Is this Magic Kingdom Day Plan Do-able?

[anabelle]

Mike stresses just taking in the main attractions. You have WAY too much on here for a 1 PM departure. But if you want to go commando, I do advocate the UG. TGM is great for gaining information to help you make the most educated decisions about which ride to ride and when to ride them. Take you time exploring the website. It is not instant gratification, but it does help.

 

[2infinityandbeyond]

As the resident Disney nut I was elected to chaperone a small group of 10-14 year old girls who really wanted to try and ride as many things as they could. I used the UG and worked up a plan. Noone ran, but our party moved fairly rapidly from attraction to attraction, land to land. It was exhausting but this is how we did it:
(I kept notes on my itinerary sheet just out of curiosity. I'm sure I wouldn't have remembered anything otherwise. The day was a blur. If we waited for an attraction I tried to note the wait time)

EE( Staying at ASMu for Magic Music Days): Tomorrowland
Space Mt.
Buzz Lightyear

EE: Fantsyland
Pooh
Peter Pan (5 minute wait)
(no Mickey's Philharmagic back then)

Opening
Enter Frontierland from Fantasyland (via Liberty Square)
Splash Mt.
Big Thunder Mt.
Train to Toontown

10:00
Met Mickey for pics (this took a while, we had several girls but we didn't stand in a line since Toontown didn't open till 10 and my group of pre-teen dancers had no trouble out-pacing the stroller crowd. )

10:30
Back to Tomorrowland
Alien Encounter. In spite of the fact that the parks were crowded (July) We only had to wait in the outside queue until the next pre-show began. (Actually we had a few girls who skipped this. They took another spin on Buzz and were back and waiting for the AE bunch at the exit.)

11:15
Back to Fantasyland
Teacups (5 minute wait)
Snow White (20 minute or so wait)
It's a Small World

Liberty Square
Haunted Mansion (15 minute wait)


1:00
PS for lunch at Crystal Palace
(While we were waiting to be seated two of the girls ran over to Adventureland to get Fastpasses for the Jungle Cruise for the whole group.)

2:00 (ish)
Pirates of the Caribbean (short wait)
Tiki Birds (next show)
Jungle Cruise (used FP)

At this point the group split up. Some stayed to shop or see other attractions. I ended up leaving the park around 4:00 pm and I was completely wiped. We didn't "do" everything but I really don't see how we could have worked much more in. Those who stayed, however, had a great evening re-riding a few things, shopping, parades etc.

I would like to add that I wouldn't recommend this day to almost anyone else. It involved a lot of rushing around in the July heat. However, my group was young, very fit, and highly motivated. I was tired by lunchtime. The girls were going strong for hours after I left.

Jennifer

Commando is the only way to go. Otherwise you're really not getting your money's worth, and WDW is an expensive vacation. You can sleep and rest when you get home.

 

[erinch]

Be sure to purchase Depends before you go. No time for "breaks" in your plan.

Truly, the order is just fine. Unless you've got little ones, and they want to ride 3 out of 3 in your fantasyland segment, then you're SOL.

Is this your only day in the MK? Will you be going back?

How old are the people in your party? How far to the hotel?

I know that in our family we would have felt far more relaxed spreading your schedule out till about 4:00 or so and stopping to savor the little touches, while still using FP. If we had little ones who got exhausted, a break to ride the monorail to epcot and back might be a nice touch.

Also, unless you've got pipsqueaks who are do or die for characters, or want to ride the Toontown kid roller coaster or play on Donald's boat, it's just aggravation to think you can go to Toontown and get out again. Mickey has a separate tent from Minnie. There's another area where the chipmunks or others hang out. The Pooh characters just gather on the street, or did the last time we were there. The roller coaster line moves very slowly if you do autographs first. If you do the roller coaster first the autograph lines get horrendous. Why not skip Toontown and do a character meal--that would put the rest of your schedule much more on target. (Just my opinion.) We all wish you pixie dust on your trip, and can't wait to hear how it REALLY goes!

 

[Amy&Dan]

This plan doesn't sound like the Tourguidemike I used. I believe "Mike" used to work for Disney taking people on individualized tours. He was one of the guys that takes celebrities and other rich folks around the parks all day long. I have used him before and that plan doesn't sound like anything he would do. Maybe its a TourguideMike's cousin on acid type thing, I don't know! Its a great thing to use along with these boards and the UG. Just know that with whatever plan you use you HAVE to be flexible.

