers have seen it)
generally just wander around (non-thrill seekers have never been to MGM)--plan a meeting place! perhaps for lunch or something

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I didn't read the rest of your message (got too excited about planning)--
if you indeed want to do all of these things you mention--you should skip MK for the "been there done that benefit" and do what you really want to do--

EPCOT is TOO BIG to combine with other parks--unless say you do a super short day at AK and then go to Epcot...

Also--they do not make 3 day park hoppers--so you would have to buy larger with the intent to come back--or just pick the 2 parks you want to do best....

All parks need minimum of 1 day to do---less if you know exactly what you want to do and can get it done quickly.

In October--the showtimes at MGM are more sporadic--I have seen times where some shows are only in the afternoon---which is why hitting early and doing the thrill rides first is best.

 

[bajanswife]

I agree that Epcot needs a lot of time, and if we combine it with another park it will be to get extra time, in addition to another day there! e.g. since Epcot can be done later than any other park in October, we could spend our mornings at AK, MK or MGM, and our evenings at Epcot, unless we want to do Fantasmic at MGM. At this point I'm not sure how much time we'd spend in future world - we really want to do the world showcase for the f & w festival. I've BTDT, so it really depends on the interests of my travel mates!

So many people tell me not to miss MK, as it is the original park with the most magic. And yes, there are a few things there that are interesting - but I think we really could be out of there before noon.

The simplest thing I suppose is to just choose 3 parks and spend a day at each. But I feel hard to take newbies to WDW and not show them the MK!

One option if we do the 3 parks, 3 days, is to do AK on the same day as MNSSHP, and when AK closes at 5 we head over to that for 7 p.m. - separate admission, and the most popular rides would be open. What do you think of that idea? We'd then have a full day for each of Epcot and MGM, and we'd still get to sample MK.

Back to MGM: it sounds like if we can cut out 1 or 2 shows we would be OK to do what we want in 7 hours? (I'm not counting Fantasmic, as it's at the end, and probably not a huge wait time on a weeknight in October). I don't need to do all the shows, and it's very possible my companions won't need to either.

 

[CharlesandCamilla]

Seven hours still sounds kind of tight, even in October. I'd give myself 8 or 9. Think about doing a fantasmic dining. You get a voucher that gets you into a set aside area. I've been told that you can show up less then half an hour prior to the show and still get a good seat. I hear good things about Hollywood and Vine. It is a buffet and I'd imagine that four adults can get in and out fairly quick. But then again if it's F&W time maybe it won't be so busy because everyone will be at Epcot.

As for AK, it can be skipped and not missed. We're going but just because we have time. We'll be there around 2 hours. Tried to stay longer the last time we went there and just got really bored. It's nice but not impressive like MGM and Epcot. Go to the zoo.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I disagree on AK--fun things to do--

the non-adventure people may wish to skip Dinosaur--it is fun and freaky!

My husband did Primevil (sp?) whirl--I was pregnant and wasn't able to--he thought it was lame.

We enjoyed Kilamanjaro Safari, It's tough to be a bug, and lion king show, and the rapids.

So okay--maybe you can do it in a couple of hours esp. in Oct.

Excellent idea on MNSSHP--a way to do MK--you can see it at night--and if your game you can dress up or just enjoy the rides--I would verify that the open rides would be the ones that you do want to go on.

Drops on MGM--do not miss the rides (except maybe Star Tours if you have been on it already), B&B show, Indiana Jones, Backlot Tour (esp for the newbies) & Fantasmic.

Drop Little Mermaid, animation tour (no one working in the building, I only suggested as an extra if your friends were waiting on you), and possibly millionaire if you are not trivia buffs or super fans of the show.

Would suggest muppets, but drop if you need to--but not before the other dropped suggestions.

 

[jcemom]

Originally posted by bajanswife
One option if we do the 3 parks, 3 days, is to do AK on the same day as MNSSHP, and when AK closes at 5 we head over to that for 7 p.m. - separate admission, and the most popular rides would be open. What do you think of that idea? We'd then have a full day for each of Epcot and MGM, and we'd still get to sample MK.

