If You Only Had 2 Days!

[hellooothere]

If you only had 2 full days (and park hoppers) and you had four kids but you also had a rental car and the knowledge that you would have a week at the beach to recover would you

a) Go full out commando - take in MGM EE and then after a short rest at your hotel go back for MVMCP on the first day
Then next day hit EE at Epcot again back to resort then pop over to Animal Kingdom eat at Rain Forest Cafe and back to MGM for Fantasmic or Epcot for Illuminations

b) Choose 1 or 2 parks only and stay in each park all day but skip MVMCP.

Kids are 12,10 and 2 4 year olds.

I have our two days planned out with PS's and everything and it looks really great and doable on paper but I am wondering if the reality will be completely different. One thing I have done with our plan is allowed alot of flexibility for the younger kids so I can take them to say Playhouse Disney while Dad rides RRC with the older kids etc.
I am torn because the older kids really want to hit Mission Space,Testtrack,ToT, and RRC. I was thinking if we did these on EE we could get them done and then go back to MK for the girls. If we went to MVMCP we could save MK for the night and then the next day we could spend more time at Epcot.
I have a PS for a late lunch at CRT on Dec.7th for the girls birthday so we will have to get to MK for that by 2:20pm.
I have a PS for an early dinner at Rain Forest Cafe at 4:20 on Dec.8th
Thanks for any help or suggestions!!




I CAN'T BELIEVE WE WILL BE IN FLORIDA IN 17 DAYS!!!!

 

[flowerfairy]

Here's our plan. We are going to be there for 2 full days.
Notice: This is Thanksgiving weekend so parks stays open late

Sat. : go to EE park (which I believe is MGM, ride what we love early before park gets full then visit rides we like; leave and go to Epcot until 9pm; leave and visit MK until close.

Sun: go to AK, again ride what we love then go to everything else or at least have time for, chose from MGM or Epcot to visit, leave be 5pm to head over to MK for MVMCP at 7pm, stay till midnight.

If you are planning to visit when the park hours are shorter, I suggest using EE, fast pass one ride while riding another and try to stake out the rides that you really enjoy to make sure you have time for them. Remember AK closes first and Epcot stays open until 9pm even in off season. So you can always reserve this park for last. The great thing about going to MVMCP is that there is less crowds and the park stays open late. And of course there is the cookies and hot chocolate!! Have fun!! Two days in Disney is better than a year any where else!!

Tina

 

[followme2disney]

I would have to say that you should go full out commando. My sister and I frequently think about flying down to WDW for a weekend, and I know that all must do attractions can be done within a two day time frame. Even more so considering you have the MVMCP option. I may think about avoiding sit down meals because they tend to take a big chunk of time out of the day. Also, I am a firm believer that planning all the details on paper makes for a much more enjoyable and fulfilling vacation. (It sounds like you have even scheduled in flexibility, which is great). Whatever you decide to do you will have a blast.

 

[Sandyincanada]

We are only doing DW for 2 days this trip as we are also doing all the other parks as well. I think you've made it harder on yourself by having to work around PS's though. This is what we do keeping in mind the parks have shorter hours when we go except Epcot and we never plan suppers or have to work around younger children; ours are in their teens so its easier.

1 day: MGM as soon as it opens, can get on all the big attractions if your there first thing. MGM is our fav park. The kids love TOT, RRC, etc. By 1-2, we are off to Epcot for the rest of the day/evening.

2nd day: either MK first thing and Epcot in the evening or AK first thing for a few hours and the rest of the day at MK. Depending on our moods.

We just stop and eat whenever we are ready for a longer break. Parks are fairly easy to hop but with 4 yr olds, you may find 1 or 2 parks are enough. Most people seem to skip AK, if they had to skip a park, us too. I can't imagine skipping TOT or RRC though

 

[hellooothere]

Thanks everyone for all the tips!!
We are going commando!!! My husband thinks that means I won't be wearing underwear. Boy is he in for a surprise!