 

[jcemom]

The plan is only slightly modified from one provided by Tour Guide Mike. Looks like that was $20 wasted. Glad I checked.

Slightly? I'd say this is much more than 'slightly' modified, LOL. You've managed to put two days' worth of touring into one day, I think. As others have stated, maybe you should check the length of the rides/attractions you're interested in (they're on the TGM site). Even if you walked straight onto/into many of these with no wait at all, you couldn't fit everything into the time you've allotted in some cases. Sorry.

 

[ChairborneRangr]

First off this is an informative post only for those that do not know who Mike is. Please don't take it any other way.

I don't know who Tour Guide Mike is, but he maybe has not been in the parks on extremely crowded days?

Mike takes BILLIONAIRES in to the parks on the most crowded holidays. It isn't $94/day it is $94/hr.

Part of the fun of WDW is just looking at everything. When you spend your entire trip running frantically from ride to ride, you miss out on a lot.

Exactly. And that is stressed in almost every article Mike writes.

Does this tour guide Mike guy know about The Sword in the Stone Ceremony, or little girls waking up Tinkerbell at Tinkerbells Treasures?
Does he ever stop and get a cookie at the bakery and sit out on Main St and just admire the beauty of the castle or watch any of the shows and parades?
Does he ever look for the talking trash can in tomorrowland or admire the beautiful plants?
Does he ever stop and laugh at the ducks that everyone who goes to WDW inevitably winds up with several photos of?

It doesn't sound like it.

Actually the answer is yes to all. And he takes the families kids to do all that as well...

I honestly don't feel a schedule like this can be easily stuck to. You can certainly try but you'd miss the best parts of WDW which IMO, is the ambience of just being there. You'll wind up getting sidetracked by something, at some point. Then, if you've been revolving around a strict schedule, you might wind up dropping something you wanted to do.

Completely agree. You won't find time windows on mike's schedules other than "try to be leaving this area of the park by xx:xx O'Clock or so"

Are you going during a peak crowd time? When I went last Dec. I did early entry at MK and did Space Mountain, Buzz, and Stitch in less than an hour. But that was during a very, very slow time of year with early morning entry.
I stayed in the park that Thursday until AFTER Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party and I still did not go on all the rides and see all the shows.

Mike, and his customers regularly hit this number of rides in the mornings even during peak periods. It is not just what days to go to what parks, it is what times to avoid in certain areas etc.

If you are curious about TGM, simply go to www.tourguidemike.com and click on the contact button. You can email him questions about his service. I have never had an unanswered email.

 

[OurDogCisco]

The plan is only slightly modified from one provided by Tour Guide Mike. Looks like that was $20 wasted. Glad I checked.

You definitely misread his plan.... I see his plan but it doesn't say to do all the things you listed. YOu added about 4 rides he didn't even have on the plan. YOu need to go back and re-read it. It has ? marks that indicate maybe you could do it depending on the time but you totally missed the point of his plan....

 

[luuuceee]

mattr555 -

Wow - I'd say you've got a good 8 or 9 hours of stuff crammed into your 4 hour plan. There is just about NO chance you are going to get on 3 rides in 30 minutes, especially in Fantasyland. And there is NO way you're going to get a photo with Mickey in ToonTown in less than 15 minutes! Plan on more like 40 min. to an hour.

We've been in the MK on busy days when we were lucky to do 3 or 4 rides in a whole morning. Even relatively short wait times of 10 or 15 min. per ride will immediately derail your current schedule. Use FastPass where possible, but it's not a miracle cure. The wait time for that FP can be anywhere from 20 minutes to several hours in the future. You have to plan everything else around it. And you can only have one FP going at a time.

I agree that the original poster's plan was WAY too much, and not in line with TGMike's advice at all. Like Tracey said, that was putting the 2-day plan into one day, it seems. I don't agree that you can't do 3 rides in 30 minutes. We did 6 rides in Fantasyland in under an hour, and that was stopping to grab a FP in Tomorrowland on the way. And this was in mid-June of last year, definitely not a slow time! We went on the rides at the "right" time of the day, information we got from TGM, information he knows because he has practically lived in the parks for half his lifetime!

