Is DC a full day expereince?

[01Sweetpea]

We are heading back to WDW for a quick trip 10/12 - 10/17, arriving late on 10/12 and leaving early on 10/17, leaving us 3 /12 park days.

The original game plan was as follows:
10/13 - park all day
10/14 - water park until 2 or 3, then PSs at 5:30 at LTT, then MNSSHP
10/15 - park all day
10/16 - TKD Nationals, then either park for 1/2 day or rest at resort for remainder of time.

I have now found out about DC and would LOVE to go. Can I switch my water park day for DC and still have energy to MNSSHP that evening?

Or should I switch my itinerary to
10/13 - DC
10/14 - park then PSs at 5:30 at LTT, then MNSSHP
10/15 park all day
10/16 - same as above

PS - we just got back from a 2/27 - 3/6 trip.

 

[robvia]

I know lots of abbreviations but LTT and MNSSHP are new to me. What are they?
Seems you're trying to do another Disney trip, with DC squeezed in.
That's not really what you wanna do. DC takes an entire day (some leave around 3pm), it's a relaxing experience, alot of fun.
Your badge gets you 7 days of Sea World Florida (SWF) before or after your visit. That park also takes an entire day to see everything, because it's mostly shows, looking at animals, and eating.
You could probably hit the highlites of SWF if you went from 9am to 3pm, go back to your hotel room, rest, then go to a Disney park for the evening.
But once you visit DC, you'll want to go back to SWF a few times to take it all in and see the Dolphins in the Key West area again.

 

[01Sweetpea]

LTT - Liberty Tree Tavern
MNSSHP - Mickey's Not So Scarry Halloween Party

I doubt we will use our Sea World tickets.

We are heading to Disney for Tae Kwon Do Nationals. I just thought DC would be a nice add-on. I'm not sure when we'll be back. We were just at Disney from 2/27 - 3/6. I'm just trying to see if DC would take up a "whole" day, or can it be done between 9-3 lets say. For the amount of money it costs, I don't want to be rushing around watching the time knowing we are going to the Halloween Party at the Magic Kindgom that evening.

I presuming from all I have read, it's not as relaxing as one of the Dinsey water parks, and we could be exhausted even before we get to MK. I just think the experience would be a once in a lifetime, and I don't want to short-change that.

Thanks for your response.

 

[mog]

We went to DC just a couple months after it opened, so we didn't have much info on it ahead of time. We thought we'd go first thing in the am and then leave around 3 to go shopping at Downtown Disney that evening. Well that did not happen! They practically had to kick us out of the park at closing time! We were just loving it too much to leave!

Also - I found it way more relaxing than the water parks. Other than the dolphin swim, you are completely free to just sit around in a chair and read, or you can snorkel or swim. There is no running around waiting in lines, trying to get to all the water slides, etc. It is the ultimate in relaxation! We are going again this summer and I will be there before opening time and plan to leave when they drag me out!

If you have the chance - definitely go!

 

[JRLATL]

Mog is correct, it can be very relaxing. It's all up to you as to how much you snorkel and swim. The dolphin experience is a scheduled time for your group, so you may have that in the morning or afternoon. Ours was around 1:00. We were able to snorkel, eat a nice lunch, have the dolphin experience and then snorkel again. We did relax for a short time on the beach. It's a great day, and I hope you can fit it into your schedule.

 

[Twigs]

We just stayed in WDW in Feb., we went to DC one day and we drove over to Tampa that evening to visit friends. So if you want to experience DC and go to MNSSHP, I think it is doable. DC closed at 5pm when we were there, I don't know if their hours change with the seasons. You would want to be at DC early as they give you your dolphin swim time when you check in. We got to DC at 9:00am, stood in line about 10 - 15 min. and got a swim time of 12:05. We had plenty of time to snorkel and swim before our dolphin time and ate and saw the bird aviaries afterward.