I knew that about the Ps's but....it is my twin daughters 4th birthday on the 7th and since I couldn't get into the breakfast (which is good because we want to catch EE at MGM anyway) and because we have some VKL Vouchers....I thought I should try to get the most bang from my buck with those that is why I made the PS for CRT at 2:20 on Dec.7th. Maybe I should see if I can get a PS for Dec.6th in the evening for the Rain Forest and we can eat there our first night. Do you have to use admission to the park to get in there?

I am going to purchase my MVMCP tickets today. I have almost bought them about fifteen times but then thought that it would just be too much for the kids. But I think it would be the best way for them to see most of MK.

So thanks again for all your help! You guys are the best!!



I CAN'T BELIEVE WE WILL BE IN FLORIDA IN 17 DAYS!!!

 

[flowerfairy]

Rainforest Cafe has two locations at WDW. One is at AK, which does not require you to enter the park to go. The entrance is located to the left of AK's main entrance. The other Rainforest Cafe is located in Downtown Disney. It is in the form of this huge volcano. Really cool!! If I were you, I would go here especially for the 1st night, there is so much magic there, it really gets you in the Disney mood. Make sure to take the kids to Once Upon A Toy, they will love it! Have a great trip!!!

Tina

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Can someone please explain what is involved in hopping? How long does it take to go from one park to another? DH, DS (age 8) and I are going in January for the first time. We will have hopper passes but we aren't clear on how to hop. Theoretically we will have four days, but I might make an emergency plan in case flight delays or bad weather at WDW cut into our trip. Thanks!

 

[ricktib]

Originally posted by jackskellingtonsgirl
Can someone please explain what is involved in hopping? How long does it take to go from one park to another? DH, DS (age 8) and I are going in January for the first time. We will have hopper passes but we aren't clear on how to hop. Theoretically we will have four days, but I might make an emergency plan in case flight delays or bad weather at WDW cut into our trip. Thanks!

We drive to the parks - only takes a few minutes to get between them. Parking is free if you stay on property, but if you stay off-site, you only pay one parking fee per day, not per park. You can also take the monorail between MK and Epcot. There are free buses between each of the parks, but I don't what kind of timeframe that takes.

OUR PERFECT 2-DAY TRIP:

1: EE at MK, Lunch there, then to Epcot for the rest of the evening.

2: EE at AK, then to Epcot mid-day for lunch, dinner and the rest of the evening.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We won't have a car. We are just taking a Town Car from the airport and using Disney transportation once we arrive. Right now our hopping will probably be from AK to Epcot on Thursday evening and possibly MGM to MK on Saturday. If anyone has suggestions that would be great. Thanks!

 

[hAm53]

we just did this!!!
our first day was mgm in the morning (non-ee day) and hte place was dead. we were able to do pretty much everything by lunch at sc-fi. after lunch we grabbed some character photos by scorcer mickey's hat, then we headed out of the park.
we took the boat from mgm to epcot, which drops you at international gateway. we did the uk and canada, then headed into future world. test track single rider line was only 10 minutes, but since we had just ate, we skipped mission space. then it was over to mexico and the rest of the world showcase before illuminations. then we wandered around the boardwalk at night, took the bus to DTD, then back to ASMusic.
total time in mgm:5 hours, epcot: 6.5 hours, boardwalk: 2 hrs

day two we only had a one day ticket to the MK, but since we had an 8AM breakfast w/ pooh at the crystal palace, we got an extra hour in the park. we headed over to trail's end for dinner at 6, and were back in the MK by 7:30 for wishes at 8. then its waiting around for the kiss goodnight (which they didn't have that day )
total time in mk: 10.5 hrs

 

[dcmbshafe]

For us, we couldn't do the commando route because our kids (DD 5 and DS 4) wouldn't be resilient enough. It really depends on how much stamina you think your kids will have. DW took DS about a month ago and really struggled with whether to take him to MNSSHP, but afterward she was really glad she did not! One day he had a full morning at MGM and hung in until about 3 before having a complete melt-down. It was just too much stimulation for him, particularly right after the travel day. The next day he was able to do almost the whole day at MK, but he still needed an afternoon break. If they had tried to do MNSSHP on top of that, it wouldn't have worked.

 

[simzac]

With the age of your kids, I would spend at least 1 day at MK. Might even want to spend both days there the more that I think on it. Have a great time.