Not to bash TGM, but most of the "paid for" plans I've seen are sort of at the far side of Commando-syle park visiting. If you stick to them, you're likely to be worn out in 2 or 3 hours...and disappointed, to boot. Use these plans as a general guideline, not as an actual minute-by-minute schedule.

I think it's been said by others, but TGM is totally against commando-style touring. I'm laughing as I picture the thought of him trying to get one of his rich and famous guests running around the park, commando style. I think he'd hear "you're fired" after a couple of rides if he did that and he wouldn't have so many of them using him again and again.

TGM is all about being at the right place at the right time, and after his years of experience, he knows when to be where. That's why he can say that they never wait longer than 15 minutes, even in peak crowds. I followed his advice during peak season and didn't wait more than 15 minutes. This man knows his stuff, he really does. And what's cool about him is that he wants to explain WHY he advises different things - he wants you to be able to understand his rationale and apply it for yourself. And it works!

The main idea for all of WDW is to be flexible! And just enjoy the place. Stop and look around. Sit on a bench and have a Mickey bar. Watch the stage shows. It's a beautiful place! Surprises pop up in unlikely places.

And Mike is all about this as well. We stopped and looked around, had our Mickey bars, strolled in the shops, and still did everything we wanted to do, all during peak season. I would recommend TGM to anyone, period. $21.95 is a TINY price to pay for the kind of experience that we had last summer.

Not trying to be on a soapbox, but Mike is just THAT good.

 

[luuuceee]

And you know what, that's perfectly fine. Not every planning tool is for everyone. I will say that I think the only thing we missed at the MK was the Jungle Cruise, and I had a 6- and 8-year-old in tow. We never felt like we were touring commando style either. We had plenty of time to stroll and to appease the kids' requests for "ooh, let's ride that one again!" I think that's one of the common misconceptions about TGM - he does VIP tours all the time with small kids. He was just talking about one that he was just on with a 3-year-old, in fact.

As I said in another post, I'm a WDW newbie compared to a lot of you-all, and last year's was my first trip to plan as the "adult" of the trip. Before, I was there with my folks as a teenager. TGM works really well for me, but it doesn't for others.

If you truly don't think you can benefit from TGM, then maybe you shouldn't sign up. Just keep in mind that he does offer refunds if you try his site out and don't feel like you're getting anything out of it.

 

[Eeyore2003]

Impossible, I would agree with the person who suggest you check the time it take to ride a certain ride. you will never get two rides and MickeysPhilaharmgic done in 1/2 hour. Then it get worse. ENJOY your day!!! You CAN accomplish allot, but not quite that much!!!

 

[luuuceee]

Impossible, I would agree with the person who suggest you check the time it take to ride a certain ride. you will never get two rides and MickeysPhilaharmgic done in 1/2 hour. Then it get worse. ENJOY your day!!! You CAN accomplish allot, but not quite that much!!!

Yeah, and I agree with this. I said earlier that we did 6 rides in Fantasyland in an hour, but I should clarify this and say that Philharmagic was NOT one of them. We did that at a later time. Seems that it took 20 minutes by itself, or something like that.

 

[DisFlan]

luuucee - I'm not saying there's anything wrong with TGM, it's just that his articles don't offer us a whole lot that we need or didn't already know. We don't really fit his normal profile of people looking for "optimal park/resort usage". We're extremely casual park-goers. We don't use "plans" for the parks. We are rarely ever in a park early (not since our son was little, he's an adult now). We may do nothing more than a meal or a parade and maybe one or two rides when we are in a park. We may do a single park 3 times in a day or hop to 2 or 3 parks during a day. We VERY rarely stand in lines, even for 15 minutes - by choice. If a ride or attraction we like happens to not have a line, we grab it. If not, it's no big deal. We'll be back and we've probably done it before.

TGM is great for updates and timely tips - that's what I use him for. Some of his articles are very good. I have no doubt he is THAT good. I'm sure most of his subscribers get much more out of it than we do.

DisFlan

 

[luuuceee]

Thanks for the clarification! For me, Mike offered TONS that I didn't know, but you're obviously much more experienced with WDW than me, as I've only been 3 times. I concede that TGM isn't for everyone, and with the way you tour the parks, I see where he may not provide tons of benefit. If I had been as much as it seems like you have, I may be the same way - if I do it, great; if not, that's okay - I've done it before. And in that case, I may not need TGM as much either. Until then...I need all the planning help I can get!