I think that sounds perfect! That would give you a full day at Epcot, MGM and AK, and you would still have more time at MK than if you only went for a couple of morning hours, plus you would get to be there after dark when it's all lit up with the bonus of the Halloween parade and fireworks.

 

[bajanswife]

We are more into the animals than the movies. Where we live there are no zoos, so we don't even care if some people think a zoo is better - we'll love AK anyway! I've been once when it just opened and I liked it then, so I am excited to go now that they have finished Asia and have some shows we never saw (like FOTLK and Tarzan)! I don't want to zoom through this park - I think we'd rather do a quick tour of MK to drink in the atmosphere after doing a few preselected rides, or deliberately skip some MGM stuff in order to get at least 6 hours at AK (if crowds aren't too bad - 7 hours if we have to wait a while, have a leisurely lunch or the show times are too staggered). AK is somewhere we'd enjoy sitting and watching animals, or enjoying the foliage etc. - I'm not sure we'd get the same atmosphere at MGM - I think there we'd want to "do, do, do", but not "stop and stare" so much - KWIM?

 

[vicb]

Lots of good advice so I'll try not to repeat.... In short if I only had 3 days I would do this: 1 day = 1/2 MK and 1/2 AK, 1 day = MGM and 1 day = Epcot.

My tip is don't make a PS for lunch in MGM. On our first trip we did this and it screwed up our schedule for making some of the shows.

I would skip Mermaid show, we did not think it was worth our wait. But loved Millionaire and I. Jones. Muppets is cute.

Isn't Backlot still closed? (It was in Feb) I think they are redesigning it as a car stunt show.

Fantasmic is a must! So is Illuminations for us.

Out of the 4 major parks, AK is our least fav. And it can definitely be done in 1/2 day. I also think you should do 1/2 day at MK to get the flavor, it is truely Disney.

Epcot, well I could spend all 7 of my days there!!! Each trip we find ourselves spending more and more time there. Be sure to eat in one of the WS sit down restaurants. The evening atmosphere in WS is awesome. We loved Teppanyaki, Rose and Crown, Les Chefs, Le Cellier.......

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Backlot tour was closed to allow the building of the stunt show--it should be reopen (if it isn't already)--by October.


AK with grown adults could be done in half a day.

 

[forgetyourtroubles!]

Did someone say "drop Little Mermaid??" How could anyone say that??? Okay maybe a teenage boy would say that...or maybe he would be on the front row and have a thing for pretty girls with tails!
If you like anything about the Little Mermaid, this show is a lot of fun. The "Under the Sea" puppet show- fun!

 

[GaryWT]

We just got back and spent 1 day in MGM, wanted to spend more but could not. In 1 day starting at about 9AM we did FP TOT, waited for RRC, we did Mermaid, threw in the mans life or dream, did back lot tour (waited because it broke down), The Great Movie Ride, Millionaire, Beauty and the Beast and Fantasmic at 9PM. Wanted to do Indian Jones but could not fit it in, did not care to do Star Tours or look into the muppets, and we saw the parade.

We spent 1/2 day in Epcot mission space, spaceship earth, test track, wife met the beast, had breakfast. Would have been out quicker but test track was broken most of the morning.

Did AK in a day, should have been quicker but got a late start, Dino was broken, as we stood in line, and never reopened, did the primo spin, safari and the rapids (somewhat a waste, kids thought storyland in NH and Hershey park had better rapids ride), and saw bugs life, that is all. By the way, my wife hated Ak

 

[tink2]

Which parks everyone likes/dislikes is just a personal preference. I would suggest studying up on each park and deciding which is more appealing and why. Maybe do the other 3 parks and Mk for MNSSHP?
If it were me, I'd skip AK- but that is a whole other thread. Most people seem to love it or hate it- every adult in my family liked one or two things- but not enough to return and waste other park time. We usually spend 2 days at MGM, 2 days at MK, and 1 day at Epcot. However, we have small children- so that makes a huge difference!
Good luck!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I suggest dropping mermaid for adults in lieu of the other shows...
I think mermaid is okay--but lots of stock footage from the movie.


but as tink2 says--it's all a matter of who likes what...