 

[hellooothere]

Hi thanks for all your help!

I agree about the little ones but I am trying to balance it out for the older kids. My little girls are early risers anyways so I think we will try...
EE both days but maybe skip the sit down lunch and just head back to room for swim/siesta then back to MVMCP at 4pm one day and MK and MGM till closing the next day.

I can always split up with DH and just take the girls back to hotel if need be so the older kids can have fun.

It sure seems harder to plan a short trip than a long one! Good thing I haven't written in ink in my passporter yet. So far all my plans are just in the computer.
Only 16 more days to figure it all out!!!


Thanks again for all your help!

I CAN'T BELIEVE WE WILL BE IN FLORIDA IN 16 DAYS!!!

 

[NewEnglandDisney]

Originally posted by jackskellingtonsgirl
Can someone please explain what is involved in hopping? How long does it take to go from one park to another? DH, DS (age 8) and I are going in January for the first time. We will have hopper passes but we aren't clear on how to hop. Theoretically we will have four days, but I might make an emergency plan in case flight delays or bad weather at WDW cut into our trip. Thanks!

Park hopping is just the act of going to multiple parks in one day. You can do this on any multi-day pass; the only pass you cannot do it with is a "one park/one day" ticket. You leave one park, get your handstamped, and when you arrive at the next park you scan your ticket again and they look at your handstamp. It's very simple.

Transportation is easy as well. The same internal bus system that gets guests from the resorts to the parks also travels from park to park. If you want to hop from, say MGM to AK, you simply take the bus from the MGM stop to the AK. MK to Epcot is via the monorail - take the express from MK to the TTC, then get on the monorail to Epcot.

It does take a bit of time, mostly depending on how long you wait to board the bus. I never found it more than 10 minutes or so, except for once when I waited over 30 min. for a bus to AK from the TTC. That was the exception, though.

With park hopping you can really take full advantage of the parks - although people will tell you "such and such is a good day for Epcot", it really gets more specific than that. For instance, you will hear many people of the opinon that you should never go to an EMH park because it always gets more crowded later in the day (for some odd reason, and it's totally true, even resort guests who arrive AFTER EMH is over still pick that park to go to that day - even though the benefit is over at 9am). Personally, when I can wake up, LOL, I go to the park that has EMH, because between 8-10am (when the park begins to fill) you can knock out a ton of rides. Then, just before lunch, I hop to another park and avoid the "stragglers" of the EMH.

If you work it right, you can see twice as much by park hopping. The best park for a afternoon hop, btw, is Animal Kingdom. It's only open until 5PM normally, but I have gotten there at 3PM, and between 3 and 5 done every major attraction in the park (Dinosaur, Kali, Safari, had time for Dinoland but I hate that carny crap). The only caveat is that the animals at the Safari are more sparse so late in the day, so if it was your only time seeing it I wouldn't reccomend it, but I had so much fun between those two hours on several different occasions. As you can read about in my trip report in my signature, when walking back from the Safari one day around 5:30, I was the only one I saw for minutes at a time (literally, not even CMs!). It seems the place really clears out after the parade.

N.E.D.

 

[swilphil]

Originally posted by hellooothere
I agree about the little ones but I am trying to balance it out for the older kids. My little girls are early risers anyways so I think we will try...
EE both days but maybe skip the sit down lunch and just head back to room for swim/siesta then back to MVMCP at 4pm one day and MK and MGM till closing the next day.

I think it's a good idea to skip AK and Rain Forest Cafe (they have restaurants in several cities). You might be surprised how much your older kids enjoy MK. Are you doing Epcot or MGM EE on day one. If you are doing MGM, there should be no need to go back on day 2 unless just to see Fantasmic. I would definitely do Epcot and then hop over to MGM (it's easy you can even walk) for Fantasmic.

One time saver we have found is to make a PS at Crystal Palace on a non-EE day before the park opens. Then you get breakfast with Pooh and friends and get to enter the park before it opens.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Thanks, N.E.D.!

Right now we are planning to have one whole day at AK, but if something unexpected happens we will absolutely remember your advice about the afternoon!