 

[zippehsmom]

Mattr55, I just had to post and say that this in no way looks like a slightly modified TGM plan I have seen.

And as stated by another poster you did notwaste $20, there is a money back guarantee.

 

[zippehsmom]

I have never gone to Disney for less than 7 days, and for the last 2 trips I have gone for at least 10 days. We are not themepark commando's, and TGM has worked great for us. I never felt rushed or pressured. We never ran from attraction to attraction.

So, I think that TGM works great for people who plan on being in the park for more than a couple days.

 

[luuuceee]

My only issue wuth TGM, from what I've read, is you have to do things on a particular schedule. I don't wanna tour the Magic Kingdom like that. I wanna see everything, not just select attractions. There are ways to do it - As much as TGM knows, there are ways to see the Magic Kingdom when it's busy from your own past experiences.

Like I said, I tihnk TGM is perfect for 1st time visitors or people who only have a few days un the park. For people who want to see EVERYTHING, it simply doesn't work.

Not trying to preach - promise! - but...with TGM, you don't have to do things on a schedule. He tells you the best days and nights to visit each park, and the best times to visit each attraction. He never says, "you have to go here at this time and there at that time." He will say, "ride this ride in the park's first or last hour; otherwise, it will be a long line" or, "You don't want to see this show at this time because it's a lot busier than the show at this time". Honestly, I didn't feel like I had to stick to a schedule at all. JMHO.

He advocates the "best of the best," but he also understands that some people want to see it all. I *almost* saw it all on my trip - the main reason I didn't is because my kids had to do RNR and Space again and again and again...and we finally ran out of time. There are actually only a couple of things I wanted to do but didn't. Rookie mistakes that I won't make next time!

And I agree that you learn a lot based on experience. There are people on TGM who have been countless times and still use his AVP. And they probably use it more for updated info than park touring. Once I become an expert (oh, if only I could go to WDW enough times to become an expert!), I'm sure my focus on TGM will change too.

 

[alijolly]

I have to say that I do recognise this as taken from TGM although modified and with added strict times. We followed Mikes 2 day plan almost exactly this year on our first trip, we went over Easter and the parks were busy but following Mikes plan which I believe this is taken from we acheived exactly what he said we could. The most important thing with Mike is to read the "whys" There were so many times during our holiday that we were so grateful for his advice particularly as we were leaving the parks early afternoon having ridden/seen everything we wanted, whilst hundreds more people were streaming in the gates. We had 3 children with us 8, 10 and 12 plus my dad and his sister so a wide age range.

You might think it was a waste of money and Mike will refund no problem for me it was probably the wisest $18 I sent over the whole holiday

 

[mdoc]

We were just at MK last week, and it was so crowded that I heard there were days it reached capacity. By getting there for the EMH at 7am and using fast passes, we did every Fantasyland ride, Buzz, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise and a couple rides I don't recall (but no shows other than Mickey's Philharmagic) before lunch. I don't know if your exact schedule will work (the best laid plans and all that), but if you're there early and use your fast passes wisely, you can get an awful lot done, even at the most crowded times of year.

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

My only issue wuth TGM, from what I've read, is you have to do things on a particular schedule. I don't wanna tour the Magic Kingdom like that. I wanna see everything, not just select attractions. There are ways to do it - As much as TGM knows, there are ways to see the Magic Kingdom when it's busy from your own past experiences.

Like I said, I tihnk TGM is perfect for 1st time visitors or people who only have a few days un the park. For people who want to see EVERYTHING, it simply doesn't work.

It's not liek taht at all. Plenty of info about when's and why's in order for you to decide on your own, what you want to see when. Very good to use for your style of touring! I used tons of his advice on my 14 DAY trip this December. I want to see as much as possible, without being on a schedule - and Tour Gudie Mike's advice is the best way to do this.

He does include specific "touring plans" for people who watn them (1 day in Magic Kingdom with young kids, etc....) but I think he really only includes these types of plans because peopel really wanted these. But, his entire (huge) website, is more about helping you figure out your own plans, to suit your style of planning.

TGM is awesome!!

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

1:00pm
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